Riding Herd Saying things that need to be said. March 15, 2026 • www.aaalivestock.com
Volume 68 • No. 3
by LEE PITTS
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Real Men
LEE PITTS
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NEWSPAPER PRIORITY HANDLING
midst all the euphoria about cattle prices I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I think we may NOT have learned from our mistakes made 40 or 50 years ago. Old timers will remember that of the thousand known cattle breeds in the world it seems cattlemen in this country were experimenting with half of them in an effort to make our cattle longer and taller. In the process we made them bigger and badder. Actually, our little experiment involved about 35 breeds and, sure enough, instead of more efficient cattle that consistently graded choice, our primary concern was something called “frame score.” We were selecting cattle in the show ring and at bull sales that were longer, taller all right but they were also devoid of muscle mass and their meat was of poor eating quality. It took us decades to recover and to regain the customer’s trust and for beef to regain its reputation for eating quality tied to gradability. We may be making a similar mistake now only this time
we are making our finished cattle weigh from 1,700 to 2,000 pounds. It takes a much bigger cow to make an 1,800-pound steer and yet bigger cows are the last thing we need. What happens to maintenance costs when your range cows go from 1,000 to 1,400 pounds? And how many ranges in this country
rebred with their second calf. Sure, some of this is the cattle feeder’s fault, but who can blame them when they are making money for every extra pound they can add to a beef animal’s carcass now and that’s a much more favorable business model than to try and replace those cattle in the feedlot with new ones that cost $2,500 to $3,000. Especially when all it would take is one “Black Swan” event and those cattle could easily lose 25 to 33 percent of their value. Add in the cost of feeding the replacement animal for 200 days and we could see a wreck of epic proportions. And yes, I said 200 days on feed. And some Holstein and Holstein crosses are spending up to an entire year in the feedlot! This infatuation with bigger cattle and heavier carcasses is all due to one thing: because corn and other grains are dirt cheap right now. But what happens
Take care of yourself as well as you do your horse and you’ll both be healthy. can support such a cow? I can show you places in the Southwest that will hardly support a 900-pound cow let alone one that weighs 1,300 pounds. And how many of those extra-large replacement heifers are going to get big round zeros painted on their rumps when preg checked. Even if they have a first calf good luck getting the monsters
when hay and grain prices go back up, as they always have? Who is going to want to feed those cattle to extreme weights when feeders lose money on every extra pound they add? And if you remember anything from this story, remember this... CATTLE BECOME MORE INEFFICIENT THE BIGGER THEY GET.
The Grain Economy In my part of the world farmers have a new word for what’s happening in the markets right now. They call it Farmageddon, a takeoff on the word “Armageddon” in which mankind disappears from the planet. Sure, it’s an exaggeration, unless you’re a farmer watching your world swirling down the drain. Faith Parum, a Ph.D. an economist for the Farm Bureau puts it all in perspective. “For most of the country, farmers face a difficult farm economy – as crop prices continue to decline and production expenses remain high. Strong yields provide little relief and imbalance continued on page 2
Failed Illusions: Non-Lethal Wolf Management & “Reimbursement” SOURCE: WESTERN JUSTICE
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or years, pro-wolf activists have insisted that ranchers have nothing to complain about. When wolves kill cattle, “you get compensated.” When calves come up missing, “get range riders.” According to the urban fantasy version of wolf management, a handful of people riding around vast expanses of mountainous livestock range can prevent predation, and whatever they can’t prevent, the government will pay back. But the people who actually work in wolf country know that both of these promises — range riding as prevention and compensation as cure — are nothing more than carefully crafted political illusions. Wolf-conflict specialist Jeff Flood has spent more than a decade on the ground in Washington, and he is brutally clear: range riding does not stop wolf depredation, and compensation does not fix the damage. Together, they form a system that looks good on paper while quietly dismantling rural families, cattle herds, ranching legacies, and the agricultural economy of the region.
The Myth of Range Riding Is the First Lie Ranchers Are Told The public imagines range riders galloping across the landscape, intercepting wolves just in time, heroically pushing predators away from cattle. In reality, Flood says, that never happens. continued on page 4
Department of Energy Awards $9 Million For National Research Project on Cactus Pear’s Bioenergy Potential
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s the quest to diversify and expand sustainable alternative energy products continues, the U.S. Department of Energy has awarded a $9 million grant to support research that will be led by researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno to expand the use of cactus pear as a low‑water-use, climate‑resilient biomass crop and potential biofuel feedstock. During the five-year, multi-institution project, a national team will conduct cactus pear field trials at sites across the U.S. to identify varieties that produce the highest biomass with minimal water and other inputs. If viable, cactus pear could join next-generation bioenergy crops such as switchgrass, sorghum, miscanthus and energy cane, contributing to national clean-fuel and bioproducts goals. The major appeal of cactus pear lies in its ability to produce biomass using only a fraction of the water required by conventional biofuel crops, without directly competing with food production. The versatile desert plant also produces fruit used in cosmetics, nutraceuticals and specialty foods. “Cactus pear represents a real economic opportunity for farmers and landowners in the West and the South,” said John Cushman, continued on page 4
real man doesn’t moisturize. Nor does he go to a salon to get his haircut. He goes to a barber, not a stylist and would never wear hair gel like the Governor of California or some sissy poetry professor. A real man is adventurous and likes to explore unchartered territory, like the kitchen. He can go to the hardware store without a support group. He is knowledgeable and LOOKS at magazines like Bassmaster, Field and Stream and Playboy so he can discuss the content with other real men. Like, “Hey, did you catch the bazooms on Miss February?” A real man is able to hit a certain white plumbing fixture while standing five feet away. He has also peed on his share of truck tires. A real man’s four food groups are meat, anything fried, Mexican food and beer, He’s been known to kill his own food and likes to barbecue. A real man has never had a pedicure in his life. He cuts his nails with a pocketknife and files them with a horseshoer’s rasp. And yes, he does carry a pocketknife which he uses to cut his meat at barbecues and brandings where plastic fork are provided, even if he used his knife the day before to castrate bulls. He doesn’t use lip balm, gloss or scented Chap Stick. He knows the difference between a backhoe and a “ho.” A real man does not wear an earring, tongue stud or lip jewelry. He’s never worn capri pants (whatever they are), a dress or leggings. None of his clothes are mauve, peach or pumpkin in color. Real men listen to real music and that means country/western. He never heard of Bad Bunny until he performed at the Super Bowl, which he boycotted by going to the bathroom. Both stunk. A real man knows the date of his anniversary, his wife’s birthday and that she likes See’s candy, which he gives her every year. But with a one-pound box costing over $27.00 she might have to start get to liking a Hershey candy bar from the Dollar Store instead. He can’t tell you the difference between Cappuccino or espresso or arugula and radicchio.
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