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livestock

sheep
Posted on in Agriculture/Cat Urbigkit/Column/wildlife

The Fallacy of Gold-Standard Predator Research

As a frequent reader of new research on livestock production and carnivore conflicts, I am often reminded of the divide between researchers and practitioners. Papers will explain that research was conducted on sheep, without necessary information about those sheep, which practitioners (livestock producers) know will influence outcomes. For instance, we need to know not just the number of sheep involved, but breed, sex, age, breeding status, etc. because these cohorts may react differently in a given scenario. Keep Reading | 978 words

On climate change and cattle
Posted on in Agriculture/Cat Urbigkit/Column/Range Writing

On Climate Change & Cattle Production

The latest report coming from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is focused on climate change and land, but something must have been garbled in the translation from Geneva because much of the U.S.-media translation emphasized that people should eat less beef and quit wasting so much food. That unfortunate result comes from reporters unwilling to make the time and effort to read the report itself, which – at hundreds of pages and still in draft form – makes for an interesting but not-pleasant task. Keep Reading | 1131 words

Pronghorn nursery
Posted on in Cat Urbigkit/Column/Range Writing/wildlife

The Bloody Sire Inhabits the Sagebrush Sea

It’s been an interesting week on the ranch, which is located amid the sagebrush sea of western Wyoming. We had our first confirmed depredation of a 20-pound lamb by a pair of adult bald eagles. This was somewhat of a surprise since our livestock guardian dogs tend to harass big birds that come near the flock, and because most confirmed eagle depredations on livestock are inflicted by golden eagles – not bald eagles. I had watched a pair of golden eagles hunting over the sheep flock the week prior and was relieved when a spring snow squall pushed the eagles away from the flock. Keep Reading | 1104 words

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