The Dickinson press., 1911-01-07
MUST KEEP Off TIRE GRASS
CAUSE FOR HIGH BEEF

MUST KEEP Off THE Grass
CAUSE FOR HIGH BEEF
On the 22nd of November, by request,
II, S. Underhill of Antelope, wrote the
Orange Judd Farmers as follows:
Nearly all the speculation and guess
work in placing the cause of the high
price of beef a be summed up in this
time-worn expression: keep off the
grass Before the farmer settlement
posted this notice was the era of range
|or grass fattened beef. For three or
four months a yea we had the winning
end of the butchers block. with com
Portable margins of profit, in the mean
time giving the consumer lower prices.
The incoming of the farmer settlement.
gradual at first, had the effect of cutting
down the quality of ranch production.
The restricted range madeHpoor beef.
The situation drew more and more tense,
to the exclusion of profits as the land
and settlers boom increased, as it has
so rapidly for the past few years that
ranch cattle are practically extinct, end
ing with this seasons cleaning up of a
few remnants of range stock. and also
much of the stock farmer holdings.
l will give my personal experience as
best to illustrate present conditions.
This can be multiplied by like instances
all through the ranch country. Six
years ago I held IA, 900 acres of pur-
chased land. with a tributary free range
of those times as much more stocked to
the limit Now this land is occupied
by IS farmer families and the railroads
are completing branch lines to carry out
the wheat and bring supplies to a line
of growing towns, and to these thriving
settlers this surely spells the end of
ranch beef. There are still a few
localities in the Bad Lands, and up to
the present time the Indian reservations
have kept some vitality in ranching !;
but now the government opens the reser-
vations for settlement, and the railroads
open the Bad Lands to the small farmer,
so the cowboy has hung up his saddle
AMI laid aside his spurs forever.
Yet there are cattle lovers, cattle
breeders, who realize that this is the
best cattle country on earth and are
diligently sticking to it as best they
can. The cattle men have put up a
good fight to maintain a profitable foot
ing. on a more limited scale, by buying
land and fencing, thus putting them
selves beyond the trespass notice. By
this means we have had the satisfaction
of marketing a good feeder at a small
profit. This did fairly we'll while the
seasons were favorable, but in an off
year, like this season. when the pastures
were exhausted by midsummer it was
only a few favored localities that pro-
duced more than a thin feeder. Even
at the higher prices these gave no profit,
consequently the general cleanup, in
Guiding calves and yearlings, regardless
of future supply.
4AAO AuIuAO VI Lax NdISAO AAOuoCy IA SA0
west ~ -the- Missouri country will be an
outgrowth Of the stock farmer-on feed
ing lines. This will produce butcher
stock again. However. We cannot ex-
pect much of a development in this,
while the wheat farmer is taking the
cream off the land in dollar wheat. The
evolution will be slow. The old-time
ranchman does not take kindly to farm
ing, and even stock farming will largely
develop from the new element. In
speaking thus confidently of new con-
ditions 10 arise, it is founded o a faith
backed by experience and observation.
We can, and have, successfully raised
fodder crops. Even in off grain crop
years rye and oat hay have been a
success. The various cultivated grasses
are in the experimental stage and un-
doubtedly will be dependable. Fodder
corn will undoubtedly be the great re-
lance crop which. with the silo, will be
the redeeming feature of the cattle in
dustry. This natural cattle country
will surely come to its own with many
small holdings in place of the few large
ranches.