Cattle Drive

       For many years, 30+?, Steve has rented a pasture from me. He moves his livestock into the pasture in early spring and removes them in early July. The cattle feast on the early growing invasive grasses. This encourages the later season native grasses such as big bluestem to thrive. It's very convenient relationship.  This avoids a couple of months of grazing on his pasture. He gives me a rental payment that helps offset the land taxes I pay. (South Dakota has a very regressive tax system that relies heavily on property tax.)

    It's also convenient because our two pastures are very near, less than 500 yards apart. When he moved the cattle last week he opened the gate in my pasture, let down the fence in his and led the cattle from one to the other. Cattle have good memories, so good that they remember the transition and where to go.

  My pasture is fenced but the fence is old and some sections in poor repair. Steve puts up an electric fence to contain the stock. Last summer deer ran into the electric fence and knocked it down, where the old fence was also down. The cattle discovered this breach and left the pasture.  They walked a half mile north to the road. There they turned west walking on the road a mile to an intersection. Then they turned south walking another mile to another intersection. At that corner they turned east for a half a mile, north for a quarter of a mile on a field road where they found the open gate to Steve's pasture. When Steve went looking for them he found them in his pasture! 😀

Takk for alt,

Al