Brief by Central Staff
Agriculture – November 2002 – Colorado Central Magazine
On account of the drought, hay has been in scarce supply this year, and that’s been a real hit to mountain agriculture. Those who grow it haven’t had much, if any, to sell; those who buy it to feed their herds in the winter haven’t been able to afford it.
Amid statewide publicity, Colorado ranchers in the Four Corners got some help from farmers in Wisconsin. There was a good crop in the Badger State this year, and some of it was loaded onto railroad cars and transported to Alamosa by the Union Pacific Railroad, then trucked to Durango.
But there was also another haylift, this one benefiting ranchers in Custer County. The alfalfa hay — 100 tons — came from Gallatin County, Montana, and was distributed on Sept. 19 and 20 in Westcliffe. It went for $70 a ton, about half the current market price, and was apportioned to 17 ranches by the local stockgrowers association, based on how many cattle a rancher planned to carry through the coming winter.
The hay delivery was arranged by the Sonoran Institute, which works to preserve rural lifestyles through its Working Landscapes Program. Ben Alexander, a Sonoran representative, observed that “When we work with a community, we make every effort to remain long-term partners.” After talking with ranchers, he said, “we knew they simply needed a fighting chance to beat the drought.”
Alexander added that “Ranchers have historically helped out other ranchers in times of crisis. We think it’s time conservationists step up to the plate and help ranchers who are making arrangements to protect their lands and conservation values, and that’s what we’re doing.”
Randy Rusk, president of the Custer County Stockgrowers, observed that “This is just one more example of how conservationists and ranchers can build partnerships that maintain strong working ranches.”
Rusk, like other Custer ranchers, has been culling his herd, and he’s down to about 50% of normal. Also, he usually rents pasturage, but this year, “I don’t have any grass.”