Ranching Motivations in 2 Colorado Counties

Rowe, Helen I.; Bartlett, E. T.; Swanson, Louis E.

doi:10.2307/4003098

Cited by 37 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…In accordance with the comments made by our respondents, Brunson and Huntsinger (2008) noted that the limited profitability of ranching and the barriers created by unaffordable land prices forces many children of ranchers to pursue different careers. Similarly, Liffman et al (2000) and Rowe et al (2001) found the lack of an heir, or their children not staying in ranching, as a reason for ranchers to leave the business themselves or sell their land. These observations are related but slightly different from our findings: the impact of the younger generation leaving the ranch has not yet induced most of the Lampasas landowners we interviewed to consider selling their land or leave ranching altogether despite the impacts of reduced labor.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Agricultural Census 2012). Further similarities include changing demographics and land use motivations , and ranching for lifestyle rather than for economic reasons (Liffman et al 2000, Rowe et al 2001, Brunson and Huntsinger 2008. We identified the key turning points, historical events, and social relationships noted by landowners that led to these changes over the past several decades.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, most ranchers in a California study felt "over-regulation" was a good reason to stop ranching (Liffman et al 2000). And ranchers in Colorado rated "public policy" as the second most important reason people would consider selling their ranch (Rowe et al 2001). In another example, Yoder et al (2004) highlighted the strict liability laws as discouraging the adoption of prescribed burning among landowners who might otherwise burn as a way to manage shrub encroachment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A life course approach to understanding social drivers of rangeland conversion

Hurst¹,

Ramsdell²,

Sorice³

2017

E&S

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ABSTRACT. Grassland to woodland conversion, also known as woody plant encroachment (WPE), is a global-scale phenomena caused in large part by changes in social processes that affect rural land use patterns. Woody plant encroachment has raised serious concerns for species conservation, provision of ecosystem services, and viability of rural livelihoods and cultures. We examined the social drivers of WPE using a case study of rangelands in a semi-arid watershed. We employed the life course framework to understand how ranchers have made land ranch management decisions in the context of time, culture, and social change. We interviewed landowners whose families have been on the land for at least two generations to examine (1) the social context influencing a landowner's decision to increase or decrease their involvement in ranching over their life span, and (2) the historical events that facilitated constrained involvement. We relate these changes in involvement to the expansion of woody plants. Three major turning points were related to changes in ranching involvement: graduating high school, retirement, and infirmity of a parent. We found that changes in ranching involvement were influenced by large-scale shifts in culture, market regulations, and land values throughout the 20th century. These shifts led to three behavioral changes on the land that facilitated WPE: (1) changes in livestock following the collapse of the sheep and goat market, (2) increased popularity of hunting, and (3) decreased labor availability on the ranch. These observations illustrate the complex social and ecological forces at work throughout the 20th century that have led to land transformation in central Texas.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A life course approach to understanding social drivers of rangeland conversion

Hurst¹,

Ramsdell²,

Sorice³

2017

E&S

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“…Research has shown that strong motivators for staying in ranching are oft en noneconomic (Liff mann et al 2000;Rowe et al 2001), as was presented in the theme "love of rangelands. " Ranchers also want to maintain status within their community and be viewed as good ranchers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ranchers’ Perceptions of Vegetation Heterogeneity in the Northern Great Plains

Sliwinski¹,

Burbach²,

Powell³

et al. 2018

Great Plains Research

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to structurally homogenous rangelands that limit plant and animal biodiversity (Toombs et al. 2010; Becerra et al. 2013). Loss of heterogeneity is problematic because biodiversity (Fig. 1) is dependent on structural heterogeneity (MacArthur and MacArthur 1961; Hovick et al. 2014). Furthermore, biodiversity management is typically not considered in ranch management decisions (Knight et al. 2011). Th e lack of consideration of biodiversity in rangeland management was recently highlighted by a study that revealed temperate rangelands have the least intact biodiversity of any habitat type in the world compared to historical conditions (Newbold et al. 2016). Some range scientists are calling for a paradigm shift away from managing for grazing effi ciency to manag

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“…15 Research gauging ranch owner reaction to changes in federal grazing policy indicates a more complex story. 16,17 Public land ranchers exhibit diverse motivations for staying in ranching and differing perceived abilities to maintain their operations without public forage. 18 Ironically, many ranchers persist in the rangeland livestock business, despite its marginal economic returns, for the same reason that new westerners buy 35-acre ranchettes, that is, for the lifestyle.…”

Section: Conservation Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%