the browse ranch

BY NEIL BANGS, PRINCIPAL BROKER | FAY RANCHES

Through my years of ranch real estate, one thing that has become very apparent is the expectations of what a cattle ranch should look like in the eyes of a buyer. Most buyers picture waves of knee-high grass, lush, irrigated hay meadows, mountains of stored hay, and live water running through the ranch. Although this description does in fact occur in Wyoming, it is not the norm for a quality, successful cattle ranch here. Over the years I could have easily won bet after bet with buyers that the cattle they were currently viewing will feed on some brush-like browse plant. They would look at me with skepticism until we would see a cow and calf feeding on one of these browse plants. I have had clients literally demand that I stop the truck so they could get out and investigate the plant that these cattle were feeding on, shake their heads and then say, “I can’t believe they are eating that”. They immediately go back to the data sheets on the individual browse plants that I had provided and begin to read and discover the benefits of these plants and a whole new world opens up right before their eyes. This brings me to the most misunderstood type of cattle ranch out there, the Browse Ranch.

Browse means brush or woody types of plants. Most people have no idea that cattle will feed on these plants much like a deer, or an elk will and even less of a picture of the value of some of these browse plants add to a ranch. These ranches are found throughout the United States, but I will concentrate on Wyoming for the purpose of this article. These ranches are certainly not a picture of what I described above. They are typically a short hard grass ranch, which may or may not have multiple seasonal types of grass, and are usually in a high desert climate, which pretty much covers the whole state of Wyoming. The benefits of these browse plants are often multiple. They will offer a source of feed at certain times of the year and protection against the elements. As one rancher put it, “It’s like an all-you-can-eat buffet!”.

Browse plants are appealing to cattle at different times of the year. Some are early spring, some in the summer, and some are excellent winter forage. The most consumed portion of these plants are the new growth and tender leaves. This is mother nature’s way of taking the pressure off of the grass. It is incredible to watch the cycle of these ranches, one day, every cow is grazing on grass, and two days later, a seasonal browse plant has ripened to the cattle’s liking, and the cattle are feeding on nothing but that plant. After the browse plant has run its course, the cattle go back to grazing on grass until the next browse plant comes into season. Indeed, the more species of palatable browse plants on a ranch the more

forage for the cattle, taking the pressure off the grass. This allows the grass to either get a good start in the spring or rest for a short period throughout the year. During times of rest, a timely rain can make all the difference.

The ability of plants to survive grazing or browsing is called grazing or browsing resistance. The most grazing-resistant plants are grasses, followed by forbs (herbaceous plants other than grass) , deciduous shrubs and trees, and evergreen shrubs and trees. Browse use can be divided into three levels of current season growth removal: light use is marked by less than 40 percent removal; moderate use ranges from 40 to 65 percent removal, and heavy use is more than 65 percent removal.

Many landowners now manage both livestock and wildlife on the same piece of property. These Browse Ranches offer the ideal scenario for that as these plants benefit many wildlife species as well. Wildlife does best where a variety of native plants, including broadleaf forbs and brush, provides not only food for various wildlife species, but also diverse cover and protection.

People are amazed that many of these plants are high in crude protein, some upwards of 18-20%. With that kind of protein content, the cattle on these ranches tend to look like a 4-H show animal, sleek and slick like they are ready to go into the show ring. The protein content certainly depends on the plant itself, the part of the plant consumed, and the time of the year the plant is consumed. A bonus to these plants is that most are drought resistant. These plants are mostly native and have stood the test of time.

The next question is: What type of cow resides on these ranches? They are typically medium-frame cow that will get up and travel. These cattle need to travel as these browse plants are usually scattered throughout the ranch, and different species of browse plants grow in other areas. Bringing cattle used to feeding on irrigated pasture and dumping them onto a ranch like this will not work well. If one decides to purchase a ranch of this type, buying the sellers’ or local cattle is ideal. Most ranchers run young bulls since they are a very mobile set of cows, and an older bull will tend to get lazy and not travel.

Stock water, like on any ranch, is critical as well. Since these cattle are moving so much, having multiple water sources is essential. It defeats the purpose of having a cow travel all day to feed, turn around, travel to water, and start walking off pounds. If water is not readily available, like on any ranch, forage utilization will be over-utilized in some areas and underutilized in other regions.

After being involved with several of these ranches, one question has stood out in my mind that I cannot answer. All of the ranchers have had basically the same scenario: average Black Angus cross cattle, they have all ran young bulls, and they have all relied on one or more browse plants as a source of forage for their cattle. None of these ranchers have gone through the time, effort,and expense with genetics to improve feed conversion in their cattle, they all simply have good cattle. The ranches have been in completely different areas of Wyoming. But the reoccurring statement is, “once my calves hit the feed lot, they just explode and are usually the top gainers or at the top”. So, the question I keep asking, is there some reason that these cattle raised on these Browse Ranches convert feed better than cattle raised on different types of ranches? Is it just a coincidence? Does their diverse diet have some effect on how they convert feed? Are they getting more nutrients from their mother while nursing compared to other calves? These ranches are certainly intriguing. There is a reason they grow big mule deer and big antelope.... No wonder they grow great cattle!

The purpose of this article is to shed some light on these types of ranches. I want to clarify that not every ranch in Wyoming has palatable browse species on it. But I do want people to scrutinize a ranch differently. At first, glance, what may seem a wasteland and useless may be one of the ranch’s most valuable assets. What may look like a task to be completed by removing unwanted brush so grass can grow may hurt the ranch. Your local Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) or the local Conservation District office is an excellent resource for information on plants such as these. Arm yourself with knowledge and remember there are many people and agencies willing to help, the Fay Ranches Ag Team is certainly some of those folks.

Below is a short list of some of the palatable browse plants in Wyoming that are highly beneficial to ranching and wildlife:

WINTERFAT | Typically winter forage, but cattle will feed on it during the spring and summer. 10%-21% crude protein depending on the time of year.

FOUR-WING SALTBUSH (SALT SAGE) | Typically winter forage, Crude protein 4-18% depending on the time of year and the part of the plant being digested.

GREASEWOOD | Typically spring forage. Crude protein is approximately 8.7%

RUBBER RABBITBRUSH | Typically midsummer to fall forage. Crude protein is approximately 9%