Cattle Drive
In cow country, the cattle drive still thrives. But for different reasons. Wyatt Prescott, the Executive Dir. of the Idaho Cattle Association explains why.
“ Cattle drives have obviously shortened in length. Traditionally, they were used to drive cattle to market essentially. These were long distances, hundreds of miles. We don't see that activity anymore because of the modern infrastructure that we have, that we are blessed with in this country is so much cheaper and more efficient to put them on a truck and send them those long distances and cattle are very mobile. They are trailered between here and Texas on a daily basis But cattle drives are still used in more of a shorter term situation. Ranchers might have a wintering facility that they drive their cattle to from there summering facility. Most of these drives are short, just a few miles but there are some of them still do two day drives.”
Like the Don White family ranch in Montour, Idaho. Mounted drovers are mostly all family members on a three-day 35 mile drive to summer pasture in the high country of Idaho. So you are headed to High Valley eventually? “Tomorrow, yes. There are a lot more cattle than there are people and so when they have these big jobs, it is upon all the family to comment help and get it done and all the neighbors. Then when the other family members or other neighbors have that same job, we all go and help them do that same thing. The industry is very much a family affair.”
