Lamb Pool & Grazing Gripe

Lamb Pool & Grazing Gripe. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

In the aftermath of the massive Soda Fire in Idaho a lot of cattlemen believe the fire would not have been so large if more grazing had been allowed on rangeland. Idaho Cattleman’s executive vice-president, Wyatt Prescott says that if cattle could graze more land, there would be less fuel for fires. Above average rainfall in the spring allowed more growth of grasses which become fuel for the fire as hot temperatures, low humidity and high winds combined. Producers believe that by allowing cattle, horse and elk to graze lands, the severity of wildfires would be diminished.

Getting upset over the prices paid for sheep a few years back put Oregon’s Deb Taylor on the path to fix the problem. She began organizing pools for sheep going to market.

TAYLOR: I do all the phone calling, I do all the coordinating. last year I think I sent out about 1500 head of lambs. My opinion is the producer needs to get top dollar for their product or they can’t continue. You can go in the hole so many years before you can’t do it anymore.

By pooling the sheep into one large shipment it saves producers and creates a better market. The first pool of the season is slated for Friday, Sept. 4th.

That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network of the West.