Cowboying is a tough way of life, and it’s harder with recent droughts. But Oregon’s buckaroos are trying to adapt
Some culled herds. Others sold off altogether. The number of beef cattle in Oregon further contracted; it’s down by a fifth since 2005.
“We’ve had droughts before, but not as bad as this one was,” he says. Ranchers struggled to raise hay to feed cattle, and struggled again to buy hay after it exploded in price. So they sold cows. “I can’t tell you how many,” Mr. Breese says, “but I saw a lot of trucks coming by with cows on them.” Then they rode, pushing the herd to higher ground through meadows and stands of ponderosa pine. Winter snow fell more heavily here than in past years, and the grasses have returned with a flourish. Beef prices are up, and the calves are putting on weight. Those who “hung in there made it some way or another – and they’re in hog heaven now,” says Mr. Breese.
But the severity of recent drought has brought new anxieties, even in a year when moisture has returned. Confidence no longer comes as easily. Central Oregon’s 'flat-hat' buckaroo cowboys still ride with traditions inherited from Spanish vaqueros. “The buckaroo considers himself sort of the white collar,” says Gwynn Turnbull, “They’re a very prideful group.”
But that also makes them particularly vulnerable to changing weather patterns. In the 2021 drought year, “we had about a half to a third of normal forage growth,” says Mr. Nash. “It was extremely challenging.” “Cowboy culture is not going away,” says Ms. Turnbull. “It’s adjusting to what’s going on” – including the vagaries of climate.
Drought “made us better at managing water than we’ve ever been,” he says. “If you aren’t a good steward of the ground, you aren’t going to be on it very long. And I want to be on it forever.”Amanda Lucier/The Globe and Mail
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