What Does Sustainability Ranching Mean?

Dear Editor,

Have you noticed that 'sustainability' is the latest buzz word related to ranching? Ever wonder what they are talking about? I have attended several workshops and read many articles in an attempt to determine what they mean by 'sustainable ranching.' To date I have not heard a specific definition. Generally, the ranchers on the panels will fall back on, "if the ranch has been around for over 100 years it is probably sustainable." However, after listening to the proponents of the program I am still not sure what they are planning to sustain. They identify practices, actions and conditions that represent good stewardship but may not be essential for a ranch to be sustainable.

Everyone would probably agree that mining and oil production are not sustainable. The commodity will eventually run out. Some contend that traditional farming is not sustainable as more and more inputs are required. Harvesting natural resources, however, can be sustainable if they are managed properly. Cattle ranching harvests sunlight and turns it into protein. This is sustainable if the rancher replaces the animals that are removed and protects the factory (vegetation).

Sustainability is either a past concept or a future concept. For example, a ranch that has survived and prospered for 100 years shows it was sustainable in the past. Tomorrow it may be sold to developers. The problem comes when trying to look into the crystal ball and predict what will survive tomorrow. In my opinion, this is where the concept being presented of ranch sustainability goes astray.

If the proponents of ranch sustainability were serious they would look at the issues the successful ranches will be facing in the future and try to minimize the impacts. For example, one of the things that would help most ranchers remain sustainable would be to get a decent price for their products. The easiest way to do that would be to get Congress to reinstate the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL). Here in northeastern Montana sustainable ranching is taking a huge hit from a non-government organization (NGO) with deep pockets called American Prairie Reserve (APR). They are buying sustainable ranches and turning them into not-for-profit parks. In addition, how many successful old time ranches have thrown in the towel due to the top tier predators that are invading their rangelands? If the proponents were really concerned about maintaining sustainable ranches, they could start by lobbying to reinstate COOL, work to limit the amount of ranch land non-profit NGOs can purchase and address the growing predator population.

The sustainability program does not appear to address any of the issues and challenges facing modern ranchers. If you pause for a moment and critically examine this whole ranch sustainability nonsense you have to wonder what they are planning to sustain In the first place, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), that deep pocketed, international NGO that has plans to manage all natural resource industries, is ram rodding this ranch sustainability program. This is the same outfit that spawned the "American Serengeti" APR! Secondly, large meat retailers (i.e. Walmart, Costco, etc.) and major fast food chains have signed on. These big hitters have formed several Sustainability Roundtables that meet to determine which practices a rancher must follow to obtain their stamp of approval. Failure to obtain the stamp of approval may mean your cattle will not be processed by the three major packing plants and will not be served in the stores or restaurants. If we continue to follow this path we will be just as concentrated and controlled as the chicken and hog producers.

Sincerely,

Ron Stoneberg

Hinsdale, Mont.