2018 STOCKMANSHIP MANUAL COMING SOON
My new stockmanship book, which I have been working on for years is now out for review. It's comprehensive instruction for the beef cattle ranch large and small, dairies, feedlots, grazing associations and range riders grazing public lands or large acres of private range. It covers more handling topics and in much greater detail than my 2004 book. Topics include taking stress off cattle, low stress weaning, sorting efficiently in many settings, handing stock in facilities, crowd pens, reducing predation from wolves and bears and reducing poison losses, moving pairs mothered up, loading stock in trailers on the range and in facilities, driving and turning large and small herds well, getting cattle through difficult places like crossings and steep hills and settling and placing herds.
Even people with many years of low-stress handling training and experience will learn some crucial, but often overlooked facets of building trust and control in the most sensitive or troubled stock. This, plus preparing and starting herds properly are essential but often elusive facets of fixing the "weak link" that thwarts many people from consistently placing herds.
Based upon decades of teaching and feedback, I have included many tips on how to learn stockmanship in a shorter time period and get herds working well efficiently. There are about 35 more handling diagrams and many more photos than were included in the first book. These illustrations simplify concepts and handling tips. Based upon historic bison herd accounts, modern research and experience, there is section on highly effective and simplified range and riparian management facts for riders and range managers. This manual is a complete guide for the range rider or rancher who rides on public range, with many facts, tips and guidelines essential for the rider to manage a herd effectively, meet range standards and quit chasing cattle and being mad all summer.
I will post it as soon as the book is available.
2018 STOCKMANSHIP MANUAL COMING SOON
My new stockmanship book, which I have been working on for years is now out for review. It's comprehensive instruction for the beef cattle ranch large and small, dairies, feedlots, grazing associations and range riders grazing public lands or large acres of private range. It covers more handling topics and in much greater detail than my 2004 book. Topics include taking stress off cattle, low stress weaning, sorting efficiently in many settings, handing stock in facilities, crowd pens, reducing predation from wolves and bears and reducing poison losses, moving pairs mothered up, loading stock in trailers on the range and in facilities, driving and turning large and small herds well, getting cattle through difficult places like crossings and steep hills and settling and placing herds.
Even people with many years of low-stress handling training and experience will learn some crucial, but often overlooked facets of building trust and control in the most sensitive or troubled stock. This, plus preparing and starting herds properly are essential but often elusive facets of fixing the "weak link" that thwarts many people from consistently placing herds.
Based upon decades of teaching and feedback, I have included many tips on how to learn stockmanship in a shorter time period and get herds working well efficiently. There are about 35 more handling diagrams and many more photos than were included in the first book. These illustrations simplify concepts and handling tips. Based upon historic bison herd accounts, modern research and experience, there is section on highly effective and simplified range and riparian management facts for riders and range managers. This manual is a complete guide for the range rider or rancher who rides on public range, with many facts, tips and guidelines essential for the rider to manage a herd effectively, meet range standards and quit chasing cattle and being mad all summer.
I will post it as soon as the book is available.
Extension service is facilitating a rider school this June, 2018 in Pendleton, Oregon. It's funded by a grant so the cost is more than reasonable. Whit Hibbard and I will be teaching. Whit is a rancher from Montana and stockmanship instructor. The school will have classroom and lots of hands on with the cattle.
THE NEXT SCHOOL
After just returning August 31 from a team planning session for the school, I am very pleased at the quality of cattle, facilities, trainers and the participants. People from other countries including Brazil and NZ are coming as of course are people from the western US and many with much knowledge to share- and its just another positive aspect of the school. Planning has been exhaustive and this school is a rare opportunity for the rider or rancher wanting to save money and reduce stress on yourselves and animals. This type of school may not happen again as it is a rare combination of trainers, participants and facilities (and cattle) coming together so sign up soon.
Stockmanship For Grazing Lands Management
The Cottonwood Ranch in the O’Neil Basin (Wells, NV) is conducting a Stockmanship School on September 18-22, 2017. Planned mostly by riders & ranchers, with significant financial help from the BLM and others to help reduce participant costs, this school will help all range riders meet range riparian and other standards (sage grouse etc) and enhancing the land by solving the many cattle handling challenges riders face. It will be part indoor but mostly hands on with stockmanship instructors, myself being the lead, focused on instructing how to get stock working for you so they drive well, move mothered up, stay as a herd, how to control bunch quitters and problem stock like riparian loafers etc. and how to place cattle (and reduce sickness, riding time, horses etc). Riders will work in teams with different bunches, going from corral work onto pasture then range. Steve Leonard, one of the country's best, will be teaching riparian and range topics too, plus plus professor Sherm Swanson from NV on the topic and there will be a number of ranchers and riders sharing their successes. Tuition is $250 per person, board at the lodge is $50/person per night, RV hookup is $35/night and you can camp in wall tents for less or your own camp if you like. It is $50/day for meals (3 meals per day plus drinks and snacks). You are encouraged to take your own horse and feed but the ranch has some saddle horses if you don't have one. We will be instructing riders with all levels of experience by using teams with individual coaches. Folks running on BLM/Forest get first on the list though (because of the BLM funding help) but all others will be considered but the number will be limited due to space for housing. Call the ranch or email for more info, or you can call/email me first if you want details on what I (we) will be teaching (stevecote119@gmail.com-731-336-1167). The ranch phone is (775) 275-0593, website is http://www.cottonwoodguestranch.com email is Vicki Smith vckasmith@gmail.com
After just returning August 31 from a team planning session for the school, I am very pleased at the quality of cattle, facilities, trainers and the participants. People from other countries including Brazil and NZ are coming as of course are people from the western US and many with much knowledge to share- and its just another positive aspect of the school. Planning has been exhaustive and this school is a rare opportunity for the rider or rancher wanting to save money and reduce stress on yourselves and animals. This type of school may not happen again as it is a rare combination of trainers, participants and facilities (and cattle) coming together so sign up soon.
Stockmanship For Grazing Lands Management
The Cottonwood Ranch in the O’Neil Basin (Wells, NV) is conducting a Stockmanship School on September 18-22, 2017. Planned mostly by riders & ranchers, with significant financial help from the BLM and others to help reduce participant costs, this school will help all range riders meet range riparian and other standards (sage grouse etc) and enhancing the land by solving the many cattle handling challenges riders face. It will be part indoor but mostly hands on with stockmanship instructors, myself being the lead, focused on instructing how to get stock working for you so they drive well, move mothered up, stay as a herd, how to control bunch quitters and problem stock like riparian loafers etc. and how to place cattle (and reduce sickness, riding time, horses etc). Riders will work in teams with different bunches, going from corral work onto pasture then range. Steve Leonard, one of the country's best, will be teaching riparian and range topics too, plus plus professor Sherm Swanson from NV on the topic and there will be a number of ranchers and riders sharing their successes. Tuition is $250 per person, board at the lodge is $50/person per night, RV hookup is $35/night and you can camp in wall tents for less or your own camp if you like. It is $50/day for meals (3 meals per day plus drinks and snacks). You are encouraged to take your own horse and feed but the ranch has some saddle horses if you don't have one. We will be instructing riders with all levels of experience by using teams with individual coaches. Folks running on BLM/Forest get first on the list though (because of the BLM funding help) but all others will be considered but the number will be limited due to space for housing. Call the ranch or email for more info, or you can call/email me first if you want details on what I (we) will be teaching (stevecote119@gmail.com-731-336-1167). The ranch phone is (775) 275-0593, website is http://www.cottonwoodguestranch.com email is Vicki Smith vckasmith@gmail.com
What our Schools Are
Typical Stockmanship School Agenda -for range and pasture cattle producers
Typically schools are 1.5 or 2 days with mostly classroom training with photos, diagrams and videos the first and a half day. The second is usually hands on working stock in a pasture or corrals if we have those opportunities nearby. Usually we are working with people trying to better control grazing results so we often talk about the basics of using stock for management of soils and plants up front.
There is probably no stock handling topic that we don't have videos or slides to explain and show how to solve handling issues.
Day 1
8AM-5PM
8AM- Introduction to Stockmanship-what stockmanship is compared to traditional handling
-Benefits are for animal health and control.
-Basics of grazing lands management
-Fundamentals of how livestock learn and principles of controlling them
-Techniques that build trust
-Traits of cattle that are critical to handling properly
-Stuff not to do
Lunch Break
1:OO PM-5:00 PM
-Starting, approaching and moving individuals calmly
-Moving herds
-Moving herds of pairs
-Solving handling challenges-riparian loafers, bunch quitters, aggressive stock
-Stock that run through gates, poor mothers
-Placing cattle
Day 2 8-12PM
-weaning pairs in a field
-sorting cattle
-working stock in facilities, Bud Box design and use
Afternoon Workshop-working live cattle
For a half day workshop with live cattle, we work some cattle in a bigger corral or field and coach participants on how to approach and start, turn, speed up, slow down and stop cattle. This helps understand getting stock working well for you so people have some confidence they can do this too.
If we are teaching folks with mostly dairy then we often focus on working stock in facilities and small pastures. I have over 40 diagrams of working stock in facilities and pastures that help visualize the best ways to set it up so stock go where we want calmly.
Typical Stockmanship School Agenda -for range and pasture cattle producers
Typically schools are 1.5 or 2 days with mostly classroom training with photos, diagrams and videos the first and a half day. The second is usually hands on working stock in a pasture or corrals if we have those opportunities nearby. Usually we are working with people trying to better control grazing results so we often talk about the basics of using stock for management of soils and plants up front.
There is probably no stock handling topic that we don't have videos or slides to explain and show how to solve handling issues.
Day 1
8AM-5PM
8AM- Introduction to Stockmanship-what stockmanship is compared to traditional handling
-Benefits are for animal health and control.
-Basics of grazing lands management
-Fundamentals of how livestock learn and principles of controlling them
-Techniques that build trust
-Traits of cattle that are critical to handling properly
-Stuff not to do
Lunch Break
1:OO PM-5:00 PM
-Starting, approaching and moving individuals calmly
-Moving herds
-Moving herds of pairs
-Solving handling challenges-riparian loafers, bunch quitters, aggressive stock
-Stock that run through gates, poor mothers
-Placing cattle
Day 2 8-12PM
-weaning pairs in a field
-sorting cattle
-working stock in facilities, Bud Box design and use
Afternoon Workshop-working live cattle
For a half day workshop with live cattle, we work some cattle in a bigger corral or field and coach participants on how to approach and start, turn, speed up, slow down and stop cattle. This helps understand getting stock working well for you so people have some confidence they can do this too.
If we are teaching folks with mostly dairy then we often focus on working stock in facilities and small pastures. I have over 40 diagrams of working stock in facilities and pastures that help visualize the best ways to set it up so stock go where we want calmly.
