Rancher Heals Ranchland By
Raising Cattle
By Lee Elner, Las Vegas Optic
 Dan Flitner of the Hobo Ranch is doing it right. A
fourth-generation rancher, he moved to the Las Vegas area four years
ago from Wyoming, where he had been raising cattle in the
conventional manner of selling to a feedlot.
Out here, Flitner does things differently. The Hobo ranch, near
Maes, N.M., was certified organic back in 2007. The cattle are
grass-fed, and the grazing is rotated in order to help heal the
land.
As Flitner tells it, "We had an opportunity to start over down
here, and we said, 'Well, let's do grass-fed organic,' and that way
the feedlot thing goes completely away and that's one environmental
issue we don't have to worry about."
Flitner first let his range land lay fallow for two years, then
introduced the cattle, which trod grass seed into the ground and got
new grass growing. His herd grazes intensely but infrequently
- Flitner said once an area is grazed, it may be left to recover for
as long as 12 months before the cattle come back to graze it again.
The result, Flitner said, is not only more grass, but a diversity of
grass species forming a healthier rangeland.
"Blue grama is a wonderful species and its very adaptive to
overgrazing," Flitner said, "so that's why you see so much
blue grama in areas like this. But it's a
July-August-September grass. I want
April-May-June-July-August-September grass, so I also want western
wheat, sideoat grama, littIe blue stern, sguirreltail, cool season
grasses."
"That's a healthier ecosystem than one with just blue grama,"
Flitner said. "If my plant species are diverse, I think we're doing
a good job. If you have a monoculture, you're probably not doing
things in a manner that will be effective over the long haul."
Flitner said that by improving the health of his grasslands, he
has also managed to improve his water situation. The increased
amount of grass, Flitner said, provides increased groundcover and an
increased
capacity for the soil to hold water. One visible result is that a
lake on the ranch, which normally dries up each year, still has
water in it this year, and cottonwood trees are beginning to grow
around its periphery.
The proof of the pudding, though, is in the eating. And it's in
the eating that Hobo Ranch's beef really shines. Flitner can
recite the nutritional differences in grass-fed over conventionally
raised beef, from higher levels of healthy fats to a higher level of
Vitamin E. But apart from that, Flitner said his grass-fed beef just
tastes a lot better.
Flitner said "People take a bite and stop and look at me and say,
'Wow, that's really
good.'" You won't find Hobo Ranch beef in the stores, at least
not at present. Flitner markets his beef by word of mouth, and he
sells it in parcels ranging from 40 pounds up to a whole beef.
You can order Hobo Ranch Beef by calling them at (575)641-9295 or by
e-mailing
danflitner@hughes.net.
|
