Ranchers eye restocking herds as pastures green up

Recent rainfalls across most of the nation’s key cattle grazing areas are greening up pastures and refilling farm ponds, fueling optimism among ranchers that they may soon begin the difficult process of rebuilding herds decimated by years of drought. The recent rains that have soaked the Great Plains and most of the nation’s cattle grazing region has spurred talk of rebuilding the herd. “We have had enough rain to at least change our attitude,” said Kansas cattleman Ken Grecian said. “We are not out of the woods by any means, but we are green again.” Grecian, who ranches northwest of Hays, said he culled during the drought about 40 percent of his herd, sending to the auction barn more than 150 cows and calves to stretch his grass as far as he could. His ranch can support about 350 cows in a normal season, but it may be years before he restocks his ranch to those herd numbers again. He now plans to keep the female calves from this year’s calf crop, rather than sell them in the fall...more