Botanical Composition of Diet of Steers Grazing a Desert Grassland Range (Composicion Botanica de la Dieta de Novillos Pastoreando en un Pastizal Desertico de Gramineas)

Abstract

In conclusion, it should not be inferred from the two changes in land use investigated here that they necessarily represent the expected future trend in Grant County. The reduction in federal grazing was utilized because of available information on reductions in gross ranch incomes from such action. The increase in receipts in the Lumber sector was purely arbitrary; a reduction could also have been discussed. Recent research in northeastern Oregon indicates that improved timber management practices are generally conducive to greater forage production. Thus increased timber harvests could occur simultaneously with increased carrying capacity for livestock (Hedrick et al., 1968). The model used here did not permit the isolation of recreation expenditures but it should be recognized that this is another use of federal lands which can be significant to the rural economy. The expenditures of these users are usually well publicized while much less attention is paid to expenditures by ranchers, loggers, or mining interests. If administrators are made aware of the relative importance to the local economy of all uses of federal lands, policy decisions could be made in the light of more complete knowledge than is now the case.