Get reliable rangeland science

Changes in Public Lands Grazing Operations Associated with the Taylor Grazing Act and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act

The Western Range Before the Taylor Grazing Act

The western range livestock industry came into prominence in the decades after the Civil War because capitalization costs were minimal. All one needed was a ranch headquarters, a few cowboys, and a number of horses. Often, early ranchers had little more than a dugout for shelter and a corral for their horses, because when the range they were using was eaten off, they simply moved their herds and headquarters to a new location. The animals were left to fend for themselves and were only rounded up for branding and marketing. Other ranchers allowed their herds to graze freely on the federal lands, but moved their cattle between summer and winter ranges. Cattlemen with Midwestern traditions ranged their cattle on the federal lands during the summer, and before winter, moved their herds close to the home ranch where they could be fed hay. After the harsh winters that occurred between 1886 and 1890, this became the predominate method of ranching in the West.