Cows? In California? Rangelands and Livestock in the Golden State

Abstract

Setting out to conduct an interview for a research project, we met the rancher, our subject, outside a small ranchette in the foothill woodlands of the Sierra Nevada. There was not much time to communicate with him before we were simply assigned to our posts, stationed a few paces apart along a winding rural road, evidently to block or guide some creatures that were about to emerge from behind the house. Along with my students, a visitor from China was with us, and there is no telling how livestock are wrangled in the des- erts of western China—she was looking for guidance, and looked kind of worried. In fact none of us knew what was going to transpire. Suddenly a group of cows and calves— about half a dozen—came trotting around the corner, gave us a skeptical look, and headed right for the loading chute. They knew the drill!

DOI: 10.2458/azu_rangelands_v36i5_huntsinger