Future of Ranching

The economics of beef production are constantly changing.  In recent years the industry has faced upward spiraling input costs, changing consumer demand, increased international marketing complexities, advances in biotechnology and genetics management, and other obstacles like Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE).  Each of these can trigger financial crises, which in turn leave ranchers with less money to put towards stewardship of their rangelands.  Natural phenomena that are impinging on grasslands and thus on ranching viability are in-growth of forests, changing weather patterns and fire cycles.  

Fragmentation and Development

One of the greatest challenges to ranchers is the urbanization of rural areas. As the baby boomer population reaches retirement age while social problems in cities increase, there is a growing demand for acreages. This upward pressure on land prices combined with livestock-human interaction--in particular, livestock- recreation conflicts--leads to an ever increasing marginalization of the ranching industry. The changing land values have an impact on ranch management.  When real-estate values escalate far above the productive values of land, ranchers may be forced to consider alternative land uses - often subdivision.  In some cases, ranchers move to an area of the province with lower land values, such as the Peace region.  As a result, beef production in BC is moving away from the traditional regions of the province. 

Agriculture

Even within agriculture, the conversion of grasslands to cultivated crops has long been a part of history.  For example, lands that have historically been used for livestock grazing, winter feed production and species at risk habitat have in recent times been cultivated and converted to grape production.  This conversion, although beneficial to provincial agriculture in general, impacts negatively on grasslands and its dependent species. 

Competition for Water

There are also competing environmental and natural phenomena that put additional stress on grassland ecosystems and working ranches.  The key to this group of threats is competition for water.  As water becomes an increasingly scarce commodity, working ranches have to compete with municipalities and other interests for access.  This puts increasing pressure on the financial resources of the ranching industry, which can result in reduced stewardship options for grasslands. 

Changing Weather Patterns

In semi- arid areas, drought has always been a concern and in recent years has been particularly acute in the southern interior, impacting forage and water resources.  Forage production on hayfields, pastures and rangelands has been well below average across most of BC.  Reduced forage production has meant decreased weight gains for cattle and therefore reduced income for ranchers.  In many cases ranchers have had to reduce cattle numbers on the range, using up limited and valuable winter feed supplies ahead of time. 

Fire

Fire is part of the natural cycle in BC’s interior regions. For the last 50 years the suppression of fire along with low precipitation and increased winter temperatures has dramatically altered the fire cycles.  In addition, the increase in forest pests such as mountain pine beetle has contributed to the heightened fire hazard throughout the province.

Fire is one way of battling a severe problem facing the ranching community in parts of the province: forest in-growth. In the south-eastern portion of the province in particular, ranchers face severe grass shortages and Crown ranges are being negatively impacted by tremendous forest in-growth and constant increases in wildlife grazing due to very limited natural predation.  Fire is a valuable tool to mitigate in-growth and therefore secure forage resources for wildlife and cattle alike.

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For more information on threats to grasslands, click here.