Water and Natural Resources

Written by Sarah Ogilvie, Ogilvie Cattle Company LLC

As a land and cattle owner, and the 3rd generation of my family involved in cattle ranching, I have a deep respect for operations that take their resource stewardship seriously. Not only do we care for our animals and their wellbeing we also love the land.  As we look toward the future, we are constantly striving to develop our resources in order to provide for our children and our grandchildren just as the previous generations have done before us.

Natural resource conservation is a hot topic and most discussions are focused around water. I have heard all my life… land without water has limited potential.  Ranching in remote areas we have always relied on natural power for pumping water and dirt tanks for storing water. My Dad taught me that you must manage and conserve your resources now or they might not be there for tomorrow’s use.

Another resource that is near and dear to my heart is forage. In my opinion nothing beats seeing fat cattle in a pasture with knee-deep grass. Proper range management varies for each producer but it is vital to our way of life. Poor range management opens the door to increased erosion, undesirable weeds and shrubs, decreased wildlife and in some cases catastrophic wildfires from overgrowth.

For my small family here in Benson we are still working on increasing our efficiency and dialing-in the proper management practices for our operation.  As we have discovered each operation is unique and there is no “one-size fits all”. We apply ourselves in learning from others, trying new technology and proven resource management practices. I encourage all ranchers to manage what they have today as they plan for tomorrow!