Kelly Anthony, a cattle rancher in southwest Kansas, drives through his pasture, blaring a siren he uses to get the attention of the herd. As he flicks it on and off, the cattle surround the truck.
Cattle ranching has been Anthony's way of life for 25 years. Cattle ranches fuel the beef industry and the western Kansas economy. People like him also own much of the remaining native grasslands that once covered 71 million acres of the southern High Plains.
Now, 80% of those native grasslands in Kansas are lost, and cattle ranchers like Anthony could be the key to saving what’s left. A new program backed by conservation groups and the beef industry hopes to work with ranchers to conserve and restore more land.
“I really think that ranchers as a whole are the best stewards of the land, because the capital requirement to be in the cattle business is so high, the biggest portion of that is land,” Anthony said.
The native grasslands lost out to profitable fields of corn and other crops, while also being crowded out by invasive species.
Anthony hops on his horse and rides in front of sloping hills to count his cattle. Just past the hills are acres of untouched native grasses vital for a variety of species, like pronghorn deer and grassland birds including the lesser prairie chicken.
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Photo Credit: gettyimages-mvburling
Categories: Kansas, Business, Crops, Corn, Livestock, Poultry