Is that going to tell us the reason why each of the former ranchers chose or were driven to leave?
I believe the BLM probably drove out some of the ranchers in Clark County, perhaps most.
Given the growth of Las Vegas, I'm not willing to state as fact that all of the former ranchers were driven out by the BLM unless I have a primary source. If you wish to state it as fact, please continue.
Hi Scoutmaster,
Assume that Bundy has a herd of approaching 700 plus or minus each year. They are spread over an area, we were told, of about the size of half of the state of Delaware.
Given that, no one bull is going to be able to service that herd. Assume 5% of the herd is bull...that’s 35 bulls. Assume that the remainder are a combination of cow, calf, and marketable beef cattle. Since market weight from calf on that kind of fodder has be at least a year and a half proposition, and since market weight is approximately 1200 pounds, and since market price is about 1.35 per hoof pound, then we can estimate the size of Bundy’s operation.
Each cow will be bred every other year, so to keep the herd at 700, he would have to have either a gestating cow or cow with calf for over 50% of that herd...I’m betting it approaches 65%. That means that of the 665 remaining cattle, there are about 430 cows. That leaves 430+35=465 and 700-465 = 235 potentially marketable animals at various ages. Assume half of those are marketable. That’s 118 or so a year.
That’s a gross of right around 200,000 a year. Obviously, with that big a spread, there has to be help that gets paid, vets, medicines, some fattening feed at some point, and fuel, transport, etc.
Add on top of that 1.35 a month per cow/calf pair (or eating unit) and you’ll get something like 8000 dollars a year. (Over 10 years that’s only 80,000, so the government isn’t telling us how they got to a million.
Obviously, if a million is correct, then there’s no way those ranchers can stay in business.
But, even the 8000 a year is 8000 out of the rancher’s pocket directly.
I’m betting he clears no more than 60 grand a year, if that.