Some may call it a trailblazing enterprise with a strong commitment to stewardship and productivity, but if you ask owner Jerry Huth, he’ll crack a smile and say it’s more of a “4-H project run amok.”

“Elk and other big game can be a positive or a negative for a ranch, depending largely on how they impact the bottom line. If a ranch is able to derive sufficient income through hunting, ecotourism or from government programs – such as the USDA Grasslands Conservation Reserve Program – then wildlife can be a benefit.”

Cheatgrass, an invasive annual grass that has invaded vast swaths of Western rangelands, is responsible for much of the increasing wildfire danger in the Intermountain West. However, scientists at the University of Nevada – Reno have discovered that fire danger can be reduced through the application of targeted cattle grazing in the dormant growing season by attracting the cattle with stations containing protein feed supplements.