ranchers

Despite recent snowstorms, the Mountain West region continues to be affected by historic drought. That’s why ranchers are looking for ways to cope with dry conditions.

Farmers and ranchers in the West are being pressured by rising production costs, increased workloads and extreme weather. No wonder they face higher levels of stress and mental health issues than other Americans.

Livestock producers in the Mountain West have been hit hard by this winter’s weather. That’s why Nevada, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah have asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture for relief.

Agriculture departments from several states in the Mountain West are asking the federal government to consider relief programs for livestock producers hit hard by the weather this winter.

The Biden administration is keeping the cost of grazing a cow and calf on federal land at $1.35 per month. Conservation groups say this low fee – the minimum it can be under federal law – comes at a high cost to Western lands and the climate.

Across the West, women are changing the ways land and livestock are managed. Ashley Ahearn saddled up for the Mountain West News Bureau to chronicle their big dreams – and daily challenges. This is the first story of a three-part series.

A few weeks ago, rancher Noah Brooks said what was troubling him most was the weather.“The fact that it didn’t rain, June, July, August but maybe three…

This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting The Promise And Peril Of Environmental Philanthropy | A Privately-Funded Park For...