Ranching

Siskiyou County ranchers who defied a state water order in 2022 were fined only about $50 each. Under new legislation headed to the governor, some daily fines for water scofflaws can increase 20-fold.

Earlier this month, a U.S. District judge in Portland issued a ruling about grasshoppers control. The decision has implications for Oregon's public rangelands.

Wildfires in Eastern Oregon have significantly altered the landscape this summer — and burnt crucial livestock range grounds. That’s left many cattle displaced or dead, and ranchers facing major losses.

Colorado's ambitious plan to restore wolves taps into years-old tensions in Oregon.

State fish and wildlife officials authorized the killing of six gray wolves in eastern Oregon during the past six weeks, bringing relief to ranchers who lost livestock to the wolves and anger to conservationists who see the killings as inhumane and ineffective.

During spring’s prime calving season, lots of newborn calves have been dying from the cold.

As in many arguments, opposing sides don’t always speak the same language. Such is the controversy of wolf management in the West, which is why new research found it’s important to clarify what people mean when they talk about managing the predators.

The penalty is the maximum the ranchers — who pumped Shasta River water for eight days — could face under state law. It amounts to about $50 per rancher, which is no deterrent, ranchers and officials agree.

A standoff over shutting down ranchers’ pumps signals a flareup of water wars as California is gripped by seemingly endless drought. “To hell with it. We’re starting the pumps,” one Siskiyou County rancher said.

The larger breeds don’t necessarily fight wolves, but they do help alert ranchers to predators lurking nearby

In Malheur County’s Cow Valley, state regulators have ignored known issues with overpumping groundwater, leaving the region at risk of economic and ecological damage that will be difficult to reverse.

Seven cattle have been found mutilated over the last three months in Crook County and the sheriff’s office is actively investigating and hoping for a break in the case. This follows several recent cases in the past few years in rural Oregon.