It's not the Cow it's the How! - Email 4

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November 26, 2025

Email 4: It's not the Cow it's the How!

To the Families We Serve,

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been walking through the real stories shaping America’s beef supply. From retiring ranchers and shrinking herds to the return of the New World Screwworm.

This week, we turn to one of the biggest and least understood challenges facing ranchers in the West: federal land management.

Recap from previous weeks:

An aging farming community colliding with a retirement wave of ranchers,
The largest land-ownership transfer in U.S. history, and how fewer hands are available to keep cattle on the range.
An industry that prioritizes mass production without considering the implications of the negative impacts on fertility to sustain a healthy herd.
The re-emergence of New World Screwworm is impacting the cattle market, tightening the supply.

We also reminded our readers that this is a conversation worth having at your dinner table, because what happens on the ranch affects what ends up on your plate.

Scroll down to read more about how the Bureau of Land Management and Ranchers clash on how to manage federal lands.

🐄 It’s Not the Cow — It’s the How!

In the Western United States, most grazing lands are owned by the federal government — vast rangelands managed through agencies like the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service.

For families like ours, whose roots in the high desert go back generations, these lands are our lifeblood. Our grazing permits allow us to raise cattle on this land, helping sustain both the animals and the ecosystem.

Did you Know? Grazing allotments are measured in Animal Unit Months (AUMs), or the amount of forage one cow and calf need per month — An AUM, or Animal Unit Month, is the standard measurement used by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Since the 1940's most AUM's have been reduced by 30%-50% across the western United States.

But here’s the tension:

Some say cattle are harmful to these high-desert environments.

We say — and decades of stewardship prove — it’s not the cow, it’s the how.

🌾 How Grazing Got Complicated

In the early 1900s, before federal regulation, ranchers and homesteaders frequently clashed over grazing land, leading to range wars and disputes over grazing rights. Overgrazing occurred because the land was basically open to whoever grazed first. By the 1930s, the BLM was established to regulate grazing permissions and management.

In the 1960s, fencing standards changed, grazing allotments (AUMs) decreased, and federal restrictions became stricter.

The goal was to heal the land from overgrazing — a noble effort — but the pendulum swung too far. With fewer cattle allowed to graze, the grass and brush grew thick and tall, creating massive fuel loads that spark catastrophic fires we now see every year across the West.

🔥 The Irony of “Protection”

When grazing is limited or completely shut off, dead grass and brush accumulate. In the high desert, there isn't enough snow, rain, or wildlife to naturally trim or graze the grasses and control vegetation. Fire acts as nature's way of clearing overgrowth—unless cattle are properly managed to graze the land and help decrease these fire-prone plants.

Meanwhile, ranchers — the people who live on and care for this land every day — are sidelined. Bureaucratic oversight replaces common sense, and there are limitations on how cattle and ranch animals can play an important role in maintaining these lands with proper stewardship.

It’s a system where millions are spent fighting fire instead of allowing managed grazing that could prevent these catastrophic fires in the first place.

🧭 A Smarter Way Forward

Here at Cunningham Ranch, we’re not just talking about it — we’re part of the solution.

We’re currently participating in a 10-year Oregon State University study that measures how rotational, managed grazing can reduce fuel loads, improve soil health, and support wildlife habitats.

And guess what? It’s working.

The results are clear: managed cattle grazing creates balance. for the land, the cattle, and the communities that depend on both.

💚 Why This Matters

When we say “Food You Can Trust,” it’s not just about what’s on your plate — it’s about how that food came to be.

Every ribeye, roast, and burger from Cunningham Pastured Meats is part of a story rooted in stewardship — caring for the land so it can care for us.

That’s something worth protecting.

That’s something worth talking about — around every dinner table.

👀 Next Week: The Big Four in Week five of our series

Next week, we’ll dig into one of the most powerful forces shaping beef prices today — the Big Four packers who control over 85% of the U.S. beef supply chain — and how that monopoly affects ranchers, rural economies, and your dinner plate.

Until then, thank you for standing with us — for learning, sharing, and supporting real ranching families who believe food should always come from a place of integrity.

In the meantime, we stand by our promises:

✅ No price hikes in 2025
✅ No shortcuts in feed or finishing
✅ No compromise on what “Meat You Can Trust” means

Take me to Week 5 of the Series: Monopolies in the Cattle Industry and Big Butchers

Email 5 of Six in the Series

Full 2026: Series on The Big Grass Fire "It Starts with a Spark!"

Neighbors Helping Neighbors: Standing Together During the Big Grass Fire When wildfires threaten our communities, they don’t stop to ask whose land they’re on. They move quickly, changing lives in a matter of hours. But in rural communities like ours, something else moves just as quickly—neighbors stepping up to help neighbors. As the Big Grass Fire continues to impact parts of Idaho and Oregon, Sean Cunningham of Cunningham Pastured Meats has joined countless ranchers, volunteers, firefighters, and first responders working tirelessly to support those directly affected. But, in spite of the effort to mitigate the damages, the devastation is real to life and property. While the Cunningham ranch has not been directly impacted by the fire, Sean has been spending long days assisting neighboring ranchers whose grazing lands, livestock, fences, and livelihoods have been threatened. Whether helping protect cattle, building fire lines, moving equipment, or supporting firefighting efforts wherever needed, the work reflects something deeply rooted in ranching culture: when one neighbor is hurting, everyone shows up. With but a brief reunion with Sean after his 3 days of fire service. As you can imagine, while Sean is all smiles to finally be home for some much-needed rest, tears were shed by the littles in his reunion with the family! As many of you know, Liz and Sean, while still only in their late 30s, have seven children and one on the way. To date, Liz and Sean have spent days apart, each taking on the role in their own capacity against the fires. Sean on the dozer in the field and Liz capturing the story in a digital war to garner the attention of news agencies like KTVB7, the Lt. Governor's office, the White House, electric company CEOs and others for much needed assistance and support for the communities who are now at the mercy of a rogue grass fire, The Big Grass Fire and simultaneous fires stretching thousands of acres throughout the Jordan Valley and beyond. That spirit of service and capitalizing on each person's strengths to wage the war against the fires is nothing new to ranchers. Across the West, ranchers have long been among the first to respond when wildfire strikes. Their knowledge of the land, equipment, water sources, and terrain often makes them invaluable partners alongside local, state, and federal fire crews. Many volunteer through Rangeland Fire Protection Associations, organizations that have become an essential part of wildfire response throughout Oregon and Idaho. These partnerships help firefighters respond more quickly while protecting communities, grazing lands, wildlife habitat, and homes. For ranching families, these fires aren’t simply headlines—they’re deeply personal. A single fire can erase years of stewardship, destroy fencing, eliminate forage needed to feed cattle, and disrupt generations of hard work. Yet even in the face of tremendous loss, ranchers continue helping one another because that’s simply what neighbors do. We are incredibly grateful to every firefighter, volunteer, dispatcher, law enforcement officer, ranch family, and community member working around the clock to protect lives and property. Their courage and commitment remind us that the strength of rural communities isn’t measured only by the land we steward—it’s measured by the people willing to stand together when it matters most. Please continue keeping the families directly affected by these fires in your thoughts and prayers. Recovery will take time, but our communities have always been built on resilience, compassion, and a willingness to lend a hand. As of Wednesday July 29, 2026 at 8 am the non-official update includes official agencies holding the line with the yellow circles area in the image below a wild card. With potential winds pushing north again, critical barriers may not be enough to hold the fire from encroaching on Silver City. The blue circled area on a post seen here with images is the most difficult to manage, with juniper trees, canyons, and rock formations making it difficult terrain to navigate intervention and support. See more details and images here From all of us at Cunningham Pastured Meats and Cliff’s Country Market, thank you to everyone serving on the front lines and behind the scenes. We are honored to stand alongside a community that continues to embody the very best of what it means to be neighbors helping neighbors. We continue to remain steadfast in prayer in the midst of a very active and devastating fire season.Watch Sean's interview with KTVB news.