Water is the Game

Not a lot of solar wells out west yet but we have a good one!

Lots of Windmills out west.

With drought being a constant threat to the cattle rancher, water resources are critical to the operation. We have to have water in every pasture. This necessitates a whole host of different stratigies to pump it. Where there is no electricity, we must use alternative sources of power to get water. Wind and sun fill the bill (or in this case the tank). If you look closely, you will notice that the tanks are actually 12 foot heavy equipment tires that have had one sidewall cut off and set with concrete into the ground. They each hold over a thousand gallons of water. Unlike metal or fiberglass tanks, they should last 20 years or longer.

We have suffered several years of drought. The average rainfall in this area is about 14 inches per year. Last year we only got 12 inches of rain. This really puts a demand on wells and water systems. Many local ranches irrigate from the Little Powder River. If it does not have enough water to irrigate from, the ranchers have to buy hay from other areas. This adds considerably to the cost of raising the beef and seriously cuts into the profits of the operation.

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