Farmbrarian

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There is a perceived battle between ranchers and environmentalists. Ranchers intend to raise animals without consideration for the land, while environmentalists fight tooth and nail against the exploitation of nature. In reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Author Courtney White shows that these two groups hold nearly identical intentions in his book Revolution on the Range: The Rise of a New Ranch in the American West.

There are many examples of land being severely damaged by overgrazing. For this reason, many groups fight for tighter restrictions on livestock grazing, especially on public lands. White thoroughly details, however, that livestock can play an integral role in restoring an ecosystem when used properly.

His picture is painted using many different ranches across the American West. The action-oriented book is ripe with solutions, and as a result will be very useful in the ongoing task of land management. To an average person though, readability suffers.

White lays out his “new ranch” as an integral part of land conservation. To him, ranching and environmentalism are not only compatible, they are co-dependent. The arguments are compelling, and the solutions are innovative and realistic. The book is a great addition to the conservation literature.