A Grazing Plan, by Stan Tixier

A Grazing Plan
By Stan Tixier, SRM Utah Section Member

A rancher saved to help his son

Enroll in their State College,

He reckoned he could use some help

And educated knowledge

On how to utilize his range

And feed his cattle better,

And so he sent his boy to school

And then wrote him this letter:

"When you get home, I want you to

Devise A GRAZING PLAN,

And calculate the way that we

Might run the most we can,

Our cow herd's looking sorta' poor,

I think they should be fatter,

So your assignment once you're back

Is figure what's the matter."

The lad came home, degree in hand,

Computer programs too,

It shouldn't take him very long

To ponder what to do.

He rode the range for several day

To see what he could see,

He left his saddle horse at home

And drove an ATV.

He drew a map that clearly showed

ONE wind-mill in the middle,

The grass was GONE for several miles

Around, it was a rideel

Just how those cows could find a thing

To eat, he wasn't sure,

Repulsive as it was, he saw

They grazed on -- horse manure.

It seemed the horses ranged beyond

The radius of cows,

To where the grass was tall and green,

So Son told Pappy how

"There's more than one way to resolve

This problem, several courses,

It's my professional advice,

We've got to get more horses!"

From the book:
A Good Lookin' Horse: Cowboy Poetry and Other Verse (1993) by Stan Tixier
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Want more cowboy poetry?  Poetry books and CDs by Stan Tixier are available for purchase from Western Heritage Company, 1-800-303-5703.  And don't worry, Cowboy Poet's Corner will continue to post to the SRM blog in coming months.