What do the Koch Brothers, Ted Turner, and the Hilton family have in common with Cliven Bundy? They’re among a group of powerful welfare ranchers that take from the public and keep for themselves.
Source: dailypitchfork.org
GR: Effective lobbying to control Congress requires lots of money. So it’s no surprise that much of the subsidized rangeland is owned by the ultra-rich.
The photograph illustrates one of the devastating aspects of ranching on the western US ranges. After rains, ranchers haul in livestock and water so the cows can clean up the weeds and grasses that spring up. When the new growth is gone, it’s back to the feedlot. The problem is that wild horses, pronghorn antelope, deer, rabbits, mice and many more needed that flush of growth to survive. It’s not surprising that their numbers are declining.
