triggered them to bolt. “The more out of their ‘normal’ that the situation is, the more challenging they’re go- ing to be and the more likely they’re going to break and resist those efforts to be herded into a safer area.” If they can’t be herded away from a fi re or loaded
onto trucks — and Bissett notes that those plans may go awry if the cattle don’t want to go where you’re try- ing to herd them — it’s important to give them a way out. He encourages ranchers to coordinate the escape path with neighbors, making sure gates will be opened and fences cut, but this has to be done in a way that does not create a public safety issue, so the cattle aren’t mixing with the fi re trucks on the road. “It’s not that much different than folks on the coast
with hurricanes,” he says. “Even though it’s been 5 years since storms hit the Texas coast, you still have to have that plan for how you’re going to move cattle out of low-lying areas. Wildfi res can happen anywhere, but in those areas where they’re particularly common, I think discussions with neighboring ranchers before- hand are warranted. If there is a wildfi re and the way out is through your neighbor’s place, develop those relationships so the alleys of escape can be created quickly when needed.”
And, he adds, develop plans for how things will get
sorted out in the aftermath. “Make sure that your cattle are identifi ed, either with electronic ID tags or ranch brands, something that uniquely identifi es that animal as belonging to a particular ranch,” he says. Standard yellow, numbered ear tags may not be optimal. “How many yellow ear tags are out there?” he asks. Planning for emergencies is crucial and Bissett says
it’s a good idea to disk or clear fi re lanes around pastures and buildings that are important to your operations, but you may still need to improvise when the fi re hits. He recalls that during the Bastrop fi res in 2011, a
fi re crossed a 4-lane highway as if it was nothing. “I am a big believer in emergency preparedness
planning and, in the case of cattle ranches, continu- ity of operations planning,” Bissett says. “It needs to be done for all the potential hazards in your area — how to preserve animal welfare, your income, and the historical legacy of many cattle herds. In some cases, this represent generations of labor, effort and breed- ing. And all of that needs to be done in the calm of the moment. Don’t wait until the wildfi re is half a mile away to fi gure out how you’re going to give the cattle safe passageway.”
Angus Bulls and Females Lesikar Ranch
Herd Bulls
Range Ready Moderate
Avg Length of Service Breeding Perfomance on Grass
Virgin Docile
Longevity
Low Birth Weight - 5.5 yrs*
Call for Pricing on Bulls and Females for Sale Lyn & Harriet Lesikar (817)-738-2177
(817)-726-7998 Jason Lesikar
Athens, Fort Worth, Llano, Poolville * Number based on customer testimonials and feedback
tscra.org August 2016 The Cattleman 69
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