B
EFORE EUROPEAN SETTLEMENTS, MIGRATING BUFFALO HERDS grazed dormant grasses, such as Indiangrass, sideoats grama, switchgrass and bristlegrass,
on the Texas plains during the colder months. The native grasses developed and evolved in this pattern for hundreds of years. Today, Hugh Stone III, San Angelo, mimics the
American Bison’s ancient grazing habits at his Scrub Oaks ranch, which spans 12,158 acres in Tom Green and Coke counties. It was during a vacation in Wyo- ming that Stone began studying these historical graz- ing patterns. “I started reading about the buffalo and their graz-
ing patterns and how they would come south to Texas during the winters and graze during the dormant season. This made me think about the physiology of grass growth,” Stone said. “While in Wyoming on a vacation, I saw that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had fenced the elk out of an area so it could rest during the growing season, increasing or stockpiling winter forage that would be available for the large elk herds by opening the area to the elk after fi rst frost. This gave me the idea to run cattle during the dormant season.” Stone took his grazing system observations and has
developed them into a successful stocker operation for backgrounding cattle. “I consider myself a grass farmer. I grow the grass
during the growing season and harvest it in the fall and winter with my livestock. I learn more watching
Hugh Stone III
the grazing patterns of my herds and fl ocks of livestock and how they interact with the terrain of this ranch,” said Stone.
Before there was Wyoming Stone comes from a long line of West Texas ranch-
ers. He is the great grandson of John Abe March, M.D., of San Angelo, who along with his brothers pur- chased 30,000 acres in 1899 and added 11,000 acres as the years passed. It was on this land that Stone, who grew up in Houston, spent his summers working sheep, goats, and cattle with his uncle, John March, Jr., who ran the ranch. After graduating from Texas Christian University in 1968 with a Ranch Management Degree, Stone began leasing part of the ranch for a commercial cow-calf operation. In 1976, Stone’s uncle retired
This West Texas rancher developed a grazing plan that mimics historical patterns of migrating buffalo while timing local cattle markets to sell his cattle.
92 The Cattleman August 2016
from ranching and he soon took over managing the entire ranch. Around 1981, Stone’s father and uncle decided to buy out their sis- ter’s interest in the ranch. One hat and 2 pieces of paper decided Stone’s future. Over lunch that year, when the 2 pieces of paper were drawn from the hat, the offi cial division of the ranch was decided. Stone’s aunt decided to lease her part of the ranch and Stone named his portion of the ranch Scrub Oaks.
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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