Managing for the middle: Rancher care ethics under uncertainty on Western Great Plains rangelands

Authors: Wilmer, Hailey; FERNANDEZ-GIMENEZ, MARIA - Colorado State University; GHAJAR, SHAYAN - Virginia Tech; TAYLOR, PETER - Colorado State University; SOUZA, CARIDAD - Colorado State University; Derner, Justin

Submitted to: Agriculture and Human Values
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/20/2019
Publication Date: 12/4/2019
Publication URL: https://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/6829294
Citation: Wilmer, H.N., Fernandez-Gimenez, M., Ghajar, S., Taylor, P.L., Souza, C., Derner, J.D. 2019. Managing for the middle: Rancher care ethics under uncertainty on Western Great Plains rangelands. Agriculture and Human Values. 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-019-10003-w.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-019-10003-w

Interpretive Summary: In this paper we wanted to learn more about how ranchers make decisions in conditions like drought where they may not have as much experiential knowledge of how to respond to extreme events or uncertainty. We used modified grounded theory analysis, which is a qualitative analysis method, to examine repeated semi-structured interviews with ranchers in the Western Great Plains. Our objectives were to: 1) compare rancher decision-making under relatively certain and uncertain conditions (market and environment), and 2) describe a typology of practices used to prioritize and choose management actions that maintain effective stewardship of these often multi-generational ranches. Our results indicate that ranchers rely heavily on ranch traditions when conditions are more common or certain, but rely on more relational decision-making processes when things become more uncertain (as in during drought or other complex events). This means that they find ways to care for the rangeland ecosystem to limit harm and maximize ranch economic, social and ecological viability and sustainability. For example, ranchers use conservative stocking approaches to “manage for the middle” not only to limit risk under uncertain weather and forage availability conditions, but also because doing so reinforces their identity as rangeland care-givers. Contemporary efforts to promote heterogeneity-based rangeland management for biodiversity conservation, through the restoration of patch burn grazing and prairie dog conservation, will require increased valuation of ranchers’ care work.We compare these processes to current ecological and animal science literature. Successfully promoting heterogeneity-based rangeland management for biodiversity conservation will require increased valuation of ranchers’ care work.

Technical Abstract: In the Great Plains of North America, rangeland ecology has increasingly recognized the importance of managing for vegetation heterogeneity to address conservation and production goals on public and private lands. This paradigm, however, has limited application in actual management by ranchers as they manage extensive beef production operations under high levels of complexity and uncertainty. We draw on the Ethics of Care theoretical framework to explore how ranchers choose management actions. We used modified grounded theory analysis of repeated interviews with ranchers to 1) compare rancher decision-making under relatively certain and uncertain conditions (market and environment), and 2) describe a typology of practices used to prioritize and choose management actions that maintain effective stewardship of these often multi-generational ranches. In familiar decision-making contexts, ranchers’ justice (rule)-based ethical frameworks resulted in traditional ranching practices. Under high levels of environmental and market uncertainty, however, ranchers described using flexible, relational, and care-based frameworks for decision-making. We find that rancher decision-making seeks the “middle-ground” especially in contexts of high uncertainty and complexity. For example, ranchers use conservative stocking approaches to “manage for the middle” not only to limit risk under uncertain weather and forage availability conditions, but also because doing so reinforces their identity as rangeland care-givers. Contemporary efforts to promote heterogeneity-based rangeland management for biodiversity conservation, through the restoration of patch burn grazing and prairie dog conservation, will require increased valuation of ranchers’ care work.