Janie VanWinkle, Nucla native and part of VanWinkle Ranch on the Western Slope, told the Forum Aug. 10, during her dinner which was just getting started at 8:30 p.m., her family is still recovering from Turner Gulch Fire that occurred last year. With 60% of their permit having gone up in flames, they’ve got cows spread across western Colorado at this point.
They’d have had approximately 600 head up on the Uncompahgre Plateau before the fire; now they’re running approximately 25% up there.
They’re not hauling water, though they know many who are, including the Brays in Redvale. Her family is hauling hay, however, in preparation for winter, because they won’t have enough feed on private or public lands.
VanWinkle, like anyone who’s done the work year after year, knows her cows. She said they’re just not behaving normally in the current conditions. She said they sound different, seem more discontent, and she knows they sense something is off.
VanWinkle said she tries to look on the bright side. Her family made a conscious decision to hold onto their herd at this time. She said the current prices are very high, so that’s the highlight. They expect cattle prices to continue to be high in the next several years.
“It’s double what it’s been before, so we’re holding on to all of ours,” she said.
Additionally, her cows are staying healthy, whereas in bad drought years before, they’ve experienced bouts of pink eye or respiratory problems.
“Our cattle are exceedingly healthy,” she said.
Still, the drought year has been rough for so many producers. At this point, she can’t imagine more wolves being dropped into Colorado. There has been one wolf that has circled through her area, seemingly hanging out near Grand Mesa and Collbran. To her knowledge, her cows are OK. The Forum asked if she’s had any issue with conception or calving, and she said not yet.
Still, she said producers on the Western Slope think Gov. Jared Polis aims to get additional wolves on the ground in Colorado, and the current pause that’s in effect is not a guarantee.
Last summer, VanWinkle couldn’t give representatives from Colorado Parks and Wildlife the rest of her comments on the wolf issue. She was moving her family’s cows out of a wildfire. Her sister spoke the remarks on her behalf and told those at CPW that the fire would eventually be complete. The wolf issue wouldn’t, however, and that’s something that “scares the hell out of (her).”
Significant wolf predations have been occurring in the northern part of the state, and another wolf is now dead. The investigation reveals it was shot, by a someone who mistook it for a coyote. Representatives of CPW are handling the mistake.
For VanWinkle and her family, they don’t have the “brain space” to think about how to prepare for more wolves. Her son is working 18-hour days and has since the trauma of the Turner Gulch Fire. It’s affected all of them.
Van Winkle said some producers are talking about “virtual fencing” these days for agriculture, and her family has considered it. Normally, they tend to dive into new technologies, but they’re watching this one evolve. She’s interested in having a conversation about how virtual fencing can help Van Winkle Ranch post-fire, but she doesn’t have the capacity to make decisions about it.
“I told them to call me in September,” she said.
