Author: John Marble

John Marble grew up on a terribly conventional ranch with a large family where each kid had their own tractor. Surviving that, he now owns a small grazing and marketing operation that focuses on producing value through managed grazing. He oversees a diverse ranching operation, renting and owning cattle and grasslands while managing timber, wildlife habitat and human relationships. His multi-species approach includes meat goats, pointing dogs and barn cats. He has a life-long interest in ecology, trying to understand how plants, animals, soils and humans fit together. John spends his late-night hours working on fiction, writing about worlds much less strange than this one.

April 10, 2017

Blaming Our Troubles on the Market

If you want to experience the unhappiness radiating throughout the ranching business, there is no better place to visit than your local auction yard. The sellers come drifting in, some wearing a stoic grimace, most bringing the face of defeat. There is some mumbling and grinding of teeth. The professional buyers know enough to keep […]

February 20, 2017

The Grazier’s Bookshelf

The icy hand of winter grasped my little valley just after Thanksgiving. After a fabulous grass-growing fall, the dark curtain fell, which meant I began watching the mailbox in earnest as winter is the time of year new books arrive, some of them about grazing. Recently I’ve written about steps people might take to explore […]

January 23, 2017

Before You Dive Into Grazing….

If you’re considering starting a grazing enterprise, here are some steps to prevent belly flops.

December 19, 2016

On Becoming a Professional Grazier

Why in the world would you want to be a Grazier? Here are some upsides and some of the challenges.

November 14, 2016

Watching Out For the Next Wreck

What kind of wrecks are we setting ourselves up for when we do things the way we always have?

October 24, 2016

Who Will Survive Low Cattle Prices? Those With the Lowest Inputs

The cattle market is in the toilet. The future looks even worse. Calves bring only one-half of what they did a couple years back. Stocker margins are negative, feeders too. The American cattle industry is on its knees, broken and busted. Is this the end? Well maybe, at least for some folks. A better question […]