She’s not friendly and you’d best be advised to keep your distance. Those horns are not for looks … and that udder is not for you.

This is all “open range”. Many, many square miles of open range. The owner may only see his cattle twice a year.

Closed range is fenced in; open range is not.

The important difference for us’ens?
If you hit livestock on the road in closed range territory, it’s the rancher’s fault; if you hit livestock on the road in open range, it’s your fault.

Back east, our family farm raised cattle. Other farms nearby raised cattle. Out this way, ranchers raise cattle.
Rough definition: A farm is cows per acre; a ranch is acres per cow.

Not for sure but I’d guess the boundary between “farm” and “ranch” is the “dry line” at roughly the 100th Meridian – roughly a N-S line passing through Cozad, NE, Dodge City, KS, and Abilene, TX; close to following US283.

Both my grandfathers were raised on farms. Both got out of that business as soon as they were old enough. Granted, they were raised before tractors were in use and staring at the south end of a north-bound mule all day tends to give you time to think of alternative lifestyles.