Contain a wildfire? Call in the cows.

By: Dave Marston

Outlets: South Dakota Searchlight

Published: September 27, 2026

Words: 777

Last Updated: 4 days, 5 hours ago

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When fire commanders try to figure out how to contain a major wildfire, the last thing you might expect them to deploy is a herd of beef cattle. But on the recent Gold Mountain Fire in western Colorado, cows are eating the “fine fuels” along a three-mile fire line on the Big Cimarron River.

Putting that idea into practice five years ago would have required miles of electric fencing and a range rider to gather …

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