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P.V. Vorpahl, D.V.M.
Newcastle, Wyo.

I'd like to comment on a few points in T.J. Gilles' article, "A Wintering Program For Range Cattle", that I thought were misleading.

T.J. prefers grass hay to alfalfa because there's no risk of bloat. I personally think that alfalfa makes better hay because: [1] it's higher in protein content, [2] it's plentiful—you can harvest three or four cuttings in one growing season—and [3] although green alfalfa can cause bloat, cured alfalfa won't.

In spite of what Mr. Gilles says, I think that branding, castration, and vaccination are vital to the proper management of any herd, whether you raise cattle commercially or just for consumption on your own self-sufficient homestead. Though all three procedures may cause some pain to the calves, their benefits far outweigh the animals' temporary discomfort.

I think it's best to brand calves when they're only two months or so old . . . the animals are much more difficult to handle when they get bigger. Pick a cool day to brandish the iron so the youngsters won't become overheated. If done properly, branding isn't really hard on the animals at all.

From my point of view, castration is one of the most important management tools that a stockman has. Bulls can breed when they're less than a year old and, if you don't make sure that only the best males in your herd mate with your females, you'll soon find yourself unnecessarily raising low-grade and inferior cattle.

Besides that, the meat from bulls is tougher and has less taste than steaks, roasts, etc., taken from their castrated brothers. Steers, in short, make better eating!

Randy Voss
Long Pine, Neb.

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