CURRENT EVENT || "Modern Cattle Drives"

To ranchers like the Betts family, what month of the year is "shipping season" when they send their cattle off to feedlots to be fattened before being turned into beef?

• early April, at the beginning of spring
• late July, at the end of the summer
• late October, at the end of the fall
• late November, when the fall harvest has ended

While the Betts family uses horses, what do many modern ranchers use to "round up", or gather, their cattle according to the article from the Kansas City Star?

• wagons pulled by a team of horses
• all-terrain vehicles (ATV's)
• pickup trucks
• remote controlled drones

Cliff Cole is the ranch manager for Bill Haw's outfit. How many square miles does his massive ranch cover?

• 50 square miles
• 125 square miles
• 40,000 square miles
• 80,000 square miles

Despite working on horseback and using many traditional methods, what modern-day pieces of technology does Cliff Cole use

• cellphone
• GPS location tags
• computer tracking software
• helicopters

Where do most of the cowboys for Mr. Cole's crew come from?

• Most of the cowboys are friends, relatives, and neighbors willing to help out.
• Most of the cowboys are migrant workers paid to work for a short time, then move on to the next ranch.
• Most of the cowboys are full-time employees on Mr. Cole's staff year-round.
• Most of the cowboys are from a single family that lives on Mr. Haw's ranch year-round in return.

Why do cattle naturally gravitate toward one another? This instinct is known as the "herd mentality".

• It is a natural defense mechanism that allows the beef cattle to defend against predators.
• Beef cattle are trained by the cowboys to crowd together when loud noises occur.
• "Herd mentality" allows beef cattle to travel faster as a group than they would alone.
• This instinct allows the leader of each herd to make sure they don't get lost on their way to grazing lands.

When beef cattle are rounded-up and taken to the feedlot, approximately how old is each head of cattle?

• each head of cattle is about 9 months old
• each head of cattle is about 1 year old
• each head of cattle is about 18 months old
• each head of cattle is about 2 years old

What is one of the rewards of working as a modern-day cowboy according to Cliff Cole?

• He doesn't have to be around people.
• He gets to eat all the steak that he wants.
• He gets to ride his horse, who he considers his "best friend".
• He gets to learn something new every day, things that books can't teach you.

How long will these cattle spend at the feedlot before being turned into food?

• 3 months
• 6 months and one week
• 7 and a half months
• 9 months
• 1 year

During their time at the feedlot, how much will the weight of the typical beef cattle increase?

• the typical head of cattle will gain 300 pounds at the feedlot
• the typical head of cattle will DOUBLE their weight at the feedlot
• the typical head of cattle will TRIPLE their weight at the feedlot
• the typical head of cattle will QUADRUPLE their weight at the feedlot