. Cattle grazing near Mission Mountains, Montana, by G. Wunderwald. (NPS photo) Livestock Sector Based on USFS information on cow-calf operations to the north and west of Yellowstone National Park, it is estimated that there are about 725 cow-calf pairs to the north of the park and 1,294 pairs in the West Yellowstone area grazing land that would lie within the boundaries of the most extensive of the SMAs described in this environmental impact statement. Gallatin County has about 62,000 cattle and calves, and Park County has about 58,000 cattle and calves, as shown in table 23. Table 23 also in
. Cattle grazing near Mission Mountains, Montana, by G. Wunderwald. (NPS photo) Livestock Sector Based on USFS information on cow-calf operations to the north and west of Yellowstone National Park, it is estimated that there are about 725 cow-calf pairs to the north of the park and 1,294 pairs in the West Yellowstone area grazing land that would lie within the boundaries of the most extensive of the SMAs described in this environmental impact statement. Gallatin County has about 62,000 cattle and calves, and Park County has about 58,000 cattle and calves, as shown in table 23. Table 23 also indicates some differences between the livestock populations in the two counties. Gallatin County has livestock cash receipts times those of Park County. Whereas Gallatin County has a smaller number of beef cows, this is balanced by larger milk cow, sheep, and swine populations, and twice the number of total farms and ranches found in Park County. As the last column of the table shows, livestock cash receipts for the two counties together represent about 5% of livestock cash receipts statewide. Madison County is also included in table 23 (and table 24). Although it does not border Yellowstone National Park, during the winter of 1996-97 there were two instances of bison migrating along roads to within 1 mile of livestock in Madison County. Nine bison made the trek in January, and 13 bison made the trek in late February. As shown in table 23, Madison has a significant livestock industry that could be jeopardized by such incursions. Although Gallatin, Park, and Madison Counties contain a relatively small portion of Montana's total livestock wealth, cattle are at least as important to these counties' economies as they are for the state as a whole, as indicated in table 24. About one-half of agricultural cash receipts for Gallatin County and for Montana are from the sale of livestock and livestock products. In Park and Madison Counties, livestock provide around 80% of agricultural
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