Livestock Reduction

Drastic times call for drastic measures, or so it would appear. At the end of the Great Depression, the government established a stock-reduction program. Over the course of time, over 200,000 sheep, goats, and horses were killed. The government claimed the arid land of the southwest would support only six head per acre. Stock reduction was intended to increase soil conservation and reduce overgrazing.

Unfortunately, these events coincided with years of depression and economic hardship. Those who relied on livestock for their existence, such as some Native Americans, were devastated by the orders.

Each family was permitted to claim a certain number of sheep or goats. In some cases, some stock could be given to other family members who did not yet meet the quota. This spared some animals, but not all, from certain death. The remaining livestock were shot. Not surprisingly, stock reduction also contributed to the near-extinction of Churro sheep.

The stock-reduction plans changed the way people lived. Families who had previously supported themselves by raising stock now had to find other ways of bringing in income. Men were forced to find wage-paying jobs, even if it meant leaving their communities. The Native Americans, in particular, had been sheepherders for generations. They believed the sheep gave strength to the people to survive. Herds represented status in the community.

Shortly after the beginning of the program, the Navajo chairman asked the government to reconsider. His request cited “economic loss of wages and war effort.” In response, the government issued special grazing permits to reduce the impact of stock reduction during the war. In theory, this would prevent taking too much stock from people who had no other source of income. The war provided a temporary way out for some, but it took time to rebuild the herds and recover economically after the war.