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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Dubois, Idaho » Range Sheep Production Efficiency Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #427903
Research Project: Adaptive Capacity and Ecosystem Service Provisioning on Intermountain Range Sheep Systems Under a Changing Climate

Location: Range Sheep Production Efficiency Research

Title: 'The mountain has a story to tell': Transhumant production systems in the US Intermountain West

Author
item Wilmer, Hailey
item Spiess, Jonathan
item WHITE, KATHEINE - University Of Wyoming
item BURNS, AMIRA - Orise Fellow
item COX, STEVEN - Us Forest Service (FS)
item SCASTA, JOHN - University Of Wyoming
item McGranahan, Devan
item Wilson, Carrie
item MUNGER, WILL - Former ARS Employee
item Taylor, Joshua

Submitted to: African Journal of Range & Forage Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/13/2025
Publication Date: 3/17/2026
Citation: Wilmer, H.N., Spiess, J.W., White, K.D., Burns, A., Cox, S., Scasta, J.D., McGranahan, D.A., Wilson, C.S., Munger, W., Taylor, J.B. 2026. 'The mountain has a story to tell': Transhumant production systems in the US Intermountain West. African Journal of Range & Forage Science. 43(1):113-131. https://doi.org/10.2989/10220119.2025.2577941.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2989/10220119.2025.2577941

Interpretive Summary: The overlapping complexities of the US Intermountain West present challenges for livestock producers attempting to make use of the diverse forage resources through space and time. We used a social-ecological systems case study approach to describe the transhumant system sheep producers use in the US Intermountain West to navigate the ecological, economic, and bureaucratic dynamics. This helps illustrate how the interaction of these challenges informs knowledge of grazing and social-ecological systems and provides a better understanding of the risks, challenges, and opportunities for future adaptive management and existing knowledge gaps for future research.

Technical Abstract: Grazing systems research has taken a notable social-ecological turn in response to recent debates and integrative work is still needed to address gaps in our understanding of multiscalar dynamics in transhumant systems. Transhumance encompasses diverse cultures, ecological relationships and traditions across global rangelands. Research illuminating the social-ecological relationships, risks, and opportunities for adaptation presented by transhumant systems can inform decision-making for sustainable outcomes. In this paper, we take a multiscalar social-ecological systems approach to explore sheep transhumance in the US Intermountain West. We explore both how and why range sheep producers graze extensive groups (bands, i.e. 500-2500 sheep) of dual-purpose sheep across a complex web of economic, bureaucratic, and ecological dynamics. We explore a four-year social-ecological field study -- including participant observation and semi-structured interviews, vegetation and animal monitoring, and grazing records – to describe the intermountain transhumant system in Eastern Idaho. We consider how patterns of interaction inform knowledge of grazing and social-ecological systems, and illuminate a more practical list of risks, challenges, and opportunities for adaptation presented by the case study. Here, the structure and function of land management governance and food system infrastructure are as important to social-ecological outcomes as are the structure and function of ecosystem processes.