How many cows are permitted to graze on Finger Lakes National Forest ?

There are approximately 1,500 head of cattle permitted to graze within the Finger Lakes National Forest. [1]

The livestock are managed directly by the Hector Cooperative Grazing Association. The cattle rotate through 35 to 40 designated public pastures covering roughly 4,500 to 4,800 acres of open grassland. [1, 2, 3]

Key Grazing Details

• The Seasonal Timeline: The cattle are brought to the forest pastures in mid-spring on May 15 and roam freely until they are rounded up and returned to their home farms on October 15 or 31. [1, 2]
• Types of Cattle: The herds primarily consist of beef and dairy cattle, consisting largely of cow-calf pairs, breeding bulls, and young 1- to 2-year-old yearlings. [3, 4]
• Co-Op Membership: The cattle belong to local independent livestock owners and dairy farmers across the region who pay dues to the cooperative to access the shared public lands. [5, 6]
• Sharing the Trails: Because the cattle roam freely across a third of the forest, hikers using systems like the Interloken Trail will directly encounter them. Trails utilize specialized latched livestock gates to keep the herds contained. [7, 8, 9]

[1] https://www.americanforests.org
[2] https://www.cornellsun.com
[3] https://www.ithaca.com
[4] https://www.agproud.com
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org
[6] https://www.causeiq.com
[7] https://www.gofingerlakes.org
[8] https://www.lifeinthefingerlakes.com
[9] https://www.lifeinthefingerlakes.com