Nebraska Stock Handler Earns Worldwide Reputation For "Gentle Effectiveness"

Nebraska Stock Handler Earns Worldwide Reputation For "Gentle Effectiveness" LIVESTOCK Handling 26-1-22 Stockmen from all over the world pay to learn how Bud Williams, Benkelman, Neb., handles cows, sheep and other livestock. The unimposing 68-year-old's gentle way with animals pays off in less stress on both man and beast. Some people call him the "cow whisperer" in reference to a popular movie but Benkelman doesn't like the nickname. He just wants to provide his stock handling methods. "Getting others to understand it is what takes a long time," he says. "The trouble is that our instinct is wrong. We think we need to chase animals, but they don't like to be chased. Animals must not perceive us as a threat. Handling livestock in a low-stress way increases their performance and reduces health problems." According to Williams, every situation is different, and you have to learn to "read what the animal is telling you". "Learning this method of working livestock is a little bit like driving rush hour traffic in a big city. You must pay attention to many things and be in the right place at the right time." It's not necessary to use whips or cattle prods, according to Williams, and you don't need to be aggressive to get animals where you want them. You don't have to threaten them or scare them. All you have to do is move and understand what it is that the animal wants. It has less to do with respect than it does trust, he says. Williams was raised on a farm in southern Oregon and has spent a lifetime observing animals and how they react to what we do. He says he became interested in trying to do a better job of working with animals, and his methods "just kind of evolved." He developed a reputation as a "trouble shooter" by "being a good neighbor and bringing in the ones that got away." As a result, he and his wife, Eunice, have lived all over the world, taking on "projects" that they found both interesting and difficult. "We learned our trade in the mountains of southern Oregon and northern California, where we would take weaned calves onto unfenced ranges, teach them to stay as a herd and rotationally graze without fences," Eunice explains. Bud has also worked wild cattle in Old Mexico and the Aleutian Islands. He has herded sheep in Australia, gathered reindeer above the Arctic Circle in Alaska, and managed elk ranches in Texas and Missouri. He has also worked both beef and dairy cattle, goats, fallow deer, bison and hogs. "I enjoy the challenge of rough terrain, huge areas, and many types of animals," he says. "I have no preference in the animals I work, but found elk to be the most difficult, so that was fun." Williams has been developing and practicing his methods for 45 to 50 years, but 12 years ago, after much urging from people who didn't want his knowledge to be lost after he is gone, he began trying to teach others. He has done this by offering a two-day course and selling a five-hour long videotape that documents his methods. As far as herdsmen go, Bud believes he is one-of-a-kind in the world. He credits his abilities and successes to having quick observation skills, a keen memory and pure stubbornness. Word of his amazing livestock handling powers has traveled far and wide. People as far away as the Ukraine, South Africa, Argentina, and Australia have attended his "Stockmanship Schools." The cost of a two-day seminar is $400 U.S. and the couple usually puts on several per year in various locations. Their videotape alone can be purchased for $100 U.S. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bud & Eunice Williams, Box 512 Benkelman, Nebraska, 69021-0512 (ph 308 423-5624; fax 308 423-5724; E-mail: stockman@bwtelcom.net).

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