Legendary cattle drives; future ranching may involve cloning.
Life on the range today isn't what most people envision when they think of ranching. Modern cowboys are as familiar with artificial insemination and embryo transplants as they are with riding the fence lines and branding. This Documentary takes a long look at a profession that is suspended between technology and tradition, where the sweat-and-blood duties of herding cattle and roping calves have been joined by 21st century techniques that herald a new era in livestock management. CATTLE RANCHES also ventures back in time to ride the vanished ranges alongside enormous herds in 19th century cattle drives and recalls the days of the million-acre ranch kingdoms that defined the west in the early 20th century. Filled with interviews with past and present ranchers, this is a unique look at a rapidly evolving profession that remains firmly grounded in tradition.
