The cattle typically return home in September. This year, Baltzor and hired riders went into the mountains through heavy smoke to bring them out of the fire’s path. Burned grazing allotments may remain off-limits for years in some areas, she said, leaving ranchers across Harney County with less grass for their herds.

Drought has compounded the problem by reducing irrigation water and drying up hay meadows. Some of Baltzor’s fields produced only a small amount of hay; others received too little water to cut at all.

“Fuel costs, parts costs, everything has gone up,” Baltzor said. Calf prices have also risen, she said, but not enough to keep pace with inflation and the costs of running a ranch.

Harvesting hay requires several tractor trips to cut, dry and bale it. Baltzor said filling a tractor with diesel now costs about $300. With the hay crop thin, she and her husband weighed whether the expense of baling was worthwhile or whether to rake hay into piles in the fields for cattle to eat.

They chose the latter approach in part to reduce tractor use and because they feared additional fires could force them to bring cattle home. Rakebunching can help feed animals in late summer and fall, but it leaves less stored hay for later.

The larger concern is next year. If precipitation remains low, irrigation supplies could fall again and the ranch may have to buy hay, Baltzor said. Purchased feed can require long-distance transport, adding fuel costs for ranchers and delivery trucks alike.

Higher beef prices and strong calf prices offer some relief, but selling more young cattle is not a simple fix. Ranchers often keep female calves, called heifers, to replace older cows and build future herds. A heifer may take about two years to produce a calf, Baltzor said.

Baltzor and her husband have switched to gasoline-powered pickups to trim their diesel use. Their ability to weather the higher costs also reflects years spent working outside jobs and paying down debt, she said. Ranchers with vehicle, livestock or land loans may face a different financial threshold.

The early return from the mountains also required moving cattle along Highway 205. Baltzor said drivers should keep moving carefully through a herd rather than stop and get out, which can frighten the animals and disrupt their movement.

For now, the cattle are closer to home as the couple prepares to check pregnant cows and vaccinate and deworm the herd. But recovery of burned grazing land, along with next year’s rain and irrigation water, will shape how much feed the ranch can produce and how costly the coming seasons become.