Has cattle grazing technology really changed much over the centuries? I guess you can now ride the range on an ATV instead of a horse, but it doesn't seem to me that the economics have fundamentally changed.
I think there have been a few developments that make cattle ranching more feasible.
First, modern drilling and pumping technology make getting water a more realistic proposition. Also, as you pointed out, there are ATV’s that make it easier to handle a larger range for grazing. But another biggie is the ability to ‘bug out’. If there is a drought, or the limited grass fails, the rancher has the ability to put his herd onto trailers and move it...either to lease other land, or sell...but he doesn’t have to do an old fashioned cattle drive to move them across barren ground.