Cattle ranching in the Great Plains of the United States and Canada differs from the raising of beef cattle on small farms farther east. In the Great Plains it is the primary activity, not an adjunct to farming, and it is conducted on horseback (and, more recently, out of a pickup truck).anching, as it developed on the Plains, was well adapted to the physical environment. Cattle were able to consume the nutrient-rich grasses, just as the bison had. Even today, grass is the most important natural resource for ranchers, and little tillage agriculture takes place in order to sustain the herds.