To better understand risk management and mutual aid among American ranchers, we interviewed and mailed a survey to ranchers in Hidalgo County, New Mexico, and Cochise County, Arizona, focusing on two questions: (1) When do ranchers expect repayment for the help they provide others? (2) What determines ranchers’ degrees of involvement in networks of mutual aid, which they refer to as “neighboring”? When needs arise due to unpredictable events, such as injuries, most ranchers reported not expecting to be paid back for the help they provide. When help is provided for something that follows a known schedule or that can be scheduled, such as branding, most ranchers did expect something in return for the help they provide. This pattern makes sense in light of computational modeling that shows that transfers to those in need without expectations of repayment pool risk more effectively than transfers that create debt. Ranchers reported helping other ranchers more often when they belonged to more religious and civic organizations, when they owned larger ranches, when they relied less on ranch vs. other income, and when they had more relatives in the area. Operators of midsize ranches reported helping other ranchers more frequently than did those on smaller and larger ranches. None of our independent variables predicted how many times ranchers reported receiving help from other ranchers. Although ranch culture in the American West is often characterized by an ethic of individualism and independence, our study suggests that this ethic stands alongside an ethic of mutual aid during times of need.

为了更好地了解美国牧场主之间的风险管理和互助，我们采访并邮寄了一份调查问卷给新墨西哥州伊达尔戈县和亚利桑那州科奇斯县的牧场主，主要关注两个问题：（1）牧场主希望他们的帮助何时得到回报？提供给别人？（2）什么决定了牧场主在互助网络中的参与程度，他们称之为“邻居”？当由于不可预测的事件（例如受伤）而出现需求时，大多数牧场主报告说他们提供的帮助不会得到回报。当为遵循已知时间表或可以安排的事情提供帮助时，例如品牌推广，大多数牧场主确实希望他们提供的帮助有所回报。根据计算模型，这种模式是有道理的，该模型表明，与产生债务的转移相比，在不预期还款池风险的情况下向有需要的人转移更有效。牧场主报告说，当他们属于更多宗教和公民组织时，当他们拥有更大的牧场，当他们较少依赖牧场与其他收入时，以及当他们在该地区有更多亲戚时，他们会更频繁地帮助其他牧场主。中型牧场的经营者报告说，与较小和较大牧场的经营者相比，他们更频繁地帮助其他牧场主。我们的自变量都没有预测牧场主报告从其他牧场主那里获得帮助的次数。尽管美国西部的牧场文化通常以个人主义和独立伦理为特征，