One of the major problems confronting the ranching industry is lack of an adequate yearround forage supply. This forage deficiency may be caused by drouth or a short growing season and may, or may not, be intensified by heavy grazing. Regardless of the cause, the problem of partial or full-feeding of livestock during these periods of forage deficiency is of major economic significance to the ranch operator. Maintenance of livestock in drylot during periods of feed shortage, utilizing all-concentrate rations, merits careful consideration by ranchers and research workers. During drouth periods, it may be desirable to remove livestock from the range, thus reducing needless “exercise” in the search for food, providing a means of salvaging that important base breeding herd, and at the same time, making it possible to “rest” the vegetation. Results from recent experiments not only indicate that ruminants can perform satisfactorily on all-concentrate diets in drylots for long periods of time, but also that under certain conditions roughage may be a disadvantage even at low cost. It is hoped that this article will challenge range and livestock people to re-examine some old assumptions on the feeding of livestock. An additional objective is to stimulate more research on livestock maintenance in drylot and the use of the drylot as a research tool in designing grazing experiments.