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For decades, ranchers have paid rock bottom prices to graze livestock on millions of acres of public lands around the West. Last week, the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service announced next year's fees for public lands grazing, a paltry $1.35 per animal unit month, the lowest allowable by law and far below rates charged on private lands. That's the amount charged for one cow and calf, one horse or five sheep.
According to reporting by High Country News, while inflation may be at a 40-year high, the real cost of grazing permits is lower than it was 40 years ago. Over those four decades, grazing rates have ranged from $1.35 to $2.31, with the highest rates charged in 1981. If that fee had merely kept up with inflation, it would be $7.61 in 2022, providing much needed revenue to taxpayers and rangeland improvement programs.
While previous administrations and Congresses have proposed reforms to the system governing grazing on public lands, none have been adopted in recent years. Ranching and grazing has long been a major use of our public lands. As those public lands face threats from overgrazing and climate change, investing in rangeland health is all the more critical.
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There’s a growing recognition that we have to reduce the amount of irrigated turf we have, and a growing recognition that while some turf is definitely beneficial – parks, sports fields, parts of people’s yards – we all know there’s a lot of turf that doesn’t get used”
