Grazing permits and leases, 1935-2016
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Grazing permits and leases allow users to access land managed and designated by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service for livestock grazing. The goal of U.S. grazing policy since the passage of the Taylor Grazing Act of 1935 has been "to stop injury to the public grazing lands by preventing overgrazing and soil deterioration" and "to provide for their orderly use, improvement, and development" in light of the effects of overgrazing in rangeland depletion and erosion during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[1][2]
Permits and leases specify the total number of animal unit months, defined as the amount of food needed for a specified amount of livestock for one month. The BLM manages approximately 155 million acres of federal land—about 63 percent of BLM-managed land and 24 percent of all federal land—and administers 18,000 permits and leases for livestock grazing at least part of the year. BLM grazing permits and leases generally span 10 years and are renewed if the terms and conditions found within the permit or lease are met. Though the U.S. Forest Service also allows grazing, land managed by the Forest Service is meant primarily for wildlife protection and conservation than grazing.[1]
Background
Congress passed the Taylor Grazing Act of 1935 in light of the effects of overgrazing in the public rangelands in the Western United States. These effects included soil erosion and accidental damage to plants and streams. The Taylor Grazing Act established permit requirements for ranchers and specific grazing allotments (specific areas of land designated and managed for grazing). Additionally, the BLM collected fees from ranchers for range infrastructure, such as fencing, water tanks for livestock, and land change projects to grow more food for livestock. According to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the number of livestock grazing and ranchers grazing livestock on federal lands declined partly because specific grazing allotments encouraged more private land grazing. From 1954 to 2015, grazing use declined from 18.2 million AUMs (the amount of food needed for a specified amount of livestock for one month) to 8.6 million—a decline of 53 percent.[1][3]
Federal grazing policy shifted again with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976. The act mandated that BLM-managed land policy be guided by the idea of multiple-use management, which is defined as "management of public lands and their various resource values so that they are utilized in the combination that will best meet the present and future needs of the American people."[1][3]
Consequently, according to the BLM, "Changing social values with respect to environmental protection and conservation of natural resources, as reflected by FLPMA, have brought more scrutiny to livestock grazing practices and the level of livestock grazing on public lands." As a result, livestock grazing began competing with other uses for federal land, including recreation, conservation, endangered species management, mining, and wilderness protection.[3]
In addition, the BLM has revised grazing terms and conditions since 1976 to accommodate government regulations involving endangered species protection, conservation of wetlands and bodies of water, and other federal land issues. Accordingly, ranchers have adopted more comprehensive grazing practices to comply with multiple-use objectives established by FLPMA, which have sometimes increased operating costs.[3]
Permit and lease process
Grazing permits and leases are open to any U.S. citizen or licensed business. However, the applicant must own livestock and own or control private property that the BLM has determined is base property, which is a private ranch that serves as a location where livestock will be redirected if the grazing permittee must vacate a federally managed area. Applicants can then apply to a BLM field office for a grazing permit attached to the property. Grazing permits and leases are generally given for a period of 10 years to livestock operations that meet federal requirements.[4]
At the start of a grazing season, permit holders receive the name of their allotment (grazing area), the time period of the grazing season, management plans for using different pastures, and the amount of animal unit months (AUM) available to the permittees. An AUM is the amount of bulky food (like grass or hay) needed to sustain one cow and one calf for a month. Grazing permits will specify a particular number of AUMs, though drought or other weather-related events may limit the available food for livestock. In such cases, federal officials calculate a new figure using information about the allotment. Permit holders may meet with local federal land managers to resolve conflicts about AUMs.[4]
Conservationist specialists from the BLM or the U.S. Forest Service will visit each allotment at least once a year (or as often as possible) to calculate the amount of plant food consumed by livestock. More infrequently (every few years approximately), federal officials will collect additional data to analyze future trends of plant ecosystems used for grazing.[4]
Grazing fees
Grazing permits and leases require that ranchers pay a federal grazing fee, which is measured in animal unit months (AUMs). The federal grazing fee calculated using the 1966 base value of $1.23 per AUM. The amount is adjusted each year based on three market factors: private grazing lease rates, the cost of livestock production, and beef cattle prices. Under federal law, grazing fees cannot go below $1.35 per AUM. Additionally, any fee increases or decreases must stay below 25 percent of the previous year's fee.[1]
For fiscal year 2016, the BLM set the federal grazing fee at $2.11 per AUM. In fiscal year 2015, the grazing fee was $1.69 per AUM. In 2015, the BLM collected $14.5 million in grazing fees and spent $36.2 million on livestock grazing management.. Under federal statute, annual grazing fee receipts are shared with state and local governments.[1]
Grazing permits and leases by state
- See also: Grazing permits on federal land
In fiscal year 2014, ranchers held 17,792 permits and leases and used 12.4 million AUMs. The table below summarizes the number of permits and leases as well as active AUMs for the 15 states with grazing on federal land. Montana ranchers held the most permits and leases at the end of 2014—3,768 permits and leases. Meanwhile, Nevada had the most active AUMs at the end of 2014—2.16 million.
| Grazing on BLM land (FY 2014) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State | Permits and leases | Active AUMs - End of FY 2014 | |
| Arizona | 769 | 626,338 | |
| California | 526 | 297,954 | |
| Colorado | 1,497 | 591,266 | |
| Idaho | 1,878 | 1,339,154 | |
| Montana | 3,768 | 1,272,635 | |
| Nebraska | 18 | 592 | |
| Nevada | 692 | 2,164,931 | |
| New Mexico | 2,276 | 1,874,303 | |
| North Dakota | 79 | 9,314 | |
| Oklahoma | 4 | 132 | |
| Oregon | 1,225 | 1,003,901 | |
| South Dakota | 471 | 73,138 | |
| Utah | 1,471 | 1,203,697 | |
| Washington | 266 | 33,428 | |
| Wyoming | 2,852 | 1,910,205 | |
| Total | 17,792 | 12,400,988 | |
| Source: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Public Land Statistics - 2014" | |||
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "Grazing on public lands," accessed December 14, 2016
- ↑ 43 CFR 4130.2 - Grazing permits or leases," accessed December 14, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 U.S. Bureau of Land Management, "History of Public Land Livestock Grazing," November 6, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Utah State University, "Federal Lands Grazing Permits Managing Rangeland Resources," March 2015
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