Grazing provides important service on public lands By ZippyDuvall
Take a drive through the countryside in manystates,andchancesareyou’llcatchthe
familiar sight of cat- tleroamingpastures andrangeland. A s y ou mov e West, the range- land gets more ex- pansive, and you’ll see fewer private property signs. In Western states, the federal govern-
Livestock grazing benefits public lands, and could bring even more benefits if govern- ment agencies streamlined the regulatory process for grazing permits.
Zippy Duvall
ment owns every other acreof land, which has been placed in the public trust for all Americans to take part in enjoying, using and conserving. Americans are taking to the road again this summer to enjoy our nation’s wide- openspaces, forestsandparks. These lands areunderwatchful care, nomatter the sea- son.Many people are surprisedwhen I tell themAmerica’s ranchers are often the first caretakersandfirstresponderstoensurethe safetyandsustainabilityofourpubliclands. For more than 40 years, federal law has protected “multiple use” management of public lands, which permits a wide range of activities from recreation to ranching. Nationwide, more than 200 million acres of public lands areused for grazing,main- ly in theWest. Grazingonpublic lands iscritical tocon- serving our nation’s vast open lands. It helps reduce the risk of devastating wildfires, slows the spread of invasive weeds, helps build robust root systems and spurs forage growth. In some areas, wildlife will follow cattle herds to eat the new forage that grows once the herd has moved on. This cycle helps increase the health of wildlife habitats. Ranchers often serve as volunteer care-
takers,spottingwildfires,clearingdebrisand reportingdangers tolocal lawenforcement. A2017reportfromUniversityofWyoming Extensionfoundthat foreachpoundofbeef raised on public lands, we get 44 cents in ecosystem-relatedreturns.Thesereturnsin- cludebenefitssuchashabitatmaintenance, biodiversity, forage production, recreation and tourism. Bothpublicandprivate rangelands sup- port more than 23 million head of cattle, andourbeef cattleranchesareresponsible for 2.1million jobs across the country. As someof theoriginal conservationists, America’s ranchersworkhard to responsi- blymanageandconserve rangeland, both public and private. Recently, the Biden administration laid out principles to help the federal govern-
ment reachitsgoalofconserving30%ofour nation’slandby2030.Wemustremember— andremindlawmakers—thatconservation andproductiveuseof landgohandinhand. The work ranchers do on public lands al- ready plays an important role in conserva- tion, andIwashappy tosee that theadmin- istration acknowledged the importance of workingpublic lands in its report. Ranchers could be evenmore effective at conserving our nation’s public lands if we further streamlined the regulatorypro- cess for grazing permits. The National Environmental Policy Act was passed in the 1960s with the goal of helpingprotect andenhanceour environ- ment. Today, bureaucratic red tape and backlogs can result in ranchers waiting more than a decade for the environmen- tal review process as they seek a grazing
permit.Worseyet, thesedelaysoftenoccur on renewal applications. Responsiblemanagement of our range- landbenefits all stakeholders.Weareeach one of those stakeholders, because our public lands are for everyone. Farmers and ranchers know firsthand the importanceof conservation inkeeping all our nation’s landproductive and thriv- ing. For generations, ranchers have done their part to protect the land and ensure our children and our grandchildren can enjoy the wide-open spaces we cherish across our great country.
( V i n c e n t “ Z i p p y ” Duvall, a poultry, cattle and hay producer from G e o r g i a , i s p r e s i den t of the Amer i can Farm Bureau Federation.)
See related story, Page 21
VOL. 48, NO. 22
June 9, 2021
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