Ranchers Welcome Common-Sense Land Management

Bozeman-It has been an exciting few days for announcements from the Department of the Interior. Late last week, the Department issued its final rule to rescind grazing permits for seven grazing allotments in Phillips County, Montana, held by American Prairie and their conservation herd of bison. Early this week, the Department of the Interior also issued its final rule for the rescission of the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, as well as its new Revision for Grazing Administration, more commonly known as the Grazing Rule. This rule is not final and has a 60-day comment period. This news is long-awaited by the farmer and rancher members of the Montana Farm Bureau Federation, and MFBF applauds these positive actions.

Montana Farm Bureau members have been voicing their concerns about the removal of critical infrastructure such as interior fencing and the change of long-existing grazing permits from traditional livestock to a conservation-oriented bison herd for years. Under the Taylor Grazing Act, BLM allotments were intended for production-oriented livestock for the purposes of national food security and economic contributions to rural America. The Montana Farm Bureau Federation and Phillips County Farm Bureau were granted intervenor status in appeals regarding American Prairie Reserve (APR) bison grazing permits in October 2022. They had challenged the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) July 2022 decision that approved modifications allowing bison to graze on specific federal allotments.

The American Farm Bureau and MFBF thank the Department of the Interior for reversing the previous decision and revoking the permits, which should lawfully be used for the grazing of commercial livestock.

AFBF President Zippy Duvall said, "Ranchers appreciate Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and President Trump for working to provide certainty to ranchers who use public lands for livestock grazing, which is crucial to the success of farmers and ranchers in the Western United States. Modernizing decades-old grazing regulations will provide more flexibility for updated

management practices and will help ranchers rebuild America's cattle herds. Ranchers care for the land they've been entrusted with, and responsible stewardship of public lands helps to reduce wildfires, control invasive species, and promote overall health benefits to the land."

Farm Bureau had voiced its opposition to the Biden Administration's Conservation and Landscape Health rule since before it was even implemented in 2024, stating that the rule has undermined any certainty of having that land available for grazing in the coming years.

One concern the Farm Bureau raised about the rule was that elevating "conservation uses" to the same level of importance as existing multiple uses recognized under Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976 is a violation of governing law. The organization also argued that the rule could open leases to individuals or groups who neither actively use the land nor participate in the rural economy, potentially threatening small towns and ranching communities.

"Montana Farm Bureau has opposed this rule since its inception, so it is rewarding to see the Trump Administration realizes that the best people to be stewards of this land are those who make a living from it," said MFBF President Cyndi Johnson. "The ranchers who use grazing and manage our public lands are also the ones who are supporting our small towns. They keep the economy going by shopping at the local parts stores, grocery stores, eating at their small-town cafes, using local veterinarians for animal health, as well as having their kids attend the local schools."

Grazing cattle and sheep on public lands contributes to food security and national security in several interconnected ways. Johnson shared that, in addition to keeping rural infrastructure alive, using public lands for cattle and sheep preserves domestic production capacity, maintains resilient supply chains and uses otherwise non-arable land productively.

Many advancements in grazing science and practice have been made over the time existing grazing regulations have been in place, which is why MFBF also applauds the long-awaited Revisions to the Grazing Rule.

"We recognize the immense amount of work that the Bureau of Land Management professionals have done to update their new Grazing Rule, which has not been revised in over 30 years. Many changes have occurred in that time, and it is long past due for revisions, so we look forward to reviewing and providing feedback on the rule," noted Johnson. "Our first impressions are positive, and we encourage all permittees to review and provide substantive comments over the next 60 days."