A lawsuit filed on Friday by the American Farm Bureau Federation and 11 other groups challenges the lawfulness of the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands Rule. Plaintiffs argue that the rule threatens the future of ranching in the U.S. by destabilizing a decades-old tradition of grazing on federal lands.
Gary Heibertshausen, a sheep rancher in Montana and Farm Bureau member says access to public lands for livestock grazing is crucial to the success of his ranch. “If Willow Creek Partners could not graze its livestock on federal land, we would be forced to sell our sheep and cease operating as a ranch.”
Heibertshausen and his partners hold six grazing permits covering several thousand acres of federal lands. He supports the case, saying the BLM rule creates substantial risk and uncertainty for ranchers, adding, “Under the rule, we can no longer be certain that the public lands on which we currently rely for grazing will remain available for grazing over the coming years.”
BLM issued the final rule in May with the stated goal of increasing the health and resilience of public lands. However, the rule’s lack of clarity and policy changes that are not authorized by law make it unacceptable. The rule also makes it more difficult for ranchers to play an important role in the stewardship of public lands.
AFBF President Zippy Duvall said, “Further restricting grazing on public lands takes us backward, not forward, because ranchers are delivering a return on the trust placed in them to care for public lands. They are clearing brush that could fuel wildfires, controlling invasive species, and bringing overall health benefits to the land.”
The benefits of grazing range from reducing wildfire risk and slowing the spread of invasive weeds to building robust root systems and spurring forage growth for native species. The misguided Public Lands Rule threatens the important balance our country has achieved on public lands, as well as the future stability of the many ranches that depend on grazing permits.
BLM oversees approximately 245 million acres of property in the West, which amounts to one-tenth of all U.S. land. For nearly a century, farmers and ranchers have worked with the federal government to ensure Western land can be used for both public enjoyment and agricultural use. So, the rule’s changes to the management of public lands have broad implications for agriculture and the future of America’s ranchers.
AFBF is joined by the American Exploration & Mining Association, American Forest Resource Council, American Petroleum Institute, American Sheep Industry Association, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Mining Association, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Natrona County Farm & Ranch Bureau, Public Lands Council, Western Energy Alliance, and Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation in its court challenge of the rule, which can be found here.