National Cattlemen ’ s Beef Association
JUNE 2024 | Vol . 40 , No . 7 | NCBA . org
BLM ’ S CONSERVATION RULE TARGETS CATTLE PRODUCERS AND GRAZING ACCESS
The Bureau of Land Management ( BLM ) finalized its Conservation and Landscape Health rule this past April , a year after releasing the proposed rule without any real stakeholder input . Very little changed from the draft rule to the final ; the BLM kept the new “ restoration ” or “ mitigation ” leases , emphasized its desire to lock out uses like grazing through designation of Areas of Critical Environmental Concern ( ACEC ), and completely shifted its focus in applying the law . The rule allows BLM to create preferential treatment for single-use conservation leases , rather than following generations of legal direction and the multiple uses of public lands including recreation , energy , mining , timber and grazing . This makes it easier to reduce or eliminate grazing and other multiple uses on public land in favor of “ conservation ,” entirely disregarding the direct conservation benefits grazing provides .
The BLM is also violating Congressional authority and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 ( FLPMA ) by unilaterally adding conservation as a new use to their multiple-use mandate without explicit direction from Congress . NCBA filed comments against this rule with a coalition of other like-minded agricultural groups and , in addition to these formal comments , more than 800 individual farmers and ranchers submitted grassroots comments to the BLM explaining how this rule will hurt cattle producers and rural
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IMPROVING EFFICIENCY | PG . 7
Trevor Maiers and Brandi Richards explain how their feeding operations have evolved .
INTERNAL PARASITE CONTROL | PG . 9
Deworming treatments have proven successful and are important for cattle health .
REGION REPORTS | PG . 14
Find out what is going on in your region ’ s environment .