PUBLIC LANDS

by National Cattlemen's Beef Association Chief Executive Officer Collin Woodall

The United States government owns and manages roughly 640 million acres, which is approximately 28 of the nation’s land. In Nevada, for example, a little over 80 percent is federally owned. Most of the public land is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service. Fortunately, legislation passed in the 60s and 70s requiring multiple use on these lands, so every citizen has the chance to experience these vast parts of our country. Tourism is a big part of multiple use allowing for hiking, biking and camping, but multiple use also means that these lands can be used for energy, timber and livestock production. As you can imagine, there are many activist groups that support public access to the great outdoors, but bristle at the thought of grazing cattle on “their” land. This sets the stage for conflict, especially as activist groups, such as the Western Watersheds Project, work to have livestock production restricted or removed from public lands.

The Public Lands Council (PLC) was established in 1968 to be the voice for cattle and sheep producers who operate with federal grazing permits. The voices who only want access to public lands for recreational use are loud, but cattle industry leaders at the time knew we could be effective in countering that rhetoric. NCBA has been a proud member of the Public Lands Council since it was formed. We share staff, office space and a commitment to protect grazing access. The president of PLC also serves as an ex-officio member of our Executive Committee. Public lands ranchers are faced with the same challenges as every other cattle producer. However, they have the additional challenge of trying to raise cattle with government agencies looking over their shoulder, dictating the terms of their operations and threatening the loss of their permit if they do not follow the guidelines exactly as written. Given that significant numbers of cattle graze on public lands, their challenges can ultimately have an impact on overall beef production in the United States.

Experience shows that activist groups like to push their anti-grazing efforts on permittees first in hopes they can get sympathy from government agencies and the recreational users. If they are successful in those efforts, they use it as a playbook to take on producers on private lands. This is why it is important to protect our access to public lands and stop the activists before they can do even more harm. We do that by promoting the benefits of grazing. We all know how responsibly managed grazing can increase the health of pastures and rangelands. The same is true of federal lands and may be even more important given some of the marginal conditions found in the West. Grazing permits are not free. Producers pay the U.S. government for the access these permits provide and the government also receives the benefits from grazing such as improved range health, overall landscape aesthetics and protecting open space.

Grazing permittees help provide and protect critical habitat for many species with high conservation needs. The Greater Sage Grouse is just one example of many critters that have benefited from enhanced and improved habitat thanks to the efforts of cattle producers. Over seven million acres of Sage Grouse habitat have been restored or conserved by public lands ranchers. Hikers and bikers are not doing that. Grazing permittees also help maintain migration corridors utilized by thousands of mule deer, elk and other species. Responsible grazing also helps to fight invasive species. Cheat grass plagues western states, but grazing helps mitigate its spread by promoting growth of perennial grasses. Fire suppression may be one of the greatest benefits grazing provides for these lands, local communities and the government’s firefighting budget. Cattle grazing on public lands helps remove the buildup of excess grass and other fuels that cause wildfires to spread quicker and burn hotter. We cannot forget that public lands ranchers are also the lifeblood of their local communities. Recreation alone is not going to sustain these towns. The Department of the Interior estimates that public lands ranchers contribute $1.5 billion a year to local economies across the western U.S.

While activists and some within the Federal agencies continue to work against us, NCBA and PLC will keep fighting for producer access to public lands. Our permittee members are sustaining local communities, improving the land, and protecting against wildfires while constantly worrying about some hiker leaving a gate open.

The 2023 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show, Feb. 1-3, 2023 in New Orleans will be the premier education experience, drawing more than 1,000 attendees every year and includes two days of learning, idea sharing and networking.

Cattlemen’s College begins Tuesday, Jan. 31 with trending hot topics, the latest in grazing as well as live cattle handling demonstrations. The day’s activities conclude with an evening reception offering an opportunity for everyone to gather with friends and reconnect.

There are 18 sessions and six educational tracks to choose from on Wednesday including reproduction technology, herd health, practical nutrition management, better beef business, sustainable grazing and the latest in genetics.

Prior to joining the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce as general counsel, Starling served as the Chief of Staff to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue where he coordinated execution of the Secretary's policy agenda for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Starling focused on regulatory and deregulatory initiatives and acted as a point of contact for stakeholders throughout agriculture and rural communities. He also served as a principal agriculture advisor to the President of the United States at the White House, chief of staff, lead agriculture advisor, and chief counsel for U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, and general counsel when Tillis was Speaker of the House in the North Carolina legislature.

Each year, the Cattlemen’s College agenda is developed based on feedback from producers, and their comments drive the program.

Cattlemen’s College sessions feature industry leaders tackling innovative topics. Attendees can look forward to hearing about advocacy in action from panelists Brandi Buzzard Frobrose, Debbie LyonsBlythe and Carrie Mess; learning about the economic benefits of grazing from Myriah Johnson, Ph.D.. Farm Credit Services; understanding cattle behavior with Dean Fish, Ph.D., and Lily EdwardsCallaway, Ph.D.; experiencing the “Hundred Dollar Difference” with Dusty Abney, Ph.D., Cargill Animal Nutrition; and learning factors impacting commercial bull selection decisions from Troy Rowan, Ph.D., University of Tennessee.

With so much information presented, it is nearly impossible to experience all Cattlemen’s College has to offer in December 2022 California Cattleman 19

person. To make it easier to access content, all sessions will be recorded and available for registered attendees to watch at any time in the future. To register, select the Education Package, which is the best value and combines admission to the convention and Cattlemen’s College. For more information, visit https://convention.ncba.org/.

Cattle producers attending Cattlemen’s College are eligible for reimbursement through the Rancher Resilience Grant. To apply for a grant to cover registration costs and two nights hotel, visit www.ncba.org/producers/rancher-resilience-grant.

Becky Tekansik©

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