BLM and Forest Service Grazing Fees Lowered in 2019
February 20, 2019
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the USDA Forest Service have announced a reduction in the federal grazing fee for 2019. The fee will decrease to $1.35 per animal unit month (AUM) for public lands managed by the BLM and $1.35 per head month (HM) for lands managed by the Forest Service. This marks a reduction from the 2018 fee of $1.41 per AUM.
Understanding AUM and HM
An AUM or HM is defined as the use of public lands by one cow and her calf, one horse, or five sheep or goats for a month. The new fee, calculated using a congressional formula, will take effect on March 1, 2019. It applies to nearly 18,000 grazing permits and leases administered by the BLM and nearly 6,500 permits managed by the Forest Service.
Calculation of the Grazing Fee
The formula for determining the grazing fee was established by Congress in the 1978 Public Rangelands Improvement Act and has been maintained under a 1986 presidential Executive Order. According to this order, the grazing fee cannot fall below $1.35 per AUM/HM, and any annual increase or decrease cannot exceed 25 percent of the previous year's level.
The fee is calculated using a 1966 base value of $1.23 per AUM/HM for livestock grazing on public lands in Western states. It is adjusted based on three factors: current private grazing land lease rates, beef cattle prices, and the cost of livestock production. Consequently, the fee fluctuates in response to market conditions.
Commitment to Ranching Community
Brian Steed, BLM Deputy Director for Programs and Policy, stated, "The BLM and Forest Service are committed to strong relationships with the ranching community and work closely with permittees to ensure public rangelands remain healthy, productive working landscapes." He added that fifty percent of the collected grazing fees deposited into the U.S. Treasury are returned to the Range Betterment Fund for on-the-ground range improvement projects. Portions of the collected fees are also returned to the states for use in the counties where the fees were generated.
States Affected by the Grazing Fee
The grazing fee applies in 16 Western states on public lands administered by the BLM and the Forest Service. These states include Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Permit holders and lessees may contact their local BLM or Forest Service office for additional information.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The agency's mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America's public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. Diverse activities authorized on these lands generated $96 billion in sales of goods and services throughout the American economy in fiscal year 2017. These activities supported more than 468,000 jobs.
Originally posted by the Bureau of Land Management