Amid all the hoopla about grazing reform, the Bureau
of Land Management raised its monthly grazing fees by 12 cents, up
to $1.98 per cow-calf pair. Each year the agency adjusts the price
from a 1966 base price to reflect lease rates on private land,
cattle prices and livestock production costs. Last year the agency
collected $17.5 million for grazing on its 270 million acres and
posted half of this income for projects to improve the range. The
remainder went to the U.S. Treasury and state governments.
Meanwhile, on private lands, BLM officials say each cow-calf pair
grazes for an average price of $10.20 per
month.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Back at the ranch.
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