2023 BLM GRAZING RATES

[Mojave]

BLM GRAZING RATES 2023

I think this is the right table.

A lot of guys complain about livestock on federal lands, they have been on federal lands for over 150 years.

The BLM used to be known as the General Land Office and the US Grazing Service.

AUM is animal unit month, so each month a Rancher in Wyoming is paying $8.10 per AUM during the grazing season, generally April or May until September or October.

AUM is equal to a bull, horse, cow and calf pair or 5 sheep.

State	$/AUM	State	$/AUM	State	$/AUM	State	$/AUM
AZ	$3.03	CA	$7.51	CO	$6.35	ID	$6.18
MT	$8.98	NE	$14.93	NV	$3.03	NM	$5.30
ND	$7.75	OK	$3.03	OR	$6.18	SD	$12.48
UT	$6.18	WA	$5.13	WY	$8.10

 

[Duh]

Why are the Dakotas and Nebraska more expensive? Lack of a BLM land in those states maybe?

 

[WV Mountaineer]

Better ground

 

[Dwnw/theAltitudesickness]

Better feed and less BLM available. Going rate per pair is $35 + a month on private. Closer to $45 if good grass.

 

[Mojave]

More surface water, short grass prairie instead of sage desert or true desert.

 

[Ucsdryder]

What’s a bale of grass hay nowadays? I bet a cow eats 3x the monthly cost in a day! Seems excessively cheap! I wonder if it’s gone up over the last 2 years like everything else.

 

[Newtosavage]

Comparing those rates to comparable private is eye-opening for anyone brave enough to do it.

 

[displacedtexan]

There's also the option of people just grazing and not paying...

We've seen that happen too.

 

[Blacktocomm]

There's also the option of people just grazing and not paying...

We've seen that happen too.

And it seems to be pretty good range for Desert Bighorn and Mule Deer.

I wonder if not paying for grazing rights are the only things going on in that area, or if there happens to be some "extra harvest" from grazing operations and irrigation ditches dug there.

 

[eye_zick]

now go look at the USFS rates...

 

[Banded_spooney]

Better feed and less BLM available. Going rate per pair is $35 + a month on private. Closer to $45 if good gras

Comparing those rates to comparable private is eye-opening for anyone brave enough to do it.

Think about how much more private land owners could charge to graze in summer months if they weren't competing with the government undercutting their prices....

 

[S.Clancy]

Those are the "surcharge rates", when the cattle grazing are not the permitee or lesee's. The rate for permit/lease holders is 1.35$ per AUM. See link...https://www.blm.gov/policy/im-2023-026

Most people grazing on federal land are doing so @ 1.35$ per AUM. I forget, but it's in the 100's of millions USFS and BLM collectively miss out on by offering poverty fees

 

[Legend]

This topic gets me going. I grew up farming/ranching and cannot understand why we subsidize ranching to this level.

In addition to federal land in MT we have state "SCHOOL trust land" to be managed for the sole purpose of funding our schools. And somehow we still give the leases away. I have a state lease and I think it is around $13aum. I charge $30 to my neighbor and could go higher. So if you are in MT and got your new property taxes I would encourage you to call your legislators and ask them why we give away school trust lands.

 

[Idaboy]

Think about how much more private land owners could charge to graze in summer months if they weren't competing with the government undercutting their prices....

Educate us on this, are you in the industry or have land that you can't rent? , or are there that many land owners that can't find use for their land? Just seems like people are always looking for land to use....Guys I know are already grazing what they own or can get access too....I don't know too much private that have "vacancy"....and on the flip side, look how much of a deal the government is saving ranchers compared to fair market value

 

[Idaboy]

This topic gets me going. I grew up farming/ranching and cannot understand why we subsidize ranching to this level.

In addition to federal land in MT we have state "SCHOOL trust land" to be managed for the sole purpose of funding our schools. And somehow we still give the leases away. I have a state lease and I think it is around $13aum. I charge $30 to my neighbor and could go higher. So if you are in MT and got your new property taxes I would encourage you to call your legislators and ask them why we give away school trust lands.

Yeah I never got the school funding thing and the low rates, but then other times a state just up and sells a chunk to a pvt developer

 

[S.Clancy]

This topic gets me going. I grew up farming/ranching and cannot understand why we subsidize ranching to this level.

In addition to federal land in MT we have state "SCHOOL trust land" to be managed for the sole purpose of funding our schools. And somehow we still give the leases away. I have a state lease and I think it is around $13aum. I charge $30 to my neighbor and could go higher. So if you are in MT and got your new property taxes I would encourage you to call your legislators and ask them why we give away school trust lands.

Grazing fees are just the tip of the iceberg for farm/ranch subsidies; NRCS, FSA, blah blah blah. It's something like 30-40% of the average ranch income comes from subsidy programs. Then they hide everything to show next to 0 profit.

 

[venado mula]

This has been a sh*t show since the 1800's.

 

[Hackleback]

Not sure where that table came from, it looks like its still $1.35 per AUM to me.

Bureau of Land Management and USDA Forest Service Announce 2023 Grazing Fees | Bureau of Land Management

The federal grazing fee for 2023 remains at $1.35 per animal unit month for public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management and $1.35 per head month for lands managed by the USDA Forest Service.

www.blm.gov

BTW, an AUM= a cow/calf pair for one month.

 

[Jimbee]

Read this book.

 

[Banded_spooney]

Educate us on this, are you in the industry or have land that you can't rent? , or are there that many land owners that can't find use for their land? Just seems like people are always looking for land to use....Guys I know are already grazing what they own or can get access too....I don't know too much private that have "vacancy"....and on the flip side, look how much of a deal the government is saving ranchers compared to fair market value

You don't have to be an industry expert to understand supply and demand. Demand for the ground is already high. Remove a giant chunk of subsidized supply and the price of the remaining ground increases. -- I never said there was a huge surplus of vacant grazing land.

That said, I have done some work for the National Grazing Land Coalition and UC Davis Ag extension specifically regarding allotment decreases due to wild horses. So while far from an expert on the subject I do have some foundational knowledge. In the places I've examined, AUM allotment decreases actually mean reductions in pairs because in the short term there is zero elasticity of supply. -- I just have a hard time thinking it's all doom and gloom, at some point the price of the land that is available would get to a point that there would be land use shifts or producers would expand how far they are willing to travel to graze. These businessmen aren't stupid, they will adapt. There would be winners and losers, like there always is.

In fact I'm not even advocating for anything. My feelings on the subject are pretty neutral. I'm more just interested in pointing out the irony of the government subsidizing you the producer while competing with your neighbor the guy that leases land for grazing.