2023 BLM GRAZING RATES

[eye_zick]

This. It has zero to do with the price of private land grazing or BLM grazing. Meat prices, fat cattle prices, weaned calf prices are all set by the wild supply swings in the market, the price of feed in the form of corn or hay, as well as the direction of the wind blowing at the packing plant.

As much as some people want it to be true, nobody is getting rich because they are saving a few bucks per cow calf pair on a BLM lease. It’s just not true.

The price of meat is decided by supply amd demand. Has nothing to do with input cost.

You're conflating two things - cost and profit.

You state the price of meat is based on supply and demand, true.
Then it seems you stretch that to mean nobody is making profit because of the low input cost.

 

[Idaho_Potato]

You're conflating two things - cost and profit.

You state the price of meat is based on supply and demand, true.
Then it seems you stretch that to mean nobody is making profit because of the low input cost.

I said nobody is getting rich. $10 a head profit is not out of the ordinary at all in the cow calf and feeder segments. And many operate at a loss because agriculture is a write off if you have a business accountant that knows what they are doing. Meat prices are a bit different. Packers and retail hold the power.

I think some people assume ranchers are sitting back raking in millions of public land grazing. It’s called poverty ranching for a reason.

 

[Idaho_Potato]

Ugh. I listened to most of that book on audible. That guy is a whiny wimp, complaining about cattle grazing in general because he stepped in cow poop while running around naked. I got like 3/4 through it and had to turn it off.

Don't waste your time reading that book.

Careful, you are going to hurt some feelings in this thread. Sounds awful similar to some of the posts here .

 

[COelk89]

These ranchers just playing cowboy living on subsidies. If capitalism worked in the meat industry all our meat would come from brazil and these fools would be out of business in the soup line. Noxious weed spreading range maggots.

 

[KsRancher]

You're conflating two things - cost and profit.

You state the price of meat is based on supply and demand, true.
Then it seems you stretch that to mean nobody is making profit because of the low input cost.

Never said that people aren't making a profit. Some years you do and some you don't. It's just that meat price aren't tied to input cost. Cattle prices are directly tied to input cost. But that's a while different thing than BLM grazing rates. Which are WAY to cheap IMO. I think they should be a bid process. Everyone gets to put in bid amd the highest bidder gets it for let's a 5yr contract or something of that sort.

 

[WTFJohn]

These ranchers just playing cowboy living on subsidies. If capitalism worked in the meat industry all our meat would come from brazil and these fools would be out of business in the soup line. Noxious weed spreading range maggots.

This seems like a well-thought out and educated take, tell me more about what we do.

 

[KsRancher]

Never said that people aren't making a profit. Some years you do and some you don't. It's just that meat price aren't tied to input cost. Cattle prices are directly tied to input cost. But that's a while different thing than BLM grazing rates. Which are WAY to cheap IMO. I think they should be a bid process. Everyone gets to put in bid amd the highest bidder gets it for let's a 5yr contract or something of that sort.

I had better rephrase so people understand. Meat price are determined by supply and demand. Fat cattle prices are determined by supply and demand. But from fat cattle on down, cattle/yearling/calf prices are based off input cost worked backwards from fat cattle prices

 

[Idaho_Potato]

This seems like a well-thought out and educated take, tell me more about what we do.

I too would like to hear more about this guys take on the cattle industry. . This is some Jerome Powell level economic analysis.

Let me guess. This kid is 22 and a sociology major at a liberal arts college in Bozeman.

 

[COelk89]

This seems like a well-thought out and educated take, tell me more about what we do.

Start shooting moo cows? Buy only imported meat? Am I not allowed to just chime in and complain about something or do you require my thesis on the subject for every forum post I respond to?

I get paid to do this stuff for a living. I come to the internet to blow off steam and say what I really think not to get your approval.

 

[WTFJohn]

Start shooting moo cows? Buy only imported meat? Am I not allowed to just chime in and complain about something or do you require my thesis on the subject for every forum post I respond to?

I get paid to do this stuff for a living. I come to the internet to blow off steam and say what I really think not to get your approval.

I'm a rancher, and if you're getting paid to say things like that you're working for some real, uh, special folks. And if you truly believe the tripe you wrote, then I wish you the best.

 

[COelk89]

I don't really have a take on the cattle industry because I am not involved in the cattle industry. I just clean up the messes the ranchers and energy companies leave behind.

 

[COelk89]

I'm a rancher, and if you're getting paid to say things like that you're working for some real, uh, special folks. And if you truly believe the tripe you wrote, then I wish you the best.

Dude, I don't get paid to say things like that. I specifically said I say stuff like that on the internet, that is my opinion based on over a decade of observation working in and consulting for agencies as well as my experience outdoors. Cows have irrevocably lowered the carrying capacity across the west.

You do you man. Keep telling yourself you're the steward of the land but I bet every creek on your place is denuded or incised, or you did not make your money in ranching.

 

[Idaho_Potato]

The weekly whining sessions about BLM grazing and the cattle industry on this forum are always so productive and civil. See you guys next week! Look forward to another banger! I have to go kick my cows off the creek bottom again.

 

[RickH]

An AUM for sheep is 5 sheep, $1.35 for 5 sheep. What a joke that is. Anyone who's been above timberline and come across 1000 head of sheep know how much damage they do. When they leave an area it's bare dirt with lots of erosion and polluted headwater creeks. I can't believe we're still letting this happen in 2023 on public lands.
The worst thing is that they spread a respiratory disease to native bighorns which can kill an entire herd of bighorns. Many of the domestic sheep grazing allotments overlap prime bighorn range.
Based on the writings of pioneers, Bighorns were the most abundant ungulate in the Rockies, likely numbering in the hundreds of thousands in Colorado alone. Today, Colorado Parks and Wildlife estimates a total statewide population of only about 7,000, and the number is likely declining. And to put the number into further perspective: CPW estimates the statewide elk population at 230,000 and the mule deer population at 600,000. When a bighorn, likely a young ram on the move, is spotted within or near domestic sheep and CPW can locate it , the animal will be euthanized so as not to spread disease to the entire herd. Check out this film "Transmission", done by the Wild Sheep society of BC. It's pretty eye opening.

 

[COelk89]

The weekly whining sessions about BLM grazing and the cattle industry on this forum are always so productive and civil. See you guys next week! Look forward to another banger! I have to go kick my cows off the creek bottom again.

I do the same...I can just write the plan to cut the stocking rate so I don't have to do it every day. lol

 

[Fatcamp]

I said nobody is getting rich. $10 a head profit is not out of the ordinary at all in the cow calf and feeder segments. And many operate at a loss because agriculture is a write off if you have a business accountant that knows what they are doing. Meat prices are a bit different. Packers and retail hold the power.

I think some people assume ranchers are sitting back raking in millions of public land grazing. It’s called poverty ranching for a reason.

So using public land for a tax write off?

 

[WTFJohn]

Dude, I don't get paid to say things like that. I specifically said I say stuff like that on the internet, that is my opinion based on over a decade of observation working in and consulting for agencies as well as my experience outdoors. Cows have irrevocably lowered the carrying capacity across the west.

You do you man. Keep telling yourself you're the steward of the land but I bet every creek on your place is denuded or incised, or you did not make your money in ranching.

You'd lose that bet on the creeks & water sources. Not every rancher is the person you're cleaning up after. And no, we did not make it in ranching. Very few folks do, most are lucky to break even.

I wanted you to tell me more about how we are all 'playing cowboy living on subsidies' when we (like most others I know) are working full-time jobs off-property, not taking yearly subsidies, and running a cattle operation.

It's obvious that your work has jaded you (maybe rightfully so, energy companies around here do not always clean up well either), however your lack of ability to separate problem landowners from everyone else shows a stark lack of objectivity and makes me think you should not be in a position to advise or set policy.

 

[Idaho_Potato]

So using public land for a tax write off?

You guys are catching on to the fact that it’s almost as if the government provides financial incentive to the American people to create food from natural resources. What a bright group!

I can’t wait until you learn about all the mining and the oil and natural gas extraction that happens on public land.

 

[ndmarine]

Read this book.

Concur. One of the best reads available. Have to go into it with an open mind and understand that you have to pull the good parts out and ignore the ridiculous parts - don’t just cancel the whole book bc you find a chapter disagreeable

 

[Idaboy]

This. It has zero to do with the price of private land grazing or BLM grazing. Meat prices, fat cattle prices, weaned calf prices are all set by the wild supply swings in the market, the price of feed in the form of corn or hay, as well as the direction of the wind blowing at the packing plant.

As much as some people want it to be true, nobody is getting rich because they are saving a few bucks per cow calf pair on a BLM lease. It’s just not true.

Perhaps, but even if price of meat has nothing to do with grazing costs, the financial viability of any business does depend on costs, and many businesses run on thin margins, not sure the margins in a particular grazing operating. It's hard to put a "price" that is afforded via "Access" to public grazing lands... Or the opportunity costs of the federal/state lands did not have grazing allotments.