U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum, designed to support ranchers through cutting red tape and improving data access, a move applauded by rancher and farming trade groups.
The MOU formalizes collaboration between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service (FS) and the Bureau of Land Management and builds on the previously revealed Grazing Action Plan, which expands grazing on federal lands, as AgTechNavigator previously reported.
As per the MOU, the agencies will streamline permitting and processing between departments to reduce delays, improve emergency response actions, and bolster partnerships with ranchers through communication channels and roundtables. Additionally, federal employees will be placed on ranches to learn about farming challenges firsthand.
The MOU also detailed how the agencies will:
- affirm grazing capacity, including “no net loss of animal unit months within allotments,”
- make grazing allotment information accessible through updated data systems,
- use grazing to help manage wildfire risk, including through the adoption of virtual fencing and other technologies, and
- create grazing permittee wildfire liaisons, who will articulate rancher concern during wildfire response and recovery.
“Our public lands are there for the people, and this action demonstrates the commitment at USDA and the Department of the Interior to improve our services so farmers and ranchers who use public lands can run more efficient operations,” said Brooke Rollins, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, in a press release.
Burgum added, “By working closely with American ranchers, we are enhancing communication, investing in innovation, and modernizing our approach to land management practices to deliver real results for the people who feed and sustain this country.”
Farm groups respond favorably to the decision
Farm and trade groups came out in strong support of the MOU, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), Public Lands Council (PLC), and others. American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commended the work between the agencies to improve grazing access.
“Public lands offer quality grazing grounds for livestock, which in turn reduces wildfire risk and contributes to the vitality of rural communities across the West,” Duvall said in a statement. “The MOU will reduce delays, enhance transparency and streamline the approval of grazing permits to help ranchers raise livestock to meet the protein needs of America’s families.”
NCBA and PLC members and leaders were also in attendance at the signing of the MOU, adding their support behind the agreement.
“When you raise cattle on federal lands, it requires a great deal of work to sort through the government red tape. This plan will cut bureaucracy by streamlining the permitting process, expanding grazing access, and optimizing targeted grazing in areas that are the most vulnerable to wildfires,” said Kim Brackett, NCBA President-elect and Idaho, in a statement.
PLC President and Colorado permittee Tim Canterbury, added, “Public lands ranchers are resilient by nature, but we still need significant relief from the burdensome federal regulations that make it harder to do our jobs every day. This MOU will make it easier to ranch on public lands and will help improve the health of western landscapes.”
