grazing

Late last month, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek sent a letter to President Biden asking that he designate the Owyhee Canyonlands as a national monument before he leaves office.   Eastern Oregon Congressman Cliff Bentz calls Kotek’s letter to Biden a “Classic example of crying wolf.”   "She s...

For a variety of reasons, 2024 has been a mixed year for commodity groups across the Northwest.  Cameron Mulrony, Vice President of the Idaho Cattle Association, said he sees 2024 as a year of opportunity and a year of challenge for cattle producers across the state.   “...

Members of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Public Lands Council recently testified before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands.  Their testimony supported legislation to expand the use of livestock grazing as a tool to reduce wildfire risk, make grazing permits more responsive to range conditions, and remove regulatory barriers to maintaining critical infrast

A new collaborative study from Envu and the United States Geological Survey shows the impact of annual grass invasion on soil carbon loss in American rangelands.   “What they found was during this very exhaustive study that when an ecosystem converts to an annual grass monoculture or an annual grass ecosystem, if you will, we lose up to 49% of the carbon, which could equal 75 metric tons per acre

Corteva Agriscience announced that the EPA has registered NovaGraz herbicide. Cattle producers now have access, what the company calls the only pasture herbicide that provides broad-spectrum weed control while still preserving white clover and annual lespedeza...

This year has been particularly hard on the Oregon cattle industry, but not because of meat prices, or input costs, but because of wildfires.  Nearly two million acres have burned across the state, which means for many producers they lost their summer grazing land, and some unfortunately lost an outbuilding, or even their home.  Matt Mc...

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and Public Lands Council announced strong support for the ESA Amendments Act of 2024. This legislation would reform the Endangered Species Act to provide more timely conservation efforts on America’s rangeland. “For...

Oregon’s unprecedented wildfire season has had a big impact on the agricultural community; and it’s still unknown how much federal help is coming.  Governor Tina Kotek said the full economic impact of this wildfire season on Oregon’s agriculture community isn’t yet known.   “I’m trying to get out t...

The legislative session in all three states wrapped up months ago, and even Congress is on their August recess.  But despite this quite time of year, local Ag groups are keeping a close eye on issues or potential issues from the state of federal level.  Cameron...

A study from the USDA’s ARS confirmed the value of livestock grazing as a tool to protect western rangelands from wildfires.  The Public Lands Council, which represents ranchers who hold federal grazing permits, hailed the research as more proof of the important role livestock grazing plays in protecting our natural resources.   “In a ...