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| Doug, you asked me my thoughts on Trumps announcement to open suspended allotments and fire suppression. It all sounds great in the headlines, but you are dealing with government red tape that is in place. First and foremost is the NEPA act and other guidelines they follow to allow anything to happen on federal lands. There might be some allotments that have been closed that could be opened up fairly quickly maybe (1-2 years) That is quick for federal government to act on. I don't know of any of those allotments other than sheep allotments that were shut down for risk of infecting Big Horn sheep with diseases in the state of Idaho. I'm sure there are places that need to be opened up and grazed that were dealt the heavy hand of local feds with a hard on for players in the area.
A rancher is cutting his own throat by over grazing, if all the forage analysis are done right and stocking rates figured right in most drought years you can run another year with some minimal precipitation. However, the second year with no moisture you will be done. The biggest problem I see in range management is the government runs grazing by the calendar year. Government has to deal in numbers using quantitative data vs. using qualitative data (long term trend data). They need to quit running grazing by the calendar and base grazing by soil moisture, growth, trend data. They could still bill by the calendar, but actual grazing needs to be fluid and not set on paper.
Overall, in my area I've seen the federal employees easier to work with in the last 5-6 years. I'm hoping we all are working for a common goal. Public land use for all, grazing, mining, recreation, hunting, etc. No reason we can't all get along and work together.
Fire suppression is big business for the federal government, remember the more that burns the bigger their budgets are. Then you have to spend money to come up with rehab plans, fencing, etc. It's a segment of the federal government that feeds on itself. It provides jobs, I've seen to many fires let run to justify their fire programs. I've got a first cousin in Nevada that is big dog in BLM fire, done very well for himself and has his own private golf course on his place. I look back in my life and envy him in his choice of employment.
Even if we only get 10% of what this administration has talked about implemented in the next 3 years it will be a win in my opinion. | |
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Sorry Doug61, answers to a earlier thread
