National Association of Conservation Districts

Grazing and Rangeland

The grazing lands of the nation’s ranches and public lands are a vital economic and environmental force in America.  The livestock raised on these lands provide meat and fiber while supporting healthy watersheds and wildlife habitat.  Today’s grazing practices are managed to maintain and improve the health of the land and to go on meeting the national needs for food, fiber, wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation, water and environmental quality.  A reported 575 million acres are being grazed in the U.S.

Some of the challenges that grazing and ranch land managers face today include climate change, wildfires, invasive plants and changing uses for the land.  Competing uses such as potential renewable energy development, outdoor recreation and urban development must be accommodated.  For some issues, such as invasive plants and the threat of wildfire, targeted grazing can provide the solution.  The solution to other issues however is more complex but continued grazing remains key to protecting private ranches and preserving open space. 

Recent NACD Activities

• NACD Joins Coalition for Conservation through Ranching, August 2009 - Following a Ranching and Conservation Summit in Salt Lake City on February 26 - 27, 2009 attended by about 100 individuals attended representing around 40 different organizations, NACD was asked to be part of the Coalition for Conservation through Ranching.  NACD joined the Public Lands Council, Environmental Defense Fund, World Wildlife Fund, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and Family Farm Alliance on the Coalition’s steering committee.  This group will work to maintain a stable climate for ranching operations and their conservation benefits in the West. | eNotes article |
  
  
• Joint EQIP Comments, NRCS, March 23, 2009 - NACD joined Public Lands Council, National Cattleman’s Beef Association, Environmental Defense Fund, World Wildlife Fund and 13 other groups in providing comment to NRCS regarding the funding of conservation projects on federal lands using Environmental Quality Incentives Program funds. | PDF |
  
  
• NACD renewed its long-standing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Bureau of Land Management, December 1, 2008. | eNotes article |
  
  

Resources

Template for MOU with BLM - The national MOU with BLM provides a framework and over arching language that can be used to execute a similar agreement between a BLM state office and a state association of conservation districts. NACD has developed a template for use by state associations.

Partners

Public Lands Council - American Farm Bureau, American Sheep Industry Association and National Cattlemens Beef Association affiliated to form the Public lands Council.  The Council seeks to maintain multiple uses of federal lands.

Society for Range Management - The Society for Range Management is the professional organization for those interested in the study, conservation, management and sustenance of rangelands.

Cooperative Sagebrush Initiative - The Cooperative Sagebrush Initiative represents a coalition of western interests seeking to balance competing interests and conservation of sagebrush habitats.

Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Grazing - The Bureau of Land Management administers 256 million acres of public lands.  Livestock grazing occurs on about 160 million acres of those lands.

Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rangelands - Like other federal land management agencies, the USDA - Forest Service also administers grazing on the National Forest lands.

Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Private Grazing Lands - The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service provides technical, educational, and related assistance to those who own private grazing lands.

Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative - This nationwide partnership, founded in 1991, is made up of individuals and organizations working together to improve management, productivity and health of privately owned grazing lands.  The Initiative is sponsored by USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service and NACD serves on the Initiative’s steering committee.