Monticello, New Mexico - Rancher Darryl
Sullivan works several jobs to makes ends meet.
He sells horse trailers and livestock equipment in Las Cruces, makes custom hats, levels fields and puts in concrete irrigation ditches. His two grown sons aren't interested in taking over the 44-Bar Ranch, south of Socorro, which has been in the family for five generations. ‘‘A guy just needs to make a living for his family,’’ he said. ‘‘A rancher and a farmer just doesn't make any money.’’ That’s why Sullivan is eyeing a proposal backed by Santa Fe-based Forest Guardians and other environmental groups to use taxpayer money to buy out and retire federal land-grazing leases. ‘‘You can survive the drought and everything else, but you cannot survive the economy,’’ Sullivan said. ‘‘Next year, it'll be worse.’’ The grazing permit buyout proposal has slowly been gaining momentum in Congress and among a growing number of ranchers. Proponents say as many as 50 ranchers in New Mexico, 250 in Arizona and others around the West are coming out to support it. This month, groups backing the proposal sent a letter to 22,000 grazing permittees, urging them to support it. But federal land managers and the livestock industry oppose the grazing buyout proposal. The plan would give ranchers a one-time payment based on the number of livestock on their federal grazing permits, which they otherwise could sell or will to heirs. The land then would be permanently retired from livestock grazing. The proposal offers ranchers $175 for each cow or cow-calf pair per month compared with a market value in the West of $35 to $75, according to the campaign. So a rancher with a permit to graze 100 cows for nine months of the year on a Forest Service allotment would get $157,500 from the buyout. Such grazing permit buyout programs were proposed in 2003 in national and Arizona-specific legislation and are expected to be reintroduced this year.
Buyout provisions were also included last year in an Idaho wilderness
bill introduced and are expected to be part of an Oregon national
monument bill.
Members of New Mexico’s delegation have either not taken a position
or oppose a buyout in part because of potential negative effects on
rural communities. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., says he has concerns,
citing that ranchers already have the ability to sell out their
businesses and valid grazing permits.
But John Horning of the Forest Guardians argues the timing is right for a New Mexico bill, perhaps targeting the Gila country or the southwestern part of the state. He said ranchers are struggling under drought, tougher environmental requirements for endangered species, foreign competition, encroaching development and increased pressure from recreationists. ‘‘We simply need a few more ranchers in New Mexico to step out of the woodwork and realize the time is now,’’ Horning said. Horning and fellow environmentalists also argue that ending grazing on some allotments would be good for the land, native wildlife and watersheds -- although ranchers disagree with that contention. Livestock industry groups have their own fears about the proposal. ‘‘We don't see this to be voluntary,’’ said Caren Cowan, executive director of the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association, which passed a resolution against the idea. Cowan said government regulations that restrict ranchers can force them to do things like take a buyout. The Forest Service also has concerns. Janette Kaiser, the agency’s national director of rangeland management, said the Forest Service has generally been worried about loss of open space and a need to keep ranchers on the land.
Buying out all federal grazing permits in the country would cost $3.1
billion. Grazing fees generate about $6.9 million a year.
Copyright 2005, The Silver City Sun-News.
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