To ranchers who graze on public lands, there is no novelty to the idea that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) often farm out jobs to contractors.

In a move to placate critics who complain that gathering wild horses with helicopters is cruel and overly stressful, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced last week that the agency is soliciting bids from contractors to capture and remove wild horses with the use of bait traps “where helicopter drive trapping is not an effective method.

1129) was debated. Testifying at the hearing were Jim Magagna, executive vice president of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, and Andy Kerr, a long-time anti-grazing activist and, currently, advisor to activist group WildEarth Guardians. Representatives from federal lands agencies also delivered testimony before the subcommittee.

Managers of the scenic Valles Caldera National Preserve near Los Alamos, NM, have given the green light to leasing animal unit months (AUMs) on the preserve to New Mexico State University (NMSU) and Jemez Pueblo for the 2012 grazing season, turning down an offer of $35,000 from Santa Fe-based group WildEarth Guardians to keep stocking rates at zero.

The congressional rider that had prohibited USDA from inspecting horse meat—a necessity for interstate commerce—was quietly left out of the 2012 Agriculture Appropriations Bill signed into law by President Obama in November.

Riparians, wildlife habitat, invasive species and uneven grazing patterns all present challenges that frequently require extra attention and enhanced management.

Public lands ranchers breathed a collective sigh of relief Jan. 31 when the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service announced that the 2012 grazing fee would remain at $1.35 per animal unit month (AUM), the lowest rate allowable.

Western ranchers in the 10 states inhabited by greater sage grouse have had plenty to think about this February thanks to a pair of court rulings that have caused the fortunes of producers affected by this iconic bird to swing from one extreme to the other.

A community of Hispanic ranchers in northern New Mexico is seeking injunction against a U.S. Forest Service (Forest Service) decision to substantially reduce grazing on two allotments, claiming that the service is mismanaging the land and denying ranchers their right to use resources...

Animal health officials in Europe are scrambling for answers after a previously unknown virus cropped up in Germany this November. Provisionally called “Schmallenberg virus” after the German town in which it was first identified, the virus has also been found in the Netherlands, Belgium, and most recently in Great Britain.