The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) have announced the grazing fees for 2022 will be $1.35 per animal unit month and $1.35 per head month, respectively.
The rates are unchanged from 2021 for both agencies. The agencies’ measurements are treated as equivalent measures for fee purposes, and each unit is defined as a month’s use of public lands by a cow-calf pair, a single bull, steer, heifer, horse, or five sheep or goats.
The grazing fee is calculated by using a 1966 base value of $1.23 per animal unit month/head month and then considering the average annual change in beef cattle prices, leasing rates for grazing on private land in the West, and livestock production costs.
The newly calculated grazing fee was determined by a congressionally mandated formula and takes effect on March 1. The fee will apply to nearly 18,000 grazing permits and leases administered by the BLM and about 6,250 permits issued by USFS.
