2001 Federal Grazing Fee Announced

The grazing fee for Western public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management will be $1.35 per animal unit month (AUM) in 2001, which is the same amount charged in 2000. The formula used for calculating the fee, established by Congress in the 1978 Public Rangelands Improvement Act, continues under a Presidential Executive Order issued in 1986.

An animal unit month is the amount of forage needed to sustain one cow and her calf, one horse, or five sheep or goats for a month. Under the 1986 Presidential Executive Order, the grazing fee cannot fall below $1.35 per AUM.

The annually adjusted grazing fee, effective March 1, 2001 - February 28, 2002, is computed by using a 1966 base value of $1.23 per AUM for livestock grazing on public lands in Western States. The figure is then adjusted according to three factors -- current private grazing land lease rates, beef cattle prices, and the cost of livestock production. Based on the formula, the 2001 fee remains at the same level as 2000 because there was a small decline in beef cattle prices and a small increase in both private land lease rates and livestock production costs.

The $1.35 per AUM grazing fee applies to lands in the West administered by the BLM and to national forests and national grasslands administered by the Forest Service.

The BLM, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages 264 million acres of Federal land, most of it in 12 Western States, including Alaska. Of this, about 164 million acres are permitted for livestock grazing. The BLM manages the public lands for "multiple use and sustained yield" in accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), signed 25 years ago. This landmark statute has given the agency important flexibility in administering the public lands to meet the changing needs of the West, which is the fastest growing region of the country. FLPMA enables the BLM to manage the land not only for its commodity values, but also for its recreational opportunities and environmental qualities.

The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, manages 191 million acres of Federal lands in 44 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The Forest Service manages these lands for multiple uses, including grazing.