BLM: Fort Meade grazing allotments up for bid
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(BELLE FOURCHE, SD.) – The Bureau of Land Management is accepting sealed bids on two Fort Meade Recreation Area grazing allotments during the 2020-2022 grazing season. The leases are for cattle grazing only.
Bid packets are available at the South Dakota Field Office and contain a description of the land, specifications and conditions under which bids may be received and contracts issued, and the forms for submitting sealed bids.
Bids must be delivered to the South Dakota Field Office at 309 Bonanza Street, Belle Fourche, SD 57717, by 1:00 p.m., March 11. A sealed bid opening will occur at 1:15 p.m. on the same day. All submitted bids are final and cannot be changed.
Site-tours of the grazing allotments will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday Feb. 18 and at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20. Tours will begin at the Alkali Creek Campground. To reach the campground, take exit 34 off Interstate 90, cross under the interstate and take the left onto Horse Soldier Road, go one half-mile northeast to the campground.
The Fort Meade (Item #1) allotment contains 2,608 acres and is south of Highway 34, one mile east of Sturgis. It will provide 514 Animal Unit Months of livestock forage. Use will be authorized for between 98-128 cattle --depending on the weight of the cattle-- from June 15 to Oct. 15 of each year. Use will follow a four-pasture deferred rotation grazing system in the Allotment Management Plan.
The Bear Butte (Item #2) allotment contains 2,990 acres and is north of Highway 34, one mile east of Sturgis. It will provide 1,261 Animal Unit Months of livestock forage. Use will be authorized for between 175 and 227 cattle --depending on weight -- from May 15 to Oct. 30 of each year. All use will follow a five-pasture deferred rotation grazing system in the Allotment Management Plan.
For more information, contact Rangeland Management Specialist Mitch Iverson, Carmen Drieling or Jonathan Champion at (605) 892-7000.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.