Ranchers await ruling on grazing Courts: 210,000 acres are at issue in state Feed costs, drought affecting farmers. State ranchers await ruling on grazing
A federal judge in Seattle will decide Tuesday whether to let ranchers struggling with high feed prices pay a nominal fee to use land protected under a U.S. Department of Agriculture conservation program.
Featured Gallery
Advertisement
The decision by U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour could determine whether 210,000 acres of land in Oklahoma are eligible for haying and grazing.
Coughenour issued a restraining order last week blocking the use of the land for the Critical Feed Use program; that order will be in effect until Tuesday, when he is expected to issue a modified order that may make available some of the acreage nationwide that is in dispute.
Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Cheyenne, said, "The farmers and ranchers are suffering through very high feed costs and a severe drought.
"The USDA made the right decision releasing Conservation Reserve Fund lands for haying and grazing use. I am disappointed with the court's decision today to extend the temporary restraining order prohibiting the use of the CRP. It will undoubtedly continue to have a very negative impact on farmers and ranchers who are relying on the use of these lands to feed their livestock.”
The National Wildlife Federation and some of its affiliates sued the USDA in federal court in Seattle to block the Critical Feed Use program, saying the department had not done the required environmental impact studies. In an order issued Thursday, the judge agreed with the group but said he must balance environmental concerns with economic ones.
"There are substantial competing hardships, whose impact could be devastating to citizens who trusted that their government was acting legally in implementing the Critical Feed Use initiative, as well as to the nation and the world economy at large” if the court were to ban all haying and grazing under the Critical Feed Use program until the USDA completed an environmental assessment, the judge wrote in his order.
The judge urged the USDA and the environmental group to work together on a compromise plan that would allow at least some of the land to be used for haying and grazing.
Scott Dewald, executive vice president of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association, said Thursday that 30 Oklahoma ranchers contacted by the trade group and state Agriculture Secretary Terry Peach had spent an average of $10,000 preparing the protected land for use, only to be told to remove the cattle because of the judge's order.
And even though the judge extended the restraining order until next week, Dewald said, "We still consider this to be a victory for producers because the court took into account the financial investments of our producers and factored that into his decision.”
The cost of grazing
The Conservation Reserve Program allows landowners to idle environmentally fragile land in return for government payments. Nationwide, there are about 33 million acres in the program.
Under the Critical Feed Use program, the landowners could pay a $75 fee to have their Conservation Reserve Program contracts modified to allow emergency haying and grazing.
The program is aimed at helping ranchers who have been paying high feed bills in the last couple of years because of the rising cost of corn.
Cletus Carter, a rancher near Forgan, in the Panhandle, said Thursday that, if the land is made available, "producers may not have to sell off herds, as they are presently doing.”
He said, "Recent rains have been very spotty and some still haven't received anything. Needless to say the pastures have not responded with any growth.”
Because of drought, farmers and ranchers in most counties can use their CRP land for grazing now, but they must pay back 25 percent of the annual government payment they received for idling the land. For some ranchers, that penalty wouldn't be worth using the land. In Beaver, Cimarron and Texas counties, the land can be used for haying and grazing for the 25 percent payback.
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
A fed judge in Seattle determing what is best for Oklahomans? Give me a break. This is why we need to strip the feds of 90% of their power and return it to the local level.
Unfortunately the federal government has a complicated system built in to protect the environment. While the NWF and judge did what was right in the letter of the law, US farmers shouldn't have to suffer to wait for the USDA to complete a report. And for that matter, many of these CRP areas were grazed by buffalo before Europeans came over, so what's the big deal? If they're responsible about grazing practices, it won't hurt the land.
For those of you who were told your money would help save the pandas, now you know. Maybe you supporters of the NWF should sue them for misusing your donations. Judge Coughener is clearly overreaching.
Fourth of July Page
Share your July 4th photos with NewsOK and view other stories and videos.
Multimedia
More Info
Disaster relief expected
The USDA declared an agricultural disaster in Cimarron, Texas, Beaver, Harper, Woodward, Ellis, Roger Mills, Dewey and Woods counties because of the drought. The declaration makes farmers eligible for low-interest loans and payments. Livestock producers forced to liquidate early can postpone capital gains payments.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer signed the disaster declarations on Wednesday, but the designations still must be approved by the Office of Congressional Relations before they are officially released, said Latawnya Dia, a spokeswoman for the Farm Service Agency in Washington.
Contributing: The Associated Press
3
Featured Gallery
Prev
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Log in below or sign up (it's free).