Federal Government Sets Grazing Fees for 2019 Season

(WASHINGTON, DC) The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) announced this week that the grazing fee for the 2019 grazing season will be $1.35 per animal unit month (BLM) and per head month (USFS). One animal unit month (AUM) or head month (HM) are treated as equivalent measures for fee purposes, and represents the use of public lands by one cow and her calf, one horse, or five sheep or goats for a month. The modern grazing fee formula was established by Congress through the Public Rangelands Improvement Act of 1978. The fee formula uses current market conditions, such as cattle prices and rents, to establish the annual fee. In 1984, President Reagan signed an executive order establishing the minimum fee at $1.35/animal-unit month. Last year, the grazing fee was a $1.41/animal-unit month. The grazing fee applies in 16 Western states on public lands administered by the BLM and the Forest Service. The states are Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.