Focusing on Stewardship

As today is Earth Day, many are making a point to do something to benefit the earth, nature or wildlife. For many ranchers, every day is Earth Day. Idaho rancher Jessie Jarvis explains

Jarvis: "I think ranchers are the ultimate stewards of the land and that is often forgotten. Every single day we are out there focusing on what we can make better: for tomorrow, next week, for the next set of cows we bring into that field; for our kids; for our grandkids. Regardless of whether it is our land or land we rent — from our neighbors, from the federal government or state land — it doesn't matter we treat it as though ours. I think that is something that is mistaken but is so, so important."

According to a Public Lands Council infographic, here are some interesting statistics about ranchers using multi-use public lands. Ranchers with federal grazing permits save the federal government $750 million annually in land management costs. It costs the BLM $5 per acred for land management costs for ungrazed public land and only $2 per acre for those acres maintained by ranchers. Ranchers have worked closely with the USDA to conserve, restore or maintain 4 million acres of Sage Grouse habitat which lead the US Fish and Wild Service to remove the sage grouse from the Endangered Species Act.