10-Year Study Confirms Grazing Benefits Sage Grouse

Last week, the University of Idaho wrapped up a 10-year study looking at the effects of cattle grazing on greater sage grouse populations—and the findings are turning heads. According to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the research confirms that grazing doesn’t harm sage grouse. In fact, it helps.

The study found that responsible cattle grazing builds better habitat, increases forage, and reduces invasive grasses that fuel catastrophic wildfires—all things that benefit sage grouse and the broader landscape.

Public Lands Council President Tim Canterbury said this is what ranchers have known all along: that livestock production supports wildlife. Now, there’s a decade of solid data to back it up.

NCBA President Buck Wehrbein echoed the sentiment, calling cattle producers “the original conservationists.” He says the idea that grazing hurts native wildlife has always been a myth—and this research finally puts that myth to bed.

Ranchers were involved from the start, helping guide the work and lending local expertise. And now, they’re seeing their stewardship validated.

To learn more, visit NCBA.org.