Federal government moves to protect grazing on public land
Nevada rancher Jack Payne: "We have gone from the enemy who must be removed from the land to an ally in national security and food sovereignty.”
Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) geared at improving grazing access on federal land. It signals a major shift in public land policy as the Trump Administration seeks to revitalize ranching, rebuild the American cattle herd, and increase the domestic beef supply.
“Our public lands are there for the people, and this action demonstrates the commitment at USDA and the Department of the Interior to improve our services so farmers and ranchers who use public lands can run more efficient operations,” Rollins said in a statement.
Ranchers have long claimed friction with federal agencies. The USDA and DOI are now seeking to turn over a new leaf, working with ranchers rather than against them, and making it easier and more predictable to run livestock on public lands.
The MOU aims to cut red tape and speed up grazing permits, sign-offs for improvements, and lease renewals. Agencies will improve data systems for better transparency, and so ranchers have access to more information about grazing allotments. Leadership will push agencies to reopen vacant allotments with a goal of “no net loss” of grazing capacity, and to foster better inter-agency coordination—aligning the U.S. Forest Service, which is under the USDA, and the Bureau of Land Management, which is managed by DOI. Overall, ranchers will be treated as partners, and grazing will be viewed as a valuable land management tool, particularly for wildfire mitigation.
Nevada rancher Jack Payne was present for the MOU signing. He called it a great start.
“Now we will wait and see if it actually gets implemented on the local district level,” he said. “Talk and press conferences in Washington D.C. are great but until the Western Watersheds insiders in these BLM and Forest Service offices are shipped off to AI caribou in Alaska or count alligators in Florida nothing will change on the land.”
Payne, who operates Alpine Ranch as well as the livestock auction Nevada Livestock Marketing in Fallon, believes the major problem facing public land ranchers is ideological capture at the agencies tasked with managing land.
“These lifer bureaucrats slow walk everything and drag their feet until we get another anti-grazing president,” Payne said. “Ranchers on the ground want to work with the folks in Washington, D.C. to implement these changes and show the world the positive results.”
Payne was among a small group of ranchers who met with Rollins in September 2025 to talk about the threats on public land ranchers. The BLM and USFS have reduced grazing allotments from roughly 14.4 million animal units per month permitted in 1966 to approximately 10.8 million in 2024. Payne says anti-grazing groups have weaponized environmental lawsuits to spur these cuts. He saw the MOU as an outcome of that meeting.
“Being in Washington DC yesterday to witness the Memorandum of Understanding signing between USDA and DOI was truly like a dream come true,” Payne said. “Elections have consequences and what a breath of fresh air to hear Secretary Brooke Rollins and Secretary Doug Burgum address the small group of ranchers. We have gone from the enemy who must be removed from the land to an ally in national security and food sovereignty.”
“Now that our government agencies are not weaponized against the food producers, we can roll up our sleeves and start using the abundant natural and renewable resources this great nation provides,” Payne said.