Wyoming rancher Ty Checketts testified before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee in support of the Grasslands Grazing Act. The hearing was chaired by U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), who introduced Checketts to the committee.
Checketts is the president of the Association of National Grasslands and operates a family ranch near Newcastle, Wyoming. He manages about 1,000 head of Black Angus cattle on approximately 65,000 acres that include both public and private land. He also serves on the board of the Public Lands Council and is a member of several industry organizations.
Senator Barrasso highlighted that the Grasslands Grazing Act aims to provide regulatory clarity for grazing permits managed by the U.S. Forest Service. According to Barrasso, “In Wyoming, cattle graze on the Thunder Basin National Grassland. It encompasses a little over half a million acres. My bill helps bring regulatory clarity for grazing permits from the U.S. Forest Service.” He added, “Ranchers across the West depend on access to grazing on our National Grasslands. They deserve to have certainty that their grazing permits will be approved in a timely manner. The Grasslands Grazing Act will give Wyoming’s ranching families the stability they need to keep their operations running strong.”
During his testimony, Checketts discussed how essential federal grazing rights are for ranchers in Western and Midwestern states where much of the land is federally controlled: “Without the ability to graze on National Grasslands, there would not be enough forage for my livestock, nor enough private land to access additional forage, to be able to ranch in Wyoming. Many Western and midwestern states are in the same situation – the federal government owns or controls so much of these states that integrating federal lands grazing allotments is the only way to have cattle and sheep production at scale,” said Checketts.
He further explained challenges with current permit processes: “This access must be predictable and consistent, which unfortunately has not been the case for grazing associations and direct permittees whose authorizations emanate from the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act of 1937.”
Checketts endorsed S. 2787, known as the Grasslands Grazing Act: “The proposed legislation simply seeks to give National Grasslands permittees the same due process rights that Bureau of Land Management and National Forest permittees currently enjoy. S. 2787 will provide for stable and secure ten-year grazing agreements and permits.” He continued: “The modification sought by this legislation will, in fact, create a more uniform, equitable and less confusing framework for the relationship between Forest Service managers and their rancher partners across the western portion of United States. I thank you for your consideration and urge Committee to advance this bill.”
More information about Checketts’ full statement or Senator Barrasso’s questions can be found through committee resources.
