Follow-up: USDA and Interior Unveil Proposed Grazing Rule to Unify Permits and Fees Across 16 Western States
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior on November 10 unveiled a proposed rule that would unify how grazing permits are issued, who qualifies for them and how fees are set across national forests and grasslands in 16 western states.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum announced the proposal the same day. It updates the processes for issuing grazing permits, permittee eligibility and qualifications, and makes fee administration consistent across regions, aiming to clear a long-standing permit backlog and improve cooperation between ranchers and federal land managers. The proposal is scheduled to appear in the Federal Register on November 12, followed by a 30-day public comment period.
The rule follows two grazing cooperation agreements signed in October and forms part of USDA's October 2025 beef industry plan. According to USDA, grazing takes place on about 40 percent of the Forest Service's roughly 193 million acres, supporting about 14,200 jobs and some $645 million in economic output each year.
Rollins said ranchers are among the best stewards of public lands and that well-managed grazing is essential to rangeland health. Burgum said the proposal gives ranchers a more predictable, consistent federal grazing framework with less red tape, so ranching families can keep operating on federal lands.
Related:
[Video Secretary Rollins Signs Grazing MOU With Interior Secretary Burgum as USDA Proposes a Federal Rule to Expand Ranchers' Access to Grazing Allotments]
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：牛群在俄勒冈州 Ochoco 国家森林放牧。美国农业部林业局图，公有领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Cattle grazing in Ochoco National Forest, Oregon. U.S. Forest Service photo, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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- 2026-11-10Follow-up: USDA and Interior Unveil Proposed Grazing Rule to Unify Permits and Fees Across 16 Western StatesThis story
