USCA Submits Comments Supporting BLM’s Targeted Grazing Project

(WASHINGTON) –  On Wednesday, the United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) submitted comments in support of a project initiated by the Bureau of Land Management titled Targeted Grazing of Annual Grasses in the Great Basin Ecoregions in Nevada.

The purpose of the project “is to manage invasive annual grasses by using a variety of livestock grazing practices in the Great Basin ecoregions of Nevada.”

USCA Public Lands Committee Co-Chair Jack Alexander explained further:

“With the spread of invasive annual grass species like cheatgrass, extreme wildfires continue to ravage Western rangelands. Cheatgrass intensifies wildland fire frequency, duration, and size, which presents challenges not only for public lands users, but also the communities that sit on the edge of these lands.

“USCA supports the implementation of targeted grazing practices to create fuel reductions and fuel breaks where invasive annual grasses exist in densities that have the potential to impact ecological functions. We also recognize that these projects must allow a greater degree of flexibility for ranchers to custom tailor a grazing program for site-specific treatments.

“USCA looks forward to working with the Department of the Interior and the BLM to better utilize the ecosystem benefits of grazing animals to create fuel reductions and lessen the environmental impacts of wildland fire.”

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Established in March 2007, USCA is committed to enhancing and expanding the cattle industry’s voice on Capitol Hill.  USCA has a full-time presence in Washington, giving cattle producers across the country a strong influence on policy development.  For more information go to www.uscattlemen.org.