BLM announced again today the availability of two allotments for cattle grazing near Sturgis, SD. The previous announcement was on February 6.
The minimum bid is $29.50 per AUM, considerably higher than the $1.35 per AUM paid by public-lands ranchers in the western U.S.
Does that mean that forage in South Dakota is overpriced?
Or could it be that the grazing fee is stuck in a time capsule and that the United States is not receiving fair market value for the use of those lands, as required by FLPMA?
The maximum stocking rate on the Fort Meade allotment is 49 head per thousand acres and 76 head per thousand acres on the Bear Butte allotment, a bit higher than the rates seen in and around the Great Basin.
RELATED: Grazing Fee Defies FLPMA.
Western Horse Watchers Association 