AGDAILY: Lawsuit Challenges BLM Public Lands Rule to Protect Ranching

A lawsuit filed on Friday by the American Farm Bureau Federation and 11 other groups challenges the lawfulness of the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands Rule. Plaintiffs argue that the rule threatens the future of ranching in the U.S. by destabilizing a decades-old tradition of grazing on federal lands.

Gary Heibertshausen, a sheep rancher in Montana and Farm Bureau member says access to public lands for livestock grazing is crucial to the success of his ranch. “If Willow Creek Partners could not graze its livestock on federal land, we would be forced to sell our sheep and cease operating as a ranch.”

Heibertshausen and his partners hold six grazing permits covering several thousand acres of federal lands. He supports the case, saying the BLM rule creates substantial risk and uncertainty for ranchers, adding, “Under the rule, we can no longer be certain that the public lands on which we currently rely for grazing will remain available for grazing over the coming years.”

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