USDA promised to invest in regional markets. Now, it’s happening
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack has said many times since taking office that the agency would invest in local and regional markets in an effort to make the food system more…
Read More...The Bureau of Land Management begins evaluation of plans for sage-grouse conservation
In order to protect the long-term health of sage-grouse populations, review new science and comply with court direction, the Bureau of Land Management is beginning a process to consider updates to the…
Read More...New Mexico Lawmakers Pressed to Make Water a Priority
With a high-stakes case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court and more forecasts calling for hot and dry weather, New Mexico’s top water official says lawmakers can’t afford not to…
Read More...Interior and Agriculture Departments Take Action to Strengthen Tribal Co-Stewardship of Public Lands and Waters
During the White House Tribal Nations Summit, President Biden announced that the U.S. Departments of the Interior and Agriculture have created the “Tribal Homelands Initiative.” This collaborative effort will improve…
Read More...Feds reverse Trump-era rule that dramatically reduced critical habitat for spotted owls
The USFWS recently announced a decision to maintain protections on over 3 million acres of forest habitat deemed critical for the survival of the threatened northern spotted owl. Those protections,…
Read More...What’s in the Build Back Better Act for ag?
The reconciliation bill includes $28 billion for conservation, $2 billion for ag research and $12 billion for farmer debt relief. According to a fact sheet released by the House Agriculture Committee, the…
Read More...Ranchers, USDA, other agencies gathering to discuss working lands, carnivores and conflict
Beyond Conflict online conference will focus on how to respond to increasing carnivore pressure in ways that keep ranches whole so they can continue to provide vital habitat.
Read More...Feds and conservation groups reach agreement on Canada lynx
More than 20 years after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service deemed the Canada lynx a threatened species, the agency has agreed to prepare a recovery plan for the elusive,…
Read More...Idaho officials reject grazing-fee increase, costing schools
Idaho officials have rejected a plan to raise grazing fees on state-managed land, costing K-12 public schools more than $530,000 annually. The Idaho Land Board voted 2-2 to defeat the proposal,…
Read More...Senators urge emergency protections for wolves in U.S. West
A group of Democratic lawmakers on Thursday urged the Biden administration to enact emergency protections for gray wolves in the U.S. West in response to Republican-backed state laws that make…
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