Yotechaser, I stated how i feel earlier, however, i think that your info on where the majority of our beef comes from could be wrong.
Most cases beef are raised out on the range and then sent to a feed yard to finish. As a result the vast majority of beefs final stopping place is the feed lot but most started out on the range.
I understand your concerns, but, like posted before ranchers are our allies in most cases. The alternative is the rich elite in our country buying these huge tracks of land. I know your talking about public land, but, there is lots of hunting done on private. Less hunters out there less people on our side.
Also some good points made about the Mojave in CA. I grew up there and I watched that happen. Sportsmen and ranchers were systematically removed from hundreds of thousands acres.
It was very ugly how it happened.
>MTgiants, You do realize, a very
>very small portion of the
>beef the US consumes each
>year is produced on public
>lands. The HUGE majority is
>produced on private feed lots.
>Which is fine by me.
>If you think that public
>land grazing is what produces
>our food you are WAY
>wrong. Here is a small
>portion of a report from
>the Government Accountability Office, I
>can forward the entire PDF
>if you want, its from
>2004:
>
>"In fiscal year 2004, federal agencies
>spent a total of at
>least $144 million [on grazing].
>The 10 federal agencies spent
>at least $135.9 million, with
>the Forest Service and BLM
>accounting for the majority."
>
>" The 10 federal agencies? grazing
>fees generated about $21 million
>in fiscal year 2004?less than
>one-sixth of the expenditures to
>manage grazing."
>
>So taxpayers spend over 140 million
>dollars, and public land grazers
>pay 21 million in fees.
>Sounds like a good deal
>to me!!
>How many business out there could
>survive when they only create
>1/6th of their debt each
>year? ZERO. Its taxpayers money
>that keep public land ranchers
>in business.