Meghan Lally works full-time on , just over the northern border of Colorado in Savery, Wyo. She grew up there, and she came back after college to help manage the sheep and cattle.
It鈥檚 a costly business being a rancher. There鈥檚 all the equipment, the transportation fees, production materials and more. The American Farm Bureau reports that ranchers and farmers on food.
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鈥�(We) generally produce food below the cost of production,鈥� Lally said. But her ranch gets some help by participating in the . The program started soon after the 2018 Farm Bill was passed as a way for ranchers to get paid by the Farm Service Agency to protect a variety of grasslands. This allows farmers to protect the grasslands while continuing to maintain the land for grazing. Lally signed up last year, and her ranch gets $13 per acre of land conserved.
鈥淚t allowed us to get paid for the ecological services that we are already providing in order to continue operating,鈥� she said.
More than 200,000 acres were accepted into the program last year from around 470 landowners. Most Colorado producers got around $13 per acre last year 鈥� the set up by the previous administration. That鈥檚 the rate that really made the program worth it for landowners due to the long contract of 10-15 years and the strict management plan.
Like so many other agricultural programs recently, this program is now experiencing significant cuts. This year, program rates dropped . Those in Weld County, for example, will now get $5 per acre. Boulder and Routt counties went down to $3. Moffat County had an even steeper decline.
鈥�(Moffat County) is a county that has lots of wildlife, and they're valuing that land at $2 an acre,鈥� Shaleas Harrison, the Western Policy Manager for Western Landowners Alliance, said. 鈥淒o you think a producer is going to sign up for this program? No, they're not. Why would you go through it? It's not even worth it.鈥�
Lally is still in her contract, so she will still receive $13 an acre. But those who apply in her county now will get $4. She said she wouldn鈥檛 go through all the paperwork and hassle again to receive such a small portion of money.
鈥淔or ($4 an acre), it's not kind of worth all of that,鈥� she said. 鈥淚n an agricultural operation, that's not very much money. I mean, that pays for, maybe five loads of hay or whatever.鈥�
Harrison worries that without participation or protections, these lands could be turned into development, as is often the case in the West. Land development removes critical habitat for migrating or endangered species. And it鈥檚 happening to .
鈥淭hose were once lands that had habitat, and you had someone stewarding that land, irrigating, spraying weeds, and grazing and keeping that land in production,鈥� Harrison said. 鈥淲hen we don't have that, we lose wildlife.鈥�
Harrison hopes producers will still show interest in the program, and that they will continue to advocate for compensation that reflects their stewardship. Lally agrees.
鈥淚f the public values the ecological services that farmers and ranchers provide habitat for wildlife and cheap food, in order to continue those programs, the country needs to advocate for paying for that,鈥� Lally said. 鈥淲e can't afford to do it for free forever.鈥�
Landowners have until August 8 to enroll. Those who are interested will need to contact their County Farm Service Agency office to begin the process. You can find your representative .
