Rangeland Management

What do Ranchers do?

Ranchers are stewards of rangeland. Whether it’s their privately owned property or acres they lease from a federal agency, they do all they can to mitigate natural events such as floods, fire, and climate disasters. Rangeland management is a set of policies and procedures to maximize the conservation of water and soil resources. The goal is to improve the ecological system to sustain vegetation, cattle, and wildlife. 

Here we describe some of the techniques that work best in southern Arizona. We also list agencies that can provide technical assistance and even funding for eligible restoration projects.

September 2000

Ranching in Arizona: A Valuable Partner in Land Management

Steve Barker, State Rangeland Management Specialist, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

There are about 2500 ranches in Arizona. On average, each ranch pays the salary of 2 people. This workforce of about 5,000 people live and work out on Arizona’s rangeland 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Ranchers drive and ride horseback through the back roads and remote areas of Arizona. They rescue stranded and lost motorists and sightseers. They deter poachers from killing wildlife and deter others from digging up cactus, or destroying cultural resources. They pick up trash, and haul away the junk that people dump.

Many ranchers take care of the same piece of land their entire life. In many cases, their family has taken care of this same piece of land for several generations. Through years of experience, they learn how the plants, wildlife and livestock on their ranch respond to the seasons, and the cycles of wet years, droughts, and wildfires.

Ranchers generate income by raising livestock and selling the livestock that are born each year. They pay taxes on their income and they pay property tax on their private lands and improvements. They pay grazing fees for their use of state and federal rangelands. Ranchers buy their own vehicles, gas and equipment. They provide their own office space, electricity, phone and computers. They provide their own insurance and retirement plans.

Part of the income they generate is used to improve the condition of the rangeland. They build ponds and dig wells that provide water for both livestock and wildlife on the rangeland. They do prescribed burns, seed areas that need improvement, and control noxious weeds.

What would it cost the taxpayers if the government were to provide that same level of daily care and management on the land? Currently, it costs taxpayers about $60,000 per year to support a federal employee. That $60,000 pays for salary, health and life insurance, and retirement. It provides them with office space, vehicles, equipment and a computer.

A workforce of 5,000 people working out on the rangeland every day would cost taxpayers $300 million each year in salary, benefits and support costs. Add another third of that to hire administration, payroll and personnel staff. That brings the taxpayer cost to $400 million per year.

The 5,000 federal employees could only work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. So it would take twice as many federal employees to work out on the land seven days a week. Today, it would be difficult to find 10,000 people who would be willing to live in remote locations and work outdoors every day. If you could find them, it would cost taxpayers $800 million per year to pay them.

It is time to acknowledge the full value of the partnership between private enterprise ranchers and government land management agencies. Taxpayers simply cannot afford to replace the daily care ranchers provide, with federal employees. By allowing products to be harvested from the rangeland, the public gets the benefits of full time caretakers along with taxes and grazing fees that ranchers pay.

Resources:

View some of our resources to learn more about rangeland management.