Wyden, Merkley Ask Agriculture, Interior Secretaries for Emergency Grazing Rights on Federal Land in Southeastern and South Central Oregon
Washington, D.C. – Faced with another year of drought conditions in Southeastern and South Central Oregon, Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley are asking the Department of Agriculture extend emergency grazing of cattle on Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land.
“Given the severity of the drought and the disastrous conditions faced by these Oregon farmers and ranchers, we ask that you expeditiously consider extending emergency grazing opportunities on Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land, including land that might otherwise be incorporated in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), “the senators wrote in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell. “The situation facing these counties is dire, and requires bringing all available solutions to the table.”
Klamath, Lake, Harney, and Malheur counties, which are still recovering from last year’s record drought-fueled fire season, have already be declared drought disaster counties by the USDA. Four massive fires in the region in 2012 have had a severe impact on already burdened feed, forage, and water resources in southeastern and south central part of the state, prompting the request from the senators.
The letter to Secretaries Vilsack and Jewell can be downloaded here.
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