The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and Montana Farm Bureau (MFBF) were part of a large coalition that submitted a letter earlier this week to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) strongly urging for rescission of the 2024 Conservation Landscape and Health Rule. The coalition included state Farm Bureaus as well as affiliates of the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI), the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), and the Public Lands Council (PLC).

Farm Bureau, as well as other coalition members, have worked long and hard to stop this harmful rule, which threatens the future of ranching in the U.S. by destabilizing a decades-old tradition of grazing on federal lands. The Rule allowed conservation leases on public lands, making them equal to grazing, recreation, and energy production.

Despite public comments opposing the 2024 Public Lands Rule when it was proposed, as well as a lawsuit in the Tenth Circuit Court, the Biden Administration turned a deaf ear to those who value the land most—its lessees—ignored several statutes and forged ahead. However, the Trump Administration has moved to rescind the Rule. In the comments, the coalition supported this move and pointed out their concerns and conflicts that exist in the flawed Rule.

The coalition noted, “As finalized in the 2024 Rule, the leasing program effectively authorizes BLM state directors to withdraw lands from productive uses for a potentially unlimited amount of time through renewals and without appropriate public notice and comment, necessarily infringing on the statutorily protected components of other permitted activities.”

The coalition reiterates that the 2024 Rule seems to be an attempt to circumvent the Tenth Circuit’s holding that none of the relevant statutes authorize permits intended exclusively for conservation use.

“The BLM’s intention to elevate conservation as a use 'on par' with other uses was without legal direction, and subsequent processes made clear that the agency intended to elevate conservation as a favored use, intentionally subverting the longstanding direction provided by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and companion statutes.

The coalition wrapped up its comments by explaining that for generations, the cattle and sheep producers have worked with the BLM to manage hundreds of millions of acres across the United States for the benefit of the American people, the domestic food supply chain, ecosystem health, and all other public lands users.

The coalition said they appreciate and support BLM’s review of the 2024 Rule and conclusion that it is unnecessary and violates existing statutory requirements.

“American cattle and sheep producers across the west have partnered with the BLM for generations to manage public lands for the betterment of ecosystems while supporting domestic production of food and fiber,” the letter read. “The 2024 Rule broke trust with these ranchers by illegally prioritizing a non-use of the lands and contravening existing multiple-use and sustained-yield provisions in statute. Our members remain steadfast in a commitment to conservation that is inseparable from public lands grazing management, and an open line of communication with partners, like BLM. Rescinding the 2024 Rule will restore multiple use and sustained yield management of public lands and improve vital relationships between ranchers and BLM staff.”

MFBF President Cyndi Johnson added, “This has been a long, hard-fought battle for the Montana Farm Bureau Federation. We pushed back against the Conservation Lands rule at every opportunity, voicing the concerns and potentially harmful impacts to our members at every step along the way. We appreciate the good people in the current Department of the Interior who listened to the outcry from rural America and have taken steps to rescind a rule that would have harmed ranchers and all public land users.”