NEWS

United States Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service
9173 W. Barnes Dr., Suite C
Boise, Idaho 83709
 
For More Information:
Contact:  Kristen Clayton, 208.522.6250, x112

ST. ANTHONY RANCHERS BALANCE SMART GRAZING AND WILDLIFE HABITAT

Verl and Shirley Arnold love their ranch as they should—they’ve spent their lives restoring it. 

When they bought the place in 1954, it was in terrible shape. Livestock can damage precious vegetation, taking a lifetime to restore. Livestock, however, can coexist with the land and, both producer and land, can come out winners. Just ask Verl Arnold. 

“Don’t get greedy and overgraze,” he says. “Sometimes when you get a dry year, you’ve got to cut back and you’ve got to do it yourself. You shouldn’t wait until someone tells you to.”

Fifty years of proper grazing on the Arnold’s land north of Saint Anthony, and it’s as productive as can be. 

“There must be 50 different kinds of plants here,” says Ken Beckmann, district conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Saint Anthony. “The Arnolds are good examples of western ranchers who not only have improved their deeded land, but also care about the public land they graze. The entire Sand Creek Allotment is in great condition.”

Dennis Aslett, biologist with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, says the Arnold’s land is “of critical importance to a number of wildlife species” including moose and mule deer, elk, sage grouse, columbian sharp-tailed grouse, antelope and sandhill cranes.

Working with Beckmann and the NRCS, the Arnolds recently signed their land into a permanent easement, keeping it for smart grazing and wildlife forever. They are one of the first Idaho landowners to take advantage of the NRCS Grasslands Reserve Program (GRP). It’s a new program, an outgrowth of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, or “Farm Bill.”

Under GRP, producers such as the Arnolds receive fair compensation for their development rights, thereby protecting valuable grasslands for the time period they choose. Producers voluntarily limit future use of the land while retaining the right to conduct common grazing practices; produce hay, mow, or harvest for seed production (subject to certain restrictions); conduct fire rehabilitation; and construct firebreaks and fences.

Arnold says he’s not sure what’s going to happen with the ranch when it’s passed on, but his hard work will remain for others to enjoy.

The deadline for applications for the 2004 GRP funding is July 30. Interested producers should contact their local USDA Service Center or visit www.id.nrcs.usda.gov.

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