Rancher Roundtable with the Department of the Interior

By Darby Thayer

On July 22nd, Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation (WyFB) Natural and Environmental Resources Chairman and Carbon County Ranch & Farm Bureau Federation President Kyle Berger and wife Stacy, WyFB YF&R Committee Member Laura Dockery, along with WyFB Executive Vice President Kerin Clark attended a Rancher Roundtable with the United States Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Doug Burgum.

Laura Dockery is a fifth-generation rancher in her family’s ranch near Jeffrey City, Wyoming on the Sweetwater River.

“It was an amazing experience talking to the Secretary of the Interior and the rest of the group. I was able to discuss issues my family and other permittee holders have on the 90,000-acre BLM allotment we graze our cattle on,” states Laura Dockery, YF&R Committee Member.

A couple of the items Dockery brought up during the roundtable were the overgrowth of sage brush that increases fire risk, encouraging on improvements with other permittees on common allotments, multiple use, the impact feral horses have on the grass when they are over-objective and the language around production-oriented livestock.

Dockery adds, “I am the next generation, and I want to stay in agriculture, I want to stay on the ranch, and I don’t want our grazing rights to be taken away. I know that no-one else is going to do it for me, and it is very important for me to learn the processes of how to talk about the proposed rule changes and how to advocate for my family and other ranchers.”

Kyle and Stacy Berger are both fifth generation ranchers, they currently run cattle on a forest service permit, along with other leases and private land on Kyle’s families ranch near Saratoga, Wyoming. The roundtable discussion on Forest Service permits was noted by DOI staff and shared with Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.

“As capable stewards of the land our goal is to manage our resources as responsibly as we can. This is our livelihood and we want to see the grazing practices we implement benefit our animals, strengthen the health of forests, help with wildfires, and leave the land in good shape for the next generation,” states Kyle Berger.

A couple of the concerns the Bergers provided insight to were the fire risk and the challenge of maintaining with improvements with forest overgrowth and the limit of intensive grazing in the forest. Berger also shared the request to consider allowing permits to have longer terms to give the permittee the ability to plan for the future and give them the opportunity for more improvements that help the health of the grass and the land. Another item discussed was the ability to monitor the grass through boots on the ground practices and collaboration directly with the agency.

“Everyone took notes and was very intentional about asking us questions. We are so thankful to have an administration that serves us as farmers and ranchers. I am looking forward to how we can all continue to work together in the future,” states Stacy Berger.

“Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation was well-represented with Laura, Kyle, and Stacy sharing their ranching stories and discussing policy and on the ground implications for management of federal lands,” said Kerin Clark, WyFB Executive Vice President. “This roundtable provided a unique and impactful experience for a small group to discuss policy topics directly with Secretary Burgum. Advocating for agriculture comes at many levels and this one-on-one opportunity to sit around the table in Wyoming with the Secretary and DOI officials sharing individual stories and on the ground knowledge of managing the resource was significant in driving the conversation.”