For Immediate Release
By: R-CALF USA Communications Director Jaiden Moreland
Contact: R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard
Phone: 406-252-2516; r-calfusa@r-calfusa.com
BILLINGS, Mont., Oct. 30, 2026 – Interior Secretary Doug Burgum signed an order this week aimed at expanding livestock grazing opportunities on federally managed lands and reducing regulatory burdens on American ranchers.
The order, titled “Supporting America’s Ranchers Through Resilient Rangelands,” builds on recent efforts by the Trump administration to improve grazing access and streamline permitting.
In March, Burgum and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins signed a memorandum of understanding to improve coordination between the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service, streamline permitting and reopen vacant grazing allotments. USDA followed in June with a directive instructing Forest Service employees to prioritize livestock grazing and restore grazing capacity on national forest lands.
The latest order extends those efforts across Interior Department bureaus, directing agencies to identify additional grazing opportunities, consider reinstating suspended allotments and address permitting backlogs. It calls for full 10-year grazing permit renewals, greater use of technology to reduce processing delays and a publicly accessible map of available grazing lands. Interior agencies have 30 days to identify additional lands with grazing potential, while the Bureau of Land Management must submit a plan to eliminate its permit renewal backlog within 60 days.
The order also recognizes properly managed livestock grazing as a tool for improving rangeland health, reducing wildfire risks and controlling invasive grasses. It further directs agencies to review policies that unnecessarily restrict ranchers’ ability to protect their livestock from predators.
“We welcome this new development. For too many years ranchers and their cattle and sheep have been removed from federally managed lands, contributing to the alarming contraction of both our domestic cattle and sheep industries,” said R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard. “Reprioritizing grazing on these lands is an important step in restoring national food security for Americans by rebuilding our domestic beef and lamb supply chains.”
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Ranchers Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA) is the largest producer-only lobbying and trade association representing U.S. cattle and sheep producers. It is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring the continued profitability and viability of the U.S. cattle and sheep industries. Visit www.r-calfusa.com or call 406-252-2516 for more information.