Idaho officials have rejected a plan to raise grazing fees on state-managed land, costing K-12 public schools more than $530,000 annually.
The Idaho Land Board voted 2-2 to defeat the proposal, with Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra voting against the plan, citing concerns by ranchers who said drought was hurting their businesses.
The move to stick with the current grazing fee formula appears to call into question whether the state’s top statewide elected officials are meeting their constitutional mandate as Land Board members to maximize profit from state lands over the long term. The current grazing rate formula not only doesn’t raise fees, it cuts them.
The formula has been in place since 1993, leading to concern that it’s outdated and that ranchers aren’t paying their fair share. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, grazing rates on private land in the state have nearly doubled since then. Rates on state-owned land have lagged, dropping from about 50% of what private landowners charge to about 38%. The new grazing formula would have put it back to 50%, while the existing formula drops it to about 37%.
Republican Attorney General Lawrence Wasden and Republican State Controller Brandon Woolf backed the new grazing rate formula. Republican Secretary of State Lawerence Denney voted no, while Republican Gov. Brad Little, whose family raises sheep and cattle, recused himself from the discussion and vote, citing a conflict of interest.
Raising grazing fees has been on the board’s radar for years, and a study a decade ago commissioned by the Idaho Department of Lands found the current grazing formula was likely not getting market value. But the board has avoided making any decisions, requesting more information the last three years. (AP)
