A special thank you to Patricia Dagnon for today’s beautiful photo. She entered the Outback Roundup photo contest this year and you can too! See the rules and enter your photo here: https://rangemagazine.us/
Interior prepares to rewrite BLM’s planning rules
The rules behind the maps are headed for revision — Interior announced Nov. 5 that it plans to update BLM’s land-use planning regulations, including the process for designating Areas of Critical Environmental Concern. Those plans guide decisions involving grazing, mining, energy development, wildlife habitat and public access across the West.
The department says the proposed changes would simplify planning, improve coordination with state and local governments, and narrow areas it considers unnecessarily large buffers around protected resources. Interior also proposes removing some program-specific procedures from the planning regulations and changing when public input occurs.
BLM expects to publish the proposed rule in the Federal Register next week, beginning a 60-day public-comment period. Comments will be associated with rulemaking number 1004-AF53.
A virtual information session is scheduled for Dec. 3 at 5 p.m. Mountain Time. Registration is required, and BLM says a recording will be available afterward.
The announcement begins a rulemaking process. It does not change an existing grazing permit, restore suspended animal unit months, or authorize a particular project.
APHIS opens $80 million for animal-disease preparedness
USDA opened two funding opportunities Nov. 5 aimed at preparing states and livestock industries for major animal-disease outbreaks.
Through the National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program, APHIS is offering up to $40 million for state and regional preparedness projects and another $40 million for producer and veterinary organizations.
Eligible work includes outbreak-response plans, training exercises, biosecurity improvements, equipment and supply stockpiles, and improvements to disease-tracking and information-sharing systems.
The state opportunity is open to state agriculture departments, chief animal-health offices and regional response organizations. The industry opportunity serves qualifying livestock, poultry, and aquaculture producer organizations and veterinary organizations.
Applications are due Jan. 7, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, through USDA’s ezFedGrants system.
The announcement and funding documents give different anticipated start dates. APHIS’s news release says selected projects will begin in spring 2027. Both funding notices specify anticipated starts between July 1 and Aug. 31, 2027.
An applicant webinar is scheduled for Nov. 24, from noon to 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The funding supports organizational projects rather than individual producer assistance payments.
Sites Reservoir receives its water-right approval
After decades of planning, California’s proposed Sites Reservoir has a water-right approval.
The State Water Resources Control Board voted unanimously Nov. 4 to approve the project’s water-right decision and permit. The Sites Project Authority announced the decision Nov. 5, saying it provides a foundation for participating agencies to make long-term financial commitments.
The proposed off-stream reservoir would store 1.5 million acre-feet of water diverted from the Sacramento River during higher flows. Participating suppliers include agricultural irrigation districts and municipal water agencies.
Courthouse News reported that the permit allows diversions of up to 986,000 acre-feet annually. Actual diversions and deliveries would depend on available water and operating requirements.
The project remains subject to financing, construction, and other unresolved requirements. The approval does not provide additional water for the coming irrigation season.
Opponents raised concerns about river flows, fisheries, water quality and tribal cultural resources. Theresa Moore, identified by Courthouse News as treasurer of the Chhé’ee Fókaa Band of Northeastern Pomo, challenged the board’s handling of tribal participation during the proceedings.
The Project Authority says the decision moves Sites closer to construction. Disagreement continues over the strength and enforceability of environmental safeguards.
Drought relief spreads across the Southwest
Fall precipitation improved drought conditions across much of the Southwest and Great Basin, while dry conditions continued to deepen in portions of the eastern United States.
The Nov. 5 U.S. Drought Monitor, reflecting conditions through Nov. 3, recorded a broad one-category improvement across the Southwest and Great Basin. Its assessment distinguishes the end of short-term drought in affected areas from lingering long-term water deficits.
Rain also improved conditions in western and central Texas, portions of the Great Plains and the Upper Mississippi Valley.
Elsewhere, drought expanded or intensified across parts of the Lower and Middle Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic and New England.
Reports from Mississippi included poor to very poor pastures and dry farm ponds. The assessment cited precipitation shortages and unusually warm conditions contributing to intensifying drought in the Lower Mississippi Valley.
The regional split leaves producers heading into winter with different feed and water conditions. Improved soil moisture in parts of the West comes alongside continued pasture and stock-water shortages farther east.
NRCS changes how conservation assistance reaches producers
NRCS is testing a different division of labor: field staff handling conservation planning, with program specialists taking responsibility for contracts, payments and administrative work.
The agency described its “Farmer First, Field Focused” pilot in a Nov. 4 announcement. Producers would first work with NRCS on conservation plans based on their operations and resource concerns, then consider financial assistance.
The pilot also replaces the existing application-ranking process with a new evaluation framework incorporating state and local priorities.
Nine states are participating: Hawaii, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, Utah and West Virginia.
NRCS says the changes are intended to reduce paperwork and give field employees more time to work directly with producers. The announcement does not provide measured results from the pilot.
Separately, Colorado NRCS announced Nov. 5 that range planting and soil-carbon amendments have been added to eligible practices under its Regenerative Pilot Program.
Colorado producers seeking consideration for the current funding cycle should apply by Nov. 20. Applications go through local NRCS service centers, with eligibility, practice specifications and payment terms determined through the program.
Nebraska extends wildfire-recovery applications
Nebraska producers with qualifying damage from March wildfires have additional time to apply for federal restoration assistance.
FSA announced Nov. 4 that the Emergency Conservation Program application deadline has been extended to Dec. 23 for specified wildfire damage in Arthur, Garden, Grant, Keith, Morrill, Dawson, Lincoln, Blaine, Thomas and Cherry counties.
The extension covers areas affected by the Morrill, Cottonwood, Road 203, Anderson Bridge, Ashby, and Minor fires.
The program provides cost-share and technical assistance to restore agricultural land following qualifying natural disasters. Approved applicants can receive up to 75% of allowable restoration costs, with a maximum cost share of $500,000 per natural-disaster event.
Producers can contact their county FSA office to discuss qualifying damage and schedule an application appointment. The extension provides more time to apply; assistance remains subject to eligibility and approval.
Swasey horse gather reaches 64 removals
BLM’s Swasey wild horse gather in Utah had removed 64 horses through Nov. 5, according to the agency’s cumulative report.
The total includes 25 stallions, 28 mares and 11 foals, all shipped from the gather. BLM reported no deaths.
The operation covers the Swasey Mountains Herd Management Area in Juab and Millard counties, west of Delta. BLM plans to remove approximately 140 excess horses. The herd’s appropriate management level is 60 to 100 horses, based on available forage, water and other authorized uses.
Gathered horses are being transported to the Sutherland Off-Range Contract Wild Horse Facility near Delta for veterinary checks and preparation for adoption or sale.
The cumulative update is dated Nov. 5, although the daily entries on the same page incorrectly identify the month as October.
Diesel drops nearly 9 cents in a week
Diesel moved lower again Friday.
AAA’s Nov. 6 national retail average was $6.2305 a gallon, down from $6.2564 the previous day and $6.3204 a week earlier.
That is a decline of 2.59 cents overnight and 8.99 cents over the week. At the national average, a 1,000-gallon purchase would cost about $90 less than a week earlier.
The average remained substantially above the $3.7093 recorded a year earlier.
AAA’s figures are retail prices. They are not quotes for delivered farm fuel or dyed diesel, and an operation’s actual costs will depend on location, supplier, and purchase terms.
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