I am responding to the letter written by Ed Gomer (Forum, Aug. 3), who claims to be a retired wildlife and range biologist. In his letter, Gomer suggests that ranchers do not receive subsidies for grazing use of our public lands. To that, I say pure hogwash.
Even the federal agencies that manage the public land admit that ranchers receive enormous subsidies. Both the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management have determined that the fair market value for a single cow and her calf is over $9 per month, far greater than the measly $1.86 that ranchers now pay.That means that, based on present levels of ranching on public land, Utah citizens are subsidizing its ranchers to the tune of over $5 million per year.
To make matters worse, despite Gomer's cheery assurances, a huge chunk of this $1.86 goes right back into supporting and subsidizing the ranchers.
How? On ranching allotments on BLM land in Utah, 50 percent of the fees go right back to the BLM to be spent with ranchers' advice on range improvement projects like fencing. Another 12.5 percent goes to the state of Utah where it is to be spent by the local counties, again on range-improvement projects.
This money could be used by the state for education or any other social purpose but is handed right back to the ranchers. (Last year this amount was $190,000; without subsidies, we're talking nearly $1 million that could be used for schools.)
So the majority of the fees paid for ranching on public lands (nearly two-thirds) is fed right back to the ranchers; even a grade-school child would recognize this as welfare ranching, public subsidization for private profit.
And aside from spending taxpayers' money on supporting the ranching habit, the public pays in other ways as well. Cows destroy riparian (stream) habitats, damage sensitive soil, trample archaeological sites and leave piles of waste matter in their wake. They also crowd out other wildlife like fish, elk, bighorn sheep and antelope, which can drastically reduce income to the state in the form of hunting and fishing licenses.
Gomer's attempts to denigrate taxpayer concerns about subsidies should be seen for what they really are: Gomer's pile.
J.J. Warsaw
Moab