vision2020@moscow.com: Lewiston Tribune Poll
Lewiston Tribune Poll
Jo Williams (tajs@potlatch.com)
Wed, 6 May 1998 06:13:00 -0700
The Lewiston Tribune has been running a series concerning Idaho citizen's
views on certain issues as revealed by a statewide poll. Yesterday's
article included a question on
whether the federal government should charge more, less or the same for
grazing fees on federal land.
I believe last year those fees were raised to somewhere around $2.00 per
AUM- animal unit per month. For cattle, that's a cow/calf pair or one
adult cow.
We lease about 100 acres for cattle grazing. Partial woods, lots of
brush, some weeds, some holes in the fence that the leasee will repair
before this spring's release. Not prime grazing by any definition.
We charge $12 per AUM. We've heard at least two references in the past
year to charges of $15 per AUM.
The Lewiston Tribune survey revealed that, statewide, 48% of those polled
think the federal government should keep their grazing fees at current
levels. 13% felt they should charge less.
Since this listing is multipartisan, I think we need to ask all
candidates their views on this issue.
Though the state lease rates were not discussed in the poll, they are, I
believe, close to the federal rates. In a state that has a substantial
Republican majority, is this non-competitive neo-aristocratic giveaway
of public lands really favored by 61% of the population?
Maybe if the poll question had mentioned the comparative rates, the
results would have been different.
Jo Williams tajs@potlatch.com
This archive courtesy of:
First Step Internet