Grazing directive from USDA is part of beef support plan
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a directive aiming to the presence of livestock on federal land.
Secretary of agriculture, Brooke Rollins, said the intention was to help ranchers and restore “multiple-use management” of federal lands.
She said ranchers were “an integral component of rural economies and food security”, but that bureaucracy and campaign groups had led to a halt on grazing in some areas.
“We are reaffirming grazing as an essential tool for healthy landscapes and vibrant rural communities,” she insisted.
The directive said forest service employees must make it possible for ranchers to use vacant and closed allotments of land to graze their cattle.
It added that making more space available for livestock would help “to keep working lands working”.
USDA said the new directive was part of a plan it launched in October 2025 to support the US beef industry.
