Oklahoma Farm Report masthead graphic with wheat on the left and cattle on the right.
Howdy Neighbors!
Ron Hays, Director of Farm and Ranch Programming, Radio Oklahoma Ag Network  |  2401 Exchange Ave, Suite F, Oklahoma City, Ok 73108  |  (405) 601-9211

advertisements
   
   
   
   
   

Beef Buzz News


NCBA and PLC Call ESA Listing Plan of Lesser Prairie Chicken Punitive for Cattle Producers in Southern Plains

Wed, 23 Nov 2022 14:51:00 CST

NCBA and PLC Call ESA Listing Plan of Lesser Prairie Chicken Punitive for Cattle Producers in Southern Plains Once again, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has listed the Lesser Prairie Chicken across parts of five states- including western Oklaoma and Kansas, southeastern Colorado, New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle. After the bird was listed as threateneda few years back- the listing here in 2022 is in two parts- the southern population area for the bird in New Mexico and the southern half of the Texas Panhandle is being called endangered- while the areas in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and the northern part of the Texas Panhandle is being called threatened.

According to the Fish and Wildlife release on the final rule- "The lesser prairie-chicken serves as an indicator for healthy grasslands and prairies – needing large, unfragmented parcels of intact native grasslands to maintain self-sustaining populations. This makes them an important measure of the overall health of America’s grasslands, a treasured and storied landscape.

"While historical estimates suggest lesser prairie-chickens once numbered in the hundreds of thousands, or even millions, across nearly 100 million acres, populations have declined drastically due to habitat loss and fragmentation. Lesser prairie-chicken habitat has diminished across its historical range by about 90 percent. Aerial survey results from 2012 through 2022 estimate a five-year average lesser prairie-chicken population of 32,210 across the five-state region. Their decline reflects the larger decline in the vitality and resilience in shinnery oak, sand sagebrush and mixed- and short-grass prairie ecosystems."

Two groups that have reviewed the final rule and find it lacking is the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and the Public Lands Council. Oklahoma Farm Report's Ron Hays talked this week after the release of the rule with Sigrid Johannes, the Associate Director of the groups and she is our guest on this edition of the Beef Buzz.

“We are deeply disappointed by the Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to impose redundant bureaucracy and punitive restrictions on the very same people that we have to thank for the lesser prairie chicken’s continued existence on the range.”

To make matters worse, the Service is also establishing a 4(d) rule for the Northern DPS that enables them to appoint private third parties – such as environmental activist groups – as the grazing authorities in the range of the LPC. FWS has stipulated that cattle producers in the Northern DPS range will only qualify for legal protection under the 4(d) rule if they are following a grazing management plan that has obtained arbitrary approval from a yet-to-be-named, FWS-approved third party. By contrast, other agricultural practices that are listed as key factors in the Service’s decision are granted far more flexibility. According to Johannes- the FWS has told the groups that they have ruled out using the USDA's National Resource and Conservation Service as the third party- opening the way for a less qualified and less friendly to the cattle industry group to likely be named by the Biden Administration.

Designing a third-party verification system to empower distant bureaucrats over land managers and ranchers with decades of experience, with parameters that blatantly prioritize political objectives over sound science, effectively ensures that the only use of the 4(d) rule will be to obstruct grazing activities.

The rule establishes two Distinct Population Segments (DPS) for the species: the Southern DPS that covers New Mexico and the southwest Texas panhandle, and the Northern DPS that covers southeastern Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and the northeast Texas panhandle. The Southern DPS will be listed as endangered and the Northern DPS will be listed as threatened. The final rule does not include any critical habitat designation. Cattle grazing provides immense benefit by conserving the very habitat the species needs to thrive. These birds favor diverse rangeland with a variety of plant species rather than uniform grasslands or cropland.

Click on the LISTEN BAR above or on the link below to listen to Ron and Sigrid talk about the ESA listing of the Lesser Prairie Chicken and what that could mean for beef cattle producers across the five state region once the rule goes into effect January 24, 2023.

The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.



   
   

Ron Hays Beef Buzzes with Sigrid Johannes of NCBA on the Lesser Prairie Chicken ESA Listing
right-click to download mp3

 

WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI

 

Beef News

  • January Cattle on Feed Report Three Percent Under Year Ago- Derrell Peel Says Tighter Supplies Will Be Around for Awhile  Mon, 23 Jan 2023 05:15:04 CST
  • Derrell Peel Talks Latest Cattle on Feed Report- Showing Fewer Cattle on Feed, Lighter Placements and Stronger Marketings.  Mon, 26 Dec 2022 08:19:00 CST
  • Kara Lee with Certified Angus Beef Tells Cattlemen 'Cut the Bull'  Fri, 23 Dec 2022 14:30:39 CST
  • Beef Checkoff Utilizes Digital Marketing Techniques to Interact with Consumers   Thu, 22 Dec 2022 16:02:51 CST
  • Beef Checkoff Research, Education, and Promotion Efforts Point Consumers to Beef  Wed, 21 Dec 2022 16:15:46 CST
  • OSU Economist Derrell Peel Expects US Beef Export Strength to Continue Into the New Year   Tue, 20 Dec 2022 08:00:35 CST
  • NPPC's Michael Formica Feeling Positive About Supreme Courts Upcoming Proposition 12 Decision  Mon, 05 Dec 2022 10:08:27 CST
  • NCBA Fights to Improve Marketing Options for Cattle Producers  Fri, 02 Dec 2022 09:58:28 CST
  • Chinese Consumers Continue to Grow Appetite for U.S. Beef  Thu, 01 Dec 2022 09:23:49 CST
  • Merck Creates Value for Producers and Consumers with Technology and Biopharmaceuticals   Wed, 30 Nov 2022 09:55:28 CST
  • NCBA’s Todd Wilkinson Ready to Fight Back Against Regulatory Overreach in the Cattle Industry   Tue, 29 Nov 2022 10:13:33 CST
  • NCBA and PLC Call ESA Listing Plan of Lesser Prairie Chicken Punitive for Cattle Producers in Southern Plains  Wed, 23 Nov 2022 14:51:02 CST
  • November Cattle on Feed Report Confirms October Pattern of Lower Placements and Tighter Cattle Numbers in Feedlots  Tue, 22 Nov 2022 05:07:02 CST
  • Turning the Corner- OSU's Derrell Peel Sees Tighter Cattle Inventories into 2023 in Latest Cattle on Feed Report  Mon, 21 Nov 2022 04:36:33 CST
  • Turning the Corner- OSU's Derrell Peel Sees Tighter Cattle Inventories into 2023 in Latest Cattle on Feed Report  Mon, 21 Nov 2022 04:27:40 CST
  • Midterm Elections to Set Stage for What Can Be Expected in 2023 Farm Bill  Mon, 07 Nov 2022 12:13:57 CST
  • USMEF's Dan Halstrom Remains Cautiously Optimistic about Strong Beef Demand Going Forward  Thu, 03 Nov 2022 09:35:46 CDT
  • Economic Factors Create Hesitancy in Beef Plant Expansion Plans  Wed, 02 Nov 2022 11:03:34 CDT
  • NCBA's Mike Simone Says Consumer Interest in Fake Meat is on the Decline  Tue, 01 Nov 2022 11:41:02 CDT
  • Beef Remains Valued Product for Consumers as it Allows Them to Stretch their Dollar  Mon, 31 Oct 2022 09:15:56 CDT
  • Hugh Aljoe Provides Methods to Begin and Maintain Good Land Stewardship  Fri, 28 Oct 2022 09:30:13 CDT
  • Implement Soil Health Practices Now to Increase Forage Production when Rains Come  Thu, 27 Oct 2022 15:14:07 CDT
  • Third Beef. It's What's For Dinner. 300 Promotes the Beef Industry on a National Level  Wed, 26 Oct 2022 15:32:23 CDT
  • Latest Cattle on Feed Report from USDA Implies Fewer Pounds of Beef Available in 2023   Tue, 25 Oct 2022 10:17:53 CDT
  • OSU's Derrell Peel- Lower Placements and Smaller On Feed Number Highlight October Cattle on Feed Report  Sun, 23 Oct 2022 12:45:37 CDT
  • Beef Checkoff Research Continues to Share Beef Sustainability Story with Consumers  Fri, 21 Oct 2022 09:23:36 CDT
  • Beef Checkoff Research Works to Ensure Consumers Beef is a Product They Can Trust  Thu, 20 Oct 2022 13:44:44 CDT
  • Odds for Significant Wheat Pasture Going Lower Daily in the Southern Plains  Wed, 19 Oct 2022 14:35:46 CDT
  • NCBA Weighs in on California's Proposition 12   Tue, 18 Oct 2022 11:32:24 CDT
  • 2022 Stockyards Steak Out Takes Oklahoma Beef to the Next Level  Mon, 17 Oct 2022 11:09:07 CDT
  • Holding Onto Your Cow Herd a Little Longer is Projected to Pay Off, says Randy Blach  Fri, 14 Oct 2022 08:14:05 CDT
  • Randy Blach Confident in Better Cattle Market Conditions Down the Road  Thu, 13 Oct 2022 09:43:02 CDT
  • No Imports or Exports Would Result in a Smaller U.S. Beef Cattle Industry  Wed, 12 Oct 2022 16:11:15 CDT
  • Derrell Peel Explains Why International Trade of Beef is Valuable  Tue, 11 Oct 2022 08:19:29 CDT
  • Animal Agriculture Hopeful for a Win as U.S. Supreme Court Looks at California's Proposition 12   Mon, 10 Oct 2022 09:26:17 CDT

  •  

       

    Ron salutes our daily email sponsors!

    Oklahoma Beef council Oklahoma Ag Credit Oklahoma Farm Bureau National Livestock Credit Ag Mediation Program P&K Equipment Oklahoma City Farm Show Union Mutual Stillwater Milling Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association KIS FUTURES, INC.
       
        
       
       
       

    Search OklahomaFarmReport.com

    © 2008-2024 Oklahoma Farm Report
    Email Ron   |   Newsletter Signup   |    Current Spots   |    Program Links

    WebReady powered by WireReady® Inc.