Big money is displacing ranchers in Idaho.
According to Jackson Hole News&Guide, Nick Beard’s family has been leasing state land for cattle grazing since 1992 and working the area for five generations.
However, state commissioners have unanimously decided to put the leased land up for auction to maximize revenue for its charitable institutions fund. Should the sale go through, Beard will need to downsize operations and truck his cattle to other grazing areas.
One of the potential winners of this auction is billionaire Thomas Tull, who already owns neighboring parcels and had previously approached the Beards about acquiring their land.
The area could be developed into luxury residential homes. Dustin Miller, director of the Idaho Department of Lands, described the parcel as having “million-dollar views,” per Jackson Hole News&Guide.
Tull could also leave the parcel undeveloped, as he has done with some of his other plots. As it stands, Beard’s lease generates roughly $1,000 each year for the Department.
Land use is a major cost of cattle farming. Increasing demand for beef and dairy has led to the degradation of natural habitats. For example, illegal logging in the Amazon for expanding cattle ranching is rife.
Cattle feed has its own land use requirements as well. When feed growth is combined with grazing land, animal livestock uses up about 80% of agricultural land, according to Our World in Data. This is before considering the steep emissions inherent in cattle production.
That said, grazing land is generally unsuitable for other agriculture, and expansion of luxury homes isn’t much better for the environment.
With large home footprints comes large home energy use. Roughly 31% of America’s atmospheric pollution is generated from buildings, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, mostly from gas use. Higher heating and cooling demands of big homes serve only to increase that proportion.
Strong public opposition to the sale of the Idaho parcel may slow or stop the auction altogether as commissioners review the situation. In the meantime, the two sides remain at odds.
“We’re getting pushed out,” Beard said, per Jackson Hole News&Guide. “I mean, this is our livelihood. Where are we supposed to take cows? We can’t just make more land and take them wherever we please.”
“Federal public lands are lands that are owned by the American people, and they’re held in trust for the American people to use and enjoy,” Miller said, per the publication. “State endowment lands are owned by the endowment beneficiaries.”
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don’t miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.