WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD-TV) — Public lands management, cattle markets, and animal health threats remain among the top concerns facing producers across the West.
Senator Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, chair of the Senate Western Caucus, joined us on Wednesday’s Market Day Report ahead of this week’s Rural Town Hall hosted by RFD-TV and the Western Caucus Foundation to discuss key issues impacting farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.
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In her conversation with RFD-TV, Sen. Lummis discussed the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) decision to rescind the 2024 Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, saying the move restores BLM lands’ intended multiple-use mission.
“We have land set aside that is specifically for conservation and preservation. Those are wilderness areas, wildlife refuges, and national parks,” Lummis explained. “But for BLM lands that are designed specifically for multiple use—meaning mining, grazing, recreation—throwing in a new element for conservation is an attempt by the environmental community to remove other activities from public lands. So we want to keep our public lands robust, and it’s particularly important on BLM lands that grazing be allowed.”
She argued that grazing remains an important land management tool, helping improve grass health, water absorption, and wildfire resilience while supporting rural economies.
“Grazing does a couple of things,” she continued. “We know that it creates a stronger stand of grass that is better able to fight off disease. We know that cattle fertilize that ground. They prevent the grass from clumping and then having water drain off the surface when it rains. Cattle grazing promotes the absorption of water when it rains and creates a much stronger, healthier stand of grass that can fight off not only disease, but wildfires and other uses that deteriorate the quality of the land. So grazing is good for public lands.”
Sen. Lummis also addressed ongoing challenges facing the cattle industry, including shrinking herd numbers, market volatility, and rising costs. She noted that the U.S. cattle herd remains at historically low levels following years of drought and producer exits from the industry, contributing to elevated beef prices and ongoing herd rebuilding efforts.
“The beef industry in the U.S. really has been something close to a pure market, where supply and demand balance and prices are more stable,” she said. “When there’s more supply, prices drop. When there’s less supply, prices go up. We’ve had a 20% drop in the number of ranchers in this country, so herds have declined to 75-year lows, which is why beef prices are so high right now. So, in my view, and the view of a lot of my Western Caucus colleagues, we need to let that market stabilize naturally by itself so ranchers can rebuild their herds and really stabilize that balance between consumption and supply.”
New World screwworm was another major topic of discussion. Lummis praised USDA’s response efforts, including expanded sterile fly production and enhanced surveillance in South Texas.
“I am so delighted that USDA recognizes the potential of this threat,” Lummis told RFD-TV. “They are producing more sterile flies that can be released in areas where the screwworm is starting to come into, for example, South Texas, and that can help reduce the spread of screwworm. You know, it’s a big problem. I remember in the 1970s, when I was a student at the University of Wyoming, we also had an outbreak of screwworms.”
She said federal and state agencies are working aggressively to contain the pest before it spreads farther north and emphasized the importance of continued investment in prevention and response programs.
“This is something that requires diligence on our part; Brooke Rollins and USDA recognize that,” she said. “There’s a facility that can help distribute these sterile flies on one of the military bases in Texas. That facility is also getting funded and ramped up to really take this on in Texas before it gets up into some of the more northern states. So, Texas A&M and its tremendous scientific work, along with USDA funding, is really second to none in addressing this. I’m so proud of American ingenuity here.”
In addition, Lummis highlighted several priorities of the Western Caucus, including reforms to the Endangered Species Act.
“Both during the Obama and Biden administrations, the Endangered Species Act was turned on its head regulatorily,” she explained. “We’ve been pushing back on some of the things that we find objectionable there. One in particular is that they’ve never made the science available when they do a listing. They say, “Oh, it’s proprietary. It belongs to a university,” or it belongs to a group that retains its proprietary rights over that science. That science needs to be available for third-party vetting so states can see what science is being applied to determine whether a threatened or endangered species listing—which is draconian and has huge impacts on the economy—is being done on sound science.”
Lummis said the Western Caucus will continue to push for greater transparency in the scientific data used for species listings and supports efforts to delist recovered species such as the grizzly bear.
“We want to make sure that the grizzly bear is delisted. Their numbers indicate that they fully recovered 20 years ago, and yet they remain on the endangered species list. There are more encounters now between grizzly bears and humans because their numbers and territory have expanded so dramatically. That’s an example of a species that needs to be delisted. We want to make sure that recovery and delisting is the goal, rather than listing and retaining them on the list for political reasons rather than scientific reasons.”
Lummis highlighted co-sponsored legislation with [U.S. Rep.] Harriet Hageman, to change the act’s name from the Endangered Species Act to the Endangered Species Recovery Act.
“The emphasis needs to be on recovery, not on just listing,” Lummis stated.
Looking ahead, while she will not be seeking reelection, Lummis said rural communities continue to need strong advocacy on issues ranging from public lands management to agricultural policy and regulatory reform.
“I can’t tell for sure because I don’t have a crystal ball, my goal is to get up every morning, put on my jeans and my boots, get my hands dirty, and hang out with some grandsons,” she told us. “I’ll probably still be involved in issues in some way, shape, or form, but currently there’s a lot of talent following my departure from Washington, D.C.”
