Rep. Tracey Mann (R-KS) has helped introduce legislation to remove the lesser prairie chicken from the Endangered Species List and prohibit its future relisting.
He explains how the listing has impacted his state’s cattle producers.
“I had a farmer in Morton County, which is about as far south and west in Kansas that you can get, who told me that after these regulations went through, somebody spotted a lesser prairie chicken in his pasture,” Rep. Mann said. “He had to immediately remove all of the cattle in that pasture and each of the adjoining measures as well to protect this bird. It just makes no sense at all.”
Mann says that burdensome regulations are unnecessary when rural Americans are already committed to the cause.
“These programs need to be, these efforts need to be bottom-up, producer-driven,” Mann explained. “I’ve never met a farmer, rancher, or ag producer that doesn’t care about the land, doesn’t care deeply about the environment, doesn’t care deeply about their soil. When you really look at the population of the birds, they go up and down based really on rainfall. In years that we drought, which we’ve had some severe droughts the last three or four years, the population goes down, and when the rainfalls up, the population goes up. But these heavy-handed, top-down, burdensome regulations make no sense.”
It is believed that lesser prairie chicken populations today exceed 30,000 animals in five states.
Congressman Adrian Smith of Nebraska joined us with the latest on efforts to secure year-round E15 sales.
January 23, 2026 01:12 PM
·
Jack Hubbard, with the Center for the Environment and Welfare, shares context and perspective on the controversial letter about Prop 12 circulating in Washington and how a review shows it misled the public.
January 22, 2026 06:25 PM
·
Decoupled base acres may amplify income inequality and distort planting decisions as farm program payments increase.
January 22, 2026 12:56 PM
·
From tariff talks in Europe to SCOTUS uncertainty and rising farm losses, analysts say policy and global supply will shape grain markets in the year ahead.
January 22, 2026 12:40 PM
·
Ethanol and corn groups are not hiding their disappointment over new reports that the bill to allow year-round E15 sales failed as Congress forges ahead on government funding, with another shutdown looming.
January 22, 2026 11:24 AM
·
Oil-led rallies can move soybean prices quickly, but sustained gains will require continued strength in soybean oil and broader biofuel demand signals.
January 22, 2026 10:39 AM
·
Dairy farmer and Discover Ag co-host Tara Vander Dussen joined us to discuss the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, her experience at the signing, and what’s next for her family and farm.
January 21, 2026 12:42 PM
·
Analysts say a Supreme Court decision on tariffs could reshape protein markets, strain U.S.-China trade, and force farmers to rethink global demand strategies.
January 21, 2026 12:03 PM
·
From meatpacking settlements to landmark NEPA rulings, Roger McEowen outlines the top legal developments in 2025 that will shape agriculture in the years ahead.
January 20, 2026 03:39 PM
·
