As Congress returns this week, South Dakota ranchers hope to see action on a bill to turn more row crops to pasture.
The Rebuilding America’s National Cow Herd Act would allow farmers and ranchers to turn marginal cropland into grasslands for grazing.
A.J. Munger, a rancher from Highmore, said it would accomplish a lot on the same acres of land by creating new income and preserving wildlife habitats.
“You’re addressing the oversupply issues in the commodity markets and you’re also providing additional grazing opportunities for young people at a time where we need to invest in the expansion of our domestic cow herd,” Munger explained
Munger pointed out the grassroots, producer-led bill has bipartisan support. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., now the governor-elect of Minnesota, introduced it in Congress in August. Rounds noted it could open up to 20 million acres of grazing land in the U.S. Opponents said it could reward people who’ve made bad decisions on where to plant crops and might not do enough to ensure growth of the U.S. cow herd.
Jared Knock, a farmer and rancher from Willow Lake, said along with across-the-aisle political backing, different sectors and interests support the measure, including conservation groups, hunters and anglers, cattlemen’s associations and grassland coalitions. Knock added a mix of pasture and crops is a healthy balance for food producers.
“When we start to tip the needle too much one way and become too hedged into a singular source of income – and corn, soybeans, and wheat rotation – we’ve really lost something, both economically and culturally as well,” Knock underscored.
The legislation could be considered on its own or as part of a larger appropriations package. The bill awaits action in the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee.
Thanks Greater Dakota News Service-Laura Hatch