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Grazing Land Resources for Meeting Food and Fiber Needs¹

US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Washington, DC 20013

Abstract

An assessment of the supply and demand for range grazing has been made under the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act. This 1980 assessment reveals that forests and rangelands occupy extensive areas of the United States and contribute significantly to food production by providing forage for cattle and sheep, which is converted to red meat. Forests and rangelands compose 69% of the nation's land base, with the majority of ranges under nonfederal ownership. Slightly less than one-half of all rangelands in the contiguous United States are in fair or good condition, but technology is available for improving conditions on many of these rangelands and otherwise enhancing their productivity. United States forests and rangelands annually provide an estimated 213 million animal unit months (AUM) of livestock grazing. Expectations are that demand for livestock grazing from forests and rangelands will increase to between 300 and 365 million AUM and that these production levels can be met with economic justification.

¹ Paper presented at the Symposium "Cowboys and Courtroom Brawls," held at the 11th Annu. Meet, of the ASAS, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, Aug. 1, 1980.

² Leader, Range Element, 1980 RPA Assessment, and assistant director, Range Management.