The Non-Fee Costs of Grazing on Idaho State Grazing Leases

Author

Dexton Lake, Utah State UniversityFollow

Date of Award

12-2021

Degree Type

Report

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Applied Economics

Committee Chair(s)

Ryan Larsen

Committee

Ryan Larsen

Committee

Ryan Feuz

Committee

Eric Thacker

Abstract

In 2018, Idaho became interested in assessing and raising the grazing fee for state grazing ground. The state commissioned a study to analyze the non-fee costs of grazing, but for various reasons the study was not completed. In 2021, a proposed adjustment was released by the Idaho Department of Lands to raise the fee. In a desire to obtain the non-fee costs of grazing for Idaho state leases and to get stakeholder input, the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation and a research team from Utah State University surveyed Idaho producers to obtain costs per AUM for eleven cost categories. These cost categories were lost animals, veterinary and medicine, labor, salt, transportation, water, horses, maintenance, depreciation, other miscellaneous costs, and technology.

Idaho state grazing leaseholders either filled out the survey online, on paper, or with a Farm Bureau representative over the phone during the summer of 2021 to derive the producer's costs of grazing on Idaho grazing lands for the 2020 year. For producers with less than 500 AUMS, the non-fee cost per AUM was $52.18. For producers with AUMS between 501 and 999, the non-fee cost per AUM was $52.14. For producers with more than 1000 AUMS, the non-fee costs per AUM were $30.06. For all the producers together, which this study indicates as the representative non-fee costs, the non-fee costs per AUM were $50.40.

Recommended Citation

Lake, Dexton, "The Non-Fee Costs of Grazing on Idaho State Grazing Leases" (2021). All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023. 1616.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/gradreports/1616