Ranchers seek solution to conservation easement jam Landowners in the Lower Arkansas Valley are searching for options now that some conservation easements have been deemed invalid by the Colorado Department of Revenue. One tactic under consideration is a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service and the state of Colorado. On Monday, about 50 Southern Colorado landowners, who have either had trouble selling tax credits from their conservation easements or whose easements have been condemned as having no value by the state Department of Revenue, gathered at Swink High School to look for ways to re-establish tax credits they thought they would receive through the state's conservation easement program. The program is designed to allow landowners who agree to permanently protect their properties from future development to claim state income tax credits that can be sold for cash. The amount of the deduction is tied to the appraised value of the land....
They Shoot Horses? Wild horses may be the symbol of the Wild West and the image chosen by the state's children to grace the Nevada quarter, but no one has figured out how to make a buck off of these noble creatures. That's why the future of the wild horse is shaky. Unlike cattle, which can bring a hefty profit to the state's ranchers, wild horses are viewed by many as a nuisance. They are healthy breeders, have few predators and compete for grazing land with profitable species. Now, the Bureau of Land Management, which has federal authority to euthanize horses more than 10 years old which have been passed over three times for adoption, is considering euthanization as a new herd management tactic. The BLM admits it could do more to increase adoptions, but they are time consuming and a lot of work. Euthanization is quick, and best of all, it's cheap. In case you're wondering, the BLM is considering three methods - a gunshot to the brain, an overdose of barbiturates, or a bolt to the skull, the killing technique portrayed in the movie "No Country for Old Men."....
Army sees thawing in opposition to Piñon expansion A week after contentious meetings in Trinidad over plans to expand the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site, Army leaders say they saw some thawing despite the icy reception. On the surface it didn't seem that way. Local politicians blasted Fort Carson for wanting more land and a group of ranchers marched out of a meeting in protest and an official sent by the Pentagon conceded the Army has "a lot of work to do." But Fort Carson's Lt. Col. James Rice says there are subtle signs the Army made some progress on its proposal to add 100,000 acres to the 235,000 acre training area. The Army came up with a new proposal last month that cut back its expansion plans by 300,000 acres and promised it would only buy land from people who want to sell. The Army sweetened the pot for local governments by promises of more than 100 jobs at the training site and $100 million in construction if the land deal goes through....
Water research worries drillers, ranchers A paper published by University of Wyoming researchers has some oil and gas companies in the Powder River Basin worried about water discharge permits and some Wyoming ranchers worried the water they have been using for years will no longer be considered safe for livestock to drink. The UW bulletin summarizes how 11 common contaminants found in ground water are metabolized by livestock and wildlife and at what levels they are toxic to animals. The study, funded by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, was prompted by concerns about the water being discharged by coal-bed methane production. “The controversies surrounding the water produced by coal-bed methane development in Wyoming stimulated enough interest we were able to get funding to undertake this concerted effort,” said project leader Merl Raisbeck, a professor in the UW College of Agriculture’s Department of Veterinary Sciences....
Forest Service cabin reappraisals prompt congressional attention The Saunderses were stunned when they saw the appraisal. Yes, fuel and food have jumped in price. But the Bozeman family is faced with a Forest Service fee that's set to triple in the next three years. For nearly 60 years, the Saunders family has enjoyed the rustic cabin on Portal Creek in the Gallatin National Forest. But now, instead of preparing to celebrate its anniversary, they're wondering if they'll be forced to sell their creekside getaway. "We can't afford it," said Anita Saunders, whose in-laws purchased the cabin in the late 1940s. "At this point, going from $1,800 to $5,200, we just can't do it." The Saunders cabin, like 14,000 such properties nationwide and about 300 throughout the Custer and Gallatin national forests, was built on Forest Service land. Although the structure is privately owned, the family pays the Forest Service a permit fee for the use of the land the cabin occupies....
Lawmakers Keep Up Fight Against Meatpacking Deal Some lawmakers continue pressing the Justice Department to block a proposed meatpacking acquisition they argue will undercut farmers and drive up consumer prices, but the deal is unlikely to become a campaign issue, farm groups say. The Justice Department is currently reviewing an offer announced this spring to allow Brazilian beef behemoth Grupo JBS S.A. to take over U.S. companies National Beef Packing Co. and Smithfield Beef Group. Should the deal pass muster, JBS would control about a third of the U.S. beef processing market currently shared by the three companies, Tyson Foods Inc. and Cargill Inc. The proposed deal has sparked opposition in Congress, where critics fear squeezing an already concentrated market into three national firms will bolster the buying power of the industry and diminish prices paid to ranchers for their livestock. Lawmakers leading the opposition have been trying to prevent the current scenario even before the deal was brokered. Sen. Charles E. Grassley , R-Iowa, has worked for more than five years to bar meatpackers from owning, feeding or controlling cattle....