John O’ConnellCapital Press
Volumes have been published on conservation approaches to benefit embattled Western sage grouse populations, but economist John Tanaka believes researchers have largely overlooked how such strategies affect ranchers’ bottom lines. Tanaka, associate director of the Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station, and his research team have started working on a model to estimate the economic impacts of sage grouse management practices on ranches of varying sizes and distributions of public and private grazing land. The model will be used to develop at least 36 enterprise budgets covering hypothetical ranches in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Montana and Nevada. “From an economic standpoint, nobody has ever looked at if what we’re proposing ranchers do to enhance sage grouse habitat is going to enhance their bottom line,” Tanaka said, adding the data should help guide decisions of land managers and ranchers. Local USDA offices will help Tanaka’s team recruit ranchers to serve on small focus groups and provide baseline data on regional industry practices. To model likely outcomes of management practices, Tanaka’s team will interview scientists, land managers and ranchers. “We’re trying to find a representative response, not a specific ranch response,” Tanaka said. “We’ll use expert opinion and anecdotal evidence where we need to.” Tanaka’s team also includes principal researchers Kristie Maczko, director of the Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable, and University of Wyoming agricultural economist John Ritten. Their work is funded by a nearly $500,000 grant from USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and they expect to complete the model by next May...more
Volumes have been published on conservation approaches to benefit embattled Western sage grouse populations, but economist John Tanaka believes researchers have largely overlooked how such strategies affect ranchers’ bottom lines. Tanaka, associate director of the Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station, and his research team have started working on a model to estimate the economic impacts of sage grouse management practices on ranches of varying sizes and distributions of public and private grazing land. The model will be used to develop at least 36 enterprise budgets covering hypothetical ranches in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Montana and Nevada. “From an economic standpoint, nobody has ever looked at if what we’re proposing ranchers do to enhance sage grouse habitat is going to enhance their bottom line,” Tanaka said, adding the data should help guide decisions of land managers and ranchers. Local USDA offices will help Tanaka’s team recruit ranchers to serve on small focus groups and provide baseline data on regional industry practices. To model likely outcomes of management practices, Tanaka’s team will interview scientists, land managers and ranchers. “We’re trying to find a representative response, not a specific ranch response,” Tanaka said. “We’ll use expert opinion and anecdotal evidence where we need to.” Tanaka’s team also includes principal researchers Kristie Maczko, director of the Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable, and University of Wyoming agricultural economist John Ritten. Their work is funded by a nearly $500,000 grant from USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and they expect to complete the model by next May...more
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