Annual Meeting: WyFB hosts 105th annual meeting in Casper
“Gather at the Table” was the theme of the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation’s (WyFB) 105th Annual Meeting, held Nov. 7-9 at the Ramkota Hotel and Conference Center in Casper.
According to WyFB, gathering at the table is something farmers and ranchers enjoy. Whether it be with family for dinner, with friends at the annual meeting or in policy discussions, gathering at the table is a great way to have conversations to guide the organization.
During the two-day event, American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Senior Director of Governmental Affairs Shelby Hagenauer spoke on issues affecting the West.
In her role, Hagenauer advocates on behalf of American farmers and ranchers on policy issues including federal lands management, the Endangered Species Act, Western water and protection of private property rights.
Hagenauer has more than 20 years of experience in natural resource and agriculture issues in Washington, D.C. and served on the staff of former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and former House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas (R-CA), where she advised Rep. McCarthy through a farm bill during his time serving on the House Agriculture Committee.
In the private sector, she has worked at a California-based law firm, advising clients on a range of policy issues and political engagement.
Most recently she served as deputy commissioner at the Bureau of Reclamation in the Department of the Interior (DOI), where she helped lead the nation’s largest wholesale water provider, as well as directly managed Congressional and public affairs and ensured robust stakeholder engagement.
Public Lands Rule
“Today we are going to discuss regulatory policy issues impacting Western states,” Hagenauer stated. “We need to engage in the regulatory process in addition to engaging with Congress, ensuring these policies support Wyoming.”
For instance, she mentioned Wyoming and Utah filed a lawsuit challenging the new Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Public Lands Rule.
“One of our concerns when they first proposed the new rule is if a developer of solar energy would want to place solar panels in the middle of an existing grazing permit and how they would deal with the conflict,” she shared.
“The rule went into effect in June and AFBF, WyFB and 10 other groups are challenging the lawfulness of the BLM’s Public Lands Rule, which threatens the future of ranching in the U.S. by destabilizing a decades-old tradition of grazing federal lands,” she added.
Additionally, Hagenauer noted the Trump administration could impact this new rule, but for right now the rule is in place. Therefore, producers need to make sure their voices are heard, but if something should change in the future, AFBF and WYFB will engage with the new administration.
“I would not be surprised if the incoming Trump administration takes action on this rule fairly early on in a new term,” she said.
Greater sage grouse
“Just this morning, I received an e-mail about BLM’s sage grouse management plans,” Hagenauer said.
According to the DOI, the proposal will balance sage grouse protections along with other public land uses, like expanding solar energy.
BLM announced more land in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming is needed to support rising demand for clean energy and to meet President Joe Biden’s target of a 100 percent clean electricity grid by 2035.
“I imagine governors from around the area will review it to see if it’s consistent with other state management plans, but the BLM wants to get this done before Jan. 20, 2025,” she mentioned.
Protests of the proposed amendments may be filed until Dec. 16 at the BLM National Environmental Policy Act Register.
Following resolution of valid protests and responses to governors’ reviews for consistency with state and local plans, the BLM will issue a record of decision for each state where habitat management plans are being updated.
Forestry bill
On Sept. 24, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a forestry bill which was opposed by Biden.
The vote was 268 to 151. Fifty-five Democrats voted with Republicans in favor of the bill, and proponents of the bill say it will help fight wildfires and improve forest management.
Hagenauer said, “Certainly, forest management has been one of the areas of land management stuck with a lot of litigation. So, we were pleased to support this bill and happy to see it move through the House.”
Sens. John Barrasso (R-WY) and Joe Manchin III (I-WV) of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee are engaging in bipartisan conversation about forest management as well.
“This is an area where it’s likely Congress can come together and get something done,” she noted.
Recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service Chief Randy Moore sent out a note stating they are canceling seasonal hires for 2025 because they are very concerned about their budget for the next year, and this will play into wildfires and recreation as well, she mentioned.
ESA
The Monarch butterfly is currently designated as warranted but precluded for listing on the Endangered Species Act (ESA) because other species are of higher conservation concern.
However, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is expected to release a decision on whether to list the butterfly in December.
“This could lead to restrictions on pesticides and will impact producers as Monarch butterflies rely on milkweed,” Hagenauer mentioned. “So, we have been very actively working with the Environmental Protection Agency on their mitigation strategy to keep using pesticides while protecting the butterfly.”
The USFWS plans to propose the Monarch butterfly for listing in Fiscal Year 2024, and the process includes gathering and analyzing public comments and new information before making a final decision.
Melissa Anderson is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
