Economic Impacts of Public Grazing Reductions in the Livestock Industry with Emphasis on Utah

The purpose of this paper was to determine the immediate impact of reductions in public grazing on livestock production in the United States. This was accomplished by the use of linear programming techniques. Different grazing reduction simulations were utilized to determine the short and long run effects of across-the-board reductions in public grazing. The United States was divided into 13 regions. The 11 western states were considered as individual regions. Special emphasis was placed on the effects of grazing reduction on Utah. The availability and utilization of feed and livestock products during a normal year , 1978, were considered in this study. Adjustments in the feed and livestock economies were noted through the simulated reduction in available public grazing lands. Recommendations and possible implications of such actions were also included