Utah Farm Bureau leaders recently met with Steve Pearce, national director of the Bureau of Land Management, at Utah State University to discuss public land management and issues grazers face in Utah. The Q&A session, which was organized by Utah Farm Bureau, also included other agricultural organizations such as the Utah Cattlemen’s Association, Utah Woolgrowers Association, and the Public Lands Council. 

“We were happy to have an audience with Director Pearce and appreciated his philosophy of keeping decision-making as close to the field level as possible,” said ValJay Rigby, president of the Utah Farm Bureau Federation. “I also appreciated his humble approach to hearing our concerns, taking notes for follow-up, and sincerely wanting to see how to improve things for public land ranchers in Utah and the West.”

Members of Utah's agricultural delegation visiting with BLM Director Steve Pearce (center).

Those attending also spoke about agency responses to wildfires, fencing and infrastructure concerns, wild horses, and agency funding. 

Pearce was at the university as part of a conference organized by the Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water, and Air (ILWA), marking the 50th anniversary of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA). 

Signed into law on Oct. 21, 1976, FLPMA gave the BLM its modern mission and directed the agency to manage the nation’s public lands for multiple use and sustained yield. The BLM now manages about 245 million acres, more than any other federal agency, including roughly 22.9 million acres in Utah, about 42 percent of the state.

“This conference [was] a chance for Utah State to help shape the national conversation about public lands,” said Anna McEntire, executive director of ILWA.

Utah Farm Bureau CEO Spencer Gibbons (right) introduces BLM Director Steve Pearce (left) to the group of agricultural leaders assembled in Logan. 

The conference included remarks from Utah Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson, USU President Brad Mortensen, and a variety of current and former national and state BLM directors. Panel discussions featured a variety of public land users – from the energy industry and ranching to recreation and wildlife – focused on the history of balancing multiple-use principles and long-term sustainability. 

“The BLM’s decisions shape daily life in Utah and across the West,” said Brian Steed, who, before working for Utah State University, served as acting director of the Bureau of Land Management during President Trump’s first term. “We’re excited to bring this conversation to Utah State and to the people who live and work on these lands.”