Federal Notices, proposed rules and rules relevant to ranching in Arizona and New Mexico which are currently open for public comment. Two big ones this week are the announcement of availability of an updated draft recovery plan for the Gila Trout; and a proposed rule to raise the minimum wage for federal contractors to $15.00 […]
Education & Announcements
Governor Ducey Signs FY 2022 Budget and Tax Reform Bills
This week, Governor Ducey signed tax reform and budget bills passed by the Arizona State Legislature. The tax reform bill includes a 2.5% flat tax. The budget bill prohibits K-12 schools from promoting racist propaganda, punishable by fines up to $5,000 per event. The governor posted several press releases summarizing more information on the highlights […]
Nebraska Governor Signs EO Against 30X30 Agenda
On June 24, 2021, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts signed Executive Order 21-08, “Stop 30X30 – Protect Our Land and Water.” Click to access EO-No.-21-08-Stop-30-x-30-Protect-Our-Land-Water.pdf
USFWS Proposes expanded Black Footed Ferret Recovery Area
This page was updated July 10, 2021. US Fish and Wildlife Service posted a proposed rule to expand the experimental population area of the Black-footed ferret. See map of the expanded experimental population area below. (Hat tip to Mary Darling for sending us the heads-up on this.)
Nebraska Passes New Brand Inspection Legislation
Nebraska Passes New Brand Inspection Legislation The State of Nebraska passed a new brand inspection law this week to promote animal traceability.
Governor Ducey Stands Up for Arizonans
Recent Important Gubernatorial Activity In the last couple of weeks, Governor Ducey co-signed two important letters with other governors. (Please consider sending him a note of thanks.) 1. Governor Ducey co-signed a letter with Texas Governor Greg Abbot, dated June 10, 2021, requesting border assistance from the other states. The two governors wrote to […]
Three federal agencies announce future regulatory intentions
Three federal agencies announce future regulatory intentions Three federal agencies published the following announcements of their future regulatory plans: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service have announced their intent to rescind five agriculture-friendly Endangered Species Act regulatory revisions that were finalized during the Trump Administration. This will allow the agencies […]
22 Bills Governor Ducey Vetoed May 28, 2021
On Friday, May 28, 2021, Governor Ducey vetoed 22 bills the Legislature had passed and transmitted for his signature. With the vetoes, the governor wrote a letter explaining his decision and posted it to his website: Governor Ducey Vetoes 22 Bills; Calls On Legislature To Pass A Budget In his letter, Governor Ducey identifies the […]
“America the Beautiful” Report Gets Mixed Reviews
“You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” – Abraham Lincoln The following are diverse viewpoints, from rural and agricultural interests, of the USDA/USDI “America the Beautiful” Report. The report responds to the inclusion of […]
USDA Releases Report on Guidelines for 30X30 Agenda
Joe Biden signed Executive Order (EO) 14008, “Tackling Climate Change.” The EO recommends conserving 30% of all lands in the United States by the year 3030. In early May 2021, the US Departments of Interior, Agriculture, and Commerce, and the Council on Environmental Quality released “Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful, a preliminary report to […]