Local ranchers bid on McGregor Range grazing units
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LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Last week, the Bureau of Land Management successfully auctioned 8 grazing units within the McGregor Range in southern New Mexico. The bids ranged from $10 to $37 per animal unit month (AUM), yielding $565,203 for McGregor Range management and improvements.
Held at the La Cueva Picnic Area, 20 local area ranchers attended the auction. Prior to the auction, BLM range staff described the unit locations, characteristics and grazing timeframes, before opening up the auction to the 13 registered bidders.
The 8 units include 21,590 AUMs of forage to graze livestock. Three units were auctioned for nine months of grazing, while three units were combined and auctioned as one for 11 months. An AUM is the amount of forage to feed one cow and calf.
The McGregor Range includes over 606,000 acres of withdrawn lands on the west side of Otero Mesa, between Alamogordo, NM, and El Paso, Texas. The Range is jointly managed by the BLM and the U.S. Army, in accordance with the Military Lands Withdrawal Act of 1999, and subsequent with the 2006 McGregor Range Resource Management Plan.
The BLM Las Cruces District is responsible for managing the grazing units, including coordinating with the military on trainings and ranchers on livestock operations. The BLM rangeland management specialists also provide the necessary range maintenance and improvements for the offered units.
In addition, a military representative attended the auction to explain the scope of the military training and schedules, which will affect a few of the units directly.
A major part of its multiple-use mission, the BLM strives to sustain healthy rangelands for the benefit of the American public.
For more information, please contact BLM Rangeland Management Specialist James Christensen at (575) 644-8635 or BLM Range Assistant Contractor Ana Arena at (575) 525-4352.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.