NM Governor Seeking
Taskforce On Grazing

SANTA FE — The governor of New Mexico is asking the state's agriculture secretary to make recommendations concerning problems faced by ranchers grazing public lands.

Governor Gary Johnson, in a letter to New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture Frank A. DuBois in November, asked DuBois to form a task force to study the problem.

"During my tenure as Governor," Johnson says, "there has been an increasing number of problems and conflicts related to livestock grazing on public lands."

The governor says many individuals and organizations allege burdensome and unwarranted restrictions are impacting the social and economic stability of livestock producers and rural communities.

The composition and mechanism under which the task force will act is being left to DuBois, but a report of the task force's findings and any recommendations are to be sent to Johnson for review and possible action.