County Brief: Grazing Fee Hike

The Valley County Commissioners made the decision to raise grazing fees from $13 to $14.01 on Feb. 1. The increased amount now matches the state’s current rate. The county currently has 2,401 animal unit months (AUM) available for the 14,5550 acres of county land that are able to be grazed. The revenue generated from grazing fees will amount to $33,645.02, which will be $1,385.02 over last year.

The land available for grazing were homesteads that were acquired by the county due to delinquent taxes during the depression. The Federal Government bought 360,000 acres of tax-deeded land at $1 an acre from the county as part of the Land Utilization Program. Over the years, the county has sold off several acres that it has had in its possession. The remaining 14,550 acres are scattered across Valley County and are utilized to generate money though grazing fees for the county.