9732 Star Route 445

Sparks, Nevada  89435

775-577-9048

December 10, 2008

For Immediate Release:

NEVADA LIVE STOCK ASSOCIATION ELECTS NEW OFFICERS

AT ANNUAL MEETING IN AUSTIN, NEVADA

            The Nevada Live Stock Association (NLSA) held its Annual Meeting in Austin, Nevada on December 06, 2008.  The association elected a new board of directors and officers: Don Alt was elected Chairman; David Holmgren Vice-Chairman; and Maryanna Alt Secretary/Treasurer. 

            George Parman, Director from Eureka County gave a run down of the Nevada Live Stock Association’s “full circle” accomplishments and reminiscences from 2001 to present.  Parman noted that Chairman David Holmgren and his wife, Jackie, had the idea to form the NLSA and had worked tirelessly for the association since its inception.  He also mentioned other early members who have now passed on, Wayne and Helen Hage, Jimmy Williams, O.Q. Chris Johnson, and Jack Vogt and their contributions to the association.  Many events such as the protests at the Fallon Livestock Auction in 2001, which protested the confiscation and attempted sale of Ben Colvins and Jack Vogt’s cattle by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) were highlighted.  The Dann horse and cattle gathers where the NLSA participated in getting the Dann horses not only rounded up but given back, and the cattle confiscations stopped short.  Parman noted, “Yes, we have been on a big circle.”  He expressed his wishes for the association to continue and prosper in the future.

            The keynote speaker was Floyd Rathbun, a certified range management consultant, who spoke on:  A View from a Non-Cattle Producer and Available Range Improvement Dollars.  Mr. Rathbun explained what he believed the NLSA had accomplished and where the association had gone and the benefits of those choices from someone who was not a cattle producer.  He also alerted the membership to county plans and other sources through which range improvement dollars can be made available.

            Director Dalton Wilson gave an update on recent AUM cuts by the BLM in northern Nevada and his thoughts on what might be a solution.  Wilson explained that the only way he believed a rancher could defend against AUM cuts was by forcing the BLM and Forest Service to follow the Federal Land Management and Policy Act (FLMPA).  That Act sets into law the use of range improvement money, which can be used to fence in pastures around rancher owned and controlled waters and then improving those pastures through seeding or irrigation to AUM capacity.  Once fenced, he said, a pasture would be left for two years without grazing and then opened up for use, thus AUMs could be sustained without cuts.  FLPMA provides for such range improvements.

            Another topic of discussion was the upcoming legislative session.  The NLSA plans to give testimony on various bills regarding government livestock impoundment and water rights protection, as well as, other issues.

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