20. Will reductions in livestock on the national forests put 

 livestock ranchers out of business? 



Reductions in permitted numbers of livestock will very rarely 

 put a livestock rancher out of business. In most cases the per- 

 mittee is able to continue a profitable business through reorganiz- 

 ing his operation. Reductions in livestock numbers make more 

 forage available for each remaining animal. This often results 

 in lower costs of production and increased profits. At the same 

 time, it gives a stability of operation not present when the range 

 is deteriorating from overgrazing. 



Drastic reductions, which may be required on critical watershed 

 areas, could conceivably put a rancher out of business if he is 

 entirely or largely dependent on national-forest range. In such 

 cases, and fortunately they are indeed rare, the immediate interest 

 of the permittee must be subordinated to the long-time interest 

 of the community. 



21. Do reductions in livestock numbers permitted on national 

 forests affect meat production and prices? 



Reductions in permitted numbers to stop overgrazing make 

 more forage available per animal, permit more efficient use of 

 the forage by the remaining animals, and result in production of 

 more meat per animal. Reductions for other purposes are so 

 small in relation to the total number of livestock in the country, 

 and the possible production corresponding to the number of 

 animals removed from the range equals so extremely small a part 

 of the total meat production from cattle, sheep, and swine, that 

 they have only a very insignificant effect on the total meat supply 

 of the Nation. This national total was 23 billion pounds of dressed 

 meat in 1947. Even if there were no offsetting benefits, the 

 planned 1949-50 reductions for all purposes could not be equiva- 

 lent to a yearly meat production loss of more than y 50 of 1 per- 

 cent. It is difficult to see how this could affect meat prices. 



22. What are transfer reductions and why are they made? 



In some instances grazing preferences are reduced when the 

 Forest Service transfers a preference from a stockman who sells 

 his ranch, livestock, or both to the stockman who purchases them. 

 These transfer reductions are made ( 1 ) to remedy too heavy use 

 of the range and (2) when there is an especially urgent need, to 

 provide increases in grazing privileges for small permittees or to 

 grant new permits to small applicants. Very few transfer reduc- 

 tions for the latter purpose have been made in recent years, and 



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