property. On the basis of such a preference a permit to graze 

 livestock may be issued upon payment of the grazing fees. 



5. Does a national-forest grazing preference have much per- 

 manence? 



Yes. The preference holder retains the privilege to graze the 

 number of livestock covered by the preference so long as adequate 

 forage is available and can be used without conflict with other 

 important uses. Also, to retain his privilege, the holder is, of 

 course, required to conform to the regulations of the Department 

 of Agriculture applying to this use. 



6. Does a preference guarantee forage to its holder? 



No. The policy of the Department of Agriculture is to permit 

 the grazing of livestock only up to the grazing capacity of each 

 range unit or allotment. If there is sufficient grazing capacity 

 for all preference holders on such a unit, the preference holder 

 is permitted to graze the full number of livestock covered by his 

 preference. If weather, unsound use, or other factors reduce the 

 available forage, the preference holder is entitled to graze his 

 livestock only up to the grazing capacity of the range unit or, in 

 case of community ranges, up to his proportionate share. 



7. Is a grazing preference a privilege or a property right? 



Grazing preferences have been established under the authority 

 of the Secretary of Agriculture and are considered administra- 

 tively and legally (by the courts) as privileges rather than rights, 

 on the principle that there should be no vested rights on lands 

 owned by all the people of the Nation. The amount of grazing 

 which can be permitted at any time must be such as to safeguard 

 watershed values, forage production, and the other resources, 

 together with the industries and uses dependent upon them. 



8. Can national-forest grazing preferences be sold? 



No. Upon the sale of the ranch or livestock, or both, to which 

 the preference is related, the preference may be waived to the 

 Government and a new preference may be and ordinarily is 

 granted to the purchaser, subject to any reduction needed for 

 range protection or, occasionally, for limited redistribution of the 

 privilege. 



9. What are the sizes of the paid permits? 



In 1947 the average paid permit for cattle was 67 head; for 

 sheep, 1,073 head. Permits vary in size from 1 or 2 head to over 

 4,000 for cattle, and from about 10 to more than 26,000 for sheep. 



