Saskatchewan to freeze rates on Crown grazing leases

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on January 27, 2023.

https://www.medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews

Saskatchewan will freeze the rates it charges on Crown grazing leases this year and could offer a discount to beef producers who must reduce their herds due to dry conditions, that province announced Wednesday.

Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit said producers are facing financial stress due to drought.

“Keeping this year’s grazing rate at 2022 levels, and implementing reductions for Crown grazing lands hardest hit by drought, will assist producers through the current challenges while supporting the continued stewardship and productivity of the land,” he said in a release.

Grazing fees are typically reset annually based on fall cattle prices and the stocking rates on specific parcels.

Officials say all leases, totalling about 6 million acres of Crown land, are captured under the freeze but a discount between 20-50 per cent could be applied if the carrying capacity of the land is reduced by drought.

The Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s association called the announcement “pragmatic” support for the industry.