June 24, 2022
Newsletter for June 24, 2022
This Issue:
  • Interim Public Lands Subcommittee To Discuss Legislative Issues
  • Nevada Supreme Court Upholds Diamond Valley Groundwater Management Plan
  • State Farm Bureaus Share Opposition To Mandatory Plans For Cattle Marketing
  • Farm Bureau Draws Attention To Burden Being Pursued By SEC
  • Your Response For Drought Survey Would Be Very Helpful
Interim Public Lands Subcommittee To Discuss Legislative Issues
The Nevada Legislature’s Joint Natural Resources subcommittee on Public Lands will be holding their third meeting on Monday, June 27.  This meeting will be held at the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Administration, Tribal Chambers Building in Nixon, NV.  It begins at 9 a.m.

Along with several related topics on Tribal matters, dealing with renaming locations, Thacker Pass Lithium and the Swamp Salt Cedars, they will also receive a presentation on Nevada’s Cooperative Extension and a presentation on Engandered Species in Nevada.
Nevada Supreme Court Upholds Diamond Valley Groundwater Management Plan
In a split decision the majority of the Nevada Supreme Court ruled in favor of approving the State Engineer’s Order 1302 for implementing the Groundwater Management Plan.  The four-member majority, with Supreme Court Justice James Hardesty writing the opinion, indicated that they believe that because of the adopted legislation (NRS 534.110 (7)) the State Engineer is able to designate over-appropriated basin as a Critical Management Area and then under NRS 534.037 water right holders are authorized to consider and possibly approve a Groundwater Management Plan to replace the Critical Management Plan by bringing the basin back into balance of being over-appropriated.  In doing this process, prior appropriated water rights are dealt with by requiring all water pumpers to reduce pumping and not only junior water right under the adjusted management approach.
State Farm Bureaus Share Opposition To Mandatory Plans For Cattle Marketing
State Farm Bureaus, including Nevada, have communicated in a group letter their opposition to proposed Senate plans for a mandatory pricing system for cattle sales.  The letter was sent to both of the two-parties leaders in the U.S. Senate (Senator Majority Leader Schumer and Senator Minority Leader McConnell) as well as the Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator Debbie Stabenow and ranking Senate Agriculture member, Senator John Boozman,

The letter opened, clearly noting that the state Farm Bureaus are “opposed to S. 4030, the Cattle Price Discovery, and Transparency Act (CPDTA), because it would create an onerous government mandate in the cattle market.”

Continuing on the letter shared, “many studies and analyses from economists at renowned universities conclude a federal mandate in the market will cost cow-calf and stocker operators anywhere from $50-85 per head, if not more, on the price they receive for their cattle. It is clear the mandate is not the solution to higher cattle prices and profitability for farmers and ranchers.”

Beyond the markup of the legislation, Farm Bureau and other cattle industry supporters have been pushing back on S. 4030.  Both Nevada’s two U.S. Senators have sent letters to their colleagues indicating their opposition to the concept of including mandatory government mandates. 
Farm Bureau Draws Attention To Burden Being Pursued By SEC
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) has made it clear that plans by the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) are out of line in pursuing their rule for requiring reports on stage 3 level data, supposedly measuring the carbon footprint of business transactions by farmers and ranchers in selling their output.
Your Response For Drought Survey Would Be Very Helpful
The continuation of drought conditions has caused the start of request for input on the latest developments and consequences, impacting farmers and ranchers.  The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) has developed a new drought survey as part of their on-going monitoring approach.  We strongly encourage you to participate in this survey project, which will not only be developing state-level information, but will also be accumulated into a regional over-view of drought conditions and impacts.
Have a great weekend!