Support the fact-based journalism you rely on with a donation to Marketplace today. Give Now!

As wildfires scorch the West, Eastern Oregon ranchers deal with major losses

Aug 9, 2024
It’s been a big fire season so far across the West, including in Oregon where more than 1.2 million acres have burned this season. On the eastern side of the state, the fires have left many cattle displaced or dead, leaving ranchers with significant losses.
Jared Smull points out burned land at the beginning of the drive into Rye Valley, where he and his family grazed their cattle for many years before the Durkee Fire on July 31. The Smull family lost thousands of acres of grazeable land in the fire.
Anna Lueck/OPB

The government dropped grazing fees again. Are ranchers getting a good deal?

Mar 5, 2019
Grazing fees on public lands were dropped to the lowest amount allowed under federal law.
Grazing fees on public lands were dropped to the lowest amount allowed under federal law.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images