Ranchers pay $1.35 per Animal Unit Month (AUM) to graze their livestock on BLM and Forest Service lands. (An AUM is the amount of forage necessary to sustain 1 cow/calf pair, 1 horse or 5 sheep for a month.) The fee is the lowest allowable under law and is about 1/16th of market rate, thanks to our tax subsidies. (The average monthly lease rate for grazing on private lands in 11 western states in