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Show feo Hike Hold Called Logkel, Helpful President Ford's decision de-cision to hold grazing fees for public rangeland at their 1974 levels this year is a logical step, and one that is welcome for hard-pressed cattlemen, cattle-men, according to Elmo Hamilton, president of the Utah Farm Bureau Federation. Fed-eration. Hamilton pointed out today that the American consumer has a vital interest in-terest in assuring that beef producers make a profit and stay in bus- incss . "Despite the suggestion of some poorly informed people that eating less meat would release grain to feed hungry people in other countries, such a move just would't do what its supporters claim," said the head of the larg- est general trom or?a-ization or?a-ization in the state "Even with norn, grain feeding, a SW consumes only abouton third of its ration it' grain," he pointed 0m "The other two-thirds, roughage mostly grass that humans can't 3r won't eat. And with th cost-price squeeze of to' day, many operators atl finishing cattle on a 10 grain ration." The federal goven, ment announced on uary 15 its decision not to put into effect an in crease in grazing feej planned earlier for thi-year. thi-year. But the future pos! sibility of sharp y,. creases in grazing fees poses a threat both to ranchers and consumers Hamilton cautioned. The Farm Bureau head called for quick action on a Rangeland Developmeir bill now before the state legislature that would sei up a revolving loan fund for improving grazing ca-pacity ca-pacity on privately owned range. "This fund would not only help put many acres of sagebrush - covered land into good producing range and benefit the cattle cat-tle and sheep men," Ham-ilton Ham-ilton noted, "but it would also improve the water-holding water-holding capactiy of there-seeded there-seeded land and provide better habitat for wildlife." wild-life." He pointed out that multiple mul-tiple use of publicly own-1 ed rangeland helps produce pro-duce meat and wool at a low cost for both feed and fuel. |