Neighboring cattle producers can apply to compete for access to federal grazing allotments that Oregon’s Hammond Ranches lost in a court decision last year.

However, those applications will be put on hold if Hammond Ranches decides to continue with an administrative challenge against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

Ranchers have until April 14 to apply to graze livestock on the four allotments, which include more than 26,000 federal acres, while Hammond Ranches must decide by that time whether to pursue its appeal — or also submit an application for a new grazing permit.

Steven Hammond, co-owner of the ranch, said he’s not sure whether other cattlemen will seek to compete for the grazing allotments, which his family has relied upon for decades.

Hammond said he’s also undecided about which procedural action to take and will be consulting with his attorney to “try to understand how much more complicated this process is going to get.”

Hammond and his father, Dwight, are well-known in the ranching community for their legal battles with the federal government and environmental groups.

The two ranchers were convicted of arson for setting fire to rangelands and sent to prison in 2012. After being released, they were ordered back behind bars when the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined they must both serve mandatory 5-year sentences.

Demonstrations against the federal government erupted when the Hammonds returned to prison in early 2016, leading to the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. One protestor was killed and multiple others were arrested while on a trip away from the facility.

President Donald Trump fully pardoned the father and son in 2018 and the BLM restored their access to federal grazing allotments last year.

However, that decision was overturned by a judge due to a lawsuit in which several environmental groups opposed the restoration of their grazing permits.

Because their grazing permits were again canceled, it also effectively re-started an administrative appeal the Hammonds had previously been pursuing to regain access to the allotments. If the Hammonds continue with their administrative challenge, the BLM will wait until it’s resolved before making a decision on the applications.

The Oregon Cattlemen’s Association is “fully supportive” of the Hammond family and would prefer that other cattlemen don’t compete for the grazing allotments, said Jerome Rosa, the group’s executive director.

“We really hope people will allow the Hammonds to get their permits back,” Rosa said.

Only a limited number of cattlemen would likely qualify to graze that federal property, he said. “Usually it’s only ranches that have their base property nearby.”

Jeff Maupin, former president of the Harney County Stock Growers Association, said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if other cattlemen sought to access the grazing allotments but said, “It’s wrong in my eyes.”

Access to federal grazing allotments is similar to having water rights, since the value of the ranch property is thereby increased, Maupin said.

The BLM’s decision would seem like an infringement of private property rights, he said. “You shouldn’t be able to put it out for competitive bid, or whatever they’re calling it, without the landowner’s approval.”