Tom, you're in the east and this isn't an issue there, but cattle and sheep grazing in the west causes massive ecological damage.  While I applaud this decision as one that will reduce cruelty, I certainly hope that it doesn't end up resulting in even more western cattle further destroying western grasslands, deserts, and forests.

I ran by a figure two years ago that showed that the Forest Service was spending $15 million more in Colorado to repair cattle-related erosion damage than they were taking in from grazing permit fees.  Somebody out there in Gristland probably has some better, up-to-date figures to offer.

I have to agree with Wolverine that the damage to our Western states (repaired with our tax dollars or just not repaired at all) amounts to another subsidy for the meat industry.

If CAFOs go away, overall consumption of meat would have to go down considerably to not overgraze sensitive lands.  I'd like to see all grazing permits on public land ended.  As well as mining, etc.

I read a great book a couple of years ago called "All Flesh is Grass".  It was about small-scale intensive grazing (i.e. get a goat to mow your 1-acre lawn), kind of like the animal husbandry version of "square foot gardening."  If animals are going to continue to be part of the integrated small subsistence farm, it should be replacing lawns with pasture, not pushing the wilderness further back to accomodate more grass-fed beef.

Il faut cultiver notre jardin.

I live in the West and we practice short-duration, high-intensity grazing that does not damage the range.  In fact, this method has been shown to revive and replenish grasslands and even help bring native grasses back as it mimics natural animal herding behavior.  All grazing in the West is not the same, nor is every animal's impact the same (for example, goats eat browse while cows eat grass).  So it paints an inaccurate picture to categorically say that grazing is bad for the West.  See what happens when you remove it completely- the brush will invade and create horrendous fire conditions.

Where in the West are you?

What native animals do you claim that your cattle are replacing?  (Hint: There were no native grazers west of the Rocky Mountains to speak of, only browsers.)

I live in California, but have lived in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Colorado
Native herbivores of the West have included: elk, bison, pronghorn, mule deer, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, moose, and even prairie dogs.  Although some of these are classified as browsers, even the definition of browsers includes some grass & forb consumption.

A thoughtful, well-managed grazing operation can be an excellent land-management tool and is preferable to increased brush-fire conditions, expansion of non-native species, or the conversion of rangelands to mini-mansions and ranchettes.