The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) and its partners are working to rehabilitate agricultural land usage after the Monroe Canyon Fire in the summer of 2025. The fire burned approximately 74,000 acres and affected grazing land in 7 grazing allotments. The agencies involved in this project have assisted and supported several ranchers in implementing virtual fencing technology, which allows controlled grazing of unburned areas on Monroe Mountain.
After a wildfire, burned areas are often temporarily rested from livestock grazing for 2-3 years to allow the burned areas time to recover. The Fishlake National Forest is allowing the affected ranchers to graze during the two to three-year window using virtual fencing collars, which restrict cattle to unburned areas via digital pasture control.
The Utah Grazing Improvement Program (GIP) under UDAF, USU Extension-Sevier County, the Division of Forestry Fire and State Lands (DNR), the Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office (DNR), the Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR), and the USDA Forest Service have partnered to map the viable portions of the mountain and connect producers to the resources and education to fully implement virtual fencing collars. Affected producers who have participated in the program are receiving education, setup and technical support from USU Extension, as well as strategic planning and a 75/25% funding match from GIP. Without this support, many of these producers would have limited or no access to grazing land or other funds to purchase up to three years of feed for their animals.
“With how much of our state is federally managed, a lot of our producers rely on public lands to feed their herds and sustain their businesses,” said UDAF Commissioner Kelly Pehrson. “If there’s a way to facilitate safe access while the Forest Service ensures that land can recover from fire, we’re going to do it.”
Efforts to facilitate grazing for affected ranchers will continue until the end of the two- to three-year protected period. For more information on UDAF grazing projects and the Utah Grazing Improvement Program, visit https://ag.utah.gov/utah-grazing-improvement-program/.