Eight units spanning 14,116 forage units were leased in McGregor Range near Alamogordo and El Paso

Organ Mountain News report

LAS CRUCES - The Bureau of Land Management auctioned eight grazing units within the McGregor Range, averaging $71 per forage unit and generating $1,051,726 for range management and improvements.

A forage unit is the amount of grassland needed to feed one cow and calf for a month. The auctioned units include 14,116 forage units in total. Some covered nine months of grazing, others 11, while three units were grouped for 23 months. Military training and schedules may affect use of the range.

The McGregor Range spans more than 606,000 acres on the west side of Otero Mesa between Alamogordo and El Paso. The BLM and the U.S. Army jointly manage the area under the Military Lands Withdrawal Act of 1999 and the 2006 McGregor Range Resource Management Plan.

The BLM Las Cruces District oversees the grazing units, coordinates with the military on training schedules and works with ranchers on operations. Rangeland management specialists provide maintenance and improvements for the units.

For more information, contact BLM Range Clerk Andrea Pacheco at alpacheco@blm.gov or 575-525-4328.