Auction refuses to sell seized livestock
BURLEY, Idaho – A livestock auction owner in Southern Idaho has refused to sell cattle confiscated by federal land managers who said the cattle had been grazing illegally on public land.
Merv May, part owner of Burley Livestock Auction, declined to elaborate why he refused to sell the 31 cattle on Thursday but said a possible legal battle played a part in his decision.
“For what I can get out of the deal, it’s better to stay out of it,” he told the Times-News.
The Bureau of Land Management confiscated the cattle on Aug. 21 after a months-long dispute with Bruce Bedke and Jared Bedke over grazing rights on BLM rangeland about 20 miles south of Oakley.
Before the auction, the Bedkes handed out a “Fair Warning Notice” to buyers that read: “The property being auctioned (31 head of cattle from Bruce and Jared Bedke) have been taken without warrant or due process of law. The parties named above could be involved in future federal litigation over this livestock theft. If you bid or purchase any parts of the herds, you could be subject to litigation and might have to return the cattle to their rightful owners, Bruce and Jared Bedke.”
Jared Bedke said the decision by May gives him more time.
“It gives me a bit of a reprieve on the one hand, but on the other hand, nothing’s over,” he said.
The grazing permit issued to the Bedkes expired in February, and they declined to renew the permit, arguing that the BLM illegally divided the Goose Creek Group Allotment into private allotments that left the Bedkes at a disadvantage.
Officials with the BLM said the allotment was divided in a legal way and that it was done to protect the rangeland from overgrazing.
The cattle are being held at the BLM’s Burley Operations and Fire Warehouse. Bill Baker, acting manager of the BLM’s Twin Falls District Office, said officials are now deciding whether to use a different auction yard or contract an independent auctioneer.
He said he didn’t resent May’s decision not to sell the cattle.
“It’s their prerogative,” he said. “We understand that he had to make a business decision, and we respect that.”