And those users must include livestock owners, who make up the single-largest segment of Utah agriculture, said Clarke, who resigned from her federal post in February.

"The BLM cannot do this alone," said Clarke, speaking during the final day of the Utah Farm Bureau's midyear conference. "Our best hope is you - who are stewards of the land. And with public help,

we can take care of our resources."

Faith in technology is misplaced if it leads to assumptions that America needs less agricultural land to produce food and fiber, added Clarke, noting that "without cattle, we would have condos galore."

Clarke showed her support for livestock owners during her four years at BLM, trying at one point to overturn grazing permits in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument that were awarded to an affiliate of the Grand Canyon Trust, a conservation group working to retire allotments by acquiring and not using them.

Clarke was criticized for purportedly encouraging ranchers to sue the BLM after her Department of Interior superiors overturned her efforts to upend the Grand Canyon Trust plan.

After quitting as BLM chief, Clarke became the assistant to state Agriculture Commissioner Leonard Blackham in April. "One bad day in Utah is still better than a good day in Washington," she said, reflecting on her happiness in no longer having to speak for the agency that manages millions of acres in Utah.

Still, Clarke advised ranchers to impact land policies through the Utah Grazing Improvement Program, created by lawmakers earlier this year to improve profitability for ranchers. Grazing boards in several regions of the state will develop policies that Clarke said can influence federal decisions involving public lands.

Making no secret of her intense passion for agriculture, Clarke periodically wiped away tears as she spoke.

"Farming and ranching have formed the social and economic fiber of the rural areas of this state," she said. As Utah becomes more urbanized, Clarke added, farmers and ranchers must take the time to "tell your story."

They also must be diligent to protect their water, warned State Engineer Jerry Olds. With Utah's population expected to increase from 2.5 million to 3.5 million by 2020, he said developers will try increasingly to acquire the water rights of farmers and ranchers to sustain the population boom.

Growth is expected to occur in counties such as Cache, Box Elder, Davis, Iron and Morgan, where there is no more water to allocate. Agriculture will take hit a because the industry currently uses 80 percent of the state's water. Olds said all the "easy" water - taken directly from lakes and streams - already has been developed.

dawn@sltrib.com