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In this Issue... Nevada Cattlemen’s Assn.............pgs. 3-6
Coloring Page...................................pg. 26
Talking About NCBA........................pg. 8
Mind of a Millennial, Part IV..........pg. 27
Letter to the Editor: Just An American..............................pg. 9
Look Up:Coward..............................pg. 30
Eye on the Outside.................... pgs. 10-11 NRRC: Genoa.................................. pg. 13
Soil Health........................................ pg. 31 HWCWMA: Puncturevine.............. pg. 33
face with anshortEdward financial with your andJones long-term goals.advisor and develop strategies to help keep your finances in line with and goals. Toyour find shortout how tolong-term get your financial goals
OP-ED: Sage Grouse Mngmt.......... pg. 14
Farm Bureau.....................................pg. 34
Buy Nevada: Bently Ranch............. pg. 16
NVSRM: EAJA & ESA Redux................. pgs. 36-37
on track, call or visit today. 2213 North 5th Street
FFA News......................................... pg. 17
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• Share Draft Accounts • Timeshare Certificates • ATM Cards/Debit Cards • IRAs • Visas
• Consumer Loans • Money Orders Member SIPC • Share Savings Accounts • Free Notary
Fumes from the Farm....................... pg 19
Landowners File Suit Against Western Watersheds Project...........................pg. 39
Together We Fought..................pgs. 20-21
Beef Checkoff............................ pg. 40-41
Civil Resistance.........................pgs. 22-23
Ramblings of a Ranch Wife.............pg. 42
Elko Co. Ag in the Classroom.. pgs. 24-25
Edward Jones................................... pg. 43
The Progressive Rancher Owner/Editor/Publisher – Leana Stitzel progressiverancher@elko.net
Graphic Design/Layout/Production – Julie Eardley julie@jeprographics.com
Cover: Pete Tomera presenting the Battle Mountain, Nevada BLM Argenta Allotment map. The dark pink shows non-use by the BLM a 56% private allotment, and the green area a non-withdrawn mostly private area. May 17, 2014 — photo by Leana Stitzel
Published 9 times each year, The Progressive Rancher is mailed to more than 7,000 approved addresses, and has digital and print readership reaching more than 30,000.
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The Progressive Rancher is published monthly. The views and opinions expressed by writers of articles appearing in this publication are not necessarily those of the editor. Letters of opinion are welcomed by The Progressive Rancher. Rates for advertising are available upon request. Advertising in The Progressive Rancher does not necessarily imply editorial endorsement. Liability for any errors or omissions in advertisements shall not exceed the cost of the space occupied by the error or omission. The Progressive Rancher is free to people working and active in the livestock industry. The Progressive Rancher is donated to the agricultural industry. If you are not currently receiving this magazine on a regular basis, and would like to be a part of The Progressive Rancher family, contact us by e-mail at progressiverancher@elko.net, today, so we can include you on our mailing list. If you have moved or changed addresses, please notify us, by e-mail, so we can keep you informed. All requests for the magazine must be made by e-mail.
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RIDING FOR THE NCA BRAND Ron Torell, President Nevada Cattlemen’s Association
Range Monitoring a Must
N
evada, with eighty-four percent of the land within its borders managed by federal agencies, is also the driest state in the nation. The checkerboard pattern of public and private land ownership along the northern railroad corridor complicates land and natural resource management of Nevada’s desert range environment. Some of these complications include but are not limited to: water rights and water development, range improvements, exchange-of-use grazing agreements, land access by the public and private sectors, real estate development opportunities, tax base restrictions and fire suppression. For over 150 years the Federal government has controlled activities such as grazing and development on federal lands which has, to a large extent, restricted use of the checkerboard privately owned sections. These controls and regulations include requiring legal access right-of-ways, grazing permits which dictate numbers of livestock and their season of use, control of fires by private landowners, and any activity that requires crossing of public lands. Case-in-point is the recent situation in Lander County involving the Argenta allotment of the Tomera and Filippini families. The allotment encompasses approximately 365,000 acres. Potential closure of the federally managed sections results in restrictions of more than 150,000 acres of privately owned or leased checkerboard land of which all the water is owned by the permittees. The BLM sites their drought environmental assessment and long-term moni-
toring data as the basis for these potential closures. Observations during a grass tour of the allotment by the ranching community in mid-May, however, showed abundant annual grass production in the lower elevations and good perennial production in the higher elevations. Those observations were supported by an independent range specialist’s assessment of the allotment utilizing accepted monitoring techniques. This unutilized forage is sure to go up in flames with an ignition source regardless if it is located on public or private land. Relying on the monitoring data collected on federal allotments by BLM and Forest Service personnel has been and continues to be a huge mistake made by many permittees. Land grant universities along with many range management specialists have long advocated the livestock industry conduct their own range monitoring. The Nevada Cattlemen’s Association (NCA) encourages ranchers grazing on public lands to take a proactive and aggressive approach to the management and monitoring of their public lands grazing allotments. In order to have long-term defendable data to justify your grazing strategies and stocking rates do not rely solely on the monitoring efforts and data of the agencies but rather begin an aggressive range monitoring program. Hire a qualified third-party independent range management specialist if need be. Pay them to monitor and report on range conditions, have them accompany you ————————— Continued on page 6
WHY MONITOR
Reasons to monitor rangelands include: • To determine whether management objectives are realistic and achievable. • To evaluate when management strategy changes are needed to better meet the identified objectives. • To provide a record of environmental and resource conditions, events, and management practices that may influence rangeland vegetation. • To determine whether the grazing management strategy meets the objectives established for resource conditions and livestock on the unit. • To provide information for managing livestock (for example, determining when to move livestock). • To determine whether the grazing and other management plans are being followed and track how they were modified in practice. — Range Monitoring Guide
Checkerboard Lands NCA Resolution Ron Torell, President Nevada Cattlemen’s Association Craig Spratling & Dave Baker, Co-Chair Nevada Cattlemen’s Association Private Lands Committee Ron Cerri & JJ Goicoechea, Co-Chair Nevada Cattlemen’s Association Public Lands Committee
T
he Union Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 was an attempt by Congress to help settle the west by providing economic incentive in the construction of a railroad and telegraph line from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean. That Act granted every other section (one square mile) of land within twenty miles on each side of the railroad to the Union Pacific. The Union Pacific in turn tried to sell these lands to raise capital for their construction venture. The rich fertile land along the waterways sold briskly which is self-evident as many of today’s private ranch headquarters are located in these areas. Many of the dry desert sections in Nevada did not sell until 1995 at which time Nevada Land and Resource Company, LLC, bought all of the remaining railroad property, approximately 1.4 million acres. Since then Nevada Land and Resource Company, LLC, has disposed of much of the property. Nevada has less than 13% of its total acreage in private ownership while 62% of that 13% is located in the Checkerboard area along the Humboldt corridor. The U.S. Government’s plan to help settle the West worked. When driving the Humboldt corridor along I-80, power lines as well as the infrastructure of phone and fiber optics can be seen running parallel to the efficient rail system constructed as a result of the Act of 1862. However, this Act also resulted in a Checkerboard land ownership pattern with a forty-mile wide corridor of alternating private and public sections of land meandering from the eastern to the western borders of the state. www.progressiverancher.com
The Checkerboard pattern of public and private land complicates today’s land and natural resource management issues and land development. Some of these complications include but are not limited to: water rights and water development, range improvements, exchange-of-use grazing agreements, land access by the public and private sectors, real estate development opportunities, tax base restrictions and fire suppression. For nearly 150 years the Federal Government has controlled activities such as grazing and development in the Checkerboard land area. These controls and regulations include requiring legal access right-of-ways, grazing permits which dictate numbers of livestock and their season of use, control of fires by private landowners, and any activity that requires crossing of public lands. One such control on private Checkerboard lands (and in some instances becoming problematic) is exchange-of-use agreements. An exchange-of-use agreement may be issued to an applicant who owns or controls private lands that are unfenced and intermingled with public lands in the same allotment as permitted to the individual owning, controlling or leasing these Checkerboard private lands. The sale of many of the sections of private land by Nevada Land and Resource Company, LLC, since 1995 to individual land speculators has in many cases affected the carrying capacity of these ranches. An exchange-of-use agreement requires a defendable written
The Progressive Rancher
————————— Continued on page 6 July / August 2014 3
Nevada Cattlemen’s Association By Stephanie Licht, Nevada Cattlemen’s Association Executive Director
J
ust in case you drop by 285 10th Street in Elko looking for the Nevada Cattlemen’s office and find Nevada Legal Services now occupying that space, we want to remind everyone of our new physical address. The office recently moved to the Historic Henderson Bank Building at 401 Railroad Street, Suite 209, Elko, NV. The physical office location has bounced around the old railroad business corridor of Elko over the past 25 years so we settled our mailing address at P O Box 310, Elko, NV 89803 a few Executive Directors ago to at least keep something the same besides the phone at 775 738 9214. In staff news Executive Director Desiree Seal tendered her resignation effective June 30 in order to return to school to obtain an environmental law degree. Desi has served NCA carrying out her duties for almost three years. Desi also has plans to take in the sights and culture of Australia, New Zealand and may try for some volunteer service in the Philippines and Thailand. We wish Desi all the best in her adventures and new undertakings. Our faithful, hardworking, tower of strength Secretary Sharon McKnight steadfastly continues to serve our Association as she has for over ten years. We extend our sincerest and deepest condolences to Sharon and her family in the recent loss of her mother. The end of June wrapped up an extremely busy month for the Nevada Cattlemen’s Board of Directors’ members
involved in meetings of all kinds here, there and everywhere, especially across the entire breadth of the northern part of the state. Department of Wildlife Commissioners, the Governor’s Sage Grouse Ecosystem, Grazing Boards, Executive Committee and the Summer Board of Directors meetings kept several cowboys crisscrossing the highways at a high rate of RPM’s on well-traveled “trails” in vehicles and at speeds both unheard of in the ‘30’s, in addition to other civic duties they have taken on sandwiched in with trying to make a living. A great number of the issues being wrestled with today seem like cookie-cutter versions of those facing the livestock industry back in the 1930’s… and ’40’s… and ’50’s… ’70’s, ’80’s… and beyond. We keep hoping one day the light at the end of the tunnel will be the warm light of brotherhood and cooperation steeped in “live and let live” rather than the dozen diesel freight train engine sized problems that keep coming at us. Seems like the “fun” never stops… just seems to add another dozen layers of complexity. The differences today versus the 1930’s, ’40’s and ’50’s are now the fourth, fifth and sixth generations are the ones fighting these same fights and many of the participants wear four, five and six or more different hats, have different modes of transportation and way beyond Dick Tracy wrist-radio technology. If you have been able to stay on the home place
to maybe irrigate, hay, fix equipment, fix equipment, #$^^&%$#, hay, fix equipment, check cows and barbeque a steak or two, take a minute to tip your hat to your friends and neighbors who are making sure NCA members’ and all livestock operators’ interests are being represented around the several dozen topic tables in all the different hot spots. When it comes to making rules and decisions about how to micromanage everyone else’s lives, the world is and always has been run, or overrun, by those who “show up”. In order to try and keep handles on all the hot potato issues, the NCA has divvyed up topic areas among and between several Board of Directors members so everyone can get home at least once in awhile to see what’s going on there. A comprehensive list of Board members and officers is posted on the NCA website. However, in case you have an interest and would like to lend a hand in a particular area, this is how some pieces of the topic pie have been divided up: Public Lands: Ron Cerri & JJ Goicoechea; Wild Horse & Burro, NV Dept. of Ag, Animal Health & Livestock: Boyd Spratling; Legislative Affairs: Neil McQueary; Private Lands, Wildlife, & Environmental Management: Craig Spratling; Governor’s Sage Grouse Ecosystem Council: Steve Boies; Membership: Lucy Rechel; Bylaws: Jon Griggs; Contract Lobbyist: Neena Laxalt. Hope July’s crop is bumper, moisture comes at just the right time, and water hauls are kept to a minimum.
Thank You for 13 years! —Leana Stitzel
4 July / August 2014
The Progressive Rancher
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Photo by Cindy Sitz, Drewsey, Oregon
We are agriculture at its Finest
2014 Nevada Cattlemen’s Association Scholarship Awarded to Clay Norcutt Nevada Cattlemen’s Association would like to congratulate Kenneth Clay Norcutt of Eureka County High School for being chosen as the 2014 NCA Scholarship recipient. Clay has been very active in leadership roles during high school including Honor Society President, Student Council Sergeant At Arms and Rodeo Club President and Vice President. Sharing his time between extra-curricular activities, volunteering at a local vet clinic and receiving his Associates Degree from Great Basin College, Clay is well on his way to completing his goal of becoming a large animal veterinarian. Clay will be attending Utah State University this fall and plans on returning to Nevada upon completing his schooling. Congratulations again to Clay! We are very proud of you and have great confidence that you will continue to serve our industry well. Good luck on your future endeavors! Clay’s winning essay is below.
R
Low Fertility Rate In Cattle by Kenneth Clay Norcutt, Eureka County High School
anching lifestyle has unique challenges because of the many happenstances that are presented every day. As a young rancher I see many of these issues firsthand. A particular problem that has become present within the beef industry is the low fertility rate in cattle. Cattle all across the United States are experiencing a lower fertility rate within the past year partially due to mineral deficiencies. In order for cattle in your heard to have a higher fertility rate there must be an adequate amount of minerals supplied to them daily. There are many different minerals that are essential for beef cattle in order for them to reproduce. “Beef cattle require a number of dietary mineral elements for normal bodily maintenance, growth, and reproduction.” (Hale). Without minerals in a beef cattle’s diet, their health begins to plunge. Cows can only reproduce if their bodies are healthy enough to be bred. Supplements are a key element for the cow to be at optimal breeding health; “The major minerals include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium, chlorine and sulfur. Among those needed in trace amounts are iron, zinc, manganese, copper, iodine, cobalt and selenium.” (Hale). For a rancher in Nevada the minerals that are usually deficient in beef cattle are copper and selenium. If beef cattle are receiving a satisfactory amount of these major minerals, their fertility rate will increase dramatically. Copper and selenium are key minerals for a cow to produce a healthy calf. Thirty years ago we expected a cow to produce two five hundred pound calves every three years. Today we expect a cow to produce a six hundred pound calf every single year yet we haven’t changed that cow’s diet in order for her to accomplish this task. By expecting a cow to produce a calf every year, we don’t give the cow enough time to build her system back up to the appropriate levels. If the cow doesn’t have enough mineral and nutrients built up in her system, she won’t be able to give her calf adequate amounts before birth. We still feed the same forage that we fed thirty years ago yet we expect more out of the cow than we did then. It is only logical that one supplement a cow’s feed to get the results that are now being required of that cow. A cow will get 50 to 60% of the copper and selenium she requires through forage the remainder has to come from a supplement. That can change with the forage that the cow eats. In parts of Nevada where the forage is not a good, the percentage of copper and selenium is much lower. That is why it is very important that cattlemen supply their cattle with the mineral supplements that the cow needs. Picking the right mineral supplement is very important. As a producer, you don’t want to overload the cow’s diet with copper because then the cow can have a deficiency in selenium. A balanced supplement is very important. When the cow receives the adequate amount of copper and selenium in her diet, the bugs in the rumen will be able to function properly. When the bugs in the rumen aren’t receiving the adequate amounts of mineral, the cow won’t be able to utilize the forage she is eating. It is very important that the cow receives the correct amount of copper and selenium so that she can fully utilize the feed she is taking in. During pregnancy a cow moves her own copper reserves to the fetus. It is important that a cow has enough copper reserves for both her and her unborn fetus. If the cow doesn’t have enough copper reserves to supply herself and the calf, the cow will become deficient. www.progressiverancher.com
If the cow is deficient she can’t meet her needs or the needs of her unborn calf. The new born calf is not getting copper from its mother’s milk so it is essential that the mother has supplied the calf with copper in the womb. If a calf is low in copper growth rates begin to decrease and they have a compromised immune system. Deficient calves are the ones who tend to be sick, have scours, and do not grow adequately. Sickly calves do not perform as well as healthy calves their entire lives. They do not gain weight like they should. A cow uses up her own copper reserves for her calf and as a result she will be depleted and cannot maintain her own health. The cow will remain deficient throughout the time that she is nursing the calf and there is a possibility that she will not breed back or bread later than the cattleman wants. The forage that the cow is grazing on will only have a portion of the copper she needs. Ground that is high in sulfur, like we have in Nevada, will have even lower amounts of copper. The cow needs a copper supplement in order to maintain her own health and to produce a calf every year. It is important not to give excess amounts of copper or you will end up with a selenium deficiency. Make sure you are not over or under supplementing, balance is key. Selenium deficiencies in calves can cause the calf to be weak. Selenium works as an antioxidant for calves. If deficient, the calf is weak. The weakness is due to muscle damage seen as “White Muscle Disease.” If the heart muscle is damaged it is weakened. A calf can die of heart failure if it is deficient in selenium. Same as with copper the calf needs to be born with selenium reserves that it gained from its mother because milk has little selenium in it. A severely deficient calf is so weak it cannot nurse. The only time you see a deficiency in a calf is if the cow was deficient. Supplement the cow and the calf will thrive. The best way to test a cow to see if she is getting adequate amounts of copper and selenium is to have a veterinarian do a liver biopsy. The veterinarian can determine if your supplement program is correct. If a cow is going to produce a healthy calf every single year it is imperative that the cow is receiving adequate minerals in order for her to be in optimal calving condition. Works Cited “Forage Testing and Selenium for Cow Fertility.” The Cattle Site. TheCattleSite, 25 Mar 2014. Web. 2 Apr 2014. <http://www.thecattlesite.com/articles/3869/ forage-testing-and-selenium-for-cow-fertility-workshop-advises>. Gary, Lochrane. “Diagnosing Reproductive Problems in Beef Cattle Herds.” Range Cattle Research & Education Center. Range Cattle REC . Web. 2 Apr 2014. <http://rcrecona.ifas.ufl.edu/in-focus/IF6-30-06.shtml>. Hale , Chad. “Mineral Supplements for Beef Cattle.” University of Missouri. University of Missouri Extension, n.d. Web. 2 Apr 2014. <http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G2081>. Hall, Jeffery DVM, PHD Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, Utah State University. Personal Interview. 31 Mar 2014. Hall, Jeffery DVM, PHD , dir. Dr Jeffery O Hall DVM PHD. YouTube - SweetProFeeds, 2013. Film. 9 Apr 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNzTPETRuLA>.
The Progressive Rancher
July / August 2014 5
Range Monitoring a Must —— CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 —— to meetings and assist in dealing with BLM or forest service personnel. Consider this just one more expense associated with grazing on public lands. The burden of proof is on you and your future depends on it. The University of Nevada, endorsed by many entities including NCA, has published a Range Monitoring Guide which can be found at: www.unce.unr.edu/publications/files/ ag/2006/eb0604.pdf Contained in this guide is a complete road map as to how to get started with your range monitoring efforts. The guide’s introduction states: “Rangeland monitoring is the orderly repeated collection, analysis, and interpretation of resource information (data). It can be used to make both short- and long-term management decisions. This guide is designed to provide individuals interested in monitoring rangelands with information and processes useful for simple, quick, and efficient monitoring.” The guide goes on to state “When the procedures in this guide are followed, the information gathered is acceptable to federal and state cooperating agencies. Coordinate public lands monitoring with the appropriate public land manager, and jointly collect the information whenever possible. The information collected will be referenced and will contribute to evaluating whether rangelands are meeting standards, goals, and/or objectives.” As the potential listing of the Greater Regional Sage-Grouse as threatened or endangered evolves it becomes more evident that the cow is going to continue to yield in support of other species and uses. Do not wait, get started on an aggressive plan today which
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6 July / August 2014
includes range monitoring of your rangelands. Through this monthly column our hope is to update those involved in the Nevada Livestock industry about the issues NCA is working on. Our mission continues to be to promote, preserve and protect a dynamic and profitable Nevada beef industry. Should you like to visit with NCA members or staff, please contact NCA at 775-738-9214 or my NCA e-mail address ncapresident@nevadabeef.org
Checkerboard Lands NCA Resolution —— CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 ——
lease agreement between the permittee and the private land owner. Many land speculators who recently purchased these lands live out of state as well as out of the country. Often times these individuals do not realize the quality of arid lands they purchased or the ownership complications associated with intermingled Checkerboard land patterns. Contacting these individuals to re-establish a written lease agreement once established when the railroad owned these private sections has proven almost impossible. Without proof in the form of a written lease agreement on those private sections, the AUM’s for that private section of land are removed from the exchange-of-use carrying capacity of all intermingled lands. This reduces the carrying capacity of the ranch as a whole. It is because of these management complications that the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association Private Lands Committee revised and continued NCA resolution 2.27 at their November 2013 Annual Convention. The resolution requests that “Congress pass legislation, or resolutions, that would make consolidation of these checkerboard and private lands commingled with the same owner of the public land grazing allotment a priority for the public land management agencies only with full cooperation in time and funding with any private land owners who wish to block up their holdings.” Discussions surrounding revision of this resolution recognized potential complications with private property rights. For example If a private landowner wants to do a land exchange to block up their private land within their own permit, then it is their prerogative to do so. However, the NCA sees the following scenario being played out if a third party (such as another rancher or a group like Nevada Land and Resource Company, LLC) gets involved. Example: 100,000 private acres in Elko County is offered to the BLM in exchange for 100,000 acres of public land in Humboldt or any other county. If those 100,000 acres that they just acquired came out of someone’s permit other than their own, the BLM is going to reduce the non-participating permittees AUM’s accordingly. It is because of this and other potential problems that NCA wants to make sure that any private property rights that may have been lost with transfers, such as water, wells, ditch easements, access, etc., also receive protection. Ranchers, environmental groups, local and state government, recreationalists, Native Americans and many more have expressed their frustration over problems created by Checkerboard ownership of Nevada lands. Blocking up land through exchange of ownership of these Checkerboard lands makes a lot of sense yet there has been a real resistance by our Federal Government to expedite the transfer of these lands. This resolution encourages the timely transfer of these lands into manageable blocks. It is long overdue. In addition, an effort by the American Lands Council and the Nevada Lands Management Task Force is underway to transfer these federal lands into state ownership. These efforts are just beginning yet gaining momentum in the political arena. The Nevada Cattlemen’s Association supports these efforts for state control rather than federal control of lands. Through this monthly column our hope is to update those involved in the Nevada Livestock industry about the issues NCA is working on. Our mission continues to be to promote, preserve and protect a dynamic and profitable Nevada beef industry. Should you like to visit with NCA members or staff, please contact NCA at 775-738-9214 or my NCA e-mail address ncapresident@nevadabeef.org
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OFFICE: 775-423-7760 JACK PAYNE
Cell: 775-217-9273 Alt: 775-225-8889
Email: nevadalm@yahoo.com
Nevada Livestock Marketing Lowers Their Commission Nevada Livestock Marketing opened its doors in the fall of 2006. We can’t believe that nearly eight years have gone by. It’s been challenging, yet fun and exciting learning the livestock marketing business. We wouldn’t change a minute of it even if we could. We have met so many good people along the way. We were ranchers before we started Nevada Livestock Marketing and know very well the challenges that all ranchers, farmers, and dairyman face. Cattle prices may be at a record high, but so are the costs of production and expenses. We understand that every dollar counts and that is why Nevada Livestock Marketing works so hard to put more money back in your pocket through strong market support, reasonable feed, freight and most of all lower commission rates. (Nevada Livestock Marketing has always had the lowest commission rates in both CA and NV). Due to record high prices overall commission of gross sales for all livestock commission companies, including video have increased considerably. At Nevada Livestock Marketing we have decided to lower our commission even more as a way of saying “thank you” to our consigners and also to let you know we really do put more money back into your pockets instead of just talking about it. Next time you market your cattle, check the feed, freight, and commission rates and compare it to those at Nevada Livestock Marketing. What is market support to you? I haven’t made a lot of friends with the buyers over the years by protecting the prices of the consigned cattle. I don’t want to run off any buyers, but as a livestock marketing company, it is my responsibility to protect the prices of the seller’s cattle to make sure the cattle bring what they are worth. It is a very touchy balancing act to say the least. I buy cattle for our own ranch out of sale barns in surrounding states. It is very interesting to watch how other sale barns handle market support. Some are very discreet about it, using what is known as a “House Mouse”, while others make no bones about watching out for their sellers. Meanwhile, others have no market support and rely strictly on the buyers. Look around the next time you are at your local sale barn and see who is watching out for you. Is it the owner, the manager, or the “House Mouse”? Is there anyone watching out for you? If not, that is the sale barn you want to buy cattle at, not where you want to sell them. At Nevada Livestock Marketing we are watching out for you, the consigner. In conclusion, we would like to say “Thank You” to our sellers and to our buyers for the last eight years. We have made a lot of friends and memories and look forward to making more. We are currently looking at two different properties in the Fallon area to build a new sale barn if that becomes necessary. However, we plan to stay at our current location as long as possible. It may be the oldest sale barn in Nevada, but it is also the biggest and the best and yes, it has deep well water too!
Sale EVERY Wednesday Small Barn At 10:30 AM Cows At 11:00 AM • www.progressiverancher.com
Sales Results from
JUNE 6TH, 2014 REGULAR BUTCHER COW AND BULL SALE Seller
State # Head
Desc.
Type
Weight Price CWT
Doug Rutan
Jordan Valley
OR
2
Mix
STR
610
$220.00
Morgan Ranches LLC
Jordan Valley
OR
2
Mix
STR
610
$220.00
Triple D Ranches
Dyer
NV
1
BLK
STR
445
$210.00
Triple D Ranches
Dyer
NV
1
BLK
STR
420
$209.00
Lovelock
NV
1
BBF
Bull Calf
195
$485/H
Steve Medlin
Alamo
NV
7
BLK
STR
616
$182.00
Steve Medlin
Alamo
NV
1
RBF
STR
615
$170.00
Brian Bill
Austin
NV
2
BLK
STR
548
$217.00
Doug Rutan
Jordan Valley
OR
1
Mix
HFR
510
$215.00
Morgan Ranches LLC
Jordan Valley
OR
1
BLK
HFR
405
$227.00
Morgan Ranches LLC
Jordan Valley
OR
2
Mix
HFR
510
$215.00
Triple D Ranches
Dyer
NV
1
BLK
HFRTT
1210
$116.00
Triple D Ranches
Dyer
NV
4
CHAR
HFR
763
$167.00
Twenty Four Seven Land & Livestock
Hollister
CA
1
BLK
HFRTT
892
$130.00
Twenty Four Seven Land & Livestock
Hollister
CA
1
BLK
HFRTT
831
$144.00
Steve Medlin
Alamo
NV
5
BLK
HFR
622
$193.00
Steve Medlin
Alamo
NV
5
BLK
HFR
526
$197.00
Triple D Ranches
Dyer
NV
1
BLK
Cow
1395
$107.50
Triple D Ranches
Dyer
NV
1
BLK
Cow
1275
$101.00
Michael and Claudia Casey
Fallon
NV
1
RD
Cow
1510
$103.00
Twenty Four Seven Land & Livestock
Hollister
CA
1
BBF
Cow
1095
$112.50
Twenty Four Seven Land & Livestock
Hollister
CA
1
RD
Cow
1045
$113.00
Fallon
NV
1
BBF
Cow
1125
$107.50
Hollister
CA
1
BLK
Bull
1880
$116.00
Michael & Marvin Gottschalk
Juniper Mountain Cattle LLC
Feeder Cattle At 1:00 PM
City
Twenty Four Seven Land & Livestock
The Progressive Rancher
July / August 2014 7
Talking About NCBA Joe Guild, 6th Region Vice President
O
ne of the distinct pleasures of my job as a regional Vice President for NCBA is travelling to other states and to meetings around the country. The pleasure is not necessarily in the travel itself given what we face nowadays. The pleasure is in meeting old friends in the cattle industry and making new friends. Two recent trips illustrate this point. I went to California for their mid-year meeting in Sacramento. There I saw many members whom I have known for close to 20 years. My first jobs in the cattle industry were for ranchers who summered cattle in the High Sierra Mountains in California. These were Nevada ranches primarily but they could not have operated without their summer ranges across the line. Later, I managed a ranch with the same program- winter in Nevada and summer in California. I am currently associated with an operation that also summers in the High Sierra in California. I am pretty familiar with cattle operations in my neighbor state and I have some really good friends there. Meetings in California thus become reunions of a sort. The other journey was to New Mexico to attend the summer meeting of the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association in Las Cruces. This event was held in conjunction with the New Mexico Cow Belles, New Mexico State University, the New Mexico Wool Growers, the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau and the New Mexico Federal Lands Council. There was large attendance at this function just as there was in California. It is good to go to these meetings around the country and see so many engaged ranchers dealing with all the myriad issues facing the livestock industry. I do not know very many people in the industry in New Mexico, but I met some very nice folks on this latest trip. One person in particular stood out for a variety of reasons. He is a leader in the New
Mexico cattle industry. He ranches near the capital, Santa Fe, which is the oldest capital city in the United States. The city was founded by the Spanish conquistadors as they settled in New Mexico in 1609 to 1610. I asked the gentleman I met how long he and his family had been ranching where he lived now. His reply stunned me. He and his ancestors have been on the same land for 400 years! The first cattle in this part of the world were here four centuries ago and he is keeping the tradition alive. He has allotments managed by the BLM. His biggest problem is the conflict with recreational users from urban and suburban areas interfering with his cattle operations and the bias toward recreation the BLM is displaying more and more. I am just curious; who has taken care of the land better and longer so it is still attractive to people who use the land for recreation; the BLM or this man and his family? The agendas for both meetings could have been swapped and basically the same issues would have been discussed and the same information transmitted. There were speakers talking about the overreach of the government by creating national monuments too big to manage. The discussion about the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rule to expand what is a water of the United States for Clean Water Act jurisdiction was virtually identical at both meetings. There was unanimous opposition to the EPA rule and a clear understanding that the rule is not needed and it will unnecessarily interfere with farming and ranching operations. The Mexican Grey Wolf continues to harass livestock operators in New Mexico and some are fearful the wolf will endanger people more and more. In California, the State Fish and Game Department listed the wolf as an endangered species in that state even though there are no wolves in California; the last wolves having gone extinct many years ago. Once again California earns the distinction of being way out ahead of the rest of the nation on issues of critical importance to almost no one. In California, the Mountain Yellow Legged Frog will be listed as an endangered species at the end of June. This is a big deal to livestock grazing interests because there could be impacts to operations that have summer grazing in the Sierra Nevada range. However, impacts are unlikely to be that great, because the University of California at Davis has recently published a relevant study. This research focused on the question of whether excluding livestock from amphibian habitat in montane meadows had a benefit for amphibian wildlife in those meadows. The answer to the question is there was no benefit in excluding livestock. In other words, the frogs and toads did just fine with livestock in their habitat or just fine without them. This might seem like an obscure thing to write about. However, I think it emphasizes two points. First, attending meetings like this is a good way for all ranchers to inform and educate themselves about important developments which have an influence on their businesses. Second, because animal agriculture is such a diverse and widespread industry, the only way to make a difference and have your voice heard, your views known, and to influence the policy of your industry is to attend meetings such as those I was fortunate to participate. If you do not show up how do you know anybody did. I’ll see you soon.
Nevada Water Solutions LLC Water Rights / Resource Permitting Expertise
Thomas K. Gallagher, PE Hydrologic Engineer
Over 31 years of experience with the Nevada State Engineer’s Office 775•825•1653 / FAX 775•825•1683 675 Sierra Rose Dr., #109 / Reno, NV 89511 tomg@nevadawatersolutions.com 8 July / August 2014
The Progressive Rancher
www.progressiverancher.com
Letter to the Editor Note: The opinions expressed herein are strictly those of the author. The Progressive Rancher neither seeks or endorses these submissions, but allows all to voice their views.
Just An American
I was in the Hilltop canyon again yesterday where the grass tour started and again early today as I live at the mouth of the canyon and drive right up the canyon everyday to work. This is my back door and the grass is very tall with cheat grass near 26” high, and native grasses 18” high in many places. This is the best grass year in the past 10 years. The fire danger is going to be scary and few even realize what Mr Furtado has set us up for. A gallon of diesel fuel has 115,000 BTU and 7 pounds of grass has 51,450 BTU’S. That is one hell of a lot of fuel for the range fires that are going to happen because we didn’t control the cheat grass. The BLM didn’t have a large enough budget last year in a slow fire season with little fuel. They borrowed from the sage grouse budget, this year they have less money and are looking at a severe fire season, “due to the heavy fuel load”. I call that mismanagement! The feral horses are double the allotted number for almost every herd management area. They have no budget to haul water to them this summer and many will thirst to death. They also have no funds to gather the excess horses to bring the numbers in line according to the mandates for numbers in Herd Management Areas. This is just appalling that an agency can be so mismanaged and allowed to continue to exist, as they obstruct productivity and sustainability and promote incompetence. We as Citizen’s need to stand up and demand the removal of the entire BLM as a responsible land management agency. Before the BLM we had adequate sage grouse populations, and deer populations. The range was healthy and the horses had a economic value insuring there survival. Yes they were gathered and the usable ones were used for ranch horses and the unusable were sold to slaughter. Today the American taxpayer foots the bill for around 50,000 feral horses at a cost of approx. $4.00 per day per horse. That is about $72.5 Million just to maintain the ones held in feed lots alone. This holding a feral horse that has ran free its entire life on Thousand’s of acres, and abruptly confining it to a feed lot is inhumane in its self. At this point it isn’t about Ranchers and Miners, It is about the Hunter, the ATV enthusiast, and the Fisherman. We are all in the same place in time and our freedoms are at stake. Every road closure, every endangered species is just a excuse to create a non use of the public lands, and once they are closed they will never be reopened. I am reminded of the sad plight of the American Indian, and all of the broken promises they were given by a corrupt government that had no intentions of bargaining in good faith. Government has no conscience, no brain, no memory, no moral foundation. No ability to care, yet they have been given that responsibility in exchange for our freedom. This is especially true when the restrictions placed upon this monster by the Constitution are ignored. Our fight is in there in Black and White. They can’t own big tracts of land and the purposes of ownership are limited. States rights is the first fight. Then individual rights. Government Cannot manage anything. Their only purpose is to protect the border and protect individuals from force and fraud. Now they are the force, the fraud, and the borders are wide open. I find the current situation appalling. We have our elected Senator Harry Reid with no regard to anyone other than himself. He has hand picked the current BLM Director. And with little imagination it is reminiscent of the 1890’s and a corrupt Indian agent, serving the corrupt officials that have empowered him to steal American’s property once again. It is Time you and I stood up and said no more, to federal ownership of land and to the corrupt agencies that answer to corrupt officials who have no regard for the Constitution. Wayne Nebeker Proud to call My self JUST AN AMERICAN
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For details call (530) 347-3793 or the representative nearest you:
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Mark Venturacci
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Brad Peek— — (916) 802-7335 or email us at wvm@wvmcattle.com Look for the catalog and pictures on our website www.wvmcattle.com
Market your cattle with the professionals!
Mitch Goicoechea
775-224-0905 hounddogs2010@hotmail.com
www.progressiverancher.com
The Progressive Rancher
July / August 2014 9
By Joe Guild
W
hat is it about us humans? We tend to stick ourselves into other people’s business without being asked for help or advice. We also think we know more about that business than the folks actually involved day to day. The grazing livestock industry sees this all the time from people outside the industry who argue the virtues of completely eliminating livestock from public lands. This position completely ignores the sound science which concludes properly managed grazing actually helps maintain a thriving ecological balance on those lands and has positive benefits for wildlife, water improvements and reduction of fuel loads to help reduce the impacts of wildfires. No matter the benefits, the anti-grazing folks say: just get rid of domestic livestock because we do not like the animals on “our” lands. Agriculturalists all over the country are faced with more and more criticism from people who oppose “factory farms” not really even knowing what that is. My guess is it stems from a misunderstanding of modern efficient and humane methods of raising large numbers of animals so that our growing population can be fed safe, healthy, abundant and inexpensive food. These attitudes are influenced by authors of books and leaders of organizations whose purpose is to destroy agriculture as we know it. This again is borne out of an attitude that the critic knows more about what you do than you. I am sure most of these critics express their dissatisfaction with a full belly. In this country, they also paid less to fill that belly with food out of their disposable income than any other population in
the entire world. It is not only our fellow citizens who are misguided and criticize without good facts or science to back up the criticism. Our government seems out of touch with agriculture and what it takes to feed a hungry populace. Fewer than ten members of Congress can say their primary employment prior to being elected was in production agriculture. The staff members who advise the Senate and House of Representatives are in my experience dedicated, smart, enthusiastic and extremely hard-working. However, the vast majority of these people have no connection to agriculture. The relevant agency employees in the Department of Agriculture and Department of the Interior are more likely to have some exposure to rural America, but many of them have worked in the bureaucracy for so long they have also lost touch with the real world problems faced by ranchers and farmers in bringing food to our tables. Ironically, many of those real world problems actually begin with trying to deal with the agencies and the thousands of regulations they create and administer. The concept of knowing what is best for an industry is so bad that in 2013, Washington D.C. bureaucrats produced over 80,000 pages of new regulations. The most regulations were from the Department of Agriculture, the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of the Interior. Those who think they know more than you about what you do are alive and well. We all want clean water and air, safe food and drugs, fire and police protection, a viable and effective defense of our shores and laws that make sense and look out for the innocent and those who cannot speak for themselves. We also want enforcement of those laws and a
AND
Lincoln County Fair
AND August 7-9, 2014 • Panaca, Nevada Ranch Rodeo
Amateur Rodeo
(Sanctioned by Western States Ranch Rodeo Association)
Contact: Robin Simmers 775-962-1804
August 7 — 10 AM
Team, Individual & New Youth Events Contact: Kathy Cook 775-962-2832
Gymkhana August 8 — 8 AM
Ages: 5 through Adult Contact: Kylea Lytle 775-962-1684
Rodeo
August 8 & 9 — 7 PM
Jackpot Team Roping August 8 & 9 — 10 AM
Contact: Robert Steele 775-725-3567
Like us on Facebook: Lincoln County Fair and Rodeo Panaca NV
Adventure Relay August 9 — 6 AM
Jr. Rodeo
Contact: Kathi Hunt 775-962-1724
Trap Shoot
August 9 — 8 AM
All events are open to both boys and girls Contact: Merre Scott 775-962-1789
August 9 — 8 AM –2 PM Contact: Grant or Jamie Perkins 775-728-4642
Pee Wee Rodeo
Mud Bog Racing
August 9 — 2 PM
August 9 — 3 PM
Open to children ages 3-13. Contact: Merre Scott 775-962-1789
Contact: Kirk Johnson 775-962-2356
For more information: entry deadlines, entry fees visit us on the web at lcnvfair.org or call 877-870-3033 10 July / August 2014
The Progressive Rancher
www.progressiverancher.com
judicial system that protects us and others from lawbreakers. But we also need a rational, reasonable and logical common sense approach to order in our society. As examples, we have laws to prohibit animal cruelty and laws against elder and child abuse. As a society, we realize we must protect those who cannot protect themselves or speak on their own behalf. This is part of what we call civilization. Every rancher and farmer of my acquaintance truly believes they are stewards of the land, animals and other resources under their care. Their actions prove they are the stewards they believe they are. It makes no economic, ethical or moral sense for them to think and act otherwise. There are obvious exceptions to this notion. There are bad actors in agriculture as there are in every other human endeavor. But the responsible operators we all know do not condone the actions of these bad actors. It is well-known within the agricultural community that organizations such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) want to eventually prohibit the use of animals as food for human beings. There is a concerted effort with a long term agenda to change public perception to shift us from a meat eating species to a vegetarian and cereal diet. Anyone currently involved in animal agriculture is aware of the campaign furthered by these and other similar organizations. Thus, we have to be ever vigilant about any tactics these folks will use to distort what we do to create a picture critical of the way we raise and process our animals for food. Many people also know about the so-called animal rights movement which seeks to give a heretofore unrecognized legal status to animals. The goal is to have the law recognize that animals and humans have the same rights. The modern effort to accomplish this goal began with the publication of “Animal Liberation” by Australian Peter Singer in 1975. Without going into too much detail, a basic premise of Singer’s argument is animals should be given equal consideration and not necessarily equal or identical treatment because animals are sentient (that is feeling beings). Thus, they should be free from suffering and exploitation. We could all agree that animals should not suffer at the hands of a human. Therefore, as we process an animal for food, the death should be swift, painless and without stress to the practical extent we can accomplish this act. Dr. Temple Grandin has helped the animal agricultural industry to transform the way we treat our animals at this seminal moment when they are processed to become our food. None of us, including myself, works our animals the same way we did 30 or even 10 years ago because of the influence of Dr. Grandin and other animal behaviorists we have learned from to deal with our animals in a low stress way. In another context, is it humane to keep a gorilla in a small cage or is it humane to provide a habitat in a zoo which mimics its place in the wild. I would say the latter is humane and the former is not. Others might have a different opinion. But it is not my purpose to discuss the relative merits of each gorilla situation. To get to the point, should the animal in the cage be allowed to sue for its freedom and request placement in the good zoo? This question was actually heard last year in a court of law in New York State. A lawyer named David Wise brought a petition for habeas corpus on behalf of a chimpanzee that was locked in a small cage in a warehouse in a rural part of the state. The article I read about this case described terrible and frankly inhumane conditions in which the chimp was forced to live. The theory upon which the attorney based his case is that no sentient being, and certainly one like a chimpanzee with scientifically established advanced cognition such as all the great apes possess, should be deprived of the fundamental right to freedom. In other words, if found by the court to be wrongfully imprisoned, the chimp should be set free because the legal doctrine of habeas corpus requires this outcome. This principle of habeas corpus is a fundamental right established in our legal tradition since the Magna Carta in 1215. It literally means “you have the body”. Practically, it means if a judge grants the petition, the person being held must be brought before a judge to decide what to do with that person according to the demand set forth in the petition (or writ) presented to the court. Why you ask is he writing about an obscure case in the courts of New York involving a poor unfortunate chimpanzee in this publication which is devoted to discussing issues and information important to livestock ranching in the west? Mr. Wise is a legal scholar associated with an organization called the Nonhuman Rights Project (Nh.R.P.). At various times, in recent years the Nh.R.P. has had 70 volunteers assisting David Wise in his efforts. Some law schools now have courses discussing the concepts of legal rights for animals and there are Law Professors and lawyers who consider this a valid specialty in the law. David Wise himself considers his efforts to be 25 year or more quest, so he is in it for the long haul. Just as animal agriculturalists should be concerned about the small but dedicated group of people in our society who would change us all into vegetarians, I believe we should be concerned about those whose goal it is to give rights similar to humans to animals. In my opinion, I think these well-meaning folks are focusing on the wrong thing. The www.progressiverancher.com
answer to their concerns is on most ranches and farms where animals are treated humanely and with respect for what they contribute to our health and well-being. What can we do as responsible husbands of our animals? First, we must always strive for the most humane treatment possible from birth to death. Second, we should condemn those who mistreat or needlessly harm animals in their charge. We should educate ourselves on the most progressive ways to handle our animals with the least stress possible. As I said above, most of us work our animals much differently than we did 30 or even 10 years ago. We should loudly defend the efficiencies we have created to produce large numbers of animals to help feed the growing population. I believe we have a good story to tell. The product our fellow citizens eat every day is nutritious, safe, relatively inexpensive, abundant and easily acquired, and has been raised in a humane and ethical way. I can say this with confidence because I know our critics manipulate the facts and at times just plain do not tell the truth to further their own agenda. Finally, we should loudly defend animals that are treated in a despicable way such as the chimp in New York. There are laws which prohibit animal cruelty. This is the way we as a people should deal with abuses toward animals. The way to help the chimp in New York was to have the owner or keeper prosecuted for animal abuse. A civilized society has laws to prohibit these abuses. I am sure the State of New York is very progressive in its attitudes about abuse of animals. So, there were ways to help the chimp in New York without using him as a vehicle to promote a radical theory of animal rights which has never been upheld by the courts. Did the advocates for the chimp really help his cause? I do not know if the owner was ever prosecuted after the Nh.R.P. lost its habeas corpus case, but I hope the lawyers who lost took the initiative to see that the owner of the chimp was brought to justice. Otherwise, this is a case of extreme hypocrisy, not an effort to help animals from being exposed to abuse. It is important that we be aware of potential problems which may negatively impact our industry in the future. I am concerned and I hope you are too. I’ll see you soon.
Fallon Ranch Rodeo
Stockdog Trial
The Progressive Rancher
Go-Rounds: August 1st
Finals August 3rd Three Classes Open Intermediate Nursery
Estimated Purse–$4500
First two places paid in go-round. All finalists paid. For More Information contact: Billy Lewis (916)517-2232 or on fb Billy Lee Lewis or Gayle Hybarger (775)426-8123
July / August 2014 11
MARKET REPORT
Ship ’Em To
LLON A F
June 24, 2014
Head Sold this week: 619 Weight
TOP OFFERINGS Steer
300-400 222.00-260.00 400-500 200.00-263.00 500-600 195.00-213.00 600-700 189.00-220.00 700-800 181.00-210.00 800-900 150.00-175.00 Lite Holstein (under 600#) Heavy Holstein (over 600#)
Heifer
210.50-248.00 198.50-230.00 198.00-218.00 177.00-200.00 159.00-174.00 156.00-169.00 105.00-125.00 100.00-117.00
*Single, Small Framed or Plainer Cattle 20.00 to 40.00 less than top offerings
BUTCHER COWS & BULLS
Livestock Exchange, Inc. www.fallonlivestock.com
Is Pleased to Announce the 11TH Annual
Special Calf & Yearling Sale Tuesday, August 12, 2014 at 1:00 PM
Breakers (Fat Cows) Boners (Med Flesh) Cutters (Lean) Holstein Cows Butcher Bulls Shelly (Thin) Bulls Shelly Cutters (Thin) Young Feeder Cows Heiferettes Holstein Heiferettes Holstein Bulls Feeder Bulls Cutting Bulls Used Roping Steers Preg Tested Cows
90.00-100.00 100.00-119.50 70.00-85.00 79.00-92.50 95.00-112.50 75.00-85.00 20.00-40.00 95.00·110.00 95.00·120.00 102.00-111.00 90.00-116.50 75.00-85.00 95.00-120.00 80.00-100.00 NT
(3, 4, 5 yr. old solid mouth)
NT NT NT
Bred Helfers -(6 to 7 months bred) Pairs (solid mouth) 3-6 yrs Pairs (older)
TODAY’S COWS Top Cow Top 10 Cows Top 50 Cows Top 100 Cows Top Butcher Bull Top Holstein Cows Top 10 Holstein Cows Top 5 Butcher Bulls
Avg. Wt 1075 1350 1277 1256 1975 1405 1349 2159
Avg. Cost 126.00 116.21 106.31 97.82 124.50 91.00 89.82 120.80
CALVES-SHEEP-GOATS-PIGS-HORSES
Ranchers, The market is really strong right now, cattle are on all time highs. Its getting dry and water’s short so now may be the time to sell some cattle and save some Fall feed and water. Remember you can bring your cattle in early Sunday or Monday at NO EXTRA CHARGE (only feed). Buyers will be on the seats. Where we work for YOU — the Consignor.
Fallon Livestock Exchange, Inc. Sale Every Tuesday at 11:00 AM Selling All Classes of Livestock: • Cattle • Horses • Sheep • Goats • Pigs
2055 Trento Lane • Fallon, Nevada 89406 • 775-867-2020 For more marketing information, or to arrange trucking needs: Call Monte Bruck, Manager, at 775-426-8279
Beef Calves (HD) Dairy Calves Feeder Lambs Fat Lambs Ewes (CWT) Bucks (CWT) Small Goats (under 65 lbs.) (HD) Large Goats (over 70 lbs.) (HD) Weaner Pigs Feeder Pigs Top Hogs Butcher Sows Horses (under 1100 lbs.) Horses (over 1100 lbs.)
150.00-525.00 2.00-50.00 125.00-140.00 100.00-120.00 30.00-65.00 40.00-60.00 30.00-95.00 95.00-220.00 45.00-95.00 60.00-130.00 60.00-75.00 20.00-45.00 10.00-20.00 25.00-33.00
MARKET TREND: Feeder cattle were steady on same kind and quality depending on fill. The butcher cow and bull market is at all-time highs. Thin feeder cows are in high demand. Fallon Livestock is a key market for the livestock industry, where buyers and sellers meet each week with a professional staff with over 50 years of experience in marketing livestock. Top Bull 124.50 & Top Cow 126.00 PLEASE call us ahead with your consignments. It helps us market your cattle. We talk to buyers all the time - they want to know what’s coming in. We are seeing good demand on weigh up cows & bulls. It sure makes a big difference on how they are sorted. Let our crew sort and class your cows. This will help you receive full market value for your cows.
We have trucks available for your hauling needs, pasture to pasture or from your Ranch to the sale yard.
See you and your Friends at Ringside Soon! 12 July / August 2014
The Progressive Rancher
www.progressiverancher.com
Nevada Rangeland Resources Commission by Rachel Buzzetti, Executive Director
I
Town of Genoa
n early May the Nevada Rangeland Resources Commission (NRRC) partnered with the Town of Genoa on the Genoa Cowboy Festival. The festival attracted people from all over the nation and through entertainment, visual arts, education and exhibits they promoted the heritage of rural Nevada. Each year the festival presents poetry and musical concerts throughout the day as well as approximately 60 educational workshops ranging from historical portrayals of western icons to Blacksmithing and Farrier demonstrations. In an effort to educate the public about the importance of Nevada’s public land ranchers during the festival, NRRC’s two most recent documentaries were shown. After viewing “The Endangered West” and “Rangeland Under Fire,” Dennis Golden the producer of the series provided commentary on the issues and challenges contemporary ranchers’ face, which was addressed in the two shows. By reviewing these two documentaries the Festival’s attendees specifically developed a better understanding on rural issues like wildfire, wild horses and the sage grouse issues. The town of Genoa is the first settlement of Nevada, being established in 1851. Due in part to the friendliness of the volunteers and the community; The Genoa Cowboy Festival has grown in popularity each year as they promote the history and culture of the first ranchers and Basque families to settle. The Festival promoted their message to both young adults and 50+ year olds in an effort to enrich their lives of the younger and older generations as they gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the unique ranching and western heritage in Nevada.
Nevada Ranchers Caretakers of our
Rangelands
Cowboys and sheepherders produce food and fiber for the nation. Growing food on Open range is a natural biological process.
Grazing actually benefits the land with hoof action and natural fertilization. Plants are healthier and regenerate faster after the herds move to a new range.
Department of Agriculture and University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Offer Free Agriculture Certification and Training for Farmers
SPARKS, Nev. -- The Nevada Department of Agriculture and University of Nevada Cooperative Extension are now offering free Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) training and certification to interested Nevada farmers. GAP certification helps agriculture operations reduce food safety risks through the use of sound agriculture and good handling practices. This training and certification provides Nevada farmers a proactive step to ensure they follow industry set standards. Becoming GAP certified also helps guarantee customer safety and is a beneficial marketing tool for operations looking to sell to retail outlets and compete with out-of-state farms. Training is available through the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. Participants learn how to implement and create a produce safety plan specific to their individual business or company. The Department is seeking interested farming operations to participate in a GAP training tentatively planned for fall 2014. In addition to training, the Department of Agriculture is offering free mock audits to interested farmers to determine audit scoring prior to an official audit. Training, mock audits and certification are available to farmers interested in participating in the GAP program until September 2015. “In an effort to strengthen Nevada’s produce industry, our department is providing tools and resources needed by producers to meet industry based standards,” said Katie Jameson, the Department’s Farmer Assistance Program coordinator. “This program is a great resource to farmers especially because they can receive training and complete the certification for free.” All Nevada farmers growing and selling fresh fruits and vegetables can participate in the free GAP program. Interested individuals can contact Katie Jameson at kjameson@ agri.nv.gov for more information about training, certification and free mock audits. Please visit http://agri.nv.gov/GAP/ for more information about the Good Agriculture Practices program. www.progressiverancher.com
Antelope and other game animals and birds take advantage of the improvements made by ranchers.
Grazing cattle and sheep coexist peacefully with native wildlife and, in fact, make a friendlier habitat for many species.
Sheep often graze on steep terrain and can control cheatgrass, a major fuel for wildfires.
Nevada Rangeland Resources Commission was created by the State of Nevada to promote responsible public land grazing. Representatives come from Nevada state grazing boards, Nevada Woolgrowers, Nevada Farm Bureau, and Nevada Cattlemen’s Association.
4780 East Idaho Steet, Elko, NV 89801 • 775-738-4082 WWW.NEVADARANGELANDS.ORG This ad is funded through the NRRC’s assessment of 10 cents an AUM paid by public land ranchers.
The Progressive Rancher
July / August 2014 13
Offered for Your Consideration: What positive efforts can Nevada’s livestock industry implement for sage-grouse management? Barry L. Perryman, Professor of Rangeland Ecology and Management, University of Nevada-Reno Brad Schultz, Extension Educator, Humboldt County, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
If we are going to manage sagebrush ecosystems as though the greater sage-grouse is listed as threatened or endangered, in order to keep it from being listed, then what’s the difference? When people ask this question in public meetings, it has been our experience that they receive blank facial expressions from those tasked with the determination. Nevada ranchers are at a crossroads of decision making. What can be done and what should be done by land and wildlife managers (including ranchers) may be two entirely different things. Furthermore, some solutions may be entirely out of the control of the affected parties, such as the Nevada ranching industry. The critical question is what can public land ranchers and the Nevada livestock industry do for sage-grouse that would also improve their odds of maintaining viable businesses, and perhaps even increase the production and efficiency of their operations? We cannot provide a definitive answer for all operations, but we do offer our opinion on what we believe is a productive and reasonable direction for many. First, we must frame the discussion. Sage-grouse populations have periodic increases and decreases due to the vagaries of weather, predator population cycles, diseases and other factors; however, the long-term base level population decline is what wildlife management agencies are concerned about. New research indicates what many individuals in Nevada have recognized for a very long time: the state lacks late-season brood habitat. Wildfires have certainly created lower quality habitat across vast acreages, but significant amounts of winter, breeding, nesting, and early-brood rearing habitat remain in many areas. It is the summer dry season where the amount of high quality sagegrouse habitat falls short. Indeed, Nevada is short on summer habitat for many wildlife species. This is the reason why in some areas pronghorn antelope often use comparatively moist mountain slopes at elevations to 8,000 feet or higher, or irrigated alfalfa stands on otherwise dry valley bottoms. Animals must move to locations with green and growing forages to meet the nutritional needs of nursing mothers and/or rapidly growing young. Sage-grouse are no exception. After they hatch, young birds eat a lot of forbs in upland plant communities (along with insects which serve as their main, initial source of protein), but as the season becomes warmer and drier, forbs in these upland communities quickly dry up and stop providing the nutritional base needed by growing chicks. The birds must move to a more reliable source of succulent nutritious forage. Often this means moving to one of two general areas: either up in elevation where mesic sites have green forage longer into the summer or to lower elevation, irrigated or subirrigated meadows. If the birds move up in elevation, they use primarily public lands. If they move to lower elevation meadows, they use primarily private lands. It is precisely the potential of these private lands we wish to address. Now let’s review a bit of history. There were times during the first half of the 20th century when sage-grouse were, at least locally, much more numerous than today. We also know that the sagebrush ecosystem has always been at risk for wildfire. This risk is not new, but admittedly greater at
14 July / August 2014
Kent McAdoo, Natural Resources Specialist, Elko County, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Steve Foster, Extension Educator, Pershing County, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
lower and drier elevations with dense infestations of cheatgrass. Likewise, millions of acres with little or no cheatgrass have also burned in fires driven by high cover and standing crop of sagebrush and bunchgrasses. A good case can also be made that legacy effects (poor grazing management prior to the Taylor Grazing Act, near complete fire suppression, and inadequate knowledge of how western ecosystems worked) have altered fire regimes, in some instances, beyond their normal range of variability. Some areas have much shorter fire intervals and others, much longer than before settlement. We have improved our grazing management considerably since the 1930’s, but there are still some areas where better grazing management could be, and should be implemented. However, appropriate livestock grazing management alone does not seem to be appreciably improving the plight of sage-grouse. Better management of sagebrush ecosystems is always paramount for any number of reasons, including sage-grouse, but the ranching industry should become proactive and look at specific vegetation management actions that could directly improve the sage-grouse habitat in shortest supply: mid- and late-summer brood rearing areas. Instead of lamenting what is out of the ranching industry’s control, let’s ask a very important question. If, according to wildlife biologists, the big general bottleneck for increasing sage-grouse numbers at population levels in Nevada is a shortage of late-season brood habitat, and if numbers were once much higher than they are today, just what has changed in the intervening period? What on the landscape has changed that may account for the bottleneck and the numerical decline? The answer may be found in one word, homesteads. At least hundreds if not thousands of small, lower elevation homesteads have disappeared over the past 100 years as they were abandoned or subsumed, but not always maintained by larger outfits. What is so important about abandoned homesteads? We believe they are the key to understanding the population bottleneck. The early reports of large numbers of sage-grouse coincide with the establishment of many small homesteads across the landscape. When early settlers discovered they could not profit on the small acreages allowed by the homestead acts, they either moved, or sold out and left those operations to larger outfits. This is important for two very critical reasons. One, in general terms, every small homestead was located on a stream or large spring and diverted water to establish a little hay meadow or series of hay meadows. Theses meadows were usually small floodirrigated areas that were used primarily for the old milk cow and a small number of subsistence sheep or beef cows. As homesteaders moved on, most of the small, human created meadows up and down the creek bottoms, and at the mouths of canyons, were abandoned and fell into varying states of disrepair. We all know of these former meadows that are found almost everywhere a small perennial, intermittent, or ephemeral stream occurs. Some of them have even brushed up, limiting their potential to grow understory forage. There are literally hundreds and maybe thousands of these former, human created meadows that no longer provide any lateseason brood habitat for sage-grouse. For example, there The Progressive Rancher
may have been as many as thirty homesteads in Grass Valley just south of Cortez, NV. The College of Agriculture’s Gund Ranch is now comprised of approximately 12-14 of these former homesteads. Imagine if you will, several thousand of these little meadows producing late-season brood habitat from the 1890s through the 1950s, scattered throughout lower elevation rangeland sites that typically see the forb component of the vegetation become desiccated and useless by early to mid-June. Second, we must recognize management actions associated with these small homestead meadows. There undoubtedly was a concerted effort to control predators around the homestead. All the homesteader kids or bachelor residents with a slingshot, .410 shotgun, .22, or other weapon at their disposal, were killing every badger, fox, coyote, magpie, raven, crow, eagle, hawk, and bobcat they could line up in their sights. The family’s very survival often depended upon it. These critters preyed on the family chickens, lambs, and calves, and without doubt on the sage-grouse that depended on the recently established meadows. So what has changed since sage-grouse darkened the sky in Nevada? We have lost significant amounts of late-season brood habitat and the concentrated, local predator control around it. Remember, a lack of late-season brood habitat is now recognized as a critical bottleneck to increased population levels of sage-grouse at lower elevations in many parts of Nevada. Now, back to what ranchers can control. The vast majority of these old homestead meadows occur on private lands. It is our contention that efforts to increase sage-grouse populations in Nevada will be marginal unless the ranching industry comes to the rescue. Ranchers own much of the land that provides a significant part of the answer. They control many of the homestead sites that were once productive meadows and they own the water needed to improve those meadows. Animal agriculture to a large degree created the conditions that allowed sage-grouse to darken the skies, and animal agriculture holds at least one important key to solving the riddle today. Furthermore, the redevelopment of historic homestead meadows can provide additional feed for livestock, and research has clearly shown that sage-grouse prefer moderately grazed meadows over both ungrazed and heavily grazed meadows. The Natural Resources Conservation Service has several cost share programs that producers can access to improve and create more, late-season brood habitat. There are other types of opportunities available as well. Is it time that Nevada ranchers, as a professional community, realize they have an important role to play in removing the greater sage-grouse from either consideration or actual listing as a threatened or endangered species? We believe the ranching industry may control much of its own destiny. A concerted movement by the industry, accompanied by an appropriate public relations effort, would go a long way toward delisting efforts. Neither we nor the livestock industry have all the answers, and the concept we have presented is not the magic bullet for everybody. However, we believe it deserves serious consideration by the Nevada livestock industry. www.progressiverancher.com
USDA Announces Landmark Commitment to Improve Sage-Grouse Habitat Nevada-California Ranchers to Benefit WASHINGTON, June 20, 2014--Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced a ground-breaking commitment from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to accelerate and focus conservation efforts that will benefit ranchers and also the distinct population of greater sage-grouse population that lives along the border of Nevada and California. The bi-state population of sage-grouse is being considered for protection under the Endangered Species Act. “With proactive conservation investments, we’re helping farmers and ranchers who are improving habitat through voluntary efforts to stabilize this population of sage-grouse,” said Vilsack. “Through action such as this, along with the support of our partners, we can help secure this species’ future and maintain our vibrant western economies.” USDA will provide up to $25.5 million of conservation investments over the next five to ten years as part of its contribution to delivering the federal, state and local 2012 BiState Action Plan, a conservation strategy that will benefit the sage-grouse population in both states. The plan, sanctioned by the Department of the Interior’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), aims to focus resources on cost effective and efficient solutions that could avert the need to list the bistate population as “threatened” or “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act. Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) also announced a $6.5 million commitment over the next ten years to implement a wide range of priority conservation activities on the public lands it manages to improve sage-grouse habitat. The BLM is coordinating with the U.S. Forest Service to amend resource management plans that will include standards and guidelines designed to conserve and enhance sage grouse habitat. “We have made it a high priority to engage in voluntary partnership with ranchers, farmers and other landowners to conserve the wildlife and habitat that are so important to our heritage and way of life,” said Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell. “I applaud the NRCS, USFS and the BLM for their very significant commitments, which will help provide certainty that important conservation actions in key areas of the bird’s habitat will continue to be implemented. Together, we can make our landscapes work for both agriculture and the bi-state sage-grouse.” The U.S. Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), both USDA agencies, are leading the Sage-Grouse Initiative (SGI) and will have the means to fully carry out conservation practices and policy changes agreed upon by the Bi-State Local Area Working Group in its action plan. The announcement comes at the conclusion of an extended public comment period on
the USFWS proposal to federally list the bi-state population of greater sage-grouse as a threatened species. A final decision on the proposal is expected by April 28, 2015. Since 2010, USDA has funded $27.5 million of conservation efforts, primarily through working with farmers, ranchers and other land managers in on-the-ground projects that address critical threats identified in the action plan. Conservation easements on private lands are keeping working ranches intact that provide important wetlands for growing sage-grouse broods. Removal of conifers that have invaded sagebrush-steppe is restoring sage-grouse habitat on private and public lands. The Bi-State Executive Oversight Committee estimates it will cost about $38 million more to fully implement the remaining priority actions identified in the action plan for California and Nevada. The U.S. Forest Service and NRCS will provide over 80 percent of that estimated need under the new agreement with a focus on high impactful projects. The Sage-Grouse Initiative teams up with partners in 11 western states to achieve wildlife conservation through sustainable ranching. From 2010 to 2013, the initiative enrolled more than 950 ranches and conserved 6,000 square miles through NRCS investments of $247 million that generated $107 million in partners’ matching funds for a total of $354 million of on-the-ground sage grouse conservation. To view the bi-state letter and detailed implementation plans for bi-state sage grouse conservation, please visit: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detailfull/national/ programs/initiatives/?cid=steldevb1027671 Today’s announcement was made possible by the 2014 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past five years, while achieving meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers. Since enactment, USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical legislation, including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk management tools; expanding access to rural credit; funding critical research; establishing innovative public-private conservation partnerships; developing new markets for rural-made products; and investing in infrastructure, housing and community facilities to help improve quality of life in rural America. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/ farmbill
PINENUT
We have More than we Can Print! Look what we have for you online— ALERT!!! Capital Press Reports on Historic From Sage Grouse Initiative News
Agreement in Harney County, Oregon, and SGI in Idaho From NCBA
Horses in Crisis Video from Protect The Harvest and the United Horsemen
Q&A: Tax Options for Drought Sales of Livestock AND
Weather-Related Sales of Livestock
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Forest Service & BLM Release
Revised DEIS for the Bi-State Sage-Grouse Revised DEIS is on our website
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July / August 2014 15
A New Model of Ranching: Sustainability & Quality By Heidi Saucedo, Marketing Coordinator, Bently Enterprises
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Bently Ranch has one foot in the traditions of the Old West and the other in the future of ranching.
ounded in 1997 by Christopher and Donald Bently, a local father and son team, Bently Ranch raises its cattle with minimal impact on the environment while providing quality products to a global market. The Ranch strives to preserve the surrounding lands and to give back to its community while succeeding as a business. The original commercial cowherd was established to compete with any cowherd in the country, without the use of growth hormones. The Angus, Hereford, and Charlois cattle have been bred and selected to be well suited to the high desert climate, resulting in the top-of-the-line beef they are known for. The cattle spend summers in Carson Valley and on private and federal land near Bridgeport, CA, and winter in Red Bluff, CA. All cattle are independently verified by IMI Global, and are certified NHTC (non hormone treated cattle), GAP Level 4, Age and Source Verified, with a majority being certified All Natural. The cattle sold to the commodity market go to facilities in the Midwest or the Pacific Northwest, and the resulting beef is shipped to Asia, the Pacific Rim, and Europe because American beef is the world’s gold standard for quality and taste. In 2012 the direct to consumer grass fed beef program was instituted, with meat becoming available locally a year later. The beef was an immediate success with demand often outpacing supply. The Certified Natural, Certified Hormone Free beef is rated GAP Level 4 (Pasture Centered) by the Global Animal Partnership 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating Standard. As per certification guidelines, any animal that is doctored with antibiotics of any kind is removed from the grass fed beef program and marketed elsewhere. The cattle are harvested at Wolf Pack Meats, a part of the University of Nevada College of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resources, where the beef is then dry aged for three weeks. The grass fed beef is now available at restaurants throughout Northern Nevada, as well as locally and online. An important part of the success of the ranch is its farming operation. In addition to raising cattle, they mainly farm alfalfa, alfalfa/grass, and small grains such as wheat and barley. While most of the hay is sold to large dairy operations in one-ton bales, some of the hay is available for purchase by horse owners. The rest is used to supplement the cowherd as needed. Crop rotation and maximizing the use of land plays an important part in preserving the local ecology: the Ranch’s cowherds only use acreage that is not suitable for farming, and they engage in leasing arrangements of portions of the farm land to seed garlic growers. The farm uses effluent water from three neighboring waste treatment facilities to irrigate crops, reducing the demand on local water sources while maximizing crop output. In addition to the effluent water, the ranch has two private water reservoirs to fall back on in times of drought like the last three years have brought. The use of sprinkler irrigation pivots instead of flood irrigation controls the amount of water used, so the plants receive exactly what they need, and nothing more… another boon to the farm in times of drought. The pivots are monitored by a SCADA system, a computer based system that collects data in real time to control resource distribution. This allows remote control of water flows and immediate alerts if something breaks, reducing monitoring manpower and increasing response time for problems. General Manager Matt McKinney says, “It’s a wonderful system. The best part is that we know right away if something goes down. We get text alerts, and can send someone to
make repairs anytime. It saves a lot of time and money.” Matt can control everything from water flow to fertilizer use from his computer or mobile device. The ranch has begun growing winter wheat, barley, rye, oats, and corn that will be turned into distilled spirits by their sister company Bently Heritage, one of the first estate distilleries in Nevada. Wheat and barley have long been grown in rotation with the alfalfa crops, but growing corn caused a small hiccup, so they went to a well-known farmer for help. They are working with Colby Frey, of Churchill Vineyards in Fallon, to plant and harvest the corn that is destined to become bourbon whiskey. The first grains will be ready for harvest this summer, and will be stored in custombuilt silos. Bently Ranch started the process of organic certification for a portion of the farmland, and a portion of the pastureland to maintain an organic cowherd. The certification process takes approximately three years, and in 2016 they anticipate growing certified organic small grains for the distillery, and sustaining an organic grass fed cowherd. The organic cowherd will be monitored closely. Any medical intervention of any kind will result in the cow/calf pair being removed from the program. The final ingredient in the successful commercial ranch is the compost operation. Bio mass such as grass clippings, tumbleweeds, yard debris, and wood waste is accepted from the community as well as the regional waste transfer station. In 2013 alone 20,037 tons of compostable waste was diverted from landfills and incinerators. In addition to the community bio mass, they accept bio solids from five local waste treatment plants, and are in discussion to accept bio solids from two more. The compost is made up of roughly one-third bio solids to two-thirds green and wood waste. The ingredients are watered and turned daily, and brought to temperatures of 130 degrees minimum for three weeks to destroy pathogens. Mature in 90 days, the compost is then used on fields helping to reduce the need for expensive chemical fertilizers. On fields where the compost has been used, the nutritional composition of the soil is significantly higher, and has increased waterholding properties. Thanks in part to the composting of the Bently Ranch, Douglas County has the highest recycling rate in Nevada. At almost 50%, this is no small feat given that recycling in the county is voluntary. The ranch’s commitment to the ecology of Carson Valley means that it gives back where it can, capitalizing on opportunities to help the local farming community. For example, the ranch instituted the Buckeye Creek Realignment Project to address flood threats that had great potential to damage its neighbors, but not necessarily the ranch’s property. Keeping to its philosophy of protecting ecosystems and communities rather than merely its own interests, the project diverted a flood path away from a local community of farmers and into Bently pastures — it’s better for the ranch in the long term to lose a crop but to see its neighbors prosper as well. As a model of sustainable ranching, Bently Ranch strives to take one of America’s oldest industries into the future by protecting the local environment as well as its local community — all while raising quality cattle. By promoting and developing an innovative ranching and farming model that can be used throughout the United States, Bently Ranch strives to meet the needs of a growing New West while keeping the best traditions of the Old West.
Photos courtesy Bently Ranch 16 July / August 2014
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Wells FFA Introduces New Officers
This year’s Wells FFA chapter new officers. Left to right: Treasurer: DeMar Gale, Reporter: Tessa Hubert, Sentinel: Joseph Tate, Vice President: Rachel Johnny, Secretary: Hailey Swan, President: Deseret Johnson, Historian: Chelsea James.
Raffle for Gator Utility Vehicle Held To Benefit Nevada FFA State Convention
SPARKS, Nev. – Nevada FFA is holding a raffle to win a 2013 825i John Deere Gator Crossover Utility Vehicle in support of the FFA state convention and agricultural education as a special project of the Nevada FFA Foundation, BuyNevada.org and Renner Equipment. Tickets are being sold for $20, and only 1,000 tickets are available. The drawing will be held on September 20, 2014. Winners need not be present to win. The Gator will be displayed at various FFA supporter locations in the coming months. Each year over 500 students travel from across Nevada to the Nevada FFA Convention to compete in agricultural career development events, to volunteer and to attend motivational sessions. In addition to the raffle, you can support Nevada FFA activities and agricultural education with the purchase of a specialty agriculture license plate through the DMV. To learn more about Nevada FFA or to purchase raffle tickets, please visit nvaged. nv.gov or contact 775-721-6052
Buy Nevada is a Nevada Department of Agriculture program promoting businesses that grow and make Nevada food and agricultural products. Free memberships available. JOIN ONLINE /BuyNevada | BuyNevada.org
Buy Nevada is supported with Nevada agriculture license plate sales. Buy a plate today to help promote one of the state’s oldest and most important industries. } www.dmvnv.com Thank you to Buy Nevada’s Platinum Members
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July / August 2014 17
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Fumes FROM THE Farm by Hank Vogler
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ell the cowboys can’t have all the fun. The eco-terrorists and the fact less scientists are after the sheep industry. An arbitrary and capricious ruling has been made in Idaho in the Payette National Forest concerning wild and domestic sheep. The ramifications West wide are huge. The facts less scientists are demanding a huge amount of buffer zone for the wild sheep. If this ruling is adopted for all forests then several Wyoming, Idaho Utah, Colorado, and Nevada sheep ranching families will be wiped out. For years the eco-terrorists have used laboratory conditions to prove that a sick sheep and a big horn penned together can pass on pneumonia. They even used a genetically modified organism to prove that the disease would transmit from one to the other. Even though when you create a new strain, you have no idea of its virulence and effects as it is impossible to know what the results are, just that a new organism would make both species react, possibly over react, as the animals in question may have zero tolerance. I suppose if you locked up an American, an Asian, a European, and An African in the same room they could pass around stress related pneumonia. For years the tool of disease transmission has been a great money machine for the wild sheep advocates. If you look into the cost of a grand slam of North American sheep, to get all four, it can be spendy, especially the Nelson Desert Big Horn. If you can’t draw a tag as here in Nevada, it will cost a ton of money in Mexico. So at first blush it appears that a wellhealed donor to the cause is likely to cough up big dollars toward the cause of destroying family ranches. Every time there is a die off rallying the troops is easy. I was quite fortunate in my endeavor to get the grand slam as two of the sub-species were drawn here in Nevada. I went to Canada for the Stone and Dall sheep. I got my Dall sheep in the Northwest Territory of Canada. There was a veterinarian at Palmer Lake base camp that was studying a recent pneumonia die-off. Her conclusions were pointing towards predator stress and weather stress that allowed the pneumonia to flourish in the Dall sheep as a secondary invader. Her words were that most animals have the organism that causes the pneumonia in their system and the trigger of stress causes the organism to over whelm the animal and can be fatal. Keep in mind; there were no domestic sheep or goats within fifteen hundred miles of Palmer Lake. My next adventure took me to Toad River in Alberta for the Stone sheep. My guide took us on a vertical death march up a mountain that was steeper than a cows face. When we were near the top, we stopped and the guide began to look at the mountain range across the valley. I asked the guide why not look around on this side of the valley as we had a lot of sweat equity in our climb. His reply was that the sheep stay over there. If we spotted one we will go back down and then climb the other cliff face to get close enough to shoot. Boy, great fun. I ask the guide about die-offs in the area. His reply was that they were a regular occurrence. He said sheep were habitual and they get infested with lungworms and then with weather and predators as stressors, they get pneumonia and die off. Keep in mind that hunting is a huge industry in Canada and it keeps a lot of communities alive. I asked what do you do in a die-off? His answer was shoot all the wolves you can find in the area in the winter so the predation stress is minimal and the survivors will get to spring and the lambs will grow up. If you keep predation low and lamb recruitment high, back they come. This hunt was also hundreds of miles from domestic sheep or goats. Could it be politics here in America? Could it be that the eco-terrorists and the cottage industry of fact-less scientists have conspired to get in huge dollars for their cause; even if it means willfully destroying ranch families? My own experience with wild sheep and brushes with domestic sheep have been growing over the years. We named one wild sheep Chin Creek Chin. He spent seven summers with my sheep when we were in the area of his domain. He was very interested in the selenium salt we put out for our sheep. He would come up to the herder within a few feet and lick his lips. His girlfriends and their off springs were a little more timid. As soon as the herder left they would run to the rocks that the salt was on and eat their fill. If that doesn’t replicate nose-to-nose contact I ason and don’t know what does. Nevada Department 2213 N. 5th St. , Elko, NV 89801 of Wildlife found out about our friend and killed him so he wouldn’t walk a hundred 775-738-8811, 800-343-0077 miles sick with pneumonia and infect sheep www.edwardjones.com on the Rubies. I can’t walk very far with a
cold, how could a wild sheep walk a hundred miles with full-blown pneumonia? Once I had a band of sheep within a few miles of wild sheep in the East Humboldt’s. Several months after we left a die-off occurred. Contrary to fact-less scientists beliefs, there is no money in running sick sheep. We vaccinate and give antibiotics to our sheep that are not thrifty. I volunteered to have this band tested to see if there was any connection with the die-off. Even though my sheep had been gone for months and the incubation period for the pneumonia was long gone, it would have once again maybe helped to solve the issue. After several phone calls, no one returned my calls or tested my sheep. Fences or other barriers do not restrict wild sheep, so when three young rams showed up in Hercules Gap near Ely, people went to see them. One of them was hit and killed by a car. Maybe we should ban cars within twenty miles of wild sheep? The truth is that a wild sheep has as greater chance of being hit by a meteor than it does in the wild of dying by contact with domestic sheep. Predators, drought, stress and natural factors are of greater risk. The real reason is money and removing of domestic livestock from the West. If a risk assessment were done, there would be a huge number of zeros in the percentage of risk. No one wants to talk about wild sheep being habitual. No one wants to talk about the early miners consuming wild sheep for protein and driving the number so low in the early nineteen hundreds that most wild sheep are very in-bred. No one discusses mineral deficiency that’s too much work. The short cut is blame domestic sheep. So if the eco-terrorists and the fact-less scientists succeed, a lot of ranch families will be destroyed for not. Lots of wool, protein meals and by-products will be gone. The plants that sheep consume are generally not edible by humans and the products they produce are from renewable natural resources. Where the cowboys are going to blow a gasket is that in the areas where the eco-terrorists and fact-less scientists can’t find domestic sheep to blame die-offs on, they are blaming cattle. The pneumonia strain is called shipping fever in cattle, again stress. Predator control would help recruitment of wild sheep and also sage grouse and mule deer; but the anti grazing crowd won’t stop until thy get us all. Welcome to the party cow persons. We either hang together or we will all hang individually. Hang and Rattle Hank
— 600 Black Heifers —
AI’d with Angus bulls Final Answer 2 and Cedar Ridge (both calving ease) Will ultrasound June 2nd. For sale immediately after.
Call or Stop By!
atulations Congrto the NSHSRA
National Team
J
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B. L
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July / August 2014 19
We All Fought Together as an Industry Should By Rex Steninger attle from the Tomera and Filippini families are back Filippini and Shawn Mariluch hold grazing rights on the allotment. The closure is the latest example of what the ranchers say is on Mount Lewis, thanks to a grass-roots protest organized by Elko County Commissioner Grant Gerber and joined heavy-handed treatment by the BLM. To prove their contention, they point out that 56 percent of the huge allotment is private property. by hundreds of the rancherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s friends and neighbors. In February, Bureau of Land Management Battle Mountain The government owns less than half the land, but issues orders that District Manager Doug Furtado told the members of the extended affect hundreds of thousands of acres of private property. Pete Tomera, who holds the majority of the grazing rights on Tomera and Filippini families that he was closing the Mount Lewis portion of the Argenta Allotment to grazing this year because of the the allotment, explains he has always cooperated with the BLM and continuing drought. That decision left the families with no place to takes pride in the fact he has never been cited by the federal agency graze their cattle and kindled Gerberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s effort to pressure the BLM to for improper grazing practices. He also says he has cooperated with the BLMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s concern over the drought and voluntarily accepted a cut reverse the closure and remove Furtado from office. On May 23, Furtado relented and allowed the ranchers to turn of 8,000 AUMs last year and had offered to reduce his grazing by out their cattle. But despite the reversal, Gerber vows to continue his 11,000 AUMs this year before Furtadoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision to close the mounprotest until Furtado is gone. tain completely. He added he currently has grazing rights for 24,000 AUMs Gerber, an Elko attorney, explained that he had represented the Tomera family in an earlier legal matter and said he advised them within the Argenta Allotment, which reflects a 50 percent reduction against pursing a lawsuit against Furtadoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision. He said their imposed by the BLM in the 1960s. He says he could understand the closure if the allotment truly chances of success were slim and the cost would be financially devastating. He advised the ranchers they had a better chance pursuing could not support his cows, but that is not the case. The last three months have brought much needed relief from the recent drought and relief in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Court of Public Opinion.â&#x20AC;? The Argenta Allotment, surrounding Mount Lewis south of the range is in good condition. But Furtado says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;They see green grass out there and all they Battle Mountain, encompasses 335,000 acres. It is bound roughly by the Austin highway on the west and the Crescent Valley highway see is forage for grazing. It is not forage, it is recovery.â&#x20AC;? He adds that on the east. The families of Pete Tomera, Paul Tomera, Dan Tomera, he is charged with monitoring the range and implementing grazHank Filippini, Dan Flippini, Billie Filippini, Jim Filippini, John ing reductions when he finds resource damage. He commended the ranchers for their concessions last year, but says those reductions were not effective in preventing damage. He said his agents have boxes of research documenting extensive degradation of Photos top left: Nevada the allotment. Assemblyman Ira Hanson The Tomeras answer that Furtadoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s docu(lower photo) who represents mentation is purposely manipulated to make the District 32 shares information range look worse than it really is and they hired from the meeting he and Bob Schweigert of Intermountain Range ConNevada State Senator Pete sultants in Winnemucca to prove their point. Goicoechea (top photo) Schweigert summarized his extensive research attended when ranchers met by calling this season a normal year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Certainly with the Battle Mountain, not drought conditions by forage standards,â&#x20AC;? he added. Nevada BLM office. Both In addition to the voluntary reductions in men had been told by the their AUMs, the Tomera family also agreed to a BLM Office no meeting was BLM recommendation that they build a 16-mile scheduled with any rancher, fence to separate the BLM controlled land from however, there was a meeting their private land. They hired a contractor to the and every one arrived at the tune of more than $80,000 and the fence was meeting place much to the completed this spring. BLMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surprise. Tomera has been selling cows all year to
C
Smoked Bear says:
1 1 79 5 6 6 175 6554 85 1 9 1 5 81 5 255 2 5 54 9 8
Righthand page: Mr and Mrs Tomera and Nevada Cattlemenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Association President Ron Torell with other other ranchers stand in tall grass and not a cow turned out at the time of the grass tour in May.
Photo taken by Leana Stitzel at the Tomera Grass Tour
SmokedBear.com â&#x20AC;&#x192;20â&#x20AC;&#x192;July / August 2014
Leana Stitzel Photos
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get down to numbers that would have satisfied his voluntary reduction in AUMs. “I have been sending out a semi load of cattle every other week,” the rancher said in May. But he still has 1,800 cows and their calves on his private pastures and they would have been out of feed by June 1. Gerber says the Tomera family was caught in a horrible position. They were given no notice of the impending closure and had very little recourse. Gerber organized a Grass Tour of the allotment on May 17 and 200 area residents turned out to see for themselves the abundant forage. It was at that gathering that range expert Schweigert publicly reported his assessment of the range, explaining that grass heights were four times as high as last year’s. John Carpenter of Elko introduced the various elected representatives that were there to show their support. They included Nevada State Senator Pete Goicoechea, Nevada Assemblymen Ira Hansen and John Ellison, Nevada Cattlemen’s Association President Ron Torell, the Lander County Commission and the Elko County Commission, the Pershing County District Attorney and the Humboldt County Deputy District Attorney. U.S. Senator Dean Heller and U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei sent staffers to voice their support. Carpenter asked if anyone in the group was there to represent the BLM. When no one stepped forwarded, Carpenter quipped, “I guess that says a lot, since we made a special effort to invite them.” Director Furtado also has failed to return phone messages left at his desk over the past weeks seeking comment. All of those who spoke offered support for the ranchers and condemnation of the BLM, but Schweigert, an expert in range rehabilitation, came loaded with facts and figures he had gathered over the past several weeks after conducting a scientific evaluation of the allotment on behalf of the ranchers. Smoked Bear made an appearance during the tour and sat in the tall grass with Alyx Vogler and a group of children. Vogler had a big sack of stuffed animals and pulled out one at a time and asked the kids, “If all this grass catches fire, do you think this little critter will make it out?” “No,” the kids replied. “That’s right,” Vogler answered, “it will die.” Gerber explained that, on a very low average, three animals are killed in every acre that burns in a wild fire. Using that figure, over a million animals would die if the entire 340,000-acre Argenta Allotment burned. On top of that, millions of tax dollars would be wasted fighting the fire and the lives of hundreds of fire-fighters would be put at risk. Assemblyman Hansen (R-Reno) accused the BLM’s Furtado of pushing a political agenda with flawed science and also accused him of intimidation and deceit. He told the audience that he had first-hand knowledge of the district manager’s deceit. He explained he was encouraged by Sen. Goicoechea to attend a meeting this winter between the ranchers on the allotment and Furtado. However, Goicoechea didn’t know the exact time of the meeting, so Hansen called the Battle Mountain BLM office and asked to speak to Director Furtado. Furtado told him that no meeting was in the works. But within an hour of his phone call to Furtado, Hansen received another call from a rancher that reported the meeting was definitely being held and Furtado had just warned him that if Sen. Goicoechea and Assemblyman Hansen attended, he would cancel the meeting. Despite that warning, Hansen called his bluff and attended the meeting. He told the Saturday gathering that encounter with the director serves as testimony to the character of the man. To back up his claim of intimidation, Hansen explained when a petition to remove Furtado from office was first started in Battle Mountain, Furtado sent out an armed ranger dressed in “full SWAT costume” to the hardware store where the petition was available. The ranger warned it was “a federal offense to threaten a BLM employee” and proceeded to take pictures of the petition. The intimidation backfired, however, and petitions now are also available in Elko, Winnemucca and Eureka. Gerber guesses close to 1,000 signatures have been collected
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so far. The county commissioner also reminded everyone that the petition is not a threat, but the exercise of the rights guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution. The First Amendment reads, “Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech… or the right of the people… to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” “The citizens of the Battle Mountain BLM District have been harmed by the decisions made by Director Furtado and it is their right to petition their elected representatives. Now it is the duty of those representatives to remedy the problem,” Gerber said. Assemblyman Ellison (R-Elko) addressed the crowd during one of the stops along the tour and pointed to children playing on the surrounding hills, “There is a truly endangered species – our future generation of ranchers.” He then cautioned everyone to stand together or the federal government would destroy them one at a time, “just like a predator attacking a herd.” Alan Dueck of Battle Mountain echoed that theme and added, “This tour should not end on this mountain. The real work begins when we leave.” He implored everyone in attendance to go home and begin writing letters to their elected officials and the BLM. “Letters work,” he said. Elko County Commissioner and long-time states’ rights advocate Demar Dahl reminded those in attendance that the problems they were witnessing were typical. “Washington makes the decisions about our public lands from thousands of miles away,” he said. “You can only vote for a few of those in Congress and you can vote for none of the bureaucrats whose decisions impact your life directly. It is time to transfer the management of the lands closer to home.” Lenny Shepard of Battle Mountain was one of the last to address the assembled citizens. “We have our elected officials here supporting us, we have a range consultant that says the allotment can support the cows, and we have our sheriff here. Open the gates,” he demanded. Gerber then organized a Grass March that he likened to Ghandi’s Salt March in India. Where Ghandi’s march called attention to the British monopoly on salt in India, Gerber’s march called attention to the federal government’s monopoly on Nevada’s grass. The federal government claims ownership of nearly 90 percent of Nevada’s land and even exercises effective control of hundreds of thousands of acres more of private property through the railroad corridor The Elko County Commissioner then organized a Cowboy Express that carried the petitions Pony Express style from Elko to the Governor’s Mansion in Carson City. Nev. Gov. Brian Sandoval accepted the petitions and promised to pursue the complaints against Furtado to the highest levels of the federal government. Rallies were held across the state as the Cowboy Express passed through the various communities. In Lovelock, Pershing County rancher Mike Gottschalk said recent government actions remind him of the famous quotation by Martin Niemoller, a Protestant pastor that emerged as an outspoken public foe of Adolf Hitler and who spent the last seven years of Nazi rule in a concentration camp. “First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Socialist,” Niemoller said. “Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me.” The same can be said of our current government, Gottschalk points out. “First they came to save the spotted owl, and we did not speak out and thousands of timber jobs were lost. Then they came to save the tortoise, and we did not speak out and all the Clark County ranchers were destroyed. Then they came to save the horses, and we did not speak out and our ranges are now over run with them. Now they are coming to save the sagehen, and remove all the ranchers, recreationists and sportsmen. It is time we all stand up for our rights and speak out, or there soon will be no one left to speak for us.”
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July / August 2014 21
CIVIL RE SISTANCE The Difference Between a Privilege and a Right It is understandable why ranchers are worried about the future of their grazing rights on public lands. When the government unilaterally changes the rancher’s permit to a license, granting the rancher only a revocable interest in grazing on the public lands there is more at stake than just the type of document. The threat to the rancher is subtle but extremely harmful. The grazing “license”, like your government issued driver’s license, is only a “revocableprivilege,” not a “right.” Thus the cattle rancher loses the right to challenge the government in a court of law to protect what he has been given, compared to the grazing rights that are protected as a “right” under a contractual grazing “permit”. A “license” is completely different than a “permit”. The license merely says a rancher has the permission, or privilege, to graze on the subject public ground. The license can be revoked by a simple decision at any time, including right in the middle of the granted grazing period. On the other hand, a grazing “permit” is a contractual agreement between the rancher and controlling government agency. The permit provides a vested “property right” in the use of the land. When signed by the parties, the document becomes a binding contractual agreement, and the resulting vested right of the rancher cannot then be simply revoked unless there is due process of law. It is unclear whether or not the BLM has the legal authority to change the permit to a license. However, it is clear that the rancher is not benefited by giving up his vested grazing right for a revocable grazing privilege without the legal right to resolve a governmental challenge to it in a court of law.
The Argenta Allotment T
Randy Witte, Peyton, Colorado and Mike Laughlin, Lamoillie, Nevada
he Nevada Grass March Pony Express including ranchers, cowboys, and livestock supporters from across the state of Nevada rode horseback from Elko, NV to the state capital in Carson City in support of the Pete Tomera family, the Filipinni families and other ranchers permitted in the Argenta Allotment. The allotment encompasses about 331,520 acres, so the BLM decision closing the allotment to grazing arbitrarily shuts down 189,831 acres of privately owned land. On top of that, Tomera owns all the water in the allotment. The riders and supporters delivered petitions on Friday May 30 to Governor Brian Sandoval at the Capitol Building. These petitions that included over a thousand signatures, requesting that the BLM Battle Mountain District Manager be replaced because of his refusal to work with the livestock permittees in his district. While this was taking place, on Thursday, May 29 the Tomera Ranches cattle were turned out on their Slavin Field on the Argenta allotment, a checkerboard mix of private land and land managed by the Bureau of Land Management near Battle Mountain, Nev., Among the riders turning out the cattle was former Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons, a staunch supporter of the ranchers who have found themselves being squeezed out of existence by a powerful BLM that has closed off much of the grazing in the past couple years, citing drought and protection of the sage grouse and desert tortoise. Ranchers contend the BLM is trying to put them out of business, being unduly influenced by Western Watershed Project, an environmental group that states on its website its “vision” is “the restoration of a wild, natural world.” Western Watershed goes on to say, “ The group works to influence and improve public lands management throughout the West with a primary focus on the negative impacts of livestock grazing on 250,000,000 acres of western public lands,...” The ranchers have rights too, but the BLM doesn’t acknowledge them, apparently, after taking a left-hand turn in the same spirit as so many other government entities under the Obama administration. There was a glimmer of hope recently when Neil Kornze, who grew up in Elko, Nevada was named principal deputy
L to R: Pete Tomera, Former Governor Jim Gibbons, Dan Tomera, and Lynn Tomera join together to turn cattle on the range.
Photos courtesy Lee Raine
—Gov. Jim Gibbons
22 July / August 2014
director of the BLM. The ranchers figured there was finally someone in charge who would understand the challenges they face to stay in business. Then they found out Kornze had served as senior policy advisor to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. Kornze organized the botched seizure of Cliven Bundy’s cattle near Las Vegas that nearly resulted in a “real old-west shoot-out. The BLM “blinked” and pulled back from that situation. Much of the BLM land in the Argenta area is “checker-boarded” with deeded land and water rights owned by the ranchers. But the BLM has no qualms about closing off huge tracts of land that contain private property and BLM District Mgr. Doug Furtado, who instituted his plan for complete closure of the Argenta, simply says that the bureau is a federal agency and doesn’t recognize state rights. It was only after the Tomera family hosted a “grass tour” on the Argenta over Memorial Day weekend that some 200 elected officials and other interested folks saw for themselves knee-high grass and plentiful water on Mount Lewis that had been closed to the Tomeras and other ranching families. “The first-hand evidence was irrefutable,” said 78-year-old Mike Laughlin, a cowboy and retired USDA wildlife biologist, who helped turn out the Tomera cattle and who still makes his living horseback, tending cattle. “This country had plenty of rain and snow at the right time and is probably the best feed ever seen on it. But the cattle were turned out about 30 days too late to graze enough grass to lessen the fire danger. This mountain may still burn from a lightning strike because of all the forage.” Laughlin went on to say, “In the early 1970s there were 10,000 head of domestic sheep that lambed out on Mount Lewis. There were also several cow outfits in the lower country around Mt. Lewis. At that time I do not remember any range fires of note and the ranchers, the livestock and the BLM seemed to be getting along. What a change in 2014! There is something wrong with the BLM management system of today.” Concerning the Argenta Allotment, the BLM hierarchy responded to the pressure and finally relented and allowed grazing to
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BLM Battle Mountain District Reaches Agreement on Argenta Allotment Grazing
Cattle, belly-deep, in the “non-existent” forage. How could leaving this feed to die or become decadent help the range even if it weren’t an incredible fire danger as it dries out?
resume, for now. Quoted from the Nevada BLM Web site: “BATTLE MOUNTAIN, Nev. – Bureau of Land Management Battle Mountain District Manager Doug Furtado collaborated on a grazing agreement Friday, May 23 with the permittees of the Argenta Allotment located in Lander County, Nevada...BLM Nevada State Director Amy Lueders said, “We will continue to work collaboratively to find solutions that allow for resource recovery and meet the needs of the many hunters, ranchers, hikers, mining industry, wildlife enthusiasts and others who rely on these lands... The agreement becomes valid for a full grazing year following a two-week temporary measure to allow the paperwork to be finalized. The District staff has been working with the permittees and local county commissioners since February 2014 to come to equitable solution.” However, there is no trust in the BLM decisions by the permittees. The end goal, it seems to ranchers, is to force permittees out of business sooner or later and use the land for something other than livestock grazing. Nevada’s cattle numbers have been cut in half over the last year, because of BLM land closures. Through the years, Pete Tomera and other ranchers have paid their grazing fees and complied with various BLM requests for temporary “voluntary cutbacks” on the numbers of livestock they can graze. They have complied 100%. No one can
Witte is retired publisher of Western Horseman magazine, which has followed Great Basin ranching for decades. He and Mike Laughlin are friends and have collaborated on articles through the years. Read more from Randy Witte on The Progressive Rancher website www.progressiverancher.com:
“Nevada Ranchers Battle Bureaucrats” and “More Fundamental Change For Ranchers in Nevada” www.progressiverancher.com
recall anyone who ever had their voluntary cutbacks restored to original numbers. The Tomera Ranch went from being a 6,000-cow outfit to 1,800 head cow outfit. Once the BLM cuts your cow AUMs, you never get them back. How can you stay in the cow business with this kind of a program? Has anyone thought where their next steak, hamburger, whatever, is coming from? This meat does not appear in your local supermarket by magic. Great Basin ranchers (Idaho, Oregon, Nevada) have always been an independent lot. They aren’t big on joining groups or causes. They have been a closed horseback society. By that we mean they make their living horseback every day. But that attitude may be changing. As we said above, horseback group of ranchers and other supporters rode the 300 miles from Elko to Carson City this past month to meet with the current governor, Brian Sandoval, and give him a petition to urge the removal of Furtado as district manager. No one expects the petition to make any difference in Furtado’s job security, but the ride represents a groundswell of interest in combating a bureaucracy that has become “anti-cow” on public lands.
BATTLE MOUNTAIN, Nev. – Bureau of Land Management Battle Mountain District Manager Doug Furtado collaborated on a grazing agreement Friday, May 23 with the permittees of the Argenta Allotment located in Lander County, Nevada. “Over the past year, BLM Nevada managers have been working with stakeholders who use and enjoy the public lands in Nevada to find ways to cope with drought throughout the state,” said BLM Nevada State Director Amy Lueders. “We will continue to work collaboratively to find solutions that allow for resource recovery and meet the needs of the many hunters, ranchers, hikers, mining industry, wildlife enthusiasts and others who rely on these lands.” The agreement becomes valid for a full grazing year following a two-week temporary measure to allow the paperwork to be finalized. The District staff has been working with the permittees and local county commissioners since February 2014 to come to an equitable solution. As reported by the U.S. Drought Monitor – operated out of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln – dry conditions are prevailing across most of the West, with severe, extreme, or exceptional drought now covering all of California, most of Nevada, and parts of Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. The BLM is taking measures in response to these droughtrelated challenges. BLM field offices where drought is occurring are working with livestock operators to implement temporary changes in grazing practices, which may involve livestock adjustments, grazing rotations, water hauling, or rest of pastures. In Nevada, there has been a voluntary reduction of more than 400,000 Animal Unit Months (AUM) by livestock permittees. This is a 20 percent reduction from total AUMs. Although the drought’s impact on ecosystem process and function is beyond the control BLM staff, the agency will continue to address issues and manage uses with a view toward the long-term health and productivity of the public lands, which includes working with affected ranchers to minimize impacts to their operations.
OLD WEST TRADITIONS, THE FUTURE OF RANCHING • CALVES AND GRASS FED CATTLE available summer/fall for live delivery. • HORSE HAY & DAIRY HAY available year round. • COMPOST accepting green waste and wood waste. • DRY AGED, GRASS FINISHED BEEF available online; local deliveries and wholesale available.
VISIT US ONLINE BENTLYRANCH.COM OR IN PERSON 1089 STOCKYARD RD MINDEN, NV 89423 CALL 775.782.4513
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ELKO COUNTY
AG m o o R s s la
in the C
has joined
Winner Recieves:
Photograph published on cover of The Progressive Rancher Nook HD courtesy of The Progressive Rancher
Buzzetti
Premium and Ribbon from Eureka County Entrants must be 18 years old or older Photograph Classes include: Ranching Crews, Child Cowboy/Cowgirl w/Animal(s), Scenic, Eureka County Fair, Western Adult, Western Misc.
Ranch
All photos must contain one or more cattle, which are healthy and are not being mistreated. Photos submitted will be displayed at the Eureka County Fair Exhibit Hall
Submission / Registration Info: Entrants must submit an 8”x10” or larger hard copy print AND a computerized/digitally formatted high resolution megabyte copy May register online or in person during registration hours, on August ???? as outlined in Eureka County Fair Exhibit Hall Premium Book posted online at www.co.eureka.nv.us/fair. htm Hard copy prints/digital copies submitted on thumb drive may be submitted in person during registration hours, July 31, 2014 or mailed to: Eureka County Fair Board, P.O. Box 533, Eureka, NV 89316 Mailed submissions must be received no later than July 31, 2014. Digital copies may also be emailed to the Exhibit Committee at fair@eurekanv.org. Digital copies sent via email must be received no later than July 31, 2014 a hard copy print must still be submitted in person or by mail.
Photos courtesy Rachel Buzzetti
For complete rules and information refer to Eureka County Fair Exhibit Hall Premium Book posted online at www.co.eureka.nv.us/fair.htm or call 775-237-6026
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lko County, Nevada CattleWomen has organized an Ag in the Classroom in Elko County for 24 years. Bertha Gardner of Ruby Valley along with Louie Horton, of Elko started with 100 kids visiting a ranch. Now 400 kids get to experience agriculture by going to a ranch in Elko County. This year students visited Glaser Ranch and pre-schoolers were able to visit Buzzetti Ranch. In April, Kristi Tomera organized presentations at Spring Creek Middle School. Michelle Wines spearheaded the 4th Annual Ag in the Classroom Earth Day which was held at the Elko County Fairgrounds for students attending Grammar School #2 in Elko. The entire school walked to the Fairgrounds to learn about agriculture, mining, and construction. Each year the Elko CattleWomen, Elko County School District, Newmont and Barrick assist in making the 4-day program an educational experience for students and teachers alike. Currently, the Elko Ag in the Classroom is made up of a five member committee: Sharon Slagowski, Judith Moschetti, Lois Deck, Jennifer Anderson, Jennifer Garrett, and Lili Wolf.
August 7 -10, 2014 ds
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Gymkhana k Youth Rough Stoc 4 -H Livestock Show and Sale
Glaser Ranch
Team Branding s Redneck Olympic Bronc Old West Saddle and Bull Riding Apple Pie Contest Chili Cook-Off Mud Volleyball Youth Dog Show nce Live Band and Da Exhibit Hall Visit our website:
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In the Mind of a Millennial, Part IV By Jill Scofield, Nevada Beef Council
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anecdotal. This isn’t based on a scientific survey or study, but e’ve been on the subject of millennials for a few issues rather what James hears when he’s talking to people about beef of The Progressive Rancher, and by now you’re probon a daily basis.) ably tired of hearing what makes this generation different from From Winstead’s observations, older generations are most others when it comes to making purchasing decisions. But for the concerned with cardio vascular disease and beef’s role in a heartNevada Beef Council (NBC) and beef community as a whole, this healthy diet, while millennials tend to ask about things like how issue never gets tiring, because the importance of this audience beef is raised, and whether the food they are eating is “natural” when it comes to the potential impact on purchasing and consumor “sustainable.” ing beef cannot be underscored enough. When asked what he shared with millennials in terms of As you likely remember (and are likely tired of reading again nutritional messaging, Winstead says, and again), the millennial generation is comprised of those of us “Nutritionally, I like to emphasize the lean cuts that are born roughly between 1980 and 2000, nearly 80 million strong, available because there are so many to choose from, and it helps that is at that age of establishing families, households and patthose who think beef is fattier than other proteins realize just terns that can influence multiple generations. If this generation how many options beef offers. I also focus on nutrient density, feels skeptical about beef, chances are not only sharing the 10 essential nutrients beef carries. will they not eat it, but their kids won’t either. Most importantly, I like to give cooking tips with That’s exactly what we don’t want to happen. this audience. A big barrier is getting millennials If you’ve been following along on this subject, to feel comfortable cooking a nice steak.” you’ve read about this generation’s disappointing Beef is more nutrient-dense than any other protein, providing outcomes with beef and their confusion about how But Wait, There’s More! 10 percent or more of 10 essential nutrients in just 3 ounces! The 10 to go about purchasing or preparing it. According Now for some information that IS based on nutrients and the health benefits they provide include: to the Consumer Beef Index, over half in this genscientific research. • Protein (helps build, maintain and repair body tissue, and eration say it’s hard to know what cuts to choose For the NBC and beef checkoff program on the high-quality protein found in beef can help maintain a in the meat case, and half would buy more beef if a national level, building beef demand and prohealthy weight, sustain weight loss and promote fullness) they knew more about the beef cuts. That’s why tecting beef’s image are central to everything we you see so much from the Nevada Beef Council do. But to ensure we remain on-target with our • B12 (needed for normal functioning of body cells and of that focuses on recipes, cooking tips, information programs and efforts, it’s important to make sure the nervous system, as well as lowering blood homocysteon how to select and buy beef, etc. we assess perceptions from time-to-time to make ine levels) But cooking knowledge aside, how do millensure we as an industry seize every opportunity to • Selenium (helps protect the body from the damaging nials feel about beef nutrition? Growing up in an positively impact beef demand. effects of free radicals and may reduce the risk of heart era where “low-fat” diets were all the rage, is there The Beef Checkoff recently conducted a disease) skepticism from this generation when it comes study to learn more about what really defines to the nutritional punch beef packs? I thought • Zinc (essential nutrient that fuels thousands of bodily ‘mature millennials’ (ages 25-34 years), which it would be enlightening to ask the NBC’s own processes, including building muscles and healing wounds, is a primary audience for the NBC specifically. Registered Dietitian Nutritionist James Winstead maintaining the immune system, and contributing to cogResearch was conducted in both a face-to-face (who also happens to be, you guessed it, a millennitive health) setting and with an online survey of 1,250 from nial) about the differences he sees when it comes this group, and was done to identify their attitudes, • Niacin (promotes healthy skin and nerves, aids digestion, to the nutritional questions and concerns of the values, lifestyles and motivations relative to their releases energy from food and fosters normal appetite) younger millennial generation as compared with perceptions of beef. • B6 (important for a healthy nervous system and helps older generations. So what did the study find? Millennials eat with the production of antibodies which help the body Overall, Winstead notes that the biggest beef a couple times a week, which is not different fight infection) questions he hears most often are regarding grain than non-millennials, and their reasons for choosfinished versus grass finished beef – or, as coning beef are also the same; most, regardless of • Phosphorus (helps build and maintain healthy bones, sumers state, “grain fed versus grass fed” – and the generation, want a great-tasting meal, value normal blood pH levels and muscle regulation) perceived nutritional differences between the two. and a food they feel confident preparing. • Choline (plays a vital role in cognition and long and short“When I first started working for the Beef While there are many similarities across genterm memory functions) Council, I never thought I would hear that parerations, there are also a number of clear differ• Iron (helps red blood cells carry oxygen to body tissue, and ticular question so much,” says Winstead. “People ences. For example, millennials are more likely to helps cognitive health, including memory, ability to learn tend to think that a grass-finished product is the be influencers and want to share their beef-eating and reasoning) healthier option. What I like to tell them is that experiences with others. They are eager to learn there’s not a significant nutritional difference behow to cook better and are very engaged with • Riboflavin (helps the body use energy from carbohytween the two, but it really comes down to one’s food. Importantly, when millennials are disapdrates, produce oxygen-carrying red blood cells and propreference for flavor and taste.” pointed with a meal outcome they are much less motes healthy skin and good vision) Sharing that producers have adapted praclikely to try this meal again, which obviously aftices to provide consumers with various options fects their beef-eating experience and how willing based on their preferences, but that ALL beef is nutritious and safe, is also key when an- they are to try new beef recipes. swering questions about various beef options. Focusing on educating all consumers on the nutritional benefits of beef and not losWhen it comes to concerns about nutrition or health, Winstead notes there is a clear ing sight that taste is still the primary driver for beef consumption will help the NBC and difference in what millennials are concerned about versus older generations. Some of it industry as a whole reach both millennials and non-millennials. For more on this study, visit www.beefissuesquarterly.com, and for more about the may have to do with age, while some of it may have to do with the types of messages these audiences have heard over the years about beef. (And, let’s be clear – this is very much Nevada Beef Council, visit www.nevadabeef.org.
Beef’s Big 10
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The Progressive Rancher
July / August 2014 27
Stewart’s Ninety-Six Ranch Turns 150
Iconic Paradise Valley, Nevada ranch turns 150. In 1864, a young German immigrant named William Stock drove his small freight wagon and oxen into what is now Paradise Valley, Nevada. He settled on Martin Creek and formed a rough sod dugout using his
Henriod selected as Outstanding Animal Science Senior
Clinton Henriod, from the Henriod Ranch at Lage’s Junction in White Pine County, Nevada graduated Summa Cum Laude on May 10, 2014 from Western Texas A&M University. He will be entering the Veterinarian program at Texas A&M later this month. Clinton was a 2005 graduate of Ely High School. Both Clinton’s Dad (Sam) and Mom (Clelia) are ranch and farm folks, Sam being raised on the family ranch in White Pine County and Clelia coming into Steptoe Valley from Texas in the late 1960’s to farm with her folks. Clinton is looking forward to becoming a Veterinarian and working with livestock and ranchers in the future. His advisor, Dr. Richeson, had a lot of good to say about his enthusiasm and desire to achieve high standards. For more information contact: Paul Bottari, President, Society for Preservation of Western Heritage 775-752-0952
28 July / August 2014
wagon for additional cover and shelter. He homesteaded and began farming and ranching. Through the years, Stock acquired more ground as other settlers moved or left the area. At one point, the ranch Stock first began as a humble homestead encompassed tens of thousands of acres, mills, 3000 head of cattle, 5000 head of sheep as well as over 2000 head of horses and countless pigs. Today, the refined operation runs about 750 head of cattle on just over15,000 acres of private land in and around Paradise Valley. They also graze the “William Stock Allotment” on the BLM and an adjacent USFS permit in the Santa Rosa Mountains. The ranch is managed by Stock’s great grandson Fred Stewart. His daughter, 16 year old Patrice Marie Stewart represents the 5th generation of the Stock family to live on and manage the historic Nevada property. This August, the family has planned a series of events to celebrate the ranch’s sesquicentennial. The events are endorsed by the Nevada 150 Commission as Nevada’s signature events for those dates. Many are free to the public and any that charge a fee are charitable in nature. Sunday, August 3rd – Bicycle Poker Run Through Paradise 9 am until 3 pm Firemen’s Park in Paradise Valley Tuesday, August 5th – Nature Walk around Hinkey Summit – 9 am Wednesday – Barrel Racing at Winnemucca Fairgrounds - 5 pm Thursday – Stock Family Reunion – Firemen’s Park Paradise Valley 4 pm (Pre Party at home of Chris and Joel DeYoung, Hinkey Summit, 1 pm) Friday – Invitational Golf Tournament, Winnemucca Golf Course 8 am, Ninety-Six Ranch Roping, Winnemucca Fairgrounds, 4 pm Saturday – Sesquicentennial Celebration, Stewart’s Ninety-Six Ranch in Paradise Valley – Noon until 10 pm, Ranch Tours, Presenatations, Special Guests, BBQ beef steak dinner, concert by Ashley Cook and 4-time Western Entertainer of the Year, Dave Stamey, Dancing under the stars. For more information, refer to our website, www.stewarts96ranch.com or contact Kris Stewart at 775 578-3311 or 775 304 9399
The Progressive Rancher
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2014 ELKO COUNTY FAIR August 23
through
September 1 ★ Elko, Nevada
Working Cow Horse
Horse Racing
USTRC Team Roping
Carnival, Home Arts & Parade
Team Ranch Doctoring
Team Branding: 3 Divisions Womens & Co-Ed $500 added to each Open Division $1,000 added
Cow Pony Relay Race
In Conjuction with
NEVADA STALLION STAKES & Elko County NRCHA
August 23
through
Elko County NRCHA “All classes have herd work”
24 ★ Elko, Nevada
SPECTACULAR Judge: Darren Miller, AQHA • NRCHA AAA
Stallion Nomination Deadline: July 1st Nomination fee: $200.00
Late Nominations will be accepted until August 1st with an additional $100 late fee.
NEVADA STALLION STAKES
AGED EVENTS
Futurity ★ Derby ★ Hackamore ★ Two Reined / Green Bridle and Bridle Divisions NRCHA Rules Nevada Stallion Stakes Show Entry deadline: August 1 with late entries accepted to Aug 15th.
ECNRCHA Show Entry Deadline Aug 22nd, Noon Late entries accepted up to show start time with penalties.
www.elkocountyfair.com Entries forms available at www.elkocountyfair.com E-mail entries to elkocountyfair@hotmail.com Mail entries and payments to: Elko County Fair Board, PO Box 2067, Elko, NV 89803 For More Information contact: JJ Roemmich 775-397-2769 or elkocountyfair@hotmail.com
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The Progressive Rancher
July / August 2014 29
LookUP
The Coward
by Pastor Diana Gonzalez
C
oward. Webster’s definition: a person who lacks courage, especially one who is shamefully afraid. A coward is someone you don’t see much of in cow country. Or do you? Ranchers, cattlemen, cowboys, even sheep herders, need to, at times, bravely face dangers and uncertainties. Mean cattle, mean weather, tough predators such as wolves, bears, cats (not barn cats), even coyotes. Slick trails and roads can be exciting. Even his ol’ pard, the horse, can be mean and ornery at times. Some ropers can only count to nine; dallies can sometimes have a mind of their own. They sometimes jump out and grab a part of your anatomy and try to suck that into your saddle horn. It takes courage to rope a big, mean bull off a green horse. While today’s horses and cattle aren’t near as wild and mean as they used to be, still cow country is no place for a fraidy cat. When you can push your hat back on your head, look danger right in the face, and laugh out loud, you will either develop one attitude or another. One attitude will be humble, thankful to God for the courage He has put in your heart. The other attitude will be full of pride. Pride in one’s self and how wonderful and brave you are. How you can handle any situation though your intelligence and courage. In other words, you are your own source; you are your own god. You are a self-made man (or woman) and you worship your maker. (Idolatry – excessive reverence or devotion to a person or thing.) Deuteronomy 5:7 — You shall have no other gods before (besides) me. NKJV Who said that? Who commanded that? God did. I happen to be an expert on this subject, so I can preach on it. I used to walk around pretending the first attitude (false humility) but fully possessing the second attitude (pride).
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30 July / August 2014
However, I got set back on my heels one day by a cowboy preacher who called me a coward. He wasn’t talking directly to me, and yet he was. Isn’t it funny how one scripture can change the course of your life? Revelation 21:8 — But the cowardly, (the) unbelieving (sinners), abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone (hell), which is the second death. NKJV Well, this certainly didn’t apply to me, or did it? There are not many cowards among cow country folks, or are there? As he preached, I snickered to myself thinking of people who would act fearful. I certainly wasn’t afraid of anything I could think of, except maybe for snakes and raisins. Then he said it. Then he said it, as he preached to a packed church: “Who will stand up for Jesus?” Nobody stood. “If you won’t stand up for Jesus, you are a coward.” There was that word. Now came the words that cut to my heart. “Now, who will stand up for Jesus?” In just a very few seconds, heaven and hell had one hell of a battle over me. Everything in me cried out, you must stand up. Well, I thought, even if I am the only one to stand up, stand up I must. And as I stood, the whole church stood up as one. That was the first brave thing I had ever done. Joshua 1:5-9 — No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” NKJV Keep God and His Word in your heart and in your mouth, and you’ll never need to be afraid or proud. Happy trails. May God richly bless you. We love you and would love to hear from you. If you would like someone to pray with, or just have a question, please give us a call at (775) 867-3100. ‘Til next time…. Extra reading: Joshua chapter 1 James 4:6-12 Revelation 21:4-8 I Peter 5:2-7 John 16:32 – John 17:4
Harmony Ranch Ministry 3767 Keyes Way Fallon, NV 89406
The Progressive Rancher
Tom J. Gonzalez | Diana J. Gonzalez, Pastor threecrossls@cccomm.net
(775) 867-3100 Cell (775) 426-1107
www.progressiverancher.com
What Lurks Within the Surface of the Earth and What Can it Tell Us? Conservation District Soil Health Workshop Attendees Dig in to Find Out. . . On May 28, 2014, the Northeast Elko Conservation District held a Soil Health Workshop at Cottonwood Ranch in the O’Neil Basin in northern Elko County, Nev. Eight workshop participants from three area ranches peered into four soil profiles—holes dug two to three feet in the ground—in three different plant communities and discussed the soil properties associated with those plant communities. Members of the Conservation District, as well as a soil scientist and a rangeland management specialist from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), discussed the pros and cons of a soil crust, and explained what color changes in the profile meant. For example, dark gray or black soil coloration at the soil surface and into the soil profile is the result of decomposing organic matter from grass roots. Organic matter in soil is important because it helps retain moisture in the soil. It also helps in developing soil structure. Soil structure was explained as the development of peds—or dirt clods—in the profile. Ped development allows for elongated pore spaces for water and air to enter from the soil surface, which is a desirable soil characteristic for a healthy soil. Soil pore spaces allow water to infiltrate quicker into the soil profile making the best use of the limited water supply. The group discussed what management practices can be used to promote greater organic matter accumulation in the soil profile and increase soil structure. The tour finished with a demonstration showing the benefits of soil structure and organic matter accumulation in soils. On June 10, 2014, the Owyhee Conservation District held a similar Soil Health Workshop at Rhodes Ranch in Tuscarora, Nev. Eight participants from three different area ranches participated. Members of this workshop also looked at four soil profiles and discussed the present health of those soils and associated vegetative communities. Discussions on how to improve soil health and plant community health occurred at all locations. Participant questions included ideas for seeding, soil aeration of sod bound meadows, rehabilitation after fire and how to deal with less productive soils. The tour concluded with a demonstration showing the soil properties between soils with high amounts of organic matter and soils without. Why is it important to scratch the earth’s surface and examine soils across yards, ranches or an entire landscape? Identifying changes in vegetation and associated soils across landscapes can help us: use water more efficiently; limit the need for soil amendments (fertilizer); better predict where erosion may occur to mitigate it now; and make better educated decisions about tree removal, such as pinyon-juniper on rangeland, to restore
sage-grouse habitat and benefit ranching uses on the landscape.
What is a Conservation District and How Can You Get Involved? Conservation Districts are government entities that provide technical assistance and tools to manage and protect land and water resources in the U.S. Today, there are more than 3,000 Conservation Districts in the United States. They are required by state law to carry out natural resource management programs, working with landowners and operators who are willing to help them manage and protect land and water resources on public and private lands. Initially, each district was formed to “save the soil” following the big dust bowl of the 1930s. Farmers couldn’t grow much because of terrible farming practices, combined Owyhee Conservation District with the drought, which left the soil eroded. When the dust bowl began, the soil was swept members watch NRCS soil scientist up and dispersed into piles and the fields Brien Park explain how dark black soils were left with just clay and rocks not suitable form within the soil profile. for growing crops. The federal government stepped in and offered subsidies to farmers to utilize conservation practices that would help keep the soil on the land. In Nevada, Conservation Districts have a partnership with NRCS, and the Elko Field Office Conservation Specialist, Doni Bruland, has her office in the same building with NRCS. To learn more about future workshops, or to get involved in a Conservation District, contact Doni Bruland at: (775) 738-8431 ext. 128 or stop by the NRCS Elko Field Office at 555 West Silver St., Suite 101. To find out more about how the NRCS can help you help your land, contact the field office above. Or to learn more about the soil under your feet visit the Web Soil Survey page: http://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/App/HomePage.htm
BLM News
For the Ranchers’ Information
BLM Seeks Input on Refining Planning Process
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As part of its continuing commitment to improve management of the nation’s public lands, the Bureau of Land Management is beginning a review aimed at creating a more dynamic and durable way of developing the Resource Management Plans (RMPs) that guide its efforts. Congress has directed the BLM to develop RMPs for the public lands it manages in consultation with the public and with its partners from tribal, state, and local governments and other federal agencies. “As I’ve met with elected leaders and citizens from across the West on BLM issues, I’ve consistently heard two things: first, the BLM needs to more effectively address landscape-level management challenges; and second, planning takes too long.” BLM Director Neil Kornze said. “We’re listening to you and we are stepping forward to improve the way we work so we can make our process more flexible in planning across landscapes, more dynamic and responsive to change and less time consuming.” Based on an initial review, the BLM intends to target changes in its existing planning regulations and handbook that will allow us to: • Conduct effective planning across landscapes at multiple scales and clearly define the boundaries for different types of decisions. • Create a dynamic and durable planning process that is responsive to change, allowing www.progressiverancher.com
BLM to keep plans current through amendments. • Create an efficient planning process that reduces the amount of time it takes to complete RMPs. The initiative complements BLM’s landscape approach to managing public lands. The effort is also consistent with Secretary’s Order 3330, “Improving Mitigation Policies and Practices of the Department of the Interior,” including its charge to use a landscape-scale approach to identify and facilitate investment in key conservation and development priorities in a region. While this marks the beginning of the process, we anticipate additional opportunities for public involvement. We anticipate proposing targeted changes to our planning regulations and these changes will be open for formal public review and comment. We also will be revising our current planning handbook to incorporate new guidance and the concepts needed to effectively plan across landscapes. In addition to the formal review period associated with the rule-making process, the BLM is seeking input on how we can achieve the goal of a more effective, efficient and durable planning process. Individuals can learn more www.blm.gov/plan2 and can provide feedback to us at blm_wo_plan2@blm.gov.
The Progressive Rancher
July / August 2014 31
A specialized industry deserves our specialized attention. From operating lines and equipment financing to livestock purchases and real estate, we have supported Nevada’s farmers and ranchers for over half a century. That knowledge and experience is personified by John Hays, our agricultural banking specialist. He’ll come to you, and will get to work finding the right financial solutions,* so you can plan, prepare, and grow. Bring your banking home. John Hays, Agricultural Banking Specialist 775.525.6744 nsbank.com I 54 years in Nevada 50 branches statewide *Loans subject to credit approval, restrictions apply.
32 July / August 2014
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Puncturevine
H
ello from the Humboldt Watershed CWMA! The HWCWMA was developed to address the invasive weed problem and subsequent decline in water quality within the entire 16,843 square mile watershed, which covers most of Northern Nevada. The primary function of HWCWMA has been to provide land managers, owners and weed control groups assistance in the areas of funding, agency and weed group coordination and cooperation. This month we would like to introduce you to one of Nevada’s state listed noxious weeds, puncturevine (Tribulus terrestris). Puncturevine is native to native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Old World in southern Europe, southern Asia and throughout Africa. Puncturevine is an aptly named summer annual found widely in the western United States. It can grow under a wide range of conditions, but its success is likely due to its ability to thrive in hot and dry conditions where other plants cannot. It can be a major problem in orchards, pastures, turf, and along roadsides and ditch banks. Although it is known to be toxic to sheep, its main weedy characteristic, as indicated by its common names of puncturevine or caltrop, is its spiky seedpods. (A caltrop is a metal device, used to deter passage by vehicles with pneumatic tires or the hooves of horses; it has four projecting spikes so arranged that when three of the spikes are on the ground, the fourth points upward to poke a tire or hoof). The seeds of puncturevine are enclosed in a hard caltrop-like case that can injure livestock, people, and pets when stepped on and can even puncture bicycle tires. Another common name is “goathead”. Puncturevine is generally a mat-forming invasive plant, with 1/2 - 5 foot long stems radiating out in all directions from the root crown. Stems are green to orange-brown, with leaves arranged opposite each other on the stem. Each leaf consists of four to eight pairs of oval-shaped leaflets, also arranged opposite each other on the leaf stalk. Leaflets typically measure 1/2 inch long and 3/16 inch wide. Stems and leaves are covered with tiny hairs. Single, bright yellow flowers are borne on short stalks in leaf axils. Flowers have five petals and are 1/3 – 1/2 inch in diameter. Each flower produces a green, spiny five-rayed fruit that turns brown and woody with maturity, splitting into five separate, wedge-shaped seedpods. Each seedpod contains two to five seeds, and has two prominent, sharp spines about 1/3 inch long, which protrude outward at wide angles from each other. Puncturevine reproduces solely by seed. Plants often produce 200-5000 fruits, each holding at least 10 seeds. Seedpods are distributed by embedding themselves in tires, shoes, and animal fur or feet. Seeds can remain dormant and viable in the soil for several years. Punturevine seedlings grow quickly and develop a deep, sturdy taproot very soon after emergence. The taproot enables the plant to use water in the soil unavailable to other plants, and makes puncturevine capable of withstanding very dry conditions. Its roots can also develop associations with soil bacteria that provide nitrogen to the plant and allow it to grow in nutrient-poor soil. The plant grows best in sandy or gravelly soil, but can tolerate heavier, compacted soils. Some evidence suggests that puncturevine secretes chemical compounds that inhibit the growth of some other nearby plants, giving it a competitive edge. Chemical Control: Chemical control is generally not necessary for the control of puncturevine in the home landscape. However, in large areas, or places where there was a heavy infestation in previous years so that it’s difficult to remove by hand, hoeing, or tilling, herbicides may be used to control puncturevine. And as always, be sure to follow all
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label directions and precautions when applying herbicides. There are few pre-emergent herbicides that are effective. Products containing oryzalin, benefin, or trifluralin will provide partial control of germinating seeds. These must be applied prior to germination (late winter to midspring). After plants have emerged from the soil (post-emergent), products containing 2,4-D, glyphosate, and dicamba are effective on puncturevine. The smaller or younger the plant, the better the post-emergent herbicides work. Dicamba and 2,4-D will injure most broadleaf plants so it is important that they only be applied to the weeds and drift is minimized. They can be applied to lawns without injuring the desired grass. Glyphosate will kill or injure most plants so it should only be used as spot treatments or on solid stands of the weed. Mechanical Control: In most situations, puncturevine is best controlled by hand removal or by hoeing to cut the plant off at its taproot. Monitoring the area and removing the weed throughout the late spring and into the summer will greatly reduce the impact of the weed the next year. Shallow tilling (about 1 inch deep) of seedlings or small plants can be effective in larger areas. Deeper tilling is not recommended since this may bury seeds and they may be able to germinate for several years afterwards. Hand removal, hoeing, or cultivation should be initiated prior to flowering and seed production. Mowing is not an effective method of control since the plant grows low to the ground. Aeration of compacted sites and planting competitive desirable plants can also reduce the impact of puncturevine by making the area more favorable for the growth of the desired plants and reducing resources available to the weed. Biological Control: There are two species of weevils which are being used to control puncturevine. The stem boring weevil, (Microlarinus lareynii) and the fruit boring weevil (Microlarinus lypriformis). The insect larvae attack the seeds and stems and have given good puncturevine control. Please contact the Nevada Department of Agriculture, Jamie Greer or Robert Little at (775) 353-3601, for help with this type of management. As always, please notify the HWCWMA if you see puncturevine growing within the Humboldt River Watershed. We have an opportunity to stop invasive species from spreading if we act quickly and our staff can provide the property owner or appropriate public agency with site-specific treatment options for these plants. The HWCWMA also maps and monitors heavily infested sites in the watershed which allows the HWCWMA the ability to provide educational and financial assistance to land owners and groups in their management efforts, ultimately improving all of the qualities of the land and water in our watershed. The HWCWMA has also developed a website to serve as a clearinghouse for information on invasive weeds in the Humboldt Watershed. Our website (http://www.humboldtweedfree.org) contains fact sheets for state listed noxious weeds in Nevada, Board of Director’s information, funding partner’s links, and many more features including a detailed project proposal packet that you can print, fill out and mail back to us at your convenience. We are looking to expand our project area outside of the Humboldt River and always welcome new funding opportunities. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Andi Porreca, HWCWMA Coordinator at (775) 762-2636 or email her at aporreca@humboldtweedfree.org. You may also speak with Rhonda Heguy, HWCWMA Administrator at (775) 738-3085, email: hwcwma@gmail.com.
The Progressive Rancher
July / August 2014 33
Nevada Farm Bureau Young Farmers a nd Ranchers by Anna-Lisa Giannini, Chairman
A
cross the country, from state to state, the lives that farmers and ranchers live are for the most part a mystery to their town-dwelling counter parts. Urban people often think of either small farms with picturesque red barns and windmills or they think of large corporate “factory” farms when the reality is that most farms land somewhere in between. For years, farmers and ranchers have been told over and over that they have to share their stories to help bridge the gap between perception and reality. Finally, the first film produced by farmers, about farmers and for the purpose of sharing a glimpse of farm life with non-rural communities was created May 2014. The movie Farmland hit screens in several major cities after a premier at key film festivals in Cleveland, Nashville, Atlanta and Newport Beach, Calif. The film documents the lives of five young farmers and ranchers from different sectors of the agriculture industry and demonstrates what their lives are like on a daily basis. The film will help reach those who do not understand agriculture, but alone it is not enough. We must take the initiative to tell others about what we do on our farms and ranches. Here are several ways to share our industry with others:
Get Involved with Ag in the Classroom Several counties throughout the state have active Ag in the Classroom programs. Whether you are going into a classroom to teach young students about your farm or ranch or you participate in an Ag Day at a local school, you are helping to teach students about where their food comes from.
Participate in the Ag Literacy Program The Young Farmers & Ranchers program helps to coordinate agriculture literacy throughout the state. This year, we selected The Bee Man as the book we will share with students throughout Nevada. If you would like to get a few copies of The Bee Man for schools in your area, please let the state office or your county president know.
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your farm by setting up a booth at a local farmers market. What a great opportunity to share your story with friends and neighbors!
Educate at the Grocery Store We’ve all been at the grocery store and overheard false information about food. Why not put a stop to that right away! Simply share your story and explain why the information you overheard may not be factual. People are more responsive than you can imagine to sound logic and the perspective of individuals who grow the food they are purchasing.
Become Involved with Social Media If you’re interested in sharing your story with a larger audience, consider setting up a blog or Facebook page for your farm. This way you can document what goes on during a typical farm day and you would be surprised how many people in your nearby town will be interested to read it! Do you have any ideas about how to share agriculture’s story with all Nevadans? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a comment on our Facebook page and you just might find yourself quoted in our next YF&R column.
Nevada Farm Bureau
Jessica Fagundes joins Nevada Farm Bureau as Director of Communications
SPARKS, NV - Nevada Farm Bureau Federation welcomes Jessica Fagundes as the organization’s new director of communications. Fagundes graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno this spring, receiving bachelor degrees in journalism and Spanish. She is originally from Churchill County where she grew up on her family’s farm. Fagundes most recently worked at the Nevada Department of Agriculture as a public information intern. Previously, she interned in public relations at Immunize Nevada, Renown Health, the Associated Students of the University of Nevada and Nevada FFA “We are excited to have Jessica join us,” said Nevada Farm Bureau Executive Vice President Clay McCauley. “Her experience with public relations and a background in agriculture will be a great addition to the team.” “Jessica will be a big help in advocating for our organization and Nevada agriculture,” said Nevada Farm Bureau Federation President Hank Combs. “I am excited to see how she will educate the public and tell our members’ stories.” Fagundes began her new position this May. As director of communications, she will manage the public relations for the Nevada Farm Bureau, assist the Young Farmers & Ranchers Program and Women’s Leadership Committee and travel the state to work with Hometown Solutions_EighthPageAd_sans.pdf 1 7/21/11 2:21 PM county Farm Bureaus.
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Farm ■ Ranch ■ Agribusiness 34 July / August 2014
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c 4-H Show
c Cutest Cowgirl/ Cowboy Contest
c Hearts of Gold Quilters
c Photo, Flower, Craft, Vegetable Shows
c Civil War Re-enactment
c Carnival
c Dutch Oven Cookoff
c Wine & Beer Tasting
c Magician
c Kids Activity Center
c Tractor & Farm Show Exhibit
c Barrel Race 4-H Show and Exhibits
c Discover Science Exhibit
c Plus Numerous Vendors
Fallon Ranch Rodeo Team Branding Team Doctoring Team Sorting Team Tying Working Ranch Horse Women’s Steer Stopping $500 Ranch Team
August 1st through 3,rd 2014 Churchill County Fairgrounds l Free Genera Admission
Fallon, Nevada
Live Music Daily
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$30 Womens SS Jackpot
Fallon Ranch Rodeo
Stockdog Trial Go-Rounds: August 1st Finals August 3rd Three Classes
Open, Intermediate, & Nursery
Estimated Purse–$4500
First two places paid in go-round. All finalists paid.
Kids Goat Branding August 1st
Two age groups (6 and under) and (7 thru 12) Three man teams Limited to the first 20 PAID teams
Contact: Richard Allegre: (775) 423-5358
For More Information contact Billy Lewis (916)517-2232 or on fb Billy Lee Lewis or Gayle Hybarger (775)426-8123
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July / August 2014 35
SOCIETY FOR RANGE MANAGEMENT Equal Access Justice Act & Endangered Species Act Redux
I
n 1980, the Equal Access Justice Act (EAJA) was an experiment tried by Congress in “curbing excessive regulation and the unreasonable exercise of Government authority” (Sisk). By 1985, Congress “institutionalized” the experiment by re-enacting the EAJA as a permanent statute (Sisk). The EAJA authorizes the payment of attorney’s fees to a prevailing party in an action against the United States absent a showing by the government that its position in the underlying litigation “was substantially justified.” 28 U. S. C. §2412(d)(1) (A). Section 2412(d)(1)(B). It appears that the federal government will fund attorney fees if specific environmental groups establish a lawsuit against the federal government. In 2013, Karen Budd–Falen, a lawyer and fifth generation rancher from Wyoming, wrote an article titled “Environmental Litigation Gravy Train” that summarized the “best known” direct costs from the EAJA. In this article, Mrs. Budd-Falen states: “The federal government is spending billions in tax payer dollars without any accounting of where the money is going or to whom it is going. There is no oversight in spending this money, especially the money that is coming out of agency budgets that should be funding on the ground programs to protect public lands, national forests, ranchers, recreationists, wildlife and other land uses. Nonprofit, tax-exempt groups are making billions of dollars in funding; the majority of that funding is not going into programs to protect people, wildlife, plants and animals, but to fund more lawsuits. Ranchers and other citizens are being forced to expend millions of dollars of their own money to intervene or participate in these lawsuits to protect their way of life when they have no chance of the same attorney fee recovery if they prevail. In fact, they are paying for both sides of the case—for their defense of their ranch and for the attorney fees environmental groups receive to sue the federal government to get them off their land. There are also numerous cases where the federal government agrees to pay attorney fees, but the amount paid is hidden from public view. Somewhere this has to stop and the government has to be held accountable for the money it’s spending”. Mrs. Budd-Falen was generous with sharing her information for public education and provided a copy of her last presentation on April 8th 2014: Legislative Hearing on H.R. 4315, (Hastings), “21st Century Endangered Species Transparency Act,”: H.R. (Lummis), “Endangered Species Recovery Transparency Act,” H.R., 4317 (Neugebauer), “State, Tribal and Local Species Transparency and Recovery Act,” and H.R. 4318 (Huizenga), “Endangered Species Litigation Reasonableness Act.” These four proposed bills surround the Endangered Species Act (ESA). As both the ESA and the EAJA are often used in conjunction, for the purpose of this article, the information is presented together to streamline the most current information to the ranching communities. The bill proposals are not summarized. Mrs. Budd-Falen’s states: 1. HR 4315 requires that the information and data used to list species as threatened or endangered and make critical habitat decisions be put on the Internet. It does NOT require the FWS or the NMFS to gather more, different or
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additional data; it does not change the existing requirement that the “best available scientific and commercial data” be used; it does not add to the citizen suit provisions or create a new cause of action to sue to change the listing process; it does not include any new deadlines. Under this bill, deference will still be owed to the federal agency regarding what to consider as the best scientific and commercial data available. See Hawksbill Sea Turtle v. Fed. Emergency Mgmt. Agency, 11 F.Supp.2d 529, 549 (D.Vi.1998). The bill also does not require that only “peer” reviewed or published information be considered nor does it require that the FWS or NMFS conduct new studies or await the completion of new studies and analysis. See California Native Plant Soc’y v. Norton, 2004 WL 1118537 (S.D. Cal. Feb. 10, 2004). This bill merely requires that the FWS and NMFS take the “best scientific and commercial data available” supporting their decision scan onto the Internet. 2. HR 4316 similarly only adds a requirement for reporting of data that should already be available. This bill requires a report on attorney’s fees and costs for ESA-related litigation. Again, this bill does not change the citizen suit provision of the ESA to add or subtract the amount or type of litigation that can be filed; this bill does not take away any of the Department of Justice’s authority or ability to settle litigation at any point, this bill does not bypass the “existing legal safeguards” ensuring that the federal government follows its procedural and legal mandates, including ensuring that deadlines are met. See Testimony of Robert V. Percival, Before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Hearing on “Mandate Madness: When Sue and Settle Just Isn’t Enough,” June 28, 2012. In his testimony, Professor Percival opines that the citizen suit and Administrative Procedures Act (“APA”) waivers of sovereign immunity to allow litigation against the federal agencies are “desirable and favored by public policy,” and that “existing legal safeguards preclude collusive litigation.” HR 4316 does nothing to dispute or change any of those arguments. The bill simply requires reporting of existing litigation and attorney’s fees payments to the public. It should not be a radical notion for the public to know how much is being paid by the federal government and to whom the check is written. 3. HR 4317 is equally benign. This bill states that the FWS and NMFS must cooperate and consult with State agencies with regard to the data that the federal government considers, and that ESA listing decision-makers consider data submitted by State and local governments and Indian tribes. State and local governments and Indian tribes have significant interest and expertise in protecting plant and animal species and habitats, particularly given that they have local conservation district managers, state game management agencies, and tribal government resources to use for this task. It seems exceedingly arrogant for the federal government to not want to coordinate with these local experts. Other federal statutes, such as the National Environmental Policy Act, require coordination and consultation with State and local governments and Indian Tribes; the ESA should be no different and federal biologists should take advantage of this important local knowledge. 4. HR 4318 caps the hourly fee that attorneys can charge for ESA litigation filed pursuant to the ESA citizens suit provision at the same rate as the hourly fee allowed under the Equal Access to Justice Act (“EAJA”). 28 U.S.C. § 2412(D) (2)(a)(ii). Although the citizens suit provision waives sovereign immunity for ESA litigation related to alleged violations of ESA section 4 (cases related to species listing, critical habitat designation, development of recovery plans and special rules), litigation filed against the federal government related to other ESA provisions are not subject to the citizens suit provision. For example, a substantial amount of litigation related to the ESA stems from charges that the federal government is violating the section 7 consultation requirements of the ESA. 16 U.S.C. 1536(a)(2). Sovereign immunity for those suits is waived pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act (“APA”); attorney’s fees for cases brought pursuant to the APA are paid under the EAJA. EAJA statutorily sets the attorney’s fees cap at $125.00 per hour. If the purpose of litigation enforcing the ESA is truly
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species protection driven, is seems very inequitable for attorneys litigating ESA section 4 cases to receive “unlimited” hourly fees, although those attorneys litigating the equally important ESA section 7 consultation provisions only receive $125.00 per hour. This bill would not stop litigation, change any of the causes of action possible under either the ESA citizens suit provision or the APA enforcing the provisions of ESA section 7; it just treats all ESA plaintiffs’ counsel equally.
tion, and her honest intent to help educate the ranching communities. Bibliography 1. Equal Access to Justice Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_Access_to_Justice_Act 2. Environmental Litigation Gravy Train | SnoWest Snowmobile News www.snowest.com/2011/02/environmental-litigation-gravy-train/ Aug 26, 2013, Karen Budd-Falen, Budd-Falen Law Offices
These proposals do not change existing laws, but provide accountability. They will document the critical need for accurate science, and costs associated with environmental litigations. If these proposals are passed: “best available science” used during litigation becomes available to the public, EAJA litigation fees will be traceable, local, state and tribal data will be considered during the federal litigation process, and finally to cap the “unlimited” hourly fees under the EAJA constraints. There is a need for laws to be re-evaluated to avoid abuse and still maintain the function in “curbing excessive regulation and the unreasonable exercise of Government authority” (Sisk). It is counter-intuitive that “ranchers and other citizens are being forced to expend millions of dollars of their own money to intervene or participate in these lawsuits to protect their way of life when they have no chance of the same attorney fee recovery if they prevail” (Budd-Falen). *Thank you to Mrs. Karen Budd-Falen for fighting these issues, sharing her informa-
3. Budd-Falen, Karen, Owner/Partner - Budd-Falen Law Offices LLC Before the Committee on Natural Resources, Legislative Hearing on H.R. 4315, (Hastings), “21st Century Endangered Species Transparency Act,”: H.R. (Lummis), “Endangered Species Recovery Transparency Act,” H.R., 4317 (Neugebauer), “State, Tribal and Local Species Transparency and Recovery Act,” and H.R. 4318 (Huizenga), “Endangered Species Litigation Reasonableness Act.” April 8, 2014 4. Sisk, Gregory C., The Essentials of the Equal Access to Justice Act: Court Awards of Attorney’s Fees for Unreasonable Government Conduct (Part One), 55 La. L. Rev. (1994) http://digitalcommons.law.lsu.edu/lalrev/vol55/iss2/1
The Society for Range Management (SRM) is “the professional society dedicated to supporting persons who work with rangelands and have a commitment to their sustainable use.” SRM’s members are ranchers, land managers, scientists, educators, students, conservationists – a diverse membership guided by a professional code of ethics and unified by a strong land ethic. This series of articles is dedicated to connecting the science of range management with the art, by applied science on the ground in Nevada. Articles are the opinion of the author and may not be an official position of SRM. Further information and a link to submit suggestions or questions are available at the Nevada Section website at http://www.ag.unr.edu/nsrm/. SRM’s main webpage is www. rangelands.org. We welcome your comments.
JULY 18-19, 2014
ILY M A F N A M SHEL
11th Annual
HE S ELLS
Ranch and PerfOrmance Horse Sale HARNEY COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS
70 Head
HE S ELLS
Finished Geldings & Mares and our Best Started Prospects
“Spearsix Buddy Blue” 2001 AQHA Blue Roan Gelding
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“Smart Zanee Lena” 2007 AQHA Brown Mare
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Stock Horse and Cutting Horse Demonstration July / August 2014 37
Watch Them Compete. Be Amazed.
ADOPT!
Saddle-Trained Wild Horse Adoption Western States Wild Horse and Burro Expo: August 1-3, 2014 Douglas County Fairgrounds in Gardnerville, Nevada Watch 10 horses and 1 burro with up to 120 days of intensive training by the Northern Nevada Correctional Center Saddle Horse Training Program compete on Friday and Saturday, and bid at the adoption on Saturday to take one home! Adoption: Saturday, August 2 at 1:00 PM
View info about the event and available horses and burro at:
www.blm.gov/nv
Directions from Reno: Travel south on US-395 through Carson City. Take the Fairview Drive exit and turn right onto Fairview Drive. Take a left onto US-395/Carson Street, and go through Minden and into Gardnerville past the Carson Valley Inn. At the 7-11 at Pinenut/Riverview Road, make a left onto Pinenut Road, then right onto Dump Road and follow the signs for the fairgrounds.
TM
U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management
Training competition sponsored by:
Don’t miss the great vendors! 38 July / August 2014
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Landowners File Suit Against Western Watersheds Project
The United States and Wyoming Constitutions hold the ownership and protection of private property, including the right to exclude third parties, in the highest regard. Regardless whether private property is the backyard in town or rangeland in the country, trespassing is illegal. Fifteen landowners in Fremont County and Lincoln County have filed a civil trespass lawsuit in Wyoming District Court, Fremont County, against Western Watersheds Project, Inc. (WWP) and Jonathan Ratner, WWP director for Wyoming, Utah and Colorado, and John Does one through 10 with the Western Watersheds Project, Inc. for intentionally and without landowner permission trespassing and entering private property. The Plaintiffs in the case are seeking a permanent injunction to stop further unauthorized trespass against their private property. The Plaintiffs are also seeking recovery of actual, nominal and punitive damages.
Private property rights According to Western Watersheds Project, Inc.’s website, “Policy Memo Number 2” is “To Do: Get all cows and sheep off public lands ASAP!” To advance the agenda of WWP, the Defendants were willing to break laws by illegally trespassing on private property. “This case is really about the landowner’s ability to protect their private property rights,” says Karen Budd-Falen, an attorney representing the landowners. “Landowners should have the ability to decide who does or does not trespass on their private property.” “In many areas in Wyoming, private land is interspersed with federal lands. We (Wyoming private landowners) have typically allowed public access through our private lands,” says Anjie McConnell with Frank Ranches. “Allowing public access is a property owner’s choice.” “For instance, if we are not comfortable allowing someone into our home, we are able to tell them ‘no’ and close the door,” she explains. “Landowners have the same rights and the ability to say ‘no’ to groups and individuals who knowingly trespass, including those trying to advance an agenda against multiple-use of federal lands.” Budd-Falen adds that WWP, in some cases, went directly against landowners who did not grant them access to lands. Incidence of trespass Trespasses by WWP occurred while collecting and submitting water quality samples to the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Trespasses also occurred while collecting range monitoring data. According to the lawsuit, in June 2005 and May 2010, Ratner, on behalf of WWP, submitted to the DEQ a “Sampling and Analysis Plan” (SAP) for the collection of water quality data. “The signed 2005 SAP and the 2010 SAP affirmatively state that all water quality monitoring will be in compliance with Wyoming’s Credible Data Act of 1999,” wrote Budd-Falen. “Additionally, the SAP’s state the sampling sites will be on public lands with legal public access.” Reason for suit According to the complaint, when the latitude and longitude coordinates for the individual water quality site locations provided by Defendants were placed on a land ownership map, circumstantial evidence shows the Defendants trespassed upon the Plaintiff’s private property. “Additionally, two of the water monitoring site locations were illegally located on the private lands belonging to two of the Plaintiffs,” she continues. “Because the Defendants were required to use GPS equipment to note the locations of their water quality monitoring sites, Defendants knew or should have known that they were trespassing on private property to access these sites,” Budd-Falen explains. “Landowners are not comfortable having an extreme biased organization, that has not demonstrated the professional qualifications to collect credible data, trespassing their lands.” State lands offenses Additionally, the Defendant trespassed on state lands and was notified on April 1, 2014 by the director of the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments that collection of monitoring data on Wyoming state trust lands was prohibited by law and that any continued unauthorized data collections may constitute trespassing. “It is of great concern to us when an individual or an organization habitually trespasses on our private lands,” McConnell concludes. “It should also be of great concern to all people who own, use and enjoy lands and value open spaces in Wyoming.” www.progressiverancher.com
Moving forward In moving forward with the lawsuit, after Ratner is served with the complaint, he and Western Watersheds Project have 20 days to respond. “We have asked for a jury trial because we think Wyoming citizens ought to be involved in this issue,” says Budd-Falen. “We are filing the case in Lander, and that is where the trial will be held.” Once in court, Budd-Falen notes that the judge must first determine whether Ratner has trespassed under Wyoming statutes. “We are claiming trespass, and we need a judge to say that,” she continued. “We have also asked for damages that he has caused.” Finally, Budd-Falen remarks that they are also asking for punitive damages. Punitive damages are being sought because of the continued and habitual trespass by the Defendants. “Punitive damages are damages a jury can award as a punishment for someone who so flagrantly disobeys the law,” she explains. The complaint states, “Punitive damages are proper where there has been an aggravated disregard of another’s rights and where the imposition of punitive damages will tend to prevent this type of violation in the future. In this case, Defendants willfully and wantonly acted, in reckless disregard for the consequences, and in complete and utter disregard for Plaintiffs’ property rights.” Accessing land without permission is against the law and a violation of the basic rights of property owners. For this reason, the Plaintiffs in this lawsuit have the support of the Wyoming Association of Conservation Districts, Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation, Wyoming Stock Growers Association and Wyoming Wool Growers Association. Watch the Roundup for updates on this case. This article was compiled from press releases and interviews by Saige Albert, managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to saige@wylr.net.
BLM Temporarily Suspends Humboldt Wild Horse Water Bait Trap Gather
Winnemucca, Nev. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Winnemucca District, Humboldt River Field Office has temporarily suspended the Humboldt Wild Horse Water/Bait Trap gather in Pershing County, Nevada. The operation is postponed because gather numbers have been minimal. Gather operations will continue on July 7, 2014 with the anticipation that the horses will be more accustomed to the trap-site structure. As of June, 27, a total of 37 horses out of 100 have been gathered. “Water bait trapping is not an exact science and there are many factors that must be considered,” BLM Field Manager Victor Lozano said. “Temporarily suspending gather operations will allow the wild horses to become familiar with the facilities reducing skittishness.” The gather area is comprised of 431,544 acres of both private and public lands. Removing the excess wild horses will help prevent further deterioration of the range and water resources, as well as address safety issues on roads and private land issues. There are currently an estimated 282 wild horses from an aerial population count conducted in May 2014. The contractor for this gather is Cattoor Livestock of Nephi, Utah. The gathered animals will be transported to the Palomino Valley Center near Reno, Nevada where they will be prepared for the BLM adoption program. Horses not adopted will be placed in long-term pastures where they will be humanly cared for and retain their “wild” status and protection under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. The BLM does not sell or send any horses to slaughter. For further information a Gather Information Hotline has been set up at (775) 623-1747 or you can call Mandy Deforest at 775-623-1579.
The Progressive Rancher
July / August 2014 39
CHECKOFF NEWS: Nevada Beef Council Says Goodbye to Longtime Leaders Steve Lucas and Bill Frade end their tenure with the NBC as Gary Ward joins the board.
vada’s representative on the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, joining with other beef producers from throughout the country to help determine how checkoff dollars are invested on a national level. Over the years, Lucas has proven invaluable in guiding the direction and actions of the NBC, serving as an excellent ambassador for Nevada’s beef producers. “I’m very proud to have been able to serve on the NBC. It’s been a wonderful experience to be a part of the industry in that respect and see that our checkoff dollars are going in the right direction.” Bill Frade: A Voice for the Dairy Sector Bill Frade, a longtime Yerington dairyman, stepped down from the NBC in May after nearly a decade of service, and says that while he enjoyed the time spent serving the industry, he is looking forward to the new energy and fresh ideas that new board members will bring to the organization. Looking back over his years on the NBC, Frade states that cost efficiencies and managing producer’s checkoff investment has been among the chief challenges for the NBC, given that its annual budget is much smaller than larger beef-producing states. He notes that maximizing the costs on producers’ behalf is important to all council members, and echoes Lucas’ sentiment that joining forces with the CBC to Longtime NBC members Steve Lucas and Bill Frade (first and second from left) with the remainder of the board provide greater cost efficiencies and therefore more program(from left to right): Lucy Rechel (chair), Jay Dalton (vice chair), Ray Callahan, Gary Ward, and John Jackson matic funding for Nevada was an important milestone for the (secretary/treasurer). Not pictured is Susan Agee. organization. Over the years, Frade has been a fixture in the Nevada agricultural community, spending time serving with the his spring brought a shift for the Nevada Beef Council (NBC) as two respected Nevada Farm Bureau and Nevada Wildlife Commission, among others. As Frade prepares members of the voluntary board of producers ended their tenure after nearly 35 for a well-deserved retirement from his family’s dairy operation, he notes he is hopeful for collective years of leadership. Steve Lucas (Paradise Valley), representing the feeder sec- the future of the council and eager to see what unfolds over the coming years with regard to tor, and Bill Frade (Yerington), representing the dairy sector, both stepped down from the beef promotion efforts and programs. board in May. Introducing New Board Member Gary Ward Steve Lucas: “Proud to Serve” Although both Lucas and Frade will be greatly missed, the NBC is pleased to welcome Lucas has been a staple of the Nevada Beef Council for decades. Joining the organiza- a new board member. Gary Ward, a rancher from Gardnerville, comes to the board with a tion just a few years after the national beef checkoff program was established with the 1985 lifetime in the cattle industry under his belt. After growing up and working on commercial Farm Bill, Lucas states that it was partly his desire to help producers understand and benefit cow-calf operations in California, Ward worked his way into the purebred bull business, from the checkoff that initially interested him in being a part of the NBC. selling Angus and Salers/Optimizer bulls. He currently has his own production sale in “Coming from a California dairy family, I grew up seeing the benefit of the dairy in- Gardnerville, and also runs yearling steers in California and Nevada. dustry’s equivalent to the checkoff, helping them generate more income and become a bigger Ward has been involved in a number of other industry organizations over the years, force on a national front. I saw the value of sharing information with consumers and focus- including the California Beef Cattle Improvement Association, the American Salers Assoing on exports, and knew that we needed to keep the industry going in the right direction.” ciation (for which he served as president from 2000-2002), California Angus Association, The beef industry, says Lucas, has come a long way since that time, noting in particu- and the California and Nevada Cattlemen’s Associations. lar the progress that has been made in export markets for Nevada beef producers. He also Ward notes that he is proud of how the Beef Checkoff Program has been able to show notes a growing understanding of the beef checkoff among producers as another highlight the consumers the benefits of eating beef, but feels that we as an industry can continue to of recent years. With greater transparency of how checkoff dollars are invested on both a improve how we tell our story, and continue reassuring the American consumer that U.S. state and national level, Lucas says that more producers have become aware of and value beef is not only the safest in the world, but very tasty as well. what the NBC does on their behalf. The NBC joining forces with the California Beef Council (CBC) several years ago is another highlight that Lucas says greatly benefited Nevada producers, as it reduced overhead Learn More About What the NBC Does for You costs, created more efficiency, and allowed greater flexibility with Nevada checkoff dollars. Visit www.nevadabeef.org for our latest annual report and a glimpse at all the NBC Rather than spending producer dollars on rent and staff, the partnership allowed the NBC to does throughout the year to promote beef. Don’t forget to find us on Facebook and Twitter, focus more of the producers’ investment on meaningful programs and partnerships. During his tenure on the Nevada Beef Council, Lucas also spent time serving as Ne- too!
T
40 July / August 2014
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Find us at the Western Video Auction in Reno or the Superior Livestock Auction in Winnemucca!
News From the Nevada Beef Council
S
GRILLED ONION CHEESEBURGERS
ummer is here, which means grilling and beef are on the menu. And there’s nothing that says summer quite as well as a grilled hamburger. Try this tasty variation out with your choice of cheese at your next barbeque! Total Recipe Time: 35 to 40 minutes
Makes 4 servings
INGREDIENTS 1. 1 pound Ground Beef 2. 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme 3. 1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic 4. 1 large white or yellow onion, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices 5. 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil 6. Salt and pepper 7. 4 white or whole wheat hamburger buns or Kaiser rolls, split 8. 3 ounces crumbled or shredded cheese (such as smoked mozzarella, goat cheese, feta, blue cheese) INSTRUCTIONS 1. Combine Ground Beef, thyme and garlic in medium bowl, mixing lightly but thoroughly. Lightly shape into four 1/2-inch thick patties. Brush both sides of onion slices with oil.
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2. Place patties in center of grid over medium, ash-covered coals; arrange onion slices around patties. Grill, covered, 8 to 10 (over medium heat on preheated gas grill, 7 to 9 minutes) until instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into center registers 160°F, turning occasionally. Grill onions 15 to 20 minutes or until tender, turning occasionally and brushing with oil. (Grilling times for onions remain the same on gas grill.) Season burgers with salt and pepper, as desired.
PremiumNutritionNetwork.com
3. Place 1 burger on bottom of each bun; top evenly with cheese and grilled onions. Close sandwiches. For more delicious summer beef recipes, visit www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com www.progressiverancher.com
The Progressive Rancher
July / August 2014 41
J. B. Wh i te l e y OF A RANCH WIFE
Work
I
just completed 3 months of U.S. Census phone surveys. One of the questions I was routinely asked was “How many hours did you work last week at your primary job? How many hours did your husband work at his primary job?” We live on a ranch. Do you think they would believe me if I responded with “Well, there are 7 days in a week and 24 hours in a day, so I guess 168 hours?” While we may not have been physically working on the ranch, we were on call that entire time. For me this is a very hard question to answer. Do I just account for the hours of physical labor? What about the bookkeeping aspect of it, or even just the hours we spend thinking about our ranch job? Things like figuring how much to feed each cow or horse, and how much hay we need to get through the winter, or what vaccines we need to give and how many doses we need to purchase, or even what tasks we need to complete here on the ranch, like spraying weeds or fixing fences? Ranching isn’t a 9 to 5 Monday through Friday job with a 40 hour work week. We don’t get a time card to punch when we arrive to or
leave work. We don’t have weekends off, Christmas vacations, or spring breaks. If we take a trip away from the ranch we spend that time worrying about what is going on at the ranch. Why do it? The Cowboss could have a job at the mine, work 15 days a month and make significantly more money. I have a college degree and can have a job anywhere with better hours and better pay. We could both drive brand new vehicles and have a brand new horse trailer. We could go home at the end of the day and not think about our jobs… On the other hand, we wouldn’t be able to take our boys to work with us whenever it strikes our fancy. We wouldn’t have the teaching opportunities to educate our boys about things that are important to us, like work ethic, compassion, or the cycle of life that ranch living grants us. We wouldn’t be able to stop in the middle of work to watch a cow calve, cranes dance, baby geese swimming, or even a coyote hunting mice in a ditch. I really don’t know why people would want to work anywhere else!
Carlin Equestrian Park 2025 Carlin Trend Drive, Carlin, Nevada 89822
e h t s t n e s Pre
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Team Branding and Bull Riding Sponsored by Outlaw Broncs
Carlin Smokin’ Hot Chili Cook Off
Visit the Websites at www.cityofcarlin.com and www.carlinchilicookoff.com
Carlin Equestrian Park is located 1 mile north on SR766 from I-80 42 July / August 2014
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Financial Focus Pr esented by Ja son L a n d , Fin a n c ia l A d v is o r, E d wa rd J o n e s in E lk o , Ne v a da 2213 North 5 th S t re e t , S u it e A | 7 7 5 -7 3 8 -8 8 11
Work Toward Your Own Financial Independence Day I
t’s almost the Fourth of July, the day when we celebrate care expenses. Few events can threaten your financial indepenour independence as a nation and the many liberties dence as much as a disability or the need for long-term care, such we enjoy as individuals. Still, we have to keep working to earn as a nursing home stay. Even a short disability and time away from some freedoms — such as financial freedom. But by making work can wreak havoc on your financial situation. And an extended the right moves, you may eventually enjoy your own Financial stay in a nursing home can be hugely expensive. In fact, the national Independence Day. average for a private room in a nursing home is nearly $84,000 per Here are a few such moves to consider: year, according to a recent survey by Genworth, a financial security • Set free your vision. Your first step in moving toward fi- company. To defend yourself against the threat of disability or the nancial independence is to establish a vision of what this freedom expense of long-term care, you may want to consult with a financial might look like. Ask yourself some key questions: When do I want advisor, who can recommend the appropriate protection vehicles. to retire? What do I want to do during my retirement years? How The Fourth of July is a festive occasion. But you’ll have even can I be confident that I won’t outlive my financial resources? The more reason to celebrate once you can declare your own financial answers can help you develop a clear picture of where you want to independence. So, do what it takes to speed the arrival of that day. go — which will make it much easier to create a financial strategy for getting there. This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward • Liberate your full investment capabilities. Right now, you Jones Financial Advisor. may have good investment opportunities that you are not fully exploiting. For example, are you contributing as much as you can afford to your IRA and your 401(k) or other employer-sponsored plan? And when your income goes up, are you increasing Ruby Valley: 1136 deeded acres of which approx. 129 acres have water your contributions to these accounts? Both rights. On paved State Rt.229. Only 45 minutes from Elko. Good summer an IRA and a 401(k) offer tax advantages range.Price: $700,000. and a variety of investment options, so try to get as much out of these plans as you can. Clover Valley Ranch: 2,489 Deeded Acres with over 500 acres water • Avoid the “bondage” of a nonrighted and irrigated with a gravity flow system from Stream flow and from diversified portfolio. If you only own a few several underground irrigation wells. Access on paved road and just 7 miles types of investments, you are restricting South of Wells, Nevada. One 3 bedroom 2 bath home. Price: $1,800,000. your opportunities — and probably taking Elko Co. 10,706 deeded with BLM grazing permit: These private on too much risk. If a downturn primarily sections are in the checkerboard area and are intermingled with public lands. affects just one or two asset classes, and The ranch has historically been a Spring Sheep range. The BLM permit is most of your investment dollars are tied up only 29% public lands. Price includes 50% of the mineral rights on all but in those assets, your portfolio could take a 320 acres. Oil & Gas Lease might pay a big portion of the purchase! big hit. But if you “free up” your holdings by diversifying across a range of investPrice:$130/acre. Or $1,392,000. Considering adding the property below to it ments — stocks, bonds, government securito make a year around unit. ties, certificates of deposit and so on — you Elko Co. Humboldt River Property: 650 acres located between the may give yourself more chances for success Ryndon and Osino Exits on I-80. This property has over 300 acres of surface while reducing the effects of market volatiliwater rights out of the Humboldt River. The BLM permit for the 10,706 acres ty on your portfolio. (Keep in mind, though, above is a short distance from this property with a stock driveway on this that diversification cannot guarantee profits property. Price:$1.2 million. or prevent losses.) • Unshackle yourself from debt. It’s TENT MOUNTAIN RANCH: PENDING not always easy to lower your debt burden, but it’s worth the effort. The lower your WE NEED MORE FARMS AND RANCHES TO SELL! monthly debt payments, the more money For additional information on these properties go to: BOTTARIREALTY.COM you will have available to invest for the future — and for your ultimate financial Work: 775-752-3040 Paul D. Bottari, Broker freedom. So look for ways to consolidate, Home: 775-752-3809 • Fax: 775-752-3021 paul@bottarirealty.com and reduce, your debts. 1222 6th St., P.O. Box 368 Wells, NV 89835 • www.bottarirealty.com • Escape from disability and long-term www.progressiverancher.com
The Progressive Rancher
Allie Bear
Real Estate
Spec ializing in hunting, ranching, and horse properties 6445 Morning Dove Lane
Nice,10-acre horse property in Winnemucca. 3 bed/2 bath home with open floor plan, large kitchen. Large clean barn with concrete floors – stalls, tack room, studio. Lush front & back yard with mature trees. Greenhouse, Chicken house, Hay Storage, ATV Storage. $850,000
Starr Valley Pasture
Unique fenced 1,104 acres on Boulder Creek bordering U.S. Forest Service in Starr Valley, Nevada. Water-righted with nice meadows. $1,400,000
Recanzone Ranch
Neat ranch in Paradise Valley. 900+ acres, 300 AUMs, right by town. Original Sandstone House. Easy access to Hinkey Summit & surrounding mountains. Includes Barn, Outbuildings and Corrals. $1,390,000
Davis Ranch
Great little ranch north of Elko about 14 miles out. 157.19 acres. Fenced, cross fenced, large barn, stalls, tack room, corrals, round pen, arena. 3 Bedroom / 2 bath home with covered deck, 4-car garage.
Flying M Ranch
Great ranch! Just minutes from I-80 (Imlay, NV) & not far from Winnemucca. Approx. 23,000 acres of deeded ground with more than 23 miles on the river. Winter outside-no feeding. One of the oldest water rights along the river. $15,000,000
J and M Farm
Very nice farm just minutes from Battle Mountain, Nevada. 169 acres of which 130 are in production. Feedlot, corrals, new shop & equipment shed. New 3 bed, 2 bath mobile with mature landscape.
J M Farm (Winnemucca) 58 acre well maintained farm just 3 miles from downtown Winnemucca. Approx. 43 acres planted in alfalfa/grass mix. Water rights included in sale. Includes two homes, mature landscaping, several outbuildings, barn and horse corrals. Farm equipment will be negotiated with sale. $780,000 Sherman Hills Ranch
1,259.51 acre Private Ranch in Osino, close to Elko, Nevada with year round creek through the property. Great views! Three large pastures, fenced and cross fenced. Garage, shop, corrals. Permanent manuf. home. Open floor plan with 2 bed / 2 bath. $1,500,000
View comple listings at:
www.ARanchBroker.com
775-738-8535 Allie Bear, Broker/Realtor 775-777-6416
July / August 2014 43
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit # 3280 Salt Lake City, UT
18th Annual
September 12 & 13, 2014 Elko County Fairgrounds Elko, Nevada
7:00 am
Buckaroo Breakfast
8:00 am
Preview of horses under saddle
1:00 pm Auction
For More Information: Linda Bunch 775-756-6508 • mrsbunch@rtci.net
44 July / August 2014
The Progressive Rancher
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www.progressiverancher.com