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NCBA, PLC Grateful for Pardon of Dwight and Steven Hammond Today Ethan Lane, Executive Director of the Public Lands Council and NCBA Federal Lands, released the following statement: “We are extremely grateful to President Trump for granting a full pardon to Dwight and Steven Hammond. The Hammonds were forced to suffer from grave injustice for far too long, and the entire ranching community is relieved that they will be reunited with their families. No rancher undertaking normal agricultural practices should fear spending years in jail at the hands of the federal government. NCBA and PLC have continued to advocate for the Hammonds’ release, and we would like to thank Representative Greg Walden and the many others who worked tirelessly on their behalf.”
You are invited to
You are invited to
COWBOY CHURCH!
COWBOY CHURCH!
Bible Study Fri @ 9 am
Sunday @ 11am services
4275 Solias Rd Fallon, NV
Bible Study Wed @ 6 pm
Are you having a Rodeo or Livestock event? GIVE US A CALL. We would love to come to your event or ranch and host Cowboy Church for you.
Harmony Ranch Ministry 3767 Keyes Way Fallon, NV 89406
Tom J. Gonzalez | Diana J. Gonzalez, Pastor threecrossls@cccomm.net
(775) 240-8870 Cell (775) 867-3100
FIND MORE ARTICLES ON OUR WEBSITE www.progressiverancher.com
Nevada State Water Plan Recognizing Sites for Effective Mitigation in Sage-Grouse Habitat Also available online - virtual issues of the PR
3
Riding for the NCA Brand
18 The Agee Smith Ranch Story
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NCA Roundup
19 Opinion On the Recent Fires
5
Mustangs In The West NCA Scholarship Winner Article
20 NDCNR & GBWN - Opposing Thoughts on Water Resource Ruling
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NBC Checkoff News
21 BLM News Releases
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Nevada Cattlewomen
22 UNRCE - Controlling Wildfires
8
Churchill County Cowbells Update 25 NDA News Releases
10 Eye on the Outside
26 Nevada Farm Bureau
11 Master Stockman Consulting
28 Hunting Etiquette
11 NDF - Special Order
29 USDA News Release
12 154 Years - Then The Martin Fire
30 NSRM - Summer Tour
14 Martin Fire Progression Map
32 WGA Letter & Resolution
15 S. Sugarloaf Fire Progression Map
34 HWCWMA - Barbed Goatgrass
15 Elko Daily Free Press Fire Article
37 Look Up - Cow Country Church
16 Forest Service Expands Closure Area
38 Range Plants for the Rancher
The Progressive Rancher Owner/Editor/Publisher – Leana Litten Carey progressiverancher@elko.net Graphic Design/Layout – Allegra Print & Imaging www.AllegraReno.com
Cover Credit: "The Martin Fire" all photos by Kris Stewart, Ninety Six Ranch Published 8 times each year, The Progressive Rancher is mailed to more than 5,500 approved addresses, and has digital and print readership reaching more than 30,000. 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.
© The Progressive Rancher Magazine. All rights reserved.
Leana Litten Carey, Owner/Editor
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2 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
The Progressive Rancher
www.progressiverancher.com
From the desk of your NCA president Hello Everyone,
By Sam Mori, NCA President
I hope things are going well for all of you as we work our way through one of the hottest summers on record. As we filter through the ashes of the numerous fires our state and the country have experienced this summer there is a silver lining to the devastation that we see. People from many different walks of life are realizing we can no longer continue to fuel loading our rangelands and expect anything different than what we are seeing. Several members of the NCA's leadership have been active in meetings and on tours to make sure the rehabilitation process is addressed by the industry. Acting Director for the Nevada Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Mike Courtney, has done an excellent job in reaching out to affected permittees and getting plans put together that will give them the opportunity to adjust their operations while going through the rehabilitation process. There has also been cooperation from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) and many other agencies as well as the private sector. All realizing we can no longer go down this path that has created this catastrophe.
All of the things being discussed and worked on are moving in a positive direction at the speed of government. Patience and persistence are important at this time and the Nevada Cattlemen's Association is committed to the task. It is a great time to be in the cattle business (as always). The markets are a little higher than last year, government regulation may be starting to retract and there is a chance El Nino may bring us some much-needed moisture this winter. Let's be thankful for the business we are in and the way we are able to live! Talk to you soon,
Sam
Sam will make a statement regarding the S. Sugarloaf Fire in our next issue. - Editor
This past week, Dr. JJ Goicoechea and Joe Guild represented the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and the Nevada Cattlemen's Association. Kaley Chapin and I also attended the NCBA Summer Business Meetings in Denver, Colorado. The atmosphere at the meetings was positive and productive. Some of the items discussed were as follows: 1. Trade and Tariffs – most producers sent the message that we are in support of free trade. 2. Traceability – is part of the discussion but it is unclear what that will look like. 3. Public Lands – a. Wild horses are going to be gathered starting now (10,500 head this year) with some spay and neuter, and sterilization injection. b. Change in grazing regulations to allow for more flexibility. Dr. Goicoechea is now chairman of the public lands committee at NCBA and is well connected to where many constructive things can be done. c. An open line with Interior leadership and the Public Lands Council has created a venue for us to get our needs to the places that can do some good. Now let's see how our input is taken and if it does any good. www.progressiverancher.com
The Progressive Rancher
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
3
nca hAPPENINGS Summer has been filled with ups and downs and I would like to start off by giving thoughts and prayers to the people and animals that have been affected by the fires. During July and August we have seen a large number of devastating fires from the Martin fire to the fires in California. While attending meetings in regards to the Martin fire it had been mentioned multiple times that this was the largest fire ever in Nevada history, I hope that we never have to see a fire this drastic again. Along with fires we have experienced extremely hot weather. I am looking forward to August with hopes it will bring fewer fires and cooler weather. During July and August, some of the ups included accomplishing tasks, gearing up for the 2018 Annual NCA Convention and marking my third year working for the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association. We have submitted comments on the Greater Sage-Grouse Environmental Impact Statement Resource Management Plan Amendment for the Nevada Bureau of Land Management and are working on comments for the Forest Service Greater Sage-Grouse EIS. On July 24th we held the Summer Board of Directors meeting where we heard presentations from the Nevada Department of Agriculture, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Nevada Department of Wildlife, Edward Jones, Nevada Rural Electric Association, and Idaho Cattle Association members. We would like to thank Tim Harberd with MWI Animal Health and Carmen Stevens with Bayer Animal Health for providing lunch to the attendees and we are grateful for their continuous support to our association. Along with the day to day obligations Sharon Mcknight, NCA Executive Secretary, and I have begun planning and coordinating the NCA convention which will be held in Winnemucca, NV on November 15-17, 2018 at the Winnemucca Convention Center. If you are interested in
4 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
By Kaley Sproul Chapin, NCA Executive Director
speaking or sponsoring an event at our convention please contact the NCA office at 775-738-9214 or by email at nca@nevadabeef.org. Tradeshow / sponsorship forms can be found on our webpage at www.nevadacattlemen.org. We are currently seeking candidates for the 2018 Teacher of the Year Award. This award will be presented at the banquet during convention. Nominations must be a teacher who incorporates agriculture into their curriculum such as “Ag in the Classroom”. The winner of this award will receive a $1,000 school supply stipend, donated by the Nevada Agriculture Foundation. Be sure to watch our webpage for a tentative convention schedule which will be available soon, I look forward to seeing you at the convention! We have also started planning for the 2019 Annual Fallon All Breeds Bull Sale which will be held February 16, 2019, in Fallon, NV. Consignments opened for NCA members August 1st and by September 1st consignments will be open to the public for anyone to consign bulls. Please keep in mind the December 1st deadline for consignments and/or to advertise in the FBS Catalog. If you are a member of the Association and did not receive the consignment forms, please contact the NCA office and we will be happy to mail you one.
At the general session, the keynote speaker was Tom Hayes, President, and CEO of Tyson Foods. He spoke about their views and predictions for the industry including transparency, traceability, trade, and engaging the consumers. During the Federal Lands committee meetings we heard from Timothy Williams, Deputy Director of External Affairs, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior and Bruce Rittenhouse, Acting Division Chief, Wild Horse, and Burro Program. Rittenhouse gave an update on the current state of the program including horse numbers and plans for action to achieve AML someday. We also heard from representatives of other Federal agencies. If you would like more information regarding our meetings in Denver, please contact Sam Mori or me.
Just recently NCA President, Sam Mori, and I attended the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Summer Meetings in Denver, CO. Also in attendance from Nevada were Joe Guild, Dr. JJ Goicoechea, Jay Dalton, Staci Emm and the Miller family. I found this experience very educational and rewarding because we were able to learn more about policies that affect the industry. During the week we attended general sessions, membership, leadership, and committee meetings. During the leadership meeting, we heard from Bob Tipton, author of “What’s Right not Who’s Right”. Tipton presented writings within his book and how to avoid unproductive conflicts.
Last but certainly not least, I want to mention how the past three years at the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association have been a great experience so far! The people I have encountered such as NCA members, officers, board of directors and staff have given me advice and tools that not only teaches me how to do this job but how to succeed. Those leaders have been instrumental in my career by teaching me that being a leader requires hard work, compassion, understanding, creativity, and patience. I ask for you all to keep sending advice and guidance my way, as it is much appreciated! For more information and to keep up on current NCA events please go to our webpage at http://www.nevadacattlemen.org/.
The Progressive Rancher
www.progressiverancher.com
Mustangs in the West There is a misconception about mustangs in the west. Most people think they are free roaming, healthy and beautiful animals. The sad truth is they are overpopulated and suffering. Mustangs are destroying ecosystems and are not being properly controlled by the BLM. Three of the main problems are: there isn't enough feed or water for the horses with all the rest of the wildlife; mustangs are pushing ranchers out of business; and the BLM isn't properly controlling the numbers of mustangs. In my opinion, something needs to be done before it is too late. Although the BLM has admitted that there aren't enough natural resources for the amount of horses, nothing is being done. Horses are starving or dying of thirst every day. Due to the horses never leaving an area, no grass can grow back, and springs are running dry. Along with horses suffering, so are the wildlife in the area. Dr. Barry Perryman, rangeland ecology professor at the University of Nevada said, "The fault lies in management. Up until the Taylor Grazing Act was passed in 1934, this area was a grazing free-forall for anyone with the courage to come out here and bring livestock. It's undeniable that historic unregulated livestock grazing contributed to erosion and overgrazing, and we still occasionally see some of those legacy effects today". The wildlife is dying or being pushed out of an area.
by Vinnie Padilla, Eureka County High School NCA 2018 Scholarship Winner
most of his cows. The horses on Borba's permitted allotment are out of water and running very low on feed, which left nothing for cows. Without any feed or water, ranchers can't afford to keep cows in the private property all year around because the cost of hay is too expensive to feed cows all year round.
for Nevada was 12,811, which is ten times any other state's AML." Yet, there are 31,979 wild horses and 2,552 burros which is a total of 34, 531 wild horses and burros currently roaming Nevada land. That is 21, 720 horses and burros over Nevada's appropriate management level.
Furthermore, the BLM has admitted that there are too many mustangs but isn't doing anything about it. They claim to give a fertility drug to mares, but it is only effective for one year and has little to no effect on the number of horses. Not only is the drug only effective one year, but the percent of mares that don't get it is much higher than the percent that do.
Not only has the cost of housing for wild horses significantly gone up, but the U.S population is also growing. With the populations growing this calls for more land to house and support people and leaves less land for agriculture which means less land for wild horses. Joan Guilfoyle, chief of the BLM's wild horse and burro division, predicted that "the holding areas in states such as Kansas and Oklahoma will chew up 64 percent of the $77 million Congress gave the program for fiscal 2014". This is a lot of money that can be used elsewhere.
The Wild Horse Education website states, "Until recently, the actual application of PZP-22 on most wild horse populations was ineffective due to a multitude of factors. The primary factor being insufficient number of mares treated." The wild horse population in Nevada has greatly increased in the past few years. Their herds have doubled and tripled in size and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has done little to nothing to control this population. To promote healthy conditions on the range, the BLM has determined an Appropriate Management Level (AML) to control the population. If the wild horse and burro population exceeds the AML, then the BLM is able remove the excess population.
Due to the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act in 1971, in roundups to maintain health The second main issue is that mustangs are causing conditions and steady grazing land. The website ranchers to go out of business or to sell out. The "The Horse" states: "Simple overpopulation is not the BLM has to take permits away from ranchers or cut only reason for wild horse gathers; natural disasters down the number of cows the ranchers can turn out such as wildfires and droughts can further diminish because there are too many horses on the range and the rangeland's ability to sustain horses." Yet, we not enough feed. set this system up to maintain health and grazing conditions, but what happens when the BLM doesn't For example, a local rancher in Eureka, Kevin Borba follow through? How can the local Nevada ranchers and his family were forced to sell most of their cows maintain a ranching operation if their grazing because their permitted land is overrun with horses land is no longer due to the outrageous wild horse and can't sustain the number of horses along with the population? cows. The BLM cut down Borba's permit number for cows and raised the AML (appropriate management According to the Bureau of Land Management level) from 101 to 170. Borba was forced to sell website, "in 2015 the appropriate management level
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The Progressive Rancher
According to the Bureau of Land Management website, in 1971 42.5 million acres of BLM land had wild horses and burros on it and in 2015 they currently occupy 26.9 million acres. Many wild horse activists would argue that this is cruel to take away the wild horse populations land. Yet, in 1971 the United States' population was 207.66 million and in 2016 the population has grown to 323.64 million. In 45 years the United States population has grown approximately 116 million people. We need to be able to feed and house that many more people and if so, we must cut down the land usage of wild horses. In conclusion, mustangs are a problem and will continue to be until something is done. They are highly over populated and aren't being controlled properly by the BLM. They are pushing ranches out of business, they are running out of water and feed and are not being controlled. If the BLM doesn't take action soon, it will be too far gone. The ALM for wild horses and burros was set in 1971 for a reason and until the Bureau of Land Management follows these set numbers Nevada land will be going downhill. We need to control our grazing limits or pay the price.
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
5
CHECKOFF NEWS: Your Checkoff At Work By Nevada Beef Council Staff Virtual Ranch Tours Debuted at FOOD & WINE Classic
It may be hard to believe that we’re already rolling into the fall months, as it seems like the summer just began. As you gear up for another busy season, here’s a glimpse at a couple of exciting projects funded by the Beef Checkoff that took place over the summer months.
The world of cattle ranching may seem far removed from the annual FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen, CO, but at this year’s event, beef was the center of attention.
Beef Councils Host Culinary Experts
Beef Checkoff-funded Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. offered attendees the opportunity to “visit” three farms and ranches via virtual reality videos and learn how they produce high-quality beef. Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. sponsored the event with the dual goal of demonstrating beef ’s culinary value and dispelling common misconceptions about beef production.
Sixteen culinary experts from across the country got a taste of the beef industry during a Pasture to Plate Beef Tour in Colorado, funded by state beef councils in California, Colorado, Arizona, Oklahoma and Texas. Invited to the beef checkofffunded event were the culinary chairs responsible for International Culinary Schools at the Art Institutes across the country. The tour was held in late June, and featured visits to a cow-calf ranch, feedlot and the JBS beef processing facility in northern Colorado, along with presentations from beef experts that helped the culinary leaders understand beef ’s role in a sustainable food system, and ideas for incorporating sensory and beef umami exercises into their classrooms. Attendees also had an opportunity to participate in a beef cooking competition that demonstrated their culinary talents. The spark for development of this tour was generated last fall during the California Beef Council’s Beef Leadership Summit, according to Christie Van Egmond, director of retail and foodservice marketing for the California and Nevada beef councils, who helped organize the tour. At that time Dave Hendricksen, the national culinary director for the Art Institutes, expressed interest in giving the Institutes’ culinary leaders more backgrounding in the beef industry.
Pasture to plate tour “This is a valuable partnership that should continue into the future,” said Van Egmond. “The beef information and experiences we shared will funnel down through the curricula in the Art Institutes culinary schools nationwide. Just as important, the relationships we’re developing are an important component of our beef checkoff efforts to build stronger bonds with those who have an impact on beef demand.”
Pasture to plate tour
Attendees at the event also had an opportunity to talk with ranchers about what it’s like to raise cattle and produce beef, watch a beef cutting demonstration by a meat scientist, and sample ontrend beef recipes. “We know people want to learn more about where their food comes from, but not everyone can visit a farm or ranch,” said Alisa Harrison, senior vice president, Global Marketing and Research for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff. “Our new 360-degree videos offer an opportunity to learn more about how cattle are raised and become immersed in ranching experiences from anywhere at any time.” The three 360-degree videos transport the viewer to a ranch to experience some of the different ways cattle are raised. They can be viewed at https://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/raisingbeef/360-videos.
“This is a great way to connect the next generation of chefs with those that produce the food,” Hendricksen said. He said it was “critical” this type of information gets carried down from the participating culinary leaders to the students in culinary schools studying to be chefs or operation managers.
About the Beef Checkoff The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States may retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.
Standing out to those attending the tour was the well-being of animals throughout the process, Hendricksen said. “The constant theme of this event was animal welfare and the care for the environment,” he said. “It was amazing.”
For more about the Nevada Beef Council or the Beef Checkoff, visit www.nevadabeef.org or www.mybeefcheckoff.org 6 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
The Progressive Rancher
www.progressiverancher.com
By Nevada Beef Council Staff Now that we’re back to school, making sure lunch packs a punch is more important than ever. This simple, nutritious recipe provides an excellent source of protein, zinc, iron, B-vitamins, and potassium to keep the brain flexing on knowledge throughout the day. Potatoes, and in this case sweet potatoes, are an excellent source of potassium. Even more than a serving of banana. Plus, they taste great and compliment the awesome flavor of beef in this easy-to-prepare meal. For the leanest cut of beef, we recommend choosing a “loin” or “round” cut. Additionally, leftovers from a pot roast could be used as well to get the most out of your food items and maximize food prep. We hope you enjoy this hearty meal as much as we do.
Beefy Sweet Potato Hash
“Courtesy of Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.”
Makes 4 servings INGREDIENTS • 12 ounces cooked beef (such as steak, roast or pot roast), cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2-1/2 cups) • 1 large sweet potato, unpeeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped • 1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix
• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat or regular dairy sour cream
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
INSTRUCTIONS 1. Combine sweet potatoes, onion and taco seasoning in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add water. Cover and cook 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp-tender and water has almost evaporated, stirring once. Stir in oil; continue cooking, uncovered, 4 to 6 minutes or until potatoes are tender and begin to brown, stirring occasionally. 2. Meanwhile, combine sour cream and hot sauce in small bowl. Set aside. 3. Add beef to potato mixture. Continue to cook 5 minutes or until beef is heated through, stirring occasionally, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons water, if needed to avoid sticking. 4. Garnish with cilantro, as desired. Serve with sour cream mixture. Nutrition information per serving: 329 Calories; 10g Total Fat; 3g Saturated Fat; 4g Monounsaturated Fat; 63mg Cholesterol; 387mg Sodium; 33g Total carbohydrate; 26g Protein; 3.7mg Iron; 3mg Niacin; 0.3mg Vitamin B6; 4.7mg Choline; 2.6mcg Vitamin B12; 5.6mg Zinc; 26.1mcg Selenium; 5.4g Fiber.
Find more ideas for main dishes and leftovers at www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com. www.nevadabeef.org or www.mybeefcheckoff.org www.progressiverancher.com
The Progressive Rancher
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
7
ANNUAL MEETING
It is close to September 1 and fall is almost here. I hope everyone has had a great summer and that we all keep those ranchers that have been impacted by wildfires this year in our thoughts and prayers. The photos I have been sent or have seen on social media show how life can change drastically in a quick minute. As fall begins, Nevada Cattlewomen, Inc. is starting to prepare for their annual meeting to be held in conjunction with the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association Convention in Winnemucca from November 15-17, 2018. We have been meeting monthly via conference calls to discuss details as we prepare for the meeting. We will need some bylaw and standing rule changes that we are currently trying to put together so all Nevada cattlewomen have a chance to look at them, consider them, and to vote on them in November. One of the biggest changes will be to restructure membership. We have come up with a new membership form, but we need to change some language in the bylaws so that we can add youth members and define what associate members are. We also have a set membership fee in the standing rules and we would also like to restructure fees. For example, we are discussing a youth membership fee of $5 instead of $10. There will be a statewide vote on these changes and other bylaws changes in the membership meeting on Friday morning, November 16, 2018 at 7:30 a.m.
By Staci Emm
We will also be working with Nevada Cattlemen’s Association in organizing family fun night on Thursday, November 15, 2018. We are helping sponsor the event and hope to have a silent auction. In fact, if you would like to donate an auction item, please email me at emmstaci@yahoo.com or call my cell phone at (775) 312-0424. We would like to see all cattlewomen in Nevada attend the annual meeting. We will have membership forms at the meeting if you would like to join right on site for the upcoming year. It is also a time to set what projects we would like to have for the next year, and to discuss ag in the classroom activities. Our schedule for November is below. We hope you can join us! • November 15, 2018 1 pm
There is work to do at this year's Annual Meeting. We hope you can join us!
Executive Board Meeting to Prepare for Annual Meeting
• November 15, 2018 5 pm Family Fun Night • November 16, 2018 7:30 am Annual Membership Meeting
Churchi� County Cowbe�es Update
By Pegi White
The first Cowbelle meeting of the 2018/2019 year will be on September 10th at Maine Street Cafe at 12:30 pm. We welcome all women who have an interest in the beef industry and associated fields. Dues are $5/yr payable at the October. meeting. It has been a challenging summer for most of us, lots of water for irrigation that we're all very grateful for and a great growing season for those raising alfalfa, although a little less heat would be welcome.
We hope everyone had a chance to visit the Churchill County Cantaloupe Festival. We had a wonderful season for cantaloupes this year! Our Cowbelles static display was available for viewing along with additional educational agricultural information from Churchill County Farm Bureau. We look forward to seeing new faces at our September meeting, as well as our many returning members. If you have a desire to join us, or for more information, you may contact either by phone or e-mail: President: Pegi Witte 775-423-1571 witteshorthorns94@yahoo.com | Vice President: Karen Lawson 775-4127 Treasurer: Vella Torvik 775-217-1395 v_torvik@yahoo.com
Our Fav�ite B�f Recipe: Easy Seared Rib-Eye Steak with Smashed Potatoes Surprise someone special with a steak dinner for two. One rib-eye is plenty; amped up with homemade scallion butter and a side of crispy potatoes, it's sure to be a hit. And it's super easy: only about 15 minutes of prep time! (Serves 2) INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
One 2-lb bone-in rib-eye steak (about 2 inches thick)
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Let steak stand until room temperature.
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2. Bring potatoes to a boil in generously salted water. Cook until fork-tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon oil. Lightly crush each potato on sheet with palm to 1/2-inch thickness. Brush with 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper, and scatter thyme on top. Roast until golden and crisp, about 25 minutes, rotating sheet once.
1 pound small potatoes, preferably in a mix of colors 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil 4 sprigs fresh thyme 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature 1/2 scallion, thinly sliced (1 tablespoon)
8 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
3. Meanwhile, combine butter and scallion in a bowl. Season with salt. Heat a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat, 2 minutes. Pat steak dry and rub with remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Season generously with salt and pepper and place in hot pan. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes a side. Transfer skillet to oven. Roast alongside potatoes until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of steak reads 130 degrees for medium-rare, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer steak to a platter, top with scallion butter, and let rest 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with potatoes.
The Progressive Rancher
www.progressiverancher.com
UPCOMING SALES Thursday, October 25 Cottonwood, CA
Consignment Deadline: Oct 17
Wednesday, November 28 Nugget Resort & Casino Reno, NV
Catalog Deadline: Nov 9 WATCH & LISTEN TO THE SALE on the Web at:
For details call (530) 347-3793 or the representative nearest you:
Gary Nolan
Mark Venturacci
(775) 934-5678
(775) 427-8713
Elko, NV
Fallon, NV
Steve Lucas
Paradise Valley, NV
(775) 761-7575
Brad Peek— (916) 802-7335 or email us at wvm@wvmcattle.com Look for the catalog and video on our website www.wvmcattle.com
Market your cattle with the professionals!
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The Progressive Rancher
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
9
By Joseph Guild
The Beef with The Beef Checkoff “BEEF. It’s what’s for dinner”. Every reader, I’m sure, knows this many times repeated slogan which is funded by the beef checkoff we all pay each time a bovine is sold in this country as mandated by the Congressional Act for the last thirty plus years. The program has an over 70% approval rating according to a recent survey. However, there are still critics of the beef checkoff who disagree with the requirement to pay it and many of whom still wrongly think that the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association uses these dollars to take policy positions and advocate for those positions with which they disagree in Washington D.C. and elsewhere. It seems there is always someone willing to sacrifice the good for the perfect. Here are a few of the things NCBA’s Federation Division as a major contractor under the beef checkoff is doing with checkoff dollars: • Re-launched the 25 year old Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner campaign which has been well received by consumers and focus groups. • Consumers responded favorably to the Strength campaign launched in March this year. • Lance Pekus, a cow-calf rancher from Salmon Idaho, has been promoting beef while competing on America Ninja Warrior.
Many of the critics think the checkoff has allowed foreign competitors to take over significant market share in the U.S. It is possible some cattle growers might be at a slight competitive disadvantage, but the vast majority of the evidence supports the conclusion the checkoff has been very successful in keeping demand high and thus enabling the industry to sell more beef at a profit. For instance, supporting this fear, back in June, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) published a tv ad calling the checkoff a” government slush fund” which exists to do the “bidding of multinational corporations”, and the checkoff is the reason for raising food costs which “is hurting American farmers right now”.
If the successful program goes away, what would replace it? I know most of you did not realize the organization with the avowed goal of doing away with animal agriculture has got your back when it comes to the checkoff program which is hurting you by promoting the product you work so hard to raise. But wait; there is more evidence HSUS is trying to help U.S. cattle producers by destroying the checkoff program.
• Every day national and state response teams prepare for crisis or attacks from those opposed to animal agriculture.
By the way, why is HSUS so interested in doing away with the checkoff? I think the answer is obvious; because it has been successful in encouraging growing demand for beef.
An interesting statistic is the buying power of the one dollar checkoff since its creation in today’s dollars is about $.29, and yet for every dollar spent to promote beef there is a little over $11 returned. The Federation staff at NCBA devises and implements strategies to create relationships with those who sell beef in the retail and food service sectors and those who give diet advice to consumers so they can enthusiastically promote and argue favorably for beef in a balanced diet.
If the successful program goes away what would replace it? To be truly representative, a program to build more demand for a product and keep that demand high would have to be created and managed by producers. What is ironic is such a program already exists created by the 30 year old Checkoff Act. It is managed by producers and the USDA makes sure the grants for expenditures of check off money comply with the precepts of the Act and the USDA Order implementing the Act.
So, I am comfortable the checkoff dollars are being used in a rational, logical way to help move more products to the consumer and help build demand for beef both here in the U.S. and in other nations around the world. Such activity will ensure the industry will be prosperous on into the future.
The evidence mentioned in the paragraph above comes in two examples. About two months ago there was an attempt in the U.S. Senate to amend the Farm Bill to undermine the checkoff. The effort was initiated by the Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) with the backing of HSUS. The amendment would have prohibited commodity checkoffs from contracting with any entity which employs lobbyists. This idea completely ignores the current checkoff prohibition from using checkoff dollars for lobbying purposes, so at the least, it was a superfluous idea. But what was more interesting is the effort to enlist legislators, some of whom represent states with significant agricultural economies, to undermine the checkoff.
However, there will always be critics or even organizations devoted to use any tactic to undermine and weaken what is inarguably the most successful program ever devised to keep beef top of mind when a customer orders a meal or purchases ingredients to cook at home which includes beef. 10 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
The Progressive Rancher
And this leads to my main point. OCM, HSUS, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Public Justice and other similar organizations are quietly trying to infiltrate agricultural organizations such as R-Calf, or using their very large budgets to undermine the ability of farmers and ranchers to engage in livestock production for human food and other uses because they are ardently opposed to use of animals by humans in any capacity. They will argue they only want animals to be treated humanely but their reel purpose is to stop human use altogether. So where do organizations like OCM get the money to lobby Congress and engage in lawsuits attacking the checkoff and NCBA’s role as a large contactor to the checkoff? The support comes from HSUS with yearly donations in excess of one hundred million dollars which comes from animal lovers responding to HSUS advertisements implying the money will be used to fund dog and cat shelters and keep discarded pets from being euthanized. Studies have been done which show only a fraction of the HSUS budget is used to help real animals. Instead HSUS has a large lobbying presence in Congress and at State Legislatures, including Nevada, around the country. What has always intrigued me are the efforts some people and groups go to destroy good things in an attempt at self-aggrandizement. The latest example is R-Calf ’s filing of a supplemental pleading in the lawsuit against the Montana Beef Council. In that suit they are alleging the Montana Beef Checkoff is an unconstitutional violation of 1st Amendment rights to fund the so-called private speech by using beef checkoff dollars without individual permission. They have expanded the lawsuit by asking the court to enjoin 13 other state beef councils, including Nevada, from using those dollars. Such tactics by your fellow cattle producers can only have the effect ultimately of weakening the whole industry. About a year ago this is what Kendal Frazier the CEO of NCBA wrote: “R-Calf and like- minded groups have joined with activist organizations like Public Justice…. to perpetuate misinformation and engage in a guerilla campaign against beef and the checkoff…[to stop]…the production and consumption of meat…HSUS, Public Justice and their armies of urban lawyers would love nothing more than to remove beef from the plates of consumers.” So as I said in the beginning, some people will do anything to sacrifice the good in favor of the perfect. And what galls me is that members of our own industry are willing to do this to further their own narrow self- interest. I’ll see you soon. www.progressiverancher.com
VADA NE
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Calf Prices Projected to Remain Near Last Year’s Levels by Bridger Feuz Let’s take a look at the cattle market headed into this fall. Feed costs remain favorable, trade is a positive and prices have generally been consistent. Delving into some of the cattle on feed numbers may give us a glimpse into the future. Kansas feedlot closeout data show us that feeding costs remain relatively low. Steer feeding cost per CWT. of gain has tracked very close to 2017 levels and currently sits at $76.72, which is significantly below the 5-year average of $95.21. Despite all of the rhetoric surrounding the current U.S.A. trade policies, beef has been able to do quite well in the international markets. U.S. beef exports are significantly above 2017 levels and the 5-year average. U.S. beef imports remain right at 2017 levels and only slightly above the 5-year average. Usually the U.S. is a net beef importer in terms of weight, but a net beef exporter in terms of dollar value. This year through the first half of 2018 the U.S. has been a net beef exporter in terms of pounds, making the value of our exports significantly above the value of our imports. We are still trending below the 5-year average making 2018 a strong trade market. Other than recent cull cow prices, cattle prices have remained close to 2017 levels. 7-800# feeder steers are near 2017 levels at $155.48. 4-500# steer calf prices are also near 2017 levels and currently sit at $180.33. Slaughter steer prices have been below 2017 levels for much of the spring and summer, but are once again near 2017 levels at $110.93. The one anomaly in prices are cull cow prices. Slaughter cow prices, 85-90% lean, are currently at $45.50. At this time last year, the same slaughter cow price was at $74.58. That’s almost a $30 decline. On a 1400-pound slaughter cow that is a difference of over $400 per cow. Looking at the cattle on feed data, overall cattle on feed is above 2017. However, current feedlot placements are near 2017 levels. Cattle on feed over 120 days is significantly above 2017 and currently above the 5-year average. Not surprisingly average steer dressed weight is above 2017 and right at the 5-year average at 857 pounds. One of the more interesting tidbits of data is that while steer slaughter numbers remain at 2017 levels, heifer slaughter is currently significantly above 2017 and the 5-year average. With heifer slaughter trending above the average it will be interesting to see the effect on overall cattle numbers come January 1, 2019. Currently, the Livestock Marketing Information Center (LMIC) is projecting the following prices; 7-800# Steers 5-600# Steers Q3 July – September $144-$147 $164-$168 Q4 October – December $144-$148 $164-$170 Looking forward to next year LMIC is projecting prices on 7-800# steers to average $142-$147 and 5-600# steer calves to average $164-$170. www.progressiverancher.com
TRY
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RANGE FOREST WATERSHED PROTECTION
N O F F OR
SPECIAL ORDER NDF Fire Restrictions Northern/Eastern Nevada & State Parks
Contact: Ciara Kelley | c.kelley@agri.nv.gov | (775) 353-3628 The State Forester Firewarden will impose the following fire and travel restrictions for all Northern/Eastern Nevada state and private lands including State Parks, pursuant to NRS 472.040, 472.510, 472.520 and NRS 407.0475, becoming effective on August 3, 2018. The following acts are prohibited:
1. Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire or stove, except a portable stove using jelled petroleum or pressured liquid fuel, outside an established fireplace in a picnic area or campground or places of habitation. Charcoal grills will be allowed in designated areas of the park, but will be restricted on windy or critical fire days. Restrictions will be implemented in "Red Flag" or windy conditions as indicated by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) and the National Weather Service. Daily information is available at the following website: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/firewx/?wfo=vef 2. Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or in an area that is barren or cleared of all flammable vegetation.
3. Operation of vehicles or motorized equipment off of existing paved, gravel or dirt roads. 4. Operating a vehicle or other motorized equipment in wildland areas without an ax, shovel and at least one gallon of water. 5. Ignition of any fireworks.
6. Operating a welding torch or any other device that may cause a fire. Exemptions:
Each of the following persons is exempt from this order:
1. Persons with a valid permit specifically authorizing the otherwise prohibited act or omission.
2. Any federal, state, local officer or members of an organized firefighting force, in the performance of an official duty. Affected Area:
All areas, roads and trails on state and private lands in Western Nevada, including the South Fork State Recreation Area, Wild Horse State Recreation Area, Beaver Dam State Park, Cathedral Gorge State Park, Cave Lake State Park, Echo Canyon State Park, Elgin Schoolhouse State Historic Site, Kershaw-Ryan State Park, Spring Valley State Park, and Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park. These prohibitions do not apply to designated recreation sites or places of improved habitation, and while traveling on numbered state or federal highways. Penalties:
Violation of these prohibitions is a misdemeanor and punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000.00, or imprisonment of not more than six months, or both.
The Progressive Rancher
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
11
154 Years, Then The Martin Fire In the early morning hours of July 5, 2018, the Martin fire erupted in Paradise Valley, NV. Over the next several days it consumed hundreds of thousands of acres, killed countless wildlife and destroyed what was prime habitat for the threatened sage grouse. Included in the country burned was our entire BLM grazing permit and over 6200 acres of our private land. The Ninety-Six Ranch is Nevada’s oldest family operated ranching operation. We started business in the same year that Nevada joined the union, back in 1864. Through 154 years and five generations, our family has thoughtfully and carefully managed the lands entrusted to it. No matter what the ignition source of the Martin Fire, the truth is that the root cause of the fire and so many others like it, is five plus decades of completely nonsensical land management by the federal agencies including BLM, USFS and USFWS. The Ninety-Six Ranch use of its grazing lands predates federal agency management of the lands by many decades. Our records indicate that in 154 years, our lands have never burned like this. This is no accident; it is due to careful and diligent management. Today, we graze at levels less than 30% of historic levels. By the BLM’s own admission, fuel levels on our permits were allowed to grow to 200-1000% of normal. We and many other permittees have discussed the fire danger with the agency’s personnel each year, but no changes have been made to our amount of use or seasons of use. Just before leaving our BLM permit in June, our own monitoring indicated that we had used but 18-20% of allowed forage. We were not allowed to stay longer because our use dates had past. Each year, more of the west burns and currently, is burning up at a faster rate than ever in recorded history. Federal land managers have allowed land management to become political and a bureaucratic nightmare rather than a common sense, science based exercise. Ranchers like our family are the true environmentalists on this land. We have a vested interest in its overall health. The fences and water developments that we maintain provide measurable benefits for wildlife, recreation as well as for our livestock. Our cattle move through range and remove dangerous fuels from it. Our use is positive and productive, not negative, as rabid environmental groups like Western Watersheds and even staff at State and Federal agencies might have you believe. In almost any other environment, livestock would be welcome contributors to maintaining overall range health. Only in the US, where environmental activism has taken on an almost religious fervor and all things related to human use are dismissed as unnatural and bad, are the real, substantial and measurable benefits of livestock grazing not touted and seen for what they are… necessary, common sense and backed up by sound science. This fall, the BLM and other federal agencies will seek substantial supplemental funding to restore and rehab the lands burned in the Martin Fire and elsewhere. We strongly urge our congressional delegation to tie any additional funding to the BLM, USFS and USFWS to immediately RESTORING ALL SUSPENDED AUMs on grazing permits nationwide, thus allowing ranchers to use their herds to reduce dangerous fuel loads on the range and cut fire danger in the West. If we add a provision that allows foresters to remove dead and dying trees from our forests, we will further benefit our national range and forest lands. From the 1860’s through the 1940’s we ran cattle, sheep and horses out on the same lands we graze today. Our numbers were moderated by the weather and available feed. We went out earlier and stayed out longer. We built reservoirs and spring developments that are will in use today, but would never, ever be allowed to be constructed today. By the 1950’s and early 1960’s our numbers rested at a max. of about 5,000 head of cattle on the permits. We went out in late March or early April and came home ahead of the early snows in October. Today, the same permits run only about 1,800 head of cattle and we are limited to an April to September schedule. We are forced to rest fields after a year of use or when the agencies do minor work in them, when in fact annual use to reduce fuels makes far more sense from a scientific and practical point of view.
12 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
by the Stewards of the Ninety-Six Ranch
By the time we are able to turn out on our BLM, cheat grass is up and starting to head out. If we could turn out just as snow is melting off with increased numbers, we could beat the cheat grass back and probably kill it within a few years. This would take a huge change of attitude on the part of the federal agencies. They would need to acknowledge that livestock grazing can and should be a major part of range health and range conservation practices and that use dates should correspond to conditions on the ground. After the Martin Fire, our belief is that we could help to beat back the cheat grass scourge that is coming by making a large turn out early next Spring. Our permit could potentially handle 6,000 head of cattle next spring, all eating young cheat grass shoots while the invasive plant is tender and palatable to the cattle. If we did that, otherwise displaced cattle and ranching operation could be used to beat the plant back, and then hop off that ground by late April, in time for remaining perennials and native bunch grasses to reseed and rebound from the fire. Make no mistake, there is not a single living sage grouse left on our BLM permit. Yet, some managers looking to utilize federal sage grouse dollars want to manage exclusively for the bird, rather than for overall range health. We know that we can contribute to restoring a healthy sage brush ecosystem to these lands, and from that starting point, perhaps sage grouse and all other species have a chance to reestablish. We hear different stories, perhaps part of our lands will be reseeded, some may be a part of trial programs aimed at outcome oriented grazing, but one thing is sure, we, the primary users of this land and the primary custodians of this resource have so far been frozen out of any conversations about its future. It’s been a little over a month since the fire. We hear about major University studies, plans to reseed and keep us off the range for 3-5 years, and even a few thoughts of listening to our suggestions. If we wait and give Cheat grass a chance to take hold, we will be left with a cheat grass monoculture and more devastating wildfires will become the norm on this range instead of a singular disaster. The Martin Fire also took over 6,200 acres of private land in the center of what was prime sage grouse habitat. Hardscrabble is at the headwaters of Martin Creek, the creek that runs through the east side of Paradise Valley. That watershed has been wiped out. Our historic 1920 cabin burned, the creek boiled and the fishery is lost. Rocks popped and cracked open. Cattle make their way there even now looking for water, food and a way home, and so far, we have made three drives and brought home over 140 head, only 13 ours, since the fire. Our fences and catch lots were destroyed. The USDA tells us that any rebuild before their programs approve us will be denied cost sharing. We have to protect stream banks, and should do some significant earth moving to create levies and shore up the channel. We should also rebuild the catch lots to control cattle before the fall drives home, but we are constrained by more government bureaucracy, even at the local level. We have lost animals and more will die as a result of this fire. Smoke inhalation will bring about dust pneumonia as we bring our cattle home this fall. The USDA limits claims to those deaths occurring within 30 days of the fire. That won’t be enough for us, so we will suffer without help. They also demand a level of documentation of lost fencing, animals and other structures that our family is not capable of without help. Assistance in documentation was requested and denied by the local office. I alert you to these issues not to whine, but rather to let you know that we are but one small family operation affected by wildfire this season. 9 more operations in Humboldt County and more in Lander and Elko counties were also hit hard. This nonsense is going to keep happening, and each year you are going to lose valuable businesses that help feed the local economy. Each year, more families and communities all of the Great American West are going to be offered up as sacrificial lambs at the altar of Rabid Environmental lunacy and politically driven federal bureaucracies unless we act now to stop the insanity. Everyone has heard the saying that doing the same thing again and again and somehow expecting a different result is the very definition of insanity, and that is true. Please join my family and many of our fellow Nevadans, ranchers and foresters throughout the Great American West and together let’s chart a new course.
The Progressive Rancher
Let’s do something common sense to reduce fire danger in the West. Let’s demand that all suspended AUMs be restored on grazing permits nationwide. If an agency has a real and science based problem with blanket AUM restoration, let them give the permitee a defined and science based reason why AUMs are not being restored, and make that reason something that must be proven in a court of law. Allow and encourage modification and change of season of use to correspond to conditions on the ground, include cheat grass and other invasive species into the forage equation. Let’s allow foresters to remove dead and dying timber from our forests. Allow us to develop the water resources we already have rights to in order to move animals into upland areas and off sensitive riparian zones and allow logging and other means to remove dead or dying trees and plant matter from our public lands. If a use has already been approved and a permit granted, such as livestock grazing or logging have been, we believe a winning case can be made that no NEPA evaluations are necessary or warranted on minor tweaks to when and how an area is used or water development is extended. NEPA has become a tool that radical groups like Western Watersheds use to manipulate the federal agencies managing this land. We need to cut the red tape and let our livestock go to work and reduce fuel loads and fire danger throughout the west. For too long we have listened to the federal agencies tell us that they want to work with us, but the truth is, that it’s all just talk, especially at the State and Federal levels. Local folks may have good intentions, good hearts and good ideas, but they don’t have the longevity or authority to change the system. Like it or not, the institutional bureaucracy that threatens industries, communities, and small businesses like ours is still very much alive and well at the BLM, USFS and USFWS. The swamp still needs to be drained at these agencies and this kind of grass roots effort can be the start of that clean up. We believe that this is an idea and a plan that President Trump can get behind. It is truly environmentally friendly if real science and common sense lead the discussion. It will save the West, grow jobs, benefit communities that rely on ranching and forestry, save precious lands and habitat, and restore sanity to federal land management. Please, help us with this effort. Be supporters of this cause. Our website has launched, materials are being developed and we welcome your input. We will have sample letters and talking points to share with our Local, State and Federal officials. We will travel to DC in early September and knock on doors all over Capitol Hill. We are moving forward with this campaign because in plain terms, we don’t want one more ranching family to suffer the way we have. Our home which is also Nevada’s oldest family ranching operation has been changed forever by this fire. The lands that we have so loved will never be restored to what they were in our lifetimes or perhaps ever. Even after 154 years in business, no mortgage and money in the bank, we truly do not know how we will operate next year. Our campaign is self funded and truly grass roots. We want to keep our campaign simple, straightforward and free of political correctness. It’s a big, but simple idea…restore sanity to federal land management and start by restoring grazing rights that have been suspended due to nothing but politics, bad science and bureaucratic bullshit. Help us Save the Great American West. Log on today and lend your name to our campaign. www.savethegreatamericanwest.com
Kris Stewart Stewart’s Ninety-Six Ranch Paradise Valley, NV 89426 www.progressiverancher.com
photos courtesy of Kris Stewarts, Ninety Six Ranch www.progressiverancher.com
The Progressive Rancher
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
13
Progression Map
Eightmile Mountain
Martin Fire
Âą
NV-HUMX-020170 Capitol Peak 7/12/2018
435,569 ACRES
Table Mountain
Maiden Butte
July 9
Cold Springs Butte
Bartome Knoll
Wildcat Hill
Cloister
July 8
Coyote Mountain
July 9
Corral Lake Reservoir
July 8
Zymns Butte
Fourmile Butte
Thimble Coal Pit Peak
July 5
July 6
Humboldt Hill
July 7
Goat Corral Mountain Sugar Loaf Hill
Little Humboldt Ranch Burner Hills
North Fork Ranch
Hot Springs Peak
Bullhead Ranch
Haystack Peak
Chimney Reservoir
Soldier Cap Dry Creek Mountain Snowstorm Mountain
Progression Date 2018-07-05 2018-07-06 2018-07-07 2018-07-08 2018-07-09
Progression Date Growth Ac. 7/5/2018 21,523 7/6/2018 69,757 7/7/2018 223,037 7/8/2018 102,841 7/9/2018 18,412
Total Ac. 21,523 91,280 314,316 417,157 435,569
Neva, Mount Walker Mountain Toe Jam Mountain
Legend
Kelly Creek Mountain
Structures
# 0
5
10 Miles
Peaks Waterway
S. Sugarloaf at 237,801 acres and out of control
14 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
The Progressive Rancher
www.progressiverancher.com
Residents Critical of Progress on Sugarloaf Fire A wildfire that has burned more than 120,000 acres is threatening ranches, grazing land, livestock, wildlife habitat, and the communities of Owyhee, Mountain City and Wildhorse Estates in N. Elko County. The South Sugarloaf Fire was started Aug. 17 by lightning about 20 miles southwest of Owyhee. A shortage of resources, inability to fly air tankers because of heavy smoke, and 40-foot flames hampered firefighting efforts Containment was stalled at 40 percent from Wednesday into Friday.
Fire management officials explained the problems they have encountered to residents who attended a community meeting Thursday night in Elko. “We are seeing and experiencing fire activity that is very active to extreme in the upper elevations,” operations manager Todd Murphy said.
“Whether it’s topography-driven, meaning the fire lines up with this nice, steep incline mixed-conifer fuel type, it will throw 80-plus flame lengths — you know nothing that you can get in the way of or do anything with – you’ve just got to let it burn through.” The combination of cheatgrass-sagebrush fuel in the lower elevations and mixed conifer-aspen at higher elevations “has been very problematic for this entire fire season, from the Martin Fire to this fire,” he added. Murphy said when the fire reaches aspen at higher elevations it will slow down the progress, “but eventually it’s just going to continue to chew right through it and then come out the other side …” www.progressiverancher.com
Weather conditions were expected to present more problems into the weekend. “You take the weather, the fuel conditions, and you mix the both of those and there’s not a whole lot we can do a lot of times on certain areas of this fire, especially where all of those conditions align,” Murphy said.
A Type II management team was brought in Tuesday, incident commander Sam Hicks told the group. That raised the priority level but air tankers could not be deployed because of smoke, and they had to be released to other fires. “It’s been so socked in with smoke the planes can’t take off,” Hicks said. The only flights that have been safe are helicopter bucket drops.
“We’re competing for a lot of resources” from neighboring states, Hicks said. “We have outstanding orders for engines, crews, overheads, all kinds of things. We just can’t get the resources we need.”
Jeff Mullins, Editor of Elko Daily Free Press With flames running 20' to 30' “we can’t get out there and actively go direct on this stuff,” Hicks said, explaining they have made numerous attempts.
“We are going direct where we can, but our number one priority is firefighter safety,” he said. He said a firefighter was injured Wednesday while trying to keep the blaze from crossing Mountain City Highway.
“There was sage about 3 or 4 feet tall and there’s video of numerous fire whirls that come off the hill, slammed across the road, and we had a fireman that was trying to hold the road, and we had a fireman that was burned. He took some burns to his face and his ear. He’s back at camp today.” One woman asked why the team wasn’t seeking equipment from Newmont, which owns property in the area. Hicks said requests like that would need to go through the Nevada Division of Forestry.
Some people in the audience questioned whether the resources at hand were being used wisely, such as being deployed early enough in the day.
“It’s heartbreaking being a family member and watching my family’s whole, entire livelihood … die,” she responded. “There’s resources there, and it’s red tape that holds it up.”
Hicks replied that the team does not have the resources to run 24-hour shifts, and crews are not expected to enter an area that isn’t safe.
“It’s been a tough season,” Hicks said. “Not just here, everywhere."
“It’s just crazy to me that we’re putting guys out in the heat of the day to fight these things,” one man said.
The Progressive Rancher
The fire comes on the heels of the Martin Fire that burned just to the west of the Sugarloaf Fire. The Martin Fire burned 435,569 acres, making it Nevada’s largest single wildfire in recorded history.
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
15
Forest Service Expands Area Closure in Advance of the Growing South Sugarloaf Fire Elko, NV. Aug. 26, 2018 – Due extreme fire behavior and the continued growth of the South Sugarloaf Fire, the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest closed 754,448 acres on the Mountain City-Ruby Mountains-Jarbidge Ranger District. The new area closure, which goes into effect today, closes additional areas to the public that are not safe to enter due to the active fire behavior and fire suppression activities.
Note: For additional fire information, please call South Sugarloaf Fire Information Officer staff at 888-400-7569 or get the latest fire updates on Twitter @HumboldtToiyabe or Facebook/HumboldtToiyabeNF Use hashtag #SouthSugarloafFire
The entire area formerly known as Mountain City and Jarbidge Ranger Districts are closed for public safety. This includes all campgrounds, roads, trailheads, and trails are closed west of Forest Road 753 (Oneil Basin area), north of U.S. Interstate 80, and east of Elko County Road 785/Nevada State Route 226, and south of the ShoshonePaiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation boundary line. Campground close are Jack Creek, Big Bend, Wildhorse Crossing, Pine Creek, and Sawmill Campgrounds. This closure also effects Nevada Department of Wildlife’s hunting areas 061, 062, 071, 072. This closure will remain in effect until the Forest Service determines the area is again safe for the public. People who are found guilty of violating this closure order could receive a maximum fine of $5,000 or six months in jail or both. The signed closure order is posted on the Forest’s website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/htnf/alerts-notices. For information on the South Sugarloaf Fire, visit: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6166/.
Ü US Forest Service Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Mountain City - Ruby Mountains - Jarbidge Ranger District Closure Order Map for South Sugarloaf Fire EXHIBIT A ORDER NO. 04-17-18-16
South Sugarloaf Fire NV-ECFX-010299 PLN3NM
16 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
The Progressive Rancher
www.progressiverancher.com
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The Progressive Rancher
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
17
The Agee Smith Ranch | Holistic Resource Management Story
by Kathryn Dyer, BLM Nevada Range Program Lead
So, in the last magazine release, I introduced myself and the overall intention of my article. Again, my name is Kathryn Dyer and I am the BLM Nevada Range Program Lead. My intent is to maximize the usefulness for you all, so please don’t hesitate to give me feedback and ideas at kdyer@blm.gov or 775-861-6647.
With all these positive improvements on the landscape, the BLM and USFS were still clearly not sure of how to proceed. In 2006 the BLM issued a decision based on an EA that resulted in continuing Holistic Management on a permanent basis, but it also only officially increased AUMs by 44, which was really a major cut from the 700 head that had resulted in such improvements. Agee, and others, had seen firsthand how beneficial it was to the land and animals to run a larger amount of livestock for a shorter period of time each year in Cottonwood.
The importance of monitoring and collaboration were discussed in the last article, and some energy surrounding cooperative monitoring nationally was brought up (such as the National Cooperative Monitoring MOU), as was another exciting national initiative (Outcome Based Grazing Authorization demonstration).
Although Agee Smith is not a participant in the Outcome Based Grazing Authorization (OGBA) Demo, his ranch and story are relevant to anyone that would like to graze for results on the ground and ensure that you are collecting the data needed to tell your story as it progresses. During the 1970’s, the agencies had concerns about the health and condition of the landscape, and they wanted to cut numbers and fence creeks as a ‘solution’. Agee realized that there were changes needed on the landscape, but believed they could be accomplished through different means. Agee had the opportunity to hear Allan Savory speak about Holistic Resource Management. This was a life changing experience for Agee. He said some of the major realizations he had from that presentation were: • How interconnected everything is (soils, microbes, plants and animals)
• That plants evolved being grazed and if done properly it can be beneficial to all • And that livestock are not just users, and potentially abusers, of the land. They can also be rehabilitators of the land.
The speech was so impactful for Agee that he decided to offer his ranch as a site to experiment with Holistic Resource Management. A Team was initiated, with government agencies, other ranchers, university researchers, and members of the general public with interest. This Team figured out (collaboratively) what a plan of action for the Allotment would be. It required flexibility, a range rider, lots of management and movement, and therefore tremendous flexibility (and an increase in livestock numbers!). Agee’s experience working with the Team has reminded him how there is more knowledge (and therefore success) in a group of minds than in any single mind. In 1996 Agee entered into a MOU with the BLM, USFS, and NDOW which authorized Cottonwood Ranch to utilize the Holistic Resource Management model. In 1996 an EA was also done cooperatively between the USFS and BLM. The use of Holistic Management, which is a ‘process that strives to optimize biodiversity and health of the land in order to achieve ecological, economic and social goals’ (1996 EA). This sounds remarkably similar to what we are trying to do with OBGA.
The Forest Service got threatened with a lawsuit and therefore decided to pull back their experimental permits and return to the old grazing permit (which was 170 head from mid-June to end of September). With increasing pressure, the USFS pulled out of the MOU and HM EA decision.
The photos above are of the exact same fenceline across a creek. The left picture is from 1973 and displays the impacts that livestock had on that creek when there were 300 head on the creek for 7 months (entire growing season) every year. They continued grazing this area every year, however they increased numbers to 700 head but shortened the duration of grazing to 2 weeks. Not only did they create a stable and functioning creek system, they also have seen increased forage growth and water holding capacity in the system. In addition to the monitoring sites that the BLM and USFS have established, the Cottonwood ranch set up 20 additional monitoring locations. They budgeted annually to have monitoring work done by an independent contractor. The monitoring has shown upward trends in both the riparian areas and the upland plant communities.
This improvement was seen in monitoring throughout the allotment. The photo imagery below depicts the changes from 1986 to 2015 in the South Fork of Cottonwood Creek. You can see the dark pools (beaver dams) of water in the 2015 photo, and the increase in riparian vegetation (the red color). There was a tremendous response! Increases in desirable stabilizing plant species, greatly increased amounts of stored water (even in drought years!), even a rise in the water table!
Agee had arrived at several realizations through his experience. First, he believes strongly that agencies and producers need to come to the table and produce viable solutions together. He knows this will only work collaboratively not prescriptively under a power dynamic. He feels that now, with agencies working under a tighter budget with decreased staff, is an ideal opportunity for all stakeholders to come to the table, build trust, and work together to get the results everyone would like to see on the ground. As changes in personnel/management came in through the last decade, Agee experienced some moments of frustration and even fear. Could all this work have been for nothing ultimately?! Fortunately, Agee had 2 very strong things working in his favor. First, he had strong collaborative relationships with a variety of agency and non-agency people he had worked with through the years. Secondly, Agee had data that could not be argued. He had been paying a private contractor for 20 years to collect data on the Cottonwood Allotment, and that data told the story of the ranch’s success so very effectively. So this is an actual example of many things. This story is a testament to how sometimes changes in management of livestock can have incredibly positive impacts on the landscape. This is also an example of how flexibility is needed for any operator to change management in response to the needs of the landscape. But I do feel that the biggest lesson is the value of monitoring data and the importance of collaborative approaches. Thank you Agee Smith for being willing to share your story here.
Some of the requirements stipulated in the EA were that there would have to be a range rider actively managing the herd(s). Also, they were able to increase flexibility in herd management through the allotment and the herd size grew to 1000 head (from 300 head BLM and 170 head USFS). They created a lot of paddocks across the 35,000 acres of the Cottonwood Allotment. Some were fenced, some had natural boundaries. They kept detailed notes about what areas were used at what times, and what areas were rested. These detailed livestock movement notes are valuable data!
The next article will have a discussion of the Nevada Rangeland Monitoring Handbook. We will discuss how long term objectives can be paired with short and long term monitoring techniques. This will be a cornerstone in the OBGA, since the goal is to provide permittees with an opportunity to manage in a flexible manner. As flexibility is implemented, the story has to be documented. Why was change in management needed, what change was made, and what were the results of that change. Thank you all for reading, and I look forward to the next article.
In addition, there were a variety of data collection points set up throughout the allotment to track changes on the landscape.
18 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
It is an understatement to say that Agee was disappointed at these decisions. After 20 years of noticeably positive changes on the land, Cottonwood was being forced back into the box that helped lead to the problem in the first place! Fortunately, Agee had monitoring results that noone could deny. And he didn’t give up on collaboration! The multitude of people that worked on this Team through the years were supportive of Agee’s assertion that it could be different. SO, Agee and the Team are now going to write a new grazing plan for the Cottonwood Ranch.
The Progressive Rancher
www.progressiverancher.com
Editor Leana Carey asked Ramona Hage Morrison to make comments on the fires across our west....
etc. were destroying it. Really? These agencies need to be investigated for endangering entire neighboring communities, not to mention wildlife, with their insane land management policies which have allowed massive dangerous fuel loads to accumulate on federal land.”
“I am so tired of seeing these unnecessarily tragedies occur. It’s time to address the scourge of government mismanagement of national forests and rangelands. The West’s federal land has been largely shut down to livestock grazing or timber harvesting. The increased size, intensity and quantity of western fires in the last few decades are a direct result of negligent government policies that have allowed dangerous fuel loads to accumulate. It used to be very rare that neighborhoods and towns burned down. Now it is an annual tragedy. Too bad the BLM and USFS, and their co-conspirator environmentalist allies, can’t be held criminally liable for such blatant mismanagement; or at the very least charged a carbon tax!”
“Cattle, sheep and goats are natural lawnmowers. Might be preferable than the plague of range fires we are living with since the BLM and USFS gutted the range livestock industry.” “Wonderful. Man-made stupidity on full display in Reno. The size, quantity and intensity of fires in the West in the last decades is directly attributable to the accumulation of dangerous fuel loads as a result of BLM and USFS land management policies. Where are all the global warming folks to squawk about the USFS’s carbon foot print?
“The USFS and BLM have eliminated and/ or significantly cut livestock grazing and timber “They forgot the USFS. We are living downwind harvesting in all national forest and BLM managed from smoke for several months a year courtesy of lands. The spike in catastrophic fires in recent decades gross negligence on the part of the USFS and BLM. directly corresponds to these policy decisions. The I suggest the global warming crowd investigate. Hage, Hammond, Yowell, Martinez, Dann, Colvin, Plenty of CFC’s now that have nothing to do with Laney, Goss, Bundy families and many others have been at the tip of the spear fighting these policy my exhaust pipe, BBQ or fire place.” changes only to have the BLM, USFS and DOJ “I just flew from Reno to Seattle. There was smoke pull out every dirty trick in the book to run these on nearly the entire route. Yet the BLM and USFS ranchers off the land. The feds need to be held claim wherever they speak that they must manage the accountable for their conspiracy to destroy ranching West’s lands because the local ranchers and loggers, and logging. They need to be held accountable for
their management policies which are responsible for entire towns and neighborhoods going up in smoke. They need to be held accountable for colluding with environmentalists in sue and settle law suits to force the elimination of logging and ranching. The USFS and BLM should quit blaming climate change while their policies are probably creating more green house gases than all the automobiles, BBQ’s and cow farts combined! The BLM and USFS need to start following their own laws for a change. Expecting the long time employees of these agencies to fix the problem will work as well as making a bank robber a bank teller.” “Sadly, there is a lot of money to be made in federal land firefighting creating a real disincentive for bureaucrats to snuff a fire with urgency. Those who live in the rural West have for years watched fuel loads accumulate to explosive and dangerous levels as a direct result of the USFS and BLM and their partners in the environmental community systematically eliminating logging and livestock grazing. It is also not a real secret in the rural West that many forest and range fires have been “allowed” to expand to prolong the time on the job. Federal fire fighters are not to be compared with their counterparts in local fire departments who DO NOT get paid by the hour plus overtime for the size, scope and number of federal land fires. It’s also curious how many federal land fires in the past have started late in the afternoon on Friday. Perhaps a Congressional audit is in order.”
Ranch Raised
One Iron
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1:00 pm MST
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500 head of Bred Heifers Lots sold to calve in February, March, April Also selling mature cows
Ethan Bentz (541) 881-6286 Linda Bentz (541) 216-3379 Duarte Sales (541) 891-7863
See us online at www.RanchersHeiferSale.com
Online Bidding at www.LiveAuctions.tv
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Juntura, Oregon
Commercial Black Angus The Progressive Rancher
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
19
OPPOSING / SIDES WATER GRAB OPPONENTS DECLARE VICTORY Nevada State Engineer Rejects SNWA’s Water Applications
CONTACT: JoAnn Kittrell 775-684-2712 jkittrell@dcnr.nv.gov
Nevada Division of Water Resources issues ruling regarding water rights applications for Southern Nevada Water Authority’s pipeline project Carson City, NV: The Nevada Division of Water Resources (NDWR) issued its third ruling regarding the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s (SNWA) water rights applications to pump groundwater from four Eastern Nevada basins to the Las Vegas area. The ruling denies SNWA’s applications in the Spring Valley, Cave Valley, Dry Lake Valley, and Delamar Valley groundwater basins. The NDWR previously approved each of these SNWA water rights applications in 2007, 2009, and 2012 rulings.
This latest ruling is a result of a remand order issued by Nevada’s Seventh Judicial District Court in December 2013, which directed the NDWR to address four specific issues relating to the previous approval of SNWA’s applications to appropriate water. In response to the District Court ruling, the NDWR held a two-week hearing in the fall of 2017 for all interested stakeholders, which included SNWA, local governments, tribes, and environmental groups in Nevada and Utah. During the hearing, subjectmatter experts presented numerous exhibits – including hydrology studies, reports, models, and more – to help address the remanded issues. Based on the District Court’s 2013 direction and the input received during the subsequent 2017 hearing, the NDWR ruling issued today includes the following key findings. Key Findings:
• Each of SNWA’s applications in Spring, Cave, Dry Lake and Delamar Valleys are denied based upon the directives of the District Court’s remand order; and two of SNWA’s applications in Spring Valley are also denied based upon the finding that those applications will threaten the Swamp Cedar Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, and thus are detrimental to the public interest.
• The State Engineer determined that SNWA’s Monitoring Management and Mitigation (3M) Plan satisfies the District Court’s remand order and the requirements set forth by the Nevada Supreme Court in Eureka County v. State Engineer, 131 Nev. Adv. Op. 84 (2015). • The State Engineer determined that SNWA’s Spring Valley Monitoring Management and Mitigation (3M) Plan satisfies the District Court’s remand order by providing for the inclusion of Millard and Juab Counties, Utah.
While the NDWR ruling focused on compliance with the District Court’s remand orders, the Nevada State Engineer intends to appeal two of the District Court’s mandated instructions, specifically regarding the methodology for determining availability of water in the four groundwater basins. The methodology required by the Court sets a precedent inconsistent with the long-standing application of Nevada water law and water appropriation statewide. “The Nevada Division of Water Resources is dedicated to protecting, managing, and enhancing Nevada’s precious water resources,” said Jason King, State Engineer, Nevada Division of Water Resources. “In an effort to protect the integrity of Nevada’s water laws, the NDWR intends to appeal sections of the mandated instructions that threaten to upend the historical application of Nevada water law and water rights.”
“As the driest state in the nation, protecting Nevada’s limited water resources for the benefit of all Nevadans is the foremost responsibility of our State Engineer and the Nevada Division of Water Resources.” added Bradley Crowell, Director of the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. This responsibility is grounded in our well-established state water law and policy. As such, the State Engineer’s intention to appeal key portions of today’s ruling that have ramifications beyond the scope of the SNWA applications is essential to protecting water rights throughout Nevada and appropriately managing the beneficial use of Nevada’s water resources today and for future generations.”
A copy of the full ruling is available for review and download on the NDWR’s website: www.water.nv.gov. 20 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
Contacts: Great Basin Water Network – Howard Watts 702-523-3867 White Pine County – Gary Perea 775-761-6128 Ely, Nevada: A broad coalition of Nevadans committed to protecting the state’s water resources are declaring victory in their opposition to the SNWA groundwater pipeline. They applaud a ruling by the Nevada State Engineer denying all water rights applications for the project.
Great Basin Water Network and White Pine County say the decision is essentially a death-knell for the roughly 300-mile pipeline proposal. These groups oppose SNWA’s proposed groundwater export and pipeline project because it would cause catastrophic long term environmental harm to some of Nevada’s most pristine and treasured areas, and because it would cause longterm economic devastation to rural communities throughout eastern Nevada. Following favorable decisions in Nevada’s District and Supreme Courts, it appears that the Nevada State Engineer agrees. “With the denial of these applications by the State Engineer, this illconceived multibillion dollar boondoggle is now dead in the water,” said Abigail Johnson of the Great Basin Water Network. “After a string of court victories, we have a decision showing that the water is not available for this project without hurting the area’s existing water rights and environment.”
“We welcome the State Engineer’s denial of SNWA’s applications, which clearly was required by Nevada water law, as the State District Court and Supreme Court have explained,” said the coalition’s attorney, Simeon Herskovits of Advocates for Community and Environment. “We do, however, disagree with the State Engineer’s gratuitous finding that SNWA’s monitoring, management and mitigation (or 3M) plan is adequate. Their slightly elaborated 3M plan remains as much of a sham as it always has been,” Herskovits added. “White Pine County residents and rural Nevadans are glad that the limits of available groundwater resources have been acknowledged,” declared White Pine County Commissioner Gary Perea. “The denial of SNWA’s applications finally recognizes that, if allowed, the project would take more water than the system could bear, hurting existing water rights and the economies that depend on them.” “We will continue to stand up and ensure that the State Engineer and SNWA follow the law, and protect our water rights and resources from overpumping and irreversible harm,” agreed another White Pine County Commissioner, Carol McKenzie, from Lund.
Kena Gloeckner, whose family has been ranching in Lincoln County’s Dry Lake Valley – a target of the project – for many generations, said “Not only would this groundwater project have jeopardized our family’s 150-year-old legacy and livelihood, but it would have also ended a way of life valued by local residents. Ranchers and farmers on the ground have long known that the aquifers in these rural valleys are interconnected and are at or near their limits – there is simply nowhere near the amount of water that SNWA wanted to take.”
Great Basin Water Network works to protect the region’s water resources for current and future residents – human, animal, and plant. They are a broad coalition including ranchers, farmers, local and tribal governments, conservationists, businesspeople, and urban and rural residents across the political spectrum.
The Progressive Rancher
www.progressiverancher.com
BLM NEWS RELEASES CONTACT: Greg Deimel, Public Affairs Specialist, Bureau of Land Management, Elko District 775-753-0386 • gdeimel@blm.gov
SHEEP CREEK FIRE UPDATE Sunday August 26, 2018
For additional fire information, please call Sheep Creek Fire Information at 908-388-1521 or get the latest fire updates on InciWeb https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6157/
SHEEP CREEK FIRE DATA Date of Origin: August 18, 2018, approximately 2 p.m.
Weather and Fire Behavior: Today’s weather will bring stronger winds along with cooler temperatures. Westerly winds this afternoon and early evening will likely gust to 30 mph. These winds combined with minimum humidity of 10-15 percent may result in critical fire weather conditions. A Fire Weather Watch for gusty winds and low relative humidity is in effect from 11 am to 11 pm PDT.
Current Size: 59,742
A fuels and fire behavior advisory for the Northern Great Basin remains in effect through the end of August, warning of potential for extreme fire behavior and rapid rates of fire spread due to significant carry over of fine fuels from the 2017 fire season.
Latitude: 40.773
Yesterday’s Activities: Fire personnel secured fire line and mopped-up near the fire perimeter. Fire suppression repair on dozer line continued. Today’s Planned Activities: Fire personnel will monitor the fire. The fire is projected to be 100 percent contained and controlled by end of shift today, Sunday, August 26, 2018 at 12:00 p.m. Responsibility for the fire will then be returned to the local jurisdiction, Bureau of Land Management, Elko Field District. Evacuations: None. Closures: None. Fire managers encourage the public to remain clear of the fire area and watch for fire apparatus on the roads.
Location: 15 miles north of Battle Mountain, NV
Longitude: -116.842 Cause: Under investigation Containment: *100 percent containment projected at 12:00 p.m. Sunday August 26, 2018 Resources on Fire: 2 Personnel
BLM to begin an emergency wild horse, water and bait trap gather within the Spruce-Pequop Herd Management Area The Bureau of Land Management, Elko District, Wells Field Office will begin an emergency wild horse water gather on or about August 24, from the Boone Spring area, located in the Spruce-Pequop Herd Management Area (HMA), as there is not enough water and forage to support the number of horses in the area. The gather will be conducted by Michael Uhalde Livestock LLC using the bait and water trap method; no helicopters will be used. The BLM plans to gather and remove approximately 300 excess wild horses. The Spruce-Pequop HMA is 138,000 acres in size and the area around Boone Spring is located in the South portion of the Spruce-Pequop HMA. The current population estimate for the Spruce-Pequop HMA is 1,523 and the Appropriate Management Level (AML) is 57-82 wild horses. The Spruce-Pequop HMA has very limited naturally occurring water sources. Additionally, there very little forage available to support the excess wild horses. The Boone Spring area within the Spruce-Pequop HMA is not capable of sustaining the excess wild horses which rely on this water source. Boone Spring currently has minimal to nearly nonexistent water, which cannot sustain the more than 300 wild horses that have been observed on a regular basis waiting for water at this location. The area is remote and the roads are not passable for a water tender. The BLM plans to gather and remove the excess wild horses utilizing temporary water and bait traps consisting of a series of corral panels stocked with water and hay; no helicopters will be used. Because of the nature of the bait and water trap method, wild horses are reluctant to approach the trap site when there is too much activity; therefore, only essential gather operation personnel will be allowed at the trap site during operations. The BLM’s priority is to conduct safe, efficient, and successful wild horse gather operations while ensuring humane care and treatment of all animals gathered. The BLM and its contractors will use the best available science and handling practices for wild horses while meeting our overall gather goals and objectives in accordance with current BLM policy, standard operating procedures, and contract requirements. The horses identified for removal will be transported to the Indian Lakes Off-Range Corral in Fallon, NV, where they will be examined by a veterinarian and readied for the BLM’s wild horse and burro adoption program. For information on how to adopt a wild horse, visit www.blm.gov/whb. Gather reports and additional information are posted on BLM’s website at https://go.usa.gov/xUJYT. In addition, updates on the gather, follow the BLM Nevada Facebook page at https://goo.gl/abcBMM. For technical information, contact Wild Horse and Burro Specialist, Bruce Thompson at 775-753-0286 or b50thomp@blm.gov. www.progressiverancher.com
The Progressive Rancher
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
21
Stephen S. Foster
Extension Educator UNCE, Pershing County P.O. Box 239 • 810 Sixth St. Lovelock, NV 89419 Nineteenth-century explorers Jedediah Smith, Peter Skene Ogden, and James H. Simpson travelled across the Great Basin between 1820 and 1860. They encountered and described a number of geographic, riparian, human, wildlife, and vegetation features present throughout the region. They did not record/report any annual grasses that ecologists currently consider invasive, non-indigenous species in what is now Nevada and Utah. However, today over 154,440 square miles of the Intermountain West is colonized by cheatgrass and other annual grasses.
A good example of this practice is a local grazing allotment consisting of 20,800 acres with a management plan that only allows 10 AUM’s or 10 Cows/calves for a six-month period. This is because annual grasses and not perennial grasses dominate the allotment.
Given the advances and successes in the management tools available, the rangeland ecology and management community needs to recognize that annual invasive grasses must be managed as a permanent component of the Great Basin and Intermountain West. For the past 50 In addition, wildfire characteristics have gradually years, perhaps longer, most of our collective management changed over the past five decades. Rangeland fires today objectives, goals, and practices have focused on only the re-burn areas more frequently, are larger, and have greater perennial grass component, or toward palatable shrubs in intensity than in the recent past. The introduction and the case of salt desert shrub communities. Rest-rotation proliferation of invasive annual grasses have resulted in and deferred-rotation grazing systems focus management a net loss of sagebrush and salt desert shrub habitats, on the perennial grass component of the plant community as well as perennial bunchgrasses. The loss of perennial while ignoring the annual grasses. Both grazing systems bunchgrasses increases the likelihood of annual grass actually favor the proliferation and dominance of annual invasion and eventual dominance. invasive grasses, by essentially maximizing the standing dead biomass left at the end of the grazing season. So how did we get to the ecological state we have today? Practices and conditions that created the landscape conditions of the past have changed or been altered making their replication impossible. For example; weather conditions have changed; uncontrolled grazing by wildlife is no longer possible or desirable; widespread burning by Native Americans is no longer practiced; and annual grasses have colonized many sagebrush and salt desert shrub communities, permanently altering plant community compositions. Therefore, trying to manage our rangelands so they return to historical or pre-EuroAmerican settlement conditions may be detrimental or impractical. Dr. Barry Perryman, University of Nevada In addition, the anti-grazing sentiment that led to a Reno Rangeland Management Professor, calls this general reduction of grazing authorizations over the past management approach, “The pristine-managementseveral decades has played a significant role in annual paradigm.” grass proliferation by providing an increase in safe Although a healthy, resilient perennial grass understory sites for annual grass establishment, as well as creating is likely the single most important long-term assurance larger, more contiguous fuel load areas. Through our against invasive annual grass dominance, rangeland management activities that foster standing dead litter, ecologists and managers have long applied science-based we have inadvertently intensified invasive annual grass management practices that exclude consideration of expansion, because as annual grasses die each year, the biology, ecology, and probable management effects they create surface litter, creating a “safe site” for the these grazing systems would have on the non-native germination of the next year’s plants. annual grasses in the modern landscapes. For instance, the two major grazing systems employed in the Great The first step for dealing with this issue is recognition of Basin are deferred-rotation and rest-rotation. Both focus the abundant presence of invasive annual grasses across on meeting the physiological needs of grazed perennial the Intermountain West. Cheatgrass, Medusahead, grasses, but their implementation throughout the region and North Africa grass are here to stay. Not only are failed to address how annual grasses would respond. annual grasses present, they have become one of, if not the primary driver of the ecological changes occurring Authorized grazing of animal unit months in many lower elevation big sagebrush and salt desert (AUM) on public lands in the Great Basin focuses on shrub communities. It is time that scientists, managers, allotment carrying capacities provided by only native and policy makers begin to develop and implement perennial species. Non-native annual grasses generally research, planning objectives, policies, and management are not recognized, authorized, allocated, or normally actions that allow and provide for the active landscapeconsidered in the development of allotment management scale management of annual grasses. We must admit that plans. In fact, almost all management planning efforts many of the shrub-dominated communities in the Great and implementations are designed to manage perennial Basin and Intermountain West now have diminished perennial grass understories, and have become mixed grass or palatable shrub species.
"How did we get to the
Ecological State we have today?"
22 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
The Progressive Rancher
communities of annual and perennial grasses. They should be recognized and managed primarily as annual grasslands, despite many having some perennial grasses in the plant community. Maintaining and eventually increasing perennial bunchgrasses in fire-dominated annual-grass landscapes will require breaking (lengthening) the fire cycle.To sustain perennial bunchgrasses at landscape scales will require an integrated ecological approach to fuels management. Among the tools used will be direct chemical control, large scale reseeding, the creation of green strips and other mechanical fuel breaks, seed coating technology, microbiological controls like the fungi Pyrenophora semeniperda, and the tool with the most upside potential, targeted or objective-based livestock grazing, particularly during the late summer to early winter dormant period. Fall or dormant-season grazing has high potential for numerous reasons. The infrastructure at a landscape scale is largely in place in many (but not all) locations and is relatively stable from year to year. Given flexibility of grazing management by federal agencies, fall/winter grazing not only reduces annual grass carryover fuel loads, but may also initiate positive changes in the annual-perennial grass dominance ratio. Intense dormant-season grazing, compared with spring (growing season) grazing, has much less potential to adversely affect desired perennial species, while increasing the removal of standing and surface fuels. Grazing practices in general affect fuel characteristics, which changes the nature of wildfires: reducing flame height, flame depth, rate of spread, and the size of area burned, while increasing fuel moisture content. Changing the current management paradigm on landscapes where annual grasses are the ecologically dominant lifeform requires acknowledging that past approaches have completely failed in some situations and at best maintained the status quo in others. Managing these landscapes requires a new direction, an alternative approach with new purposes and objectives. Fire is an almost universally accepted threat, and is recognized by many as the greatest threat to the more arid sagebrush and salt desert shrub ecosystems. It seems logical to offer a fuels management approach as an alternative to the failed “pristine-managementparadigm.” Source: Viewpoint: An Alternative Management Paradigm for Plant Communities Affected by Invasive Annual Grass in the Intermountain West, By Barry L. Perryman, Brad W. Schultz, J. Kent McAdoo, R.L. Alverts, Juan C. Cervantes, Stephen Foster, Gary McCuin, and Sherman Swanson. Rangelands. 2018. 40(3):77-82 For copies of the entire article, contact Barry Perryman at BPerryman@cabnr.unr.edu or Brad Schultz at schultzb@unce.unr.edu. www.progressiverancher.com
Jack Payne
Carey Hawkins
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In 2011 Texas sold nearly 80% of its entire cow herd due to severe drought. In the following 3 years, thousands of English cross cows were sold into Texas from Wyoming, Nebraska, the Dakotas, and many other areas. Those cows are now hitting the age where most English cows start to break down and lose productivity. The combination of old cows and a dry and hot year means the cow kill nationwide is up at least 10% above normal. Also, thousands of dairy cows are coming to plants in California due to excessive heat. The annual summer spike that generally tops out in August never happened in 2018. If we weren’t optimists, we wouldn’t be in the cattle business. Hopefully this year’s flooding of the hamburger market creates next summer’s shortage and high prices as a result. So, if you have older cows you are thinking of culling, consider running her “one more year”. My dad always said, “There’s one shot cows and plumb shot cows.” Dump the plumb shots and squeeze another $800 calf out of the $550 cow, if you have the feed to do it. The calf and yearling market looks good, and barring any market disasters, it should be a good fall and winter to sell feeders. COWS # of HD 4 16 13 2 2 2 1 2 6 1 2 4 2 1 1 1 1 1 1
Desc. MIX BLK MIX RED RED MIX BLK MIX BLK RED RED MIX BLK BBF HOL HOL HOL HOL HOL
Weight 1545 1311 1362 1105 1115 1365 1340 1133 1247 1435 1955 1365 1350 1315 1920 1775 1860 1960 1870
Price CWT 68.75 68.00 63.75 61.50 60.75 65.00 56.00 65.00 60.25 68.00 66.75 53.25 64.25 57.00 63.50 61.25 59.00 59.25 56.00
Location Winnemucca, NV Winnemucca, NV Lovelock, NV Fallon, NV Fallon, NV Fallon, NV Winnemucca, NV Fallon, NV Orovada, NV Reno, NV Reno, NV Eureka, NV Gardnerville, NV Lovelock, NV Fallon, NV Fallon, Nv Fallon, NV Fallon, NV Fallon, NV
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Next Feeder Sale and Special Butcher Cow Sale September 19, 2018 11:30AM BULLS # of HD Desc. 1 BLK 1 BLK 1 BLK 1 BLK 1 RBF HEIFERETTE # of HD Desc. 2 BBF 1 BLK 1 BLK
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Weight 1295 1315 1155
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The Progressive Rancher
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
23
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The Progressive Rancher
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Nevada Centennial Awards application due Oct. 5
Contact: Rebecca Allured Public Information Officer Administration Division
Ranches and farms can apply for Centennial recognition Farms and ranches in operations for 100 years or longer can apply for the Nevada Centennial Awards. The Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) is accepting applications for the 2018 Nevada Centennial Ranch and Farm Awards until Oct. 5. The application is available online and can be submitted via email or by mailing to the NDA at 405 South 21st St. in Reno, Nev. 89431. To qualify for recognition, an applicant’s ranch or farm must have belonged to his or her family for at least 100 years and must be a working ranch or farm with a minimum of 160 acres. Operations with fewer than 160 acres must have gross yearly sales of at least $1,000. Forty-nine families have been awarded this distinction since the program began in 2004. The NDA partners with Nevada Cattlemen’s Association, Nevada Agricultural Foundation and Nevada Farm Bureau to honor inductees. This year’s awards ceremony will be held at the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association Annual Conference in Winnemucca, Nevada. Visit agri.nv.gov/Centennial_Awards to learn more about the Nevada Centennial Awards program and past inductees. About the Nevada Department of Agriculture The Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) promotes a business climate that is fair, economically viable and encourages a sustainable environment that serves to protect food, fiber and human health and safety through effective service and education. The NDA includes divisions of Administration, Animal Industry, Consumer Equitability, Food and Nutrition and Plant Industry.
State Veterinarian Warns Against Human and Pet Contact with Bats
Animal Disease Laboratory confirms rabid bats in Nevada To date this year, the Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) Animal Disease Laboratory has confirmed six positive rabies cases (all in bats) in Clark and Washoe Counties. Rabies is common in bats throughout Nevada, and bat activity tends to increase between the months of May and October. “Always avoid direct contact with any bat, and never touch them without gloves,” Dr. JJ Goicoechea, NDA state veterinarian, said. “Don’t allow exposure to children or domestic animals.” Any bats, dead or alive, that may have been in contact with people or domestic animals should immediately be submitted to the Animal Disease Laboratory for testing and reported to county animal control and health authorities. Contact the lab before attempting to pick up a bat. Even though rabies prevalence in Nevada’s bat population is estimated at only one percent, the Animal Disease Laboratory confirms between 10 and 20 cases of bat rabies per year. To date, the lab has tested 61 bats, and six were positive for rabies (three in Clark County, and three in Washoe County). In the state of Nevada, rabies vaccination is required for dogs, cats and ferrets. Companion animal owners are urged to have pets vaccinated against rabies and maintain a regular vaccination schedule. Indoor cats should also be vaccinated, as bats can enter and exit residences unnoticed. www.progressiverancher.com
The Progressive Rancher
Dr. JJ Goicoechea
Nevada State Veterinarian
Editor: The Progressive Rancher would like to apologize to the Nevada Dept of Agriculture and to Dr. JJ Goicoechea for mislabeling his title over the last few issues. Thank you for bearing with us!
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
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NEVADA FARM BUREAUFARM NEVADA
BUREAU
SMOKE IN THE AIR The Need For Better Resource Management By: Doug Busselman, NVFB For the large part of this summer, Nevada and major portions of the Western United States have been dealing with major and numerous wildfires. It isn’t a new phenomenon of this year alone – it has become just another summer of more fire and lost resources. Whether rangelands or forested lands significant tracts of public lands have become charred wastelands. Depending on the way restoration moves forward, Nevada rangelands also run the long-term increased risk of conversion to cheatgrass dominated areas, subject to even more flammable conditions in future years. The Nevada Sagebrush Ecosystem Council met in July and considered possible changes to the Nevada Sage Grouse Conservation Plan. The meeting also provided for discussion of input that Nevada would be providing to the federal land management agencies who are in the process of redoing the land use management plans that they installed across Nevada and parts of California in 2015. When this meeting was being held in Carson City, smoke was still in the air from the Martin fire that scorched a reported 431,753 acres of Humboldt and Elko counties, including over 300,000 acres of sagebrush habitat that was rated as “Priority” Sage Grouse habitat. Speaking to this situation and in context to the manner that federal land managers, following their land use plans, are working to limit and reduce livestock grazing, Nevada Farm Bureau shared in public comments to the Council the need to balance the policy directions being pursued to increase “cover” for Sage Grouse nest with the overloading of fuel loads, risking wiping out everything. This same theme was provided in the organization’s public input for the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) Draft Resource Management Plan Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
in very public forums. If land use planning documents Overall comprehensive adjustment of land management identified specific fire management objectives for specific policies are needed to change the present course that is areas where fires took place, post-fire outcomes need to resulting in the consequences we are experiencing. be examined and compared. While smoke is still in the air, action is needed. The current BLM Land Use Plans identify an objective Without simply complaining about the way federal land of pre-suppression efforts to reduce the size and impact management agencies are meeting (or not meeting) of wildfires in Sage Grouse Focal Areas, Priority Habitat their responsibilities, Nevada and Nevadans have a role Management Areas and General Habitat Management to play in advancing an agenda for improved resource Areas. Management Decision language in the existing management. It needs to be a priority! land use plans also highlight identification and prioritization of areas that are vulnerable to wildfires Those seeking public office and wanting your vote in and prescribe actions important for Greater Sage November should be questioned on what they would Grouse protection. Looking over the Priority Habitat do in order to prompt greater attention to pre-fire that has burned, since adoption of the current land use management. Follow-up after the election should management plans – how well has that been working? be a reminder for those who are representing you in Responsible resource management of renewable local, state and national offices that you expect greater resources (like grass, brush, trees and other plants) is attention and meaningful improvements. needed ahead of the spark that starts the fire. Increased pre-fire suppression work needs to be concentrated on Rather than continuing to accept the cycle of everstrategies to limit the size and scale of wildfires. Activities increasing wildfires, the agenda of non-use must be to reduce cheatgrass expansion in post-fire rehabilitation reversed through proactive advocates promoting the should also stress findings of the research that has been value of using responsible livestock grazing and active carried out by the University of Nevada, Reno rangeland forestry practices as corrective solutions for enduring scientists. Livestock grazing in fall and winter seasons more smoke in the air. can be an effective tool in reducing cheatgrass buildup.
Given the known and well-established threat of what wildfire does to sagebrush habitat -- “conservation” objectives need to reconsider using a government agency’s matrix to determine if enough grass, at a pre-determined optimal height was left behind from last year’s grazing season to be on the landscape where a Sage Grouse hen might nest. Whatever the reasons being given for federal land managers to limit and reduce livestock grazing or limit and reduce timber harvest, the results of not managing fuel loads, combined with favorable fire conditions are translating into huge (and frequently devastating) wildfires. Greater public attention is needed to the lessons this year’s fires are teaching. Disclosure of details on what might be known about pre-fire conditions – or identifying what wasn’t known about fuel levels need to be examined
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NEVADA FARM BUREAUFARM NEVADA
BUREAU
Nevada Farm Bureau Collegiate YF&R Leaders Share Leadership Development Skills With 4-H Campers by Brittney Pericoli | Director of Communications Collegiate YF&R facilitated leadership activates for 4-H campers in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Collegiate YF&R member Kaylie Machutta and Nevada Farm Bureau Field Representative Brieanna Valdez lead group workshops to teach the importance of team building and leadership skills.
4-H campers were between the ages of 8 and 14 years old. Campers were split into groups ranging from 50 to 60 children and rotated throughout different educational and teambuilding workshops
Machutta focused her workshop on the importance of being both a leader and follower and the importance of each role when working in a group. Valdez focused her workshop on the importance of communicating and listening to one another in a group setting to achieve the group’s goal. Campers had a great time, and this was an excellent opportunity for Collegiate YF&R to become involved in community programs.
Kaylie Machutta having campers listen to a selected group leader to create a house. Half way through campers switched leadership to see how listening to each leader worked and adjusting to different leadership. Brieanna Valdez having campers build a plastic cup pyramid with string attached to a rubber band. Campers had to hold one end of the string and stretch the rubber band to move the plastic cups in position to build a pyramid.
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The Progressive Rancher
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
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NEVADA FARM BUREAUFARM NEVADA
BUREAU
Nevada Farm Bureau
CURRENT EVENTS
Collegiate Young Farmers & Ranchers
As we enter the autumn schedule, County Farm Bureau’s throughout the state will be holding policy development meetings and their Annual Meetings. Make sure to stay informed by liking our Facebook page @NVFarmBureauNews, or by subscribing to our weekly newsletter by contacting Doug Busselman at Doug@nvfb.org.
Annual Raffle Support the collegiate YF&R on their annual raffle. All proceeds fund their community outreach events, advocacy, and national representation.
1 Ticket for 10$ 6 Tickets for 50$
Lyon County will be holding their Annual Meeting on September 20th at 6 p.m. at the Lyon County Cooperative Extension office. 504 S Main St Yerington, Nv 89447.
Raffle ticket will be drawn
The Nevada Farm Bureau Annual Meeting will be held November 29th through December 1st at the Santa Fe Station in Las Vegas, Nevada.
at the Nevada Farm Bureau Annual Meeting. Need not be present to win. For more information contact Brieanna Valdez at
We hope to see you at one of these great events!
(775)-934-9078
Tips to use when hunting on private property: • Access to and across private lands is a privilege granted by the landowner. Not all roads are public roads. Traveling on private roads without permission to access other lands is akin to someone walking through your house to reach a neighbor’s home.
HUNTING ETIQUETTE: Hunters Must Respect Private Property
• Bring a good map showing private and public land ownership. Know where you are. Internet map sources may not be very accurate and there may be no cell service in rural areas. • Build good relationships with land owners by asking permission.
Every year the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) receives reports of hunters trespassing, damaging private property and even releasing livestock from fences. Nevada is more than eighty percent public land, almost all of it open to hunting, but some sportsmen still mistakenly enter private property and should be more careful about trespassing.
• Leave gates the way you find them and make sure everyone in your party knows that. If a rancher wants a gate left open, it will be hung back on the fence, not lying on the ground.
“Most sportsmen are ethical and respect private property, but when we receive reports of trespassing or private property damage we take them seriously,” said Tyler Turnipseed, chief game warden for NDOW. “We find that nearly all of these problems can be avoided if people use a little common sense while hunting or recreating outdoors.”
• Report hunter misconduct. Misbehaving hunters jeopardize the use of resources for all hunters.
The Nevada Department of Wildlife wants to remind everyone that hunting on someone else’s land is a privilege, not a right. Remember common courtesy can go a long way toward establishing good hunter-landowner relations in the future. Refer to NRS 207.200 for more information. 28 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
• Leave the land better than you find it – pick up all trash you find and take it with you. • Camp away from water sources for the benefit of wildlife and livestock.
• Stay on existing roads. • When granted access, bring only the number of hunters expected by your host. • Respect locked gates, no trespassing signs and orange-painted gate posts. They all mean stay out. • Send a thank you note. • When in doubt, knock on the door.
The Progressive Rancher
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News Release
RURAL DEVELOPMENT
USDA Invests $237 Million in 119 Rural Projects; Rural Nevada Benefits
Earlier this summer, Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has invested $237 million in 119 rural projects in 29 states. “While many rural communities boast an array of natural resources and scenic and cultural amenities, they often lack the social and physical amenities necessary to build a foundation for rural prosperity,” Hazlett said, while meeting with the Western Governor's Association in June. “Under the leadership of Secretary Perdue and through partnerships with small towns and cities, USDA is working to change that by investing in essential community facilities such as schools, public safety equipment, and modern medical facilities that attract new residents, retain existing ones and make rural communities competitive places to live, work and play.” In Nevada, multiple projects have used the USDA Community Facilities program funding. Boulder City Hospital used USDA's Community Facility guaranteed loan of $4,271,300 to renovate one of its wings and add beneficial services at the Critical Access Hospital; the loan was guaranteed by Greater Nevada Credit Union. The Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe was approved for USDA funding to purchase a front end loader using a $100,7000 loan and $30,180 grant. The City of Wells will be able to purchase X-ray equipment for its new medical center using a $36,600 loan and $19,700 grant. USDA CF grant funds helped Esmeralda County
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to purchase a 14-passenger van to transport seniors to medical appointments, and allowed the Mineral County Sheriff 's Office to purchase new cameras for their detention center. In Fernley, Community Chest was able to purchase office space where they can provide community support services. For more information about the Community Facilities Program in Nevada, contact Community Programs Director Cheryl Couch at (775) 887-1222 Ext. 4760. More than 100 types of projects are eligible for USDA Community Facilities funding. Eligible applicants include municipalities, public bodies, nonprofit organizations and federally and staterecognized Native American tribes. Applicants and projects must be in rural areas with a population of 20,000 or less. There is no limit on the size of the loans. Loan amounts have ranged from $10,000 to $165 million. The 2018 Omnibus bill increased the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 budget for the Community Facilities Direct Loan program to $2.8 billion, up $200 million from FY 2017. USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community services such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/nv.
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SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
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Summer Tour
By: Dan Harmon, Maria Ryan and Cody Coombs
Challenges of Outcome-based Grazing and Fuels Reduction Programs The Nevada Section of the Society for Range Management held its annual summer tour on July 13th 2018 in Ely, Nevada. Those in attendance included Nevada producers, participants from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U. S. Forest Service, Nevada Association of Conservation Districts and USDA, Agricultural Research Service-Reno Unit. The first field stop was at Piscovich Summit overlook. After brief introductions Chris Mayer, Assistant Field Manager, BLM Bristlecone Field Office, explained the tour’s focus would be on the BLM’s new outcome-based grazing program, fuels reduction and tree removal programs, and at-risk plant communities such as winterfat (white sage). He described some of the issues unique to the Ely District on a day to day basis as well as the historical perspective. He explained the BLM’s grazing permit renewal process and associated monitoring. Mindy Seal, Field Manager, BLM Bristlecone Field Office, then discussed the BLM pilot project Outcome-based Grazing Program. Five of the eleven producer operations that were chosen to be evaluated for the pilot project are in Nevada. They are the Winecup-Gamble Ranch, the Elko Land and Livestock Company, the Willow Ranch, the Smith Creek Ranch, and John Uhalde and Company. The eleven demonstration projects in six states are designed to provide BLM managers and grazing permit holders greater flexibility. The flexibility under outcomebased grazing authorizations, first announced in September 2017, will demonstrate management practices that BLM managers and livestock operators can use to respond to changing, on-the-ground conditions such as wildfires, high moisture years, or drought. This initiative aims to demonstrate that permitted livestock grazing on public lands can operate under a less rigid framework than is commonly used. Mindy Seal explained that even though the pilot project is not that different from what their office currently does, she is excited for the outcomes that may lead to increased flexibility of grazing permits. She emphasized that even though the project may be focused on livestock grazing, these are multiple-use sustained yield lands and all aspects are considered which can pose some real challenges in this process. She also stated the BLM is always looking for solutions to challenges and the best way to do that is to bring together a diverse group of people and added that field tours such as the Society for Range Management-Nevada Section summer tours are an excellent avenue for this outreach.
with well over carrying capacity. “If this pilot project fails (OBG) it’s because we can’t manage the horses”, Gracian stated. Gracian explained that he has a great relationship with his local Ely BLM office and the BLM folks echoed that. They stated that Gracian stops by often just to check in and keep good communication open between his operation and the BLM, which is key to making this all work. He finished by saying his goal is to leave a sustainable operation to his children so that they have opportunities for choices when it comes to their livelihood. He then pointed out a nearby dilapidated homestead no more than a couple hundred square feet that was falling over. “They (the homesteaders) didn’t have choices” Gracian said, “they just had to worry about feeding wood in that fire all winter and maybe making a little moonshine now and then to help too.” The group then asked questions concerning the new pilot program. Jerry Annis, a producer who runs cattle in the Battle Mountain district, asked Gracian what he thought his added time commitment would be to this project. Jerry expressed that the added time commitment was a concern for him and that’s why he chose not to sign up for consideration for the pilot program. Gracian stated that there was going to be some extra time involved, he recently drove to Reno to take part in a webinar meeting, which is hard to do. “This is a family operation, we don’t have 20 employees.” His one concern was that the lack of people with a range background being hired by the BLM would make this collaborative effort more difficult, adding to his time requirement. Dan Harmon with USDA Agricultural Research Service asked what are specific “outcomes” the BLM is hoping to get from this program? The BLM had not yet defined specific “outcomes” or “goals” other than increased flexibility. Dan expressed his concern that without having defined outcomes such as reduced fine fuels or desired densities of plant groups, evaluation of the program and monitoring could be difficult. John Uhalde stated one of his goals is reducing fine fuels from cheatgrass. For instance, in wetter years when cheatgrass fuels grow tremendously, he hopes to have the flexibility to increase grazing to knock those fuels back. During wetter years he would like to graze the cheatgrass in late spring through May and into June when it’s heading out to reduce fuels and seed production. His current permit system does not allow for that and often stocking rates are too low to be effective (Figure 1, below).
Mindy recently met with Micheal Courtney, the new Nevada BLM Acting State Director, and toured a lot of their allotments discussing some of the challenges. Mindy emphasized the impact of fires; the Martin Fire north of Winnemucca, Nevada, had just burned over 400,000 acres. This was the largest single fire in Nevada history. She explained that while the primary focus is stopping the fire to protect homes, ranching and mining operations, it also benefits wildlife, recreation and native plant communities.
Figure 1. The often insurmountable sea of fuels and fodder a grazing animal faces in the Great Basin.
The next presenters were Gracian and his son John Uhalde. The John Uhalde and Company operation spans thirteen allotments across nearly half a million public land acres including sheep and cattle. The authorized active use for the operation is 22,560 AUMs. They run approximately 2000+ sheep and 600+ cattle. The late John Uhalde, a French Basque immigrant founded the John Uhalde and Company in the late 1890s, and is now being managed by third and fourth generation family members. Gracian explained that times have changed, and they need to change with them. “This was a heck of an operation in the 50’s, but now we are trying to make the millennial leap to ensure the sustainability of the operation”. He told the group that this year was one of the driest he has seen in a long time. “It is the forgotten land when it comes to precipitation this year”. He explained that they signed up for the Outcomebased Grazing pilot program because he wanted to shed light on the “elephant” in the room, feral horses. Three of the five operations chosen in Nevada have horse problems 30 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
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slopes. The lack of competing perennial grasses in the understory of phase 2 and 3 P-J encroachment allows cheatgrass invasion and seeding of perennial grasses is required on about 60% of his projects. Seeded treatment areas are broadcasted (~12lbs/acre) with a diverse mix (10 species at the Combs Creek project) with each species at a fairly low rate (<2lbs/acre). Dan Harmon with USDA-ARS commented that with his experience of rangeland rehabilitation seeding, even great performers such as crested wheatgrass are difficult to establish at effective densities with less than 4lbs/acre drill seeded. Broadcast seeding are actually suggested to have higher seeding rates than rangeland drill or no-till drill methods. Cody emphasized that perennials are released from tree removal and that they are not always reliant on seeding efforts. He prefers to have removal treatments occur on top of snow to reduce the ground disturbance and decreases the risk of cheatgrass invasion. Cody explained the most cost effective removal method is with an Ely chain, but that hand thinning can be under $100/acre cost. He described his technique for mastication and stated it took less than 3 minutes to masticate medium sized trees. “Sometimes my favorite place to be is in that equipment cab, it’s very calming.” (Figure 3) Combs finished by stating “it’s not just about sage-grouse habitat improvements or livestock improvements, if you benefit one you benefit the other.”
Figure 2. Tour attendees observe the understory of a recent tree removal and seeding project. The topic of targeted grazing fuel breaks was brought up. John thought it might require too many water developments to concentrate animals along a fire break and for fall grazing too many supplements making it unrealistic. In regards to water developments, haying and supplements, John thought it was best to “match the cow to the environment instead of trying to match the environment to the cow”. The next stop on the tour was the Combs Creek Restoration Project (Figure 2). This project was headed up by Cody Coombs, Fuels Program Manager, BLM Bristlecone Field Office. Initiated in 2014 a total of 5,519 acres have been treated. Treatments primarily focused on hand thinning and mastication to reduce tree cover and increase the understory vigor. Tree cover was reduced from 12% to 1%, shrub cover 27% to 14% and the grass/forb component increased from 2% to 12%. The goals of the project were to improve habitat for sage-grouse, mule deer, and other wildlife as well as prevent the risk of large, uncontrollable wildfires. This was just one of many projects that Cody works on in his district with 20,000 acres already treated this year. All of that experience has given Cody some valuable practical knowledge. He explained that the biggest issue with tree removal is the risk of cheatgrass conversion. The annual exotic grass reduces native plant recruitment and produces tremendous fuel loads increasing the fire risk when the goal is to reduce fire risk. Cody avoids this risk by prioritizing efforts where the risk is lower. He explained limestone derived soils have less cheatgrass than volcanic andesite derived soils, similar to north versus south facing Figure 2. Tour attendees observe the understory of a recent tree removal and seeding project.
Figure 4. Winterfat occupies enormous valleys of the Great Basin. The third stop on the tour was in southern Butte Valley, a site dominated by winterfat (Figure 4). This site is a fall/winter allotment for the John Uhalde and Company operation. John Uhalde explained that while they manage to preserve the winterfat by rotating seasonal use and resting, the feral horses are year-round use and destroying the habitat. Chris Mayer stated that the horse population was about 1,400 animals - over 3 times the AUM levels. He explained that the BLM desperately wants to reduce that herd number, but their hands are tied in the matter. “Until Congress changes the way we can operate the horses will continue to have devastating effects on the habitat.” John Uhalde followed by stating “It’s not a horse problem, it’s a people problem.” Maria Ryan, Ely BLM, discussed the Ecological Site Description (ESD) for the winterfat communities in the area and how the BLM is using the State and Transition Models in their analysis of this watershed. Maria pointed out that the winterfat communities to the north of this site were being impacted by the wild horses. The native perennial grasses are being lost as the winterfat feral horse use is increasing and it’s very obvious that the non-native invasive halogeton fills that void. The group finished the day discussing possible short-term solutions to reduce the habitat damage from feral horses such as fencing or seeding “food plots” with crested wheatgrass or forage kochia to reduce the pressure put on native plants like winterfat, because once winterfat is lost from the plant community it is very difficult if not impossible to restore. The Nevada Section summer field tours provides the opportunity of comradery and respect, of learning from each other. As Mindy Seal stated at the start of the day, “It’s going to take a diverse group of people to find solutions to our problems and we are all responsible for the stewardship of these rangelands we love so much.”
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The Western Governors’ Association articulated the policy of Western Governors on land exchange and purchases to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests and Mining. The Aug. 21, 2018 outreach in advance of the hearing on S. 2078, the “Advancing Conservation and Education Act,” included WGA Policy Resolution 2016-04, Federal-State Land Exchanges and Purchases. “This bipartisan legislation is an important step toward achieving multiple land management objectives supported by states and a wide range of western stakeholders,” stated the letter signed by WGA Executive Director Jim Ogsbury.
August 21, 2018 The Honorable Mike Lee, Chairman Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Committee on Energy and Natural Resources United States Senate 304 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Chairman Lee and Ranking Member Wyden:
The Honorable Ron Wyden, Ranking Member Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Committee on Energy and Natural Resources United States Senate 304 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
In advance of the Sucommittee’s August 22, 2018 legislative hearing on S. 2078, the Advancing Conservation and Education Act, attached please find a copy of Western Governors’ Association Policy Resolution 2016-04, Federal-State Land Exchanges and Purchases. On behalf of Western Governors, I respectfully request that the resolution be included in the permanent record of the hearing, as it articulates their policy positions on this important issue. S. 2078 is the companion bill to H.R. 4257, which has already been approved by the U.S. House of Representatives. The measure would facilitate federalstate land exchanges and reduce checkerboard land ownership patterns throughout the West. This bipartisan legislation is an important step toward achieving multiple land management objectives supported by states and a wide range of western stakeholders. Please contact me if you have any questions or require further information. In the meantime, with warm regards and best wishes, I am Sincerely, James D. Ogsbury, Executive Director Western Governors’ Association Policy Resolution 2016-04 Federal-State Land Exchanges and Purchases A. BACKGROUND 1. Congress granted lands to states as they were admitted to the Union to be held in trust for support of public schools and other endowed institutions. Federal land ownership in western states is prolific. Over time, the federal government has created conservation areas such as national monuments, wildlife refuges, wildlife conservation areas (i.e., sage grouse focal areas) and wilderness study areas on public lands that surround or affect many of these trust lands. Tribal reservations and military withdrawals have also created state enclaves within federal land holdings. In at least one case, a state has not received all of its land conveyances from the federal government pursuant to its respective statehood act. 2. The manner in which Congress granted lands to western states, as well as other forms of land disposition to railroads or other entities, created a “checkerboard” pattern of federal, state, county, and private land ownership across many areas of the West. Federal and state land managers, land users, the environmental community and the public all agree that the “checkerboard” land ownership pattern is a major hindrance to effective and ecologically sound management of both federal and state lands. 3. In addition to complicating and often increasing costs related to resource management issues including wildfire, federal land ownership in a checkerboard land ownership pattern increases the potential that a federal “nexus” may exist when a project proponent seeks to operate within a state.
The requirement to undertake federal processes and procedures can be onerous and provide an economic disincentive for industry, even when the majority of the project is on state or deeded lands. This disincentive leads to decreased trust revenues as well as decreased state and local taxes. 4. Currently, there are three methods of resolving the checkerboard land tenure issue in the West: (1) land exchanges under existing legislation, such as the Federal Lands Policy and Management Act (FLPMA); (2) the direct federal purchase of nonfederal lands within federal management areas under the Federal Lands Transfer Facilitation Act (FLTFA); and (3) individual acts of Congress. However, all three are lengthy, expensive, and inefficient. 5. Federal land exchanges – whether with states or private interests – are conducted under the FLPMA and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). FLPMA requires that land exchanges be of equal value as determined by appraisal and that the public interest is “well served by making [the land] exchange.” The complex regulatory requirements associated with FLPMA exchanges and NEPA requirements create unintentional barriers to federal-state land exchanges. 6. Generally, the estimated values of lands proposed for exchange are established through appraisals, which must be done in accordance with federal standards and other requirements. If the federal land value is estimated to be less than $150,000, an appraiser’s statement of value (a professional assessment that is based on more limited information than is included in a full appraisal) can be used. 7. The FLTFA allows the Department of the Interior agencies and the Forest Service to use the proceeds from sales of surplus federal
32 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
lands to acquire inholdings in national parks, national wildlife refuges, national forests and other designated areas, including the National Landscape Conservation System. FLTFA was passed in 2000 with a 10-year sunset. The act was reauthorized for one year in 2010, but was not extended at the July, 2011 expiration. 8. The Western States Land Commissioners’ Association (WSLCA) has drafted proposed legislation to solve part of the land tenure problems based on a process known as “in lieu” selections. In lieu selections are established by 43 U.S.C 851852 and allow western land grant states to select federal lands in lieu of land originally granted to the states that became unavailable due to preexisting conveyances or federal special purpose designations. Under the WSCLA proposal, states would have the right to relinquish state trust lands within federal conservation designations to the United States, and select replacements lands from unappropriated federal public lands within the states. B. GOVERNORS' POLICY STATEMENT
1. Western Governors call on the administration to avoid land transfers and sales that may result in diminished use or financial capacity of adjacent state or deeded lands. 2. To improve management of both federal and state lands in areas where there is checker-boarded ownership or state lands and/or minerals are within the boundaries of a federal management area or in areas where the federal government owes a state land conveyances pursuant to a statehood act, Western Governors call on Congress to simplify and expedite the federal-state land exchange, sale and conveyance processes. 3. Western Governors request Congress amend the FLPMA to add language to:
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a. Update, accounting for inflation, the existing $150,000 threshold for using an expedited exchange process since the $150,000 threshold was adopted in 1986; b. Allow use of a statement of value to replace the appraisal process in federal-state exchanges of similar rural lands; and c. Presume any agreed federal-state land exchange as in public interest unless clear countervailing factors are present (federal-private exchanges are not included in this presumption). 4. Western Governors request that Congress reauthorize the FLTFA with priority to be given to acquisition of state inholdings. 5. Western Governors encourage Congress to introduce and pass legislation that incorporates the proposed federal-state land selection improvements proposed by the WSLCA. C. GOVERNORS' MANAGEMENT DIRECTIVE 1. The Governors direct WGA staff to work with Congressional committees of jurisdiction, the Executive Branch, and other entities, where appropriate, to achieve the objectives of this resolution. 2. Furthermore, the Governors direct WGA staff to consult with the Staff Advisory Council regarding its efforts to realize the objectives of this resolution and to keep the Governors apprised of its progress in this regard. Western Governors enact new policy resolutions and amend existing resolutions on a bi-annual basis. Please consult www.westgov.org/policies for the most current copy of a resolution and a list of all current WGA policy resolutions. www.progressiverancher.com
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BARBED GOATGRASS Humboldt Watershed Cooperative Weed Management Area (HWCWMA) P.O. Box 8203 • Spring Creek, NV 89815 www.HumboldtWeedFree.org
Hello 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 a plant that is currently being added to Nevada’s noxious weeds list. Barbed goatgrass (Aegilops triuncialus) is an annual grass (family Poaceae) that grows in rangelands, grasslands, and some woodlands. It is becoming a dominant grass in foothill grasslands of central California and is now appearing in parts of Nevada. This weed can directly injure livestock by lodging in their eyes or mouths, and is unpalatable to cattle. This highly invasive plant competes with crops for water and nutrients, thus reducing the quality and yield of wheat and other crops. It is difficult to control in wheat because barbed goatgrass and wheat are genetically related; the two species have similar growth habits and are known to cross-pollinate with each other. Barbed goatgrass is a native of southern Europe and western Asia. It grows best in cultivated fields, but it apparently can also invade grasslands. This grass is considered a nuisance in landscapes, gardens and fields. It can outcompete more desirable species reducing native plant diversity and important wildlife and pollinator habitat. Barbed goatgrass is a winter annual grass, vegetatively similar to wheat in the seed stage. Barbed goatgrass grows to be about 8 to 16 inches tall with few to many rigid, loosely erect aerial stems (culms). In late spring the plant produces rigid flower spikes consisting of three to six spikelets bearing long, stiff awns which assist in seed distribution. When the grass matures, the spikelets fall off in their entirety to germinate on the ground, and the long awns which give the plant its name assist in dispersal by animals, wind or water.
CONTROL METHODS Mowing. Allows the grass to be cut before maturing and developing seeds to reproduce, but it is not as effective as the other methods as the deep and established root system of the barbed goatgrass is still in place and can grow again. Chemical. Glyphosate as well as Imazapic can be applied post-emergence in late winter or early spring to rapidly growing, non-stressed plants before flowering. As always, please notify the HWCWMA if you see barbed goatgrass 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. 34 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
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Ranch properties now available Antelope Peak Ranch: 5,300 deeded w/ BLM permit attached to ranch. 5 center pivots irrigating approx. 583 acres plus another 28 acres with surface water rights out of large spring. Three homes plus shop and other outbuildings. 1 land owner Elk Tag. This Elko Co. ranch offered at $3,900,000. Mason Mountain Ranch: 3782 deeded acres plus small BLM permit. Summers up to 300 pair in the past. Recent improvements to stock watering sources and new set of corrals. Landowner Elk Tag(s). This is good summer range! $1,750,000 Pending, continuing to show and take back up offers. Jiggs, Nevada Smith Creek Property: 220 deeded acres with approx. 126 with surface water rights out of Smith Creek. Great homesite already carved out of the hill above the meadows with well and trees planted. On county-maintained road approx. 30 miles out of Elko. Price: $680,000. Need more Ranch Listings: Sold in the last 6 months: Z Bar Ranch, Bar O Ranch and approx. 14,000 deeded acres in Clover Valley. Have buyers looking - let me sell your ranch or farm! For additional information on these properties, go to: BOTTARIREALTY.COM
Paul D. Bottari, Broker
paul@bottarirealty.com 1222 6th St. PO Box 368 Wells, NV 89835
Work: 775.752.3040
Home: 775.752.3809 Fax: 775.752.3021
Special Feeder Sales
September 11 October 9 November 13
All Breeds Goat Sale
September 29 at 12:30pm
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SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
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AG IS O UR M I DDL E N A M E
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LOOK UP Cow Country Church by Pastor Diana Gonzalez
Let’s open our Bibles and read I Corinthians chapter 1, verses 18-31. Let’s look at verse 18 again, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the Power of God.” (KJV) And verses 23 and 24, “23) But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 24) but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” (KJV) So what is the definition of wisdom? Having prudent discernment, good judgment, learning, enlightenment and knowledge. But take note of this: wisdom is a skill. God is the starting point in any quest for wisdom. James 1:5 says if you ask God for wisdom He’ll give it generously, without reproach. Godly wisdom is the skill that gives us the ability to use our judgment correctly; wisdom is the skill that causes our minds to take action based on our knowledge and understanding of the Bible and Biblical principals, Christian enlightenment. James 3:13, "Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom." (NAS) We need our owner’s manual (the Bible) and the enlightenment that we get from it. If you’re not in the light, you’re in the dark. It’s hard to see in the dark, hard to know which way to go, which way to turn. Psalm 119:105 says "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (KJV) Godly wisdom will light your path so you will know where to go, what to do, what to say and how to say it. It’s a skill you learn as you fill yourself with the Word of God. Let’s read Proverbs 1:2-7. Let’s look at verse 7 in the Amplified Bible, “The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning and the principal and choice part of knowledge; but fools despise skillful and Godly wisdom, instruction, and discipline.” In this world there are two kinds of wisdom: Godly wisdom and worldly wisdom. www.progressiverancher.com
The born again, redeemed, spiritual man has Godly spiritual maturity and has found the wisdom and skill to operate in this world free from strife, and has a mature nature that responds to the Truth, the Word of God, with faith and love. The unredeemed, worldly man (or woman) finds this hard to understand. Why? Because he (or she) is used to leaning on his (or her) own understanding. Let’s read Proverbs 3:5-8. Again, verse 5 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." Let’s read Proverbs 16:16-29. Your Godly wisdom, your Godly skill will not leave you unchanged. The Bible says we are changed from glory to glory. As God’s Word and wisdom is taught to you, God’s truth and promises will begin to influence you. Any of you who knew me in years past know that’s true. The wisdom of the Truth will influence your heart (your spirit); your heart will influence your speech; your speech will influence your conduct; your good conduct will influence your disposition; your good disposition will bring about desirable human relationships and release divine grace in your daily living, leading to happiness and health. If you humbly acknowledge the power and the might of God, with both your speech and with good manners, you can be that believer who overcomes the world and lives in victory. Here are the keys: 1. Pray. Have a relationship with God. 2. Read your Bible. Get in the Word. 3. Go to church and Bible studies. James 1:5 says He’ll give you wisdom if you ask. 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….
The Progressive Rancher
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018
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RANGE PLANTS FOR THE RANCHER By Paul T. Tueller, Ph.D., CRMC
My intent this issue is to discuss the genus Kochia. There are two rangeland species to be discussed. Kochia americana (S.Watson) S.L. Chu and S.C. Sand is the first. This species is found throughout Nevada in every county but not in large pure stands and is sometimes referred to as summer cypress or green molly. Then another introduced species is referred to as forge Kochia or ‘immigrant’ forage Kochia (Kochia prostrata ssp. virescens) will be discussed. The genus Kochia and the genus Bassia have been combined and are of the Chenopodiaceae family of plants, tribe Camphorosmeae. These plants were at one time considered to include species native to Eurasia, Australia, and North America, and included species of both C3 and C4 photosynthetic types. This aggregate has been reduced in size by removal of a large group of C3 Australian genera and species. Because of their intercontinental disjunction, the presence of root sprouting, and the results of recent phylogenetic studies, it appears that the two North American species Kochia americana and K. californica, of C3 photosynthetic type, should be placed in a new genus Neokochia. Neokochia americana is a squat dwarf shrub growing with many sprawling, mostly unbranched stems to a maximum height near 40 centimeters. The stems are covered in small, fleshy, knobby leaves less than 2 centimeters long. The stems and foliage are sometimes slightly hairy. The perianth is
5-winged. Neokochia americana is native to the western United States from California to Montana to Texas, where it grows in dry, alkaline soils such as alkali flats and desert washes. This species is excellent forage for sheep and goats but is poor for cattle and deer. It is often grazed in the winter primarily for sheep. Plants are high in protein during the fall. The second species for discussion in this article is called ‘Immigrant’ or forage kochia (Kochia prostrata ssp. virescens) and has also been listed as Bassia prostrata (L.) A.J. Scot. Forage kochia is native to Central Eurasia. The parental accession was acquired on a trip to Russia by Wesley Keller and Perry Plummer in a search for plants to suppress halogeton (Halogeton glomeratus) on droughty and saline sites. Seeds were obtained from the Perkalshy Arboretum, Stavropol, Russia, on 19 May 1966 and donated to the USDA-ARS Western Regional Plant Introduction Station in Pullman, Washington. It was released for use in 1984 as forage and soil erosion control on semidesert and desert rangelands of the Intermountain West. Forage kochia has good longevity, forage production, palatability, nutritional quality, and competitiveness with annuals. The first known forage kochia planting in the US was made in l968 near Logan, Utah. It has since been planted on about 500,000 acres in 10 western states in the Intermountain West.
Kochia Americana
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This perennial sub-shrub grows 1 to 3 feet tall at maturity and may live 10 to 15 years. Plants have an extensive root system with a taproot up to 16 feet long. Leaves are small and thin on long, slender stems that grow from a woody base. The upper stems and leaves turn from green to a reddish brown in late-summer. The lowest parts stay green and succulent year-round.
are fire tolerant and remain green through the fire season. However, some were concerned that it would invade and compete with native species. These concerns are largely unfounded. Although some uncertainty is always associated with the introduction of new plants, only a few of the thousands of the purposefully introduced plants have become problems.
Forage kochia is adapted to regions with annual precipitating of 5-16 inches and is very tolerant of salty soils. It sprouts and regrows after burning and can thrive with 70 to 80 percent utilization. Reproduction is by seed, though it does not form a persistent seedbank. It also grows in areas dominated by invasive annual seeds like cheatgrass, halogeton, Russian thistle and medusahead rye but does not spread aggressively into healthy plant communities. Seeds are relatively short-lived and start to lose viability within a few months of harvest. Flowering is in late summer-fall. Alkaline soils, semi-deserts and deserts, Forage kochia should be seeded in the late fall or early winter. Generally the dry lake margins, eroded mountain slopes, sometimes disturbed semi-natural months of November and December have proven to be the most successful. habitats; 500-2100 m; Ariz., Calif., Colo., Idaho, Mont., Nev., N.Mex., Oreg., Tex., Utah, Wyo.; n Mexico. Forage kochia is found growing in association They are well adapted to the very dry areas and establishe easily and are with many different species. Sandberg bluegrass ( Poa secunda) can be an competitive against annual weeds, thus decreasing the fine fuel load and fire understory especially on shallow soils. Shadscale (Atriplex confertifilia) has interval. Studies indicate that fuel moisture content of species commonly been found vigorously growing with Immigrant on several sites, and Winterfat used in greenstrip plantings following a wildfire including forage kochia was has been found growing with Immigrant on several sites. This species has estimated at 40 percent as compared to crested wheatgrass (10 percent) and been successfully seeded in several situations providing forage for livestock cheatgrass (1 percent). Forage kochia plants will burn with sufficient fuel but the and wildlife, preventing fires and soil erosion, and improving plant diversity in plants quickly recover. There can be tremendous potential advantages for beef producers using it as a roughage source for grazing beef cows during late fall weed-infested areas. and early winter as an alternative to feeding harvested forage. Forage kochia can Many range scientists and managers consider forage kochia to be a prime be an important management option to reduce winter feed costs and improve candidate for rehabilitation and fire prevention. Plants have been successfully livestock ranching profitability. The literature on forage kochia is extensive and used for greenstrip or firebreak plantings in the Intermountain West. Plants easily found on the internet. Plants are whitish gray or grayish green with the stems tomentose-sericeous (covered with fine silky hair) or almost glabrous. Stems are erect or ascending, simple or branched only at base. The leaves are sessile and overlapping. The blades are linear, terete or semiterete, 4-25 × 0.5-2 mm, sericeous or almost glabrous. Inflorescences are spicate; 1-4-flowered in axils of bracts. Perianth segments are with white-tomentose or sometimes glabrate.
‘Immigrant’ Forage Kochia
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The Progressive Rancher
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