Pride Ag

Pride Agriculture

Scottsbluff/Gering, Nebraska

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Weekes: 22 years at Platte Valley Livestock SPIKE JORDAN Staff Reporter sjordan@starherald.com

Jerry Weekes bought Platte Valley Livestock from Gibb Lloyd on April 15, 1995, and over the last 22 years he’s seen the ups and downs of agriculture in the valley.

On an average week, about 500 to 600 cows pass through the ring in the sale barn, with at least one sale every Monday. The biggest sale this year so far was 5,200, and in dry years, they will have sales every day, running about 1,200 a week. However, during wet years, or rebuilding phases, those averages will drop as producers wait for the markets to improve.

“I think there’s a lot of good in the valley and everywhere,” Weekes said. “I try to look for the good in all of it, and if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be in business — if I only wanted to see the bad, I’d see a lot of it.”

Weekes is originally a native of southern North Dakota, and started out with $26, a saddle horse and a broodmare. He ranched in the middle of the Standing Rock Reservation for a number of years, had an auction business, ran 1,000 head of yearlings and broke about 40 horses a year.

But when Weekes’ wife Sally’s parents, the Durnals of Bayard, became sick, Weekes figured he’d had an out to sell his little ranch for more money than he felt it was worth and move to Nebraska. He didn’t quite know what he was going to do, but the sale barn was for sale, and returning to auctioneering seemed like a chance he ought to take.

“And I’ve been too broke and too stupid to leave ever since,” Weekes said with a chuckle.

It takes a crew to keep it going, including his son, Josh Weekes, who Weekes said is indispensable.

“I don’t know if I could get by without him,” Weekes said.

Sally handles the pay and keeps PLATTE VALLEY LIVE 4

SANDRA HANSEN/Star-Herald

Homesteaders Museum in South Torrington was established as a United States Bicentennial project in 1976 to commemorate the early residents who made their homes on the open prairie of southeastern Wyoming.

Government irrigation projects later added a new dimension to the agricultural lifestyle, especially the Holly Sugar/Western Sugar Cooperative plant across the highway from the museum.

Homesteaders make Goshen County SANDRA HANSEN Ag Editor ag@starherald.com

TORRINGTON, Wyo. — Homesteaders in the early 1900s built the foundation of Goshen County. As a reminder of that era, the community named its museum in their honor: Homesteaders Museum.

Almost amazingly, the county did not have a collection and display facility of its past until the 1970s, decades after the county was created and Torrington incorporated.

Goshen and Platte counties were carved out of Laramie County in 1913. Although a settlement with a post office for many years, Torrington did not become a town until 1908, when it was incorporated. Early settler and businessman William Curtis named Torrington for his hometown SANDRA HANSEN/Star-Herald in Connecticut.

One other early town was La- Sarah Chaires, director of Homesteaders Museum, searches computerized information for a visitor. She is bringing new exhibits to the comGOSHEN COUNTY 3 plex that will include some designed to meet the interests of children.

CSC professor, students study one of Nebraska’s rarest animals — the swift fox STEVE FREDERICK Special Projects Editor sfrederick@starherald.com

STEVE FREDERICK/Star-Herald

Chadron State College students (from left) Kalen Grint, Alex Trujillo and Kylie Knigge are among range management majors taking part in a cooperative study with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, collecting trail camera images from area ranches.

In a photo collected by a trail camera as part of a University of Nebraska study, a swift fox rolls on the ground near a lure stake.

Courtesy photo

CHADRON — Even if you’re a Nebraska native, it’s likely you’ve never seen swift foxes.

No bigger than a house cat, they’re shy, elusive and nocturnal, rare enough to be considered an atrisk species in the state. When researchers set out to study them, they turned to western Nebraska ranchers and college students to help collect information. Essential to the ongoing study are Chadron State College professor Teresa Frink and her students in the college’s range management program.

In collaboration with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, they’re taking part in an ongoing effort to count foxes with trail cameras and determine enviTeresa Frink ronmental and human-related factors that affect their survival.

Once common across the Great Plains, the swift fox hangs on today in just 20 to 25 percent of its historic range in short- and mixed- grass prairies, including parts of the Panhandle. When University of Nebraska researchers set out to study the fox, they turned to Frink and her students for help.

Because the fox spends much of its time hidden in dens and most dens are on private land, the study required collaboration with private landowners.

Many of CSC’s students are from the area. Some of them come from nearby ranches or know the landowners.

Lucia Corral, a doctoral student from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has been working for several years to involve UNL and CSC students in her surveys, in a collaborative study involving Nebraska Game and Parks, Dr. Joseph Fontaine, a professor of wildlife ecology and assistant unit leader with the Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife

Research Unit, and funding from the Nebraska Environmental Trust.

Frink, who co-chairs Chadron State’s Department of Applied Sciences, grew up in Lincoln and studied wildlife and fisheries at UNL before getting her master’s and doctoral degrees from South Dakota State University. She came to the college in 2008 to help develop a rangeland wildlife option for CSC students in the range management program.

Prior to that, she was involved in bighorn sheep research at Badlands National Park.

“They were also doing research on swift foxes at that time, so I developed an interest in them,” she said. One of the radio-collared foxes the researchers were studying ventured to to Whitney, in northwest Nebraska.

Corral and an adviser devised a survey method using trail cameras and enlisted Frink’s assistance.

They’re studying all Nebraska canids (members of the dog family) including swift foxes, to determine their distribution and abundance.

“I’d been working with students on swift foxes for a number of years,” she said. “Many of them come from ranches. It was easy for them to take cameras home and set them up on their property.”

Corral offered the CSC students training during the intial phase of her research, which will continue for several more years. Global positioning satellite instruments document the location of the trail cameras to allow Corral to map locations where foxes are sighted. Cameras are placed about 20 inches above ground and a mile or more apart, with a scented lure stake nearby. The cameras are triggered by movement detection and record the size of animals and other information. Corral’s survey covers 26,000 square miles over 24 counties in the western third of Nebraska. Photos and other project data are archived on the Nebraska Canid Project website. A $210,000 grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust helped to cover equipment SWIFT FOX 2

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Saturday, March 11, 2017

n SWIFT FOX: LEFT: A mounted swift fox is part of a taxidermy collection at Chadron State College. A member of the dog family, the tiny fox is about the size of a house cat.

BELOW: Chadron State College students Alex Trujillo (left) and Kalen Grint demonstrate the placement of a trail camera used to collect information about rare swift foxes in the northern Panhandle.

Continued from page 1

costs such as trail cameras and lure stakes.

While Corral does most of the analysis of the data, students collect most of the field information. Frink found that almost all of her students were willing to help establish contacts with landowners and set up cameras.

Among them are Alex Trujillo of Omaha, who hopes to use her future degree to land a job in a zoo, and Kalen Grint of Sargent, who one day hopes to work for Nebraska Game and Parks. Trujillo said UNL provides the students with cameras and lure stakes to attract foxes. Their job is to recruit landowners willing to host the cameras for 10day study intervals.

“They were very willing to let us on their property,” she said. “When we come back, you can put in the chip right away and see what you got.”

Grint said the cameras catch more than just foxes.

Images of coyote, badger, eagles, prairie dogs, red fox and other animals are often more common.

“They don’t care what we get. They’re trying to figure out which areas swift foxes use,” he said.

Last year, no swift foxes showed up on the cameras.

“We are observing fewer swift foxes than we have historically in the northwest Panhandle,” Frink said.

Fox populations are affected by urbanization, conversion of range to row crop production and other habitat reduction. But they’re especially susceptible to coyote predation. In years when coyote populatins suffer, swift fox populations tend to rebound.

Severe drought was actually beneficial to the species, keeping grass cover short and making life harder for coyotes.

Outside of trail camera images, few folks are likely to encounter the tiny foxes, which are gray with a black-tipped tail. The red fox is larger, with an orange tint, and has a white tip on its tail. The swift fox tends to live underground in grassy areas while the red fox prefers wooded habitat.

“You can see them periodically during the day

STEVE FREDERICK/ Star-Herald

during the denning period,” she said. “They utilize roadside ditches to hide from coyotes. If you see a pair of eyes in the roadside ditch, it could be a swift fox.”

The foxes are omnivores that feed on many plants and animals, including insects. During a necropsy, Frink once found 24 wolf spiders in a fox’s gut.

They also prey on birds, amphibians and small mammals, including prairie dogs.

“When you tell that to ranchers, they’ll say, ‘I’ll take 10,000 of of them,’” Frink said with a laugh.

Frink’s students also study plant science, wildlife management and how wildlife and livestock interact. Many of them are in the college’s Wildlife Club, which helped Nebraska Game and Parks with a recent survey of bighorn sheep. The club also helps to check in harvested animals during deer season and assists with capturing turkeys and other wildlife during research projects.

Fontaine credits cooperating landowners for much of the project’s success, since about 97 percent of Nebraska is privately

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“We are so dependent on local land owners. We can’t overstate how much we appreciate them participating in the study of these wonderful animals,” he said.

Frink’s association with the project led in an unexpected direction: cooperation with a children’s book by Jeff Kurrus, editor of Nebraskaland Magazine.

His book, “The Tale of Jacob Swift,” includes a foreward written by Frink, who also reviewed the text for scientific accuracy.

The cooperative study is the first covering the swift fox since the 1980s.

Information gathered by Frink’s students will help Game and Parks and other agencies develop effective management, conservation planning and forecasting to help keep the animal from going extinct. In turn, it provides the students with experience with endangered species research that will be beneficial when they go looking for jobs after graduation.

“It’s really good experience for them,” Frink said.

“They’re outdoorsy. They “It builds a lot of relation- like to hunt, fish and camp. ships among these kids.

They do a lot of team-build- It works well with their interests.” ing and problem-solving.

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n GOSHEN COUNTY: Continued from page 1

Grange, which was created in the late 1800s to serve the cattle industry in that area.

Other early communities were Hawk Springs, Yoder, Veteran, Fort Laramie and Lingle. Some were incorporated, while others, such as Hawk Springs and Veteran never have been. Other communities disappeared over the years including Cottier, southwest of Torrington, and Lacy’s Corner, west of Yoder. Other post offices and neighborhood schools dotted the prairie, and then disappeared, as needs arose.

Consequently, a lot of material of historic importance was preserved in family trunks, old shoe boxes or in family Bibles. It wasn’t until Homesteaders Museum became a reality that many of these artifacts were brought to a central location for the education and benefit of county residents, visitors and researchers.

According to information provided by Homesteaders Museum Director Sara Chaires, the existence of the museum is nothing short of a miracle. The museum is in the old Union Pacific Railroad Depot, across U.S. Highway 85 from the Western Sugar Cooperative plant. The depot was completed in 1927 to accommodate employees and construction of the Holly Sugar processing facility that began operation in 1926. As years passed, and passenger service was eliminated, Union Pacific officials decided to destroy the depot.

A brief story of its preservation was found in museum records. A member of the Torrington town council learned that UP had the depot slated for demolition. This started a chain reaction, and within a day or two, the UP office in Cheyenne called with the news that the depot would remain intact for the time being, giving city and county officials an opportunity to preserve it. (Two weeks later, the depot at North Platte, where thousands of military personnel were treated to meals and refreshments during World War II, fell victim to a wrecking ball.)

Beginning in 1964, the south Torrington depot sat empty for nearly a decade, other than occasional use as quarters for a watchman, and was the victim of vandalism. It was eventually rescued and designated by a local committee to become Goshen County’s United States Bicentennial project.

In spring 1975, the museum opened its doors to the public and became a receiver of history, family

SANDRA HANSEN/Star-Herald

This 1907 International Auto-Buggy was purchased in 1908 by Goshen County businessman William Copeland, and later sold to William Knowlton. It had solid rubber tires and could make 20 mph. Said to be the first automobile in the county, it now calls Homesteaders Museum home.

Museum hours Monday to Wednesday 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m Thursday and Friday 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m Saturday Noon to 5 p.m.

Sunday Closed collections, memorabilia and other items of interest to area residents.

Following the museum’s opening, an interest in the county’s education history led to an effort to find the location of all of the early schools. After 11-12 years, good progress was made, and information still occasionally comes in.

In 1983, the discovery of some important archaeological sites related to the county’s history sparked new interest and added to the museum’s collection.

During the early years, the museum was under the management of the Goshen County Commissioners. In 1987, they decided

SANDRA HANSEN/Star-Herald

Visitors are welcome at Homesteaders Museum all year. The complex includes a transportation hall that houses a stagecoach, the Yoder Home with furnishing of a pioneer family, a typical country school and a number of railroad cars.

to relieve the county of that responsibility. After much discussion, the town of Torrington officially took responsibility for the museum and its operation.

A new director was hired, and the museum took a different direction.

The new focus of educational opportunity was the county’s homestead period. This included special

shows, an exhibit in the main hall of what the interior of a homestead home might have looked like, and other displays related to the homestead era, such as tools, clothing and machinery.

A homestead shack was donated for display on the grounds, and a Concord stagecoach was commissioned for display and use

in special events. The first automobile in the county, a 1907 Auto-Buggy is now the centerpiece in the museum’s main hall.

The museum archives hold hundreds of photos and thousands of negatives of county history. Much of the museum’s acquired materials and records are being transferred to a computer for easier access.

Incorporated into the outside displays are UP rail cars, one of which is included in the Christmas season activities when “The Polar Express” story is read to youngsters eagerly listening from their perches on the floor.

In its efforts to remain interesting and updated, Homesteaders Museum is experiencing another transition under the guidance of Chaires and the seven member museum board.

New windows and doors, as well as electrical and plumbing upgrades have been accomplished during her three years as director.

A $500 grant through the Goshen County Historical Society helped replace the baggage room doors, which because of their odd

size were custom made by a Mennonite company in North Dakota.

The homestead home interior has been removed from the museum’s main hall to make room for more versatility, such as traveling Smithsonian exhibits and a new reception counter is located in the main hall.

According to Chaires, the museum is taking a more customer-friendly direction. Now that a large number of capital improvements have been accomplished, she is going to focus more on attracting visitors. This will include exhibits that are more child friendly, an improved research area, and better depiction of local history.

“We have a lot of stories to tell, so we’ll have more rotating exhibits,” she explained, adding that the changes will enhance visitation to the museum as well as to the community.

“We need to create an appreciation of our history, especially this area,” Chaires said.

Chaires and one or two Experience Works parttime employees welcome guests.

1036 W 26th St. • Scottsbluff, NE (308) 632-2995 • 800-658-4073

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Saturday, March 11, 2017

SPIKE JORDAN/Star-Herald

Bidders look at the ring at Platte Valley Livestock Auction in Gering, on Monday, March 6.

n PLATTE VALLEY LIVE: Continued from page 1

things from falling apart.

Auctioneers Mike Nuss and Steve Flowers handle the bulk of the sales.

“Mike has helped me so much over the years,” Weekes said. “I think he’s probably one of the best around and is long overdue to win the World (Livestock Auctioneer Championship).”

Of the roughly 22 people he employs, Weekes has a low turnover rate.

“I’ve had about 15 employees who have worked for me ten years or more, and I’m really proud of that,” Weekes said. “I try to make it a comfortable work environment so that I keep good people around.”

Weekes said the biggest thing he’s noticed is how herds have shrunk considerably as producers have scaled down their operations.

“There’s not half the cattle here as there was 20 years ago,” Weekes said.

“I can give you families by name that used to have a thousand head and don’t have hardly any now.

“Part of that is banker, part of it is attitude and part of it is the economy.

It’s just not there anymore.”

Weekes said there’s currently a good cow market and a very competitive calf market, and video auctions have been successful. However, marketing live cattle, also known as slaughter or fat cattle, has become increasingly difficult.

“I’ve fed a lot of cattle in my life, and I figured the auction business was one of the few free trade enterprises in the way you sell cattle,” Weekes said. “You see the product that you’re buying and there’s no frills about it. It is what it is.

“A lot of these feeder cattle are worth $20 a hun-

dred weight more than others, or a lot of them are worth $20 less than the best,” Weekes said. “You can look at it any way you want to, but there it is — it’s right out in front of God and everybody, and if you don’t like what you’re getting, change what you’re raising to what will bring the best.

“In the fat cattle business, the best of the worst, there might be two dollars, even though there is $20 difference in the value of the cattle,” Weekes said.

“It’s very difficult to market fat cattle for that reason — there’s nothing in the open, you can never tell exactly what the cattle are worth.”

Over time, the types of livestock that pass through his ring have changed.

“I sold sheep when I started here, and there’s actually more people raising sheep now than there were then,” Weekes said.

“But there’s five people that control the slaughter lamb market.

“It’s a very tough market, and if you think the cattle market has it’s ups and downs, the sheep market can double in size or half

in size in a week.”

The lack of the steady volume for stock other than cattle means the facilities at Platte Valley Livestock would need work before they could start again.

“I don’t get enough sheep or hogs or goats, so it would take some work to get my pens back into shape because I’ve raised a lot of the lower planks,” Weekes said. “I enjoyed the sheep market, but attracting buyers is difficult.”

When the U.S. dropped the country of origin labeling, beef dropped $20$30 a hundred weight.

“It allowed the packer to mix meat,” Weekes said.

“When folks buy hamburger, it will more than likely contain as much Australian beef as it does U.S. beef, because it’s leaner and cheaper.”

U.S. prices dropped to compete with those cheaper imports, but a uniformity of inspections is wanting, especially in countries like Mexico, where regulations are different in regards to sanitation and pesticide use.

“We can compete if we’re all following the same laws,” Weekes said. “It’s hard to

know how clean that meat is from Australia or China, or Mexico, especially when it’s all mixed together.”

“If someone gets sick from hamburger we eat here, without a country of origin label, you’re not

going to be able to find out why,” Weekes said. “It’s all just considered beef.”

Weekes said that he has no qualms against the current U.S. inspection rules, because they keep consumers safe and healthy.

“I’m saying bring it here live and slaughter it here,” Weekes said. “We have people inspecting all of our kill plants — we know it’s humane, that it’s clean and that it’s within our guidelines.”

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Ag industry embraces drone technology JERRY PURVIS Staff Reporter jpurvis@starherald.com

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, commonly called drones, have been airborne for several years, but they’re now being used for more than military operations.

One of those areas is helping ag producers better monitor how their fields are growing.

Many tech-savvy farmers have wanted to incorporate drones into their operations for as long as the vehicles have been flying. But drone flights were pretty much restricted to hobbyists and researchers until 2016. That was when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) loosened its restrictions, allowing for drone use by commercial businesses.

Bijesh Maharjan is an extension specialist and associate professor in soil and nutrition management at the University of Nebraska’s Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Scottsbluff.

“Before the restrictions were loosened, we had to apply for a certificate of authorization from the FAA before we could fly,” he said.

“The authorization was for one time on one site. After 2016, we have blanket authorization to fly as long as we’re following their guidelines.”

Some of the guidelines include not flying within five nautical miles of an airport and not flying at a height of more than 400 feet. The local airport also needs to be notified of the drone’s flight schedule. In addition, a required pilot’s examination for commercial businesses has been simplified.

Across the state, UNL is using drones primarily for “crop scouting.” Drones with mounted thermal and multi-spectral cameras can identify any kind of crop stresses. That could include areas subject to insufficient

Courtesy photo

Brian Krienke Assistant Extension Educator with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, sends a drone aloft to check on how the corn crop is progressing.

moisture, weeds and pest infestations.

“The drone cameras can pick up any areas where the crops are stressed,” Maharjan said. “We use the camera images as a map when we go into the fields to identify the particular problem. That way, we don’t have to walk around a whole quarter section. It saves time and energy.”

The camera images record the different light wavelengths given off by healthy crops, and any variation is flagged for investigation.

The goal of the project is not blanket management of entire fields, but identifying specific areas that need attention.

“We used to apply the same amount of water and nitrogen across the field,”

Maharjan said. “We can now manage each section according to what is needed.”

Every cropping system is tied into the larger ecosystem. Excessive application of nutrients ends up in the water systems. Drone technology makes it possible to apply just what is needed, helping to reduce environmental problems in other areas. Tests conducted by the university have been able to reduce nutrient input for corn by about 40 pounds per acre without any loss in yield.

To date, most of the university’s drone research has been on corn. Maharjan

said he hopes to expand the work to include sugar beets, dry edible beans and wheat.

“This technology is pretty exciting,” he said. “We’re already at a stage where we have solid data that will help us improve the state’s agriculture. As the cost of technology goes down, more and more producers will be able to take advantage of drones to help improve their yields.”

Even at the high school level, students are taking an interest in how technology can be used to improve the efficiency of agriculture.

Justin Reinmuth, who teaches industrial technology classes at Gering High

School, said because of our local agricultural industry, the area has to deal with high nitrate levels in the groundwater because chemicals seem to be used for everything.

“My students were interested in how they could apply drone technology to limit chemical use and be better stewards of the environment,” Reinmuth said.

Students in Reinmuth’s electronics class took on a project to design and build two drones. The first one takes aerial photos of a test field for problem areas. The second drone, equipped with a small aerosol tank of herbicide, is programmed

from the photos to spray areas where weeds are a problem.

The applicator drone flies just above the crop canopy, so spraying reduces the amount of drift of chemicals into the atmosphere.

Because only certain problem areas are sprayed, it also reduces the cost of chemicals that can often be overused.

The project was a big success. Entered into the annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest, Gering’s entry won at the state level, qualifying it for the national competition. Gering is one of 10 schools chosen to compete in New York out of more than 4,000 entries. A top prize of $150,000 will be awarded to each of the top three schools.

“This technology will have to come to fruition at some point,” Reinmuth said. “The Lisco and Lewellen areas are already under a Natural Resources District management plan because of their high nitrate levels.

The local area isn’t far behind and may require a plan in the future.”

Reinmuth said his students wanted to build a user-friendly drone platform that individual producers could put to use to help reduce their fuel and herbicide costs.

National winners will also have the opportunity to team up with major corporations that have the financial resources to develop the technology even further.

“We’re only in the beginning phases, but that’s how new technologies develop,” Reinmuth said. “Someone comes up with an idea and corporations see it’s viable for what they do.”

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1942 Twenty men met January 23rd at the Consumer Cooperative Association refinery plant to discuss forming a Cooperative to purchase CCA’s retail stations in Scottsbluff. Ten men were named to organize what became Panhandle Cooperative Association. Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws were approved and business commenced in May. It consisted of two retail stations and a grocery store that was operated in connection with one of the stations. Miles Cowden of the Scottsbluff Refinery provided management guidance until Carlton Laird became General Manager. Sales for 1942 totaled $176,718 with a membership of 60.

1948 Roy Chelf was hired as Food Store Manager.

1952 The Board of Directors approved the purchase of property on South Broadway for $60,000 from CCA. The food store, restaurant and other buildings were located on this property. Sales for 1952 were $1,433,121 with a membership of 2,801 1953 Roy Chelf was named General Manager 1955 A Bulk Station and Tank Wagon Service were established in Veteran, WY. 1960 The Board approved the merger with the Mitchell Coop 1962 The Board of Directors approved the purchase of Platte Valley Coop Oil Station for $1,000. The Board approved the merger with the Bridgeport Coop Association. Sales for 1962 totaled $4,191,489 and the membership was 7,352.

1966 The Bulk Station and Tank Wagon Service in Veteran, WY were relocated to Torrington, where a new station was built.

1972 Discussions were held on the purchase of land for a new food store. In July the Board approved the purchase of the SiouxDawes Cooperative Association in Crawford Sales for 1972 were $9,301,942 and the membership was 10,251.

1975 The new food store was built on a complex at Avenue B and South Beltline Highway and opened for business in June.

1979 Roy Chelf retired after more than 30 years with Panhandle Coop. Petroleum Manager Willard Philson became General Manager and served until his death in 1984.

1980 A new Car Care Center was opened in February.

1982 Sales for 1982 totaled $53,689,062, which was high for several years, and the membership was 22,168.

1984 Carl Montgomery became President of the company.

1987 Don Wiseman became President of the company.

1988 A Bonanza restaurant was opened in the Coop complex and a Midas franchise was introduced at the car care center.

1989 A new retail station was built at the complex and opened for business in June. The Board approved the purchase of the Northgate station in August.

Saturday, March 11, 2017

1991 Matt Johnson became President of the company.

1992 A UAN tank farm consisting of three new liquid fertilizer tanks to contain 7,500 tons was completed in Bridgeport. Sales for 1992 totaled $44,668,907 with membership of 24,000.

1995 Don Lien became President of the company 1996 The Baily’s Town and Country food store business was purchased. It continued until April of 1999 when the property lease where it was located expired.

1999 A Mr. Tire franchise replaced the Midas franchise. In November, the Farmers Coop at Burns and Albin, Wyoming was consolidated with Panhandle Coop.

1999-2000 Crop production plants were updated in Broadwater, Bridgeport, Dalton, and Scottsbluff.

2001 Sales for fiscal year 2001 totaled $61,207,563 with a membership of over 25,000.

2002 A grocery store in Torrington, Wyoming was purchased and named Main Street Market.

2004 Peter Brixius became President of the company.

2005 Plaza Cenex and Northgate Ampride were renovated.

The Berea Plant was purchased. Knutsen Oil and Marv’s LP in Kimball, NE was acquired, forming PCA Ventures of Nebraska. Entered into Helena Consignment and Sales Agreement for crop production.

2006 Building commenced in Wellington, Colorado of the newest Main Street Market location.

2007 Main Street Market in Wellington opened in February. Robert Pile became President of the company. Sales for 2007 totaled $100,742,637 with active membership of approximately 20,000.

2009 Kimball Coop Food Store merged with Panhandle Coop becoming Kimball Main Street Market 2011 Remodel of Plaza Foods into Scottsbluff Main Street Market. $113,851,684 in sales with $1.3M in local profit, being the most profitable year in our history.

2012 Sold Wellington Main Street Market. Had a local profit of over $800,000.

2013 Purchased five new propane and two fuel delivery trucks. Began construction on the Box Butte County Crop Production Facility. Began use of the Automated Fuel Delivery System.

2014 Opened new Alliance Fertilizer Facility. Sold CAR- QUEST and Scottsbluff Pharmacy.

2015 Installed new fuel dispensers & digital sign in Kimball. Installed new freezer cases in Kimball MSM. Leased Dry Fertilizer storage in Sidney.

2016 Opened new Mr. Tire Store in Bridgeport. Purchased two houses in Bridgeport to make way for a new Ampride store, with Taco Johns Franchise and additional fueling stations.

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Life with Holly Sugar SANDRA HANSEN Ag Editor ag@starherald.com

(Editor’s note: Some information for this article is found in “Wind Pudding and Rabbit Tracks,” a Goshen County history compiled by the Goshen County History Book Committee, sponsored by Homesteaders Museum in Torrington, Wyoming. Homesteaders Museum contributed photographs.)

TORRINGTON, Wyo. — For the most part, today’s Goshen County residents don’t know that sugar beets were raised in this area before Holly Sugar Company arrived in the early 1920s. A considerable amount were grown locally and shipped to Scottsbluff and other areas for processing.

That practice began after Western Sugar Company opened the processing plant in Scottsbluff in 1910. Prior to that time, sugar beets in the North Platte Valley were shipped further east in Nebraska.

Local speculation about the potential for sugar beets in the North Platte Valley of Wyoming had been increasing since the early 1900s. Representatives from Western and Holly had their eyes on this area, but each had to pull together financing and encourage interest among growers.

It undoubtedly helped when World War I veterans drew homesteads in Goshen County, mostly in an area served by the interstate government canal on the south side of the North Platte River. The Fort Laramie Canal served growers in Wyoming and Nebraska. The 1921 veterans’ drawing opened the door for hundreds or even thousands of acres to be planted with sugar beets, and making a local processing plant more plausible.

Veteran, Yoder and Hawk Springs were among the communities that ben-

efited from the land drawing. The industry received a major boost when Union Pacific Railroad laid a line through Cherry Creek Valley to south Torrington to serve the Holly operation.

Holly finally joined the other companies that had made inspection visits to the valley. Following their June 18, 1920, visit, Holly directors met at Holly Sugar headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to consider the Torrington site. All seemed to be going well regarding the location of a Holly plant in Torrington.

However, interest appeared to fade until the Jan. 12, 1923, edition of the Denver Post contained an article announcing that a $1 million facility, with a daily slice capacity of 1,000 tons of beets, would be built in Torrington.

It would be built by the Goshen Sugar Company.

The first campaign for the Goshen Sugar Company began Sept. 24, 1923. Later in the year, the company was known as Holly Sugar Company.

Even though economic times were tough in the early 1920s, local farmers received a $1 per ton bonus on their 1924 crop.

It produced the highest sugar content on record to that date, but details are lacking.

Construction of the Torrington facility took on new importance. In mid-November 1925, Colorado officials arrived to oversee the project that would be built on the south side of the North Platte River.

Union Pacific officials were busy planning a spur from the south to a depot to be located across the street from the Holly factory.

Another record was set by a 30-ton per acre crop in Cherry Creek Valley, and a 26 ton per acre yield on another farm.

An estimated 300 workers were expected by the end of February 1926.

COURTESY PHOTO

Construction of the new Holly Sugar factory in Torrington, Wyoming, in the mid-1920s requried a 200-300 man work force. It brought a major economic boom during construction as well as into the future with the new sugar beet crop’s benefits.

Construction of housing for the men began Jan. 5, 1926.

Torrington became home to a plant brought in from Huntington Beach, California. It was going to be able to process 2,000 tons a day.

The 250-foot stack would cost about $12,000.

The foundation was set 9 feet deep and has a 40-square-foot surface. A close inspection today reveals segments of the letters: Holly Sugar that were painted on the landmark, w;hich still towers above the factory facilities.

Heavy machinery arrived from California in March. About this time, a labor dispute arose, but it was soon solved when the contractor released them and explained to the newly formed union members that the factory chose to deal with individuals, not unions.

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By September, 700 workers were on site, and the payroll was more than $3,500 a day.

On Oct. 10, 1926, the first beets from the 1926 crop were sliced and processed into sugar. Local businesses benefited in various ways. Smith’s Drug Store secured a concession to operate a lunch stand in the factory building. It offered 24hour service and hot food.

Holly placed some of the first bags of sugar on local

store shelves.

The plant employed about 350 men and women in addition to the 150 at the receiving stations.

Harvesting the beets required about 1,000 to 2,000 laborers, plus the growers and their regular hired help.

On Jan. 5, 1927, the end of the first season of processing, it was announced that Holly had sliced about 162,000 tons of beets, making about 21,000 pounds of sugar.

The first annual meeting of the Goshen County Cooperative Beet Growers Association elected board members: J.L. Fuller, Huntley; J.W. Kingsley, Yoder; W.J. Knowlton, Veteran; F.E. Odom, Cottier; John Helzer, Torrington; H.S. Kirk, Lingle and Bill Austin, Hawk Springs.

Farmers in the North Platte Valley looked forward to additional and inHOLLY SUGAR 8

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Saturday, March 11, 2017

n HOLLY SUGAR:

Courtesy Photo

L.H. Bump, Chevrolet dealer in Torrington, Wyoming, sold 50 new trucks to Holly Sugar Corporation in 1928. He had sold them 45 trucks over the past two years.

Continued from page 7

creased income from the crop, and area merchants expected to also gain from the new industry. The growers and Holly had disputes over the years, but always worked out a solution that kept the crop viable.

It ran into major issues with the outbreak of World War II. Farmers and town dwellers went off to war, leaving youth, women and an assortment of labor pools to continue production. The labor shortage was alleviated with the arrival of prisoners of war.

Scottsbluff was the site of the regional POW camp, with satellite camps situated around the area where needs were greatest. One was across the road south of the Holly factory in Torrington and one of the larger camps was at Veteran. According to stories handed down generation to generation, some of the POWs became good friends with area farm families, and continued Courtesy photo contact for many years afABOVE: An early harvest at the new Holly Sugar ter the war ended. plant in Torrington, Wyoming.

Attempts to secure the HOLLY SUGAR 9

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Pride Saturday, March 11, 2017

Page 9

Courtesy photo

The Torrington, Wyoming, Holly Sugar Corporation facility was nearly complete in 1928. Employees later planted evergreen trees near the office, some of which probably are still standing today.

n HOLLY SUGAR: Continued from page 8

needed civilian labor included free bus transportation for volunteer workers, and pay at one time was $9.50 per acre. Some previous laborers from the southern states and Indian reservations had left the area. A local newspaper article reported a possible loss of 1,000 acres of beets, or more, with a value $126,000 from sugar tonnage alone, if the crop was not harvested.

The industry survived wars and weather, but ran into an almost insurmountable financial hurdle in the 1970s and ‘80s.

Worldwide conditions, along with disastrous management practices by parent companies nearly closed the Torrington operation in the early 1980s.

It labored through the next two decades, but the arrival of the 21st Century brought too much upheaval for the Goshen County operation to continue.

In 2001, Holly managed to reach its 75th anniversary of production in Torrington before it fell victim to financial hardships of the parent company.

An effort by area producers to purchase the Goshen County business failed and in 2002 the facility was purchased by American Crystal, which leased it to Western Sugar Cooperative, the new grower-owned Western Sugar.

That was the official end of Holly Sugar in Goshen County. However, Western Sugar continued processing beets in Torrington. However, the end loomed when in 2015 word began to spread that Torrington operations would end in the near future. In 2016, Western announced that Torrington would run through November. This was to give time for the renovations at the company’s plants in Scottsbluff, and in Fort Morgan, Colorado, to be up and running.

However, things did not go as planned and processing at Torrington has continued into March 2017.

The company has announced plans to retain a

small workforce of 20-30 people to package powdered sugar at the Torrington facility, a loss of about 200 seasonal jobs and 60-70 year-round positions.

While the close of an era is hard to accept, many families and businesses have benefited from the Holly Sugar Company business at Torrington. Its founders would be proud of its success.

Do you have something to sell?

Call the Star-Herald Classifieds department at 632-9020 for assistance.

SANDRA HANSEN/Star-Herald

Close inspection of the smoke stack at the Western Sugar Cooperative plant in Torrington reveals remnants of the words Holly Sugar, the company that built the facility in the mid-1920s. Current plans call for the 2016-17 campaign to end 90 years of processing there.

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Saturday, March 11, 2017

JEFF SMITH/Star-Herald

Coote Mulloy, right, and Tim Kampsnider, left, Coote’s brother-in-law, get ready to tag a calf as the mother watches intently on March 4. Calving season lasts until May and Coote will check his ranch for new calves every two to three hours.

Rancher ready for calving season JEFF SMITH Staff Reporter jsmith@starherald.com

Protection from weather is imperative to ranchers who calf in the winter and early spring.

On the Mulloy Ranch in Morrill County, cows receive their afternoon feeding behind a layer of trees in order to keep them at a place that protects them from the wind.

There might not always be barriers outside to keep weather away, so it is important to have a warm place to keep calves and people to warm up calves.

“We might throw it (the new calf) in a tub of water and then rub it with towels,” Coote Mulloy said.

Mulloy’s calving season started about a week into a large winter snowstorm that dropped 22 inches of

snow.

“You have to give them the will to live or else they will just lay there,” he said about the calves.

Mulloy recommends rubbing them and stimulation to increase blood flow.

Cows and heifers are supposed to care for the calf after it is delivered.

“You can always tell if it’s a good mother because (the cow) will start licking and get after it in order to keep the calf warm,” Mulloy said.

Sometimes, that is not enough and human contact is necessary in order to keep calves alive.

Mulloy checks calves every two to three hours throughout the day and night because calves are vital to make the ranch a success and to take care of his family. ”Anything we have is a

profit,” Mulloy said. “Every death hurts you.”

The ranch lost two or three to the weather this year and two others to coyotes.

Mulloy said he is fortunate he didn’t lose many to the last winter storm that passed through. He credits the few losses to help from his family and plenty of room in sheds to house the calves.

Cold weather puts a lot of stress on the calves but the benefit to winter calving, is they reach the weight wanted when they are sold in the fall.

He said the market has been fluctuating, but sale prices are usually higher in the fall.

“It’s a long calving period,” Mulloy said.

He would like to be done calving in April but he said there are 20-30 head

of cows that will deliver in May. He has talked about having a vet “preg check” them to make sure they are done by the middle of April and sell all of the ones that are late-birthers.

The biggest bulk of calves have already been born or will be born in March.

Mulloy has talked about moving to an April-May calving season because he thinks it would be a lighter workload and nicer weather.

“But for now we will stay with winter calving,” Mulloy said.

Mulloy said it seems like there will be a bunch of calves come during the

storm or before a storm.

“I don’t know if it’s the barometic pressure that causes that but the weather is way nice and they have slowed down,” Mulloy said on a sunny day with low wind.

For example, the day after the storm in February’ there were 27 calves born in one day.

The ranch had about 200 calves on the ground in the beginning of March and about 300 left to go.

Mulloy knows ranching is a lot of hard work but he likes it because he can stay active and healthy.

Mulloy, who has five children, said he doesn’t want to force them into ranching

but also said part of being in a ranching family is that when someone is part of the family they have to help out. He said his children will definitely be exposed to it and if they want to get involved in ranching’ he will try to help out.

Mulloy said he likes the quality of life with ranching and wanted to raise a family on a ranch because it’s a great place to teach good work ethic.

“When I’m outside I get to see God’s creation and new life with the calves. It’s neat, and I want my kids to experience that,” he said.

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Pride Saturday, March 11, 2017

Page 11

JEFF SMITH/Star-Herald

Coote Mulloy, rancher in Morrill County, tags a calf in order to identify the mother of it later in the year. The Mulloy ranch has had around 200 calves so far in the season with 300 to go.

n CALVING: Continued from page 10

calves throughout the day, Mulloy will also stay up until around 2:30 a.m. in order to check that no cow delivered a calf.

Mulloys favorite seasons are spring and fall since there is more cattle work then.

“I like calving because you get to see the fruits of your labor come out,”

Mulloy said.

He said ranching is something that is more constant, unlike other fields where people change jobs so much.

“You’re definitely doing the same thing, but it changes every few months.

It kind of helps break up that monotony,” Mulloy said.

The Mulloy Ranch is a third-generation ranch.

Mulloy was born and and he already tagged all the calves that were on the raised on his ranch.

The Mulloys said almost ground. all of the ranches in the area are family owned and operated.

He said there are maybe one or two of the ranches in the area that are not.

“Today’s a beautiful day,” Mulloy said as he sat on his ATV looking out as his ranch.

His day was half over

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Saturday, March 11, 2017

Growing up on farm helps shape Dr. Hartman TERESA CLARK Regional West Marketing Public Relations Department

As a radiation oncologist at Regional West Medical Center, Dr. Mark Hartman is used to the long hours and stress that accompanies his job. Downtime is precious, and spending time outdoors on his horse or in a tractor is often his activity of choice.

A self-described farm kid, Hartman grew up on a south-central Nebraska farm near the small town of Holstein. As one of five children, he and his siblings helped their parents on the farm. As the second child and oldest son, he played an active role in farm life from the time he was young. The Hartman family raised corn and soybeans on 1,400 acres, along with hogs and some cattle.

They also raised and butchered 300 chickens a year — not his favorite chore, Hartman admits.

Life on the farm was a good one, but “it certainly wasn’t easy,” he said. “I will always be grateful for the things that it taught me, including problem-solving skills, since you couldn’t always wait for an adult to arrive. If a problem needed fixing, we learned to reason through it and come up with the best solution.”

Developing a rock solid work ethic is another one of the things he most appreciates about growing up on a farm.

“The lessons I learned about working hard and working independently are just unmatched.”

Even after leaving the farm for college and med-

Dr. Mark Hartman and his horse, Farah, volunteering at the Legacy of the Plains Museum Fall Festival.

Courtesy photo

ical school, then later developing a career as a physician, Hartman continued to look for ways to stay involved in the world of agriculture. Enter membership and volunteering with the Legacy of the Plains Museum in Gering.

“I very much enjoy being involved in a museum like Legacy of the Plains that promotes farm and ranch life,” he said. “I appreciate how the museum exposes people young and old to all types of agriculture; how it was done historically as well as the modern farming methods and the technology that we enjoy today.” He adds that he always looks forward to talking with museum members “who speak the same language of farming.”

One of the volunteering opportunities he has enjoyed every year for the past 10 years is helping

park cars via horseback during the museum’s annual fall festival. With up to 1,000 people a day arriving at the museum for the festival, Hartman said it’s not only great fun being outdoors on his horse, a black Arabian mare named Farah, but it’s an ideal opportunity to see and visit with current and former patients outside of the hospital environment.

Another horseback-related event that he looks forward to every year is the annual Pony Express Re-Ride.

Held every May, the re-ride celebrates and remembers the brave Pony Express riders who risked — and often lost — their lives to deliver the mail during the 18 months of its existence from April 1860 through October 1861.

The reenactment involves volunteer riders from the

1,966-mile route from St. Joseph, Missouri, all the way to Sacramento, California.

As part of the western Nebraska contingent, Hartman and his fellow riders take turns relaying the mailbag on a route from Bridgeport to the Wyoming state line, a ride that averages four to five hours. One rider at a time carries the bag for a mile before handing it off to fellow traveler.

“It’s just a blast,” Hartman said. “I love being able to take part in reliving such a historical time in our nation’s history. Being able to experience some of what the Pony Express riders went through while enjoying the sheer historical component of the day is such a great ad-

venture.”

He adds that the camaraderie experienced by the riders is another part of what makes the day special.

The diverse group, which averages anywhere from 12 to 20 riders, includes professions ranging from farming, ranching, health care, business and this year, a very special addition, Hartman’s daughter, Keeley. At 14, this is the first year that she’s eligible to be a full-fledged ride participant, and he said both father and daughter are looking forward to sharing the experience together. The 2017 ride begins on June 5 in St. Joseph and ends in Sacramento 10 days later on June 15. The western Nebraska leg of the journey will occur

on June 8.

As a family, Hartman says he, his wife and their two children look for opportunities to do things together in the great outdoors.

Keeley is a competitive horseback rider and travels, along with mom Jacqueline, to horse shows throughout the region. Son Gregg is an avid hunter as well as a Trek bike enthusiast. They also try to get back to the family farm in Holstein every few months, where Hartman’s father and brother still farm.

“Being outdoors is just great mental health relief and something that I absolutely enjoy,” he says. “I’ll always have an interest in agriculture — it’s just part of who I am.”