March 5 edition section B

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Consultant explains leadership skills needed for communicating the vison of the ranch Casper – During an Agricultural Leadership Symposium sponsored by the University of Wyoming’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources on Feb. 24, Dr. Lynn Gordon, founder of LEADER Consulting, LLC. explained how ranch leaders should communicate their vision.

Ranching operations with a clear mission and vision statement have an advantage over operations where workers and customers aren’t sure of the operation’s goals, she shared.

Creating a vision A vision for the ranching operation acknowledges the direction the ranch is headed and provides knowledge for customers and employees to better understand the operation’s goals.

“Your vision is your ability to talk about the future with such clarity it’s like you’re talking about the past,” Gordon said. “We remember the past so easily and clearly.”

Gordon referenced a poll where 240,000 business leaders were asked how clear their mission and vison was. She noted 50 percent said their vision was crystal clear, while 50 percent said they didn’t know the vision of the organization.

“If the leader doesn’t know the vision of the organization, it’s hard to get engaged and hard to know what they’re getting out of bed in the morning to do,” Gordon said. “It’s hard to be motivated, and they get confused.”

Gordon recommended creating a vision ranch leaders, employees and customers can be passionate about.

“A vision needs to be clear, concise, motivating and compelling. It needs to create structure and provide context – sparking motivation,” she said. “The vision should be something making you want to jump out of bed in the morning.”

Communicating the vision In order for a vision to serve a purpose, ranchers must engage their employees and customers.

“Communicating the vision is one of the most important steps in becoming a leader,” Gordon said.

“The best leaders are the best communicators.”

She acknowledged the importance of communication saying, “A vision won’t go anywhere if you’re the only one who understands it.”

Gordon mentioned an effective vision statement must be simple and relatable. This includes using terms ranchers, employees and customers understand.

“Simplify the statement down because a long, complicated vision is difficult to understand,” Gordon said. “When you keep it simple it’s easier to get

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excited about.”

She also recommended ranchers include pictures with their statement. Photos of ranch hands properly caring for livestock helps reassure consumers they’re purchasing a safe prod-

uct, and the photos make the vision statement more memorable for employees and consumers.

“Make the vision statement memorable enough so employees can remember it, want to share and

talk about it,” said Gordon. “Pictures help make the vision relatable as it’s communicated.”

Tying a story into the vision statement is another great way to spread the vision, according to Gor-

don. Stories can be easier for people to remember and relate to than a definition.

“Great leaders tell stories,” Gordon said.

She recommends ranchers tell stories to build an emotional, compelling con-

nection with their employees and customers.

“Storytelling builds trust and integrity and is highly effective,” she added.

When communicating Please see VISION on page B2

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 33 No. 45 • March 5, 2022

It’s the Pitts

by Lee Pitts

Cowboy Diversity There’s been a slow drift towards cultural

diversity amongst the cowboy clan and it hasn’t

always been pretty. I witnessed this trend firsthand when I leased a ranch from a cheapskate owner who was bordered on the back side by two more cheapskate owners – each waiting for the others to fix the deplorable fence dividing us. I think they were afraid of cutting their carrying capacity.

As an astute barb wire collector, I can tell you the

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first wire strung on the old fence was of the Kettleson Half Hitch genus and species patented in 1878, and some of the wire was repaired and replaced with a more modern version, Wright number two to be specific, patented in 1894. The only other wire on the old cedar posts was a patch job here and there with “Japanese Suicide, Scars, Scabs and Stitches” brand.

Thanks to the huge prices we were getting for calves back then (not) the three owners decided to each contribute one cowboy to the job with the cost to be shared equally.

The cost budgeted would have been more than their ancestors had paid for their entire ranches!

On the morning of fence-fixin’ day we all arrived on horseback, which was the only way to get to the bad fence.

It was a clash of cultures so diverse, war almost ensued. I was there as a proud representative of the vaquero tradition. A Texas cow puncher was also present wearing his pants stuffed into very tall boots and huge batwing chaps heavily scarred by

South Texas brush.

Displayed prominently and resting in a pommel bag on his saddle was a six gun, which frightened me because I had come to the fencefixin’ unarmed. The two of us twiddled our thumbs until the third ranch representative arrived. It seems the Great Basin buckaroo was late because it took him 30 minutes to dress his horse. I’d never seen so many ropes and fancy knots! He wore a flat brimmed hat and what he called “packer boots,” which were laceup cowboy boots, which I thought defeated the whole purpose of boots because cowboys wear them so we don’t have to tie any laces.

In true cowboy fashion none of us were happy to be at the fence-fixin’. Any cowboy worth his salt would rather herd sheep, cut hay, wallow in manure or be drug by a horse rather than fix fence.

Hostilities began immediately on the very first post hole we dug – or tried to dig. Each of us had brought what he considered the necessary equipment. My horse Gentleman and I drug an extra horse behind us who was loaded down with a gas-powered auger, a can of gasoline, wire stretchers, tee posts and a post pounder. The Texan, who was not interested in anything mechanical, brought a digging bar and a sardine can and the Great Basin buckaroo brought a

roll of sheep fence.

We should have brought a jackhammer. I set up the two-man auger and the Texas cotton picker and I held on tight while I pulled the rope.

We made it through three inches of topsoil before hitting solid bedrock and broke the pin holding the auger to the engine.

Next, the Texan got his digging bar and went to work walloping away at the rock. After 20 minutes of back breaking work, he knelt down and removed a sardine can full of dirt. The Great Basin buckaroo scoffed at us pathetic examples of the cowboy persuasion and said, “Don’t you halfwits know nuthin? You don’t dig postholes in ground like this, you build them.”

Then he told us about “rock jacks,” which I’d seen on my travels in Nevada, the Dakotas and eastern Oregon. They even have a champion rock jack competition in Oregon!

The buckaroo took his roll of sheep fence and made several baskets about a yard wide and a yard high. Then he explained we would put a post in the middle of the basket and fill the basket with rocks about the size of a softball, and it would become our post. This was the theory anyway. To the best of my knowledge this broken down fence remains so to this day because none of us could find a single suitable rock to put in the rock jack.

VISION continued from page B1

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the vision, communicate through multiple channels, Gordon said.

“The more channels and opportunities to understand the vision helps keep it at the top of individual’s minds,” Gordon said. “Repeat the message continually.”

Gordon also mentioned ranch managers should engage with their staff and take opportunities to connect one on one.

Managers should share the vision and encourage feedback from stakeholders, customers and staff.

“Don’t always think the leader has all the answers – encourage questions and feedback,” she said.

Leadership One of the most important factors coming into play when developing a vision statement is the leader behind it all.

“You need to be an authentic leader and the leader they can trust,” Gordon said. “People buy into you as a leader before they buy into your vision

– you have to gain respect from them by walking the talk, leading the example and having integrity.”

“Integrity is the number one trait a leader has to have, if they don’t have it, the employees and stakeholders won’t follow the vision,” she said.

Gordon referenced a quote by Simon Sinek, “Great leaders must have two things: a vision of the world that does not yet exist and the ability to communicate it effectively.”

Acknowledging the quote, she mentioned leaders need to fully understand their vision and know how to properly communicate it with customers and employees.

“Remember your role as a leader,” she said. “Do what you say you will do, walk the talk and be a role model.”

Kaitlyn Root is an editor for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

For more information on leadership and developing a vison, visit leaderconsulting.biz

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 33 No. 45 • March 5, 2022

The Producer Partnership, a Light in the Darkness I turned 25 years old on Feb. 28, 2022, and was able to spend the entire day with my husband, parents and in-laws – all people I love dearly. I went to bed on my birthday in a good mood and woke up in an even better mood: I’d had a great weekend, was blessed with a surprise visit from my parents and ate steak not once, but twice.

I was looking out the window, thinking about how great my life has been recently between family, work and friends, and although I wanted to scour the internet and look for a vicious anti-ag story, I couldn’t bring myself to do it today. So, I’m going to enlighten my readers on something genuinely and purely good in the world today: my full-time job a.k.a, the Producer Partnership.

The Producer Partnership is a Montana non-profit whose mission is to end hunger in Montana through the work of farmers and ranchers. I am the program administrator/media and marketing manager for the Partnership, meaning I handle all media and marketing tasks as well as a few other administrative type tasks.

The Producer Partnership was founded as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic by my boss, Matt Pierson. Matt had the idea in April 2020 and donated a cull cow to the Livingston Food Resource Center and shortly after, he coordinated the donation of other

cull cattle and cash to offset processing costs.

As the weeks turned into months and donations were on the rise, the Producer Partnership became a full-on, non-profit organization with a board of directors to boot.

There was one problem, however, and this was with processing capacity.

Backing up a bit and explaining more of how the Producer Partnership works, our organization mainly receives animal donations of cull cattle. Cull cattle are basically excess stock, they’re usually the cows who are injured or can no longer have calves.

Traditionally, cull cows are typically sold at auction but normally don’t bring much money. My husband always jokes, “it’s not even worth the fuel bill to take the cow to the auction yards,” in some cull situations. This is where the Producer Partnership comes in.

A livestock producer can donate a cull animal to our operation, and we will get the animal processed into ground beef. The hamburger is then donated to the Montana Food Bank Network who distributes the protein around the state. The ranchers receive a tax receipt for their charitable donation and the warm-fuzzies in their heart for doing a good deed; hungry Montanans get fed and the employees of the Montana Food Bank Network and the Producer

SALE REPORTS Fawcett's Elm Creek Ranch Reported By: Calli Williams, WLR Field Editor Feb. 14, 2022 Fawcett’s Elm Creek Ranch, Ree Heights, S.D. Auctioneer: Lynn Weishaar 46 Yearling Hereford Bulls Avg: $6,234 40 Two-Year-Old Hereford Bulls Avg: $6,068 Top Sellers Yearling Hereford Bulls Lot 14 – ECR 238 Fortified 1002 – Price: $21,000 DOB: 02/06/2021 Sire: NJW 84B 4040 Fortified 238F Dam’s Sire: UPS Sensation 2296 ET EPDs: BW: 1.0 WW: 63 YW: 99 Milk: 24 Buyer: Sioux Falls, S.D. Lot 41 – ECR 8923 Advance 1226 – Price: $12,000 DOB: 03/16/2021 Sire: ECR 628 Ivys Advance 8923 ET Dam’s Sire: HH Advance 2029Z ET EPDs: BW: 3.6 WW: 61 YW: 99 Milk: 20 Buyer: Cainsville, Mo. Yearling Angus Bulls Lot 52 – ECR Renown 107 – Price: $6,000 DOB: 02/18/2021 Sire: SAV

Renown 3439 Dam’s Sire: LaGrand New Design EPDs: BW: 2.2 WW: 52 YW: 90 Milk: 19 Buyer: Wood, S.D. Two-Year-Old Hereford Bulls Lot 61 – ECR 8055 Domino 0402 – Price: $11,500 DOB: 04/09/2020 Sire: ECR 6305 Domino 8055 Dam’s Sire: CL 1 Domino 2109Z EPDs: BW: 3.4 WW: 56 YW: 87 Milk: 28 Buyer: Columbia, S.D. Lot 80 – ECR 6017 Domino 0681 – Price: $9,500 DOB: 05/02/2020 Sire: ECR 3131 Domino 6017 Dam’s Sire: ECR AL Ree Heights 3003 ET EPDs: BW: 2.6 WW: 47 YW: 74 Milk: 24 Buyer: Florence, S.D.

Partnership stay busy. In other words, it’s a win-win-win.

This model worked great at first, but as I stated earlier, the issue of finding open spots in processing facilities became troublesome.

Most local plants were full and busy, and eventually we turned to a processing facility in North Dakota.

However, right before I was hired in April 2021, the Partnership Board voted to put a down payment on our very own modular-processing facility.

This facility was delivered in December and let me tell y’all: IT IS AWESOME. Our processing unit has the capacity to harvest 15 cows per day and already exceeds my expectations. We will hopefully be able to process our own animals here in the coming months.

We have hired more employees and will hire a few more as well, and the plans to have a kick-off donor appreciation party this summer are in the works.

To say I am blessed to

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work for this organization is a complete understatement. Not only do I get along incredibly well with my bosses and co-workers, I am able to use my creative skills to do some good for the Big Sky State.

Since the organization’s foundation, Producer Partnership has donated 96,882 pounds of ground beef to those in need. To put this into

perspective, this is 387,528 quarter pounders.

We have helped the hungry and will continue to do so in the coming years and beyond. It’s 100 percent charitable, from the bottom of our hearts and everyone whose involved in our organization, from the donors to the distributors. It’s, as my gramma likes to say, “the

Lord’s work.”

I know this isn’t the typical anti-ag hating column y’all are used to, but today, I wanted to lighten the mood a little, share some good going on in the world. Between a potential World War III, political discourse and the general chaos of society, it’s nice to know there’s a light shining in the darkness.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 33 No. 45 • March 5, 2022

Veterinarian discusses bovine vaccination recommendations and timeline Newborn calves gain a temporary and passive immunity against disease when they ingest colostrum from the dam – since this “first milk” contains maternal antibodies.

After a few weeks or months this temporary protection begins to wane and calves must build their own immunities.

Vaccinating calves at the proper time can help protect them until weaning age. Vaccinating too soon, however, may not stimulate much immune response. If the calf still has maternal antibodies in their system, these tend to interfere with building its own immunities.

Thus, the big question is when to vaccinate and with what for optimum immune response in the calf. Dr. Steve Hendrick, Coaldale Veterinary Clinic, Coaldale, Alberta, says ranchers should always discuss a herd health pro-

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gram with their own veterinarian, but there are some general guidelines which

may be helpful.

“Vaccination is a way to have controlled disease

exposure,” explains Hendrick. “We don’t want our animals to have to go

through natural disease conditions, so if we can give them a little exposure to a weaker strain, or a controlled exposure, they are better off than having to fight off a more severe natural infection.”

“It is recommended calves be boosted before they leave the farm, so they would stay healthy for the next owner or feedlot, but even getting one dose into them would do a lot for our industry,” he says. “Veterinarians advise most clients to use a Bovine Viral Disease (BVD) vaccine, and it’s usually a fiveway modified live virus vaccine. This, along with a clostridial vaccine, is probably the most important recommendation for calves.”

There are several additional vaccines important for calves in certain regions.

“On ranches having a lot of summer pneumonia, some veterinarians advocate the use of a vaccine against Mannheimia, otherwise known as Pasteurella haemolytica or Histophilosis,” explains Hendrick. “I routinely recommend this for herds having problems with these bacterial infections. If a herd has had a problem in the past, it’s probably a good idea to add this vaccine to prevent problems in the future.”

Some pathogens can cause pneumonia, so if calves are vaccinated at branding age the vaccination they receive at weaning time acts as a booster.

Some ranchers don’t vaccinate at weaning. They simply sell the calves and don’t feel they would benefit from the expense since

they are not getting paid for the extra cost and work, he notes.

“For replacement heifers, however, or any calves producers might be keeping over winter, it is important to vaccinate at weaning age, to gain the benefit from protection,” he says.

Timing of vaccinations The big debate is when to give the vaccinations.

“Most of my clients are still vaccinating calves at about one to two months of age, when they are branded. Some herds experience disease in calves earlier and may need to work with their veterinarian to decide whether to vaccinate calves sooner, maybe using an intranasal product,” he says. “Producers who have purebred herds calving early and put pairs through a calving barn are more likely to use intranasal vaccines at birth.”

“In some situations, where calves are born later in the season out on grass – in May and June – ranchers found it was so hot and dry in July when they brought them in for vaccinating, we started vaccinating those calves at birth instead. The stress of trying to vaccinate in July was too much,” he says.

There are challenges when gathering cattle off grass and putting them through a dusty corral with the stress of sorting and vaccinating, which might seem to defeat the process.

Some herds now receive vaccinations at birth.

“This isn’t ideal, and it wouldn’t be my first choice. But faced with whether to vaccinate at birth or not giving any vaccines, we chose to vaccinate the calves at birth, and I can’t honestly say we’ve had worse results. We don’t know whether this means the calves didn’t have enough of a challenge these last few years, or the vaccine is helping,” he notes.

He also talked to some of the drug company technical services veterinarians about using clostridial vaccines early.

“Even though it says on the label to not give this before one month of age, we haven’t seen any problems with giving the vaccine to very young calves.

We also haven’t lost calves to blackleg or some of the other common clostridial diseases, so I feel comfortable giving clostridial vaccination at birth, as well.

These cowherds have been Continued on next page

“Most of my clients are still vaccinating calves at about one to two months of age, when they are branded. Some herds experience disease in calves earlier and may need to work with their veterinarian to decide whether to vaccinate calves sooner, maybe using an intranasal product.” – Dr. Steve Hendrick, Coaldale Veterinary Clinic

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 33 No. 45 • March 5, 2022

Continued from previous page vaccinated and given a booster on a regular basis, so their calves may also be getting good protection, at least temporarily from colostrum,” says Hendrick.

The best age for giving BVD and Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) vaccines is still debatable.

“From what I’ve seen in the literature, if producers vaccinate calves with high levels of maternal antibodies from colostrum, the thought has always been those antibodies will mop up the antigen in the vaccine and the animal won’t develop a good response,” says Hendrick.

Immune response There are two types of immunity.

“One is cell-mediated.

There are some non-specific immune cells just cleaning up whatever foreign material they see,” Hendrick explains. “This is the first part of the immune system to develop and is very important for most of the diseases a calf faces.”

“We believe there is probably an increase in this type of immunity with early vaccination, even though we might not see much increase in titers or antibody response which is more secondary,” he continues. “We feel if these

calves do get exposed to the disease, they at least have good cell-mediated immunity from the early vaccination. We feel this is very important for some of the viral infections. This is why I feel OK about switching some herds to vaccinating at a younger age. If calves are being branded at a later age, I still recommend vaccinating at branding time,” he says.

It is important to work with a local herd health veterinarian and come up with a plan based on what has worked in the past for a producer’s specific herd and what diseases they may have, he notes.

“We see some baby calf pneumonia which probably isn’t Pasteurella. It’s probably Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus (BRSV) or some other virus, rather than bacterial,” he shares.

If producers work with their veterinarian and make a diagnosis, they can be more specific about which vaccine they choose, he explains.

Intranasal vaccines There is an intranasal viral vaccine, and it may work in some herds.

It stimulates local immunity in the nasal passages, where the virus would normally enter.

“Producers are basi-

cally stopping this entry, or minimizing the viruses’ ability to get into the body and set up infection. It’s almost one step earlier than giving vaccine under the skin, to be absorbed by the body. In this scenario, the virus gets into the nose and goes on into the body before the generalized immune response can attack the virus,” he says.

“Some ranchers say the intranasal vaccine has worked very well for them, and others have used it and didn’t think it helped much,” says Hendrick. “I think it depends on what the calves are exposed to.

If the disease is bacterial rather than viral, the viral product won’t help.”

The intranasal vaccines won’t cover all the diseases causing problems.

Producers have to know their enemy to choose the right weapon.

This is why producers need to work with their veterinarian and get some diagnostics on what is causing disease in the herd. They will be better able to select the appropriate vaccines, rather than just using what the neighbor uses or what is read about for certain products.

Heather Smith Thomas is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net.

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®

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 33 No. 45 • March 5, 2022

Creating an end-of-life plan for estate planning: Part one Planning for end of life is one of the kindest things individuals can do for those they leave behind. There are many financial and administrative tasks which must be dealt with when someone dies, and if there is not instructions on what to do when they are gone, loved ones are faced with the difficult task of trying to sort out affairs when their emotional capacity for dealing with such matters is very low.

Here is a partial list of items individuals should complete.

Create a will or living trust Having a properly drafted will or trust can save heirs a lot of money and stress. While a will does not avoid heirs from having to go through probate, it does provide instructions on what assets are to go to where and how they are to be distributed.

It also spells out the

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care of any minor children they may have. To increase the likelihood of wishes

being carried out, the will should be signed by the individual and one or

more witnesses. A living trust can accomplish the same thing as a will and

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4-Star Maternal and 4-Star Feedlot $21.5K $Profit, $43 $Ranch

LOT 105

4-Star Maternal and 5-Star Feedlot $28.5K $Profit, $53 $Ranch

LOT 468 4-Star Maternal and 5-Star C. Ease $19.7K $Profit, $63 $Ranch

LOT 492

4-Star Maternal and 5-Star Growth $19.7K $Profit, $36 $Ranch

LOT 537

4-Star Maternal and 4-Star Feedlot $21.4K $Profit, $35 $Ranch

4-Star Maternal and 4-Star Feedlot $27.8K $Profit, $75 $Ranch

Leachman Cows Work! – Selling On-Site March 27th

LOT 603

LOT 745

Stabilizer: Top 25% or better in 8 traits!

LOT 770

Charolais: Fancy and high fertility!

LOT 782

Red Angus: Loads of type!

Angus: 1 of 72 bred fall females.

Leachman Spring Bull & Female Sale Scan for catalog

March 26-28th, 2022

All events will be at the Leachman Bull Barn ▪ Fort Collins, CO

Saturday, March 26th All cattle available for inspection. Come early, pick your lots.

Sunday, March 27th

1:00 PM 225 Females – Open Yearlings

and Fall Bred Cows

Angus, Red Angus, Stabilizers & Charolais 5:00 PM Banquet & Entertainment, RSVP today!

Monday, March 28th

BULL S SE BRE EDIN LL WITH G SE GUA ASO RAN N TEE!

10:00 AM 500 $Profit,

Stabilizer Bulls Sell

Ask about buying with our Leachman 2022 Sight-Unseen Guarantee!

Visit leachman.com or call (970) 568-3983 to order your catalog today!

Additional Upcoming Leachman Events

Tuesday, March 15th

"American Rancher" episode airs on RFD-TV

Thursday, March 17th

Online Seminar – Join us virtually on Facebook Live “How to Build Great Cows AND Great Feeders Using $Profit!!”

Lee Leachman, CEO Jerrod Watson, Bull Customer Service, (303) 827-1156 Semen Division: (970) 444-BULL (2855) Office: (970) 568-3983 • www.leachman.com

potentially prevent heirs from having to go through probate.

Complete advance healthcare directives An advance healthcare directive, also known as a living will, is a legal document in which a person specifies the actions which should be taken regarding their health if they are no longer able to make decisions for themselves because of illness or incapacity.

Another form of an advanced directive is a healthcare power of attorney. This authorizes someone, an agent, to make decisions on their behalf when they are incapacitated. It is suggested to complete a living will and a healthcare power of attorney to provide comprehensive guidance regarding care. Each state has its own regulations, so make sure to check the requirements where individuals reside to ensure documents are valid.

Review beneficiary designations A common mistake people make is not updating their beneficiary designations upon a major life event such as the birth of a child, marriage, divorce or the dissolution of a business partnership.

To make sure money goes to whom individuals want, check the beneficiary designations on all of the life insurance policies, annuities, IRAs, 401(k) account, Health Savings Accounts and any other account with a beneficiary designation. Make sure to name a contingent beneficiary as well.

Additionally, if individuals have a Transfer-OnDeath (TOD) or PayableOn-Death (POD) arrangement, make sure those beneficiary designations are up-to-date. TOD and POD arrangements allow a person to avoid probate on investment and savings accounts. Individuals should also verify if beneficiary designations are “Per Stirpes” or “Per Capita.”

Create a list of your assets and liabilities To help heirs understand what the individual owns and what they owe, make a list of all assets and liabilities. Include contact information for the appropriate people and provide detailed instructions on how to manage or dispose of assets. Include information such as: company names; account numbers; advisor names and contact information; a recent statement and advice on what to do with each asset and liability.

Make a list of your expenses To prevent heirs from having to wait around for bills and account statements to arrive in the mail, make a list of all your expenses. Let them know what the monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual payments are, who they need to make payments to and what they should do with each expense item.

Having this information may prevent heirs from being stuck paying penalties and late fees on accounts. Provide heirs with the company or organization names, account numbers and contact information. It is helpful to include a recent statement for each account.

Location of important documents Provide the location of important documents along with any pertinent instructions regarding these items. These documents may include: will(s), trust(s), advance directives, personal property list, insurance policies, power of attorney, social security cards, titles of vehicles, boats, campers, ATVs, birth certificates, death certificates, passport, driver’s license, storage unit location, safety deposit box location, keys and combinations, cemetery plot deed, stock certificates, marriage certificate and license, divorce papers, adoption records, military records, pet records, leases, home improvement records, tax returns, property tax records, user manuals, warranties, employment records, membership cards, lease agreements and notes payable and receivable.

Chris Nolt is an independent, fee-only registered investment advisor and the owner of Solid Rock Wealth Management, Inc. and Solid Rock Realty Advisors, LLC, sister companies dedicated to working with families around the country who are selling a farm or ranch and transitioning into retirement.

To order a copy of Chris’s new book: Financial Strategies for Selling a Farm or Ranch, visit Amazon.com or call Chris at 800-5171031. For more information, visit solidrockproperty.com and solidrockwealth.com.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 33 No. 45 • March 5, 2022

B7

Ranchers and farmers play key role in sustainable production, shares cattlewoman The Beltway Beef podcast welcomed National Cattlemen’s Beef Association member Kim Brackett to discuss sustainability in agriculture on Feb. 19.

Brackett and her husband Ira own and operate Brackett Ranches, a cow/calf operation in Idaho.

As president-elect of the Idaho Cattle Association, Brackett strives to be an advocate for agriculture.

She testified about sustainability in agriculture in front of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture on Feb. 3.

Sustainable ranching Brackett mentions there is an evident gap between ranchers, the general public and politicians when it comes to understanding sustainable ranching. She feels it was necessary to do her part in bridging this divide by testifying about her personal experience with sustainability and conservation on the ranch.

“We have such a divide between rural America and urban decision makers,” she says. “I looked at this as another chance for me to reach across, bridge this gap and talk about what we do on our ranch and what sustainability is for me personally and for the industry at large. I think having a rancher’s perspective was beneficial during the committee meeting.”

Brackett finds it important to remind those removed from agriculture, sustainability is a number one concern for farmers and ranchers.

“There is a lot of sustainability work already being done on America’s farms and ranches,” she notes.

Brackett explains they utilize targeted grazing on their ranch as a tool to reduce fuel loads.

“We want to avoid those massive wildfires,” she adds. “And, be able to reduce fuel loads through grazing and combat invasive annual grasses in the Great Basin area.”

Brackett notes, cattle grazing contributes to carbon sequestration in the U.S., and farmers and ranchers play a key role in protecting U.S. carbon sinks. She finds many people “underscore the importance of keeping farms and ranches intact.”

Brackett attributes much of the safeguarding of wildlife habitats to ranchers and farmers being stewards of the land. She acknowledges the pipeline system her ranch utilizes which brings water down from the mountains and across the more desert country areas.

“We are able to run cattle in areas we couldn’t before,” Brackett says.

“This leads to increased wildlife populations and larger big game habitat in these areas as well.”

New technologies Brackett explains there is an enormous amount of new, cutting-edge technology in the agriculture industry.

“There’re so many innovative technologies going on right now,” she adds. “I wish some of those would get traction in mainstream media.”

She acknowledges technology improvements in feed efficiency at the feedlot level saying, “They’ve done such tremendous work in this area pertaining to sustainability and the footprint the cattle industry has. I feel like they get a bad rap.”

She also mentions the cow/calf technologies being utilized, including geofencing, GPS collars and targeted grazing.

“We don’t have to go and fence our pastures into small paddocks or use electric fencing anymore,” Brackett says. “This is really exciting – it allows us to move the cattle into specific areas and helps us stop invasive annual grass from growing.”

She adds, producers are able to monitor cattle on the land while using Google Earth technology and drones.

“Using drones to locate cattle in the wilderness area is a fun way to get the kids engaged and bring them back to the ranch.”

Brackett feels technology in agriculture is going to keep advancing as kids go off to college, learn new ideas and bring them back home.

“I can hardly wait for some of these kids to go to college and bring exciting innovation back to the ranch,” Brackett adds.

Ag policy regulations Brackett, like many other producers, is concerned about the regulations coming from Congress making it difficult to ranch. She explains her family runs cattle in Idaho and Nevada on Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service land.

“We deal with a lot of regulations on a daily basis,” she says. “We deal with four different agencies, two in each state, plus federal agencies.”

She notes they often times find themselves making management decisions based on regulations.

“It gets very overwhelming and expensive, we have constant litigation from environmental groups in this area,” Brackett says.

“The climate battle needs cattle and not regulations.”

Bridging the gap Brackett reminds producers of the divide between rural and urban areas.

“So many people don’t understand animal agriculture and livestock production,” she says. “They don’t understand if ranchers were making poor management decisions about the health of their ecosystem, they’d lose the ranch.”

Brackett finds mainstream media representations of agriculture to be part of the problem by increasing the gap between producers and consumers.

“I am always talking about the fact this sustain-

ability narrative is being written and driven by people who don’t understand the cattle industry or livestock production,” she says.

Brackett encourages farmers and ranchers to not shy away from uncomfortable discussions about sustainability in agriculture.

She says facing the mainstream sustainable narrative head on is the only successful option for cattle ranchers.

“Continue to engage in discussion and make sure people understand what we are doing is sustainable, both environmentally and economically,” she adds.

“There are so many opportunities for us to collaborate – we have the same goals – we want to improve the environment.”

Brackett urges producers to reach out to “friendly conservation groups” to discuss opinions and broaden the sustainability effort.

She suggests farmers and ranchers “come out of their shell a bit and have those conversations.”

“All of these peo-

ple need to understand the positive contributions cattle make to our ecosystem and climate discussion at large,” says Brackett.

Kaitlyn Root is an editor for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

BigIron Scott Keith Memorial Scholarship In honor of Wyoming native, Scott Keith, a $1,000 scholarship will be given to one student at the University of Wyoming and Casper College who is majoring in Agricultural Business or a related degree. In you or someone you know is interested, please contact the school’s scholarship department for more information.

www.bigiron.com 1 (800) 937-3558

Ground Squirrel Bait

RESTRICTED USE PESTICIDE

Registered for sale in the states of ID, NV, UT, WA & WY.

Control Richardson’s & Columbian Ground Squirrels in: • Rangeland & fallow agricultural land • Border areas & buffer strips adjacent to crops • Fence rows, highways, rail & utility rights-of-way, ditches, canal banks & levees • Ornamental gardens, campgrounds and other recreational areas

Multiple use sites & application methods: • Labeled for spot and broadcast1 baiting • Labeled for up to 3 applications per year2 • Labeled for use in bait stations

Effective Control Moisture Resistant Palatable

24c labeled for Wyoming GS in ID, NV & WY 1

Must not be applied directly to food or feed crops.

Do not broadcast bait on rangeland.

On rangeland and for Columbian GS, make application only by spot baiting.

2

Do not exceed 10 lbs. of bait per acre, per application, or 20 lbs. per acre, per year.

Controls Ground Squirrels

www.liphatech.com

B8

OBSIDIAN ANGUS

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 33 No. 45 • March 5, 2022

OBSIDIAN ANGUS

MANY HEIFER BULL PROSPECTS

Available March 22, 2022

AT THE NORTHWEST WYOMING ANGUS ASSOCIATION SALE!!!

Obsidian Fast Forward 726

Lot 44

Obsidian DNAmite 721

Obsidian Enhance 731

Lot 47

Lot 46

AAA #20028099 • 02/18/21 • Sire: JR Fast Forward PAP 41 : BW 83 : 205 Weight 866 : NR -111 : EFF 73% CED +5 : Birth +1.2 : WW + 69 : Milk +30 Yearling +116

AAA#20038048 • 02/09/21 • Sire: MW DNAmite PAP 37 : BW 74 : 205 Weight 839 : NR -108 : EFF 69% CED +11 : Birth -1.0 : WW +70 : Milk +31 Yearling +130

AAA #20028438 • 02/22/21 • Sire: Sydgen Enhance PAP 43 : BW 88 : 205 Weight 838 : NR -108 : EFF 69% CED +6 : Birth +1.0 : WW +63 : Milk +31 Yearling +120

Obsidian DNAmite 723

Obsidian Fast Forward 724

Obsidian Epic 748

Lot 50

Lot 42

Lot 41

AAA#20024913 • 02/16/21 • Sire: MW DNAmite PAP 37 : BW 77 : 205 Weight 749 : NR -96 : EFF 59% CED +10 : Birth -1.4 : WW + 50 : Milk +30 Yearling +97

AAA#20024910 • 02/17/21 • Sire: JR Fast Forward PAP 48 : BW 86 : 205 Weight 848 : NR -109 : EFF 69% CED +6 : Birth +1.0 : WW +70 : Yearling +122 : Milk +27 $F +107 : $G +61 : $B +168 : $M +75 : $W +74 : $C +293

AAA#20024919 • 03/05/21 • Sire: Obsidian Epic 645 PAP 39 : BW 58 : 205 Weight 793 : NR -102 : EFF 59% CED +10 : Birth -.6 : WW +58 : Milk +24 Yearling +106

Obsidian Hoover Dam 734

Obsidian Resilient 739

Obsidian Epic 750

Lot 48

Lot 51

Lot 43

AAA #20024930 • 02/25/21 • Sire: Obsidian Hoover Dam 382 PAP 37 : BW 74 : 205 Weight 803 : NR -103 : EFF 67% CED +9 : Birth -.7 : WW +49 : Milk +26 Yearling +83

AAA#20026719 • 03/01/21 • Sire: Sitz Resilient PAP 43 : BW 71 : 205 Weight 768 : NR -99 : EFF 67% CED +11 : Birth -1.4 : WW +58 : Milk +28 Yearling +106

AAA#20024920 • 03/03/21 • Sire: Obsidian Epic 645 PAP 37 : BW 73 : 205 Weight 789 : NR -101 : EFF 77% CED +11 : Birth -1.7 : WW + 57 : Milk +24 Yearling +103

Obsidian Hoover Dam 742

Obsidian HD Epic 741

Obsidian HD Remedy 717

Lot 52 AAA#2002493 • 03/03/21 • Sire: Obsidian Hoover Dam 382 PAP 35 : BW 76 : 205 Weight 779 : NR-100 : EFF 69% CED +7 : Birth -.2 : WW +45 : Milk +28 Yearling +86

Lot 40

Lot 53

AAA#20110158 • 03/03/21 • Sire: Obsidian Epic 645 PAP 38 : BW 73 : 205 Weight 834 : NR -107 : EFF 69% CED +12 : Birth -2.2 : WW +55 : Milk +27 Yearling +105

www.greatbearreflection.com

Cattle can be viewed under Obsidian Angus Sales Tab View The 2022 NWWAA Sale Catalog on our Link Page

AAA#20110820 • 11/14/20 • Sire: Obsidian Hoover Dam 382 PAP 45 : BW 70 : 205 Weight 764 : EFF 99% CED +8 : Birth -1.0 : WW +49 : Milk +32 Yearling +94

Efficiency % is Calf's actual weaning weight against Dam's body weight for a dam's percentage of offspring.

Fred, Kay & Darryl Thomas

Meeteetse, WY 82433 • 307-272-4911 • 307-868-2595 www.greatbearreflection.com