The Wyoming Livestock Board (WLSB) is sending out final notices for brand owners whose brands are scheduled for renewal. Individuals who are not sure when their brand is scheduled for renewal or are not sure if the WLSB has their current address should contact WLSB by mailing Wyoming Livestock Board, 1934 Wyott Drive, Cheyenne, WY 82002-0051, e-mailing brands@wyo. gov, faxing 307-777-6561 or calling 307-777-7515.
The Wyoming Wool Growers Association (WWGA) will host their Wyoming Select Bred Ewe Sale on Feb. 25 in Gillette at the CAM-PLEX Barn Three. The sale will start at 1 p.m., with a lamb lunch at 11:30 a.m. WWGA is taking consignment requests now through Jan. 30. The sale is open to bred twoyear-olds, running age and broken-mouthed ewes, as well as open ewe lambs and yearlings. The auction will be held in person and online. For more information, e-mail Alison Crane at alison@wyowool.com.
On Jan. 3, Wyoming Agriculture in The Classroom (WYAITC) announced they are now accepting applications for the 2023 Educator of the Year Award. Any second through fifth grade teachers are eligible for nomination. Applications are due April 5 and can be found on WYAITC’s website at wyaitc.org
The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has revised the State of Wyoming Capacity Development Strategy. Electronic copies are available at deq.wyoming.gov/ water-quality/water-wastewater/state-revolving-loanfund/. Questions can be directed to Stan Miller at 307-777-6371 or stanley. miller@wyo.gov.
In a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) press release dated Dec. 30, the EPA and U.S. Department of the Army (the agencies) announced a 514 page final rule establishing a durable definition of Waters
of the U.S. (WOTUS).
The rule looks to reduce uncertainty from changing regulatory definitions, protect people’s health and support economic opportunity.
According to the release, the final rule restores essen-
tial water protections, which were in place prior to 2015 under the Clean Water Act (CWA) for traditional navigable waters, the territorial seas, interstate waters and upstream wate resources.
The final rule states,
“As a result, this action will strengthen fundamental protections for waters that are sources of drinking water while supporting agriculture, local economies and downstream communities.”
For many beef producers, frigid temperatures and blizzard conditions are always a cause for concern during winter months. Since many cattle on springcalving operations are nearing the end of their second trimester, the well-being of the cow herd usually takes highest priority during this time.
Although caring for the cow herd and ensuring nutritional needs are met are important, several industry experts remind producers it is critical to also place high priority on herd bulls – which are generally kept
separate and may experience equal hardship through winter months, especially if proper nutrition and shelter are neglected.
“The future reproductive success of the herd will suffer if herd bulls are not prepared for or protected from winter weather,” notes North Dakota State University (NDSU) Vice President of Agricultural Affairs Gregory Lardy in a NDSU publication titled “Cold Exposure and Bull Fertility.”
Please see FERTILITY on page 7
During the Progressive Resource Manager Forum at the Wyoming Natural Resource Rendezvous on Dec. 6, Dr. Arthur Middleton, senior advisor for Wildlife Conservation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), discussed challenges and opportunities between ranching and wildlife.
Middleton opened by noting as a wildlife researcher with projects in the state of Wyoming for roughly 15 years, he has heard mixed reviews on the work of a wildlife biologist. Several years ago, he met a rancher who told him he had “never met a wildlife biologist who has ever done anything useful.”
While this gentleman may have been partially joking, Middleton noted the remark stayed with him, and he has been working diligently ever since to prove his work is beneficial.
“Wildlife in the U.S. are held in public trust,” shared Middleton. “We inherited this tradition in a body of law originally evolving from medieval England, when wildlife was owned
On Jan. 3, Space X launched the first agriculture-focused satellite, EOS SAT-1, which was built by Dragonfly Aerospace and will provide the agriculture and forestry industry with data to advance sustainable practices.
According to a Dragonfly Aerospace Jan. 3 press release, EOS SAT-1 will form the first of a seven satellite constellation in low Earth orbit (LEO) for customer EOS Data Analytics. The remining six satellites of the constellation will be deployed over the next three years.
Dragonfly states images from the satellite will deliver valuable information for harvest monitoring, application mapping, seasonal planning and assessments analyzing soil moisture, yield prediction and biomass level information. The data is expected to help growers reduce carbon dioxide emissions and help to develop sustainable agricultural methods.
Dragonfly notes EOS SAT-1 will provide 44 kilometers swath panchromatic and multispectral imagery across 11 spectral bands to close to one meter resolution – making it one of the most powerful satellites in the LEO.
Dragonfly Aerospace is a leader in providing Earth-observation optical payloads and satellite platforms.
Founded in 2019 by a group of experienced aerospace engineers and lead by CEO and Co-Founder Bryan Dean, the company is based in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Dragonfly’s extensive customer bases includes EOS Data Analytics (EOSDA), NanoAvionics, Spire, UKRI, Zft, EnduroStat, Loft Orbital and Pixxel.
After a year of extreme volatility in the fertilizer market, experts are optimistic about consumption improvement and price declines rolling into the new year.
“When geopolitics meets fertilizer markets, things get bumpy for fertilizers. This is exactly what has happened over the past two years, with tensions peaking after the invasion of Ukraine. But, for 2023, expect things to settle somewhat,” says Bruno Fonseca, RaboBank senior analyst of farm input, in a recent RaboBank report.
The report notes current price trends and volatility are in line with a threeyear cycle of peaks. However, if history is to be believed, prices should come
down in coming months.
“The index’s moving average is trending lower, as fertilizer prices are returning to pre-war levels,” Fonseca says. “For the next three months, the index will continue to trend downward but remain above normal.”
Throughout the month of December, Progressive Farmer DTN Reporter Russ Quinn published a three-part series on the global fertilizer outlook for 2023. The series deep dives into price, supply and demand predictions of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash fertilizers for the coming year.
As we happily ring in the New Year, many of us wonder what it will bring us, and more importantly, what we will bring to it. Today, the sun came out for the first time this year, and the snowpack in most of the mountains has increased. We are well on our way to better days. We need to stop dating our checks for last year and be positive in thinking 2023 will be a better year than 2022.
Over the past few years, governmental policies have not always been in the best interest of our region or our industry. We hope these policies change for the better.
I believe we are going to get ourselves in trouble if our country moves away from long-standing sources of energy to renewable energy completely. It has been proven in Europe renewable energy sources alone will not guarantee adequate electricity to keep grids powered.
Not all economists are predicting bad times ahead. In fact, well-respected Wharton School of Business Professor Jeremy Siegel is predicting three big events will shake up the stock market in 2023.
Siegal expects to see job markets loosen up dramatically, with some job losses, but believes the gross domestic product will grow much faster than most people think. He hopes the Federal Reserve pivots to avoid a recession and have a good year for profits. He says if productivity comes back, it will put downward pressure on prices and upward pressure on margins.
Siegal also expects the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates to around two or three percent by the end of the year, and he thinks the stock market will surge 15 percent this year. We hope he is correct.
In Wyoming, many of us hope hydrogen and uranium will become important energy sources, as we’re finding out solar and wind energy are not as reliable as many have hoped.
It will be good to see the proposed West Fork Dam built in a tributary of the Little Snake River. This dam and reservoir would impound 6,500 acre-feet of irrigation storage in the Little Snake River Valley and neighboring areas in Colorado.
Another 1,500 acre-feet would maintain a “minimum bypass flow” into Battle Creek and the Little Snake, Yampa, Green and Colorado rivers downstream. They won’t be growing tomatoes, but the return flow will certainly help the downstream issues affecting the Lower Colorado River system.
I hear La Niña is starting to lose its grip on the Western states, as much needed moisture has come to the area.
Since 2020, upwards of three quarters of the nation have been in a drought or abnormally dry. The current seasonal drought outlook map provided by the Climate Prediction Center suggests conditions are unlikely to improve over the winter in major agricultural states with the drought persisting in the Central and Southern Plains, although some improvement is indicated in the Intermountain West.
However, the current climate outlook from the Climate Prediction Center predicts La Niña conditions to fade by spring, thus reviving some hope for improved conditions in the spring and early summer.
Hopefully we’ll remember what an irrigating shovel, muck boots and overshoes are for.
During the week of Dec. 12, with only days remaining in the legislative session, a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate intended to address the longrunning labor shortage in American agriculture. Unfortunately, while well intentioned, it did not go far enough to provide meaningful assistance for the pork industry, year-round livestock farmers or the millions of American consumers already burdened by record-high food costs and rising inflation.
I have spent my entire life in the pork industry and work daily with family farms to help them flourish. A prevailing theme I see across our industry is many producers need additional skilled workers.
While this is not a new problem, it is unfortunately a growing one. Farmers in rural communities are as desperate as ever for experienced workers who are crucial to animal health and welfare and to provide Americans with a reliable supply of nutritious food.
To complicate matters, declining populations and rising ages of residents in these communities often mean there simply aren’t local workers available.
The H-2A temporary agricul-
tural visa program was established in 1987 and sought to help by allowing agricultural employers to hire foreign workers, primarily for seasonal demands. The problem is not all agriculture is seasonal. Pork production, for instance, is a 365-day-a-year effort.
Additionally, the cap on how many H-2A visas can be issued is far too restrictive.
This bill, deemed the Affordable and Secure Food Act, addressed the problem, in part, by expanding
the H-2A program. A similar bill, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, was passed in the House of Representatives last year.
While these pieces of legislation will hopefully serve as an opportunity to expand the discussion surrounding the labor crisis facing American farmers, they don’t do nearly enough to solve the problem. Given the limitations of the previous bills, the new Congress will need to look for meaningful solutions in the new year.
The good news is this is a solvable problem. There are plenty of skilled individuals who want to work hard to meet America’s food demands. However, comprehensive reform to the current visa system is far overdue.
The next Congress must prioritize the H-2A visa program and move to eliminate the annual cap on the number of visas that can be issued and allow for year-round agricultural workers. Failure to do so runs the risk of making an existing crisis even worse for both farmers and the millions of Americans who rely on them.
Terry Wolters is president of the National Pork Producers Council and a hog farmer from Pipestone, Minn. This opinion column was originally published by Agri-Pulse on Dec. 22, 2022.
As of Dec. 29, 2022, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is prohibiting the importation of fresh bell peppers for consumption from Spain into the U.S. to prevent the introduction of the Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly). APHIS is also prohibiting overland in-bond transit movements of these materials south of 39 degrees latitude and west of 104 degrees longitude.
APHIS is taking this action in response to multiple Medfly detections during Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspections of commercial consignments of fresh bell peppers from Spain at ports of entry into the U.S. Medfly poses an unacceptable risk to the states because of its extensive host range and ability to reproduce quickly. This prohibition will be in place until APHIS investigates and determines importation of commercial consignments of fresh bell peppers from Spain do not pose a risk to U.S. agriculture.
For more information, visit aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/import-information/federal-import-orders/
On Jan. 4, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the next Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) test order requiring testing on perand polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under EPA’s National PFAS Testing Strategy.
This action orders companies to conduct and submit testing on trifluoro (trifluoromethyl) oxirane (HFPO), a perfluoroalkyl substance used in making plastics. This is the second test order under the strategy and the latest action taken under EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap to confront contamination from forever chemicals nationwide.
The information EPA receives under this order will not only improve the agency’s understanding of human health effects of HFPO, it will also help them understand the effects of dozens of PFAS structurally similar to HFPO and in the same testing strategy category of PFAS, improving the agency’s overall data on PFAS.
HFPO (CASRN 428-59-1) is used in making plastics and in organic chemical manufacturing. More than one million pounds of HFPO are manufactured each year, according to TSCA Chemical Data Reporting rule reports.
After thoroughly examining existing hazard and exposure data, EPA has concluded HFPO may present an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment. The potential hazards from exposure to this chemical could include neurotoxicity, reproductive effects and cancer. EPA also found there is insufficient information to determine the effects on human health from inhalation of HFPO, which is a gas at room temperature. This test order will address this data need.
Federal authorities have set a deadline of Feb. 13 for comments on a proposal to build a 264-foot-high concrete dam in the Medicine Bow National Forest in Carbon County.
The proposed West Fork Dam and reservoir would impound 6,500 acre-feet of irrigation storage in the Little Snake River Valley and parts of Colorado. Another 1,500 acre-feet would maintain a minimum bypass flow into Battle Creek and the Little Snake, Yampa, Green and Colorado rivers downstream.
Officials announced the deadline in the Federal Register on Dec. 28, where they said written comments would be accepted for 45 days. The Natural Resources Conservation Service has scheduled three public meetings Jan. 10-12 in communities of the impacted region.
The upcoming meetings for the evenings of Jan 10, 11 and 12 will take place in Craig, Colo., Baggs and Saratoga, respectively. Those wishing to comment before the Feb. 13 deadline can do so through an online portal or by post or hand delivery to Andi Neugebauer, Wyoming State Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service, 100 E B St. #3, Casper, WY 82601.
The November Prices Received Index 2011 Agricultural Production Base at 133.4, increased 4.5 percent from October 2022 and 23 percent from November 2021. At 127.1, the Crop Production Index was up 4.3 percent from last month and 19 percent from the previous year.
The Livestock Production Index, at 143.4, increased 3.2 percent from October and 30 percent from November last year. Producers received higher prices during November for lettuce, soybeans, market eggs and cattle but lower prices for hogs, hay, milk and cotton.
In addition to prices, the volume change of commodities marketed also influences the indexes. In November, there was increased monthly movement for corn, milk, cattle and cotton and decreased marketing of soybeans, grapes, lettuce and wheat.
The November Prices Paid Index for Commodities and Services, Interest, Taxes and Farm Wage Rates (PPITW), at 137.1, is unchanged from October 2022 but up 11 percent from November 2021.
Higher prices for feeder cattle, feeder pigs, concentrates and nitrogen offset lower prices for other services, such as hay and forages, complete feeds and other machinery.
To view the full copy of the Agricultural Prices Report, visit nass.usda.gov. For state specific questions, contact the Wyoming State Statistician Leslee Lohrenz at 800392-3202.
During the week of Dec. 19, U.S. Congress passed the $1.7 trillion Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill. Included in the bill are peanut provisions proposed by U.S. House Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee Chairman Sanford Bishop (D-GA) and supported by the peanut industry.
These U.S. Peanut Federation supported research initiatives – aflatoxin and nutrition – are in their second year of funding. Total funding for FY 2023 is $4 million for aflatoxin research at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Peanut Research Laboratory in Dawson, Ga. and $1.5 million for the USDA Agricultural Research Service to work on peanut nutrition priorities.
Funding for peanut research will support activities and projects working to mitigate aflatoxin in peanuts and enhance ongoing collaborations with land grant institutions to further advance research efforts.
Funding will also support projects working to identify how peanut consumption contributes to overall health, wellness and reduction of chronic disease risk in various groups and across lifespans. Research topics will include chronic diseases, nutrition and wellness at all ages, health disparities, dietary patterns for optimal health and nutrition for the future.
On Dec. 29, the Wyoming Public Service Commission approved a 0.3 percent carbon capture compliance surcharge for Rocky Mountain Power customers in the state. The new charge will generate an estimated $2 million in 2023, according to filings to the commission and will be included in customers’ bills beginning in February.
The commission may consider a similar request by Black Hills Energy – also subject to the state law. However, so far this utility has not requested a carbon capture compliance rate hearing.
The new surcharge stems from House Bill 200 –reliable and dispatchable low-carbon energy standards. The law passed in 2020 – the only one of its kind in the nation – is intended to delay the early retirement of coal-fired power plants by mandating they be retrofitted with Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) technology.
CCUS has yet to prove economically viable at commercial scale in the U.S. despite multiple attempts and hundreds of millions of dollars from taxpayers and ratepayers.
If a utility proves applying a CCUS retrofit at an individual coal-burning unit is cost-prohibitive, the commission may grant an exemption to the HB 200 mandate. None of the costs to analyze or implement CCUS at Wyoming coal plants can be passed on to the utilities’ ratepayers outside the state, according to the commission.
The nation’s premier bison show and sale will culminate with a live animal auction at the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) Livestock Auction Arena starting at 10 a.m. on Jan. 21 at the National Bison Association’s Gold Trophy Show and Sale (GTSS).
Over 20 bison producers from across the continent will bring their prime quality animals to Denver for the 2023 GTSS. Winning entries at the NWSS have served as foundation seedstock for most of the top bison herds throughout the U.S. today.
The mission of the GTSS is to create an environment where producers can compete to establish the value of their bison in the current marketplace.
For over 40 years, the GTSS has been held each January in conjunction with the National Bison Association’s annual winter conference, which takes place the preceding three days with bison-specific programming and education.
Today’s bison herds continue to grow despite a three-year cycle of pandemic, drought and economic uncertainty. Consumer demand for clean and healthy bison meat is at an alltime high.
In response, more and more farmers and ranchers are adding bison to their livestock operations to take advantage of these new market opportunities. There are also advances in understanding bison through the Center of Excellence for Bison Studies.
For more information about the U.S. bison industry or the GTSS, visit bisoncentral.com/gold-trophy-show-and-sale/
Acres of hemp production in the U.S. have been on the decline since its most recent peak production of over 200,000 acres in 2019. By 2021, acreage shrunk to 54,000 acres, and in 2022, production was under 37,000 acres.
However, over the last two years, acreage has shifted from floral production to grain and fiber production. This trend is expected to continue into 2023 as processing capacity and markets begin to emerge. For hemp to maintain current acreages and potentially increase acres in 2023, there will need to be a continued investment in genetic improvement, infrastructure development and market research.
Awards through the most recent rounds of Climate Smart Agricultural funding will help propel research and production of hemp. In addition to research investments, there continues to be significant announcements of additional fiber and grain processing facilities across the U.S.
In 2023, farm bill hearings will continue, providing the next major opportunity to further develop the regulatory framework for the hemp industry. This will be a pivotal point in the development of the hemp industry and will set the course for its continued growth. Additionally, increased demand and access to international markets will be key for the industry’s development and longterm growth potential.
After hosting a successful Mental Health Summit in Casper earlier this fall, Gov. Mark Gordon remains committed to furthering the conversation and working toward solutions to help improve behavioral health services in the state.
As a result, the governor’s office has established a website where stakeholders and the public can find information on current efforts. These include continued work since October’s Mental Health Summit and information about the governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans and Their Families.
The site provides an opportunity to register for educational webinars, find additional resources and sign up for a monthly newsletter providing updates on current and future events. The site will serve as an additional resource and opportunity for those in the mental health field and the general public to stay informed about work taking place in the behavioral health services space.
The governor’s Mental Health Summit website can be found at sites.google.com/wyo.gov/governors-mentalhealth-summit/home
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), Wyoming Business Council and Wyoming Small Business Development Center Network announced they are hosting a free State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) webinar series beginning Jan. 11.
This six-part webinar series is designed to guide individuals through the steps of international trade and provide real-world examples from successful Wyoming small business exporters.
The first webinar in the six-part series will take place online on Jan. 11 at 12-1 p.m. and will focus on company readiness to enter export markets and learning the tools, resources and best practices for growing product and service exports. Speakers will include U.S. Commercial Service Director Suzette Nickel, SBA International Trade Specialist John Privette and Big Lost Meadery Founder Sam Clikeman.
Future webinars include planning an export strategy on Jan. 25, legal and technical questions on Feb. 8, enhancing a website for eCommerce on Feb. 23, the logistics of export on March 8 and money talk on March 22.
For more information or to register for the STEP webinar series, visit sba.gov
The Office of State Lands and Investments (OSLI) is now accepting applications for the Local Government Project American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Grants Program through Jan. 23 at 12 p.m. The submitted application will be considered by the State Loan and Investment Board (SLIB) at a future meeting, which is yet to be determined.
Applications can be found on OSLI’s website at lands. wyo.gov. Additionally, rules for the program can be found on OSLI’s website or the Secretary of State’s Rule System at rules.wyo.gov/Search.aspxRefNum=060.0003.42.12092022
OSLI has provided two training sessions related to the applications and the recording of each can be found on OSLI’s website.
For questions or more information, e-mail SLF-Grantsandloans@wyo.gov or call 307-777-2980.
Two of the leading third-party verification companies, IMI Global (IMI) and the American Angus Association’s (AAA) AngusLinkSM, have joined forces to create an improved experience for cattle producers, while offering more value-added opportunities.
Through this new relationship, IMI will be providing the verification services for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Process Verified Program (PVP) for IMI Global and AngusLinkSM customers. The collaboration makes it easier and more efficient for producers to access an extensive suite of verification programs and the feeder cattle industry’s leading genetic merit evaluation tool in one enrollment.
Now available to IMI customers, the AngusLinkSM Genetic Merit ScorecardSM gives producers the ability to effectively communicate the genetic potential of their feeder calves to prospective buyers with three scores – beef, feedlot and grid. The scores are calculated based on the AAA’s extensive genetic database with more than 80 million datapoints.
In addition, AngusLinkSM customers will also have access to IMI’s new sustainability standard, CARE Certified, which encompasses animal care, environmental stewardship and people and community, which are all of growing importance in today’s marketplace.
Other PVP claims available include AngusVerifiedSM, source, age, non-hormone treated cattle (NHTC), verified natural beef and more.
Two-Year-Old Bulls
Lot 21 – RL Cowboy Up 2154 – Price: $6,750 DOB: 2/5/21 Sire: HA Cowboy Up 5405 Dam’s Sire: Barstow Cash EPDs: BW: +2.9, WW: +78, YW: +135 and Milk: +21 Buyers: Kate Harlan, Kaycee
Lot 28 – RL Republic 2172 – Price: $5,000 DOB: 3/3/21 Sire: Stevenson Republic 90552 Dam’s Sire: A A R Ten X 7008 S A EPDs: BW: +1.1, WW: +59, YW: +103 and Milk: +27 Buyer: Steve Paisley, Wheatland Yearling Bulls
Lot 2 – RL Cowboy Up 2266 – Price: $5,250 DOB: 2/4/22 Sire: HA Cowboy
Up 5405 Dam’s Sire: A A R Ten X 7008 S A EPDs: BW: +0.1, WW: +62, YW: +107 and Milk: +25 Buyer: Lucas Moore, Torrington
Lot 12 – RL Justified 2252 – Price: $4,500 DOB: 1/19/22 Sire: KG Justified 3023 Dam’s Sire: Barstow Cash EPDs: BW: +0.2, WW: +74, YW: +127 and Milk: +32 Buyer: Bill Klein, Wheatland
Registered Bred Heifer
Lot 39 – RL Reno Lady 2133 ET – Price: $4,000 DOB: 2/2/21 Sire: Spring Cove Reno 4021 Dam’s Sire: S A V Bismarck 5682 EPDs: BW: +0.1, WW: +66, YW: +112 and Milk: +32 Buyer: Lucas Moore, Torrington
Knowing annual cow costs is the foundation for evaluating and making management decisions, which can improve profitability for a cow/calf enterprise. Significant increases in input costs are challenging producers to examine cost of production and identify where there may be opportunities to adjust their production system.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Extension will be hosting a webinar series on Thursday evenings at 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Jan. 19, Jan. 26 and Feb. 2, 9, 16 and 23. The series will explain the fundamentals of knowing and calculating annual cow costs.
Topics covered will include understanding economic unit cost of production for the cow/calf enterprise, recognizing the value and cost of both grazed and harvested feed, calculating cow depreciation and replacement development costs, figuring the cost of equipment and labor utilized in the cow/calf enterprise, examining breeding expenses and evaluating the value and cost relationship and reviewing cost and production data to see comparisons.
Cost is $60 per person and includes a resource workbook. The course will be limited to 30 participants. To register, visit go.unl.edu/cow_costs. Registration is requested by Jan. 12 to ensure pre-meeting preparation material is available to participants.
A computer and internet connection will be required to participate in the webinar series. For questions or more information, contact UNL Extension Educator Aaron Berger at 308-235-3122 or aberger2@unl.edu.
Harvey 80 Mx Strs & Hfrs, 800#, Weaned 85+ days, Bunk Broke, Complete Vac. Program
Larry Chamberlain 78 Blk/Bwf/Hereford Strs & Hfrs, 700#, Weaned 90 days, Bunk Broke, 2 Rounds of Shots
Chris & Allison Allison 69 Blk/Bwf Strs & Hfrs, 700-850#, Weaned 60 days, Bunk Broke, Branding & Precond Shots Choice to Fancy
Brian & Deanna Christensen 60 Blk Angus Hfrs, 725#, Weaned 100+ days, Bunk Broke, Grower Ration, 3 Rounds of Modified Live Shots
Ochsner-Roth Cattle Co. 70 Hereford/Blk Strs, 750-950#, Complete Vac. Program, Coming off grass
Dr. Brent Kaufman 35 Blk few Bwf Strs, 675-725#, Weaned 95+ days, Running out on Hay, 3 Rounds of Shots:
Cobb Cattle Co. 380 Blk Strs, 550-650#, Weaned 60+days, Running out, Hay Fed, Branding & Precond Shots, High Elevation L D Ranch 300 Blk Strs & Hfrs, 400-640#, Weaned a long time, Bunk Broke, Hay Fed, 3 Rounds of Shots
Lucas Moore/Jack Miskimins 300 Blk/Bwf Strs & Hfrs, 550-700#, Weaned 90 days, Bunk Broke, Grower Ration, Branding & Precond Shots
Riehle Ranch 200 Blk Hfrs, 500-550#, Weaned 60+ days, Running out on Pasture, Branding, Precond & Weaning Shots
Ken & Bobbie Fackrell 160 Blk/Bwf Strs, 450-550#, Weaned 70 days, Running out, 2 Rounds of Shots
Cody Evans (UT) 150 Blk/Rd Strs & Hfrs, 550-600#, Weaned 60 days, Grass Hay and Mineral Tubs, Branding & Precond Shots
Dyaln Hager/CO Livestock 145 Blk/Bwf Hfrs & Strs, 625-725#, Weaned 70+ days, Running out, Light Grower Ration, Full Vac. Program
Robbers Roost 140 Mostly Blk Strs & Hfrs, Weaned 30 days, Bunk Broke, Ground Alfalfa Hay/Grass Hay, Branding & Precond Shots
Goodrich Ranch 134 Mx Strs & Hfrs, 450-625#, Weaned for 90 days, Bunk Broke, Been on a Grower Ration, Branding & Weaning Shots
Ryan Walker 118 Blk Strs & Hfrs, 475-685#, Weaned 85 days, Bunk Broke, Been on a Grower Ration, Branding & Precond Shots
Bell-otte Cattle Co. LLC 100 Blk/Bwf few Red Strs & Hfrs, 520-540#, Weaned 60 days,Grower Ration, Branding & Precond Shots
Shane & Amanda Kier 100 Mostly Blk Strs & Hfrs, 600-800#, Weaned 70 days, Bunk Broke, Branding & Precond Shots, Producer All Natural
Adam Percival 100 Blk/Rd Strs & Hfrs, 500-700#, Weaned 60+ days, Running Out, Bunk Broke, Branding & Weaning Shots
Mike Horniker/Horniker Steer Ranch 100 Blk/Bwf (5 Red) Strs & Hfrs, 350-600#, Weaned 80+ days, Hay Fed, Branding & Precond Shots
Ernest Giorgis 100 Mx Strs & Hfrs, 450-500#, Weaned 60 days, Hay Fed, 3 Rounds of Shots, Producer All Natural
Jim Brow 100 Mx Strs & Hfrs, 500-650#, Weaned for 60+ days, Branding & Precond Shots, Poured
Evan Family Ranch 95 Mostly Blk/Bwf few Red/Char-x Hfrs, 550#, Weaned 60 days, Bunk Broke, Grower Ration, Branding & Precond Shot
Stetson Cattle Co. 90 Blk Angus few Bwf Hfrs, 600-675#, Weaned 55 days, Bunk Broke, Hay and Silage, Branding & Weaning Shots
Nick Myers 85 Blk Strs & Hfrs, 450-525#, Weaned 60+ days, Bunk Broke, Branding & Precond Shots
McCade Bingham 81 Mostly Blk, few Red Strs & Hfrs, 450-525#, Weaned 90 days, Branding & Precond Shots
JD Grieves 80 Mx Strs & Hfrs, 575-625#, Weaned for 60 days, Bunk Broke, Cake Broke, Branding & Precond Shots
Casey Epler/Bonnie Bath 80 Blk/Bwf Strs & Hfrs, 500-700#, Weaned 60 days, Running out, Branding, Precond & Weaning Shots
Curt Bastian 80 Mx Strs & Hfrs, 500-600#, Weaned 45 days, Bunk Broke, Light Grower Ration, 3 Rounds of Shots
Scott Ranches 77 Blk Strs & Hfrs, 475-575#, Weaned 90 days, Bunk Broke, Full Vac. Program, No Implants, Home Raised
Snowhole Ranch Co. 77 Limo-Limflex Blk/Rd Strs & Hfrs, 550-650#, Weaned 60+ days, Branding & Weaning Shots, Producer All Natural Petsch & Rollins 77 Blk/Bwf/Rwf Strs, 575-675#, Weaned 75 days, Bunk Broke, Light Grower Ration, 3 Rounds of Mod Live Vac. Program
Darlene Herman 77 Blk/Bwf few Rd Mostly Hfrs few Strs, 475-525#, Weaned 75+ days, Bunk Broke, Complete Modified Live Vac. Program
Tim Acord 65 Blk/Bwf/Rd/Rwf/Hereford/Char Strs & Hfrs, 550#, Weaned since Aug. 11, Running out on meadows, Pre-cond. Shots
Nellie Barney 61 Angus/Angus/Shorthorn-x, Strs & Hfrs, 500-600#, Weaned for 75+ days, Bunk Broke, Birth & Branding Shots
Hank Davis/Lazy HX LLC 60 Char/Red Hfrs, 550-600#, Weaned 60 days, Running out, Branding & Precond Shots
Circle H Farms 57 Blk/Rd Hfrs, 600-650#, Weaned 60+ days, Bunk Broke, Branding, Precond & Weaning Shots
James Jankowsky 55 Mx Strs few Hfrs, 500-700#, Weaned 50+ days, Running Out, Hay Fed, Branding Shots
Rockin Lazy A/ Nate Allsup 54 Blk Angus Strs & Hfrs, 400-500#, Weaned 60 days, Branding & Weaning Shots
Trent Snyder 53 Mostly Blk Strs & Hfrs, 500-700#, Weaned 80 days, Bunk Broke, Branding & Precond Shots
TJ Ranch/Tom Jackson 50 Blk Strs & Hfrs, 500-700#, Weaned 60 days, Bunk Broke, Branding & Weaning Shots
Matt Eastman 50 Blk (1Bwf) Angus/Maine Ajou-x Strs & Hfrs, 500-600#, Weaned 60+ days, Branding, Precond & Booster Shots
Phil Kahler 50 Blk Strs & Hfrs, 575-650#, Weaned 90+ days, Running Out, Branding & Precond Shots
Alexander Cross Inc. 47 Red Angus/Red Angus/Shorthorn-x Strs & Hfrs, 600-700#, Weaned 75+ days, Bunk Broke, Branding & Precond Shots
Scott & Teresa Forrest 45 Blk Strs & Hfrs, 500-600#, Weaned 60 days, Running Out, Precond & Weaning Shots
Brian Richardson 44 Mostly Blk few Char Strs & Hfrs, 500-700#, Weaned 75 days, Bunk Broke, Grower Ration, Branding & Precond Shots
David Gurr 40 Red Strs & Hfrs, 550-650#, Weaned for 70+ days, Bunk Broke, Branding & Precond Shots, Fancy Set of Red Angus
Brad Horrocks 40 Mx Strs & Hfrs, 600-700#, Weaned for 60 + days, Bunk Broke, Branding, Precond & Weaning Shots
Two Creek Ranch 38 Blk Hfrs, 550-600#, Weaned since Sept., Bunk Broke, Light Grower Ration, 2 Rounds of Shots
Shannon /Gus Carter 36 Mostly Blk few Char Strs & Hfrs, 500-700#, Weaned 75 days, Bunk Broke, Grower Ration, Branding & Precond Shots
Waddle Limousin 31 Blk (4 Red) Lim/Flex Strs, 650-750#, Weaned 75 days, Bunk Broke, Branding & Precond Shots
CALVES
PRE- COND.
Jeann & Trevor Schneider/Burg 140 Mostly Blk few Red/Hereford-x Strs & Hfrs, 550#, Branding & Precond Shots
Dennis Isakson 84 Blk/Bwf Strs & Hfrs, 600#, Branding & Precond Shots
CALVES
Cross C Ranch/Willard Woods 100 Mostly Blk few Bwf/Red, 500#, Branding Shots
T 7 Cattle 80 Mx Strs & Hfrs, 550-600#, Hay Fed Colter Carter 60 Blk Strs, 650-675#, Branding Shots Wade Waddops 60 Mx Strs & Hfrs, 550-600#, Hay Fed, No Grain
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4 - 4113 HEAD
Lundby Land 26 Black Heiferette 937 119.50C
Flying H 22 Black Heiferette 893 113.00C
Buckhaults Cow Co 23 Black Steer 628 209.00C
Buckhaults Cow Co 183 Black Steer 773 195.00C
Buckhaults Cow Co 145 Black Steer 869 189.00C
Doug/Kim DesEnfants 54 Black Steer 776 196.50C
Eldon Ackerman 93 Black Steer 736 188.50C
Eldon Ackerman 104 Black Steer 807 187.00C
Hutchins Cattle Co 23 Black Steer 1325 132.00C
Don Sherrod 44 Red Steer 628 202.50C
Don Sherrod 75 Red Steer 707 187.50C
Don Sherrod 18 Red Steer 780 179.00C
Patrick Brothers Inc 25 Red Steer 762 176.00C
Stuart/Linda McLaen 20 Red Steer 857 173.00C
9 H Ranch LLC 87 Black Heifer 671 177.00C
Flying H 15 Black Heifer 763 169.50C
Franklin Creek Ranch 19 Black Heifer 899 155.00C
Don Sherrod 74 Red Heifer 632 186.50C
Dave Sherrod 46 Red Heifer 700 178.00C
Dave Sherrod 10 Red Heifer 803 172.00C
T Y Cattle Co 19 Black Steer Calf 420 267.00C
Applegarth
WEDNESDAY,
Greg
Steve
Doug/Kim
Stillwater
Randy
A Section 1031 Exchange is the most widely-used, taxsaving strategy when selling appreciated farm or ranch land. This article outlines some basic rules and timelines to follow.
Future articles will discuss more practical examples of how to use a Section 1031 Exchange.
Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code states a taxpayer may defer recognition of capital gains and related federal income tax liability on the exchange of certain types of property, a process known as a Section 1031 Exchange.
To qualify for Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code, the properties exchanged must be held for productive use in a trade or business or for investment. The properties exchanged must be of “like kind,” i.e., of the same nature or character, even if they differ in grade or quality.
The “like kind” definition confuses some people. “Like kind” does not mean someone needs to exchange land for land. One can exchange land for other types of investment property, such as rental houses or
commercial buildings.
Section 1031 Exchange timelines and rules
The majority of Section 1031 Exchanges are delayed or Starker exchanges, named for the first tax case to allow them. To perform a delayed exchange, one needs a qualified intermediary middleman, who holds the cash after they sell their property in an escrow account and use it to purchase the replacement property.
There are two key timing rules one must observe in a delayed exchange.
The 45-day rule
Once the sale of relinquished property closes, money is wired from a title company to a 1031 intermediary. If a person takes possession of the cash, the exchange is void, and they will have to pay taxes.
Within 45 days of closing on relinquished property, one must designate the replacement property in writing to the 1031 intermediary, specifying the property or properties they wish to acquire.
180-day rule
The second timing rule in a delayed exchange relates to closing. A person
must close on new property within 180 days of the sale of the old property.
The two time periods run concurrently, which means an individual must start counting when the sale of their property closes. For example, if they designate a replacement property exactly 45 days later, they will have just 135 days left to close on it.
There are three property identification rules – the three-property rule, the 200
percent rule and the 95 percent rule.
The three-property rule
Using this rule, an investor may identify up to three potential replacement properties, regardless of their total market value and acquire any or all of them.
The 200 percent rule
Under this rule, an investor may identify any number of potential replacement properties if their total value does not exceed 200 percent of the relinquished property’s total value by the end of the identification period. The investor may then acquire any or all of the properties as desired.
The 95 percent rule
An investor may identify any number of potential replacement properties as desired, regardless of their value, if the investor acquires 95 percent of the total market value of all properties identified.
It’s also possible to buy replacement property before selling a property and still qualify for a Section 1031 Exchange. In this case, the same 45 and 180-day timelines still apply.
To qualify for a reverse exchange, one must transfer the new property to an Exchange Accommodation Titleholder (EAT), identify a property for exchange within 45 days and then complete the transaction within 180 days after the replacement property was bought. Reverse exchanges cost more to perform than a regular delayed exchange.
A landowner may have cash left over after the intermediary acquires replacement property. If so, the intermediary will pay the money to the landowner at the end of the 180 days. This cash, known as “boot,” will be taxed as partial sales proceeds from the sale of the
property, generally as a capital gain.
If a person wishes to defer all taxes on the sale of property with a Section 1031 Exchange, they must replace all of the debt with their replacement property. If they don’t receive cash back but their liability goes down, this will also be treated as income, just like cash.
This is referred to as “debt-relief boot,” and individuals will be taxed on this amount of money. One way to remember this is one must stay even or go up in equity and debt with their replacement property.
Chris Nolt is an independent 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 800-517-1031. For more information, visit solidrockproperty.com and solidrockwealth.com
Blevins new all-metal stirrup buckle in 3”& 2-1/2” widths. The 3” and 2-12” widths have the posts set horizontally and fit standard holes while the 2” width has the posts set vertically. Made of stainless steel and heat-treated aluminum, the same as our leather-covered buckles.
Sleeves same as on regular style buckle. The tongue has no hinge or strap. Available in 3” and 2-1/2” widths.
Easy to change stirrup lengths quickly and easy to install – won’t slip or stick. Made of stainless steel and heat-treated aluminum. Sleeves covered with leather. Order either improved, regular or four post buckles. Also new all-metal buckle in 3”, 2-1/2” and 2” widths. At your dealers or:
Please plan to attend the Annual Meeting and Banquet of the
Fremont County Fairgrounds Armory, 1010 Fairground Road, Riverton, WY. Business at 12:30 PM, (lunch provided), social hour 5:00 PM, dinner/banquet at 6:00 PM.
Our business meeting will provide an update of the happenings of the association, the year ahead, Fremont County Fair updates, regional and county happenings, legislative issues and agency reports. Our speaker will be Shelby L. Rosasco from the University of Wyoming speaking on "Beef Efficiency".
All paid 2023 members in attendance at the business meeting will be entered into a drawing for a free 150 head pregnancy test donated by Dr. Jake Hall of High Country Vet Services.
A membership is $50 and banquet tickets are $35. Tickets will be sold until January 20. Tickets will not be available at the door. Call now and pass the word!
For tickets call: Jac Klaahsen (307-217-2110), Clay Espinosa (307-3497777), Jim Hellyer (307-330-5622), Joe Crofts (307-840-4357), Annette Bregar (307-349-0785), Bryan Hamilton (307-349-2096), Reg Phillips (307-450-8840), Jackie Lucas (307-850-4357) or Darla Griffin (307-851-2816)
“Anytime there is an extreme temperature change, bulls can have a period of subfertility, especially if they lack good nutrition or protection from the environment,” states Lew Strickland, University of Tennessee Extension veterinarian and associate professor of animal science, in a Progressive Farmer article written by Progressive Farmer Senior Editor Victoria Myers.
Frostbite According to experts, the largest threat to a bull’s fertility during winter months is frostbite.
“During normal winter conditions, frostbite is not a common problem with breeding bulls, but prolonged exposure to extreme cold and wind increases the incidence of frostbite and is a problem that must be considered when planning for the breeding season,” Lardy says.
He further explains lack of wind protection and bedding increases the chance of frostbite to the scrotum and testicles, and frost-
bite to the scrotum is usually apparent in the form of noticeable inflammation and swelling a few days after freezing.
“Heat generated from inflammation directly affects maturing sperm stored in the epididymis, which surrounds the testicle at the lower end of the scrotum. The resulting damage may cause temporary, or in more severe cases, permanent sterility in the bull,” Lardy says.
Lardy also notes a scab may appear on the lower portion of the scrotum as healing occurs. However, the absence of a scab does not mean frostbite did not occur.
In an interview with KWCH 12 News, Dr. AJ Tarpoff, Kansas State University Extension veterinarian and assistant professor of animal science, explains severe frost damage to the testicle and epididymis may cause another issue as well.
“When bulls experience frostbite on the scrotum itself, tissue adhesions may occur, which affect mobil-
ity and circulation within the scrotum,” says Tarpoff.
According to Lardy, evaluation of possible frostbite damage is best accomplished by a trained veterinarian when performing a breeding soundness examination (BSE) 45 to 60 days after the injury occurred.
“A semen evaluation performed earlier than this period of time will most likely indicate poor semen quality and could result in unnecessary culling of a bull, which may produce satisfactory semen after healing has occurred,” he says. “An examination normally includes a physical evaluation of the entire reproductive tract including the testicles and epididymis, as well as a microscopic semen evaluation recording sperm motility and morphology.”
Other illness caused by the cold
According to Strick-
land, fast-changing weather patterns and extreme temperature swings can lead to other illnesses, which may affect fertility in herd bulls.
He notes a bull with a fever or pneumonia during winter months may not recover in time to breed by January for fall-calving operations.
“When we go from 60 degrees Fahrenheit one day to 30 degrees Fahrenheit the next, a bull can develop pneumonia,” Strickland says. “If he runs a temperature, it elevates body temperature, which can interfere with spermatogenesis.”
Once a bull’s body temperature gets to 102 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, stress also becomes an issue, which has an impact on fertility, he notes.
In order to prevent frostbite and other cold-weather induced illnesses, experts agree bulls should start the winter season with a BCS of five or six and maintain this condition, which
is ideal for breeding season.
“Low temperatures and windy conditions can easily increase feed requirements 25 to 30 percent above normal maintenance requirements,” explains Lardy.
Additionally, Strickland notes it takes a bull at least 60 days to make a new set of spermatozoa, so it is important producers schedule a BSE at least 60 days before the start of their breeding season.
“Having a BSE at this point prior to breeding season gives bulls time to recover and get rechecked. This will also give producers time to find replacement bulls if necessary, without significantly affecting breeding season,” says Strickland.
Tarpoff believes the best way to prevent frost-
bite and other cold-weather induced illnesses is to simply take a look at feed, water and bedding.
“First, check to make sure water is OK. Then check to make sure feed is OK,” Tarpoff says. “After we have those two key concepts taken care of, we can try to increase the comfort of our animals the best we can.”
He adds, “We can’t forget about the frozen ground, which can really cause some frostbite issues. Heavy bedding goes a long way, whether it’s straw bedding, cornstalks or any other types of bedding available to producers.”
Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
95, died of natural causes at his home on Dec. 10. He was born the oldest of five children to Robert G. and Alice (Bender) Lozier of Cora.
Bob grew up and attended various country grade schools in the New Fork Valley and high school in Pinedale where he was active in football and playing hooky.
Bob married Gloria (Alexander) Lozier, and together they raised three children, Jim, Tom and Linda. Bob and Gloria spent the early years working for Bar Cross Land and Livestock, until they bought a ranch east of Pinedale where they raised cattle and ran an outfitting business.
In 1969, they sold the ranch and moved to Sweetwater and Lin coln counties where they owned and leased a few ranches for the next 20 years.
relocated to the Big Horn and Wind River Basins. During this time, he also owned and leased various ranches.
were retired and living in Riverton at the time of his passing. He enjoyed riding a good cow horse and rid ing a few old, “sour broke” horses for someone else.
death by his parents and all of his siblings, Jack, Betty, Corky and Larry. He is survived by his wife Sally and children, Jim (Susan) Lozier, Tom (Mary) Lozier and Linda (Dan) Siek; stepchildren, Grant Schear, Denise (Bill) Fabrizius and Cliff (Rose) Coburn and numer ous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
held later next spring.
“The future reproductive success of the herd will suffer if herd bulls are not prepared for or protected from winter weather.” – Gregory Lardy, North Dakota State UniversityRobert “Bob” E. Lozier, age
I think my veterinarian and I are the last two men in America who get their hair cut at a barber shop instead of a salon. This is where I ran into him.
“Did I tell you I had to get a new doctor?” I asked my vet.
“Yeah, you mentioned it. How’s the new physician working out?” he replied.
“Well, I wouldn’t exactly call him new,” I said. “He’s got to be 80.”
“You must be talking about old Doc Mallard,” he said.
“You know of him then? What do you think of him as a doctor?” I asked.
“I’ve heard of him all right. For heaven’s sake, Doc Mallard was my mother’s doctor! Mallard’s now part of the Quack Medical Group, which should be your first clue. And personally, I make it a point to avoid any doctor who can’t even keep the plants in his office alive,” he replied.
“I know he’s a little old, but I like Doc Mallard,” I said. “On our first visit he asked me to show him where I felt pain, so I touched my foot and said it hurt. Then I touched my head, and I said it hurt too. Finally, I jabbed myself in the stomach and doubled
over in pain. I thought I had cancer-of-the-everything, but he accurately diagnosed me as having a broken finger.”
“After only one visit, he cured me of diseases I didn’t even know I had, like the heebie jeebies, the creeps, cooties and the willies,” I continued. “We’re now working on my vapors, breakbone fever, nettlerash, scrofula, quinsy, glanders, carbuncles, boils, dyspepsia, piles, scurvy, consumption, farcy and hectic fever.”
“You do know those diseases are already wiped out?” my vet asked.
“I know. See how good he is! With the younger doctors everything’s a syndrome, and all they really know how to do is play golf. With Doc Mallard, I’m off all the meds I was on before. Instead, he switched me over to Lydia E. Pinkhams Vegetable Compound. Not all phar-
macies carry it, but you can make your own with a mortar and pestle and a few herbs and weeds from your garden. But, the news isn’t all good,” I said. “Doc Mallard says he’ll probably need to bleed me to cure my dropsy and cerebral softening.”
“You do know that the last person bled by a doctor was over 100 years ago? At least on purpose,” he said.
“Well, it can’t hurt and who knows, it might even help me,” I said.
“Tell me again why you quit your last physician?” he asked.
“I really liked him, but my insurance wouldn’t cover me because he joined the Matasanos Medical Group,” I said.
“You do know ‘matasanos’ roughly translates to ‘killers of the healthy?’” he asked.
“I’d have stayed with him, but he became part of the movement called con-
cierge, valet or VIP medicine. It’s also called Beverly Hills medicine because rappers, drug dealers, sports stars and the Kardashians are joining up. To stay with the Matasanos Group I’d have to pay $2,700 up front for a yearly membership fee,” I said.
“What is this, Costco medicine?” asked my vet.
“In addition to the yearly fee, it’s $150 a visit, payable in cash. No insurance accepted. Basically, it’s for wealthy clients. Perhaps it’s something you should look into for your veterinarian practice,” I said.
“I really doubt the average rancher is going to give $2,700 just to establish a deeper relationship with me,” he said.
“It’s basically a status symbol for rich people who want their doctor to make house calls,” I said.
“I do that now, and no one is giving me $2,700 a
year,” replied my vet.
“For this membership fee you get a promise the doctor will always be on time, and you’ll have complete access to a network of specialists your doc can refer you to in order to take part of the blame if things go wrong,” I said.
“Who would I have in my network?” asked my vet.
“You could refer your patients to the tallow man or the leather tanner, for example. And if your client was reading an article in an old cow magazine the concierge vet would wait until you finished reading the article. He’d wait on you instead of the other way around. So, what do you think of the idea of VIP Vets or Beverly Hills boutique veterinarians?” I asked.
“I think the part about always being on time would be a real deal breaker for me,” replied my vet.
By Dagan Montgomery, UW Extension Educator
Whether producers keep back their own heifers or purchase from an outside source, most ranchers have faced the challenge of breeding back a heifer that has just had her first calf.
First-calf heifers typically calve at about 24 months of age, assuming the goal is to breed for
the first time at 12 to 14 months. Failure to rebreed can have a major economic impact, as a significant amount of time and money has already been invested in the animal.
To continue weaning a calf year after year, a cow needs to become pregnant within 60 to 85 days after
calving. The time between calving and rebreeding is longer in heifers than in mature cows. Certain conditions can extend this postpartum interval.
During pregnancy check, many ranchers find an overwhelming amount of their open cows, up to one-third of the opens in a herd, are first- and second-calf heifers. Shortening the postpartum interval as much as possible can help ensure a two-year-old heifer rebreeds in time.
At her first calving, a two-year-old heifer is still growing. She does not yet have her complete
set of adult teeth and is not as efficient at grazing as a mature cow. In giving birth to her first calf, she has just undergone one of her greatest physical challenges. Calving and lactation are enormous demands on her growing body.
Rebreeding for a second calf is the lowest of her physiological priorities. She first must use her resources to stay alive and continue growing herself.
Secondly, she must provide milk for her calf. Only after these needs are met will she reallocate remaining energy for reproduction.
Because of these greater energy demands, two-year-old cows require a higher level of nutrition than older cows. Ideally, heifers should be at least 66 percent of their mature weight when they are first bred and about 85 percent of their mature weight at their first calving as a twoyear-old. It is crucial to be sure heifers receive adequate nutrition, especially during their last trimester.
Maintaining BCS
earlier than mature cows, if possible.
It can take 20 to 30 days longer for a twoyear-old to come back into estrus than an older cow. Breeding a heifer to calve a few weeks before the main herd gives her more time to recuperate and increases the odds of a timely rebreeding the following year.
307-217-1440
Wyoming’s harsh winters and frequent dry years can make it difficult to rebreed heifers. Especially under range conditions, growing heifers may struggle to find adequate forage. During these periods, producers should provide protein supplementation and feed quality hay, if it is economically and practically feasible.
The simplest way to monitor a heifer’s nutrient level is her body condition score (BCS). On a one to nine scale, it’s important to try to keep heifers at a five or six – in other words, in moderate to good weight with few, if any, ribs showing and some rounding to the back and tailhead.
Heifers calving late are more likely to fail rebreeding and are more likely to continue calving late throughout their life, leading to lighter calves at weaning. However, earlier calving can be challenging for Wyoming ranchers as forage may not be as available, requiring more intense management of the heifer herd.
If possible, bred heifers should be kept and managed as a separate herd due to their higher nutritional demands and increased care requirements, especially when planning to breed and calve earlier.
1,017.75 1 RED-COW 1245 66.00 WT 821.70
JEFF OR AMIE METZGER, GILLETTE WY 2 BLK-COW 1388 67.50 WT 936.56 1 BLK-COW 1350 66.00 WT 891.00
SETH SWENSON, CLEARMONT WY 2 BLK-HFRTTE 1140 101.00 WT 1,151.40
CLINTON W MCKENZIE, ARVADA WY
1 BLK-COW 1500 60.00 WT 900.00
1 BLK-COW 1470 67.00 WT 984.90
1 RED-COW 1680 69.00 WT 1,159.20
BULLS
FIDELITY SERVICES LLC, BUFFALO WY
TONY N OR KATHY LARSEN, SHERIDAN WY
1 BLK-BULL 2185 85.00 WT 1,857.25
1 BLK-BULL 1995 92.50 WT 1,845.37
RAILROAD LAND & CATTLE CO, SHERIDAN WY
FADDIS-KENNEDY CATTLE CO, SHERIDAN WY
1 BLK-BULL 1940 87.50 WT 1,697.50
2 HERE-BULL 1768 85.50 WT 1,511.21
MIDDLE PRONG LAND & LIVESTOCK, ARVADA WY
1 BLK-BULL 2095 85.00 WT 1,780.75
A common misconception is keeping a first-calf heifer at a lower BCS –below five – will lead to a lower birthweight calf and, therefore, fewer calving difficulties. However, this is not true. Birth weight is influenced more by genetics than BCS and will only decrease slightly if a heifer is kept underweight.
Not only can a low BCS worsen calving difficulty and weaken the heifer, it can also jeopardize her ability to breed back.
Breeding early
Another opportunity to shorten first-calf heifers’ postpartum interval and increase the rebreeding rate involves breeding virgin heifers 20 to 30 days
Separating the herd allows an operation to devise a specific feeding regimen for heifers if needed and to keep an eye out for body condition, health concerns and calving difficulty.
Typically, 80 percent of the calving difficulty a rancher deals with will be in first-calf heifers. Heifers experiencing prolonged labor of an hour or more will be far less likely to rebreed in good time than assisted heifers.
If it is reasonable, separating heifers will allow producers to decrease unnecessarily long births and ensure a higher rate of successful rebreeding for their second calves.
Dagan Montgomery is a University of Wyoming Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension educator. He can be reached at dmontgo8@uwyo.edu.
by the crown.”
“The law evolved so landowners could control access to their land, but wild animals living on private property were still owned by the crown,” he added. “After the American Revolution, this English tradition more or less passed on to the U.S.”
He continued, in 1896 the Supreme Court affirmed this ‘public ownership of a wildlife doctrine.’
“What this means is natural resource agencies representing the public are responsible for wildlife management,” he said. “Usually it’s the states, although sometimes, in exceptional cases – like endangered species or inside national parks – it’s the federal government.”
Yet, public wildlife depends heavily on private lands. Middleton noted most land in the U.S. is privately owned, and private property provides a lot of the best wildlife habitat. This is fundamentally because settlers chose the most productive and sheltered land, he explained.
“So we now have a situation where not only is most of the land in this country private, but most of the best wildlife habitat is private as well,” he said. “This may be
obvious to some, but I’ve found again and again many people in this country don’t understand this reality or what to do about it.”
“This sets up a tension many producers and landowners are very familiar with,” he said. “Through my work and experience, I want to illustrate the importance of private lands to wildlife in a really specific instance.”
Middleton did a lot of field work in northwest Wyoming for his graduate research at the University of Wyoming, specifically looking at ungulates and large carnivores. During this time, he worked with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and evaluated migration routes of elk in the Clarks Fork and Cody herds.
Elk in this area migrate through some of the roughest and most remote terrain in the lower 48 states.
“What I didn’t understand before looking at this elk herd, is they make a 50to 60-mile migration across the landscape. And, once we understand this, we can see things happening before our eyes on the low elevation winter range. For instance, wolves interacting with elk and livestock may affect the
herd less strongly than things happening in the summer range dozens of miles away,” he explained.
“In the Clarks Fork and Cody elk herds, grizzly bears were consuming most of the newborn elk calves, and a drought at the time burned up the grass during lactation for elk cows,” he continued.
“My point is once we paid attention to the movement of the wildlife across the landscape, we began to see the system differently.”
He added, “More to my point, it also helped me to begin to understand why some management challenges exist. Once we start paying attention to those migrations, we really have our eyes opened to the importance of private lands to these wildlife.”
Middleton further pointed out on one hand elk migrations exist largely due to stewardship of private landowners or ranchers who have taken care to accommodate wildlife over time. However, on the other hand, by the nature of private property, those habitats are vulnerable to future change.
Cost of wildlife on private lands Wildlife in the state creates benefits for landowners, but there is also an associated cost. Middleton noted several benefits may be in a recre-
ation or spiritual value – hunting and so forth, but there are also a range of costs which often exceed the benefits.
“Forage competition, crop damage and disease transmission risks are a few concerns of producers throughout the state in reference to wildlife, particularly with elk populations,” said Middleton. “However, we can apply a lot of these principles and issues to other wildlife species.”
When thinking of the cost and benefits, a lot of the benefits of having wildlife on private land go to others, he explained.
“For example, near Yellowstone benefits go to national park visitors. They go to people who care about using wilderness heavily. They go to the public who might not even visit the specific property but still want there to be abundant wildlife in the landscape,” he mentioned. “There’s a sense the rancher is getting some benefits, but they are carrying a lot of cost with most of the benefits going to the broader public.”
Middleton reiterated he is a wildlife biologist, but the more he recognized the importance of private lands, the more he wanted to help think about the policy and management side of things.
“In some cases, a com-
The 2023 Cow/Calf College Beef Seminar is set for Jan. 19 at the Clay County Fairgrounds in Clay Center, Neb. Registration begins at 9 a.m., with programs scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
This year’s program is focused on strategies to manage forage resources during drought, including eastern redcedar control and adjusting pasture stocking and rental rates. The hands-on format will allow participants to engage with specialists and peers throughout the day.
Dr. Dillon Fogarty, program coordinator for Working Lands Conser-
vation, will provide an indepth look at eastern redcedar control and management.
In his workshop, Fogarty will cover new guidelines for tackling woody plant encroachment, which includes the development of management plans, effective integration of management tools and use of new rangeland monitoring platforms.
The afternoon workshop will focus on 2023 pasture leases. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Educators Jessica Groskopf and Brent Plugge will review the latest results from the Nebraska Farm Real Estate Survey including
cash rental rates and land values.
They will also discuss leases, terminating verbal agreements, lease clauses and landlord-tenant communication. Both landlords and tenants are encouraged to attend.
Lunch sessions will be comprised of three miniworkshops, including a Lunch and Learn with Great Plains Veterinary Education Center Extension Specialist Dr. Becky Funk on calf resuscitation tips and an opportunity to practice assisting the cow during calving using a life-sized model.
The Mobile Beef Lab will also be present to give attendees the chance
to reach inside the rumen of a fistulated steer and review the process of ruminant digestion.
A lunch will be provided to those who register, and the program will conclude with a coffee shop panel where participants can ask questions directly to specialists as well as the opportunity to win a variety of door prizes.
There is no cost for the event. However, early registration is highly encouraged to allow for proper planning. Pre-registration can be made by calling the Webster County Extension office at 402-7463417 or online at go.unl. edu/frcollege
pensation program or another solution has been developed, but we haven’t really stepped back and asked most broadly, ‘Who owes what to whom?’” he noted.
“At the end of the day, what I’ve realized, having dug into these questions with lawyers and economists, is we actually don’t have good answers to this question – it’s a negotiation happening all over the country in a lot of different times and places – a negotiation between the public, through our agencies and the private landowner,” Middleton added.
He noted in searching for solutions, many in the general public say there should be rules and laws, but a onesize-fits-all approach doesn’t work.
Private lands vary widely in natural resource values and landowner circumstances, and while regulations are sometimes beneficial in stopping bad things from happening, they are not often good at promoting stewardship. Therefore, there’s a lot of reason to avoid heavy-handed regulation and create incentives.
“Until we have marketbased solutions for wildlife conservation that can work at a larger scale, it seems we need public policy to provide a greater framework and a set of tools to achieve this bal-
ance on private lands,” Middleton mentioned. “Given what we know about wildlife migration, policy and management tools need to transfer value from those who are getting a lot of the benefits to those who are experiencing more of the cost.”
He cited the farm bill as a good example at the federal level, and Wyoming Representative Albert Sommers’ proposal that national park visitors pay a ‘wildlife conservation fee’ as an innovative new idea within northwest Wyoming.
“All of this depends on improved public understanding,” said Middleton.
“Building support for any kind of policy or even market solutions require a public understanding of the value being generated or stewarded by the rancher or private landowner.”
“In coming years, it will be really important to build out a voluntary toolbox with public support, because I worry people will increasingly turn to regulatory approaches if we don’t. The partnership between agencies and landowners is going to be really important,” he concluded.
Brittany Gunn is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net.
The University of Wyoming’s (UW) GrowinG Internship Program for beginning farmers and ranchers is seeking prospective hosts and interns for the summer of 2023.
Applications for both interns and hosts are due Feb. 3. The GrowinG team will continue to review applications on a rolling basis after this deadline, but placement is not guaranteed.
Interns must be 18 years or older and identify as ready to begin farming or ranching and/or have been involved in farming or ranching for less than 10 years.
In addition to participating in daily activities on their host ranch or farm, interns are required to attend at least one educational event, such as the Wyoming Stock Growers Association’s summer meeting or a UW Extension workshop.
Program hosts provide a safe, educational internship experience as well as adequate housing and meals. The GrowinG Internship Program awards each intern a $5,000 stipend as compensation for their work.
Host applications can be found at bit.ly/growing-hostapp and intern applications are available at bit.ly/growingintern-app. Interested parties are encouraged to apply as soon as possible to ensure optimal host/intern matches.
For more information, visit GrowinG-WY.org. Questions can be directed to Kendra Faucett at coordinator@growingwy.org or 307-760-6247.
and across much of the West requires many producers to feed their herds throughout the majority of winter months. This makes maximizing feed value and minimizing waste absolutely essential for their bottom line.
In an Angus Beef Bulletin article published on Dec. 6, University of Missouri Extension Livestock Specialist Gene Schmitz offers several tips to help producers winter their livestock on fewer dollars.
First, Schmitz notes the simplest and most costeffective practice a producer can partake in to lower their winter feed bill is to sort their cattle into groups based on body condition score (BCS), sort their hay supply into groups based on quality and then feed hay to match the nutritional needs of each group of cattle.
He points out producers can also appropriately supplement each group based on their nutritional needs and the quality of the hay they are fed.
In order to accomplish this, it is important producers test their hay for nutrient content.
Additionally, Schmitz says it is important producers know what their hay bales weigh.
“Let’s assume 1,200pound bales can be purchased for $75 per bale or $125 per ton,” he says. “If transportation and feeding losses are 25 percent, this means only 900 pounds from each bale of hay actually gets into the livestock. This increases hay cost to $0.08 per pound or $167 per ton.”
“If losses are cut to 10 percent, then 1,080 pounds of hay is consumed,” he continues. “This reduces hay cost to just under $0.07 per pound or $140 per ton.”
Limit feeding is another option for producers looking to bring down the cost of their winter feed bill. However, he warns producers not to try limit feeding without a hay test.
“With adequate-quality forage, limiting cow access to hay feeders can reduce waste while achieving acceptable performance. Twelve-hour access seems to be a good compromise between performance and waste reduction,” Schmitz says.
Schmitz also says cattle can be limit fed a high-grain ration, which can meet their nutritional energy needs while using less feed.
“Compare the cost of grain versus the cost of hay on a per-unit-of-energy
basis – total digestible nutrients (TDN) – when considering this option,” he says. “Some producers graze standing milo as an effective, lower-cost way to feed cows through the winter.”
While producers are taking time to analyze BCS, sort cows into groups based on condition, test their hay and consider limit feeding options, Schmitz says it is also important to look at the unfriendly option of deciding which cows they actually want to retain and care for through the winter.
“It may be more beneficial for the operation in the long run to cull animals rather than to try to purchase enough feed for the winter,” Schmitz advises. “However, this is not a one-size-fits-all option, so producers need to figure their operational costs and evaluate tax and other financial implications before making any final decisions.”
Reducing waste is a huge factor when it comes to stretching winter hay supply. In fact, Schmitz notes poor feeding practices can result in wasting more than 25 percent of fed hay.
Schmitz says cone-type or tapered-bottom hay feeders, especially ones with a skirt, have proven to reduce hay waste. He also highly encourages producers not to feed more than a day’s worth of hay in order to decrease waste and stretch supply.
Properly storing hay bales is another way producers can reduce waste, according to Schmitz.
“It’s a bit late for this now, but another substantial source of hay waste is how the hay is stored. If covered hay storage is not a possibility, at least take measures to break soil-hay contact.
Building rock pads or storing bales on pallets, tires or some other surface reduces waste on the bottom of the bale,” he says.
Fencing Schmitz believes producers who have the opportunity to graze pasture or crop residues during winter months may benefit by dividing fields into smaller areas with temporary fencing materials.
“These are easy to move and can greatly extend the number of grazing days in a given area,” he explains. “Fencing to provide one to two weeks of grazing is acceptable.”
Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
The largest expense for many cattle operations comes in the form of the winter feed bill, which can compromise up to half of the annual cost to keep a beef
cow through the winter. The climate in Wyoming
“It may be more beneficial for the operation in the long run to cull animals rather than to try to purchase enough feed for the winter. However, this is not a one-size-fits-all option, so producers need to figure their operational costs and evaluate tax and other financial implications before making any final decisions.”
– Gene Schmitz, University of Missouri Extension
The rule looks to increase protections for streams, wetlands, ponds and lakes.
Under the Obama administration, the EPA finalized an updated rule which significantly expanded the definition of WOTUS and the EPA’s regulatory authority far beyond the limits originally set in place by Congress.
The 2015 rule gave bureaucrats the ability to impact intermittent and ephemeral streams. This rule was challenged in court and withdrawn in a 2017 executive order by former President Donald Trump.
On June 9, 2021, EPA and the agencies announced their intent to revise the definition of WOTUS to better protect the nation’s vital water resources, which support public health, environmental protection, ag activity and economic growth.
On Nov. 18, 2021, the agencies announced the signing of a proposed rule revising the WOTUS definition.
According to the EPA release, CWA prohibits the discharge of pollutants from a point source into “navigable waters” unless otherwise authorized under the act. Navigable waters are defined in the act as “the waters of the U.S., including territorial seas.”
Thus, WOTUS is a threshold term establishing the geographic scope of federal jurisdiction under the CWA. The term WOTUS is not defined by the act but by the agencies in regulations since the 70s and jointly implemented in the agencies’ respective programmatic activities.
The latest definition is an effort by the Biden administration to find a solution for protecting wetlands and streams, but has triggered intense lobbying concern among agriculture groups.
Industry feedback
On Dec. 30, the
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) issued the following statements regarding the Biden administration’s finalized WOTUS rule.
“For too long, farmers and ranchers have dealt with the whiplash of shifting WOTUS definitions. Today, the Biden administration sought to finalize a WOTUS definition that will protect both our nation’s water supply and cattle producers across the nation,” said NCBA Chief Counsel Mary-Thomas Hart. “While the rule retains longstanding, bipartisan WOTUS exclusions for certain agricultural features, it creates new uncertainty for farmers, ranchers and landowners across the nation.”
NCBA previously called the EPA to retain agricultural exclusions for small, isolated and temporary water features commonly found on farms and ranches. These exclusions have broad support and were included in the WOTUS rules under both Republican and Democratic administrations.
According to NCBA, the rule fails to clearly exempt isolated and ephemeral features from federal jurisdiction and relies on case-by-case determinations to assess whether a feature is federally regulated. NCBA notes the rule creates a significant and costly burden for ag producers.
According to EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox, the rule wasn’t written to stop development or prevent farming.
“We have put forward a rule that’s clear, durable and balances protecting of our water resources with the needs of all water users, whether it’s farmers, ranch ers, industry or water orga nizations,” said Fox. “It is about making sure we have development happening, that we’re growing food and fuel for our country but doing so in a way that
The North American Limousin Foundation (NALF) elected new members and officers for its board of directors during the annual meeting in Oklahoma City on Jan. 2, 2023. Those newly elected to serve for three-year terms are George Hubbard of Miami, Okla. and Mark Haden of Rogersville, Mo.
Bruce Lawrence of Anton, Texas was re-elected to serve as NALF president. Dan Hunt of Oxford, Neb. will serve on the board as ex-officio. Wade Beckman of Robert, Idaho was chosen to serve as vice president.
The remaining executive committee consists of Secretary Ronn Cunningham of Rose, Okla., Treasurer Randy Corns of Altoona, Kan. and Member-AtLarge Jerry Wulf of Morris, Minn.
Additional breeders on the board of directors include Joey Freund of Elizabeth, Colo., Troy Gulotta of Independence, La., Austin Hager of Karlsruhe, N.D., Bart Mitchell of Wauzeka, Wis., Jay Wilder of Snook, Texas, Kevin Ochsner of Kersey, Colo., Rob Brawner of Wood Lake, Neb. and Lance Sennett of Waynetown, Ind.
NALF thanks the two retiring board members Curt Wieczorek of Mount Vernon, S.D. and Joe Moore of Raphine, Va. for their service.
also protects our nation’s water.”
Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation President Todd Fornstrom shared comments on the matter in a Jan. 4 press release by saying, “As farmers and ranchers, we share the goal of protecting the nation’s water. Reverting to a rule that was unreasonable and unworkable is a threat to the nation’s water. The 2015 rule made conservation more difficult and created huge liabilities for farmers and ranchers.”
The Supreme Court is reviewing the EPA’s jurisdiction under the CWA and is expected to provide a rule which could reduce the government’s authority to regulate wetlands. Experts called the Biden administration’s move strategic.
Fornstrom said it is essential to preserve the CWA’s partnership among federal, state and local regulators.
“The CWA requires the federal government to work hand-in-hand with states, because the federal government cannot and should not regulate every single wet feature in every community,” he said. “Unfortunately, this new rule will revert to the old, significant nexus test which creates regulatory uncertainty on private land miles from the nearest navigable water.”
Fornstrom said this new rule puts property rights at risk and does nothing to benefit water.
“We know the importance of clean water, and farmers and ranchers work hard to protect our natural resources every day,” he said. “Farm Bureau cannot overstate the concern we have with a rule that complicates the lines of jurisdic
an army of consultants and lawyers to use their land.”
“The timing of this rule could not be worse,” mentioned Hart. “The Supreme Court is currently considering Sackett vs. EPA ,
which will provide muchneeded clarity related to the WOTUS definition.
Today’s final rule seeks to directly preempt ongoing Supreme Court litigation, leaving farmers and ranch-
with more questions than answers.”
Brittany Gunn is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
Recent winter storms have dropped heaps of snow across Wyoming and nearby areas, with many places receiving over a foot. On ranching and farming operations, it seems moving snow can be a never-ending chore, but Iowa State University (ISU) Extension reminds producers strategically placed snow fence can help with drifting and save a lot of time and energy.
Snow fence recommendations
“The purpose of snow fence isn’t to stop snow from blowing. Instead, it actually allows snow to blow through, but the wind is slowed down enough it drops the snow on the other side of the fence,” reads an article published in Successful Farming, written by Successful Farming staff.
In this article, ISU Ag Extension Engineering Specialist Kristina Tebockhorst notes the best snow
fence is half solid and half open, and the best materials are heavy-duty, prefabricated plastic or wood slat or lath fence.
In a 2015 ISU Extension Small Farm Sustainability article, Iowa State University Extension Agricultural Engineering Field Specialist Greg Brenneman says, “Research shows the best snow fences are 50 percent porous snow fence – it lets the blizzard through, but it still slows the wind.”
Tebockhorst and Brenneman agree the distance between where a snow fence is installed and the area a person is trying to keep from drifting over is key.
Brenneman notes research conducted in Wyoming has found the majority of snow is deposited on the ground within a distance of about 20 times the height of the snow fence. In severe winters, drift lengths
can reach up to 30 times the height of the fence.
“If the fence is placed too close, the drifts may be worse than if there was no fence at all,” states Tebockhorst.
Tebockhorst suggests installing snow fence a distance of anywhere between 20 to 35 times the height of the fence from the area a person is protecting from drifting.
“If the fence is four-feet tall, and the wind blows toward the road from the north, the fence should be placed 80 to 140 feet north of the road,” she notes.
Both ISU experts offer a few helpful tips for proper snow fence installation.
First, the pair recommends placing fences perpendicular to the prevailing wind direction. For example, if the wind typically comes from the north, the fence should run east and west.
Additionally, they
encourage individuals to build the fence as long as possible, well beyond the length of the zone needing protection and to leave a gap of six inches between the bottom of the fence and the ground to keep the fence from getting buried.
“Set steel posts on eight-foot centers. Support end posts by driving another steel post into the ground at an angle and wir-
ing the end post and brace post together,” Tebockhorst and Brenneman state. “If using plastic fencing, sandwich the material between two wood laths and wire them tightly to steel posts at the top, middle and bottom of the fence.”
Permanent snow fence
Tebockhorst and Brenneman explain there are a few long-term solutions to drifting snow.
According to Brenneman, building up roads and driveways so snow blows across instead of drifting is one option.
“By elevating driveways above the surrounding terrain, wind will sweep snow off of the roadway,” he says. “Usually, the roadway should be one to two feet higher than the nearby landscape to make this effective.”
Additionally, the two experts explain living snow fences such as trees, shrubs and vegetation can trap a lot of snow and provide a permanent snow fence.
Brenneman notes these need to be planted well away from areas they are meant to protect, and says a good rule of thumb is to allow 100 to 150 feet to trap snow between the living snow fence and the area
needing protected.
“Keep grass and weeds alongside roadways mowed down in the fall,” he continues. “This vegetation can act as a mini snow fence, creating drifting right on the roadway. Leaving cornstalk stubble undisturbed will trap a great deal of snow out in the field and minimize the mount of snow that can drift on the roadway. Anywhere there is an obstruction, snow will drift. By strategically placing or removing these barriers, we can minimize problems from drifting snow.”
Tebockhorst notes some states have compensation programs for landowners who leave eight to16 rows of corn in a field parallel to the road.
“They also have a U.S. Department of Agriculture Conservation Reserve Program living snow fence program in many states. Local Natural Resources Conservation Service offices can help individuals if they live in an area where a living snow fence would be useful,” she says.
Hannah Bugas is the managing editor for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net.
The company’s experienced team has been at the forefront of South Africa’s uniquely successful aerospace industry since the launch of the country’s first Earth-observation satellite in 1999, through to the most recent launches in 2018 and 2022. The team has worked on every South African microsatellite mission and is excited about EOS SAT-1.
Pivotal moment
“This is a key moment for Dragonfly Aerospace, and we are thrilled to be delivering EOS SAT-1 with a number of firsts – the first imaging satellite designed and built by Dragonfly, the first to be manufactured in South Africa since 2009, the first satellite of the EOS SAT constellation and the first agri-focused constellation in space,” says Dean in the press release.
“This has been an important project for our whole team and has
allowed us to demonstrate our capabilities, not just in producing high-performance electro-optical imagers, but in designing and manufacturing a fullimaging satellite system,” he adds. “It’s an amazing feeling to see EOS SAT-1 leave our premises and take the next step in its journey to delivering crucial data, which will have important environmental benefits for our planet.”
Information from the satellite will have important environmental benefits for the planet and help prevent natural habitats from being diminished for crop growth and to maintain biodiversity.
“We look forward to supporting EOSDA with its mission to launch the next six satellites by 2025,” concludes Dean.
Brittany Gunn is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
if the river remains low next spring.”
According to Quinn, the price and supply of nitrogen fertilizers will depend heavily on several issues facing the market, such as the war in Ukraine, rising natural gas prices, weather and currency concerns.
“Nitrogen prices are already at high levels and fertilizer analysts don’t believe prices will decline any time soon,” states Quinn.
IStoneX Director of Fertilizer Josh Linville says some forms of nitrogen fertilizer, such as urea, may have higher prices in the first quarter of the new year while other forms, such as urea ammonium nitrate and anhydrous ammonia, may see steady to higher prices as well.
Samuel Taylor, input analyst for RaboBank Research, points out with so much volatility in the global nitrogen market, there is a very small chance prices will decline in 2023.
CRU International Limited Head of Fertilizer Chris Lawson explains natural gas prices are one of the larger factors affecting the nitrogen market, especially in Europe where production of nitrogen fertilizer was reduced because of high natural gas prices.
Although natural gas prices have declined, Lawson notes the European winter has been colder than usual, which may cause natural gas supplies to decline and prices to rise again.
Senior Analyst for Terrain Matt Roberts points out the natural gas supply in Europe and North America will decline with every cold snap this winter, which may lead to more nitrogen availability issues.
“U.S. weather issues, specifically the severe Midwestern drought, had a negative effect on Mississippi River levels. The shallower river led to barges having less grain going down the river and less fertilizer aboard going back up the river,” Roberts explains. “Usually, river levels rise in the spring with the rains and the melting snow cover in the northern Midwest. This situation might help next spring. But, the slowing of fertilizer moving north will only cause nitrogen fertilizer prices to rise.”
Additionally, the adjusting of interest rates by the Federal Reserve will affect how much it costs for North America to import various nitrogen fertilizers. Roberts says the weak U.S. dollar on the world market also means the price of fertilizer is going to be higher.
“Like many other factors facing the nitrogen market in the new year, the condition of the world economy will also affect prices,” he notes. “An economic downturn worldwide would be negative for the world nitrogen market. The amount of volatility is huge for the nitrogen mar-
ket. No one can really predict what is going to happen.”
In the second article of his three-part series, Quinn says there is both good and bad news for the 2023 phosphorus fertilizer outlook.
The bad news, according to Quinn, is the phosphorus market will continue to face several challenges including effects from the war in Ukraine as well as some logistical concerns due to weather issues.
Like the nitrogen market, he notes the overarching con cern for phosphorus fertilizer is low Mississippi River lev els, caused by drought con ditions, which has required barges to carry lighter loads in order to navigate the shal low river. Subsequently, fer tilizer may move up the river at a slower pace than usual, and this limited movement of supply could in turn cause prices to hike upwards.
Because many producers decided not to use phospho rous fertilizer due to recordhigh prices, leftover supply could lead to lower prices throughout the coming year, which is the good news, notes Quinn.
Taylor believes the fertil izer market in Brazil may be a leading indicator of what the rest of the world will see as far as phosphorus fertil and prices go in 2023.
“Brazil, which imports nearly all of its nutrient needs, currently has exces sive inventories of phos phorus fertilizer. Prices for phosphorus fertilizer have dropped 20 to 30 percent because of the high inven tories in the South American country,” he explains. “This fertilizer can be re-exported to places like Southeast Asia, but it shows there is no short age of phosphorus fertilizer in the world.”
“A wild card for the phosphorus outlook in 2023 is if, or when, China reenters the export market,” Quinn states, further noting China was one of the world’s larg est exporters of phosphorus fertilizer at one time, supply ing nearly 30 percent of total world trade.
He explains many believed China would return to the market in mid-2022 after eliminating exports the year before to ensure there was an adequate supply for Chinese farmers when prices skyrocketed. However, this didn’t happen.
“China recently intro duced a quota system for the second half of 2022, hoping to keep domestic phosphorus prices lower,” says Lawson. “The big questions remains if China will ever reenter the global phosphorus market.”
When it comes to the global potash outlook for the new year, Quinn says it is still up in the air. Because Russia and the Republic of Belarus are the second and third larg est producers of potash in the world, respectively, and because they account for 41 percent of global potash trade, Quinn notes the con
tinued war between Russia and Ukraine may disrupt supply.
“Because of record-high fertilizer prices, farmers across the world cut back on these nutrients, which cause demand to fall. With more supply on deck in 2023, potash prices should push lower in the new year,” Quinn writes.
In fact, Taylor points out the U.S. may see a 25 to 30 percent decline in the price of potash fertilizer in the
Jan. 6-11 American Farm Bureau 2023 Convention, San Juan, Puerto Rico. For more information, visit annualconvention.fb.org
Jan. 7-22 National Western Stock Show, Denver, Colo. For more information, visit nationalwestern.com
Jan. 8-10 48th Annual National Salers Show, Oklahoma City, Okla. For more information, visit salerusa.org
Jan. 10
Environmental Protection Agency Virtual Hearing on Supplemental Proposal to Cut Methane and Air Pollution, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information or to livestream the meeting, visit epa.gov
Jan. 10-13 National No-Tillage Conference, St. Louis Arch Hotel, St. Louis, Mo. To register for the event, visit no-tillfarmer.com
Jan. 11 State Trade Expansion Program Export Market Readiness Webinar, 12-1 p.m., online. For more information, visit sba.gov
Jan. 11 Environmental Protection Agency Virtual Hearing on Supplemental Proposal to Cut Methane and Air Pollution, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information, visit epa.gov
Jan. 11-12 Ninth Annual International Livestock Forum and Mountain Meat Summit, National Western Center, Denver, Colo. For more information and to register, visit meatsummits.com
Jan. 14 12th Annual Women’s Agriculture Summit, 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Hampton Inn and Suites, Buffalo. For more information and to register, visit johnsoncountycattlewomen.com
Jan. 17-19 2023 Wyoming Commercial Pesticide Applicator Recertification Program and New Pesticide Applicator Program, Ramkota Hotel and Conference Center, Casper. For more information or to register, visit bit.ly/pesticiderecert-2023 or bit.ly/new-pesticide-aapp-2023
Jan. 18-21 2022 American Sheep Industry Annual Convention, Fort Worth, Texas. For more information, visit sheepusa.org
Jan. 19 2023 Cow/Calf College Beef Seminar, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Clay County Fairgrounds, Clay Center, Neb. For more information, visit go.unl.edu/frcollege or call 402-746-3417.
Jan. 19 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Calculating Annual Cow Costs Webinar, 6:30-7:30 p.m., online. To register for the webinar, visit go.unl.edu/cow_ costs. For more information, contact UNL Extension Educator Aaron Berger at 308-235-3122 or e-mail aberger2@unl.edu.
Jan. 20-21 Wyoming Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers 2023 Conference Pinedale. For more information, visit wyfb.org or call 307-532-2002.
Jan. 21 National Bison Association’s Gold Trophy Show and Sale, 10 a.m., National Western Stock Show Livestock Auction Arena, Denver, Colo. For more information, visit bisoncentral.com/gold-trophy-show-and-sale/ Jan. 24 Inaugural Montana AgTech Innovation and Investment Summit, Great Falls, Mont. For more information, visit mtagtechinvest.io
Jan. 25 2023 Northwest Crop Symposium, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m., Park County Fairgrounds, Heart Mountain Hall, Powell. For more information, visit wyoextension.org/parkcounty
Jan. 25 State Trade Expansion Program Planning an Export Strategy Webinar online. For more information, visit sba.gov
Jan. 26 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Calculating Annual Cow Costs Webinar, 6:30-7:30 p.m., online. To register for the webinar, visit go.unl.edu/cow_ costs. For more information, contact UNL Extension Educator Aaron Berger at 308-235-3122 or e-mail aberger2@unl.edu.
Jan. 9-10
Diamond Ring Ranch Sale, Billings Livestock Commission Co., Billings, Mont., 406-232-5107, 406-861-5664, northernlivestockvideo.com
Jan. 10 Cattle Country Video Winter Classic, Goshen County Rendezvous Center, Torrington, 888-322-8853, cattlecountryvideo.com
Jan. 10
Nebraska Sandhills Female Sale, online unreserved, 800-937-3558, bigiron.com
Jan. 14 Rafter T Angus Annual Bull Sale, Buffalo Livestock Marketing, Buffalo, 307-736-2415, 307-299-4569, raftertangus.com
Jan. 17 Ken Haas Angus 42nd Annual Right Combination Bull Sale, at the ranch, LaGrange, 307-834-2356, kenhaasangus.com
Jan. 19
Thomas Angus Ranch Annual Wyoming Bull Sale, Frontier Days Event Center Building, Cheyenne, 541-524-9322, 541-403-0562, thomasangusranch.com
Jan. 23 Bullis Creek Ranch Spring Production Bull Sale, at the ranch, Wood Lake, Neb., 402-376-4465, bulliscreek.com
Jan. 26 Marcy Livestock 62nd Annual Angus Bull and Female Sale, Gordon Livestock Auction, Gordon, Neb., 308-430-2005, marcylivestock.com
Jan. 27
McConnell Angus Bull & Female Sale, at the ranch, Dix, Neb., 308-2355187, 308-230-0430, 970-215-3204, mcconnellangus.com
Jan. 28 Little Goose Ranch Sixth Annual Production Sale, Buffalo Livestock Marketing, Buffalo, 307-751-1535, 307-751-5793, 307-751-6737, littlegooseranch.com
Jan. 28 21 Angus 29th Annual Top Cut Bull Sale, at the ranch, New England, N.D., 701-579-4221, 21angus.com
Feb. 2 K2 Red Angus Winter Bull & Female Sale, at the ranch, Wheatland, 307331-2917, k2redangus.com
Feb. 2 Ridder Hereford Ranch Annual Bull and Heifer Sale, at the ranch, Callaway, Neb., 308-836-4430, 402-450-0431, ridderranch.com
Feb. 3 TJS Red Angus 15th Annual ‘Red Truck’ Sale, Buffalo Livestock Marketing, Buffalo, 406-639-9112, tjsredangus.com
Feb. 4 Beartooth Angus First Annual Sale, Swift River Ranch, Billings, Mont., 406-794-1287
Feb. 6 Ludvigson Stock Farms Sale, Yellowstone Feeders, Shepherd, Mont., 515450-3124, 712-229-3431, ludvigsonstockfarms.com
Feb. 8 Durbin Creek Ranch 11th Annual Bull Sale, Big Horn Basin Livestock Auction, Worland, 307-921-8825, durbincreekranch.com
Compiled by Dick Perue rrichardperue@gmail.com
The above headline and sub-head appeared in the Jan. 1, 1892 issue of The Saratoga Sun Accompanying the headings were the following article and illustrations.
In its native state, the wolf is the largest and most savage of the canine group. It is so fierce, many of the older naturalists regarded it as utterly untamable. In countries where they abound, wolves destroy not only cattle and horses, but men.
The wolf is a very widespread animal, with slight variations in color and size. It extends from east Asia, through India and Europe to North America, having in all these countries the same ferocious character –killing, especially in the cold season, when much pressed by hunger.
mand. They climb stairs at the order of the keeper and assume positions at command. They will leap onto the shoulders of their keeper and form vary striking tableaux.
The wolf, which is one of the origins from which the domesticated dog has doubtless sprung, is, needless to say, a most intelligent animal, and hence, it can
be tamed by appealing to its mental faculties. At the same time, as in the case of dogs, it must be impressed with the sense of the superior qualities of its master.
There is no doubt the instincts of the wolf reappear from time to time in its descendants, the domestic dog, and the actions of no untamed wolf can be more terrible than some of the accounts one occasionally reads of savage and mad dogs.
After scanning this issue of the newspaper and several others, it couldn’t be determined if the performances of the wolves were ever held in Wyoming or other parts of the U.S.
Bar Half Diamond Ranch – 100 black steers, 500-600#, 2 rounds of shots, weaned, home raised, light grow ration.
Justin Reed – 113 mixed black, 550-650#, 2 rounds of shots, long time weaned, running on grass pasture.
Brandon and David Hessenthaler – 60 black steers, 40 black heifers, 600#, 2 rounds of shots, weaned.
Mike Riley – 90 red steers, 950-1,050#, 2 rounds of shots, weaned, grow ration, good genetics.
Jake Nicholas – 70 black steers, 600-700#, 2 rounds of shots, weaned, home raised.
Mark Hoyt – 65 black heifers, 550#, 2 rounds of shots, long time weaned, fed long stem hay and corn.
Peterson Family – 40 mixed black/CharX, 550-650#, 3 rounds of shots, weaned, long time weaned, poured with Dectomax.
Diamond S Ranch – 37 black heifers, bangs vaccinated, 450-525#, 15 black steers, 400-700#, 2 rounds of shots, long time weaned, bunk broke.
Ken Friesen – 40 black steers, 550-650#, 2 rounds of shots, long time weaned.
Brewster Ranch – 30 black/BWF heifers, 450-550#, 1 black steer, 500#, 2 rounds of shots, bunk broke, started on feed.
Kenny and Karl Pierce – 30 mixed black BB, 300-400#, 2 rounds of shots.
Richard Russell – 27 black steers, 600-650#, 2 rounds of shots.
M Bar Cattle Co. – 20 mixed black, 600#, 2 rounds of shots, weaned, bunk broke.
Jasper Ingalls – 10 black yearling heifers, 1,300-1,450#, corn fed since Sept. 15, 2022.
Travis Friesen – 14 black heifers, 700-800#, 2 rounds of shots, weaned, bunk broke, light fee ration.
Dusty Mills – 8 Sim/Angus steers, 600#, 2 rounds of shots, weaned, bunk broke.
CJ and Vickie Nye – 80 mixed black, 625-650#, 3 rounds of shots, poured, Multimin, weaned, running on pasture.
Barry and Cindy Nye – 20 mixed black, 625-650#, 3 rounds of shots, poured, Multimin, weaned, running on pasture.
But, the wolf taken young becomes perfectly tame, is attached to its master, learns to live with dogs and acquires from them the habit of barking, which is entirely unknown to it in the wild state.
Even when taken older, wolves may be tamed, and our engravings show the performances of a pack which have recently been exhibited in London.
Each of these animals, as may be seen, knows its own kennel and takes to it at com-
“Performing wolves” was the only cutline appearing under the two illustrations (including the one shown here) accompanying the article in the 1892 Saratoga Sun. Historical Reproductions by Perue
38/cwt
US #1 Pinto Beans Den Rate 36-37/cwt Min-Dak 34-35/cwt
Source: USDA AMS Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News, Torrington
Source: USDA AMS Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News, Greeley, CO
As of December 16, 2022
Compared to last week traditional slaughter lambs 5.00 higher, others mostly 10.00-30.00 lower. Slaughter ewes mostly steady to 10.00 lower. Feeder lambs not well tested. At San Angelo, TX 6,078 head sold. No sales in Equity Cooperative Auction. In direct trading slaughter ewes and feeder lambs not tested. 4,314 lamb carcasses traded with no trend due to confidentiality. All sheep sold per hundred weight (CWT) unless specified.
***This is the last report for 2022. This next time this report will be issued will be Friday, January 6, 2023.
Slaughter Lambs: Choice and Prime 2-3
San Angelo: wooled and shorn 110-130 lbs 121.00-147.50. Ft. Collins: wooled and shorn 150 lbs 150.00.
South Dakota: wooled and shorn 125-145 lbs 121.00-133.00; 156 lbs 110.00.
Billings: wooled and shorn 100-145 lbs no test..
Equity Coop: no sales.
Slaughter Lambs: Choice and Prime 1-2
San Angelo: hair 40-60 lbs 275.00-331.00, few 347.50; 6070 lbs 249.00-282.50, few 297.00-325.00; 70-80 lbs 230.00 270.00, few 275.00-290.00; 80-90 lbs 175.00-237.50; 90-110 lbs 173.00-197.00, few 225.00. wooled and shorn 58 lbs 283.00; 62 lbs 249.00; 70-80 lbs 227.00-250.00; 80-90 lbs 187.00-197.50; 94 lbs 171.00.
Ft. Collins: wooled and shorn 70-80 lbs 170.00-180.00. hair 60-70 lbs 185.00-190.00; 70-80 lbs 185.00-190.00; 82 lbs 165.00.
South Dakota: wooled and shorn 60-70 lbs 175.00-280.00; 70-80 lbs 235.00-240.00; 92 lbs 75.00. hair 59 lbs 190.00; 87 78 lbs 110.00.
Billings: no test.
San Angelo: Good 3-4 (very fleshy) no test; Good 2-3 (fleshy) 71.00-97.50, hair 95.00-107.50; Utility and Good 1-3 (medium flesh) 95.00-113.00, hair 101.00-117.00; Utility 1-2 (thin) 90.0095.00, hair 85.00-100.00; Cull and Utility 1-2 (very thin) 87.5089.00; Cull 1 75.00.
Ft. Collins: Good 3-4 (very fleshy) 72.50-85.00; Good 2-3 (fleshy) 67.50-85.00; Utility 1-2 (thin) no test; Cull 1 no test
South Dakota: Good 3-4 (very fleshy) no test; Good 2-3 (fleshy) no test; Utility 1-2 (thin) 70.00-91.00; Cull 1 no test
Billings: Good 3-4 (very fleshy) no test; Good 2-3 (fleshy) no test; Utility 1-2 (thin) no test; Cull 1 no test.
Feeder Lambs: Medium and Large 1-2 San Angelo: hair 40-50 lbs 325.00-331.00.
Ft. Collins: no test.
South Dakota: hair 35 lbs 115.00; 40-50 lbs 165.00; 54 lbs 165.00.
Billings: no test.
Replacement Ewes: Medium and Large 1-2 San Angelo: yearling hair 104 lbs 190.00/cwt; mixed age hair 100-145 lbs 120.00-140.00/cwt.
Ft. Collins: no test.
SETT PRICE
Month Week Prev This Week Change
FEBRUARY 158.85 157.35 -1.50
APRIL 162.45 161.28 -1.17
JUNE 158.15 157.28 -0.87
AUGUST 158.00 157.05 -0.95 OCTOBER 161.85 161.23 -0.62
SETT PRICE
JANUARY 183.80 183.80 NC
MARCH 186.78 186.55 -0.23
APRIL 190.15 190.53 +0.38 MAY 193.15 194.23 +1.08 AUGUST 203.05 204.50 +1.45
SETT PRICE
Month Week Prev This Week Change
MARCH 7.74 7.47 -0.27
MAY 7.81 7.55 -0.26
JULY 7.85 7.59 -0.26
SEPTEMBER 7.92 7.66 -0.26
SETT PRICE
Month Week Prev This Week Change
MARCH 6.79 6.53 -0.26
MAY 6.79 6.52 -0.27
JULY 6.73 6.47 -0.26
SEPTEMBER 6.30 6.06 -0.24
SETT PRICE
Month Week Prev This Week Change
MARCH 3.70 3.46 -0.24
MAY 3.65 3.45 -0.20
JULY 3.63 3.47 -0.16 SEPTEMBER 3.63 3.45 -0.18
South Dakota: no test.
Billings: no test.
Sheep and lambs slaughter under federal inspection for the week to date totaled 35,000 compared with 35,000 last week and 39,000 last year.
Source: USDA AMS Market News, San Angelo, Texas
As of December 16, 2022
In Australia this week, the Eastern Market Indicator was up 49 cents at 1327 cents per Kg clean from the sale a week ago. A total of 47,914 bales were offered with sales of 93.5 percent. The Australian exchange rate was weaker by .0145 at .6848 percent of the U.S. dollar. Australian wool prices are quoted US Dollar per pound, delivered, Charleston, S.C. The current freight rate is .15 cents per pound clean.
Clean Del Price Change from 75-85 Percent
Micron US Grade in U.S. Dollars Previous Sale of Australia 17 > 80s 7.10 + .35 5.32-6.03 18 80s 6.14 + .37 4.61-5.22 19 70-80s 5.33 + .33 4.00-4.53 20 64-70s 4.90 + .29 3.67-4.16 21 64s 4.67 + .24 3.50-3.97 22 62s 4.48 + .44 3.36-3.81 23 60-62s 4.21 + .44 3.15-3.57 24 60s 25 58s 2.33 - .07 1.74-1.98 26 56-58s 2.15 + .10 1.62-1.83 28 54s 1.24 + .04 0.93-1.05 30 50s 1.09 + .02 0.81-0.92 32 46-48s 0.86 - . 03 0.64-0.73
Merino Clippings 2.87 + .09 2.15-2.44
Eastern Market Indicator was up 49 cents at 1327 cents per kg clean. Australian exchange rate was weaker by .0145 at .6848 percent of the U.S. dollar.
Source: Colorado Dept of Ag Market News Service, Greeley, CO
As of January 5, 2023
Compared to last week most bales of hay sold steady. Instances 30.00 higher on small square bales of alfalfa. Demand was good throughout the week. Since winter has arrived per the calendar, Mother Nature is doing her best to deal a wintery blow across the state. Temperatures well below zero with blustery winds and some snow the last few days. End of the month is to be more seasonal weather. Per Wyoming NRCS weekly snow report for last week showed the state’s Snotels are reading 111% of median with a basin high of 142% and a basin low of 47%. In 2021 state was at 79% and in 2020 was at 83% for the same week.
SETT PRICE
Month Week Prev This Week Change
JANUARY 15.09 14.67 -0.42
MARCH 15.16 14.71 -0.45 MAY 15.23 14.77 -0.46
JULY 15.27 14.81 -0.46
As of January 5, 2023
Compared to two weeks ago bales of alfalfa and grass hay sold steady. Ground and delivered hay products and dehy
alfalfa pellets sold steady. Demand remains good for all forage products. Rain
80- Bred Heifers
Bred to calve late February for 40 days. One round of AI to DB Confidence and KB Top Generation then cleaned up with calving ease Confidence sons. Summered at 8,000-9,000 ft. To view videos go to the Roundup classifieds online @ www.wylr.net 56 - 2 Coming 3-Year-Old Bred Cows
Everyone of Them Raised a Calf
Applications for
for the Washakie Resource Area
received by Keith Hamilton, secretarytreasurer of the Worland District State Grazing Board, PO Box 9, Hyattville, WY 82428.
Also, we welcome your attendance at the Public Board Meeting, 11 AM at The Brass Plum in Worland on Feb. 9, 2023.
EARN $60,000/YEAR, PARTTIME in the livestock or farm equipment appraisal business. Agricultural background required. Home study course available. 800-488-7570 or www.amagappraisers.com 1/28
NIGHT CALVER WANTED: Experience preferred but we may be willing to train the right candidate. Mid Feb. to Mid April, 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. shift, no daytime responsibilities. Good pay, private bunk house available. 300 heifers, great facilities, equipment and crew. Possibility to extend into a full-time ranch maintenance position for the right person. X Bar Cattle Co., Laramie, WY, call Allen to apply 970-556-5657 1/28
HIRING FULL-TIME EMPLOYEE: Current driver’s license required. Call Sue Wiggins, 308279-0924, e-mail sswiggins@ wigginsfeedyard.com, 10077 U.S. 385, Bridgeport, NE 69336, provide references with phone numbers 2/25
LOCATED NEAR OHIOWA, SOUTHEASTERN NEBRASKA
IS CURRENTLY LOOKING TO HIRE FULL-TIME PEN RIDERS: Skilled horsemanship and feedyard or ranch experience preferred. Pay based on experience. Comprehensive benefits include family health and dental, 401(k), life insurance benefits, sick and vacation pay. Five days a week, 7 a.m.-5 p.m. with rotating weekends and rotating holidays. Applicants are required to furnish their own horses and tack. Drug and background tests required. Call 402-295-2216 1/14
One load will calve Starting 2/15 for 40 days, balance will calve April- early May. Guaranteed bred with all their shots. Bred to Klein Angus Bulls. For immediate delivery. Located in Wheatland, WY. Yearling Angus Bulls For sale private treaty. Many are calving-ease with high performance. Contact
OPPORTUNITY: Established grass fattened boxed beef business for sale. Half, 3/4 and purebred Aberdeen Angus cows, fat yearlings and calves. Produce high-quality grass fattened beef on your small farm or acreage, www.aberdeenangusbeef.net Call 307-388-2717 1/7
BRED COWS FOR SALE: 48 head black cows, 7 years old, bred to Angus and Hereford bulls. Start calving April 1. Located 50 miles north of Gillette, WY. $1,600/head. Contact Doug Camblin, 307-682-1811 or 307-680-4528. To view photos, go to www.wylr.net in the classifieds 1/7
YEARLING AND VIRGIN 2-YEAR-OLD BLACK ANGUS BULLS AVAILABLE: If you are looking for a stress free calving season, this group offers low birthweights and EXCEPTIONAL EPDs. Current EPDs available on our website www.antlersangusranch.com or call Earl, 307660-4796 1/7
YEARLING BLACK ANGUS BULLS FOR SALE: Actual weaning weight 727 lbs. Cow herd AI’d since 1969, predominantly use ABS and Select Sires. Purebred but not papered. $2,000. If we feed till April 1, $2,500. Call 307-3662911 1/28
Farm/ranch and all commercial loans. RATES AS LOW AS 4.5%. We have been helping with all aspects of agricultural, commercial financing and management for years. LET US HELP YOU on a consulting level with management to increase profitability, deal with and fix credit problems and for all your financing needs. WE CARE AND HAVE WORKING PROGRAMS designed for the farmer/rancher and not the banker. Please call Steve, 303-773-3545, or check out our website www. agrionefinancial.com. I will come to you and get the job done!! 1/28
WYOMING
WYOMING BRAND FOR SALE: LHC, LHH. Expires March 1, 2027. No irons included. $3,000 OBO. Call 307629-0260 1/28
HEIFERS: Front pasture, home raised and some purchased from a couple reputation ranches in western S.D. Bred to, PAP tested, Jorgenson and Diamond Peak calving ease bulls. Sorted by ultrasound to calve in April. Summered at Laramie, WY on up to 7,400 feet. Ranch raised and developed on hay and cake. Medium framed, deep bodied and weighing 1,000 lbs. We have calved their sisters for years and can say their dispositions are quiet and gentle. They are electric fence broke and savvy to dogs, horses and 4 wheelers. Call 307-760-3837 for photos, video and price 1/28
15 FANCY RED ANGUS BRED HEIFERS: Home raised, ONE IRON, high elevation heifers. Bred to registered, PAP tested bulls. ULTRASOUNDED TO CALVE FOR 2 WEEKS, April 15 to April 30. These girls are born and raised on a big ranch north of Cheyenne, WY and summered at Centennial, WY up to 9,000 feet of elevation. Top of the line vaccine protocol since birth. Medium framed, deep bodied and weighing 1,000 lbs. A great starter set or addition to your herd. $1,900. Call 307-760-3837 for photos and video 1/28
214-2246 or e-mail judyp823@ gmail.com 1/28
FOR SALE: 300 registered and commercial Black Angus BRED HEIFERS, 1 group of F1 baldie bred heifers. Three groups AI bred to these elite calving ease sires: MAF Triumph O415 (Musgrave Exclusive 316 son 2022 high selling calving ease bull) and Connealy In Focus 4925. Two groups pasture bred to “sleep all night” low birthweight, calving ease Black Angus bulls. AI bred: Group #1 due March 19. Group #2 due April 5. Group #3 due April 6. Bull breds: Group #1 due April 1 for 30 days. Group #2 due May 1 for 21 days. Vaccinated and poured/dewormed. Available FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED. Delivery and volume discounts available. MILLER ANGUS FARMS, Estelline, S.D. Kody, 605-690-1997 or Brady, 605-690-5733 2/4
30 RED ANGUS COWS BRED TO BECKTON BULLS, 3 to 6 years old. Calve March 20 for 60 days. Located in Torrington, WY. Call 307-231-2883 1/7
SEVEN COMING 2-YEAROLD VIRGIN HEREFORD BULLS: Pasture and hay raised with longevity in mind. These are not the kind that melt. Moderate birthweights, good pigment. Tested prior to delivery with vaccinations and deworming made current, will deliver for the cost of fuel only. Purchase 3 bulls or more saves $35/head. $1,835/head. Call 307-851-2426 or e-mail ruralandsf@yahoo.com 1/14
TOLMAN RANCH LLC IS ACCEPTING BIDS FOR GRAZING APPROXIMATELY 300 ACRES OF IRRIGATED (40 acres) pasture 30 miles up the Nowood in Ten Sleep, WY. For 60 to 80 head of cattle or 200 head of sheep. Grazing turn in May 1 to Nov. 1. Two year contract with the possibility of renewal. There are a few requirements that will need to be addressed, like responsibility for irrigation of fields, cleaning of ditches and weed spraying. Send bids to Tolman Ranch LLC, PO Box 576, Ten Sleep WY, 82442, postmark by Feb. 20, 2023. For more information, contact Frank Keeler, 307-350-6994 2/4
GRASS HAY FOR SALE: Put up with conditioners and no rain. Round bales approximately 1,600 lbs. Can load on site, Big Piney, WY, $225/ton. Please call Landa, 307-260-3007. To view photos, go to www.wylr. net in the classifieds 1/28
2022 MIXED HAY FOR SALE: Net-wrapped heavy bales. Call 605-431-6405, Lemmon, S.D. 1/14
GRASS HAY FOR SALE: Cow and horse quality, 3x4 and 3x3 square bales. Delivery available!! Call 307-6303046 1/21
ROUND BALE BARLEY STRAW AND OAT STRAW FOR SALE: Certified weed free. $100/ton. FOB Powell, WY. Call 307-254-5115 or 406-480-1248 1/21
PASTURE WANTED for 2,000 yearlings and 500 pairs. Can split into smaller bunches. 701523-1235 1/21
YOUNG FAMILY LOOKING FOR RANCH LEASE OPPORTUNITIES. References available. Call 307-763-6319 1/7
AKC LAB PUPPIES: All colors available, whites, blacks, yellows, dark chocolates and dark reds. Excellent hunters, family companions. Full AKC registration. Shots, wormed, dewclaws removed. All puppies are cute, but it’s what they grow into that counts. Not all Labs are the same. Proud to own!! Been raising quality AKC Labradors for 25-plus years. Look at the rest but buy the best. Both parents on site for viewing. Will sell quickly!! $200 deposit, picking order is when the deposit is received. Doug Altman, Mitchell, S.D. Call/text 605-999-7149, click the our Labs tab on the website for pictures, www.southdakotayellowlabs.com 1/14
PUREBRED BORDER COLLIE PUPPIES FOR SALE: Out of excellent working parents. Extremely smart. All are traditional black and white. $500. Call 307645-3322 1/7
BASSET HOUND PUPPIES: AKC registered. Champion lines. Big, friendly, cuddly and loveable. Great for 4-H, hunting or family pets. Wormed and first shots. Local breeder. Senior and Veteran discounts. Delivery available in Wyoming and Montana. Call 719-217-8054 1/28
SANDHILL BORDER COLLIES: Working border collies for ranchers. Reds, blacks, merles, mainly short hair. Thirty years experience. Shots appropriate to age, dewclaws removed, wormed weekly. Pups and ready-to-start pups available. Prices vary. Call us (texts are better) to set up delivery, 701-770-2364 or e-mail sandhillbc@yahoo.com. Visit our Facebook page: Sandhill Performance Horses and Border Collies. To view photos, go to www. wylr.net in the classifieds 5/6
WEANLING RED ROAN FILLY:
Outstanding red roan filly with black legs/mane/tail. Born June 10. Sire is an AQHA and NRHA money winner DON’T STOP SHOOTIN. The filly is halter broke, trailer broke, leads, athletic and a very kind disposition. She is ready for the show ring or whatever you have planned. Call for more information, 307532-1596 1/28
SEVERAL WELL BRED, REGISTERED THOROUGHBRED MARES AVAILABLE TO GOOD HOMES: Most of them are winners. All good broodmares. Owner is 85 years old, only selling due to getting older and health issues. Willing to make a heck of a deal, just want them to go to good homes. For more information, call 559-660-6182 1/7
BARLEY STRAW: Certified weed-free small squares, $4/ bale. ALSO, round bales. OATS, WHEAT AND BARLEY, $20/100 cwt. Greybull, WY area. Call 307-762-3878 or 307-202-0108, leave message 1/14
VALLEY VIDEO HAY MARKETS, LLC INTERNET HAY AUCTION THURS. JAN., 26 at 2 p.m. For consignments go to www.valleyvideohay. com or call Barry McRea, 308-235-5386 1/14
CERTIFIED BARLEY STRAW FOR SALE, 3x4. Cody, WY. Call 307-899-1952 1/14
HAY FOR SALE: 2022 first and second cutting alfalfa, alfalfa/ grass, grass mix, straight grass, Haybet barley, straight millet and sorghum. 2021 alfalfa, alfalfa/ grass, grass, alfalfa/oats, alfalfa/ oats/millet. All in net-wrapped round bales. Semi load delivery available. Call for pricing, 701690-8116, please send a text if no answer or keep trying 1/14
MEADOW GRASS HAY: 2022 hay, $275/ton. 2021 hay, $250/ ton. Discount available for large purchases. For more information, please call Katie Scarbrough at 307-699-7375. Located Cora, WY 1/7
HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM MOSS SADDLES, BOOTS AND TACK!! We appreciate all your past patronage and look forward to serving you and yours in 2023!! 20% OFF OF HONDO and BOULET BOOTS. Also, GREAT SELECTION of JUSTIN WORK BOOTS, TWISTED X (boots and shoes) and more!! WE CAN ship!! Shop Moss Saddles, Boots and Tack, 4648 West Yellowstone Highway, Casper, WY; 307-472-1872. Our family serving yours for 50 years!! Check us out on Facebook or our website 1/7
HAY FOR SALE: Small square bales, 70 lbs. each, second cutting, 525 bales, alfalfa/ grass hay. Lab report: Moisture 10%, protein 18.1%, 64 TDN, 134 RFV. Asking $9/bale. Call Don, 307-237-9373 (home) or 307-259-8716 (cell) 1/7
2022 HAY FOR SALE: Millet, Sudangrass and alfalfa hay. Call Earl, 307-660-4796 1/7
HAY FOR SALE: 500-600 tons, 4x4x8 alfalfa. First and second cuttings. $225/ton. ALSO, CERTIFIED BARLEY STRAW, 4x4x8, over 200 tons available. $90/ton. Volume discounts available, located between Powell and Lovell, WY. Call 307-272-3712 1/21
ROUND AND SQUARE HAY
GRASS SEED FOR SALE: Manifest wheat grass, Manska wheat grass, Cash Meadow Brome, good germination, $4.50/lb. Call Big Horn Seed Company, 307-202-0704 or 307-645-3322 1/7
WEIMARANER AKC REGISTERED PUPPIES, SILVERS AND BLUES: Home raised. Tails docked, dewclaws removed, dewormings, first shots and vet checked. Parent’s hips OFA, $1,200. Call 406-450-8766. To view photos, go to www.wylr.net in the classifieds 1/28
GREAT PYRENEES PUPPIES FOR SALE: Proven bloodlines, parents onsite, ranch raised with livestock and ready to go to work!! $1,000. Have been raising these fantastic LGD for 40+ years. For more information, call 406-2077674 1/28
TAIN DOG CROSS PUPPIES: Both parents AKC registered. Phenomenal cattle and hunting dogs. Good with kids and livestock. Excellent for hunting and herding livestock, sheep, cows etc. Will be big and healthy. Wormed and first shots. Local breeder. Senior and Veteran discounts. Delivery available in Wyoming and Montana. Call 719-217-8054 1/21
LGD PUPPIES BORN NOV. 3, 2022, IN THE SHEEP SHED. Mother is Akbash/Komondor, dad is Kangal/Akbash. Dogs and flock are comfortable together. Proven predator control. Will be weaned in January. $450. Call 406-707-0244 To view photos, go to www.wylr.net in the classifieds 1/28
GRASS HAY FOR SALE: 3x4 bales, 1,200 lbs., $250/ton. Lyman, WY. Call Kelly, 307-7807027 1/28
FIRST AND SECOND CUTTING ALFALFA/GRASS MIX: 1,300 lb. round bales. Feed analysis available upon request. Located near Powell, WY. Quarantine release has been done, $215/ton. Call 307-752-0377 1/7
2022 3-WAY HAY WITH ALFALFA. ALSO, grass/alfalfa mix, 3x3 bales, barn stored. Call 307-3500350, Farson, WY 1/21
APPROXIMATELY 150 TONS OF SANFOIN/ORCHARD GRASS MIX HAY FOR SALE: Both first and second cuttings available, 4x4 squares, $225/ ton. Volume discounts available. Located west of Powell, WY, can load. Call 307-202-0532, please leave message 1/14
307-684-5515, Buffalo, WY • www.bolingerinc.com
307-684-5515, Buffalo, WY • www.bolingerinc.net
ELIMINATE ● RISING ● FUEL COSTS: Clean, safe and efficient wood heat. Central Boiler Classic and E-Classic Outdoor Wood Furnace; heats multiple buildings with only 1 furnace, 25-year warranty available. Heat with wood, no splitting! Available in dual fuel ready models. www.CentralBoiler.com WE ALSO HAVE whole house pellet/corn/biomass furnaces. Load once per month with hopper. www.Maximheat. com A-1 Heating Systems. Instant rebates may apply! Call today! 307-742-4442. To view photos, go to www.wylr.net in the classifieds TFN
Pipe
PIPE FOR SALE!! 2 7/8, 3 1/2 tubing, 4” drill pipe, 4 1/2 casing, 5” casing, 7” casing. Rods 3/4, 7/8 and 1” located in Montana, can ship anywhere. Call Mike, 602-758-4447. To view photos, go to www.wylr.net in the classifieds 1/14
LODGEPOLE PRODUCTS, 307-742-6992, SERVING AGRI-BUSINESSES SINCE 1975!! Treated posts, corral poles, buck-and-rail, western rail, fence stays, rough-sawn lumber, bedding. SEE US at www.lodgepoleproducts. com and click our “Picking A Fence Post” tab to see why folks choose our posts!! TFN
Fair prices, good service, rancher owned. Quantities up to a truck load.
WANTED TO BUY: Used, gated pipe, preferably 6” or 8”, either aluminum or PVC, in decent shape. Murray Ranch, Robertson, WY. Call 307782-6177, 307-780-6519 or 307-780-6862 1/28
ARIZONA RANCHES FOR SALE: 22,000 + acre central Arizona ranch, 200+ head year-long, plus up to 2,500 stockers seasonally, Arizona state plus small BLM grazing leases, small feedyard, modest headquarters on 10 deeded acres, $1,200,000; Former ranch homestead, 1,056 sq. ft. house built in 1935, fireplace, kitchen, private well, electric power and phone. Feels remote with mountain views and thousands of acres of open space but sits just a highway close to shopping, medical facilities, Tucson and Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, $390,000.
LARGER RANCHES also available. Harley Hendricks Realty, 877-349-2565, www. harleyhendricks.com 1/7
320 ACRES WITH A MILE AND A HALF OF LIVE SPRING WATER: Alpine setting. Beautiful views. Located in the Dillon, MT area. $1,700,000. Call Sidwell Land & Cattle Co., Richard Sidwell, 406-861-4426, 406322-4425 or e-mail sidwell@ sidwell-land.com 1/28
In spite of the use of synthetic substitutes in recent decades, many things are still made of leather. Today, cattle hides are very plentiful in the U.S., but most hides are actually discarded when animals are butchered, even though leather has become very expensive.
The tanning industry, which was a major enterprise for many years, is almost nonexistent in the U.S. these days. It costs a lot to get a hide tanned, and it may end up being a poorly done job. While most tanning companies are now located in other countries, there are a few left in the U.S.
In the early days of America, tanning was an
MOSSBERG 5.56 FLUTED 20” bbl, laminated stock, excellent condition, takes Magpul mags, $450. RUGER 45 AUTO SR1911, stainless, extended beavertail and 2 mags, unfired, $750. SPRINGFIELD 9MM XDM (match) ELITE, new and cased, unfired, $750. TAURUS 38 SPECIAL ULTRA-LITE, premier blue, gold plated hammer, cylinder release and trigger, rosewood grips, unfired, $475. H&K 9MM P7, like new, 3 mags, excellent condition, with manual and boxed, $2,300. WEBLEY & SCOTT 12 GA, 2 3/4”, 28” bbls, excellent condition, English leather mutton case, $3,700. Lovell, WY. Calls only, no texts 307-250-9663 1/7
BROWN SWISS BRED HEIFERS FOR SALE: Will calve March, April and May. Bred to Brown Swiss bulls. Have had all shots. Poured with Ivomec on regular basis. TB tested and current health papers. Nice, gentle, outside cattle, in good shape and well fed. Delivery options available. For pictures or more information, call Larry W. Carlson, 605-224-6100 (home) or 605280-3879 (cell), if no answer leave message. Pierre, S.D. To view photos, go to www.wylr. net in the classifieds 1/28
JAN. 19-20: PETSKA FUR WILL BE BUYING ALL RAW/DRY FUR DEER/ELK HIDES AND ANTLER, IN THE FOLLOWING WYOMING TOWNS AND LOCATIONS: JAN. 19: Douglas 7:107:20 a.m., Douglas Feed (drive thru); Bill 8-8:10 a.m., Bill’s Store (drive thru, call Greg); Wright 8:50-9:20 a.m., Exxon Big D on S. 387; Newcastle 11:15 a.m.-11:45 p.m., Voelker’s Body Shop; Upton 12:30-12:45 p.m., Joe’s Grocery Store parking lot; Moorcroft 1:151:45 p.m., The Coffee Cup; Gillette 2:10-2:30 p.m., T&T Guns and Ammo; Gillette 3-3:30 p.m., Rocky Mountain Sports. JAN. 20: Gillette 7-7:20 a.m., Rocky Mountain Sports (drive thru, call Greg); Sheridan 9:30-10 a.m., Sportsman’s Warehouse; Buffalo 10:4511:15 a.m., Good 2 Go; Ten Sleep 12:45-1:15 p.m., Pony Express; Hyattville 1:45-2 p.m., Paint Rock Processing; Manderson 2:40-2:50 p.m., Hiway Bar (drive thru); Basin 3-3:20 p.m., Overland Express Mart (drive thru); Greybull 3:404 p.m., Overland Express Mart (drive thru); Lovell 4:30-4:50 p.m., Good 2 Go; Byron 5-5:15 p.m., Cardtrol (drive thru); Powell 5:305:50 p.m., Murdoch’s. For more information, call Greg, 308-7500700 or visit www.petskafur.net 1/14
PETSKA FUR Cont'd: JAN. 21: Powell 7-7:20 a.m., Murdoch’s; Ralston 7:30 a.m., Good 2 Go (drive thru, call Greg); Cody 8-8:40 a.m., Nature’s Design Taxidermy; Meeteetse 9:20-9:40 a.m., Elk Horn Bar; Worland 10:50-11:20 a.m., Coop One Stop; Thermopolis 11:50 a.m.12:20 p.m., Renegade Guns; Shoshoni 1-1:15 p.m., rest area/ bus stop (drive thru); Riverton 2-2:50 p.m., Vic’s Body Shop (behind the Dollar Tree); Hudson 3:10-3:20 p.m., Wyoming Custom Meats (drive thru); Lander 3:404:10 p.m., Zander’s One Stop; Jeffrey City 5:15-5:30 p.m., Split Rock Cafe; Muddy Gap 5:50-6 p.m. (drive thru, call Greg). JAN. 22: Casper 7:20-8:20 a.m., Wagner Outdoor Sports; Glenrock 9-9:15 a.m., east exit on I-25; Douglas 10:10-10:20 a.m., Douglas Feed; Orin Junction 10:50-11 a.m., truck stop (drive thru); Lost Springs 11:20-11:40 a.m., truck pull off (drive thru); Manville 1212:15 p.m., truck stop (drive thru); Lusk 12:20-12:40 p.m., Decker’s Grocery. For more information, call Greg, 308-750-0700 or visit www.petskafur.net 1/14
2022 LARGE ROUND BALES: Net wrapped, 1,5501,650 lbs., tests done, nitrate free, Japanese and German millet, $130/ton, will deliver. Call 605-224-6100 (home) or 605-280-3879 (cell), if no answer leave message 1/28
important industry. At first, most leather products, boots and shoes were made in Concord, Mass., which is where the majority of the early boot companies were located.
According to Darol Dickenson of Dickenson Cattle Co., it was a complicated process. Dickenson, who raises colorful Longhorn cattle and sells beautiful, tanned hair hides, no longer has his hides tanned in the U.S. because it is too expensive. Instead, he has them tanned in Brazil.
The early hide industry in colonial America was an interesting business.
“Ships would leave the East Coast and go south, down around the cape of
South America, into the Pacific Ocean and sail into northern waters, north of Seattle,” says Dickenson. “They hunted sperm whales to get high-quality oil, which was very valuable in those days. They
had tanks for the oil, and they would kill enough whales to fill those tanks.”
On their way back down the West Coast, ships would stop at the port at San Francisco. In those days, there were many cat-
tle there – beginning with the early Spanish missions and ranches. There were herds of Longhorn and Mexican cattle, so there was a lot of rawhide available, he notes.
“The whaling fleet would buy a boatload of rawhides at San Francisco, then sail back down around the cape of South America. It took weeks to get around the cape and back up to Concord,” Dickenson says.
On this long journey, they tanned the hides, and by the time they got back to Concord, they would have a boatload of tanned hides.
“The shoe and boot manufacturers would meet the ships at the port. They would hold an auction and bid on the hides. It was a major source of leather for the nation for a quite a while,” he explains.
There were local tanneries in various regions for a long time. However, after synthetic materials came along and people started buying tennis shoes instead of leather shoes, everything changed.
“Another change occurred when hide tanning companies in the U.S. started to unionize. The unions decided tanning was a nasty job and workers should get paid more,” Dickenson notes. “They used to be paid about 50 cents an hour, and now a union tanner makes $50 an hour. If a person decided to tan the hide of their favorite bull, they will have to pay $800 to $1,000 just for the tanning fee.”
Since Brazil doesn’t have unions, a lot of tanning companies are now located there.
“The Brazilians also invented a way to split cowhides,” Dickenson
states. “They put the hide under a press and slice it.”
“The top half, with the hair on, is sold to furniture companies and consumers who want a hair-on hide,” he explains. “The bottom half used to be shipped to China and Asian manufacturers of tennis shoes. These companies would take a little strip of the backside of the leather to put around the toe of the shoe. Then they could say it contained real leather.”
Now, Brazilian companies can do a triple split.
“They have a third, thin layer of leather, and most of the leather garments today come from Brazil. Jackets and other nice leather outfits are made from the triplesplit, thin leather,” he says.
“I have an importer I get the hides from for our Longhorn store. We sell hides for $350 to $500, which is about one-third of the price of tanning them in the U.S. This is what the unions have done to us,” he continues.
“Years ago, when we took a steer to process, the butcher would trade us the kill fee for the hide. There was some value for the hide, and they didn’t charge us to kill the steer and hang him on the rail,” Dickenson adds.
As the union tanners’ cost went up, the value of hides went down.
“Now, the processing plant for my beef throws the hides in a dumpster. The cattle hides have absolutely zero value,” he says. “We have to work around whatever costs us the most and ship our hides to another country to be processed.”
Heather Smith Thomas is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) BeefWatch podcast welcomed Dr. Elliott Dennis, a UNL livestock marketing and risk management economist, assistant professor and Extension specialist, on Dec. 12 to discuss an article titled “The Value of Gain on Winter Backgrounded Cattle.”
The article was featured in the Oct. 31 Cattle Markets Newsletter and in the December BeefWatch Newsletter.
Value of gain versus cost Dennis notes there are several things producers need to consider in any environment.
“We need to be very aggressive on controlling cost, and we have to know our cost,” he says. “We then have to try to aggressively cut cost until it hurts. One of the ways I try to talk about this is when we make a business decision, we have to know the numbers behind the decision – it allows us to make an informed decision about what we are going to do.”
In the fall, many producers make the decision to retain animals or sell them, and there are a lot of factors going into this decision, he explains. One factor Dennis focuses on is calculating numbers if the market is willing to pay a producer to put on additional weight and how weight changes a
marginal value.
The article notes cow/ calf producers who still have their calves are in the process of deciding whether to sell or retain weaned calves. The decision must consider both the cost to put on additional weight – total amount, quality, cost of feed resources, etc. – and the expected price received when cattle are sold at higher weights at current and future basis-adjusted prices.
The difference between these two is profit but only on additional weight gained. Positive values indicate profits could be made by retaining feeder cattle in the fall.
“The way we calculate this marginal value is through a formula called value of gain,” shares Dennis. “It essentially takes the corn price, historical basis, the feeder cattle futures market and gives producers an idea for every pound put on and what the market is willing to pay – it represents the current market valuation.”
Producers can access information used in this process on Beef Basis.
“This is free to use, and it allows producers to calculate this value of gain,” Dennis shares.
The article mentions producers who retain cattle over the winter should recalculate the value of gain for cattle in
the spring as they come off cornstalks or winter grazing to determine if the market is still willing to pay them to put on yet additional weight.
From a production standpoint, Dennis utilizes the Nebraska Beef Report. A survey from UNL shares producers can use a combination of price risk management and different lengths in their production system as hedge against adverse price movements.
The article states putting weight on during the winter and selling in March through April or selling in the late summer are two common backgrounding production systems. Within these two systems, total weight can be influenced by the type of feed.
Additionally, the article notes gain can either be fast or slow in the winter stocking 2022-23 and summer grazing 2023 seasons. These decisions impact the total weight gained at each phase and thus the time and weight feed cattle enter feedlots.
“The decision a producer has is if they should be targeting a slow rate of growth to get to the March timeframe, or if they should targeting fast growth to get there,” says Dennis. “Ultimately, what happens is there is going to be a relative difference in the weight of the animals. If there is slow
growth, producers will be targeting about 625 pounds and about 785 with a fast rate of growth.”
“The market this winter has been indicating producers should target a slow winter performance rather than a fast winter performance,” he adds.
In regards to high and low rates of gain, there are several overhead costs producers need to consider.
“Producers really need to sit down and think about their level of performance and how many dollars of head per day on cornstalks, etc. They need to understand the cost side of things and profit. They have to find opportunities to make the highest amount of profit,”
says Dennis.
For more information on the BeefWatch podcast and newsletter, visit beef.unl.edu.
long-term average.
“First and foremost, in high-feed environments, producers need to know their numbers. Once they know them, they need to be dynamic in this marketing decision and recognizing, if they choose to make that decision, they should feel confident they will be paid for the animals in the end,” he adds
In closing, historical basis can vary from year to year based on feed prices, transportation costs, etc. Dennis shares a projected outlook for basis for this year compared to a historical
“Anytime we calculate this value of gain, we’re calculating it on a historical basis, generally calculated on a three- to five-year timeframe,” says Dennis.
He mentions a projected outlook for basis will depend on the type of weight, but overall, calculating the value of backgrounded winter cattle has two sides – the cost side and the sale and or revenue side.
Brittany Gunn is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net.
Lambing and kidding season may typically be associated with springtime, but more and more producers are shifting to get newborns on the ground earlier. Lambs and kids born in the first few months of the year have more time for growth and will be heavier at weaning – benefits for both the production and show sides of the industry.
Maximizing the benefits of earlier lambing and kidding means minimizing the impacts of cold weather stress on ewes and does, as well as newborn lambs and kids.
“Regardless of whether a producer is in Arizona or Michigan, taking a few extra steps to prepare ewes and does to lamb or kid earlier in the year will help them manage the impacts of colder weather on their animals,” says Dr. Clay Elliott, small ruminant nutritionist with Purina Animal Nutrition.
Elliot encourages producers to keep these winter tips in mind while preparing for lambing or kidding in colder temperatures.
Start with mineral
When thinking about winter feeding and manage-
ment, many people likely think of heat lamps, barn ventilation, warm bedding or other tried-and-true tips to help provide a smooth lambing or kidding experience in cold weather.
But, Elliott says one thing is more important – feeding a quality mineral.
“To me, mineral is absolutely the most important step,” says Elliott. “The last thing producers want to deal with in below-freezing temperatures is lambing or kidding issues. Feeding a quality mineral can help get babies on the ground with fewer issues.”
Cold temperatures mean ewes and does need to expend more energy to maintain normal body functions and regulate temperature.
Evaluating body condition score (BCS) before lambing and kidding can help ensure ewes and does have the proper amount of energy to keep themselves warm, recover from birth and tend to their newborns.
“I’m a firm believer ewes and does should have a BCS
of three or 3.5, at least, before lambing and kidding,” says Elliott. “If they have a little extra energy, they’ll be more durable and more prepared.”
One way to help ewes and does maintain body condition when lambing or kidding in colder temperatures is feeding more forage.
“When animals metabolize feed, the process creates heat, which can help keep them warm,” says Elliott.
“Hay or forage creates more heat than other feeds like corn or fats because animals must spend more time breaking down forages in the digestive system.”
The other side of the coin is water. Providing animals with fresh, clean water and frequently checking to ensure water sources aren’t frozen is essential to help with digestion.
“It’s a combination of forage and water that will help animals stay warmer,”
adds Elliott. Keep newborns warm and dry Newborn lambs and kids are tougher than one might realize. They can handle a lot and continue to thrive. One thing they can’t handle is not getting dry quickly enough after birth.
“Hypothermia is a big concern for newborn lambs and kids, no matter the temperature,” says Elliott. “Anytime newborns are wet and there’s a breeze, they
will get cold.”
If the ewe or doe isn’t drying off a newborn immediately after birth, producers may need to dry them off with a towel. Heat lamps can also be a good tool for newborns that do get cold or are born in extremely cold weather.
“The biggest thing is making sure lambs and kids get dry and start nursing so they can have a strong start,” says Elliott. “If those two things are covered, they can withstand a lot from that point on.”
With a few proactive nutrition and management steps, producers can capitalize on the benefits of earlier lambing and kidding while reducing the impacts of cold weather stress on their animals.
This article was provided by Purina Animal Nutrition LLC, a national organization serving producers, animal owners and their families, headquartered in Arden Hills, Minn. and a wholly owned subsidiary of Land O’Lakes, Inc. For more information, visit purinamills.com
According to the Daily Livestock Report, during the last week of December, pork cutout value was $88.84 per hundredweight (cwt), about two percent higher than the same week last year and nearly three percent above the prior week’s value of $86.33. Strength in the pork cut-
out value during the last week of the year came from higher week-over-week values in the loin, butt and ham.
The last week of December saw the loin primal value jump 5.2 percent from the prior week to $83.12 per cwt, the highest value in seven weeks. Primal values for the butt have
been on an upward trend since mid-November with the last week of December finishing at $111.41 per cwt, up 4.9 percent from the previous week and the highest value since midAugust.
The ham primal value had been on a downward trend over the past several
weeks. The last week of the year saw a two percent or $1.73 per cwt increase in the ham value to $86.72, which is still tracking well above last year and the five-year average.
The picnic primal value was lower to finish the year with the last week of 2022 down 5.3 percent or $4.63
per cwt from a week earlier to $83.38. Although the picnic value was down, it has been averaging over $82 per cwt since early September. During the same period last year, the picnic was on a downward trend with an average value of about $73 per cwt.
The rib and belly primal
values both posted weekover-week increases of 4.1 percent and 3.6 percent, respectively, to $119.82 and $99.41 per cwt. Compared to values from a year ago, the rib was down 22 percent and the belly was down 23.8 percent with both values below the fiveyear average.
8, Virashield 6 VL5 HB Somnus, wormed w/ Valbazen & poured w/ Clean-Up II. Gentle, high elevation heifers!!
Angel Angus – 15 Blk Ang Bred Heifers 1000#. Bred to Stevenson Rustler 00183 to start calving 3/15 for 60 days. Rec Virashield 6VL5 & poured w/Ivomec & Clean UP @ preg check. Summered @ 6500’. Fancy Angus Genetics!
Bryan Neely – 6 Blk Ang Bred Heifers 900-1000#. Bred to LBW Blk Ang & small % Hereford bulls to start calving February 20th for 60 days. Poured this fall.
BRED COWS
Griffin Hash Knife – 130 Blk, BWF, RWF 3-10 yr olds Bred Cows. Bred to Blk Ang bulls to start calving 3/1. Spring shot program Express 5 VL5 FP, wormed w/ Safe-Guard & poured. Year around mineral program. Complete Dispersion of Reputation, One Brand Genetics!! High desert range cows! 3F LLC – 125 BWF, RWF & small % Horned Hereford 4-ST Bred Cows. Bred to Blk Angus Bulls to calve March-April (pulled bulls 1st week of August). Complete Dispersion to be sold in two sales, the second ½ of the cows will be sold the 24th of January. Good quality, high desert cows, coming right off winter range! Martin Ranch – 90 Blk Ang & AngX ST Bred Cows.
Obsidian
(8 Bred Heifers, 10- 3 yr olds, 8- 5 yr olds, 8- 6-14 yr olds). Most were AI’d to Reg Blk Ang bulls in May & cleaned up w/ Obsidian Black Epic 762, Aviator 586, & Hoover Dam 382. These are not cull cows, Obsidian Angus is selling a select group of females to offer someone a great opportunity to enhance their herd. These cows are bred to be feed efficient, good disposition, stylish & wean calves @ 60% of the cows body weight. This is a proven high elevation herd!
For more information on AI Sires, Registration papers or any other questions feel free to call the office or Fred & Kay @ 307-868-2595 or 307-272-4911.
Schrock Farm – 33 Blk Ang & AngX Running Age Bred Cows. Bred to Blk Ang Bulls to calve March/April.
Jim Butterfield – 30 Blk Ang & AngX 8-10 yr old Bred Cows. Bred to Hangin F Blk Ang Bulls to calve FebMarch.
John & Sharon Bringolf – 8 Blk AngX ST Bred Cows. Bred to Blk Ang & Hereford bulls to start calving March 10th.
600#. Rec Bovishield One Shot & Ultrabac 7. Knife cut. Age & source verified - IMI Global. Weaned long time. 100% all natural. Sired by Diamond Peak & small % Colyer Hereford bulls. Green, very high quality!
Steve Mines – 180 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 500-600#. Rec Vista Once & Vision 8 w/Somnus @ branding & precon. Weaned 11-2. Poured w/ Clean-Up II on 12-7. No implants. Nice, high elevation, reputation calves!
Tim Tolton – 150 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 500625#. Rec Virashield 6 & 8 way @ branding & Nasalgen this fall. No implants. High elevation, hay fed & Green!
Jimmy & Tiffany Wiser - 135 Red Ang & Red AngX Strs & Hfrs 500-600#. Rec Vision 7 + Spur & Virashield 6 @ branding & weaning. May/June calves. Long time weaned. Hay fed. Nice one iron calves!
Jim Eaton - 130 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 550-625#. Rec Inforce 3 & Vison 7 @ Branding; Vista Once SQ, Vision 8 w/ Somnus & poured w/ Cleanup @ Weaning (11/10). Strictly hay fed, alfalfa/grass mix. Powerful high desert calves!
Linda Strock & Kenny Whitt – 100 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 525-625#. Comp vacc & multi min @ branding & weaning. 90 days weaned. Hay fed.
Fancy & high elevation!
Lee & Karen Wilkes – 80 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 600700#. Rec Vista Once SQ & Vision 7@ branding & Precon. Poured @ weaning. Hay fed & bunk broke. Nice set of one iron,
Burton Ranch - 500 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 500625#. Rec Vista Once SQ, Vision 7, Nasalgen 3 @ Branding & Weaning & wormed. 100% Blk Ang sired. High desert, green! Long time weaned. Fancy!
Dustin Eaton – 450 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 500-600#. Rec Nasalgen 3 & Vision CD&T @ branding. Rec Vista Once SQ, Vision 8 w/Somnus & poured w/ Clean Up II @ weaning 11-25. Free choice mineral program, No implants. High elevation calves!
Arapahoe Ranch – 200 Blk Ang & AngX Strs 500-
Ang bulls to start calving Feb 20th.
Burton Ranch – 60 Blk Ang & AngX 4-9 yr old Bred Cows. Bred to Blk Ang Bulls to start calving 3/1. Rec Virashield 6VL5 & poured @ preg check. High desert, nice cows!!
Ryan Hedges – 15 Blk & BWF (F1) 3-9 yr old Bred Cows. Bred to SO Ranch Blk Ang bulls & Hogg Sim/Ang bulls to calve March/April. Comp vacc & poured this fall. Complete mineral program. Coming right off winter pasture.