October 15 edition

U.S. Department of Labor finalizes new H-2A rules

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued new rules for hiring H-2A work ers, tightening housing and food standards to better pro tect agricultural workers. The new rules also update

the H-2A application and temporary labor certifica tion process. The final rule was published in the Fed eral Register on Oct. 12. and will become effective on Nov. 14.

“The department reiter ates in the rule that it does not have the legal author ity to allow H-2A workers to be hired for year-round labor,” says National Cat tlemen’s Beef Association

Executive Director of Gov ernmental Affairs Allison Rivera. “H-2A workers are restricted to seasonal jobs.”

“The H-2A program allows employers to address

Quick

WSGA Award

The Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA) is seeking nomina tions for the 2023 Environ mental Stewardship Award. The deadline for nominations has been extended to Oct. 31. Visit wysga.org/programs/ environmental-stewardshipprogram for more informa tion and to nominate.

USFS Survey

The U.S. Forest Ser vice (USFS) has undertaken a review of their Rangeland Management Program. As a step in this process, they are encouraging USFS graz ing permittees to complete a survey. The survey can be accessed at forms.office. com/Pages/ResponsePage. aspx?id=5zZb7e4BvE6 GfuA8-g1Gl9ojDZblBOd Ktdaiy8SJ-4pUQjhVQTZ DODFBNk9PTDZQUT

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Responses are due no later than Nov. 30.

Giving Day

Giving Day is an annual University of Wyo ming (UW) tradition spear headed by the UW Founda tion which raises thousands of dollars during the event for students and programs across campus. UW Giv ing Day will take place Oct. 19-20, in conjunction with homecoming. Matches and challenges will be available to double the impact of con tributions. Visit uwyo.edu/ givingday to donate.

Will Epperly

The World Livestock Auctioneer Champion Will Epperly will showcase his chant and call at two spe cial Red Angus Feeder Calf Certification Program (FCCP) sales. Epperly won the 58th annual WLAC competition in Shipshe wana, Ind., and is spending the year traveling the coun try sharing his talents. Val entine Livestock Auction in Valentine, Neb., will host Epperly at its Red Angus FCCP sale on Oct. 20. The following week, on Oct. 25, Epperly will cry the sale at Mobridge Livestock Mar ket in Mobridge, S.D.

Bootheel 7 livestock

UW hosts potato harvest

More than 10,000 pounds of potatoes from the second annual potato harvest at the James C. Hageman Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension Center (SAREC) are in distribution across the state via Food Bank of Wyoming.

The potato harvest is a partnership between two Univer sity of Wyoming (UW) Extension programs, SAREC and the Cent$ible Nutrition Program (CNP), along with Food Bank of Wyoming. The goal is to provide Wyoming-grown produce to families facing food insecurity.

CNP is a hands-on cooking, nutrition and physical activ ity program serving income-qualifying families across Wyo ming.

“The potato harvest is a natural partnership between CNP and UW Extension Agricultural Experiment Stations, like SAREC,” said CNP Director Mindy Meuli. “This is an incredible opportunity to connect locally grown food from SAREC to the families CNP serves in Wyoming.”

Fresh produce adds variety to the staples offered by food pantries but can be risky due to spoilage. Donating local pro duce helps mitigate this risk, and products like potatoes are especially desirable due to their long shelf life and hardiness during transport.

The 2022 potato harvest was made possible through the efforts of more than 30 volunteers who bagged potatoes in a SAREC field near Lingle on Sept. 24.

Volunteers included graduate students and faculty from the UW College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natu ral Resources; faculty and staff from UW Extension and SAREC; Master Gardeners; church youth groups; and

Wasserburger family awarded at annual conference

The Wasserburger family of Lusk accepted the 2022 Certified Angus Beef (CAB) Commercial Commitment to Excellence Award at the CAB’s Annual Conference Sept. 29 in Phoenix, Ariz. They earned the award for their herd’s impressive maternal and marbling scorecards.

“It means a lot to our family to win this award,” says

Convention season

State and national associations host events

Several state and national associations are gearing up for a season of meetings and conven tions throughout the state of Wyoming and the U.S. As fall work comes to a close, many producers and community and association members are planning to partake in this year’s con vention season.

Fall conventions

The Wyoming Water Association (WWA) Annual Meeting kicks off the con vention season this fall with an in-person meeting Oct. 17-19 in Laramie. Water professionals from through out the state will discuss current issues, share insights and brainstorm solutions for water resource challenges. This year’s theme is “Rei magining Our Water Supply and Meeting the Challenge of Scarcity.”

On Oct. 17, WWA will host a discussion on the status of drought in Wyo ming, insights from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and a discussion with WWA advi sors. WWA will focus on Wyoming and the Colorado River and funding opportu nities for water projects on Oct. 18, in addition to a vari ety of breakout sessions in

WOMEN IN AG

Glenrock native works to represent ag

Gay Lynn Byrd has had a passion for agriculture ever since she was a small child. She grew up on her family’s ranch outside of Glenrock. Her grandpar ents bought the ranch where she resides in 1939, and have mostly raised cattle, sheep and a few horses and goats over the years. Cattle and sheep are the basis of the operation.

After high school, Gay Lynn attended Montana State University and graduated with a degree in agriculture business. She always enjoyed being involved in ranching and the Western way of life. After graduat

ing college, she worked in Montana for a year before deciding to go back home.

Today, she continues to be heavily involved in her family’s ranch and serves on the Wyoming Game and Fish Commis sion (WGFC) as the District Seven appoin tee serving Converse, Natrona and Fre mont counties.

WGFC and WGFD

Gay Lynn’s appointment with the WGFC started in March of 2017. Since then, she has helped the commission estab lish the WYldlife Fund to help raise funds

Bootheel 7 Livestock – The Wasserburger family was recognized for their 2022 Commercial Commitment to Excellence Award at the Certified Angus Beef (CAB) Annual Conference in Phoenix, Ariz. on Sept. 29. Pictured left to right, back to front, JD Was serburger, Eric Wasserburger, Andrew Wasserburger, Anne Wasserburger, Laurie Wasserburger, Henry Wasserburger, Bonnie Wasserburger, Henry Wasserburger, Francis Wasserburger and Grace Wasserburger. CAB photo

I have written recently about rising cattle prices and the reasons why they seem to be staying positive, but in the arti cles and newscasts I’m seeing on the sub ject now, I get a little spooked. We all know how one terrible bit of news could ruin the good news. I’m trying not to be negative, but cautious.

I keep seeing reports of rising gas prices and input costs, and it makes me wonder if we’re gaining; but then I realize where we would be if beef prices and its demand were stagnant. So, I stop worrying about the unknown and look for better times.

At some point, producers are going to get moisture, higher prices and affordable inputs. I truly believe it, and you should too. We want the feeders to be involved on a positive track, also.

The beef market has really been positive the last couple of months. I’ve always figured a beef animal at any time is only worth so much, the question is who gets the biggest share, the producer, feeder or processor and retail seller.

As we all know, for the last few years, it was the pro cessor who had unbelievable profits. We’re not against the packers making money, we are just against cutting the pro ducer out of the process.

Rising cattle prices and declining wholesale beef prices have shrunk the record packer margins of the last couple years down to around $21 per head, a huge percent less.

But it doesn’t stop there, the feeders are seeing an aver age profit of $58 per head for the week ending Oct. 1, down around seven dollars per head from the previous week based on the average five-area steer prices of $145.25 per hundredweight. The breakeven for cattle placed on feed last week was up from the week before.

According to the Sterling Beef Profit Tracker, the aver age cost of feeding a steer to finish weight was 15 percent higher for cattle marketed last week.

According to CattleFax, fed cattle prices, less the drop credit, has moved from 48 percent to 53 percent of the spot Choice-Select blended cutout since the first of August. As a result, packing margins have declined by over $200 dur ing that period and are now below $100 per head for the first time since pre-pandemic.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported supply on feed over 150 days on Sept. 1 was the second largest on record for the month. CattleFax reported the more days on feed are largely a function of lighter weight, droughtforced placements.

CattleFax estimated pre-pandemic packer capacity at roughly 98,000 head per day. The packer has not only shown capacity for larger harvest levels, but willingness to utilize it.

Here we are. Large demand, especially for Prime and the upper two-thirds Choice product, along with reduced cattle grading percentages has also resulted in a packer active in the market, especially in the Northern regions. Some say these prices and demands will continue to rise steady into 2023 and beyond.

The future looks good to take advantage of those prices, especially for quality cattle with good genetics and a good reputation.

Sustainability has always been a central component of cattle production in the U.S. Multigenerational farms and ranches across the country pass on knowledge and management practices ensuring successful businesses rely on the health of our natural resources.

Cattle farmers and ranchers work tire lessly to protect the land, water and air resources in their care.

Through countless improve ments in genetics, grazing manage ment, manure handling and the adop tion of many other technologies, sus tainability remains at the core of our industry.

It’s easy to consider the three legs of sustainability – environmental stew ardship, economic viability and social duty – without considering their rela tion to each other, especially when developing policy. But, the pillars of

By Colin Woodall

Addressing our global concerns in the spotlight of the Sept. 23 United Nations Food Systems Summit – food security, nutrition and climate change, require a holistic, integrated approach. Cattle production in the U.S. can play a central role to addressing these world wide issues if farmers and ranchers have the freedom and resources to implement innovative solutions.

a sustainable farm, supply chain or global food system cannot be consid ered in silos.

This year, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) solidified U.S. cattle producers’ commitment to environmental, economic and social sustainability with the announcement of U.S. cattle industry sustainabil ity goals. By setting goals, the cattle industry is publicly committing to con tinuous improvement and setting tar gets allowing us to measure and docu ment those efforts.

Colin Woodall

Beef industry misrepresented

On Oct. 11, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) denounced Google’s decision to bias consumers against beef through their new sustainability search feature providing inaccurate climate information on cattle production.

“Google is using its billions of dollars of resources to target cattle producers and ignore the science demonstrating beef’s sustainability and value to the environment,” said NCBA Pres ident Don Schiefelbein, a Minnesota cattle producer. “Cattle producers have a demonstrated record of continuous improve ment, which has led to the U.S. recording the lowest global greenhouse gas emissions from beef while contributing to food security for the world.”

Livestock plays an important role in protecting open spaces and account for only a very small portion of greenhouse gas emissions. Eliminating all livestock in the U.S. and removing beef from the diet would only reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 0.36 percent globally. NCBA is urging Google to consider the science of beef production before making this new feature widely available.

WWPC partners with IMAGINE

Wyoming Weed and Pest Council (WWPC) is partner ing with Institute of Managing Annual Grasses Invading Natural Ecosystems (IMAGINE) for research and manage ment of annual grasses.

For over a century, cheatgrass has plagued native wild life across the Western U.S. The invasive weed poses many threats; the most concerning is it fuels wildfires. And, unfor tunately, Wyoming is not immune to the weed’s spread.

According to IMAGINE, cheatgrass impacts all 23 counties in Wyoming. There are an estimated 20 million acres with more than 10 percent of annual grasses, includ ing cheatgrass. This is about two million acres of only annual grass in the state.

Invasive annual grasses, such as cheatgrass, are detri mental to native plants and wildlife. Cheatgrass provides fine dry fuels which increase fire frequency and severity. It also decreases forage quantity and quality for livestock and wildlife, alters habitat, changes soil health and decreases biodiversity.

To combat the growing problem, IMAGINE was cre ated in 2020 to foster a collaborative, statewide approach to managing annual grasses in the Cowboy State. The organi zation partners with the WWPC, among others, to research the best treatment options for controlling annual grasses.

The public can help defend against invasive weeds by implementing PlayCleanGo in their adventures. Make sure to clean equipment, shoes, clothes and vehicles before leav ing an area with annual grasses.

IMAGINE also hosts workshops and summits geared towards public education. To learn more about IMAGINE and upcoming events, visit wyagresearch.org/imagine/

For information about WWPC, visit wyoweed.org, Facebook and Twitter.

BLM announces leases

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has announced a new round of federal oil and gas leases, but they come at a price, leaving Wyoming producers wondering if they can still make a profit.

“It’s going to be very difficult. I mean, the federal govern ment clearly has a bias against federal oil and gas,” said Ran dall Luthi, chief energy advisor for Gov. Mark Gordon.

The Inflation Reduction Act, which was passed in August, increases the minimum bid for federal leases by 500 percent per acre. The act also increases minimum rent rates as well as royalties.

While environmental groups are supportive of many of the oil and gas policies coming out of the Biden administration, industry officials say the administration’s hostility is making it more difficult to operate in Wyoming.

Economists Stephen Moore and Casey Mulligan did an analysis on the impact of Biden’s policies on oil and gas pro duction compared to where production would be under former President Donald Trump’s policies.

“The U.S. would be producing between two and three mil lion more barrels of oil a day and between 20 and 25 more bil lion cubic feet of natural gas under the Trump administration’s policies. This translates into an economic loss, or tax on the American economy, of roughly $100 billion a year,” the econ omists wrote in their report.

Gillette-based M&K Oil Co. LLC CEO Nathan McLeland said things have grown considerably more difficult since Biden took office. The company bid on some leases at the end of the Trump administration, and they still haven’t been issued.

“That’s a challenge. We have a lot of federal lands in Wyo ming,” McLeland said.

The Biden administration has not issued a single lease since the third quarter of 2020. The BLM is offering 209 par cels totaling 251,086 acres in the proposed Wyoming sale, which goes through a 30-day scoping period for the BLM to gather public comment on the sale.

BLM convicts individuals

The combined efforts of the Bureau of Land Man agement (BLM) Wyoming, North Wind Construction Services and the Hot Springs County Sherriff’s Office led to the conviction of two individuals charged with felony depredation of federal lands.

In March of 2018, Hot Springs County Sheriff’s Office discovered two individuals planning to burn eth ylene propylene diene rubber cable, a system of power cables used to run electric submersible pumps in the oil and gas industry, on public lands within the Gebo Min ing District near Thermopolis.

Both individuals told the BLM they intended to melt down the cables to extract copper and lead which would then be sold. Following further investigation, the BLM and North Wind Construction Services determined the pair had previously burned wire on the site and it would require extensive cleanup. Wire burning poses numer ous risks related to unlawful hazardous waste disposal on public lands.

The Gebo wire-burn investigation resulted in two separate charges and restitution costs totaling roughly $82,000. Both suspects were found guilty of depreda tion of federal lands and face three years of probation in addition to the aforementioned restitution which was divided equally between them. The case serves a strong reminder to other members of the public that the law still applies on public lands.

WBC meeting set

The Wyoming Beef Council (WBC) will meet in River ton Oct. 20 to review the annual financial audit conducted by McGee, Hearne & Paiz, LLP. In addition, members will review the audits of the federal checkoff’s two largest con tractors: National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and U.S. Meat Export Federation. Other agenda items include a review of compliance requirements and consideration of a national beef promotion partnership with Walmart.

The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. on Oct. 20 at the Riverton Holiday Inn and Convention Center; 900 East Sunset Drive. For a copy of the agenda, contact WBC Executive Director Ann Wittmann at ann.wittmann@wyo.gov or 307-777-6399.

NCBA supports NPPC

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA)

support for

Oct. 11 following Supreme Court oral argu

National Pork Producer’s Coun cil (NPPC)

“NCBA strongly supports economic freedom for all livestock producers to sell their high-quality protein from coast to coast, and we join NPPC in urging the Supreme Court to reject unconstitutional mandates on agricultural production,” said NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane.

Earlier this year, NCBA filed an amicus brief before the court arguing California’s mandates on livestock production methods violated the dormant commerce clause of the Con stitution. Opening the door to state-level mandates creates a patchwork of rules unreasonably restricting cattle produc ers’ ability to conduct business across state lines.

BRIEFS

Espy receives award

Carbon County Commissioner John Espy is the 2022 recipient of the Wyoming County Commissioners Associ ation (WCCA) Riding for the Brand award, presented dur ing the 2022 WCCA Fall Meeting. The WCCA Riding for the Brand award is presented to a WCCA member who has gone above and beyond for their county, the WCCA and the state of Wyoming.

Espy was honored by his peers, the other 92 county commissioners in Wyoming, for his hard work and dedica tion to improving the lives of Carbon County residents and the state of Wyoming.

“Commissioner Espy represents his community and Wyoming unselfishly and with distinction,” said WCCA President and Converse County Commissioner Jim Willox during the awards ceremony. “I am proud of John’s accom plishments, his dedicated and professional service beyond our association, in particular his commitment in addressing natural resource issues, strengthening rural economic devel opment and preservation of our Western lifestyle.”

Espy is in his 10th year as a Carbon County commis sioner. He is currently chairman of the WCCA Agriculture, Water, State and Public Lands Committee, a member of the Bureau of Land Management’s Resource Advisory Council and the Wyoming Sage Grouse Implementation Team.

Further, Espy was recently elected the National Asso ciation of Counties Western Interstate Region first vice president to advocate for public policy issues affecting Western states.

CSU announces upgrade

Colorado State University (CSU) has announced plans for a $278 million upgrade and expansion of its current veterinary medicine and education facilities housed on the South Campus of CSU, in support of com prehensive, forward-thinking updates to the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine curriculum and cutting-edge clini cal research activities.

CSU’s Board of Governors approved the program plan for the veterinary health complex at its Oct. 6-7 meeting in Fort Collins, Colo. A financial review is still pending, and the board would still have to approve a financing plan for the project to move forward.

The CSU Doctor of Veterinary of Medicine curricu lum renewal, planned for full rollout in the fall of 2026, will educate “day one-ready” veterinarians with unparal leled medical training as well as robust skills in problemsolving, conflict resolution, decision-making and mental, physical and financial well-being. New, renovated facili ties will allow the college to implement this progressive new curriculum while enlarging class sizes and continu ing to meet societal demands for highly skilled veterinar ians in an increasingly broad array of roles.

Livestock and tertiary care facilities will also be modernized, and clinical trials facilities will be expanded to serve CSU’s leadership in clinical and translational studies in advancing animal and human health.

Bulls You Can Count On

BULL

After 18 years of Dr. Tim Holt PAP testing our bulls, we are confident that any bull coming out of our program, with a PAP score of 42, or less, can be taken to any ranch with a low risk of developing High Mountain Disease.

BUY OUR BULLS WITH CONFIDENCE IN KNOWING THE RISK FOR HMD CAN BE REDUCED.

Registered Angus and SimAngus Bulls Select Group of Commercial Angus Bred Heifers

• Strict Sire Selection Pressure on PAP, Longevity, and Maternal Strengths.

• Focus Centered around Generational PAP Tested Cattle backed by Proven Cow Families.

• Performance based program, measuring: birth, weaning and yearling weights, PAP scores, AngusGS DNA scores and phenotype.

• Large Contemporary Groups - We take contemporary groups seriously, and you can be certain if a bull excels here, it’s because he earned that distinction.

• Long-Yearling Age Advantaged Bulls fed a High Roughage Diet - Developed to last.

• Fertility tested and backed by a First Season Breeding Guarantee.

• Wintering Program and Delivery Options Available.

Wolf attacks reported

Ranchers in another Colorado town say they’re preparing for more wolf attacks while state wildlife officials investigate the killings of 18 calves south of Meeker, Colo., possibly from the state’s newest pack.

Lenny Klinglesmith confirmed his calves had been killed, and he wants his neighbors to be aware of the attacks so they could “reduce risk to their livestock.”

His calves were killed across several miles of White River National Forest lands over a period of about two weeks, Colo rado Parks and Wildlife Spokesman Travis Duncan said. Their deaths bore signs of a wolf attack, though wildlife officials have yet to confirm the detail.

If wolves did kill the calves, Duncan said this likely means a second, and as of yet unconfirmed, pack is living in Colorado. The site of the killings sits a considerable distance away from North Park, Colo., where the state’s only confirmed pack lives.

Any wolves currently living in Colorado migrated there naturally. State officials have not yet reintroduced any gray wolves and instead are studying how best to handle the predators.

State officials, like ranchers in North Park, Colo., and now those near Meeker, Colo., understand wolf attacks on livestock are an inevitability. The state will reimburse ranchers for lost livestock, but some producers are also asking for stronger pro tections or even the ability to kill wolves attacking their animals.

Ranchers aren’t currently allowed to harm the wolves unless they’re in imminent danger because the animals are a federally protected species.

To date, Colorado’s only confirmed wolf pack near Walden, Colo. has killed at least five cows and two dogs. Ranchers in the area voiced concerns against the attacks, arguing state wild life officials weren’t prepared to protect their animals or busi nesses from the predators.

UW Extension recognized

University of Wyoming (UW) Extension administra tive professionals in Fremont and Albany Counties earned recognition for their exceptional service and impact. Awards were presented Sept 15. at UW Extension’s annual administrative training conference in Gillette.

The 2019 recipient of UW Extension’s Bright Future Award has now achieved the organization’s top admin istrative staff honor, Administrative Professional of the Year. Fremont County Extension Office Manager Rachel Fisk has been a member of the Fremont County Extension team for almost seven years.

Her work ethic and unwavering dedication are key to the success of annual extension programs, including Fre mont County Farm and Ranch Days, the Lander Valley Garden Expo, Master Gardeners program and the Fremont County Fair.

In 2020, Fisk made it her mission to ensure 4-H shoot ing sports activities remained available to Lander youth, and she also oversaw weekly practices after work and helped facilitate contests.

This year’s Bright Future Award recipient is Sarah Gonzalez of Albany County.

Albany County Extension staff agree their team and office would not be as fun, enjoyable or positive without Gonzalez’s cheerful smile and willingness to help others.

Gonzalez consistently goes above and beyond her assigned job duties, coworkers note. From unloading 4-H trailers to preparing for the county fair and testing reci pes for Extension’s new high-altitude cookbook, Gonza lez always pitches in.

Rail strike may affect U.S.

A labor strike along U.S. railroads is still a possibility after the third-largest railroad union rejected a tentative labor agree ment recently. The agreement had the support of the White House, but without all unions voting in favor of the agreement, a labor strike could still occur in mid-November.

Union leaders are arguing the railroads didn’t do enough to address worker concerns, largely surrounding working condi tions and paid time off. Now, both sides will need to return to the bargaining table to avoid a possible strike once again.

The last close call happened just before the Sept. 16 dead line, when a last-minute tentative agreement was struck, pre venting a rail strike from taking place on the same date. Now, those labor conversations are back on as the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division Union (BMWED) opposed a potential five-year contract including a 24 percent raise in wages, as well as $5,000 in bonuses.

“The majority of the BMWED membership rejected the tentative national agreement, and we recognize and understand the result,” said BMWED President Tony D. Cardwell. “I trust the railroad management understands the sentiment as well. Railroaders are discouraged and upset with working conditions and compensation and hold their employer in low regard. Rail roaders do not feel valued. They resent the fact management holds no regard for their quality of life, illustrated by their stub born reluctance to provide a higher quantity of paid time off, especially for sickness. The result of this vote indicates there is a lot of work to do to establish goodwill and improve the morale which has been broken by the railroads’ executives and Wall Street hedge fund managers.”

the afternoon. A variety of topics will be discussed on Oct. 19, including the WWA business meeting. For more information on the event, visit wyomingwater.org

The Wyoming Section of the Society for Range Man agement (SRM) will again host their fall meeting themed “Change on the Range” at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody on Oct. 19-21. For more information, visit wyomin grangelands.org

The Wyoming Weed and Pest Council (WWPC) will host their Annual Fall Conference and Business Meeting at the Hol iday Inn Cody – Buffalo Bill Village Nov. 1-3. This conference will host a series of educational and breakout sessions, commit tee work and business meetings.

The WWPC Annual Fall Conference’s schedule is jampacked with several presenters and an awards banquet on Nov. 2. For more information, visit wyoweed.org

In mid-November, the 29th Annual Wyoming Women in Ag Symposium will be held Nov. 17-18 in Riverton. The confer ence is a great way to stay informed on latest farming and ranch ing updates, as well as participate in tours of local operations. For more information, visit wywomeninag.org

The Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation’s (WyFB) 103rd Annual Meeting will be held in Casper Nov. 10-12. The theme for this meeting is “Our Agriculture. Our Future.” Pre-registra tion forms are available until Oct. 31. The meeting will begin on Nov. 10 with a speaker series for members to kick off the annual meeting festivities. The series will feature farmers, ranchers and University of Wyoming professors presenting their latest agri cultural technology information. The day will conclude with standing committee meetings, a WyFB Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) Collegiate Discussion Meet and trivia night.

General and business sessions of the WyFB will follow on Nov. 12, and conclude with a banquet, awards and foundation auction and entertainment by Tris Munsick. The WyFB Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) will host their 19th Annual Har vest for All fundraiser during the meeting to benefit the Wyo ming Food Bank of the Rockies. For more information, visit wyfb.org

Winter conventions

The Wyoming Natural Resource Rendezvous will be taking place Dec. 5-8 at the Casper Ramkota Hotel. The event, held in conjunction every five years, is courtesy of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, Wyoming Association of Conservation Districts and Wyoming Wool Growers Association. Hundreds of producers and natural resource users from across the state will meet to hear industry updates, association updates, banquets and a silent auction. Pre-registration deadline is Nov. 30. For more information, visit wysga.org

The WyFB YF&R 2023 Conference will be held in Pine dale Jan. 20-21. This year’s theme is “Building Our Future.” For more information on upcoming and future events or to register, visit wyfb.org or call 307-532-2002.

National conventions

The American Angus Convention will take place in Salt Lake City, Utah Nov. 4-7. The event will include a trade show, general sessions, awards and dinner. For more information, visit angusconvention.com

The Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Convention will be held at the DoubleTree Hotel in Greeley, Colo. Nov. 18-19. Reg istration is open through Oct. 31. For more information, visit rmfu.org

The American Farm Bureau 2023 Convention will be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico Jan. 6-11. For more information on this event, visit annualconvention.fb.org

The 2022 American Sheep Industry Annual Convention will be held Jan. 18-21 in Fort Worth, Texas. For more information, visit sheepusa.org

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association will host their con vention and trade show in New Orleans, La. Feb. 1-3. More information is available at convention.ncba.org

To round out convention season before the spring of 2023, the Society for Range Management Annual Meeting will be held in Boise, Idaho. This meeting will take place Feb. 12-16. For more information, visit rangelands.org

For more information on upcoming events, visit the calen dar on page 18 or at wylr.net. Keep an eye out for coverage of these conventions in upcoming editions of the Wyoming Live stock Roundup

Brittany Gunn is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments and events and conventions not listed to roundup@wylr.net.

WEDNESDAY,

Home Raised at 7500’, Red Angus Sired: Premier, Allegiance, Epic, Pinnacle and Gold Mine

Laray Owens & Sarah Hill 70 Red Angus Strs & Hfrs, 525#, Branding Shots, Steers are Knife Cut, No Antibiotics

North Casper Creek Livestock 56 Red Angus Strs & Hfrs, 475-500#, Branding Shots, Producer Verified All Natural

Lawrence & Rhonda Burke 34 Red Angus Strs & Hfrs, 450-500#, Branding & Precond Shots, FCCP Red Angus Tagged, Producer All Natural

LONGHORN SECTION

McIntosh Ranch/Ellen Fox 125 Longhorn Strs & Hfrs, 175-385, Branding Shots, All Natural, Home Raised

Robert McCauley 12 Longhorn Bull and Hfr Calves, 300-400#, Branding Shots, Out of a Registered Herd

PRE-COND. CALVES

Pennington & Hall 235 Blk/Bwf Strs & Hfrs, 450-550#, Branding & Precond Shots

Peterson Livestock LLC 247 Blk Angus Strs & Hfrs, 300-450#, Branding & Precond Shots

Beeler/Flakus

Livestock Co. 100 Blk/Bwf Strs & Hfrs, 475-575#, Birth, Branding, Precond & Booster Shots, No Replacements Kept

Robert Clausen 75 Blk Strs, 500-525#, Branding & Precond Shots

Steve McNamee 53 Blk/Bwf Strs & Hfrs, 500-600#, Branding & Precond Shots

CALVES

Andrew Kortes & Sons 150 Hereford/Angus-x Strs & Hfrs, 400-440#, Branding Shots, Summered at 6000 to 8000’

Rona Bruegger 100 Blk Strs & Hfrs, 500#, Branding Shots, Producers All Natural

Francis Blatnick 75 Mx Strs & Hfrs, 500#, Branding Shots

Charles Herbst 65 Blk/Rd Strs & Hfrs, 500#, Branding Shots, Home Raised, Coming out of a Closed Herd

Susie & Danny Tadewald 60 Angus-Angus-x Bull & Hfr Calves, 400-500#, Branding Shots

Bert Hammond 40 Blk Strs & Hfrs, 625-650#, Branding Shots

Doug Swazen 40 Blk Strs & Hfrs, 625-650#, Branding Shots

MONDAY, OCTOBER

88 Ranch Land & Livestock 280 Blk Strs & Hfrs, 480-525#, Branding Shots, Producer Verified All Natural

Vowers Ranch 175 Hereford, few Red Strs & Hfrs, 450-500#, Branding & Precond Shots

Hiser Ranches 160 Mostly Blk/Bwf Strs & Hfrs, 420-490#, Branding & Precond Shots, High Elevation

Belton Livestock/Jake Massey 160 Blk/Bwf few Red Strs & Hfrs, 525-550#, Branding Shots, High Altitude, Producer All Natural Utopia Livestock 160 Mostly Blk/Bwf Strs & Hfrs, 550#, Branding & Precond Shots

Oak Leaf Ranch 115 Mxd Strs & Hfrs, 450-550#, Branding & Precond Shots

JoAnn Jordan/Mke Keener/Cheri Morrison 111 Blk/Bwf Strs & Hfrs, 400-700#, Branding & Pre-cond. Shots

Bruchez & Sons LLC 100 Blk/Rd Strs & Hfrs, 450-600#, Branding & Precond Shots, High Elevation, Sired by Leachman Composite Bulls

Jimmy Johnson & Family 98 Blk/Bwf (2 Rd) Strs & Hfrs, 400-600#, Birth, Branding & Precond Shots

OMR Ranch/Mitch Benson 96 Blk Strs & Hfrs, 450-550#, Blk Angus, Branding & Precond Shots, Sired by Registered Angel Angus Bulls

Ken Johnston 85 Blk Strs & Hfrs, 545#, Branding & Precond Shots

Scott Hornbuckle 80 Blk Angus Strs & Hfrs, 500#, Branding Shots

Rabe Livestock 80 Mx Strs & Hfrs, 450-625#, Branding & Precond Shots

Crompton Livestock 76 Blk, few Bwf Strs & Hfrs, 450-550#, Branding Shots: 8-way, No Implants, Home Raised

Dennis & Dan Vetter 75 Blk Strs & Hfrs, 480-525#, Branding & Precond. Shots

Thomas Martinez 68 Blk/Rd Angus Strs & Hfrs, 500-550#, Birth, Branding & Precond Shots

Berry Family Trust/Chuck & Kayle Berry 65 Blk/Bwf Strs, 475-550#, Branding & Precond Shots Brian & Kit McCollum 60 Blk/Rwf Strs & Hfrs, 500-700#, Weaned 45 days, Bunk Broke, Been on Grass Hay, 3 Rounds of Shots Mike Stephens 60 Blk/Bwf Strs & Hfrs, 600-675#, Branding & Precond Shots

Trace Lewis 40 Blk Strs & Hfrs, 500#, Weaned for 30 days, Bunk Broke, Hay Fed, Branding & Precond Shots Withers Livestock 29 Blk/Bwf Strs & Hfrs, 380-420#, Branding & Precond Shots, Sired by Jorgenson Bulls and 6666 Bred Cows Douglas Moore 24 Red Shorthorn Strs & Hfrs, 383-477#, Branding Precond. Shots

Dave & Rose Kile 20 Mx Strs, 575#, Weaned 45 days, Been on Hay and Cake, Branding & Precond Shots Cari Covolo 18 Red Shorthorn Strs & Hfrs, 380-415#, Branding & Precond Shots Cody Moore 12 Red Shorthorn Strs & Hfrs, 383-477#, Branding & Precond Shots

SALE RESULTS -CALF SPECIAL

MONDAY, OCTOBER 10 - 3682 HEAD

James Atkinson 18 Black Steer Calf 370 257.00C

Dean Finnerty 5 Black Steer Calf 382 248.00C

88 Ranch Land 34 Bk Str Cf All Natural 405 234.00C

Joe Netz 12 Blk Str Cf Precond 430 230.00C

Garson Ranch 74 Blk Str Cf Precond 439 225.50C

Dean Finnerty 18 Black Steer Calf 469 224.00C

Joe Netz 54 Blk Str Cf Precond 500 223.00C

Thomas Mikesell 9 Blk Str Cf Precond 515 220.00C

Fred Acheson 9 Blk Str Cf Precond 534 216.00C

Slow & Easy Ranch 48 Black

David Cushman

Bar

Garson

Joe

Luke Wiedman

Dean Finnerty

Joe Netz

Maime

SALE RESULTS -YRLGS & CALVES

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12 - 3842 HD

Todd Berry 68 Black Str 653 190.00C

Tracy Terrell 10 Black Str 696 183.00C

Barlow Livestock

Ackerson & Kremers

Dockery Ranch

Bugas Ranch

Barlow Livestock

Jim Morrison

Darrell Stoll

Terry Weitzel

Graves Ranch

Big Creek Ranch

Smokey Rasmussen

Slash Mill

Terry Weitzel

Bugas

F

Bugas

FKW

Jim Morrison

Red

Black

Black

Black

Black

Black

Black

Black

Natural 749 180.00C

768 191.00C

786 188.00C

791 188.00C

Natural 825 178.50C

836 180.50C

861 183.50C

Natural 873 184.50C

Natural 894 173.50C

172.50C

174.50C

175.00C

182.00C

179.50C

173.50C

177.00C

175.00C

If we were in a room full of people at this very moment, I’d ask for a show of hands on the fol lowing questions.

How many of you feel as if you’re in a “good” marriage? Out of those people, who agrees with their spouse 50 percent of the time? How about 75 percent of the time? And, what about 100 percent?

How many of you have the exact same opin ion as your spouse on every single subject, even the little things like what

color you think the bath room should be painted?

By the end of the exer cise, I’d be hard pressed to find a hand in the air. You know why? Because even when we love some one and get along great with them, it’s nearly impossible to be on the same page about every little thing out there.

So, if we have a dis agreement with our spouses, although we may be reluctant at first, the way to move past it is by compromise. This would

lead me to the next ques tion I’d poll the group on.

Have you ever had to compromise on some thing with your spouse? Hopefully, at least a few hands would go up on this one.

A compromise, as defined by dictionary.com, is “an agreement or a set tlement of a dispute which is reached by each side making concessions.”

In other words, one party gives a little, the other party gives a little.

Small compromises are something we see every day: picking a place to eat when on a road trip; deciding on a movie the whole family enjoys; agreeing to clean the kitchen while your husband cleans the garage so you can spend the rest of the day binging college football without a care in the world.

Compromise is all

around us, but do we always like it? The short answer is no.

Somewhere along the way, I was in a class where we learned about compromise. I remember our textbook categorized a compromise as a “winwin.” However, this is often not the case.

See, a common phrase we always hear about compromise is, “Well, is it a real compromise if both parties feel like they lost?”

We see this a lot in pol itics. The left will draft a bill the right doesn’t com pletely agree with and so they’ll make amendments and before you know it, the bill has just as much in it for the right as it does the left.

Currently, this isn’t happening much, but somewhere down the line I feel like it will, or I guess, I have to believe it

increases grassland carbon storage potential.

will in order to not make my head spin. So, how does ag fit into this?

In a perfect world, agriculturists and antiags would see eye to eye on every single mat ter facing the food sys tem. However, the world is not perfect, the anti-ag movement keeps getting bigger and stronger, and we in agriculture can’t even agree on whether or not genetically mod ified organisms are bad for us nor respect those who raise animals under an “organic” label.

I hate to say it, but we in agriculture are no bet ter than the pesky “gov ernment” we spend our family dinners stewing over.

I started this column wanting to talk about how important it is to find com mon ground with anti-ags and hope for a compro mise. How can we find

common ground with our “enemy” if we can’t find it amongst ourselves?

The time is now, agriculturists, to come together. We have got to start working together and not against each other. We have got to put our dif ferences aside and work with our “only organic, pasture raised, global ani mal partnership certified” neighbor who thinks our antibiotic feed additives are poison.

We have got to spend our time working as a uni fied front and stop wasting our efforts on piddly little disagreements amongst ourselves. We have got to do this, because the antiags already are. Heck, it’s why their movement is growing so quickly.

We have got to, and I mean got to, set our sights on a common enemy to see real change in agriculture.

Beef producers in the U.S. are already the global leader in sustainable beef production. In fact, beef cattle only account for two percent of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the U.S., according to the Environ mental Protection Agency. Since 1996, the U.S. has had the lowest GHG emis sions of any beef supply chain in the world.

The goals for the U.S. cattle industry include: demonstrate climate neu trality of U.S. cattle pro duction by 2040; create and enhance opportuni ties resulting in a quanti fiable increase in producer

profitability and economic sustainability by 2025; enhance trust in cattle producers as responsible stewards of their animals and resources by expand ing educational opportu nities in animal care and handling programs to further improve animal well-being; and continu ously improve our indus try’s workforce safety and well-being.

The U.S. beef sup ply chain is well on its way to achieving its cli mate neutrality goal, hav ing reduced emissions per pound of beef by more than 40 percent since

1961. But closing the gap will require access to the most accurate and up-todate science, while simul taneously ensuring the management and conser vation of our grasslands is economically viable for landowners.

In many states across the country, ranchers are the last line of defense against eager developers. With every new parking lot and building, we lose valuable grass, trees and soil which store carbon. Ruminant grazing is not only a necessary income stream for families across rural America, but it also

Austin Snook • 307-290-2161

Taylor Snook • 307-290-2273

Craig Deveraux • 307-746-5690

Dan Catlin • 406-671-7715

Economic viability of farms and ranches and the preservation of nature and greenspace truly go handin-hand. We can’t achieve climate neutrality if cat tle ranching is not an eco nomically viable enter prise. Our economic sus tainability goal seeks to ensure all cattle producers can participate in a favor able business climate.

Farms and ranches are businesses, and cattle pro ducers cannot afford to see their operations choked out by burdensome reg ulations and tax policies harming the generational transfer of these family businesses. If the work of Congress and this admin

Clint Snook • 307-290-4000

Cheyenne Seymour • 605-641-0638

Casey Sellers • 307-217-2614

Jim Forbes • 307-351-5932

istration harm the finan cial sustainability of farms and ranches, we lose vital grasslands and any prog ress made by the industry is moot.

Cattle producers’ pri ority – the foundation of their operations – is the health and well-being of the animals in their care. NCBA’s ongoing commit ment to ensuring the high est standards of animal care is the foundation of our formalized social sus tainability goal.

The Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) pro gram’s guidelines, in combination with expe rience and environmentspecific needs, help farm ers and ranchers ensure animal welfare through daily husbandry and ani mal care. As we consider

the long-term sustainabil ity of global livestock pro duction, BQA can pro vide a blueprint for pro ducer education and qual ity assurance.

The shared story of U.S. cattle farmers and ranchers is one of per petual innovation and improvement. Cattle are key to preserving land, sequestering carbon, mit igating drought and wild fires and providing wild life habitat. With these goals in mind, U.S. cat tle production is a holistic and sustainable solution to the food system issues at top of mind around the globe.

Colin Woodall is the CEO of the National Cat tlemen’s Beef Association. For more information, visit ncba.org

Income tax rules to

Many livestock produc ers in the West this year have been adversely affected by drought and had to sell part of their herd. Without ade quate feed and with higher feed costs, rather than going into debt to buy additional feed, they chose to sell more cows than usual or sell calves at a younger age and lower weight to ease grazing pres sure on pastures. Those pro ducers wonder how to treat the extra income at tax time.

Oklahoma State Uni versity Extension Income Tax Specialist JC Hobbs has been advising tax preparers, farmers and ranchers for 20 years.

“I work with cow/calf producers, stocker opera tions and crop farmers,” he says.

Tax rules

“There are two sets of income tax rules for weatherrelated sales of livestock due to drought, flood, hurricane, tornado, etc. Perhaps we had too much rain and crops were lost and there’s less forage, or not enough rain and pastures suffered,” says Hobbs.

“One rule applies to all livestock other than poul try; it includes any breed ing, dairy, draft, market ani mals, etc. which were sold in excess of the number of animals which would nor mally have been sold if the adverse weather condi

tions had never occurred,” he explains. “In order for this provision to be used, it requires the county or region to receive a federal disaster declaration. The extra ani mals sold this year, by cat egory (cows versus calves, etc.) are then compared to the average number of ani mals sold during the prior three years. Those years are what we call the ‘normal or average’ years.”

Due to the drought, flood or other condition, the pro ducer sold more animals than the normal or average number.

“A producer can post pone reporting the income from the extra animals sold by electing to report the income on the tax return for the year the animals would have normally been sold to avoid the bunching of income in the current year,” he explains.

“For example, if a pro ducer sold more calves this year than they normally would have put on pasture and sold in the following year, this rule would apply. They didn’t have the pas ture, so they sold them early, or they sold all their replace ment heifers this year instead of keeping them to add into the herd,” says Hobbs.

In these situations, pro ducers can elect to roll the excess income into the fol lowing year. If they sell

after selling livestock due to weather-related events

more animals in 2022, they will more than likely have less income in 2023, due to the fact they won’t have those animals, so they pay tax at a lower rate on the excess income if it is moved into 2023, notes Hobbs.

Other considerations

In addition, other tax rules allow a producer to later replace the ani mals sold. This rule strictly applies to breeding, dairy and draft animals sold in excess of normal to severe, extreme or exceptional drought conditions or other weather-related conditions which resulted in the sale of the animals. Should this occur, the producer can post pone reporting the income from the excess animals sold on this year’s tax return and elect to replace the sale pro ceeds in like-use replace ment animals within two years after the sale occurred.

“When looking at excess sales of breeding livestock – cows, bulls, replacement heifers, etc., producers would look at the previous three years (and their normal culling rate), and if this year due to the drought they sold more than normal, this rule could apply,” says Hobbs. “Let’s say someone has 100 cows and normally culls 20 percent (20 cows), this year (2022), due to the drought, they culled harder and maybe culled 35 cows. The

number of cows in excess of normal (an additional 15 cows) are what would qual ify for the postponed income reporting.”

On the 2022 tax return, producers can elect to replace those cows and as long as the repurchase occurs by Dec. 31, 2024, they do not have to report the income on the 2022 tax return, he mentions.

“Let’s say producers sold the extra 15 cows due to the drought for $15,000. They don’t have to buy back 15 cows; they have to buy back $15,000 worth of cows. If they are sell ing due to drought, the price may be depressed, and when they buy cows back at mar ket price the next year, they may cost more. We don’t buy back head-for head; we buy back the dollar worth,” he says.

A person has two years to buy them back after the drought ends. However, if the county receives a fed eral disaster declaration, the amount of time to replace is extended to four years.

“If, for some reason, pro ducers don’t spend at least $15,000 to replace the cows, they will have to amend the 2022 tax return where they

made the election to use this rule; they must report the income, the amount of dol lars they didn’t replace the cows with and pay tax on that,” says Hobbs.

“The other side of this is when they buy back more than $15,000 worth of cows. This often happens, because the new cows often cost more than the ones sold. The producer is then allowed to depreciate the excess and write it off as a depreciation expense,” shares Hobbs.

“Producers are still postpon ing the income recognition until those replacement ani mals are later sold. If they buy young ones, they may have them on the farm for six to eight years or more. Then when they sell them, they pay the taxes on the deferral.”

Record keeping and weather patterns

“If producers decide to sell more cows than normal this year, and have another drought year in the next or even the year after, as long as the drought continues, they can keep kicking that can on down the road,” he says. “If there is still drought in 2023, producers still have two more years to buy cows back again.”

Record keeping is very important, Hobbs notes. Farmers and ranchers can also watch the drought mon itor maps showing areas of the country that are abnor mally dry or experienc ing moderate to exceptional drought conditions.

“If the drought monitor map shows a producers’ area to be in severe, extreme or exceptional drought, that’s when the two-year rule kicks in and they have a couple years to purchase cows to replace what they had to sell this year,” Hobbs shares. “When producers do replace the animals, they have to be the same type and purpose. If they sold a breeding beef animal, for instance, they must buy back a breeding beef animal. If producers sold dairy cows due to the drought, they must buy dairy animals.”

For more information, visit ruraltax.org or fsa. usda.gov/programs-and-ser vices/disaster-assistanceprogram/disaster-designa tion-information/index

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

Increasing wildfire activity in the U.S. has been recorded, spurred by hot ter, drier conditions in North America in recent decades.

During a Sept. 20 webi nar on their recent report, “The Chemistry of Fires at the Wildland-Urban Inter face,” the National Acade mies of Sciences, Engineer ing and Medicine (NASEM) noted, “Many more fires are occurring at the wildlandurban interface (WUI) – the place where housing and other structures intermix or interface with wildland.”

Nearly 70,000 commu nities and 43 million homes risk the impact of fire in the WUI, and the number con tinues to climb, with 41 per cent of new housing units built since 1990 existing in the WUI.

Because of growing risk, NASEM convened a crossdisciplinary team from across the U.S. to evaluate existing research and iden

tify knowledge gaps related to fires on the WUI. The result was a peer-reviewed white paper defining oppor tunities and challenges.

Dave Allen, committee chair from the University of Texas-Austin, explains the study was guided by a statement of task, which convened the commit tee to “describe chemistry information which would improve mitigation of acute and long-term health effects of residential burning dur ing wildfires at the WUI.”

“Recognizing there may be knowledge gaps, our statement of task also directed us to describe opportunities for research to fill key decisions gaps and critical information gaps to aid decision makers who are charged with addressing the impacts of WUI fires,” Allen adds.

Risk and extent of WUI fires

From 1970 to 2000, the

Health impacts

With the release of toxins into the environment from wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires, humans residing in the interface are at risk of exposure to carcinogens, irritants, respiratory sensitizers, and reproductive and developmental toxicants leading to chronic, acute or delayed health effects as a result of inhalation, dermal or ingestion exposure.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineer ing and Medicine (NASEM) explained, “A growing number of studies have shown human health vulner ability to wildland fires can be influenced by several factors, such as those related to life stage, location, socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity and under lying health conditions.”

However, NASEM acknowledges more research is necessary to determine exactly how much and what exposure to toxins is created when structures made of many materials, such as homes, burn.

Additionally, consistent measurement methods and collection of data related to the cycle of chemicals as they are released into the environment through their life cycle must be studied further to understand the breadth of impact from fires on the WUI.

WUI has grown 52 per cent, and another 10 per cent expansion is predicted by 2030, according to the National Academy of Sci ences (NAS). Communities on the WUI see higher risk from the loss of structures since firefighting infrastruc ture and water sources are often limited in these areas.

NAS cites several fires in particular demonstrating the severity of fires on the WUI, including the Mar shall Fire of 2021. Named the most destructive fire in Colorado history, high winds launched a grass fire across Superior and Lou isville, Colo., resulting in the damage or destruction of over 1,000 structures and 6,000 acres in Boulder County, Colo.

“Certainly, one of the things I learned in this study is the WUI is not strictly a Western phenomenon,” Allen states. “We hear a lot of coverage about Western fires, which tend to be larger than fires in the East, but we have interfaces between vegetation and urban struc tures throughout the U.S.”

Not the average fire

“Another main mes sage of the report is WUI fires are different than wild land fires and different than urban fires,” Allen explains. “There are differences in the composition of the fuels. A mix of vegetation and urban structures gives us a unique composition of fuels which might burn when the urban interface burns.”

He also cites differences in fuel loading, combus tion conditions, atmospheric transformations, exposure and health effects.

“Structures burn differ ently in an urban fire com pared to a WUI fire. In an urban fire, the ignition source is typically within the structure, and the struc ture will burn from the inside out,” he explains.

“In a WUI fire, the ignition site is on the outside, so the structure will burn from the outside in. Therefore, the combustion components are very different.”

Difference in combus tion conditions lead to dif ferences in emissions,

which result in differ ent chemistries in the fire plume, which may be dis tributed thousands of miles. The resulting exposures and health effects can be differ ent as well.

“WUI fire can have sub stantial negative impacts on human health, visibility and quality of life, not only in the vicinity of the fire, but also hundreds of kilometers downwind,” the report con tinues. “This can affect mil lions of people outside the fire zone.”

“For example,” the report continues, “about seven million people in the Bay Area of northern Cal ifornia were affected by elevated particulate matter from the 2018 Camp Fire, which was more than 240 kilometers away.”

Further, chemicals in soils and water are of addi tional concern, as they “find their way into nearby build ings, soils and water streams from runoff,” according to the report. “The chemi cal composition of the run off may include soot, ash and other suspended solids, combustion products from the buildings and materials that burned and firefighting foam often used to extin guish fires.

Need for research

While it’s known WUI fires result in differ ent health effects, impacts and chemistries, Allen also acknowledged data on these topics are extrapolated and inferred from known data, rather than from direct measurement.

“Direct data available

View the interactive report, “The Chemistry of Fires at the Wildland-Urban Interface,” at nap.nationalacademies. org/resource/26460/interactive.

on fires at the WUI are quite sparse,” he comments. “Not only is the data scarce, it is hard to get because we need to be at those interfaces.”

The NAS committee identified a need for fur ther research to adequately understand the chemistry of fires at the WUI. Top ics needing to be further defined include: fuels and emissions; transports and transfer of the affluents; and exposure and health.

“As part of these research activities, deliv erables should address the needs of decision makers,” Allen says. “We can make a lot of progress in research, but we also have to get infor mation to decision makers who are addressing fires on a day-to-day basis.”

He continues, “We also suggested it [research activ ities] be made a part of these research programs to develop these actionable items aimed at decision makers.”

Reducing risks

With high-risk situa tions across the West, actions can be taken to both mini mize exposure and inhibit the spread of wildfires, both in wildland and urban areas, according to researchers.

“WUI fire risks can be reduced through building codes and actions to protect homes,” researchers agreed, noting landowners on the

WUI should consider using ignition resistant, hardened and non-combustible build ing materials.

“In wildlands, we should use land manage ment approaches to reduce fuel loading or otherwise modify fuel characteristics,” researchers explain, cit ing data from the U.S. For est Service. “Approaches include grazing, prescribed fire, thinning and other bio mass reduction programs.”

For communities, it’s important to maintain pro tective buffers around com munities and provide set backs from areas more at risk when it comes to fast-mov ing wildfires.

“Maintain a defensible space around structures by removing dead or dying veg etation, replacing vegetation with noncombustible materi als and maintaining space in between trees and homes,” researchers note.

NASEM cites more research is necessary to “enhance exposure mitiga tion specific to WUI fires.”

For wildland firefight ers, NAS recommends showering and wearing clean clothes, use of respi ratory protection and use of exposure monitoring equip ment for firefights. Addi tionally, use of job rota tion to reduce exposure risk is important to minimize impacts to firefighters.

“Risk communication is critical for minimizing harm to residents affected by any disaster. However, risk com munication can help only to some extent,” the report emphasizes. “Health care providers also play a criti cal role in advising patients on actions they can take to reduce exposure related to fires.”

The study was spon sored by the Centers for Dis ease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Envi ronmental Health Sciences, National Institute of Stan dards and Technology and the President’s Committee Funds of the National Acad emies.

Saige Zespy is a corre sponding writer for the Wyo ming Livestock Roundup.

comments on this arti cle to roundup@wylr.net.

Adobe Stock photo

Wyoming

How invasive weeds can affect a good hunting season

October is the start of hunting season across the beautiful state of Wyoming. It’s an amazing time of year for hunters to reconnect with nature while enjoy ing time with family and friends. Hunters have been looking forward to the sea son all year, and now the time has finally come.

But hunters may find invasive weeds are having a negative impact on their hunt. Less native forage for deer, elk and other species means they move elsewhere to eat. Hunters might find their perfect hunting spot is now covered with weeds, making it hard to see or set up camp.

It’s important for hunt ers to take simple precau

tions to prevent the spread of invasive species, helping preserve the hunt for future generations.

Wyoming’s hunters are some of the most essential stakeholders in combating invasive species. Hunters can reduce invasive species, ensure hunting stays enjoy able and help keep Wyo ming wild and beautiful. What are invasive species?

Invasive species have been a problem for Wyo ming for a long time, espe cially weeds. Invasive spe cies can also include pests, but this article focuses more on weeds.

Most of the invasive weeds in Wyoming have been designated as “nox ious,” meaning the plants

NASDA elects Miyamoto

At the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) 2022 Annual Meeting, NASDA members elected the next cohort of officers for 20222023. Wyoming Director of Agriculture Doug Miya moto will serve as NASDA’s 2022-23 president and will host the 2023 NASDA Annual Meeting in Cheyenne on Sept. 11-13, 2023.

“I am honored to continue serving NASDA in this new role,” Miyamoto said. “It has always been a privi lege to collaborate with the commissioners, secretaries and directors of state departments of agriculture as well as other leaders in the agricultural industry as we take on critical opportunities and challenges. I look forward to leading NASDA members in our continuous com mitment to ensuring agriculture leads the way toward a healthy and resilient world.”

Also elected to NASDA’s Board of Directors were Indiana Director of Agriculture Bruce Kettler as vice president, Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward, second vice president and Maine Commissioner of Agri culture Amanda Beal, secretary-treasurer. New York Commissioner of Agriculture Richard A. Ball will serve as NASDA’s past president and Washington Director of Agriculture Derek Sandison will serve in the at-large position.

New Hampshire Commissioner of Agriculture Shawn Jasper, Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture Rick Pate, Minnesota Commissioner of Agriculture Thom Petersen and Colorado Commissioner of Agri culture Kate Greenberg will serve as the Northeast ern, Southern, Midwestern and Western representatives respectively.

are detrimental to the state’s health or welfare.

Invasive weeds spread and take over areas where plants usually thrive. By out-competing the native plants, they remove food for animals. They invade and take over rangeland, prai ries, forests and habitats for native wildlife.

How invasive weeds impact hunting

When Wyoming’s wild animals have to choose between native or invasive plants to eat, they almost always prefer native species. Invasive species quickly outgrow native species and hurt healthy wildlife habi tats. Less native plants for wildlife means they’ll search elsewhere for better food, minimizing healthy hunting populations.

Not only do invasive weeds impact the native wildlife around them, but they also can make hunting difficult to enjoy.

Reese Irvine, Car bon County Weed and Pest supervisor, has been hunt

ing throughout the state since he was young. During this time, he’s seen numer ous invasive species while hunting and many habitats impacted by them.

“I recently had a friend tell me he would never hunt a particular habitat unit for pheasants again because it took him so long to get the burrs out of his dog after his last hunt,” Irvine said.

In Wyoming, some common weeds hunters might see are cheatgrass, houndstongue, musk this tle and Canada thistle. Dif ferent counties and regions may have other invasive weeds, so hunters will want to know what’s common where they’re hunting.

What hunters can do to protect the environment

If hunters and other out door enthusiasts aren’t care ful, they could be part of the problem and make the spread of invasive species worse.

The best thing to do is follow the steps of play cleango.org. Remove plant

materials, animals and mud from boots, gear, pets and vehicles. Clean equipment and clothing before enter ing and leaving the site.

And finally, use local fire wood and weed-free hay for animals.

“I have been fortunate enough to hunt a lot of Wyo ming,” Irvine said. “I can not stress enough the impor tance of cleaning equip ment, vehicles and animals prior to leaving an area and going to a new location.”

The next best thing hunt ers can do is keep an eye out for invasive species and report any weed sightings to their local county weed and pest organization. Hunters can also report any sightings through eddmaps.org

Here are some addi tional tips hunters should take into consideration: Don’t travel through weedinfested areas; use native plants for wild game food plots; be aware of aquatic invasive species when wad ing creeks or traveling by water; but most of all, hunt

ers should enjoy the beau tiful outdoors. Many of the Wyoming Weed and Pest Council (WWPC) staff enjoy hunting each season. With the help of hunters, WWPC can keep Wyoming wild and beautiful.

Learn more about the WWPC, invasive weeds and what do to stop the spread at wyoweed.org/

This article is provided by the Wyoming Weed and Pest Council (WWPC). WWPC comprises 23 weed and pest districts in the state of Wyoming. The council works closely with the Wyoming Department of Agriculture and the Uni versity of Wyoming to keep current with the latest tech nology and research avail able in the ongoing man agement of noxious weeds and pests. The overall mis sion is to provide unified support and leadership for integrated management of noxious weeds and pests to protect economic and eco logical resources in the state.

Cattle producers continue to fight for nutrition and industry policies

Washington, D.C. – With a never-ending onslaught of new rules and policies com ing out of Washington, D.C., the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) CEO Colin Woodall spent the week of Oct. 3 mak ing sure beef has a place at the table in everything from nutrition and market regu lation to water and govern ment overreach.

Dietary guidelines

NCBA was invited to attend the first White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health in over 50 years. When the first sim ilar conference was held, the result was the first edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

“As our members under stand, every five years since, it has been a fight to keep beef in the center of the plate,” he said. “We went into the conference with a healthy dose of skepticism with what we were going to hear.”

Woodall noted the conference yielded some mixed messages, including opportunities.

“They talked about the need for nutritious foods,” he commented. “We know beef fits this mantra, plain and simple. Nutrient dense? Healthy? We can cover all of those boxes.”

He continued, “The nutrient density of beef is hard to beat. In order to get

the same amount of protein as a serving of beef, we’d have to eat six cups of qui noa.”

The conference also cited the need for evidencebased science to drive deci sion making, which is a good sign.

However, the event didn’t go without conversa tions about moving to plantbased systems, including fake meat.

“We need to really lean on what the White House has been talking about in terms of evidence-based science in order for us to maintain our position in the dietary guide lines,” Woodall said. “If they will stick to evidence-based science, then we know we will have all of the data and material to support beef as an optimal and lean diet. That’s what we’ll continue to fight for.”

Updated GIPSA

A new Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) rule has also been released.

“Most people will remember the old GIPSA,” Woodall said. “GIPSA no longer exists, but we spent many, many years fighting the rule. This is once again U.S. Department of Agri culture’s attempt to come in and tell cattle producers how they can and cannot market cattle.”

Woodall noted the most concerning aspects of the

new rule is how broad it’s in scope, while also being vague and lacking detail.

“Anytime we have any thing from a federal agency that is so broad in scope and light in details, we have to get worried,” he said, noting the bigger discussion stems around the appropriate role of the government in cattle markets. “We want the gov ernment to stay out of cattle markets.”

“At the same time, when it comes to the Packers and Stockyards Act (P&S Act) as it is today, we think it does a good job,” Wood all explained. “It just needs to be fully enforced. Instead of trying to add more layers, let’s enforce what we have.”

Same issues, new year

Another returning issue is the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule, and the Supreme Court will begin hearing a landmark case on the topic Sackett v. Environ mental Protection Agency

(EPA) in the beginning of October.

“We’re definitely look ing for a win on the Sack ett side, which would really start to poke even more holes in this concept of WOTUS as it was envisioned by the Obama administration,” Woodall said.

NCBA has remained engaged in the case, includ ing by filing Friend of the Court documents.

“Here we are, after all the work we did to fight back against the 2015 rule, the Biden administration is coming out and trying, once again, to bring WOTUS back,” he continued. “If we can get a win on this, it will help us to set a really healthy precedent to push back against the Biden admin istration’s effort and hope fully any future attempts by the administration to define WOTUS.”

Greenhouse gas rules

Another federal agency

with potential impact is the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and their climate disclosure rule, which would require dis closure of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

“This is an issue because this is ‘mission creep,’” Woodall explained. “The P&S Act is supposed to regulate the market, and they have that role. EPA is supposed to be regulat ing waters. The SEC is not supposed to be regulating GHG.”

“Their role is to regu late those publicly traded companies and the finan cial transactions between them. It’s not meant to reg ulate GHG,” he continued. “They don’t have the juris diction, and they don’t have the expertise.”

Woodall described the action as agenda-driven action by the agencies to force GHG regulations on all segments of the supply chain. He further described, if one particular segment of the rule is allowed to go for ward, all GHG emissions from cattle producers are going to have to be passed up the chain as cattle are sold.

“SEC needs to focus on Wall Street, not on Main Street. Their jurisdiction and area of expertise is on financial markets. It’s not on GHG,” Woodall said. “We have quite a few members

on Capitol Hill who are will ing to step up and help us fight back on this one.”

Wins and fall focus

The year hasn’t gone without some bright spots.

“Washington, D.C. is an interesting town where sometimes ‘winning’ means keeping things from happen ing,” Woodall said. “Year, 2022 happens to be one of those years where ‘winning’ is keeping bad ideas from happening.”

Actions like fight ing back against the SEC rule, combatting legislation which would insert the gov ernment into market regula tions, extension of manda tory livestock reporting and more are all positive actions.

“Right now, we’re look ing towards the rest of the year,” Woodall commented. “It’s a little too early to start claiming victory yet.”

As Congress heads home to finish off election season, there will be more to fight for after the election.

“While we’ve been happy with the things we’ve kept at bay, the fight is not over,” Woodall emphasized.

“NCBA is in Washing ton, D.C. for our members, for cattle producers and for the member-driven policy directing our organization.”

Saige Zespy is a corre sponding writer for the Wyo ming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this arti cle to roundup@wylr.net.

Adobe Stock photo

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Getting Started in Ag: Information is Key to Success

Farming, ranching and other types of commercial agriculture are unique when compared to non-agricultural businesses. Producers, for the most part, do not have the ability to set prices and offset increasing expenses, and are generally captive to their respective market. You cannot simply raise the price of your crops or livestock just because your expenses went up. As the old saying goes, “In ag, we buy retail and sell wholesale.” While this unfortunately can be true at times, it does not need to be in every case.

In today’s agricultural economy, with high costs and volatile markets, it is imperative to get the most from what you produce. This prospect can be especially challenging if you are new to the business or just starting out.

One of the many keys to success is to stay informed with up-to-date and relevant information when making decisions. Most importantly, this includes gathering and making use of available data where it relates to pricing and marketing decisions. Here, decisions may include anything from valuing a standing crop to deciding whether or not to accept a price offered for your cattle or setting the value of a potential land lease.

Accurate, up-to-date market and price information can help you identify market trends, stay on top of changes in market conditions and make informed purchases,

FOR MORE INFORMATION

sales and risk management decisions. Fortunately, there are a number of resources available at no cost to the user.

AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE RESOURCES

The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) provides price and sales information for numerous commodities, as well as marketing resources for organic and other specialty crops. The AMS Market News section provides price data for nearly every commodity produced in Wyoming.

My Market News allows users to select reports by commodity and, for even more detail, specify a state and time period. For example, a Wyoming hay producer can access prices for hay both in state and out of state from the My Market News page by selecting Hay Reports.

These price reports are available by state and for various regional hay auctions from around the U.S. The Wyoming Weekly Direct Hay Report includes prices for various hay types, bale sizes and qualities of hay, as well as helpful descriptions (see Table 1). For further detail or a broader scope, the user can also

find hay auction reports for Brush, Colorado, or Torrington, Wyoming.

Numerous reports are also available for livestock, including cattle. Cattle reports include slaughter and feeder cattle summaries, as well as a report for feeder cattle sales on internet and video auctions; nearly all video auctions now include at least some form of internet bidding (see Table 2). Various slaughter cattle and meat reports can be of great help to producers selling directly to consumers. This trend is growing in popularity and price reports provide baseline pricing for both, including carcass and boxed beef values.

AMS provides reports and other data that can assist producers in making crop and livestock leasing and rental decisions. For example, reports are available for cropland rental rates, grazing fees and other data that can help managers make more informed rental decisions (see Table 3).

One of the many challenges of raising organic or specialty crops and livestock is putting together a firm understanding of where markets are located and monitoring current prices. The AMS site offers reporting for many

to explore numerous resources

managing market,

and other

1:

Wyoming Direct Hay Report

Direct Hay Report,

West Hay (Conventional)

RIGHTRISK CONTROLS PAGE

is a comprehensive educational resource for producers to learn more about managing risk in agricultural businesses. The site includes a Risk Controls page, located under the Resources tab (see

1). This resource offers a reference guide, categorized by market, production, financial, institutional/legal and human risk. Many of the important AMS reports are linked in the market risk section. The production risk section includes links to weather information, irrigation forecasts, drought monitors and crop insurance resources.

ONLINE AUCTIONS AND OTHER

MARKETING

Often one of the best ways to establish the actual value of a commodity or something offered for sale is through an auction. Buyers are able to place competitive bids and, ideally, the true market value is discovered in the process. Many companies that provide online auctions for agricultural commodities, livestock, equipment and other marketing services provide data on past sales, offering yet another information resource. Sellers are almost guaranteed to leave money on the table if their auction service does not utilize online marketing capabilities, as the latter has the potential to connect a much larger number of buyers with sellers.

817 817 166.00 166.00

HEIFERS Medium and Large 1 (Per Cwt / Actual Wt)

Head Wt Range Avg Wt Price Range Avg Price

291 291 237.00 237.00

337 337 185.00 185.00

386 386 192.00 192.00

410-441 417 170.00-202.00 187.68

478-491 487 162.00-198.00 194.64

506-543 519 165.00-197.00 189.38

558-589 579 161.00-189.00 177.58

603 603 173.00 173.00

618 618 170.00 170.00 Guaranteed Open

660-699 678 168.00-187.00 180.43

664 664 157.50 157.50 Spayed

700-721 708 172.00-179.00 175.00

798 798 174.50 174.50

775 775 164.00 164.00 Guaranteed Open

815-845 830 172.00-178.00 175.42

849 849 170.00 170.00 Guaranteed Open

853-868 860 172.00-176.00 174.20

907-926 916 164.50-169.00 167.38

955-988 966 163.00-166.00 163.95

1045 1045 155.00 155.00

SLAUGHTER CATTLE

Table 2. Wyoming Weekly Cattle Auction Summary, USDA-AMS.

COWS Breaker 75 80% (Per Cwt / Actual Wt)

Wt Range

Wt Price Range Avg Price Dressing

--Cow/Calf Pairs---2022-- --2021--

1515-1577 1540 84.00-85.00 84.41 Average

Western Wyoming 25.00-40.00 18.00-40.00

Mostly 35.00-40.00

COWS Boner 80 85% (Per Cwt / Actual Wt)

Wt Range

1235-1662

Wt Price Range

Price Dressing

75.00-89.00 81.82 Average

Mostly 25.00-35.00

Instances 40.00

Eastern and 22.00-45.00, 22.00-45.00, Central Wyoming Mostly 35.00 Mostly 30.00-35.00

1247-1588 1372 77.00-83.00 80.79 Average Return to Feed

1210 1210 85.00 85.00 High

Western Nebraska 40.00-70.00 40.00-70.00

Mostly 60.00-70.00

COWS Lean 85 90% (Per Cwt / Actual Wt)

Wt Range

Wt Price Range Avg Price Dressing

1041-1221 1159 66.00-76.00

Average

Mostly 45.00-55.00

Instances 65.00-70.00

76.50-82.50

1090-1195

2 (Per Cwt / Actual Wt)

Figure

risk,

High

Table 3. Wyoming, western and central Nebraska , and western South Dakota 2022 Annual Grazing Fee Report, USDA-AMS.

Wyoming Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

RachelKolokoffHopper,

WOMEN

Ten Sleep Schools Ag Education Teacher and rancher Adrienne Forshee is proud to be a woman in ag and says the indus try wouldn’t be where it is today without strong women working to provide for their families and advo cate for ag.

“Women in ag can tell a story – we are the heart of this industry,” she says.

Adrienne grew up spending the summers with her grandparents in Fort Washakie and in the Lander area.

“I grew up with wonder ful grandparents who made sure we all learned to work hard, how to work cows and my grandmother made sure all of us knew how to make a pie,” she says. “My grand mother taught me the value of being a ranch wife. She

could save any sick calf and make a meal for a crowd all with love.”

“I have a very amazing

extended family, and it kind of sparked my interest in ag,” she adds.

Adrienne was actively

involved with FFA as a state officer in high school and got a degree in agricul tural systems and technol

ogy and a degree in agricul tural education from Utah State University. Adrienne chartered the FFA chapter in Ten Sleep in 2005 and became the ag advisor.

She married her hus band Nathan in 2007, and joined him and his father on their family ranch. They own and operate a fourthgeneration cow/calf oper ation, Forshee Land and Livestock, LLC, in the Hyattville and Ten Sleep area.

“We background our own calves and grow our own feed,” she says. “We feed corn, alfalfa/hay and grain rotation. We are always either ranching or farming, but we strive to do it as a family.”

The Forshees run cat tle on U.S. Forest Service allotments, deeded and their private ground as well as winter cattle on Bureau of Land Management land.

“My father-in-law and husband have worked hard to put together an operation allowing us to open gates and let our cows walk to their pasture for the sum mer and the winter, at this point, we don’t ever have to haul,” she says. “This is a blessing.”

The Forshees are mem bers of the South Paint Rock Cattlemen’s Graz ing Association. They run a composite breed suited for higher altitudes and keep all of their own females.

The Forshees value family on their ranch.

“Our children are a huge part of our operation,” Adrienne says. “With out them, I am not sure we could accomplish our goals. My son is at the age where I have started letting him tell me what pasture I need to help gather or what I am doing with farming for the day.”

Ag education

Adrienne teaches ag courses to seventh through

12th graders at Ten Sleep Schools.

“I teach an ag busi ness and leadership class, three levels of animal sci ence, three levels of horti culture including plant sci ence and greenhouse man agement and then I have middle school agricultural courses – seventh grade is an introductory ag class and eighth grade is building on what they learned in sev enth grade,” she says.

Since Ten Sleep Schools is a small school, the staff are able to cater to students’ education as much as pos sible, says Adrienne.

“In most of my classes, I actually teach three dif ferent lessons in each class, so there’s a lot of prepara tion going into a day here at our school and trying to get everyone involved, but it’s a privilege to teach here, and I am proud to do so, ” she says.

“I always knew I wanted to be a part of our ranch and also be with my own children, so it just worked out,” she adds. “It was a huge blessing and an opportunity.”

Adrienne says she has a passion for teaching stu dents, and she acknowl edges the importance of students learning where their food comes from.

“It shocks me when peo ple don’t understand where their food comes from and how hard people work to provide food to them,” she says. “I feel it’s important to educate kids at a young age so they understand how ag production is happen ing locally and nationally, how they can be a part of the process and how they should participate in their own path in agriculture.”

Adrienne ensures her students are aware ag is the number one employed industry in the world, espe cially in the U.S.

“Understanding agricul ture includes understanding science, business, technol ogy and plant and animal production,” she says. “My students need to understand the environment and natural resource systems.”

Adrienne is an active member in agricultural teaching associations, including Wyoming Agri culture Teachers Associ ation, Wyoming Career and Technical Education and National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE). She is excited to attend the NAAE National Conference this December.

Heart of the industry Adrienne acknowledges the vital role women play in

Continued from previous page the ag industry.

“The women in the Ten Sleep area are the backbone of their family ranching and farming operations,” she says. “There are women around here who can work from sun up to sun down, and I’m proud to be one of them.”

Adrienne mentions many ranching women have jobs in town, like her self, but the minute they get home, they are changing into their jeans to help out on the ranch.

“When I get home from school, I am feeding 200 head of heifers,” she says. “My daughter goes with me, and I want her to see she is capable of doing hard work or anything she wants to do.”

She notes women in ag aren’t afraid to do the work themselves, and says this includes many of her neigh bors and closest friends.

“Whether it is feeding, irrigating, farming or tak ing over a night shift dur ing calving so their husband can rest, they are involved in every aspect of the oper ation,” she says.

These women are also part of a community sup port system.

“If somebody in our community is ill or facing a trial, we are the first to offer meals to other people,” she says.

WOMEN IN AG

Adrienne says women in ag work to ensure their ranch and their neighboring ranches are successful.

“In most true family ranching operations, the mom, the wife, the matri arch – they are definitely the heart of the operation,” she says.

Words of wisdom

Adrienne offers advice for young women in ag.

“Be patient with your self and be forgiving. Laugh and enjoy what you do. Work smarter, not harder,” she says. “Figure out what works for you and go with that path. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or ask for help.”

She recommends find ing a group of women in ag who are willing to listen and offer suggestions.

“Find a group of women and ask questions to see what works in your area, what people have tried and what they haven’t tried, and always be willing to learn,” she says. “Find a group of ladies who understand your challenges and lift you up.”

“I have been blessed by many women in agricul ture,” Adrienne says. “You have to pass the goodness on.”

Kaitlyn Root is an edi tor for the Wyoming Live stock Roundup. Send com ments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

Top Sellers

Donor Cows

Lot 1 – Ox Bow Manor

436 – Price: $8,000 DOB: 2/12/14 Sire: O C C Pax

ton 730P Dam’s Sire: Mc Cumber 4X13 Extra 7159 EPDs: BW: -1, WW: +46, YW: +75 and Milk: +25

Buyer: Crouthamel Cattle Company, Touchet, Wash.

Bred Cows

Lot 2 – Ox Bow Manor

702 – Price: $5,000 DOB: 2/23/17 Sire: Ox Bow

Final Answer 1304 Dam’s

Sire: O C C Paxton 730P EPDs: BW: +0.4, WW: +62, YW: +99 and Milk: +19 Buyer: Gary Bidwell, Bend, Ore.

Lot 34 – Ox Bow Everelda Entense 555 – Price: $5,000 DOB: 2/2/15 Sire: Coleman Charlo 0256 Dam’s Sire: Woodhill Foresight EPDs: BW: +0, WW: +43, YW: +77 and Milk: +24 Buyer: Sadler Ranches, Perkins, Okla.

Bred Heifers

Lot 11 – Ox Bow Manor 1202 – Price: $5,000 DOB: 1/15/21

Sire: HA Outrider 9672

Dam’s Sire: Ox Bow Ozzie 3233 EPDs: BW: +1.5, WW: +74, YW: +136 and Milk:

Buyer: Jim Stampfel, Absarokee, Mont.

Lot 4

Ox Bow Manor 1229

Price: $5,000 DOB: 1/20/21

Sire: HA Outrider 9672

Dam’s Sire: O C C Paxton 730P EPDs: BW: +1.2, WW:

Flying

A

Teamwork and family – Kruze, Adrienne and Nathan Forshee work together during a branding at their cow/calf operation, Forshee Land and Livestock, LLC. Courtesy photo

Andrew Wasserburger.

“Everyone knows ranch ers work hard, and it’s nice to have some recognition every once in a while for the people who are trying to do the right thing and move for ward to make the industry standard a little stronger so people feel safe about where their food comes from.”

The ranch was estab

lished as a homestead in 1916. It was built on fam ily legacies of pioneer greatgrandfather Henry and his son Henry Jr., and is now led by JD and Laurie Was serburger, with their sons Eric and Andrew and his wife Anne.

According to the Bootheel 7 Livestock web site, “Our herd genetics

have been fine-tuned for just as long and are the rea son we consistently provide the most tender and flavor ful beef possible. Over the years, the ranch has endured floods, droughts, blizzards and everything else nature could throw at it. Persis tence, perseverance and a commitment to the high est quality practices have remained our focus.”

Competitive results

According to a CAB news release, “About six years ago, the fam ily started ultrasounding potential replacement heif ers to gain a clearer picture of marbling ability and rib eye size and soon moved to scanning every heifer on the place. Sorting ensures every keeper has the tar geted 1.1 square inches of ribeye per 100 pounds of body weight and an intra muscular fat score over 3.5 – the threshold for Choice marbling.”

This year, the fam ily focused on analyzing maternal, carcass and per formance traits in their heif ers with genomic testing.

“The Bootheel 7 steers handily won the Nebraskabased TD Angus Feed Test ‘Highest CAB Percentage’

category two years in a row with pens at 64 percent and 65 percent CAB and 100 percent Choice or higher. They topped the Percent age Prime category, too,” according to CAB.

“But we didn’t win ’em all. That means we still have a lot of work to do,” Eric says.

Changing with the times

Like generations before, Eric and Andrew looked for every opportunity to expand the operation. They added farming to the mix and most recently built a grow yard for another element of con trol in cattle marketing.

They realize the impor tance of changing and evolving with the times to ensure the ranch is compet itive in today’s market.

“I think it’s more impor tant now than ever to be willing to change,” says Andrew. “Beef demand is at an all-time high, and as the younger generations come up, consumers want to know where their food comes from, and they want to know it’s safe to feed their family.”

He notes it’s important for producers to stay ahead of the times to be able to market their products to consumers.

“Ultimately, the end goal for everybody is to enjoy good beef, and it’s important people under stand this,” says Andrew.

Technological advancements

Andrew notes imple menting technology on the ranch has improved their operation signifi cantly. Carcass ultrasound ing, genomic testing and tools for measuring water consumption are just a few ways the Wasserburgers utilize technology on their ranch.

“Technology helps us save money where we can and be more sustainable so this operation can last another 100 years,” Andrew says.

He notes the impor tance of being able to read expected progeny differences numbers and genomic numbers, which can sometimes be difficult to understand.

“There’s sometimes a barrier there with ranchers and older folks on ranches who need help understand

ing how to use technology to make everything better and easier,” Andrew says.

The Wasserburgers are able to monitor their water systems through their phones now instead of hav ing to manually go and check on wells and storage tanks.

“It’s a really nice tool for us,” he says. “It has saved a lot of money, fuel and time.”

Family operation

Family is an important aspect at Bootheel 7 Live stock.

“Family is huge to us,” says Andrew. “It’s just a big support system.”

Andrew says raising kids on a ranch helps them understand the importance of hard work at a young age.

“They understand you get out of it what you put into it, and there’re a few things teaching you this, but ranching is definitely one,” he says. “People who can handle adversity and everything that goes along with ranching; the earlier you learn this, the easier life will be for you.”

Future goals

The Wasserburgers aim to continue producing qual ity products people can feel safe eating, says Andrew, and they work to ensure the ranch will be in the family for generations to come.

“Hopefully, what we do today is moving in the right direction for our kids,” he says. “As long as the place is big enough to provide for more families who want to move back, that would probably be the goal.”

“It’s pretty hard for young people to get started now with the price of land, and inflation has caught ranchers everywhere,” he says. “Everything produc ers put into cattle is priced higher than it was five years ago, so it’s just being able to stay in front of all of this.”

Ultimately, it’s all about the quality of the product produced, says Andrew.

“High quality cattle always sell for more than lower quality cattle, and that is just the way it is,” says Andrew.

Kaitlyn Root is an edi tor for the Wyoming Live

Roundup.

Generational ranch – Family is valued at Bootheel 7 Livestock. Grace Wasserburger is pictured horse back, while JD Wasserburger holds Francis Wasserburger in his arms. Certified Angus Beef photo

for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) wildlife, fish and habitat projects; work being done to keep aquatic invasive species out of Wyoming waters; construct and plan for more wildlife crossings and numerous other habitat and fiscal improvements. In 2021, she was elected to serve as the vice president of the commission. Her term representing District Seven will end in March 2023.

“As a commissioner, we oversee policy and reg ulations and meet about seven times a year scattered around the state – we try to keep up on what is going on mainly in our area, but also all over the state,” she explains. “We do a lot of easements and updat ing employee housing and hunting regulations – the commission ends up voting on anything affecting the WGFD.”

The WGFD webpage shares Gay Lynn appreci ates the WGFD programs promoting women and kids to learn and get outdoors including Becoming an Outdoors-Woman, known as BOW, Beyond Bow and the department’s Inspire a Kid initiative.

Through the BOW pro gram, women 18 years of

age or older learn the basics of canoeing, archery, flytying, shooting skills, back packing and more. The Inspire a Kid initiative aims to introduce youth to the outdoors by provid ing resources for families to teach their children how to enjoy outside activities such as fishing, hunting, wildlife, photography, hik ing, etc.

Gay Lynn notes it’s great to see women getting out and enjoying the out doors, alongside teaching children.

Ranching involvement

Gay Lynn says she always had a passion for raising sheep, so shortly after graduating college, she decided to buy all of the sheep from the ranch.

“My folks had a ranch hand working on the ranch and shortly after he left, I bought 50 head of cows from him and just kept building up the herd,” she shares. “After getting mar ried, we kept increasing our livestock, took care of my dad’s operation, started leasing the place and ended up buying it out – we run the livestock and have outfitted hunters for extra funds.”

“We just like trying to improve things, whether it’s livestock, fencing or water, to make things more

labor efficient,” Gay Lynn explains. “Now, we have to deal with a lot of oil field stuff. There is a lot of drill ing and pipelines going in which throws a new learn ing curve into everything.”

Gay Lynn works along side her husband Barton and two children. Their daughter is a lawyer and has two little girls, and their son moved back home recently and bought half of the cowherd.

“He is in the process of working into the ranch, and it’s great seeing him wanting to do it,” she shares. “Hav ing his interest in the cows and the horses, it’s fun to have him home and to have some younger blood around to help with operations.”

Gay Lynn explains her role on the ranch has changed over the years, but she wouldn’t have wanted to live her life any other way.

“When I was first mar ried, it was just my husband and I, so we did everything that needed done – whether it was fencing or feeding –all that went along with it,” she says. “Over the years, we have been able to hire help, so I don’t do much fencing anymore. My role is more of the decision making and bookkeeping.”

Gay Lynn offers other women in ag advice, say ing, “If you like it, go for it. It typically has been a

man’s world, but women can figure out how to do what needs done.”

Growing up, Gay Lynn recalls her parents telling her if she wanted to work in the branding pen, she better know how to do every job in case someone asked her to do something.

“My dad had us work alongside the hired men –

Sustainable Beef LLC packing plant breaks ground

Sustainable Beef LLC, the rancher-driven beef pro cessing facility proposed for North Platte, Neb., is one step closer to reality. An official ground-break ing ceremony with local dignitaries and Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts was held Oct. 4.

The 500,000 square-foot plant will have the capacity to process about 1,500 cat tle per day and is expected to employ 875 workers and have a $1 billion impact on North Platte’s economy.

The plant is expected to be operational in late 2024.

Construction of the plant is estimated to cost $325 million and the state of Nebraska has contrib uted $20 million of fed eral COVID-19 relief funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. The city of North Platte contributed $1 mil lion in forgivable loans to help fund the designs along with $21 million in tax increment financing.

The project also received a boost when

Grazing conference set

Nebraska beef producers and corn growers can enhance their operations by attending the 2022 Cover Crop Grazing Conference Nov. 1 at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center near Mead, Neb.

The conference kicks off with registration, refresh ments and a trade show at the August N. Christenson Building at 9 a.m. Educational programs are from 10 a.m.-2:45 p.m. and include a producer panel session and live field demonstrations.

Featured presentations include “Rotational/Strip Grazing” with Ben Beckman, Nebraska Extension edu cator, and “Grazing of Perennial and Annual Forages” presented by Brad Schick, Nebraska Extension educator.

Preregister by Oct. 28 at enrec.unl.edu/covercrop grazingconference/. Agenda, details and directions are also available online.

A $10 registration fee is payable via cash or check at the conference. Checks can be mailed in advance to 2022 Cover Crop Grazing Conference, Nebraska Extension, 1071 County Road G, Ithaca, NE 68033. The fee covers lunch and refreshments throughout the day. When paying by check, make payable to Univer sity of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Agribusiness stakeholders are being sought as sponsors and trade show exhibitors. For more informa tion, contact Connor Biehler at cbiehler2@unl.edu or 402-624-8007.

Walmart announced Aug. 31 it would acquire a minor ity stake in Sustainable Beef and have representa tion on the board of direc tors. Walmart’s partnership offers the startup access to its large retail food outlets nationwide.

Sustainable Beef also committed to following Walmart’s position on anti biotics in animals, which requires suppliers to adopt and implement the Amer ican Veterinary Medical Association Judicious Use Principles of Antimicrobials.

we could ride, rope and run the skid steer or fix fence and work on water,” she shares. “He really made us learn how to do a lot of things and think all of it is very doable.”

She adds, “There are times when women are not physically as strong, but we’re smart enough to fig ure out how to get it done.”

Glenrock native – Gay Lynn Byrd has been involved with her family’s ranch all her life. After gradu ating college, she first took over the ranch’s sheep operation before buying into her family’s cattle opera tion. Today, she spends her time helping on the ranch and serving with the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission.

Over the years, the Byrds have hired a variety of women to help on their ranch. She notes they are great help – they are not out to prove anything, they just want to get the job done.

Brittany Gunn is the editor of the Wyoming Live stock Roundup. Send com ments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

M c NAMEE AUCTION COMPANY

Lynn Kinnan

Courtesy photo

WEEKLY CATTLE AUCTIONS

FOR THE WEEK ENDING May 24, 2019

PAYS 210-240 170-227 161-206.50

4738 190-212 150-212 140-198.50 155-182

Crawford 253-273 198-250.50 179-229 168-215.50 171.50-207.50 191.50 86-95.50

10-7 7100 199-220 172-208 165-204 161-193.50 55-91.50

Riverton 220-242 204.50-239 173-220 176-185.50 159.75-170.10

10-11 3841 162-227 152.50-208.50 161-190.50 151-172.50 168.25-170.25 160-166.50

Torrington 248-270 202-237 179-223 174-190 175-191 167-181 92-106.50 105-127

8881 200-236 180-208 168-194 162-172 170-188 155-180 66-93

St. Onge 249-251 158.50-247 178-234 185-200 154 157.50-184 85.50-121

2861 190-201 137.50-201 164-193 175-185.50 161.50-180 156.50-163.50 75-92

Big Horn Basin 230-237.50 206-223 186-208 180-196

Daily Grower Bids

Region

WEEKLY SHEEP AUCTIONS

US

#1

Northern Beans Den-Rate 40/cwt

#1 Light Red Kidney Beans Den-Rate 50/cwt

46-52.50/cwt

US #1 Pea (Navy) Beans Min-Dak 38/cwt

US #1 Pinto Beans Den Rate 38/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

National Sheep Summary

As of October 7, 2022

Compared to last week heavy slaughter lambs sold steady to 3.00 lower while light slaughter lambs were mostly 10.00-40.00 lower. Slaughter ewes were weak to 20.00 lower. Feeder lambs under 50 lbs 10.00 Lower, heavier weights were steady to 18.00 higher. At San Angelo, TX 6,782 head sold. Equity Cooperative Auction sold 333 slaughter lambs in Minnesota. In direct trading slaughter ewes and feeder lambs not tested. 3,415 lamb carcasses traded with no trend due to confidentiality. All sheep sold per hundred weight (CWT) unless specified.

Slaughter Lambs: Choice and Prime 2-3 San Angelo: wooled and shorn 110-125 lbs 100.00-123.00.

Ft. Collins: wooled and shorn 100-140 lbs 105.00-125.00. YG 3-5: 125-140 lbs 89.00-97.50; 180-190 lbs 62.50-82.50; 200-210 lbs 57.00-73.00.

South Dakota: wooled and shorn 100-150 lbs 101.00-123.00; 150-160 lbs 105.00-118.00.

Billings: wooled and shorn 100-130 lbs no test.

Equity Coop: wooled and shorn 148 lbs 110.00.

Slaughter Lambs: Choice and Prime 1-2 San Angelo: hair 40-60 lbs 255.00-291.00, few 301.00; 60-70 lbs 230.00-270.00, few 297.00; 70-80 lbs 200.00-254.00; 8090 lbs 190.00-228.00; 90-110 lbs 150.00-200.00. wooled and shorn no test.

Ft. Collins: wooled and shorn 70-80 lbs 140.00-155.00; 8090 lbs 130.00-147.50; 90-100 lbs 127.50-152.50. hair 50 lbs 157.50; 70-80 lbs 140.00-145.00; 80-90 lbs 132.50-155.00; 90-100 lbs 140.00-160.00.

South Dakota: wooled and shorn 60-70 lbs 130.00-151.00; 70-80 lbs 123.00-142.50; 80-90 lbs 113.00-123.00; 90-100 lbs 107.50-122.00, few 140.00.

Billings: wooled and shorn 47 lbs 170.00; 53 lbs 178.00; 6070 lbs 160.00-171.00; 70-75 lbs 127.00-145.00; 80 lbs 120.00. hair 50-60 lbs 171.00-174.00; 70 lbs 138.00; 85-90 lbs 110.00112.00.

Slaughter Ewes

San Angelo: Good 3-4 (very fleshy) no test; Good 2-3 (fleshy) 60.00-79.00, hair 70.00-90.00; Utility and Good 1-3 (medium flesh) hair 88.00-109.00; Utility 1-2 (thin) 70.00-86.00, hair 71.00-103.00; Cull and Utility 1-2 (very thin) 55.00-71.00, hair 70.00-74.00; Cull 1 36.00-69.00.

Ft. Collins: Good 3-4 (very fleshy) 50.00-59.00; Good 2-3 (fleshy) 55.00-70.00; Utility 1-2 (thin) 61.50-63.00; Cull 1 no test.

South Dakota: Good 3-4 (very fleshy) 55.00-65.00; Good 2-3 (fleshy) 55.00-75.00; Utility 1-2 (thin) 55.00-70.00; Cull 1 29.0047.50.

Billings: Good 3-4 (very fleshy) 53.00-57.00; Good 2-3 (fleshy) 59.00-68.00; Utility 1-2 (thin) 58.00-68.00; Cull 1 60.00.

Feeder Lambs: Medium and Large 1-2 San Angelo: 60-70 lbs 144.00-186.00. hair 30-40 lbs 261.00-315.00; 40-50 lbs 244.00-292.00.

Ft. Collins: 55 lbs 165.00; 60-70 lbs 145.00-150.00; 72 lbs 137.50. hair 30 lbs 210.00; 40-50 lbs 195.00-200.00; 60-70 lbs 165.00-185.00.

South Dakota: 40-50 lbs 145.00-170.00; 50-60 lbs 175.00179.00; 60-70 lbs 127.50-160.00; 70-80 lbs 120.00-142.00; 8090 lbs 116.00-127.00; 90-100 lbs 115.00-123.00; 100-105 lbs 107.00-108.00; 111 lbs 96.00; 120-125 lbs 98.00-101.00. hair 40-50 lbs 155.00-170.00; 50-55 lbs 165.00-175.00; 60 lbs 150.00; 70-80 lbs 133.00-150.00. Billings: 40-50 lbs 177.50-178.00; 50-60 lbs 174.00-181.50; 60-70 lbs 151.00-162.00; 70-80 lbs 127.00-146.00; 80-90 lbs 114.00-125.00; 90-100 lbs 104.00-118.50, few 128.50; 100-110 lbs 113.50-116.00; 110-120 lbs 98.00-110.00; 126 lbs 99.00.

Replacement Ewes: Medium and Large 1-2 San Angelo: hair ewe lambs 75-95 lbs 230.00-256.00/cwt; yearling hair 75-125 lbs 160.00-185.00/cwt; mixed age hair 100-145 lbs 118.00-156.00/cwt.

Ft. Collins: hair ewe lambs 98 lbs 150.00-175.00/head. South Dakota: ewe lambs 91 lbs 170.00/cwt, 102 lbs 169.00/ cwt.

Billings: yearlings 70.00/head..

Sheep and lambs slaughter under federal inspection for the week to date totaled 33,000 compared with 33,000 last week and 40,000 last year.

Source: USDA AMS Market News, San Angelo, Texas

National Wool Review

As of October 7, 2022

In Australia this week,

a

LIVE CATTLE FUTURES

SETT PRICE

Month Week Prev This Week Change

OCTOBER 145.33 146.45 +1.12

DECEMBER 147.88 147.93 +0.05

FEBRUARY 151.63 151.70 +0.07

APRIL 155.80 155.60 -0.20

JUNE 152.55 153.05 +0.50

FEEDER CATTLE FUTURES

SETT PRICE

Month Week Prev This Week Change

OCTOBER 175.73 174.75 -0.98

NOVEMBER 176.43 176.10 -0.33

JANUARY 177.85 176.30 -1.55

MARCH 179.90 177.58 -2.32

APRIL 183.83 181.25 -2.58

WHEAT FUTURES

SETT PRICE

Month Week Prev This Week Change

DECEMBER 8.79 8.92 +0.13

MARCH 8.93 9.08 +0.15

MAY 9.00 9.15 +0.15

JULY 8.91 9.07 +0.16

CORN FUTURES

SETT PRICE

Month Week Prev This Week Change

DECEMBER 6.75 6.98 +0.23

MARCH 6.83 7.05 +0.22

MAY 6.85 7.06 +0.21

JULY 6.80 6.99 +0.19

OATS FUTURES

SETT PRICE

Month Week Prev This Week Change

DECEMBER 3.97 4.07 +0.10

MARCH 3.99 4.10 +0.11

MAY 4.01 4.11 +0.10

JULY 4.04 4.13 +0.09

SOYBEAN FUTURES

SETT PRICE

Month Week Prev This Week Change

NOVEMBER 13.58 13.96 +0.38

JANUARY 13.70 14.05 +0.35

MARCH 13.81 14.14 +0.33

MAY 13.90 14.22 +0.32

CUTOUT

was down

ago.

JOB

FOR WORKOVER RIGS,

WIRELINE & WINCH

Thursday, Oct. 20th

8:00

Turret Dr. • Rock Springs, WY

NOW HIRING ~ WORK!

WORK! WORK! Experienced Class A tanker drivers needed. 401(k), paid vacations, health insurance and FR clothing al lowance! For questions, call John, 307-351-4901, e-mail resume to aholden@igooil. com 12/24

DEVILS TOWER FOREST PRODUCTS INC., A LUM BER MANUFACTURER IN HULETT, WY, IS ACCEPT ING APPLICATIONS FOR DAY AND NIGHT POSITIONS FOR THE SAWMILL AND DAY SHIFT FOR THE PLAN

UP IN ARMS, LLC FLEA MAR

KET AND GUN SHOW NOV. 11, 12 AND 13, Gillette, WY at the CAM-PLEX. Open to the public. Fri., Nov. 11, 3 p.m.-7 p.m. Sat., Nov. 12, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun., Nov. 13, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Giving away a .22 pistol Sunday at 2 p.m., must be present to win, 21 years of age and able to pass background check. Buy, sell, trade. Adults $6, children 12 and under free (when accompanied by an adult). For more infor mation, contact Lisa, 208-4202295 11/5

ER: Benefit package includes company paid medical and dental insurance (including dependents), life insurance, company-matching 401(k), safety incentives, holiday pay, paid vacation and sign on bonus. Mandatory employ ment and random drug testing is conducted. E.O.E. Starting wage DOE. Online applica tions available at www.nei manenterprises.com. E-mail applications to joe.ortner@ devilstowerfp.com or fax to 307-467-5418, contact Joe Ortner at 307-467-5252 with additional questions 10/22

RANCH MAINTENANCE/ANI

CARE: Looking for a reli able, self-motivated individual with a good work ethic that has experience in ranch work, includ ing maintenance and upkeep at a ranch with several outbuild ings, plus horse and animal care.

organizational skills and attention to detail re quired. Job facilities are located 17 miles west of Cheyenne, WY. Applicants MUST possess a valid driver’s license, have reliable transportation and be able to work a flexible schedule. Requires working every other weekend. Full-time position. Call 307-275-2090 or e-mail resume to brittiny@rfholdings.org 10/15

WIGGINS FEEDYARD, LLC

HIRING FULL-TIME EM PLOYEE: Current driver’s license required. Call Sue Wiggins, 308-279-0924, email sswiggins@wiggins feedyard.com, 10077 U.S. 385, Bridgeport, NE 69336, references with phone num

LIVESTOCK SUPPLEMENT TERRITORY REPRESENTA

TIVE: Family-owned livestock supplement manufacturer seeks highly motivated, selfstarting individual for regional sales position. Previous agri cultural sales preferred. Region includes Wyoming and west ern Nebraska. Position entails maintaining relationships and providing sales support to exist ing dealers while acquiring new dealer prospects. Overnight travel required. Salary D.O.E. plus commissions. Benefits provided. To apply, call 406-248-3631 or send resume to kellie@nutralix. com 10/22

Situation Wanted

LOCAL COWBOY ARTIST, WIFE AND 3 HORSES SEEK

TO BUY , lease or rent a home, heated shop and small acreage in north central Wyo ming or…. Give us a call at 307-655-2223 11/5

AGRI-ONE FINANCIAL: Farm/ ranch and all commercial loans.

RATES AS LOW AS 4.5%. We have been helping with all as pects of agricultural, commer cial financing and management for years. LET US HELP YOU on a consulting level with man agement to increase profitabil ity, deal with and fix credit prob lems and for all your financing needs. WE CARE AND HAVE WORKING PROGRAMS de signed 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!! 11/5

ALL TYPES OF EQUIPMENT AND VEHICLE FINANCING. Great service!! Great rates!! Call Chuck Brown at C.H. Brown Co., WY LLC, 307-3223232 (office), 307-331-0010 (cell) or e-mail chuckbrown@ wyoming.com 10/15

Auctions

250 BLACK ANGUS BRED

HEIFERS: South Dakota ori gin, OCVD, exposed to proven LBW Black Angus bulls for 45 days. Start calving Feb. 1, 2023. References available. Please call 785-394-1955 (cell), 785-394-2374 (home) or 785-731-5067 11/5

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 EXCEPTION AL EPDs. Current EPDs avail able on our website www.ant lersangusranch.com or call Earl, 307-660-4796 10/29

Brands

WYOMING BRAND FOR SALE: LRC, LHH. $2,500. CALL 307-7652905 11/5

WYOMING BRAND FOR SALE: RRC, RSH. Expires Dec. 31, 2022, $1,000 plus $137.50 transfer fee. Call 307575-2016 10/22

REGISTERED WYOMING BRAND FOR SALE: RHC and LHH. Very rare. Can use one iron. Renewed to Jan. 2031, $3,500 OBO. Call 307751-2336 10/15

WYOMING BRAND FOR SALE: LRC, BS, LSH. Dues paid to Dec. 31, 2022. No irons included, $3,000. Call 307746-8243 10/22

Cattle

AKAUSHI CATTLE FOR SALE:

Thirty yearling full-blood Akaushi bulls. Five 2-year-old full-blood Akaushi bulls. Twenty-five 1/2 and 3/4 blood Akaushi/Angus cows, 4 to 7 years old, exposed to full-blood Akaushi bulls, calv ing April 1, 2023. Ten full-blood Akaushi cows with papers 4 to 10 years old, exposed to full-blood Akaushi bulls. Approximately 90 steer and 90 heifer Akaushi cross Angus calves available January 2023, weaned at 60 days, DNA verified to ensure authenticity. ALSO, premium Akaushi hamburger, one-pound packages, $5/lb. Call Mike Mel lott, 719-740-040 10/29

25 RED ANGUS AND RED BALDY COWS: April/May cal vers. Have been vaccinated this fall. Bred for disposition, calving ease, mothering ability and fertil ity. Call evenings, 406-277-3282 or 406-277-3887 10/15

Angus

Longhorn

REGISTERED TEXAS LONG HORNS FOR SALE: Gentle pairs, trophy steers, heifers, solid and colorful bulls. Forag ing, hardy, low-maintenance cattle. Horn Showcase cham pionship lines for show, beef and pasture ornamentation with traffic stopping colors and excellent horns. Easy cattle accustomed to simple han dling, great for youth. West haven Ranch in California, 209-274-9917, e-mail swest moore@gmail.com or visit www.westhavenlonghorns. com To view photos, go to www.wylr.net in the classi fieds 10/29

Dogs

IAN PUPS: Had first shots. Working parents. Exposed to young children, goats, poultry and cattle. Pups are in Jelm, WY, $500. Call/text 260-3412293, gracecreekranch@ gmail.com. To view photos, go to www.wylr.net in the classifieds 11/5

Angus

ANATOLIAN SHEPHERD/ PYRENEES/POLISH TA TRA AND MOUNTAIN CUR/ POLISH TATRA SHEEPDOG MIX LIVESTOCK GUARD

Dogs

BORDER COLLIE PUPPIES

FOR SALE: Traditional black and white, long hair. Out of trophy winning working bloodlines. Born Sept. 19, $500. Guranteed to work!! Call 307-645-3322 10/15

AKC REGISTERED PEM

BROKE WELSH CORGI PUPS

FOR SALE!! They are the sweet est things ever!! Both parents are excellent tempered. Mother Rosie is the sweetest ever and dad Roscoe is a fun, loving, bouncy boy. Both are great ranch dogs. Ready to go on October 10. Text or call 701-260-1207. To view photos, go to www.wylr.net in the classifieds 10/22

GREAT PYRENEES PUPPIES

FOR SALE: Run with livestock every day, parents onsite, proven bloodlines. Ranch raised. Ready to go to work, $1,000. ALSO, TWO 6-MONTH-OLD MALES running with livestock. Have been raising these fantastic LGD for 40+ years. For more information, call 406-207-7674 11/5

Custom

CATTLE WANTED!! Look ing for 1,000-1,200 calves to background. Thirteen miles west of Martin, S.D. Call Rod ney, 605-454-0053 or Kory, 605-454-0123 11/5

LOOKING TO BACK GROUND CALVES, Heming ford, NE. Call Ian, 307-4219116 10/15

WE HAVE PEN SPACE AND FEED AVAILABLE FOR BACKGROUNDING CALVES, developing re placement heifers or feeding cows. Durbin Creek Ranch/ Washakie Feeders. Call 307921-3021 10/22

WIGGINS FEEDYARD, AC CEPTING CATTLE OF ALL CLASSES: Cows, yearlings or calves to background or fin ish. Call 308-262-1140 (office), Steve, 308-279-1432 (cell) or Sue, 308-279-0924 (cell) 10/22

Sheep

HORSE/COW HAY FOR SALE: Small squares, grass/ alfalfa, covered, $10/bale. ALSO, large rounds and small squares of alfalfa. Located in Sheridan, WY. Delivery pos sible. For more information, call 307-752-5920 10/15

Pasture

SUMMER GRASS PASTURE available June 1 to end of No vember for 150 head, located in Hardin, MT. Call 702-501-4243 or 307-737-2680 11/5

Pasture Wanted

WANTED for 2,000 yearlings and 500 pairs. Can split into smaller bunches. 701523-1235 11/26

LAMB

2022 AND 2021 HAY FOR SALE: Alfalfa, alfalfa/grass and grass mix. ALSO, alfalfa/oats, alfalfa/oats/millet and straight millet. 2022 SECOND CUT TING ALFALFA, 2022 OAT HAY AND 2022 MILLET All in net-wrapped round bales. Semi load delivery available. Call for pricing, 701-690-8116, please send a text if no answer or keep trying 10/22

BARLEY STRAW: Certified weed-free small squares, $4/ bale. ALSO round bales. Grey bull, WY area. Call 307-7623878 or 307-202-0108, leave message 10/22

VALLEY VIDEO HAY MAR KETS, LLC: Wyoming and western Nebraska hay avail able. Call Barry McRea, 308235-5386, www.valleyvideo hay.com 10/22

CERTIFIED BARLEY STRAW FOR SALE, 3x4. Cody, WY. Call 307-899-1952 TFN

2022 BARLEY STRAW FOR SALE, 3x3 bales. ALSO, other hay available. Call 307-3500350, Farson, WY 10/15

YEARLING WHITE FACED RAMS FOR SALE: Columbia, Rambouillet and Targhee. Con tact Russell Bell, 307-3582188 or 307-680-4950 11/5

ARE YOU IN NEED OF A NEW HERDER CAMP OR A PERSONAL RANGE CAMP FOR YOUR FAMILY? Contact us at Western Range Camps and see what we can build for you. We specialize in quality, handcrafted camps built to your specifications. Contact us today to design the camp that is just right for you. Western Range Camps, 435-462-5300, heidi@ wrcamps.com, 1145 S. Black hawk Blvd, Mt. Pleasant, UT 84647 10/15

Hay & Feed

600 TONS GRASS/ALFALFA MIX HAY, mostly alfalfa, 4x4x8 and 3x4x8 squares delivered. Call 307-267-6833 10/22

CERTIFIED OAT STRAW AND CORNSTALK BALES: All in big round bales. GRASS/ALFALFA AND STRAIGHT ALFALFA, first, second and third cutting, small squares and big round bales. ALSO, New Holland 560 round baler, well maintained and in good condition. Please call 307-7545864 10/15

HAY TARPS: Heavy-duty vinyl 30 mil, sleeved edges, no grommets, 15’x49’, $85. Will deliver for an ad ditional fee. Contact Kevin, 970391-5746 10/15

80 TONS THIRD CUTTING HAY, 70% alfalfa and 30% orchard grass. Still standing. All to one buyer. Call to pick bale size, either 4x4x8 or small squares. 307-9210582 or 307-851-3912, Riverton, WY 10/15

HAY FOR SALE: Grass, alfalfa and STRAW. Delivery available!! Call 307-630-3046 10/29

FIRST AND SECOND CUTTING ALFALFA HAY FOR SALE: Lo cated in Otto, WY, west of Basin, WY. Call 307-250-7846 or 307254-4957 10/15

GOOD QUALITY HAY FOR SALE: Put up right, bales around 1,400 lbs. Call 605-8425515 10/15

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE: John Deere 8960 tractor with PTO; John Deere 5090e tractor with loader; White 30’ disk; John Deere 74 hydraulic rake; Ver meer R23 rake; Hesston 7434 3x4 baler; John Deere 569 baler; Massey Ferguson 2190 4x4 baler; John Deere 7720 com bine; John Deere 7100 12 row planter; Morris 53’ airdrill; Lawson 12x30 double drum land areator; Cat 950 loader; New Holland 359 grinder mixer; Artsway 425 grinder mixer; Modern Mill (mix mill) feed mill; Brandt 5200 grain vac; IHC 80 bbl vac truck; Merritt 48’x102” cattle pot; 2007 Western Star 4900 sleeper truck; Mobile Tech 9 yd. volumetric concrete mixer; Degelman 570 rock picker. Call 406-254-1254 11/5

ROAD GRADER: Comes with 4 chains, extra front tires. Used this on our ranch to clear road of heavy snows and blade gravel. Does a great job. Engine block heater for winter starting. Rebuilt starter. Enclosed cab, 28’ length. Sturgis, S.D. Purchased from Newell, S.D. DOT. Nice diesel, $7,600. Call 605-381-5321. To view photos, go to www.wylr.net in the classifieds 10/15

JOHN DEERE 4430 TRACTOR: 6,500 hours, has new dual tires, new seat, new steps, new lights. Fantastic farm tractor!! Asking $26,500 OBO. 1998 FORD FSERIES DUMP TRUCK, 4x4, 8.3 Cummins, 6 speed Allison automatic transmission, 22.5 rubber, 50 gallon diesel tank, air assist pintle hitch, 10’ dump bed with grain door, 6 yard bed, 40,173 original miles, stored in side most it’s life, GVW 30,000 lbs., tires 90%. Great truck for farm use, snow removal etc... Call Mike 970-371-4050, rmho jio@gmail.com. To view photos, go to www.wylr.net in the clas sifieds 10/22

Fencing

LODGEPOLE PRODUCTS, 307-742-6992, SERVING AGRIBUSINESSES SINCE 1975!! Treated posts, corral poles, buck-and-rail, western rail, fence stays, rough-sawn lumber, bed ding. SEE US at www.lodge poleproducts.com and click our “Picking A Fence Post” tab to see why folks choose our posts!! TFN

Heating Equipment

ELIMINATE ● RISING ● FUEL

COSTS: Clean, safe and efficient wood heat. Central Boiler Clas sic and E-Classic Outdoor Wood Furnace; heats multiple buildings with only 1 furnace, 25-year war ranty available. Heat with wood, no splitting! Available in dual fuel ready models. www.CentralBoil er.com WE ALSO HAVE whole house pellet/corn/biomass fur naces. 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 clas sifieds TFN

SEVEN-YEAR-OLD BAY

FOR SALE. Has been used in all sorts of ranch work: Been roped off of, used in brandings and trailer loadings. Located in central Wyoming. Call 307-851-1606 10/22

300 ROUND BALES HIGH QUALITY SUDANGRASS HAY, bales weighing approximately 1,100 lbs. each. 400 ROUND BALES EXCELLENT QUAL ITY THIRD CUTTING ALFALFA, bales weighing approximately 1,425 lbs. each. 100 ROUND BALES WHEAT STRAW, excel lent quality, bales weighing ap proximately 950 lbs. each. 300 ROUND BALES WHEAT FOR AGE HAY, great quality, bales weighing approximately 1,100 lbs. each. All put up right, test results available. Call for pricing 406-6657521, Hardin, MT 10/29

JOHN DEERE GATOR 6x4, ONLY 420 HOURS!! Comes with electric bed lift. Used for hauling wood and gravel on our ranch. Fun to drive. Easy start. Always stored indoors. Crack in plastic fender, otherwise great. Runs well. Comes with small winch and long, heavy cable. Sturgis, S.D. Call 605-381-5321. To view photos, go to www.wylr. net in the classifieds 10/15

Equipment

SELECTION of

GLOVES, TACK, CHINKS

Shop Moss Saddles, Boots and Tack, 4648 West Yel lowstone Highway, Casper, WY, 307-472-1872.

150 ROUND BALES OF 2022 ALFALFA: Second and third cut ting. Located 4 miles southwest of Fort Laramie, WY. Call 307-7156184 10/15

2022 HAY FOR SALE: Alfalfa, oats and Sudangrass hay. Call Earl, 307-660-4796 10/29

FOR SALE: 1979 Ford LN8000 tandem axle truck with air lift rear tag, V630 diesel, 5 & 2 speed, 20’ Crysteel steel box with scissor hoist, 3 piece end gate, roll tarp, 11R24.5 tires, runs good, $8,500 Bale King 5100 bale processor, like new. J&M 875 grain cart with roll tarp. J&M 350 gravity box with 12 ton running gear. Gehl 1620 18’ chuckwagon with 14 ton tandem running gear. John Deere 714A and 716A chuckwagons with John Deere running gears and bunk feeding extensions. John Deere 843 8RN corn head. John Deere 930 flex head. Lorenz 16’x33’ stack mover. Rowse double 9’ sickle mower with CIH head and PTO drive. Farm King 8’ snow blower with hydraulic spout. All in very nice condition!!

Pipe

HDPE Pipe for Ranch Water Systems

prices,

ACRES WITH A MILE AND A HALF OF LIVE SPRING WA

Alpine setting.

in the Dillon, MT area.

Richard

POTATOES

from the Wyoming Women’s Center.

“It’s wonderful to see peo ple coming together to serve all of the communities across Wyoming,” said Samantha Maxwell, programs represen tative at Food Bank of Wyo ming. “With the severe chal lenges communities are fac ing to provide for their fami lies, we are thankful for UW Extension, SAREC and CNP striving to help fight against hunger.”

The potatoes are grown as part of UW outreach efforts at SAREC. In 2021, nearly 6,500 pounds of pota toes were donated to Food Bank of Wyoming. This year, 10,920 pounds were donated, exceeding the goal of 10,000 pounds.

“SAREC is glad to collab

orate with the CNP and many local volunteers to make this happen,” said Brian Lee, a research scientist at SAREC.

“This continues to be a good program for the state and local communities. We appre ciate all of the help from the SAREC staff for growing and harvesting the potatoes, and we look forward to continu ing this in the future.”

The potatoes from SAREC are available for food pantries and other partners through Food Bank of Wyo ming. Potatoes will also be distributed by mobile food pantries throughout the state to reach more rural areas.

CNP is working with local food pantries to pro vide patrons with recipes and resources for using and stor ing potatoes safely.

“We are thankful to the UW Extension programs, SAREC and CNP for the donation of locally grown potatoes to benefit our Wyo ming neighbors in need,” said Rachel Bailey, execu tive director of Food Bank of Wyoming. “With higher infla tion and fuel prices, many families are seeking food assistance for the first time, so these potatoes will be a wel come addition to our distribu tions to Hunger Relief Part ners this fall.”

This article was pro vided by Cent$ible Nutri tion Program Manager Kali McGrackin Goodenough and University of Wyoming Writer/Editor Brooke Ortel. Send comments on this article to kali.goodenough@uwyo. edu or bortel@uwyo.edu.

Potato harvest – Volunteers, including Cent$ible Nutrition Program Manager Kali McCrackin Good enough, harvested more than 10,000 pounds of potatoes during the second annual potato harvest at the James C. Hageman Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Lingle to help fight food insecurity across the state. Courtesy photo

temporary labor needs by employing foreign agricul tural workers when there are not sufficient workers who are able, willing, quali fied and available, and when doing so, will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of workers simi larly employed in the U.S.,” according to the DOL.

Final rule details

There has been an increase in wage violations of H-2A regulations over the past five years, according to the DOL.

“In 2021, the Wage and Hour Division found H-2A violations in 358 cases and collected more than $5.8 million in back wages for more than 7,000 workers,” the DOL continues.

“By improving H-2A program regulations, we are strengthening worker protec tions and meeting our core mission,” says Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh. “This new rule makes several improvements to enhance the integrity of the H-2A pro gram and provide employ ers and other stakeholders greater clarity.”

According to the DOL, “The new rule includes the following important ele ments: improves safety and health protections for work ers housed in rental or public accommodations; streamlines and updates bond require ments for labor contractors to better hold them accountable and clarifies joint-employer status for employers and asso ciations; clarifies the housing certification process to allow state and local authorities to conduct housing inspections; establishes explicit authority to debar attorneys and agents for their misconduct, indepen dent of an employer’s viola tions; makes electronic filing mandatory for most applica tions to improve employers’ processing efficiency; and modernizes the methodology and procedures for determin ing the prevailing wage to allow state workforce agen cies to produce more prevail ing wage findings.”

The final rule revolves around housing, meals,

wages and association liabil ity, says Rivera.

“Meals must meet cer tain nutritional standards and must be delivered in a timely way,” she says.

According to the final rule, “Rental and/or pub lic accommodations secured to house workers must meet applicable local, state or fed eral standards addressing certain health or safety con cerns, and requires employ ers to submit written docu mentation that such housing meets applicable standards and contains enough bed(s) and room(s) to accommodate all workers requested. These provisions are intended to better protect the health and safety of workers without imposing an undue burden on employers.”

The department is also updating the way prevailing wages are calculated, says Rivera.

They will be “allowing more entities, including state agencies and universities, to provide the data,” she says.

The final rule will clarify association liability as well.

The final rule “clarifies the definitions of ‘employer’ and ‘joint employment,’ and the use of these terms in the filing of Applications for Temporary Employment Certification, and the respon sibilities of joint employers. Employers that file as joint employers are treated as such as a matter of law for purposes of compliance and enforcement.”

“In addition,” the rule continues, “employers that do not file applications, but nonetheless jointly employ workers under the common law of agency, are responsi ble as joint employers. These provisions are intended to enhance worker protections by providing greater clarity regarding the responsibilities of joint employers, consis tent with the statute and the department’s current policy and practice.”

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

Wyoming Farm Bureau meeting set

“Our Agriculture. Our Future.” is the theme of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federa tion (WyFB). The meeting will be Nov. 10-12 at the Best Western Downtown in Casper.

Policy discussion is the main impe tus of the WyFB annual meeting. WyFB’s grassroots strength begins at the county level when members discuss issues important to agriculture. Resolu tions must be passed at both the county and district level before being consid

ered by voting delegates at the state annual meeting. The voting delegate session also includes election of offi cers.

Annual meeting attendees will also spend time celebrating friendships in agriculture at the annual awards banquet featuring a concert with Tris Munsick. Additional features of the annual meet ing include trivia night; Young Farmer & Rancher Collegiate Discussion Meet; and networking with farmers and ranch ers from across the state.

In addition, the WyFB Foundation is hosting an “Innovations in Agriculture Technology” seminar Nov. 10. Speak ers will present agricultural technology information ranging from drone and sat ellite use to virtual fencing. This semi nar is free and open to the public. More information is available at wyfb.org

To register, e-mail broes@wyfb.org or call 307-721-7723 by Oct. 31. Regis tration and hotel reservation information along with a tentative schedule are avail able at wyfb.org

Mead recognized as NWSS 2023 Citizen of the West

Former Gov. Matt Mead is being recognized as the 2023 Citizen of the West at the Events Center at the National Western Complex in Denver, Colo. Jan. 9, 2023 at 7 p.m.

Each year, during the National Western Stock Show (NWSS), a Citizen of the West is selected from community leaders who exemplify the spirit and determination of a Western pioneer. These mod ern-day pioneers are honored for their economic and philan thropic endeavors in the West.

According to the press release, as former governor of Wyoming and U.S. attorney for the District of Wyoming, Mead has established himself as a leader in representing his constituents, defending the law, managing business and protecting the rights of res idents of the Rocky Moun tain Region. From his origins growing up on a ranch to sup porting the citizens of Wyo ming, his aspirations have always been to improve the lives of his fellow Americans

and to preserve Western cul ture and values.

Born in Jackson, Mead was raised on the family ranch in Teton County. After graduating from high school, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Trinity University in San Antonio and a law degree from the University of Wyo ming. Matt began his career as assistant county attorney in Campbell County. He sub sequently held positions as the assistant U.S. attorney, special assistant U.S. attor

ney, special assistant state attorney general, U.S. attor ney general’s anti-terrorism task force and the U.S. attor ney for the District of Wyo ming, appointed by Presi dent George W. Bush, along with being in private practice throughout the years.

Mead exemplifies servi tude, Western principles and a passion for creating a better future for his fellow citizens. He is an outstanding example of Western values, states the press release.

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