November 10, 2018

Volume 30 Number 28 • November 10, 2018

®

The Weekly News Source for Wyoming’s Ranchers, Farmers and AgriBusiness Community • www.wylr.net

A Look Inside Wyoming students took home two big wins at the National FFA Convention this year...Page A10 SDSU’s Russ Daly says replacement heifers should be treated just like the cowherd to maintain health...........Page A11 Choice beef cutout prices for the last quarter of 2018 have seen a boost.................Page B2 Keeping water open during winter months can be a challenge, but UW’s Steve Paisley provides potential solutions..............................Page B3

Quick Bits Holiday Schedule

Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner, and Wyoming Livestock Roundup advertisers are encouraged to schedule ads early to make sure they meet upcoming holiday deadlines.

In November, the advertising deadline for the Nov. 24 paper will be Nov. 19 by 5 p.m.

Call 307-234-2700 or e-mail roundup@wylr.net to schedule your ad today.

Joint Ag Committee moves forward bills related to landlocked state lands Casper – In a special oneday meeting held Nov. 7 at Casper College, the Joint Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources Committee met to discuss a broad array of bills affecting the agriculture industry.

While many of the bills were tabled for further changes and discussion, the committee moved forward on a resolution related to state and federal school trust lands exchanges, as well as a legislative review of statefederal land transfers.

Resolution for exchanges The first piece of legislation was a resolution related to state-federal school trust land exchanges and requests that Congress of the United States “enact legislation requiring the exchange of certain landlocked school

trust lands in Wyoming.”

“In the Act of Admission, when the state of Wyoming came into the union, the federal government conveyed every 16th and 36th section for the sole purpose of funding the public school Please see AG on page A6

Recovering after fires Rangeland recovery after wildfire takes time

With several large wildfires in 2018, some ranchers across the state of Wyoming have experienced loss of forage, loss of property or even loss of livestock.

The period after a fire, however, brings critical concerns for producers as far as recovery.

“Post fire-recovery for production is very different than post-fire recovery for ecology,” said Matt Reeves, U.S. Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station research ecologist.

Reeves, who spends his time working on remoting sensing and modeling to characterize rangeland dynamics and serves as the U.S. Forest Service liaison

to USDA’s Climate Hubs, says production recovery is largely variable and unquantifiable.

“There is a lack of information about post-fire recovery,” Reeves said. “As a critical ‘good,’ one of the things most people think about is grass growing back, and it’s critical for rangelands.”

In general, the U.S. Forest Service utilizes guidelines for grazing allotments recommending a two-year rest period.

“This is confusing and frustrating because it’s a carte blanche strategy,” Reeves said. “In some fires, Please see FIRE on page A9

Checkoff Suit Montana Federal District Court Judge Brian Morris granted a motion by R-CALF USA to expand its beef checkoff lawsuit against USDA to include at least 13 states in addition to Montana. Under the injunction, the $1 beef checkoff is still collected, and the money is sent to the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB).

Montana ranchers who wish for half of their dollar to go to the Montana Beef Council to promote beef must complete a producer consent form that allows the CBB to send the funds to Montana.

Wind Power

Wyoming is one of seven states in the country on track to double the amount of energy it can produce from wind power, according to the American Wind Energy Association. Some 20,000 new megawatts are under construction across the country and another 17,000 megawatts are in advanced development.

Weed and pest offices offer bounty program to address weeds Across the state of Wyoming, local weed and pest offices seek innovative solutions for both public education and information, as well as eradication of weeds.

Lincoln and Natrona counties have both implemented bounty programs to address problem weeds in their respective areas, and both agencies have seen success both in eliminating weeds and in increasing awareness.

During the 2018 Wyoming Weed and Pest Council meeting, held in Casper Nov. 6-8, representatives from both counties shared about their program, encouraging others from across the state to implement similar innovative solutions.

Dyer’s Woad Nearly 20 years ago, Lincoln County concluded that Dyer’s Woad was a significant problem in the county.

“I don’t know if this program started as an eradication tool as much as a public awareness effort, but from an awareness standpoint, the program has been unbelievably successful,” said Lincoln County Weed and Pest’s Jason Trauntvein.

Please see WWP on page A5

Cold Weather UW coach, students see rodeo success Wyoming experienced below normal temperatures for the week, according to the Mountain Regional Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service of USDA. Twenty of the 34 reporting stations reported below average temperatures for the week. The high temperature of 76 degrees was recorded at Old Fort Laramie and a low of 9 degrees was recorded at Big Piney.

Below normal moisture was also reported at 22 of the 34 reporting stations.

Weed solutions

Loveland, Colo. – During the 2018 Mountain States Circuit Finals Rodeo, University of Wyoming Rodeo Coach Beau Clark and UW Team Roper J.C. Flake saw big results. The event, held Oct. 25-27 at The Ranch in Loveland, Colo., saw cowboys and cowgirls from across the region compete for buckles, year-end titles, over $158,000 in prize money and the chance to qualify for the RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo in Kissimmee, Fla. Clark, competing in steer wrestling, completed his run in the final round 3.8 seconds.

“I thought he was a really good chance to make a good run,” Clark comments. “Winning takes care of itself.”

Clark has competed in Florida twice before, but this year is the first year he’ll make the trip with his family.

“I’ll be fun,” he says.

Flake also qualified to compete in Florida after winning the team roping event.

Flake finished sixth in the Resistol “Rookie of the Year” standings. He and partner Paul Beckett from Laramie won the Mountain States Circuit Finals Rodeo, finishing off three steers in 17.7 seconds.

Flake says, “My partner did a great job. Our game plan was to just get him caught and let the other guy do what they were going to do. We were going to do the best job we could and see how it fell. It fell in our favor, and we get to go to Kissimmee.”

Flake also sees significance in competing at the national event with his coach.

“Beau and I get to fly down together as a coach and his athlete. That’s really cool,” he says. “Our plan was, ‘If you’re making it, I’m making it.’ We both got it done, and it worked out great.”

Bullard addresses cattle market at ICOW Casper – The Independent Cattlemen of Wyoming (ICOW) joined for their annual meeting on Nov. 1-2 in Casper, with a diverse agenda covering a variety of topics. Among speakers at the event, R-CALF CEO Bill Bullard headlined the afternoon of Nov. 1, noting that cattle producers should be wary of trade agreements and mandatory activity.

Declining industry Bullard said the U.S. is losing ranches. Looking back to 1980, about 1.3 million beef cow operations existed in the United States. Today, that number is about 729,000.

“We’ve gone through drought, trade agreements and geo-political activities,

but this is a trend,” he emphasizes. “We haven’t had a bobble. We’ve been losing ranches as an alarming rate over the last 40 years.”

Looking at the mother cowherd, Bullard said in 1975, the country had 46 million mother cows. Today, that number is closer to 31 million.

“We’ve been liquidating cattle since the late 70s. This is a trend, and the industry is shrinking,” Bullard said. “This is the message members of Congress need to hear. They need to quit pretending that our industry is not shrinking or shrinking at an alarming rate.”

Bullard also looked at the sheep indus-

periodical

periodical

Please see ICOW on page A15

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018

What’s Ahead I’m writing this column on Election Day. If you are looking for predictions on the election, I’m the last guy to ask, as I’m just not a political person. I enjoy discussing politics, but your vote is just that. It’s your vote, and I hope you exercised your From the Publisher right and freedom. I applaud those who Dennis Sun choose to run for office and be a part of government. I don’t know how you do it. Elections seem to just take over your life, and thank you for running for office.

Around this time of the year, I always look for the coming winter’s or next year’s predictions on the weather and livestock prices. I think a lot of people, being an optimist, do it hoping to see good news or in my case, seeing what they want to hear. It is part of the “always looking for the silver bullet syndrome.”

The smart ones out there will tell you, “Wait till May and I’ll tell you what the 2018-19 winter was like.” The not so smart ones like me say, “I saw a fat squirrel with a big fuzzy coat of hair gathering nuts. It’s going to be a bad winter.” In reality, I think most animals get caught off guard just like us humans.

Thank God, we do have weather specialists who know how warm or cold the water is in the Pacific Ocean. That seems to drive the weather in the mountain states, and some forecasters can predict the weather by looking at records of year’s past conditions.

Weather predicting is a science and like drilling for water or oil. One uses the best information and hopes for a little luck.

CattleFax’s extended weather outlook for November is for warmer temperatures over the nation, except over the far West and Northwest, with below normal precipitation for the western mountain states and normal precipitation for the other parts of the mountain states. For November to January, the temperature looks warmer for eastern Idaho, all of Montana and the northeastern half of Wyoming, and the precipitation will be below for Idaho, Montana, western three-quarters of Wyoming and the very northeastern part of Colorado.

The National Weather Service says it is going to be a mild winter for most of the country as there is a 70 to 75 percent chance of an El Niño developing. With an El Niño, winters are generally milder in the north and colder in the south. The northern states will also be drier, and the Southwest will be colder.

The Old Farmers’ Almanac agrees with the National Weather Service, but the Farmers’ Almanac is calling for a cold, frigid winter, especially in mid-February – but not so much in the far western states.

All predict a wetter than average winter for most of the U.S., except a few who say the northern Rockies and Great Plains will be drier.

The Farmers’ Almanac is calling for a snowy winter in the Great Lakes, Midwest, New England and the Pacific Northwest.

The Old Farmers’ Almanac is influenced by magnetic storms on the surface of the sun and claims an 80 percent accuracy rate. The Farmers’ Almanac makes its forecasts based on sunspot activity, tidal action of the moon, the position of the planets and other factors. I wonder if the other factors are a pair of dice?

Like elections, forecasting the weather long-term can be challenging, it’s easier to just wait and see the results.

The rule of thumb says a bigger wood pile and larger haystack is just right.

GUEST OPINIONS Dull Knife Reservoir Dam Project Completed

By Dull Knife Irrigation District Commission President Dan Mahoney, Vice President Wade Curuchet and Treasurer Wilbur Jones If you have driven past Dull Knife Reservoir this summer, you may have noticed that it is getting a much-needed face lift after 52 years of use.

In the mid-1960s the North Fork Water Users Association (NFWU) was formed, and they worked with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to construct the Reservoir. In 1966, they accomplished their goal. Since that time until 2014, the NFWU managed the Reservoir, with Pam Kinchen overseeing the administration of daily financial operations and Bill Jones acting as caretaker.

Over time the face of the spillway saw some mild erosion and seepage began to occur.

In 2003, Chuck Schmidt, NRCS State Engineer, attended the NFWU Annual meeting to discuss rehabilitation of the Reservoir, noting that in 2016 the life expectancy of the Reservoir would be met and the liability of the Dull Knife Reservoir would revert to the NFWU. At this time, the NRCS commissioned the Dull Knife Reservoir Dam Breach Analysis Report to show the impact to the North Fork Drainage if the Reservoir was breached. As a result, the Dull Knife Dam was reclassified as a “High Hazard Dam,” highlighting the loss of life, livestock and property that would occur if a breach occurred. This was instrumental in moving the Rehabilitation Project into a priority position for funding.

Time passed, and the deadline in 2016 loomed near. Allison McKenzie, District Conservationist for Johnson County NRCS, attended the 2012 NFWU Annual Meeting, at which she discussed the importance of rehabilitation of the Dam and encouraged the members to pursue funding to repair the Dull Knife Dam. The state NRCS concurred, stating that if the seepage issue in the spillway was not repaired, eventually the State Engineer’s Office could place a fill restriction on the Reservoir or even require the removal of the Reservoir, severely impacting the irrigation usage on the North Fork of Powder River.

Following this meeting, the NFWU with the assistance of the NRCS worked with emergency service agencies, BLM, State Forestry and Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) to create an Emergency Action Plan. This was the first step needed to pursue funding.

The next step included transitioning from the North Fork Water Users to an irrigation district, a requirement for applying for funding from the Wyoming Water Development Com-

mission (WWDC).

During 2013, the NFWU actively began investigating forming an irrigation district and determining who could assist them in this process. Wilbur Jones, the NFWU Vice President, suggested speaking with Kathleen McPhee as she had just been through the process. Kathleen McPhee directed them to her boss, Dave Palmerlee, a lawyer with extensive experience in water law. These two individuals with their vast knowledge put the NFWU on the fast track to becoming an irrigation district.

At the 2014 Annual Meeting of the NFWU, the members approved transitioning to an irrigation district and further to pursue funding from WWDC to match the funds that would be available from the NRCS. The race was on to become an irrigation district in time to meet the application submittal deadline for the WWDC. In a record breaking three months, the Dull Knife Irrigation District was formed. This was no small task taken on by the NFWU, Dave Palmerlee, Kathleen McPhee, Pam Kinchen and Anita Bartlett, district manager for the Powder River Conservation District.

Anita Bartlett assisted with obtaining signatures on forms and creating the extremely detailed Dull Knife Irrigation Map required by the District Court to form an irrigation district.

Others organized public meetings and drafted the documents needed.

Three very busy months later, on Aug. 11, 2014, the Dull Knife Irrigation District was formed at a District Court Hearing in Buffalo.

Now, the funding process began in earnest. The newly formed Dull Knife Irrigation District (DKID), with the assistance of Palmerlee and McPhee, began submitting funding applications with the NRCS and the WWDC. DKID vied for federal funding against projects all over the United States, and with the assistance of Chuck Schmitt, they were awarded funding that would cover 100 percent of the cost to design the Project and 65 percent of the cost of construction.

With federal funding in hand, DKID submitted their application to WWDC for the remaining 35 percent of the project.

DKID worked with Bill Brewer, construction project manager on the WWDC Staff, and with Harry LaBonde, executive director of WWDC, to prepare for the interview process before the full Water Development Commission that was required for Please see DAM on page A8

Before and after -- The Dull Knife Reservoir project required modifications to the existing main dam, outlet works, spillway and saddle dam to address a variety of concerns. This before (left) and after (right) shows the remarkable difference in the dam after work was completed.

Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018

NEWS BRIEFS Online meat shopping up

WGFD develops partnership

Online ordering of fresh meat is up sharply from a year ago, according to a new study, but a quarter of shoppers also singled out those purchases as falling short on quality and freshness.

The big increase in purchasing levels of fresh food items, including meat, was “one of the striking findings,” according to the Retail Feedback Group, which conducted the survey of 760 respondents who shopped online for groceries in the last 30 days.

Online buying of meat increased 40 percent from a year ago, and purchases of deli meats and cheeses jumped 50 percent, the study found. Among other goods in the fresh department, orders for produce climbed 50 percent, seafood rose 46 percent, bakery items increased 36 percent, and prepared food and meals were up 27 percent. – Meatingplace

With the support of the Wyoming Bird Habitat Conservation Partnership, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) and Ducks Unlimited developed a shared full-time wetlands specialist position to get conservation projects off the ground.

To fund the new position and develop a statewide Wetland Program Plan, the Wyoming partnership was awarded its second Environmental Protection Agency, Wetland Program Development grant in the fall of 2018.

The grant allows WGFD and Ducks Unlimited to sponsor a full-time employee whose focus is demonstration projects, capacity-building and close collaboration between the two organizations to build partnerships and expertise for the long-term for wetland conservation work in Wyoming.

“This effort is a great example of adaptive management and out of the box thinking that results in proactive conservation,” said Ian Tator, WGFD statewide terrestrial habitat manager. “Wyoming partners have long identified a gap in wetland capacity and collectively worked to develop a solution.”

Beef imports increase in Sept.

Beef imports in September were 81,425 metric tons (MT), up about 2,800 MT or 3.6 percent than a year ago.

The increase was largely due to higher imports from Central and South America.

Beef imports from Nicaragua were 5,986 MT, 59 percent higher than a year ago.

“Much of this was grinding beef,” says the Daily Livestock Report (DLR). “It appears that imports from Nicaragua have started to slow down, however. For the week ending Oct. 27, U.S. imports from Nicaragua were just 657 MT, half the pace of weekly imports in late August, September and early October.”

Imports from Brazil were 3,509 MT in September, 2,102 MT or 149 percent higher than a year ago.

DLR explains, “Because of the current ban on Brazilian fresh beef imports, all this volume is cooked beef.”

Beef imports from Australia were down two percent year over year, imports from New Zealand were down 23 percent and imports from Uruguay were down 15 percent.

New invasives targeted When many in Wyoming think of invasive winter annual grasses, they think cheatgrass and Japanese brome. Every county has at least some of these species, but unfortunately, these are no longer the only winter annual invasive grasses for which to be on the lookout.

Two new invasive winter annual grasses, medusahead and ventenata, have been identified in the state. Much like our winter annual grasses, both are able to germinate in the fall allowing them to effectively utilize early spring moisture, possibly to the disadvantage of native species.

The result is, in highly invaded areas, a decline from desirable vegetation ranging from perennial grasses to flowering forbs to shrubby species, greatly reducing the diversity and value of the land. These impacts are reported by some to be worse than cheatgrass.

Bison Day celebrated Events across the country last weekend celebrated the important role that America’s National Mammal, the American Bison, has played in the cultural, ecological and economic life of the North America.

A resolution sponsored by U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) and 22 other Senators designates the first Saturday in November as National Bison Day and “encourages the people of the United States to celebrate the day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.”

The Senate has designated every first Saturday in November as National Bison Day since 2012.

The push for National Bison Day was initiated by the Wildlife Conservation Society, the InterTribal Buffalo Council and the National Bison Association. The same organizations that also led the effort to establish bison as the National Mammal of the United States.

Learn more at bisoncentral.com.

OIG reviews relocation plan The USDA’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) will conduct a review of the proposal to move the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) out of the capital. OIG also will review Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue’s decision to move ERS into the Office of the Chief Economist.

OIG is responding to a request by Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) for a closer examination of the moves, according to a joint news release posted on the lawmakers’ websites.

The restructuring of the ERS office and moving the two agencies out of the D.C. area have garnered sharp criticism, although USDA has said that more than 100 sites nationwide have been offered up as possible new locations. Perdue has said that he plans to have the relocation completed by the end of 2019. – Meatingplace

BOLT EPDs up accuracy Cattle producers can expect more accurate predictions with the release of the fall 2018 Red Angus EPD suite, calculated using the much-anticipated new genetic evaluation software Biometric Open Language Tools (BOLT) by Theta Solutions LLC. The new BOLT-generated Red Angus EPDs will enable producers to make more informed, lower risk selection decisions.

Ryan Boldt, Red Angus Association of America (RAAA) director of breed improvement, stated that BOLT-generated EPDs are very beneficial for Red Angus producers moving forward.

“The BOLT analysis is able to use pedigree, performance and genomic information simultaneously to calculate EPDs,” he says. “Through this method, we are able to improve reliability and squeeze more valuable information out of the data.”

One factor lending itself to the increased accuracy of the EPDs is the sheer size of the database, which is composed of nearly 17 million animals from 13 different breed associations. Generally speaking, the accuracy of prediction increases proportionally with the size of the data pool.

Additionally, BOLT uses a subset of DNA markers that influence economically relevant traits.

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Announcement stifles horse research After an injunction halted research exploring surgical sterilization of horses and burros on federal land, National Horse and Burro Rangeland Management Coalition Chair Ethan Lane commented, “By stifling research exploring surgical population management solutions for horse and burro populations on federal land, we are furthering irreversible damage to rangelands and adding to a complex animal welfare issue.”

Lane added, “Surgical sterilization is a population management technique scientifically proven to be safe, effective and cost-efficient. The Bureau of Land Management was proceeding in a responsible, measured manner in this study, and they have support from sportsman, livestock, wildlife and land conservation organizations who represent millions of Americans.”

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018

Brazil trade rumored

NEWS BRIEFS WOGCC launches WellFinder The Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (WOGCC) is making available to the public a new app called WellFinder. Deputy Supervisor Kropatsch has been instrumental in launching the new app that compliments the E-Filing software called RBDMS that the agency launched in July of 2018.

According to Kropatsch, WellFinder is one more tool from the agency to provide information to the public in the most up-to-date way. The app has been designed specifically to assist anyone interested in locating Wyoming oil and gas wells and permits and related information.

“We anticipate this app being a valuable resource for first responders, inspectors and anyone that is interested in where a well might be located,” he stated.

WellFinder acts like Google maps, having a map base with filters that can be selected. The map will show where the user is in proximity to the well or permit, or it can provide directions to a specific site. By zooming into a well on the map, basic information on the well can be pulled up. Users can then use that information to do more indepth research on the agency’s website.

“It’s a great tool and easy to use,” noted Kropatsch.

“We hope the public finds it valuable and takes advantage of this resource.”

The app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store for Android phones or the Apple App Store for iPhones.

For additional information or questions, please call Kimberly Mazza at 307-233-9909.

Money manager program set A training program in Casper to help community organizations assist their members and clients with basic money management is being offered through University of Wyoming (UW) Extension.

The Master Money Manager Coach program is Dec. 4-5, at the Extension office in the Agricultural Resource and Learning Center.

Instructors will train participants how to work with individuals to improve their financial management skills, said UW Extension Specialist Cole Ehmke, program coordinator.

The program is recommended for community organizations, nonprofits and agencies that wish to help their clients better understand and manage their financial lives, he said.

“It’s so important to be exposed to personal finance,” said Ehmke. “I look at communities in Wyoming, and the reality is that a lot of people could really benefit from having a coaching relationship with a trusted adviser to get themselves on track.”

The two-day training introduces coaches to the FDIC Money Smart curriculum, teaches basic adult learning principles and provides tools to use with clients to encourage adoption of positive money management behaviors.

Open registration ends Nov. 27. For more information and to register, contact Ehmke at cehmke@uwyo. edu or 307-766-3782. More information is also available on the registration site at m3ccasper.eventbrite.com.

Broken Arrow

Angus Ranch

Complete Dispersal Noon • Thursday, November 29 and 9 a.m. • Friday November 30, 2018 At the ranch, Harrison, Nebraska

750 Head Sell

400 Spring Bred Cows, 2-8-Year-Olds 40 Spring Heifer Calves • 200 Spring Bred Heifers 50 Fall Bred Cows • 35 Fall Cow/Calf Pairs • 5 Herd Sires

Following Brazil’s recent presidential election, news of a possible bilateral trade agreement between the United States and Brazil have begun to emerge. President Donald J. Trump and newly-elected President Jair Bolsonaro spoke on an Oct. 29 phone call, with President Trump soon after stating that he sees a U.S-Brazil free trade agreement “happening.”

United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) President Kenny Graner said, “USCA is concerned with statements made by President Trump that detail a U.S. willingness to engage in bilateral trade talks with Brazil. The country is, historically, a bad actor when it comes to following through on trade commitments.”

After halting imports of Brazilian beef in 2016-17, a system of corruption was exposed in Brazil’s production chain where multiple meat inspectors were prosecuted for accepting brides in exchange for allowing tainted meat through inspection checks.

Graner added, “We encourage the administration to reach out to its industry partners and other stakeholders if and when the conversation turns to establishing a U.S.Brazil free trade agreement.”

DEQ increases transparency The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Air Quality Division (AQD) launched its Open Air website. The website provides the public with access to data, public records and other information about division-permitted facilities.

Previously the public had to submit a records request or physically visit DEQ’s offices to obtain data, materials or information.

“For air quality records, such as permits, the public will be able to visit Open Air, search for a permit and immediately view the scanned document,” said Natalie Kuhlmann, AQD Records and Data management specialist. “We are working to build a comprehensive repository of historical data and records that the public can access. It is a resource-intense process to convert our paper records to electronic formats, but as time goes on, we will continue to make more records available electronically.”

According to Adam Deppe, project manager for the Open Air website, the system was designed to allow any member of the public to search for a specific facility and view the associated data and records.

WBC markets nationally Over 100 million consumers, or nearly a third of the U.S. population, reside in our nation’s five most populated states – California, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania and Florida. The Wyoming Beef Council (WBC) joined forces with other state beef councils to fund a five-month search and video advertising campaign designed to reach these consumers and point them to stories about beef production, nutrition and recipes.

During the months of May through September of this year, more than 4.8 million video views were generated, culminating in a cost of two cents per view. This is a penny less than previous campaigns, allowing the 2018 campaign to generate roughly a third more video views per dollar spent.

The campaign also focused on Google search topics, placing corresponding advertisements linking to sections of the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. website. A total of 814,659 impressions were generated, resulting in 77,329 clicks. Interestingly enough, the number one search term was for “Meatloaf Recipes,” followed by “Quick/Easy Meals” and “Ground Beef Recipes.”

Videos featured in the campaign can be viewed at youtube.com/user/BeefForDinner and the recipes featured can be found at beefitswhatsfordinner.com.

Harvard: Climate affects corn BALDRIDGE COLONEL C251 His progeny and service sell

LD CAPITALIST 316 His service sells

Featuring females with a cow herd built on Cole Creek and Shoshone breeding.

Broken Arrow Angus Ranch Travis and Katie Krein and Family PO Box 245 • Harrison, NE 69346 Cell: (308) 665-5085 • Office: (308) 668-9460 • bulls@brokenarrowangus.com

www.BrokenArrowAngus.com For your free reference sale booklet, contact anyone in the office of the Sale Manager, TOM BURKE, KURT SCHAFF, JEREMY HAAG, AMERICAN ANGUS HALL OF FAME, at the WORLD ANGUS HEADQUARTERS, PO Box 660, Smithville, MO 64089-0660. Phone: (816) 532-0811. Fax: (816) 532-0851. E-Mail: angushall@angushall.com

The past 70 years have been good for corn production in the midwestern United States, with yields increasing fivefold since the 1940s.

Much of this improvement has been credited to advances in farming technology, but researchers at Harvard University are asking if changes in climate and local temperature may be playing a bigger role than previously thought.

In a new paper, researchers found that a prolonged growing season due to increased temperatures, combined with the natural cooling effects of large fields of plants, has had a major contribution to improved corn production in the U.S. “Our research shows that improvements in crop yield depend, in part, on improvements in climate,” said Peter Huybers, professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS) and of Environmental Science and Engineering at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). “In this case, changing temperatures have had a beneficial impact on agricultural production.”

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018

WWP continued from page A1 “If we ask almost anyone in Star Valley, they know what Dyer’s Woad looks like, and they know it’s a problem,” Trauntvein commented. “They might not know why it’s a problem, but they know it is a problem. I would say that’s our major success with this program.”

The weed bounty program was developed in cooperation with a partner association, who provides bags, and Lincoln County Weed and Pest provides funding.

Developing program The program has evolved over time to address necessary changes.

“We started with a three-day program, because of our funding. We budgeted about $40,000 and we would spend $38,000,” Trauntvein explained. “As time went on, we spent less and less of the money.”

The weed and pest office paid 50 cents a pound for Dyer’s Woad, but for payment, the root must be intact.

“Occasionally, we have to tell a kid he has mustard instead of Dyer’s Woad, and we can’t pay him for it,” added Trauntvein, noting that one boy made several trips, four miles each way, by bicycle to deliver Dyer’s Woad to the weed and pest offices.

However, some families took full advantage of the program. For example, one family helped fund a trip to Disneyland with the proceeds of picking Dyer’s Woad.

Several years into the program, local youth are hired to pick Dyer’s Woad from hard-to-pick areas, like steep hillsides where the weed is sparser.

“We call these kids our ‘Woad Warriors,’” he said.

“Between the individuals and the Woad Warriors, we’ve made a significant dent in Dyer’s Woad. In Lincoln County, we feel like we’re trying our best to hold the line and not let it spread.”

In addition, Lincoln County Weed and Pest has hosted adopt-a-canyon programs, where families are paid a set amount. At the end of the season, if weed and pest employees don’t find any Dyer’s Woad, they are paid for their efforts.

Financial aspect In 2014, the county paid $26,000 for Dyer’s Woad.

“Each year varies, depending on conditions and how much of the plant we get. In 2016 and 2017, we had the lowest year we’ve had in a long time,” Trauntvein commented. “Reports we get from people out picking Dyer’s Woad is that it is tougher to find and patches are spread out.”

He continued, “I feel like our program has been a great success. We’re spending less money trying to control it, and the public awareness is awesome.”

Trauntvein believes the program could be implemented for almost any weed with similar results.

“If we continue this path, I believe we’ll be able to hold the line on Dyer’s Woad,” he said.

Natrona County Bob Shellard of Natrona County Weed and Pest approached Trauntvein via e-mail after hearing of Lincoln County’s success to learn more about the bounty program.

“In the first year, we had a successful program, in our eyes,” Shellard says. “We wanted to engage the community by identifying public land sites that had heavy public use to help get rid of common burdock and houndstongue.”

The Natrona County program provided educational materials for plant identification and paid citizens 50 cents per pound for collection of the species.

At the same time, Shellard said they worked to avoid spreading the seeds of the plants unnecessarily, so they focused their program on education.

“The Garden Creek Falls Rotary Park is a heavily used area at the base of Casper Mountain,” he said. “It is also full of common burdock and hounds tongue.”

Both plants grow in shaded areas that are very sensitive.

“If we were to break out the herbicide, we would have more non-target damage than damage of the weeds,” Shellard noted. “We chose these plants because of this reason.”

Natrona County Weed and Pest supplied clear 55-gallon drum liners to the public, which allowed them to see the contents of the bag so they could pay for target weeds.

Members of the public was given six bags, at most, per visit, to enable expense tracking, as well.

“The board graciously put $20,000 in the bank for this program,” he said, noting they also paid 50 cents per pound of weeds collected. “Total bounty payments was $2,919. Our total cost was $5,000, when we included supplies and advertising.”

Shellard added, “We’re pretty sure this amount will go up in the future, because of the interest we see.”

After conducting the program, Shellard said members of the public were more likely to participate in groups, and the public awareness, as well as the community service aspect, was equally valuable.

Shellard said, “In the future, it makes sense for us to immediately expand the program and take advantage of the public’s interest in helping eliminate weeds.”

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at roundup@wylr.net.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018

AG continued from page A1 system,” explained Committee Chairman Sen. Larry Hicks (R-Baggs). “Along with that, they also granted other institutional lands.”

Legislation was crafted to address institutional lands that are locked by other federal lands.

“The intent of what we’re trying to do is to take those state lands granted to the state for the specific purpose of funding institutions, getting them out of the middle of federal lands by doing a land exchange, based on fair appraisal, so we can generate revenues for which they were conveyed to the state of Wyoming for,” Hicks explains. “This has been done in Utah several times in the last 15 years, so it isn’t a foreign concept.”

Jason Crowder, assistant director of the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments (OSLI), explained OSLI has provided the requested information, and noted, “We could pick and choose different parcels. We’ve gone through analysis, and we can have conversation about different parcels, how they’re trapped

and how they are limited.”

Some changes made by the Legislative Services Office (LSO) to the bill to reflect the intent of the committee and avoid inappropriately limiting parcels eligible for exchange.

OSLI also provided some general clean-up language throughout the bill, as well, including changes to reflect that not all lands within the state are school trust lands and proceeds from these lands benefit a variety of causes.

“Ninety-four percent of landlocked state lands are school trust lands, and the rest benefit other entities,” explained Hicks. “This is a joint resolution. This is a position statement that we are asking our federal government and congressional delegation to recognize we have trust lands we are unable to access, in some cases, to maximize the revenue for the institutions to which those lands were granted in the state.”

Public perspectives During the public comment period, the Wyoming Outdoor Council’s Steph

Kessler indicated full support for the resolution, calling it an “opportunity to pull together diverse constituencies in Wyoming on something that can be a win-win proposition for our state.”

Jim Magagna of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA) adds, “WSGA is well aware of the challenges faced by the state, as well as the private sector, in completing land exchanges with the federal government. To the extent that this resolution calls upon Congress to direct federal and agencies to exchanged landlocked lands within the state, WSGA is supportive of this legislation.”

However, WSGA also cautioned against attempts to complete one large exchange agreement, which may not allow for careful consideration of all factors on individual parcels and could limit adequate public participation.

After a handful of revisions to the bills, including suggestions provided by LSO, the committee unanimously approved the bill.

Legislative review In addition to a resolution urging Congress to

allow transfer of lands, the committee also passed a bill that would require the involvement of the Wyoming Legislature anytime OSLI wants to sell or exchange 1,280 acres or more to the federal government of state-owned lands, the proposed agreement would be required to be submitted to the Wyoming Legislature.

“OSLI would be prohibited from moving forward until the Legislature has its final say,” explained an LSO staff member. “This committee would be required to analyzed the proposed agreement, and if they would like to consent to the agreement, they would be required to sponsor legislation.”

Additionally, the bill would allow the Legislature to recommend amendments to the agreement to OSLI, which would then have to be accepted by the federal government before an agreement could be finalized.

Constitutionality Concerns about the constitutionality of the bill arose with LSO, and an LSO staff member explained several cases through the Supreme Court has ruled that the Leg-

islature and state agencies have a separation of powers.

“It is fairly uncertain which way the Supreme Court would come down on this issue, whether the bill is constitutional or not,” the LSO staff member said.

“Strong arguments could be made for both sides.”

No net loss Among the provisions included in the bill, one provision provides that equal acreages should be exchange to conform with OLSI’s policy of no net loss of lands.

“That is a policy – not a law – to not have a 10,000 net loss or gain of state land at any time,” Hicks explained.

Magagna, however, commented, “WSGA supports the amendment to current law, providing that any exchange should be based on equal values not equal acreages. However, we do not at this time support the requirement for legislative approval.”

Aside from constitutional issues, Magagna noted the Board of Land Commissioners has exercised due diligence in considering sales and exchanges, providing adequate opportunity for public input.

“We do not feel that a legislative body is best equipped to exercise the trust responsibilities required when making decisions regarding these lands,” he added.

Crowder noted agreements with the federal government regarding land transactions are negotiated carefully to compensate for a variety of mitigating factors.

Attempts by the Wyoming Legislature to change such agreements could dramatically change the outcome.

“Land transactions with the federal government are extremely tedious and time consuming, and when we go back to the drawing board, it only adds to that,” Crowder said.

Hicks commented, “That’s a legitimate concern.”

Ultimately, however, the bill passed.

Look for more information from the Joint Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources Committee meeting in next week’s Roundup.

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

Women in Ag hosts 25th Annual Symposium in downtown Casper Casper – Wyoming Women in Ag invites women from across the state to join in a celebration for the 25th year in Casper.

This year, the event kicks off with a family-friendly dinner and speaker on Nov. 15. Celeste Settrini’s “Ranch Life Living” presentation

will be held at the Yellowstone Garage in Casper, with a social hour beginning at 5:30 p.m. and her lively talk beginning about 6:30 p.m..

Settrini is a fourth-generation rancher from the foothills of the Salinas Valley on the central coast of California who will share her experiences

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with the sudden passing of her father and encroachment from urban development. She encourages women to share their story. Settrini is American National CattleWomen Beef Promoter of the Year.

Prairie Wildlife, a band of young ladies from Buffalo, will hit the stage around 7:30 p.m. to round out the evening.

On Nov. 16, the 25th Wyoming Women’s Ag Symposium, with registration at 7:30 a.m. and a welcome at 8:30 a.m. The event will be

held at the Wolcott Galleria, between First and Second Streets in Casper. Free parking is available in the city parking garage one block south of the venue.

“Jolene Brown, our alltime favorite speaker, is coming to help us celebrate our 25th year,” says the Wyoming Women in Ag Board. “Her keynote address is ‘Letting Go of the Rope!’ and her afternoon workshop is ‘Top 10 Mistakes That Break Up a Family Business!’”

Afternoon educational breakout sessions offer the chance for women to learn about a variety of topics, ranging from beekeeping and recycling energy by-product water to wool processing and marketing, legislative issues and more.

During the event, the Wyoming Women in Ag Board also emphasizes the trade show opportunity that will be available.

“The holidays are coming, and we have an outstand-

ing Trade Show brimming full of unique items,” says the Wyoming Women in Ag Board.

The LaQuinta Inn is the host hotel for the event. A block of rooms is available for $75. Call the LaQuinta Inn at 307-265-1200 for $75 room reservations, which will be available until Nov. 12. A block of rooms is available for $75, so mention us when you call.

For more information, visit wywomeninag.com.

Get the latest information on the 25th Annual Wyoming Women’s Ag Symposium or register at wywomeninag.com.

Tentative schedule The full-day slate of speakers at the Wyoming Women’s Ag Symposium will provide the chance for women from across the state to network and learn about a variety of topics. A tentative schedule is provided below.

5:30 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 a.m.

8:30 a.m.

8:45 a.m.

9:50 a.m.

11 a.m.

12 p.m.

1 p.m.

1:15 p.m.

2:15 p.m.

2:30 p.m.

4 p.m.

Nov. 15 – Yellowstone Garage Cash Bar and Hors d’oevres Celeste Settrini, “Ranch Life Living” Prairie Wildfire Band Nov. 16 – Wolcott Galleria Registration and coffee Welcome Keynote: Jolene Brown, “Let Go of the Rope!”

Breakouts: – The Wool - Karen Hostetler – The Law - Saige Albert – The Crud - Dr. Kenzie Mares Breakouts: – The Buzz - Michael Jordan – The Wave - Marvin Nash – The Business - Dr. Bret Hess Lunch and Entertainment Break and Trade Show Shopping Breakouts – The Wave - Marvin Nash – The Business - Dr. Bret Hess – The Buzz - Michael Jordan Break and Trade Show Shopping Workshop: Jolene Brown “The Top 10 Mistakes That Break Up a Family Business!”

Adjourn

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018

EXTENSION EDUCATION

By Jay Norton, UW Extension Soil Specialist

How Does Fertilizer Use Affect Soil Health?

Fertilizers generally improve soil health when used as part of sustainable agricultural systems but degrade soil health when used to replace good management. Fertilizer can enable “quickfix” systems with heavy tillage and without good crop rotations or inputs of organic materials.

In sustainable agricultural systems, the four Rs of fertilizer management – right rate, right placement, right time and right type of fertilizer – are combined with proven conservation practices in ways that increase crop biomass and conserve soil organic matter. This enhances soil health and reduces fertilizer needs.

The right rate means correctly using soil test results to determine how much nutrient the soil can provide and how much more is required for optimal yield.

The right placement means appropriately injecting, banding, incorporating or watering in for best root access and minimal loss.

The right time means applying nutrients as close as possible to when plants need them.

And the right source means choosing the right form of dry or liquid fertilizer for the crop and environment.

In natural, undisturbed rangeland soil systems, nitrogen in forms available for uptake by plants and soil microbes is almost always the most growthlimiting nutrient. That’s because nitrogen comes almost solely from breakdown of plant and animal residues. In an undisturbed rangeland, lack of disturbance or tillage constrains air supply to microbial decomposers. Constrained decomposition means that most nitrogen is tied up in organic forms and not available for uptake by plants or microbes.

Cycling rates of organic materials can be high, but released nutrients are quickly taken up by diverse plant and microbial communities.

We often refer to such systems as “nitrogen limited” because, while there is usually abundant organic nitrogen, forms available for uptake by plants and microbes are usually in short supply. Mycorrhizal fungi, which form symbiotic relationships with plants that increase access to nutrients, are often prevalent in the soil microbial community of undisturbed rangelands.

Fertilizers create a

large influx of available nitrogen and other nutrients previously in short supply. This drives huge increases in the number of soil microbes, especially when tillage increases access to air. Numbers of bacteria usually increase while mycorrhizal fungi decrease.

The happy microbes rapidly decompose crop residues, converting carbon to carbon dioxide and creating a “carbon limited” system. With a limited

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supply of carbon, microbes attack soil organic matter that is crucial to soil health.

In a quick-fix system, continuous annual cropping and heavy tillage cause degradation of soil structure and losses organic matter, often leading to erosion. Loss of soil health causes a spiral of decreasing yields and increasing fertilizer needs.

The resulting soil system has a small and opportunistic soil microbial community where nutrient availability is often out of sync with crop demands. Expensive fertilizers not taken up by plants or microbes are lost to deep leaching, runoff to surface waters or as gases to the atmosphere.

Poor fertilizer management also damages soil health by allowing bad farming practices to con-

tinue without losing too much yield.

Besides on-farm decline in soil health, the lost nutrients, sediments and organic matter pollute water and air as they contribute to global warming.

On the other hand, good management that combines the four Rs with conservation farming practices improves soil health, reduces fertilizer demand, removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and mitigates global warming.

Sustainable agricultural systems include practices that increase soil organic matter by either conserving it and slowing decomposition or adding it, including minimized tillage, cover and greenmanure crops, compost application, rotations that include periods of perennial hay or pasture, careful

grazing management and others.

In such systems, proper use of fertilizers increases plant biomass production. More plant roots and aboveground residues contribute to soil biota and increased soil organic matter content.

Higher soil organic matter contents support thriving plant and microbial communities that convert available nutrients into organic materials that are easily decomposed.

Decomposing plants and microbes release nutrients in ways that coincide with crop uptake, because both plant growth and decomposition increase with increasing temperature and moisture.

With time, practices that increase soil organic matter also decrease the amount of added fertilizer

needed per unit of crop yield, but as soil health improves, yields can also increase, so optimal fertilizer rates might stay the same or increase.

The four Rs of fertilizer management are crucial to efficient and responsible use of fertilizer as part of a sustainable agricultural production system, whether in pasture, hayland or cropland.

For more detailed information about managing fertilizers to enhance soil health from a global perspective and about the four Rs of fertilizer management, visit soilmanagement.wordpress.com and click on “Soil Links.” Feel free to contact me at 307766-5082 or jnorton4@ uwyo.edu to talk about sustainable management or the four Rs for your soil.

Dec. 1, 2018

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018

DAM continued from page A2 funding. DKID cannot thank Mr. LaBonde and Mr. Brewer enough for their assistance.

Sen. Dave Kinskey was also instrumental in DKID obtaining WWDC funding as he testified to the importance of this project to the community of southern Johnson County. By the end of 2015, DKID had obtained enough funding to cover 100 percent of the design, construction and administration cost of rehabilitation of Dull Knife Dam. The work did not stop there though. With 100 percent funding in hand, an engineering firm needed to be hired, designs approved, contractors interviewed and construction completed.

This process began in 2015, when DKID worked with the NRCS and Palmerlee to interview three engineering companies.

Following the interviews, a Wyoming-based company, Tetra Tech, was hired to complete the design

for the Rehabilitation Project.

Ken Temme, project engineer, worked with all the parties involved to complete the design in 2016.

Dull Knife Dam was originally designed as an NRCS Hazard Class B dam.

However, data from the dambreach and flood inundation analysis conducted by the NRCS in 2004-05 resulted in the dam being assigned NRCS Hazard Class C (high hazard).

This change in hazard classification required design modifications to the existing main dam, outlet works, spillway and saddle dam to address existing conditions related to updated storm event criteria, updated high hazard dam classification, main dam and saddle dam stability, site seismicity, seepage, insufficient crest elevations, outlet works conditions, deterioration of the existing spillway and replacement of the downstream flow measurement structure.

Through the design process, several items were identified which influenced the project design. A suitable aggregate source for structural and mass concrete was not readily available in the reservoir proximity and after a review of pit development costs/permitting/scheduling, it was determined that the more economical aggregate sources were the commercial aggregate pits located in/near Buffalo.

Stability evaluations indicated the original main dam design section did not meet the current design minimum standards for a high hazard dam classification.

Further stability analyses using deformation and liquefaction analyses were performed and indicated the addition of a downstream buttress and foundation treatment were required for the main dam to meet acceptable factors of safety under static and dynamic loading conditions.

The probable maximum precipitation, snowmelt and inflow design flood data

review and evaluation indicated a new spillway capable of passing a peak discharge on the order of 18,600 cubic feet per second was required.

Following a spillway alternative evaluation, a labyrinth spillway was selected as the preferred spillway.

Major design items included a downstream buttress on the main dam, slip lining the existing 36-inch diameter outlet pipe, (about 460 feet), additional rip rap on the main dam upstream slope, an impact basin and flow measurement flume for the main dam, replacement of the thimble and intake gate for the outlet works on the main dam, new concrete labyrinth spillway, mass concrete spillway chute and stilling basin, foundation drains for both the main dam and saddle dam and new spillway channel.

The DKID’s Historical Water Call Data was analyzed to establish a reservoir operation and maintenance plan to manage water call release in coordination with Big Sky Civil Construc-

tors construction schedule to maximize the availability of water for irrigation during construction. This was complicated by the limited construction season of June through October associated with the project high elevation location. Through dedicated communication and management between DKID and the contractor, stored water was provided from the reservoir to DKID irrigators through the first week of August while maintaining the necessary site access to accommodate construction activity sequencing to meet the overall seasonal construction schedule of five months.

With the design completed, the Rehabilitation Project was put out to bid, and contractors were interviewed by DKID with NRCS and WWDC assisting to ensure that the contractor selected could meet the agencies’ specifications. The contractor selected was Big Sky Civil Constructors, Inc., of Helena, Montana and rehabilitation of the Dam began.

Ken Temme and Tetra Tech were retained as the District’s engineer to insure that every aspect of the Rehabilitation Project met specifications of the multiple state and federal agencies involved.

Throughout this whole process Dave Palmerlee’s office acted as the administrator of the project components and without their assistance the Rehabilitation process could not have been completed as smoothly as it has.

The Dull Knife Irrigation District would like to extend many words of thanks to everyone who was involved in the process and realize they cannot mention them all in this article. However, there are a few that they would like to recognize here: • Chuck Schmitt of NRCS for his efforts that went above and beyond what could have been expected to find funding and extra funding when it was needed most, • Allison McKenzie of NRCS for encouraging us

and giving us the push to move forward, • County Commissioner Linda Greenough for attending every meeting from the beginning and supporting us in our efforts, • Scott Pehringer with the Johnson County Road and Bridge Crew for insuring that the Hazelton Road was kept open for the contractor so that this project could be completed, • David Schroeder, Dave Pelloux and Bob Furnival with the State Engineer’s Office for managing the distribution of irrigation water under unique circumstances, • The Camino Family for their cooperation in leasing us land for the Project staging area, • Ken Temme, Clint Culliton and James Staebler for their expertise and the endless hours spent on Quality Assurance for the Project, • Big Sky Civil Constructors, Inc. of Helena, Mont., the contractor, whose construction of the Rehabilitation Project was outstanding.

They worked closely with Tetra Tech, Inc., our Project Engineer, and with NRCS and WWDC to insure installation of the Project met design criteria in every aspect; they were able to follow the nearly impossible construction timeline imposed by weather conditions at the site; and were cooperative at all times in working with county, state and federal agencies and conforming to requests made by the District for operation of the Reservoir, and • Finally to Dave Palmerlee and Kathleen McPhee for managing the formation of the District, Administration of the Dam Rehabilitation Project, meeting the impossible deadlines we threw at them and so much more.

On behalf of the Dull Knife Irrigation District, we thank you all as we couldn’t have completed this project without your support and efforts.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018

FIRE continued from page A1 however, post-fire recovery is very good, and rest can be frustrating. We have conflicting viewpoints between managers, agencies, permittees and the general public.”

Vegetation recovery Each year after a fire, Reeves said studies have looked at how long it takes a burned area to return to a state that is indistinguishable from areas that have not been burned. Using statistical analysis and modeling, Reeves and a team of researchers looked at recovery time for 111 reference species across 662 million acres in the West.

“When we ask how long until post-fire period equaled the land that didn’t burn, we average 1.5 years,

plus or minus,” he said.

“This surprised me.”

Looking deeper, he noted that mixed grass prairie took about two years to recovery, with about a year, plus or minus, depending on conditions. Intermountain basin big sagebrush shrubland recovered in about 1.78 years, and the big sagebrush steppe was comparable at 1.86 years.

“These are broad averages,” Reeves said. “The time could be as much as seven years, according to the site, for recovery. However, on average, they’re pretty low, between 1.5 and two years.”

A look over time showed that, after lands are recovered, they tend to stay recovered, though Reeves

SALE REPORTS 5L Red Angus Annual “Profit $eeker” Fall Sale Reported By: Curt Cox, WLR Field Editor Nov. 1, 2018 5L Red Angus, Sheridan, Mont.

Auctioneer: Jim Birdwell 114 Bulls Avg.: $4,252 67 Registered Red Angus Females Avg.: $2,646 114 Commercial Red Angus Bred Heifers Avg.: $1,909 Special note: Special gift contributors for the Mehlhoff Family medical and care expenses include Pivots Plus; Montana Livestock Auction, Blake Nuffer; East Bench Grain, Kent Graham; Sleeping Giant Genetics, Will Malcolm; Farm Bureau Insurance, Wayne Lower; Alfred Hokinson, Wilbur Ellis, Dwight Schock; Hoffman Al, Doug Coombs and Lance Moore; Frontline Ag and Schuett Farms, David Schuett; and World West Sire Services, Inc., Scott Spickard.

Anyone interested in donating may contact Scott Spickard and World West Sires.

Top sellers Bulls Red Angus Lot 6 – 5L Merlin Pride 2963-718E – Price: $10,500 DOB: 5/28/17 Sire: LJC Merlin Pride 365C Dam’s Sire: C-T The Quest 1103 EPDs: BW: -0.4, WW: +70, YW: +110 and Milk: +25 Buyer: Bowles J5 Reds, Chinook, Mont.

Lot 8 – 5L Overhaul 5302-565E – Price: $9,500 DOB: 4/18/17 Sire: 5L Overhaul 5939-243Y Dam’s Sire: 5L Tradesman 1715-6237 EPDs: BW: -2.6, WW: +43, YW: +67 and Milk: +28 Buyer: Kent Mindemann, Fletcher, Okla.

Lot 21 – 5L Profiteer 225-495E – Price: $9,000 DOB: 4/7/17 Sire: 5L Profiteer 1201-103C Dam’s Sire: 5L Advocate 817-14W EPDs: BW: -3.1, WW: +64, YW: +107 and Milk: +26 Buyer: Leachman Cattle of Colorado, Wellington, Colo.

Lot 159 – 5L MTN Trader 703-732E – Price: $8,500 DOB: 6/15/17 Sire: 5L MTN Trader 1410-147B Dam’s Sire: 5L Master Link 7158-98Y EPDs: BW: -2.7, WW: +53, YW: +86 and Milk: +28 Buyer: Scott Standridge, Lindsay, Okla.

Lot 45 – 5L Magnum 5294-708E – Price: $7,750 DOB: 4/26/17 Sire: 5L Magnum 2124-86A Dam’s Sire: 5L Defender 560-30Z EPDs: BW: -1.8, WW: +65, YW: +95 and Milk: +19 Buyer: Blew Partnership, Castleton, Kan. Black “Profit Plus” Bulls Lot 74 – 5L Bourne 2254-589E – Price: $7,500 Sire: 5L Bourne 117-48A Dam’s Sire: 5L MTN Sign 435-10Z EPDs: BW: -1.8, WW: +71, YW: +110 and Milk: +23 Buyer: Pat and JoAnn Wade, Lusk Females Lot 244 – 5L Mattie 3495-1797 – Price: $7,000 DOB: 2/20/17 Sire: 5L Advocate 560-35Z Dam’s Sire: 5L Defender 560-30Z EPDs: BW: -2.1, WW: +51, YW: +81 and Milk: +23 Buyer: Blew Partnership, Castleton, Kan. Lot 207 – 5L Blackbird 1125-1527 – Price: $6,000 DOB: 2/17/17 Sire: 5L Bourne 117-48A Dam’s Sire: 5L Craftsman 1134-150X EPDs: BW: -2.5, WW: +63, YW: +97 and Milk: +21 Buyer: Northern Lites Red Angus, Opheim, Mont.

said there are questions about other complicating factors.

Producer solutions For those who have experienced fire impacts, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) wants to hear from livestock producers, landowners and grazing permittees who suffered agrelated losses.

“In general, we’re looking at lost grazing on private property or permitted allotments,” said FSA’s Jennifer Dutton, who visited Pinedale and Big Piney in mid-October to visit with producers affected by the Roosevelt Fire. “Those grazing on federal lands are potentially eligible.”

Fences destroyed in the recent fire are one place where the FSA can assist, she said. Dutton and coworker Sadie St. Clair are contacting ranchers within the Roosevelt Fire burn area and small landowners have contacted them, as well.

FSA may be able to cover fence damages on

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private lands, and for people who lease land to a livestock producer, FSA might cover fence damages and the producer could be eligible for actual forage loss. She wants to know about any damages, including damaged haystacks, as soon as possible so she can request funding, Dutton said.

“For those who are not ag producers or are not on their own land which is used for agricultural purposes, it is highly unlikely to get fences replaced,” she said. “All of our programs are geared toward agriculture.”

Public lands leases Most U.S. Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management permittees who moved their cattle from allotments can apply for loss of grazing now and for two years into the future – most fire-burned public lands are closed for up to three years.

Expenses related to shipping livestock away from the Roosevelt Fire are

“Post fire-recovery for production is very different than post-fire recovery for ecology.”

– Matt Reeves, USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station not eligible, such as “actual trucking, no.” She hasn’t heard of any direct livestock losses due to the fire but some died during or after moves.

“We’re going to have to look closely at every situation because no two situations are the same,” she said. “I’ve heard from very few people so far, but things are just starting to settle down. It’s been really hectic for many producers.”

“Producers who have been affected by the fire and are ag producers, they should call us,” she advised. “We deal with a lot of people who are unfamiliar with the process. There are so many programs that differ just a little bit.”

Dutton said USDA’s recent designation of Sweetwater County as a drought disaster county makes adjacent Sublette

County eligible for FSA emergency assistance for crop losses and other drought damages.

Some Sublette customers are already enrolled in catastrophic and noninsured crop insurance programs that cover drought losses. FSA’s team will provide more information about these programs.

“There are people who don’t want federal help – that’s been true in Sublette County for a long time,” Dutton said. “That’s okay.

We’re here if they want us.

Sometimes things like this can change their minds.”

Saige Albert and Joy Ufford collaborated to write this article, with Albert covering Reeves’ presentation and Ufford covering FSA information.

Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr. net.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018

Wyoming youth sees national wins at National FFA Convention Indianapolis, Ind. – The 91st National FFA Convention and Expo in Indianapolis, Ind. brought thousands of youth to compete, network and learn about agriculture and leadership. During the week, Wyoming youth brought their best to the competition, and local youth brought home national championship honors in two events.

Cheyenne Frontier FFA’s Jonah Zeimans was crowned national champion in the Creed Speaking event, and Casper FFA’s Farm and Agribusiness Management team won the event, with team member Matthew Willadsen also earning top honors.

Creed speaking In his first year at the National FFA Convention, Jonah Zeimans, a student from Cheyenne East High School, started his FFA career as a freshman by winning the Wyoming FFA Creed Speaking Contest in April 2018.

The win earned him a trip to Indianapolis, where he saw even more success.

The Creed Speaking contest requires freshmen in high school to recite the FFA Creed, a five-paragraph statement that defines the goals of the association. With its iconic beginning line, “I believe in the future of agriculture,” the Creed lays out foundations of hard work and perseverance necessary for success in the agriculture

industry.

Joe Allen, Cheyenne Frontier FFA advisor, says, “Jonah hit the ground running when he started as a freshman, and he’s been very involved in our chapter. He’s our Greenhand president and is very, very committed to everything he does.”

Allen adds, “Jonah is a rare student. He’s involved in a lot of things, but he’s committed to everything he’s involved in.”

During the summer months and early this fall, Zeimans, who is the son of Demia and Matt Zeimans of Cheyenne, comments, “I spent a lot of time with Mr. Allen after school working, and a lot of different groups and organizations allowed me to recite the FFA Creed to them.”

Another big component of the contest is the questionand-answer portion following a recitation of the Creed, and Jonah says, “To prepare for the questions, I watched a lot of former National FFA Finals videos, really analyzing what those folks were doing.”

He developed a list of hundreds of possible questions, with help from advisors and coaches from around the state.

“We went through hundreds of questions, practicing different answers,” Zeimans says.

The night before the con-

test, Zeimans accompanied his chapter members to the Garth Brooks concert, where he had the chance to take his mind off the stress of the contest and bond with other FFA members.

“For starts, winning the Creed contest is a really humbling experience and the blessing of a lifetime,” Zeimans says. “This doesn’t happen every day. I came home and just had to thank God for the opportunity in my life.”

He says it was a good experience, and after his first year at National FFA Convention, Zeimans is looking forward to many more.

FFA career “I started FFA as a seventh grader in the exploratory program,” Zeimans comments. “I wasn’t very active through junior high school.

I didn’t get very involved until I was a freshman when I was enrolled in class and had more interactions with the program on a day-to-day basis.”

“Thinking about the opportunities that FFA had, I knew I wanted to be active in the organization and take advantage of the opportunities available. Creed speaking just happened to be one of those,” he explains.

Zeimans operates a lawn care business as his Supervised Agriculture Experience program, and he’s looking forward to his future in

the organization, though he’s not sure which direction he’s headed in.

“I’ve had so many opportunities, and FFA has been a blessing,” he comments. “A kid from Cheyenne can actually make it to the end and can make a difference. FFA has also helped me build new relationships with so many people, too.”

Casper win On Oct. 26, the Casper FFA Chapter was recognized as the National Championship team in the Farm and Agribusiness Management Career Development Event (CDE).

The team, coach by Casper FFA Advisor Brock Burch, included Payton Halsted, Laura Delano, Matthew Willadsen and Sheridan Stewart, who were congratulated and awarded $1,000 each by national sponsor John Deere.

Individually, Halsted placed fourth, Stewart finished ninth, and Delano ended 19th. Willadsen earned the honors of high individual in the country out of 176 competitors in the event.

The event focuses on applying economic principles in analyzing farm and ranch business management decisions. Participants respond to questions concerning economic principles in farm business management, land use, risk management, farming principles, budgeting, financial analysis,

“Winning the Creed contest is a really humbling experience and the blessing of a lifetime. This doesn’t happen every day.” – Jonah Zeimans, Cheyenne Frontier FFA cash flow, marketing, taxes, investment analysis and family living, as well as a problem-solving analysis section.

Each team in the event has competed with other chapters in their state for the privilege of participating in the national even.

This was the first time in the contest’s 42 years that a

Wyoming team has won. The team competed against 43 other state champion teams.

Saige Albert, managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup, compiled these results from press releases and interviews with contestants. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net.

Creed speaking champion -- Jonah Zeimans from Cheyenne Frontier FFA competed in Creed Speaking at the 2018 National FFA Convention, held in Indianapolis, and earned the top spot in the competition. Courtesy photo

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Team win – Casper FFA’s Farm and Agribusiness Management team came out at the top team in their contest, marking the first time a Wyoming team has won in the contest’s 42 years. Team members include (from left to right) Advisor Brock Burch, Payton Halsted, Laura Delano, Matthew Willadsen and Sheridan Stewart, who were congratulated by a representative of John Deere, the national sponsor for the award. Courtesy photo

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018

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Vaccinating replacement heifers requires special consideration to minimize disease challenges It’s the season for ranchers to start evaluating their heifer replacement prospects. During the process, South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension Veterinarian Russ Daly encourages producers to consider vaccinating heifers for the prevention of reproductive diseases and to help them build up resistance.

“Replacement heifer health really starts from when that replacement heifer is born. How we do that on our farm, as far as overall health, will dictate how healthy those candidates are going to be,” Daly said during a webinar about disease risk protection in heifer development programs.

Infectious reproductive diseases, as well as respiratory diseases, digestive diseases and parasitism can all impact the heifer’s ability to grow, cycle, rebreed, maintain pregnancy and have good milk production.

“The general things we do to take care of our animals, we have to do for our heifers, too,” he explained.

Reproductive disease Vaccinating for reproductive diseases like Leptospirosis is important.

“There are basically two kinds of Lepto. One is the Lepto that is in the fiveway vaccine, and the other is Lepto hardjo-bovis,” he explained.

The general type of Lepto common in the Northern Plains is primarily a disease in wildlife populations.

Cattle are exposed to the disease by drinking water that wildlife have contaminated by excreting bacteria through their urine into the drinking water.

In cattle, the disease can cause early embryonic death, decreased pregnancy

rates and repeat breeding reductions. Occasionally, late-term abortions and weak calves may also occur, Daly noted.

“The disease is widespread but sporadic,” he commented.

Lepto hardjo-bovis is a different strain of leptospirosis that uses cattle as its host, Daly said. It is more common in the southern states.

“Transmission is still through urine, but the mucous membranes, kidneys and reproductive tract can also be affected,” Daly said. “It can show some of the same issues as the other type, like early embryonic death, and reduced pregnancy rates and repeat breeders, but it can become more of a herd problem.”

“If ranchers suspect a problem, it can occur more in heifer groups,” he continued. “It doesn’t wait until breeding age to cause a problem. Calves may become colonized at a young age.”

“If we live in an area where it’s a problem, we may need to vaccinate the heifers at weaning, rather than waiting till breeding,” he explained.

Brucellosis With brucellosis virtually wiped out in the U.S., except for in a population of wildlife in the Greater Yellowstone Area, Daly said he’s commonly asked by producers whether to vaccinate for the disease.

“It is so rare, it is not necessary to vaccinate cattle for brucellosis from a basis of disease prevention,” he responded. “However, what I do like about the program is the metal tag that can help identify animals through interstate movement.”

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veterinarian to protect cattle against Brucella abortis.

Heifers receive a live vaccine between four and 12 months of age.

“I like the fact that people give bangs vaccinations when they run their calves through the chute. It forces them to do some management after weaning. While the calves are receiving vaccinations, it is also a good time to pelvic measure and palpate their reproductive tract,” he said.

Respiratory disease Daly also recommended to ranchers that heifers receive vaccinations for Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD), Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) and Vibriosis (Campylobacter fetus venerealis).

Diarrhea is not the main effect of BVD, Daly explained.

“It causes infertility, persistent infections and abortions. The virus is really tricky and has different effects on the animal,”

he explained.

IBR, also called red nose, and Vibrio can also cause infertility and abortions, he noted.

Daly recommended consulting with a veterinarian to determine what vaccinations to give replacement heifers.

“There are a lot of products available out there for pre-breeding shots. If ranchers are considering a change in their vaccination program or the timing, I would recommend having a conversation with their veterinarian,” Daly emphasized.

He continued, “Vaccination programs will be different in every herd. Ranchers with a closed herd may need different vaccinations than someone who has animals coming in and going out all the time.”

Timing Vaccinations given too close to breeding can cause infertility and cycling problems, Daly noted.

Sharing some research

from SDSU, conception rates in cows and heifers are worse when vaccinations are given within 27 to 37 days before breeding versus 46 to 89 days pre-breeding. The first pre-breeding vaccine can be modified live (MLV) or killed vaccine (KV), but if producers give a killed vaccine, Daly recommended giving two doses 30 days apart.

“Other research indicates as long as we set the heifer up with MLV early in life, especially IBR and BVD, it primes the immune system for later in life,” he said.

Purchasing replacement heifers Daly offered some final thoughts to ranchers who purchase their replacement heifers.

“Know our seedstock source well. Ask for their past reproductive performance records, if they investigate abortions or stillbirths and have disease testing programs in place. What previ-

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ous vaccinations have been given to the heifers, and what products were used and when? I also wouldn’t be afraid to have my veterinarian consult with theirs,” he explained.

Ranchers should use this information to evaluate if the seedstock source is a good match with the rancher’s existing herd health program.

“If ranchers purchase replacement heifers, I would segregate them for 30 to 60 days from the rest of the herd,” he explained.

He also told producers to take any dead animals to the veterinarian and have them posted quickly, before decomposition sets in.

“If it is an abortion, take the placenta, too. It could tell the veterinarian a lot about what happened,” he said.

Gayle Smith is a correspondent for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018

CALENDAR

SALES Nov. 11

The Wyoming Angus Association Eighth Annual Wyoming Select Female Sale, Casper College, Casper, 307-630-4604, wyomingangus.org

Submit your events to: Editor, Wyoming Livestock Roundup, P.O. Box 850, Casper, WY, 82602, or e-mail to roundup@wylr.net.

Nov. 12

EVENTS

Mohican West Bull Sale, at the ranch, Laurel, Mont., 406-633-2600, 406633-2810, mohicanpolledherefords.com

Nov. 12

Perham Stockyards Feeder, Bred Cow and Heifer Sale, Perham, Minn., 218-346-3415, perhamstockyards.com

Nov. 13

Albany County Stock Growers Meeting, Laramie, Albany County Fairgrounds.

Nov. 13

Nov. 13-15

Governor’s Business Forum: Charting a New Course, Cheyenne, Little America Hotel and Resort, Cheyenne. For more information or tickets, visit wyomingbusinessalliance.com or e-mail amanda@wyoba.com.

Mytty Angus Ranch Annual Bull Sale, Burnt Fork Ranch Sale Facility, Stevensville, Mont., 406-546-8318, 970-219-8519, myttyangus.com

Nov. 14

Big Iron Auctions Unreserved Online Auction, 307-257-1171, 307-5326308, 800-937-3558, bigiron.com

Nov. 13

Alfalfa Weevil and Black Grass Bug Integrated Pest Management Workshop, Powell, Powell Research and Extension Center, 2-4 p.m. Contact Jeremiah Vardiman at 307-754-8836 or jvardima@uwyo.edu for more information or to register.

Nov. 15

Largent and Sons Desert Mart “Money Matters” Sale, at the ranch, Kaycee, 307-738-2443, 307-267-3229, largentandsons.com

Nov. 15

K2 Red Angus Annual Fall Sale, at the ranch, Wheatland, 307-331-2917, k2redangus.com

Nov. 13-14

Wyoming Game and Fish Commission Meeting, Casper, Hilton Garden Inn. For more information, visit wgfd.wyo.gov.

Nov. 15

XH Angus Private Treaty Sale, at the ranch, Saratoga, 307-710-6700, 307326-3553, xhangus.com

Nov. 14

Alfalfa Weevil and Black Grass Bug Integrated Pest Management Workshop, Sheridan, Sheridan Research and Extension Center, 2- 4 p.m. Contact Blake Hauptman at 307-283-1192 or bhauptma@uwyo.edu for more information or to register.

Nov. 15

Superior Select Replacement Female Auction, 800-488-8117, 800-4222117, superiorlivestock.com

Nov. 15

Valley Video Hay Markets, LLC Internet Hay Market Auction, 888-9353633, valleyvideohay.com

Nov. 16

HD Dunn and Son Angus Ranch 20th Annual Bull Sale, at the ranch, Tetonia, Idaho, 208-221-3866, hddunn.com

Nov. 16

Green Mountain Angus Ranch The Cattlemen’s Choice Fall Production Sale, at the ranch, Ryegate, Mont., 406-568-2768, 406-220-1975, greenmountainangus.com

Nov. 17

Redland Angus Annual Production Sale, Buffalo Livestock Auction, Buffalo, 307-250-1548, redlandangus.com

Nov. 17

Thistledew Land and Cattle Company Bull and Female Sale, Joliet, Mont., 406-962-3310, thistledewcattle.com

Nov. 14-16

Wyoming Association of Conservation Districts Annual Convention, Evanston, The Historic Evanston Roundhouse. Visit conservewy.com for more information.

Nov. 15

What Are Your Minerals Worth?, Douglas, Converse County Library, 1 p.m. Call Reba at 307-701-1073 or Craig at 970-580-0335 for more information.

Nov. 15

Third Annual Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Innovation Fair, Cheyenne, Little America, 1 p.m. For more information, visit rmfu.org.

Nov. 15-16

25th Wyoming Women’s Ag Symposium, Casper, Wolcott Galleria. Visit wywomeninag.org.

Nov. 16

Sage Grouse Implementation Team Meeting, Cheyenne, Wyoming Game and Fish Department Headquarters, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, visit wgfd.wyo.gov.

Nov. 17

Carbon County Stock Growers Meeting, Saratoga, Platte Valley Community Center.

Nov. 19

What Are Your Minerals Worth?, Torrington, Goshen County Fairgrounds 4-H Building, 6:30 p.m. Call Reba at 307-701-1073 or Craig at 970-580-0335 for more information.

Nov. 20

2018 Southeast Wyoming Beef Production Convention, Torrington, Goshen County Fairgrounds Rendezvous Center, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For a full schedule or to RSVP, visit bit.ly/2018WYObeefconv.

POSTCARD from the Past

Compiled by Dick Perue rrichardperue@gmail.com

Barn Dance ends at Daybreak Last week, we left you dancing in the new barn at the Big Creek Ranch. This week, the party continues as described in the Oct. 15, 1909 issue of the “Grand Encampment Herald:” The general reception room was on the lower floor of the barn, where were also the ladies and gentlemen’s dressing rooms and the spacious dining room. It was well provided with stoves and easy chairs, and those who did not care to dance spent many pleasant hours by the fire in conversation.

Mr. Casteel had committees for each department, which made his duties a great deal lighter than they would have been otherwise. In the receiving line, Mr. Casteel was very ably attainted by his father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. S.J. Casteel, Mrs. L.A. Coe and Messrs. Harry B. Hunter and W.H. Hunter, each of whom did his or her share in making the social environment conge-

nial.

The dining room was provided with one long table extending the entire length of the barn. It groaned under the weight of the many good things to eat, and the committee in charge were ever present to see that no one went away hungry. Supper was served early in the evening and again at midnight.

Breakfast was served at 6 o’clock the next morning, shortly after the dance discontinued.

The loft of the barn where the dancing took place was artistically decorated in many ways, and then, the national colors were very much in evidence. There were also several cozy corners, which had been arranged with great care for comfort.

The tickets for the dance consisted of a cardboard souvenir about four inches square on which was printed a pen picture of the barn, also the name of the ranch and date of the dance. The souvenirs were in red and

Big Creek Ranch – A front-page article in the Oct. 15, 1909 issue of the “Grand Encampment Herald” notes, “...we give a short description of the mammoth ranch of which Carbon county is justly proud. The Big Creek ranch is located about 20 miles southeast of Encampment and lies close to the Colorado line. It is bounded on the south and west by the Sierra Madre range of mountains (shown in this drawing, and on the east by the Medicine Bow Range.” M.G. Houghton drawing of the Big Creek Ranch from the Bob Martin/Dick Perue collection, Historical Reproductions by Perue

yellow, the red ones being for the gentlemen and the yellow for the ladies.

They were very pretty and will doubtless be kept many years by the guests as a memento of the occasion.

After breakfast the visitors prepared to take their leave. They gathered in the reception room and endeavored to thank their entertainers for the pleasant time, but words were inadequate to make manifest all the sentiments they wished to convey, for all had enjoyed an occasion which would live long in the memory of each guest present and which each hoped might be again repeated at some future time. As the departing guests made their way homeward across the beautiful Big Creek Valley, many eyes lingered in the direction of the ranch where stood the grand structure that had been one of the means of affording them so many hours of happiness.

The Big Creek Barn has the following dimensions. It has a length and breadth of 80x76 feet. It is 38 feet high, and the upstairs is 36x80 feet. It will hold 100 tons of hay, which will be taken in with slings by means of horsepower. The foundation and lower floor when completed will be of Portland cement. The structure is built entirely of sawed timber, covered with shingles and is lighted by 25 full-sized windows. It will hold 46 head of horses, and the building is piped for water both for stock and fire protection. When entirely finished, it will cost $5,000 and is the largest and best-equipped barn in the county.

Below, we give a short description of the mammoth ranch...but then, that’s for our next ride.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018

2018 Winter Roundup Convention and Trade Show builds relationships Casper - The 2018 Winter Roundup Convention will be held Dec. 3-5 in Casper, Wyoming. The theme “Building Relationships” will bring together a variety of organizations and Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA) membership to share ideas and best practices and to build camaraderie.

For over 146 years, WSGA has served the livestock business and families of Wyoming by protecting their economic, legislative, regulatory, judicial, environmental, custom and cultural interests. The convention focuses on education and networking for members across the state with discussions on agricultural,

environmental issues and family succession planning.

Pre-registration for the event is open until Nov. 28, with full-price registration being available after that date and on-site at the convention.

The convention begins on Dec. 3 with the Progressive Rancher Forum, Make it With Wool Luncheon, a Shared Learning Workshop with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management and the Branding Iron Bar Reception.

The convention continues Dec. 4 at an Opening General Session with a welcome from WSGA President Dennis Sun and discussion of opportunities for

For more information on the 2018 Wyoming Stock Growers Association Winter Roundup Convention and Trade Show, visit wysga.org or call 307-638-3942. Registration is also available online.

About WSGA Since 1872, the Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA) has served the livestock business and families of Wyoming by protecting their economic, legislative, regulatory, judicial, environmental, custom and cultural interests. WSGA promotes the role of the cattle industry in resource stewardship, animal care and the production of high-quality, safe and nutritious beef.

Learn more at wysga.org or by calling 307-638-3942.

the Wyoming Beef Industry including value-added, export marketing and the use of Beef Chain.

Dec. 4 will conclude with a reception and auction at 6:30 p.m., where live and silent auction items from across the state will be up for bid to support WSGA. As the convention moves into Dec. 5, breakfast will begin with a legislative update for all convention attendees. The closing general session will follow with the topic of “Building Our Federal Relationships” with speakers from the Department of Interior, Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Forest Service.

Following the morning’s event, the WSGA Awards Luncheon will feature Wyoming’s Gov. Matt Mead.

Convention will conclude with the WSGA membership meeting on following the luncheon afternoon.

Pre-registration, trade show applications, and sponsorship applications are also available on the website.

“We look forward to seeing you at the 2018 Winter Roundup, Dec. 3-5 in Casper,” comments WSGA’s leadership and staff.

Cattle convention preliminary schedule set With a full three days planned, the 2018 Wyoming Stock Growers Association Winter Roundup Convention and Trade Show is slated to provide a wide array of information to attendees.

A tentative agenda is provided below, with updates available at wysga.org.

Dec. 3 – WSGA Officers’ Breakfast meeting – Registration opens – Stock Growers Land Trust meeting – Wyoming Livestock Board meeting – Progressive Rancher Forum Session I – Progressive Rancher Forum Session II – Make It With Wool Fashion Show and Luncheon – Progressive Rancher Forum Session III – Shared Learning Workshop, “Collaborative Monitoring,” USFS, BLM, Permittees, Wyoming Department of Agriculture 3 p.m.

– Progressive Rancher Forum Session IV 3-4 p.m.

– Wyoming Woolgrowers Auxiliary meeting 3-5 p.m.

– Future Cattle Producers of Wyoming meeting 4-6 p.m.

– Young Producer Assembly meeting 6:30-8:30 p.m. – Branding Iron Bar and Reception – Future Cattle Producers Presentation 6:30 a.m.

8 a.m.

8 a.m.

8:30 a.m.

10 a.m.

11 a.m.

12:15 p.m.

2 p.m.

2-4 p.m.

Dec. 4 – Officers/Past Presidents/Committee Chairs Breakfast – Continental Breakfast 7 a.m.

– Registration opens 8-10 a.m.

– Opening General Session – President’s Welcome – Dennis Sun – Marketing Wyoming Beef, Val Murray, Murraymere Farms and Wyoming Business Council – BeefChain, Rob Jennings, BeefChain – “Chuck,” Ann Wittmann, WY Beef Council 9:30-9:45 a.m. – Break 10-11:45 a.m. – Committee Meetings – Brand – Ag Promotion, Education and Enhancement – Wildlife 12 p.m.

– Buffet Luncheon – Speaker: Governor-Elect Mark Gordon 1:30 p.m.

– Wyoming Congressional Delegation 2 p.m.

– Wyoming Cattle Women meeting 2:15-4 p.m.

– Committee Meetings – Livestock Health and Production – Federal Lands – Ag Finance and Tax 4-4:15 p.m.

– Break 4:15-6 p.m.

– Committee Meetings – Water – Marketing, Transportation and Labor – Private and State Lands 5:30-6:30 p.m. – WSGA Cattlemen’s Club Reception 6:30-9 p.m.

– Belly Up Bar Reception and Auction 6:30 a.m.

6 a.m.

6:30 a.m.

7-8:15 a.m.

8:30-11:45 a.m.

10 a.m.

10:30 a.m.

12 p.m.

2-4 p.m.

Dec. 5 – Resolutions Committee – Registration opens – Legislative Breakfast – Closing General Session4 – Dr. Laurie Nichols, University of Wyoming President – Kevin Kester, NCBA President – Break – Building Our Federal Agency Relationships, Moderator: Tanner Beymer Public Lands Council Manager of Government Affairs – Department of Interior Deputy Director External Affairs Tim Williams – Department of Agriculture U.S. Forest Service Director of For est Management Allen Rowley – Environmental Protection Agency Office of the Administrator Hema Subramanian (invited) – Awards Luncheon Banquet – Gov. Matt Mead – Access Recognition Program Awards, Wyoming Game and Fish Commission and Wyoming Board of Agriculture – WSGA Business Meeting

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018

ICOW continued from page A1 try, noting the structure of the sheep market is the same.

In the 1980s, as consumption increased, production increase.

“In the early 90s, our production of lamb and mutton began to collapse precipitously, and we saw a skyrocketing volume of imports coming in from New Zealand,” Bullard said. “In 2006, imports actually exceeded domestic production in terms of who was satisfying American’s appetite for lamb and mutton.”

COOL Bullard also looking at

the impact of Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) on the beef market.

“In May 2013, consumers knew definitively which products were produced by U.S. cattle producers in the United States of America, compared to what beef was imported,” Bullard said. “The average returns to the producer for the three years we had full COOL implemented was a positive $282 per bred cow per year.”

In 2015, when COOL was repealed, Bullard said average returns fell to about $100.

“Based on USDA data,

A15

producers enjoyed the highest nominal levels in history when COOL was implemented,” he added. “Prior to COOL, even though we were reducing the size of the U.S. cattle herd, producers were experiencing significant losses. Then, even with a partial implementation of COOL, producers were receiving significant benefit.”

Trade impacts “We can expect to receive tremendous pressure from beef produced in South American and Asiatic countries,” Bullard asserted.

Despite the fact that live cattle aren’t imported from South American countries, Bullard said concerns for

NASS to survey row crops The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will survey producers in 42 states, including the Mountain Region’s Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico and Wyoming, as part of its County Agricultural Production Survey (CAPS).

The survey will collect information on total acres planted and harvested, as well as total yield and production of row crops down to the county level.

“The data provided by producers will help federal and state programs support

the farmer,” said Bill Meyer, Mountain Regional Field Office director. “We hope every producer understands the importance of these data and will take the time to respond if they receive this survey. Producers benefit when there are data available to help determine accurate loan rates, disaster payments, crop insurance price elections and more.”

Within the next few weeks, NASS representatives will contact producers in the selected states to arrange telephone or inperson interviews to complete the survey.

foot-and-mouth disease, as well as parasite concerns, are the only factor preventing “floods of foreign cattle from flooding our markets.”

Further, he predicted that implementation of mandatory individual animal identification will only exacerbate the problem, as he foresees that increased traceability will influence live cattle from South American countries to be imported.

Increased access as a result of trade agreements will only continue to push prices lower for U.S. beef cattle producers.

Price implications Bullard reflected on 2015’s price collapse, noting that the production that year was also the lowest since 1993, when the North American Free Trade Agreement was implemented.

“In 2014, cattle imports increased by 41 percent from Canada,” he said.

“What industry can withstand that kind of supply increase and not suffer a price collapse? No one.”

Bullard continued, “Just during the period since NAFTA, we’ve lost 20 percent of cattle operations,

84,000 small cattle feeders, our mother cow herd fell to the lowest level in 40 years.

Our mother cowherd is 3 million head less than when we started NAFTA.” At the same time, U.S. output of beef fell to lowest levels in over 20 years, resulting in negative impacts as a result of an import surge, which Bullard says “broke the U.S. cattle market in 2015-16.”

With a new U.S.-Mex-

ico-Canada Free Trade Agreement in the works today, Bullard said the U.S. cattle industry will continue to shrink.

Bullard emphasized, “The impact to the U.S. cattle industry will be significantly impacted, and it will be negative.”

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

Plant gene controls infections Discovery of a gene that helps plants control their response to disease could aid efforts to develop crops that are resistant to infection, research suggests.

The findings could lead to ways to fine-tune the gene’s activity to boost disease resistance, pointing towards more resilient crop breeds or new treatments for infections. It could help curb crop losses incurred by plant diseases. These are the leading cause of crop losses worldwide, accounting for 10 percent of lost produce in key varieties.

Scientists from the University of Edinburgh studied how, when plants are under attack from bacteria or viruses, they produce tiny amounts of a gas known as nitric oxide. This gas accumulates in plant cells and triggers a response from the plant’s immune system.

By altering the activity of the gene, the team was able to demonstrate that plants with higher levels of defense proteins produced by the gene were more resistant to infection. They also found that nitric oxide regulates the immune response, ensuring the plant’s defense system does not over-react.

Holiday Roundup Advertising Deadlines THANKSGIVING DEADLINES The Roundup office will be closed Wednesday, November 21 - Friday, November 23 for Thanksgiving.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018

®

Industry leaders emphasize relationships as key to success in the beef industry From the consumer all the way to the producer, beef industry leaders from across a wide spectrum of the industry agree that relationships will be key to continuing to solve the issues facing beef producers.

Sharing the story On the producer side, Joe Hampton of Mt. Ulla, N.C. received this year’s Certified Angus Beef Ambassador Award in September for his work connecting with consumers and sharing the beef story.

Hampton and his wife Robin own Back Creek Angus, and they responded when consumers expressed interest in the product they were growing.

“Early on, we realized there was value to the industry for people like Robin and I to open up our operation and share with folks what we do every day,” explains Hampton, who also notes misconceptions about the agriculture industry continue to grow on a daily basis.

The operation sits within two hours of 7 to 8 million people, which provides the Hamptons with a unique opportunity.

He comments, “Within about two hours of us is about 7 or 8 million people, and while Robin and I, at times, would rather live somewhere where there weren’t so many people, we have to understand that that puts us in a unique position that we share information about the agricultural community to people who don’t see it on a daily basis.”

The Hamptons open their ranch for tours to a variety of stakeholders, including students, moms, media groups and chefs, and they strive to provide visitors the facts necessary to form opinions about beef production.

Tours are held on weekends, and attendees get the chance to walk in their pastures, see the cattle and ask questions – which can be a scary prospect, says Hampton.

He explains, “When school groups come out here it’s okay for the third grader to not understand where their food comes from, but the teachers and the parents don’t know where the food’s coming from, either. That’s why we think it’s important that we open this place up and we’re honest about what we do. We’re proud of what we do. We think we’re leaving this place in a good way.”

And while the Hamptons don’t think their story or operation is particularly

unique, they see opportunity in their unique position and location.

“While we will never be able to produce hundreds of bulls for the industry, we can share that information here,” Hampton comments.

Packer perspective Tyson Fresh Meat’s John Gerber, the longtime head of procurement at the company’s Dakota Dunes, S.D. plant, echoes Hampton’s thoughts, saying, “Consumers want to know that the animal has been cared for throughout its life.”

Responding with transparency, collaboration and communication has been key, he notes.

In addition, when major retailers make requests of Tyson, Gerber says the company takes the same approach, working with producers to meet the needs of consumers.

“We learned at Tyson we are not going to say no, especially to a major retailer,” Gerber explains of the growing shift toward premium Choice Angus beef.

By working with their suppliers, changing a few grids and providing some incentives, Gerber says beef cattle producers were able to help Tyson increase beef demand by meeting the requirements set forth by retailers seeking more premium Choice Angus beef in recent years.

With his target set on the highest quality, Gerber says, “We are going to continue looking for the highest quality cattle we can find out there. The consumer doesn’t want even Select anymore, and they for sure do not want less than Select grade.”

“The consumer demands a high-quality piece of meat,” he continues. “They paid more for meat when the herd was decimated, and when cattle prices got high, they paid more for beef. But they bought beef, and they learned that there is a value there. They will pay for the value.”

But it is only through working with producers that Tyson is able to meet their high-quality goals, Gerber says, explaining that by working together, producers and suppliers can help to continually increase beef demand.

Gerber emphasizes the beef industry works together much better now than it used to, and the beef production chain continues to forge relationships among itself, as well.

“We have a lot of young, aggressive ranch-

Visit CABpartners.com or angus.org for more information.

ers who want to be a part of the feeding business,” he explains. “We’ve got producers who want to get close to us, and we for sure want to get closer to them.”

The key to continued growth, he adds, is going to be continuing to be relationships up and down the supply chain.

“The consumer keeps asking us for certain attributes, and the only way we can deliver those attributes is through our suppliers,” Gerber comments, “and together, through collaboration, communication, talking about what the consumer demands, I think we do a pretty good job of increasing beef demand, which makes us all winners.”

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming

Livestock Roundup and compiled this article from several episodes of Certified Angus Beef ’s Angus VNR. Send comments on this article to saige@wylr. net.

“When school groups come out here it’s ok for the third grader to not understand where their food comes from, but the teachers and the parents don’t know where the food’s coming from, either.”

– Joe Hampton, Mt. Ulla, N.C.

Focused on relationships - Establishing and maintaining good relationships between producers and consumers is essential to maintaining the high beef demand seen in the industry today. Saige Albert photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018

DLR: Annual jump in rib, loin primal boosts Choice beef cutout for 2018 Higher prices for steak cuts lead the push upward for the Choice beef cutout, which sat at eight dollars higher than year-ago levels in early December, and the Daily Livestock Report (DLR) says year-over-year increases are present across the beef carcass.

“Looking at the performance of the various pri-

mals, the rib primal was $404.46 per hundredweight on Nov. 5, up $27.50 per hundredweight from a year ago and one of the biggest year-over-year increases in terms of total dollars,” says DLR. “The brisket primal was also up around $27 compared to last year, but the value of the brisket primal was $182.99, so it has

increased more in percentage terms, jumping by 17 percent, than the rib primal, which is up seven percent.”

With the brisket providing five percent of the overall carcass value and the rib primal 11 percent, DLR notes that rib primal improvement signals a better impact on the overall product.

They also note that loin primals are up $10 per hundredweight from 2017, which brings an additional two dollars to the overall cutout price.

“Of the eight-dollar gain in the value of the choice cutout, a little over five dollars came from the gain in the rib and loin, and another $1.40 came from the bris-

Primal rib cutout value increases

ket,” DLR reports.

End cuts, including chucks and rounds, however, haven’t made much contribution to increasing prices, since strong competition at the retail level, seasonally weaker pricing and demand for ground beef negatively impacted the cuts.

“Since Sept. 1, the Choice beef cutout has averaged $207.40 per hundredweight, about $10, or five percent, higher than a year ago,” DLR explains.

Seasonality However, seasonality strongly affects the pricing of beef ribs, which see a boost around a handful of key holidays, including Memorial Day, Father’s Day and Christmas.

“In the last three years, the rib primal has increased sharply going into Christmas,” says DLR, “and this year, price increases have been more significant and happened earlier than in the previous two years.”

They continue, “While it is fair to expect the rib primal to decline once Christmas orders have been filled, the timing and the magnitude of the decline has tends to vary.”

As they analyze data about the number of days

between Thanksgiving and Christmas compared to peak prices for rib primals, DLR says a wider gap provides more time for retailers to accumulate product, “Normally, we would expect the peak in the price of ribs to be later than when there are fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas,” DLR comments. “However, more recently this has not been the case.”

With more end users putting product in cold storage to anticipate their needs during the holiday season, DLR says a shift has been seen since 2013.

“Indeed, since 2013, the peak in the rib market has been around 11 to 12 days after Thanksgiving,” they explain. “If that holds again this year, it would put the peak of the rib market sometime around Dec. 3 or Dec. 4.”

And while seasonal quality in loin primal is not as pronounced as in ribs, DLR cautions, “It is a critical component considering that it accounts for over 20 percent of the overall carcass.”

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

Forage amino acids studied Tracking price – Since 2011, primal rib cutout prices have steadily increased seasonally, with a price bump coming at the end of the year in conjunction with the holiday season. Daily Livestock Report chart

Forages play a crucial role in equine diets, but variability in nutrient content among species can lead to challenges in diet formulation to meet a horse’s nutritional needs. Protein content is one component that varies the most among forages.

“While crude protein (CP) is commonly used to estimate protein content, amino acids are a more accurate measure of protein quality,” explains a new research summary from the University of Minnesota.

Researchers evaluated the amino acid profiles and availability of legumes, warm-season grasses and coolseason grasses (CSG). In the blood analysis, researchers found that the plasma amino acid concentrations did not differ regardless of forage type.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018

Changing with the Environment

By Nicole Lane Erceg

I have a teal dinosaur that sits on my desk. It’s an unusual office ornament, but he serves a valuable purpose.

When plans change, when the unexpected pops up, when I’m tempted to say, “We’ve always done it this way,” he’s my reminder of what happens when we fail to adapt. We go extinct.

It may not feel like it, but the beef production landscape is always changing. The consumer-driven move toward higher quality started slowly but grew faster and faster until today, it’s one of the megatrends within the beef community. This year marks a conjunction of the largest U.S. fed beef supply and highest quality in modern history, with record numbers grading Choice and Prime.

As beef kept getting bet-

ter, more in line with what consumers want – both here and abroad – the taste for beef has grown. Since 1998, U.S. consumer spending for this protein increased seven percent, more than the combined total for pork and chicken in those 20 years.

Building demand has been critical, but equally important is shifting the makeup of our supply to meet that evolving taste.

Both genetic selection and management choices at the ranch led us to the high ground on which we stand today. In this environment where demand has nearly kept up with supply, it’s easy to get complacent and look away from carcass quality.

We can feel good about how far we’ve come, since quality is the best it’s ever been, and

narrow our focus to maternal or growth.

That’s one way to respond.

One seedstock producer I met recently plans to adapt differently – doubling down to produce a greater share of premium beef, still taking his cues from the consumer.

“Imagine if every pound of beef we produced graded high Choice or better? People would be gobbling it up,” he told me.

And they would happily pay more, which is why he and others who head that way are rewarded. Today, ranchers who continue changing to elevate beef quality reap the benefits on their bottom line. According to CattleFax, the added value to premium beef has maintained prices at record-wide spreads over

B3

Select beef throughout this quality shift. Producers still earn premiums based on those spreads.

This rancher knows great eating experiences keep people coming back for more, and he sees value in keeping traits like marbling at the center of his target.

“Some people call them carcass cattle. I just call them good cattle,” he said. “Don’t tell me we can’t create cattle

that do everything and still have marbling.”

The only new money in the beef industry is in consumers’ pockets. When they demand more premium quality beef and producers adapt to provide it, those dollars flow back to the ranch. For this cattleman’s commercial customer last year, it meant $200 more per head from retaining ownership of calves over what he would

have earned if sold at weaning.

This shift is leaving less room for lower grading, commodity beef such as Select. It may not go extinct, but some are calling that target a dinosaur.

Next time in Black Ink® Miranda Reiman will look at marketing’s other side. Send comments and questions to nerceg@certifiedangusbeef. com.

Avoiding stagnation – While demand growth has supported the beef industry, continued improvement in cattle quality will be necessary moving forward. Photo courtesy of Madeline Robinson, Lucky Lyn Photography

Winter weather brings challenges associated with watering livestock As temperatures begin to dip below the freezing point, University of Wyoming Extension Beef Specialist Steve Paisley says there are several strategies to keep water tanks open, even when frigid cold weather sets in.

From tried and true methods like moving water tanks to more recent developments including the use of solar “bubblers,” numerous strategies are available.

Traditional methods To avoid frozen water tanks, Paisley says, “Moving water is best, so many operations build in an overflow system to keep tanks open.”

He continues, “In my case, I have a solar well and rotate the float up so it runs continuously when there is sunlight.”

Combining the running water with a black tire tank that retains heat, Paisley says he very rarely has to break ice on that tank.

Some ranches partially bury their water tanks to retain some heat.

“One Glendo rancher, Larry Cundall, has a tank that was essentially built into the side of the hill, with drinking access on about one-third of the tank,” Paisley describes.

Paisley also suggests strategically constructing semi-buried tanks to make sure they are south facing and perhaps partially covered.

“Other ranches have semi-buried tanks that are incorporated into their pipeline system,” Paisley suggests. “They have both the warmth of the earth and the continuous flow of water through the system.”

Technology Water troughs and tank heaters provide an additional option for ranchers that many are familiar with.

“Ball-covered troughs take some training, but they

are very effective,” Paisley says. “A more recent option is solar ‘bubblers.’”

Solar bubblers incorporate the use of small air pumps powered by solar panels that continuously bubble, creating water movement.

Farm Show magazine reported that a new solar bubbler is a 10-watt unit that powers the underwater aerator.

Rose Kern of Solar Ranch Products in Albuquerque, N.M., told Farm Show, “It works great in ponds up to a six-foot depth and in stock tanks.

Up to two inches of ice on the pond shouldn’t be a problem, as long as there’s water beneath it and we have plenty of sunshine.”

Kern cautioned, however, areas where ice freezes too thick overnight or there isn’t sufficient sunlight can pose a challenge.

“We’ve had people use them in the mountains

of Utah and Colorado, though,” she adds.

“More and more operations are looking for options to keep water from freezing, since we have

fewer people taking care of larger numbers of cattle,” Paisley says, noting that producers with innovative solutions for keeping water from freezing should reach

out and share their solution.

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to saige@wylr.net.

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B4

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018

Colorado State University team strives to find genetics associated with grazing behavior Milt Thomas, Colorado State University (CSU) professor and Rouse chair, says cattle from CSU’s Rouse Ranch are asked to perform in a variety of ways, and the operation must produce livestock that can successfully graze in the valleys of southeast Wyoming but also on the high-mountain slopes.

“As we start up these slopes, it takes a much different critter to get out there and forage in rough rangelands,” Thomas says.

CSU began looking at and tracking cattle performance on rangelands, eventually asking the question, “How much of that is genetic?” he continues.

Further, Thomas says data show that improved grazing distribution comes through use of products like protein lick tubs or other minerals. Using these products, he continues, is easy in lower-elevation pastures or even mountain areas with road access, but Thomas notes, in wilderness areas, distributing supplements, adding fences or improving water to change grazing

distribution isn’t always an option.

“It might be two dollars a linear foot to build fence in good country, but that jumps to five dollars in rough country sometimes,” he says. “The next thing we know, we’ve spent more money on infrastructure than the entire ranch is worth.”

Thomas notes, “Then, we got into the idea of whether we can select cattle based on genetics that distribute across the rangeland.

Therefore, we get cattle that just work and distribute across the range, rather than us having to herd them.”

Research efforts As CSU’s research team traveled the world collecting data, Thomas says, “Some cows are bottom dwellers, while some were hill climbers. That’s just where they prefer to graze.”

Utilizing GPS data collected over the course of their study, Thomas and New Mexico State University’s Derek Bailey developed two indexes – the Rough Index and the Roll-

View Milt Thomas’ presentation “Genomic Approaches to Improve Grazing Distribution” by visiting bifconference.com.

ing Index.

The Rough Index incorporated slope and elevation, while the Rolling Index included both slope and elevation, as well as distance from water.

Cows were classified phenotypically as bottom dwellers, average or hill climbers using GPS data.

“We got 80 cows phenotyped and genotyped,” Thomas explains, noting that the gene was very polygenic, showing many genes that were associated with the trait for both indexes.

“There is no one single gene that drives how or why a cow goes out and does this, but there are high points.”

In looking closer, the research team began looking for specific genes which might be particularly important, locating a handful of key contributors.

“Derek started talking about GRN5, the glutamate receptor metabolic form number five expressed in a part of the brain that controls appetite,” Thomas explains. “That gene is known for being involved in locomotion, motivation and special memory. That’s one of many genes that is important and probably has something to do why some cows will go further and why some cows will climb

higher.”

However, for that particular gene, Thomas expressed it isn’t possible to tell whether the cow is actually hungry and seeking food or satiated, full and “just wants to go on a hike,” he comments.

“Now, we can start using these technologies to start to exploit grazing distribution,” Thomas says.

Next steps After their initial study, CSU obtained funding from the Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program to continue their research through a multi-disciplinary approach.

“Derek and his team at New Mexico State are range science folks, and they are in charge of tracking cows and working with phenotype data,” explains Thomas.

“Our group at CSU is working on the genetic side of it.”

The team hopes to develop a breeding value from the data collected, in collaboration with teams from University of California, Davis and University of Arizona.

“In our second study, our goal is to get 400 cows both phenotyped and genotyped,” Thomas comments. “We will keep tracking cows as long as we have

“There is no doubt that the genetics of grazing distribution is a complex trait.” – Milt Thomas, Colorado State University money to send collars. Our goal is to get cows tracked in every western state.”

The team sent groups of 20 collars to ranches across the West and is working to build their database of animals with both phenotype and genotype.

“We took the five initial genes, which included GNR5, and started doing SNP discovery,” explains Thomas, noting that SNPs are regions on the genes that are significant. “We went to those genes and looked them to see whether we find a lot of markers on the gene that might tell us more about the function of the gene.”

The team found 1,090 markets in Angus cattle, 560 in Brangus and 376 that overlapped between the two.

Compared to their reference inbred Hereford female, the researchers found 10 overlapping markers across the three breeds that may provide useful tools for segregating cattle based on whether they are “hill toppers or bottom movers,” says Thomas.

Analysis and validation Analysis continues to use more powerful statistics that have less error and more power in looking at distribution.

“There are some real challenges in that we have many, many more markers than we do phenotypes,” Thomas explains. “That is a real problem. We’ve had to

do interesting things to validate markers.”

With initial evaluation of several markers, including a marker on chromosome 15, Thomas says, “With analysis, markers have validated, but it’s a challenge that we need more data to really work with the analysis that we’re doing today.”

Ultimately, Thomas says the research team hopes to develop a breeding value by coupling genotypic and phenotypic information.

“There is no doubt the genetics of grazing distribution is a complex trait,” Thomas summarizes. “I predict we’ll probably do research with the data set we’re developing over the rest of our careers.”

Despite the complexity of the work, Thomas says some markers have been found, but the trait is highly polygenic.

“There’s not one single magic gene or magic marker that tells us why a cow walks up the hill or stays at the bottom,” Thomas comments.

“There is a lot of work we have to do to translate this to the industry, but we’ve got to start on it.”

Thomas spoke during the 2018 Beef Improvement Federation Conference, held in mid-June 2018 in Loveland, Colo.

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at saige@wylr.net.

Age of genomics

“We’re in the age of genomics today,” explains Colorado State University’s Milt Thomas. “We have lots and lots of genotyping tools that we can genotype animals and try to make genetic improvements.”

With good quality data, Thomas says they are able to develop expected progeny differences (EPDs), as well.

Genomic-enhanced EPDs only further the ability to make selections.

“We have a great ability to put all these things together and make selections,” he says.

However, for many traits, there are more than one gene that influence traits, meaning that traits are polygenic.

Using genotype and molecular breeding value, Thomas says genomics for difficult to measure traits can be accomplished.

“For things like birthweight, weaning weight and milk production level, where we have really good data, genomicenhanced EPDs are moving forward,” he explains. “That is becoming everyday information in the seedstock business.”

He continues, “However, there are a lot of things in the beef industry that we don’t have data for. Grazing distribution is one of those, and feed efficiency is another. We don’t have any data to help us talk about things like flavor and tenderness.”

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018

B5

Fabrication of lamb carcass adds value but also increases labor, cost “The most valued product from the lamb industry is the meat product produced,” comments Warrie Means of the University of Wyoming.

With margins across the agriculture industry continually tight, Means says fabrication of the carcass has become increasingly important, but he looks at the history of meat fabrication, as well as recent trends in the industry, to point out opportunities for increasing value.

A look back Means notes there are three secrets to cutting meat.

“The first secret is to always use a sharp knife,” he says. “The second secret is to cut the little pieces away from the big pieces first.”

Means asks, “Why do we call chops, chops, instead of steaks? Because they are chopped.”

“Once upon a time, before electricity, we didn’t have electric band saws,” he says. “If it could be chopped, like pork or lamb, they were called chops. If it had to be sawed with a hand saw, it was called a steak.”

In general, Means also explains that the middle meats – those found in the center of the animal – are most valuable because they are most tender.

“In general, moving from the center of the animal to the extremities, there is more connective tissue, resulting in a more tender cut, which increases value,” Means says, noting that there is less bone and less waste, as well.

Basic fabrication “There are two things we need to learn when we fabricate cuts – the muscles and the bones,” Means explains. “Whether it’s beef, lamb, poultry or pork, the muscles and bones are conserved. We

have all the same bones and all the same muscles.”

The primal cuts are the first cuts made from the carcass, including the shoulder, rib, loin and leg.

“It wasn’t that long ago that we would sell lamb as primal cuts to the grocery stores,” Means explains. “They are hard to sell.”

However, from the shoulder, a variety of cuts can be developed that are more useable for the consumer and market better depending on the time of year.

“Roasts might not sell well in mid-summer,” Means comments.

Basic fabrication Means explains the the arm chop comes from the shoulder primal. It can be cut into chops, but he says, “Some consumers don’t want the bone.”

Blade chops include the scapula, and the foreshanks of the lamb can also be very good, according to Means, who recommended cooking them slow in a cast-iron pot with Mediterranean spices.

“The foreshanks is a very old cut that is coming back into fashion,” he explains.

Lambs have 13 and sometimes 14 ribs. However, the rack of ribs only includes eight ribs, because one rib is on the loin and four are on the shoulder.

“We have rib chops and loin chops,” Means says. “The tenderloin lays on the inside of the carcass. It is a very tender muscle that doesn’t have a lot of connected tissue.”

The tenderloin is often fabricated into lamb chops.

Fabrication innovation Innovation in meat fabrication includes cuts like the lamb neck and volcano shank, which introduce unique, flavorful options for restaurants to utilize and entice cus-

tomers to try lamb.

Starting at the neck, Means says lamb neck is becoming more common in the culinary industry, particularly when slow roasted whole in the oven.

“They become very flavorful and tender,” he explains, noting restaurants are also able to charge between $30 and $50. “This is an example of a product that has been upgraded, which is good for the lamb industry.”

The volcano shank includes is cut such that the marrow is visible.

“If we take six of these, put them on half of a baking sheet and roast them, when the marrow heats up, it bubbles out like a volcano,” Means explains. “It’s very flavorful and, like the neck, is a more modern cut that we can sell in the restaurant for $30.”

He adds, “We used to grind this part of the lamb.”

Increasing value When looking to increase value in the lamb, Means says there is a balancing act.

He explains, “We can make some pretty cute cuts, but it takes a lot of labor.”

Today, consumers don’t want large cuts or huge cooking times, so the industry must strive for smaller pieces of meat.

As an example, leg of lamb can be butterflied, or rib chops can be Frenchcut, both creating nice cuts.

When compared to other proteins, such as beef, Means notes individual muscle cuts, such as the flat iron steak, are isolated, but in lamb, he says they are far too small to make it worth the labor.

“All the muscles are there, but they’re just too small,” he says. “In the plant, we often see that a cut is fabricated one week, but six months later, it

“It wasn’t that long ago that we would sell lamb as primal cuts to the grocery stores. They are hard to sell.” – Warrie Means, University of Wyoming isn’t anymore. It’s because of labor.”

“As we get rid of fat and create new cuts, we can make nicer portions of meat, but it takes more labor,” Means adds. “We have to assess what the cost and benefit is to make these cuts.”

Means spoke during

the 2018 Wyoming Wool Growers Association MidYear Meeting, held in Laramie at the University of Wyoming in early August 2018.

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at saige@ wylr.net.

Best guide

During his hands-on meat fabrication courses, University of Wyoming Professor Warrie Means references the book The Meat We Eat as the primary resource for meat quality and fabrication, and The Meat Buyer’s Guide provides an important resource which provides abundant information about the product.

“The book includes the primal cuts of lamb, and it goes through a little bit about Australian lamb cutting, muscle names and more,” Means explains.

Institutional meat purchase specifications (IMPS) describe the carcass and portions from the carcass. Lamb cuts are described by numbers in the 200s.

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B6

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018

NRCS works to streamline conservation delivery to improve service, interaction Casper – On Oct. 16, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) National Conservation Planning Partnership (NCPP) held a listening session to bring producers and stakeholders together and understand how conservation planning works today, as well as how it can improve for the future.

During the session, Travis Rome of NRCS Enterprise Business Initiatives updated partners and stakeholders on the agency’s Conservation Delivery Streamlining Initiative (CDSI).

“The vision of CDSI was really to streamline our tools and technology, with one major goal,” Rome explains. “The goal was – and still is – to give planners more time to be in the field and work with producers.”

Long-term challenge CDSI emerged in 2007 when a group of NRCS

employees gathered to look at planning in the states.

“It came back that basically our field planners are spending so much time in software and at their computers and very little time working with the producer,” Rome explains.

“Nobody was happy about that, and it’s still an issue today.”

He continues, “We’re trying to get a handle on developing software to get us back into a better streamlined workflow so planners have more time to work in the field.”

Application development Among the big issues in planning is “stovepipe application development.”

“Over time, as an agency, as we needed a new functionality, instead of taking time to integrate that into current applications, it has been easier to build a new application that meets our needs,”

Rome says. “That’s how, over time, we get bigger and bigger.”

With new software programs for every aspect of the planning process, Rome says field producers are faced with a series of loosely integrated programs.

With only loose integration, field planners are forced to juggle different programs and download and upload pieces from each to put conservation out on the land.

“The point of CDSI is really to take a hard look at the applications and figure out where we’re going to go into the future to more closely integrate those functionalities into one application,” Rome says.

“Conservation Desktop is the starting point of some of the streamlining efforts that we’re doing.”

Centralized application The Conservation Desktop program allows

NRCS planners to centrally locate and manage conservation plans, land units and practices.

“In the future, we want to add in resource inventory and resource assessment functionality and also create conservation plans and maps,” Rome says.

He also notes they will also be able to develop financial documents and contract management integration into Conservation Desktop. While currently multiple programs are used, they are more closely linked and easily assessible through the single platform.

“Additionally, we want to be able to associate documents,” he explains.

“Today, we can work with associating documents to plans and financial assistance.”

Functionality will also be added to easily find electronic signatures, and processes have been enhanced to assign and manage the workload with individual projects are also available.

“These are all pieces that are all in development or will be in development in the next year,” Rome says.

Progress To date, two releases of Conservation Desktop have focused on gathering data from multiple databases into one application and integrating the data.

“That was released a little over a year ago, and training was provided,” Rome says. “The first version was not as much about functionality but rather about getting all the data in one place.”

In June, version 2.1 was released, and the ability to manage and edit land

“It came back that basically are field planners are spending so much time in software and at their computers and very little time working with the producer. Nobody was happy with that.” – Travis Rome, Natural Resources Conservation Service units, practice information on existing plans, assign tasks and create and manage the system was added.

“We added functionality in version 2.1 to create and store information that is developed,” he explains.

“The nice thing about that version, as far as the training and responses, was 82 percent of survey respondents said they thought the software was good enough to start voluntarily using it.

That’s a good start, and it shows that because of our streamlined efforts, there is value to field offices.”

Next steps Version 2.2 of Conservation Desktop is slated for release in 2019 and will enable NRCS office staff to create plans, create and edit practices and create conservation products, including plan documents, plan maps and financial documents that are produced today.

“This version will still not include all of our Customer Service Toolkit, but

a version 2.3 release will include the rest of those products, including the contracting, soil inventory reports and other functions,” Rome says. “That release is slated for later this fiscal year.”

Today, the program is available to NRCS partners. In the future, they will be able to access it from their own computers, with required permissions.

“When we have partners, we want them to be able to access our software,” Rome says. “In the future, since this is a web application, we should not be limited by the computer our partners are using.”

Rome adds, “Our job is to make the planning process the best and most efficient possible so we can spend time with clients and get conservation on the land.”

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

WBC rules out for comment The Wyoming Beef Council (WBC) is proposing to adopt the Department of Administration and Information’s uniform rules establishing procedures, fees, costs and charges for inspections, copies and production of public records. The uniform rules are titled Chapter 2 Uniform Procedures, Fees, Costs and Charges for inspecting, Copying and Producing Public Records. The Wyoming Beef Council is required to adopt the uniform rules per W.S. 16-3-103, also Senate Enrolled Act 47 from 2014.

The uniform rules set fees for production and construction costs related to electronic public records.

WBC encourages beef producers and any other parties interested in the activities of the Wyoming Beef Council to provide written comment to Ann Wittmann, Wyoming Beef Council executive director at P.O. Box 1243, Cheyenne, WY 82003 or by e-mail at ann.wittmann@wyo.gov.

The comment period ends Dec. 15, 2018.

Convention season continues on With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, the last handful of Wyoming’s agriculture organizations will meet to address the top issues facing the industry and unite around their common goals as they unite for the next year, continuing to fight for agriculture.

Be sure to check out the handful of conventions that are left at the local level before national meetings commence in January.

Nov. 13-15

Governor’s Business Forum: Charting a New Course, Cheyenne, Little America Hotel and Resort. Visit wyomingbusinessalliance.com for more information or to register.

Nov. 14-16

Wyoming Association of Conservation Districts Annual Convention, Evanston, Historic Evanston Roundhouse.

Visit conservewy.com for more information or to register.

Nov. 15-16

25th Wyoming Women’s Ag Symposium, Casper, Wolcott Galleria. Visit wywomeninag.org.

Dec. 3-5

Wyoming Stock Growers Association Winter Roundup, Casper, Ramkota Hotel and Convention Center. Find more information and register at wysga.org.

If your organization’s meeting is missing, e-mail meeting details to roundup@wylr.net. Look for coverage of these meeting in upcoming editions of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018

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Low lignin alfalfa provides benefits in added flexibility for producers As alfalfa producers select their seed variety when they replant their fields, Tom Miles of Alforex Seeds notes some special consideration should be given when planting and harvesting alfalfa.

“Research has identified that as alfalfa matures, quality goes down,” Miles says. “As stems mature, they accumulate high concentration of cell wall material – lignin, and the degradability of the stems decreases as alfalfa matures. Then, quality goes down.”

At the same time, as the plant matures, the ratio of leaves to stems decreases because stem material accumulates faster than the leaf.

“Immature alfalfa, from pre-bud to bud, has a 60-to-40 leaf-to-stem ratio,” he adds. he adds.

“In Arizona and California, some varieties get cut 10 to 12 times, at 18, 20 or 21 days. At full maturity, alfalfa is 40 percent leaves and 60 percent stems.”

Miles continues, “With increasing plant maturity, stems become 30 to 40 percent less digestible due to increased lignin content.”

Lignin content negatively impacts digestibility of the forage as it reduces the rate and extent

of fiber digestion.

However, use of lowlignin varieties of alfalfa also bring questions and concerns.

Alfalfa harvest Miles notes that, traditionally, alfalfa harvest is targeted at the point when alfalfa maturity provides the most product while also capturing the highest yield. Traditionally, that occurs at day 28 of growth, when approximately 10 percent of the plant has bloomed.

“If we harvest after day 28, with conventional alfalfa, we see quality go down while yield goes up,” he says. “Low-lignin varieties tend to hold onto their quality a little bit longer.”

If weather hits or a few extra days of growth are desired, Miles says the low lignin varieties can continue to gain in yield while maintaining quality much longer than conventional varieties.

“Harvest flexibility allows production of dairy and high-quality hay that tests better than conventional yields when they are cut at the same time,” he says. “If we want to change our cutting schedule, we can get the same yield without sacrificing forage quality.”

Plant stress A second benefit of

Alfalfa options – Alforex’s Tom Miles explains that low-lignin alfalfa varieties may provide opportunities for producers to increase harvest flexibility, while simultaneously increasing yield and quality.

Saige Albert photo

Pasture, range land sees shift Unlike cropland, which has shifted toward larger farms since the 1980s, the other major component of U.S. farmland – permanent pasture and rangeland – has shifted to smaller farms.

In 1987, farms and ranches with at least 10,000 acres of pasture and rangeland operated more than half, 51 percent, of all pasture and rangeland, while those with less than 1,000 acres held 15 percent.

By 2012, the share operated by the largest acreage class had gradually fallen to 44 percent, while the share of farms and ranches with less than 1,000 acres of pasture and rangeland had risen to 22 percent.

Consolidation in cropland is driven by technologies that allow a single farmer or farm family to manage more cropland.

Improvements in those technologies have not led to consolidation in pasture and rangeland, however, because planting, spraying and harvesting machinery are rarely used on pasture and range.

Pasture and rangeland are primarily used for grazing beef cows and their calves, although other livestock such as sheep, horses and bison are also grazed.

In 2012, 45 percent, or over 400 million acres, of all U.S. farmland was devoted to pasture and grazing land.

using low-lignin alfalfa, Miles explains, is to allow more time between cutting to decrease plant stress.

“Cutting the plant more frequently can decrease the life of our stand,” Miles says, “so particularly in areas where they are cutting frequently, increasing the time between cuttings has the potential for increasing stand life.”

At the same time, producers may be even able to decrease the number of cuttings and increase yield and quality of those cuttings.

When alfalfa is grow-

ing, the first 10 to 12 inches of growth is fueled by the carbohydrates stored in the root reserves of the plan.

“After alfalfa reaches 12 inches, it starts putting reserves back into the roots,” he says. “If we cut before the 10 percent bloom on a regular basis, we start to deplete some root reserves, which affects the next cutting.

Delaying harvest allows us to replenish some root reserves.”

Summary Overall, Miles says low-lignin advantages

“If we harvest after day 28, with conventional alfalfa, we see quality go down while yield goes up.

Low-lignin varieties tend to hold onto their quality a little bit longer.” – Tom Miles, Alforex Seeds occur at mid- to late-maturation, allowing early cutting to be extended a few days, which improves yield and root reserves of the stand.

“We see a seven to 10 percent lignin reduction, with greater harvest flexibility and more time for harvest,” Miles explains.

“We also see five to 10 percent less undigested fiber and five to 10 percent

digestion in our livestock, which means increased feed intake.”

Miles presented during the 2018 Forage Field Day, held in June 2018 at the James C. Hageman Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension Center.

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at saige@wylr. net.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018

Property for Sale

Property for Sale

HISTORIC 3 BEDROOM 1,900 SQ. FT. RANCH HOUSE ON 23 ACRES: Seven miles east of Broadus, MT with rental of 900 sq. ft. Includes outbuildings, 20’x32’ shop and garage. $275,000 OBO. Call 406-6727230 or e-mail nnsampson@ gmail.com. To view photos, go to www.wylr.net in the classifieds ................................11/10

WINTER STOCKER RANCHES!! Arizona ranches!! Winter stockers or year-round, farms and horse properties. Harley Hendricks Realty, please call toll free 877-349-2565, e-mail to HarleyHendricks@HarleyHendricks.com ..............11/10

509 RIATA ROAD, TULAROSA, NM: Four bedroom, 2 bathroom home on 70 acres with detached garage, barn, 13 acres in pistachios. $640,000.

295 PINE HILL ROAD, FENCE LAKE, NM: Two bedroom, 3 bathroom log home on 60+ acres with corral, outbuildings and well. $320,000. Big Mesa Realty, 575-456-2000. Paul Stout, Broker NMREL 17843, 575-760-5461. www.bigmesarealty.com ......................11/10 SX RANCH: Turnkey yearround cattle operation. Three ranches totaling 7,125 acres west of Alturas, CA in Modoc County. Includes: Farm equipment, 2 custom homes, employee homes and various farm buildings. Cattle and hay purchase to be negotiated separately. This well-balanced mix of properties offers irrigated cropland, irrigated pasture, irrigated meadows and rangeland. Ideal for a year-round cattle operation. Over 3,000+ irrigated acres in total. Operated to support 1,280 AU annually and off farm hay sales. Keeping the excess hay on site gives the operation greater potential for a carrying capacity of 1,885Âą AU annually.

Call Brennan Jewett & Associates 530-870-6625 or visit www.landmba.org .........11/10 SOUTHWEST MCCONE COUNTY GREAT PASTURE LAND FOR SALE: 17,792+ total acres with 12,391 acres being deeded. Located approximately 14 miles from Brockway, MT with Hwy. 200 and 24 frontage. For more information or to make a physical inspection of the property, contact Montana Land Brokers Co., Jason Dunham, broker 406-366-5588 or Russell Pederson, broker 406-939-2501, www.montanalandauctions.com .........11/17 FOR SALE: 246 acres, Rd. 164 and Hwy. 30, Pine Bluffs, WY. Currently in CRP. Property has a water well and electricity.

Great location to build dream home or subdivide, no covenants. Minerals included in sale. $310,000. Contact Trish with Pfister Land Company, LLC 307-640-6988, e-mail trish@pfisterlandco. com, www.pfisterlandco.com ........................................11/10 HUNTING AND FISHING RETREAT PROPERTY FOR SALE: Fort Smith, MT, 77+ acres, 2 bedroom, 1.5 baths, shop/Quonset. $475,000. Call Travis for details or a showing. Travis Dimond 406-8697681, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Floberg Real Estate. MLS#289737, 31814 Hwy. 313, Fort Smith, MT, 59075..............................11/10 SCOTTSBLUFF, NE: Top producing silt loam soils. 236 acres total. 173 acre pivot and 25 acre gravity. Ditch and well water. Amazing yields. Live winter water for livestock.

Cash lease. $725,000. GOSHEN COUNTY, WY: Pivot irrigation. 160+ acres. Zimmatic pivot with 153 shares of Horse Creek Conservation.

Home, shop, hay barns. Five miles southwest of Yoder, WY. $650,000. THIS PROPERTY IS LOCATED 3 miles south of Torrington, WY along US 85 on top of the hill.

Locally known as Airport Hill.

It contains a hanger building approximately 50’x64’ with 40’ wide x 12’ high door. Full concrete. Advertising signs hang on the side of the building.

On 6.2 acres including runway. $150,000. VETERAN, WY, 518 ACRES TOTAL: 118 acres deeded plus 400 acres Wyoming State Grazing Lease. 2004 Zimmatic 7 tower pivot. Excellent combination of sub-irrigated grass, hard grass, irrigated grass and tall brush for calf protection. $405,000. Casey Essert at Empire Realty at 307-534-2222 or 1-888-340FARM. More listings available at www.buyaranch.com ..................................... TFN

GOSHEN COUNTY 240 ACRES: Five miles south of Torrington, WY on paved Road #92. 126 acres GID irrigation water. Small home. Hay and grass. Value investment. $475,000. 10 ACRE PROPERTY: Great value with 100’x225’ indoor arena plus a lovely 4 bedroom, 3 bath home. Only 1 mile south of Torrington, WY on Hwy. 85. Fantastic opportunity for private or commercial equestrian clinics, ropings, self boarding with indoor and outdoor riding. Includes pasture paddocks with shelters. $555,000 Reduced! Now $535,000. IRRIGATED HAY MEADOWS and impressive improvements on this balanced 360 acre property located near Veteran, WY. Nice home, shop, machine shed, livestock barn, Quonset, grain storage and corrals. Ideal for a purebred livestock operation.

120 acres deeded plus 240 acres state lease. $766,615 Reduced! Now $699,000. Casey Essert at Empire Realty at 307-534-2222 or 1-888-340FARM. More listings available at www.buyaranch.com ..........................................TFN

Irrigation

Killebrew Irrigation Your one stop shop for all irrigation needs Lander, WY • (307) 332-3044

Mineral Rights

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Irrigation Systems The choice is simple.

Good time management is essential to farming success. That’s why more farmers are turning to T-L center pivot irrigation systems. Hydrostatically powered, T-L’s simple design gives you the low maintenance time, cost, safety and reliability to let you manage your farm instead of calling electricians or replacing gearboxes. Simplify your complex world and make irrigation easier on you.

Easier On You.

Big Horn Truck and Equipment Manderson, WY rairdenjlw@tritel.net • 800-770-6280

Hunting & Fishing NOV. 16-19: PETSKA FUR WILL BE BUYING ALL DEER/ ELK HIDES, ANTLERS AND FUR, IN THE FOLLOWING TOWNS AND LOCATIONS: NOV. 16: Ft. Bridger 5:15 p.m., Cash Store. NOV. 17: Evanston 8-8:15 a.m., Prairie Inn; Kemmerer 9:15-9:30 a.m., Ham’s Fork Station/Sinclair; Cokeville 10:15-10:30 a.m., Flying J Truck Stop; Afton 11:30 a.m.-12 p.m., Gardeners Country Village; Thayne 12:30 p.m., Farmer’s Feed (drive thru); Alpine 1-1:30 p.m., Tack & Treasure Gun Shop; Hoback Jct. 2-2:15 p.m., Hoback Market/Exxon; Bondurant 3 p.m., Elkhorn Bar and Grill (drive thru); Pinedale 4:14-5:15 p.m., Gannett Sports; NOV. 18: Big Piney 8-8:15 a.m.

Midway Mall; La Barge 8:45-9 a.m., All American Fuel; Fontenelle 9:45 a.m., Fontenelle Store (drive thru); Green River 11-11:15 a.m., under viaduct

by Wild Horse Saloon; Rock Springs 11:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m., WY Wool Warehouse; Wamsutter 1:40 p.m., Wamsutter Conoco (drive thru); Rawlins 2:40-3 p.m., Trails West Meat Processing; Saratoga 3:45-4 p.m., Saratoga Feed & Grain; Medicine Bow 5 p.m., JB’s (drive thru); Rock River 5:30 p.m., Rancher’s Supply (drive thru); NOV. 19: Laramie 8-8:30 a.m., West Laramie Fly Shop; Ft. Collins, CO 10-10:30 a.m., Gannett Ridge Hunting Equipment. For more information, call Marty 308-870-4887 or visit www. petskafur.net .................11/10

Irrigation

Mineral Rights

Roof Coatings

WANT TO PURCHASE mineral and other oil/gas interests. Send details to: PO Box 13557, Denver, CO 80201................. 10/26

TANK COATINGS ROOF COATINGS

PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIED AD TODAY! Call Jody at 800-967-1647 or visit wylr.net

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Call for our free catalog: VIRDEN PERMA-BILT CO. 806-352-2761

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SELL YOUR UNWANTED ITEMS IN THE ROUNDUP CLASSIFIEDS, CALL TODAY! 800-967-1647 or 307-234-2700

2018 Christmas Corral November 3 - December 8 the Wyoming Livestock Roundup will be offering a special section featuring Christmas ideas for everyone in the family!

Receive a special rate of $7 per column inch when you advertise in the Christmas Corral!

To advertise in the Christmas Corral, contact Jody at 800-967-1647 or jodym@wylr.net.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018

It’s the Pitts

by Lee Pitts

Soup Strainers and Flavor Savers Have you ever noticed the obligatory five or six young men standing behind every Grand Champion steer or heifer at a major livestock show who were responsible for grooming the animal?

While every hair is in place on the bovine, the talented fellas responsible look like they just spent six months as roustabouts in northern Alaska without access to running water or shaving utensils. They have so much facial hair one wonders if, when they go out in public, does PETA throw paint on them thinking they’re wearing wool?

Beards and mustaches are a generational thing. If you look at pictures of our presidents, you’ll see that only one or two of our presidents up until Abe Lincoln had facial hair. Then, Abe started a trend of nine presidents who wore some kind of facial hair.

In Abe’s case, he had a good reason. He was uglier than a mud fence.

Then, for no discernible reason, presidents became

clean shaven again, and the last president who had any kind of facial hair was William Taft who was our 27th president.

While my generation was famous for growing our hair long in almost every instance, we budding baby boomers were clean shaven.

I had eight uncles, and as I recall, there wasn’t a beard in the bunch, although I did have an aunt with a mustache.

Fast forward to today and any self-respecting man has some sort of beard, mustache, Fu manchu, soul patch, flavor saver or soup strainer. Even muttonchops have made a comeback. And therein lies my problem. Except for those days spent in a coma, from the time I started shaving at 16 until I turned 65, I shaved nearly every day of my life.

And I hated every day of it.

I encountered many problems being a serial shaver.

First, I’m nearly blind, and not being able to see my face in the foggy mirror meant one sideburn was

always an inch or two higher than the other and a chunk would be missing from my nose, ear and/or both.

I was also a chronic bleeder, which meant I always had several tiny pieces of toilet paper with red dots in the middle all over my face when I went out in public.

Fast forward to today, and everyone has facial hair, so being clean shaven means I stick out worse than the wart on Abe Lincoln’s face.

Then, there are the costs associated with shaving. Men and women don’t just shave these days with a razor and a blade. Oh no, they have to use a “shaving system,” so Proctor and Gamble and Gillette can charge you $25 for a package of blades.

Thank goodness dollar stores came along where I can buy a whole bag of throwaway razors for a buck. I don’t care if they do take huge chunks out of my cheeks, at least I’m not having to dip into our retirement savings to purchase shaving equipment.

If I added up all the time and money I’ve wasted on razor blades over the years, I’d probably own a big ranch and be a billionaire by now.

And if my face had been covered in facial hair, maybe it wouldn’t now be covered in skin cancer. I can also see how a full beard might have come in handy when I had to feed our cows in freezing weather.

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Now that I’m a hermit and have stopped going out in public, I’ve started skipping the daily shave. Then, other problems started rearing their ugly head. After about three days I don’t feel comfortable in my own skin.

After a week, my face has the texture of 80 grit sandpaper,

and I could use it to sand furniture.

And, in trying to cut through the old-growth and prickly underbrush I always break two or three cheapie dollar store razors, so now I wonder just how much money I really am saving.

I’ve almost resorted to

desperate measures. The fella who cuts my hair at the Curl Up and Dye Barber Salon tells me priests in ancient Egypt dealt with the shaving problem by plucking every hair from their bodies. I swear I hate shaving so much it’s almost enough to make me join the priesthood.

LETTERS Submit your letters to: Editor, Wyoming Livestock Roundup, P.O. Box 850, Casper, WY, 82602, or e-mail to roundup@wylr.net. We reserve the right to edit letters.

It is the policy of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup that we do not print letters attacking individuals, groups or organizations within the Wyoming agricultural community.

Farmers and ranchers, It’s that time of year again. The 2018 Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) County Committee elections are officially underway, and we’re asking for your help. Please take a few minutes to vote in your local county committee election. FSA County Committees are a vital and direct link between our farm community and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Earlier this summer, we put out a call for nominations for individuals who would be willing to serve on the committee. Elections are held annually in every county when FSA accepts nominations for a certain Local Administrative Area (LAA). The area up for election rotates each year. Nominations have been made, and now, it’s time for you to decide who will fill this role.

Ballots were mailed out the week of Nov. 5 to eligible voters. If your LAA had a committee seat open this year and you are an eligible voter, you can expect to receive a ballot in the mail. Producers who did not receive a ballot can pick one up at the local FSA office.

The individuals you elect to serve

on your behalf operate within official federal regulations so local input is provided on federal programs such as income safety-net loans and payments, including setting county average yields for commodities; conservation programs; incentive, indemnity and disaster payments for some commodities; emergency programs; and payment eligibility.

Our FSA County Committees make a difference and if you won’t take it from me, I encourage you to check out stories from county committee members from around the nation. Read their testimonials at fas.usda.gov/elections.

While you’re there, you can find other information about the elections.

Ballots must be returned to your local FSA office by Dec. 3, 2018. Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked no later than Dec. 3.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to make an impact in your local community.

Sincerely, Lois Van Mark State Executive Director, Farm Service Agency

RED, WHITE & BLUE Exceptional Genetics that perform through everyday challenges.

Bull Sale Taking Elevation to New Heights

RANGE-READY, RUGGED 2-YEAR-OLD BULLS

BULLS WILL BE ULTRASOUND, FERTILITY AND PAP TESTED

Dec. 14, 2018

Platte Valley Livestock • Gering, Nebraska Sires: Resource • Renown • Ten Speed • Payweight 1682 Ellingson Top Shelf • Big Sky Bowman Payweight 727 AAA# 19213671

Bowman Top Shelf 730 AAA# 19213674

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2018 LARAMIE, WY

SELLING

25 Two-year-old Hereford Bulls from Ward Livestock

Lot 1

CED: +5 BW: +1.7 WW: +68 YW: +116 M: +28 Marb. +.90 RE: +.31 $B 174.16

Bowman Ten Speed 710 AAA# 19213660

Lot 9

CED: +7 BW: +.7 WW: +74 YW: +130 M: +19 Marb. +.62 RE: +.75 $B 178.41

30 Two-year-old Angus Bulls from Krebs Ranch

Lot 6

CED: +8 BW: +1.9 WW: +68 YW: +120 M: +25 Marb. +.35 RE: +.64 $B 155.11

Bowman Resource 760 AAA# 19213697

Lot 28

CED: -1 BW: +3.2 WW: +61 YW: +113 M: +23 Marb. +.10 RE: +.75 $B 136.77

Lyle Bowman • Pine Bluffs, WY bowmancattle@gmail.com • 307-287-6503 (c) • 307-246-3281 (h) To request a catalog, visit

bowmancattle.com

15 Two-year-old Charolais Bulls and 6 Two-year-old Red Angus Bulls from Thomas Ranch

ALL BULLS ARE PAP TESTED & FERTILITY TESTED Sale will be held at the Ward Livestock Ranch 106 Hanson Lane • Laramie, WY

Contact Jeff Ward for more information.

(307)399-9863

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 28 • November 10, 2018