December 15, 2018

Page 1

Volume 30 Number 33 • December 15, 2018

®

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

A Look Inside Zippy Duvall comments on the progress made in 2018 for the agriculture industry. . . . Page 2 The choice to buy or develop replacement heifers should involve careful economic analysis. . . . . . .Page 5 The University of Wyoming Livestock Judging posted impressive results in the fall of 2018. . . . . . . . . Page 7 Lee Pitts suggests that, rather than trees, activist should hug bears and wolves. . . . . . Page 6

Quick Bits Holiday Break As the livestock industry prepares for the holiday season, Wyoming Livestock Roundup offices will be closed Dec. 24-Jan.1. As a result, the advertising deadline for the Dec. 22 Roundup is Dec. 19, and the advertising deadline for the Dec. 29 Roundup is Dec. 20. Call 307-234-2700 or e-mail jodym@wylr.net to schedule your advertising today.

Renowned scientist sees opportunity for Wyoming beef brand Torrington – “Wyoming is admired around the world, more than many people ever know. The cowboy on the bronco on the Wyoming license plate is easily the most popular logo in America,” commented Jay Lehr, science director at The

Heartland Institute, during the second Wyoming Agriculture Diversification Summit. “I don’t think Wyoming takes advantage of it.” The summit, hosted Dec. 6-7 in Torrington at Eastern Wyoming College,

focused on “identifying strategic action and tactics with national caliber industry leaders and innovators for emerging and developing value-added and specialty agriculture initiatives.” Lehr said, “I recom-

mend that Wyoming begins to take advantage and brands its beef.” Further, he drafted several slogans for the state, including “Wyoming, where tender beef is produced by tough cowPlease see BRAND on page 4

307 MEAT COMPANY CHRISTENSEN FOCUSES ON CUSTOM PROCESSED MEAT FROM SMALL-SCALE OPERATIONS Laramie – The trend of locally sourced meat products, as well as the push to export Wyoming beef internationally, have led Wyoming’s beef producers on a mission to create local brands. Laramie’s Kelcey Christensen strives to help Wyoming producers with this effort, so he created 307 Meat Company in 2016, and the business will break ground on a USDA-inspected slaughter, and processing facility and a retail store in March of 2019. “My whole goal has been to help Wyoming produc-

ers gain extra profit margin on their product,” Christensen explains. “We want to provide a service function to slaughter and process cattle.” He adds, “The reason I started this company is to help Wyoming ranchers direct market their products, both within the state and across state lines.” Background for the plant 307 Meat Company, headed by Christensen, will begin construction on an 8,800 square foot USDA meat Please see 307 on page 15

Beef Exports U.S. beef exports have declined compared to where they were during the summer, but they still remain above year-ago levels. Total exports of fresh/frozen and cooked beef in October were 89,977 metric tons (MT), 4.7% higher than a year ago. The value of U.S. beef and veal exports in October was $645 million, some $56 million, or 9.4%, higher than a year ago.

Price Data The Department of Labor released consumer price data for November on Dec. 12. The measure of prices for all items was unchanged from October and was up 2.2% from a year earlier. Food prices were up 0.2% from the prior month, the biggest monthto-month increase since June, and were up 1.4% from a year earlier.

Snow Levels Some parts of the western United States have seen a 41% decline in the annual mass of snow since 1982. The affected region is about the size of South Carolina, according to a research team led by Xubin Zeng, professor of hydrology and atmospheric sciences at the University of Arizona. Zeng says the percentage will keep increasing into the future.

Saige Albert photo

New water rule released Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation (WyFB) supports clean water and clear rules, and WyFB is pleased with the new Waters of the U.S. Rule proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Dec. 11. “Farmers and ranchers need a common-sense water rule that protects water quality and gives them clear rules they can follow,” said Ken Hamilton, WyFB Executive Vice President. According to Hamilton, it is critical that the new water rule be clear and specific. “It is unfair to have unclear rules out there that can lead to penalties but do nothing to protect water,” he said. “Farmers and ranchers should be able to continue to use their land to raise food and not have to stop and hire legal counsel to determine what the rules mean.” Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler stated the rule proposal will provide a more precise definition of waters of the United States. “Our new, more precise definition means that hardworking Americans will spend more time upgrading aging infrastructure and growing crops to feed our families rather than working on permits that are a costly process that runs counter to our form of government,” Wheeler stated, adding the new rule will help landowners to understand whether they need a permit or not to use their own land. “The new rule will assure America’s water protections remain strong while giving states and tribes certainty to manage their waters in ways that best protect the water,” Wheeler said. Look for more information on WOTUS in the Dec. 22 Roundup.

Farm policy Farm Bill heads to Trump for signature Washington, D.C. – The lame duck Congress pushed forward on the 2019 Farm Bill, despite challenges at the onset. On Dec. 12, the House of Representatives sent an $867 billion, 807-page farm bill to President Trump’s desk on a 369-47 vote just one day after the legislation passed in the Senate 87-13. “The passage of the 2019 Farm Bill is good news because it provides a strong safety net for farmers and ranchers, who need the dependability and certainty this legislation affords,” commented U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. “This Farm Bill will help producers make decisions about the future, while also investing in important agricultural research and supporting trade programs to bolster exports.” Perdue, House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (R-Texas), Wyoming’s congressional delegation and agriculture industry organizations alike all praised the passage of the bills, noting it offers opportunities for farmers and ranchers. “I commend Congress for bringing the farm bill across the finish line and am encouraging President Trump to sign it,” Perdue Please see FARM on page 6

Laramie man creates one-of-a-kind toys Laramie – Ben Arthur still remembers the toys his father and grandfather made for him. In fact, the Laramie toymaker has watched as those same toys he played with as a boy were played with by his own children and grandchildren. Arthur worked in the auto mechanics field since graduating from high school. He worked for the school district in Laramie for 20 years and the University of Wyoming for 15 years. “I knew I was going to have to quit doing mechanics eventually because of the petroleum and chemicals. During that course of time, I was looking for something to do to get away from it, and I started thinking about the toys

my grandfather and father had made for me,” Arthur says. “I decided I wouldn’t mind getting into it myself and passing some of the things I made down to family members as heirlooms.” New hobby Woodworking is not a cheap venture, so once Arthur made his decision to invest in the equipment, he started to buy a piece or two at a time as he could afford it. “By the time I retired, I had acquired what I needed,” he says. A vacant cabin that had been used by his children as a bunkhouse on his ranch west of Laramie became a wood-

periodical

periodical

Please see TOYS on page 4


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.