Volume 30 Number 34 • December 22, 2018
®
The Weekly News Source for Wyoming’s Ranchers, Farmers and AgriBusiness Community • www.wylr.net
A Look Inside Soil microbes provide benefits to human populations. . .Page 2 Wyoming Stock Growers Association members passed new resolutions at their latest meeting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 2 Rib and tenderloin prices have stayed strong through the fourth quarter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4 Dick Perue draws on the work of a famous poet to remember Christmas. . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6
Quick Bits Christmas The Wyoming Livestock Roundup wishes all of its readers and everyone in the agriculture industry a very Merry Christmas. We hope your stocking are filled with good prices, enough moisture and blessings for your families. To celebrate the holiday, our offices will be closed Dec. 24-28.
Poultry The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the presence of virulent Newcastle disease in a commercial chicken flock in California on Dec. 15. This finding is part of an outbreak in southern California that began in May 2018 in backyard birds. This is the first case in commercial poultry since 2003.
WGA Meeting During the annual Western Governors’ Association (WGA) meeting, held in Hawaii this year, western governors formally approved four policy resolutions on the final day of the event titled Foreign Visitor Preclearance, Cybersecurity, Compensatory Mitigation and Healthcare in Western States. Read the resolutions at westgov.org.
Shed Hunting The seasonal winter closure for shed antler and horn hunting begins on Jan. 1 for many sections of public land, state land and Wyoming Game and Fish Commission wildlife habitat management areas throughout Wyoming. The closures help protect wintering big game by limiting stress so they can better survive the coldest and snowiest months.
New WOTUS rule alleviates challenges for farmers and ranchers On Dec. 11, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of the Army proposed a revised definition of waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) that strives to clarify federal authority as it relates to the Clean Water Act.
Bobbie Frank, Wyoming Association of Conservation Districts executive director, quotes the pre-publication version of the rule, saying, “A statement on page 162 of the pre-publication version of the rule says, ‘Today’s proposal more appropriately
reflects the scope of the agencies’ authority under the statute, the Constitution, the vital role of the states and Tribes in managing their land and water resources,and the need of the public for predictable, easily implementable regulations.’ I think this sums it up
well.” She continues, “The rule does not incorporate everything we suggested in our comments on the 2015 WOTUS Rule, but where it deviates, the rule also provides a very thorough explaPlease see WOTUS on page 11
WOMEN’S MARCH AT THE SHEEP CORRAL They worked without whistles. They ran without rattles. They ran without yelling, bamboozles or paddles. They flew down the alley like eight tiny reindeer, And I, in the back, all I could do was to cheer! With Kate in her kerchief, and I in my cap, The dog in the back holding up the riprap. Janet working the middle, me filling the chute, No one a’shouting – you’d thought we were mute. “You really need four. Five would be even better.” But weather was looming, we needed to get’er Done all in that day, or dang cold it would turn.
Sheep put in their pastures, a warm pickup to earn. The three of us went, knowing it could be bad, The sheep wouldn’t run, we’d all end up mad. I’ve been there before, when the ewes just don’t run And you are defeated, you know they have won. It all went like clockwork. We were lucky that day. If you’ve read this so far, I just have this to say. The job turned out well, more so than this verse. As you all know with livestock, it could have been worse! - Lynn Harlan, Kaycee
MERRY CHRISTMAS
From the Wyoming Livestock Roundup
Saige Albert photo
Finding inspiration Farm life inspires Hickman to make gifts Bushnell, Neb. – Melissa Hickman learned to knit and crochet when she was just seven years old. Little did she know that a skill she learned at such a young age would turn into a small business for her one day. “My mom handed me a crochet hook and some yarn with instructions to ‘learn.’ She wasn’t able to teach me her own methods because she was lefthanded, and I am righthanded, but I worked it out and have crocheted ever since,” Hickman said. Raised on the farm The Bushnell, Neb. crafter lives on a small dairy goat and fiber animal farm, which inspires her creations in some way. “The biggest challenge for me is finding enough time to make all the things I want to make,” she said. “I have tons of ideas but never enough time.” Hickman started her home-based crafting business in 2006 so she could home school her children and take care of one of her Please see GIFTS on page 12
Plant flourishes under ESA Due to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) conservation actions, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has determined that the Fremont County rockcress, a highelevation perennial herb found only in the southern foothills of the Wind River Range in Wyoming, is not warranted for listing under the Endangered Species Act. First collected in 1981, there is only one known population of this unique plant found on 160 acres of federal land. Prior to making this determination, FWS used the best available science to complete an in-depth Species Status Assessment for this unique plant species. The assessment evaluated current conditions and potential threats to the plant such as recreation, invasive plants and energy development. The analysis determined there are no immediate threats to the plant, largely due to the conservation actions implemented by BLM, which manages the land on which the Fremont County rockcress lives, and due to a Secretarial Public Land Order removing this species’ habitat from settlement, sale, location or entry under general land laws. As a result, the assessment concluded the plant is not in danger of becoming extinct now or in the foreseeable future. “Thanks to BLM’s ongoing public land management and conservation actions, the rare Fremont County rockcress will continue to thrive,” said Mountain-Prairie Regional Director Noreen Walsh. Fremont County rockcress has been a candidate for listing since 2011. To learn more, a detailed discussion about the basis for this finding can be found in the Fremont County rockcress Species Assessment and Listing Priority Assignment Form and report at fws.gov/mountain-prairie/ es/plants.php.
Farm bill addresses hemp The version of the 2018 Farm Bill passed by the House of Representatives and Senate was signed by Pres. Donald Trump on Dec. 20, and the bill removes restrictions on hemp In the bill, hemp is removed from the Controlled Substances Act list of Schedule I substances, where it has been for many years. “With the passage and signing of the farm bill, hemp is no longer treated the same as marijuana,” explains Wyoming Department of Agriculture Deputy Director Stacia Berry. “Now that the farm bill is signed, hemp will not have the restrictions it has today as far as interstate commerce. The farm bill fundamentally changes how hemp will be handled going forward.
Next steps Berry says, “We already have a state law that legalizes hemp, passed by Wyoming’s Legislature two years ago.” “Even if states don’t have laws on the books authorizing hemp growth, the farm bill allows for a federal licensing program that will allow producers in all states to utilize that program and grow hemp,” she adds. Many of the hurdles hemp was facing when the state statute was passed were alleviated when the farm bill is signed, but Berry notes there are still several steps to take before farmers can grow the crop. Regulations The farm bill also lays out a set of stip-
periodical
periodical
Please see HEMP on page 5