Roundup for 3.6.2021 Section A

Volume 32 Number 45 • March 6, 2021

®

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

A Look Inside Walmart stores hold important beef industry information........... ....................................Page A5 State Forestry gives update to House Ag Committee................ ..................................Page A10 Check out the results of the latest bull sales...............Page B6 Lee Pitts explains how he is bad for business........Page B15

Quick Bits Food Industry Higher incomes, hopes from the rollout of vaccines and slow reopening of the economy have helped to bolster livestock prices for the spring and summer months.

The restaurant industry remains key in turning the hope of livestock futures markets into reality. Dollar sales at foodservice establishments in January were estimated at $54.6 billion, which is up $3.5 billion from the previous month but still $10.8 billion below year ago levels.

State of the State addresses legislature, Wyomingites “Spring is nigh, and this is always a time of renewal and rejuvenation,” Gov. Mark Gordon commented during his State of the State Address on March 2. “With each passing day, Wyoming is looking for-

ward to getting back outdoors to calves and lambs on the ground, crops in the field and maybe even scouting for a fall hunt or drowning a fly.”

During the address, Gordon commented on

the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccinations, as well as employment, economic recovery and moving into the future. Additionally, he highlighted the impact of Wyoming’s top three industries and their impor-

tance moving forward.

Financial state of Wyoming Gordon highlighted the dire situation of the state’s fiscal health, commenting significant cuts to the Please see STATE on page A8

CATTLE MARKET TRANSPARENCY ACT INTRODUCED Legislature seeks to ensure negotiated cash trade and equip producers with information to aid marketing decisions On March 2, U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced the Cattle Market Transparency Act of 2021. The bill, which supports cattle producers in price discovery and market transparency, is co-sponsored by Senators Cindy HydeSmith (R-MS) and Mike Braun (R-IN).

U.S. Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) Marketing Committee Member Brett Crosby of Cowley

explained this bill will help beef producers see current and recent agreements between packers and feedlots for market transparency as well as provide price discovery based on the transactions.

Background information “Supply and demand works between the segments of the beef industry just like it works between Please see ACT on page A9

BLM Permit Before leaving office, former Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt issued a new grazing permit to Hammond Ranches, Inc. Through federal litigation, the decision was overturned during the last week of February. The Department of the Interior announced Bernhardt’s decision was improperly rushed to approval, and the Hammonds will not be allowed to graze on public lands while the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) reviews the process of permit decisions.

Backing producers – Legislation introduced will help cattle producers value cattle and negotiate trade. Averi Hales photo

USDA Survey Farmers and ranchers may have received a Cash Rents and Leases survey from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This survey provides the basis for estimates of the current year’s cash rents paid for irrigated and non-irrigated cropland and permanent pasture. USDA encourages producers who received the survey to complete it by June 21.

U.S. Drought For the contiguous 48 states, the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) showed 46.58% of the area in moderate drought or worse, compared with 45.56% a week earlier. Drought now affects 71,902,814 people, compared with 65,829,964 a week earlier. For all 50 states and Puerto Rico, the USDM showed 38.95% of the area in moderate drought or worse, compared with 38.09% a week earlier. Drought now affects 72,503,532 people, compared with 66,279,110 a week earlier.

Strong outlook CattleFax provides optimism in beef industry A strong demand for beef, combined with higher cattle prices, set the scene for an optimistic outlook for the beef and grain industries, according to CattleFax, which presented a U.S. and global protein and grain outlook during the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) 2021 Cattle Industry Convention Winter Reboot held Feb. 24.

Though 2020 boasted many disruptions to the industry, consumer demand remains strong and continues to be a trend in the early months of 2021.

Fed cattle market CattleFax CEO Randy Blach shared cattle numbers will continue to contract through 2021, with the potential for producers to gain leverage on packers with a more equitable margin distribution. Additionally, Blach shares packing capacity is expected to increase as small-scale plants across the U.S. open and U.S. meat exports grow.

Kevin Good, vice president of industry relations and analysis at CattleFax, noted 1.2 million head of Please see NCBA on page A15

Legislative session reconvenes The Chambers of the House and Senate were full on March 1, as the Wyoming Legislature reconvened for the 2021 General Session after holding an eight-day virtual session in early February.

“It’s nice to be in Cheyenne, and it’s so much better to be in person,” commented Rep. Hans Hunt (R-Newcastle) on returning to Cheyenne for the second half of session. “The business we had during the virtual session was concluded in January. We didn’t leave anything hanging over the interim.”

“We started on a clean slate, and in the first week of March we’ve been working through the remaining committee bills,” Hunt explained, adding bills have also begun to come forward from individual legislators for consideration by the full body.

Agriculture bills Related to the agriculture industry, Hunt noted there are a handful of important bills.

First, House Bill (HB) 7, Air ambulance membership organizations – regulation, is a bill sponsored by the Minerals Committee which seeks to address concerns for rural citizens as it passed several years ago.

“Last year, those who were running air ambulances noted, with the previous language, it would be very difficult to continue their services, liability-wise,” Hunt explained. “We inadvertently made it more difficult for these services to contract to rural areas.”

However, through working together over the last year, those challenges have been corrected, allowing rural Wyomingites to subscribe to air ambulance services, and Hunt noted, “Rural citizens can rest assured those membership services aren’t going to Please see SESSION on page A11

Colorado ag groups promote ‘meat-in’ day Colorado Governor Jared Polis recently signed a proclamation claiming March 20 as ‘meat-out’ day, a statewide holiday challenging Colorado citizens to refrain from eating meat for the day.

Polis’ proclamation caused outrage within the Colorado agriculture community. Colorado State Legislator and Rancher Jerry Sonneberg disapproves of the proclamation.

“The leaders of Colorado shouldn’t throw the second top industry of the state under the bus,” states Sonneberg during an interview with CBS4.

“A meat-free holiday throughout the state of Colorado is indeed a slap in the face to the agriculture community. This contributes to his war on rural Colorado.”

Weld County, the leading county in the state for several agriculture products, was appalled by the governor’s proclamation. The county is Colorado’s leading producer of beef and dairy cattle, sugarbeets and grain production.

“My family has a long tradition of agriculture in this county,” says Weld

periodical

periodical

Please see MEAT on page A15

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 32 No. 45 • March 6, 2021

Slower Mail, Higher Prices

Those who live in rural areas, as well as those living in urban areas, cherish electricity, telephone, broadband and a prompt U.S. Postal Service (USPS). It is something we’ve become accustomed to.

So far this year, everything seems From the to be reliable, except for the mail service.

Publisher

We hear it has big troubles. Last Dennis Sun year, the USPS had a booming business.

The agency netted a positive cash flow of almost $2 billion in the first half of the year.

How can the USPS be in such financial trouble? From what I can find, there are two looming issues – a 2006 law passed by Congress and unions.

In 2006, Congress passed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act during a lame-duck session which required the USPS to pre-fund 75 years worth of retiree healthcare benefits in a span of roughly 10 years.

So far, the USPS has paid $20.9 billion into benefits, but the agency deferred around $47.2 billion as of September 2019.

Those delayed payments still count as an expense, meaning regardless of the agency’s financial success over the last few years, its balance sheet will continue to report enormous losses.

I’ve heard there are six unions involved in the USPS, and those unions got to Congress during the lame-duck session of 2006. Lord only knows how it got passed.

At the moment, the USPS is implementing policies to slow down mail delivery, especially in rural areas, due to a loss of revenue.

Last year, President Trump appointed a donor to become the USPS Postmaster General, along with his appointees on the board. They cut overtime and other parts of USPS spending.

All at once, the mail slowed down and their customers started complaining – rightfully so. The complaints were enough to prompt Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to suspend operational changes in August 2020 after heavy criticism over postal delays. He now plans to release a new 10-year strategic breakeven plan, which includes slower mail and higher prices, potentially as soon as late March.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) made the case for action as the USPS faces shrinking volumes of first-class mail, increased costs of employee compensation and benefits, and higher unfunded liabilities and debt.

Maloney drafted legislation on USPS financial issues, such as eliminating a requirement to pre-fund retiree health benefits and require postal employees to enroll in government-retiree health plan Medicare for a savings of $40 to $50 billion over 10 years.

DeJoy said the reform bill, the USPS Fairness Act, “Alone doesn’t solve the problem.”

One union is asking Congress to award the USPS an additional $15 billion and called for a separate modernization grant of $25 billion. The USPS will also ask the Biden administration to recalculate pension obligations, which would save the USPS around $12 billion.

In December, Congress converted a $10 billion U.S. Treasury loan to the USPS into a grant and now the USPS wants more stimulus dollars.

The USPS just announced a Wisconsin-based maker of military trucks, Oshkosh Corp., won a long-delayed $6 billion, 10-year contract to build as many as 165,000 mail trucks.

This is mind boggling!

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GUEST OPINIONS Beef Is, and Always Will Be, Sustainable

By Jerry Bohn There is an ongoing conversation in consumer spaces about beef’s contribution to climate change. In many circles, beef is being painted as a villain which can be minimized and/or eliminated to help solve global climate issues.

On the ground, as cattle producers, we know this isn’t accurate. In fact, we know it’s an outrageous lie which is being used to sell consumers a fake meat product they don’t want or need and one which won’t do anything to solve climate problems.

The reality is we know cattle can be a part of the solution. We know pasture and rangeland, through proper management, can actually reduce the amount of carbon and more than offset the short-lived methane emissions of our cattle.

Climate and environmental stewardship matter to farmers and ranchers as we feel the impacts of our stewardship decisions every day and we are the first, and most affected portion, of the population when it rains too much or too little. We are the first to be impacted when the weather is too hot or too cold and we’ve seen time and again the consequences of a changing environment.

Because of this, most of the farmers and ranchers I speak with are committed to protecting the resources we manage and doing our part to make improvements. However, to make real change, Americans and decisionmakers around the world must recognize cattle farmers and ranchers are part of the solution.

Every food has an impact, so simply swapping out beef for alternative proteins or lab-manipulated fake meat will never be an effective solution.

The reality is, consumers in the United States and elsewhere are going to continue to consume meat and there is no nation better at raising cattle and beef in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner than we do right here at home.

U.S. cattle producers don’t clear forests for pastures, we don’t plow up land which shouldn’t be farmed, and we ensure our animals are cared for through every phase of their life.

On our feedlot in Kansas, we make certain animals have fresh feed and clean water every day. We take pride in management practices which both care for our cattle and produce the best quality beef possible.

By ensuring the beef we produce meets consumer demand we’re also helping to reduce food waste when our products reach the consumer.

On farms and ranches, cattlemen and women are controlling invasive weeds and maintaining the pastures which feed our animals.

Farms and ranches provide open spaces, creating habitat for wild animals which would otherwise be pushed out by housing developments and urbanization.

We do these things because it makes our operations better, but also because it is the right, sustainable thing to do.

Our families depend on our lands year-after-year, generation-after-generation.

If consumers choose alternative proteins rather than beef, they should know the facts about those products and not just the sensationalized marketing some activists are using to sell a product which has historically been ignored by consumers.

In the past, consumers have largely rejected these products as a highly processed, expensive and inferior alternative to real beef.

There are people who have invested in fake meat companies seeking to profit from legitimate consumer

concerns about climate change and the environment.

The science disputes the claims of alternative protein companies. The fact is, even the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports U.S. beef production has a minimal footprint when it comes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Beef production is responsible for only two percent of U.S. GHG emissions. Even when the production of animal feed, fuel and electricity necessary for beef production is factored into the equation, it is still responsible for just 3.7 percent of GHG in the United States, according to EPA. In contrast, emissions from electricity generation account for 28 percent of U.S. emissions and transportation accounts for 29 percent of U.S. emissions.

It’s likely many have heard individuals like Bill Gates claim U.S. livestock’s contribution to climate change is immense. However, these claims are flat out wrong.

Some activists and others like Gates often cited old claims made in the United Nation’s debunked report titled Livestock’s Long Shadow. They also use Please see CLIMATE on page A8

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 32 No. 45 • March 6, 2021

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NEWS BRIEFS WyFB celebrates ag literacy “It is our goal through the ‘Ag Books for Kids’ program to educate students about where their food comes from and what their life may be like without agriculture,” said Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation (WyFB) Young Farmer & Rancher (YF&R) Ag Books for Kids Coordinator Raenell Taylor during the formal proclamation signing for Wyoming Agricultural Literacy Week 2021. “We can do this through agriculture-related books and getting them into the classrooms to share the importance of agriculture.”

The WyFB YF&R Committee organizes the program and the county Farm Bureau Federations across the state donate agriculture books to Wyoming elementary school libraries. 2021 marks the 17th year of the program.

In recognition of this effort, Gov. Mark Gordon declared the week of March 1, 2021 as Wyoming Agricultural Literacy Week.

“Thank you for your leadership and reminding us just how important agriculture literacy and education are here in Wyoming,” Gordon said during the virtual proclamation signing with WyFB volunteers and staff.

“Agriculture has to be a part of the future, but it is also part of the solution too.”

The Wyoming Agriculture Literacy Week proclamation reads, “Literacy is a top priority for school children and non-fiction books are an important tool in teaching children about the world around them.”

The proclamation continues, “Many aspects of our daily lives, including the food we eat, clothes we wear and medicine we depend on, are made possible because of agriculture. Farmers and ranchers serve as environmental stewards, maintaining and improving soil and natural resources to pass on to future generations.”

As part of the project, elementary classrooms not only receive the book donation at their school, but many have book readings. With school visitor restrictions in place this year, the WyFB YF&R Committee created a video for classrooms to experience a virtual book reading and introduction from WyFB YF&R Committee members.

“Even in an agriculture state like Wyoming, we have a lot of students that are far removed from agriculture,” Taylor explained. “We always look forward to sharing our agriculture story with elementary students because they are our future.”

“We are so passionate about Wyoming Agricultural Literacy Week to recognize and dedicate time to reading agriculture related books,” she concluded.

WyFB President Todd Fornstrom echoed Taylor’s sentiments about the program when thanking the governor for recognizing the program through proclamation.

“Thank you for the good reminder education is one of the most important activities we will do,” Fornstrom stated. “One of our main goals with the program is making sure people know where their food comes from and that it is safe and abundant.”

Wyoming students and teachers are encouraged to visit their school’s elementary library to check out the 2021 book “Better Together… ‘Digging It’ with Dairy & Beef, Building Healthy Bodies & Brains!” by Rianna and Sheridan Chaney. Students and teachers may also visit wyfb.org and click on the education tab for a virtual reading video. Classroom activity ideas as well as contest rules and details are also available on the website.

Wyoming students are offered three contests to encourage use of the book and provide application opportunities for what is learned. The 2021 contests are a coloring contest for kindergarten and first graders, a poster contest for second and third graders and a marketing ad contest for fourth and fifth graders. The county contest deadline is April 2.

WBC is set to meet

USFS plans burn U.S. Forest Service (USFS) fire crews are planning 560 acres of prescribed burning in the Upton/Osage area of the Thunder Basin National Grassland this spring. Named the Clay Spur burn, the vegetation treatment will take place in March or early April when conditions align. The exact date of ignitions will be dependent on suitable weather and fuel moisture conditions.

Proposed burn units are located on National Forest System lands managed by the Douglas Ranger District in Weston County. The prescribed fire area is bordered by Skull Creek Road to the east and Forest Road 914 on the north. Two-track roads, livestock trails and creek bottoms surround the remaining project boundary to the west and south.

The area is 16 miles northwest of Newcastle, five miles north of Osage and less than one mile west of Skull Creek Road.

Much of the vegetation within the project area has not experienced fire in the past 50 to 100 years.

If requested, an on-site community briefing will be conducted by fire personnel before ignition.

Burning will not take place unless daily ventilation category or smoke dispersal forecasts are good to excellent and other weather-related conditions are favorable.

Smoke will likely be visible in surrounding communities and along Highway 16.

For more project information, contact North Zone Fire Management Officer Shay Rogge at 307-358-7119 or Fuels Assistant Zone Management Officer Nick Collard at 307-358-7117.

The Wyoming Bean Commission (WBC) is scheduled to meet for a regular meeting via teleconference on March 9.

The meeting will begin at 2 p.m. via Zoom. During the meeting, the WBC will approve minutes from the previous meeting, hear a budget update, discuss assessment rate changes, hear an update on Dry Bean Revenue Protection insurance, hear an update on Commission elections, discuss Seed Bean crop insurance and discuss 2021 research project funding requests. Along with this, they will hear a BeanCon21 report and discuss any other business as needed.

There will be an opportunity for public comment at the end of the meeting.

For an agenda and more information on the Wyoming Bean Council, visit agriculture.wy.gov/divisions/ts/wyoming-bean-commission or contact the Wyoming Department of Agriculture at 307-777-7321.

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WWPC schedules meeting The Wyoming Weed and Pest Council (WWPC) State Allocations Committee is scheduled to meet in Casper and via Zoom on March 10.

The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. and will take place at the Holiday Inn – Casper East Medical Center. During the meeting, the State Allocations Committee will review 2020 minutes, review the final reports/status reports from 2020, review 2021 available grant funding, elect a chairperson/vice-chairpersons and hear presentations on the Wyoming Department of Transportation Program, the State and Private Forestry Program and the Pesticide Registration Fee Grant Program.

The committee will also vote on allocations and grants and cover any other business as needed. There will be an opportunity for public comment at the end of the meeting.

To view a full agenda along with the Zoom link, visit agriculture.wy.gov. For more information on the meeting, contact Slade Franklin at slade.franklin@wyo.gov or 307-777-6585.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 32 No. 45 • March 6, 2021

NEWS BRIEFS Ibach joins IANR Former U.S. Department of Agricultural Undersecretary Greg Ibach has joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s (UNL) Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR) as the institute’s inaugural undersecretary-in-residence.

In his new role with IANR, Ibach will help advance the institute in areas including agricultural biotechnology policy, agricultural-biosecurity, workforce training and the partnership between the National Institute of Antimicrobial Resistance Research Education (NIAMRRE) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), among other areas. He may also engage with UNL learners interested in public service, the importance of public and private partnerships and science-informed policy.

A farmer and rancher from Sumner, Neb., Ibach spent the past three years at the undersecretary of marketing and regulatory programs for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In this role, he was responsible for facilitating marketing of U.S. agricultural products and ensuring the health and care of animals and plants. He oversaw the Agricultural Marketing Service Agency, APHIS, the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Division and several programs, which were part of the Farm Service Agency.

Ibach is a former director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, a role he held for 12 years, making him the longest-serving director in the organization’s history. He is a graduate of UNL’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

WGFD schedules burn

CNFR planning continues Casper Mayor Steve Freel said during the March 2 City Council Meeting he attended a College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) board meeting on March 1 and “We are full steam ahead,” Freel said.

The CNFR is scheduled for June 13-19, 2021.

Freel said the only hiccup is a few colleges are “dealing with COVID-19 issues of getting students here.” The pandemic forced the cancelation of the 2020 CNFR, but Freel said the show will go on this year.

“Looks like it is going to go off like it normally would and we’ll have a good event like we did, it seems like forever ago,” he said.

The CNFR has been hosted in Casper since 1999. The 2019 CNFR saw 25,679 tickets sold, the second highest number of sales since the rodeo has been in Casper.

The rodeo event attracts talent from around the world, and represents a significant economic boom to the Natrona County and Casper areas through traveling athletes, attendance and other tourism related dollars.

An economic impact study of the 2018 CNFR found the rodeo generated $1.87 million in total direct economic impact for the Casper area.

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The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) is planning a prescribed burn on Yellowtail Wildlife Habitat Management Area (WHMA) to benefit migrating waterfowl.

WGFD will work cooperatively with the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service to burn approximately 55 acres around Leck Mayes Pond on Yellowtail south of the Shoshone River between March 1 and April 30. The exact day the burn will be conducted is dependent upon weather conditions.

Smoke from the prescribed burn will be visible from surrounding areas, including the town of Lovell. The prescribed fire will burn cattails to eventually increase open water for the benefit of migrating waterfowl.

“Yellowtail WHMA is an important stop-over point for waterfowl during spring and fall migration and also provides year-round habitat for nesting and brood rearing,” said Habitat and Access Biologist Eric Shorma. “Increasing open water will provide important loafing and feeding areas for migrating waterfowl.”

“In conjunction with burning, WGFD plans to use other treatment methods and future seasonal drawdowns of water in Leck Mayes Pond to help control cattails,” Shorma said.

Leck Mayes Pond has been dry for multiple years due to inoperable water control structures but plans are underway to repair the structures within the next year. Until the repairs can be completed, the pond will remain dry.

Yellowtail WHMA is located approximately six miles east of Lovell and comprises 19,288 acres. Through a cooperative agreement between the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission, National Park Service, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Bureau of Land Management, this area was established in the early 1960s for the primary purpose of enhancing waterfowl habitat.

APHIS reviews sheep ID The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a report the last week of February showing the department’s changes in recent years to the policy of providing free sheep identification (ID) tags has not had a detrimental effect on the goal of identifying sheep in the United States.

In November 2017, APHIS stopped providing free plastic identification tags to stakeholders. Metal tags were still provided at the time. After a variety of changes in the program since that time, APHIS now provides up to 100 plastic tags to new producers only and metal tags to markets and dealers.

According to the report, policy changes have not decreased the use of official ID by stakeholders and higher number of metal tags were purchased and distributed in Fiscal Year (FY) 2018, though increases in privately purchased official ID may be related to policy changes. In addition, policy changes may have caused slight fluctuations in official ID sales and distribution in FY 2018 and 2019, but they returned to previous levels in FY 2020.

In FY 2020, official ID orders increased slightly and the number of orders of metal ID decreased while quantity increased, reflecting larger individual orders.

The numbers of orders of official ID purchased privately are trending upward and may be related to policy changes which decreased the availability of ID free of charge to producers.

To view the full report, visit aphis.usda.gov/animal_ health/animal_diseases/scrapie/downloads/sheep-goatident-report.pdf.

Cheney addresses timber sales Congressman Liz Cheney (R-WY) joined her Congressional colleagues from both Wyoming and South Dakota on a letter to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) expressing concern with their recommendation to reduce the timber sale program in the Black Hills National Forces (BHNF). The members are also seeking answers about the process the USFS used to reach this recommendation.

“To continue successful management and care of the BHNF, we urge the USFS to substantially increase involvement from the states of South Dakota and Wyoming, local county commissions and other stakeholders who stand to be most affected, including the forest products industry, in discussions of the BHNF timber sale program and forest planning,” the delegations wrote. “We also request the USFS immediately implement the recommendations from the BHNF Advisory Board, including maintaining the timber sale program at 181,000 continuous cover forestry (ccf) sawtimber and 21,000 ccf of five to nine inch trees and prioritize providing resources needed for the BHNF to accomplish the recommendations.”

The letter continued, “As many know, the BHNF has been nationally recognized as an example of how proactive forest management can be successful in reducing impacts from mountain pine beetles and wildfires, with multiple senior officials touring the BHNF to see the successes firsthand. The BHNF is one of the last National Forests where, together, we can still implement forest management on a meaningful scale to benefit forest health.”

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 32 No. 45 • March 6, 2021

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Walmart beef sales are key to understanding future of cow/calf production “A big part of business as a cow/calf producer is acknowledging where beef is going,” said Rancher and Fresh Meat Consultant Lamar Steiger during a Business of Beef: Health and Management Summit webinar hosted

by Boehringer Ingelheim on Feb. 11.

Steiger explained, Walmart gained its wellearned bad reputation early in becoming a grocery store chain.

“When a grocery store grows as quickly as Walmart did, maintaining quality is going to be hard,” Steiger stated. “I’m sure they were just trying to get products on the shelves.”

Steiger said Walmart hired meat scientists from Texas A&M, Arkansas University and other colleges producing meat science students.

Walmart’s CEO Greg Foran prodded this meat team to get better quality meat in Walmart stores.

At this time, Foran and the Walmart beef team contacted Steiger regarding a ranch-to-retail supply chain for Walmart stores.

“Greg asked me why the U.S. beef supply chain was the most dysfunctional supply chain Walmart had to deal with out of all their products,” Steiger said. “This shocked me. I couldn’t believe the Walmart CEO was telling me out of every single product they carry, beef was the hardest to deal with.”

Knowing consumer wants Consumer knowledge is a major factor in meat puchasing decisions driving sales.

“I have witnessed, first hand, consumers don’t know the difference between ribeye, filet or New York strip cuts,” Steiger said. “My friends text me at least twice a week asking what they should order at the steakhouse.”

Steiger noted grocery stores shouldn’t be at fault for the lack of consumer knowledge. Grocery stores want to help teach consumers about beef products because they want to sell more products.

Although, Steiger believes it is the beef industry’s responsibility to educate consumers about beef products.

Steiger explained Walmart conducted a research series to gather information about beef consumers. Through this research, Walmart learned what consumers like and which products they turn to when their preferred products are out of stock.

During one of these tests, Walmart discovered consumers know what Angus beef is, and realized they often seek Angus beef while shopping for meat. This information is helpful for grocers when deciding what to carry throughout their stores.

Walmart also studied what consumers know about ribeye prices. Consumers seem to know what a ribeye is supposed to cost, Steiger noted, because when ribeye cuts are over-priced or unavailable, consumers tend to grab a pork chop.

Walmart shortened the timespan of their research due to the significant impact it had on red meat sale proceeds.

Steiger shared, this research was helpful in resolving issues grocery stores have when raising prices on red meat, specifically beef.

“There’s a certain price point consumers won’t pay over,” Steiger said. “This is frustrating for producers because we are continually improving the quality and consistency of our beef.”

Struggles of providing beef Steiger explained one struggle grocers face is marketing and providing fresh meat. The timeline of raising and processing cattle, where the majority of cattle are born during spring months and taken to market in the fall, doesn’t line up with the majority of meat sales.

Since consumers aren’t used to frozen meat, the staging of beef is incredibly expensive, according to Steiger.

“Consumers love the word ‘fresh,’” stated Steiger.

“If consumers would readily purchase frozen meat, grocers wouldn’t have so many struggles when providing beef.”

He continued, “However, the process of thawing meat and dealing with weep juices, a mixture of water and myoglobin, oftentimes turns consumers away.”

Steiger shared the directto-consumer supply chain is growing in triple digits year to year. Direct and farm-to-table programs have helped make frozen meat more common, and grocers hold on to the hope of offering frozen meat.

One other struggle grocers face, in regards to the production timeline of cattle, is ribeye size, according to Steiger. Ribeye size is a direct correlation to the size of cattle when processed. While there is a market for large ribeye steaks, it doesn’t exist in grocery stores but rather in highdollar steakhouses.

Grocery store meat trays are limited in size, thus when stores receive larger ribeyes, they must be cut down.

“This causes what I call cooking abuse,” Steiger said.

“A customer buys a thin ribeye and leaves it on the grill too long. When the steak doesn’t taste good, they blame it on the store and refrain from buying meat.”

Ranch to retail supply Steiger introduced the Walmart beef team to Bob McClaren, owner of 44 Farms located between Austin, Houston and Dallas. 44 Farms raises and sells bulls all over the United States.

“We were having a conversation with Bob, and about half way through the conversation, he asked what Walmart wanted to do because he wanted to do something big,” Steiger said. “Walmart told him they wanted to do a ranchto-retail supply chain, and the rest is history.”

The price to raise and process cattle is so high, the Walmart beef team had to involve over 500 of the 4,500 Walmart stores in the new

ranch-to-retail supply chain.

Walmart and 44 Farms created Prime Pursuits. Prime Pursuits travels the country buying Angus-sired cattle which meet the Certified Angus Beef (CAB) specifications. If Prime Pursuits comes across cattle with 44 Farms breeding, they try harder to get those cattle because they have proven lines. Prime Pursuits works with numerous backgrounders and feedlots to finish cattle.

After cattle are finished, they are shipped to Creekstone Farms Premium Beef, an Angus beef processing plant, and finally the meat is shipped to the Walmart casing plant in Georgia.

Walmart’s tray program Steigler explained one of the largest issues all grocery

store chains have is maintaining quality and consistency within the beef products they offer. Walmart grew so fast, they earned a bad reputation with their meat. The larger a grocery store chain is, the harder it is to maintain quality.

“I must credit the CAB program, in addition to the American Angus Association,” Steiger stated. “They have given meaning to the word Angus. Consumers can recognize the Angus breed, whereas, they don’t typically recognize other breeds.”

Steiger shared Walmart’s tray program is breed-related and because consumers recognize the quality of Angus beef, Walmart only sells Angus meat in their stores.

Torrington Livestock Markets PO Box 1097 • Torrington, WY 82240 307.532.3333 Fax: 307.532.2040

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“I must credit the CAB program, in addition to the American Angus Association. They have given meaning to the word Angus. Consumers can recognize the Angus breed, whereas, they don’t typically recognize other breeds.”

– Lamar Steiger, Lamar Steiger Consulting “Walmart uses two different colored trays throughout stores’ meat selection – white and black,” shared Steiger. “The white trays have lower Choice and upper Select meat cuts, while black trays have upper Choice and Prime cuts.”

According to Steiger, Walmart chooses meat quality and cuts based upon CAB requirements.

“Walmart is putting McClaren Farms labels on

this meat,” Steiger says.

“They won’t put a label on until they have confidence in the quality. The meat has yet to go through several verification programs such as exact fat/lean ratio, Angus-sired tests, yield grade and other meat quality specifications.”

Madi Slaymaker is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

Lex Madden 307-532-1580 Michael Schmitt 307-532-1776 Chuck Petersen 307-575-4015

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10 - FEEDER & CALF SPECIAL & CATTLE COUNTRY VIDEO

FEEDERS Jack Pfister Ranch 140 Blk Hfrs, 820-850#, Weaned since Nov., Running out, Grass/Alfalfa Hay Fed, 2 Rounds of Shots, Poured w/Dectomax Trevor & Kaylee Barner & T. J. Hodge 65 Blk/Bwf Strs, 625-750#, Weaned, On Grower Ration, Branding, Precond Shots & Booster Shot, No Implants, Home Raised Wyatt Warren 64 Blk (1-2 Bwf) Strs, 700#, Weaned a long time, Grass/Alfalfa Hay Mx, Branding & Precond Shots Rodgers Ranch/Mike Rodgers 60 Blk/Bwf Strs & Hfrs, 550-750#, Weaned 120+ days, Light Grower Ration, 3 Rounds of Modified Live Vac. Program, Choice, High Elevation Terry Regan 20 Mx Strs, 700-725#, Weaned a long time, Complete Vac. Program, Bunk Broke, Chopped Hay Only, No Implants CALVES TTT Ranch 300 Blk Angus Strs & Hfrs, 450-550#, Weaned in Dec., Running out on Meadows, Supplemented with Grass/Alfalfa Hay Mix and Lick Tubs, Branding & Pre-cond. Shots, June/July Calves, Home Raised Brian & Jerilyn Currier 171 Mostly Blk Strs, 550-650#, Weaned since Oct., Running out on meadows, Cake Broke, Full Vac. Prog, Home Raised Diamond N Livestock 105 Blk Angus Strs, 585-675#, Weaned, On Grower Ration, 3 Rounds of Shots, Wintered for grass Alvin Manning & Family 65 Bwf/Hereford Strs & Hfrs, 550-610#, Weaned, Bunk Broke, On Grower Ration, 2 Rounds of Shots, Home Raised Terry Regan 50 Mx Strs & Hfrs, 480-500#, Weaned since Sept., Weaning & Booster Shots, Bunk Broke, Fed Chopped Hay Only

CATTLE COUNTRY VIDEO - 1:00 pm MT

Wright Brothers 74 Steers; 805 lbs; Wt Stop: 840 lbs. 100% Blk/Bwf. Slide: .08 cents; Weigh on truck w/a 3%. Spring & Fall Shots. Boostered w/ BoviShield Gold 5. Poured w/ Promectin B. Implanted w/ Synovex S on December 1st. Delivery: 3/13/21 to 3/20/21. Big sort from front end of 105 hd. 62,000 lb load. Rep: Richard Zweifel 605-209-6307 Jake & Lorrie Reed 140 Weaned Steers, 760 lbs, Wt Stop: 770 lbs. 98% Blk, 2% Bwf. Slide: .10 cents. Weigh obn truck w/a 3%.

Complete Vac. Delivery: 3/11/21 to 3/13/21. Feed: Grow Ration. Fancy steers, home raised, pre-sorted, biggest and best of 200 head. Test weighed 75 head on March 4 at 781 lbs. Rep: Ty Thompson 307-340-0770 www.cattlecountryvideo.com

FRIDAY, MARCH 12 - ALL CLASSES SALE RESULTS -WED, MARCH 3 - 4555 HD Don Grenemyer 13 Black Steer 606 161.00C Don Grenemyer 22 Black Steer 711 151.00C Dave Kelly 57 Black Steer 752 147.50C Coxbill Farms Inc 34 Black Steer 732 146.50C Pokorny Ranch 14 Black Steer 860 133.50C University of Wyo 26 Black Steer 842 125.00C Ron/Barb Jespersen 26 Blk/Red Steer 679 154.00C Yeska Ranch 69 Blk/Red Steer 721 152.00C Ron/Barb Jespersen 64 Blk/Red Steer 761 148.00C Richard Waddell 10 Blk/Red Steer 805 137.00C Dave Kelly 20 Mixed Steer 683 146.50C Don Grenemyer 19 Black Heifer 621 145.50C Salt Creek Cattle 103 Black Heifer 749 136.00C Wyatt/Sherie Warren 32 Black Heifer 695 136.00C Salt Creek Cattle LLC73 Black Heifer 696 134.50C Ron/Barb Jespersen 61 Black Heifer 716 133.50C Pokorny Ranch 11 Black Heifer 712 133.50C Salt Creek Cattle LLC27 Black Heifer 825 132.00C XL Angus Ranch 11 Black Heifer 774 125.00C Ron Stuart 27 Black Steer Calf 400 216.00C Ron Stuart 75 Blac Steer Calf 455 191.00C Ron Stuart 49 Black Steer Calf 521 186.00C Chad/Jamie Harkins 22 Black Steer Calf 553 179.00C

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SALE RESULTS -WED, MARCH 3 - 4555 HD Marc/Deanna Clark 21 Black Steer Calf 544 177.50C Tillard Brothers 74 Black Steer Calf 606 170.00C Marc/Deanna Clark 46 Black Steer Calf 630 160.50C Thaler Land 117 Black Steer Calf 664 158.00C Ron Stuart 41 Blk/Red Steer Calf 356 222.50C James Troy 8 Charolais Steer Calf 569 178.00C Bruce/Debra Murray 22 Hereford Steer Calf 511 170.00C Bruce/Debra Murray 96 Hereford Steer Calf 591 164.50C Red Fork Ranch LLC 37 Red Steer Calf 452 177.50C Slash 3 Livestock 18 Red Steer Calf 531 166.50C Ron Stuart 20 Black Heifer Calf 343 187.50C Joshua Friesen 7 Black Heifer Calf 375 176.00C Joshua Friesen 18 Black Heifer Calf 493 169.00C Matt/Tandy Dockery 15 Black Heifer Calf 519 167.50C Chad & Jamie Harkins14 Black Heifer Calf 480 166.00C Joshua Friesen 42 Black Heifer Calf 547 162.00C Dry Fork Ranch LLC 11 Black Heifer Calf 598 154.00C Pokorny Ranch 10 Black Heifer Calf 602 150.50C Wyatt/Sherie Warren 26 Black Heifer Calf 636 145.50C Terrence Bruns 23 Black Heifer Calf 677 135.50C Chad/Jamie Harkins 20 Blk/Red Heifer Calf 555 158.50C Richard Waddell 22 Blk/Red Heifer Calf 665 138.50C Red Fork Ranch LLC 25 Red Heifer Calf 420 166.00C

VIEW SALES & BID ONLINE AT CATTLE USA

TORRINGTON LIVESTOCK AREA REPS Cody Thompson - Lusk, WY 307-340-0150 *** Ty Thompson – Lusk, WY 307-340-0770 Zach Johnson Lingle, WY –307-575-2171 *** Jeff Ward – Laramie, WY 307-399-9863 Tam Staman – Crawford, NE 308-631-8513 *** Lander Nicodemus – Cheyenne, WY 307-421-8141 Danny Nicodemus – Cheyenne, WY 307-632-4325 *** Chris Williams - Greybull, WY 307-272-4567 Justin Smith - Lusk, WY 307-340-0724 *** Scott Redden - Burns, Co 970-596-3588

www.torringtonlivestock.com

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 32 No. 45 • March 6, 2021

Federal lands update highlights February meeting in Senate Ag Committee On Feb. 25, in the threeweek interim period between the Wyoming Legislature’s virtual and in-person sessions, the Senate Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources Committee met to hear an update on federal policy changes impacting agriculture across the nation.

“We don’t have any actual bills assigned to us today, but we do have a standing order from the Senate to begin to assess what may be prudent to do at the state level to respond to the changes in federal policy we know are coming our way,” explained Sen. Brian Boner (R-Douglas), committee chairman. “We’re going to do our best to wrap our minds around what we may be facing in coming years with our federals partners.”

The committee heard from Gov. Mark Gordon’s office, who offered insights on the potential impacts of actions occurring at the federal level.

Oil and gas impacts “One of the topics we’ll be discussing is a ban on new oil and gas leases at the federal level,” Boner commented. “A lot of attention has been given, rightfully so, to the effects this will have on the oil and gas industry, to the state and to local governments which will be affected by a ban or restriction on these vital resources.”

“But, it also affects agriculture,” Boner continued.

“It affects the property rights of those landowners who are caught up in the federal nexus, and it’s hard to find a place in the state of Wyoming where the federal government doesn’t exist.”

Wyoming’s split estate, where private landowners often own surface rights and the federal government owns the mineral rights, means restriction on oil and gas development significantly impacts landowners across the state of Wyoming.

“There’s been a narrative the oil and gas ban is ‘temporary’ and ‘only affects federal land,’” Boner said. “It’s disingenuous to talk about a ban like this one without acknowledging the challenges associated with requiring Department of Interior (DOI) approval for routine paperwork for oil and gas wells which have already been leased.”

Governor’s staff on energy “It doesn’t seem like an oil and gas leasing ban would have a direct effect on ag, but in Wyoming, where nearly half of the surface is federally owned, and more than half of the sub-surface or mineral rights are federally owned, it affects the ag industry. We all know this very well,” Randall Luthi, chief energy advisor from Gov. Mark Gordon’s office, explained.

He added, “In reality, the DOI, Environmental Protection Agency and those agen-

cies we work with most closely also have the ability to do de facto moratoriums. This is really just the ability to slow everything down.”

Luthi explained often, the National Environmental Protection Act is used, which elongates processes.

Luthi added the ban has become more than just oil and gas, including trona expansion delays, which impacts southwest Wyoming.

“The Governor has been very clear about the actions of the Biden administration in this area. Gov. Gordon has said he will take all actions necessary to protect Wyoming citizens,” Luthi added.

“It’s hard to believe the Biden administration has only been in power 30 or so days. They are moving quickly, and in turn, we are moving just as quickly to combat them where we feel it’s necessary to protect Wyoming citizens.”

Leasing delays Currently, all decisions related to oil and gas leasing, including actions as small as modifying locations or changing a downhole location, have to be routed through the DOI, which has already slowed down routine processes and is affecting on-the-ground operations.

“There were a series of Advance Planning Documents which were approved earlier in February, but this process is not operating as it

Registered Angus Bulls 27th ANNUAL PRIVATE TREATY SALE Bulls will be priced March 6 and available thereafter.

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RABBIT CREEK RANCH 1401 N County Road 37 • Livermore, CO 80536 Just 40 miles south of Laramie on US 287; 4 miles west of The Forks on Red Feather Lakes Rd., then 1 mile north on CR37 More information at wwww.rabbitcreekranch.biz

George Seidel • 970-481-0124 • ercrlllp@gmail.com | Berrie Archuleta • 719-890-4010 Also selling: 12 premium 875 lb. registered Angus replacement heifers ready to breed and top-end, first calf heifer pairs with January and February calves.

should,” Luthi explained. “We are seeing a lot of processing, at the state and then again in Washington, D.C.” The requirement to route all decision-making through DOI is in effect for 60 days, until March 18, at which point the Governor has advocated for an end to this temporary action.

The Governor issued an executive order, directing all of his cabinet members to evaluate the effects of these order on state agencies. Currently, state agencies are working to evaluate the impacts of an oil and gas ban on each individual agency.

A University of Wyoming study looked at the impacts of such a ban on states in the West, finding that billions of dollars would be lost in the ban.

CARES Act impacts Joe Budd, policy advisor within Gov. Gordon’s office, noted, beyond oil and gas, there are a number of activities at the federal level, which encompass agriculture activities.

“There are some items in the latest version of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act I think we can be optimistic on, and which directly relate to some things which have been going on in the state,” he explained.

“Firstly, the bill includes a food supply chain and agriculture pandemic response section in which would direct the Secretary of Agriculture to use funds to “purchase food and

ag commodities and distribute them to individuals in need through non-profits.” It also includes loan funds for small to midsize processors.

“There may be some opportunity in there for some of our meat processors, and it may dovetail nicely with some of the work currently being done in the Wyoming Legislature, as well,” Budd explained.

“There’s another piece that is going to be very important for our processors,” Budd continued. “Overtime costs will be reduced for inspectors on small to very-small facilities.”

He added, “Right now, if there is overtime, the processor has to foot part of the bill. This would reduce that burden. Nearly every processor in the state of Wyoming is considered small to very small under U.S. Department of Agriculture’s definitions.”

Other provisions The bill also includes a section on surveilling COVID-19 presence in susceptible animals. However, Budd noted it is ambiguous as to exactly what this money will do and whether it will impact food animal agriculture.

Grants and loans are also included to boost medical supply availability for rural areas, which will be positive for agriculture.

“The other optimistic piece in this bill is there would be a large chunk of money put aside for activities authorized under the Consumer Protection Act of 1973,”

Budd noted. “This mainly revolves around care facilities and ensuring women, children and the elderly are getting quality nutrition and being fed.”

The funding is targeted towards nursing homes, schools and other such facilities, as well as territories and tribes.

Concerning measures While Budd is unsure how farmers and ranchers in Wyoming will be affected, he commented, “There is a large section devoted to disadvantaged farmers, which is defined in the 1990 Farm Bill. I don’t know how it will affect farmers and ranchers in Wyoming at this point, but it allows for up to 120 percent of outstanding indebtedness to be paid back through grants and loans.”

Additional pieces may help to support farmers and ranchers, but there are many uncertainties.

“Like the COVID-19 surveillance efforts, I’m not sure if this money stays in the U.S. or leaves,” Budd said. “The Food for Peace Act would provide $800 million to provide commodities abroad.”

Budd noted there is uncertainty at this point whether the commodities are purchased from U.S. farmers and ranchers or not, and details will change as the bill moves through Congress.

Saige Zespy is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup.

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

Small water project funding Beth Callaway, Gov. Mark Gordon’s policy advisor, highlighted some good news, including the passage of an omnibus spending package, which occurred in December.

Callaway noted the bill included the passage of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), a bi-annual act offered

by Congress to authorize spending in water resources project. The Governor’s Office has worked closely with Sen. John Barrasso’s (R-WY) office to encourage the passage of the bill.

“One particular provision of this bill I think the committee will find of interest is the small water projects authorization,” she said. “The WRDA bill has jurisdiction over the Army Corps of Engineers, which does

not impact most water facilities in Wyoming.

The small water projects authorization will set aside $130 million annually through 2030 to fund the study and/or construction of small water storage projects in rural states.”

Rural states are defined as states with a population less than one million, and the projects must be between 2,000 and 30,000 acre-feet of water.

She continued, “This is some positive news. Though it isn’t a changing policy, it is a really good opportunity on the horizon we hope to see some funding come through to get some projects on the ground in Wyoming.”

In Wyoming, there may be benefits to leverage funds from the Water Development Office with federal funds.

COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY ONE-BAR-ELEVEN JOHN E. ROUSE BEEF IMPROVEMENT CENTER

35th Annual Yearling Commercial Angus Bull Sale

Monday, April 12, 2021 • Lunch Served at 11:30 • Sale begins at 12:30 p.m.

At One Bar Eleven Ranch • Saratoga, WY Phone ands Sealed Bid Accepted

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 32 No. 45 • March 6, 2021

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UW molecular biologist receives lifetime achievement award A molecular biologist whose research and publication prowess are internationally known has received the Andrew Vanvig Distinguished Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming (UW).

Professor David Fay joined the Department of Molecular Biology in 2001.

A developmental geneticist, Fay uses nematodes – tiny roundworms – to analyze gene functions conserved across many species, including humans.

“David Fay already ranks amongst the most accomplished biomedical research faculty which have ever graced the halls here at the University of Wyoming,” wrote Department Colleagues Dan Levy, Jay Gatlin and Department Head Peter Thorsness.

Distinguished faculty award The award honors professors with a minimum of 15 years in the college. Vanvig served as head of the Department of Agricultural Economics for 25 years, was a faculty member for 35 years and established the award to honor lifetime accomplishments in teaching, scholarship/creative activity and service.

“I am thrilled to have

amazing faculty in our college,” said Barbara Rasco, dean of the college. “Dr. Fay epitomizes everything a faculty colleague should be. He is leading research in a critical area but more importantly, is inspiring the next generation of scientists to be the best they can be.”

Fay received his PhD in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale University in 1995. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University and then at the University of Colorado-Boulder from 1997 to 2001, before joining UW as an assistant professor.

“David is a superstar at UW and would be a leader at any research university,” noted Daniel Starr, Allen Distinguished Investigator and professor of molecular and cellular biology at the University of CaliforniaDavis.

Starr, who spent 201314 on sabbatical at UW, praised Fay’s scholarly and research activities, research funding, mentoring and service to the field and UW. “David could have gone to a top-tier major research university after completing his postdoc at the University of Colorado,” he said. “David chose Wyoming because of the lifestyle and the realization he could have a positive impact

on the community.”

Achievements in academia Fay has had 57 papers published and has brought in more than $9 million in external funding while at UW. As an assistant professor, he helped create the Molecular and Cellular Life Sciences (MCLS) program, the largest interdisciplinary graduate program at UW. He served as MCLS director from 2005-15.

Since its inception, the MCLS program has trained more than 110 graduate students from across the world, produced more than 45 PhD graduates and contributed to over 70 publications in scientific journals and procurement of more than $20 million in extramural grants, wrote his colleagues.

Natalia Kirienko, a former molecular biology PhD student, and now an assistant professor at Rice University, recalls Fay’s approach to teaching his students.

Fay is careful to ensure students starting in his lab receive the assistance they need, “But as their training proceeds, he takes the training wheels off and allows students to proceed with as little, or as much, of his involvement as they need,” she wrote.

In 2015, Fay accepted the associate director position of the National Insti-

tutes of Health-funded Wyoming IdeA Networks for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) and is director of its research wing. Its goal is to help the state build its biomedical research and education infrastructure.

INBRE has helped support more than 75 individual faculty research programs, more than 100 graduate PhD students and has influenced hundreds of undergraduates at UW and Wyoming’s community college.

In his leadership role, Fay is impacting faculty members and students at UW and across Wyoming’s higher education system, said R. Scott Seville, director of Wyoming INBRE. Aiming higher “Dr. Fay joined the faculty in 2001 and since then has established himself as a prolific research, an exceptional administrator, a stellar instructor and a model university citizen and colleague,” he said.

His colleagues in molecular biology noted, within a few years of starting at UW, he was urging them to aim higher, think deeper, write better grants and be better colleagues.

“David was largely responsible for moving our department from a cluster of semi-isolated silos to an integrated group of cooperating scientists,” Thorsness,

“Dr. Fay epitomizes everything a faculty colleague should be. He is leading research in a critical area but more importantly, is inspiring the next generation of scientists to be the best they can be.” – Dean Barbara Rasco, University of Wyoming College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Levy and Gatlin wrote.

“He showed us we could contribute significantly to the success of each other’s programs by reading and critically evaluating grant applications and manuscripts, participating actively in each other’s student seminars and defenses and sharing resources and equipment.”

Fay’s most recent research funding is a $2.7 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health “In vivo regulation of the extracellular matrix,” which seeks to understand how the process of molting, or outerskin shedding, is carried out in round worms. Many of the same genes and cellular processes that control molting in worms are also found in humans, where they’ve been implicated in genetic diseases including cancer and organ malfunction, said Fay. “In addition, a deeper understanding of molting may lead to new strat-

egies to combat parasitic roundworms, which infect hundreds of millions of humans, along with nematodes that negatively impact agriculture through the destruction of crops and animals,” Fay said.

This article was written by University of Wyoming Extension Senior Editor Dr. Steve Miller and is courtesy of the University of Wyoming. Miller can be reached at slmiller@uwyo. edu. For more information, visit uwagnews.com.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 32 No. 45 • March 6, 2021

STATE continued from page A1 state’s budget in 2020 were followed by the largest loss of income in the state of Wyoming’s history.

“Undeniably, we are entering more frugal times, and we will have to continue to temper wants and emphasize needs,” Gordon commented.

Multiple rounds of cuts from the Governor’s Office and state agencies have started the process of ensuring the state can effectively use the funds in the state’s budget, but Gordon noted, “We have more work to do.”

Agriculture as a pillar of economy While energy and minerals and tourism are the top two industries in the state, Gordon emphasized

the importance of agriculture in continuing to recover from the COVID19 pandemic in the state.

“Agriculture will play an ever more significant role in our economic revival,” he said. “The experience of this past year has laid bare the food insecurity which plagues our entire country. Wyoming is not immune to those issues.”

Particularly, Gordon lauded what First Lady Jennie Gordon’s Wyoming Hunger Initiative, along with Food from the Field, Food from the Farm and Ranch and others, have done to alleviate food insecurity in the state.

“As with many things in Wyoming, folks are

Watch Gov. Mark Gordon’s State of the State address at governor.wyo.gov.

stepping up to help neighbors. It is important work, and there is a lot more to be done. But, it is work which will benefit our broader economy by bolstering domestic meat processing, feeding our school kids with Wyoming-raised produce and generally integrating our own production into local economies,” Gordon explained.

“These efforts fit with other farm-to-table programs which make it easier to get food from producers to consumers, improve ways to brand Wyoming products and expand our export markets.”

Gordon called the efforts “hallmarks of what my administration will continue to emphasize in the coming years,” also recognizing, however, the Biden administration may offer additional challenges to the industry. He further cited, however, unknowns may also bring new opportunities for farmers and ranchers.

Supporting ag To continue to support the agriculture industry, Gordon explained Wyomingites must recognize such opportunities to build new income streams for the agriculture industry.

As one example, he cited a recent trip through Thunder Basin National Grasslands with former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, which led to conversations with University of Wyoming researchers.

“I have asked researchers at the University of Wyoming to help find ways the good practices of our farmers and ranchers can lead to more compensation for their care of the land and other resources,” Gordon said. “I want you to know I will always be a champion of any way in which we can keep our producers profitable, sustain the industry and bring in new producers.”

Further, Gordon will convene a team of indus-

try leaders to outline those opportunities and develop initiatives to strengthen the agriculture industry in the state.

In particular, he cited the Mountain States Lamb Co-op’s bankruptcy in mid-2020, stating Wyoming must be equipped to “fight the antitrust practices of some of our industrial giants.”

Senate File 124 provides the Wyoming Attorney General the ability to investigate and seek relief “from anticompetitive conduct, which harms Wyoming businesses.”

“This civil enforcement authority will also help us to defend all of our citizens when caught in the crossfire of multinational corporations,” Gordon commented. “It is important legislation.”

Moving forward Taking action on the future, Gordon added, advancing the agriculture industry will continue into the future with goals to build capacity in the industry over the next several years.

Specifically, Gordon thanked legislators for delivering legislation which implements invasive species recommendations following the work of his task force.

Further, he noted a special thanks to the Wyoming State Fair for their work in holding the Wyoming State Fair in 2020, despite pandemic concerns across the nation. Wyoming was one of three states to hold their state fair last summer.

As Gordon looked to the future of the state of Wyoming, he noted real estate sales in the past year

ballooned, with new residents attracted to the state by “our mountains, our people, our way of life and the fact we are a conservative state dedicated to living within our means.”

Despite the addition of new residents to the state, there are challenges moving forward with the state’s financial situation.

“Here in Wyoming, we have a tradition anchored in the belief of building a better future. I do not know of one successful rancher who is not a steward of resources. We are faced with this challenge today,” Gordon said. “Will we steward our resources, savings and all, so our children have a change? Or will we be so self-centered we spend ourselves into oblivion and leave them with the bill? We must address the issues I have spoken about here today, and we must keep our eye on the future.”

With this challenge of maintaining the Wyoming citizens admire, love and hold dear, Gordon explained the next few years of the state will be pivotal.

“Let us seek to do the right thing, do it the right way and do it right away,” he concluded. “God bless Wyoming.

God bless America and keep her free, and God bless you, the people of Wyoming.”

Information in this article was compiled from Gov. Mark Gordon’s 2021 State of the State Address, presented on March 2.

Saige Zespy is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup.

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

CLIMATE continued from page A2 global numbers about U.S. cattle production to back their marketing claims and sell their products.

It’s critical Americans understand global GHG emissions are skewed higher because they include emissions from nations whose cattle and beef management systems are far less efficient than those in the United States. Global numbers also include countries like India, which have large bovine populations, but where harvest is very low or non-existent because of cultural or religious practices.

In global terms, U.S. beef cattle production accounts for just 0.5 percent of global GHG emissions, so even if every American stopped eating beef in favor of fake meat substitutes, there would be virtually no discernable impact on our changing climate.

The U.S. beef production system is among the most productive and efficient in the world and it continues to improve over time. Between 1975

and 2017, beef cattle emissions declined 30 percent.

Today, the U.S. produces 18 percent of the world’s beef with just six percent of the world’s cattle numbers. This is possible through commitments to animal welfare, better animal nutrition and advancements in genetics.

Those statistics are often overlooked or ignored by individuals like Bill Gates, the writers at OZY and others who are working to advance an agenda which drives people away from eating meat using scare tactics and unsound science to advance their cause and line their pockets with grocery money from well-meaning, concerned consumers who have been sold something they don’t want and never needed in the first place.

Jerry Bohn is the president of the National Beef Cattlemen’s Association, as well as a farmer and cattle feeder from Kansas.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 32 No. 45 • March 6, 2021

ACT continued from page A1 the industry and the consumer,” shared Crosby.

“When there is a large supply, price goes down.”

The issues in the industry leading to this piece of legislation go back to the drought and herd size reductions in 2012-13, according to Crosby. This action resulted in smaller calf crops and smaller supplies, and ultimately a greater demand for cattle from feedlots in 2014-16.

“This transferred to a smaller supply of fed cattle and packers were paying through the nose just to complete contract orders,” Crosby continued. “In fact, many packers couldn’t fill forward contract orders, so they were looking to find ways to manage supply better. During this time, the industry also lost a number of packing plants because they couldn’t remain profitable during high cattle price years.”

Crosby noted this led to a combination of packers wanting to control supply,

as well as a reduced processing capacity. In turn, the market between fat cattle and packers has become sensitive to supply issues.

Additionally, Crosby explained less than 10 feedlot companies feed 35 to 40 percent of cattle in the U.S., so oligopoly exists in both the feedlot sector as well as the packing industry which allows the control of supply through formula agreements.

“This is an issue for cattle producers because formulas and grid premiums are based on cash prices,” said Crosby. “Formulas have been good to the industry because they have given beef producers an incentive to create more Choice beef and produce higher quality animals.”

“However, the problem with this is the cash price is required to be reported within 24 hours under the Mandatory Price Reporting (MPR) rule, but formula prices are not required to be reported until two weeks

To view the bill, visit fischer.senate. gov/public/index.cfm/2021/3/ fischer-wyden-introduce-cattlemarket-transparency-act-of-2021.

Benefits to producers According to the U.S. Cattlemen's Association (USCA), the Cattle Market Transparency Act of 2021 will establish regional mandatory minimum thresholds of negotiated cash trades to enable price discovery in cattle marketing regions, as well as requires the Secretary of Agriculture to establish regionally sufficient levels of negotiated cash trade and seek public comment on reported trade. The act will also require the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to create and maintain a library of marketing contracts between packers and producers, and require packers to supply this information to the USDA. Additionally, the act makes clear all information should be reported in a manner to ensure confidentiality, noting, “Nothing in this section permits the secretary, or any officer or employee of the secretary, to withhold from the public the information required to be reported under Livestock Marketing Report.”

Lastly, the act mandates a packer report the number of cattle scheduled to be delivered for slaughter each day for the next 14 days. The USCA reports this requirement already exists in the swine industry.

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after the transaction,” he continued.

Marketing issues According to Crosby, formula cattle typically bring an additional $40 more per head over negotiated cash prices, which is how packers incentivize formula cattle. From the cash marketing perspective, producers are required to provide information which gives another producer more money, and they don’t receive anything in return to help them negotiate better cash prices.

Another issue, Crosby noted, is many large feedlots have exclusive agreements to only sell fed cattle to specific packers. This gives packers part ownership because they know how many cattle are coming to them.

“Between formula agreements and the exclusive selling agreements, both price discovery and supply because manipulation as a supply management tool for packers,”

A9

said Crosby.

This issue was heightened for beef producers, however, with recent events including the fire at the Holcomb, Kans. Tyson processing plant and plants shutting down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In times where the industry experiences processing capacity constraints, packers will take their exclusive cattle first, followed by formula cattle and then cash cattle or small feedlot cattle,” explained Crosby. “At thispoint, cash trade is no longer true price discovery, but rather, market cleanup.”

He continued, “What beef producers really want and need in the industry is a way to know what cattle are worth. Unless producers know what cattle are worth, they don’t have enough information to negotiate with packers on cash prices.”

The Cattle Market Transparency Act requires there is enough negotiated

cash transactions to discover the true price of cattle in each region, according to Crosby.

Benefitting producers Crosby explained the important thing to remember about the bill is the required cash negotiations are dependent on the region and the number can change over time based on statistics, with reported prices subject to public comment.

“This required number can change from year to year, which is important because year to year variation in the cattle market will require the number of cattle on the market to change,” he noted.

The act also creates a contract library where producers can see what formula agreements are offered, while maintaining confidentiality between the parties making the agreement.

“This gives producers the opportunity to at least see what agreements have

been made and what the preferred customer deals between packers and feedlots are for market transparency,” Crosby added.

“It also gives producers price discovery which is based not only on the number of animals sold but the number of transactions.”

USCA Vice President and Marketing Committee Chair Justin Tupper said, “The Cattle Market Transparency Act goes above and beyond establishing a minimum negotiated cash trade level – it also creates a contract library and addresses confidentiality concerns within the Livestock Marketing Report Program.

USCA’s Marketing Committee appreciates the countless hours of research and industry consultation by Sen. Fischer and her staff which when into the development of this bill.”

Averi Hales is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 32 No. 45 • March 6, 2021

Crapser provides Wyoming State Forestry update to House Ag Committee Each year, the Wyoming State Forestry Division and Wyoming State Forester Bill Crapser provide an update to the Agriculture, State and Public Lands, and Water Resources Committees of the Wyoming Legislature, striving to identify challenges and recognize the work going on in the state of Wyoming.

On Feb. 10, the House Agriculture Committee heard an update on the forest products industry, forest health and managing forests cooperatively.

Forest products In looking at forest management, Crapser noted one of the best tools available is harvesting forest products.

“From the early tie hack days on, the forest products industry has played an important role, both economically and for the growth

of our state,” explained Crapser. “Starting with the reduction in timber harvest in the 1990s, we’ve seen a large decrease in the industry.”

Only three sawmills remain – in Evanston, Saratoga and Hulett – with several small mills, post-andpole operations and attempts to start biomass operations in the state.

Crapser noted, “The demise of the forest products industry has not only had a large economic impact on some of our smaller communities, but it’s also detrimental to managing our forests.”

“The forest product industry is one of the best, most cost effective ways to manage forests, and as such, supporting the industry is vitally important,” he continues.

Learn more about Wyoming State Forestry at wsfd.wyo.gov.

Forest health “Over the last 15 years, about half of the forests in our state have been impacted, either by mountain pine beetle or spruce bark beetle,” explained Crapser. “The 2020 growth of mountain pine beetle was extremely small, and spruce bark beetle only expanded by a few acres, so the epidemic of the bark beetle has kind of passed.”

He continued, however, recovery and fuels mitigation are still essential, noting the fuel loading and fire potential is very high in impacted areas. The Mullen Fire in southwest Wyoming during the summer and fall of 2020 was an example of the impact of the beetle epidemic exacerbating fire potential.

Further, the most significant emerging forest health issue is western spruce budworm. The worm impacts Douglas Fir, specifically, and in 2019, over 119,000 acres of the state were impacted.

“State Forestry is working closely with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) on several projects attempting to slow the spread of budworm in the southern Big Horns and around the Medicine Bow,” Crapser noted. “The most visible budworm project can be seen between Cheyenne and Laramie on I-80. As one drops down Telephone Canyon, the south side of the interstate is a piece of State Trust Land, mostly Douglas Fir, which is very heavily impacted by budworm.”

In the summer of 2020, State Forestry worked on a thinning project, chunking and piling the slash from the operation, with the goal of allowing the larger, mature trees to recovery with less competition from the understory.

“We’re really hopeful this project will work, but with the spruce budworm, we won’t be able to tell for

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a couple years whether the project was a success or not,” he added.

In the eastern half of Wyoming, Ponderosa Pine have also seen die-offs in isolated pockets, particularly in Guernsey and Pole Mountain areas.

“We believe this is a combination of the late freeze last spring after sap was running and some twig beetles,” Crapser said. “These are isolated incidences, but we’re are concerned and trying to identify the best course of action.”

Invasive insects At the same time, as long-term insects continue to create challenges, Crapser noted new invasive insects are an emerging concern, including emerald ash borer, an invasive from Asia.

“Emerald ash borer has pretty much decimated all the Ash trees in the eastern United States and in the Midwest,” he said. “It has been found in Fort Collins, Colo., so we are expecting that we will see it in Wyoming in some time.”

The Wyoming State Forestry Division is currently doing a lot of trapping in towns to see if emerald ash borer is present. Currently, across Wyoming, ash trees represent a significant number of trees.

“In Powell, for example, 40 percent of trees within the town limits are ash,” Crapser commented. “About onequarter of the trees in the town of Douglas are ash.”

Balsam woolly adelgid is a concern in western Wyoming. This bug impacts the true firs, and it has been found in Montana, Idaho and Utah, so Crapser said, “It’s only a matter of time, and we’re working closely with the USFS to monitor and see if we see a spread of adelgid within the state.”

The Japanese beetle also is concerning. The beetle attacks ornamental trees, along with agricultural

crops. To date, the Japanese beetle has been found within the city limits of Sheridan.

“Right now, it is an isolated population, but it easily could gain a lot of traction,” Crapser commented.

Shared stewardship In managing forest health, Crapser noted that partnership and coordination are important.

“Last summer, Gov. Mark Gordon signed a shared stewardship agreement with the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture,” he explained, adding the agreement compliments the newly updated Wyoming State Forestry Action Plan. “The agreement lays the framework for us to work closer with the USFS and other partners on crossboundary projects across the state.”

Federal Good Neighbor Authority, along with the Good Neighbor Account passed in the Wyoming Legislature in 2020, allows forestry projects to proceed more quickly across the state.

To date, Wyoming State Forestry has 17 projects with the USFS and BLM, including timber sales, thinning projects and fuel reduction projects. Additionally, regional forester positions have been funded through cooperative efforts. The USFS has also funded a good neighbor forester position to enhance coordination.

Crapser emphasized, “We always have to look at opportunities to work with our federal partners, industry and the public to increase the pace and scale of forest, fuels and invasive species management on the landscape if we have any hope at all to get a handle on forest health and fire issues facing not only Wyoming, but the West, as well.”

Saige Zespy is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup.

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

2020 fire season “2020 was a very busy fire season for Wyoming and much of the West,” Crapser said. “We had over 1,050 fires during last year.”

He continued, “A very disturbing note is, we’ve seen over the last 10 years an increase in human caused fires.

Well over 70 percent of the fires we saw last summer were human caused.”

During COVID-19, Wyoming State Forestry, along with their regional partners, opted for a rapid response and suppression strategy. The strategy was largely successful.

“While we had several large fires, the Mullen Fire on the Medicine Bow National Forest was the only fire in the state last summer where we had to bring in a large incident management team,” Crapser explained. “The Mullen Fire reached 176,000 acres, making it the largest fire in Wyoming since the Yellowstone Fire of 1988.”

Additionally, two single-engine air tankers (SEATs) were also contracted during the summer.

“We estimate the SEATs save the state and our partners several million dollars and avoided suppression costs,” he said. “One of the best examples was right out of Casper, when the center of Casper Mountain Garden Creek area had a nasty fire start in an inaccessible area.

Utilizing the SEATs and our state helitack, BLM and county crews were able to catch it.”

Crapser added, “But, we couldn’t have made it work without our federal partners.”

The state helitack flew on 47 fires and on two searchand-rescues. Approximately half of helitack fire fighters are U.S. Forest Service employees.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 32 No. 45 • March 6, 2021

SESSION continued from page A1 go away now.”

HB 7 passed the House on the third reading on March 3, moving the bill to the other chamber of the legislature.

The Wyoming school protein enhancement project, HB 52, was heard by the House during the week of March 2 and was received for introduction by the Senate as of March 4. This bill extends the work of a pilot project started by Sen. Brian Boner (R-Douglas) several years ago. The project seeks to extend the approval for schools to utilize locally raised protein in the school lunch program. Additionally, it allows the donation of livestock to schools for school lunches.

“This project sets up a permanent program allowing schools to purchase locally raised livestock to serve in school lunches,” Hunt noted.

“There are quite a few school districts who have taken advantage of this program, and it’s been very successful.”

An additional bill, coming as a substitute bill to HB 54, Wyoming meatpacking initiative, has amended some of the requirements on the associated loan program.

The bill had passed the second reading in the House as of March 5.

HB 118, Food freedom act amendments, sponsored by Rep. Shelly Duncan (R-Lingle), expands the authority of the Food Freedom Act to include eggs.

“The bill does not apply to turkey eggs, which is in alignment with Wyoming Department of Ag rules, but it would allow home-raised eggs to be sold in retail shops and grocery stores by an ‘agent of the producer or third-party vendor,’” Hunt commented, noting the success of the Food Freedom Act makes this bill an important next step for Wyoming producers.

Budget concerns However, at the top of

A11

mind for all is the supplemental budget. Prior to the 2021 session, the Joint Appropriations Committee cut over $400 million from the state budget, extending beyond the recommendations from the Governor.

Beginning on March 8, the House and Senate will individually review and amend the budget, with Committee of the Whole scheduled for March 8-9.

“It takes two days to go through the budget, and they will likely be long, full days,” Hunt explained.

The second reading of the budget will be held on March

10, and the third reading will be heard on March 12.

Hunt noted, “We take a day off on March 11, going back to the other bills from committees and individual legislators.”

The budget process is always extensive, but Hunt emphasized that this year is a supplemental budget.

“Normally, supplemental budgets don’t garner as much discussion as a full budget cycle,” he said. “All things considered this year, though, the 2021 supplemental budget has taken the gravity of a normal budget year.

It is very important for our

“All things considered this year, though, the 2021 supplemental budget has taken the gravity of a normal budget year. It is very important for our state moving forward.” – Rep. Hans Hunt state moving forward.”

Hunt also emphasized meeting in person is key to reaching the right results for the state of Wyoming.

“The budget is the engine of the state’s government, and it’s vitally important that we meet in person to have these discussions,” he explained.

“We saw the limitations of a virtual session. While tech-

nology is great, it won’t ever replace meeting in person.”

Hunt emphasized, “This is the most important budget the state has seen in many, many years, even though it’s only a supplemental budget.”

Saige Zespy is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup.

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

For the latest information from the Wyoming Legislature, visit wyoleg.gov.

FACA gains momentum American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Zippy Duvall commented on the increasing momentum behind an alliance co-founded by AFBF, the Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance (FACA), announced in a recent FACA news release.

“We are encouraged leaders in both the House and Senate are requesting more detailed guidance to achieve FACA’s climate goals and recommendations. It’s important any new climate policies respect the people who will be impacted the most – farmers and ranchers,” said Duvall.

“FACA’s 40-plus proposals demonstrate farmers and ranchers must be treated as partners as we work together to build on the impressive advances already achieved toward climate-smart farming.”

He continued, “We also welcome the 34 new members of FACA who represent farmers, agribusinesses, state governments and environmental advocates. The growth of alliance members from a wide range of industries shows we are on the right path toward protecting the environment while ensuring farmers and ranchers can continue growing healthy, affordable food for America’s families.”

For more information, visit agclimatealliance.com.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 32 No. 45 • March 6, 2021

CALENDAR

March 12

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

EVENTS March 6-7

Wyoming State Chariot Races Championship, Glendo. For more information, call Gene Daly at 307-331-1049.

March 8 Central Flyway Council Meeting, 11 a.m., online. For more information, visit fws.gov/birds/management/flyways.php or e-mail angela.bruce@wyo.com.

March 9 Wyoming Bean Commission Meeting, 2 p.m., Zoom. For more information, visit agriculture.wy.gov/divisions/ts/wyoming-bean-commission or contact the Wyoming Department of Agriculture at 307-777-7321.

March 10 Wyoming Weed and Pest Council State Allocations Committee Meeting, Casper and online. For more information, contact Slade Franklin at sladefranklin@wyo.gov or 307-777-6585.

March 11-14 Schleining Genetics, LLC Bovine Reproductive Services 2021 AI Schools, Lamar, Colo., Schleining Genetics. For more information, call Dallas Schleining at 970-420-0267 or visit schleininggenetics.com.

March 12-14 Cache Valley Cowboy Rendezvous, Hyrum, Utah, Mountain Crest High School. For more information, visit cvcowboy.org.

March 12-15 American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2021 FUSION Conference, Portland, Ore. For more information, visit fb.org.

March 16 UW Extension Pesticide Applicator License Training, 9 a.m., Worland, Washakie County Extension Office. For more information, call 307-754-8836.

March 17-18 National Cover Crop Summit, online. For more information, visit covercropstrategies.com/national-cover-crop-summit-2021.

March 23-25 Public Lands Council 2021 Legislative Conference, online. For more information, visit publiclandscouncil.org/plc-events.

March 25-28 Schleining Genetics, LLC Bovine Reproductive Services 2021 AI Schools, Ault, Colo., Schleining Genetics. For more information, call Dallas Schleining at 970-420-0267 or visit schleininggenetics.com.

SALES March 8 March 8 March 8 March 9 March 9 March 9 March 10 March 12

Holden Herefords 55th Annual Production Sale, at the ranch, Valier, Mont., 406-450-1029, 406-450-0129, holdenherefords.com Pine Coulee Bull Sale, Wagon Box Ranch, Hardin, Mont., 406-855-2832, 406-780-1230, pinecoulee.com Spring Cove Ranch Bull & Female Sale, at the ranch, Bliss, Idaho, 208280-1026, 208-358-0057, springcoveranch.com Cooper Hereford Ranch 55th Annual Production Sale, at the ranch, Willow Creek, Mont., 406-539-6885, 406-570-5519, cooperherefords.com Hancock Livestock 5th Annual Bull Sale, Riverton Livestock Auction, 307250-6900, hancocklivestock.com Loosli Red Angus 47th Annual Production Sale, at the ranch, Ashton, Idaho, 208-652-3303, 208-227-3779, 208-351-3333, loosliredangus.com Sitz Angus 19th Annual Spring Bull Sale, at the ranch, Dillon, Mont., 406683-5277, 406-685-3360, 208-670-2364, sitzangus.com WBCIA Bull Test 35th Annual Sale, Pingetzer’s Bull & Heifer Development Center, Shoshoni, 307-851-4401, 307-851-4201, wyomingbulls.com

Big horn Basin LIVESTOCK AUCTION LLC

Worland, WY

Sale Barn: 307-347-9201 Danny Vigil: 307-388-0781

Broadcasting and Online Bidding Available At lmaauctions.com.

Please visit to fill out an application and view auctions.

Authorized Dealer

Danny Vigil Northern Livestock Represenative

WE HAVE NITROGEN TO FILL YOUR SEMEN TANKS

Feb. 4, 2021 • 330 Head Cows $4-$6 Lower Bulls $4 to $6 Lower

BULLS Lungren, Luke - Worland 1 Red Bull, 1600# ....................$9350 1 SimX Bull, 1685# ..................$8950 1 Blk Bull, 2060# ......................$8900 1 Blk Bull, 1880# ......................$8900 1 RWF Bull, 1960#...................$8850 1 Blk Bull, 2110#.......................$8750 1 Blk Bull, 1635# ......................$8600 1 Hrfd Bull, 1965# ....................$8500 Geis, Nick & Karen - Worland 1 Blk Bull, 1860# ......................$9350 1 XBred Bull, 1995# .................$9350 1 Blk Bull, 2085# ......................$9200 1 Char Bull, 1915# ...................$9150 1 Char Bull, 1980# ...................$9050 1 Blk Bull, 1930# ......................$8850 1 Blk Bull, 2115#.......................$8800 1 Blk Bull, 1965# ......................$8750 1 Blk Bull, 1975# ......................$8750 1 Hrfd Bull, 1980# ....................$8750 1 Char Bull, 1905# ...................$8750 1 Blk Bull, 2005# ......................$8600 1 Blk Bull, 2000# ......................$8500 1 Blk Bull, 1925# ......................$8450 1 Hrfd Bull, 1930# ....................$8400 1 Blk Bull, 2175# ......................$8400 Pitch Fork Ranch LLC - Meeteetse 1 Blk Bull, 2095# ......................$8950 1 Blk Bull, 1920# ......................$8850 1 Blk Bull, 2015# ......................$8750 1 Blk Bull, 1920# ......................$8450

BRED COWS Nielsen, Joel - Greybull Murraymere Farms - Powell 1 BWF Cow, 1295#..................$5800 3 Blk Bred Cows, 3-4 YO ..$1325/hd.

HEIFERETTE 6 Blk Bred Cows, 5-6 YO ..$1285/hd. Open Lock Ranch Inc - Worland 16 Blk Bred Cows, SM ......$1210/hd.

1 Blk Hfrette, 855# ................. $11150 3 Blk Bred Cows, ST ...........$860/hd.

1 Blk Hrette, 715# ..................$10800 TD & Sons LLC - Worland 1 Blk Hfrette, 850# ...................$9100 2 Red Bred Cows, SM.......$1210/hd.

COWS • Upcoming Sales • Davidson, Peter or Susan - Burlington 1 Blk Cow, 1950# .....................$6350 March 8 – Monday - Winter Nielsen, Jr., Jack - Greybull Special - Feeder Cattle Only 1 Blk Cow, 1390# .....................$6100 March 11 – Weigh-Up Special Red Wall Ranch LLC - Meeteetse w/ All Class Cattle 1 SimX Cow, 1360# .................$6050 March 18 – Bred Cow Special Brach, Jim - Loma 50 w/ All Class Cattle, Sheep & 2 BWF Cows, avg. 1290# .......$60 2 Blk Cows, avg. 1453#...........$5800 Goat Stewart, John or Kirsty - Riverton March 25 – All Class Cattle 45 Blk Cows, avg. 1238#.........$5950 April 1 – All Class Cattle 4 Blk Cows, avg. 1286#...........$5900 April 8 – Weigh-Up Special 2 BWF Cows, avg. 1253# .......$5850 w/ All Class Cattle 6 Mxd Cows, avg. 1168# .........$5800 April 12 – Feeder Special 1 Blk Cow, 1340# .....................$5400 Feeder Cattle Only Bentley, Larry & Chris - Thermopolis April 15 – Bred Cow Special 1 Blk Cow, 1185# .....................$5950 w/ All Class Cattle, Sheep & 2 Rd/Blk Cows, avg. 1315# .....$5900 2 BWF Cows, avg. 1063# .......$5800 Goat Open Lock Ranch, Inc. - Worland April 22 – All Class Cattle 1 Blk Cow, 1035# .....................$5950 April 29 – All Class Cattle J & J Baling - Manderson May 6 – Weigh-Up Special 1 Blk Cow, 1215# .....................$5950 w/ All Class Cattle Big Horn Basin Livestock - Worland May 13 – Pair & Bred Cow 1 Blk Cow, 1125# .....................$5900 Special w/ All Class Cattle Nye, CJ or Vickie - Cody 00 2 Blk Cows, avg. 1198# ...........$58

Thursday, March 11, 2021 at 1 PM Big West Land & Cattle – 4 fat beef, ready to butcher with slaughter dates available!!

Monday, March 8, 2021 at Noon – Winter Special - Feeder Cattle Only Nicol Ranch – 5 blk yrling strs, 900-950#, weaned, 2 rounds of shots • Charles Hessenthalen – 170 blk strs, 650-750#, 80 blk hfrs, 600-700#, Bangs vacc, 3 rounds of shots, weaned • Doyle McKim & Sons – 100 CharX Strs, 700-800#, 90 Char/Red Hfrs, 650-750#, weaned, 2 rounds of shots • Crouse Ranch – 140 mxed blk, 675775#, weaned, 3 rounds of shots • Jerry Johnson – 130 mxd blk, 500-550#, weaned, bunk broke, 2 rounds of shots • Keith Hamilton Ranch – 20 blk strs, 500-550#, 50 blk hfrs, 600-650#, Bangs vacc, weaned, 2 rounds of shots • Flying V – 70 mxd blk, 700-800#, weaned, 2 rounds of shots • TD & Sons – 60 blk hfrs, 550-650#, weaned, 3 rounds of shots • Dustin Linebaugh – 60 mxd CharX, 600-650#, weaned Nov., 2 rounds of shots, poured, hay fed • Paddy Renner/PAR – 50+ blk hfrs, 560#, weaned, hay fed, Bangs vacc, 2 rounds of shots • John Davidson – 35 mxd blk, 650-750#, weaned, 2 rounds of shots • Diamond Bar Ranch – 30 blk hfrs, 500550#, 12 CharX strs, 575-625#, weaned, 2 rounds of shots, mineral program • Doyle Ranch – 30 mxd BWF, weaned, complete vacc at branding, 7 Way, Bovishield Gold 5, Nasalgen • Jesse Lohmiller – 25 blk strs, 600650#, weaned Oct., bunk broke, 2 rounds of shots • Nicol Ranch – 15 blk strs, 600-650#, weaned, 2 rounds of shots • Jordan Herman – 11 blk hfrs, 700-750#, Bangs vacc, 2 rounds of shots • Ten Sleep Cattle Co. – 90 blk strs, 590#, 35 blk strs, 700#, 70 blk hfs, 545#, weaned, 2 rounds of shots.

Leland Red Angus Annual Production Sale, at the ranch, Sidney, Mont., 701-565-2347, 701-565-2361, lelandredangus.com March 12 Quest of the West 16th Annual Cattle Sale, Spanish Fork Fairgrounds, Spanish Fork, Utah, 801-420-2962, questofthewestcattle.net March 13 ZumBrunnen Angus Annual Bull Sale, at the ranch, Lusk, 307-3342265, 307-216-0198, zbangus.com March 13 Diamond Peak Cattle Company Diamonds in the Rough Bull Sale, Riverton Livestock Auction, Riverton, 970-326-8620, diamondpeakcattle.com March 13 MTR Cattle Company Bull Sale, Buffalo Livestock Auction, Buffalo, 307684-7858, 307-217-0408, 307-217-0409, mtrcattle.com March 13 Carlson Equipment Annual Consignment Auction, Riverton, 307-8568123, carlsonequipment.com March 15 Rock Lake Angus 3rd Annual Bull Sale, at the ranch, Wheatland, 307331-1175, rocklakeangus.com March 18 Carter Cattle Company 22 nd Annual Production Sale, at the ranch, Pingree, Idaho, 208-390-4811, 208-681-9711, 208-681-8859, cartercattleco.com March 19 Montana Performance Bull Co-op with Basin Angus Ranch Annual Bull Sale, Midland Bull Test Sale Facility, Columbus, Mont., 406-7801219, 406-321-2470, 406-350-0350, basinangus.com March 20 Gray’s Angus Ranch “2nd Century” Performance Bull Sale, at the ranch, Harrison, Neb., 308-668-2525, graysangusranch.com March 20 Altenburg Super Baldy Ranch LLC Sale, Centennial Livestock Auction, Fort Collins, Colo., 970-481-2570, altenburgsuperbaldy.com March 20 Lechleiter Simmentals 33rd Annual Bull Sale, Loma Livestock, Loma, Colo., 970-209-8008, 970-249-5938 March 20 Sidwell Ranch/Frank Herefords Production Sale, at the Sidwell ranch, Columbus, Mont., 406-861-4426, 307-631-6012, sidwell-land.com March 21-22 Leachman Cattle of Colorado Spring Bull & Female Sale, at the Leachman Bull Barn, Ft. Collins, Colo., 970-568-3983, leachman.com March 23 Northwest Wyoming Angus Association 43rd Annual Sale, Riverton Livestock Auction, Riverton, 307-868-2595 March 23 Obsidian Angus selling at the Northwest Wyoming Angus Association 43rd Annual Sale, Riverton Livestock Auction, Riverton, 307-272-4911, 307868-2595, greatbearreflection.com

POSTCARD from the Past

Compiled by Dick Perue rrichardperue@gmail.com

Elegant Native Stone Home a Tribute to a Beautiful and Loyal Wife In tribute to the many pioneer women who helped settle Wyoming, we will present sketches of a few of those brave and dedicated ladies during the coming weeks, starting with Margaret Savage.

At times, the success and romance of the West are so entwined it is impossible to separate them. History reflects this in the story of Richard and Margaret Savage and their life at the Savage Ranch in Carbon County, Wyoming in the 1880s through the early 1900s.

Their story not only demonstrates the hardships endured by the pioneer women making their homes in Wyoming, but it contains, at its heart, a lasting expression of a deep and romantic love.

Richard Savage came

to Carbon County from Canada in 1868 to trap and hunt game for the government. He was the first man to import Oxford (blackfaced) sheep from Canada and reportedly also the first to experiment with crossing buffalo and cattle. He had a whole herd of quarterbreeds.

He returned to Canada in the 1870s to go into the family’s lumber business, but yearned to return to the beautiful place called Wyoming Territory. While in Canada, he met Margaret Ann Watson. Their romance blossomed, and they were married. Margaret eventually agreed to go see this wondrous land which had her husband enthralled.

Richard returned to Wyoming Territory first and Margaret came later in 1881. When she stepped off the train at Fort Fred Steele,

This lavish two-story ranch house in south-central Wyoming was built with native stone as a tribute to a beautiful and loyal wife of one of Wyoming’s earliest sheep ranchers. Richard Savage built the mansion in 1891 as a tribute to his wife Margaret. Photo courtesy of Saratoga Historical & Cultural Association. Historical Reproduction by Dick Perue from Martin/Perue collection

her beauty struck many of the men speechless.

Margaret didn’t know how strong her pioneer heart would have to be.

She would not see another woman until nine months after her arrival.

Her father came to see the couple. His opinion was the wildly beautiful, but barren Wyoming Territory was no place for a lady. He offered his daughter the opportunity to return to Canada.

Margaret declined and stayed with Richard at the ranch nestled along the Upper North Platte River about 15 miles north of Saratoga, known then as Warm Springs.

For such loyalty, Richard decided to make his beautiful wife more comfortable out in the wilds. He built Margaret a mansion – not just any mansion, but an opulent, fabulous home of stone.

The elegant house was built in 1891 and it still stands on the property where it stirs images of romance through its floral wallpaper, classic woodwork and magnificent stone structure.

It was noted the rooms were once filled with fine furniture, and the Savages had several servants.

Rose gardens trimmed the outside of the house, and a room with a three-sided window graced the home.

The Savages had five daughters... but, then, this is for the next tribute to pioneer women.

Information for this article comes from the writings of Gay Day Alcorn in her novel “Tough Country” and of Lori Van Pelt in the book “Dreamers & Schemers,” plus feature articles in the Saratoga Sun and historical “Pioneer Editions” in the Dick Perue/Bob Martin collection and Saratoga Museum.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 32 No. 45 • March 6, 2021

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 32 No. 45 • March 6, 2021

WEBO Angus Turning Grass into

Annual le a S ll u B s ck a b en re G April 6, 2021 Selling: 75 Yearling Bulls • 24 PAP Tested 2-Year-Old Bulls At the Ranch - Lusk, WY - 1 pm - Lunch at noon

8 miles east on Hwy 20 to Node, then 0.6 miles south on Pfister Rd

Lot 010

Lot 030

Sired by Justified • CE 3 Stars Traction & Thunder Great Makers of Angus cows, Consensus & Wisdom kick in performance, we’ve used lots of 8 CED Bulls on heifers, he’ll work on big heifers & young cows, Top 35% CED, Top 10 BW, Top 35% HP, kicks in Marbling Top 30%, Top 25% $M, Top 35% $G and maintains Top 50% for $W.

Sired by Rainmaker 4404 • CE 3 ½ Stars We have used Rainmaker for several years, great young cows, Rainmakers do lots of things right every time.

Top 15% CED, a +1.2 BW will work, Then he’ll catch a gear and puts some pounds on at Top 20% WW, Top 20%YW, Top 35% HP, then he’ll continue to pound the maternal Top15% $M, Top 15% $W

Lot 0136

Lot 0158

Sired by Cash 707 • CE 1 Star Cow bull only. Calves sired by this bull will pound the scale, put him on a set off mature cows Top 3% of the breed for WW, Top 2% YW, keep the heifers Top 30% for HP. These calves get right up and start growing right then Top 25% $W, Top 15% $F

Lot 0181 Sired by Southern Charm • CE 2 ½ Stars Southern Charm another new sire group, often we will sample a bull but not jump off the deep end till we see how it goes. Good bulls with plenty of power on moderate cows. Gained 3.74#’s day, Top 45% or above for WW & YW, Top 20% HP, Top 25% $M &$G, Top 15% $W

Lot 085 Sired by Effective 789 • CE 4 Stars Heifer bull that will work anywhere, Top 4% CED, Top 25% BW. Look him over for your yearling operation little slower growing but catches another gear for Yearling Weights Top 25%, Hits the HP target at Top 25%, He’ll add carcass merit to you program Top 45% $W, Top 1% $F, Top 5% $B, Top 10% $C.

Lot 0176

Sired by Cash 707 • CE 3 ½ Stars Dam is one of top 5 cows if not #1 cow on the place. 367 day Calf Intvl, 111 WR, 106 YR, 84# avg BW on 6 head calves. Another slam dunk bull, Top 20% CED, Top 15% BW, nice easy calving then he winds up the growth Top 20% WW, Top 25% YW, Top 10% $W, Top 25% $F

Sired by ReRide • CE 2 ½ Stars Younger cows, we’d probably use on 3’s calving the ReRide as a 4 year old. Just a beef bull, pumping up the weights on his calves & cash in the pocket. His Dam is a Cedar Ridge, 368 day Calf Intvl, 78# BW’s, 105 WR, 102 YR on 6hd calves. Top 10% WW & YW. Top 15% $W, Top 10% $F

Lot 9200

Lot 9208

Sired by Innovation 785 • CE 1 Star Big soggy bull made to build big soggy feeder calves, muscled up Top 10% WW +74 WW, Top 15% YW +124 YW, Top 1% Scrotal +2.27, Milk +16, +61 $W, +88 $F

Sired by Cash 707 • CE 2 Stars He is a tank, + 88 WW Top 1% WW, + 145 YW Top 3% YW, Top 25% +13.9 HP, Top 25% +69 $M, Top 3% +84 $W, Milk +20, +.68 REA

Featured AI Sires: KG Justified • Connealy Black Hawk • Granger Black Eagle Vermilion ReRide • Basin Rainmaker

Buttons York & Family

P.O. Box 848 • Lusk, Wyoming 82225 Button’s Cell (307) 216-0090 • Odessa’s Cell (307)340-1182 Elly’s Cell (307) 340-1499

www.WEBOANGUS.com This sale will be broadcast live on the internet

Real time bidding and proxy bidding available

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 32 No. 45 • March 6, 2021

MEAT continued from page A1 County Commissioner Perry Buck. “Several of my friends and neighbors have deep roots for agriculture here. Dismissing their heritage and livelihood is uncalled for,” Buck Continues.

Weld County Commissioner Scott James adds, “The governor is insistent on promoting some businesses at the expense of

harming others.”

Proclamation affects NWSS The National Western Stock Show (NWSS) released a statement noting the organization was disappointed with the proclamation. They did not, however, explain how the proclamation would have an impact on the state’s economy.

BEEF continued from page A1 cattle were liquidated in 2019-20, following a large expansion in the industry between 201418. In 2021, the industry is facing mild liquidation due to drought conditions and the La Niña cycle, as well as higher feed costs.

Additionally, Good added the beef industry in 2021 is split two ways.

“There are more cattle in the system early in 2021 with big supplies on feed and heavy weights, however, the second part of the year will transition to tighter calf crops and tighter slaughter,” he said, noting total slaughter is expected to be up 700,000 head to 33.5 million head.

The average fed steer price in 2021, as forecasted by Good, is $119 per hundredweight (cwt), up $10 over the 2020 average of $109 per cwt. Prices in 2021 could range between $110 and $128 throughout the year, he noted.

U.S. beef prices continue to be competitive in foreign markets, specifically Asian markets. According to Good, U.S. beef exports to Asian markets are expected to grow by five percent with expansions to Japan, South Korea and China, which inversely are decreasing imports from Australia and New Zealand.

Beef demand Blach shared the demand for beef was the strongest year for the industry in over 30 years, noting the strong demand will carry into 2021. However, Blach noted cattle producers didn’t see much of this margin because of processing plant closures as a result of the COVID19 pandemic.

Although many household incomes were displaced by the pandemic, Blach noted household wealth increased more than $620 billion in 2020 thanks to government benefits.

“Total meat sales volume was up 10 percent in retail in 2020, and the total dollar

increase in retail was up 18 percent to nearly $13 billion,” Blach said.

“As the economy opens back up, people are going to want to get out and spend money, and I think restaurants will do very well.”

According to Good, per capita beef consumption is expected to grow slightly from 58.5 pounds in 2020 to 58.6 pounds per person in 2021, although total red meat and poultry consumption is expected to decrease from 221.7 pounds to 218.7 pounds.

“Over the last 20 years, beef market share increased from 40 to 48 percent,” said Good. “Improvements in genetics, quality and consistency have created a better product from five or 10 years ago and have helped to increase demand, taking market share away from pork and poultry.”

Blach added, “Consumers are voting with their pocketbooks and buying beef. The industry should take note, stay focused on quality, continue delivering what the consumer desires and tell their great story.”

Beef exports In addition to domestic retail sales, the U.S. beef industry is seeing growth in beef exports. In fact, in 2020, the U.S. exported 120 million pounds of beef to China, and Good expect this number to grow to more than 300 million pounds each year over the next few years.

“The U.S. is the largest beef producer on the planet, producing 75 percent of all highquality fed beef in the world, and our product is different from competitors,” Blach stated.

“As the global population increases at a rate of 83 million people per year, U.S. agriculture is poised to play a key role with increasing exports.”

Averi Hales is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup.

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

A15

In addition, the American Hereford Association threatened to leave the NWSS, stating Polis’ proclamation was the last straw. Other agriculture leaders also threatened to move parts of the NWSS out-of-state.

“As an industry, we have to support people who support us,” says Clay Schilling, a Kansas rancher and frequent NWSS exhibitor. “Spending our tax money in Colorado is like making a direct donation to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).”

Schilling states he will no longer be attending the NWSS and will make the eight hour drive to Oklahoma to exhibit his cattle at Cattlemen’s Congress, a new stock show organization started when NWSS was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“I can either give my tax money to Colorado, which is putting out proclamations against agriculture,

or I can give it to Oklahoma which is pro-agriculture.”

Schilling shares. “I respect the NWSS staff who put on the 16-day event, but I will not support a state whose government is against agriculture.”

During Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitts’ speech at Cattlemen’s Congress, he said the NWSS in an important event for the beef community and he was glad the event could be held in Oklahoma.

“In Oklahoma, we are always going to fight for the ag community.” Stitts says.

He invited exhibitors back to participate in the Cattlemen’s Congress, which he hopes to make an annual event.

The Cattlemen’s Congress brought in 2,793 exhibitors from three Canadian provinces and 41 U.S. states. A total of 9,627 cattle were exhibited during the event and Stitts stated the Cattlemen’s Congress brought in $50 million to

Montana Performance Bull Co-op™ Herd Bull quality in volume

Friday •

“The leaders of Colorado shouldn’t throw the second top industry of the state under the bus. A meat-free holiday throughout the state of Colorado is indeed a slap in the face to the agriculture community.” – Jerry Sonneberg, Colorado Senate District One the Oklahoma City economy.

CCA proclaims ʻmeat-inʼ day Appalled by the governor’s proclamation promoting a meat-free day, the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) is promoting meat-in day to take place on March 20, the same day as the proclaimed ‘meat-out’ day.

The CCA hopes to use ‘meat-in’ day to promote beef, support Colorado restaurants and raise money for the Beef Sticks for Backpacks program.

Paul Andrews, CEO of NWSS, says he is disappointed in Polis’ proclamation. According to Andrews, NWSS employ-

ees will be participating in ‘meat-in’ day alongside CCA. There are several other groups hosting their own events on Polis’ ‘meat-out’ day, including the Sterling Livestock Commision in Sterling, Colo. The proceeds from the Sterling Livestock Commission will be donated to local children’s charities.

In addition, the Livestock Exchange in Brush, Colo. will be hosting their own event to promote the agriculture and animal protein industries.

Madi Slaymaker is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

Selling 180 Bulls

with

Large Groups of Half Brothers

Annual Bull Sale

March 19, 2021

• 1:00 pm

at the Midland Bull Test Sale Facility, Columbus, MT

Basin Power Play 0534

CED BW WW YW Milk CW Marb Lot

RE

9

Basin Inertia 0040

$M $C

CED BW WW YW Milk CW Marb Lot

17

BC Weigh Up 17H

RE $M $C

CED BW WW YW Milk CW Marb Lot

38

RE $M $C

Basin Spur 0641

+7 +3.0 +92 +150 +25 +74 +.87 +.61 +76 +303

CED BW WW YW Milk CW Marb Lot

46

BCC Exclusive 101H

+7 +0.9 +68 +123 +35 +44 +.89 +.61 +71 +254

RE $M $C

CED BW WW YW Milk CW Marb Lot

89

+1 +3.2 +78 +138 +25 +59 +.77 +.50 +37 +242

BCC Paycheck 21H

RE $M $C

CED BW WW YW Milk CW Marb Lot

107

RE $M $C

+11 +1.7 +68 +130 +37 +61 +.62 +.55 +68 +265

+6 -0.5 +55 +95 +27 +38 +.58 +.44 +63 +220

+9 +0.8 +58 +102 +30 +30 +.79 +.25 +74 +226

Sire groups by: EXAR Monumental 6056B, J&J Weigh Up 294, Vermilion Spur E143, Basin Paycheck 5249, Basin Deposit 6249, Musgrave 316 Exclusive, Basin Advance 5016, Basin Payweight Plus 6048, Basin Rainmaker 4404, Benchmark Tender Beef, EXAR Rolex 8709B, GAR Inertia, SydGen Enhance 5209, VAR Power Play 7018

For more information, contact any of the Montana Performance Bull Co-op consignors Brian Barragree • 406/780-1219

Rob Aumueller • 406/321-2470

Shane Whiteman • 406/366-0688

Doug Stevenson • 406/350-0350

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 32 No. 45 • March 6, 2021

LISCO & M DIAMOND ANGUS ANGUS BULL SALE

Since 1992

U-2 COALITION 206C

at the Ranch

16 SONS SELL AAA# 18626847

OFFERING

112 ANGUS BULLS Over 50 Suitable For Use On First-Calf Heifers All PAP Tested

U-2 ERELITE 109Z

65 FEMALES

DAM OF U-2 COALITION 206C

35 Yearling Heifers 30 Young Pairs

SIRES ALSO INCLUDE: S Summit 4604 LD Capitalist 316 Marcys Scale Breaker N Plus S Cornerstone 607 HA Cowboy Up • Justified

+ | | M:+49 CED:+5+7| -BW: BW:+1.0 1 - WW: 62 -|YW: 122 -| SC: M: ++1.51 17 - $M: CED: WW:++75 YW: ++121 +31

LOCATION: M DIAMOND ANGUS RANCH | GLENROCK, WY View catalog and videos at www.mdiamondangus.com

Sale broadcast live via internet on

MARCY LIVESTOCK SERVICES George Marcy C: (308) 430-2005 marcylivestock@msn.com

LISCO ANGUS

Dick Lisco C: (307) 359-0167 liscoangus@vcn.com

M DIAMOND ANGUS

Brad Boner C: (307) 359-1162 brad@mdiamondangus.com

RIVERTON LIVESTOCK AUCTION Tuesday, March 2 Market Report • 1,506 Head Sold Representative Sales COWS LANDER 1 Cow, 1240# ....................................$66.50 RIVERTON 1 Cow, 1450# ....................................$63.00 SHOSHONI 2 Cow, 1307# ....................................$60.00 1 Cow, 1635# ....................................$59.00 CROWHEART 3 Cow, 1200# ....................................$55.50 BUFFALO 6 Cow, 1147# ....................................$55.25 RIVERTON 2 Cow, 1417# ....................................$54.50 CROWHEART 2 Cow, 1142# ....................................$51.50 BULLS RIVERTON 1 Bull, 2150# .....................................$78.00 LANDER 1 Bull, 1870# .....................................$77.00 THERMOPOLIS 1 Bull, 1710# .....................................$75.00 SHOSHONI 1 Bull, 1720# .....................................$71.00 RIVERTON 2 Bull, 1535# .....................................$70.00 BRED COWS PAVILLION 4 Bred Cow, 1332# ......................$1,450.00 PAVILLION 31 Bred Cow, 1423# ......................$1,400.00 6 Bred Cow, 1267# ......................$1,075.00 6 Bred Cow, 1285# ......................$1,000.00 HEIFERS PAVILLION 10 Heifer, 493#..................................$160.00 FARSON 10 Heifer, 539#..................................$157.00 RIVERTON 15 Heifer, 545#..................................$152.00 9 Heifer, 563#..................................$147.00 54 Heifer, 651#..................................$136.00 6 Heifer, 710#..................................$133.50 96 Heifer, 756#..................................$131.25 14 Heifer, 753#..................................$130.25 LANDER 19 Heifer, 870#..................................$126.00 RIVERTON 17 Heifer, 785#..................................$124.75

STEERS RIVERTON 6 Steer, 332#...................................$201.00 CROWHEART 3 Steer, 391#...................................$200.00 RIVERTON 4 Steer, 477#...................................$187.00 PAVILLION 13 Steer, 500#...................................$185.50 RIVERTON 6 Steer, 457#...................................$184.00 RIGBY, ID 18 Steer, 538#...................................$180.25 LANDER 8 Steer, 551#...................................$173.75 RIVERTON 23 Steer, 541#...................................$172.75 ENCAMPMENT 6 Steer, 586#...................................$167.50 LANDER 31 Steer, 584#...................................$166.00 RIVERTON 18 Steer, 602#...................................$161.50 SHOSHONI 7 Steer, 618#...................................$161.00 RIVERTON 99 Steer, 641#...................................$158.50 LANDER 43 Steer, 653#...................................$155.50 PAVILLION 33 Steer, 622#...................................$155.00 RIVERTON 12 Steer, 665#...................................$153.50 RIGBY, ID 60 Steer, 640#...................................$153.25 LANDER 88 Steer, 683#...................................$152.75 RIVERTON 32 Steer, 649#...................................$148.00 LANDER 5 Steer, 698#...................................$145.00 PAVILLION 23 Steer, 718#...................................$142.00 PAVILLION WY 4 Steer, 781#...................................$137.50 SHOSHONI 61 Steer, 818#...................................$135.00 18 Steer, 822#...................................$131.00 HEIFERETTES LANDER 11 Heiferette, 922#............................$101.00 2 Heiferette, 942# .............................$90.00

Early Consignments TUESDAY, MARCH 9 BRED COW SPECIAL W/ HANCOCK ANGUS BULL SALE @ 1:00 PM START TIME 9:00 AM W/ WEIGH UPS Hancock Angus - 40 Yrling Blk Ang bulls. All sired by proven AI sires. PAP & semen tested & Carcass Ultrasounded. BVD & Bangs tested free. (1:00 PM) Wyatt Warren - 65 Mixed Age Bred cows. Bred to Blk Ang bulls to start calving March 1st. Rec 8-way, Pregguard 9 & Ivomec. Complete dispersion. Fancy!

Corbett Ranch - 25 Mixed Age Bred cows. Bred to Lucky 7, Clay Creek & Reyes Blk Ang bulls to calve June/ July. High desert.

Hellyer Ranch - 9 Blk Ang Bred Hfrs. Bred to LBW Popo Agie Bulls to calve March/April. Rec Scour Boss, Virashield 6 VL5 & poured.

Dillon Hedges – 2 Hereford Bred Hfrs. Bred to LBW Lucky 7 Angus bulls to start calving 3/20. Comp vacc & poured. Run @ high elevation.

Rock Creek Ranch - 5 Yr old Milk cow. Bred to calve in March. Good udder. Fancy, young cow!

SATURDAY, MARCH 13 DIAMOND PEAK CATTLE BULL SALE START TIME 1:00 PM

TUESDAY, MARCH 16 FEEDER SPECIAL • START TIME 9:00 AM W/ WEIGH UPS Stratton Sheep Company - 370 Blk Ang/AngX Hfrs 600650# 230 Blk Ang/AngX Strs 600-650#. Rec Titanium 5 + PMH & 7-way @ Branding; Titanium 5 + PMH, Nasalgen, Dectomax & Safeguard @ Weaning. Long time weaned. Rec Cattlactive tubs. Sired by Riverbend & Connealy Blk Ang bulls. High desert, reputation feeding cattle!

Tess & Truett Jaure - 65 Red Ang Hfrs 600-650# 25 Red Ang Strs 600-650#. Rec Titanium 5 + PMH & 7-way @ Branding; Titanium 5 + PMH, Nasal-

gen, Dectomax & Safeguard @ Weaning. Long time weaned. Sired by 5L Red Ang bulls. Fancy steers!

TUESDAY, MARCH 23 BRED COW SPECIAL W/ 43RD ANNUAL NORTHWEST WYOMING ANGUS BULL SALE @ 1:00 PM START TIME 9:00 AM W/ WEIGH UPS BREDS @ NOON Northwest Angus Association - 60 Blk Ang Yrling Bulls - Obsidian Angus, Wagler Angus, Blue Sky, Hoggs Angus, Davidson Angus, Walking W Angus, JOH Ranch.

Bulls are known for calving ease & growth. PAP & Semen Tested, Proven Sires! (1:00 PM) Dennis Horton - 20 Blk Ang/AngX ST Pairs. Big, stout January calves at side. Rec C & D @ Birth. Fancy, one brand cows!

TUESDAY, MARCH 30 ALL CATTLE CLASSES W/ SHEEP & HORSES START TIME 9:00 AM W/ SHEEP & WEIGH UPS

TUESDAY, APRIL 6 BACK TO GRASS & FEEDER SPECIAL START TIME 9:00 AM W/ WEIGH UPS Fleur de Lis Cattle Co - 300 Blk Ang (Few BWF) Spayed Hfrs 600-650#. Rec Pyramid 5 w/ Presponse, 7-way, poured w/ Cleanup & wormed w/ Safeguard in January. Conditioned for grass! Very uniform set of high quality heifers!

TUESDAY, APRIL 13 BRED COW & PAIR SPECIAL START TIME 9:00 AM W/ WEIGH UPS 47QC LLC - 40 Blk Ang Hfr Pairs. Cows received Virashield 6 VL5, Safeguard & poured. Calves received C & D, Multimin & CattlActive @ Birth. Tagged to match.

Calves sired by Reyes Blk Ang bulls. Fancy, young pairs!

Contact: Riverton Livestock Auction (307) 856-2209 • Jeff Brown (307) 850-4193 • Tom Linn (307) 728-8519 • Mark Winter (580) 747-9436 • www.rivertonlivestock.com • Also watch our live cattle auction at www.cattleusa.com

1490 South 8th Street East • River ton, WY 82501 • (307) 856-2209