Volume 30 Number 51 • April 20, 2019
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The Weekly News Source for Wyoming’s Ranchers, Farmers and AgriBusiness Community • www.wylr.net
A Look Inside Chris Holt emphasizes the importance of saving for retirement starting early. . . . . . Page 2 Earlier this year, members of a Taiwanese trade office visited the Wyoming Stock Growers Association in Cheyenne. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5 Complete the Wyoming Livestock Roundup crossword for a special prize. . . . . . . . . . . Page 9 Lee Pitts laments the results of Googling himself. . . . . . Page 16
Quick Bits CEO Named The Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board (CBB) has named Gregory Hanes as their new CEO. Hanes comes to CBB from the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), where he was most recently the vice president of international marketing programs. He also served as the liaison from USMEF to the beef industry and worked with many national and state beef organizations. Hanes was born and raised in Cheyenne.
Hemp industry looks at growth, development and investment Casper – In his second chance to talk about Wyoming’s agriculture industry, Gov. Mark Gordon addressed Focus: Hemp, a meeting held as part of the Wyoming Agriculture Diversification Summit on April 11 in Casper, saying, “I am
very excited about the opportunity hemp represents for Wyoming, not only because of the crop but also because of the great diversity in our ag community.” Hemp industry “Wyoming is setting the pace in the hemp industry,”
Gordon commented. “We have states all around us telling us we can’t do things, and we shouldn’t do things. Yet, Wyoming is leading the way.” “The hemp industry – and agriculture in general – can play a big role in Wyoming's
economy,” he added. “Wyoming is the leader here.” Gordon noted he is pushing to do everything possible to put crops in the ground, adding, “I also want to make sure whatever we do can stand the test of time. We are Please see HEMP on page 11
Working for ranchers
PLC continues fighting for western issues in D.C. Washington, D.C. – As President Donald Trump approaches the half-way point in his first term in Washington, D.C., his influence on the U.S. capitol city is apparent, said Ethan Lane, executive director of the Public Lands Council (PLC), during the organization’s annual legislative fly-in held in early April. “We have a lot of new members and a lot of new faces in Congress,” Lane summarized. “A lot of those new faces are in pretty conflicted districts.” House of Representatives With the last election, control of the House of Representatives shifted to a Democratic majority. However, 31 Democratic members of Congress come from districts that voted for Donald Trump and previ-
ously had Republican representation in Congress. “Those new Democratic members represent an opportunity,” he said, noting that cattlemen and women have a big opportunity to inform those members of Congress in purple districts about important issues facing the West. “We need to make sure new folks coming through the door aren’t only hearing negative things like the reference to cattle in the Green New Deal or comments from people who live in cities who don’t understand how food gets to their plate.” Senate While Republicans have maintained control of Please see PLC on page 4
Beef Exports U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the government of Tunisia and the United States have finalized U.S. export certificates to allow imports of U.S. beef, poultry and egg products into Tunisia. This announcement follows meetings between U.S. and Tunisian officials on the safety and wholesomeness of U.S. beef, poultry and egg products.
5G Race
During an announcement at the White House, President Donald Trump and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai laid out the vision for the “Race to 5G,” along with a Rural Digital Opportunity Fund plan. In addition to the 5G developments, FCC is also going to invest $20.4 billion into high-speed broadband networks across rural America during a 10-year period. The money would come from a yet to be created Rural Digital Opportunity Fund.
Bison Tag
Gov. Mark Gordon, with support from the Wyoming Wildlife Foundation, is raffling off a Governor’s Bison License for just $10 to Wyoming residents who are eligible to hunt in the state. All Wyoming residents who are eligible to hunt in Wyoming can enter the raffle. Tickets are limited to one per person, and the bison license is non-transferable. The winning ticket will be drawn during Cheyenne Frontier Days.
Photo by Madeline Robinson, Lucky Lyn Photography
Castration strategies Castration affects the bottom line “The timing and method in which a rancher chooses to castrate their bull calves can make a difference in terms of safety and growth of bull calves,” says Wheatland area Veterinarian Steve Lucas. Lucas explains there are pros and cons to different methods of castration, including open castrations, banding and delayed castration. “There isn’t a single definitive time every rancher should castrate,” says Lucas. “There are some factors to keep in mind, especially in consideration of utilizing the natural growth stimulation associated with testosterone or using an implant.” Open castration “I’ve found the most common timing is around two months of age during branding time,” Lucas notes. “Most people will use an open castration method at this time.” Lucas explains the high level of safety associated with an open castration, especially at a young age, makes it very popular among ranchers. “At this point in a calf’s life, the testicles are still relatively small,” Lucas says. “They don’t bleed very much, and the calves are easier to Please see CALF on page 8
WSF names interim manager
Douglas – The Wyoming State Fair Board is pleased to announce that Dan Cheney has been named interim manager of the Wyoming State Fair while a search is conducted for a full-time manager. A Wyoming native, Cheney grew up on a ranch and competed as a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association card-carrying steer wrestler. Cheney brings years of experience and expertise in all levels of the fair, festival and rodeo industries to the Wyoming State Fair. He has served as Chief Operating Officer of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, president and CEO of Cheyenne Frontier Days, founder, CEO and president of Forbes Capital Business Group Inc., director of global marketing and business development for Pro Equine Group and general manager of The Show Place Arena in Memphis, Tenn. Cheney has a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural economics from the University of Wyoming and a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Memphis. “It’s an honor and a privilege to be named interim manager of the Wyoming State Fair,” said Cheney. “As a Wyoming native, I’m excited to help the State Fair Board bridge the gap to a full time manager and be a part of putting on this great event that impacts so many in our State in 2019.” With an interim manager in place, the Wyoming State Fair Board will now start the process of selecting the full time manager of the Wyoming State Fair. The permanent Wyoming State Fair manager is expected to be named following the 2019 Wyoming State Fair. The 2019 Wyoming State Fair will take place on Aug. 13-17 in Douglas. For more information on the Wyoming State Fair, visit wystatefair.com.
Four main components frame the Farm Bill Laramie – “The biggest challenge of understanding the Farm Bill is it is a truly sprawling piece of legislation, coming in at over 1,000 pages,” said Jonathan Coppess, a leading expert on the farm bill and assistant professor of law at the University of Illinois. “One major thing we have to take into consideration as we break down the bill is the things that affect the ranchers in Wyoming may not affect the corn farmers in the Midwest and vice versa,” Coppess explained. “The farm bill has a lot of moving parts that work together to form a functioning piece of legislation.” Coppess was invited to speak to students at the University of Wyoming Col-
lege of Law as a part of their Workers’ Compensation Symposium held in late March. The series covered topics ranging from the farm bill to the legalities of employing workers on the farm. Measuring the bill “The four main components of the bill that will be included no matter what are supplemental nutrition, conservation, crop insurance and farm programs,” Coppess said. “These four components will help frame budgets for the rest of the programs in the bill.” Coppess explained the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is tasked with calculating the estimated spending for the bill
periodical
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Please see BILL on page 5