Change is Coming Vets remind producers new antibiotic restrictions are just around the corner

Under the new Guidance for Industry #263, issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), “medically important” livestock antibiotics will no longer be available over the counter (OTC) and will require a prescription from a licensed veterinarian.

Since the new rule will take effect on June 11 –which is right around the corner – local veterinarians want to remind producers what this rule means for them.

Court rejects authorization

On May 25, the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an authorization by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to kill up to 72 grizzly bears on public lands near Yellowstone National Park, ruling the authorization violated federal law.

According to the court, the agencies’ authorization to allow a 10-year livestock grazing period in the Upper Green River Area Rangeland infringed upon the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and National Forest Management Act by disregarding how many bears could be killed before threatening the population.

Livestock predation

The authorization made its debut in 2019, when USFS and FWS granted a 10-year grazing extension for nearly 9,000 head of cattle on 270 square miles of land in the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

With this extension, the agencies announced they would allow wildlife managers to kill up to 72 grizzlies over the course of these 10 years in an effort to reduce the instance of livestock predation.

Livestock deaths caused by grizzlies in the northwest corner of Wyoming have become increasingly common since the species’ population numbers have surged nearly tenfold, to as many as 1,000, as the result of their continued protection under the ESA.

In fact, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s (WGFD) 2021 Annual Grizzly Bear Captured Report, 45 individual grizzlies were captured, the majority of which were due to livestock killings.

Prescription required

First and foremost, it is important for producers to understand, as of June 11, they will no longer be able to purchase antibiotics from a farm supply store, mail order or route driver without a veterinary prescription.

Products requiring a prescription include injectable oxytetracyclines such as Liquamycin LA-200, Please see ANTIBIOTICS on page 9

Multiple entities contribute to platform for business owners

Built with the needs of rural Wyomingites in mind, University of Wyoming (UW) Extension, in partnership with the Wyoming Community Navigator Program (WCNP), recently launched a new online resource hub for entrepreneurs across the state.

This program aims to provide resources for entrepreneurs looking to start businesses or expand their existing business ventures.

“UW Extension’s Rural Entrepreneurship Center is designed to provide technical education through an online format,” said Cindy Garretson-Weibel, coordinator for the UW Extension’s WCNP in a recent press release. “This format is designed to make information available to entrepreneurs when it is convenient for them.”

The program is funded by WCNP, which provides funding and resources to small businesses across the state. WCNP is funded by the Small Business Administration. Available resources

According to UW, the site features video-based content from UW Extension educators and specialists, focusing on three areas of emphasis – agricultural entrepreneurship, food

Exhibitors begin county fair preparations

The beginning of June marks the official start of summer vacation for students across the state, and the months-long break from the classroom offers many individuals an extended period of time to have fun.

For many, this means going outside, hanging out with friends and maybe even going on vacation, but for Wyoming’s 4-H and FFA members, such as JJ Lipp, it means a lot of hard work.

JJ is an active FFA member and livestock exhibitor who specializes in beef. He works countless hours in the summer to prepare for Weston County Fair, which takes place annually during the last week of July.

County fair preparations JJ has spent months preparing for this very week, and it does not come easy. In fact, he has his plate full this year with six breeding heifers.

According to JJ, six projects require a lot of daily work. He notes his daily routine usually takes all day, with little breaks.

He explains, “Daily activity includes feeding my projects in the morning. Then all of them get washed and dried, which is not easy because of their size. I enjoy working their hair and adding products

For those involved in agriculture, the last couple of weeks have been a “win some, lose some” kind of time, as there have been important legal cases and new regulations making headlines.

I’ve learned in the news business there is always a story behind the story, and in legal cases, there is always more to legal rulings. Individuals who are anything like me don’t actually read the multi-page rulings, instead, we just look at the headlines and summaries. I leave it to the legal minds to sort out the rulings.

One avenue available to individuals to find out what is happening in the agriculture world is to attend an ag convention, and we are in luck. The Wyoming Stock Growers Association’s (WSGA) Summer Convention is taking place June 7-9 in Riverton.

This is the event to attend for people who want to find out what is going on. The annual WSGA Summer Convention will have speakers who are “in the know” on current issues affecting our industry today.

On June 7, there will be a Young Producers Assembly business meeting and a tour of the National Museum of Military Vehicles, followed by a reception southeast of Dubois. This is quite the museum to see.

On June 8 at 8 a.m., the general session will begin with Keynote Speaker Ashley Hlebinsky, president of The Gun Code, LLC and co-founder of the Firearms Research Center at the University of Wyoming.

Following the annual reports of the Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust, Wyoming Beef Council and the Wyoming CattleWomen, Mark Roeber, president of the Public Lands Council and rancher from Paonia, Colo. will speak on public lands issues.

Following this, Andrew Archuleta, state director of Wyoming Bureau of Land Management, will speak.

Committee meetings will follow, and they are a great place to learn about current issues and give input.

The luncheon speaker will be First Lady Jennie Gordon, followed by annual reports by the Young Producers Assembly and WSGA.

More committee meetings will take place for the rest of the afternoon, followed by an evening banquet with speaker Gov. Mark Gordon.

June 9 will start off with a presentation by South Dakota Rancher, Feeder and President of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Todd Wilkinson on national issues affecting livestock producers.

Tanner Beymer, NCBA’s senior director of government affairs, will speak on the future role of traceability, followed by a traceability panel with speakers from WSGA, NCBA, the Wyoming Livestock Board and the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s Dr. Aaron Scott.

The next speaker will be the Administrator of Farm Service Agency (FSA) Zach Ducheneaux, followed by a USDA agency panel with State Director of Rural Development Glenn Pauley, State Director of the Natural Resources Conservation Service Jackie Byam and FSA’s Zach Ducheneaux.

The last speaker will be Kathy Wells, academic vice-president of Central Wyoming College on the new Rustler Ag and Equine Complex, followed by an annual awards luncheon.

WSGA invites all interested livestock producers to the convention to visit with other member producers and speakers to learn about today’s issues.

Issues like the BLM proposed conservation rule, the rulings on corner crossings, grizzly bears and the Waters of the U.S. rule are huge issues facing producers and others today. It pays to be informed.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup

Reporting the News by the Code of the West

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