Farm & Ranch North Central Idaho: Fall 2017

farm & ranc h North Central Idaho

Stockwater Law Benefits Grazing Permittees

Fiscus Farms Variety, Diversity & Hard Work

A Farrier’s Tale Lisa Hancock tells her story

A Glance at History Ag photos from long ago

NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FARM & RANCH | FALL 2017

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Contents

5 Mule Racing 11 Tim McNamee talks communication, work ethic & respect 14 A visit to Fiscus Farms 19 Stockwater law benefits grazing permittees 24 A visit with Lisa Hancock, Farrier 30 Creep Feeding 32 Ag photos from the past

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PHOTO COURTESY BARNEY CHAMBERS Racing mule Molly Bee following her win in the 350-yard course, at 21.73, on Aug. 16, 1991, at the N.W. Montana Fairgrounds. Barney Chambers is at far right.

S

ome champs lose their edge to the pack over time, some retire and fade away. And then there was Molly Bee. “She was 43 years old and still could run a hole in the wind,” said Barney Chambers. Molly Bee was one of five racing mules he ran in competition during his 12 years in the sport, the one that garnered two national championships, and a powerhouse that none dared – whether with mule or horse — to put up $5,000 to Chamber’s challenge to beat her in a 400-yard spring.

“They knew my mule would take ‘em,” he said, on why no challengers … and also, he added with a smile, that none of these mule guys had $5,000 anyway.

Molly Bee was the last of his racing stable, and age finally caught up with her earlier this year; she had to be put down.

Chambers is a mule guy; he’s an enthusiast for Equus mulus.

“Mules can do a lot of things, and lot of things really well,” he said, whereas horses can do one or two things really well. You can have a really good roping horse, he explained, but it probably won’t do well as a trail horse, and it’s likely not to harness up and pull a wagon. His wife, Bobbi Jo, added, mules live longer, have less chance for disease, better withstand changes in climate and elevation, and produce

more work than the feed required to sustain them.

With this strong advocacy, no surprise then the couple is in the business; Coyote Mule Co., operates off a 120-acre ranch south of Cottonwood, selling 125 to 150 mules annually both nationally and internationally. Barney has been in the business himself for more than 50 years, during which – from 1982 through 1993 —he took his enthusiasm into the mule racing world.

“Y

ou’re not going to get rich at it.”

— Barney Chambers on mule racing Owner of Coyote Mule Co.

“It’s always been a novelty,” he said of the sport that to the general public today is still not widely known. For race tracks, mule racing is just good business as there are most often not enough horses to fill out a card. “The crowds like them,” he continued. “It’s not a runaway,” referring to the blowout a horse race can become. Mules hold in a group, and most always it’s a photo finish to determine the winner. “That’s why the public likes them; it’s a race, and they run really true to form.”

The current state of the formally organized

sport probably dates back to the mid-1970s, according to Barney, but when you start getting around the old-timers you hear stories that find its origins in the 1930s. And it’s likely even further back than that, he continued, as anytime you have anything to run on you’ll have some crazy cowboy who’ll give it a shot.

Mule racing is predominantly a sport of the West; largely now it is mostly in California, but when Chambers was racing the circuit – held in regional and county fairs – it was primarily run through Montana, Nevada and Arizona, with additional races in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Wyoming.

So, what makes mules good for racing?

Chambers explained it’s a matter of the animal’s durability and perhaps a little bit of stubborn. A horse will race until it tears itself apart, he said; a mule won’t: “It’s smarter than that,” he said.

“A mule never gives you 100 percent; he always holds back,” and for example, one of his mules, Macho Man, in one day of racing, “got tougher at the end of the fourth race.”

Also, “Mules, they can run every day. Horses run once every two weeks,” he said. Mules are more short-distance racers – 330- to 400-yard runs – versus horses that run the mile-and-aquarter to mile-and-a-half. Still, mules can hold their own with horses: “At the 440, a horse would probably be two seconds faster than a mule,” he said.

Mules race in four classes, starting at A and

NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FARM & RANCH | FALL 2017

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PHOTO BY DAVID RAUZI

Top: Barney Chambers looks over his ranch just south of Cottonwood. The Coyote Mule Company sells mules nationally and internationally.

going to D; this is based, he explained, on factors such as the distance they can run and the number of races won. So, a C mule that is a consistent winner may be moved to B class. Some strategy comes into play here, he explained: If you have that C mule, moving to B, “that’s a tougher grade to run against, so you need to lose a few races. So, you put your C mule in as an A, get his butt kicked and stay at a C. So, you kind of play the game a little bit,” he said.

“I was lucky. I had five world champions,” Chambers said. Along with two-time champ Molly Bee he had Gillie Dean, Macho Man and Snortin’ Nortin’; those last four he sold, and of those he keeps track of, Snortin’ Nortin’ is out of the racing game and still works as a saddle mule.

But to get to be a champ they had to race all year. And to race, mules had to leave straight out of the gate and not collide with others; failure to do so and the race steward would pull your mule. Addressing that issue with Molly Bee, Chambers said they provided an incentive: “We’d shoot her in the butt with a BB gun, and away she’d go.” From that point on, Chambers needed only to carry a pack of BBs with him as he’d escort Molly to the gate: “I’d rattle that pack of BBs and she’d be all business.

She’d have a clean run.”

Race horses have perhaps a couple good years until they’re finished, whereas a mule can go several times longer; usually they start around age 3, and legally they can run up to age 13. Physically, it’s harder on horses, to keep them sound and physically fit, he said. But for mules, “once they’re fit and ready to race there’s not a lot you have to do,” he said. In fact, more activity between race time – taking a pack string into the mountains, for example — “keeps them fresh, mentally tuned.”

The career life between the two? For horses, between 25 to 30 races or “outs” until they’re finished. For comparison, “I had two mules, one had 287 outs, the other 275 outs. They had raced that many times and they were still sound and still going.”

“You’re not going to get rich at it,” Barney said. Purses then were between $2,500 to $3,000 for a win; now they’re more at $25,000, but then as now there are the expenses for the trainer/owner that include the transport vehicles, the normal living and animal care expenses, and paying for jockeys during a season that can last around six weeks, fair hopping from town to town.

And about jockeys: “They have to be a little bit crazy to do this thing,”

he said.

It could be a good bit of money for a good jockey who could pull in $500 a week racing, “course, they’d spend it on beer and girls and everything else,” he said. Barney had some good jockeys, but still, it could be a challenge come race day, just to find them, “asleep in the trailer, so hung over they didn’t know their name” and getting them to leave the girls alone. “But I never had any problems. It was just making sure they had their act together.”

“If I was younger I probably wouldn’t,” Barney said on getting into racing now. “It’s an expensive sport; there’s a lot of expenses to make it work.”

Ego is a part of getting into racing, according to Barney, as you have built up a good group of mules and you’re looking to see how they compare with the other guy. “It’s a lot like car racing,” he said, as you may build up a good, shiny car, “but you need to race against someone to see what it’s about.”

“It’s just something you do as a mule guy,” he continued, and the longer-lasting benefit he saw from his racing days was in raising awareness of his name and reputation in the greater mule community: “It opened a lot of doors for me,” that have helped him in his mule sales business.

“I enjoyed every part of it,” Barney said. “It sure wasn’t for the money – we spent more than we made, but we had a good time.”

NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FARM & RANCH | FALL 2017

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HORSE TRAINING: Communication, Respect and Work Ethic

By Tim McNamee When I was 10 I got a kite for my birthday. So, on a sunny, Sunday afternoon, Mom, Dad and I took it out for its maiden voyage. It did what all kites do on their maiden voyage and came down and landed in the limbs of an oak tree. Dad boosted me up on the lower limbs and told me to climb up and get it. It wasn’t that far, but the limbs were only an inch or so in diameter. Now, at ground level a one-inch limb would support my massive 75-pound frame with no problem but, at this elevation, the structural integrity of the limb was questionable.

“Go on, those limbs will hold you just fine, don’t be such a chicken!”

I was puckered up pretty tight, but Dad kept encouraging me. But, after some time went by, it became apparent that I wasn’t brave enough to finish the job.

“Now Robert, you’re being too hard on the boy,” Mom finally piped in.

So, Dad did what every good Dad does on a sunny afternoon. He yielded to mom and allowed me to come down. He jumped up there on

those one-inch limbs (which handled his 200 pounds just fine!) and got the kite.

Mom was also right that day. She recognized that climbing that tree was just a little more than I could handle, but there was no harm done.

No sassing, back talking, tears or pouting. Just try.

Mom and Dad were good to us, but we could get into trouble, too. I also remember a time when us kids were playing in the other room while mom and dad were visiting. We would get a little loud and they would tell us, “quiet down in there.” We would, but it wouldn’t be long before we got loud again. About that time, we would hear Dad coming and we’d scatter like quail. We knew full well that Dad would kick a field goal between the living room lamps with anyone too slow. The most he ever did was bump us with his boot, but in our minds, we were going to become a projectile.

• It’s important to teach your horse communication and respect and a work ethic by giving them tasks and having them feel good about accomplishing them. By teaching small things and being aware of small

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NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FARM & RANCH | FALL 2017 and reward for following our lead. Or, we can create work and tension when they are not trying or following our lead. They need to know that they can darn sure be in trouble as well.

I do the best I can to not have a horse refuse a request while I push them out of their comfort zone. This leads to respect willingness, confidence in my leadership and he will do things he wouldn’t normally do on his own. To accomplish this, I simply break the task down into smaller increments.

I’ll give you a scenario:

I don’t force my idea on him and think we’re going to have to cross that creek or he has won or gotten away with something.

Trot some circles or do some rollbacks by the creek keep his mind on you so he’s not worried about the creek. Allow him to stop and rest facing the creek.

While he is standing there facing the creek there will be a time when he becomes content and relaxed and realizes the creek is a nice place to be.

I’m riding a young horse on a nice day and things are going pretty good. I decide that today would be a good day to cross a creek. I get to the creek and it becomes blatantly obvious that my horse had heard of the ‘Loch Ness Creek monster.” He feels the same way about the creek as I did climbing that oak tree. I feel the tension and recognize the fear in him. I don’t force my idea on him and think we’re going to have to cross that creek or he has won or gotten away with something. I do, however, expect him to keep honoring any request I have.

The creek just became a challenge for me to keep his attention and respect while he is tempted to zone me out and bag any ideas of being a saddle horse.

I start giving him jobs that he already knows. I’ll ask him to step forward, he does, I release. I’ll ask for something else, maybe back up, he does, I release. Maybe just bend his head a little to the left, then the right. It really doesn’t matter. The main thing is that the more he has his mind on me, the less he is worried about the creek.

On the contrary, if he doesn’t listen and tries to zone me out or get disrespectful, I’ll get tougher on him until he starts to soften and listen. Sometimes it may get intense, but then the release and rest have so much more meaning.

I may trot some circles or do some rollbacks by the creek, allow him to stop and rest, facing the creek. If he starts on his own by either turning around or backing up, then I go back to work trotting circles, rollbacks, backing, whatever, and allow him to rest, facing the creek.

While he is standing there facing the creek there will be a time when he becomes content and relaxed and realizes the creek is a nice place to be. Anytime he is facing the creek his fear of it is subsiding. If his attention and thoughts are going back to leaving the creek, just bump him with your boot tops until you feel his mind back to the creek. In a little while he will forget about the “Loch Ness Creek monster” and be dreaming of riding off into the sunset on the other side. You could spend as much time as it takes to get him to cross that day or you could stop at any point he is listening to you and feeling good about his accomplishments.

This concept is the same for almost any situation. It doesn’t matter if I’m catching a horse, loading him in a trailer, teaching him to stand to be shod or crossing a creek. This basic procedure is the same.

Now, had Mom and Dad read this article before that kite flying day, chances are I’d have gotten comfortable with heights and climbing trees. Luckily they didn’t, because who knows- maybe I’d have become a fireman rescuing cats instead of being a horse trainer!

Tim McNamee of White Bird is owner and trainer at McNamee Colt Company.

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FiScus Farms “You just have to figure it out – I didn’t really want to be retired and sitting around eating potato chips and watching Oprah,” laughed Tresa Shearer.

By Lorie Palmer Idaho County Free Press

NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FARM & RANCH | FALL 2017 Tresa and her partner, Ron Fiscus, own and operate Fiscus Farms in Pollock.

Tresa worked as a registered nurse for 25 years in California and raised three sons. Ron worked 25 years in the sawmill industry in Potlatch and also raised three sons.

“My family used to travel here to the area to visit, and when I became an empty-nester I was ready for the next phase, the next adventure,” Tresa explained. She found the perfect property off U.S. Highway 95 on 2.5 acres of land where the Lees family raised sheep for years.

She moved and began her journey in 2004 and later met Ron on-line.

They have been running the farm together for the past eight years.

“He grew up on a farm – he is really the one with the green thumb and the know-how,” Tresa said.

The couple utilize as much of their land as possible, and figure out yearly what works and what doesn’t.

“We were getting 25 pounds of cucumbers at a time last year,” Ron shrugged. “This year – nothing.”

However, the corn they planted is yellow and sweet.

“And not very labor intensive,” laughed Tresa. “We want to keep active, but hey, we’re getting older so that’s important.” Next year, they plan to plant more.

Their farm also includes blackberries, radishes, tomatoes, pumpkins, onions, potatoes, zucchinis (“no one really wants those as everyone can grow their own” Tresa chuckled), apples, beets, pears, sunflowers and farm-fresh eggs.

The farm utilizes a gravity irrigation system from the mountain area behind the farm from Denny Creek. They explained the water runs down and flows through the ditch until about mid-July.

“Then Ron has a drip system for watering,” Tresa said.

Keeping up with the farm’s planting and growing seasons are only part of what the couple does: They also pickle and sell asparagus, beets and eggs.

“We have Araucana and Rhode Island Reds – about 30 chickens,” Ron said, adding the eggs sell well throughout the year.

“But, we had one point where we had extras so we started pickling them,” Tresa added.

An amazing array of hops grows over the front yard fence and gateway, but, at the moment, Fiscus Farms has not found a market for them.

“It’s too bad, because they’re beautiful,” Tresa said.

The couple makes the trek each weekend, June through September, to the McCall Farmers’ Market where they sell their wares.

“It’s a tourist market and we do very well there,” Tresa said. “I don’t think I could sell sunflowers in Riggins or Grangeville, but they get snapped up right away in McCall.”

She said they have learned to play to the tourists’ likes, who often say they want to “get back to their roots.”

“All the while they’re looking at their cell phones,” Tresa joked. “Really, though, we appreciate them and we have people who come back and see us each Saturday or even the next year when they are vacationing.”

Fiscus Farms will sell its corn until it’s gone, then as fall nears they will tie up the cornstalks and sell them as decorations.

“You always have to think of what else you can do with what you have,” Tresa said.

A USDA loan a few years back helped the farm purchase a tractor.

“It’s our pride and joy,” Tresa smiled. “And it’s nearly paid off! A greenhouse and a variety of rototillers, mowers and trucks are also part of what makes the property run smoothly.

However, one more side business has also helped the farm be successful.

Crackers.

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CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

Fiscus Farms is a weekly presence at McCall’s Farmers’ Market.

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“They are very popular,” Tresa said.

It was several years ago when the couple made the decision to purchase the business of a New Meadows woman and add it to Fiscus Farms.

Now, at least once a week, the couple starts early, fires up the confection oven and make about three batches of homemade crackers that include pumpkin, flax, sesame and sunflower seeds as well as oats.

“They bake exactly 22 minutes,” Ron said. The entire day process of baking takes approximately 5-1/2 hours.

These sell not only seasonally at the farmers’ market, but also yearround at Two Rivers Coffee Roasters and Idaho Banana Company in Riggins.

“Sometimes they run out and we have to bake another batch,” Tresa said of the popular homemade crackers. “We’re both left-handed, so we work well together in the kitchen.”

The kitchen has also benefitted from the couple’s hard work. Ron builds furniture and other items in his spare time, and he and Tresa tore out walls and cabinets in their home to put in custom-built cabinets, drawers and countertops.

“Winters can be long – you have to have something extra to do,” emphasized Tresa.

Idaho people are not the only ones who enjoy the fruits of the farm’s labors.

Two years ago, Ron said, the farm’s three dogs ate most of the field of corn.

“They picked it and shucked it and ate it – we found debris strung all

NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FARM & RANCH | FALL 2017

over the yard,” he shook his head, smiling. “It’s that good and sweet.”

A fence now surrounds the cornfield.

The dogs also take the apples and pears if they fall from the tree and hit the ground.

“They like the sweet pears best,” Tresa laughed.

And a visiting buck knows exactly when to trot onto the property.

“As soon as he hears the buzz of the outdoor light coming on, he makes his way here,” Ron shook his head.

The two enjoy summertime visits from a various of their “piles” of grandchildren, laughed Tresa. Recently, 5-year-old Timberlee from Potlatch enjoyed a few days on the farm exploring, swinging, helping pick corn and having a tea party.

“We work most every weekend but we did take off two weekends this summer – one for Ron’s high school reunion, and one for the Iron Man competition his son is in at Coeur d’Alene,” said Tresa.

The couple said their efforts have paid off as they have begun to see their debts paid.

“We are making a profit,” Tresa said. “People have to be active and find ways to diversify and survive.”

She said Ron has had 12 heart attacks in the past and she will get a hip replacement in November.

“But we make it work, and we put a lot of work into it,” she said. “We have a good life.”

Fiscus Farms is located at 6054 Highway 95 S, Pollock, Idaho. Call 208628-9264 and check the farm out on Facebook.

NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FARM & RANCH | FALL 2017

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NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FARM & RANCH | FALL 2017

NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FARM & RANCH | FALL 2017

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Stockwater law benefits grazing permittees

By Shelley Neal Idaho County Free Press

A

PHOTO BY GARRETT NEAL

10-year long court battle, courtesy of Idaho ranchers, Paul Nettleton and Tim Lowry, ended as a big plus for grazing permittees on Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands.

In the landmark Joyce Livestock Company vs U.S.A decision, the court ruled that since the federal government does not have a method (livestock) to put water to a beneficial use, the government had no right to claim the water.

Senate Bill 1111, along with companion bill SB1101, was signed into law effective July 1, 2017.

This new law, which will be known in Idaho Code as Title 42 Chapter 5, codifies the Joyce Livestock decision; establishing water is a property right that belongs to individuals, not the federal government.

The law states a federal agency cannot acquire a stockwater right unless the agency owns livestock and puts the water to beneficial use and clarifies that a grazing permittee cannot be considered an agent of the federal government. “Without this clarification, a federal agency could claim that they are putting the water to beneficial use through their agent,� said Karen Williams, natural resources policy director for the Idaho Cattle Association (ICA).

The law also established that if a federal agency acquires a stockwater right, that right cannot be used for any purpose other than the watering of livestock. It further states that any application to change ownership or nature of the stockwater right shall be denied.

This legal battle began in 2007, when the federal government filed for the in-stream water rights overlapping those already filed by the two ranchers during the Snake River Basin Adjudication (SRBA).

The SRBA was an administrative and legal process that began in 1987 to determine the water rights in the Snake

NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FARM & RANCH | FALL 2017

20 The Idaho Legislature has provided a clearer path forward for Idaho ranchers to file on stockwater rights within their federal grazing allotments. It is the responsibility of grazing permittees to file on their stockwater claims.

Williams said, “Acquiring a stockwater right is the first step in a process that might need to happen.

If that right has already been adjudicated to the federal government, there will need to be a forfeiture process. That path forward to that process has not yet been defined, but our state legislators, who have sponsored the initial legislation, are looking to the future to determine the best way to make it happen.”

“In the meantime, S. 1111 still guarantees your right to file on the stockwater within your grazing permit, regardless of whether or not it has already been adjudicated,” said Williams.

Even though the SRBA was completed in 2014, ranchers can still file for stockwater rights, thanks to a deferral provided by the SRBA curt.

In the SRBA, certain small stockwater and domestic water right holders were not required to file claims in the adjudication, but could opt to defer the filing until a later time.

A deferred de minimis domestic and/or stock claim is one which was not filed before the Order Granting State of Idaho’s Motion for Interim Order Implementing the Order Governing Procedures of Adjudication of Deferred De Minimis Domestic and Stock Water Claims was issued in the SRBA (Dec. 18, 2013).

De minimis water use for “stock water” purposes means the use of water solely for livestock or wildlife where the total diversion is not in excess of 13,000 gallons per day.

Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR) recommends all claims filed for a deferred de minimis stockwater use on federal land include the following documentation: identify the base property or base ranch for which the stockwater right was established; demonstrate that an

owner of the base property perfected the stockwater right on federal land; submit documents establishing a chain of title of the base property from the owner who

“I

n the meantime, S. 1111 still guarantees your right to file on the stockwater within your grazing permit, regardless of whether or not it has already been adjudicated.”

— Karen Williams

you are adding another stick to that bundle; and while that stick may not directly guarantee your use of the surrounding land, it provides an insurance of sorts, for the future,” Williams continued.

“We do not know what future litigation may take place on this issue or what statutory changes may happen that may make that right even more meaningful, but it only makes sense to grab a hold of that stick while you have the opportunity.”

Williams cautioned, “There are some misconceptions about what this law can do. This law does not prohibit the BLM and Forest Service from managing your permit and use levels according to their rules and regulations. The federal government is not required to provide access to the water you hold a right to.”

Companion bill, SB1101, was also approved setting the filing fee at $25/claim with a cap of $100, and exempts ranchers from any other fees including the cost of publication, investigation and a recommendation by IDWR.

An appropriation was also approved by the legislature providing IDWR with funds necessary for two full-time employees to assist ranchers with the filing and processing of these water right claims.

The time to process will depend on the number of claims filed.

IDWR estimates that they may be able to process about 300 claims per year.

“To begin the process to file on your stockwater rights, contact the IDWR. You will need to know your priority date, quantity of stock and water, and location of water source.

You will be given a claim number to file. Once filed and granted by the court to review, IDWR will make a recommendation to the court,” said Williams.

Instructions are available on IDWR’s website at: W W W. I D W R . I D A H O . G O V / W AT E R RIGHTS/ADJUDICATION/SRBA Hats off to these two Owyhee County ranchers, Nettleton and Lowry, for blazing a trail their fellow stockmen can follow.

Natural Resources Policy Director

appropriated the stockwater right to you; submit a copy of the current grazing permit and map depicting the grazing allotment.

If the stockwater use on federal land predates the Taylor Grazing Act (June 28, 1934), a rancher must submit evidence of grazing on federal land in support of the claimed priority date.

If the stockwater use on federal land first occurred after the Taylor Grazing Act, a rancher must submit evidence of authority to graze stock on federal land – either a copy of the original grazing permit associated with the base property for the place of use claimed, or, if a copy of the original permit cannot be located, the earliest grazing permit available.

“Property rights are often referred to as a ‘bundle of sticks’. In utilizing this new law available to federal lands grazing permittees,

PHOTO BY GARRETT NEAL

NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FARM & RANCH | FALL 2017

Wheat, barley breeding advance discovered by U of I, Chinese team

A team of Chinese researchers led by a University of Idaho wheat geneticist reported earlier this year the discovery of a new crop-breeding advance that can lead to higher yields and more efficient efforts to develop new and better wheat and barley varieties.

The report in the journal Nature Communications describes how wheat gene Ms2 yields a protein that produces male sterility in grass species. Creating sterile male breeding lines can make hybrid wheat varieties more practical to produce.

Daolin Fu, who joined the faculty in U of I’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences in 2016, led the team while a researcher at China’s State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology at Shandong Agricultural University in Taian.

Fu also worked as a researcher at the University of California, Davis, with leading wheat scientist Jorge Dobcovsky. The Idaho Wheat Commission supported Fu’s hiring by U of I through a novel agreement to harness the power of new genetic approaches to improving wheat production.

The work by the Chinese team led by Fu identified the location of

21

the wheat gene and showed how it works to produce male sterility in wheat and barley.

The gene can be used in wheat and barley varieties through several methods, including CRISPR Cas9 editing methods, to simplify production of hybrids. Hybrid plants, notably corn, can show up to 15 percent yield increases through hybrid vigor.

The discovery also promises to speed and refine a plant breeding method known as recurrent selection, which uses multiple generations of crosses to refine varieties. The new method could reduce by several years the amount of time required.

The current practice is labor intensive, requiring workers to physically remove anthers, the plant’s male parts that produce pollen. With sterile male plants, two or more wheat varieties can be planted together but only specific varieties can serve as pollinators.

Plant breeders can link the sterility gene to traits in wheat varieties to control the traits’ inheritance in future generations. The discovery will allow greater precision in predicting those genetic crosses.

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If the Shoe Fits

By Abigail Haight Special to the Idaho County Free Press

C

LARKSTON, Wash. — “It all began with a $1,300 farrier bill,” laughed Lisa Hancock, a native Idahoan and now a well-established local farrier.

Hancock and her husband, Joe, have always been avid horse lovers, but such steep demands on their pocketbook were just not going to work for them. Shortly after getting her “ginormous bill,” Hancock decided to

attend Linn Benton Community College in Oregon and take matters into her own hands.

After graduating from the farrier program there, she moved to Kamiah to begin working. For the first part of her career, she was better known for her ability to handle the crazy horses, rather than her own personal knowledge and expertise in therapeutic shoeing.

NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FARM & RANCH | FALL 2017 “If there was fur on it, I could shoe it,” joked Hancock.

In the beginning, it was Hancock’s ‘git-r-done’ that got her such a long list of clients. However, she doesn’t deny that a lot of customers were dubious at first when a woman farrier showed up to their barn. “It’s not easy being a woman in a man’s world,” she said, but today no one seems to bat an eye.

It wouldn’t be long before Hancock would find her true niche in the horseshoeing world though. In the early 2000s, Hancock and Joe moved to Clarkston, Wash., where she was initially offered a contract with the University of Idaho to trim and shoe the world’s very first cloned equine, including the mule ‘Idaho Gem’. Hancock worked very closely with the NERL (Northwest Equine Reproduction Laboratory) herd at the university, which opened another door of opportunity for her. She is now contracted to shoe the U of I’s beef unit herd.

This task involves trimming and maintaining horses used to handle the beef herd.

When the University isn’t keeping Hancock busy, she likes to work closely with Dave Rustebakke of Rustebake Veterinary Service in Clarkston on equines in need of therapeutic shoeing.

“When I began, I wanted to be able to fix things, I wanted to make things better for horses,” said Hancock. She has been working with the vet clinic for the past 17 years, and has helped to treat hundreds of horses. With a big smile on her face, that is what Hancock says makes her job truly worth it.

Even though Hancock loves her job, she calls it a “necessary evil.”

She explains that every time you drive a nail into the horse’s hoof wall, you are weakening the structure. The horse hoof is similar to a human fingernail; the health of a fingernail reflects the health of an individual just as the horse’s hoof health reflects the animal’s health.

Hooves are composed of very tightly woven hair follicles. With this in mind, Hancock says that it is important to remember that anything beneficial for the animal’s hair coat is also beneficial for the animal’s foot. A horse’s diet is a key compo-

nent of their hoof health. Hancock goes on to explain to her concerned customers that biotin and methionine are two very important supplements that can be added to a horse’s diet if, necessary, or just for prevention.

One of the first questions Hancock asks her customers before she begins shoeing, is “what are you going to do with this horse?” Ultimately, the answer dictates to Hancock what type of shoe she is going to use, and how she is going to approach the situation.

“All four feet are different; just as humans do not have identical feet, neither do horses,” said Hancock.

For example, it’s common for Hancock to use a different size of shoe, and perhaps even a different type of shoe on the animal’s back feet versus their front feet. Hancock’s trailer is equipped with a few of her own inventions, such as a rotating and raiseable anvil, and drawers full of aluminum, steel, rubber and titanium shoes. For animals in the sport of western pleasure, and for very young horses, Hancock likes to use aluminum shoes for their light weight quality.

Titanium shoes are a great in-between shoe she says, because titanium will not wear as easily as aluminum, but is more forgiving than steel, and does not cause near as much jarring on the joints and bones as steel will. While steel is one of the main go-to choices, Hancock also likes to use rubber shoes.

Rubber shoes can be used for nearly any purpose, but are commonly used by Hancock for therapeutic purposes. The rubber shoe can be put on without using nails, which allows the hoof wall to repair without a nail biting into it. She commonly uses the rubber shoe when she has to cast a horse’s hoof.

For 20 years Hancock has truly enjoyed the many patients and customers she has had the opportunity to help. Today, she said, she is grateful of that $1,300 farrier bill from so many years past. It led her into a career filled with challenges and trials, successes and great relationships. Today she counts that bill as the best investment she ever made.

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NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FARM & RANCH | FALL 2017

NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FARM & RANCH | FALL 2017

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Ag export market programs through Farm Bill contributed annually $8.2 billion U.S. Wheat Farmers Participate in USDA Export Promotion Programs that Boost U.S. Farm Export Value by 15 Percent, Create Thousands of Jobs Agricultural export market development programs funded through the Farm Bill have contributed an average of $8.2 billion per year, a total of more than $309 billion, to farm export revenue between 1977 and 2014 according to a new study conducted by land grant university economists.

“In other words, these programs have accounted for 15 percent of all the revenue generated by exports for U.S. agriculture over that time. To me, such a positive result is just stunning,” said Dr. Gary Williams, professor of agricultural economics and co-director of the Agribusiness, Food, and Consumer Economics Research Center at Texas A & M University, who led the study.

The study examined the effectiveness of USDA’s Market Access Program (MAP) and the Foreign Market Development (FMD) program.

They are part of a public-private partnership that provides competitive grants for export development and promotion activities to nonprofit farm and ranch organizations that contribute funds from checkoff programs and industry support.

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) represents U.S. wheat farmers in overseas markets and is a participant in the MAP and FMD programs.

Private funding for USW’s export market development activities comes from 19 state wheat commissions and qualifies USW to compete for program funds. For every $1 wheat farmers contribute, they earn an additional $2 in MAP and FMD funding. A recent, separate study showed that between 2010 and 2014, every $1 wheat farmers invested in the program generated an additional $149 in U.S. wheat exports and returned $45 in net revenue back to farmers from the increased export demand.

The 2016 study measuring the general effectiveness of total MAP and FMD funding showed that average annual farm cash income

PHOTO BY JEFF ZENNER PHOTOGRAPHY

was $2.1 billion higher, and annual average farm asset value was $1.1 billion higher over 2002 through 2014. The programs increased total average annual U.S. economic output by $39.3 billion, GDP by $16.9 billion and labor income by $9.8 billion over the same time. The study results also showed that the economic lift created by these programs directly created 239,000 new jobs, including 90,000 farm sector jobs.

By testing what would happen if federal MAP and FMD funding were eliminated, the study showed that average annual agricultural export revenue would be lower by $14.7 billion, with corresponding annual average declines in farm cash income of $2.5 billion and significant drops in GDP and jobs.

“I would say these are very successful economic development programs based on their impact to the farm and general U.S. economy,” Dr. Williams concluded.

The non-profit agricultural organizations that participate in MAP and FMD contributed about $470 million dollars per year to the programs in 2014. That was more than 70 percent of total funding. The federal budget for MAP has been fixed at $200 million per year since 2006 and FMD’s $34.5 million annual budget has not changed since 2002. The Commodity Credit Corporation programs are administered by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), which is required to report to Congress periodically on program effectiveness.

This is the third study of FAS export promotion programs since 2007 but the first to use an export demand analysis to measure their effectiveness.

MAP and FMD participating organizations USW, USA Poultry & Egg Export Council and Pear Bureau Northwest sponsored the new study, which was funded by USDA FAS. Informa IEG assembled data to support the study, recruited the team of five agricultural economists from Texas A & M, Oregon State University and Cornell University, interviewed dozens of MAP and FMD participants and reported on results.

The new study identified a return on investment from these programs between 1977 and 2014 of 28 to one, which Dr. Williams considers quite strong and is consistent with results from the two previous MAP and FMD cost-benefit studies.

“The average return on investment, or benefit to cost ratio, for 27 previous industry specific export promotion studies is just under 11 to one,” Dr. Williams said. “So I was, frankly, quite surprised that the return was this high. The previous MAP and FMD studies showed returns of 25 to one in 2007 and 35 to one in 2010.”

Informa’s report concluded that no matter what type of analysis is used or what time period is considered, “the results of this study and previous studies all demonstrate the importance and effectiveness of market promotion funding on exports, the farm economy and the overall macro economy.”

NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FARM & RANCH | FALL 2017

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Creep Feeding:

the greatest chance of providing an economic return

By Jim Church, University of Idaho Extension Educator, Idaho County There have been many research projects at major universities across the country over the years to address the economics of creep feeding calves.

The research results show that creep feeding has the greatest chance of providing an economic return when the available forage is very poor in quality, coupled with low feed prices and relatively high calf prices.

In a paper entitled, Creep Feeding, Keith Lusby and Donald Gill, both extension specialists from Oklahoma State University, outlined the factors that should be considered when deciding to provide creep feed to calves: • Calf prices and the effects of added weight and condition on calf prices.

• Feed prices.

• Efficiency of conversion of creep feed to added weaning weight.

• Forage quality and quantity.

• Labor availability.

• Plans for retained ownership.

According to Lusby and Gill, the most critical consideration in a creep feeding program is the cost of added gain. In other words, the selection of a creep feed should be based on cost and efficiency of gain.

Efficiency of gain is measured by the amount of feed it takes to add a pound of gain. Dan Eversole, an Extension Animal Scientist from Virginia Tech University, stated in a paper entitled, Creep Feeding Beef Calves, that the most efficient conversion of creep feed to added weaning weight occurs when nursing calves cannot achieve normal weaning weights without supplemental feed.

Johnny Rossi from the University of Georgia Extension System states that the cost of the additional gain obtained through creep feed must be less than the price received for that gain in order for the creep feeding program to be profitable.

For example, if the value of the additional gain is worth $1.50 per pound, the creep feeding cost had better be less than this amount in order for it to pay.

If you decide to creep feed there are many options. Feed companies have commercially prepared complete creep feeds that work great. There are other options as well including straight whole oats, which worked well in a trial that I conducted here in Idaho County with fall born calves back in 2004.

Rossi from the University of Georgia, recommends to not creep feed heifers that will be kept for replacements. It is proven that if heifers get too fat prior to weaning, they deposit fat in their udders which causes a reduc-

NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FARM & RANCH | FALL 2017

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tion in milk production when they mature and have calves.

Another potential problem is creep feeding may cause calves to be too fleshy at sale time which may result in price discounts.

Creep feeding may lower gain and efficiency at some point later in the calf’s life. Lusby and Gill from Oklahoma State University stated that, “Feeding programs that alter rate of gain during one phase of growth almost always affect rate and efficiency of gain during subsequent phases of development, and creep feeding is no exception.”

Finally, creep feeding may be too expensive. Producers need to analyze the cost of commercial creep feeds, oats and other high energy feeds to determine if supplementing their cattle with these creep feeds will be profitable.

References: Lusby, Keith., and Gill, Donald., Creep Feeding. Oklahoma State University Beef Cattle Handbook, BCH-5476.

Rossi, Johnny., Creep Feeding Calves. University of Georgia Extension Publication.

Eversole, Dan., Creep Feeding Beef Calves. Virginia Tech University Extension Publication, 400-003.

Jim Church jchurch@uidaho.edu 208-983-2667.

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A Glance at History

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Photos cover agricultural use of horses, mules and steam engines in farming across Central Idaho. Horse power began to substantially give way to steam power in the early 1900s. Steam tractors had a short-lived period in the sun, being replaced with gas tractors by the first quarter of the 20th century.

NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FARM & RANCH | FALL 2017

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A Look Back: 1920

Cattle Eat Dynamite; Two Dead, Another Sick; Stockman Asks Damages Originally run Sept. 23, 1920 Idaho County Free Press

Frizzell Sues Bicknell to Recover for Explosions Along Highway Dynamite as a diet for cattle is not wholesome.

This is indicated in a suit filed in the district court Wednesday by F.M. Frizzell, of Grangeville, against C.A. Bicknell and R.F. Bicknell, copartners in construction of the North and South highway, seeking damages in the sum of $2,110. Of this sum, the plaintiff seeks to recover $100 because, it is alleged, his cattle ate dynamite and afterwards two of them died.

The complaint does not make clear whether the dynamite exploded in one or the other of the two stomachs of each animal and blew the cattle literally to pieces, or whether they died from poisoning. But, at any rate, the bovine appetite for high explosives did not prove advantageous either to the cattle or their owner, for the complaint alleges that two of them died and another was taken sick.

While the tonic might have been an appetizer, it wasn’t nutritious, judging from the complaint.

HOW THEY ATE DYNAMITE The complaint alleges that the defendants “carelessly and negligently and wrongfully left exposed certain dynamite and explosives, all adjacent to the range where the cattle and stock of the said plaintiff were then grazing and pasturing in the winter of 1919 and 1920, and on account thereof the same were eaten by the cattle of the said plaintiff and which injured and poisoned the said cattle so that two animals died and one became sick, to the damage of the plaintiff in the additional sum of $100.”

The first part of the complaint sets forth that Mr. Frizzell suffered a loss of $2,000 through damage caused by highway construction through his land, in that defendants “exploded great charges of explosives,” which caused rocks to be hurled through plaintiff’s dwelling house, wood house, barn and other buildings, and that tillable land was covered by rocks from the explosions and springs, from which plaintiff’s livestock was watered, were buried beneath rocks blown from the highway. Pastures, the complaint avers, were rendered worthless, trees, shrubbery and fences damaged. All of the alleged damage was caused, it is set forth in the complaint, between Aug. 1, 1919 and April 1, 1920.

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NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FARM & RANCH | FALL 2017

Top, a horse-drawn combine on the Camas Prairie, 1909.

Left, Slim Goforth, haying on Red River Meadows, date unknown.

Bottom, a threshing crew in Grangeville, circa 1905.

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NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FARM & RANCH | FALL 2017

top to bottom: An unidentified Central Idaho homestead; sheep passing through Elk City, 1936; Sept. 9, 1931 - W.A. Stonebraker (Bill) on far left holds a pitchfork. Another man sits at the rein of a two-horse pull with another horse-drawn wagon ready to fill with hay.

Right: 1981, A Camas Prairie field gets a close-up inspection.

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