Salute to Agriculture - Fall/Winter 2023

Fall-Winter 2023 Edition

Salute to Salute

Agricult griculture

he Heartbeat of the Plains

The Heartbeat of the P

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2023

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2023

Salute to Agriculture — Heartbeat of the Plains Salute to Agriculture is a special publication of the Sterling Journal-Advocate, Fort Morgan Times and Brush News-Tribune.

Inside

State, federal officials work to increase competition in meatpacking industry .................................................................................................6 Ag land values tied to profitability .....................................................10 ‘Sustainability’ is the goal of CSU’s AgNext project .......................14 Colorado Craft Beef advances pasture-to-plate in quantum leap.16 Recent advances in agricultural technology result in record yields ................................................................................................................20 Water festival draws hundreds of school children from NE Colorado ................................................................................................................22 Colorado ag commissioner joins Chile trade mission.......................24 Caliche FFA keeping busy with conferences, SAEs.........................26 FMHS chapter kept busy with conferences, oyster fry...................27 Kaitlyn Faye leading chapter in first year at Brush High School ...............................................................................................................28 Chapter stays busy attending events, competing in contests ................................................................................................................29 Fleming FFA attends BIG conference, CSU Ag Day.........................30 Merino members stay busy with achievements and engagement ................................................................................................................31 Making decisions about aged cows in a high market year ................................................................................................................34

COURTESY PHOTO

Sterling FFA members sold cotton candy at Sugar Beet Days Sept. 16 and 17, 2023. Read more about what they’ve been up to on page 29.

Our Staff Brian Porter, Publisher Sara Waite, Editor Olivia Johnson, Assistant Editor

Callie Jones, Assistant Editor Zant Reyez, Staff Writer Jeff Rice, Staff Writer

Steve Buxton, Advertising Representative Andrew Ohlson, Advertising Representative Kent Shorrock, Publication Design

Copyright 2023, Prairie Mountain Media

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2023

MEATPACKING

State, federal officials work to increase competition in meatpacking industry Economists say ranchers, sale barns and consumers all would be better off

By Jeff Rice jerice @prairiemountainmedia.com

Government officials across America agree that there needs to be more competition in the meat processing industry.

The Big Four — Cargill, Tyson Foods, JBS SA and National Beef Packing — currently have what is known as an oligopoly in the meatpacking market, limiting competition to just a handful of companies. Small and medium-size meat packers are being squeezed out of the business, beef producers are earning less than they otherwise would for their market-ready cattle, and livestock commission companies are missing out on a large segment of the industry.

The situation has earned the attention of local, state and government officials. In February, Colorado Agriculture Commissioner Kate Greenberg told the Colorado Forum on Agriculture that her office was focusing on helping small and medium packers revitalize their sector of the business.

Recently, Greenberg told the Journal-Advocate and Fort Morgan Times that her department is helping companies hire grant writers in order to assist them apply for the USDA meat grants.

“One thing to note is that until the grants were released it was hard to know what the requirements would be to prepare for them,” Greenberg said. “There so far have been two different grants released to date.”

One was released in June and July and this grant has had lower total award and required smaller requests for funding. It aimed to help meat processors with expansion projects for their current fa-

JEFF RICE — JOURNAL-ADVOCATE

Cows and their calves graze in a pasture near Proctor in April 2021. State and federal lawmakers are working to provide more competition in the meatpacking industry. cilities. It could be equipment or other necessary items. Four companies have applied for that grant but the USDA has not awarded or allocated any funds yet.

The second round is in process and applications are due Nov 22. This one is larger and applicants can request higher funding amounts.

“These grants are intended to help smaller processors expand or start their facilities and become USDA certified,” Greenberg said. “This grant also has higher submission requirements, including a feasibility study, which prevents many smaller producers from qualifying to apply. We have two or three grant applicants who are working their way through the application process and will hopefully submit for funds.”

In addition to the specific focus on meatpackers, Colorado Senate Bill 21-248 directed that stimulus funding be dedicated to creating the Farm-to-Market Infrastructure Grant Program. Grant funds can be used only for agricultural processing projects — meaning the transforming, packaging, sorting, storage, or grading of Colorado livestock, livestock products, agricultural commodities, plants, or plant products.

Grants were awarded in two periods, one ending Feb. 28, 2022 and the other June 20, 2022. CDA awarded 79 grants for a total of $5.93 million.

At the national level, U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) recently introduced legislation to increase competition and capac-

ity in the meat processing industry. The Butcher Block Act would create grant and loan opportunities through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to enable small and mid-sized meat processing facilities to expand their operations.

U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-N.D.) and Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) introduced similar legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“Colorado’s livestock production sits at the heart of our $47 billion agriculture sector, but too many producers struggle to find local or regional processing options,” Bennet said. “Congress should make it easier and more cost effective for Colorado’s family farmers and ranchers to bring their animals to market. Our bipartisan legislation COMPETITION » PAGE 7

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Competition FROM PAGE 6

strengthens local food systems, increases competition, and helps lower prices for Americans.”

Bennett said he hopes to see the legislation written into the 2024 Farm Bill, which is being drafted already.

Sen. Moran made the point that the consolidation of power in the meatpacking industry is detrimental to everyone in the supply chain.

“High prices don’t just drive up price tags at the grocery store, but also result in higher input costs for ranchers and meat processors,” Moran said. “Providing resources to allow smaller processors to upgrade and expand their operations will make it easier for ranchers to bring their cattle to market. This legislation will help eliminate waste, support small businesses and provide consumers with more affordable options at the grocery store.”

The Butcher Block Act would improve competition and capacCOMPETITION » PAGE 8

JEFF RICE — JOURNAL-ADVOCATE

Rancher Josh Sonnenberg applies a brand to a calf while his wife Dani reaches for a syringe to inoculate the young animal against common viruses. Economists say independent ranchers get less for their cattle under current meatpacking conditions than they would if there were more small and medium packers available.

If you’re doing what you love, with the ones that you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.

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JEFF RICE — JOURNAL-ADVOCATE

Cattle feed at McEndaffer Feedlot near Merino.

Competition

to increase and modernize small and medium meat processing and rendering facilities. It would include eligibility for cooperatives FROM PAGE 7 that are producer-owned and eliity in rural areas by authorizing gible for refinancing USDA loans and loan guarantees A new USDA grant program

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“This legislation will help eliminate waste, support small businesses and provide consumers with more affordable options at the grocery store.”

— Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.)

would help to expand, diversify, and increase resilience in meat processing and rendering facilities in a three-pronged effort; helping facilities receive technical assistance to manage and train a new workforce, help small and medium-sized facilities achieve compliance with state and federal regulations and develop new innovative or mobile facilities to improve local and regional access to processing and rendering services.

Bennet has worked with Moran to protect and improve meat

processing and other agricultural processing facilities in Colorado and across the country. In September 2020, Bennet and Moran cosponsored the Requiring Assistance to Meat Processors for Upgrading Plants (RAMP-UP) Act to provide grants to meat processors to expand their markets. In March 2021, Bennet and Moran secured $100 million for overtime fee relief for small meatpackers in the American Rescue Plan modeled after the senators’ Small Packer and Overtime and Holiday Fee Relief Act.

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AG BUSINESS

Agricultural land values tied to owner’s profitability Marc Reck charts price per acre against interest rates, commodity prices

By Jeff Rice jerice@prairiemountainmedia.com

“Land is an investment, a way of life, a business. Land is a legacy.”

That’s Lesson No. 1 in Marc Reck’s primer on the value of agricultural land. Reck’s company, Reck Agri Realty and Auction, is arguably the largest real estate firm in northeast Colorado dealing in agricultural land sales. And while the state’s housing market has been making headlines, the ag land market is quietly going about what it has always done — following the profitability of the land.

Reck, who grew up on a farm south of Wiggins, said the urban real estate market and agricultural land market are two distinctly different animals. Swapping horror stories about property taxes has become a favorite sport in urban Colorado subdivisions as home real estate values have risen almost constantly over the past two decades.

Values have dragged tax rates skyward so fast the State Legislature

PHOTOCOURTESY RECK AGRI REALTY & AUCTION

The value of agricultural land is tied to the owner’s ability to make a profit from owning it. was compelled to step in and offer But housing property values voters the choice of releasing some are closely tied to interest rates. of TABOR’s hold on revenue in re- When home loan interest rates are turn for lower assessment rates.

1 and 2 percent, it’s fairly easy for a well-positioned family to move up, and at those rates lots of families do that. That creates demand which, any high school economics teacher will tell you, raises prices.

When interest rates rise above 5 percent, the market cools down as homeowners decided to stay put because they can’t afford — or are unwilling to pay — the higher payments that come with higher interest rates.

The value of ag land, on the other hand, is tied do the land’s profitability.

“Farm land values are primarily cash flow driven,” Reck said. “That depends on commodity prices, how chshighplains.com much land is available and where

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it is. You ask, ‘Can I make money on this?’ Your home is where you live, but the land is where you earn your living.”

Ag land, then, is a business asset in the same way that a factory or a set of machine tools or a fleet of trucks are business assets. And there are many factors that decide the value of that asset.

Reck said some farms have been in the same family for between 80 and 120 years. Longevity of ownership is one indicator of the land’s value. If it has supported a growing family for two or three generations, it’s probably a “good farm,” and a combination of hard work and smart business decisions has made it profitable. In that way, Reck said, the land is a legacy, something worthy of being passed RECK » PAGE 11

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Reck FROM PAGE 10

on to future generations.

One of the absolute musts in any farm or ranch Reck deals with is water availability. Water is what makes farming and ranching possible, and Reck always has wells tested, since so many of the properties he deals with draw water from closed basins like the Ogallala Aquifer.

“I’ve seen cases where there’s just 50 feet of water left in the hole, but you go five miles or even less and there’s 150 feet of water,” he said.

“That aquifer goes up and down, it’s not flat.”

While interest rates do have some impact on ag land sales, they do so primarily in the context of their impact on profitability. That’s because they don’t just apply to mortgage rates, they also impact operating loans — the money that has to be borrowed against next year’s crop to buy seed, fuel, fertilizer and equipment. Reck shows a graph he’s mapped since 2000 showing the relative rise and fall of land values, commodity prices and interest rates. Land values from 2009 to 2016 followed commodity prices closely while interest rates stayed relatively low and flat, except for the bubble between 2004 and 2009. When commodity prices began to dip in 2014 and then dropped in 2015, land values peaked and began to slide downward. By 2017 land values had bottomed out, buoyed some by an uptick in commodity prices, but interest rates began to rise then as well. In 2018 and 2019 interest rates were climbing, commodity prices were slumping and land values remained stagnant. When commodity prices began to climb again in 2020 and 2021, interest rates fell and land values shot up.

Starting in 2021 and beyond, interest rates, commodity prices and land values rose together to new heights, but so did the costs of farming inputs — fuel, fertilizer, parts and so on. By 2022 all three were still rising, but much more slowly. It will be interesting to see what Reck’s graph will show when he inputs data from 2023, with interest rates bound to stay high and commodity prices slipping.

The value of farmland also can

PHOTO COURTESY RECK AGRI REALTY & AUCTION

Marc Reck thinks of agricultural land as an investment, a way of life and a legacy. be affected by who is buying and who is selling. Reck said 73 percent of farmland buyers are relatively local, meaning they live within 20 or 30 miles of the land they’re buying.

If a farmer is looking to expand his operation and his neighbor’s place goes up for sale, it just makes sense to expand in that direction.

The other 27 percent of land buyers tend to be individual investors, retirement funds and other companies who see farmland as a way to generate cash flow. That sector is slowing down, however, as returns from certificates of deposit and treasury bills have increased to as much as 5 percent in some cases.

The notion of foreign countries and billionaire land speculators taking over American cropland for so-called corporate farming is something of a misperception.

While it’s true that vast swaths of American farmland are owned by investors, the land is still being used to produce food, fiber and fuel. And according to a series of articles in 1991 in the Salt Lake City Deseret News and a 2022 article in the Salt Lake City Tribune, one of the largest “corporate” farming operations is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints — the Mormons. Tribune reporter Tony Semerad wrote: “Based on acreage, agriculture makes the church one of the nation’s largest holders of farmland and ranchland — and the country’s RECK » PAGE 12

Advancing

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CDA is working to increase processing capacity for Colorado ag producers to create more localized, resilient food systems.

Learn more at ag.colorado.gov/priorities

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Reck FROM PAGE 11

largest nut producer, centered on expansive orchards in Northern California. Its cattle operations brand it among the largest beef suppliers to the McDonald’s restaurant chain. (The church has) farm holdings worth at least $2.3 billion, with notably huge sections of it in Nebraska, rural Montana, Florida, Texas and Utah. Farms, ranches, pastures, orchards and other agricultural lands under church ownership stretch horizon to horizon, with tens of thousands of contiguous acres in many cases.”

Both newspapers reported that church executives managing the land holdings called farm and ranch land excellent long-term investments for providing cash flow.

They point out that, while the church may own the land, it employs experienced farmers and ranchers to work it, and they get paid well for their work. It should be noted that the Deseret News is owned by the LDS Church.

So, how much is farm land worth? According to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, the 2023 Colorado average farmland real estate value, a measurement of the value of all land and buildings on farms, was $1,950 per acre. That’s an increase of 10.2 percent from 2022 and 21.1 percent from 2021. The average value of cropland was $2,610, up 5.2 percent from 2022. The average value of irrigated cropland was $6,000, up 4.3 percent from the previous year, and the average value of non-irrigated cropland was $1,700, up 6.3 percent from the pre-

JEFF RICE — JOURNAL-ADVOCATE

Marc Reck points out the relationships between loan interest rates, commodity prices and ag land values. vious year. Pasture values, at $980 per acre, were up 4.3 percent from 2022.

On the national level, farm real estate value averaged $4,080 per acre for 2023, up $280 per acre

or 7.4 percent from 2022. The U.S. cropland value averaged $5,460 per acre, an increase of $410 per acre or 8.1 percent from the previous year and pasture value averaged $1,760 per acre, an increase of $110 per

acre or 6.7 percent from 2022.

As long as it’s farmed well and managed wisely, land will always have value. It’s as Mark Twain famously said: “Buy land. They’re not making any more of it.”

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COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY

‘Sustainability’ is the goal of CSU’s AgNext project Methane monitoring tackles ‘wicked problem’ in America’s beef industry

By Christopher Outcalt Colorado State University

JEFF RICE — JOURNAL-ADVOCATE

The AgNext project is home at CSU’s Agricultural Research Development and Education Center near Wellington.

CHRISTOPHER OUTCALT>> How did

AgNext get started?

KIM STACKHOUSE-LAWSON>> When

I started this was a dream. There wasn’t a name. There wasn’t a website. But leadership was pretty clear in what they wanted: A team to solve the wicked challenges in the space of sustainability for animal agriculture. One of the things we did early on was pull together 12 external stakeholders into what we call our Industry Innovation Working Group. That group was fundamental in helping shape who we are — and that’s how this facility was born. They came and said: “Our most significant challenge is understanding baseline greenhouse gas emissions from animal agriculture. How can you help us?” I said, “We need a facility to study it” — and $1.3 million of equipment came in. It came because stakeholders trusted us and

Dr. Sara Place

Dr. Kim Stackhouse-Lawson

we trusted them. It’s allowed us to begin to really compile some impressive datasets. Another thing is we’ve built a team that moves faster than traditional academics.

That’s been one of the hard things; an ability to be flexible and nimble

and to move and to make adjustments is not oftentimes the norm of an academic institution.

Although there are challenges, it sounds like you also OUTCALT >>

AGNEXT

»

A wicked problem.

T h at ’s how K i m S t a c khouse-Lawson, director of Colorado State University’s AgNext program, describes the challenge of meeting the nutritional needs of a growing population and ensuring food production is resilient, even with limited resources.

AgNext researchers study a range of questions at the intersection of animal agriculture and sustainability, but Stackhouse-Lawson and her AgNext colleague Sara Place, associate professor of feedlot systems, focus primarily on researching methane emissions from cattle.

It’s important work. Estimates from the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations indicate animal agriculture accounts for about 11% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, Place said.

“So, it’s not nothing,” Place said.

“It’s not the largest source. But every sector has to do its part if we’re going to make a big difference.”

The following is an edited conversation with Stackhouse-Lawson, who marks three years at CSU next month, and Place, who has been conducting research at CSU for more than a year and started teaching classes this fall. Stackhouse-Lawson and Place spoke about how their work measuring cattle methane emissions got started at AgNext, what they’ve learned so far and how they hope to help shape the future of agriculture.

PAGE 15

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AgNext FROM PAGE 14

feel there are benefits to working both in academia and also closely with folks in the industry.

STACKHOUSE-LAWSON >> Yeah, it’s

interesting; I do think the University is looking at it as a successful new model. It’s part of the landgrant mission, to support stakeholders, and this is an interesting way to do it. It’s been really good for us.

OUTCALT >> When you talk about

the “wicked” challenges you’re trying to solve — what do you mean when you use that word?

I define it as something that may not have one answer or may not have a right answer. So, oftentimes you’re not looking for the answer, but you’re looking for a better one or one that’s more informed. Enteric methane is a good example because lots of things can be impacted by enteric AGNEXT

»

STACKHOUSE-LAWSON >>

PAGE 18

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AG BUSINESS

Colorado Craft Beef advances pasture-to-plate in quantum leap

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Colorado Craft Beef isn’t just the next generation of cattle ranching.

In fact, it isn’t ranching in the way most people think of it.

There are steers and heifers grazing on the section of rangeland that surrounds Jeff and Kara Smith’s home north of Akron, and the cattle will be “finished” in a small nearby feedlot before being processed, but that’s where the resemblance to traditional ranching ends.

The company is a spin-off of Kara Smith’s family ranch, the Double Slash N Ranch, which her New York strip steaks are a customer favorite. Colorado Craft Beef slices BEEF » PAGE 17 them nice and thick.

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JEFF RICE — JOURNAL-ADVOCATE

Cattle graze on the section of pasture owned by Colorado Craft Beef north of Akron. Inset: The sign in front of CCB’s office contains the Double-Slash N brand of Kara Smith’s family ranch.

Beef FROM PAGE 16

great-great-grandfather founded in 1917 on 320 acres about 12 miles north of Akron. The ranch has grown to about 6,000 acres now, and the Smiths use a section adjacent to that to graze their cattle. The Smiths do not run a cowcalf operation, but select their animals from partner ranchers in the area. The calves are fed in a “grow lot” until the pasture is ready for grazing, then grazed as long as the grass is good, and then shipped back to the grow lot for finishing.

CCB recently bought Mike’s Meat Market in Sterling, where the cattle are processed, and the carcasses are aged 21 days before being further processed into individual cuts and hamburger. The beef is frozen until it is shipped.

Direct-to-consumer meat production has been around forever.

It was only in the industrialized 19th and 20th centuries that mass production of animal protein led to concentrated animal feeding operations, commonly known as feedlots, and factories in which animals went in one end and cuts of meat came out the other. Each step adds value to the final product and returns a profit to each operator along the way.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the rancher receives about 37 cents of every dollar the consumer pays for beef.

The expenses of ranching have to be paid out of those 37 cents, and those costs are rising almost constantly.

The pasture-to-plate concept puts the entire process in the rancher’s hands so when the pound of beef is sold, every dollar goes back to the rancher. Typical pasture-to-plate operations involve a few dozen head and usually are used to add revenue to a much larger ranch.

What the Smiths and their business partners are doing is a quantum leap in the pasture-to-plate concept. The idea is pretty much the same — add value and then capture that value — but CCB is multiplying it by a factor of 10, and the Smiths are convinced even larger operations are possible.

“The ability to scale (up) is unquantifiable at this point,” Jeff said.

Translation: There’s no telling how big it could get.

Colorado Craft Beef also benefits from a year-round supply chain.

They typically only do not harvest in the heat of the summer so they don’t have finished cattle on feed during the heat. Yearlings coming off of grass go into the feedyard to be finished. CCB can store frozen beef but normally spreads cattle harvest out enough that storage time in minimal.

The company is Kara’s brain child, an idea born of her desire to take her family’s industry to “the next level.” The Smiths met in Boise, Idaho, where he worked for an agricultural supply company BEEF » PAGE 18

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AgNext FROM PAGE 15

methane emissions.

SARA PLACE >> Basically: How do

you solve problems like climate change that intersect with different human systems, different values? Sustainability in animal agriculture is 100% a perfect example of a wicked problem.

OUTCALT >> When you were first get-

ting started three years ago, how quickly did you identify that actually measuring methane emissions from cattle was where you needed to start?

It’s the one thing that hasn’t been done.

That’s what needs to happen. We’re never going to move the needle unless someone actually figures out what the emissions are, how to measure them, and what works to mitigate them — mitigate them in the wicked problem fashion. I don’t know if it was our training as scientists, but it was just a very innate response to measure.

STACKHOUSE-LAWSON>>

PLACE >> Emissions inventories that

the U.S. or Colorado share — they’re all based on models, because this is very expensive to measure and complicated to measure. But you only advance the models if you collect empirical observed data.

You have to have that relationship where you’re actually measuring to make the models better, to drive change, to test things in the real

Beef FROM PAGE 17

and she worked in animal health.

With work experience in marketing and sales, both were very customer-focused. When Kara decided to return to the family business, it was only natural that they would approach it with the consumer in mind.

“Most stories about (beef production) make the rancher the hero of the story, but we’re making the customer the hero and we’re helping them get there,” Jeff said.

Part of that is re-connecting

world. If we didn’t have something have people on the team who can to actually measure these things, fill holes in all those areas. we’re just kind of stuck with the STACKHOUSE-LAWSON >> And then knowledge we have. data is power. Our agricultural STACKHOUSE-LAWSON >> Yeah, most producer audiences care about of the modeling work has been, data — data to them makes it real.

“How have we changed cattle pro- If you can say: “This is the defiductions from, for example, the nition; here’s how we approached 1970s to today?” Of course, the car- it; here’s what we saw; here’s what bon footprint looks much better, we think might work; what do you but to Sara’s point: What’s next? think about this?” Then, eyes light How do you get to the next thing? up, and they start seeing a different And unless you have facilities like future that’s good for them.

AgNext’s Climate-Smart Research Facility, that innovation is chal- OUTCALT >> What’s the most surlenged. prising thing you’ve learned so far in three years of doing this work?

OUTCALT >> Is there more consensus in the cattle industry today than, PLACE >> On the data side, we’re say, a decade ago around terms like finding a few surprising things. sustainability and climate change? One is that with some of the high-forage diets we’ve fed, aniPLACE >> I think we’ve seen the cat- mals were actually emitting more tle industry evolve tremendously to methane than we would predict. be more accepting of those terms The other thing that we’ve found and embrace those terms. In out- three times now, which is a litreach events, one of the first things tle bit of a head-scratcher, is that we do is define sustainability for animals eating this high-concenpeople. So then not everybody is trate diet with more corn grains — having a different idea in their their relationship between methmind of what we’re talking about. ane emission and feed-intake is not very strong. That’s very different OUTCALT >> How do you define sus- to what we’re assuming right now tainability? in the industry. A lot of folks are predicting methane — but they’re PLACE >> To boil it down, it’s think- not measuring anything. They’re ing about: OK, we’ve got to produce modeling. And so, they’re using safe, nutritious food — more of it equations that say, “You feed this — but we’ve got to do so with envi- amount, you get this amount of ronmental stewardship and social methane.” That’s not how it works. responsibility in mind, and we’ve got to think about the economic vi- STACKHOUSE-LAWSON >> The most ability of all the players involved surprising thing to me is in three — from a producer side to the af- years how important a topic this fordability of food. That’s why we has become. This is a CEO issue

their customers with the food chain.

“As consumers, we are so separated from our food chain,” Kara said. “Part of what we do is re-connect people directly to the people who produce their food.”

The Smiths continue to pursue partnerships with major investors.

One sign that CCB is an attractive investment is the company’s showing at the Northeast Colorado Entrepreneur Pitch competition in June. CCB won second place and $7,500 in the competition. Jeff told the panel of judges the company’s ethic includes philanthropy and promoting a “greater mindset” in the agricultural community.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2023

today — in food companies and in agriculture. I’m always blown away by how far producers have come in pure knowledge of this subject — and it’s, “How do we become part of the solution?”

PLACE >> It’s the curiosity of, “OK,

if all these sustainability and emissions goals are set, how are we going to do it?”

OUTCALT >> What does the future

of agriculture look like to each of you?

PLACE >> I think it’s going to be

about balancing all these other concerns even more. All these questions we’re trying to answer about the future of agriculture: Questions about how should we grow food? What should we be eating? Those are questions that, frankly, have always been relevant. We’ve just changed how we ask them. And so I think it’s going to be a continuation of that in the future.

Yeah, I think it will continue to be pretty innovative and exciting — and I hope it sheds light on how cool these creatures are. I think they oftentimes get demonized. They’re incredible to be around. I always talk about how majestic they are.

Maybe not everybody feels like they’re majestic, but we do. We love them. We wouldn’t do this if we didn’t love them — and the people. I don’t know that there’s more noble work than providing food to the masses — and helping solve wicked problems along the way.

STACKHOUSE-LAWSON >>

Part of the business savvy of Colorado Craft Beef is “selling the sizzle.”

Photos of their beef, before and after preparation, can be found all over the company’s website.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2023

PRAIRIEMOUNTAINMEDIA.COM

| SALUTE TO AGRICULTURE| 19

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| SALUTE TO AGRICULTURE | PRAIRIEMOUNTAINMEDIA.COM

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2023

CROPS SCIENCE

Recent advances in agricultural technology result in record yields First commercially available GMO crops were planted in 1996

By Ron Meyer CSU Extension

Plant scientists have been employing science to improve crops for centuries. David Harris from the University of London believes that gatherers began selectively breeding wheat about 12,500 B.C. Cutting edible grasses with rock-edged sickles, they took the grain-bearing grasses home. Only the strongest kernels of wheat or barley were left on the stalk. Those kernels fell to the soil nearest the Neolithic campsites, and after sprouting and growing, they produced plants with stronger and heartier kernels.

Thus began an unintentional plant breeding program selecting for different and better plants.

As knowledge improved, science improved. Plant scientists (agronomists by today’s title) advanced varieties and traits, one gene at a time. Early plant breeders selected varieties that yielded better and had improved qualities for processing needs or human preferences (plants that tasted better).

A striking breakthrough occurred

FILE PHOTO

Sugar beets are harvested at the Chris Fritzler farm north of Sterling in this 2016 photo. in 1866 when an agronomist monk named Gregor Mendel crossed pea plants and became known as the “Father of Genetics.” As it turned out, traits for peas could be easily manipulated using cross pollination techniques.

Scientists quickly adopted the discovered cross pollination strategies to create plant hybrids. These new hybrids were selected to produce plants that yielded higher, produced stronger stalks, and had superior quality characteristics.

The new hybrids not only benefited farmers planting them (in the form of higher yields), but also consumers who noticed better and health-

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In 1953 scientists discovered a long molecule found in all living things called DNA which contained genetic “codes” for traits and characteristics. Later it was discovered that desirable DNA (rust tolerance, higher yields, etc.) could be transferred to new plants with success.

As a result, agronomists now found individual genes that produced positive outcomes (better yield) that could be transferred from one plant to another with greater accuracy and with less time.

But plant breeding was still a “hit and miss” science. Agronomists knew which gene they wanted to

advance, but needed multiple tries to finally get the desired result.

This required lots of cross pollination and then further back crossing to finally achieve success. As a result, it sometimes took as many as 15 years to get a new and improved plant variety released.

In 1973, another scientific agronomic breakthrough was found.

Plant scientists discovered how to successfully transfer a gene from one species into a completely different plant species. This discovery was thought impossible by many in the scientific community and a new science was immediately born: biotechnology. Scientifically referred to as transgenic crops or Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO), this new science continues to produce better and healthier plants today.

In 1996, the first commercially available GMO crops were planted.

The new GMO crop was a herbicide tolerant soybean and the herbicide applied was glyphosate. The new discovery now made controlling weeds much less difficult for producers who adopted the new technology. Herbicide tolerance in other crops followed. Glyphosate resistant corn was widely adopted by corn farmers looking for an easier method to control weeds.

SCIENCE » PAGE 21

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2023

| SALUTE TO AGRICULTURE| 21

Science FROM PAGE 20

Another innovation occurred when an insecticide producing trait was inserted into corn plants.

Known as BT corn, the trait enabled corn plants to produce a naturally occurring insecticide, eliminating chemical insecticide applications to control insects that attack corn plants. BT corn does not require farmers to apply insecticides to corn plants to control some insects, as the plant now makes its own insect controlling agent. BT is also used in organic agriculture for insect control.

So how does transgenic technology work? Early methods used a 22 caliber pistol’s bullet that was dipped into DNA material and shot into young corn plant material.

The result didn’t always work but when it did, the corn plant’s DNA accepted the foreign genes and began to replicate and multiply the new gene. From there, corn plants were tested to make sure they contained the desired traits. Current improved research uses a natural soil borne bacterium to transfer the desired trait (genes) from one species to the next.

Plant breeders also work with non-transgenic methods to transfer desirable traits from one plant to the next generation. Wheat and sunflower are two crops that are not GMO or transgenic, which means that more traditional plant breeding techniques are employed. In an effort to employ new technologies more efficiently with non-transgenic crops, plant breeders have discovered better and faster methods for transferring desirable plant

COURTESY CSU EXTENSION

Graph shows currently grown GM crops in the U.S., traits for which they are modified, and percent of total acreage of the crop that is planted to GM varieties. IR=insect resistant, HT=herbicide tolerant, DT=drought tolerant, VR=virus resistant. traits to the next generation.

DNA Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS) is one technology that is currently being employed. DNA markers (genetic markers) have now been found that allow a plant breeder to more efficiently select specific traits to advance to the next generation. While genetic markers may or may not be the DNA that controls the desired trait, they act as a “flag” that point to the specific gene that plant breeders want transferred. This technology has been used since the early 2000’s.

One particularly powerful form of DNA marker technology is Single Nucleotide Polymorphism or SNP (pronounced snip). This plant breeding technology allows less expensive and high-throughput DNA sequencing methods to identify and locate genes controlling important traits. SNPs located close to a particular gene act as a marker for that

gene. Once the marker is identified, plant breeders know which genes to focus on, where they are located, and will select it for transfer.

Two other plant breeding methods that are currently garnering increased attention are Genomic Selection and High Throughput Phenotyping. Genomic Selection allows the breeder to use SNPs to increase the accuracy and efficiency of trait selection, with the key goal of shortening the breeding cycle time and more quickly increase the rate of genetic gain.

High throughput phenotyping uses remote sensing and other technologies to rapidly and inexpensively evaluate breeding germplasm for drought tolerance, heat tolerance, plant biomass, pest tolerance, and other important production characteristics.

Further, another new plant genetic transfer technique is called Clustered Regularly Interspaced

Short Palindromic Repeats or CRISPR. The CRISPR breeding method involves more nature than science and uses proteins to change the sequence and potentially “deactivate” certain undesirable genes.

For instance, CRISPR technology could disable a plant’s gene that allows disease or insect susceptibility, thus making the plant resistant to specific pests, without using transgenic methods. Meaning this technology could make plants more insect or disease resistant by turning off the bad genes and enabling the good genes to thrive, without inserting foreign genes into the plant. This could also eliminate or reduce pesticide applications to control pests.

As a result of improved crop production techniques, agronomists are now able to reduce the time required to release a new and improved variety equipped with targeted pest tolerant traits from 10 years to approximately 3 years, in some cases. As a result, farmers can now plant better crop varieties in a third of the time it used to take to develop them. This decreases the development time from a crop pest outbreak to existence of a pest resistant plant. A system that will decrease pesticide use.

It is no accident that record crop yields are happening yearly. The record U.S. corn yield harvested in 2019 was 616 bushels per acre, while a field in Cheyenne County, Colorado yielded near 320 bushels per acre in past years. To be sure, agricultural scientists are currently employing the best technology available and the return on investment is showing up with quicker new-variety release times, enhanced pest resistance, and higher yields using similar inputs.

22

| SALUTE TO AGRICULTURE | PRAIRIEMOUNTAINMEDIA.COM

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2023

LOWER SOUTH PLATTE WATER CONSERVANCY DISTRICT

Water festival draws hundreds of school children from NE Colorado Kids learn where water comes from, how it’s used, where it goes

By Jeff Rice jerice@prairiemountainmedia.com

More than 500 school children from 13 schools in northeast Colorado attended the annual Lower South Platte Water Conservancy District’s Children’s Water Festival in September.

The event was held at Logan County Fairgrounds and featured 22 stations of demonstrations and information about water; where it comes from, how it’s used and where it goes after people use it.

The fifth-graders attending the festival came from Morgan, Washington, Logan and Sedgwick Counties.

The day started with a demonstration from Logan County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit, always a people-pleaser, especially with the kids. The youngsters then rotated between the stations learning about such things as salt water vs. fresh water, soil profile sand art, mapping the state, learning about beaver dams, a Lego model of the water cycle, edible soil and aquifer profiles, how much water it takes to grow crops, Highline’s High voltage demonstration, animals and water, how does groundwater work and how do we use it, water tension, source water protection, conservation and more.

Craig Brownell of LSPWCD, who organized and ran the festival, said he was happy with the variety of subjects covered.

“It was a well-rounded lineup to try show the many aspects of water to the kids, as well as reinforce some of the water curriculum that they have in school as 5th graders,” Brownell said.

The water festival had been held in the past, but was suspended during the COVID pandemic.

JEFF RICE — JOURNAL-ADVOCATE

School children fill a section of the grandstands at the Logan County Fairgrounds for Wednesday’s Water Festival.

Brownell said the event was restarted last year when about 430 youngsters attended.

“It was nice to be able to have something for the kids to get out and go to after being shut down from COVID for the previous couple years,” Brownell said. “So the festival did grow this year, and we are excited to see how many we will have next year.”

The festival wrapped up with a hot dog lunch sponsored by Eagle Convenience Stores. Lunch for the presenters was provided by Premier Farm Credit.

Brownell said he was impressed with the way the children reJEFF RICE — JOURNAL-ADVOCATE sponded to the various stations.

“As expected, the kids in north- Jennifer Scharpe of the Colorado Foundation for Agriculture quizzes east Colorado are some of the best Caliche students about how much water it takes to produce things in their WATER » PAGE 23 lives. For instance, it takes 713 gallons of water to produce a T-shirt.

PRAIRIEMOUNTAINMEDIA.COM

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2023

| SALUTE TO AGRICULTURE| 23

Water FROM PAGE 22

kids around,” Brownell said. “The kids represented their schools very well, and we are so grateful to all the kids and schools that attended.”

Funding for the festival was provided by Lower South Platte and 17 other sponsors: Centennial Conservation District, Eagle Convenience Stores, Culligan, Johnson and Associates, Premier Farm Credit, Sterling Federal Credit Union, Sterling Livestock Commission Co., Superior Irrigation and Electric, Vranesh and Raisch LLP, CHS, Doty Farms Truckin’, Inc., CCII, LLC, Brown and Caldwell, Bomgaars, Colorado Rural Water, Morgan County Quality Water and Logan County CSU Extension.

JEFF RICE — JOURNAL-ADVOCATE

Festival-goers were given backpacks to carry home the activities they did during the water festival.

“It was a well-rounded lineup to try show the many aspects of water to the kids, as well as reinforce some of the water curriculum that they have in school as 5th graders.”

— Craig Brownell of LSPWCD

ÒÑLŸ ÒÑÈ

FEELING LIKE GRATITUDE.

JEFF RICE — JOURNAL-ADVOCATE

Joanna Britton of Julesburg learns about the surface tension of water at a Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District booth.

There’s only one Colorado, and we’re the community bank that lives its pioneering spirit. From pastures to farms to families, it’s the communities we’re a part of that make us who we are.

We proudly support the Colorado agricultural industry and would like to thank the hard-working farmers and ranchers that keep food on our tables.

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| SALUTE TO AGRICULTURE | PRAIRIEMOUNTAINMEDIA.COM

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2023

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

PHOTO COURTESY COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE The trade mission included a tour of Port of Valparaiso, a critical trade port Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture, left, during a tour of Lider and Jumbo for Chile. Commissioner Greenberg is seen talking with her seatmate right supermarkets to gain a better understanding of consumer trends in Chile. of center in dark blue coat.

Colorado ag commissioner joins Chile trade mission Trip firmed up relations with state’s third-largest agricultural trading partner

By Sterling Journal-Advocate

Part of the job of Commissioner of Agriculture for Colorado is working to open new markets for Colorado’s agricultural commodities and processed foods and, equally

important, maintaining those markets once they are established.

Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg recently participated in a trade mission to Chile, organized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to celebrate the 200th anniversary of

U.S.-Chile diplomatic relations.

During the trade mission, participants had the opportunity to learn first-hand about the potential for U.S. food and agriculture export in the Chilean and surrounding markets, and to observe U.S. products in the retail sector. USDA was

joined by 14 U.S. companies as well as agriculture officials from North Dakota, Missouri, Nebraska and Colorado.

Greenberg emphasized the importance of maintaining Colorado’s relationship with the South TRADE » PAGE 25

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2023

| SALUTE TO AGRICULTURE| 25

Trade FROM PAGE 24

American country.

“Chile is the third largest market in South America for U.S. agricultural and related products, after Colombia and Peru,” she said. “They recognize the highvalue, high-quality products that the United States, and Colorado in particular, is known to produce and export.”

Greenberg touted efforts by the administration of Gov. Jared Polis toward climate change as a key element to the Colorado-Chile relationship. “Colorado’s leadership in responding to the effects of climate change has been a great asset toward advancing trade and business relationships between our state and our international partners like Chile,” she said. “Colorado is committed to creating additional market opportunities for our producers, especially those who are leaders in the climate-resilient agriculture sector.”

PHOTOS COURTESY COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Members of the trade mission at the Espacio Food & Service Trade Show in Santiago, Chile.

A presentation of the national Chilean dance, Cueca, during the reception for the US Chile Agribusiness Trade Mission. Four state departments of agriculture, 11 cooperators — businesses that help U.S. companies facilitate export — and 14 American food and commodity organizations were represented.

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| SALUTE TO AGRICULTURE | PRAIRIEMOUNTAINMEDIA.COM

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2023

CALICHE FFA

Caliche FFA keeping busy with conferences, SAEs Members have big goals for the year

By Caliche FFA

This year has started and we are off and running.

We went to the Colorado State FFA Convention in Pueblo in June.

Our chapter was very fortunate to have a District FFA Quiz Bowl Team competing at the Convention.

Our chapter also had the honor of having two State FFA Proficiency Award Winners who along with their parents were honored on stage during one of the sessions: Braylon Bruns in Diversified Livestock Production and Jordan Gerk in Swine Production. We also were fortunate to have Orran Adolf, Makenna Armstrong and Stormy Lyons receive their State FFA Degrees.

The Caliche delegation that went to the Colorado State FFA Convention included Max Fryrear, Orran Adolf, Braylon Bruns, Amman Adolf, Jordan Gerk, Raelee Kuskie, Hallie Lewis, Hailey Sommerfeld and advisor Todd Thomas.

The new officer team set some amazing goals for the chapter as well as themselves. The team is

COURTESY PHOTO

Caliche FFA members are pictured at the Being Involved as a Greehand Conference. Back row, left to right; Hailey Sommerfeld, Ethan Gerk, Caiden Bruns, Tyson Wolf, Jacob Reed, Anthony Dallegge, Avery Bell, Cooper Rockwell, Orran Adolf, front row, left to right; Alysia Hogan, Riley Lynch, Cheyenne Lynch and Kane Grauberger. busy working on the POA and making sure our committees are set up for success. The officer/leadership team consists of Orran Adolf, president; Braylon Bruns, vice president; Hallie Lewis, secretary; Amman Adolf, treasurer; Jordan Gerk, treasurer; Hailey Sommerfeld, reporter; and Hayden Lynch, execu-

tive committee member.

Caliche FFA members have also been busy with their SAEs (Supervised Agricultural Experiences), showing livestock at the Logan County Fair and taking care of crops.

The Ag-Ed I class has been busy setting up their AET online record

books and studying for Tool Safety Tests. The Ag-Ed I class also attended the BIG (Becoming Involved as a Greenhand) Conference. This conference is held each year and run by the State FFA Officer team to showcase the many opportunities that are available to members

Saluting Farmers & Ranchers

CALICHE » PAGE 27

FACT: There are more than 38,900 farms on 31.8 million acres in Colorado, producing cattle, corn, dairy products, hay, wheat and more, with the state ranking among the top 10 in American crops of pro sorghum, peaches, proso millet, sheep and lambs. The Colorado ag industry contributes about $47 billion annually to the economy and employs almost 200,000. Additionally, Colorado totals about $2 billion in international ag exports annually.

If you ate today, please thank a farmer or rancher – the ‘Heartbeat of the Plains’

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2023

FORT MORGAN FFA

Caliche

FMHS chapter kept busy with conferences, oyster fry

FROM PAGE 26

of the FFA. As a chapter we had Hailey Sommerfeld and Orran Adolf run for a District 16 officer position.

The Ag-Ed II class has been working on a feed rations unit. They have been learning about the Pearson square and trying out problems to make their own feed rations. The students are also working on personal projects in the Shop. We have been building the annual Adirondack chairs. This class consists of Hailey Sommerfeld, Hallie Lewis, Amman Adolf, Zachary Yost, Riley Becker, Tavin Moser, and Royal Dedrickson.

The Ag-Ed III & IV classes this semester have been working on SAEs, rations, plant science, soil science and took safety tests.

Caliche FFA’s upcoming activities include the National FFA Convention trip, annual fruit and snack sales in November, the District 16 Leadership Conference and an annual trip to the National Western Stock Show.

JEFF RICE — JOURNAL-ADVOCATE

Caliche FFA member Hallie Lewis shows her animal at the Logan County State Fair.

CALLIE JONES — JOURNAL-ADVOCATE

Caliche FFA member Jordan Gerk shows her swine at the 2023 Logan County Fair.

Saluting the Hard-Working Farmers and Ranchers.

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Members did well at district speaking contest

By Zant Reyez reyez@prairiemountainmedia.com

With around 145 members in the Fort Morgan High School FFA chapter, there are plenty of hands to accomplish anything the chapter wants to.

From excelling at district speaking contests to frying up the state cuisine of Rocky Mountain Oysters, the chapter has been busy since school started a few months ago.

Isabella Flores, an FMHS sophomore and the FFA reporter, said members competed recently in the district speaking contest and most of them placed.

Along with that contest, Flores said freshmen got their opportu-

nity to get a taste of competing within FFA at another conference and then the fall conference after that.

However, conferences aside, the chapter was geared up for its annual oyster fry that took place on Oct. 21 at FMHS. The oysters are of the Rocky Mountain flavor, and it’s an event that funds the chapter’s needs moving forward.

“It’s our biggest fundraiser,” she said.

The fry marked the start of the FFA chapter’s other fundraising campaign selling candy.

Flores said members will be selling candy from Oct. 21 until Nov. 26 in the community. Like the fry, the candy fundraiser will go towards activities and other needs of the chapter.

“We’re hoping all of our members participate and get involved,” Flores said.

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| SALUTE TO AGRICULTURE | PRAIRIEMOUNTAINMEDIA.COM

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2023

BRUSH FFA

Kaitlyn Faye leading chapter in first year at Brush High School Ag teacher is impressed by support for ag, FFA

By Zant Reyez reyez@prairiemountainmedia.com

Kaitlyn Faye is in her first year as a Brush High School Agriculture teacher and FFA advisor and is already impressed with the support from the community and BHS students towards ag and FFA. “The kids have a big passion for FFA and agriculture,” she said.

“They’re really involved and they work really hard. I also really like the community of Brush. There’s lots of community support for agriculture as well as for our FFA chapter.”

COURTESY PHOTO

Members of the Brush FFA chapter take a group photo together after the Blue and Gold Banquet in May 2022.

Faye said it’s refreshing to come into an FFA chapter where there’s an endless supply of all-around support.

Even though the school year is barely a few months old, Faye said

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the BHS FFA chapter has been hard at work since school started. From helping at the Morgan County Fair to throwing a back-to-school barbecue and bonfire, Faye said the chapter, which has 75 students in

it, wanted to start the school year off in a strong way.

The chapter recently competed at the Northeastern Colorado Range Judging Contest in New Raymer and FFA members and ag students participated in a conference at the Morgan County Fair.

Faye said at the end of October FFA members will be in Indianapolis for the 96th National FFA Convention. While there, the BHS FFA Ag Mechanics team will be competing. The team of Max Curtis, Cole Curtis, Austin Ley, and Riley Tuck competed with other chapters in the state event in May and won.

Faye said there are other community events in the planning stages the chapter is working to put on in the coming months.

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| SALUTE TO AGRICULTURE| 29

STERLING FFA

WE OFFER A VARIETY OF SERVICES TO GET YOUR CAR BACK ON THE ROAD COURTESY PHOTO

Pictured are Sterling FFA’s 2023-24 chapter officer team members.

Chapter stays busy attending events, competing in contests Advisor excited to see what students accomplish this year

By Callie Jones cjones@prairiemountainmedia.com

Sterling High School FFA members have had plenty to keep them busy as the new school year gets underway.

“This year has been great. We started off really strong and we’ve got some really awesome FFA members who are willing to challenge themselves and put themselves into uncomfortable positions to grow as individuals. So, I think this year is going to be a really exciting year for Sterling FFA and we’re excited to see what all we can accomplish throughout the year,” advisor Whitney Reed said.

Before the school year began, chapter officers kicked off the year with an officer retreat the second week in August. The group went to Red Feather, where they stayed in a cabin overnight and played some games, enjoyed a campfire and went on a hike.

“It was a really good experience.

I feel like as a group of people we all got closer and we got a whole bunch of stuff for the year accom-

plished,” said Grace Petersen, chapter secretary.

The following weekend, the chapter helped set up and serve food at the Feeders and Friends Benefit, in New Raymer.

“That was good just to go and connect with community members and also support a really could cause,” said Alie Sator, chapter president.

Next, the chapter hosted a Back to School FFA Barbecue, with hamburgers, hot dogs and yard games.

Petersen said the turnout was great with a promising group of freshmen and their parents attending.

That was followed by the first chapter meeting, which Sator said gave the officer team a chance to go through things for the first time and provided some activities that allowed members a chance to get to know everyone and find out more about the opportunities FFA has to offer.

In early September, the FFA Mother’s Club hosted its second annual homecoming tailgate to raise money for senior scholarships.

On Sept. 14, the Plant Science class attended the first annual Centennial Conservation District Soil Pit Day. While in the field, students literally got their hands dirty.

STERLING » PAGE 33

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| SALUTE TO AGRICULTURE | PRAIRIEMOUNTAINMEDIA.COM

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2023

Fleming FFA

Fleming FFA attends BIG Conference, CSU Ag Day

PHOTOS COURTESY FLEMING FFA FACEBOOK PAGE

Fleming FFA freshmen attended the BIG (Being Involved as a Greenhand) Conference Sept. 21, 2023, at Northeastern Junior College.

Fleming FFA members volunteered at the pork booth and served ribs to hungry guests at Ag Day at Colorado State University Sept. 30, 2023.

Fleming FFA members were all smiles as they served up ribs to hungry guests at Ag Day at Colorado State University Sept. 30, 2023.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2023

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| SALUTE TO AGRICULTURE| 31

MERINO FFA

Merino members stay busy with achievements and engagement 4 FFA members received state FFA degrees

By Merino High School FFA

The Merino FFA chapter has had an eventful and productive year, with its members engaged in various activities, from receiving prestigious state degrees to participating in educational conferences and community events.

This June, four outstanding Merino FFA members achieved a remarkable milestone as they received the coveted State FFA

Degree during the State FFA Convention. Cooper Dewitt, Tobi Beth Erickson, Bailey Erickson, and Monte Cook demonstrated their dedication and commitment to agriculture, leadership, and community service, earning this esteemed recognition.

The State FFA Degree is the highest honor the state association can bestow upon its members and is a testament to the hard work and dedication of these young individuals in advancing the agricultural industry and their leadership skills.

But the achievements didn’t stop COURTESY PHOTO there. The Merino FFA continues to nurture and inspire the next Merino FFA members showcased their passion for agriculture and their generation of agricultural leaders. commitment to the local community with a float in the 2023 Merino Fall MERINO » PAGE 32 Festival parade

Thank you farmers, ranchers, and all of our neighbors in agriculture.

Your work is the root of our community’s health. We appreciate you growing, harvesting, and producing nourishing foods, while helping to further our mission of ending hunger and food insecurity in Northeastern Colorado and beyond.

St. Elizabeth Hospital is dedicated to transforming health care, driving equity and access and improving the common good.

Centura Health does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, religion, creed, ancestry, sexual orientation, and marital status in admission, treatment, or participation in its programs, services and activities, or in employment. For further information about this policy contact Centura Health’s Office of the General Counsel at 1-303-673-8166 (TTY: 711). Copyright © Centura Health, 2023. ATENCIÓN: Si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística.

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| SALUTE TO AGRICULTURE | PRAIRIEMOUNTAINMEDIA.COM

Merino FROM PAGE 31

Sixteen enthusiastic freshman FFA members attended the “Becoming Involved as a Greenhand Conference.” This event provided them with valuable insights into the FFA program, its principles, and the role they can play in shaping the future of agriculture.

Another remarkable initiative was the participation of 25 Merino FFA members in the Soils Field Day sponsored by Centennial Soil Conservation. This educational event offered them a hands-on opportunity to delve into the world of soil science and its critical role in our lives. Participants gained a deeper understanding of how soil quality and conservation practices affect agriculture, the environment, and the community.

Merino’s FFA chapter also made its presence felt in the community by actively participating in the Merino Fall Festival Parade. Thirty members came together to create a vibrant and engaging float that

showcased their passion for agriculture and their commitment to the local community. Their involvement exemplified the FFA’s dedication to fostering strong connections with the community and promoting agricultural awareness.

Looking ahead, Merino FFA is preparing to make waves on a national scale. Seven of its members are gearing up to attend the prestigious National FFA Convention in October. This convention serves as an unparalleled platform for networking, learning, and showcasing their agricultural accomplishments at the national level. The Merino FFA members are excited to represent their chapter and state on this grand stage.

The Merino FFA chapter is undoubtedly thriving, with its members actively engaged in diverse activities that promote leadership, agricultural education, and community involvement. These achievements and commitments reflect the core values of the FFA program, and the Merino community can look forward to more outstanding contributions from its young agricultural leaders in the years to come.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2023

COURTESY PHOTOS

Merino FFA advisor Todd Everhart is pictured with chapter members who received their State FFA Degree at the 2023 State FFA Convention, in June. From left; Tobi Beth Erickson, Bailey Erickson and Cooper Dewitt.

Not pictured is Monte Cook.

Merino FFA members are pictured at the 2023 Soils Field Day sponsored by Centennial Soil Conservation.

Approximately 25 members attended the event.

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2023

Sterling FROM PAGE 29

They rotated between four stations where they learned how to texture soil, identify soil horizons, distinguish soil colors, determine soil permeability, test soil pH levels, and much more. They also got to learn more about the importance of soil during the “soil tunnel” scavenger hunt.

Students finished the day by listening to a few individuals talk about how their jobs in various industries are connected to soil.

These speakers included individuals from Logan County Extension, CHS, and our local water board.

“We are very appreciative of the Centennial Conservation District for putting on such an engaging, interactive event!” Reed said.

Later in the month, the chapter had a booth at Sugar Beet Days with the Sterling Sugarbeet Growers Association. They made and sold cotton candy at the event and were able to get Sterling FFA’s face out in the community and advocate for agriculture and the sugar beet industry.

On Sept. 21, the chapter took 36 first-year members to the BIG (Being Involved as a Greenhand) Conference, held at Northeastern Junior College, which Petersen said was a pretty high number.

“It was a really good first FFA experience,” she said.

That same day, district officer interviews were conducted and Petersen was elected as district secretary and Sator was elected as an executive committee member. Another chapter member, Connie Gassaway, served on the officer nominating committee.

On Sept. 26, students competed in the Regional Range Judging contest. During the contest, students do a variety of things such as: identify rangeland plants, determine palatability rating, range utilization, and ecological site, as well as recommend a grazing plan.

“This contest is a challenging one and the Sterling students represented us well,” Reed said.

On Oct. 7, seventeen members attended the Fall Leadership Conference at Colorado State University, in Fort Collins. The conference included in-depth workshops to help members develop their leadership skills.

COURTESY PHOTO

Sterling FFA members are pictured at the Regional Range Judging contest Sept. 26, 2023.

Among the chapter’s upcoming activities is Ag in the Classroom, a partnership with Campbell Elementary fourth grade teachers where FFA members bring different animals and crops to show the younger students and educate them a little bit more about agriculture and FFA. When they’re not busy going to events, Sator and Peterson host the FFA Roundup radio show on Thursdays at 6:30 a.m. on 105.7 KPMX. They interview different people, talk about what’s going on in the chapter and educate community members on agriculture.

Chapter reporter Ayla Baney also sends out a monthly newsletter to community members, school staff, parents and members, to let people know what’s going on.

For those involved, FFA provides an invaluable.

“This is my third year being an FFA member and FFA has really taught me a whole bunch of leadership skills and just to make friends with tons of different people because it will be worth it in the end,” Petersen said.

It’s also Sator’s third year in FFA and she said serving on the officer team with a whole group of people “is a great way to learn how to work with others in a group setting and also develop yourself as a leader.” She also appreciates all the different opportunities that she’s been able to take advantage of, including participating in different events and becoming more knowledgeable about different opportunities within the agriculture industry that she’s interested in.

| SALUTE TO AGRICULTURE| 33

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| SALUTE TO AGRICULTURE | PRAIRIEMOUNTAINMEDIA.COM

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2023

CSU EXTENSION

Making decisions about aged cows in a high market year

By Scott Stinnett Golden Plains Area Extension

Cattle prices have been on the rise this year. With a decline in the U.S. cow herd but no change in beef demand, prices for feeder and fed cattle have risen to levels not seen since 2014. Bred heifers and young bred cows are also up. Some early spring (January) calving commercial bred heifers are being offered for $3,000 or more per head. This has also created a price increase on weigh cows.

As of Oct. 13 in eastern Colorado, open cows are bringing anywhere from $75 cwt for thin cows, to $119 cwt for high yield cows. The price for older bred cows has also seen a substantial increase. Mature bred cows, 5 years old or older, range in price from $1,500 to $1,800 per head. Compare that to the same time in 2022 when bred cows were bringing $800 to $1,200 per head.

This has created an interesting situation this fall. I observed at our local sale the other day, a producer brought in cows ranging in age from 5 to 8 years old, to be pregnancy checked and to be sold as bred or open. All cows were in good condition, with BCS of 5 to 6. The livestock sale called all the cows “solid mouth.” The bred cows were approximately 4 months bred and sold for $1,600 to $1,700 per head. The producer’s open cows, sold by weight, brought prices ranging from $106 cwt to $108 cwt. and weighed from 1,485 to 1,565 pounds. At those prices and weights, the open cow brought $1,574 to $1,690 and were almost

JEFF RICE — JOURNAL-ADVOCATE

Gene Manuello with a pen of cow-calf pairs on his farm north of Sterling. equal to the bred cows’ prices.

Producers need to put pencil to paper. Do they need to take advantage of these higher cow prices? Do you sell cows as bred or simply by weight? Do you preg check and give those questionable bred cows one more year? What will the bred cow market be later in the winter as they are closer to spring calving? If selling older cows and wanting to replace them with younger first calf cows or bred heifers, what will that cost? Could they buy some other mature bred cows and possibly have some $200 cwt calves to sell next year for a much lower investment than with bred heifers?

There are no crystal balls for the cattle market, but producers have a lot to consider as they evaluate marketing or buying bred cows this fall.

With a decline in the U.S. cow herd but no change in beef demand, prices for feeder and fed cattle have risen to levels not seen since 2014.

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