The Progressive Rancher - Jul-Aug 2019

July-August 2019

IN THIS ISSUE

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24 SRM - Greenhouse Projects

4 NCA Roundup

26 Eddie R. Snyder Obituary

6 NBC Checkoff News

28 Bovine Health Management Anaplasmosis

7 NBC Recipe

Conservation Easement Articles

8 Mind of a Millennial

Livestock Groups Reach Agreement with Activists on Management of BLM Horses and Burros Differences Between High-, Mediumand Low-Profit Cow-Calf Producers Economic Contribution of Nevada Agriculture

10 Eye on the Outside 12 Nevada Cattlewomen Update 12 Interview: Jessica Anderson 14 Interivew: Lana Gibbs

18 NDA News Release

21 NDA Scale Inspections

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22 BLM 2019 Fire Season Update

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31 UNR News Release 32 NFB - NV Legislative Session 33 NFB - AG in the Classroom

36 Quality Beef Assurance - Cattle Care & Handling Guidelines 41 Range Plants for the Rancher 46 Churchill County Cowbell Grilled Beef Salad Recipe

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30 Anaplasmosis Fact Sheet

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29 Conservation Easements

33 NFB - 2019 Quilt Raffle 16 Protect the Harvest - We Must Stand United (Horse World) 34 - BLM News Releases 20 NDA / NAC - Get Involved in AG Literacy in Schools

Agriculture Reports

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From the desk of your NCA president Hello Friends,

By Sam Mori, NCA President

I certainly hope your summer is going well, as it was late in arriving, but it is always nice to be able to change gears and enjoy the new season. As we evaluate the current state of our industry, it is easy to be consumed by the negative things being reported and talked about it. However, at the end of the day, I feel it is essential to focus on how fortunate we are to be able to do what we do as ranchers and farmers and live in the greatest world.

The Nevada Cattlemen’s Association is committed to being an asset to you as we face the challenges that we all encounter. Our diverse committees are led by experienced people and are here to address your concerns. One item that will be of interest to many of us is a special marketing session that will take place at the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association Annual Convention in Elko, NV on November 21-23, 2019. During the session, we will hear from a broad representation of the people that handle our cattle after they leave the ranch. It will allow us to communicate with these folks about what they truly want and don’t want in the cattle they buy. This presentation will be done in a panel discussion format with a question and answer period for engagement between buyers and sellers. I feel this session is timely due to the fact that feed costs and cost of gain are going up and will change the market we are selling into.

and most of our legislators don’t understand rural Nevada. It becomes so crucial to educate and communicate with them about the real asset the rural counties are to our state and nation.

By the time you read this article, the Board of Directors will have met with the State Directors of four Government Agencies on June 20th in Elko. We will let you know of any changes or concerns that are of value as they arise.

I want to remind all of you that your Association is here to serve your needs and concerns. If we can be of help in any way, don’t hesitate to call.

Thank you for your time and best wishes. Until next time,

Sam

Sam Mori President, Nevada Cattlemen’s Association

With trade being such a vital part of our export market future, it is important to communicate to our congressional delegation not to delay any deals that will allow for fair commerce.

Many thanks go out to our Legislators, lobbyist and their staff, as we saw the Nevada Legislators end the 2019 session. Friends I am going to be honest with you on this, we are in a changing state,

www.progressiverancher.com

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JULY - AUGUST 2019 3

Opportunity of a Lifetime

By Kaley Sproul Chapin, NCA Executive Director On May 29th through June 7th, I had the opportunity to attend the 2019 Young Cattlemen’s Conference (YCC) hosted by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).

During my meetings with the Nevada congressional delegation, I met with staff members from the following offices: Congressman Amodei, Congressman 2019 YCC Group Photo Horsford, Congresswoman Titus, Senator Cortez Masto, and Senator Rosen. I also met directly with Words can hardly describe how amazing an experience Congresswoman Susie Lee. At these meetings, I it was and how grateful I am to have attended specifically spoke about the U.S.-Mexico-Canada on behalf of the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association Agreement, the value of grazing and continued (NCA). A special thank you to Newmont Goldcorp support for flexibility in grazing permits, the Wild for sponsoring the opportunity for Nevada to send Horse and Burro Proposal, and continued support for someone to YCC every year. The NCA greatly Electronic Logging Device (ELD) delay for livestock appreciates their support in helping to build leaders of haulers. It is important to continually communicate tomorrow within the beef industry. with our representatives on these issues because they do not always understand how these issues impact At NCBA’s YCC program, over 60 cattle and beef our beef industry. Along with building an open line of professionals from across the country and across the communication with the staff members, it is important industry attended the conference. It is a chance for to note how much the NCBA and Public Lands young leaders to gain an understanding of all aspects of Council (PLC) do on the Hill for our industry. They L to R: Kaley Chapin NCA Executive Director, Congressthe beef industry from pasture to plate and showcase are continuously working on our behalf and being at woman Lee, YCC guest John Pfaff from North Dakota the industry’s involvement in policy making, issues the forefront of these issues. If you would like to know management, research, education, and marketing. more about my visits on the Hill, please contact me at Beginning at the NCBA headquarters in Centennial, 775-738-9214.

Colo., we got an inside look at many of the issues With the beef industry changing rapidly, identifying affecting the beef industry and the work being done on and educating leaders has never been so important. both the state and national level to address these issues As a grassroots trade association representing the beef on behalf of the NCBA membership. While in Denver, industry, the NCBA is proud to play a role in that we were given an overview of NCBA’s organizational process and its future success. Over 1,000 cattlemen structure and activities, as well as retailers’ perspective and women have graduated from the YCC program on the beef industry. since its inception in 1980. Many of these alumni From Denver, we traveled north to Greeley, Colo., where we visited and toured the JBS Greeley Beef Plant, Five River’s Kuner Feedyard, and Greeley HatWorks. Next, we traveled to Chicago where we visited McDonald’s Campus and OSI, one of the nation’s premiere beef patty producers. After the brief stop in Chicago, the conference concluded the trip in Washington D.C., for an in-depth briefing on current policy issues including international trade and industry issues. Following the presentations, we were visited one-on-one with members of our state’s congressional delegation, expressing viewpoints regarding the beef industry.

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have gone to serve in state and national committees, councils, and boards. YCC is the cornerstone of leadership training in the cattle industry.

Along with learning more about the industry from pasture to plate, I had the pleasure of meeting so many impressive Young Cattlemen and Cattlewomen from across the nation. I am proud of being a part of such a great industry. If you are interested in being the next attendee on behalf of the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association, please contact myself or any other YCC alumni from NV. I would be glad to talk to you more about this incredible experience.

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JULY - AUGUST 2019 5

CHECKOFF NEWS Seasonal Beef Marketing

By Nevada Beef Council Staff

We are in the middle of peak “grilling season”, which typically begins with Memorial Day and ends on Labor Day. (Though for those of you reading this from Southern Nevada, does grilling season ever really end?) Big holidays such as Father’s Day and Independence Day, summer vacations, and warm weather all converge during this 15-week stretch, making it prime time for outdoor cooking and celebrations. For the Beef Checkoff and state beef councils (SBCs) such as yours here in Nevada, capitalizing on this prime grilling time with seasonal marketing and outreach to both consumers and those in the retail channel is a big part of every summer.

Let’s take some of the “beefy” holidays that occur during this timeframe, for example. Did you know that National Hamburger Day is May 28th and National Beef Jerky Day is June 12th? And an entire month ( July) is dedicated to the summertime staple that is the hot dog. When it comes to food holidays – especially beef-related ones - these are just the tip of the iceberg.

The checkoff and SBCs lead the charge in celebrating these all-important food holidays through timely social media and digital marketing targeting consumers. What’s more, seasonal content is regularly update on BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com, including a robust burger collection and unique beef jerky recipes in honor of the afore-mentioned dates.

But it doesn’t take a specific holiday to celebrate all things beef, especially during grilling season. That’s why checkoff-funded organizations work hard to highlight and promote beef through partnerships with retailers, for whom beef means business – especially during the summer months. Beef has long been a particularly attractive feature for retailers, and for good reason. Beef drives more sales, with shopping baskets that include beef nearly double the average trip ring, while carts with beef drive 44 percent more sales across the store than those with chicken.

Beef also drives consumers to stores. When it comes to retailers promoting beef, research has shown that store circulars and apps almost always highlight meat department items on the front page because it draws consumers to stores. Because of this draw, retailers have run at least 12.1 million meat and poultry ads in each of the past several years.

In terms of grilling, consumers say beef is frequently their top grilling season protein. Retail sales data certainly supports this as high-value middle meat steak sales jump over 5 percent from average during this timeframe. And while ground beef remains a steady player throughout the year, it really shines in burger form during these summer months.

To get a sense of just what cuts consumers reach for during the grilling season, take a look at the top selling cuts from this 15-week period in 2018.

2018 Grilling Season – Top Selling Cuts by Dollars Ribeye Steak • Strip Steak • T-Bone Steak • Tenderloin Steak • Top Sirloin Steak • Chuck Center Roast • Stew Meat • Top Round First Steak • Tenderloin Filet • Porterhouse Steak Clearly, retailers don’t need a more compelling reason to feature beef during these summer months. But checkoff-funded organizations make sure they have plenty of tools at their fingertips to really highlight the protein, in both their marketing efforts, and at the meat case.

Through development of ready-to-use marketing assets, sharing of consumer research that offers helpful insight for the retail environment, and promotion of Chuck Knows Beef (the all-new virtual assistant that is an expert on all things beef ), the checkoff works to make it easy for retailers to incorporate beef into their marketing efforts.

For the Nevada Beef Council, the recently updated website even includes a portal specifically for those in the retail and foodservice industries, which is available at www.nevadabeef.org/retail-foodservice.

All of this represents just a portion of ways in which your checkoff works to promote beef all season long, so that when Nevadans fire up their grills this summer, they’ll remember what’s for dinner. Beef.

Learn more about grilling favorites at BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com.

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Greek-Seasoned T-Bone Steaks with Cucumber and Tomato Salad

By Nevada Beef Council Staff Who said impressive dishes have to be complicated?

Iconic T-Bone Steak is grilled, then sliced and served with a simple Greek salad – with ingredients you can get fresh from your summer garden.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 beef T-Bone or Porterhouse Steaks, cut 1 inch thick (about 1 pound each) • 1 medium lemon • 1 tablespoon Greek seasoning • 1 medium cucumber, cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into thin slices (about 2 cups) • 2 cups chopped tomatoes, or halved grape tomatoes • 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese • Salt and pepper “Courtesy of Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.”

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

• Grate peel and squeeze 1 tablespoon juice from lemon. Combine Greek seasoning and lemon peel.

Reserve 2 teaspoons mixture for salad. Press remaining mixture evenly onto beef steaks.

• Place steaks on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, covered, 11 to 16 minutes (over medium heat on preheated gas grill, 15 to 19 minutes) for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning occasionally.

• Meanwhile, combine reserved 2 teaspoons seasoning mixture, lemon juice, cucumber, tomatoes and cheese in medium bowl, stirring to combine. Season with salt and pepper, as desired.

• Remove bones; carve steaks into slices. Season with salt, as desired. Serve beef with cucumber and tomato salad.

Cook's Tip: To broil, place steaks on rack in broiler pan so surface of beef is 3 to 4 inches from heat.

Broil 15 to 20 minutes for medium rare to medium doneness, turning once. www.nevadabeef.org | www.mybeefcheckoff.org www.progressiverancher.com

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JULY - AUGUST 2019 7

In the Mind of a Millennial

By Jill Scofield, Director of Producer Relations, California & Nevada Beef Council

Broadening Our Technological Horizons

by Jill Scofield

A few months back, I shared an update on the use of an exciting new technology in the beef world – Chuck Knows Beef. As a quick refresher, Chuck is powered by Google Artificial Intelligence (AI) and was designed to help consumers bring modern technology to the kitchen in new and exciting ways.

Chuck is an “all-knowing virtual beef expert” designed for the new generation of family cooks who are looking for food inspiration and information. He can be enabled on a smart speaker through the Amazon Alexa and Google Home apps to ask questions about beef recipes, cuts and cooking methods. Chuck can also answer questions about production, like antibiotic use, sustainability, nutrition, and more.

Further, about 45 percent of millennials reportedly use voice assistants such as Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant when shopping.

Thus, the reasons for developing a tool like Chuck Knows Beef are pretty clear. It allows us in the beef community to help people get to know more about and work with beef in their home kitchens through technology. At the end of the day, if this makes it easier and more accessible for consumers to incorporate beef into their regular menus, it’s a win-win for our industry as a whole.

I encourage you to try Chuck out, and see for yourself just how he works. Get started at ChuckKnowsBeef.com.

An Updated Online Presence in Nevada Here more locally, the Nevada Beef Council has updated its website for a refreshed look and updated resources for consumers, influencers and producers alike. On the consumer side, the new site offers plenty of information for Nevada consumers to learn more about what it takes to raise cattle and produce beef, as well as beef recipes, beef nutrition, information about the NBC and more.

Jill Scofield is the Director of Produce Relations for the California and Nevada Beef Councils. She grew up on a cow-calf ranch in Northwestern Nevada.

Also new is an online portal for retail and foodservice operators, providing insights, research data, industry trends, inspiration, and marketing strategies to help promote beef in the meat case or on the menu. And of course, the portal includes information on Chuck Knows Beef!

Chuck was fully launched earlier this year, and the beef checkoff team and state beef councils throughout the country have been working hard to raise awareness of the skill. One specific effort is engaging with those in the retail community to encourage consumers to use Chuck while they’re shopping at the meat case. The checkoff team has created a variety of marketing tools for retail partners to use, like signs for the meat case, banner-ups (like the one pictured) for placement in retail locations, digital ads for use on social media and websites, and more.

Chuck is an example of how the beef checkoff continually adapts to consumer trends. When you consider the popularity of smart speakers, and the fact that almost half of all smart speaker users have used their device to find a recipe or to get cooking advice or assistance, it makes sense that we should have a beef expert available through this medium.

Unsurprisingly, millennials were early adopters of smart speaker technology, with nearly 25 million consumers in this generation alone (more than a third of the millennial population) using smart speakers last year - a number that is expected to continue climbing.

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Lastly, producer resources are available, providing information about the beef checkoff, information about the NBC board of directors, and copies of current and previous annual reports. Learn more at www.nevadabeef.org.

RAISING BEEF IN NEVADA Raising beef is a complex process, but throughout the entire journey, one thing remains constant – the shared commitment to raising cattle in a safe, humane and environmentally sustainable way by using the latest technology and resources. Currently, more than 700,000 cattle farms and ranches in the United States, with an average herd size of 40 cattle, produce 19 percent of the world's beef.

Learn more about the people and the process involved in raising beef from the pasture to the plate.

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By Joseph Guild

Thoughts on Weather, Sustainability & Adaptation I recently looked at the National Drought Mitigation Center map of the United States for May 16, 2019 from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln which started a whole host of thoughts.

First, is the obvious; almost the entire US is drought free for the first time in a very long time and, there are only a few pockets that are slightly dry. This is proof that we have had a remarkable winter almost everywhere. For the west including California and the intermountain region this has meant above average rain and snow in the mountains. This will mean average hay supplies at least this summer in the mountain west. For California as I personally witnessed during a drive in to the Central Valley it means a lot of residual feed to protect the fall growth if there are timely rains. This will result in a good market going west for many intermountain calves this fall.

For the mid-west, as of this writing, there are still many acres of corn that have not been planted and will likely not be planted. And, for the south and northeast it looks like things were about normal.

Some of the thoughts which crept in after seeing this map touched on the philosophical. This map is just evidence that if you are in agriculture change is the norm and nothing ever stays the same for very long. Read this same map in the summer of 2018 and you would have seen severe drought conditions over most of the western US. Now, as I said above, in California in early June there is still green grass.

The Sierra Nevada range is full of snow and Southwestern Colorado is drought free. The inability of many farmers in the Corn Belt to even go into their fields to plant means there could be a shortage of corn this harvest season. This could increase the price and thus the price of calves might suffer a downward trend. Maybe western cow calf ranchers will take a loss compared to the last several years in the price feeders are willing to pay given the price of corn might increase significantly due to smaller supplies. There could also be a softening of the stocker market.

The nation has fewer cows in production now than in the 1980s. However, we are producing 10 JULY - AUGUST 2019

more pounds of beef product than just 30 short years ago. We routinely use genetic data supplied by most seed stock ranchers to plan our genetic progress in our commercial herds and thus we are a more sustainable industry than we were just a few years ago.

our critics refuse to acknowledge. This is a true picture of sustainability. The fact that fewer cattle are producing the same amount of beef in the United States is proof enough that this industry is sustainable and helping to contribute to solving the world’s food needs and not harming the planet.

The more production from fewer animals results in less strain on water and plant resources and a more efficient use of fewer acres devoted to beef production. We cannot stop weather events like this past winter all across the nation and the warm rains that have flooded millions of acres in the Midwest.

But we can, and do, adapt. The big buzz word nowadays is sustainability

For instance, the notion that cattle belching (not farting) is contributing significantly to global warming is nonsense. When compared to the transportation sector the measly 2% contribution to greenhouse gasses when compared with the food provided to humans is a pretty good cost benefit.

The cattle industry does not have to apologize for its contributions to human welfare. We just have to do a better job of telling the story of how we have adapted to societal needs and wants and our own response in appositive way to the changes necessary to become better, more responsible producers.

Our consumers want to know if our ranches are sustainable. What they and our critics are really saying is are we doing what we can to “save the planet”. There is a great deal of misinformation

We cannot stop weather events like this past winter.

But we can, and do, adapt. about the impact of livestock production on the changing climate and the degree which can be attributed to this impact. The image of the cowboy on a horse riding with a herd of cattle over some grassy hills is still the true and accurate picture of how most livestock spend most of their lives throughout most of the world.

The cowboy in the picture can be replaced by a farmer in France, a Mongolian herder or a North African shepherd. But, a valuable human protein source is utilizing land for most of its life that otherwise would not be suitable for any other agricultural production. This is the truth that The Progressive Rancher

Another change American beef producers have to adapt to is alternative sources of protein which are based on plants and masquerading as “meat” It is ironic the manufacturers of these products have to copy as best they can the taste and texture of real beef in order to induce people to try the fake stuff.

But make no mistake, there is threat here.

I read a recent New York Times article that one manufacturer of this product could not keep up with orders and had to ration the product to various wholesalers and retailers. Another time I was in a fast food Mexican restaurant where I ordered two carne asada tacos. Prominently displayed on the menu board was an announcement proudly anticipating the upcoming arrival of plant based tacos that tasted like the real thing. One of the larger burger fast food outlets will also have a plant based protein “burger” on its menu too.

We have to continue to produce the best, most nutritious and tastiest product we can and in the end I do not think we will lose much market share to competitive protein sources. Thus, the response to this change will be to do better what we are already doing. The truth will be our best ally as it always has been.

I’ll see you soon. www.progressiverancher.com

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JULY - AUGUST 2019 11

Nevada CattleWomen, Inc. Summer Update Welcome Summer! Hopefully, most have made it through spring branding, have turned out, and are working on the hay crop. This weather on our end of the state has been a little crazy. We have had cold weather, hot weather, and afternoon thunderstorms that do not seem to end.

There were three of us that attended the Region VI meeting in Bear Lake, UT the first of May. A heifer had hit me in the temple while in a chute on the Saturday before I left. I thought I was in the clear because I did not have black eyes on Sunday. I jumped in my car on Monday morning leaving about 5 a.m. to meet Melinda Sarman and Madison Hooper in Elko. When I hit Elko, I had a bad eyeliner look, and by the time we hit Bear Lake, UT, I had two totally black eyes. It led to some good conversation at the event.

It was a great meeting in Utah with inspirational speakers and discussion about Region VI activities and leadership. We will be looking for a new Region VI Director as Pam Griffin of Arizona will meet her term limits at the Region VI meeting in 2020. If anyone is interested, please contact us. Madison Hooper was elected to a Region VI committee, and we would love to see more Nevada women participating in region and national committees. If there is something that you are interested in, please let us know.

Nevada CattleWomen, Inc. is continuing to work on organizational development.

We are learning so much about non-profits, EIN numbers, articles of incorporation, insurance and much much more. We also need to start fundraising for our activities to be held at the annual Nevada Cattlemen’s Association meetings. Ruby Uhart has done an outstanding job with social media, and we are getting ready to order some Nevada CattleWomen tee-shirts that will be for sale. We have some designs ready and we will post it on social media when they are available.

Staci Emm, President, Madison Hooper, Vice President, and Melinda Sarmon, President Elect attending Region VI meeting in Bear Lake, UT May 2019.

By Staci Emm

I have been working with the American National Cattle Women (ANCW) to redesign the national leadership program with leadership co-chair Leslee Lorhenz of Colorado. We will be offering “Level I: Basic Start to ANCW Leadership Principals” this summer in Aurora, Colorado on Sunday, July 28, 2019 at 8 a.m. The summer meeting is being held at the Gaylord of the Rockies Resort & Convention Center. To get more information, please go to https://ancw.org/eventsannualmeeting/ The resolution that Nevada CattleWomen, Inc. approved in December of 2018 on “Agricultural Literacy” will be on the ANCW docket for approval in Colorado at the summer business meeting. I have heard really good things about the agricultural literacy programs going on in the state. We should be very proud of the work that Nevada cattle women have been doing. I had a chance to attend the youth programs that Lucy Snyder held during her bull sale at Yerington High School and Smith Valley Schools. They were outstanding and the youth really enjoyed them.

I have also heard outstanding comments about the Elko County CattleWomen agricultural literacy events.

As I close, I wish everyone a fruitful and productive summer. My prayers are with those ranches already experiencing wildfire in Arizona. I pray that we are all safe here in Nevada.

InteRview: Jessica Anderson

M

by Ruby Uhart

y name is Jessica Anderson, wife to the Cow Boss, Spencer Anderson, blogger, and lover of calf brandings. We have been married 10 years, together 13. Together we operate Anderson Cattle Company. We are primarily a cow-calf operation and we run age and source verified cattle that are part of the Non Hormone Treated and Antibiotic free program. We are planning to GAP certify our herd as well. The newest growth for us has been the addition of our 2A Beef, a boxed beef program that I am launching this spring. This has been a dream of mine for about the last 5 or 6 years, and it has finally come true.

My day job includes being a program educator for the Cooperative Extension which consists of outreach education for the extension so I am usually traveling to school sites around the state or hosting beginning farmers and ranchers workshops.

I am also still very passionate about high school ag education, so I work with the state ag education folks and help out with various events and projects there as well. We currently live in Smith Valley, and run cattle in California and Nevada.

Town is about 30 miles away and I joined Nevada CattleWomen’s in 2015 when we transplanted here from Northern California. Prior to moving I was a High School Agriculture Teacher and fell in love with ag education of any kind. I believe we need to share our stories about ranching and agriculture to keep it alive. My motto is “Never have I met a stranger.” With an unshakeable belief in the future of agriculture, I hope to inspire and encourage everyone I meet to learn more about ranching and farming.

As for the ranch wife duties, it is definitely early mornings, late nights, and weekends! Depending on the season, I help out with feeding cows, calving, gathering, processing, and shipping with blogging and business duties wedged in the cracks. I wouldn’t have it any other way!

As much as it seems that to be in this industry, you had to be born in it, I was most definitely not. I grew up with horses and 4-H, but no cattle. For whatever reason, when I entered college, I just knew that I needed to marry a cowboy, raise cattle,

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and live on a ranch. Seems cliché, I know. Call it divine intervention, a whispering of purpose, a calling… Not really sure, but I can remember the day, like it was yesterday when I knew that was what I was meant to do. The road to this lifestyle definitely has come with its twists and turns, but here we are.

My husband on the other hand, knew it from the moment he was born. Although he didn’t grow up in a ranching family, he has cowboyed for the last 20 years. When we met, we always talked about owning our own. They say timing has everything to do with the outcome of a rain dance, and that has definitely been the case for us.

After we left family, friends, and all we knew in California, the dream of owning our own cattle became a reality for us in fall 2016. Our proudest moment was when we bought our first load of cows. There is no feeling quite like it; Pride, excitement, anxiousness, nervousness, overwhelm, humbled, blessed… I could go on forever.

Nothing has ever been quite like watching that truck roll in and back up to the loading chute and watching those ladies unload. The loads thereafter were exciting too, but nothing quite like the first one. Honestly, call me crazy, but I LOVE working cattle with my husband. There is no place I’d rather be. Now that doesn’t mean I haven’t walked off and left him mid gather, or locked the keys in the pickup, or run cattle through the fence to be followed by a hind-end rearrangement, or slipped the clutch while feeding and thrown him off the feed wagon, or that he hasn’t made me wade through waist deep water to take a rope off a huffy cow, or….

You get where I am going…... Honestly it makes for great stories and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

My advice for these tense situations- don’t take yourself or any of it too seriously.

Grow an extra layer of skin, and if all else fails, just laugh. Ranching, cattle, and being married to a Cow Boss isn’t for the faint of heart, but it is darn sure worth it.

Enjoy the little moments; those deep conversations while calving heifers, or long drives to pick up bulls, or eating at the sale yard on a Tuesday. Rather than focusing on the negative, shift your perspective and focus on all that are your blessings. Not very many women get the pleasure of working beside their spouse. I am sure some wives would rather not! If it is something you long for, then just enjoy it. I know it is something I can’t wait to solely do, but for now, I appreciate the town job and relish every minute I get to do the ranch wife’n.

Sometimes, I say it with trepidation that we are first generation ranchers. As new “owners” in the industry, it hasn’t always been the way we imagined. What I can say is those who have stood alongside us in this journey are the true heroes of the sport. Their encouragement, love, and support are what keep the industry alive.

With more and more families leaving ranching, who is going to step up and do it for the future generations? We will! We will do it with passion, because we love it; every aspect of it. What I do know, is since our story is somewhat different than most in this industry, I think embracing and sharing just that, is part of our purpose.

I want to encourage every person I meet, to chase that dream. Chase it without caution. I want to never meet a stranger and tell our story with conviction. I want to encourage new comers with the same grace that has been shown to us while we have been starting out. Rather than hiding in embarrassment of not being born into ranching, I want to embrace it and share it with others, so they will chase their dreams too. Once I let go of the “image” I created for myself of what it looked like to be a rancher, and started living the story I was meant to, great things have happened. In a few short years, we have bought cattle, grown our operation, have included the boxed beef venture, learned, grown, researched, networked, and plan to keep growing.

My most favorite thing about ranch life is the life style; it’s the long days and short nights, it’s the cold weather and heat, it’s the long hours and the smell of the early morning or dew on the sage brush. It’s seeing the hard work you put in pay off. It’s believing in something that built this country. It’s raising a family in a way that instills hard work, perseverance, and kindness. Branding Season is by far my favorite time of year, but I equally love calving season too. You gotta have calving season in order to enjoy branding season. I love branding season mostly for the camaraderie; Helping your neighbors out and visiting with people, laughing, storytelling and good times. It makes the long lonesomeness of winter worth it come spring time. And of course the roping! Roping is so fun! It’s a place to show off your skill and passion. Those fancy shots you work on all year in the doctoring pasture, now get to be brought to town. Branding time is fun time.

"We have to share our story. People want to know where their food comes from ... now more than ever." amount of planning or preparation can really prepare you for what can and will happen. You can “think” all your duck’s are in a row, and then BAM, one just flies off.

So for me, that has been the biggest challenge. Although it has been a challenge, I have learned to trust it because even in the face of hardship, lies opportunity. They are these beautiful gifts wrapped up in work clothes. Sometimes at the moment, it seems like the end of the world, but a year later you look back and think “man, I am actually glad that happened”. It makes you work harder, it makes you keep trying and pushing for more. It’s what I have come to learn is a part of ranching.

In my honest, humble opinion and being relatively new to all of this, I don’t think you can ever be prepared 100%. You can think you are and do everything in your being to be prepared, but at the end of the day you gotta just go with the flow. Roll with the punches, and trust the Big Man has a better plan. I’ve adopted the motto, “Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape!”

To say our stresses are more burdensome than someone who lives in an urban setting, is probably not fair. I would say they are just different. I know I couldn’t survive in the city, and I am sure a city dweller would say the same for ranch life.

I don’t think one is more stressful than the other, just different. Though they be different lifestyles, stress is stress. It just depends if you prefer it wrapped in cow poop or fast moving taxis.

We have to share our story. People want to know where their food comes from and how it is raised, now more than ever. I think this is a good thing. It is a way to show what we do and the love and pride that goes into it. It helps people who are removed from the ranch and farm life have a better understanding of and compassion for the challenges we face.

If I could leave you with just one parting though it would be- Just do it. If the desire was placed in your heart to be in the ag industry, go for it. It was put there for a reason. Trust your heart! God wouldn’t allow it, if it wasn’t meant to be. Do your homework, research, learn, intern, read, and never stop learning. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, and for help.

Quiet all the background noise, whether it be from your own doubts or from those who do not understand why you are wanting to start ranching. Don’t let someone tell you, YOU CAN’T, who doesn’t have the power to tell you, YOU CAN. Be kind to yourself and have grace. You will make mistakes, it’s inevitable. Mistakes and failures are how we grow. Like Winston Churchill says, “Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm”. To make it, you just gotta keep getting back up. Nothing will be harder than the first few years. Be firm in your The hardest thing about ranch life is all the unknowns. Weather, disease, predators, goals but flexible in your path to reaching them. It’s better to have risked it all and leases etc. It’s knowing that you have to be flexible and willing to go with the flow. give it your best, then to have gotten to the end of your life and wish you would Remember, I was a teacher, planning is what I do. I have come to learn that no have tried. www.progressiverancher.com

The Progressive Rancher

JULY - AUGUST 2019 13

InteRview: lana Gibbs

by Ruby Uhart & Donna Cromie

With previous stories I’ve shared, I’ve not provided an introduction as each woman spoke for herself and told her story with only a little guidance from me. This time is a bit different however, as the woman I have chosen to interview passed away in 2016.

I asked her daughter for help, and she talked with her aunt Donna, who is Lana Gibbs’ twin sister. Here, Donna shares Lana’s story as she remembers it. Lana’s legacy indeed lives on in her children and with her husband Bill. When visiting the Gibbs Ranch, what Lana brought, and in turn left behind, is evident. One can feel her presence there in the flow of events on the ranch. Lana’s story is a remembrance, told by those who knew and loved her most, and it is a testament to the fact that these ranch women who often go unnoticed, unrecognized and unknown are truly the roots that hold the tree in place. Lana’s legacy lives on through her family and the foundations she helped create at the Gibbs Ranch and she will forever be remembered and held dear in the minds of those who knew her, even if only for a few moments.

Please enjoy the story of Lana Gibbs as told by her twin sister Donna Cromie.

M

yy goodness where do you start when you talk about a “City Girl” gone “Rancher Girl” after one look at a long-legged cowboy breaking a colt back in 1971! For that was the beginning of the undeniable love between Lana (Tonelli) Gibbs and William (Bill) H Gibbs of the Gibbs Ranch in Wells, Nevada.

Lana was born and raised in a Northern California city called Santa Rosa. You might ask, “How in the world did a “Songleader” girl from California end up marrying a cowboy from a Ranch in Wells, Nevada?

Lana’s twin sister Donna, who was married to Tim Cromie, lived in Santa Rosa, CA. Tim just happens to be Bill Gibbs’ cousin. As Tim was growing up, he would go out to Gibbs Ranch to work every summer alongside his Gibbs cousins. One winter, in December 1970, Bill Gibbs’ dad, William B. Gibbs, called up Tim in California and asked if he and his family (wife Donna and 8 month old son, Jeff ) would like to come work at the ranch for a couple years while young Bill went to University of Nevada, Reno.

This was an easy decision for Tim who was working construction, and due to it being winter, work was slow at best. For Donna, a girl afraid of spiders who would be moving away from her inseparable twin sister and taking her parents “center piece” grandson approximately 600 miles away, it was another story. However, it didn’t take too long before Tim and Donna made the decision to move to the ranch.

They packed up their belongings in their pickup truck and drove the 600 miles (including 40 miles on a mostly dirt road) to their new home at Gibbs Ranch, NV. Looking back now at the first moment, turning the corner to see the Gibbs Ranch and its yard in which there stood three homes, the memory is still so vivid. The main home was where Bill Sr, his wife Mary, and their 7 kids lived (young Bill and 6 sisters), the second stone home was where Bill Sr.’s dad lived (grandpa Gibbs) before he passed away, and the third home was a 2-story house (most recently used as a bunk house). The third home was to be where Tim and Donna would live.

When first walking inside the two-story house, it truly took an imagination to see the potential. Walls needed to be painted, floors needed to be re-carpeted, storage needed to be cleaned out, and the one and only bathroom definitely had to be fixed and made usable…but the excitement grew as the young twenty year olds from California and their 8 month old baby boy started out their new adventure looking forward to “ranch” life.

Initially, Tim and Donna lived with Bill Sr. up at the main house, while Bill Sr.’s wife, Mary, lived in town with young Bill’s 6 sisters while they went to school. Bill Sr. and Tim would work on fixing up the 2-story house when the ranch chores were complete for the day and soon the house was ready to be inhabited and called home.

Donna quickly adapted to ranch life. Many hours were spent cooking meals for her family, Bill Sr., hunters, ranchers, or stray guests that would happen by the ranch.

Jeff thrived with the freedom and openness, playing and learning what ranch life was like for a toddler, and Tim was a natural from his past ranch experience. They quickly became adjusted to their new life.

After arriving at Gibbs Ranch that first spring, Donna’s twin sister, Lana, and their parents made a trip from California to see this new “ranch life” Donna was living.

Lana saw young Bill with his long legs get on a colt to break it and from that moment on it was “love at first sight”.

It didn’t take long before Lana moved out to the ranch to stay with Donna and Tim. Young Bill decided that ranching, not college, was for him. Lana and Bill had quite a whirlwind romance; from the nights that the TV stayed on until the wee hours of the morning and all you heard and saw was the buzzing and dots on the screen, to the times that young Bill broke out in hives when his love went back to visit Santa Rosa to prepare for their upcoming wedding.

The two couples, Tim and Donna and Bill and Lana, were completely compatible with each other working out the yin and yang of their relationships.

After Bill and Lana were married in September 1971, they moved into Grandpa Gibbs’ Stone house. Young Bill’s entire family welcomed this California girl, Lana, with open arms and hearts into their ranch family life. The couples continued to add to the numbers on the ranch. The twins, having babies at the same time, waddled around the ranch together; Lana with her first and Donna with her second.

With both husbands in the Elko National Guard, the couples would go into town

14 JULY - AUGUST 2019

The Progressive Rancher

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once a month for Bill and Tim to serve their duty and so the girls could go shopping and purchase supplies for the ranch until the next month’s meeting.

For the first time in their lives, the twins learned to cook and make things from scratch. They had fresh milk from the cows, homemade butter, pies, bread, and even learned to macramé and sew. Even when it came to baking homemade pizzas for their families to eat together, the twins worked together; one liked to make the dough and the other liked to cut up all the toppings. They shared so many fun activities living on the ranch; camping at Tabor Creek, bathing in freezing creek waters, square dancing at neighboring ranches, going to town to party and dance with friends until the wee hours of the morning before heading back out to the ranch to arrive just in time for the kids to wake up. After approximately 4 years on the ranch together, Tim and Donna left Gibbs ranch and eventually moved back to Santa Rosa, CA. Lana turned out to be the hub of her Gibbs Family Ranch over the years, which is now over 100 years old. Many times Lana was teased about her “notes.” . But when there was an emergency, and Lana couldn’t be there, everyone would have been lost if it hadn’t been for her pages of notes.

The "notes" were everywhere she thought they might be important, whether it be by the computer for business, by the T.V. for how to use the remotes correctly, or, most importantly, her notes for Branding Time. She had everything written down to who was coming, what was going to be cooked that day, who was going to bring certain items, what needed to be put in the chuck wagon for branding, when to put this here or that there, all was written down. Everyone teased her, but at the same time everyone went to Lana to find out what, when, and how much. She would say, “I believe they finally appreciate my analness.”

Not only did Lana cook over the years for the hay and branding crews, but she worked right alongside her husband Bill, riding horses, branding cattle, mending fences, raising kids, and spoiling grandkids. Her organizational skills, as well as her bookkeeping for two ranch businesses, moving manual ranch records to businesses on-line, and changing the process of selling cattle to on-line auction, were instrumental in the continued success of the Gibbs Ranch.

Even though Lana passed away on January 15, 2016 due to an automobile accident, the Gibbs Ranch continues to flourish thanks to this remarkable “Ranch Woman” passing down her strengths, experience, guidance and love to her amazing next generation of “Ranchers.”

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The Progressive Rancher

JULY - AUGUST 2019 15

We Must Stand United

THE HORSE WORLD Animal Rights Tactics - Divide and Conquer

Protect The Harvest was created to defend and preserve American freedoms and to support farmers, ranchers, outdoor enthusiasts, and animal owners.

OUR MISSION IS TO: • INFORM & EDUCATE about activities & organizations that threaten agriculture, animal welfare, our traditions and way of life.

• PROTECT our freedoms and way of life • RESPOND to negative laws, regulations or misinformation

Learn more at www.protecttheharvest.com

16 JULY - AUGUST 2019

Animal rights and other non-governmental groups have targeted different parts of the horse world for several decades. These groups are aiming to end all animal ownership and view villainizing horse owners and trainers as a step in that process. They target one discipline or breed at a time, and they have made big inroads without many in the horse world noticing.

They rely on a “divide and conquer” technique to push their agenda. These groups have become expert at picking the horse world apart. In this day and age of posts going viral over social media, one video clip or picture taken out of context could do damage that lasts for years. They malign an entire sport using a very small number of “bad apples” to make their argument. Fake and malicious posts have the potential to influence lawmakers which in turn, offers an opportunity for the uneducated public to vote for legislation that creates permanent changes. These changes do not improve the welfare of horses or the industry itself.

The Progressive Rancher

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These groups are implementing a multi-prong approach by: • Using pictures and edited video out of context, some of it coming directly from horse people to hurt each other. They create public outcry based on false information.

• Pushing owners, associations and clubs to change rules and policies by harassing and threatening them via email blasts, protests and media campaigns.

• Writing, funding, and marketing horse related legislation.

Horses Are Part of The Human Experience Humans have 6,000 years of domesticated history with horses. Horses have made significant contributions to the development and advancement of the modern world. Generations of purposeful breeding has allowed for horses to become more specialized. Today in the U.S., the roles horses play in the lives of their owners are as varied as their uses. Some work on western cattle ranches, others race, some provide therapy – physical, emotional, and behavioral, some pull carriages, and still more compete in a variety of horse show events ranging from jumping and dressage to reining, cutting, working cow horse or rodeo, and some are trusted trail horses and represent the fulfillment of childhood dreams or adulthood goals.

Do Horse Owners Realize They Are Helping Animal Rights Groups Eliminate Their Lifestyle?

Many members of Protect The Harvest are lifelong horsemen and women. We have been hard at work to warn the horse industry of the activities of animal rights groups and have been looking at this issue from a number of different viewpoints.

We have some questions that all horse owners need to consider: • Is the variety in horses and horse ownership part of what now divides us as an industry?

• Why have we separated ourselves?

• Why are horse people so quick to judge each other when they don’t know the whole story, situation, or training method?

• Why do many horse enthusiasts automatically believe the worst?

• Why do some horse lovers jump on a bandwagon when people or sports are targeted?

• Do horse owners understand that by jumping on those bandwagons they are fueling their own demise?

• Why don’t more people in the horse industry look at the bigger picture and recognize that if they continue to publicly disparage each other, they are helping animal rights ideologues push their agenda?

Get Off That Bandwagon – Don’t Jump to Conclusions and Stop Fueling the Animal Rights Agenda Over the years we have seen a lot of misinformation publicized. Animal abuse is a hot topic these days and most non-horse people are getting their information about the horse industry from animal rights groups. What is even worse, is witnessing other horsemen and women jumping to conclusions and joining in on attacks.

When people fail at supporting their own industry and fall for the animal rights’ smear campaigns, how do they expect people with no knowledge of horses to react?

Furthermore, when others within the horse industry jump on the bandwagon, animal rights groups use this as ammunition, “even others in the horse industry agree…” This also gives animal rights organizations leverage when working to influence lawmakers and voters who know nothing about horses. We need to realize that publicly maligning our fellow horse people encourages more animal rights targets in the horse industry.

“Better Them Than Us” is a Dangerous Position - What Impacts One Sector of the Horse Industry Impacts Us All It is natural to want to keep your distance when animal rights activists target other disciplines. Looking the other way or even joining in and sharing this misinformation is very common, unfortunately. It causes further division and gives animal rights another foothold to harm horse owners as a whole. When activists see posts and videos on social media portraying horse owners and trainers negatively, it gives them more leverage to push their agenda.

We must stick together and support other disciplines. Even if you do not participate or know anything about a specific discipline that is being targeted, the attitude of, “I’m glad it’s not us” and standing by while your fellow horsemen and women are being attacked and ultimately controlled by the actions of animal rights organizations is a big problem that impacts all horse owners.

It is common to hear “they will never come after me, I take better care of my horse than I do of myself ”. Let us not forget, the animal rights agenda is to end ALL animal ownership, regardless of the care an animal receives. Keep in mind, animal rights ideologues view all horse ownership as akin to slavery. They make no distinctions. Each time this happens, animal rights groups gain ground in reaching their goal, to end all horse ownership. Once they destroy one sector of the horse industry, they will move on to another. When one sector of the horse industry allows animal rights organizations to influence their policies it gives animal rights one more foothold into the industry as a whole. It sets an ugly precedent for their future involvement in all other horse sports. Today it is racing, rodeo, and reining.

Tomorrow it could be your chosen discipline.

What Should the Horse Community Do?

Folding to Pressure Is Not the Answer Many targeted disciplines have folded to the pressures and threats of animal rights groups. Instead of working within their own associations and making animal welfare changes on their own over time, they have adopted animal rights suggested rule changes in an effort to “get them off their back”. Some organizations have even involved animal rights groups when writing their welfare guidelines.

When it comes to animal welfare, changes (when needed) must come from within the horse industry itself. Changes should only be made by the people who truly understand horses, their behavior, and the industry. Changes should not be made due to pressure from animal rights organizations, especially when their ideology views all horse ownership as slavery, and they paint the entire horse community as abusers.

For example, The Stronach Group who owns Santa Anita, Pimlico, and several other racetracks, recently took PETA’s recommendations almost word for word when updating their tracks’ racing rules. It would have been better for the sport of www.progressiverancher.com

racing if the associations, breeders, owners, trainers, and jockeys could have reached an agreement to better the sport from within, instead of caving to PETA’s pressure.

A similar situation happened in the Tennessee Walking Horse industry. Now, the reining industry is being targeted as well as rodeo.

• If you are a member of a show or breed association, make sure you know their rules on horse welfare.

• If you see abuse, report it either to a ring steward, show office, or the authorities.

• If you see room for improvements within your breed association or discipline, there are many ways to go about discussing change. This does not include social media “discussions” in horse groups that can be used out of context and as a weapon to attack the horse industry as a whole. The correct way means getting involved in your organization and working with leadership to effect positive change.

• Many breed and show associations have a steward program. The primary goal of a steward program is the health and wellbeing of the horses. Stewards are usually volunteers that have been specially trained to understand and recognize many different types of situations. They help educate members and event attendees on humane treatment and ensure participants follow that association’s . . . continued next page

The Progressive Rancher

JULY - AUGUST 2019 17

. . . continued from previous page rules. Programs like this can be developed in any discipline. As an example, the AQHA has a steward program, follow this link for more information about it: https://www.aqha.com/disciplines/showing/programs/aqha-stewards • If your club or association does not have a steward program, offer to help start one. Professionals and trainers can be a wonderful resource to help get programs up and running.

• Educate yourself – never stop learning. Talk to people from other disciplines, get to know training techniques and rules.

• Certain trainers and other well-known professionals need to stop painting themselves as the “solution” to exaggerated problems in horse training. Most horse trainers are very talented, kind, and care deeply for the horses they train.

This small group of naysayers should not be making money by disparaging the rest of the horse world. They are adding to the perception that there is a lot wrong with horse training, and that is simply not true. If you see things like this, bring the potential damage they are doing to their attention.

industry, we should be showing a united front to protect ourselves and these animals we hold so dear. Horse owners, association boards and members, competitors and horse lovers in general need to put aside differences and work together to address issues with horse welfare if they arise, and also work to exclude animal rights organizations from our community.

If people within the horse industry do not publicly support each other, encourage improvements in welfare as needed, and educate interested parties, animal rights groups will gladly do it for us. In fact, they are already fast at work spreading misinformation about horses and horse owners and trainers. It is long past time to think of the horse world as a community. The animal rights viewpoint of the horse industry is not the narrative the horse community wants shared. Though we will never agree on everything, we need to stop, think, and remember, we are more alike than we are different. From trail and ranch horses to Triple Crown winners to NCHA World Champs there is common ground and it’s called … a horse.

• Stop sharing posts on social media that portray other horse people in a negative way. Animal rights extremists are very active online on social sites and have infiltrated many interest groups. They are searching for “evidence” of abuse and actually celebrate when they believe they have any information that helps them to further their agenda. By joining in on over-generalizations and publicizing the activities of one bad apple, animal rights groups are provided with ammunition to attack our industry as a whole.

• Support horse education whenever and wherever you can. Volunteer for your 4H horse program, help a new horse owner learn the ropes. Chat with people that seem interested in restaurants and supermarket checkout lines.

• Remember that people can still work as a united front and not agree on every issue. Keep the end goal in mind.

We Must Stand United - Together Our Voices Are Strong The horse industry has an overall impact of 102 billion dollars a year and employs 1.75 million people. With 9.2 million horses in the US and 4.6 million citizens involved in the horse industry, we make up a large and influential group.

We must not waste opportunities to work together to defend our right and freedom to own, raise, train, use, show, and enjoy horses in our chosen disciplines. As an

Protect The Harvest was created to defend and preserve American freedoms and to support farmers, ranchers, outdoor enthusiasts, and animal owners. Our mission is to: • INFORM and EDUCATE Americans about the activities of animal rights groups, anti-agriculture groups, and other non- governmental organizations that threaten agriculture, animal welfare, our traditions, and way of life.

• PROTECT our freedoms and way of life by supporting agriculture, land use, hunting and fishing, animal ownership and animal welfare.

• RESPOND to laws, regulations, or misinformation that would negatively impact animal welfare & ownership, restrict our rights, limit our freedoms.

Learn more about Protect The Harvest on our website: www.protecttheharvest.com

NDA announces new Plant Industry Division Administrator The Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) recently announced Ashley Jeppson as its new Plant Industry Division Administrator.

Jeppson has served the NDA’s Plant Industry division since 2010, overseeing various crop programs including the Hemp program and the Produce Safety Education and Enforcement program. Prior to joining the NDA, she worked for Washoe County Parks and Renown Medical Center.

“Ashley's many years of experience in the agency are an invaluable asset,” NDA Director Jennifer Ott said. “I am looking forward to working with her to lead the Plant Industry team.”

Jeppson received her Bachelor of Science in rangeland management and animal science from the University of Nevada, Reno’s College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources and has served on the planning committee for the Nevada Farms Conference since 2011.

18 JULY - AUGUST 2019

The Progressive Rancher

Ashley Jeppson NDA Plant Industry Division Administrator

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The Progressive Rancher

JULY - AUGUST 2019 19

Get Involved in Agricultural Literacy Next School Year

By Amber Smyer, Agriculture Literacy Coordinator Summer is a busy time for everyone, but before we know it school will be back in session. Let’s set a goal to connect with at least one educator this summer or fall to increase agricultural literacy among teachers and youth in our communities. Here are a few easy ideas to implement.

Share an agricultural literacy resource with educators in the community Resource Feature: Nevada Agriculture and Water Educational Series Lesson plans and resources for grades 3-5 teachers are available at agri.nv.gov/aglit.

Printed booklets of the series lesson plans and worksheets will be available through the website for distribution to teachers Fall 2019.

This unit allows teachers to explore one of Nevada’s most important natural resources through the lens of food and agriculture. Lessons and activities are aligned to educational standards and accompanied by video clips that feature urban and rural Nevada agriculturalists discussing water needs, modern and efficient use tools, careers and more.

Unit Overview:

• Background: Where does our water come from? Resources to review the water cycle and how watersheds and aquifers support life in Nevada.

• Lesson 1: History of Nevada Water • Lesson 2: Why is Water Important to Agriculture in Nevada?

• Lesson 3: Understanding the Relationship Between Snowpack and Water Supply • Lesson 4: Irrigation Methods • Lesson 5: How is Agriculture Being Conservation Aware?

• Lessons include video resources featuring Bently Ranch, Desert Farming Initiative, Gilcrease Orchard, and USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service’s snowpack monitoring program.

Make plans to increase agricultural literacy during National Read A Book Day on September 6, 2019 National Read a Book Day is designated to encourage and celebrate reading.

Providing agriculture-accurate books is an excellent way to connect with youth and increase their knowledge of food, agriculture and natural resources.

Mark your calendar, reach out to a local school or educator and ask how you can be involved in National Read a Book Day. Some ideas include visiting as a guest presenter in the classroom to read a book and talk about your business or providing students with an age-appropriate agriculture book to celebrate the day.

Need some ideas for agriculture-accurate books to purchase and classroom activities? Check out these resources: •

National Agriculture in the Classroom has a Curriculum Matrix available at www.agclassroom.org/teacher/matrix/. Use the Companion Resource search bar to select books and topics.

•

American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture has created National Read a Book Day resources available at www.agfoundation.org/projects/nationalread-a-book-day. The site also links to books available for purchase through their online store. Don’t forget to promote your efforts on social media using #ReadAgBooks19.

•

Nevada Agriculture in the Classroom at agri.nv.gov/aglit – Contact Amber Smyer at asmyer@agri.nv.gov or 775-353-3769 for recommendations, to collaborate on special projects or check availability of books for donation.

20 JULY - AUGUST 2019

According to the National Agriculture Literacy Logic Model, an agriculture-literate person is someone who understands and can communicate the source and value of agriculture as it affects our quality of life.

The Progressive Rancher

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Livestock Scale Inspection Season has Begun Annual renewal prices change this year

By Cadence Matijevich, Division Administrator The Nevada Department of Agriculture’s (NDA) Division of Consumer Equitability has begun the 2019 livestock scale inspection season. In the interest of helping livestock scale owners and managers plan for the season ahead, the tentative schedule was mailed out in April, though it is subject to change based on weather conditions and equipment. (See table to right.)

Tips to ensure your inspection goes smoothly To assist the team in continuing to improve this process, if you haven’t already done so, please fill out and return the information sheet that was mailed to all livestock scale owners and managers in April. Also, please keep the following tips in mind and make sure: • scale deck is free of debris, including rocks, dirt, etc.

• scale ramps are level, constructed with solid fill material, smooth and free of excess materials, like rubber mats or metal framework.

2019 Tentative NDA Livestock Scale Inspection Schedule Week of June 3 – 7 June 10 – 14 June 17 – 21 June 24 – 28 July 1 – 5 July 8 – 12 July 15 – 19 July 22 – 26 July 29 – Aug, 2 Aug. 5 – 9 Aug. 12 – 16 Aug. 19 – 23 Aug. 26 – 30 Sept. 2 – 6 Sept. 9 – 13

Sparks-based inspection team Reno / Carson Valley Yerington / Smith Valley Lovelock / Unionville / Imlay Unionville / Imlay / Winnemucca Rechecks / Contingency Lovelock / Unionville / Imlay Paradise Valley / Orovada Orovada / McDermitt / Denio Rechecks / Contingency Gerlach / Northern Washoe County Austin / Round Mountain / Smoky Mountain Rechecks / Contingency Rechecks / Contingency Rechecks / Contingency Fallon / Fernley

Elko-based inspection team Pine Valley Ruby Valley / Clover Valley O’Neal Basin / Elko Jiggs Rechecks / Contingency Ely / Currant Montello / Wells / Jackpot Tuscarora / Starr Valley Mountain City Rechecks / Contingency Battle Mountain / Lamoille Crescent Valley / Eureka Rechecks / Contingency Rechecks / Contingency Rechecks / Contingency

• scale ramps are installed prior to inspection.

• beam box is clean and free of bird, insect or rodent nests.

• alleyways are clear of anything that may obstruct view of the ground, such as panels, pallets, fencing material, water or feed tubs, equipment, tools or animals.

• corrals are free of livestock on your scheduled inspection date.

• gates are open and unlocked or our inspectors are provided with any gate codes or key locations in advance.

• digital scales are fully charged or provided with a power supply.

Annual license renewal fee As of July 1, 2019, the annual license fee for scales with a capacity of 5,000 to 30,000 pounds will be $280, and all registered scale owners will receive invoices in July reflecting this change.

During inspection, NDA staff use 500- and 1,000-pound standards that trace back to the international measurement standards set in Paris, France.

The Division of Consumer Equitability welcomes industry feedback and suggestions regarding these processes and services. Please contact us at any time:

Sparks Inspection Team Leader Mike Gower 775-353-3784 m-gower@agri.nv.gov Elko Inspection Team Leader Steve Terry 775-778-0275 s-terry@agri.nv.gov Division Administrator Cadence Matijevich 775-353-3726 c.matijevich@agri.nv.gov www.progressiverancher.com

Once checked, livestock scales with no violations (or “tags”) will receive a seal like this.

Inspections help to ensure every pound reported for sale is indeed a pound, protecting both businesses and consumers.

The Progressive Rancher

JULY - AUGUST 2019 21

2019 Fire Season Update

by Paul Petersen, State Fire Management Officer BLM Nevada | ppeterse@blm.gov Dear Progressive Rancher Readers,

I would like to provide you with an update on our ongoing prevention, restoration, and suppression efforts; acknowledge the help of our partners; and provide some links to help keep you “in-the-know” this fire season. The most important link to know is nevadafireinfo.org.

This is where we will be posting any and all fire closures, helpful tips, and firefighting updates about ongoing incidents.

After an unusually wet winter and spring, and with the predicted delay to the monsoon due to the lack of a strong ridge of high pressure in the Southwest U.S., a delay to the start of fire season in northern Nevada is expected. The Great Basin currently has above normal fuel moisture, and a higher likelihood of continued wet weather at times, including thunderstorms going into July. More thunderstorms usually means more lightning-caused starts, but with fuel moisture higher than normal, these fires will likely remain small or shorter in duration.

We anticipate a later start to the fire season than normal with respect to larger fires, but expect the number of smaller fires to gradually increase through July. Depending on the weather pattern, once the fire season becomes more active, it could last further into the year.

Current firefighting resources available to the state: 260 Permanent and 205 Seasonal Personnel 2 Type I (Hotshot) Handcrews: Ruby Mountain-Elko

Silver State-Carson City

1 Type 2 Initial Attack Veteran Handcrew Vegas Valley-Las Vegas 23 Fire Stations

51 Heavy & Light Brush Engines 5 Water Tenders 6 Dozers

3 Type III Helicopters (Contract)

Ability to staff a total of 6 helicopters

9+ Single Engines Air Tankers (Contract) 2 Air Tactical Platforms (Contract) Great Basin Smokejumpers

Ability to supplement units with additional resources working with interagency partners and other BLM states - coordinated response.

Weather & Fire Risk 3 Month Outlook: July - Sept. 2019 Temperature

22 JULY - AUGUST 2019

Precipitation

The Progressive Rancher

www.progressiverancher.com

These show current wildland fire potential outlook month by month.

For more predictive services products and information from the National Interagency Fire Center, visit NIFC.gov Fuels treatment acres for the year:

As of June 20, 2019, the BLM has reduced the fire risk on 60,000 acres of fire-prone vegetation classified as "hazardous fuels," with a goal of reaching 110,000 acres by the end of the fiscal year (Sept. 30.) Typical methods of treating hazardous fuels include mechanical (physically removing vegetation using tools such as mowers, bulldozers, brush hogs, or chainsaws), chemical (herbicide), prescribed fire and targeted grazing.

with 5 more cameras expected to go live by 2020. Check out the camera feeds at (http://www.alertwildfire.org/blmnv/) Special thanks to the Nevada Department of Wildlife for their unwavering support during this winter and spring. Thousands of acres of treatment following the Martin Fire in 2018 could not have been accomplished without their work. (http://www.ndow.org/)

We thank the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association for their continued collaboration and look forward to the statewide implementation of the Rancher Liaison Program after 15 years of success in northeast Nevada. Expect more information in late fall Martin Fire Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitation: • Aerial herbicide treatments of 9,800 acres were completed in October of 2018, of 2019.

31,000 acres were completed in November 2018 and April 2019. NDOW treated To report wildland fires, dial 911 OR the district dispatch center closest to you: 9,800 acres in October, 6,000 acres in November and BLM treated 25,000 Elko 775-738-3473 | Central Nevada 775-623-3444 | Ely 775-289-2064 | Sierra acres in April. These areas were targeted for higher cheatgrass prevalence and Front 775-883-5995 | Las Vegas 702-631-2350 medusahead. Drill and aerial seeding treatments are planned for these areas Fuel Breaks: during the fall of 2019.

• A total of 183,000 acres were treated on the Martin Fire in FY2019. Forty-eight The BLM announced on June 21st plans to implement fuel breaks on a large scale, and will be hosting public meetings to discuss it on the following dates: Specific thousand acres are planned for treatment in FY2020 details to come. (https://go.usa.gov/xnQcG) Meetings: Elko NV Tuesday, 7/16 Ely, NV Wednesday, 7/17 Reno, NV Tuesday, 7/9 Partnerships: We are excited to have the support of UNR Seismology Lab and their network of Lastly, for the latest fire news, maps, closure notifications, fire weather outlooks, mountaintop cameras. There are 18 currently streaming video from mountaintops fire job postings and updates for all things Wildland FIRE in Nevada, please visit all over Nevada, offering crucial early fire detection and monitoring capabilities, nevadafireinfo.org. www.progressiverancher.com

The Progressive Rancher

JULY - AUGUST 2019 23

Humboldt County Greenhouse Projects By: Ed Partee, Wildlife Biologist, Nevada Department of Wildlife Over the last 15 years, Nevada has lost over 7.3 million acres of habitat to wildland fires. Approximately one third of those acres have been converted to annual grasses like cheatgrass which has very little value to wildlife. Sagebrush habitats are very important to several wildlife species within Nevada. Some of the species that have been affected by the numerous fires include mule deer, pronghorn, sage grouse, pygmy rabbits, sage brush voles, sagebrush lizards, short-horned lizards, sage thrashers, and Brewer’s sparrows. Each and every one these species rely on sagebrush habitats for all or part of their lives. Past success with seeding these burned areas has had very little success. Many of the seeds that are planted are outcompeted by non-native plants such as cheatgrass.

First greenhouse built in 2007 at Lowry High School (cont.)

Sagebrush and bitterbrush seedling plantings are an important tool in sagebrush and bitterbrush habitat restoration, especially to establish islands for future seed dispersal. Many of the areas that have been burned in Northern Nevada are vital to the health and survival of many species of wildlife. In these areas, an extremely small number of sagebrush or bitterbrush is returning to the plant community even after aerial or drill seeding of sagebrush or bitterbrush has taken place.

Plant survival rates of up to 80% have been reached when planting sagebrush and bitterbrush seedlings when soil moisture conditions are right. Because it has been shown that success in planting seedlings rather than seed is a more successful method, a need for a reliable and local source of seedlings was identified. In 2007, a project proposal to build a greenhouse to grow sagebrush and bitterbrush at the local high school in Winnemucca Nevada was developed. This project provides for seedlings that have been started in the greenhouse which would enable plants to get a jump on root establishment before being outcompeted. This is a vital time for any plant to get established. A 21’X 48’ greenhouse package was purchased through donated funds through the Nevada Chukar Foundation. Once the greenhouse package was delivered to the site, the construction began. At the local high school, the Construction Technology class completed the construction on the project. A fundamental goal of this project was also that it would be geared toward creating an educational link to the youth of Nevada by tying this project into local schools throughout Nevada. The intent of partnering with the schools is to educate the youth on the importance of sagebrush and bitterbrush habitats to the wildlife that use them, providing teachers with this tool to teach this important concept with while tying directly into educational standards.

Several funding sources provided for the second greenhouse which ended up being slightly bigger than the existing high school greenhouse. This greenhouse measures 30’X 60’ and total construction was just under $60,000. Here again, the major support came from sportsman’s organizations like Nevada Muley’s, both Reno and Midas Nevada Bighorns Unlimited, and Carson Valley Chukar Club. Other sources of funding included Marigold Mine as well as habitat conservation fee grants gained through the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW).

First greenhouse built in 2007 at Lowry High School The total cost of this project was roughly $25,000-$30,000 from start to finish.

Much of the cost savings were a direct result of the involvement of the Construction Technology classes at Lowry High School providing main construction on the building. With the construction complete, the expected outcome was to be able to provide roughly 7,000 to 10,000 plants annually from this greenhouse dedicated for habitat improvements for wildlife after destructive wildland fires and degradation to the sagebrush steppe.

After running the greenhouse at the high school for three years and seeing the success and the ability to grow numerous plants, it was decided to undergo another project proposal for an additional green house at another local school. After meetings with the middle school principal, the Humboldt County School Superintendent, and the Humboldt County School Board, it was decided to project partners move forward with securing funding for the purchase and construction of an additional greenhouse in Humboldt County.

24 JULY - AUGUST 2019

French Ford Middle School Greenhouse 2010 With the help of a part time employee hired through funding by NDOW, as well as a couple of high school student, most of the planting and upkeep in the greenhouses has been taken care of over the years. The student helpers in the greenhouse have been an asset to the success of this program. Under the guidance of the greenhouse employee, these two students have learned and provided much of the assistance needed to provide the plants needed for restoration. The hope with this project has several facets as to not only growing plants but to foster future careers of student helpers in the field of range or wildlife management.

The Progressive Rancher

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Seedlings after two weeks of planting Once germination has taken place, plants will remain in Styrofoam containers for approximately 4-5 months. During this time, they will are fertilized and nondesirable plants are removed from the containers to reduce any competition. After the plants have had time to establish a good root system, they are then transferred to D-pots where they will continue to grow until it is time for planting.

Healthy Sagebrush Seedling two months after being planted The first of the two research projects were in the Double H Mountains.

Nevada Department of Wildlife and the Bureau of Land Management set up a demonstration project to test different treatment options when planting sagebrush seedlings. Treatments included the effects of prescribed fire, mowing, herbicide, and planting on re-establishment of sagebrush communities. Survival rates at the time of that project averaged 63%, which was a positive result compared to seeding.

Currently, the Tom Basin project is in its first year. This project is looking at a variety of methods of planting antelope bitterbrush to see what the most effective way of will be to restore the bitterbrush to the area. This project is ongoing currently so no results as of this time are available.

This program has had multiple partners over the years with have included private as well as federal and state agencies. The cooperation of all these partners have made this project possible not only through funding various expenses including the cost of labor to transplant these seedlings on the targeted projects.

Do you have an article you think would be of interest to the readers of The Progressive Rancher?

Big sagebrush seedlings ready for planting The entire process of establishing plants to be put out on the range takes approximately one year from the time the seed is planted in the greenhouse to the time it is ready to be planted on the range. Currently with most of the plants that are grown from the two green houses in Winnemucca, plants have been utilized on several restoration projects as well as research projects. Since 2007, many of the plants have been used on multiple fires including fires in both Humboldt and Elko Counties. Research projects have included the Double H Mountains and Tom Basin in the Santa Rosa Range. www.progressiverancher.com

Please submit your article for consideration to: progressiverancher@elko.net

The Progressive Rancher

JULY - AUGUST 2019 25 

Eddie Roland Snyder, born on August 11, 1925, passed away on May 25, 2019.

Clinically, Eddie died of heart failure. There was never a heart that failed less.

That great heart guided Eddie through childhood, pushed him to excellence as a young man. That great heart fell in love with and married Theresa Houck, loved and raised 10 children, built a large and successful ranching operation in Mason Valley, and gained him the friendship and respect of everyone he met.

Eddie was born to Roland and Virginia Snyder and was joined in a few years by little sister, Yvonne. A childhood during the great depression instilled frugality, hard work, and self-sufficiency in Eddie. He was active in 4H and FFA, serving as Nevada State President of both of those organizations at the same time. He showed pigs, sheep, and cattle, participated in sports, attended school and worked on the ranch. After graduating, he attended Cal Poly, receiving an Associate Degree in Animal Husbandry. In 1952 the Anaconda mine opened, bringing new people into the valley, including Jerry and Annie Houck and their daughter, Theresa. Annie and Virginia, the future mothersin-law, met each other before Eddie met Theresa. Annie returned from a bridge luncheon hosted by Virginia talking about the wonderful young man and how he had been so helpful to his mother as she hosted the ladies’ luncheon. Eddie married Theresa Ann Houck on March 1, 1953. He served in the US Army in an artillery unit in Fort Sill, Oklahoma from 1954 to 1955 then served as a meat inspector in Fort Worth, Texas from 1955 to 1956.

His first son, Jim Snyder, was born in Yerington while Eddie was in Chicago serving in the army. Nine more children followed. Eddie always valued education; all ten children graduated from college. Three of the ten continue to build the ranching legacy begun by Eddie. Jim, married to Bunny Barredo, is the farm manager of Snyder Livestock Company. He has two children, Audrey and Edward, and two grand-children. Lucy, married to Dennis Rechel, manages the feedlot and is the company president. John, married to Cindy Little, is the IT manager for the ranch. He has 7 children, Steven, Sarah, Jon, Darwin, Alexandra, Elita (in heaven,) and Michelle (in heaven.)

He is blessed with 7 grand-children. Eddie and Theresa’s other children have pursued varied careers and raised families in other parts of western Nevada and Northern California. Kelly is a paralegal at Stanford University and lives in Red Wood City, CA. Susan, married to George Yates, is a mid-wife and has 2 children, McKenzie and Conner. Susan and George live in Ripon, CA. Gina, engaged to Patrick Camp, has 3 children, Ryan, Katie, and Mathew and will soon add Patrick’s son’s Patch and Joe to her family. Gina lives in Discovery Bay, CA. Patrick (Snyder) has 1 son, Jeffrey. Patrick recently left the California business world to return to his ranching roots and is the managing owner of Pinenut Livestock Supply in Fallon and Gardnerville.

David a retired Air Guard General and pilot for Fed Ex, married to Jennifer, has 1 daughter, Dakota. They live in Reno. Mary, Assistant County Executive Officer of Napa County, CA, has 2 children, Tawny and Clay. She has one grandson and a 2nd grandchild on the way. Jerry, an attorney in Reno, married to Kris has a daughter, Elaina and a son, Niko. Theresa’s daughter, 26 JULY - AUGUST 2019

Kathy, a teacher in Phoenix, AZ became Eddie’s adopted daughter when mother and daughter were reunited. Robert Allen, born on March 12, 1970 is in heaven. Eddie’s wife, children, grand-children, and great-grand-children will miss the love that great heart always gave to his family.

Eddie had a big heart for his community and for ranching and farming neighbors. From his early days as leader of youth organizations through the end of his life, he believed in supporting his industry and in giving to those less fortunate. He was a member of 20-30 club. He joined Rotary and served as president of that organization. He served as a member of the Lyon County School Board for 16 years and as a Director of the Federal Land Bank. He was a long time member of Nevada Farm Bureau, Nevada Cattlemen’s Association, and member of the Nevada Beef Council from 1981 to 1990. He led dozens of ditch company meetings and served as a director of the Walker River Irrigation District, and was always active in industry and community activities. The wall behind his desk is covered by plaques and certificates commemorating his service to industry and community.

Eddie Snyder was an innovator. He was quick to adopt new farming practices and utilize technology. With his father, Roland, he built an outstanding herd of commercial, mostly Hereford, cows that summered in Bridgeport meadows. The sale of the leased Bridgeport property forced the sale of the cow herd to John Ascuaga. Eddie rebounded by building the feedlot which is operated today by Lucy. Eddie had a reputation for always producing consistently high quality alfalfa hay. For several years, he operated a hay cuber to take advantage of the Japanese export market. He was bright and inquisitive, learning from everyone and observing everything. He was a strong business man, demanding top dollar for his agricultural products and carefully monitoring suppliers. And he was scrupulously honest – the word of Eddie Snyder was gold.

A celebration of the life of this truly remarkable man was held Saturday, June 1, at the Snyder onion shed. Over 600 people gathered to laugh, cry, share memories. All ten of the Snyder children shared thoughts on their father.

As a tribute to the mostly Hispanic Snyder work force, the entire service was translated into Spanish.

Theresa Snyder and all of the family are humbled by and grateful for the outpouring of support from the community. Our thanks go to everyone who called, dropped by to visit, sent flowers or food, attended the service, or contributed donations in Eddie’s memory. We treasure all the hugs, the thoughts, the prayers. We feel so fortunate that Eddie was sharp to the end and passed in his sleep without pain, years of sickness, or the agony of debility.

Yet, the pain of his passing is sharp and raw. A tiny memory, a word, or a photo can bring tears. Thank you to all of you whose acts of kindness ease the pain. The Snyder family asks that any donations be made in Eddie’s memory to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, The Autistic Foundation, or to fund agricultural scholarships through the Nevada Ag Foundation.

The Progressive Rancher

www.progressiverancher.com

Elko County NRCHA Judge: Zeph Schulz

Stallion Nomination Deadline August 1, 2019 Nomination Fee: $200.00 Late nominations accepted from Aug 2 - 19 with $100 late fee

NEVADA STALLION STAKES ALL NSS CLASSES WILL DO HERD, DRY, COW EVENTS

Futurity • Derby • Hackamore Two Reined / Green Bridle & Bridle Divisions Open, Limited/Non Pro & Non Pro Limited Divisions NRCHA Rules Nevada Stallion Stakes Show Entry deadline: August 19 late entries accepted until August 22 with additional penalties

ECNRCHA Show Entry Deadline August 22 Entries forms available at www.elkocountyfair.com E-mail entries to: ecfbsecretary@gmail.com Mail entries and payments to:

Elko County Fair Board, PO Box 2067, Elko, NV 89803 For More Information contact:

JJ Roemmich 775.397.2769 or ecfbsecretary@gmail.com

www.progressiverancher.com

The Progressive Rancher

JULY - AUGUST 2019 27

BOVINE HEALTH MANAGEMENT | ANAPLASMOSIS

By Alicja E. Tabor , BSc (Hons), PhD Queensland Alliance for Agriculture & Food Innovation, The University of Queensland

to further clinical disease. However, these chronically infected cattle may relapse to anaplasmosis when immunosuppressed (eg, by corticosteroids), when infected with other pathogens, or after splenectomy.

Carriers serve as a reservoir for further transmission.

Serious losses occur when mature cattle with no previous exposure are moved into endemic areas or under endemically unstable situations when transmission rates are insufficient to ensure that all cattle are infected before reaching the more susceptible adult age.

Anaplasmosis, formerly known as gall sickness, traditionally refers to a disease of ruminants caused by obligate intraerythrocytic bacteria of the order Rickettsiales, family Anaplasmataceae, genus Anaplasma. Cattle, sheep, goats, buffalo, and some wild ruminants can be infected with the erythrocytic Anaplasma. Anaplasmosis occurs in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide (~40°N to 32°S), including South and Central America, the USA, Clinical Findings: southern Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

In animals <1 yr old anaplasmosis is usually subclinical, The Anaplasma genus also includes A phagocytophilum in yearlings and 2-yr-olds it is moderately severe, and (compiled from species previously known as Ehrlichia in older cattle it is severe and often fatal. Anaplasmosis phagocytophila, E equi, and human granulocytic is characterized by progressive anemia due to ehrlichiosis agent, A bovis (formerly E bovis), and extravascular destruction of infected and uninfected A platys (formerly E platys), all of which invade erythrocytes. The prepatent period of A marginale blood cells other than erythrocytes of their respective is directly related to the infective dose and typically mammalian hosts. Bovine anaplasmosis is of economic ranges from 15–36 days (although it may be as long as 100 days). After the prepatent period, peracute (most significance in the cattle industry. severe but rare), acute, or chronic anaplasmosis may follow. Rickettsemia approximately doubles every 24 Etiology and Pathogenesis: hr during the exponential growth phase. Generally, Clinical bovine anaplasmosis is usually caused by A 10%–30% of erythrocytes are infected at peak marginale. An A marginale with an appendage has rickettsemia, although this figure may be as high as been called A caudatum, but it is not considered to 65%. RBC count, PCV, and hemoglobin values are all be a separate species. Cattle are also infected with A severely reduced. Macrocytic anemia with circulating centrale, which generally results in mild disease. A ovis reticulocytes may be present late in the disease. may cause mild to severe disease in sheep, deer, and goats. A phagocytophilum has recently been reported Animals with peracute infections succumb within a to infect cattle; however, natural infection is rare and it few hours of the onset of clinical signs. Acutely infected animals lose condition rapidly. Milk production falls. does not cause clinical disease.

Inappetence, loss of coordination, breathlessness when Transmission and Epidemiology: exerted, and a rapid bounding pulse are usually evident Up to 17 different tick vector species (including in the late stages. The urine may be brown but, in Dermacentor, Rhipicephalus, Ixodes, Hyalomma, and contrast to babesiosis, hemoglobinuria does not occur.

Argas) have been reported to transmit Anaplasma spp. A transient febrile response, with the body temperature Not all of these are likely significant vectors in the field, rarely exceeding 106°F (41°C) occurs at about the time and it has been shown that strains of A marginale also of peak rickettsemia. Mucous membranes appear pale coevolve with particular tick strains. Rhipicephalus and then yellow. Pregnant cows may abort. Surviving (Boophilus) spp are major vectors in Australia and cattle convalesce over several weeks, during which Africa, and Dermacentor spp have been incriminated hematologic parameters gradually return to normal. as the main vectors in the USA. After feeding on Bos indicus breeds of cattle appear to possess a greater an infected animal, intrastadial or trans-stadial resistance to A marginale infection than B taurus transmission may occur. Transovarial transmission breeds, but variation of resistance of individuals within may also occur, although this is rare, even in the single- breeds of both species occurs. Differences in virulence host Rhipicephalus spp. A replicative cycle occurs in between Anaplasma strains and the level and duration the infected tick. Mechanical transmission via biting of the rickettsemia also play a role in severity of clinical dipterans occurs in some regions. Transplacental manifestations. transmission has been reported and is usually associated with acute infection of the dam in the Lesions: second or third trimester of gestation. Anaplasmosis Lesions are typical of those found in animals with may also be spread through the use of contaminated anemia due to erythrophagocytosis. The carcasses needles or dehorning or other surgical instruments. of cattle that die from anaplasmosis are generally There is a strong correlation between age of cattle and severity of disease. Calves are much more resistant to disease (although not infection) than older cattle.

This resistance is not due to colostral antibody from immune dams. In endemic areas where cattle first become infected with A marginale early in life, losses due to anaplasmosis are minimal. After recovery from the acute phase of infection, cattle remain chronically infected carriers but are generally immune 28 JULY - AUGUST 2019

markedly anemic and jaundiced. Blood is thin and watery. The spleen is characteristically enlarged and soft, with prominent follicles. The liver may be mottled and yellow-orange. The gallbladder is often distended and contains thick brown or green bile. Hepatic and mediastinal lymph nodes appear brown. There are serous effusions in body cavities, pulmonary edema, petechial hemorrhages in the epi- and endocardium, and often evidence of severe GI stasis. Widespread The Progressive Rancher

phagocytosis of erythrocytes is evident on microscopic examination of the reticuloendothelial organs. A significant proportion of erythrocytes are usually found to be parasitized after death due to acute infection.

Diagnosis: A marginale, together with the hemoprotozoa Babesia bovis and B bigemina, are the causative agents of tick fever in cattle. These three species have similar geographic distributions, except that anaplasmosis occurs in the absence of babesiosis in the USA. Microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained thin and thick blood films is critical to distinguish anaplasmosis from babesiosis (see Babesiosis) and other conditions that result in anemia and jaundice, such as leptospirosis (see Leptospirosis) and theileriosis (see Theileriases).

Blood in anticoagulant should also be obtained for hematologic testing. In Giemsa-stained thin blood films, Anaplasma spp appear as dense, homogeneously staining blue-purple inclusions 0.3–1 μm in diameter.

A marginale inclusions are usually located toward the margin of the infected erythrocyte, whereas A centrale inclusion bodies are located more centrally. A caudatum cannot be distinguished from A marginale using Giemsa-stained blood films. Special staining techniques are used to identify this species based on observation of characteristic appendages associated with the bacteria. A caudatum has been reported only in North America and could possibly be a morphologic form of A marginale and not a separate species.

Inclusion bodies contain 1–8 initial bodies 0.3–0.4 μm in diameter, which are the individual rickettsiae.

The percentage of infected erythrocytes varies with the stage and severity of disease; maximum rickettsemias in excess of 50% can occur with A marginale.

Microscopically, the infection becomes visible 2–6 wk after transmission. During the course of infection, the rickettsemia can double each day for up to 10 days and then decreases. Severe anemia can persist for weeks after parasites cannot be detected in blood smears.

Chronically infected carriers may be identified with a fair degree of accuracy by serologic testing using the msp5 ELISA, complement fixation, or card agglutination tests. Nucleic acid–based detection methods are most useful, because species and strain differentiation tests may not detect carrier levels.

At necropsy, thin blood films of liver, kidney, spleen, lungs, and peripheral blood should be prepared for microscopic examination.

Treatment, Control, and Prevention: Tetracycline antibiotics and imidocarb are currently used for treatment. Cattle may be sterilized by treatment with these drugs and remain immune to severe anaplasmosis subsequently for at least 8 mo.

Prompt administration of tetracycline drugs (tetracycline, chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline, rolitetracycline, doxycycline, minocycline) in the early stages of acute disease (eg, PCV >15%) usually ensures survival. A commonly used treatment consists of a single IM injection of long-acting oxytetracycline at a dosage of 20 mg/kg. Blood transfusion to partially restore the PCV greatly improves the survival rate of more severely affected cattle. The carrier state may www.progressiverancher.com

CONSERVATION EASEMENTS: FRIEND OR FOE? Provided by Mossy Oak Properties As our society grows more concerned with conserving and preserving rural land for future generations, conservation easements are growing in usage. But what exactly are they? Conservation easements can complicate future plans for land buyers.

"Essentially, conservation easements allow land owners to own their land while at the same time permanently removing most development rights in exchange for some type of tax benefit," said Jamie Spencer, owner and broker at Mossy Oak Properties Tennessee Land & Farm in Nashville, Tennessee. "So if a land owner wants to continue to keep and use their property (and farm it, live on it, hunt it, leave it to their children, etc.) yet guarantee that it will not be subdivided or developed in any undesirable way, then a conservation easement is an excellent tool for someone to explore in protecting their private property."

Anaplasma marginale , bovine blood smear Courtesy Of Ms. Sue Anderson, Tick Fever Centre, Wacol, Queensland, Australia.

be eliminated by administration of a long-acting oxytetracycline preparation (20 mg/kg, IM, at least two injections with a 1-wk interval). Withholding periods for tetracyclines apply in most countries. Injection into the neck muscle rather than the rump is preferred.

Imidocarb is also highly efficacious against A marginale as a single injection (as the dihydrochloride salt at 1.5 mg/kg, SC, or as imidocarb dipropionate at 3 mg/kg). Elimination of the carrier state requires the use of higher repeated doses of imidocarb (eg, 5 mg/ kg, IM or SC, two injections of the dihydrochloride salt 2 wk apart). Imidocarb is a suspected carcinogen with long withholding periods and is not approved for use in the USA or Europe.

In South Africa, Australia, Israel, and South America, infection with live A centrale (originating from South Africa) is used as a vaccine to provide cattle with partial protection against the disease caused by A marginale. A centrale (single dose) vaccine produces severe reactions in a small proportion of cattle. In the USA, where live vaccines cannot be used, vaccines comprising nonliving A marginale purified from infected bovine erythrocytes and adjuvant have been used in the past but may not currently be available.

Immunity generated by using multidose killed vaccine protects cattle from severe disease on subsequent infection, but cattle can still be susceptible to challenge with heterologous strains of A marginale. Instances of isoerythrolysis in suckling calves have occurred due to prior vaccination of dams with preparations that contained bovine erythrocytic material. Longlasting immunity against A marginale is conferred by preimmunization with live rickettsia, combined with the use of chemotherapy to control severe reactions.

The use of attenuated strains of A marginale as a live vaccine has been reported, with instances of severe reactions also occurring. A marginale grown in tick cell cultures are being investigated as an alternative live vaccine source. Subunit vaccines to control bovine anaplasmosis are also under investigation. In some areas, sustained stringent control or elimination of the arthropod vectors may be a viable control strategy; however, in other areas immunization is recommended.

For more information, visit: www.merckvetmanual.com/circulatory-system/ blood-parasites/anaplasmosis

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While that sounds well and good for land owners, the question is what it means for buyers.

Conservation easements aren't necessarily a bad thing, but they can limit exactly what buyers can do with their land.

"A conservation easement is a recorded, permanent document that can only be amended under special circumstances and can never be extinguished," Spencer continued. "If someone I work with is considering buying a protected property, they can be assured that the property is special and unique in its open space and natural habitat value. These types of properties here in Tennessee offer significant value to the right person. If someone can conserve the land they love and protect its natural habitat while maintaining their private property rights and potentially realizing significant tax benefits, that qualifies as extremely valuable in my book."

While easements certainly offer value to the right buyer, it all comes down to how you plan to use your land, according to Dustin McClure at Mossy Oak Properties Land and Luxury in Mooresville, North Carolina.

"Depending on the buyer's intended use, [conservation easements] could be a good or bad thing," McClure said. "For someone looking to buy a farm in a suburban area where land values are really high, it gives them an opportunity to be able to afford land that may have been unaffordable otherwise.

Sometimes these easements will allow for one or two homes to be constructed on the property. A buyer does have to be mindful that the easement will have an effect on future land value."

Different types of conservation easements According to Spencer and McClure, conservation easements can come in various forms.

These include easements to protect farm land, historical landscapes, mountainous land, scenic land, streams, rivers, lakes, hiking trails and wildlife areas. In most cases these easements are voluntary on the part of land owners who are either seeking tax benefits or want to preserve family land for future generations.

While conservation easements are certainly something to keep in mind during the land buying process, they shouldn't stop you from investing in land, provided you approach the situation correctly.

Contending with conservation easements Spencer went on to say that land buyers who are thinking of purchasing property that features a conservation easement should determine exactly what they plan to use the land for.

"Sometimes, conservation easements can totally prohibit any and all construction on the property, so I would make sure I knew what my buyer's goals were for the property he or she is pursuing," Spencer continued. "At the end of the day, people pursue conservation easements because they love their open space land, and they want to protect that land from all types of development. If owning this type of property is my buyer's goal, they should be prepared to pay for it handsomely."

This sentiment was echoed by McClure, who also highlighted the importance of fully understanding the details of the easement before buying.

"Do your research and hire an attorney to review the easement prior to purchasing the property," he said. "You need to have a clear understanding on what type of activities are allowed and prohibited as described in the easement."

By working with the right land specialist, you can ensure you know what you're getting into regarding conservation easements before singing on the dotted line. The last thing you want is a bad case of buyer's remorse after spending top dollar on land featuring a conservation easement.

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• Once Anaplasmosis is in the herd, it is costly to treat and difficult to control Owners should consider:

ANAPLASMOSIS IN CATTLE FACT SHEET Overview Effective April 1, 2014 Anaplasmosis is no longer a federally reportable disease and is now listed as immediately notifiable disease. This change means:

• Only diagnostic laboratories will be required to report suspected or confirmed cases to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) • The CFIA will no longer respond to anaplasmosis cases detected on farms

• The CFIA will no longer conduct surveillance for anaplasmosis to verify Canada's status for the disease

• Cattle, bison and elk producers in Alberta will have to contact their herd veterinarian to examine animals that are showing clinical signs suggestive of anaplasmosis.

• All breeding cattle, feeder cattle and bison imported from US into Canada will not be required to be tested for Anaplasmosis.

• It will be the buyer's responsibility to ensure that the purchased animals are free of Anaplasmosis and the buyers should consult their herd veterinarians to obtain the relevant advice to prevent introducing the disease in their herds.

• Anaplasmosis in cattle, bison, cervids, sheep and goats is a provincially notifiable disease and any suspected or confirmed cases of anaplasmosis must be reported within 24 hours to the Office of the Chief Provincial Veterinarian at the following address:

Dr. Keith Lehman, Chief Provincial Veterinarian Animal Health and Assurance Branch Alberta Agriculture and Forestry Tel: (780) 427-3448 |1-800-524-0051 Fax: (780) 415-0810

Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development will not be engaging in testing and control of the disease in confirmed infected cases in the province. Producers with the assistance from their herd veterinarian will be responsible for prevention, testing and treatment of the disease on the farm.

What can livestock producers do to reduce the risk of Anaplasmosis?

• Livestock producers play an important role in keeping their animals healthy and are encouraged to talk to their veterinarians about the disease and prevention of the disease.

• testing the animals for absence of the disease if importing from endemic regions.

• treating the animals with an effective acaricide to kill all ticks that may be on the animal before introducing the animals in the herd.

ANAPLASMOSIS – THE DISEASE Background • Anaplasmosis in cattle is an infectious disease of the red blood cells caused by the rickettsial bacteria Anaplasma marginale. Most commonly transmitted by ticks, A. marginale primarily causes disease in cattle. Other domestic and wild ruminants such as bison, deer, elk, sheep and goats can be infected, but clinical disease is uncommon.

• Anaplasmosis is endemic in many areas of the world including parts of the United States, while Canada experiences sporadic cases. Since 2000, a bison herd in Saskatchewan, beef cattle in Manitoba and a dairy herd Ontario have had confirmed cases.

• There is higher prevalence of infection and disease in southern USA due to environmental conditions that favour the survival of the tick that carries the micro-organism.

• Anaplasma central is a less pathogenic but closely related organism. It has never been reported in North America. The organism is used as a live vaccine for cattle in Israel, South Africa, South America and Australia (de la Fuente et al., 2005b).

• Anaplasma ovis, the agent of ovine anaplasmosis, may cause mild to severe disease in sheep, deer and goats but is not infectious for cattle.

How is Anaplasmosis Transmitted?

• Anaplasma can be transmitted by three methods:

○ Ticks are biological vectors of A. marginale and this is the most common route of transmission.

Amplification of the infective organism occurs in the salivary glands of the ticks. ○ Mechanical transmission occurs by direct inoculation of cattle with blood-contaminated hypodermic needles and surgical or dehorning instruments. Horseflies (Tabanids spp.) may also mechanically transmit the disease on their mouthparts after taking a blood meal from an infected animal. ○ Transplacental transmission where infected erythrocytes from infected cows move across the placenta in the uterus to the fetus without amplification of A. marginale.

• In North America, A. marginale can be transmitted by the Dermacentor species of ticks, including the three-host ticks Dermacentor andersoni (Rocky • Producers must comply with all import requirements Mountain wood tick), Dermacentor variabilis when purchasing animals from outside of Canada.

(American dog tick), Dermacentor occidentalis This may include testing of animals for other (Pacific Coast tick – not present in Canada), and diseases prior to import, depending on the country the one-host tick Dermacentor albipictus (winter or and location of origin. moose tick).

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• It seems that unmated male ticks retain infection longer than mated males and were infective from 63 to 232 days under simulated hibernation conditions (Anthony and Roby, 1966; Coan et al., 1989). Thus, male ticks may be potential reservoirs of infection for ruminants for extended periods (Kocan, 1995).

• Adult Rocky Mountain wood tick (D. andersoni) generally feed on larger mammals such as horses, cattle, moose, deer, mountain goat and elk ( James et al., 2006). The tick is the predominant biological vector for genetic strains of A. marginale in the northwestern US (Scoles et al., 2005a). Its distribution in the USA was reported from western Nebraska and South Dakota, westwards to the Cascades and Sierra Nevada Mountains, and from northern New Mexico and Arizona, northwards into Canada.

• In Canada, D. andersoni has been reported from southern British Columbia eastwards into Alberta and extending into Saskatchewan. East of 105_ longitude, it is replaced by D. variabilis, the American dog tick (Wilkinson, 1967).

• Both D. andersoni (Rocky Mountain spotted tick) and D. variabilis (American Dog tick) are present in Alberta.

• Outbreaks are usually seasonal and occur during or immediately after the tick breeding season.

• Wildlife may also become infected with A. marginale. While they do not show signs of disease, they may act as a reservoir for the bacteria.

• The season of adult activity usually lasts from the beginning of March to end of April or mid-May in interior British Columbia, and reaches a peak in early April. East of the Rockies, the active period may extend well into June or even July (Gregson, 1956; Alvin Gajadhar, personal communication).

Clinical Signs of Anaplasmosis • Cattle of all ages can become infected but severity of disease is age dependent with cattle less than a year old showing no or very mild signs of the disease.

• At least 15% of the erythrocytes have to be parasitized before there is clinical disease (Radostits et al., 2007).

• Cattle between 1 and 2 years old develop acute clinical disease manifested by fever, going off feed, rapid shallow breathing, reluctant to walk and pale mucous membranes but fatality is rare. Affected dairy cattle will also have a rapid decline in milk production.

• Cattle older than two years of age will develop acute clinical disease followed by sudden death. Often older animals will be found dead. Fatality rates can range from 29 to 49 per cent in animals older than two years that have experienced clinical disease.

• Infected animals remain persistently infected carriers for life and are reservoirs for the organism in the herd. Current science indicates that short term treatment of infected cattle with tetracycline only temporarily eliminates the bacteria but does not eliminate the carrier state. In order to eliminate carrier state, long term treatment with tetracycline is required and this is expensive both in terms of the cost of the drug and discarded milk. www.progressiverancher.com

Samples for Diagnosing Anaplasmosis

News from the University of Nevada, Reno

• The presence of A. marginale may be confirmed in a sick animal by identifying the organism in stained blood smear from sick animal.

• Whole un-clotted blood and serum can be tested for the presence of the microorganism.

• Pathological examination of fresh and fixed tissues will assist in ruling out other causes of death.

• According to the manufacturer's information, the CELISA test used for testing has a sensitivity (Se) of 95% and a specificity (Sp) of 98% when used to identify persistently infected cattle at a cut-off point of 30% inhibition (%I) (VMRD, 1998).

Pathological Lesions of Anaplasmosis • Animals that have died due to anaplasmosis will show pale to yellow tinged (jaundice) mucous membranes, thin watery blood, enlarged soft spleen with prominent follicles, enlarged liver with yellow-orange discoloration, gall bladder distension with thick green-brown bile, brown hepatic and mediastinal lymph nodes, epicardial and pericardial petechial and ecchymotic hemorrhages.

Hemoglobinuria is not a feature of anaplasmosis.

Other Diseases with similar clinical signs: • Bacillary hemoglobinuria • Chronic copper poisoning • Any cause of hemolytic anemia, e.g. cold water intoxication, onion poisoning, postparturient hemoglobinuria • Leptospirosis • Grazing of Brassica sp. (canola, kale, turnips, cabbage) • Eperythrozoonosis • Babesiosis Are Humans Susceptible?

Anaplasma marginale does not cause clinical disease in humans. Human anaplasmosis is caused by a related bacterium, Anaplasma phagocytophilum. A. phagocytophilum is also transmitted by bites from infected ticks. Black-legged ticks (Ixodes spp.), which are present in Alberta, are the primary vectors of A. phagocytophilum.

Anaplasma phagocytophilum is present worldwide (including USA) but seems to cause the disease called tick-borne fever in domestic and wild ruminants in Europe (Hoar et al., 2008).

What Countries Have Anaplasmosis?

The disease is common in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. Many southern states of United States, Australia, central and south America, Africa and southern Asia have such sub-tropical and tropical regions. Infection with A. marginale occurs only occasionally in temperate climate areas.

Visit www.alberta.ca for more information www.progressiverancher.com

www.unr.edu/nevada-today University Rangeland Ecologist Recognized for Conservation Efforts Tamzen Stringham develops tools to help land managers make informed decisions University of Nevada, Reno Rangeland Ecology Professor Tamzen Stringham was recently recognized for her contributions to rangeland science and management when she received the California-Nevada Chapter Soil and Water Conservation Society’s 2019 Merit Award at the group’s Annual Conference. The award recognizes outstanding efforts or activities promoting the conservation and development of natural resources in California and/ or Nevada.

One of Stringham’s most influential projects is her development of state-and-transition models, which describe how rangelands respond to both natural and human-caused disturbances, and how the land will respond to different recovery efforts. She has created these models for over 40 million acres of Nevada and has contracted with the Nevada Bureau of Land Management to help map the entire state. The maps help determine the potential of the land for different uses.

“Tamzen has a pretty strong tie to land manager needs, and she develops products driven by what those needs are,” said John McCann, forest hydrologist for the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, who nominated Stringham.

Stringham is also working on the development of spatial tools that will allow land managers to create their own state-and-transition model maps and ecological condition maps of large areas.

The tools she has developed are used by several state and federal organizations to see how land responds to management decisions, such as management and rehabilitation of grazing land and wildlife habitat, including critical habitat for sage grouse.

“Her influence and knowledge have been felt by many land management organizations,” said McCann. “Because of the tools she has made, organizations are collecting better information and making better land management decisions.”

Stringham joined the University’s College of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resources 11 years ago, and her work includes research done as part of the College’s Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station.

Rangeland Ecology Professor Tamzen Stringham received an award for her work in rangeland science and management.

Photo by John McCann Contact: Tiffany Kozsan Content Specialist College of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resources, UNR 405 Reno, Nevada 89557-0404 kozsant@unce.unr.edu 775-784-7072 www.unce.unr.edu

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Water Was “The Thing” In 2019 Nevada Legislative Session

By Doug Busselman, Executive Vice President Protecting existing water rights and the integrity of state water law was the central focus for Nevada Farm Bureau in the 2019 Nevada Legislature.

Accomplishing this Number 1 objective was achieved in no small part through partnerships and a water coalition of very unlikely allies. This coalition was made up of interests who don’t always get along well in natural resource-related discussions.

The common ground in protecting water rights was built on keeping water in rural Nevada and maintaining our state’s current water law.

Maintaining Nevada’s water law – as it is – was not the purpose of legislative proposals which the water coalition united to oppose.

The appeal made by the chief spokesperson for the legislation proposed by the State Engineer’s office, was that Nevada Water Law cannot continue as it is – it has to be changed to meet the current needs of the state. None of the three bills ever received a mention or hint of support from anyone, other than the Nevada Department of Natural Resources or the State Engineer’s office.

Of the three proposals, AB 30 was the biggest threat to Nevada’s water law foundation – the Prior Appropriations Doctrine (first-in-time and first-in-right). Even with total opposition the bill managed to advance forward until finally missing the May 24th deadline for passage from the Second House. It was driven by a political motivation which sought to erase the restrictions of authorizing water for those who are coming forward now for water, promoting the concept that mitigation measures can provide ways for resolving the impact on existing water right owners.

AB 51 was another of the package of bills that were pre-filed by the State Engineer’s office. It copied the game-plan of the proposed route that has been brought forward for dealing with conjunctive management in the Humboldt River system. Here again, mitigation is the basis for resolving the conflict between senior water rights and junior water rights.

The concept of “conjunctive” water management was inserted into state law in the 2017 Nevada Legislature. There isn’t a complete picture of what this type of management, exercised by the State Engineer, means but the general idea is that in spite of surface and groundwater water rights

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being granted through their own authorities in two basins, domestic well owners would be near the first different sections of state law…all water will now be to be left without water. AB 95 is legislation that dealt with as one system. seeks to protect domestic well owners from losing their water if they are junior to other water rights in In the case of the Humboldt River region, the a groundwater basin which is required to go through more senior surface water rights are supposed a curtailment process of groundwater pumping. to be protected from the impact of groundwater pumping. The mitigation that was contemplated The legislation, signed into law by Nevada Governor in the proposed regulations and also in AB 51 Steve Sisolak, after passing the 2019 Legislature, included not only replacement water to make up provides that in such circumstances of curtailment for groundwater withdrawals that negatively affect of groundwater pumping domestic wells, which senior water right (surface water), but also payment comply with the requirements of installing a meter, of fees by the junior water right owners to pay the would be able to continue to pump a half-an-acre ft senior water right owners. of water for inside use – in spite of older water rights having to stop pumping. The legislation clearly When fees or taxes are involved, the Nevada describes (in spite of the rumors to the contrary) Constitution is supposed to require a two-thirds that consideration for these provisions would only majority vote for passage of the legislation. AB 51 come after 10 consecutive years of a groundwater may not have had even a simple majority for passage basin be designated as a “critical management area” from the Assembly Natural Resources, Agriculture or if a court of competent jurisdiction orders the and Mining Committee…it certainly didn’t have State Engineer to conform to priority rights. the required 2/3 margin of support. It was never One of the bills that did receive good support, brought to a vote in committee.

SB 140, provides that in basins which there is AB 62 was the only bill of the three measures groundwater that has not been committed for use offered by the State Engineer to gain passage and – the State Engineer shall reserve 10 percent of the only in form that was far different than originally total remaining groundwater. This bill also started proposed. The purpose of AB 62 was to implement as an idea in the Public Lands Committee and was a new timeline for bringing water projects through championed by its primary sponsor, Senator Pete to completion in advance of putting the water Goicoechea of Eureka County. The final version of to beneficial use. The final outcome, after several the bill also stipulated that the reserved water would attempts to tweak the times that were proposed not be available for any use, which keeps it from for different types of water users, ended up being being designated for anything and avoiding any authorization for the State Engineer to study entity to claim it for their purposes. options and engage in a public hearing process for SB 250 was another substantial water proposal, adopting the timeframes in regulation. proposed by Senator James Settelmeyer of Douglas Outside of the water legislation offered by the State County. While the bill wasn’t one of the water bills Engineer’s office a couple of notable bills from that agricultural advocates were involved with, there Nevada legislators warrant mention. were a number of other water-related interests who were deeply engaged.

AB 95 was proposed by the Public Lands Committee and was primarily championed by Assemblywoman It came forward on the simple premise that water Heidi Swank from Clark County, who chaired the rights that are required as dedication for development Public Lands Committee in the past interim and should be kept connected to the parcels and not sold who also served as the chair of the Assembly Natural off by authorities which required the dedication in Resources, Agriculture and Mining Committee. the first place. As is usually the case with simple ideas and water, getting to the final signature into The assumption is that a vast majority of domestic law by Governor Sisolak on June 5th took a few wells fall into a junior water right status and if iterations. The amended third version finally got the State Engineer needed to curtail groundwater the necessary agreement to gain legislative approval. pumping because of severe depletion of groundwater

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Humboldt County Ag In The Classroom

By Brittney Pericoli, Director of Communications Third graders throughout Humboldt County came together at the Humboldt County Fair Grounds to participate in this fun filled Ag in the Classroom event. This year’s Ag in the Classroom had 15 different stations for students to rotate through throughout the day.

The Humboldt County Ag in the Classroom Committee took a different approach in planning this year’s event getting teachers involved with an Ag in the Classroom lesson plan prior to the Ag in the Classroom event taking place. This gave teachers an opportunity to expand on the Ag in the Classroom event in the classroom, while getting students excited and giving them more of an opportunity to learn where their food and fiber comes from.

“The lesson plan was well received by teachers and they found it exciting to be able to incorporate what they learned at this event back into the classroom with help of the lesson plan,” said Sharon Barton from the Humboldt County Extension Office.

Students had 15 stations to rotate through this year including: • Sheep Shearing • Sheep • Wool Station • Moolisa the Department of Agriculture Dairy Cow and real Dairy Cow • Tractor/ Farm Safety • Horses • Goats • Beef • Beef By-Products • Swine • Bull Wagon • Poultry • Seeds • Mini Pivot • Veterinarian Station In addition to the 15 stations students rotate through they were also provided lunch. This event for so many students is the first time they not only get so see, but interact with real animals and learn about where their food actually comes from.

The Humboldt County Ag in the Classroom Committee did a wonderful job putting this event together this year. Events like this would not be possible without the wonderful support of volunteers and sponsors. Sponsors for this Ag in the Classroom event included: Humboldt County Farm Bureau, Nevada Farm Bureau, Country Financial, Bureau of Land Management, Nevada Division of Forestry, Simplot, Dessert Trails Veterinary Services, Nevada Department of Agriculture, Humboldt County Ag District #3, Humboldt County Cooperative Extension, National Ag in the Classroom Organization, Natural Resource Conservation District, Humboldt General Hospital, Pinenut Livestock Supply, Rocky Mountain Ag, Nevada Dairy Council, Humboldt County 4-H, Wade Distributing, Humboldt County Ag in the Classroom Committee and Winnemucca FFA.

2019 Quilt Raffle The Women’s Leadership Committee is excited to begin selling quilt raffle tickets. This year’s quilt was donated by Skip Garrica of Fallon, Nevada.

“I was happy to support the Women’s Leadership Committee when I found out it continues the type of leadership training that my daughter received in FFA years ago,” said Skip Garrica.

Tickets can be purchased through Brieanna Valdez by emailing, brieanna@nvfb.org. Tickets are five for $20, or one for $5. Tickets will also be available at the annual meeting as well as events held throughout the summer.

The Women’s Leadership Committee plays a vital role in educating students and the general public through Ag days, classroom outreach, Our Food Link and county fairs. The money raised through the quilt raffle funds the Women’s Leadership Committee Ag outreach programs as well as help send individuals to the Women’s Communication Bootcamp. The Women’s Communication Bootcamp provides women the training and education they need to become powerful advocates for today’s agriculture.

The winning raffle ticket will be picked at the Nevada Farm Bureau 100th Annual meeting. You do not have to be present to win. Let’s help the Women’s Leadership Committee out and get your tickets today!

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NEWS RELEASE National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board to meet in Boise and Washington, D.C. The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board will meet July 9-11 in Boise, Idaho, and October 29-31 in Washington, D.C. The Board will discuss the pressing challenges of wild horse and burro management, including the number of unadopted and unsold animals in BLM facilities and the effects of overpopulation on public lands.

Contact: Jenny Lesieutre, Wild Horse and Burro Public Affairs Specialist Bureau of Land Management, Nevada State Office 1340 Financial Boulevard, Reno, NV 89502 Office: 775-861-6594 | Cell: 202-412-5784 | Email: jlesieut@blm.gov

Both meetings will be live-streamed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mountain Time July 10-11 and October 30-31 at www.blm.gov/live. The BLM will host a site visit for For additional information regarding the meeting or to register to attend the July the Advisory Board to a local wild horse herd management area on July 9.

9 HMA tour, please contact Dorothea Boothe, Acting Wild Horse and Burro Program Coordinator, at (202) 912-7654 or at dboothe@blm.gov. Individuals The National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board is comprised of individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may reach Ms. Boothe representing a diverse range of stakeholders and interests. The Board provides during normal business hours by calling the Federal Information Relay Service at advice and recommendations to the BLM as the agency carries out its 1-800-877-8339. responsibilities under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. The law mandates the protection and management of these free-roaming animals in a manner that ensures healthy herds at levels consistent with the land’s capacity to sustainably support them as part of BLM’s multiple-use mission.

As of March 1, 2019, the BLM estimated public rangelands were home to approximately 88,090 wild horses and burros in 10 Western states – the largest population estimate since the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act was passed – and more than three times the number the habitat can sustainably support in conjunction with other authorized land uses. At the same time, the BLM continues to care for approximately 50,000 unadopted and unsold animals in its off-range corrals and pastures, costing taxpayers $50 million annually – nearly two-thirds of the Wild Horse and Burro Program annual budget.

The agendas of the upcoming meetings can be found in the June 7, 2019 Federal Register at www.federalregister.gov. More detailed agendas and materials will be posted on the BLM website at BLM.gov/WHB prior to each meeting. The July meeting will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Boise, located at 348 S. 13th Street, Boise, Idaho 83702. The October meeting will be held at the Phoenix Park Hotel located at 520 North Capitol Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001 and at 20 F Street Conference Center located at 20 F Street, NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20001.

The public may address the Advisory Board on July 11 and October 31.

Individuals who wish to comment should register in person with the BLM at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the public comment period on that same day at the meeting site. Depending on the number of speakers, the Board may limit the length of comments, which has been set at three minutes per person during previous meetings.

Speakers should submit a written copy of their comment to the BLM at the addresses below or bring a copy to the meeting. There will be a webcam present during the entire meeting and individual comments will be recorded. Those who would like to comment but are unable to attend may submit a written statement at least two weeks prior to the start of each meeting to: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, National Wild Horse and Burro Program, WO-260, Attention: Advisory Board, 20 M St. SE, Room 2134LM, Washington, D.C., 20003. Comments may also be e-mailed two weeks before the meeting to the BLM at whbadvisoryboard@blm.gov. Please include “Advisory Board Comment” in the subject line of the e-mail.

34 JULY - AUGUST 2019

Successful bidders paid a total of $30,500 for 13 animals during the June 8, 2019 Wild Horse & Burro Adoption (see article on following page)

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CONTACT: Jenny Lesieutre, (775) 861-6594 | jlesieut@blm.gov

NEWS RELEASE

Top Seller "Punchy" with Adopter & Trainer

BLM Nevada and Northern Nevada Correctional Center saddle-trained wild horse and halter-trained wild burro adoption a success The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Nevada Department of Corrections – Silver State Industries conducted a saddle-trained wild horse and halter-trained wild burro adoption event on June 8 at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center (NNCC) south of Carson City, Nevada. All 13 animals showcased at the event were adopted.

Eleven wild horses from herd management areas located on BLM-administered public lands in Nevada were trained for approximately four months by inmate trainers in the NNCC program and offered for adoption during a competitivebid adoption event. In addition, two wild burros, both 2-year old johnnies, born at the facility from jennies gathered from Nevada’s Marietta herd management area in 2017, were also offered for adoption.

Successful bidders paid a total of $30,500 for the animals. With bids starting at $150, the event’s saddle-trained wild horse top bid of $5,300 went for “Punchy”, a 5-year-old black gelding, gathered in November 2016 from the Rock Creek herd management area located outside of Elko, Nevada. Both wild burros were adopted together for a total of $700.

The successful bidders officially adopted their horses and burros - after properly caring for their adopted animals for one year, the adopters are eligible to receive title, or ownership, from the Federal government. The BLM uses its adoption program as a primary tool to place these iconic animals into private care.

"Benny Blanco" with Trainer and Adopters from Idaho

The horses and burros available for adoption typically come from overpopulated herds on public lands where available vegetation and water can become scarce as populations grow. There are no natural predators that can effectively control wild horse and burro population growth on public lands.

Many people have found it personally challenging and rewarding to adopt a wild horse or burro. Additionally, it is a chance to care for, and then own, a part of America’s heritage. The BLM has placed more than 245,000 wild horses and burros into private care since 1971. Many of those animals have become excellent pleasure, show, work or companion animals.

The next saddle-trained wild horse adoption and competitive-bid auction at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center is scheduled for October 19, 2019.

Additional information on this partnership, including past and current event catalogs, is posted on-line at https://on.doi.gov/2jE05uy For more information about these special adoption or sale events and how to adopt or purchase your own wild horse or burro visit BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program webpage at https://www.blm.gov/whb

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The Progressive Rancher

JULY - AUGUST 2019 35

CATTLE CARE & HANDLING GUIDELINES A SAFE, WHOLESOME & HEALTHY BEEF SUPPLY

Beef cattle producers take pride in their responsibility to provide proper care to cattle.

The Code of Cattle Care below lists general recommendations for care and handling of cattle: • Provide necessary food, water and care to protect the health and well-being of animals.

• Provide disease prevention practices to protect herd health, including access to veterinary medical care.

• Provide facilities that allow safe, humane, and efficient movement and/or restraint of cattle.

• Use appropriate methods to humanely euthanize terminally sick or injured livestock and dispose of them properly.

• Provide personnel with training/ experience to properly handle and care for cattle.

• Make timely observations of cattle to ensure basic needs are being met.

• Minimize stress when transporting cattle.

FEEDING AND NUTRITION Diets for all classes of beef cattle should meet the recommendations of the National Research Council (NRC) and/or recommendations of a nutritional consultant. For local recommendations and advice, contact your state ag extension as a potential resource.

• Cattle must have access to an adequate water supply.

Estimated water requirements for all classes of beef cattle in various production settings are described in the National Academy of Sciences NRC Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle.

• Provide adequate feed. Avoid feed and water interruption longer than 24 hours.

• Feedstuffs and feed ingredients should be of satisfactory quality to meet nutritional needs.

Under certain circumstances (e.g., droughts, frosts, and floods), test feedstuffs or other dietary components to determine the presence of substances that can be detrimental to cattle well-being, such as nitrates, prussic acid, mycotoxins, etc.

• Producers should become familiar with potential micronutrient deficiencies or excesses in their respective geographical areas and use appropriately formulated supplements.

• Use only USDA, FDA and EPA approved products for use in cattle. These products must be used in accordance with the approved product use guidelines.

Body condition scoring of beef cows is a scientifically approved method to assess nutritional status. Body condition scores (BCS) range from 1 (emaciated) to 9 (obese).

• A BCS of 4-6 is most desirable for health and production. A BCS of 2 or under is not acceptable and immediate corrective action should be taken.

• During periods of prolonged drought and widespread shortages of hay and other feedstuffs, the average BCS of cows within a herd may temporarily decline. This is not desirable, but may be outside the cattle owner’s control until drought relief is achieved.

• During periods of decreasing temperature, feeding plans should reflect increased energy needs.

See additional Cold Stress procedures. Feeding Guidelines for Stocker Cattle • Stockers are raised on a wide variety of forages (native pasture, annuals, improved pasture) with minimal additional nutrient supplementation.

• On growing forages, stocking rates should be established that meet production goals for growth and performance.

• On dormant pastures, supplement cattle as needed to meet maintenance or growth requirements for the animal’s weight, breed, and age as established

by NRC guidelines and targeted production goals of the operation.

Feeding Guidelines for Feeder Cattle

• Keep updated on advancements and changes in the industry to make decisions based upon sound production practices and consideration for animal well-being.

Feedyard cattle can eat diverse diets, but the typical ration contains a high proportion of grain(s) (corn, milo, barley, grain by-products) and a smaller proportion of roughages (hay, straw, silage, hulls, etc.). The NRC lists the dietary requirements of beef cattle (based on weight, weather, frame score, etc.) and the feeding value of various commodities included in the diet.

• Persons who willfully mistreat animals will not be tolerated.

INTRODUCTION Cattlemen have long recognized the need to properly care for livestock. Sound animal husbandry practices, based on decades of practical experience and research, are known to impact the wellbeing of cattle, individual animal health and herd productivity. Cattle are produced in very diverse environments and geographic locations in the United States.

• Consult a nutritionist (private consultant, university or feed company employee) for advice on ration formulation and feeding programs.

• Avoid sudden changes in ration composition or amount of ration offered.

• Monitor changes in weight gain, feces, incidence of digestive upsets (acidosis or bloat) and foot health to help evaluate the feeding program.

There is not one specific set of production practices that can be recommended for all cattle producers.

Personal experience, Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) training and professional judgment can serve as a valuable resource for providing proper animal care. The following information is to be used as an educational resource, all production practices should be adapted to specific needs of individual operations.

36 JULY - AUGUST 2019

Feeding Guidelines for Beef Cows

• A small percentage of cattle in feedyards develop laminitis or founder. Mild cases do not affect animal welfare or performance; however, hooves double normal length compromise movement. In these instances, the animal should be provided appropriate care and marketed as soon as possible.

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6. Avoid Inappropriate Antibiotic Use: Confine therapeutic antimicrobial use to appropriate clinical indications, avoiding inappropriate uses such as for viral infections without bacterial complication.

7. Treatment Programs Should Reflect Best Use Principles: Regimens for therapeutic antimicrobial use should be optimized using current pharmacological information and principles.

8. Treat the Fewest Number of Animals Possible: Limit antibiotic use to sick or at risk animals.

DISEASE PREVENTION, HEALTH CARE, & CATTLE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

9. Treat for the Recommended Time Period: This will minimize the potential for bacteria to become resistant to antimicrobials.

seek guidance from a veterinarian and advisability of analgesia or anesthesia for castration and dehorning of beef cattle, particularly in older animals, where development is more advanced.

• Where practical, cattle should be castrated before the age of 3 months (90 days), or at the first available handling opportunity beyond this age.

• Where practical, cattle should be dehorned while horn development is still at the horn bud stage, or at the first available handling opportunity beyond this age. This is because at this stage in development the procedure involves less tissue trauma. The selection of polled cattle is an alternative for horn management.

• Weaning can be less stressful by castrating and dehorning calves early in life, vaccinating against respiratory diseases prior to weaning, and providing proper pre-weaning nutrition.

10. Avoid Environmental Contamination with Antibiotics: Steps should be taken to minimize Like other species, cattle are susceptible to infectious antimicrobials reaching the environment diseases, metabolic disorders, toxins, parasites, through spillage, contaminated ground run off or neoplasia and injury. Control programs should be based Stocker and Feeder Cattle aerosolization. on risk assessment and efficacy of available products.

Economic losses are reduced by early intervention 11. Keep Records of Antibiotic Use: Accurate • In all cases producers may seek guidance from a veterinarian on the advisability of vaccination through health management programs. Healthy herds records of treatment and outcome should be used protocols for incoming stocker and feeder cattle are more productive. Management programs should be to evaluate therapeutic regimens and always follow based on environmental and rearing conditions. science-based and common-sense driven. proper withdrawal times.

The use of vaccines and parasite control should be The producer should work with a veterinarian to based on risk assessment and efficacy of available determine the risk of infectious, metabolic and 12. Follow Label Directions: Follow label animal health products. instructions and never use antibiotics other than toxic diseases and to develop effective management as labeled without a valid veterinary prescription. programs when designing a herd health plan. A • Producers may seek guidance from a veterinarian Veterinary/ Client/Patient Relationship (VCPR) is on the availability and advisability of analgesia or 13. Extra-label Antibiotic Use Must follow strongly encouraged. anesthesia for dehorning of beef cattle, particularly FDA Regulations: Prescriptions, including in older animals, where horn development is more Producers and their employees should have the taining extra label use of medications must meet the advanced. and ability to recognize common health problems and Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act know how to properly utilize animal health products (AMDUCA) amendments to the Food, Drug, and other control measures. and Cosmetic Act and its regulations. This • A local anesthetic should be used when heifers are spayed using the flank approach. includes having a valid Veterinary/ Client/Patient When prevention or control measures are ineffective, Relationship (VCPR). the producer should promptly contact a veterinarian • High risk cattle should be checked at least daily for for a diagnosis and treatment program to reduce illness, lameness or other problems during the first 14. Subtherapeutic Antibiotic Use Is Discouraged: animal suffering and animal losses.

30 days following arrival.

Antibiotic use should be limited to prevention or control disease.

• Pregnancy in immature heifers can result in calving A Producer’s Guide for Judicious difficulties and subsequent trauma to the birth Use of Antimicrobials in Cattle Cows canal, paralysis or death of the heifer. For these 1. Prevent Problems: Emphasize appropriate reasons it is often more humane to abort pregnant • It is desirable for cows to have a BCS of at least 4 husbandry, management, hygiene, routine health heifers. This should be done under the direction of before the calving season. examinations, and vaccinations. a veterinarian.

• During the calving season, cows should be checked 2. Select and Use Antibiotics Carefully: Consult regularly for calving difficulties. First-calf heifers • If heifers in the feedyard or a stocker operation with your veterinarian on the selection and use of deliver a full-term, healthy calf, it should be allowed may require more frequent observation and care. antibiotics. Have a valid reason to use an antibiotic. to nurse to obtain colostrum. At all times, these Therapeutic alternatives should be considered • Producers should consider contacting a veterinarian calves must be handled humanely and provided prior to using antimicrobial therapy. proper nutrition. for advice or assistance if cows or heifers have 3. Avoid Using Antibiotics Important In Human Medicine As First Line Therapy and those medications strategic human or animal infections.

4. Use the Laboratory to Help You Select Antibiotics: Cultures and susceptibility test results should be used to aid in the selection of antimicrobials, as neccessary.

5. Combination Antibiotic Therapy Is Discouraged Unless There Is Clear Evidence The Specific Practice Is Beneficial: Select and utilize an antibiotic to affect a cure. www.progressiverancher.com

calving difficulties that cannot be corrected by the producer within a reasonable amount of time.

• Cows with mild lameness, early eye problems, mastitis or loss of body condition should be examined to determine well-being and promptly marketed as appropriate.

Compromised calves or fetuses should be promptly euthanized and disposed of according to local regulations.

Calves

• “Bulling” is a term to describe aggressive riding of a steer by one or more penmates. Bullers should be promptly removed from the pen to prevent serious injury.

Castration and dehorning are done for the protection of the animal, other cattle in the herd and people who handle the cattle. In all cases producers may

• Tail docking is not recommended. Increasing space per animal and proper bedding are effective means in preventing tail tip injury and necrosis.

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JULY - AUGUST 2019 37

IDENTIFICATION Branding, ear-tagging, ear-notching, and radio frequency identification devices (RFID) are methods of identifying cattle.

• Design and operate alleys and gates to avoid impeding cattle movement. When operating gates and catches, reduce excessive noise, which may cause distress to the animals.

• If cattle are hot iron or freeze branded, it should be accomplished quickly, expertly and with the proper equipment. BQA guidelines recommend branding on the hip area.

• Adjust hydraulic or manual restraining chutes to the appropriate size of cattle to be handled. Regular cleaning and maintenance of working parts is imperative to ensure the system functions properly and is safe for the cattle and handlers.

• Feeder cattle should not be re-branded when entering a feedlot unless required by law.

• Mechanical and electrical devices used in housing facilities should be safe.

• Brands should be of appropriate size to achieve clear identification.

CATTLE HANDLING Abuse of cattle is never acceptable under any circumstances.

• Cattle should never be branded on the face or jaw.

• Ear notching may be used to identify cattle.

• Wattling, ear splitting and other surgical alterations for identification are strongly discouraged.

• Cattle should not be whipped or hit with objects that could cause injury, pain, or harm.

• Kicking, prodding, or any other forceful actions should not be used on non-ambulatory cattle.

• Driving aids powered by AC current should never be used unless manufactured and labeled specifically for that purpose.

• Some cattle are naturally more prone to vocalize, but if more than 5% of cattle vocalize (after being squeezed but prior to procedures being performed) it may be an indication that chute operation should be evaluated.

• If more than 25% of cattle jump or run out of the chute there should be a review of the situation and questions asked such as: is this a result from cattle temperament or prior handling issue, was the chute operating properly, etc.?

• Properly trained dogs can be effective and humane tools for cattle handling. Insure that barking or impeding cattle flow is minimized.

• Cattle handling facilities can be evaluated using the BQA Assessment tools provided at bqa.org

• The use of sharp or hard solid objects to move cattle is not acceptable.

• Avoid slippery surfaces, especially where cattle enter a single file alley leading to a chute or where they exit the chute. Grooved concrete, metal grating (not sharp), rubber mats or deep sand can be used to minimize slipping and falling. Quiet handling is essential to minimize slipping. Under most conditions, no more than 2% of the animals should fall outside the chute. A level of more than 2% indicates a review of the process may be of value, including asking questions such as: is this a cattle temperament issue, has something in the handling area changed that is affecting cattle behavior, etc.?

SHELTER AND HOUSING • Cattle in backgrounding facilities or feedyards must be offered adequate space for comfort, socialization and environmental management.

• Take advantage of cattle’s flight zone and point of balance to move them. For safety and welfare reasons, minimize the use of electric prods. Nonelectric driving aids, such as plastic paddles, sorting sticks, flags or streamers (affixed to long handles) should be used to quietly guide and turn animals.

When cattle continuously balk, cattle handlers should investigate and correct the reason rather than resort to overuse of electric prods.

• Pen maintenance, including manure harvesting, will help improve pen conditions.

MARKETING CATTLE The overwhelming majority of cattle are marketed in good health and physical condition. Compromised cattle should not enter intermediate marketing channels because of animal welfare concerns. Depending upon the severity of the condition, processing plant policy, and state or USDA regulations, cattle healthy enough to enter the food supply should be sold directly to a processing plant. Non-ambulatory animals should be humanely euthanized (see Humane Euthanasia section).

• Mud is more of a problem in the winter with low evaporation rates or improper drainage conditions.

Accumulation of mud on cattle should be monitored as a measure of pen condition and cattle care in relation to recent weather conditions.

• Feedyards should use dust reduction measures to improve animal performance.

TRANSPORTATION

• Floors in housing facilities should be properly drained and barns and handling alleys should provide adequate traction to prevent injuries to animals and handlers.

• Under desirable conditions, 90% or more of cattle should flow through cattle handling systems without the use of electric prods.

• Knowingly inflicting physical injury or unnecessary pain on cattle when loading, unloading or transporting animals is not acceptable.

• Handling alleys and housing pens should be free of sharp edges and protrusions to prevent injury to animals and handlers.

• When cattle prods must be used, avoid contact with sensitive areas including the eyes, rectum, genitalia and udder.

• Cattle sorting/holding pens should allow handling without undue stress, be located near the loading/ unloading facility and be suitable for herd size.

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HUMANE EUTHANASIA

• Provide properly designed and maintained loading facilities for easy and safe animal movement. Proper design of loading chutes as well as personnel that are knowledgeable of their proper use can assure the safety of both cattle and cattle handlers. Ramps and chutes should be strong and solid, provide nonslip footing, and have sides high enough to keep cattle from falling or jumping off. A ramp angle of 25 degrees or less will improve cattle movement.

Euthanasia is humane death occurring without pain and suffering, it should be utilized when an animal’s condition is such that additional treatment options will not be effective. The decision to euthanize an animal should consider the animal’s welfare. The producer will most likely perform on-farm euthanasia because a veterinarian may not be immediately available to perform the service. Persons who perform • All vehicles used to transport cattle should provide this task must be technically proficient and have an for the safety of personnel and cattle during loading, understanding of the relevant anatomical landmarks and the protocols used for humane euthanasia of transporting and unloading. animals. When euthanasia is necessary, an excellent • Strictly adhere to safe load levels with regard to reference is the BQA Euthanasia of Cattle and Calves animal weight and space allocation. guidelines.

• Producers hauling cattle in farm and ranch trailers must ensure that adequate space is provided so that cattle have sufficient room to stand with little risk of being forced down because of overcrowding.

Reasons for euthanasia include:

• Cattle that are unable to withstand the rigors of transportation should not be shipped.

• Emergency medical conditions that result in excruciating pain that cannot be relieved by treatment

• When the vehicle is not full, safely partition cattle into smaller areas to provide stability for the cattle and the vehicle.

• No gap which would allow injury to an animal should exist between the ramp, its sides, and the vehicle.

• Animals that are too weak to be transported due to debilitation from disease or injury

• Paralysis from traumatic injuries or disease that result in immobility • Disease conditions where no effective treatment is known, prognosis is terminal, or a significant threat to human health is present.

Methods of Euthanasia in Cattle

• Cattle should be loaded, unloaded, and moved through facilities with patience and as quietly as possible to reduce stress and injury.

Acceptable methods for conducting euthanasia in cattle include gunshot and penetrating captive bolt with a secondary step to insure death.

NON-AMBULATORY (DOWNER) CATTLE

Firearms for Conducting Euthanasia in Cattle

• Marketing cattle promptly before this issue occurs will promote better quality of life for the animal and be more efficient for the operation.

Gunshot is the most common method used for onfarm euthanasia of cattle. Effectiveness depends upon selection of the appropriate caliber of firearm, type of bullet or shot/shell, and accuracy of aim.

• When treatment is attempted, cattle unable to sit up unaided (i.e. lie flat on their side) and which refuse to eat or drink should be humanely euthanized within 24-36 hours of initial onset.

• Even though signs of a more favorable prognosis may exist, cattle that are non-ambulatory must not be sent to a livestock market or to a processing facility. www.progressiverancher.com

Indications of Unconsciousness When conducting euthanasia procedures one should always observe animals for the following behaviors: • Animal collapses immediately when shot and makes no attempt to right itself

• Provide adequate feed and water to non-ambulatory cattle at least once daily.

• Move downer animals very carefully to avoid compromising animal welfare. Acceptable methods of transporting downers include a sled, lowboy trailer or in the bucket of a loader. Dragging downer animals is unacceptable. Likewise, animals should not be lifted with chains onto transportation conveyances. Animals should not be “scooped” into a frontloader bucket, but rather should be humanely rolled into the bucket by caretakers.

Current information for adult cattle and calves indicates that the point of entry of the projectile should be at (or slightly above) the intersection of two imaginary lines, each drawn from the outside corner of the eye to the center of the base of the opposite horn.

If a firearm is used it should be used within 3 feet of the target when possible and positioned so that the muzzle is perpendicular to the skull to avoid ricochet.

When using penetrating captive bolt, operators are advised to restrain the head so that the captive bolt may be held flush with the skull.

• Fractures of the legs, hip or spine that are not repairable and result in immobility or inability to stand

• Vehicle doors and internal gates should be sufficiently wide to permit cattle to pass through easily without bruising or injury.

• A prompt diagnosis should be made to determine whether the animal should be humanely euthanized or receive additional care.

Anatomical Landmarks

.22 LR is discouraged for use in euthanasia of adult cattle because it lacks sufficient ballistic energy to yield consistent results. Higher caliber rifles should be avoided as bullets may exit the body and place bystanders in danger.

1

• Body and muscles become rigid immediately upon collapse followed by relaxation of the body, brief tetanic spasms and eventually uncoordinated hind limb movements • An absence of vocalization • An absence of eye reflexes and eyelids remain open facing straight forward

Penetrating Captive Bolt for Conducting Euthanasia of Cattle

• Immediate and sustained cessation of rhythmic breathing

Captive bolt guns are designed to cause damage to the brain sufficient to cause an immediate loss of consciousness. However, death is not certain in all cases. Therefore use of penetrating captive bolt should be followed with a secondary step to assure death.

Methods used to assure death include a second or third shot if necessary, exsanguination (bleeding out), or use of a pithing rod.

These signs should be observed and monitored in all animals for which euthanasia procedures have been applied. Animals that attempt to right themselves, vocalize, blink with their eyes or begin rhythmic breathing are likely returning to a conscious state.

In these cases one should immediately recheck the anatomical site used and re-shoot or re-apply the captive bolt.

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JULY - AUGUST 2019 39

TRAINING AND EDUCATION

Confirmation of Death Criteria to be used for confirmation of death include lack of pulse, breathing, lack of corneal reflex, response to firm toe pinch (as with a hoof tester), failure to detect/hear respiratory sounds or heart beat by use of a stethoscope, graying of the mucous membranes, and rigor mortis.

Management practices should be informally assessed daily to ensure that animal welfare is not compromised. Regardless, producers are encouraged to implement a system to verify efforts directed towards animal care and handling. This can be accomplished by:

None of these signs alone, with exception of rigor mortis, confirms death. Rechecking of the animal for these parameters after a period of 20 minutes is a very useful method for confirmation of death.

• Establishing a network of resources on cattle care • Following the Cattle Care and Handling Guidelines

HEAT STRESS PROCEDURES • During periods of high heat and humidity and little wind, actions should be taken to minimize the effects of heat stress as cattle are processed and managed.

• Provide adequate water.

• If possible, avoid handling cattle when the risk of heat stress is high. The final decision must consider temperature, humidity, wind speed, phenotype and cattle acclimation. If cattle must be handled, a general rule is to work them before the Temperature Humidity Index (THI) reaches 84, if possible. As an example, when the temperature is 98o F and the humidity is 30%, the THI is 83.

At a constant temperature, the THI increases as the relative humidity increases. Each one mile per hour increase in wind speed decreases the THI by approximately one point.

• Work cattle more prone to heat stress first, earlier in the day or later if conditions moderate. For example, larger cattle should be processed during periods of lower THI. • Limit the time cattle spend in handling facilities where heat stress may be more significant.

• Heat management tools, such as shades and sprinklers, should be considered if sufficient natural shade is not available.

• Record training and education activities

COLD STRESS PROCEDURES

• Recognizing early signs of distress and disease • How to properly diagnose common illnesses and provide proper care • Judicious use of animal health products and how to responsibly perform routine animal health procedures

• During summer, the THI in parts of the United States can be high.

• Recognizing signs associated with extreme weather stress and how to respond with appropriate actions

• Breeding programs should consider cattle’s heat tolerance and ability to adapt to their regional environment.

When heat stress is extreme: • Ensure adequate drinking water is available.

• Move/process cattle during cooler part of the day.

• Heat management tools, such as shades and sprinklers, should be considered if sufficient natural shade is not available.

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○ Self-assessment guides available at bqa.org

Cattle exposed to cold require more energy for • BQA training and certification programs maintenance, and performance will be reduced if ○ For more information go to bqa.org action is not taken to provide for it. Some suggestions for reducing winter stress and maintaining production • Informal self-reviews should be periodically in cold weather are: conducted by those involved with cattle feeding and care.

• Adjust feed and energy rations to match performance requirements when cattle reach low critical temperature.

Training of those who handle • Provide wind breaks and shelters to reduce wind, cattle should include: moisture, and mud.

• Construct feedlots/buildings in a way that reduces • An understanding of the animal’s point of balance and flight-zone winter stress due to temperature and moisture.

• Provide bedding that allow cattle to lie down • Avoiding sudden movements, loud noises or without direct contact with frozen ground. other actions that may frighten cattle Cattle will voluntarily seek protection from severe • Proper handling of aggressive/easily excited weather conditions if it is available. Modest protection cattle to ensure the welfare of the cattle and by either natural or manmade structures can greatly safety of cattle handlers reduce effects of extreme cold by allowing exposure to be intermittent rather than continuous.

• Proper use of handling and restraining devices

PASTURE CATTLE HEAT STRESS PROCEDURES

• Trees are abundant on most farms and ranches, providing natural shade and relief from heat. Cattle instinctively use shade and ponds for cooling when the THI is high.

• Conducting self-audits or external audits of animal care and handling procedures

• Basic feeding/nutritional management of beef cattle

ESTIMATED LOW CRITICAL TEMPERATURES FOR BEEF CATTLE

Coat Low Critical Description Temperature Summer coat or wet

Fall coat

Winter coat Heavy winter coat

59oF 45oF 32oF 18oF

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SELF EVALUATION Self-evaluation is critical to continuous improvement. Producers are encouraged to utilize the BQA Self Assessments most relevant to their operation. Self Assessment guides can be found online at www.bqa.org.

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RANGE PLANTS FOR THE RANCHER Russian Olive Tree

By Paul T. Tueller, Ph.D., CRMC

For this issue I discuss another woody plant found in the Great Basin and elsewhere, Eleagnus angustifolia.

The common name is Russian olive, silver berry, oleaster, Persian olive, or wild olive.

from the early 1900s, and escapes (or naturalization) are reported from the 1930s through 60s in Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Idaho, Texas, and California.

Russian Olive is a species native to western and central Asia, Afghanistan from southern Russia and Kazakhstan to Turkey, Iran and parts of Pakistan. It is now widely established in Norther America as an introduced species. Plants were introduced into North America in the late 19th century, and subsequently escaped cultivation.

Russian olive is considered to be an invasive species because it thrives on poor soil, has low seedling mortality rates, matures in a few years, and outcompetes wild native vegetation. It often invades riparian habitats

It is unclear exactly how or when Russian olive was initially introduced to North America, although its introduction as a horticultural plant was certainly intentional. Russian olive has been cultivated for shade, hedges, wind- and snowbreaks, soil stabilization, wildlife habitat, landscaping, and to provide pollen for honeybees both in its native range and in North America. It was introduced to many of the Great Plains and southwestern states by the early 1900s, and remained a cultivated landscape plant for many decades. It was used extensively in windbreaks throughout the Great Plains in the 1930s and 1940s in association with government programs. As recently as the 1980s and 1990s, some state and federal agencies continued to subsidize distribution of seedlings in the U.S. Russian olive now occurs throughout most of the U.S. including Nevada but excluding most southeastern states.

Russian-olive became prominent outside cultivated areas in the western U.S. several decades after it was introduced. Most recommendations for planting are

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Russian olive is a perennial shrub or small tree usually 12 to 45 feet tall. It can grow up to 6 feet per year. It forms a dense, rounded crown. Near the ground its branches spread from 10 to 20 feet. Unpruned trees have five or six main stems starting near the ground. Plants reproduce from seed and by root sprouting. Flowers are small, yellow, and very fragrant, borne in the axils of the leaves. The fruit is a light grayish-green oliveshaped fleshy drupe. The leaves are linear, light green above, gray below, 1.7 to 3.5 inches long. The leaves are covered with scalelike, stellate pubescence, giving it the appearance of silvery scales. The twigs of Russian olive are flexible, coated with a gray, scaly pubescence and have a thorn at the end. Bark is reddish-brown and thin, with shallow fissures, and exfoliates into long strips.

Russian olive is commonly found growing along floodplains, riverbanks, stream courses, marshes, and irrigation ditches at elevations from 4500 to 6000 feet. It is tolerant of considerable amounts of salinity or alkalinity, and can survive considerable drought.

Russian olive sprouts from the root crown and sends up root suckers.

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Russian olive thrives under a wide range of soil textures from sand to heavy clay, and can withstand flooding and silting. It grows best in deep sandy or loamy soils with only slight salt and alkali content.

Associated Species in Nevada are Saltgrass, cheatgrass, peppergrass, big sagebrush, buffalo berry, and prickly lettuce. It has been declared a noxious weed in several jurisdictions.

Russian olive has little forage value for livestock or big game, although both browse the foliage at times. Wild fowl and game birds eat the fruit, and the tree is used for cover and protection. More than 50 species of birds and mammals eat the fruit of Russian olive. In general, Russian olive-dominated communities provide inferior wildlife habitat to that of native riparian vegetation.

Russian olive can interfere with agricultural practices and can displace native riparian vegetation. It rapidly colonizes lowland fields, often chokes irrigation ditches, and damages tires and equipment.

Once Russian olive is established it is difficult to control and very difficult to eradicate. Efforts to control unwanted concentrations of Russian olive have included mowing seedlings, cutting, burning, spraying, girdling, and bulldozing. Most efforts have realized limited success.

Apparently the most effective combination of control efforts has been cutting trees, followed by either spraying or burning the stumps. Because of its characteristics as described here and it’s widespread distribution it is of interest to ranchers, land managers, wildlife managers and others.

JULY - AUGUST 2019 41

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August 2- 3- 4- 2019 Churchill County Fairgrounds Sanctioned by WSRA

<EVENTS>

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TEAM BRANDING TEAM DOCTORING TEAM ROPING TEAM SORTING TEAM TYING TRAILER LOADING WOMEN'S STEER STOPPING

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Mutton Busting Goat Branding Boot Scramble Working Ranch Dog Trials Jackpot Big Loop Roping Jackpot Barrel Race

Saturday Rodeo Performances

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Richard Allegre (775) 423-5358 or 848-2108 Barrel Race: Emily Torvik (775) 233-0137 Dog Trials: Starr Schwoerer (775) 294-1508

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BEING OVER-RUN BY UNWANTED VEGETATION?

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Our Favorite Beef Recipes Grilled Beef Salad

Who says you don't win friends with salad? You most certainly will with this easy and fun summer recipe that yields 6 to 8 servings of a huge platter salad so delicious it will wow the meanest in-law, and so hearty it will satisfy the hungriest of cowpokes. Break out a grill pan, chill some adult beverages, invite everyone over and then enjoy all the compliments for creating the tastiest dinner dish of the summer. No one has to know it only took 30 minutes!

Ingredients - Salad:

Ingredients - Beef:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves Juice of 1 lemon Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream 5-oz blue cheese crumbles 4 cups spinach leaves 2 cups torn romaine leaves 2 cups torn salad greens 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved 2 scallions, sliced 1 red bell pepper, very thinly sliced 1 small red onion, very thinly sliced

One 2-lb top round London broil

â&#x20AC;&#x192;46â&#x20AC;&#x192;JULY - AUGUST 2019

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard 4 cloves garlic, crushed 2 sprigs fresh thyme

For the meat: Put the beef in a resealable plastic bag. Mix together the olive oil, mustard, garlic and thyme in a small bowl. Pour over the beef, seal the bag and refrigerate for anywhere from 20 minutes to overnight. Take the meat out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you are ready to cook.

To cook, heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Wipe the meat dry and season well with the salt and lemon pepper. Grill for about 4 minutes per side, depending on your preferred doneness. Cover and set aside to rest for 15 - 20 minutes.

1 tablespoon kosher salt 2 teaspoons lemon pepper

Easy, Quick & Healthy!

For the salad: In a jar, shake together the olive oil, mustard, thyme leaves, lemon juice and a pinch each salt and pepper. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and shake again. Add 2 tablespoons of the blue cheese crumbles and shake once more.

Set aside while you assemble the salad and slice the meat.

Put spinach, romaine and salad greens in a large bowl. Add tomatoes, scallions, red pepper and red onion. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Toss with a little of the dressing. Add the remaining blue cheese crumbles (about 2/3 cup) and toss again.

To serve: Slice beef thinly against the grain. Pile the salad on 1 big platter and drape the meat over the salad. Serve extra dressing on the side.

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