Quick Bits

Soil Health

The Wyoming Collaborative for Healthy Soils will host a Zoom meeting to provide survey results on soil health for Wyoming producers on Feb. 9 from 10-11 a.m. For more information, visit groundupconsulting. us/wchs

Crop Prices

On Jan. 25, corn futures traded one to two cents per bushel higher as nearby futures prices settled between $6.66-$6.79 per bushel during the overnight trading session. Soybean prices shed five to eight cents per bushel to $14.72$14.8 per bushel. Wheat prices rose six to 10 cents per bushel higher despite a slightly stronger dollar.

Dairy Program

On Jan. 23, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced details of additional assistance for dairy producers, including a second round of payments through the Pandemic Market Volatility Assistance Program (PMVAP) and a new Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program (ODMAP). The update to PMVAP and ODMAP will enable USDA to better support small- and mediumsized dairy operations that weathered the pandemic and now face other challenges. For more information, visit usda.gov

Food Safety

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would like to remind specialty crop producers of available assistance to help cover certain costs of complying with regulatory and marketdriven food safety certification requirements. Applications for the Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops program for eligible 2022 costs are due by Jan. 31. USDA’s Farm Service Agency will accept applications for 2023 costs from Feb. 1 to Jan. 31, 2024. For more information, visit fsa. usda.gov is the last day for House bill introductions.

As of Jan. 23, several updates were provided by the Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA) 2023 Legislative Session Bill Review and Status document.

House bills House bill (HB) 16, State land leasing – improvements, increases the monetary threshold from $2,000 to $4,000 per section of each separate improvements, without first obtaining permission.

The bill changes the valuation of improvements for reimbursement by a new lessee from “contributory value” to “depreciated value.”

As of Jan. 23, the House passed the third reading of

Please see BILLS on page 10

Wyoming represented in Puerto Rico

Wyoming Farm Bureau

YF&R committee hosts successful event with U.S. senator in attendance

Pinedale – The Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation (WyFB) hosted their Young Farmer and Rancher (YF&R) conference Jan. 20-21 at the Sublette County Library. Attendees enjoyed a tour of the Mountain Man Museum, socialized with peers and heard presentations from an array of speakers within the industry.

Additionally, on Jan. 21, U.S. Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) addressed the crowd and shared with attendees the importance of youth in agriculture.

YF&R conference

AFBF convention provides new insights, policies and friendships

Twenty-three dedicated Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation (WyFB) members had the opportunity to expand their knowledge on agricultural issues, hear nationally acclaimed speakers and attend educational tours during the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Convention Jan. 6-11 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The country’s largest general agricultural organization chose the tropical island for their annual meeting when invited by Puerto Rico Farm Bureau President Hector Cordero, who wanted farmers to learn about issues facing agriculture in Puerto Rico, as well as experience the friendliness of the territory.

ASI welcomes new president

Fort Worth, Texas – The American Sheep Industry (ASI) welcomed sheep producers from across the country to meet and discuss topics and issues within the industry during the ASI Convention Jan. 18-21. During the convention, a new leadership team was announced.

Glenrock native Brad Boner, a sheep and cattle producer and former ASI vice president, was elected to serve as president.

Ag involvement

Prior to his involvement as ASI vice president, Boner served as the secretary/treasurer for the association.

In the past, he has also served as the Wyoming Wool Growers Association president, Wyoming Angus Association president, ASI regional director for region seven, ASI Wool Council chairman and Mountain States Lamb Cooperative chairman.

In addition, he has also been a member of the ASI Lets Grow Committee, ASI Lamb Council, Wyoming Animal Damage Control Board, Converse County Conservation District and Mountain States Rosen.

Boner shares his experiences in the last four years serving as ASI secretary/treasurer and vice president has helped provide him the tools he needs to serve as ASI president for the next two years.

“It’s an honor to represent a great group of people who work exceptionally hard trying to provide food and fiber for their customers around the world,” says Boner.

“We all battle many challenges in agriculture, and we want to do what we can to take away as many of those challenges through our lobbying efforts and contacts with

For Representatives

Wyoming policies on delegate floor

The voting delegates session is the heart of AFBF, where policy introduced during annual county meetings in September progresses to the state AFBF convention, with some policies advancing to the national level.

WyFB President Todd Fornstrom and Vice President Cole Coxbill sat with other voting delegates on the floor to debate and discuss policy and issues.

“On the delegate floor, there are very passionate speeches given,” said Fornstrom, adding no matter the subject, there is a lot to learn. “It’s always fascinating

Please see AFBF on page 9

The Farm Bureau YF&R program includes both men and women between the ages of 18-35. The objective of the program is to provide leadership in building a more effective farm bureau to preserve individual freedoms and expand opportunities within agriculture. The committee is a fully-integrated part of farm bureau at the county, state and national level. County and state committees are charged with surfacing, training and motivating young farm bureau board members to understand basic

Please see WyFB on page 24

Ag logistics off to optimistic start in 2023

Over the past few years, agricultural logistics and transportation have faced a number of issues, ultimately leading to increased prices and decreased reliability.

“Logisitics as we know it has been spun out of rhythm over the past two years, with supply and demand discrepancies, low reliability, global port congestion, labor shortages, capacity constraints and more – all coming together to put pressure on rates,” explains A.P. MollerMaersk, an integrated container logistics company, in a Dec. 27, 2022 article written by Ron Sterk on world-grain.com

The company notes there is a cycle of inflation affecting freight rates and freight rates affecting inflation, which will most likely continue in the short term. However, they also expect a positive turnaround of these two things in the near future.

Decreased demand, capacity, freight rates

According to Sterk, low grain and soybean exports have been influencing freight demand and rates in the U.S.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecasts 2022-23 wheat exports to be down 3.1 percent from 2022 and down 22 percent from 2021.The department also expects corn exports to fall 16

Please see LOGISTICS on page 5

From Wall Street to Los Angeles, the fashion world is seeing hats and boots worn by a lot of people nowadays, and as many of us know, it was brought on by the hit TV series “Yellowstone.”

Those of us with a little gray hair, remember the movie “Urban Cowboy” from the 1980s, which started a movement similar to what we see today. It lasted a few years, but quietly died down. This time, I think the fad will last longer, especially if the TV series continues releasing new seasons.

Those of us in the West call hats and boots just that – hats and boots. Everybody else calls them cowboy hats and cowboy boots. I think it is alright to be thought of in this way and will gladly share the meaning.

There is now a hatmaker selling old beat up and dirty hats for the full effect. This new fashion trend is called “Westerncore.”

When “Yellowstone” first started playing on TV screens throughout the country, I thought it put ranchers in a bad light. People from the cities started believing this was how all ranchers in the West acted – shouting profanities, drinking a lot of whiskey and beating up men and women alike.

It sure didn’t reflect the Western values and role models we actually hold close, such as the Cowboy Code of the West. Now, people are using the phrases “cowboy up” and “ride for the brand,” with little understanding of what these actually mean.

The series has now begun to depict some issues ranchers battle on a daily basis – wolves, brucellosis, drought, low margins of profit and invading development eroding our open spaces. It is good for the general public to realize these issues are real and make ranching and farming a very hard way of life.

The difference between our actual Western way of life and the way of life this series depicts, is we sit down at the table and try to solve our issues face to face, instead of throwing people we disagree with off of a cliff or beating them up.

“Yellowstone” has had a large effect on the tourism industry across the Intermountain West, and the economy from filming the series in Montana has certainly profited.

In fact, Montana says the series brought in an estimated 2.1 million visitors to the state, and those visitors spent close to $730 million. It has caused the cost of a single-family home in Bozeman, Mont. to rise from $660,000 in 2021 to $811,000 in 2022. The average sale price of working ranches has risen over $2 million.

Montana figures spending tied to tourism and the cost of production of the series in the state is huge. State officials say it brought in $44.5 million in state tax revenues, 10,200 jobs and 3,305 more people moving to the state due to increased economic opportunity in 2022.

Like other fads, this one will not last forever, but it’s fun to see it grow and watch people take advantage of the economic impacts. We hope “Yellowstone” viewers recognize our real values and try not to change us, both in lifestyle and political views.

I imagine a good snowbank and a creek full of mosquitoes will send some packing for home, but if they want a wellworn, ratty hat and a pair of duct-taped boots to take with them, I have some for sale.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup