Imagine a group of a few dozen elite scientists from the Global North getting together to develop a framework of earth system thresholds, and this framework –despite its conceptual form and varied confidence levels – is then used by financial institutions and governments to guide policies, regulations and investments for human use of the Earth’s resources.
The leader of this elite group then goes on to lead a second elite group of scientists, this time preparing a report calling for transformation of global food systems away from animal products to a predominantly plantbased diet – all in the name of “planetary health.”
This new plan includes a prescriptive “planetary health diet” which the elite scientists would like humans of the world to adopt.
One doesn’t need to imagine, since this is what happened.
The release of the updated EAT-Lancet report in mid-October calls for a “great food transformation” with an anticipated global reduction of 43 percent in the livestock sector by 2050, amounting to a loss of $650 billion in production.
More of the reduction would be for ruminant meat at 71 percent, than for nonruminants with a 46 percent reduction or dairy with a 20 percent reduction.
The report imagines a 50 percent reduction in food loss as a key strategy, although how this is viable remains unclear.
But this is not all – this transformed food system would result in the largest reduction in agricultural land in more than 2,000 years, since any conversion of land for agricultural use would also be halted under its prescription for the global good.
The report also prescribes a 70 percent global reduction in pesticide application, completely halting prophylactic antimicrobial use and halving existing antimicrobial dosage rates from 50 to 25 milligrams per kilograms per animal.
The report claims there is “no safe solution” to the climate and biodiversity crises without this global food sys-
tems transformation.
Ruminant meat production worldwide would need to decline by 33 percent, while there would need to be a 63 percent increase in fruit, vegetable and nut production above 2020 production levels. Additionally, fish production would increase by 46 percent.
How it started
The concept of a defined framework of planetary boundaries – thresholds beyond which the risk to humanity could be catastrophic – was popularized by Swedish Scholar Dr. Johan Rockstrom and a group of about 30 fellow scientists back in 2009.
At the time, the authors suggested three of the nine boundaries had already been transgressed – climate change, biodiversity loss and shifts in the nitrogen cycle. By 2015, this concept was updated by a smaller group of scientists who reported the addition of another boundary breach – land use change.
This update noted the framework was a work in progress, but the framework was already under consideration by governmental bodies throughout the world, as well as global financial institutions, corporations, nongovernmental organizations and philanthropists. By 2023, yet another team of scientists determined six of the nine planetary boundaries had been transgressed.
Meanwhile, Rockstrom and Walter Willett of the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health co-chaired a team of about 35 co-authors to issue the first EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems.
This report declared food production is the largest pressure caused by humans on Earth, and transformation of the global food system was needed, with major reductions in the consumption of red meat and other animal products, while boosting plant-based eating.
Willet’s role in the report is controversial because of his zealous support for a vegetarian diet and his reputation for bullying fellow scientists who may reach con-
clusions which do not support his position.
October’s release of the updated EAT-Lancet report saw its list of co-authors double, but it’s still a group of about 70 scientists who seek to have all of global humanity follow their guidance. The anti-animal agriculture interests pushing this agenda are well organized and have numerous networks and connections.
Pushing the movement is the EAT Advisory Board, which includes Rockstrom as its chairman; Lancet Editor-In-Chief Richard Horton; former People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
Vice President Bruce Friedrich, who is also the founder and president of the Good Food Institute, an organization promoting alternatives to animal products and a variety of representatives from organizations as varied as the World Bank, Culinary Institute of America, World Business Council for Sustainable Develop-
ment, United Nations, Royal Phillips and National Geographic Society.
The EAT-Lancet paper was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Wellcome Trust, IKEA Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability. Criticism is discouraged
This “urgent need for a great food transformation” will need $200 to $500 billion per year “to support the transformation to healthy, sustainable and just food systems.”
The report outlines methods to achieve this great food transformation, including imposing meat taxes and providing subsidies to shift affordability to particular foods, combining advertising restrictions with mandatory warning labels on what it determines is unhealthy foods and combining regulatory measures with land-use zoning to halt
further ag conversion.
The report goes into what it calls a “just” food system, but it doesn’t mention the preservation of heritage breeds nor the jeopardy the plan poses to the rich cultural heritage of communities around the globe.
There is no recognition of the fundamental connectedness between humans, animals and landscapes developed over thousands of years or the mutual bonds that bind them.
There is no recognition of the positive impact to health and well-being which comes from these interspecies relationships; the possible devasting consequences to the biological diversity of the world’s livestock populations should the scheme be adopted or its potentially devasting impacts on local livestock production, consumers, communities and, ultimately, food sovereignty.
Critics who would question the report’s models and methodology, oversimplifi-
cation of complex systems, reliance on nutritional evidence which leans heavily on association rather than causation, potential impacts to public health or who probe the potential conflicts of interests of some of the report’s primary authors and funders are preemptively discredited.
The report includes a warning about bad actors, noting these are primarily corporate interests acting against the public interest. It notes this includes corporations sponsoring scientific studies aligning with their interests “and the dissemination of misinformation aimed at discrediting independent scientific evidence – such as in cases involving scientists sponsored by the meat industry.”
The publication of the EAT-Lancet report was accompanied by an editorial by Horton, who predicts, “criticism and a meatindustry led response” to
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the updated report, suggesting a network of “mis-influencers – like scientists, doctors and journalists – who amplify disinformation to create uncertainty around, and opposition to, the EATLancet findings and recommendations.”
A similar “onslaught of attacks” led to the World Health Organization withdrawing its support for the 2019 report. Horton himself is one of the influencers pushing this agenda and using a scientific publication to do so.
But the scientific, social and political skepticism and arguments concerning the underlying claims and wisdom made in a proposal for global transformation of the systems used to feed humanity isn’t a byproduct of “Big Beef” exerting its undue influence.
It’s the logical consequence of human intelligence reluctant to allow for top-down schemes crafted by elitists which present
biased information to impose a predetermined agenda.
In an obvious coordinated campaign, just a few weeks prior to the release of the new EAT-Lancet report, the Changing Markets Foundation released its own report alleging there was a meatindustry orchestrated backlash to the 2019 EAT-Lancet report and naming meat “mis-influencers.”
The Netherlands-based Changing Markets Foundation – founded by two former Greenpeace executives – is committed to the view “society needs transformational change” and seeks to reduce meat and dairy consumption, using tactics to discredit critics and calling agriculture “Big Meat.”
The foundation also has an arm in the U.S., but according to its most recent tax filing, its only activity is to provide $675,000 to the Center for Biological Diversity, an organization well known for its anti-livestock ideology.
Yet another report
On Oct. 13, yet another new report was released. This one was on Global Tipping Points and came from the United Kingdom (UK)based University of Exeter, but it is the result of a conference convened by Rockstrom, creator of the planetary boundaries framework and the EAT-Lancet report.
Rockstrom retains oversight via his co-chair position atop the Swedish-based Earth Commission.
The Tipping Points report, funded in part by the Bezos Earth Fund, finds fault in countries which only include food-based dietary guidelines that do not explicitly reference environmental sustainability in their dietary guidelines.
It also bemoans “livestock products retain strong cultural value in many countries,” which could be a hindrance to changing to plantbased diets.
The report recommends a phase-in of policies “including public food procurement, mandates, taxes and subsi-
dies in favor of plant-based food supply and demand.”
Ag is not the enemy
While the EAT-Lancet report is based on the view nature conservation depends on policies and actions which provide protection from human activities – especially agriculture – this is in sharp contrast to the perspective of a group of European landscape scientists published earlier this year.
A paper lead by Andrzej Bobiec of the University of Rzeszow in Poland – and joined by academic colleagues in the UK, Turkey, Hungary and Italy – notes traditional agriculture and sustainable family farming should be considered “biocultural refugia” for their role in the provision of multiple ecosystem services, “indispensable for diversity of practices, for food security and biodiversity, the very way of life in harmony with nature and tradition, often at a price of any major economic gain.”
These farms contribute not only to biological diver-
sity, but also to public food security, cultural richness and the general quality of life, the authors note.
“Thus, instead of stigmatizing agriculture, patronizing farmers to exert on them green agendas, we should establish an effective ‘umbrella’ or buffer, protecting the autonomy of all remaining smallholder, (semi)subsistence family farms and provide any subsidiary assistance they need to keep going,” they write. “The authors also advocate for development of re-agrarianisation policies to provide conditions to all who would like to make a living out of smallholder farming.”
The popular belief restoring human-free “pristine nature” will save the planet implies the wilder ecosystems are more capable of ensuring life on Earth for future generations.
tion” assumes agriculture to be among the major culprits of biodiversity loss.
“This would be justified if only applied to intensive, industrial farming, which however, developed at the expense of traditional-biodiversity-friendly-agriculture,” says Bobiec.
“Concentrating on ‘wild nature,’ we allowed sustainable family farming to be subjected to ruthless forces of global markets and policy agendas disempowering peasant farmers, leading to landscapes’ cultural severance and destroying socioecologically integrated village systems” the paper states.
“Conservation incentive programs fail due to the conservationists’ ignorance or disrespect for farmers’ values,” it adds.
But the landscape scientists argue human cultures connected to the environment through subsistence traditional land use – rather than the planet’s own custody of nature – has proven to be efficient biodiversity vehicles. The “hands-off” approach can lead to an irreversible loss of ecological characteristics which have been sustained by hundreds of years of traditional use.
And, when scientists use biological indicators to assess the health of an ecosystem, often the indicator is a simplistic measure such as the conservation status of an indicator species which leads to biased diagnosis of an ecosystem’s state and processes and does not reflect the complex interactions involved in the dynamics of a landscape.
Bureaucratic procedures and technical jargon referring to the assessment of specific indicators “provide a strong advantage to experts and conservationists over local land users – the true stewards of landscape’s biocultural diversity.”
Although most decisionmaking protocols require some opportunity for public participation, it is generally viewed as conservation professionals “educating” local communities who are then expected to be persuaded to provide agreement.
Bobiec’s paper notes this “condescending sense of the mission of conserva-
“Top-down policies which set aside protected areas are easier to implement than the development and sustenance of spatially, ecologically and socially embedded farming, which requires respect for its autonomy.”
“Autonomous, small family farms and their communities secure the diversity of local food systems and are thus important factors of food sovereignty and indispensable sources of high nutritional quality,” the paper continues.
The landscape scientists propose the present use of inefficient, “quasi-authoritarian, top-down model of exerting ‘green’ solutions” be replaced with a system involving active participation of land use practitioners.
A “fair and equitable involvement of small-scale land users is needed to bring in their intimate understanding of nature and humannature relations into conservation planning,” Bobiec writes. “This should be accompanied by an intensive process of knowledge partnership and knowledge coproduction where scientific knowledge and local, traditional knowledge can refocus our ecological knowledge base of conservation, preferably in communitybased conservation actions.”
Cat Urbigkit is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. This article was originally published in Urbigkit’s Range Writing publication on Oct. 22.
Despite volatility, optimism reigns at USMEF Conference in Indianapolis
Although the U.S. red meat industry faces significant obstacles in the international marketplace, demand remains robust in many key destinations where customers crave the quality and consistency of U.S. pork, beef and lamb.
This was the prevailing message delivered by U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and Chief Executive Officer Dan Halstrom at the USMEF Strategic Planning Conference, which opened on Nov. 12 in Indianapolis.
Overcoming trade obstacles
Halstrom noted pork exports are modestly below last year’s record pace, but the gap stems mostly from a period early this year when China’s retaliatory tariffs escalated and the U.S. industry faced uncertainty about plant eligibility.
Although export data is only available through July due to the government shutdown, pork shipments are on record pace to leading market Mexico, as well as to Central America and Colombia.
Beef exports have been hit harder by barriers in China, where U.S. beef not only faces retaliatory tariffs, but also unwarranted plant delistings and China’s failure to renew registrations for the vast majority of U.S. beef plants and cold storage facilities.
Halstrom emphasized fully reopening the world’s largest beef import market to U.S. beef will require several actions on China’s part, and the lockout could extend into next year.
“This is obviously a political card being held by China,” Halstrom said. “One thing I’m very confident in is the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is well aware of our position, well aware of what’s involved and very well informed. I do think they’ll get it worked out eventually, I just can’t tell you when – no one can.”
While ongoing negotiations with several trading partners may lead to new opportunities for U.S. red meat, especially in Southeast Asia, Halstrom stressed protecting and defending existing free trade agreements (FTA) is an urgent priority.
He noted, over the past decade, red meat exports to FTA partner countries have expanded by more than 30 percent, and exports to these destinations now account for 76 percent of total shipments.
Invoking the Paul Harvey quote, “In times like these, it helps to recall there have always been times like these,” Halstrom reminded USMEF members the industry has endured tremendous trade setbacks in the past –citing examples such as widespread market closures due to bovine spongiform encephalopathy, plunging consumer confidence and reduced buying power in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
“Remember we overcame all of those obstacles,” Halstrom said. “I believe with the knowledge in this room –and with continued cooperation and collaboration – we can overcome anything.”
Addressing complexities of trade relationships
Following Halstrom’s remarks, Keynote Speaker Jan Lambregts, head of RaboResearch Global Economics and Markets, offered a broad overview of the global economic situation and how it has been impacted by various economic policies embraced by the U.S., China, the European Union and Russia.
Lambregts delivered insights into recent geopolitical developments and international trade policy through the perspective of a highstakes poker game.
In examining “who holds the cards,” his presentation discussed the macro strategies of the world’s economic and political powers, with a particular emphasis on the complexities of the U.S.China trade relationship.
“I’m not quite sure if you will like this news, but I don’t think there will be a comprehensive deal coming soon between China and the U.S.,” Lambregts admitted. “What the U.S. is demanding is access to Chinese markets. What China will never give is access to the Chinese market because it’s not how they’ve been winning in trade during the past 30 to 40 years.”
Lambregts said, while the U.S. is currently working to isolate China, both countries are playing for time.
China has been cut off from high-end semiconductors, which he called “the lifeline of the 21st century” and needs time to develop its own semiconductor sector. Similarly, the U.S. needs time to build its rare earths capacity, including development of extraction and processing capabilities.
“In the meantime, the U.S. is basically sending all of its allies the same message
– what was previously free defense now must be paid for, because the U.S. needs to be compensated, and by the way, if you want to trade with China, there are conditions now,” said Lambregts.
Lambregts also addressed U.S. financial support for Argentina, which critics argue could harm U.S. exports, particularly of soybeans and other agricultural products.
“It was a mismanaged move, I would say,” Lambregts explained. “The Trump administration considers Argentine President
Javier Milei a U.S. ally, and he wanted Milei to do well in the elections. But this deal had a little bit of a hasty feel to it, and now we see unintended consequences.”
Keep an eye out for more from the USMEF conference in future editions of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup USMEF collects and analyzes market intelligence, implements promotional programs and collaborates with industry stakeholders and governmental agencies to increase U.S. red meat exports. This article was originally published on Nov. 13.
Trade update – U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and Chief Executive Officer Dan Halstrom provided an update on export results and trade obstacles. USMEF photo
Keynote address – Keynote Speaker Jan Lambregts, head of RaboResearch Global Economics and Markets,
CLASSIFIEDS
The Natrona County Predator Management District is holding its 2025 Annual Meeting on Tuesday, December 9th, beginning at 3:00 p.m. This meeting will be held at the ARLC Building, Casper Room, 2011 Fairgrounds Road, Casper. All producers, Wyoming Game and Fish representatives, Wildlife Service representatives and the public are invited to participate. Tentative agenda items will be reports from the NCPMD trappers, game and fish, ADMB and Wildlife Services representatives. At the conclusion, we will conduct Election of Officers and set Predator Fees. For additional information, please contact the NCPMD office at ncpmd1@charter.net
Help Wanted
RANCH HAND/GROUNDS
120 FANCY BLACK BRED HEIFERS FOR SALE IN LARAMIE, WY: Bred to calve the month of April by low PAP, strong maternal, calving ease, Black Angus bulls from Sitz, Walter, Spring Cove and TJS Angus. Ranch developed, deep bodied, medium framed. Summered in the foothills around Laramie up to 7,400 feet of elevation. Top shelf vaccine and deworming program. FMI, photos and video, call 970-5565657 12/6
FOR SALE: HIGH ELEVATION BLACK 3-YEAR-OLD COWS: 250 head bred to calve the month of March. All PAP tested 43 and under as 2-year-olds. Summered south of Woods Landing, WY up to 8,600 feet of elevation. Home raised and purchased from reputation ranches in Wyoming and South Dakota. Fancy, deep bodied, gentle and already have one calf under their belt. Out of and bred to front end, highly maternal, low PAP, registered Black Angus bulls selected specifically for good feet, structure, performance in the feedlot and longevity in the cow herd from all the top programs, i.e. Beartooth, WXW, TJS, XLAR and more. For information, call 307-7603837 12/6
4/11
CODY GUN SHOW DEC. 5-7: Located at the Cody Auditorium, 1240 Beck Ave., Cody, WY, $10 admission for 3 day weekend pass. Open Fri. 12-5 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. SPECIAL ON SATURDAY
11 a.m.-1 p.m. the RAWHIDE JAMMERS will be playing. Contact Michael Salisbury, 307- 250-2107 11/29
RAPID CITY GUN SHOW: Dec. 6, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Dec. 7, 9 a.m.2 p.m. Monument Civic Center, Rapid City, S.D. 57701. Buy, sell and trade, $5 daily admission. For more information, call 605391-8843 11/29
KEEPER: Full-time position at a family-owned ranch near Cody, WY and located in the Shoshone National Forest. Position entails lawn care, irrigation, heavy equipment operation, carpentry, equipment maintenance, building maintenance and overall residential and agricultural property maintenance. Experience is welcome but will train the right candidate. The ideal candidate will be reliable; have a strong work ethic; be able to perform individually and with a team; be a self-starter and enjoy working outdoors. Benefits include health, with optional dental and vision; paid-time off and 401(k) with employer matching contribution. For the right candidate housing on property is also available. Salary based upon previous experience. Send resumes to cg1@colliergroupoffice. com 12/6
ALL TYPES OF EQUIPMENT AND VEHICLE FINANCING. Great service!! Great rates!! Call Chuck Brown at C.H. Brown Co., LLC, 307-3223232 (office), 307-331-0010 (cell) or e-mail chuckbrown@ wyoming.com 11/22
AGRI-ONE FINANCIAL: Farm/ ranch and all commercial loans. RATES AS LOW AS 5%. We have been helping with all aspects of agricultural, commercial financing and management for years. LET US HELP YOU on a consulting level with management to increase profitability, deal with and fix credit problems and for all your financing needs. WE CARE AND HAVE WORKING PROGRAMS designed for the farmer/rancher and not the banker. Please call Steve, 303-773-3545 or check out our website, www. agrionefinancial.com. I will come to you and get the job done!! 11/29
Brands
WYOMING BRAND FOR SALE: RRC, RSS, RHH. Expires Jan. 1, 2029. Electric iron included. $2,500 OBO. Call 307-5756589 11/22
Dogs
HEELER PUPPIES FOR SALE: Both reds and blues, out of working parents. Born Sept. 19, wormed. Asking $450. Call 307-314-8949 11/29
Have a brand to sell? Advertise here!
OWN A PIECE OF WYOMING HISTORY, OLD WYOMING BRAND FOR SALE: LRC, LTH, originally issued in 1910. Purchased by my grandfather in 1913. Easy to read when placed on cows or horses, $12,500. ALSO, RANCH SADDLE manufactured by Fred Mueller Saddle Co. Denver, CO, good condition, located in Cheyenne, WY, digital photos available, asking $400. Call 307-6316838 11/29
FOR SALE: Wyoming registered single iron brand, RSC, RHH. Two hot irons available (1 cow iron and 1 calf iron). Asking $5,000 for this easy to read brand. Registered until January 2029. Call 307-254-2790 if interested 11/22
AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD/ BORDER COLLIE MIX PUPPIES: Ranch raised. Six weeks old. Working parents on site. Have had first shot, dewormed, tails docked and dewclaws removed. All different colors available, $650/each. We also offer and work with Veterans who need service dogs. For more information about these wonderful puppies, call or text 307-272-0509. To view photos, go to www.wylr.net in the classifieds 12/6
BRED HEIFERS FOR SALE:
Sixty-six black and black baldy and 20 red and red baldy. Bred to easy calving black bulls. Ultrasound confirmed. Calving March 3 through May 15, 2026. No brands. Bangs vaccinated. $4,500/head. Call or text 701-460-0030 or 701-4601361 11/22
FOR SALE: 300 head of commercial Angus and F-1 baldy bred heifers. Hand selected and purchased from top ranches in the region. All Miller Angus Farms customer genetics. UTD on vaccinations, pelvic measured, dewormed. Pregged/sorted into calving window groups. AI bred to elite calving ease bull GB Mogul M64J and cleaned up to top tier calving ease bulls. Group 1 due March 1. Group 2 due March 16. Group 3 due March 28. Group 4 due April 1 for 30 Days. Group 5 due May 1 for 30 Days. Will go on to make a productive, high performing cow that will add value to your program. First come, first served. Small loads to pot loads and volume discounts available. Free delivery. Miller Angus Farms, Kody, 605690-1997 or Brady, 605-6905733 1/3
BULLS FOR SALE: Registered yearling and 2-year-old Black Angus range bulls for sale private treaty. Good selection for heifers and cows. From popular sires and industry leaders. Semen tested and ready to go. CLAY CREEK ANGUS, 307762-3541, www.claycreek.net TFN
Ranch for Lease
Shorthorn
SHORTHORN BULLS FOR SALE PRIVATE TREATY: Yearlings up to mature bulls available. Developed conservatively so they hold up. Remember a red Shorthorn bull on your homozygous black cows will give you black calves. Shorthorns are excellent maternal cattle that produce quality beef. Francis-Millvale Shorthorns, Gene and Roberta Francis Family, 701-331-2403, e-mail francis. millvale@gmail.com. To view photos, go to www.wylr.net in the classifieds 11/22
LOOKING TO CUSTOM FEED 100 HEAD OF HEIFERS OR STEERS in Powell, WY. Call Aaron at 307-250-6005 12/6
PENS AVAILABLE: Rockin B Feeders of Newell, S.D., has space available to background calves and replacement heifers. Family owned. Call Tyrel Bonnet, 605-949-0934 or Terry Bonnet, 605-569-0271, e-mail terrybonnet77@gmail. com 11/29
PARK COUNTY, WY RANCH NEAR CODY, WY IS AVAILABLE FOR A LONG-TERM LEASE: The ranch has over 50,000 acres and supports an irrigated hay base with BOR water rights. Carrying capacity is 700 animal units yearround with hay production. Willing to split the hay ground and grazing. Please e-mail Honora Beirne (hbeirne@ acpg.com) and Melanie Giliati (mgiliati@acpg.com) for details 12/13
Horses
Saddles & Tack
COWBOY SANTA SHOPS HERE!! 5 STAR saddle pads and MOHAIR cinches. MONTANA Silversmith and AUSTIN Accent jewelry, MONEY clips, barrettes and MORE… Tom BALDING and DUTTON BITS and SPURS. It’s ALWAYS a great day to $AVE on BOOTS: HONDO, BOULET, JUSTIN WORK BOOTS, TWISTED X (boots and shoes) and more!! RIDE, ROPE, WORK and play!! LEATHER belts, WALLETS, checkbook covers. SILK SCARVES and more!! WE CAN ship!! Shop Moss Saddles, Boots and Tack, 4648 West Yellowstone Highway, Casper, WY; 307-472-1872. Our family serving yours for 50 years!! Check us out on Facebook or our website 11/22
COMMERCIAL WHITE FACED RAMBOULLET RAMS FOR SALE: Askin Livestock purchased the entire ram band from Ladder Livestock’s 50+ year genetics program this spring. We have plenty of extra rams and are selling choice Rambouillet breeding rams of various ages. All have already had the bottom sorted out. These will sell with a negative B. ovis test from this April. If you missed the Wyoming Ram Sale and still want the same quality genetics to cover your band, please consider this offering. $650/head choice. Forty to choose from. Volume discounts for 5+. Available at Jay Em, WY. These are fine wooled sheep that sold fleece at 20.5 micron in May 2025. They have good feet, strong pasterns, bred and raised on Wyoming’s Red Desert. They will go anywhere in the continental U.S. and work for the range producer. Call or text Sage Askin for more information, 307-3514875 or e-mail saskin12@ gmail.com 12/6
Cattle
Angus Sheep
ARE YOU IN NEED OF A NEW HERDER CAMP OR A PERSONAL RANGE CAMP FOR YOUR FAMILY? Contact us at Western Range Camps and see what we can build for you. We specialize in quality, handcrafted camps built to your specifications. Contact us today to design the camp just right for you. Western Range Camps, 435-462-5300, heidi@ wrcamps.com, 1145 S. Blackhawk Blvd, Mt. Pleasant, UT 84647 11/22
KATAHDIN RAMS FOR SALE: Broken Flag Livestock promoting Katahdins in the Mountain West. Raised at 4,500 ft. elevation, pure white, purebred Katahdins. Lingle, WY. For more information and pricing call\ text Leland, 307-338-7213. To view photos, go to www.wylr. net in the classifieds 11/22
FOR SALE: THREE ONE AND A HALF YEAR-OLD RAMS, 2 Hampshire and 1 Hampshire/Texel cross. SEVERAL NORTH COUNTRY CHEVIOT/ HAMPSHIRE CROSS RAM LAMBS For more information, call 406-679-1576 or 406-6701800 12/6
YEARLING HORNED RAMBOUILLET BUCKS FOR SALE: Average on herd micron is 18.6. 64% yield while maintaining a 3” staple, ewes average 11 lbs. fleece. Look us up on Facebook @ Edwards Rambouillet or call for questions, 307-670-3360 11/22
HAY FOR SALE: Grass and alfalfa hay. ALSO, millet, forage wheat and straw. Round bales and 3x4 square bales. Delivery available!! Call 307630-3046 12/6
HAY FOR SALE: 2025 grass/ alfalfa, first and second cutting alfalfa, millet, haybet barley and CRP hay. 2024 first cutting grass/alfalfa, first and second cutting alfalfa and CRP hay. GRINDING HAY also available. All in net-wrapped round bales. Semi load delivery available. Call for pricing, ask for Klint, 701-290-4418, send a text if no answer or keep trying 12/6
HAY FOR SALE: Triticale, barley, pea blend with alfalfa. Nice hay, 3x3 bales. ALSO, alfalfa with some rain, 3x3 bales. Shed stored. $170/ton. Farson, WY. Call 307-3500350 12/6
ROUND-BALED GRASS: 2025 crop 1,000 lb. net-wrapped bales, $50-$60/bale depending on variety. Cody, WY area. Call, don’t text, Anthony at 307254-2645 1/31
EAR CORN FOR SALE. NON GMO, no pesticides. Minatare, NE. Call Byron, 303-8188152, leave message 12/6
NORTH DAKOTA HAY FOR SALE: Upland $45/bale, alfalfa $50/bale, all this year’s hay. ALSO, last year’s hay available, call for price. Trucking available. Call 701-341-1929 11/29
BARLEY STRAW: Certified weed-free small squares, $4/ bale. ALSO, 5x6 round bales, $125/ton. GRAIN OATS, wheat and barley, $20/cwt. Greybull, WY area. Call 307762-3878 or 307-899-4714, leave message 11/29
Hay & Feed
CERTIFIED WEED-FREE PURE ALFALFA HAY: 2025 third and first cutting available in small squares, averaging 70-80 lbs. 2025 second cutting also available in 3x3 squares, averaging 750-800 lbs. Will load trucks and any open trailer. MONIDA OATS: $16/cwt. Combine run. Will auger into truck, trailer or large totes/ag bags. Located between Powell and Cody, WY. Certified scales on site. Call or text Knopp Farms for details, 307-2540554 12/6
STRAW FOR SALE: 400 TONS OF BARLEY STRAW, 4x4 squares, $40/ton. Located west of Powell, WY. Call or text 307-202-0532 for more information 12.13
HAY FOR SALE: First, second and third cutting alfalfa, alfalfa/orchardgrass and grain hay options, net-wrapped round bales, 3x3 square bales and small square bales/21 pack bale bundles. Delivery available. WE ALSO OFFER CUSTOM TRUCKING, hay hauling and side dump to haul gravel. Call Cheney Trucking/Jonathan Cheney, 605569-0469 11/22
FOR SALE: 200 tons of millet hay in large rounds, approximately 1,100 lbs., $155 at the stack. Call 307-259-5485 12/13
GOOD QUALITY HAY FOR SALE: Alfalfa/orchardgrass mix and straight alfalfa, all in net-wrapped round bales. Nisland, S.D. For more information and pricing, call 605892-5676 11/22
HAY FOR SALE: 1,400-1,500 lb. net-wrapped bales. Alfalfa, mixed and grass. Located in Slope County, N.D. Will load. Still cutting, will have approximately 1,000 bales. $85/ton. Call 701-440-1764 12/6
SECOND AND THIRD CUT-
TING ALFALFA HAY: Big, heavy net-wrapped round bales. Delivery available. Call for pricing, 605-848-1563 11/22
VALLEY VIDEO HAY MARKETS, LLC: Representing 40 of the best growers in eastern Wyoming and western Nebraska. Call now for your winter needs, Barry McRea, 308-2355386, www.valleyvideohay. com 12/6
1988 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER: Four door, 5 speed manual Toyota transmission, completely rebuilt turbo diesel engine with all genuine Toyota parts, $26,000 OBO. 1997 GMC TAHOE YUKON GT, 4x4, good running condition, rear end totally redone, everything works, needs tires, $6,500 OBO. 1988 CRESTLINER CUDDY, 2017 135 Merc motor with low miles, new tires, maintained yearly, $9,000 OBO. 2022 WELLS CARGO/CAMPER TRAILER, single axle, 2 propane tanks, 2 gas tanks, heat, fridge, stove sink and more, $7,000 OBO. For more information or pictures, call 307-272-0509. To view photos, go to www.wylr. net in the classifieds 12/6
EXCELLENT QUALITY PRAIRIE HAY: Big round bales, weighing 1,400-1,500 lbs. each. Located near Chambers, NE. Call for price and delivery, 402-583-9924 or 402-340-2218 (cell) 11/29
400 TONS DURUM STRAW: Round bales, 1,000 lbs., $40/ bale, 780 bales available. Excellent bedding or feed. Call 406-765-7172 11/29
LARGE ROUND BALES OF CERTIFIED WEED FREE GRASS HAY FOR SALE, $85/ ton. Bales are approximately 1,175 lbs. Contact Lee at 307-254-5115 or Bill at 406480-1248 11/29
CERTIFIED BARLEY STRAW FOR SALE, 3x4 bales. Cody, WY. Call 307-899-1952 TFN
CERTIFIED ORGANIC ALFALFA/GRASS MIX HAY: No chemicals, 3x3 squares and round bales. Adrian Troyer, Byron, WY. Call 307-6314104 12/27
HAY FOR SALE: Barn stored, 3x4 and small squares, straight alfalfa and straight grass. First and second cutting, trucking available, Riverton, WY area. Call 307-7096290 11/29
QUALITY HAY FOR SALE: Grass, grass/alfalfa mix and straight alfalfa, net-wrapped large round bales, no rain. Western Nebraska location. Pick up or delivery available for fee. Call or text 303-9062691 11/22
FOR SALE: John Deere 714A and 716A chuckwagons with John Deere tandem running gear. H&S 7+4 18’ chuckwagon with bunk feeding extensions and tandem 14 ton running gear. J&M 385 gravity box with 12 ton gear, truck tires. Landoll 36’ cushion gang disc with 3 bar mulcher. Gehl 410 bushel manure spreader with slop gate, double floor chains, 2 beaters, tandem axle. Meridian 240 seed tender, all hydraulic and roll tarp. Vermeer BP 7000 bale processor. 2019 Freightliner, DD13 engine, 12 speed automatic, daycab, good rubber, air ride, 318,000 miles. Burns portable loading chute. 14’ HD box scraper with tilt. Farm King 8’ snowblower with hydraulic spout. All in very nice condition!! Call 605999-5482 12/13
RETIREMENT SALE!! Brand new medium weight corral panels, 12 ft. long x 5 ft. high, if buy minimum of 100, $90/ panel. Brand new Cattle Master squeeze chutes, $2,850. John Deere 6400 tractor, $38,000. Peterbilt 379 and step deck trailer. Calls only no texts, 208-6518698 12/13
1997 FORD LOUISVILLE ROLL
BACK TRUCK: Like new 3-yearold steel Vulcan bed with winch, 3126 CAT engine, air brakes, 72,500 original miles. Retiring, nice truck, $20,000. For more information, call 262-210-6086, after 6 p.m. 11/29
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE, FARMER RETIRING: John Deere 71 Flex 8 row corn planter on a 24’ stackable bar. AC Model 1300 30’ ripper with rakes. A 20’ Krause offset disc (new blades in front). Safety pull with a bull hitch. 2003 IHC 9400I Eagle semi fifth wheel truck, Cat engine, 26’ end dump trailer with roll tarp. 1997 Kenworth T800, Detroit engine, 20’ box with hoist, roll tarp, both beet and grain end gates. John Deere front suitcase weights. IHC front suitcase weights. Contact Greg Keller at 406-679-1136 12/6
NEW DIRECTION EQUIPMENT 804 MIXER/GRINDER WAGON: Clean, solid unit with dual augers, working scales and side discharge conveyor. Well maintained, and ready to mix and feed today. Selling due to a death in the family so we are no longer able to run cattle. Asking
Efficient wood heat. Heat multiple buildings. Invest in your heating, don’t just pay for it!! See us at www.cb.lodgepoleproducts. com!! 11/29
Livestock
Have Property to Sell?
Advertise Here!
100 ACRES 7 MILES SOUTH
OF COLUMBUS, MT: Half mile of Stillwater River frontage, 3 bed, 2.5 bath home with heated oversized 2 car garage. Two 48’x30’ metal pole barns and corrals, 100+ irrigated acres on the Stillwater River. Excellent location, 45 minutes to Billings, MT. Mountain views. Wildlife is very abundant, deer, elk, pheasants, ducks, geese, turkeys, trout fishing and more. $2,500,000. Sidwell Land & Cattle, Richard Sidwell broker, 406-861-4426 12/6
HIGHWAY 92 HIGH PRODUC-
TION FARM: Prime 200+ acre farm featuring 2 Zimmatic center pivots, excellent soils, 2 older, livable homes and 191 acres of reliable water rights from the Goshen Irrigation District. Unbeatable location along Highway 92, 6 miles south of Torrington, WY, for convenient access. A strong producer and solid investment at $1,250,000.
SELLING WYOMING STATE
LEASE: 640 acres located
15 miles northwest of Cheyenne, WY. For the first time in 50 years, this long held lease is being offered for sale. Features a beautifully renovated home. In pasture and farmland. $595,000. Pictures at www. buyaranch.com. Call Casey Essert, Land Broker, 307-5321750 TFN
Property for Sale
SCOTTSDALE, AZ CONDO FOR SALE BY FASHION SQUARE MALL, 4620 N. 68th St., 1,287 sq. ft, home built in 1974. Three bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms. All new triple pane windows, 2 new rear patio doors, lower bathroom updates, new heat pump with A/C. Just a couple of steps to a large, heated pool and BBQ’s. All furniture and appliances included. Just a short stroll to the heart of Old Town in Scottsdale, AZ. Priced to sell. Call 701-375-6821 11/22
CODY, WY PROPERTY FOR TRADE OR OUTRIGHT SALE: Eight acres with 3 dwellings on Lower Diamond Basin Rd. Nine miles from Walmart on Southfork Rd. Two new 1,700 sq. ft. houses, 2 bed/2 bath (each) and 1 car garage (each). Horse property with corrals, round pens and small tack shed. Seven acres with water rights, 2 ponds, gated pipe, lake view canal with some fence. Year-round live water from Diamond Creek. End of the road BLM access. $800,000 (may be some terms to the right buyer). For more information, call 307-578-6345 11/22
Virginian
Restaurant
Steaks,
Steaks, Pasta, Desserts
At the first annual Wyoming Farm to School (WFS) Conference, held Oct. 27-28 in Casper, Wyoming-based Processors Billy Brenton of Frank’s Butcher Shop and Mac Sussex of Bear Mountain Beef shared their perspectives on processing beef for school districts during a panel discussion.
Questions were facilitated by WFS Coordinator Bobby Lane and WFS Program Supervisor Carla Bankes, and audience participation was encouraged.
During the discussion, Brenton and Sussex talked about their respective journeys of getting local meat onto school menus, as well as some of the challenges they face and potential solutions to these issues.
Panelist background
To begin, Brenton and Sussex shared background on their respective operations, including how they got involved with meat processing and the services they currently offer.
Both Frank’s Butcher Shop and Bear Mountain Beef are U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-
Local processors share perspective during Farm to School panel
inspected facilities, meaning they uphold some of the highest standards in the processing industry.
Frank’s Butcher Shop has locations in Hudson and Casper. The processing plant is located in Hudson, while the Casper location is a restaurant and retail site.
Frank’s Butcher Shop specializes in beef and pork products, and beef cattle are primarily raised by the Brentons on their ranch, as well as sourced from contracts with neighboring ranches and feedlots.
Bear Mountain Beef is located near Torrington and offers custom processing options for beef, pork, goats and lamb.
Sussex has been ranching in Goshen County all his life, but most of the shop’s business comes from processing outside animals for area producers. Currently, Bear Mountain Beef does custom labeling for roughly 100 different ranchers in the area.
Serving school districts
Both Frank’s Butcher Shop and Bear Mountain Beef provide processing ser-
vices to several school districts, helping to get locallyraised beef on the menu.
Frank’s Butcher Shop works with 13 different school districts throughout the state and has processed over 13,000 pounds of beef for schools so far in 2025, according to Brenton. He explained the shop offers delivery services and provides wholesale prices to schools, which remain competitive with big-box retailers like Sam’s Club and Sysco.
Even in cases where bigbox options may be slightly cheaper, Brenton maintains the price difference is worth it to keep Wyoming dollars in Wyoming, as well as to ensure high-quality, locallysourced protein options go towards feeding kids.
Bear Mountain Beef provides processing for two to three Wyoming school districts, as well as several locations in Nebraska. Sussex supported Brenton’s comments, saying an additional benefit to locally-sourced meat is the assurance of quality and safety.
“We have a lot more
time in our smaller establishments to do a zero-tolerance inspection than they do at big facilities where they have a bunch of animals running past at the same time and maybe only five seconds to look at each one,” Sussex said.
Overcoming obstacles
The panel also weighed in on some of the challenges involved with getting local beef into school districts and ways to combat these issues.
Overall, two of the most pressing challenges are supply and demand and lack of storage.
First, Brenton emphasized beef production does not start the day of slaughter, but rather years before as the animal must be raised, fattened and kept healthy long before it is able to become a food source.
Sussex added, because a school district’s primary need is hamburger, an issue arises when figuring out what to do with the excess, higher-quality cuts of meat like filets and ribeyes.
“School districts predominantly use ground beef, so all of the higher-end cuts
are essentially going into ground beef and the cost you’re paying for the animal versus what you’re getting in ground beef sometimes doesn’t pencil out,” Sussex said.
As a solution, Sussex noted some school districts include these cuts in fundraisers for prom or other events, but the downside to this solution is a smaller overall yield of hamburger.
Next, the lack of central warehousing in Wyoming creates issues. Since processed meat takes up large amounts of space, it becomes difficult to store products for as long as necessary – especially throughout the various seasons.
For example, fair time is a peak window for slaughtering donated animals which often go to school districts, but since school is not yet in session, the issue of storage arises.
“Cooler space is a premium,” Brenton said. “If somebody buys an animal in the summertime and we slaughter them, then school doesn’t start for another two to three months, where
are we going to put the product?”
Bankes highlighted the success of the local beef freezer utilized by Converse County School District #1 in Douglas, noting similar practices could be a potential avenue for combatting this problem while acknowledging the grant process used to secure funds for these projects is lengthy and varied.
Finally, current recordhigh cattle prices have affected the amount of donations received for school districts, as many producers are opting to sell cull cows when possible, rather than sending them to slaughter.
Sussex emphasized, although donations account for a large part of school district processing, there are grants and funding options available for school districts to apply for and use toward purchasing local meat which can help reduce reliance upon donations.
Grace Skavdahl is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
