2022 Winter Cattlemen's Edition, Section A

winter cattlemen’s edition 2022

Featuring Niobrara County

A publication of the

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2022 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Niobrara County operations featured in this edition: 1. Lexie Dockery 2. WEBO Angus 3. DeGering Livestock 4. Four Three Ranch 5. The Legend of Rawhide 6. TRH Ranch 7. Riki and Justin Kremers 8. Lusk State Bank 9. Joleen Falkenburg 10. Harsy Land and Cattle Ranch 11. Dockery Ranch 12. Clark & Associates Land Brokers LLC 13. Matt Jameson Show Cattle 14. ZumBrunnen Angus 15. Baars Ranch 16. Tessa Manning 17. Kathleen Jackson 18. Pat and Jo Ann Wade 19. Baker Quarter Horses

Niobrara County holds rich history in cattle industry, railroad, gold and oil

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Cover photo provided by Madi Slaymaker of Paisley Rose Photography

Wyoming’s gateway to the wild west

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Located in north eastern Wyoming, Niobrara County is the smallest of the state’s 23 counties, but boasts some of the richest history of Wyoming’s Wild West.

As gold was discovered in the nearby Black Hills of Dakota and Wyoming territories, a road – passing through what is now Niobrara County – was built to transport gold miners, stagecoach passengers and goods between Cheyenne and Deadwood.

Today, the only stagecoach station which remains standing on the route lies near Hat Creek, roughly 30 miles north of Lusk.

Niobrara County includes the towns of Lusk, Manville and Van Tassell, as well as the census-designated residence to the west of Lance Creek.

Booming from settlements of miners and homesteaders, the population of the county was 6,321 in 1920. The 2020 census stated the population declined to 2,467.

Originally, Niobrara County made up the eastern

part of Converse County. In 1910, residents in the eastern section, which included Lusk, began advocating for a new county to be formed, while those in Manville opposed.

Early 1911 brought petitions for and against the creation of Niobrara County. Named after the Native American name of the stream where the first state station was located – Niobrara – the creation of the county was approved by the Wyoming Legislature on Feb. 14, 1911, though it wasn’t official until the November 1912 General Election.

History of agriculture The cattle industry in Niobrara County dates back to the late 1870s, when cattle were driven north from Texas. One tale, as told by OW Ranch Foreman Addison Spaugh, described the 1884 spring roundup on Lance Creek where over 400,000 cattle were rounded up over a six-week time period with more than 20 different outfits, Continued on next page

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2022 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Continued from previous page represented by 200 men with 2,000 horses involved.

Western beef was a major industry at the time, and the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad began taking advantage of increasing cattle numbers in the Wyoming Territory to ship cattle east. The Wyoming Central Railway Co., a tributary rail from Lusk to Manville, brought with it a water tank, stock yards and loading chutes.

Dry farming began around the early 1900s in the area. At the time, homesteaders raised drought-resistant crops such as wheat, oats, potatoes and small fruits.

A 1916 state auditor’s report estimated cattle numbers at 30,000 head, sheep at 51,452 head and horses at 8,803 head – a combined total of nearly $2 million worth at the time.

Additionally, the oilfields in Niobrara County became active in between 1910 and 1920. As oil boomed in the 1920s, the post-World War I era devasted ranchers in the area with falling crop and livestock prices. It is noted this pushed Wyoming agriculture into a depression state nearly 10 years before the stock market crashed in 1929.

Though during Prohibition, some small ranchers started making moonshine whiskey. Many stories about the time point to Niobrara County as the home of some

of “Wyoming’s finest moonshine.”

Current agriculture According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture, Niobrara County holds more than 1.2 million acres in agricultural land. Of this land, four percent is designated as cropland, 94 percent is pastureland and one percent is woodland.

Hay and haylage make up more than 24,000 acres, wheat accounts for 2,796 acres and oats for grain totals 641 acres.

The current livestock industry places cattle production at the top of the list with 59,317 head, followed by the sheep industry with 3,895 sheep and lambs, horses and ponies at 932, laying hens at 404 and meat-type chickens at 37.

The National Agriculture Statistics Survey’s 2017 census notes 94 percent of agricultural operations are familyowned and operated.

Today, more than 250 farms and ranches operate on the rolling plains of Niobrara County, which give way to Black Hills to the north and Sandhills to the east.

Information in this article was sourced from wyohistory. org, townoflusk.org and nass. usda.gov.

Averi Hales is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr. net.

University of Wyoming American Heritage Center photo

University of Wyoming American Heritage Center photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2022 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Valuing community Lexie Dockery hopes to instill a love of community in the future generation

Growing the industry – Lexie Dockery and fiancé Thomas Painter are looking forward to growing the next generation of agriculture. Both have a passion for agriculture and the ranching lifestyle. Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Collegiate Cattle Association (WCCA) and found my love of promoting agriculture,” Lexie shares.

According to UW, WCCA is a recognized student organization open to all students who are interested in learning more about the cattle industry. As joint members of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, the club works to promote the cattle business and its values throughout the state and university.

“The fall after I graduated college, I was asked to be on the Niobrara County Farm Bureau board and I jumped at the opportunity,” she says. “My community gave me so much when I was growing up through competitions, scholarships and awards that I want to give back to those who gave to me.”

Lexie knew there would be no better way to give back to the agriculture community that gave so much to her, than by pursuing a leadership opportunity to advocate for those in the industry.

“Farming and ranching are important to me because it’s how I make my living, and there needs to be voices promoting the best for the industry and I believe this is what Farm Bureau does,” she explains.

“Farm Bureau lobbyists are constantly fighting for

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A lifelong resident of Niobrara County, Lexie Dockery has always known she wanted to be a rancher.

She grew up alongside her parents ranching on their cow/calf operation.

She is a 2016 graduate of Niobrara County High School and a graduate of the University of Wyoming (UW), where she received degrees in both agriculture business and finance, as well as a minor in farm and ranch management.

“Growing up in Niobrara County, I always knew the true meaning of neighbors – there isn’t a single event that goes on here where people don’t help in every way possible,” she says. “It’s amazing to be from a place where you never have to worry about finding help, because everyone always pitches in.”

Lexie is currently working for a life-long family friend on a ranch in Niobrara County.

“It’s been an amazing opportunity where he has allowed me to help make the day-to-day operating decisions, as well as show me how he has done things over the years,” she says. “Every day I learn something new or a different way of doing things than I did growing up, and I really enjoy seeing different perspectives.”

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Raising livestock – Lexie and Thomas are looking forward to improving cattle genetics in the next five years. Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2022 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Continued from previous page the needs of Wyoming farmers and ranchers. By creating resolutions, this directly affects Wyoming law and is actively bettering the agriculture industry,” Lexie continues.

Goal oriented Lexie notes she is getting married this summer and hopes to start a family in the next few years.

“In the next five years, I hope to be raising the next generation of ranchers,” she says. “Along with that, I want to be steadily increasing our cattle numbers and helping my husband Thomas Painter grow his horse training business.”

In the next 10 years, Lexie hopes to be able to focus more on their cattle herd’s genetics and hope-

fully expand into a stocker operation in addition to the cow/calf herd.

“The ag and cattle industries are ever-changing, so it is important to me to be able to remain flexible with our goals so they are always allowing us to capitalize on the industry trends,” Lexie says. “My ‘why’ is that I want to leave an impact on this world, no matter how big or small, which shows why God made a rancher.

I believe He put me on this earth to care for the land and the animals on it, and I want to do the best job I can in doing this.”

Callie Hanson is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup.

Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

Ranching practices – The agriculture industry is ever-changing. Lexie and Thomas look forward to seeing their operation grow and growing their cow/calf herd and stocking operation. Courtesy photo

e h t e r Whe

Horse training – Thomas spends his time supporting Lexie, but the pair work together as they train working ranch horses.

Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2022 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Maternal Focus WEBO Angus builds productive bulls based on maternal traits Lusk – WEBO Angus is an operation with a profound belief in maternal instincts, letting the females shine and the males do their job. Buttons York, along with her daughters and mother, Kathleen Jackson, are the hearts and brains behind the operation.

“You have to have cows that will work, then the bulls will take care of themselves,” shares Buttons.

The philosophy behind WEBO Angus starts with a cow that has good feet and a well-developed udder.

According to Buttons, fertility is what sets the operation up for success.

Females bring the success Buttons is no stranger to cattle, and neither is her family. Buttons and Kathleen have been in the cattle business their whole lives, and now her daughters, Elly Wurdeman and Odessa Mathias, are included as well. Kathleen runs a commercial sheep and cattle operation, and Buttons runs a registered Angus herd.

Together, they have helped each other over the years, honing in on what works best for their respective operations. WEBO Angus makes sure their females can perform and produce offspring with posi-

tive performance traits.

“The heifers here have to have an inch of ribeye per hundred pounds of body weight, and they have to get a decent marbling score,” explains Buttons.

However, while carcass traits hold value in creating an end product for commercial customers, Buttons believes maternal traits are just as important.

“I don’t believe one can get along by only focusing on a set of terminal traits in their mother cows,” she explains. “It is also important to have maternal traits.”

The operation calves their cows for 45 days, then sells anything that has not bred up during the given time period.

“I keep a lot of heifers,” says Buttons. “Then, I put about three or four sorts on my heifer calves before I consider them as replacements.”

Buttons believes this practice has helped improve the fertility of her herd immensely.

“What really sets us apart from others is that we’re an all-female operation,” says Buttons. “We don’t like to have ill-tempered cattle, we just don’t want to deal with that.”

Buttons wants easy-to-

Angus characteristics – Buttons York of WEBO Angus has cattle known for their good feet, well-developed udders and maternal instincts.

Courtesy photo

handle and intuitive cattle, which allow her all-female crew to be successful.

Bull program is focused on maternal traits WEBO Angus sells

around 85 bulls each year.

The offering includes roughly 20 to 25 two-yearold bulls, as well 70 to 75 head of yearling bulls.

“We focus a lot on

maternal traits, good feet, feed efficiency and the product of a calf, which is what keeps all ranchers in business,” explains Buttons.

“We focus on this first in the

cows, then everything else falls into place.”

WEBO Angus runs their cattle like ranchers – not over fat and never pushing the feed. Heifer calves get ground hay, oats and/or alfalfa supplemented with some distillers’ grains. The cows only get hay or graze, and bulls are fed a high roughage ration and ground hay.

“This time of year, the bulls are probably getting about four to five pounds of corn and about three to four pounds of distillers’,” adds Buttons. “We want bulls to grow, but we don’t want them fat. We think it makes them sound longer if they aren’t fed a lot of hot feed.”

WEBO Angus offers a wide array of bloodlines by investing in genetics from Vermilion, Midland Bull Test and other proven

“We focus a lot on maternal traits, good feet, feed efficiency and the product of a calf, which is what keeps all ranchers in business,” – Buttons York

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Winter regimens – During the winter months, cattle are fed an combination of hay, oats and distillers’ grains. WEBO Angus’ goal is to keep their cattle healthy and growing. Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2022 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Continued from previous page Angus operations.

“I want proven efficiency,” Buttons says.

“Additionally, we have to watch pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) scores here because we’re at 5,000 feet.”

Buttons is very proud to have the bull, Vermilion Countdown, in her program.

“We have looked at the efficiency of his sons and he’s one of the top efficiency bulls,” explains Buttons. “He has good calves, and the best thing about him is his females – he’ll throw nice, big strappy calves.”

WEBO Angus provides a full first season breeding guarantee for their bulls.

“We stand behind our bulls 100 percent,” notes Buttons. “If anybody has an issue, we make it right.

We just try to treat people like we would want to be treated.”

Feed efficiency correlates with bred cattle WEBO Angus will more than likely shock visitors when they see the registered herd is not being pushed, but rather, living on range conditions like commercial cattle. The operation’s cattle know how to survive and thrive.

“I really think feed efficiency ties into this survivability aspect,” says Buttons, noting she believes feed efficiency is going to become a big deal in terms of total productivity.

“I close my eyes and let them sort themselves out,” she says. “If they’re open, they’re gone and if they’re a little later than need be, I

have a brand new early-bred replacement heifer waiting.

If the cow does not breed back it will cost too much to get her there.”

Running cattle the last two years in extreme

droughts has brought many operations hardships, but Buttons prides herself in the fact her cattle all bred up extremely well, even in harsh conditions.

“In 2021, I had six open

cows out of 287 head following a 60-day breeding window,” she shares. “Then, I cut my cows to a 45-day calving window.”

Buttons notes she believes this sort of selec-

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Top sire – Vermilion Countdown is a herd bull at WEBO Angus producing sons and daughters with top efficiency EPDs. Courtesy photo

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tion very positively benefits the fertility ratio of her herd.

Delcy Bayles is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup.

Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2022 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Multigenerational operation Three generations of DeGerings learn from each other to keep ranch a successful operation Lusk – The ranch Kenny and Barbara DeGering call home was homesteaded by Kenny’s great-grandparents in 1908. In fact, a portion of the home they live in was originally built in 1913. Today, three generations are involved on the ranch.

“My mom and dad are still living on the ranch, and

my dad has been involved since he was born,” Kenny shares. “The only time he wasn’t on the ranch was when he was in the Army.”

Kenny and his two sisters grew up on the ranch, though one now lives on a ranch in South Dakota, and another recently moved back to the area after being involved in a busi-

“The good thing about having a multigeneration ranch is we get to take advantage of the knowledge and experience of the older generations, but also the energy and fresh ideas of the younger generation.” – Kenny DeGering

ness in Missouri. On the family operation, Kenny’s aunt and uncle were also involved in the ranch until the early ’80s.

Ranch operations “In 1995, my dad and I formed a corporation called DeGering Livestock,” Kenny says. “This is the management company for all of the ranches and it doesn’t own much real estate, but owns all of the machinery and cattle, as well as does all of the management of the ranching operations.”

DeGering Livestock manages the operations on the main ranch, a farm east of Lusk and a ranch south of Lusk. Across their operation, the DeGerings have pivots and some farm ground to put up hay and

DeGering livestock – A multigenerational operation, DeGering Livestock uses ideas and knowledge from each generation. From left to right are Kristy DeGering, Kenny DeGering, Barbara DeGering, Jerit DeGering and his fiancé Lacy Stevens. Courtesy photo

feed to supply the ranch, as well as ground to summer and winter cattle.

“The real estate has been passed down through

generations, and both of my children are now involved, so it’s a multigenerational operation, and everyone has their own

role,” Kenny says.

He notes their son Jerit is particularly interested in artificial insemination (AI) Continued on next page

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A9

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2022 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Continued from previous page on the ranch, and he has his own welding business, which fits a niche most ranches need. In addition, Jerit’s fiancé Lacy recently graduated from veterinary school at Iowa State University. Kenny and Barbara’s daughter Kristy is very involved in the decisions of the ranch and continually works to promote the agriculture industry both in her career and personal interests.

The DeGerings run mostly black and black baldy cows. They utilize bulls purchased from M Diamond Angus in Glenrock – owned and operated by the DeGering’s cousins, the Boner family – or TD Angus in Hershey, Neb. and run by Trey Wasserberger, whose family originates from Niobrara County.

In addition to putting up their own hay, the DeGerings run a custom haying operation. They also have the option to sell calves or feed them out at a feedlot, and the DeGerings also recently began their own heifer development program.

Building productive cows “There’s a growing demand as the workforce in agriculture gets older for heifer development,” Kenny explains. “There are a lot of people interested in buying three-year-

olds or heifer pairs that have already calved out.

So, we’ve been doing it on a small scale, but basically we develop heifers to make a better cow that will last.”

Select heifers are put through an AI program and culled multiple times based on pregnancy status and other criteria.

“The goal is to get to a place where there are more heifers than we need to put back into our own program and sell some as heifer pairs,” Kenny shares. “We are lucky to have the farm and pivot for feed, the facilities and to some extent the knowledge to do this.”

For Kenny, the addition of the heifer development program in their operation is similar to how the family operates as a multigenerational ranch.

“We think it is a good use of the cowherd with the resources we have, but we wouldn’t be able to do some of what we do without our children to do some of the work,” he adds.

Caring for family and community Kenny shares he was a small child when his grandparents were alive and working on the ranch, and he believes his family lucky that his children have gone through high school and college seeing their grandparents still working and

being involved in the operation.

“The good thing about having a multigeneration ranch is we get to take advantage of the knowledge and experience of the older generations, but also the energy and fresh ideas of the younger generation,” he says. “People call it a family ranch, because it is family.”

Over the years, the many generations of DeGerings have taught their children to take care of their family as well as their community.

Kenny shares his grandparents and parents were very involved in community activities and developments.

Today, Kenny and Barbara both serve on several boards, Jerit serves on the Legend of Rawhide board and Kristy was involved in Ag Ambassadors through the University of Wyoming.

“One organization that is extremely special to us is Wyoming Ag in the Classroom,” Kenny says, sharing DeGering Livestock has hosted multiple classrooms at the ranch. “We think it is an extremely important tool to teach people the truth about agriculture and dispel some myths out there about this great industry.”

Averi Hales is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net.

Keeping options open – DeGering Livestock has the option to feed calves, sell calves and retain heifer calves for development. Courtesy photo

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A10

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2022 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

traditional ranch embraces change Four Three Ranch focuses on raising cattle and building horses

Developing horses – Justin Printz works cattle on the Four Three Ranch north of Lusk the traditional way, with horses. Colts are built and developed into working ranch horses for use on the ranch, as well as for sale by private treaty and on the internet. Allison Williams photo

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Redbird – “Ranching is a business for us,” says J.D. Williams of the Four Three Ranch, which is located about 40 miles north of Lusk. “We like to say it’s a lifestyle, but our organization has come to the conclusion if it’s not a profitable business, it can’t sustain a lifestyle.”

J.D. has been at the Four Three Ranch since 2000, when Tetrad Corp. near Elk Mountain purchased the ranch from the Pfister brothers. While he’s only been in Niobrara County for a little over two decades, J.D.’s family has been in the ranching business in Wyoming for three generations, and he has strong family ties to the ZN Ranch at Saratoga and the Double Eight in Elk Mountain.

He notes Niobrara County is the nicest part of Wyoming he’s been in when it comes to climate, compared to the wind and snow he grew up with in Carbon County.

“We are running cows in the best part of the state, and by this I mean we can winter a cow out here all winter long and might only have to feed her for a couple weeks,” J.D. says. “Usually, the profitability of a ranch boils down to how economically cows can be wintered, so this is a beautiful place to be in business.”

Four Three Ranch cattle Cowboys on the Four Three Ranch like sticking to a moderately sized cow. As the cost of inputs increase, larger cows become more expensive to run. J.D. also notes he prefers the hybrid vigor of crossbred cattle.

“Crossbred cows are a little more thrifty,” he says. “Most of our cows are Angus with a little Hereford in them.”

The ranch typically calves in May, and J.D. shares this is purely for economic reasons.

“If I have a cow that calves in May, I move her highest nutrient requirements – during the late gestation and early lactation – out of the dead of the winter,” he says. “So, the cows spend the last trimester on green grass.”

By doing this, the Four Three can avoid additional supplements to meet requirements that spring grass can fulfill.

J.D. adds, “By fitting into Mother Nature’s schedule, calving in May cuts my winter costs by roughly $200 per cow. Now, I’m going to wean a little lighter of a calf because they are born in May, but he’s also going to bring an awful high price per pound.”

In addition, J.D. says many calving-time issues like grass tetany and scours are reduced.

Grass and water resources J.D. shares most of the stock water on the ranch comes in the form of a pipeline. In fact, the ranch is home to one of the largest adjudicated stock water pipelines in the state of Wyoming. And there is a good reason for this.

“In most years from June 15 on, the surface water here is too high in selenium,” J.D. explains.

Because of this water issue, all of the grazing management on the ranch is dictated by water resources.

Most pastures will be rotated through about twice each year, according to J.D. “The most important factor in whether or not I’m going to have grass for next year is cover, so we leave a lot of grass for next year’s sake,” he says. “This business is built around dry years, average cattle markets and whatever disaster we’re dealing with. We are always optimistic in agriculture, but to me, it is better to plan.”

Open to change “We are really grass farmers,” J.D. notes. “We use cows to harvest the grass, and we are open to changes – changes in the market, the prices of inputs, climate, whatever. We try to question everything and make sure whatever we are doing makes sense.”

Everyone working on the ranch is encouraged to question the practices in place, J.D. adds, because the best ideas typically come from the ground up.

“A lot of times, we want to do what the last generation did or the generation before will have a tradition, and if there’s one tradition we try to carry on from the generation before us, it’s pushing the numbers,” J.D. explains. “Sharpening our pencils and making sure the business we are Continued on next page

“A lot of times, we want to do what the last generation did or the generation before will have a tradition, and if there’s one tradition we try to carry on, it’s pushing the numbers.” – J.D. Williams

A11

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2022 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Ranching in Niobrara County – J.D. Williams (pictured) says cattle on the Four Three Ranch are produced with the goal of keeping inputs low. The winter weather in the area allows for low-feeding requirements and calving in May means the high-nutrient requirements of cows during late gestation and early lactation are provided by green grass in spring. Allison Williams photo

Continued from previous page doing for four seasons of the year makes sense at the end of the day is important, otherwise we’re working for nothing. Everything we do has to make sense.”

Solid cattle, horses, dogs and kids J.D. shares the most valuable asset there is on the Four Three Ranch are the families who live and work on the ranch. He notes as a company ranch and corporation, they have the ability to invest in the families in a way that fits their individual needs.

“We have to be accountable to each other, but we’re not so large that we can’t be personable,” J.D. says, Because of the way the Four Three works – mostly by horseback – the families on the ranch enjoy building good horses. J.D. notes there has been a few good dogs and some good kids built along the way, too.

“Everybody here likes building horses,” he says.

“We’re sitting on a horse most of the time, so we might as well be building the ones we are riding. A lot

of people in this day and age need a good, solid, proven horse to do ranch chores on, so the boys here sell them at sales, private treaty and on the internet.”

J.D. shares on many days, the Four Three is a colt outfit, where somebody is on a colt every day.

“It’s easy to build one here because of the crew.

You’re not out by yourself trying to ride a green horse around,” J.D. says. “The colt is following a broke horse, and everybody around you is a horse hand, so three or four guys are ready to help before the colt even knows what’s going through his mind.”

While it might be an oldtimed practice, J.D. says horses come around fast because there are lots of miles and cows to be ridden.

“This is a pretty good place to be,” J.D. says.

“Some people may call it old-fashioned, but we’re in Wyoming.”

Averi Hales is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net.

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Helping out – Grant Ashurst helps during branding at the Four Three Ranch. Investing in family is an important aspect of ranching at the ranch. Kids are brought up learning traditional ranching ways and helping with the work. Allison Williams photo

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A12

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2022 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

legend of rawhide Annual reenactment celebrates Niobrara County history

Annual celebration – The Legend of Rawhide Pageant is a yearly celebration involving the entire Lusk and surrounding area community.

Volunteers perform their parts depicting the history and past stories of Niobrara County residents. Kristy DeGering photo

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Lusk – The annual celebration of the Legend of Rawhide pageant is a wholecommunity performance.

Originally written by Lou “Bonnie” Paris in 1946, the script for the Pageant was based on old stories passed down through the years in order to provide a glimpse into the history of the county.

According to the Legend of Rawhide website, “Each year, residents of Niobrara County and surrounding communities volunteer their time, energy and determination in service of the Legend of Rawhide Pageant.”

While involving many of the people in the community, the Legend of Rawhide pageant has made numerous contributions to the community over the past 50 years.

“Following the 1950 performances, the board was able to make a $6,000 donation, which is equivalent to $60,000 today,” according to the website. “The money was used to put up buildings on the fairgrounds.”

Over the years, the Leg-

end of Rawhide board has been able to continue making donations to improve infrastructure and buildings on the Niobrara County Fairgrounds.

Additionally, the Legend of Rawhide board makes it a point to promote community spirit and goodwill, all while promoting the history of the county.

“One for all and all for one is the Legend motto,” the website shares, “And we all strive to make Niobrara County a place we are proud to live and call home.

With over 50 years behind us, we look forward to the future.”

The Legend of Rawhide is scheduled for July 8-10, 2022, with events ranging from a team driving contest, Legend of Rawhide dances, pitch tournament, a flag ceremony, parade and the pageant.

“The Legend will be our lasting legacy, a tribute to our heritage,” shares the website.

For more information, visit legendofrawhide.com.

Volunteer reenactment – Volunteers play out historical scenes from the Legend of Rawhide Pageant. Kristy DeGering photo

Community production – The Legend of Rawhide pageant involves much of the Niobrara County community. Community members of all ages participate in acting the storyline out. Kristy DeGering photo

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Western heritage – The Legend of Rawhide reenactment shares the history of the county as it was passed down through the years.

Niobrara County has rich history in the development of Wyoming as a state. Kristy DeGering photo

A13

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2022 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Ranching roots and bananas

Niobrara Conservation District grows a piece of the jungle in Wyoming Conservation districts are local units of government established under state law to carry out natural resource management programs at the local level. The Niobrara Conservation District works with landowners, counties, cities, towns and other community organizations to conserve land and water resources on pri-

vate and public lands in the U.S. Several years ago, Niobrara Conservation District Manager Lisa Shaw brought a little bit of the jungle to Wyoming.

Lisa was given a banana plant pup from her mother, who also grew bananas.

Banana plant pups are otherwise known as suck-

ers, or offshoots, which grow from the base of the banana plant and can be transplanted to create a new banana tree.

The banana plant grew at the district office in 2020 and began producing bananas in 2021. The plant became a topic for many in the community.

Produce was sold at the local farmers’ market and was a fun project for the Niobrara Conservation District.

As the banana tree was developing, the district took pictures and sent them to the local kindergarten class so they could follow along with the tree’s development.

The banana tree was a fun project for the community and the Niobrara Conservation District.

“It ended up being a conversation piece around town,” shared Heidi Sturman, Niobrara Conservation District water technician. “It took about four years to get the pup and the

tree to grow the bananas.”

The district has a few pups they are currently growing and is looking forward to growing some bananas in the near future.

Brittany Gunn is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

Banana harvest – Matt Dockery is pictured cutting off a banana grown from the Niobrara Conservation District banana tree. Courtesy photo

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Banana inspiration – Judi Pzinski is pictured next to her banana tree. Judi donated a banana pup to her daughter, Lisa Shaw, who brought back the plant to grow in Wyoming. Courtesy photo

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A15

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2022 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Perseverance, teamwork and dedication Hamilton family works together to create successful operation near the famous Lance Formation

Lance Creek – In 1989, after purchasing TRH Ranch in Lance Creek, Tom Hamilton’s father Lyle fulfilled his dream of owning a winter ranch where he wouldn’t have to feed hay during the long, cold Wyoming winters.

A short year later, Tom and his wife Randi, along with their three children, Holly, Heather and Kyle, moved to the new operation in Niobrara County where they continue to ranch today.

Raising, marketing Black Angus beef “We currently run a cow/calf operation and occasionally a yearling operation,” states Tom. “God, Randi, Holly and I are the primary workforce

on the place, with other family members helping with the branding, shipping, etc.”

Tom explains TRH Ranch backgrounds their calves at a feedlot with their daughter Heather Maude and her husband Charles Maude, selling them privately when possible. He also notes the operation owns shares in a grazing association located 150 miles north of Lance Creek where cattle are summered for five months out of the year.

“This added pasture has allowed us to spread out the weather risk and manage our range more effectively,” Tom says.

He continues, “Our preferred breed of cattle

“This ranch is one of the few in this area with no mineral rights or oil pipelines, but we have the treasure of perseverance, teamwork and family dedication.” – Tom Hamilton

is Black Angus. We have raised Herefords, Gelbvieh and some terminal crosses, but in my opinion, the Black Angus breed has the best genetic profile for whatever a producer desires in their herd. Additionally, Certified Angus Beef is the best marketing strategy in the beef industry.”

With this said, Tom further notes TRH Ranch has been finishing out cattle for several years to sell on the grid to U.S. Premium Beef.

In addition, some cattle are processed in a different enterprise under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) label “Hamilton’s Natural Wyoming Beef.”

“This is a marketing practice Heather and Charles continue today with their USDA label ‘Maude Hog and Cattle,’” says Tom. Overcoming challenges, achieving goals Tom notes the overarching goal at TRH Ranch is to manage what has taken the Hamilton family a lifetime Continued on next page

Ranching family – The whole family is involved on the ranch. Pictured left to right, Heather (Hamilton) Maude, Randi, Kyle, Holly and Tom. Courtesy photo

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A16

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2022 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Grazing cattle – The TRH Ranch runs a cow/calf operation in addition to a yearling operation. The ranch’s preferred breed of cattle is Black Angus, but have raised Herefords, Gelbvieh and some terminal crosses throughout their history. Courtesy photo

Continued from previous page to create. And, as far as the cattle go, he explains the goal is to develop desirable genetics in their herd so the cattle are hardy and selfsufficient, while still producing a high-end product.

“Our cattle winter on cake and grass and calve unassisted. All of our open cows are sold,” Tom states.

While the Hamiltons have been successful in their pursuit to achieve these goals, it has not come without many challenges, and in response to these challenges, Tom and his

family have been resilient and creative.

“Water is one of our biggest challenges,” Tom states. “We have installed nearly 12 miles of pipeline, 25 tanks, drilled five new wells and converted five windmills to solar.

Additionally, we have also cross-fenced most of our pastures with nine miles of three-wire electric fence to make our grazing plan more manageable.”

“During the drought years when we had to destock, we started up

TK Freight LLC, a trucking business to haul hay and livestock. Kyle has expanded it and is still operating it today,” explains Tom. “Randi also started a successful document destruction business during this time, which we

ended up selling. But, both of these enterprises allowed us to continue ranching through some tough times.”

He continues, “This ranch is one of the few in this area with no mineral rights or oil pipelines, but we have the treasure of per-

severance, teamwork and family dedication.”

Ranching in the “Outback” In addition to the challenges they have weathered over the years, Tom explains learning to run a successful operation in

the Niobrara County climate is a whole other beast entirely.

“I grew up on a ranch in the Black Hills of northeast Wyoming and Randi is a mountain girl. Moving to Lance Creek was like movContinued on next page

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Hardy livestock – The TRH Ranch works to produce several desirable genetics in their herd. The cattle are bred to be hardy, self-sufficient, and still produce a high-end product. Courtesy photo

A17

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2022 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Livestock roundup – The family utilized dirt bikes and four wheelers when they rounded up their sheep herd. Sheep were a major part of the operation until 2010. The ranch lost nearly 60 percent of the families flock due to coyote depredation. TRH Ranch enjoyed raising cattle and sheep but unfortunately had to cut their losses with raising sheep and sold the remaining flock. Courtesy photo

Continued from previous page ing to the Outback,” he says. “When we first moved in, we had never fought a prairie fire. The first one we experienced was burning about 40 to 50 miles per hour. We were terrified, but our good neighbors educated us rather quickly.”

“Consequently, we keep our sprayer loaded and full of water most of the summer,” Tom adds.

“The other exciting thing about living in the “Outback” are the flash floods,” he continues. “The first one we experienced came as a roar in the middle of the night, and we could not imagine what was happening. As dawn arrived, we learned a lot about floods on Dogie Creek – water gaps, trash, dead animals and so on. Now, if we have some warning, we pull the wires up on the fence so

the trash can go under.”

Despite some extreme weather events in the area, Tom notes the Lance Formation is a unique and famous landmark.

“One of the unique features of this area are the dinosaurs,” he says. “We get plenty of inquiries from people wanting to find and dig up a dinosaur.”

“Another feature – not necessarily unique to our place but one we enjoy – is the remoteness,” Tom adds.

“We live 54 miles from the nearest grocery store, and the kids learned to drive at age seven to meet a bus they rode for three hours a day.”

Hannah Bugas is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net.

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120 Yearling & Long Yearling Bulls 7 Registered Heifers

PAP: 38 Reg: *20070516 CED

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MK

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$M

$B

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+78 +136 +28 +.53 +.89 +87 +147 +278

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Sheep herd – Sheep herd – The Hamilton family enjoyed running a multi-species ranch with cattle and sheep. Courtesy photo

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Instinctive Migratory Grazing

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2022 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Kremers operate with unique grazing managment and stockmanship goals Lance Creek – Riki and Justin Kremers are ranching in the Lance Creek area of eastern Wyoming about 35 miles from Lusk. Justin grew up here; he was born the year his family bought the ranch he grew up on. In 1998, he took off on his own because there was not room for him

and his brother to both make a living on the family ranch.

When he started ranching on his own, Justin realized he couldn’t do things the traditional way. Like most ranchers in the area, his family fed hay all winter and calved in February, and Justin found he couldn’t afford

Grazing practices – The Kremers utilize intensive migratory grazing practices and stockmanship skills to improve stocking capacity at their ranch. Courtesy photo

that much feed. He decided to make the change to calve in May, graze year-round and reduce the amount of hay fed to cattle.

Riki met Justin in 2004.

“The way Justin was doing things was a culture shock for me, because my family did the traditional things,” Riki says. “I had to do a lot of studying about what Justin was doing.”

Progressive changes “We got married in 2006, bought the family ranch in 2007 and we were trying to figure out ways to make it more productive,” she says.

“We looked at intensive grazing and fencing big pastures into smaller paddocks. I traveled to seminars and looked for every educational piece I could get my hands on.”

The stocking rate on the land was about 40 acres per

Ranch work – Riki Kremer utilizes her horse and roping skills to tend to cattle. Courtesy photo

cow. This was good range pasture, compared to many areas of the West where it takes 60 to 100 acres per cow, she explains.

“Just through the little things we were doing, and improvements we were making, we’d gotten it to about 25 acres per cow,” Riki says.

With permanent fenced pastures ranging from 70 to 1,000 acres, Riki and Justin increased available forage by capturing previously ungrazeable acres and having better utilization of the rest of the pasture. Then, through a change in stockmanship with the use of intensive migratory grazing (IMG) their stocking rate increased even more.

The Kremers explain it was as if their sagebrush and mixed-grass prairie ranch tripled in size.

Implementing IMG Many changes started in 2017 when Riki had a horse fall and broke her ankle.

While recuperating and surfing Facebook, she came across a stockmanship group and became active with it.

Just prior to her injury, she and Justin were reclaiming four acres of shale badlands that were not growing much.

“We threw some old hay out there – bales where the strings had rotted off – and scattered it over that area, then brought our cows in there,” she says.

The cows had to be herded to make them use the entire area, Riki notes.

She and Justin, as well as their daughter Royal, who was about seven years old at the time, put 200 cows in there but they didn’t want to stay.

“We’d just keep turning them back into that area, let them mill around and pick through the hay and stir it around,” Riki says, noting they ate a little and trampled the rest.

“When I posted this and explained what we were doing to reclaim the land, a guy in that group – Bob Kinford of Texas – said we

needed to look into IMG because that’s what he does,” Riki says.

“He told us we were basically doing it right, but needed to do a bit more with our cows,” she continues.

“We were trying to bring our cattle together in a group, working as a herd to get them to graze together and stay together.”

The cattle were starting to come together, but not quite like Riki and Justin thought they should.

“Then we rode into a pasture one day and saw a strip that looked like it had been mowed,” Riki explains.

“The grass was about nine or 10 inches tall in the pasture, but the strip looked perfectly level, about four inches tall.

We started seeing more incidences where the cattle had grazed as a group, leaving a perfect four-inch residual, not grazing it down to the dirt.”

This is like the bison used to do, grazing across the land as a herd and moving on.

Stockmanship updates They still didn’t have it all figured out so they called Bob and asked him to come do a week-long school to teach what they were missing. He showed them the piece they were missing was the stockmanship tactics of starting the cattle from the front, rather than driving the herd from behind. This works better with how the cattle naturally behave as a herd.

“As soon as we made this shift using his techniques, it was a huge change,” Riki says. “For the last few years, we’ve had a stocking rate of about 13 acres to the cow, despite drought conditions.

Continued on next page

Stockmanship tactics – The Kremers have greatly improved their operation with several stockmanship tactics. The family has nearly tripled their stocking rate to 13 acres per cow in the last several years. Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2022 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Continued from previous page We’ve tripled our stocking rate.”

She continues, “We can ask cattle to go places they’ve never gone before. One day I took a video while we moved a group of dry cows and yearling steers – this is usually not a good combination – but we started them from the front and strung them past my father-in-law’s house, but they never went onto his green lawn.”

Riki shares those cattle never even looked at the lawn; they just trailed right on by, trusting the herd mentality.

“We took them through a gate, dropped them down off a hill and through a threefoot walk-through gate, across a six-foot alley and through another three-foot walk-through gate and into the pasture where we wanted them. We had complete control of that herd and they just walked single file,” she says.

When cattle trust what’s happening and are not stressed, they have no reason to not want to do what the herd is doing. They are traveling on their own, just like they would without human interference.

“When we brought our cows to the corral, it used to be a fight; they didn’t want to go in there,” Riki says.

“There used to be a tidal wave of cattle coming in, hit the back of the corral and bounce back to try to come back out. Now they walk in quietly, start filling the gaps and stand there.”

Sharing new information Today, Riki puts on grazing schools and does independent consulting to teach

this kind of stockmanship.

“Some people misunderstand the basics of migratory grazing, thinking we place cattle in a certain location where we want them to stay, but that’s not how this system works,” Riki says.

Under natural conditions when cattle live in a herd and travel in a herd, there would be no fences or boundaries and the cattle would travel and graze with the weather and seasons just like wildlife.

“When we put cattle in a certain pasture, we just start them on a grazing path,” she explains. “We might come through a gate and send them either direction. They make their way around the pasture and graze whatever plant species are their choice for that time.”

Riki continues, “We can also target certain areas like steep slopes or draws that rarely get grazed and maybe have noxious plants which need trampled or eaten during a certain time of the year. We often target Canadian thistle-infested draws in August when these thistles are high in protein and help balance their diet.”

To do so, Riki and Justin set cattle on a path which takes the whole herd through the targeted area. When they leave, they will have stripped all the thistle stalks and trampled many of them down.

In a 12-month period, a pasture might be grazed six different times because different plants come into season at different times and are palatable and nutritious at those times.

“If we target cheat-

grass in early spring, we go through as many cheatgrassinfested pastures as we can and that’s what the cattle eat,” Riki shares. “A bit later, the crested wheat is coming up so cattle will eat some of that, then the western wheatgrass is starting and the warm-season grasses haven’t begun to grow yet.”

“We go through the pastures, let the cattle graze the early grasses and come back around for the later ones,” says Riki.

Heather Smith Thomas is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net.

Family time – Royal Kremer and her dad, Justin Kremer spend time in the saddle working on the family ranch. Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2022 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Rich history in hometown niobrara bank At the heart of every community are the merchants who live and work there

Lusk – The town of Lusk was founded in 1886 by Frank S. Lusk. The town has a colorful background filled with outlaws, railroad and stagecoach routes, though today, the town is fairly quiet compared to the booming days of oil fields and settlers.

Highway Routes 20 and 18 continue to be home for many truckers and tourists traveling to and from Nebraska, South Dakota and Colorado. The town of Lusk is more than a stopping point to a vacation destination: It consists of the Oregon Trail Historic Marker, breathtaking views, locally-owned businesses and many ranchers.

Local bank Located on south Main Street, the Lusk State Bank is proud to serve the Niobrara County community and provide assistance for all types of financial need.

The Lusk State Bank and was founded on May 8, 1924, according to the Lusk State Bank webpage. The building consists of several historical artifacts, including the original vault, which is located within the main vault, says Lusk State Bank President Jay Hammond.

“The bank has been a community bank ever since its establishment and offers an array of services,” he shares.

Account options The Lusk State Bank offers a variety of checking options to fit customers personal and business needs, shares the Lusk State Banks webpage.

They offer personal and business checking accounts, personal and health savings accounts, money market checking accounts and several investment accounts with Individual Retirement Accounts and Time Depos-

“Helping people is the most important thing.” – Jay Hammond

its: Certificate of Deposit – an investment opportunity with a fixed rate of interest for a specific period of time.

The Lusk State Bank also offers online banking and has availability to help current and new customers set up online banking services. They also offer several different financial calculators, shares their webpage.

Customers are able to easily calculate simple savings, fixed rate payments, credit card repayments and bi-weekly mortgage payments all from the simple click of a button.

Loan opportunities “We offer various products that meet our customers’ needs,” says Jay. “We offer agriculture operating loans, livestock and pastureland loans,” he says.

The Lusk State Bank offers commercial and agriculture loans of all types.

Loan officers visit with customers on their borrowing needs and discuss loan needs and details.

Consumer loans can serve new or used automobiles, recreational vehicles

Town development – The town of Lusk has changed over the years. Today, it has grown to serve a community of ranchers, businesses and families. University of Wyoming American Heritage Center photo

or other personal needs.

There are several loan officers at the Lusk State Bank who are experts in their fields, shares Jay. A loan application is easily accessible through the Lusk State Bank webpage.

Bank pride The bank takes pride in providing quality customer service and has several employees who assist with customer needs.

In addition, the bank

also has a board of directors. Members include Niobrara County locals Eugene Kupke, Shelly Larson, Kenny DeGering, Tom Dooper, Jay Hammond, Dale Hytrek, Jake Reed, J.D. Wasserburger and Tom Wasserburger.

The bank is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. with the drive-up being open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

“We’re locally owned, so we make our own decision here and provide services to residents of Niobrara County,” concludes Jay. “Helping people is the most important thing.”

For more information, visit luskstatebank.com or call 307-334-2500.

Brittany Gunn is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

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