Volume 35 Number 40 • January 27, 2024
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The Weekly News Source for Ranchers, Farmers and the Agribusiness Community • www.wylr.net
A Look Inside Rodeo athletes put on a show at NWSS in Denver...... Page 6 Carload and pen show results reported from NWSS.... Page 7 CAB Market Insider summarizes recent beef market trends......................... Page 11 Connecting Ag to Climate outlines recent and current weather conditions..... Page 19
Quick Bits Snow Report In the sixth snow report for Water Year 2024, the state’s snowpack telemetry data reads 82% of median, with a basin high of 106% and a basin low of 26%. Last year, the state was at 117% and at 104% in 2022. The report and a map displaying basin snow water equivalent percentages of median for the state may be found at wrds.uwyo.edu/wrds/nrcs/ nrcs.html.
USDA launches Remote Grading Pilot for Beef During a panelist discussion held at the National Western Stock Show in Denver on Jan. 19, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) will launch the Remote Grading Pilot for Beef, a program to allow cattle producers and meat processors access to better markets through the department’s official beef qual-
ity grading and certification system. Created by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to reduce costs and location barriers for participation in voluntary grad-
ing services, the program pairs technology with data management and program oversight to allow a USDA grader to evaluate beef carcasses and assign official Please see USDA on page 8
Hats off to Bison
Statement
U.S. Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) released the following statement regarding his wife Bobbi, who passed away after a two-year battle with brain cancer. “After a courageous battle with cancer, Bobbi is now at peace and home with the Lord. In addition to being a devoted wife and mother, Bobbi was a leader, fierce advocate for Wyoming and friend to everyone she met. We miss her dearly. On behalf of our entire family, we thank everyone for your prayers and continued support as we remember her and grieve together.”
Team Success
The Casper College Livestock Judging Team had an impressive showing during Cattlemen’s Congress in Oklahoma City and the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) in Denver. At Cattlemen’s Congress, the team brought home honors as the eighth team overall. Luke Raudebaugh was the high individual in sheep and goats and Robert Choma was fourth in swine and 13th overall. Casper College was the sixth overall team in the NWSS Carload Contest and Kassadee Lym was the fourth high individual.
Meat Judging The University of Wyoming Meat Judging Team recently tied for fifth place at the National Western Stock Show Meat Judging Contest. The team was fifth overall in both beef grading and specifications. Sarah Turner finished second in lamb judging and Aida Hester finished seventh in beef grading. The team is coached by Mckensie Phillips and Tessa Maurer.
NBA holds 2024 Winter Conference in conjunction with Gold Trophy Show and Sale during NWSS Bison producers, industry leaders and other stakeholders from Canada, Europe, Mexico and across the U.S. gathered in Denver Jan. 17-20 for the 29th National Bison Association (NBA) 2024 Winter Convention, an annual
event providing innovative information for attendees in an effort to improve the bison industry around the world. The conference included educational sessions on herd Please see NBA on page 10
Grand Champion Female – Pictured is the Gold Trophy Show and Sale Grand Champion Female, a yearling heifer consigned by Rex Snyder and Gayle Hale from Snyder Land and Development in Lyman, purchased by Mary Adams from the Arizona Buffalo Company of Evergreen, Colo. Courtesy photo
NWSS sale ranks second highest in history After two whirlwind, action-packed weeks in Denver, youth exhibitors wrapped up the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) on a high note during the Auction of Junior Livestock Champions, held on the evening of Jan. 19. Kevin Ochsner, president of Agcellerate and host of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s “Cattlemen to Cattlemen” series on RFD-TV; 9News Anchor Corey Rose and Auctioneer John Korrey welcomed attendees to the sale. “We are here tonight for the pinnacle of the NWSS – the Auction of Junior Livestock Champions – where only the best of the best will be auctioned off,” said Rose. Ochsner explained of the thousands of head of livestock competing at NWSS, only 98 qualify for the Auction of Junior Livestock Champions, and while the majority of winning bids are given directly to the exhibitor, 10 percent of each bid is donated to support the National Western Scholarship Trust, which has raised over $6.8 million in scholarship money since its inception in 1983. This year, total bids across the 98 animals sold amounted to $1,374,000, $548,000 of which came from the eight grand and reserve champions in each species. Although the sale was shy of the records shattered in 2023, the 2024 Auction of Junior Livestock Champions still marks the second highest sale in NWSS history. Top lambs and goats The auction kicked off with the grand and reserve champion lambs. Shown by Kinley Pruett of Elk City, Okla., the 2024 Please see NWSS on page 12
Industry highlights ASI’s annual convention wraps up in Denver The American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) held their Annual Convention in Denver Jan. 8-15, and the jam-packed agenda offered a range of educational listening sessions and guest speakers for those in attendance. Convention highlights The opening session of the convention hosted a farm bill panel which featured senior staff from the Agriculture Committees of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Justin Benavidez, with Chairman G.T. Thompson’s staff, and Trey Forsyth, with Ranking Member John Boozman’s team, provided a comprehensive overview of the upcoming farm bill with respect to funding and the current legislative calendar, as well touching on key priorities important to the sheep and livestock industry. The convention also offered two industry tours which gave participants the opportunity to see lamb harvesting plants and feedlots up close. The first included stops at the Superior Farms plant in Denver and Harper Feeders in Eaton, Colo. Participants on the tour also learned how each facility Please see ASI on page 13
Ag groups support Death Tax Repeal Act U.S. Reps. Randy Feenstra (R-IA) and Sanford Bishop (D-GA) introduced legislation on Jan. 18 to repeal taxes on the transfer of property from a deceased family member to their heirs, commonly called estate tax but also known as the death tax. The Death Tax Repeal Act, introduced in March 2023 by U.S. Sens. John Kennedy (R-LA) and John Thune (R-SD) would permanently repeal the death tax, an unfair and costly tax on the transfer of property, land and other assets from a deceased family member to heirs of family farms and small businesses. According to Feenstra’s office, the Death Tax Repeal Act was supported by
162 other members of Congress and 194 organizations across the country. “I’m proud to lead 162 of my colleagues to permanently repeal the death tax, ensure hardworking families, farmers and small businesses keep more of their hard-earned money and strengthen family owned and operated enterprises,” Feenstra says. Feenstra’s website notes, “Over 99 percent of the two million farms and ranches and over 95 percent of our nation’s small businesses in the U.S. are owned and operated by individuals and families, and this legislation would enable these multi-generational businesses to continue to support
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Please see DEATH TAX on page 5