Registration is now open for the 2024 Wyoming Society for Range Management (SRM) Meeting to be held in Casper at the Ramkota Hotel on Nov. 4-6. The three-day event will include a Ranching for Profit workshop, guest speakers, agency updates, business meetings and an awards banquet. For more information or to register, visit bit.ly/3ZG7A8o
Convention
Individuals interested in attending the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union (RMFU) 2024 Convention can now register online at rmfu.org The event will take place Nov. 21-23 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Colorado Springs, Colo. An event agenda is still in the works and will be announced at a later date.
Giving Day
Every year, thousands of individuals rally together for 24 hours to support University of Wyoming (UW) students, educators and researchers and to give back to programs that make a difference in Wyoming and around the world. This year’s UW Giving Day will take place on Oct. 23-24 from noon to noon. For more information or to donate, visit uwyo.edu/givingday
USDA Data
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service will host a virtual USDA Fall Data Users’ Meeting on Oct. 15-16, starting at 10 a.m. each day. This meeting is free of charge and open to the public. The event is regularly held to share recent and pending program changes and to solicit comments and input on various data and information programs important to agriculture. To view the complete agenda and/or register for the meeting, visit nass.usda.gov/go/ data_users. For more information, contact Marisa Reuber at marisa.reuber@usda. gov or 202-690-3099.
U.S. agricultural industry impacted by Hurricane Helene
The agriculture industry throughout the southern U.S. continues to analyze the destruction of Hurricane Helene.
In an Oct. 8 American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) news article, AFBF
Economist Danny Munch reports agriculture is an important part of the Southeast and has a long road to recovery.
He states, “When we overlay the counties impacted by massive power
losses with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Census of Agriculture data, we see about $14.8 billion in crop and livestock production is generated in the counties affected by Hurricane Helene.”
Recent reports state nearly $1 billion of cattle infrastructure damage has occurred in those counties, while the dairy industry is close to $500 million in damages.
USDA’s EID Rule goes into effect at the beginning of November
On Nov. 4 the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) rule regarding mandatory electronic identification (EID) tags for certain classes of cattle and bison will go into effect.
Finalized at the end of April this year, the new rule amends a previous USDA rule from 2013 which required visual identification tags for interstate movement of sexually-intact cattle and bison 18 months of age or older; cattle and bison of any age used for rodeo, recreational events or shown for exhibition and all dairy cattle.
Now, eartags applied to these cattle and bison must be both visually and electronically readable. What will change?
According to University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Educator Bethany Johnston, under this new ruling, cattlemen can expect the orange metal clips placed in heifers’ ears when they receive the brucellosis (bangs) vaccine to soon be relics of the past.
Instead, veterinarians will now be using a USDA 840 EID tag, which comes as a button and includes the country code for the U.S. – 840 – and the official USDA shield.
According to Johnston, the tag will also have a unique 12-digit number to
Opposition grows for anti-ag ballot measures
There is less than a month ahead before Colorado residents make a final decision on two anti-agriculture policy measures – Prohibition of Slaughterhouses and Prohibition of Fur Products.
It has been almost a year since the hush-hush plans to get the measures on the 2024 ballot came out, with enough signatures generated to officially make the ballot in November 2024.
These anti-ag measures are led by Pro-Animal Future (PAF), an organization comprised of volunteer animal rights extremists in the Denver area dedicated to creating political movements to end factory farming.
As voting day draws nearer, opposition to these bans continues to grow.
The slaughterhouse ban
Initiated Ordinance 309, more commonly referred to as the Denver Slaughterhouse Ban, would shut down existing and future livestock harvest operations in Denver beginning in January 2026.
Today, there is only one slaughterhouse operating in Denver city limits – Superior Farms, Inc. – the largest lamb processor in the U.S.
This employee-owned facility has a workforce of more than 170 people and is only one of five lamb harvest facilities in the nation with an annual harvest capacity of greater than 100,000 head. The company accounts for 15 to 20 percent of the total lamb harvest capacity in the U.S.
PAF claims Superior Farms prioritizes efficiency and
AG
Located west of Laramie at the base of the Snowy Range Mountains, the Deerwood Ranch is home to Mollee Gilgen and her family. The family ranch is home to a commercial cattle operation, a wedding venue
Wyoming wildfires
Wildfires continue wreaking havoc in the Cowboy State
Just weeks after wildfires burned through nearly half a million acres in Wyoming and Montana – and communities continue picking up the pieces of the aftermath – more devastating fires have popped up around the Cowboy State.
In recent days, Wyoming received a U.S. Department of Agriculture Disaster Declaration to help assist in ag recovery from wildfire damages and Gov. Mark Gordon issued an emergency transport order to protect livestock and the ag industry in the area.
Elk Fire Ignited by a lightning strike on Sept. 27 about six miles northwest of Dayton, the Elk Fire is breaking records as the largest wildfire to tear through the Big Horn National Forest in 100 years of recorded history.
According to the Fire, Weather and Avalanche Center, as of Oct. 9, the Elk Fire had scorched 75,969 acres with 16 percent containment.
“In the early going, crews were focused on playing defense to attempt to limit the fire’s spread, but
and a wild horse ecosanctuary. Mollee stated, “I grew up running cows and calves with my parents, hence my love for the cattle and agriculture industries.”
A wife, mom, daughter, sister and hospice nurse, Mollee finds the time to run a growing commercial high-altitude black Angus and SimAngus cow/calf operation with her husband Ben Gilgen.
The couple also has four children –Cash, who is 10; Shiloh, who is seven and twins Haylee and Sammie, who are four-year-olds.
“We live on the Deerwood Ranch, where I grew up. My grandpa and parents own it,” Mollee stated. “We live here with my parents, brother and sister-in-law
WYLR photo
Cattlewoman promotes ag in rural Wyoming
Information to Help You Decide
We are getting close to the general election on Nov. 5, and the presidential candidates are busy trying to garner all of the votes they can.
For over 40 years, the American Farm Bureau Federation has sent each of the presidential candidates questions pertaining to agriculture. They are good questions, and I believe our readers could gain some value from them. I would encourage everyone to get online and read the full responses.
Both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump responded to the questions. Harris’ campaign chair and manager responded by sending back a four-page letter, while Trump responded to each question individually. Both sent back adequate answers.
When asked, “As president, what investments and/ or policies they will support to ensure the resiliency of our food system and the American farmers who make it work,” Harris’campaign answered, “She has invested in rural America so future generations can keep farming and rural Americans can find opportunities right in their hometown.”
Trump answered, “I am proud to be the most profarmer president ever. To bring economic relief to farmers, I commit to lowering energy bills by one-half in the first year. I will also use tariffs, tax cuts and other incentives to bring critical supply chains back home to the U.S., ensure national security and economic stability and expand overseas markets for U.S. agricultural goods.”
The survey asked, “As president, how would you fix the broken Endangered Species Act and what role would you assign America’s landowners?”
Harris’ team said, “She is committed to preserving biodiversity across our nation. She believes conservation hinges on cooperative initiates which consider all Americans.”
Trump said, “More threatened and endangered species have been delisted and are thriving as a result of the voluntary, locally-led and incentive-based conservation programs which were a part of the 2018 Farm Bill I signed into law.”
The survey also asked, “As president, what policies would you support to ensure the continued success of multiple use for federal lands?”
Harris’ team answered, “She believes the federal government should work with Americans, including farmers and ranchers, to manage the care, enjoyment, use and conservation of American’s public lands and waters.”
Trump said, “As president, I ended the last administration’s federal land grab. The federal government does not have unlimited power to lock up millions of acres of land and water. I believe states, communities and private landowners know best how to best manage their own resources.”
Again, please take some time to read through the entirety of these survey response questions before hitting the voting booth in November.
GUEST OPINIONS
It's Time to Reform the Endangered Species Act
By Reps. Dan Newhouse and Bruce Westerman
In its 50 years, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) has only recovered around three percent of listed species. Only the federal government would consider this a success story.
It is abundantly clear the ESA has failed in its intended mission of species recovery. The only area in which the law has succeeded is as a mechanism for environmental activists to impede, delay and kill economic development across rural and Western America, while trampling on the rights of private landowners.
This is why we recently introduced the ESA Amendments Act of 2024. This legislation implements measures to return power to state and local officials who understand species habitat better than career bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.
The ESA Amendments Act includes important reforms to incentivize wildlife conservation on private lands, end the constant cycle of litigation around delisting species and instill greater transparency and accountability in recovery efforts.
Take the Rice’s whale in the Gulf of Mexico, for example.
At the time it was listed, the National Marine Fisheries Service said, “The best available scientific evidence indicates the Biological Important Area, located in the De Soto Canyon area of the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, encompasses the current range of Gulf of Mexico Bryde’s whale – now known as the Rice’s whale.”
Since then, environmental activists have used the ESA listing process to significantly expand the Rice’s whale’s critical habitat beyond the De Soto Canyon to include parts of the Western Gulf.
This gave the Biden-Harris administration a convenient excuse to delay Lease Sale 261, a resources-rich parcel of 11 million acres in the gulf. This is no small matter, as the Gulf of Mexico region accounts for around 15 percent of America’s oil production.
Often, even recovered species remain listed as threatened or endangered to appease extreme environmental activists.
A prime example is the BidenHarris administration’s refusal to delist the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear, despite the species’ population surpassing all necessary recovery levels.
Another example is environmental groups’ effort to protect a fish species like the three-inch Delta smelt while depriving California’s Central Valley farmers of water, threatening agricultural operations in one of America’s critical production areas.
One thing is clear – Congress is long overdue in advancing reforms to empower private landowners, while at the same time protecting vulnerable species.
As chairmen of the Congressional Western Caucus and the House Natural Resources Committee, we established a bipartisan working group in July 2023 to analyze where and why
the ESA has failed and engage stakeholders from across the country on the necessary changes to bring the ESA into the 21st century.
Field experts and landowners told us the myriad ways they have been adversely impacted by the law’s weaponization and red tape. Members heard from stakeholder groups representing those affected by ESA abuse – farmers, ranchers, sportsmen and small business owners.
Members also engaged with organizations dedicated to the active management and conservation of wildlife and their habitats to gain their perspective on how the ESA can be improved. Feedback like this is essential to ensure reforms to the law protect rural Americans’ livelihoods and way of life while also protecting vulnerable species.
Without action, species and communities will continue to suffer. The ESA Amendments Act ensures the ESA is once again laser-focused on recovery, while at the same time ensuring private property rights are maintained and protecting the viability of rural and western America.
Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) represents Washington’s Fourth Congressional District and serves as chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR) represents Arkansas’ Fourth Congressional District and chairs the House Natural Resources Committee. This opinion column was originally published by AgriPulse on Oct. 2.
NFR tickets punched
Three Wyoming cowboys have punched their tickets to the 2024 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR), which is set to take place on Dec. 5-14 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Brody Cress, a saddle bronc rider from Hillsdale, will be making his eighth consecutive trip to the NFR after finishing seventh in regular season standings.
Cole Reiner of Buffalo will compete in bareback riding for the fifth year in a row after finishing 12th in the world standings, and Brody Wells, the 12th-ranked saddle bronc rider in the world, will make his debut at the 2024 NFR.
While Cress, Reiner and Wells are the only in-state competitors to qualify for this year’s NFR, three other cowboys with Wyoming ties – Zeke Thurston, Stetson Jorgenson and Weston Timberman – will be in Vegas as well.
USCA establishes policy
In response to ongoing work across related industries regarding the use of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines, the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) has taken steps to include this new subject matter within its official policy book.
USCA initially adopted policy regarding the use of mRNA vaccines at the 2023 USCA Annual Meeting. In response to ongoing efforts and work regarding these technologies, the USCA Board of Directors adopted interim policy this August to address new and emerging issues.
USCA’s basis for its policy focuses on the lack of sufficient research to understand the long-term risks associated with such technologies.
USCA, in holding with long-standing policy regarding accurate and transparent labeling when it comes to beef products, includes in its policy any vaccine products including ribonucleic acid inoculations should be clearly labeled and include sufficient information to the administrator of the vaccine and/or product.
Additionally, any meat or livestock product sold in the marketplace that has been treated with an mRNA or similar vaccine should also include appropriate labeling to ensure consumers understand exactly what they are purchasing.
USCA’s policy was drafted with not only the producer in mind, but also the consumer. Ongoing consumer confidence in the health and safety of U.S. beef products and the industry remains of utmost importance.
Ensuring this technology remains transparent to those in the industry as well as those in the marketplace will be key to protecting both the domestic and international markets for US beef.
BLM issues decision
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) High Desert District (HDD) issued a decision on Sept. 26, based on the finding of no significant impact for the Vegetation Management using Herbicides on Public Lands Environmental Assessment (EA).
The EA addressed seven herbicide active ingredients to control noxious weeds and invasive species on public lands.
These new herbicides have been researched and identified as valuable tools to assist the BLM with vegetation management. Primarily, these herbicides will provide distinct advantages for the BLM trying to control noxious or invasive plants.
The HDD already employs an integrated pest management approach. These management techniques include biological, chemical and physical strategies.
The EA was made available for a 30-day public comment period before a record of decision was signed. The decision is posted on the BLM’s National Environmental Policy Act Register at eplanning.blm. gov/eplanning-ui/project/2031150/510
NCBA releases findings
On Oct. 8, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) released a report analyzing data collected in a nationwide tax survey of America’s cattle producers.
With the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act set to expire at the end of 2025, NCBA collected this survey data to better understand how key tax provisions, such as Death Tax relief and business deductions, impact family-owned cattle operations.
“When I was starting out in the ranching business, I saw the devastating impact of the Death Tax firsthand, and this tax nearly killed my dream of ranching with my family,” said NCBA President and Wyoming Rancher Mark Eisele. “This experience pushed me to fight for lower taxes on farms and ranches, and the data collected by NCBA shows many other producers around the country have faced similar pressure from devastating tax bills, too.”
“I urge our policymakers to see the story this data is telling – farmers and ranchers need lower taxes to stay in business and continue feeding the world,” Eisele added.
The respondents to the tax survey indicated 99 percent operated family-owned farms or ranches and 64 percent were third-generation cattle producers or greater. Additionally, the survey showed strong support for provisions such the 1031 Like-Kind Exchange, Section 179 Expensing, Bonus Depreciation and Section 199A Small Business Deduction.
The data also showed one-quarter of respondents spend more than $10,000 annually for tax preparation, filing and potential audits, all expenses which only add further pressure to agricultural operations.
Ports reopen
On Oct. 4, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) released a joint statement announcing an end – at least temporarily – to the work stoppage which shut down the East and Gulf Coast ports earlier this week.
ILA and USMX have agreed to extend the current master contract until Jan. 15, 2025 and to reopen all affected ports while negotiations continue on outstanding contract issues.
U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and Chief Executive Office Dan Halstrom said the end of the strike is terrific news for U.S. livestock producers and exporters who ship more than $100 million of U.S. pork and beef through these ports each week.
“On behalf of USMEF’s member companies and organizations, I want to thank all parties involved in the effort to get cargo moving again off of the East and Gulf Coasts,” Halstrom said. “This is a tremendous relief to everyone in the U.S. meat and livestock industries, as about $100 million worth of beef and pork products are exported every week through East and Gulf Coast ports.”
“Exports are a critical revenue stream at all levels of the U.S. red meat supply chain, and our industry needs all U.S. ports operating to meet the needs of our international customers and to maintain the U.S.’s reputation as a reliable red meat supplier,” he continued.
BLM seeks input
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wyoming State Office opened a 30-day public scoping period to receive public input on 29 oil and gas parcels totaling 24,728.91 acres which may be included in a June 2025 lease sale in Wyoming.
The comment period ends on Oct. 28.
The parcels BLM is analyzing, as well as maps and instructions on how to comment, are available at eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2034500/510
The terms of federal fluid mineral leases will be consistent with the Fluid Minerals Leasing and Leasing Process Rule, which reflects Congressional direction from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including a 16.67 percent royalty rate for production on any new leases. Revenues are split between the state where the drilling occurs and the U.S. Treasury. Leasing is the first step in the process to develop federal oil and gas resources. Before development operations can begin, an operator must submit an application for permit to drill detailing development plans.
The BLM reviews applications for permits to drill, posts them for public review, conducts an environmental analysis and coordinates with state partners and stakeholders.
All parcels included in a federal oil and gas lease sale include appropriate stipulations to protect important natural resources. Information on current and upcoming BLM leases is available through the National Fluid Lease Sale System.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16,
RED ANGUS SECTION
The Joe Paterson Ranch 280 Red Angus Strs, 500#, Branding & Precond Shots, Producer All Natural
Alvaro & Sofa Baeza 215 Red Angus few Char-x and Blk Strs & Hfrs, 525-550#, Branding & Precond Shots
Keith & Christna Roth 100 Red Angus few Rwf /Blk Strs, 500-550#, Birth, Branding & Precond Shots
Dennis Miller 54 Red Angus Strs & Hfrs, 400#, Branding Shots, No Implants, Steers are Knife Cut, Sired by Schuler Red Angus Bulls, All Natural Sand Mountain Catle Co./Doug Carlson 34 Red Angus Strs & Hfrs, 500-550#, Weaned 21 days, Branding Shots, Boostered, Weaning Shots, Red Angus Certfed
Mike & Charlote Davies 33 Red (2 Rwf) Strs & Hfrs, 530-700#, Branding Shots, Been on a VitaFerm Mineral Program, Producer All Natural
Jim Ridgeway 21 Red Angus (2-3 Char-x), Strs & Hfrs, 550#, Branding & Precond Shots, Eatng hay along with Mom’s running on pasture FEEDERS
Pending 390 75% Blk/Bwf/15% Red/Rwf/10% Hereford Strs, 850-1000#, Complete Vac. Program, Coming of grass, 1-iron, High Elevaton, Green Stan Swanson 90 Blk Angus Strs, 750-950#, Complete Vac. Program, Coming of grass, Home Raised, Sired by Lucky 7 Blk Angus Bulls Garson Ranch 80 Blk Strs & Hfrs, 750#, Complete Vac. Program, Coming of grass, High Elevaton Jason & Jessica Crowler 20 Blk Strs, 800#, Complete Modifed Live Vac. Program, Coming of grass WEANED CALVES
DeGering Livestock 220 Blk/Bwf Strs & Hfrs, 400-500#, Weaned on Sept. 19th, Bunk Broke, Branding & Precond Shots, Steers ONLY are program enrolled for NHTC, CARE, Angus Verifed Age & Sourced with IMI Global with EID Tags, Selling ONLY due to the dry conditons Carter Groene 9 Blk/Hereford Strs & Hfrs, 500-600#, Weaned 30 days, Bunk Broke, Oats & Alfalfa Pellets, Branding S& Precond Shots PRE-COND. CALVES
Morgan Boherer 25 Mx Strs & Hfrs, 500-550#, Branding & Precond Shots SALE RESULTS -FEEDER SPECIAL
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9 - 3360 HD
Elm Creek Cattle Co 15 Black Steer 654 274.00 $1,791.96
Big Creek Ranch 26 Black
Upoming Sale Schedule
Wednesday, October 23 - Feeder/Calf Special
Friday, October 25 - All Classes
Monday, October 28 - Bred Cow Special
Wednesday, October 30 - Feed/Calf Special
Friday, November 1 - All Classes
Monday, November 4 - Bred Cow Special
Wednesday, November 6 - Feeder/Calf Special Friday, November 8 - All Classes
NEWS BRIEFS
HCB warning issued
On Sept. 17, the Crook County Natural Resource District announced Keyhole Reservoir is now listed for a toxin advisory, as harmful levels of cyanotoxins have been detected.
Individuals in the area are strongly advised not to swim or come in contact with green water, floating scum or clumps; not to come in contact with water spray from a bloom; not to allow pets or livestock to drink water near a bloom, eat bloom material or lick fur after contact and not to ingest water from a bloom – boiling, filtering and other treatments will not make water safe.
It is also advised fish caught should be rinsed well and only the fillet portion should be eaten.
Harmful cyanobacterial blooms (HCBs) may be brown, green or blue-green; may look like spilled paint, grass clippings or scums and may leave a paste around the shoreline. HCBs can occur in or on the water – either floating or attached to plants, rocks or other materials.
Those who become sick or believe their pets and/or livestock are sick after contact or ingestion should call their doctor or veterinarian.
For more information, visit wyohcbs.org
Angus breeders recognized
The 10 producers who registered the most Angus beef cattle in the state of Wyoming recorded a total of 2,902 Angus with the American Angus Association during Fiscal Year 2024, which ended Sept. 30, according to Mark McCully, American Angus Association chief executive officer.
The 10 top recorders in Wyoming include James Jensen of Riverton; Ochsner Roth Cattle Company of Torrington; Paint Rock Angus Ranch, Inc. of Hyattville; Powder River Angus of Spotted Horse; Stellpflug Cattle Company of Guernsey; Kendrick Redland of Worland; M R Angus and Southard Land and Cattle, LLC, both of Wheatland; Ken Haas Angus of LaGrange and Travis Krein of Lusk.
Angus breeders across the nation in 2024 registered 302,716 head of Angus cattle.
“Our association members lead the industry in adopting new technologies and breeding the most problem-free cattle for their customers,” McCully said. “Cattlemen across the country continue to find registered Angus seedstock are the most profitable option for their herd.”
Community dinner set
The people of Johnson County will gather on Main Street in Buffalo on the evening of Oct. 19 for the Ashes to the Table Community Dinner and Dance.
Hosted by the Johnson County Fire Relief Fund, the event will honor and celebrate the resilience of Johnson County and its population following the devastating House Draw Fire, which swept Johnson County in late August.
The lightning-sparked wildfire burned over 151,000 acres or almost 240 square miles of grassland in less than 48 hours.
For the event, Main Street will be closed to through traffic as dinner tables are stretched down the middle of the street. Beginning at 6 p.m., the barbecue meal will feature food provided by community donors and hamburgers cooked by the local Kiwanis and Buffalo FFA.
The street dance, featuring Kellen Smith and the Nate Champion Band will begin at 8 p.m.
According to Ashes to the Table Organizer Ashlea Bassett, “This is a community event in all ways possible. We live in a community where when someone needs help, everyone comes running. We’re all in this together and what better way to learn each other’s needs than at the dinner table.”
Rather than ticketing the event, the Johnson County Fire Relief Fund will accept open donations from Ashes to the Table attendees. These donations go directly to Johnson County ranchers in need on an as-needed basis, as determined by a board of local community members, leaders and officials.
This funds distribution group works closely with a Producer Advocacy Committee which acts as a voice for affected ranchers, taking into account the nuances of the various operations and families affected.
To learn more about the Ashes to the Table Community Dinner and Dance or to donate directly to the Johnson County Fire Relief Fund, johnsoncountyfirerelieffund.com
Brott - Lusk, WY 307-216-0033 ***Ben Kukowski -
WY 307-217-1472*** Scott Redden - Burns, Co 970-596-3588
profit over environmental stewardship and is to blame for high pollution in the area.
Those in opposition of the ban note the closure of the plant would be a devastating blow to the Denver community and the sheep industry, as Colorado accounts for the third largest sheep and lamb inventory and second largest slaughter-ready lamb inventory in the U.S.
Earlier this year, the Regional Economic Development Institute at Colorado State University (CSU) conducted an analysis on the implications of shutting down Superior Farms, finding the “most pessimistic” potential economic impact to Colorado would be a reduction of $861 million in current economic activity and 2,787 jobs lost after “accounting for multiplier effects.”
The fur ban
According to PAF, Initiated Ordinance 308, also known as the Denver Fur Ban, seeks to prohibit the sale, distribution and manufacturing of new fur products within city limits, with some allowances for Native American cultural items and thrifted fur.
“Starting on July 1, 2025, retailers, whole-
“Shutting down this facility is likely to substantially impact the U.S.based lamb supply chain and would severely strain existing facilities, thus reducing the volume of Colorado lamb available for purchase in Colorado and the rest of the U.S.,” reads the CSU report. “Additionally, lamb producers in the Mountain West Region would have limited options for marketing harvest-ready lambs in an already overburdened meat processing sector.”
salers and individuals would no longer be able to offer new fur items for sale or distribution within city limits,” reads PAF’s website. “This measure applies to all types of fur products, from luxury fur coats and accessories to home décor items like rugs or blankets made from animal pelts.”
PAF notes the Denver Fur Ban stems from animal welfare concerns regarding animals specifically farmed for fur including minks, foxes, chinchillas and rabbits.
“Fur products are derived from animals which endure unimaginable suffering on fur farms, where they live in cramped, filthy conditions before being killed using brutal methods,” claims PAF.
“In Denver, at least six high-end stores in the city continue to sell fur, catering to a small, wealthy customer base who still view fur as a luxury item, despite the shifting cul-
tural perception around animal welfare and fashion,” the PAF website continues.
The National Western Stock Show (NWSS) Board of Directors point out this no-fur initiative would have a broader effect, putting a stop to the sale of coats, handbags, wallets, shoes, gloves, rugs and cowboy hats.
As a result, a long list of vendors would be unable to attend the NWSS in January to sell their goods, and many Western stores would likely see similar restrictions.
Growing opposition
Although controversy has persisted since both ballot measures were initially announced, opposition has grown as the Nov. 5 vote date draws nearer.
According to an Oct. 2 Farm Journal article written by Jennifer Shike, the latest in the Colorado ballot initiative controversy is a recent 207-to-12 vote from the Central Committee of the Denver Democratic
Party rejecting the proposal to ban slaughterhouses in Denver city limits.
This vote adds to a list of other organizations speaking out in opposition of the Denver Slaughterhouse Ban, including the American Sheep Industry Association, CoBank, Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, Colorado Concern, Colorado Farm Bureau, Colorado Livestock Association (CLA), Colorado Veterinary Medical Association, Colorado Wool Growers Association, Denver Area Labor Federation, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, Denver Pipefitters Local #208, Downtown Denver Partnership, EatDenver, Meat Institute, Metro Denver Lodging Council, Mile-Hi Cattlewomen, Mile High Restaurant Association, NWSS, National Pork Producers Council, Rocky Mountain Bison Association, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Service Employees International Union Local 105, UFCW
Local 7 and Visit Denver. Shike notes, “La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal Chef Jose Avila and II Posto Chef Andrea Frizzi are teaming up with NWSS President and Chief Executive Officer Paul Andrews, Superior Farms Operations Manager and Employee Owner Isabel Bautista and CLA President Kenny Rogers, along with other Superior Farms employee owners, to oppose this citizen-initiated measure.”
A Stop the Ban campaign has been launched, offering in-depth information on the actual impacts of the Denver Slaughterhouse Ban in three different languages. Those interested in joining the campaign or donating to the cause can visit stopthebanprotectjobs.com for more information.
Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
USask research focuses on nutritional value diets for beef cattle
A recent research initiative at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) was aimed to develop a costeffective and easily accessible nutritional diet for beef cattle.
A Sept. 11, USask Research News article by Erin Matthews highlights the remarkable work of USask Graduate Student Beatriz Montenegro, in her quest to identify affordable and readily available feed solutions for beef cattle producers.
Research summary
Funded by the Government of Saskatchewan’s Agricultural Development Fund, Montenegro has been conducting research on new beef cattle diets over the past year.
“There are so many little biochemical details and intricacies you can investigate and tweak to get
results,” Montenegro states.
“From a producer’s point of view, if you make a small change in an animal’s diet, you can get tangible changes in the animal.”
Diet changes can affect meat composition, including marbling in cattle, which is important for determining the quality of the meat, as many producers aim to produce Prime beef with abundant marbling.
According to the article, Montenegro recognized the potential for utilizing costeffective byproducts from wheat and oil crops, as this strategic approach can help ease the economic strain caused by high feed prices.
“Our research team wanted to see if we can take advantage of using these crop byproducts, which are economical and widely available in Western Can-
ada, and include them in beef cattle diets without compromising growth performance,” she states.
USask findings Montenegro was particularly interested in wheat straw, a widely available and cost-effective crop byproduct with lower nutritional value compared to average feed, but feeding beef cattle only wheat straw has its limitations.
“A similar comparison would be to feed only lettuce to a high-performance athlete,” she says. “It has a lot of fiber but not a whole lot of nutrition by itself.”
During the research project, Montenegro added in fats from other crop byproducts, such as canola or flax screenings, to improve the nutritional profile of wheat straw.
Montenegro notes these
fats not only work to supplement the beef cattle’s diet, but can also reduce the production of methane.
“I hope to provide a more inclusive picture of different diets for producers by looking at beef cattle performance, economics, greenhouse gas emissions and how diets are digested,” she continues. “Helping producers improve operational efficiencies and increase animal health and welfare is really important for me as a researcher.”
Benefits of canola in cattle health
In another USask research project, funded by the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission, the Beef Cattle Research Council, Alberta Beef Producers, the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association and the Natural Sciences and Engi-
neering Research Council of Canada, USask Graduate Student Erika Cornand led an investigation into canola seed supplementation.
“When packaged into a pellet form, canola seeds can be used as a fat supplement easily provided to cows in their diets,” Cornand states. “Our preliminary results suggest providing the canola seed-based pellet during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy can improve body condition scores and the pregnancy rate of the cows.”
She notes the study’s preliminary results are good
news for beef producers who raise beef cattle and grain farmers who may have canola to discard.
“Rather than off-grade canola being sold at discounted rates, there is the possibility for grain producers to sell their product to beef cattle producers,” says Cornand. “There are potential benefits for the cow and her offspring which may carry over into economic profitability.”
Melissa Anderson is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
With the subzero temperatures and driving winds common in the Great Plains, a barn is the first line of defense to keep animals safe, warm and dry. As the mornings get cooler and the days become shorter, now is the time to give barns a full checkup to ensure they are ready for the winter ahead.
If a producer’s barn was well-used so far this year, cleaning up any messes can be a daunting task.
South Dakota State University (SDSU) shares tips to get barns ready for the cold.
First, clear out any material which could pose a fire risk, such as old bird nests, cobwebs, dust and debris, and before temperatures get too low, take stock of the outside of the barn. Look
for any debris piles or items from the summer months which may be in the way of clearing snow from paths. Also, remove any branches that may break under the weight of snow.
Check for repairs
It never fails if something might break, it will at a less-than-ideal time. Check roofs and rafters, including any loose tin or cracked beams needing repair. Don’t forget about the outside of the roof and ensure any roof vents not needed for ventilation are closed. Make sure barn doors, windows and other openings close properly. Grease sticky hinges, and ensure door jams seal evenly. If they haven’t been used in a while, overhead garage doors should be checked to
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BULLS
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Repair work can be especially miserable in winter. Test and service generators, and make sure to have enough fuel to run them.
Winterize and service any farm equipment such as skid steers, payloaders, tractors, snowblowers, feed wagons and manure pumps. Check antifreeze levels, batteries and fuel filters.
Animal comfort
Animals need proper ventilation to prevent respiratory problems, but drafts can create chills, especially in newborn livestock. Check to ensure air filters and fans are working properly to aid in ventilation.
Water is the most important thing to maintain healthy animals, so check
to make sure waterers are functional. Small leaks in the summer can lead to a field of ice in the winter. Make sure heating elements on waterers are working correctly.
For any heaters used in barns, ensure they’re used as directed at all times. Keep heaters far away from any flammable items.
Clear the clutter
Take stock of tools and equipment housed in the barn. Remove any broken or unusable items to keep space clear come winter. Make note of which items need to be replaced, and decide if this can be done in the spring or if a replacement is needed sooner.
Barn offices can often be a catch-all area. Look around to see what can be cleared out, organized or removed to keep offices efficient. Make sure any power strips are being used as directed to minimize the chance of electrical fires.
Stock up, just in case
Aside from storing the necessary hay correctly, make sure the hay loft is stable and safe. SDSU recommends a two-week supply of frequently used veterinary supplies. In case of harsh winter weather, having everything one needs will bring peace of mind.
Grain, feed and bedding that can be stored should also be stocked up for winter. Take care not to have too much on hand, in which items could spoil or become contaminated by rodents. Make sure to have enough fuel on hand for any vital machinery used to feed cattle or blow snow.
Sheep & Goat Nov. 28 – No Sale
Consignments • Oct. 17 • All Class Cattle Sheep & Goat
Box Z Ranch – 14 bred cows, BB, Angus & Shorthorn, CF April/May, bred to Wagyu bulls.
Lazy BV Cattle – 10 open black cows, 20 black cows to be tested.
Chris Schmeltzer – 3 Rambouillet yearlings, horned, virgin.
Ann Rankine – 4 Katahdin whether lambs, 150#.
Roger Hankinson – 9 doe goats, 1 boer billy, 1 Nigerian billy.
Oct. 21 • Bawl of the Fall Feeder Special
Larry & Alex Paxton – 250 mixed mostly black, 500-550#, shots at branding.
Bjornestad Land & Cattle – 100 black steers, 100 black heifers, 475-550#, shots at branding.
Larson Ranch – 95 black steers, 65 black heifers, bangs vaccinated, two rounds of shots.
Leroy & Clay Shumway – 150 mixed black, 400-600#, two rounds of shots.
Aaron Carollo – 160 mixed Angus/SimAngus X, 400-500#, two rounds of shots.
Blaine Thoman – 100 mixed black, two rounds of shots.
Bud & Kathy Arnold – 100 mixed black, two rounds of shots.
Karen Buck – 90 black red CharX, 350-450#, complete vacc at branding.
Chase Darling – 50 mixed black, 500#, two rounds of shots, knife cut, high elevation.
Kyle & Guy Tharp – 50 mixed black, 550-600#, shots at branding.
Jim Wilcox – 20 bull calves Xbred, 300-500#, shots at branding.
Terri & Gary O’Donnell – 20 black/BWF steers, 575#, 15 black/BWF heifers, BWF, 525#, Paint Rock & Largent bulls, weaned.
Torry Burson – 9 black steers, 4 black heifers, 450-600#, shots at branding, high elevation, weaned September.
Trisha Cachelin – 25 black steers, 500-550#, shots at branding.
Each barn’s winterizing to-do list looks different, but take these tips as a starting point to keep livestock and workers warm and comfortable for the winter ahead.
Sarah McNaughton is an editor for Dakota Farmer and Farm Progress. This article was originally published by Farm Progress on Sept. 26.
and our niece and nephews. I also have a brother who lives in Texas with his family.”
On a day-to-day basis, Mollee can be seen checking or moving cows, fixing fences, putting up electric fence and answering e-mails and phone calls for weddings, all while helping the kids with their projects or fixing a meal.
“Some days I try to avoid ranch work, so one day a week I’m a hospice nurse in Laramie,” she stated. “I enjoy riding when I can. I love to cook and bake. I enjoy giving time to the community around me, and I love educating people about the agricultural way of life.”
Commercial cattle
Mollee and Ben grew up with a love for agriculture, working on ranches and participating in 4-H.
The couple came into the cattle business in a bit of a unique way, when dear friends of theirs – Mike and Joan McGill – started them off with 10 cows, which they ran and were able to keep calves from.
Mollee stated, “It gave us a jumpstart into the cattle industry, and from there, we were able to purchase some heifers along the way. Last year, we were fortunate enough to be able to purchase some of the Page family’s pairs.”
She continued, “Ben and I feel lucky because we get to calve our cows at home, getting them off to a strong start. Then, we move them across the fence where we lease ground from the neighbors for grazing and hay.”
The partnership and friendship the Gilgens have
built with the 3 Cords Ranch is a blessing, she reiterated.
“There are blessings all around us, and we try not to take those for granted,” she continued. “Ben and I take pride in building relationships with our neighbors and community. With relationships comes conversation and with conversation comes ideas and knowledge. We can all stand to gain knowledge and learn from someone else.”
The future
The Gilgens have set various goals, and although some seem slow to achieve, they have surrounded themselves with a great support system.
Mollee said, “We are part of the Farm Credit Young and Beginning Farmers program and contribute part of our success to this program.”
According to the couple, starting out in agriculture can seem a little tedious, but the program helps individuals cover all of their bases, think outside of the box and teaches them how to keep a running balance sheet and workbook.
“We’ve been able to see a big transformation in finances, organizational skills and daily operations because of them,” she stated.
Mollee continued, “A big part of living on a family ranch is succession. Some days you feel like the luckiest person alive, and other days you find your mind drifting off, imagining how one might obtain a job cleaning a yacht.”
Fortunately, Mollee’s family, her brother’s family and her parents are are making plans to move forward.
“Those conversations aren’t always easy to have, but you need to have them. You can get help from outside sources to plan and throw ideas on the table,” she mentioned.
“I heard a quote the other day,” she added. “There are two things that will quickly send a ranch under. First, doing things the way your grandpa did them. Second, not doing things the way your grandpa did them.”
“There needs to be a happy medium,” Mollee continued.
The Gilgen children
The Gilgen children are embarking on their agricultural journey and have started to participate in 4-H.
“Cash showed his first steer last year,” Mollee shared. “He took a homeraised steer and won champion rate of gain and reserve champion home-raised beef. He put in the time and effort, and it made us proud.”
She continues, “He also built friendships and had some great help from people with more show knowledge than us. He has his steer picked out for next year, but Ben and I are con vinced he’s actually going back for the social part of the fair.”
The couple’s oldest daughter Shiloh will be able to participate in the county fair next year, and she can’t wait.
“The question is, will she take a rabbit, show a dog, take our pet turtle or show a goat? We don’t know as of yet, but she is making plans,” Mollee explained.
“Haylee is hardly 40 pounds sopping wet and tells us she wants to take a steer. Good luck to the steer is all we have to say,” she added. “Sammie thinks she
will stick with her mini pony Chunky. You can find them together most of time.”
Wedding Venue
Deerwood Ranch is a wedding and event venue located on approximately 3,800 acres of Wyoming beauty, with the Middle Fork of the Little Laramie River running through the property.
The family transformed a rustic barn into a stunning venue, and it is the perfect spot to host weddings, par
away stay. They offer several rooms, a cozy interior and the most breathtaking views Wyoming has to offer,” Mollee said.
Wild horse ecosanctuary
In 2011, the Wilsons sold their cows, and by 2012 were running the first privately-owned, off-range holding facility in the nation
With abundant trees and willows, the sanctuary provides refuge and great protection from the realities of Wyoming’s harsh winters. Deerwood Ranch’s open fields and year-round access to water are home to 350 wild Wyoming mustangs, as well as native deer, elk, coyote and all manner of wild
The legacy continues – The Gilgens’ children are already active on the ranch and in agriculture. Courtesy photo
With the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in National Pork Producers Council v. Ross upholding California’s Proposition 12 (Prop 12), several U.S. lawmakers have introduced the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act.
The EATS Act was introduced by U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) and sponsored by U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), with support from some of the country’s largest commodity meat companies who hope to include it in the upcoming farm bill.
The bill was introduced to preserve the right of states and local units of government to regulate agriculture within their jurisdiction, free from interference from other jurisdictions, and it would nullify Massachusetts’ Question Three and Prop 12.
By eliminating state and local legislative powers to promulgate standards on
The EATS Act presents potential challenges
production, this legislation could undermine the state’s ability to protect the interests of its producers and consumers.
It could also affect various laws involving plants and animals, including those concerning invasive pests and plants, kosher labeling, fishing regulations and even consumer protections regarding pet food.
EATS Act debate
Several producers are deeply concerned about the potential inclusion of the EATS Act in the upcoming farm bill, and if the legislation passes, it could generate devastating consequences for the agricultural industry.
However, U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) opposes the EATS Act because it impacts states’ rights and has the ability to benefit Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-owned pork production.
In theory, the EATS Act is meant to help farmers sell their products without conforming to various state regulations.
Luna and several other U.S. representatives, along with pork producers, are urging Congress to exclude the EATS Act from the farm bill, arguing it favors large corporate pork producers over smaller, independent producers.
“If the House Agriculture Committee adopts this harmful proposal, it will hurt thousands of American farmers and substantially benefit foreign-owned farms that have come to dominate the domestic U.S. pork industry, especially pork production in the U.S. under the control of the CCP,” Luna wrote in a letter to Congress.
In 2013, The Shuanghui Group (WH Group) purchased Smithfield Foods, making it the largest-ever CCP acquisition of
an American company.
At the time, it also made the WH Group one of America’s largest landowners, with 146,000 acres of U.S. soil.
Today, Smithfield Foods controls more than one-quarter of U.S. pig production, while Brazilbased JBS controls another 14 percent of the market. Combined, these two foreign companies control two-fifths of U.S. pork production.
With the Smithfield acquisition, the CCP now owns and controls one of the biggest meat companies in the world within U.S. boundaries, raising concerns about national security and food sovereignty.
A recent report from Harvard Law School’s
Brooks McCormick Jr. Animal Law and Policy Program implies the language of the law is purposefully broad and vague.
“The language of the EATS Act is broad enough to preclude more than a thousand state and local public health and safety regulations, many of which protect local producers from disease, pests and other agricultural threats,” the report states. “It could even have food safety implications.”
According to the Harvard report, the bill threatens local food sourcing initiatives every state has developed to promote and support local producers. Simply supporting them would be considered preferential treatment and, thus, would violate the law.
Closer to home
In a Sept. 26 press release, U.S. Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis, both (R-WY), joined U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) in introducing the Securing American Agriculture Act.
This legislation would protect Wyoming food and agriculture supply chains from being taken over by foreign adversaries.
“Protecting America’s agricultural and food supply chains from CCP
threats is a top priority,” Barrasso states. “CCP’s alarming influence on the global agricultural supply chain puts our national security at risk. This legislation will strengthen our agricultural and food security and enable us to act on potential threats against America’s supply chain.”
“The threat posed by the CCP extends far beyond our borders. From the content we consume on our devices to threats in the Pacific to the slave labor being used to manufacture clothing, the CCP has had an incredibly damaging influence on the U.S. We cannot allow our foreign adversaries like the CCP to control us. This commonsense, bipartisan legislation is a crucial step toward safeguarding America’s future,” states Lummis.
The CCP controls more than 90 percent of the global production of many essential vitamins used in agricultural production, particularly in animal feed.
A disruption in the supply of these critical inputs could severely damage U.S. supply chains, affecting productivity and food prices.
Melissa Anderson is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
Experts explain why autumn leaves change color
Autumn brings a bold color palette change to the landscape, with pigments ranging from bright yellows and oranges to rich purples and reds.
In a Sept. 16 article published by Utah State TODAY, Jaydee Gunnell, Utah State University Extension agriculture and natural resources specialist and Cache County director, explains why green leaves undergo a color change every year during autumn months.
Day length
Gunnell notes length of day is the primary internal trigger causing leaves to change color.
“When days become shorter and nights become longer, a process within the plant causes cells around the base of the leaf – the petiole – to divide rapidly but not elongate,” he explains. “This process forms an abscission layer where the leaf will eventually separate. This abscission layer blocks or prevents sugars from escaping the leaves.”
Gunnell further explains, during the growing season of warm spring and summer months leaves constantly produce sugars through the process of photosynthesis. These sugars are moved through the plant for growth and storage.
“It is during this active production time the vibrant green colors are dominant,” he says. “Chlorophyll – the green pigment –is found in nearly all plants and is a key component in photosynthesis. It breaks down readily in sunlight and is replaced constantly throughout the growing
season.”
Leaf color
While day length is the leading cause of color change in autumn leaves, Gunnell notes the brilliance of the pigment depends on weather conditions before and during the time chlorophyll depletes, with temperature and moisture as the two main factors.
Additionally, pigment differs among plant species and can vary year to year.
“Colors are most vibrant when plants have had adequate moisture throughout the season, followed by sunny autumn days and crisp, cool nighttime temperatures,” Gunnell states.
Likewise, an article published by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) titled “Science of Fall Colors,” states, “Like the weather, soil moisture varies greatly from year to year. The countless combinations of these two highly-variable factors assure no two autumns can be exactly alike.”
“A late spring or a severe summer drought can delay the onset of fall color by a few weeks. A warm period during fall will also lower the intensity of autumn colors. A warm wet spring, favorable summer weather and warm sunny fall days with cool nights should produce the most brilliant autumn colors,” the USFS article continues.
While carotenoids and xanthophylls – orange and yellow pigments – are produced throughout the growing season to aid in photosynthesis, they are often masked by chlorophyll. However, as photo-
synthesis slows and chlorophyll breaks down, these pigments become more apparent and fade at a slower rate.
Gunnell notes a few examples of trees with high carotenoid and xanthophylls production include quaking aspen, ginkgo, Norway maple, ash, birch and honey locust.
Pink, purple and red pigments are attributed to the production of anthocyanin and can vary from year to year. The amount of sunny days and cool –but not freezing – nights are two determining factors influencing anthocyanin production in a plant.
According to USFS, anthocyanin is produced when sugar is made during hot, bright fall days, but as nights cool, plant veins
Food conference scheduled
The Wyoming Food Coalition is hosting its Sixth Annual Conference on Nov. 14-16 at The Lyric, Casper College and The Bloomery in Casper.
WYLR photo
EID RULE
identify individual animals.
“The 840 tags provide animal identification to trace animal movement in the event of an animal disease,” says Johnston. “The 15 numbers can be visually read off of the EID button or with a computerized EID reader or wand.”
Although there are other types of EID tags on the market, the new rule requires 840 EID tags be used to replace metal bangs clips.
What does this mean for producers?
Johnston explains animals with old metal tags already in their ears will be “grandfathered in” and will not need a new 840 EID tag. For animals that do need tagged, Johnston says producers can put the tags in themselves or have their vet do it.
gradually close and prevent these sugars from moving out of the leaf.
Gunnell shares examples of species with these pigments include certain maples, burning bush, flowering pear, sumac and dogwood.
He also points out tannin – the brown pigment – is the last to break down before a leaf falls off of a tree.
“Oaks or other nonshowy species notorious for having leaves containing tannin are the final reminder winter doldrums are soon to follow,” he concludes.
Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net.
“Your vet will put 840 EID tags only into animals which used to require a metal clip for identification,” states Johnston. “For example, if a producer tags all of their calves at weaning with 840 EID tags, their vet will record those EID numbers when they give the bangs vaccine to heifers. The vet wouldn’t have to put a new EID tag in.”
Johnston notes it is also important to check with the sale barn on what records are required.
“For example, if a producer is selling breeding heifers, records showing the EID numbers matching the bangs
vaccination might be helpful,” she says.
Producers who do tag their animals themselves are reminded, while 840 EID tags come as buttons, a matching visual hanging tag is also available.
Johnston says these tags should be placed in the middle rib of the ear with the 15-digit number viewable on the top of the button. This is a different from the metal tag placed in the top of the year.
“This could be an issue for those who have a visual tag in each ear, plus a fly tag in each ear,” notes Johnston. “Adding an EID tag would make five tags per animal and one may run out of room in the middle ribs of the ear.”
In this case, she suggests producers reach out to their tag manufacturer for tag placement recommendations.
Additionally, Johnston says producers will need to use the premise ID number of their veterinarian or establish their own.
A premise ID number will allow state and federal agencies to track the path of each animal back to the producer in the case of a disease outbreak.
“Ideally, the EID tags will speed up the process and reduce losses during a disease outbreak,” Johnston concludes.
Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
For more information, visit aphis. usda.gov or tune into the Nebraska Department of Agriculture’s informational EID webinar on Oct. 22 at 5 p.m. by visiting nda.nebraska. gov/adt/index.html.
Keynote speakers include Rabou Farms Owner and Operator Ron Rabou and Eat Wyoming Founders Dr. Jesse and LeAnn Miller.
For more information or to register, visit wyfoodcoalition.org/fall-conference-2024
During the three-day event, individuals will learn from experts in the Western community on food safety and regulations, local food legislation, composting meat byproducts, beginning farmer and rancher opportunities and resources, perennial agriculture options for Wyoming farmers and ranchers, local food marketing and storytelling, a farm-to-school producer training, buyer and grower networking opportunities, a tour of Casper’s community greenhouses and more.
According to Munch, miles and miles of pasture fencing have been lost, cattle have been sporadically spread out over the affected area and milk is being dumped, as it can no longer be sold because there’s no refrigeration.
Poultry
Munch reports poultry production is the dominant agricultural industry in the region, with an estimated $6.3 billion in poultry products produced across the affected counties in 2022.
“Over 80 percent of the poultry production value is concentrated in the most severely affected counties category,” he notes. “Georgia and North Carolina together account for more than onequarter of the U.S. broiler supply by value and were among the hardest hit.”
Reports indicate high winds flattened numerous poultry houses. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced over
107 poultry houses were either damaged or destroyed.
In Florida, reports suggest roughly one in seven broiler houses are damaged or destroyed, reducing the immediate supply of poultry and hindering local production capacity for months or even years.
“Rebuilding poultry houses, restocking flocks and addressing supply chain disruptions will be costly and time consuming,” Munch says. “Additionally, flooding from the hurricane-contaminated feed and water supplies increase the risk of disease outbreaks in surviving birds.”
These issues, combined with the financial hardship of rising insurance premiums, could force many poultry farmers out of the market.
Fruit trees and nuts
Ranchers, farmers and timber growers are reporting widespread damage from Hurricane Helene’s
wind and rain.
Munch states, “Fruit and tree nut production across impacted counties totals approximately $1.9 billion annually. Of this, $808 million is attributed to berries, primarily blueberries and strawberries.”
According to recent reports, Georgia is the second-largest blueberry producer in the U.S., growing about $156 million worth of blueberries each year, and Florida accounts for 13 percent of U.S. strawberry production.
“Many farms experienced extensive flooding of fields which were prepped with raised beds in plastic for strawberries to be planted in two weeks,” Munch explains.
“Even more devastating is the loss of pecan orchards,” he adds. “Georgia is responsible for 36 percent of U.S. pecan production, with approximately $183 million in annual output from over 260,000 acres.”
Preliminary reports from the University of Georgia
suggest older pecan trees have suffered a 70 percent loss, while younger trees face a 40 percent loss and the affected counties make up about 23 percent of Georgia’s pecan acreage.
The destruction of mature trees can take up to a decade to replace, resulting in long-term production declines.
“Additionally, prolonged flooding from the storm has saturated the soil, increasing the risk of root rot and other fungal diseases, further weakening or killing the surviving trees and compounding challenges to recovery,” Munch mentions.
Major apple-growing regions, predominantly in North Carolina, supplying over $20 million in fresh market production have been impacted and face challenges from tree loss and waterlogged soils.
Produce
Munch reports vegetable production in the affected region amounts to $1.1 billion annually.
“Excessive rainfall and flooding have created perfect conditions for bacterial and fungal diseases to thrive,” he states. “In South Carolina, mustard greens, rutabagas, tomatoes and brassicas like broccoli and collard greens have already shown signs of bacterial root rot and blight.”
Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic impact could reduce yields and disrupt supply chains as many of these vegetables are key elements of the fall and winter harvest.
Cucumbers and squash are also susceptible to disease due to saturated soils adding to the challenge.
Munch adds, “Under Section 402(a) of the U.S. Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, any exposed food crops, such as leafy greens, tomatoes, string beans and berries and underground crops like peanuts, potatoes and carrots cannot be sold.”
Crops with hard outer skins or shells, such as winter squash and watermelons, are considered tainted if exposed.
“This regulatory requirement amplifies the financial strain on farmers, as large portions of their harvest may be rendered unsellable,” he states.
Livestock
Cattle and dairy production are also major industries in the affected region, with nearly $1 billion in cattle production and $500 million in dairy.
“Flooding destroyed significant amounts of pastureland, and many farms lost miles of fencing, allowing surviving beef and dairy cattle to scatter,” Munch states. “This will increase the cost of recovery as producers will need to repair infrastructure and, in some cases, locate and relocate animals.”
According to reports, dairy farms were especially hard hit by power outages which disrupted milking operations and caused large quantities of milk to spoil.
Munch notes, “In coming months, producers will face further challenges from reduced feed supplies as hay
stores were contaminated by floodwaters, rendering them unusable.”
Prolonged exposure to wet and muddy conditions can also lead to an increased risk of infections and the added stress can further reduce milk production.
Row crops
Munch continues, “The storm also devastated key row crops, including cotton, corn and soybeans. Counties in the affected areas produce nearly $700 million in cotton, $400 million in corn and $180 million in soybeans annually.”
Cotton had just begun to be harvested when Hurricane Helene hit and is vulnerable to wind damage, with reports of flattened fields and tangled bolls making it difficult to harvest.
“This will not only reduce yields but also lower fiber quality and affect market prices,” he states.
Helene’s economic impact
As of Oct. 8, the USDA announced the crop losses across the South alone could trigger $7 billion in insurance payouts.
Munch notes, “Over $14.8 billion in crop and livestock production is generated in the affected counties. Georgia leads with $5.66 billion in production value, followed by Florida at $3.06 billion, North Carolina at $2.64 billion and South Carolina at $2.54 billion.”
Early estimates from Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services indicate between $500 to $800 million in crop and farm infrastructure losses in Florida alone and the Virginia Cooperative Extension estimates $125 million in agricultural damage in their state.
“Nearly 100,000 farms operate in the affected counties, underscoring the critical importance of agriculture to the region’s economic health,” he concludes.
Melissa Anderson is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
CREEPY COWBOY CHRONICLES
In addition to shipping day and the fall gather, carved pumpkins and crunchy fallen leaves, the month of October is also marked by horror, haunts and all things spooky.
And, the state of Wyoming is no stranger to some eerie tales and legends.
One legend is that of the Death Ship of the Platte River, a ghostly vessel and omen of doom which
reportedly appears every 25 years and foretells death of a loved one on the same day the ship is seen.
The Death Ship
According to online sources, the legend insists a phantom ship ceaselessly sails the waters of a stretch of Platte River between Torrington and Alcova.
Witnesses report the ghostly ship rises from a thick blanket of mist or fog, with its billowing sails and eerie deck dusted in white frost.
The crew, which is also said to be covered in frost, stands huddled on the deck surrounding a corpse lying on a canvas sheet.
“The corpse’s identity is the most startling part of this legend,” notes Strange New Worlds Author John Coon. “When the crew steps back from the body, it is always revealed to be a person known and loved by the witness or the witness themselves. This turns out to foreshadow the death of that person later the same day.”
Famous sightings
The first alleged sighting of the Death Ship occurred in 1862 by a fur trapper known as Leon Weber.
Weber claimed to have seen the body of his fiancé laying on the ship’s icy
deck, and when he returned home a month later, he learned his fiancé had tragically died the day he saw the apparition.
In 1887, Wyoming Cattleman Gene Wilson came face to face with the Death Ship. Wilson witnessed the ship’s captain order a piece of canvas lowered to the deck, and laying on the canvas was his dead wife, her face badly burned.
Wilson raced home only to find his house had burned to the ground with his wife inside.
A third sighting came in 1903, when Victor Hiebe reported seeing the ship sail past his riverfront home-
stead. Hiebe recognized his best friend swinging from a noose on the ship’s gallows. The same friend had been convicted of murder and escaped from prison, but Heibe learned later he had been captured and executed the day he saw the ship.
According to Legends of America, another sighting took place six miles southeast of Guernsey and one occurred on the Platte River’s Bessemer Bend. Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net.
BY RON RABOU
It’s nearly 2 a.m. again, and I find myself engulfed in work that must be done, no matter the day or the time.
Autumn is always a hard season on the farm. Over the past few weeks, we have been pushing hard to cultivate fields, plant wheat, harvest chickpeas, harvest millet and ship grain.
Honestly, this is just the tip of the iceberg of the projects we have ahead, as there are multiple things intertwined so everything operates in a functional and productive manner. And, this is just on the farm.
Dry crop farming in southeastern Wyoming isn’t for the fainthearted. Each year brings different challenges. At the beginning of the year, all the projections in the world can’t predict what will happen throughout the year or how the year will end up.
There are times of the year when our workload is significant. We start work at 7:30 a.m., and during these busy times, it’s likely one will still find us in the field at midnight, seven days a week.
We just do what we need to do to get everything done when it needs to get done. It’s just the way it is – I’ve never looked at it any other way.
The most difficult thing we do, however, isn’t working long hours. The most difficult thing we deal with is working in an environment where we ultimately do not control the outcome.
Imagine if your annual salary depended on if it rained or not or if it rained the right amount at the right time.
Imagine if you had a garden 20 feet wide by 50 feet long or 1,000 square feet. Now imagine a garden that is 350 million square feet, and now your annual salary depends on how well you manage the soil, plants
and pests in this garden.
Imagine if your annual salary depended on how hot the temperatures got in the daytime and what time of year those temperatures struck.
Hard to imagine? For most, the answer would be a resounding “yes.” For farmers, it’s just part of what we do every day.
What’s even harder to imagine is managing outcomes based mostly on factors completely out of our control. As farmers, we can do everything just right, yet still not get desirable results.
Whether we realize it or not, we all have a similar situation. We all have things in our life that are out of our control. We live in a world where we have metrics to measure just about anything. We have data and computer modeling which can predict nearly anything with mindblowing accuracy.
We are, in essence, very focused on controlling our outcomes. We like predictability, and we are most comfortable with certainty.
The hard part about this is life, in general, is full of things we cannot control. It’s not predictable.
While we can set ourselves up for success with intentional and purposeful planning, the paths in our lives will never follow a straight line. The key to managing this unpredictably is to focus on the things we are in control of and to release the things we are not.
Allowing our minds to be overwhelmed or frustrated about the “uncontrollables” is a fantastic waste of time, not to mention, incredibly stressful.
For 28 years in a row, my dear Cajun friend Randy of Louisiana, has faithfully hunted with our hunting company. He has become a very close friend and has been a tremendous
mentor to my three sons.
One of the many things I admire about him is his ability to not allow things to overwhelm or intimidate him. There are two things he has told me over the years that will stick with me forever.
First, “If you slow
down, you’ll go faster.”
When he uttered those words to me, they were profound. I had gotten in such a rush doing whatever it was I was doing, the particular task I was performing became much bigger and frustrating than it needed to be.
Second, “You gotta just let the adventure unfold.”
In other words, instead of being so distracted by the outcome, learn to enjoy the process it takes to get to the outcome, regardless of what you can control and what you cannot.
Seems simple enough, right? Simple, yes. Easy, no. So instead of reverting back to old habits, the next time you find yourself stressing about the uncontrollables, think of Randy’s great wisdom or “Randyisms” as I call them. Life is always sweeter when we can learn to enjoy the journey.
AMANDA RADKE
In this busy, loud and often chaotic world we live in, with our full schedules and constant demand to be on-the-go, the older I get, the more I savor and appre-
ciate silence.
I find I do my best thinking and praying in silence, whenever I can find it. And, I’ve realized unless I intentionally carve out some quiet times, the world will continue to come at me at breakneck speeds.
For me, true solace can be found in the pastures where my cattle graze. I ditch my cell phone and head outside, and in the peace and
quiet of the great outdoors, I find it’s not really quiet after all.
When we pause to listen, the prairie comes alive – birds chirp, frogs croak, pheasants crow, bees buzz, cows moo, the creek bubbles and as dusk blankets the South Dakota plains and the sun kisses the horizon for another day, the hills echo with the sounds of coyotes howling in the distance.
the land I love, I realized this country has so many amazing treasures to cherish but none more so than the people who call this nation home.
can consumer.
It means shopping your values and choosing stores that stand for America-first values, not companies and corporations who have bent the knee to the Green New Deal. It means choosing to live in this world, but not of this world, and prioritizing living your faith every single day in every single way, not just at Sunday morning church.
- 6 p.m. weekdays by appointment
Turn right on 33 Mile Rd. and take for 3 miles. Turn right on County Rd. 121 and take for 2.5 miles and you're there! Follow the Pumpkins! For more more information, visit GreenAcresCornMaze.net or call the MAZE Hotline at (307) 797-8796
In the words of Musician Corb Lund, “This is my prairie. This is my home.”
The prairie is a place I’ll fight to protect. It’s a place I’ll raise my children. It’s a place I’ll grow old with my spouse. It’s a place where I’ll build my agriculture business, and it’s a place outside of the modern world where I can find peace and beauty and abundance of blessings and it doesn’t cost me a dime. It just asks me to pause, reflect and appreciate all that it is.
I was doing exactly this the other evening, alongside my husband Tyler. It’s one of our favorite things to do together, and I hope I never take these simple moments for granted.
On this particular evening, as I looked out over
And, as I thought of the incredible Americans I have been blessed to meet on my travels as a speaker, a sadness attempted to overwhelm me. There are so many attacks on these great people – on farms and ranches, entrepreneurs, small town main street businesses, the church and the family too.
These attacks come from so many directions, it can make your head spin. However, none are more egregious than the attacks from our own – with policies and regulations being weaponized to threaten the very fabric of America we all know and love.
As I often opine in my columns and speeches, we the American people hold the power and the leverage to change the culture of this country for the better. We may not be able to change what happens in Washington, D.C., but we can absolutely shift the political landscape locally when we stand firm and stick together for what is right.
And even more than this, in the face of a downturn economy and so many American businesses suffering, we can also choose to shop our values and fight for a country we want to live in.
What this means is skipping the big box stores which mass produce everything overseas. It means refusing to shop at foreign clothing shops like Shein and Temu, who steal photos from American boutiques and use child labor to create the lowest-cost, cheaplymade version for the Ameri-
It’s choosing the hard path. It’s choosing the path towards an America which will thrive for our kids and grandkids. It’s choosing to think long-term gains, instead of short-term pleasures. It’s simple in theory, but difficult in practice.
But the cost of not doing exactly this is too much to bear. The cost of outsourcing our best talent; our food production; our clothing, technology and equipment to foreign countries creates a reliance and vulnerability we simply cannot afford.
It is an election year, but we are voting on so much more than a president. We are voting on the down-ballot issues which will shape the course of our states and local communities, and we are voting on the future we want to see based on our spending habits and the values we prioritize.
Americans, we are the change. We are the shift, but we must support each other in this endeavor. Shop local. Shop small. Shop American. This is the energy we all need going into the holiday season and beyond. God bless.
Amanda Radke is a rancher, author, motivational speaker and podcast host. For more information, visit amandaradke.com
Feed-efficient cattle and efficient management practices – saving time and labor – can make the difference in whether or not a ranch can stay in business.
Jim Jensen of Lucky 7 Angus Ranch raises Angus seedstock in Wyoming and feels strongly efficiency is the most important thing producers can focus on.
“We need to run our ranches as a business, focusing less on emotion and as a way of life, to remain profitable,” he said.
Feed-efficient cattle Jensen is adamant about producing cattle that are more feed efficient.
“I think the cattle most people are raising today are the least efficient they’ve been for 40 years or more,” he shared. “The goal for some people is to raise bigger calves. Pretty soon, the ranchers who were running 300 head of cows are now running 180.”
Bigger cows require more feed. Although calves are bigger, they also require more inputs. If producers select for bigger calves, their cow size also increases.
Ultimately, they are producing less total pounds of beef than they used to with 300 cows and spending more money to do it.
Jensen feels strongly feed efficiency is the most important thing in the beef industry.
“The late Dr. Duane Warden, who bred Angus seedstock on his ranch near Council Bluffs, Iowa, tested cattle for feed efficiency for more than 30 years. He had a bull in 2012 that converted at 2.29 to one, which is close to competing with chickens and pigs. The average in the Angus breed was six to one,” said Jensen.
Collecting feed intake data
Warden’s Farm collected feed intake data on their cattle since the early 1980s because Warden realized feed costs represent more than 60 percent of the total cost of raising cattle.
He felt something should be done about reducing this cost of production and began select-
ing his cattle for feed efficiency. He calculated and used adjusted feed conversion (AFC) and residual feed intake (RFI) in all of his tested bulls.
These two traits were his major focus, along with fertility, growth rate, marbling score, ribeye area and functional soundness in both the bull and its mother.
During 2010-11, Warden Farms performed feed intake tests and gain tests, as well as AFC and RFI evaluations on their bulls at the home place and at Iowa State University’s Beef Nutrition Farm, using the feed intake monitoring system, and the Hays Beef Development Center.
These tests included 43 young bulls and 43 yearling heifers sired by Warden-bred bulls, in addition to a few artificially-inseminated (AI) sires selected because they were thought to sire progeny that excel at feed conversion.
The bulls and heifers sired by Warden-bred bulls were more efficient than those by AI sires and were 8.4 percent more efficient on average in dry matter conversion. The beef industry uses growth stimulants and feed additives to achieve better feed conversion but this goal can also be accomplished with genetics at no cost or labor to utilize.
A thrifty cow herd
This kind of feed efficiency is important in the feedlot but also important to ranchers who are working to have an efficient, thrifty cow herd. The commercial cattleman needs cows that can thrive on forage the ranch produces and do well even on a dry year with no expensive inputs from purchased feeds, while continuing to be fertile and productive.
“Our goal on this place is to be able to produce bulls cheaper than anyone else in this business, so we have to do everything cheaper than everybody else. This guarantees we will be some of the last ones standing when things get really tough,” Jensen said.
“This was our goal a long time ago – making our cattle work in condi-
tions harsher than those of our commercial customers – and we’ve pushed it to the point we created a feed-efficient animal,” he added.
“Every producer’s goal – whether purebred or commercial – should be focused toward becoming more efficient. We’d see a lot less turnover and a lot less complaining about people struggling and going broke. We have survived some drought, and I am embarrassed to tell people how well we’ve done during the recent drought, compared to some of the stories I’ve heard,” he continued.
The cattle on the Lucky 7 Angus Ranch are hardy and efficient, which makes them better prepared to handle adversity.
“I have a bull customer near Laramie, who was in one of the biggest drought areas and many ranchers were selling out. After he started buying my bulls and raising daughters from those bulls, he started feeding less and in many years, he hardly feeds any hay,” Jensen shared.
“His place is at 7,200 feet in elevation and also gets a lot of wind. He uses windmills to pump stock water. During the 2012 drought, he had 5,000 round bales left from previous years because he wasn’t feeding his cows very much and hadn’t for several years,” he added.
University programs and research studies are usually funded by big companies which sell feed, fertilizer, chemicals, drugs, etc. – all of the inputs ranchers should be trying to get away from in order to be truly efficient and profitable.
This ultimately influences the projects and studies that can be done at the various universities.
In order to become more efficient and have less costs in raising cattle, producers have to be innovative and think outside the box, looking beyond traditional wisdom and guidelines.
Heather Smith Thomas is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
Community dinner planned
On the evening of Oct. 19., community members of Johnson County will gather on Main Street in Buffalo for the Ashes to the Table Community Dinner and Dance.
Hosted by the Johnson County Fire Relief Fund, the event will honor and celebrate the resilience of Johnson County and its population following the devastating House Draw Fire, which swept Johnson County late August.
The lightning-sparked wildfire burned over 151,000 acres or almost 240 square miles of grassland in less than 48 hours.
The event will begin at 6 p.m. with dinner tables stretching down Main Street. The area will be closed to through traffic.
The barbecue meal will feature food provided by community donors and hamburgers cooked by the local Kiwanis and Buffalo FFA.
The street dance featuring Kellen Smith and the Nate Champion Band will begin at 8 p.m. according to event organizer Ashlea Bassett.
“This is a community event in all ways possible. We live in a community where when someone needs help, everyone comes running. We’re all in this together, and what better way to learn each other’s needs than at the dinner table,” says Bassett.
Rather than purchasing tickets for the event, the Johnson County Fire Relief Fund will accept open donations from Ashes
to the Table attendees.
These donations go directly to Johnson County ranchers in need on an asneeded basis, as determined by a board of local community members, leaders and officials.
This funds distribution group works closely with a Producer Advocacy Committee which acts as a
“voice” for affected ranchers, taking into account the nuances of the various operations and families affected.
To learn more about the Ashes to the Table Community Dinner and Dance or to donate directly to the Johnson County Fire Relief Fund, visit johnsoncountyfirerelieffund.com
31st Annual Wyoming Women In Ag Symposium & Diversifed Ag Tour
November 7-8, 2024 Laramie, WY Hilton Garden Inn
November 7
8 a.m. – Breakfast and Trade Show
9:30 a.m.
Keynote Speaker: Andrea Flemming
10:45 a.m. – Panel: Jobs in Ag
12 p.m.
Lunch provided 1 p.m. – “Finding Alignment in Life” by Andrea Flemming
2 p.m. – Breakout: Faith Hamlin, Ag Diversifcation
Dr. Randall Violett, Ranch Managment
3:15 p.m. – Breakout: Jennifer Conner, Heart Health Aaron Volquardsen, Tech in Ag
12 p.m. – Lunch provided at Alpine Animal Hospital 1 p.m. – Tour Stop: University of Wyoming Meat Lab
Scan QR code for more information and to register!
Tank you to our sponsors:
Visit wywomeninag.org to register or call Julie Volker at 307-258-1353 with questions.
Oct. 15-16
Wyoming Livestock Roundup, P.O. Box 850, Casper, WY, 82602, or e-mail to roundup@wylr.net.
EVENTS
U.S. Department of Agriculture Fall Data Users’ Meeting, 10 a.m., online. To view the complete agenda or register for the meeting, visit nass.usda.gov/ go/data_users. For more information, contact Marisa Reuber at marisa.reuber@usda.gov or 202-690-3099.
Oct. 15-18 International Dairy Federation World Dairy Summit, Paris, France. For more information, visit fil-idf.org/idf_events/world-dairy-summit-2024/
Oct. 19 Independent Cattlemen of Wyoming Annual Meeting, Riverton. For more information, visit icowwy.org
Oct. 19 Colorado Simmental Association Annual Meeting, Baty Livestock, Loveland, Colo. For more information, call 970-685-2373.
Oct. 19 Johnson County Fire Relief Fund Ashes to the Table Community Dinner and Dance, 6 p.m., Main Street, Buffalo. For more information, visit johnsoncountyfirerelieffund.com
Oct. 21-22 Wyoming Water Association Annual Meeting and Conference, University of Wyoming Conference Center, Laramie. For more information or to register, visit wyomingwater.org
Oct. 22-24
The Center for Food Integrity Transparency Summit 2024, Chicago, Ill. For more information or to register, visit empoweredevents.eventsair.com/cfitransparency-summit
Oct. 23-24 University of Wyoming Giving Day, 12 p.m.-12 p.m. For more information or to donate, visit uwyo.edu/givingday
Oct. 23-26 97th National FFA Convention and Expo, Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, Ind. For more information, visit convention.ffa.org
Oct. 24-27 American Hereford Association Annual Membership Meeting and Conference, Kansas City, Mo. For more information, visit hereford.org/aha-events/ annual-meeting/
Oct. 25-26 Stockmanship and Stewardship, Hamburg, N.Y. For more information, visit stockmanshipandstewardship.org/
Oct. 27-31 Western Seed Association 2024 Annual Convention, Kansas City, Mo. For more information, visit westernseed.org
Oct. 29 Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance and Beef Quality Assurance Transportation Certification, 4-6 p.m., Prairie Winds Community Center, Bridgeport, Neb. For more information, e-mail nebraskabqa@unl.edu or call 308-633-0158.
Oct. 29-31 Wyoming Weed and Pest Council Annual Conference, Casper. For more information, visit wyoweed.org
Oct. 31-Nov. 2 West Central States Wool Growers Convention, Boise, Idaho. For more information, visit idahowoolgrowers.org
Nov. 1-4 2024 Angus Convention and Trade Show, Fort Worth, Texas. For more information or to register, visit angusconvention.com
Nov. 2 17th Annual Tribute to the Great American Cowboy PRCA Rodeo, 7 p.m., Central Wyoming Fairgrounds, Casper. For more information or to buy tickets, visit greatamericancowboyrodeo.com
Nov. 4-6 2024 Wyoming Society of Range Management Meeting, Ramkota Hotel, Casper. For more information or to register, visit bit.ly/3ZG7A8o
Oct. 11-13
Oct. 19
Oct. 19
Oct. 19
Oct. 23
SALES
27th Annual Fall Colt and Yearling Catalog Sale and Futurity, Farmers and Ranchers Livestock Commission Co., Salina, Kan., 785-826-7884, 785-4932901, 785-825-0211
Gold Buckle Select Prospect and Ranch Horse Sale, First Interstate Arena, Billings, Mont., thenile.org
Basin Angus Ranch A Lasting Legacy Elite Female Sale, Billings Livestock Commission, Billings, Mont., 406-350-0350, 406-350-2332, 406-366-3612, basinangus.com
Jordan Auto Complete Business Liquidation Auction, 15053 U.S. Highway 85, Lusk, 307-532-4976, 307-534-5156, mcnameeauctioncompany.com
Micheli Ranch Bull Sale, at the ranch, Ft. Bridger, 307-252-0437, 307-7477786, 307-747-3897, 307-780-8232, micheliranch.com
Oct. 26 Les and Nancy Talkington Moving Auction, 1850 County Road 143, Hillsdale, 307-532-4976, 307-534-5156, mcnameeauctioncompany.com
Triangle J Ranch Harvest Select Female Sale, at the ranch, Miller, Neb., 308-627-5085, 308-457-2505, 308-293-9241, trianglejranch.com
Pharo Cattle Company Fall Sale, Burlington Livestock Exchange, Burlington, Colo., 800-311-0995, pharocattle.com
Leachman Cattle of Colorado Fall Harvest Sale, Leachman Bull Barn, Fort Collins, Colo., 970-568-3983, leachman.com
Nov. 9 Carlson Equipment Fall Consignment Auction, Riverton, 307-856-8123, carlsonequipment.com
Nov. 11
Nov. 14
Nov. 16
Nov. 16
Nov. 17
Nov. 18
Nov. 21
Nov. 21
Nov. 23
Nov. 25
Nov. 26
Nov. 26
Dec. 3
Dec. 3
Ludvigson Stock Farms Fall Herdbuilder Bull and Female Extravaganza Sale, Diamond Y Development Center, Park City, Mont., 406-601-9192, ludvigsonstockfarms.com
Bieber Red Angus Ranch Fall Production Sale, at the ranch, Leola, S.D., 605-439-3628, bieberredangus.com
Pharo Cattle Company Fall Sale, Headwaters Livestock, Three Forks, Mont., 800-311-0995, pharocattle.com
Redland Angus Annual Production Sale, Buffalo Livestock Marketing, Buffalo, 307-250-1548, redlandangus.com
The Wyoming Angus Association 14th Annual Wyoming Select Female Sale, Grace Werner Ag Pavilion, Casper College, Casper, 307-630-1593, wyomingangus.org
K2 Red Angus Fall Female Sale, K2 sale barn, Wheatland, 307-331-2917, k2redangus.com
Largent and Sons “Prime Fuel” Sale, at the ranch, Kaycee, 307-738-2443, 307-267-3229, largentandsons.com
Pharo Cattle Company Fall Sale, Valentine Livestock Auction, Valentine, Neb., 800-311-0995, pharocattle.com
The Berry’s Herefords Annual Bull Sale, at the ranch, Cheyenne, 307-6345178 and 307-630-7944
Paint Rock Angus Annual Fall Sale, at the ranch, Hyattville, 307-469-2206, 307-271-2000, 307-272-5332, 307-578-7392, paintrockangus.com
Huge Premier Retirement Online Auction, Bonesteel, S.D., 800-251-3111, 605-491-4748, wiemanauction.com
Western Video Market, Silver Legacy, Reno, Nev., 530-347-3793, wvmcattle.com
ZumBrunnen Angus Annual Bull and Female Production Sale, at the ranch, Lusk, 307-216-0198, 307-334-2265, zbangus.com
POSTCARD fo the Past
Compiled by Dick Perue rrichardperue@gmail.com
Stagecoach on fire
A rather peculiar accident happened to the stage from Encampment while on its way to this place.
The driver struck a match, the head of which flew off and fell in the boot. It was supposed to have gone out and nothing more was thought of it until, just as the stage was arriving in town, the flames burst out of the coach.
The whole interior was ablaze and there was consternation in abundance.
Fortunately, it occurred where water could be had and buckets procured, and the flames were extinguished. Several empty paper and mail sacks were consumed and two leather mail sacks were burned, but no mail was destroyed.
There were a number of grips burned on the outside. There were no passengers on the inside of the coach.
Outside catches fire
Saratoga had a fire scare around 10 a.m. Smoke was discovered issuing from an outhouse belonging to Dave Richmond, and the fire bell was rung, calling out everyone within hearing distance.
The scare was soon over, for a few buckets of water put a quietus on the flames.
Someone had dropped a lighted cigar or cigarette down among the debris on the floor. It smoldered until it finally spread to the building itself.
Anyone who is so careless as to do such a trick should be run out of town. In less than five minutes, the flames could have consumed the outhouse and adjoining structures.
Both of these articles appeared in the Aug. 9, 1906 issue of The Saratoga Sun.
The Richmond Livery Stable was built around 1890 and stood on First Street in Saratoga, until the mid-1960s when it burned to the ground. The insert – top left – is a copy of D.S. Richmond’s letterhead printed in the early 1900s, showing a good looking “cash” horse on the left and poor old swayback “credit” on the right. Photo courtesy of Saratoga Museum from the Bob Martin/Dick Perue collection. Graphics and Historical Reproduction by Dick Perue
totaled 36,000 compared with 36,000 last week and 36,000 last year.
Source: USDA AMS LPG Market News, San Angelo, Texas
National Wool Review
As of October 4, 2024 Australian Wool Exchange o estic ool tradin had no confr ed trades re orted this eek Prices re ect trades areho se in ori
Source: USDA AMS Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News, Greeley, CO National Sheep Summary
As of October 4, 2024
Compared to last week slaughter lambs weak to 20.00 lower. Slaughter ewes steady to 5.00 lower, instances 10.00-20.00 lower. Feeder lambs under mostly 6.00-13.00 lower. At San Angelo, TX 6,309 head sold in a one day sale. Equity Cooperative Auction sold 380 slaughter lambs in Wyoming. 1870 lamb carcasses traded with no trend due to confidentiality. All sheep sold per hundred weight (CWT) unless specified. Slaughter Lambs: Choice and Prime 2-3 San Angelo: wooled and shorn 110-130 lbs 152.00-180.00. Ft. Collins: wooled and shorn 120-135 lbs 150.00-175.00. South Dakota: wooled and shorn 110-165 lbs 128.00-147.00.
Billings: wooled and shorn no test.
Equity Coop: Powell Pool 130 lbs wooled 152.00.
Slaughter Lambs: Choice and Prime 1-2 San Angelo: hair 40-60 lbs 236.00-285.00; 60-70 lbs 224.00-269.00, few 275.00; 70-80 lbs 200.00-240.00, few 242.00-240.00; 80-90 lbs 188.00-210.00, few 222.00; 90-110 lbs 180.00-210.00. wooled and shorn 60-70 lbs 232.00-240.00; 73 lbs 210.00; 98 lbs 184.00.
Billings: no test. Replacement Ewes: Medium and Large 1-2 San Angelo: yearling hair 216.00/head; young hair 230.00/head; middle age hair 220.00/head.
Ft. Collins: no test.
South Dakota: ewe lambs 80 lbs 165.00/cwt; young 150-175 lbs 100.00-120.00/cwt; middle age 145-175
Source: USDA- CO Dept of Ag Market
Wyoming Hay Summary
As of October 10, 2024
Compared to last week hay sold steady on a thin test of the market. Cubes and pellets steady. Demand is light to moderate. According to National Agricultural Statistic Services as of October 6, 2024 Alfalfa Hay is in the 3rd cutting with 65% completed. According to the U.S. Drought
Monitor as of October 8, 2024,A small patch of exceptional drought (D4) was introduced in east-central Wyoming, and extreme drought (D3) expanded across a large part of eastern Wyoming, much of the western tier of the Dakotas, and a couple small patches in southeastern Kansas. Eastern Wyoming
Helping those affected by the fres in Wyoming and Montana:
One FREE 4 week classifed line ad availa le for anyone with the follo in to ive and for those in need
• Pasture
• Fencing supplies and sinesses
a and feed
Call the Wyoming Livestock Roundup to ce c fe e at 307-234-2700 or e- e
NORTHEASTERN COLORADO FARM AND RANCH IS IN SEARCH OF FULLTIME, SELF MOTIVATED, RESPONSIBLE PERSON WITH KNOWLEDGE OF ALL ASPECTS OF TAKING CARE OF CATTLE: Some farming and haying. Housing available. Salary dependent on experience. Work pickup provided. Send resume, references and work history to bkkramer.kk@ gmail.com. Call Kim at 970520-2513 11/2
NOW HIRING: CDL A TRUCK DRIVERS AND FRONT END LOADERS. Home daily, seasonal sugarbeet rehaul. Location: Worland or Lovell, WY. Drivers earn up to $1,900/ week. Loaders earn $25/hour. Flexible work schedules. Drivers must have CDL A with doubles endorsement. To apply, please call 651-364-9578. To view photos, go to www.wylr. net in the classifeds 10/19
Financial Services
ALL TYPES OF EQUIPMENT AND VEHICLE FINANCING. Great service!! Great rates!! Call Chuck Brown at C.H. Brown Co., WY LLC, 307-3223 3 ffce 307-33 -00 0 (cell) or e-mail chuckbrown@ wyoming.com 10/12
AGRI-ONE FINANCIAL: Farm/ ranch and all commercial loans. RATES AS LOW AS 5%. We have been helping with all aspects of agricultural, commercial fnancin and ana e ent for years. LET US HELP YOU on a consulting level with mana e ent to increase rofta ilit , deal ith and f credit role s and for all o r fnancin 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.agrief c c . I will come to you and get the job done!! 11/2
Services
Livestock Feeders is looking for Cowboys/Pen Riders for their feedyard in Red Cloud, NE. The main focus of the Cowboy/Pen Riders are spotting, pulling, diagnosing and taking cattle to the hospital and shipping fat cattle. This person will need to be a team player who is seeking a long-term position. You will have the opportunity to
with and learn from some of the best in the industry. We offer a benefts package that includes health
dental, vision, 401(k), health savings, life insurance and paid vacation. Retention bonus offered to full-time employees. Incentives paid out at 6 months and 1 year of employment. If you are interested stop by and fll out an application or visit our website at
Call Brandon Furr at 402-257-7769 or 402-746-2222 for more information.
WYOMING SINGLE IRON SHEEP BRAND FOR SALE: RSS, backwards B on the right shoulder sheep. $5,000. Call Kelly Burch at 307-259-2134 11/2
REGISTERED WYOMING BRAND, RBH, renewed to March 2025, $1,000. Call 307630-0359 10/19
FOR SALE: Wyoming registered 1 iron (2) letter brand registered on all 3 species and in good locations, RRC, RSS, RSH. One hot iron available. Asking $5,000 for this easy to read brand, registered until 2031. Call or text 307-2542790 if interested 10/19
TWO WYOMING BRANDS FOR SALE:
First brand: RHC, RHH. Second brand: LRC, LHH. Both have left ear notch. No irons. $7,000 for both. Call 307-331-1522 10/19
BRAND FOR SALE: RRC, RSH. Good through Jan. 1, 2027, 3 irons available, $3,500. Call 307-620-1961 10/12
REMOTE NORTHEAST WYOMING RANCH IS LOOKING FOR A FULL-TIME FARM/ RANCH EMPLOYEE: This position is open immediately. Applicant must be self-motivated, reliable and responsible with knowledge of haying and farming. Mechanical skills are a must. Farming duties include: Swathing, baling and raking hay, etc. THIS IS NOT A COWBOY POSITION, but applicant will need to assist in all aspects of cattle work as well. Those duties include calving heifers, feeding hay, branding and gathering, etc. Nearest big town is 60+ miles and nearest K-12 school is 30+ miles away. Housing is provided and on a school bus route. Please send resume with references by mail or email to: PeeGee Ranch, 1251 Lower Powder River Road, Arvada, WY 82831, pgranch@ rangeweb.net. Call 307-7362461 11/2
FOR SALE: NINE-WEEKOLD MALE BORDER COLLIE PUPPY. Sire is Kathy Knox’s Seth. Dam is a daughter of Jack Knox’s Coach. Call for more details, 660-988-8422 11/2
LGD PUPPIES BORN JULY 4: Mother is Akbash/Komondor, sire is Pyrenees/Akbash/Anatolian o s and ock are co fortable together. Mother is proven predator control. Weaned, 2 females left. $450. ALSO, FREE TO A GOOD HOME with room to exercise “Blue” one-year-old blue merle very friendly neutered male, gentle, a great pet. Call 406-707-0244 10/19
AKC LAB PUPPIES: All colors available, whites, blacks, yellows, dark chocolates and dark reds. Excellent hunters, family companions. Full AKC registration. Shots, wormed, dewclaws removed. All puppies are cute, but it’s what they grow into that counts. Not all Labs are the same. Proud to own!! Been raising quality AKC Labradors for 30-plus years. Look at the rest but buy the best. Both parents on site for viewing. Will sell quickly!! $200 deposit, picking order is when the deposit is received. Doug Altman, Mitchell, S.D. Call/text 605-999-7149, click the “Our Labs” tab on the website for pictures, www.southdakotayellowlabs.com 10/12
Cattle
WANTED RECIP COWS: Must be open!! Two to 6 years old, Red Angus or Angusbased cows. For more information, call Corie Mydland, 406-855-5598 (cell), Trans Ova Genetics 10/12
proven LBW Black Angus bulls for 45 days. Start calving Feb. 1, 2025. References available. Call 785-394-1955 (cell), 785394-2374 (home) or 785-7315067 10/19
Feeding
Excellent feed and facilities. Located at Martin, S.D. 605-515-3540 Leave a message or send a text LOOKING FOR COWS TO WINTER AND CALVES TO BACKGROUND
PASTURE WANTED for 2,000 yearlings and 500 pairs. Can split into smaller bunches. Call 701-523-1235 10/12
Horses FOR SALE: Blue roan draft cross weanling colts. For more information, call 307-467-5651, leave message 10/19
and more!! Well stocked for arena, range and above the plains. 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 10/12
AVAILABLE NOW TO FEED YOUR CATTLE: Lots of good feed for cows and yearlings. Can feed a balanced diet or however o ant the fed to ft o r budget. From now to May or whenever you’re ready to have them back. Will do it on the cost of feed. ALSO, FOR SALE sorghum/sudan hay, net-wrapped round bales, tested safe. Call Barry, 402-750-9155 to make arrangements 10/19
12 KATAHDIN EWE LAMBS: Replacement quality. Born March 2024, weaned with shots. $165/head OBO. Call 605-5692415 10/26
HORNED RAMBOUILLET LAMBS FOR SALE: icron on the ock,lamb crop. Look us up on Facebook @ Edwards Rambouillet, individual information posted there. If you have questions, call 307-670-3360 10/19
Hereford
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 ca s ilt to o r s ecifcations. Contact us today to design the camp just right for you. Western Range Camps, 435-4625300, heidi@wrcamps.com, 1145 S. Blackhawk Blvd, Mt. Pleasant, UT 84647 10/12
TRITICALE SEED READY FOR FALL PLANTING: High yield, makes excellent forage and cover crop. Can be grazed fall and winter and hayed in the spring. Call 308-430-3457 for pricing and delivery. Phone calls only 10/26 eed
HAY FOR SALE: 2023 and 2024, alfalfa, sainfoin, alfalfa/grass mix, grass and combine grass/straw. Small squares and 3x3x8 sales. Test results available for all baled in 2023. Will load 3x3s in open truck and trailer. Call 307-2506005 11/2
HAY FOR SALE: Good 2024 small square bales mixed grass, timothy/orchard/brome/garrison/ red clover and some alfalfa. First and second cutting. $200/ton @ 34 bales or $6/bale. Some tested at 12% protein. Arapahoe, WY area. Call 307-349-9994 11/2
HAY FOR SALE: 2023 milo and rass alfalfa frst c tting 90% alfalfa/10% grass mix, grass mix, grass/alfalfa, millet, milo, CRP cut early, green and high, non-raked and clean. ALSO, ne seedin ha feld oats/kosha/crested wheat. All in net-wrapped round bales. Semi load delivery available. Call for pricing, ask for Klint, 701-2904418, send a text if no answer or keep trying 11/2
HAY FOR SALE: Large quantities!! Grass and alfalfa. Cow and horse quality. ALSO, forage wheat. 2023 hay still available. Small squares, 3x3 square bales and 3x4 square bales. Delivery available!! Call 307630-3046 11/2
BARLEY STRAW: ertifed weed-free small squares, $4/bale. ALSO, 5x6 round bales, $125/ton. GRAIN OATS, wheat and barley $20/cwt. Greybull, WY area. Call 307-762-3878 or 307-899-4714, leave message 11/2
GOOD QUALITY HAY FOR SALE: Alfalfa/orchardgrass mix, wheat/alfalfa mix and straight alfalfa, all in net-wrapped round bales. Nisland, S.D. For more information and pricing, call 605892-5676 10/12
LARGE ROUND BALES OF NET WRAPPED GRASS AND ALFALFA HAY FOR SALE: Delivered in semi loads. ALSO, custom hay hauling with 53’ step deck. Call 605-770-6453 10/26
HAY AND STRAW FOR SALE: Round bale grass, net wrapped, 2023 crop $100/ton, new crop $125/ton. ALSO, round bale barley and oat straw, net wrapped, $90/ton. FOB Powell, WY. Call 307-254-5115 or 406480-1248 10/26
600 TONS 2023 GRASS/ALFALFA IN LARGE ROUNDS: Cut slightly mature but baled green!! ALSO, sellin R certifed wheat straw and millet hay. Will deliver!! For sale by Cheyenne, WY area producer. Call 307-6303768 10/26
GRASS HAY FOR SALE: 3x4 bales, some barn stored, some outside. No weather damage. ALSO, alfalfa hay for sale 3x4 bales. Test available upon request. Riverton, WY. Call 307-7096290 10/26
HORSE QUALITY GRASS HAY, frst, second and third c ttings, $150-$200/ton. OAT/PEA MIX, $150/ton. All 3x4 square bales. COW HAY, nice green millet, $110/ton. Big square or round bales. Square bales barn stored. Tests available. Lusk, WY. Call Paul Hicks, 970-2035019 10/26
ROUND-BALED GRASS: 2023
$50/bale; 2024 $60/bale. 1,000 lb. net-wrapped bales. Cody, WY area. Call, don’t text, Anthony at 307-254-2645 3/1
REDUCED PRICING BECAUSE OF THE TRAGIC FIRES. Tons and tons of hay for sale: Alfalfa, alfalfa/grass mix, straight grass (crested wheat and native grasses), winter wheat, 1,300-1,350 lb. netwrapped round bales. Deliveries are available if needed or come and get it. Sheridan, WY area. Call the ranch, 307-737-2680 or 702-501-4243 (cell) 10/26
BOLINGER INC
Fencing
2024 FIRST CUTTING HORSE QUALITY HAY: Timothy/orchard/ brome with a bit of alfalfa at 14% moisture. 110 round bales averaging 1,450 lbs./bale. Located in Clark, WY. No rain. Currently tarped. $175/ton. Call 847-4209615. To view photos, go to www. wylr.net in the classifeds 11/2
STRAW FOR SALE: 250 TONS OF BARLEY STRAW, 4x4 squares, $50/ton. Located west of Powell, WY. Call or text 307-202-0532 for more information 10/19
HAY FOR SALE: 150 tons of excellent quality, second cutting, alfalfa hay in round bales from the Lander, WY area. $150/ton. Call 307-349-4063 10/19
CERTIFIED WEED-FREE PURE
ALFALFA HAY: Small squares, covered frst and second c ttin availa le frst c tting available. Will load trucks and any open trailer. MONIDA OATS: Combine run. Will auger into truck, trailer or large totes/ ag bags. STRAW: Small squares available. Located between Powell and Cody, WY. Call or text Knopp Farms for details, 307254-0554 11/9
VALLEY VIDEO HAY MARKETS, LLC: Hay available. Go to www.valleyvideohay.com or call Barry McRea, 308-2355386 10/12
ALFALFA HAY FOR SALE: Round bales, second and third cutting, no rain. Wheatland, WY. Call 307-331-3781 10/12
NEW CROP GRASS AND GRASS/ALFALFA HAY: High quality second cutting irrigated brome/perennial ryegrass horse hay. ALSO HAVE second and third cutting grass/alfalfa. Fine stemmed on a new establishment. Average 1,300 lb. net-wrapped rounds with trucking available. Located near Wheatland, WY. Call Ryler, 307-287-1102 10/12
HAY FOR SALE!!! Alfalfa, alfalfa/ grass mix and grain hay in both round and square bales. Large quantities available. Trucking available with hay trains. THE HAY YARD IS OPEN, conveniently located off I-90 and Johnson Ln. exit in Billings, MT, small to large quantities. Call us today for your fall hay needs. Montana Hay Company, 406-670-6551 11/9
1,000 LARGE ROUND GRASS
BALES: No rain, $130/ton. Call Pete Bertolino at Roberts, MT, 406-425-1351 TFN
CERTIFIED BARLEY STRAW FOR SALE, 3x4 bales. Cody, WY. Call 307-899-1952 TFN
Trucks
1996 PETERBILT 379: Lots of recent work, immaculate, well cared for, good tires, retiring. Call 308-320-0905 11/2
FOR SALE: 1995 FREIGHTLINER FLD 132 CLASSIC XL, 3406 B CAT, 100 miles on overhaul, 64” removable sleeper, 9 speed. Loaded with all options. Ready to go to work. Asking $25,000. Have other stuff to go with it. For details call Don, 719-743-2330. To view photos, go to www.wylr.net in the classifeds 10/12
2018 GREAT PLAINS 13’ END
WHEEL ALL SEED DRILL: Model #1300-2606, like new. Call Kelly Burch, 307-2592134 11/2
FOR SALE: John Deere
3940 silage cutter with 2 row 30” corn head. Lorenz 16’x29’ stackmover with walking tandems and 1,000 PTO. Vermeer 7000 bale processor with hydraulic deflector. Rowse 9’ 3 pt. mower with New Holland head. Gehl 12 wheel v-rake. New Holland 195 manure spreader, 410 bushel with slop gate. 2015 Volvo (day cab), 10 speed manual, D13 455 HP, air ride, A/C, cruise control, 229” wheelbase, 11r 22.5 tires with aluminum rims, quarter fenders, 423,000 miles, very clean truck, runs great. Two H&S 7+4 16’ chuckwagons with bunk feeding extensions and tandem 14 ton running gear. John Deere 716A chuckwagons with John Deere running gear and bunk feeding extensions, been shedded, nice condition. Wilson portable wheel corral. 24’ portable ground hay/bale feeder. 12’ HD box scraper with tilt. Farm King 8’ snowblower with hydraulic spout. All in very nice condition!! Call 605-9995482 10/19
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE, FARMER RETIRING: 9600
John Deere combine with 930 30’ grain header and an 893 8 row 30” corn header. A 20’ Krause offset disc (new blades in front). 24’ Model 630 John Deere tandem disc. Safety pull with a bull hitch. John Deere front suitcase weights. IHC front suitcase weights. Round John Deere wheel weights. Two 1,000 gallon fuel tanks with pumps. 500 gallon round fuel tank with stand. Contact Greg Keller at 406-679-1136 10/12
OILFIELD PIPE: PRICE REDUCED!! RPJ Enterprises, Inc. 2 3/8”, 2 7/8” and 4.5” is available, pricing is coming down. Used for fencing, corrals, cattle guards, etc. 2 3/8” and 2 7/8” are on average 31.5’ long per joint. Pierce, CO. Call for details, 970-324-4580 1/11
CATERPILLAR 12E ROAD
GRADER: This machine was built in the 1960’s Serial# 099E03772, pre-DEF, has been used continually for the past 20 years by me for snow removal and road maintenance. Machine has block heater and electric start. Lights work. Comes with a set of chains. Clean machine. Call Bill Maher, 605-391-6526, e-mail bevillage66@yahoo. com 10/12
PIPE FOR SALE!! 2 7/8”, 3 1/2” tubing, 4” drill pipe, 4 1/2” casing, 5” casing, 7” casing. Rods 3/4”, 7/8” and 1” located in Montana, can ship anywhere. Call Mike, 602-758-4447. To view photos, go to www.wylr. net in the classifeds 2/22 USED IRRIGATION PIVOTS FOR SALE, www.zimmag. com Irrigation systems are COMPLETE with custom sprinkler package, SORTED, BUNDLED and ready to ship. i atic to er , i atic to er , iatic to er , i atic P toer 1,253’ with 2021 9500CC Custom GPS Corner 201’ + verhan alle to er , alle to er , i atic P to er , i atic 3 tower 526’. Call 402-9103236 10/26 Good time management is essential to farming success. That’s why more farmers are turning to T-L center pivot irrigation systems. Hydrostatically powered, T-L’s simple design gives you the low maintenance time, cost, safety and reliability to let you manage your farm instead of calling electricians or replacing gearboxes. Simplify your complex world and make irrigation easier on you.
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WILDFIRES
the unusual weather conditions and its expanded growth have forced a more offensive approach over recent days,” explains Kyle Phillippi in an Oct. 9 Vice article.
InciWeb reports 889 personnel are working to put out the fire, and in recent days, have been protecting the Big Goose watershed, which is notable for its role in sourcing Sheridan County’s water, and was directly in the fire’s path on the morning of Oct. 8.
Crews are also focusing on the fire’s northern side, where a hotshot crew has continued conducting firing and air operations. On Oct. 9, InciWeb says crews prepared 144 Road and conducted firing operations to protect the Little Bighorn Canyon.
“On the southeastern and southern parts of the fire, mop up and patrolling continues in the Crystal Springs area. Firefighting crews will continue to build additional control lines and prepare areas for potential low-intensity, strategic firing operations which would protect the watershed and associated water-treatment plant structures,” reads the InciWeb report.
“In the southern portion of the fire, road graders are working alongside firefighting resources on Red Grade Road, and structure protection in the Poverty Flats area will con-
continued from page 1
tinue,” the report continues.
On the fire’s western edge, which extends into Burgess Junction, firefighters are in place to protect structures and engage the fire if necessary.
Since its ignition, the Elk Fire has destroyed two structures and induced evacuations and closures across Wyoming’s northern border.
Individuals can stay up to date on evacuation orders and closures by visiting sheridancountywy.gov/news_detail_ T10_R100.php or contacting the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office at 307-672-3455 or Sheridan County Emergency Management at 307752-2174.
An emergency shelter has been established at the Sheridan County Fairgrounds and can accommodate numerous people, campers and animals. To make arrangements, call 307-752-2174 or 307683-6965.
Pack Trail Fire
Although smaller than the Elk Fire, the Pack Trail Fire further to the west is also causing considerable damage to the Cowboy State.
Caused by a lightning strike on Sept. 15, the Pack Trail Fire is burning 23 miles southeast of Moran in both the Bridger-Teton and Shoshone national forests.
Over the weekend of Oct. 4-6, the Pack Trail Fire merged with the nearby Fish
For more information on local and government-issued wildfire aid, refer to an article titled “Wildfires devastate western states,” published in the Aug. 31 edition of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup or accessed online at wylr. net/2024/08/30/wildfiresdevastate-western-states/.
Creek Fire and burned across 60,676 total acres with 60 percent containment, as of Oct. 9.
A 570-man crew is currently working to snuff out the blaze.
According to InciWeb, the Pack Trail Fire pushed southeast to Leeds Creek on Oct. 8, where crews implemented structure protection in the Cowboy Camp area.
On Oct. 9, firefighters continued to scout for natural and indirect holding features, improve road safety on Union Pass for crew vehicles and enhance the fuel break.
“The west side continues back down Burnt Ridge. Firefighters will implement structure protection at Elk Track Ranch and the Gros Ventre area,” reads the InciWeb report. “Last night, firefighters accomplished a small tactical firing operation to improve control lines and reduce dry, flammable fuels near the 540 Road on the east side. Crews continue to improve indirect holding lines in this area.”
“Sprinklers and structure protection are being implemented in the Long
Valley, Teton Youth Camp and Union Pass Subdivision areas,” the report continues.
“On the north side, there was no new fire activity, but some heat remains in the interior and smoke may be visible.”
Teton interagency fire managers remind individuals there is a very high fire danger rating across Grand Teton National Park, the BridgerTeton National Forest and the National Elk Refuge.
“Due to excessively dry fuels, any spark can ignite fire which can spread rapidly, becoming a large fire and exhibit extreme fire intensity. Residents and visitors are urged to exercise extreme caution with fire or possible ignition sources,” notes InciWeb.
Updated evacuation and closure information regarding the Pack Trail Fire can be found at tetoncountywy. gov/320/Emergency-Management or @FremontCountyEmergencyManagement on Facebook.
Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
by
Lee Pitts
Her Royal Highness
Once upon a time in a fairy tale alternate universe, the grand champion of the Royal Cattle Show was proclaimed the “Queen of the Cattle Kingdom.”
The distinguished panel of university professors admired her royal blood and her frame score nine.
Her Royal Highness looked down her nose at all of the other heifers because she stood six feet tall at the shoulder with enough room underneath her to drive an ATV between her front and rear legs. She was bred in the purple and had a ribbon to prove it.
Trumpets blared as the queen was paraded before the commoners with her grand champion sash and wearing the latest hairstyle. All of the other heifers wanted to be just like her, and length of leg became the latest fashion throughout the land.
Stories were written in all of the heifer magazines about the latest affairs of the Royal Family.
The court servants were at the beck and call of Her Royal Highness to fluff up her straw and clean up after her. The queen was so big, it took two stable boys to lift the royal manure scoop.
Then by royal decree, the word had been sent far and wide throughout the kingdom the queen was going to forgo any more forays in the show ring and settle down to get pregnant and give birth to an heir to the throne.
The Queen of the Cattle Kingdom was unceremoniously dumped into a field with commoners. She was not used to such decidedly unroyal treatment, and she demanded special handling from the court cowboys.
They had to bring specially-prepared feed and supplements to her throne, and she was not used to drinking out of the same dirty water troughs as her
loyal subjects did.
The full figure of Her Royal Highness caused many problems for the court cowboys. They required bigger horses, wider squeeze chutes, more courageous dogs, stronger wives, heavier ropes, taller panels and higher boots to wade through the corrals of the queen’s corral.
The kingdom was ecstatic upon hearing the news the queen had been royally impregnated, but their excitement quickly subsided when the news reached all the smutty cow rags it would be a difficult pregnancy.
The queen had not adjusted well to life amongst the commoners. Paparazzi photos revealed her emaciated appearance.
The kingdom was shocked as the queen tried in vain to give birth to the next heir to the throne. The court veterinarians saved the queen, but alas, the 145-pound boy king died at birth after a Caesarean section – ironically named after Julius Caesar.
The kingdom grew impatient waiting for the queen to bear a successor, but each time the Royal Vet palpated her, the news was the same – open. Her failure to conceive caused a royal scandal throughout the kingdom. Perhaps there was some bad blood mixed in with the blue blood after all. The scandal sheets began looking into the sordid past of the queen.
Alas, the queen was dethroned for failing to conceive. Like some other queens before her, she was beheaded at the royal slaughterhouse, and a new Queen of the Cattle Kingdom was crowned by the distinguished professors. Long live the Queen!
And everyone lived happily ever after, at least according to the fairy tale. Not so the commoners who were stuck with 1,700-pound cows unable to conceive.
NCBA reacts to ag event
On Oct. 8, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane responded to the agriculture event hosted at the White House.
“Real cattle producers have faced two hurricanes in two weeks and months of devastating wildfires across the West, and instead of addressing these immediate problems hurting farmers and ranchers, the Biden-Harris administration hosted a pep rally to prop up their failing Bidenomics agenda at the White House, with animal rights activists front and center,” said Lane. “Had we been invited, we could have discussed more pressing issues like much-needed disaster relief, regulatory overreach and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s questionable approval of South American beef imports.”
“This event makes clear what cattle producers have known for quite some time – when it comes to agriculture, this administration has prioritized politics over policy to support cattle producers,” he added.
Marcy Livestock
Tursday • October 31, 2024 Noon • Gordon Livestock Market • Gordon, NE
Selling 104 Angus Females Complete Dispersal of 2016, 2017 and 2018 Model Cows Plus 37 Bred Heifers 15 Younger Cows
Britt Givens- 70 Yrlng Hfrs 600-650#. Ran open. JM Livestock- 38 Yrlng Spayed & PTO Hfrs 700-800#. Hamlin Cattle Co @ Little Jennie Ranch- 29 Blk Ang PTO Yrlng Hfrs 850#.
Burntwood Livestock/Quarter Circle 3 Bar Ranch- 14 Yrlng PTO Hfrs 800-850#. CALVES
Jack & Amy Robinson- 180 Blk Ang/SimX Strs & Hfrs 550-650#. Rec Nasalgen, 8 way & Once PMH @ branding. Choice Black Sim/Ang sired calves! Summer over 8500 ft. Powerful feeding calves! Garrett Lamborn- 165 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 500-550#. Rec Vista Once & 8 way @ branding. Dewormed this fall. Vermillion genetics. Sired by Vermillion & Sinclair Blk Ang bulls. High elevation! Bray Ranches- 150 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 500-550#. Rec 7 way & Pyramid 5 @ branding. Knife cut. High elevation.
Andy & Brooke McWilliams and Sons- 100 Blk Ang/ Ang X Strs & Hfrs 400-500#. Rec Vision 7, Pyramid 5 & Once PMH @branding. Sired by Hancock Bulls. High Elevation, Run @ 6000-8500 feet. Red Bluff Ranch- 100 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 450525#. Rec Vista Once SQ & Vision 7 @ branding. Sired by Abernathy Blk Ang bulls. Choice, green & High elevation!!
Steve & Brenda Hovendick- 80 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 550600#. Rec Vista BVD, Nasalgen 3-PMH, Vision 8 w/ Somnus + Spur @ branding. Knife cut. Reputation calves that run @ high elevation. Sired by Popo Agie & Hancock Blk Ang bulls!! Clay & Sally Espinosa- 80 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 550-600#. Rec Vista BVD, Nasalgen 3-PMH, Vision 8 w/Somnus + Spur @ branding. Knife cut. Reputation calves that run @ high elevation. Sired by Popo Agie & Hancock Blk Ang bulls!! Matt Salisbury- 80 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 575-625#. Comp
vacc @ branding. Sired by Lucky 7 Blk Angus bulls. High desert, fancy calves!
Stanford St. Clair- 75 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 450-550#. Comp vacc @ branding, Safeguard & poured w/ Cleanup. Nice set of Black Angus calves!!
R Square Livestock- 60 Blk Ang & BWF (F1) Strs & Hfrs 425-500#. Rec Presponse 5, Vision 8 w/Somnus & Nasalgen @ branding. Super set of High elevation calves that run year around over 7500 ft. Low PAP genetics. Fancy!
Walker Angus Ranch- 60 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 500#. Rec 8 way & Ivermectin @ branding. Summer above 8500ft. Sired by Registered Blk Ang Bulls. Calves are out of a long-time reputation cow herd!
Scott & Brittany Harris- 55 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 450-500#. Rec Nasalgen 3 PMH, Bovilis BVD & Vision 7 @ branding. Heifers are bangs vaccinated. Steers are knife cut. Sired by Sitz Blk Ang bulls & Valley View Charolais bulls. Powerful calves! High elevation & Fancy!
White Rabbit Ranch- 55 Blk Ang & BWF (F1) Strs & Hfrs 425-500#. Rec Presponse 5, Vision 8 w/Somnus & Nasalgen @ branding. Super set of high elevation calves the run year around over 7500 ft. Low PAP genetics. Fancy!
JF Ranch- 50 Blk Ang Bull calves 275-350#. Summer calves. Vacc this fall & poured. High elevation!
Mitch & Susan LeClair- 50 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 500-550#. Rec 2 rounds of Nasalgen, 8 way & MultiMin. Wormed @branding. High elevation & Fancy!
Homer Hunsberger- 50 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 500#. Rec Cattle Active, C&D @ birth, Bovilis Nasalgen 3 PMH & Vision 7 + Spur @ branding. Great set of one brand calves!
Grant Whitman- 50 Mostly Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 500-525#. Rec Nasalgen & 7 way @ branding. High desert.
Johnson Ranch- 45 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 450-500#. Rec Vision 8 & Virashield 6 @ branding. Good set of high desert calves, coming off dry conditions!
Cris & Rudy Paravacini- 40 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 525550#. Rec Pyramid 5 + Presponse, 8 way & Mycoplasma @ branding & Precon this fall. Sired by Connealy & Vermillion Blk Ang bulls. Long time Black Angus genetics. Nice, one iron calves!
Ruben Roman- 35 Red Ang Strs & Hfrs 500-600#. Comp vacc @ branding. All Six Iron Red Ang genetics. High desert & Fancy!
Dan & Anna Smedts- 35 Blk Ang Strs 460-560#. Rec 2 rounds of Vision 7 & Vista Once. Weaned 30 days. Sired by Blk Ang Bulls. High elevation & will perform!
Chris Harns- 32 Blk Ang Strs 500-550#. Rec Triangle 5, Pasturella, Vision 7 w/Somnus + Spur @ branding & Precon(9-12). Sired by Registered Blk Ang bulls. No implants, knife cut, Choice Strs!
Fernando Roman- 30 Blk & BWF Ang Strs & Hfrs 450500#. Rec Vista Once & 7 way @ branding. March/ April calves. Fancy, Stout & high elevation!
Steve Ward- 25 Blk Ang Strs 550#. Comp vacc @ branding & Precon end of Sept. Weaned. Sired by Powerful Blk Ang bulls. Fancy calves!
Ryan & Dillon Hedges- 25 Blk & BWF w/ few Reds Strs & Hfrs 450-600#. Rec Vista Once & Vision 7 @ branding. Year-round mineral program. Sired by Hogg Sim/ Ang & Jackson Simmentals. Hfrs are bangs vacc, fancy & replacement quality! High elevation. Stout & high quality!
Scott Thompson- 25 Mostly Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 475525#. Comp vacc @ branding. High elevation.
Mill Iron J Ranch- 22 Blk Ang & HerefordX(F1) Strs & Hfrs 400-450#. Out of a Hereford & Blk Ang cow herd. Year around Mineral program. High elevation, no hormones or implants. One brand. Nice set of commercial AngusX calves!!
Rob & Heidi Crofts- 20 CharX Strs 450-500#. Rec Vista Once SQ & 7 way @ branding. Sired by Valley View Charolais & Sitz Blk Ang Bulls. Fancy, green & high elevation!
Steve Baumann- 12 Blk, BWF & Hereford Strs & Hfrs 450-600#. Rec Vista Once & Visio 7 w/Somnus @ branding. Mineral program. Ran on good Squaw Creek grass & high elevation!
Bryan Neely- 10 Blk & Red Yrlng Strs 850-900#. CALVES Josh & Avery Anderson- 400 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 400-500#. Light, green high desert calves! Fancy! Murray Ranches- 300 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 450-550#. Comp vacc @ Branding. Sired by Popo Agie Blk Ang bulls. All natural. High desert & green! Downs Ranch- 225 Mostly Blk Strs & Hfrs 450-550#. Rec
Stimulator 5, & ProBac4 @ branding. Steers are EID tagged S&A Sampson. Sired by Popo Agie Blk Ang bulls. Reputation calves!!
Darwin Griebel- 150 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 500-600#. Rec Vista Once SQ & Vision 7 w/Somnus @ branding. Knife cut. Sired by 100% Blk Angus bulls. Powerful set of One Iron calves!! Sarah Faith Ranch- 150 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 400#. Rec Enforce 3, Vision 7 & Bovishield Gold 5 in the spring & fall. All Natural. No Hormones. Raised @ high elevation. Sired by Powerful Blk Ang Bulls. Steve & Trudy Slagowski- 125 Blk, BWF, Small % RWF Strs 475-525#. Rec Vista Once SQ & Vision8 @ branding. Knife cut. Sired by Yardley, Durbin Creek & Diamond Peak Bulls. High elevation, Green & Stout! Dwayne Aragon- 120 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 450-525#. Comp vacc @ branding. 100% Blk Ang sired. Choice, High Desert calves! Eli & Ashlynn Eastman- 100 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 550600#. Rec Pyramid 5 + Presponse SQ & Bar-Vac 7 w/Somnus @ branding & 6-5-24. Sired by Kal Herring Blk Ang bulls. Summer @ 8000-9000 ft! Super set of calves! Ron & Becki Weber- 100 Herford & small % HerfordX(BWF) Strs & Hfrs 500-650#. Rec One Shot Ultra 7 @ branding, Bovishield Gold One Shot @ turnout, Bovishield Gold One shot @ Precon. Sired by Van Newkirk, Churchill & Largent bulls. High elevation & Reputation feeding cattle. Heifers will be replacement quality! Kieth Martin- 85 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 450-500#. Rec 8 way & Vista Once SQ @ branding & Precon. Sired by Powerful Blk Ang bulls. Run at elevation on the mountain.
& McKee- 75 Blk AngX Strs & Hfrs 575-625#. Rec Vista Once SQ, 8-way w/ Spur & poured w/ Ivomec @ branding. Sired by Hering & Abernathy Ranch Blk Ang Bulls. Powerful! High elevation! John & Sharon Bringolf- 35 Blk & BWF Strs 20 Blk & BWF Hfrs 500-550#. Rec 7 way w/Somnus @ branding. Knife cut. Sired by Angel Blk Angus bulls. Nice set of high desert calves, coming off extremely dry conditions, ready to perform! Hamel Ranch- 40 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 500600#. Rec Vista Once & 7 way @ branding. Sired by powerful Blk Ang bulls. One brand set of high elevation calves! Carl Calvert- 35 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 500600#. Comp vacc @ branding. Blk Ang sired. High elevation. Jennifer McIntosh- 30 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 375-400#. Rec Ultrabac 7 + Somubac & Virashield 6 @ branding, Ultrabac 7 w/Somnus,
