Roundup for 3.23.24

Quick Bits

Office Closed

The Wyoming Livestock Roundup office will be closed on March 29, in observance of Good Friday. We wish all of our friends, families and dear readers a very happy and blessed Easter holiday.

Snow Report

In the 14th snow report for Water Year 2024, the state’s snowpack telemetry data reads 99% of median, with a basin high of 122% and a basin low of 55%. Last year, the state was at 121% and at 86% in 2022. The report and a map displaying basin snow water equivalent percentages of median for the state may be found at wrds.uwyo.edu/ wrds/nrcs/nrcs.html

Summer Event

The Fifth Annual Tom Horn Days Cowboy Rendezvous will take place Aug. 16-18 in Bosler, featuring three action-packed days of concerts, pasture bronc riding, pasture team roping, muley roping, stray gathering, camping, vendors, Cowboy Church, area history presentations and more. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit tomhorndays.com

Ag Summit

The Animal Agriculture Alliance will hold its 2024 Stakeholders Summit May 8-9 in Kansas City, Mo. The summit is a one-of-akind conference attended by a diverse group of decision makers representing all sectors of the agriculture industry. For more information or to register for the event, visit animalagalliance.org/initiatives/stakeholders-summit/

Job Opening

The U.S. National Weather Service is looking for an electronics technician in Riverton. In this position, an individual will be responsible for helping fix the weather radar, mountaintop radios and airfield weather sensors, among other responsibilities. For more information or to apply, visit usajobs.gov/ job/781819400

The Weekly News Source for Ranchers, Farmers and the Agribusiness

BLM releases updated draft plan for sage grouse management

During the second full week of March, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its long-awaited draft plan for Greater sage grouse conservation and management on public lands, which will shape public land use across 10 states and tens of millions of acres in the West.

According to the agency, this draft resource management plan amendment was

prepared in response to the continued loss of sage grouse habitat, despite ongoing conservation practices and the BLM’s previous planning efforts.

National Ag Day honors the heart of America

On March 18, ag leaders gathered in Washington, D.C. to celebrate National Ag Week. Joining the celebration was Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and other Senate Ag Committee members who spoke at the 2024 AgriPulse Ag and Food Policy Summit.

This year’s summit, themed “Revitalizing Rural Revenues” focused on the future of U.S. agriculture and new revenue possibilities in a wide range of sectors.

Comments from Secretary Vilsack

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) posted Vilsack’s summit comments to the USDA website on March 19, where he states, “Every year on National Agriculture Day, we come together to celebrate American agriculture and recognize the individuals who feed, fuel and clothe our nation and the world.”

“USDA works every day to support these men and women, making sure they have equitable access to the tools and capital they need, new and better markets both at home and abroad, support for operating in the face of a changing climate and vocal champions at USDA for their work and their communities,” he says.

“In fact, many of USDA’s officials come from farming or farmworker backgrounds, lending a personal perspective and drive to make our programs the best they can be for the people who need them,” Vilsack adds.

He continues, “Every person who wakes up in the morning and doesn’t have to grow or harvest their own food gets to do this thanks to the small percentage of our population

In fact, BLM notes sage grouse populations, which were once in the millions, now number fewer than 800,000, largely due to habitat loss caused by drought, wildfire and invasive species.

Please see BLM on page 20

Wage-fixing case

Meat industry giants pay $127 million to resolve lawsuit

Since its founding in the mid1980s, Mallett Simmentals has followed the path of most cattle ranches.

The Mallett family has experienced booms and busts and has fretted over droughts and volatile markets, all while carving out a thriving Simmental and South Devon program in the Lone Star State.

Despite hardships, Mike and Connie Mallett have seen outnumbered successes with their multibreed operation, headquartered in Lampasas, Texas.

Returning to their roots

Mike and Connie both come from ranching families, and in 1989 they decided to embark on a journey of their own raising Simmental cattle.

Mike says, “We returned to our home roots after traveling around Texas for 30 to 35 years.”

From a young age, Mike was

Meat industry giants JBS USA Food Company and Tyson Foods have agreed to pay a combined $127.2 million to resolve a lawsuit which accused them of purposefully suppressing workers’ wages at their processing plants.

So far, this marks the largest deal in the wage-fixing case occurring in Colorado federal court.

Background information

According to a March 13 Farm Progress article, written by DTN Staff Reporter Todd Neeley, a group of employees filed a classaction lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado in November 2022, alleging meatpacking companies have been conspiring to keep wages low and damaging employees’ future earnings potential.

“The original lawsuit alleged since at least 2014, the companies ‘conspired and combined to fix and depress’ compensation to employees at about 140 red meat processing plants across the country, in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act,” writes Neeley.

NCBA advocacy scores win for producers

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA) unabating advocacy efforts scored a major win for ag producers at the federal level, when the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) left out supply chain (Scope 3) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data in its most recent final rule regarding GHG emissions reporting.

Initially, SEC’s rule would have subjected farmers and ranchers to burdensome emissions reporting requirements.

But, with the help of NCBA engaging with SEC, educating policymakers on unintended consequences and conducting grassroots advocacy efforts, the commission removed the damaging provision in

its final rule.

“Earlier today, the SEC finalized a rule which would require GHG emissions reporting for publicly-traded companies,” stated NCBA Chief Counsel Mary-Thomas Hart during an episode of the association’s Beltway Beef podcast, dated March 6.

“One huge shift from the proposed rule to the final rule is it no longer requires Scope 3 emissions,” she says. “When this rule was proposed back in 2022, the SEC originally attempted to create a supply chain emissions reporting requirement which meant farmers and ranchers across the country would have to submit their GHG emissions data.”

Last week in this column, I wrote about the new “Made in the USA” rule by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). It is widely approved by cattle producers across the nation who are proud of the quality of beef products they provide American consumers.

Even though the former rule stated processors could label the package “Product of the USA,” it was far from the truth as beef processors could add meat or fat from other countries without disclosing where in the world it came from.

It was totally unfair marketing for U.S. beef producers to put up with.

The newly finalized rule with the proper stringent requirements for meat products may not go over well with beef processors, but many in the beef business are saying “That’s too bad,” or something along those lines.

The new rule states only meat, poultry and egg products which have been “born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the U.S.” can be labeled as “Made in the USA” or “Product of USA” on their packaging.

It also requires all other ingredients in meat products with USA labels besides spices and flavorings be of domestic origin, and all food preparation must have occurred in the U.S. as well.

The new rule is voluntary – companies and processors don’t have to place a USA label on their meat products if they wish not to – and would go into effect Jan. 1, 2026. We would all see what meat products consumers end up buying.

Consumers have said they would prefer to have a package of meat with the USA label on it, but there will most likely be an added cost for the product.

A 2023 study found consumers were willing to pay an average of $184 per household annually to buy meat products with voluntary country of origin labeling (COOL).

Studies show nearly one-half of all U.S. beef is consumed by just 12 percent of Americans. The USA label premiums could result in hundreds of millions of dollars in sales revenue.

It would place value on the USA label and would guarantee consumers are buying what they want.

The USA label surfaced around 2015, but it was mandatory instead of voluntary. Canadian and Mexican beef producers were up in arms as they thought it was unfair to them.

I happened to be in Calgary, Canada that summer for an international beef conference where the Canadian Counsel in Denver allowed one producer from a Western state to attend on their dime.

It was held during the Calgary Stampede, and we attended an evening reception where we were introduced to the Canadian Minister of Agriculture. He was polite to us, but in no uncertain terms, he told us Canada and Mexico were going to fight COOL.

Canada and Mexico challenged COOL as a nontariff trade barrier to the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the WTO authorized Canada and Mexico to retaliate and levy more than $1 billion in tariffs on goods from their countries.

Canada and Mexico still retain this authorization and could initiate retaliation with no further action by the WTO.

So far, Mexico has expressed disappointment, but Canada hasn’t said anything. Maybe the voluntary label will work for all. We hope so, but time will tell.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup

Reporting the News by the Code of the West

in Casper, WY

Fax: 307-472-1781 • E-mail: roundup@wylr.net

Phone: 307-234-2700

800-967-1647 • www.wylr.net

HANNAH BUGAS, Managing Editor • hannah@wylr.net

MELISSA ANDERSON, Editor • melissa@wylr.net

CANDICE PEDERSON, Production Coordinator • candice@wylr.net

JODY MICHELENA, Advertising

One of the memories that will forever be etched in my mind from a 40-year career in agriculture was selling wheat for $1.85 per bushel in the midst of the 1980s farm crisis.

Although it was apparent at the time there was no way for even the most efficient farmer in our area to avoid losing money with the abysmal grain prices, no thought was given to anything other than production.

It is in the DNA of a farmer to produce, produce, produce. And therein lies a conundrum, which MerriamWebster’s dictionary defines as “an intricate and difficult problem that has only a conjectural answer.”

There are some constants in this business, and one which continues to this day

By Ben Palen

is what I just noted – produce, produce, produce. This is a timely topic in light of my article from March 2023, in which the topic of discussion was whether a resetting was occurring in agriculture.

Providing some context

Let me give some current context to this conundrum.

In recent weeks, I have been doing budgets for broad acre crops grown in three primary regions of the U.S. – the Delta, the Corn Belt and the Great Plains. These crops include – depending on the region –corn, soybeans, rice, cotton, milo and oil sunflowers.

Both irrigated and nonirrigated production have been evaluated.

Primary references for the budgeting work were the very detailed line item

budgets for various crops in 2024, as prepared by the University of Arkansas, the University of Illinois and Kansas State University, respectively.

Further, I evaluated six different crops for a client whose farm in Western Kansas we manage. Input costs were verified with local suppliers in this instance.

The numbers are sobering, and this goes beyond the four corners of the spreadsheets.

One point of reference was Moultrie County, Illinois, which is in the heart of the high-quality “black dirt” area of central Illinois. The average corn and bean yields from 2020-22 were 212 and 67 bushels per acre, respectively – 2023 figures are not yet available from

published sources.

Using these figures and the University of Illinois’ current – as of last month – budgets for 2024, the results, at the noted yields, are losses of $221 and $109 per acre for corn and soybeans, respectively.

The budget costs include a charge for direct expenses – what we will refer to as hard cash costs – as well as land rent, a small amount for depreciation and modest amounts for overhead and repairs.

In Poinsett County, Arkansas, which is a strong crop production area of the state, average corn and bean yields from 2020-22 were 177 and 52 bushels per acre, respectively.

Using the University of

leading genetics and the highest quality Red Angus, with 79 years of

Beckton has long been the premier breeder of Red Angus cattle which combine calving ease, maternal traits, and rapid growth to yearling age, for maximum overall profitability to commercial cow-calf cattlemen Beckton’s balanced genetics and emphasis on the maternal traits, have made them the leading choice for commercial replacement females and for building a productive cow herd And the lower birth weights make them a first choice for breeding heifers.

Ever since the original Red Angus Herd Builder Index was created, more than 80% of the highest ranking sires for overall profitability are Beckton sires or descended from Beckton sires

Alcova Reservoir filled

The Bureau of Reclamation will begin the annual filling of Alcova Reservoir on April 1. Recreationists and reservoir users are advised to take proper precautions associated with the rising reservoir level at Alcova Reservoir.

During April, the reservoir will rise approximately 10 feet to the summer irrigation operating level. The rate of rise will average approximately five inches per day.

Upon reaching the summer irrigation operating level, the reservoir will remain at elevation 5,498 feet plus or minus one foot until Oct. 1.

This increase in the reservoir level will be completed by May 1 in order to allow deliveries to the Casper-Alcova Irrigation District canal.

Snowmelt forecasted

The March forecasts indicate the spring snowmelt runoff of water to Bureau of Reclamation reservoirs will be below average.

Total April through July runoff in the North Platte River Basin above Glendo Dam is expected to be 710,000 acre-feet (af), which is 75 percent of the 30-year average.

The total conservation storage capacity of the North Platte Reservoir System is approximately 2,815,800 af. As of Feb. 29, the combined storage content in the North Platte reservoirs was 1,866,335 af, which is 111 percent of the 30-year average.

Current releases are 530 cubic feet per second (cfs) from Seminoe Reservoir through the Miracle Mile. Releases out of Gray Reef Reservoir are 500 cfs. Releases out of Glendo Reservoir are 25 cfs. There are no releases being made from Guernsey Reservoir.

Based on current projections for the months of May, June and July, the releases out of Seminoe Reservoir are expected to peak at around 2,600 cfs, while flows out of Gray Reef are expected to be in the range of approximately 1,000 to 2,600 cfs.

Releases from Guernsey will be in the 2,000 to 5,000 cfs range. Pathfinder Reservoir is not expected to spill this spring.

NASDA recognizes ag impact

On March 19, National Ag Day, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) celebrated agriculture’s significant role in driving local, state and national economies across the U.S.

NASDA is a proud partner of the eighth annual Feeding the Economy report, a nationwide study commissioned by 30 food and agriculture groups to provide insight into the food and agriculture sectors’ economic impact.

In addition to national data, the report also provides detailed analyses of economic impacts at the state and county levels.

Check out NASDA’s social media to view highlights from National Ag Week and the launch of the Feeding the Economy report. To view the entire report, visit feedingtheeconomy.com

Purina offers scholarships

Purina Animal Nutrition, along with the Land O’Lakes Foundation, has opened its scholarship program designed to assist students with experience in agriculture and livestock production in pursuing their passions and furthering their educations.

Now, along with undergraduate students, current high school seniors who have experience raising and caring for small or large livestock, equine and/or poultry are eligible to apply for one of four $5,000 scholarships.

Scholarship applications will be accepted March 18 through April 17. Awardees will receive their scholarship funds for the fall 2024 semester at their current or anticipated educational institution.

The scholarship is open to all high school seniors who plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study at an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school for the entire upcoming academic semester/term and undergraduate students enrolled in an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school.

To learn more about the Purina Animal Nutrition Scholarship and apply today, visit purinamills.com/scholarship

Sen. Ellis announces retirement

Republican State Sen. Affie Ellis (SD-8) announced she will not seek another term in the Wyoming Senate. She was first elected to the Senate in 2016 and will have completed two four-year terms at the end of the year.

Ellis, a member of the Navajo Nation, was the first female Native American to serve in the Wyoming Legislature.

“Serving the people of Wyoming is a tremendous honor, and I am proud of the work my colleagues and I accomplished in these last eight years,” Ellis said. “My family has provided love and support throughout this journey and they’ve made sacrifices as I traveled this amazing state to do the work of Wyoming people.”

Ellis is the managing partner of the Cheyenne law office of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. She practices in the areas of natural resources, energy, environment and federal Tribal law.

Sire: Home Town #20881119

into top end producer, HP +17.1 Top 10%; moderate BW; he kicks it in WW +78 Top 15%; YW +139 Top 15%; he has Balanced traits Top 30% $M & $G; Top 20% $W; Top 10% $B; Top 4% $B & Top 4% $C; ADG 3.26

Lot 3159

Sire: Black Eagle #20593336

• Top 30% WW; Top 35% YW; Top 25% Doc

Lot 3186

CED Top 30% +9 & BW Top 35% +.4; Young dam already made pathfinder; by 789 she is the real deal; Top 4% HP, +81 Top 15% $M; Top 30% $W enough maternal put on pure carcass bull. Top 2% PAP Epd; Top 5% Marb; Top 25% RE; Great Values Top 30% $F; Top 10% $B; Top 4% $G & $C; ADG 3.75

• Top 35% $M; Top 30% $W; Top 30% $F • 1# Gain / 7.24 Feed

• ADG

• PAP 40

Sire: Churchill Red Baron #4418732

• Smooth made cow bull, has the #’s to sire some nice F1 cross feeder calves or take them to yearlings.

• Google eyed just like his sire Red Baron, have ½ sisters in production and they are good footed females with beautiful utters and lots of pigment.

• Ratios REA-116, IMF 106, WW-104, YW-106, Top 12% WW,

16%

5%

3.28 RFI +1.069

Lot 2225

Top

YW, Top

$BMI • 1# Gain / 6.03# Feed • ADG 3.95 RFI -0.24

Lot B215

NEWS BRIEFS

Test culminates with field day

The University of Wyoming’s (UW) second annual High Altitude Bull Test and Sale will culminate in a field day at the Laramie Research and Extension Center on March 26.

The annual field day, which is free and open to the public, offers producers a chance to learn about current beef cattle research and network with others involved in beef research. All attendees will be able to participate in the live auction bull sale.

This event also gives students an opportunity to gain practical experience in production agriculture.

The event will begin at 10 a.m. at the Hansen Teaching Arena. At 12 p.m., lunch and a student poster session highlighting current beef cattle research at UW will be provided.

The bull sale begins at 1 p.m. and will be broadcasted live on the DV Auctions site. More than 40 bulls are available for sale. Breeds include Angus, Red Angus, Simmental, Hereford, Charolais, Shorthorn and commercial bulls.

The sale catalog and videos of the bulls can be found at dvauction.com/events/208354

Twelve producers consigned a total of 81 bulls into the test in November 2023. After an initial pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) test mid-December, UW researchers recommended some bulls at high risk of altitude-related health issues be removed from the test.

Remaining bulls underwent feed efficiency testing to measure and evaluate performance, a second PAP evaluation to further assess the risk of pulmonary hypertension, carcass ultrasounding to evaluate ribeye area, fat thickness and intramuscular fat and a complete breeding soundness exam.

For more information about the UW High Altitude Bull Test and Sale, visit bit.ly/uwyo-animal-science

Contact Shelby Rosasco at 307-766-2329 or srosasco@ uwyo.edu with questions.

Subscribe to the Wyoming Livestock Roundup for $60 per year by calling 307-234-2700

Public meeting set

The Bureau of Reclamation has scheduled a Buffalo Bill Reservoir Water Information Meeting in Powell at 1 p.m. on April 4 in Room 70 of the Fagerberg Building at Northwest College.

A map of the campus can be found at nwc.edu/ about/campus/

Topics of discussion will include current water supply conditions, the 2024 snowmelt runoff forecast and 2024 projected reservoir operations.

Buffalo Bill Reservoir near Cody has a storage capacity of 646,565 acre feet and provides irrigation water to approximately 95,000 acres. It is a source of municipal water supply to multiple communities, and its power generation facilities provide electricity to thousands of homes.

APHIS seeks partners

For the second year, the U.S Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is inviting partners to collaborate on the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) dashboards.

These dashboards provide stakeholders with critical data to address AMR, a growing global health threat. APHIS will provide up to $3 million dollars for these efforts in 2024.

AMR occurs when bacteria and other microbes develop resistance to antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs, making these drugs less effective or ineffective at treating infections. This can have serious consequences for both animal and human health.

APHIS is seeking partners with expertise in AMR data analysis, dashboard development and stakeholder engagement.

Eligible partners include state departments of agriculture; Tribal entities; offices of state animal health officials; nonprofits; institutions of higher education; livestock, poultry or aquaculture producer organizations and veterinary organizations.

The funding opportunity announcement, including application instructions and additional information, is available on the APHIS website. Applicants can also find information on the ezFedGrants website or grants.gov

FEEDERS Hester Farms 220 Extra Fancy Blk Angus Strs, 740-900#, Weaned since December, Been on a Grower Ration, Branding Shots: Vista Once, Vision 7 w/Somnus, Weaning Shots: Bovi-Shield Gold 5, Nasalgen 3 PMH, SafeGuard Wormer, Poured w/Exit Gold, Booster Shots: Pyramid 5, Vision 7, No Implants, Top Dollar Angus Verified, Rank in top 8% of the breed for Growth & Carcass Quality, Sired by Ken Haas Angus Bulls, Lots of Ken Haas Genetics, 1-iron, Home Raised, Knife Cut Greg & Janet Starck 198 80% Blk/Bwf/20% Rwf/Hereford (Mostly F-1 Cross) Strs & Hfrs, 560-760#, Weaned since Nov., Bunk Broke, Hay & Silage Ration, Branding Shots: Pyramid 5+Presponse, Vision 7 w/Spur, No Implants, Knife Cut, Home Raised, 2 Family Brands J & J Ochsner 90 Sim/Angus Hfrs, 750-775#, Weaned a long time, Running out on Wheat Pasture supplemented with a Light Grower Ration, Been on a Mineral Program, Bunk Broke, 2 Rounds of Shots, Bangs Vac., Home Raised, Replacement Quality Snow Brothers 48 Blk (3 Rd) Hfrs & Strs, 850#, Guaranteed Open, Weaned since October, Bunk Broke, Been on a Ration of Hay & Silage, 2 Rounds of Modified Live Vac. Program, No Implants

WEANED CALVES

TTT Ranch 390 Mostly Blk Strs, 425-650#, Weaned since November, Running Out, Hay Fed and Free Choice Mineral, 3 Rounds of Shots: Vista Once, Vision 7 w/Somnus, Nasalgen, Cydectin Pour On, No Implants, Home Raised

****310 Mostly Blk Hfrs, 425-600#, Weaned since November, Running Out, Hay Fed and Free Choice Mineral, 3 Rounds

John Forgey 22 Blk Hfr Cf 555 305.00/C

Doug Masters 55 Blk Hfr Cf 625 297.50/C

Ron Lien 31 Blk/Red Hfr Cf 456 305.00/C

WBC changes meeting date

Due to scheduling conflicts, the Wyoming Beef Council (WBC) meeting, previously set for March 28 in Lingle, has been changed.

The new meeting dates and location are April 9-10 at the Riverton Holiday Inn and Convention Center in Riverton. The meeting will be held in the boardroom and will begin at noon on April 9.

Topics of discussion to be covered during the two halfday meetings will include Fiscal Year 2025 producer communications proposals from staff. There will also be presentations from Dr. Cody Gifford, UW meat science professor, and Dr. Steve Paisley, SAREC director and state beef quality assurance coordinator.

The council will also interview applicants for a vacant position on the Federation of State Beef Councils.

A copy of the agenda can be obtained by contacting WBC Executive Director Ann Wittmann at 307-777-6399 or ann.wittmann@wyo.gov.

LETTERS

Submit your letters to: Editor, Wyoming Livestock Roundup P.O. Box 850, Casper, WY, 82602, or e-mail to roundup@wylr. net. We reserve the right to edit letters. It is the policy of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup that we do not print letters attacking individuals, groups or organizations within the Wyoming agricultural community.

Dear Editor,

In the March 16 news brief, “Congress cuts BLM budget,” I find the usual deceptive language Congress uses to mask their damaging ideologies and perverted decisions.

Spokeswoman Amelia Perrin attempts to justify significant cuts to wild horse management funding by saying they are “shifting towards humane and sustainable IN-THEWILD – emphasis added – conservation strategies.”

This is directly out of the extreme feral horse’s advocates playbook.

What this really means is to leave the horses where they are – in the wild – and not round them up, as this, in their minds, is inhumane. Instead, they want to use robust fertility control. But, you have to round them up to robustly admin-

ister fertility control.

Don’t you just love governmental doublespeak?

This strategy completely ignores current overpopulation on the public lands – overpopulation which is causing irreparable damage to the soil and vegetative cover, harming fragile habitats for sage grouse and other dependent species and even the herd health itself, which the horse advocates say they value.

It appears Congress has chosen to “kick the can down the road” on this crucial issue, as well as a real budget, illegal immigration, corruption at the highest – or lowest – levels of government, etc.

It’s such a sad state of affairs.

Douglas Thompson Lander

who work the land day in and day out.”

“Farmers and farmworkers don’t just feed us, it is their resilience, dedication and hard work that ensure we have a secure, reliable, and accessible food supply,” he reiterates.

Vilsack further notes through conservation and other sustainable practices, ag producers keep small towns alive and provide healthy food to school children in their communities.

“From a pandemic to trade wars and global conflicts, the agricultural supply chain has faced many challenges in recent years.

For perhaps the first time, many Americans realized in a tangible way how important agriculture is to our everyday lives,” Vilsack remarks.”

Vilsack concludes, “From helping new and beginning farmers stay in business and making operations more resistant to unpredictable climate threats to recruiting a diverse next generation of agriculture professionals and creating a new model where farms of all sizes can thrive, USDA is laserfocused on creating opportunities for all who want to participate in agriculture, both now and well into the future.”

According to Successful Farming, Vilsack discussed the challenge of the agricultural trade imbalance, which has several factors driving it.

He states, “The administration would spend $20 billion over three to five years for various initiatives to create new sources of agricultural revenue, ranging from climate-smart agriculture and ecosystems services to expanding local processing capacity and developing new bioproducts made from farm waste.”

“Today, farmers get anywhere from 15 to 22 cents of the food dollar at

the grocery story. When they sell locally or regionally, they get 50 to 70 cents,” he states.

Senate Agriculture Committee remarks

During the summit, Sen. John Boozman (R-AR), a ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, fielded questions from the audience and addressed the farm bill and trade issues.

He says the need for a farm bill is there and the Senate Agriculture Committee expects to be working on a bill and is confident the House of Representatives will act this spring.

However, a Slido poll at the beginning of the summit showed 81 percent of attendees at the conference said they did not expect a farm bill to be enacted this year.

Boozman replies, “I hope the numbers are wrong because farmers need the stability, and if you talk to the average person in Congress, most members on both sides very much want to get a farm bill done.”

The senator disagreed with an audience question pertaining to Republicans not wanting to pass a fiveyear farm bill, which could be viewed as helping President Joe Biden in the presidential race, saying, “I don’t believe this at all, I believe it’s a misstatement.”

While Congress may be evenly split, Boozman made the case Republicans would benefit with the rural vote this year by passing a farm bill.

Boozman notes, “Rural America also needs a healthy economy, and this is why it’s so important to get a farm bill done.”

Following Boozman’s updates, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) suggested keeping the agriculture nutrition coalition together to pass a bill.

“The only way to get a farm bill is by building

coalitions, not by pitting one title against another,” she stresses. “What does not work is playing politics of food assistance and nutrition against everything else in the farm bill.”

She continues, “If we abandon the coalition, we don’t get a farm bill, but I believe we are going to get a farm bill by building coalitions.”

a government proclamation to farm leaders at the USDA Whitten Building in Washington, D.C. on March 19 to officially kick off National Ag Day around the country.

Also, Ag Day on the Hill offered individuals the opportunity to take ag issues directly to their legislators.

One of the recent offspring of the annual Ag Day

ture on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

This event is sponsored by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, and the multi-day celebration will be held May 6-8, with a focus on agriculture’s role fits of today’s agricultural equipment technology along with gains achieved by producers, agribusiness, food processors and retailers. Melissa Anderson is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send com-

2024 Seminar

Ranching Collaboratively: Mastering Public Land Partnerships

Monday February 12 2024

Energy Innovations: Exploring the Influence of Energy Innovations Monday March 18 2024

Leading the Field: Family-Run Businesses, Industry, and Community Leadership Monday, April 1, 2024

Navigating Western Waters:

Water Challenges in the Western Region

AG continued from page 2

Arkansas’ 2024 budget figures and including a land rent charge of 25 percent of gross revenue, the results show losses of more than $300 and $190 per acre for corn and soybeans, respectively.

In a highly productive area of northwest Kansas, budget figures from Kansas State University and area average crop yields indicate losses per acre of about $200 and $142 per acre for irrigated corn and beans.

Similarly, my own analysis of costs and expenses on a client-owned, non-irrigated farm in northwest Kansas indicates losses ranging from $60 to $80 per acre depending on the crop.

This is in a custom farming arrangement. If the land were leased, the flip side for the tenant would likely be losses of at least double these figures.

As an illustration of the volatility of the agricultural markets, the per bushel prices assumed in the various university prepared budgets I have noted above are anywhere from 50 cents to $2.20 higher than published new crop bids for fall 2024 delivery.

I made the appropriate adjustments for the declines in prices. Hence, the projected losses are at least tens of dollars per acre higher than the referenced budgets indicate.

There are other examples from different geographic regions and with different annual crops, and the results are typically as poor as those noted above.

I am well aware some readers will question these figures, especially items such as depreciation. My rejoinder is kicking the can down the road by not considering basic accounting and financial principles is nothing more than sidestepping the heart of the issue.

Further, finding small adjustments in a few expense items will not have a material impact on reducing these losses. The issue goes deeper.

Making sense of it all

How does one make sense of all of this? What

impact will this have on land values?

With reference to my initial comments about the production-based DNA of farmers, the hard financial reality is it seems to make sense in some instances not to plant a crop.

This will be viewed by some as heresy. Others will say it is completely impractical. But, the facts of the matter suggest even with normal or somewhat above-normal crop yields, it is highly unlikely significant losses for most annual crops can be avoided in 2024 and perhaps beyond – at least until such a point as some sort of resetting takes place.

At the very least, not planting would likely ensure the magnitude of the loss is nowhere near what any realistic projection indicates. To be sure, there are some costs associated with leaving land idle, but they pale in comparison to the amount of losses which loom from raising certain crops this year.

I say this with the full recognition this scenario will lead to painful conversations between farmers and their lenders and farmers and their landlords and with complete awareness leaving land idle – in the absence of a government subsidy program – is practically unheard of.

Suggesting a reset

In the quest to produce, produce, produce, we seem to have lost sight of some of the things I noted in my prior article about a resetting. Two this merit, special note are waning demand because of slowing global population growth and increased competition for U.S. farmers from South America and other locations.

We have, to some extent, forgotten the fact we must find new uses for some of our crops, otherwise these negative trends will feed on themselves.

For those readers who think the idea of not planting is anathema, think about what John Deere does when demand wanes. It cuts back production.

was produce, produce, produce. And I am aware there are important differences between now and then.

The stakes are higher now. We have a land market – and let’s be honest with ourselves – this may not reflect the reality of overproduction and questions about demand.

To use a word which is perhaps used too often these days in agriculture – the path of produce, produce, produce is not sustainable given the current supply/demand situation. There is no question equity erosion will occur as cash losses mount.

At some point, even the most financially solid growers will adjust expectations. This will impact land values. There will be a resetting.

Because of the production mentality most farmers have, some will be tempted to plant in the hopes of a weather-related disaster in some major producing area of the world impacting grain prices. This is a bet that more times than not, fails to pay off.

Further, and notwithstanding the general aversion to government help from most farmers, I have yet to see one mark of “return to sender” on any payments from the USDA. However, in the current political and economic environment, I am not sure I would bet the farm on some sort of ad hoc disaster or subsidy payments being in the offing.

The problem is real.

What are the solutions to keeping the agricultural economy healthy for all of its participants?

All of the technology is wonderful, but what we are talking about here goes way beyond savings of a few dollars an acre with some new product or service. At the top of my list is finding further uses for our primary crops.

legitimacy to those topics and more ways will emerge for farmers to monetize their environmentally-friendly practices.

It would seem more politically palatable for the government to pay farmers for “good” practices rather than simply issuing subsidy payments. There is a role private industry can and must play in supporting good practices on the farms from which they buy their raw materials.

Large amounts of capital are committed to regenerative agriculture, and I fully expect benchmarks will be established by which farmers can monetize such practices at scale.

The long view, and perhaps one which will create heartburn for some readers, is we have, to some extent, outdone ourselves.

There are all kinds of new technologies designed to make farmers more efficient. There are biological products aimed at lowering costs for certain inputs. There are higher yielding crop varieties.

These products and services are all well and good, but they are tied to production. We are not paying enough attention to the other side of the equation, and this is can we sell what we grow at a globally competitive price?

Readers may ask, what am I to do on the aforementioned Western Kansas farm we manage?

As distasteful as it feels, I am most likely going to advise the client not to plant a crop this year. I do not feel good about telling them this, but I would feel worse in a scenario where we plant and lose even more money than we would by not planting.

For well-managed factories, this is not an unusual occurrence, as the economy goes through various cycles. I understand there might be only a handful of factories producing tractors, whereas the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports there are over two million farms in the U.S.

No one farmer can control his or her demand for what is being grown. But, they can control their costs by not planting x amount of acres.

To those who scoff at this notion, what is the alternative? Plant more acres and lose more money than would be the case by not planting? It is akin to the lesser of two evils.

These are hard questions. They are things none of us in agriculture enjoy talking about. But, they are necessary topics which must be discussed.

I saw firsthand what happened in the 80s when it

There is promise in this regard for various oil seeds and for corn, especially when the latter can generate some extra money for farmers and processors via the carbon intensity score mechanism which is part of recent climate related legislation.

Requiring a paradigm shift

In the mid-1980s, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) was introduced, and it resulted in the enrollment of millions of acres of cropland in a long-term program of reestablishing grass on such acres.

Interest has waned in recent years during the commodity super cycle, and a fairly large percentage of expired CRP acres went back into crop production.

Perhaps this is a program which merits further government funding.

There are environmental benefits, such as carbon sequestration, which are now front-and-center in many discussions about farmland. This was not the case when the CRP was rolled out some 40 years ago.

Although there has been a certain degree of hype about carbon, regenerative agriculture and the like, there is an underpinning of

In this instance, the decision is also influenced by very dry soil moisture levels. Unless we receive above normal moisture between now and the time for spring planting, the odds of a normal crop are not good.

A farmer lives on optimism. It is always going to rain tomorrow.

The reality at this time is the status quo is not sustainable for many of us who are involved in the ag sector, notably in broad acre annual crops.

Expectations must be adjusted. All participants in the ag sector, along with government and private industry, must focus on new product uses and ways to generate new sources of revenue from eco-friendly practices. A paradigm shift is needed.

In the short run, I believe there will be adjustments in income and in asset values. It is incumbent on all participants in the sector to be proactive so these adjustments are not as harsh as some may believe they will be.

Ben Palen is a fifth-generation farmer with experience in many aspects of agriculture, including projects in the U.S., Africa and the Middle East. This opinion column was originally published in GAI News

SALE REPORTS

50th Annual Loosli Bull Sale

Reported By: Curt Cox, WYLR Field Editor

March 12, 2024

Loosli Red Angus, Ashton, Idaho Auctioneer: Kyle Colyer

103 Yearling Red Angus Bulls Avg. $5,135

53 Yearling Red Angus Heifers Avg. $2,214

Top Sellers

Bulls

Lot 2 – Loosli Foreman 372 – Price: $20,000

DOB: 2/11/23 Sire: 5L Foreman 2174-370E Dam’s Sire: Brown CSB Triad D6451

EPDs: BW: -3.7, WW: +85, YW: +141 and Milk: +29 Buyer: 5L Red Angus, Sheridan, Mont.

Lot 19 – Loosli Profiteer

3133 – Price: $17,000 DOB:

3/7/23 Sire: 5L Profiteer

1117-15G Dam’s Sire: Loosli Riverside 838 EPDs: BW:

-1.2, WW: +71, YW: +120 and Milk: +28 Buyer: Dalton Cattle, Richfield, Idaho

Lot 6 – Loosli Ultimatum

3135 – Price: $14,500 DOB:

3/9/23 Sire: 5L Ultimatum

3004-442F Dam’s Sire: WFL

Merlin 018A EPDs: BW:

-3.2, WW: +76, YW: +134 and Milk: +35 Buyer: OK Cattle Company, Towner, N.D.

Lot 5 – Loosli Foreman

364 – Price: $10,000 DOB:

2/10/23 Sire: 5L Foreman

2174-370E Dam’s Sire: LSF SRR X-Porter 9129G EPDs:

BW: -2.8, WW: +81, YW: +130 and Milk: +30 Buyer: Patterson Land and Livestock, Gooding, Idaho Female

Lot 118 – Miss Loosli Stillwater 3106 – Price: $4,000 DOB: 3/5/23 Sire: Feddes Stillwater B70-8233 Dam’s Sire: Feddes Stillwater B70-8233 EPDs: BW: +0.8, WW: +78, YW: +125 and Milk: +28 Buyer: Mullendore Ranch, Missoula, Mont.

Diamond Peak Cattle Company

12th Annual "Diamonds in the Rough" Angus Bull Sale

Reported By: Curt Cox, WYLR Field Editor

March 16, 2024

Riverton Livestock, Riverton

Auctioneer: Ty Thompson

64 Two-Year-Old and Yearling Bulls Avg. $6,327

Top Sellers

Lot 53 – Price: $12,000 Buyer: Grindstone Cattle, Daniel

Lot 4 – Price: $9,750 Buyer: Grindstone Cattle, Daniel

Lot 26 – Price: $9,500 Buyer: Grindstone Cattle, Daniel

Lot 72 – Price: $9,000 Buyer: Alvin Hyle, Lander

Montana Performance Bull Co-opTM with Basin Angus Bull Sale

Reported By: Curt Cox, WYLR Field Editor March 15, 2024

Midland Bull Test Sale Facility, Columbus, Mont.

Auctioneer: Joe Goggins and Greg Goggins 222 Yearling Angus Bulls Avg. $9,721

Top Sellers

Lot 1 – Basin Salvation 3505 – Price: $110,000

DOB: 1/15/23 Sire: SG Salvation Dam’s Sire: Basin

Payweight 1682 EPDs: BW: +1, WW: +79, YW: +141 and Milk: +27 Buyer: Grimmius Cattle, Hanford, Calif.

Lot 7 – Basin True Grit 3017 – Price: $75,000 DOB: 1/11/23 Sire: Basin True

Grit 1021 Dam’s Sire: Basin Rainmaker 8584 EPDs:

BW: -0.9, WW: +72, YW: +135 and Milk: +32 Buyers: 21 Mile Ranch, Montana; Brenneman Ranch, Nebraska; Markota Angus Ranch, Ohio; Tony Phipps, Montana; BDR Ranch, Colorado and Rooney Angus, Wisconsin

Lot 49 – BCC True

North 36L – Price: $60,000

DOB: 2/18/23 Sire: Square B True North 8052 Dam’s Sire: Sitz Stellar 726D

Sitz Angus Annual Spring Bull Sale

Sitz Angus Annual Spring Bull Sale

Reported By: Curt Cox, WYLR Field Editor March 13, 2024

Sitz Angus Ranch, Dillon, Mont.

Auctioneers: Joe Goggins and Greg Goggins

Six Herd Bulls Avg. $62,167

268 Yearling Angus Bulls Avg. $9,965

313 Commercial Heifer Calves Avg. $2,243

Top Sellers

Lot 1 – Sitz Eternity 739L – Price: $220,000

DOB: 1/16/23 Sire: LAR

WW: +77, YW: +133 and Milk: +27 Buyer: Bear Mountain Angus, Palisade, Neb.

Lot 140 – Sitz Accomplishment 611L – Price: $29,000 DOB: 1/27/23

Palmer Angus, Montgomery, Texas

Lot 150 – Sitz Man In Black 470L – Price:

$25,500 DOB: 2/14/23

Sire: LAR Man In Black

EPDs: BW: +0.1, WW: +76, YW: +137 and Milk: +32

Buyer: ST Genetics, Navasota, Texas

Lot 2 – Basin Salvation 3533 – Price: $55,000

DOB: 1/25/23 Sire: SG Salvation Dam’s Sire: Basin

Payweight 1682 EPDs: BW: +1.7, WW: +84, YW: +152 and Milk: +26 Buyer: Krebs Ranch, Gordon, Neb.

Lot 17 – Basin Rangeland 3511 – Price: $50,000

DOB: 1/18/23 Sire: Ellingson Rangeland Dam’s Sire: Basin Yuma 4286 EPDs: BW: +2.9, WW: +87, YW: +157 and Milk: +32 Buyer: Apex Angus, Valier, Mont.

Lot 5 – Basin Jameson 3263 – Price: $30,000

DOB: 2/11/23 Sire: Basin Jameson 1076 Dam’s Sire: Basin

Payweight 1682 EPDs: BW: +0.0, WW: +83, YW: +144 and Milk: +39 Buyer: Rollin Rock Angus, Pilot Rock, Ore.

Lot 49 – Sitz Reality 491L – Price: $46,000

DOB: 2/12/23 Sire: Woodhill Reality Dam’s Sire: Koupals B&B Atlas 4061 EPDs: BW: -1.5,

Man In Black Dam’s Sire: Connealy Final Product EPDs: BW: +2, WW: +90, YW: +155 and Milk: +28 Buyer: ST Genetics, Navasota, Texas

Sire: Sitz Accomplishment 720F Dam’s Sire: Sitz Stellar 726D EPDs: BW: +0.8, WW: +88, YW: +155 and Milk: +21 Buyer: Shufelberger Ranch, Redding, Calif.

Lot 5 – Sitz Intellect

687L – Price: $27,500

DOB: 1/21/23 Sire: B A R

Dynamic Dam’s Sire: Sitz Stellar 726D EPDs: BW: -2.5, WW: +86, YW: +147 and Milk: +30 Buyer:

Dam’s Sire: Sitz Accomplishment 720F EPDs: BW: +1.6, WW: +90, YW: +164 and Milk: +26

Buyer: Lazy S&K, Lehi, Utah

Lot 9 – Sitz Incentive 680L – Price: $25,000

DOB: 1/21/23 Sire: Sitz Incentive 704H Dam’s

Sire: Sitz Upward 307R

EPDs: BW: +2.3, WW: +82, YW: +136 and Milk: +19 Buyer: Edger Brothers, Rockham, S.D.

SALE REPORTS

Triangle J Ranch-Altenburg Colorado Select Bull Sale

Reported By: Justin Warren, WYLR Field Editor March 16, 2024

Centennial Livestock Auction, Fort Collins, Colo.

Auctioneer: Tom Frey

129 Simmental/SimAngus Bulls Avg. $6,488

Top Sellers

Lot 1– 860L – Price:

$15,000 DOB: 1/23/23 Sire:

KBHR Bold Ruler H152

Dam’s Sire: EZAR Gold

Rush 6001 EPDs: BW: -4.2, WW: +83.5, YW: +138.9 and Milk: +30.6 Buyer: Glenn

Black Summit Annual Bull Sale

Reported By: Bo Bevis, WYLR Field Editor March 15, 2024

Black Summit Sale Facility, Powell

Auctioneer: Kyle Shobe

Sale Manager: Allied Genetic Resources

59 Yearling SimAngus Bulls Avg. $7,114

Top Sellers

Lot 31 – BSUM Applied

Science 303L – Price:

$56,000 DOB: 1/28/23 Sire:

Gibbs Fast Track 0634H

Dam’s Sire: NLC Cow

Boss 160C EPDs: BW: -1.0,

WW: +91.6, YW: +149.8 and Milk: +26.3 Buyers: All Beef, Wade Small and Genex, Normal, Ill.

Lot 64 – BSUM 385L – Price: $20,000 DOB: 2/27/23 Sire: CCR Com-

Carlson, Stoneham, Colo.

Lot 45 – 947L – Price:

$12,250 DOB: 1/28/23

Sire: Gibbs 8025F Dam’s

Sire: CLRS Dividend 405D EPDs: BW: +0.7, WW: +93.1, YW: +142.4 and

Milk: +28.7 Buyer: Scott Meyer, Superior, Neb.

Lot 15 – 847L – Price:

$11,250 DOB: 1/28/22 Sire:

KBHR Bold Ruler H152

Dam’s Sire: 3C Pasque 4331B B EPDs: BW: -1.4, WW: +82, YW: +139.9 and Milk: +28.6 Buyer: Emmons Ranch, Olive, Mont.

mander 4404H Dam’s Sire: NLC Cow Boss 160C EPDs: BW: +1.6, WW: +84.5, YW: +130.4 and Milk: +28 Buyer: Carsten Simmental, Hotchkiss, Colo.

Lot 39 – BSUM 325L –Price: $16,000 DOB: 2/8/23

Sire: Gibbs Fast Track 0634H Dam’s Sire: NLC

Cow Boss 160C EPDs: BW: +0.7, WW: +86.3, YW: +138.4 and Milk: +20.6

Buyer: Walking 5 Ranch, Broadview, Mont.

Lot 1 – BSUM 3131L

Lot 106 – 668L – Price: $10,000 DOB: 1/13/23 Sire: Tehama Patriarch F028

Dam’s Sire: TJ Gold 274G

EPDs: BW: -4.9, WW: +84.5, YW: +134.6 and Milk: +35.4 Buyer: Millers

Ranch, Spearfish, S.D.

Lot 83 – 879L – Price: $10,000 DOB: 1/30/23 Sire: SAS Copperhead G354

Dam’s Sire: Springcreek Lotto 52Y EPDs: BW: +2.4, WW: +102.1, YW: +144.1 and Milk: +28.9 Buyer: Kevin Hronich, Ignacio, Colo.

– Price: $14,500 DOB: 3/17/23 Sire: CLRS Homeland 327H Dam’s Sire: TFS

Due North 2659Z EPDs:

BW: -1.6, WW: +77.4, YW: +120.2 and Milk: +22.8

Buyer: TTT Ranch, Kaycee

Lot 41 – BSUM 355L

– Price: $10,000 DOB: 2/21/23 Sire: Gibbs Fast Track 0634H Dam’s Sire: TFS Due North 2659Z

EPDs: BW: +1.4, WW: +87.4, YW: +147.4 and Milk: +26.5 Buyer: Brad Bolek, Hay Springs, Neb.

NCBA continued from page 1

Background and NCBA arguments

Hart believes the SEC rule came about in response to increased interest among publicly-traded company shareholders to gain access to more supply chain information.

“The GHG emissions reporting rule is the latest attempt by shareholders to get more information out of publicly-traded companies, and unfortunately, we were just potential collateral damage,” she says.

“But, I think SEC and shareholders quickly realized they woke a sleeping beast when they subjected the ag industry to this reporting rule,” she continues.

Hart further notes over 7,000 NCBA members across the nation –nearly one-quarter of the association’s membership and the highest response they have ever seen – submitted comments and letters to Congress to voice their concerns.

Hart shares NCBA’s primary argument in opposition of the rule was the unnecessary risk and burden it would place on ag producers across the country.

“There is a lot of interest in industry-wide data – a snapshot of how we are doing, how we have improved over time, etc. –which is currently available through the Environmental Protection Agency’s existing GHG Emissions Inventory,” Hart remarks.

According to this resource, beef cattle are only responsible for around two percent of overall U.S. GHG emissions, and since 1960, U.S. cattle producers have reduced their emissions per pound of beef by 40 percent.

Hart points out this isn’t by accident. In fact, it is largely due to genetic improvements, grazing management improvements and access to technology in the feedyard.

“All of these things together means we can maximize our production value and be more environmentally sustainable,” she states.

Further, Hart comments, “When it comes down to getting individual reports from producers, the science just isn’t there. We don’t have a way to accurately measure individual, farm-level GHG emissions, so this rule would be subjecting individual agricultural producers to a reporting requirement they wouldn’t be able to comply with.”

“Then, when they are not able to comply, I think we run the risk of being subject to shareholder

derivative lawsuits from publicly-traded companies, which presents an immense legal risk for farmers and ranchers across the country,” she concludes.

The final rule

Hart believes these arguments were well received by SEC and certainly noted in the final rule, which left Scope 3 out of the reporting requirements.

Adopted on March 6, the SEC’s final rule will require direct (Scope 1) and indirect (Scope 2) GHG emissions data to be reported.

Additionally, the rule requires domestic and foreign registrants to include extensive climate-related information in their registration statements and periodic reports, including the disclosure of climaterelated risks which have materially impacted or are likely to impact the registrant; the actual and potential material impacts of climate-related risks and the business management’s role in assessing and managing risk.

The rule also requires reporting on the processes used for identifying, assessing and managing climaterelated risks; any climaterelated target or goal which has materially affected or is likely to affect the registrant’s business and various financial statement effects resulting from severe weather events and other natural disasters.

With SEC’s final rule published, Hart notes ag producers have a day to breathe easy while they wait for the next attack on agriculture to pop up.

“I think there is going to be continued interest from corporate shareholders in getting increased supply chain information,” she shares. “If it isn’t GHG emissions data, it might be another data set related to supply chain and inputs.”

“NCBA will continue to engage with the SEC, and now that we have a relationship with the commission, we can build on this relationship and make sure they understand the unique concerns of cattle producers and other ag producers across the country,” she adds.

Hart concludes, “We will also continue to be mindful of happenings on Capitol Hill, through the EPA and other regulatory agencies, as well as other attempts to subject farmers and ranchers to GHG emissions reporting.”

Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net.

For more information on the SEC’s GHG emissions reporting rule, visit sec.gov.

“The companies named in the lawsuit produce about 80 percent of all red meat sold to U.S. consumers.”

The complaint explains senior executives at these companies compared compensation practices, then established and approved hourly wage rates, annual salaries and employment benefits to suppress compensation across their workforces.

The employees further alleged these companies entered a no-poach agreement, preventing them from recruiting employees from

continued from page 1

each other.

“The intended and actual effect of defendants’ conspiracy to fix compensation has been to reduce and suppress the wages, salaries and benefits paid to class members since January 2014 to levels materially lower than they would have been in a competitive market,” the complaint alleges.

In August 2023, nearly a year after the lawsuit was filed, the plaintiffs announced a $10 million settlement with Seaboard Foods; a $1.3 million settlement with Per-

due Farms, Inc. and made an agreement with Triumph Foods to cooperate in the ongoing case against the other companies.

Current case

In the latest settlement, announced in federal court at the end of the first full week of March, Tyson Foods agreed to pay $72.3 million and JBS USA Food Company agreed to pay $55 million, bringing the grand total in the case to around $138.5 million.

The settlement also requires the two food industry giants to provide worker compensation data, documents and testimony, as the

plaintiffs pursue pending claims.

Both have denied the plaintiffs’ allegations and refuse to admit to any wrongdoing as part of their settlement.

“The sizable financial recovery alone would render the settlement agreements adequate, but the settlement agreements also contain meaningful cooperation terms which will help plaintiffs to prosecute their antitrust claims against the remaining defendants,” reads a motion for preliminary approval of the agreement filed in court.

Settlements have not been reached with the remaining defendants in the case, including Cargill, Hormel, National Beef and Smithfield.

Water conference scheduled

The Yonts Water Conference will be held on April 10 at the Panhandle Research, Extension and Education Center in Scottsbluff, Neb.

Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the conference will begin at 9 a.m. with Dr. Xin Qiao, Nebraska Extension water and irrigation management specialist, discussing ways to improve irrigation efficiencies and give a research update on new irrigation technologies.

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation personnel will provide an update on snowpack and expected runoff in the Upper North Platte River Basin.

Representatives from HDR Engineering and the Goshen Irrigation District will present an update on the progress of replacing Tunnel Number One and Tunnel Number Two, which collapsed and caused a breach of the canal in 2019.

Both tunnels are in Wyoming on the main line canal of the Goshen and Gering-Ft. Laramie Irrigation districts.

The morning will wrap up with Don Day of the DayWeather Podcast providing a forecast and weather outlook for the 2024 spring and summer.

The Yonts Water Conference is free, but registration is requested at go.unl.edu/yonts by April 5.

Could you train a Wild American Mustang in just 120 days?

Could you train a Wild American Mustang in just 120 days? ONE

Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

Could you train a Wild American Mustang in just 120 days?

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IT'S THE PITTS

by Lee Pitts

The Worst Jobs I’ve Ever Had

Here are the 10 worst jobs I’ve ever had.

10. Turning over hay bales – As a teenager I worked on a ranch hauling hay from the fields to the hay shed. Before the bales could be stacked on the truck, they had to be turned over so the elevator could pick them up.

I walked along kicking over the bales, knowing under every one out of 10 bales there would be a snake, and in one out of 10 of those instances, it would be a rattler.

Needless to say, it kept me on my toes.

9. Smudging – I grew up in the “citrus capital of the world,” and one of my jobs in high school was having my own smudge crew.

Before it got down to 28 degrees Fahrenheit, I’d call up my team members and we’d go light smudge pots which burned a thick nasty oil that turned the air in our valley black.

I darn near froze to death, and I had a smoker’s cough at age 18 without ever having smoked anything.

Smudging did have one bright side. The following morning we had to refill the pots, and it was an accepted excuse for missing school.

8. Mucking out stalls –I liked being around horses, but my job was at a riding academy for rich girls. When they’d see me at school, they’d look down their snooty noses at me and pinch them as if I stunk.

I give this as the reason why I never had a single date in high school.

7. Picking lemons – I did this for a rich lady my mom sewed for. I picked with a professional crew who could average 50 boxes per day, while the best I ever got up to was 19.

This job also had a good side. The lady saw I was a hard worker and hired me to park cars for her when she

had fancy parties. What other 16-year-old can say they drove both a Corvette and a Rolls Royce?

6. Compressor plant – I was the assistant to a mechanic in a compressor plant in the oilfields in one of the hottest spots in America. We’d work in short 15-minute bursts inside the plant where it got up to 125 degrees Fahrenheit and then run outside to cool down, where it was only 115 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. Teaching college –Believe it or not, I taught at a junior college part time. I taught animal science to classes of six or eight urban kids who only took the class because they thought it would be an easy A.

I hated teaching. I felt guilty taking their money, and I never gave anyone an A.

4. Killing rabbits – One of

my more profitable enterprises in high school was raising rabbits to sell to misplaced Okies and Arkies who grew up eating rabbit. The cute white bunnies still visit me in my nightmares.

3. Painting trees – Another job in the citrus industry was painting the trunks of lemon trees with a nasty substance called something like “boredough.” It stopped ants and spiders from crawling up tree trunks, and I think itʼs the reason I’ve been a chronic in the sick pen most of my life.

2. Selling ads – I was hired at the ripe old age of 21 to travel a territory for a livestock paper. I was supposed to sell cattle auction ads in return for my working the upcoming sale as a ring man.

My territory included southern California, Arizona, Utah and Clark County, Nevada, which contained not

a single cow. My commission was 33 percent but driving two days to Utah and back and paying all of my expenses for one-third of $350 didn’t seem like a good way to get rich.

1. Dusting furniture – I began my career at the age of 10, dusting furniture every Friday for my Grandpa who owned a furniture store. On one side of the store were the appliances, couches and carpet which really didn’t require that much dusting.

Naturally, my older brother got to dust this side of the store, and I had to dust the building next door which contained unfinished wooden furniture – every square inch of which had to be dusted.

Rubbing salt in the wound, we both got paid the same dollar.

I’ve never dusted a piece of furniture since.

MALLETT continued from page 1

involved in agriculture, helping his dad and granddad with farming and ranching in Burnet, Texas. After high school, he went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in agriculture with an emphasis in bovine reproduction from Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas.

During their time away from Lampasas County, the couple traveled around the state while Connie worked as a teacher at local schools and Mike worked as an Extension agent for Texas A&M.

“I was involved in 4-H programs, natural resource projects and provided agricultural education for 32 years with various county Extension offices here in Texas,” Mike states.

“I learned a lot with the

Extension Service and was rewarded by being able to share with the constituents of local counties.”

In 2004, Mike decided to retire and started raising cattle full time. Today, the couple runs 150 to 160 head of cattle, consisting of top-quality Simmental and South Devon breeds.

“Connie and I have been married for 54 years. She retired from teaching after 31 years, and together we run the operation of our cattle, along with the help of our blue heeler Tipper,” says Mike.

He notes both of their daughters work in education and play a significant role in helping with ranch operations as well. Tara Mallett lives in west Texas and keeps a set of heifers at the family ranch. Cassidy

For more information on Mallett Simmentals visit mallettsimmentals.com.

Stapp lives in Lampasas, Texas and is readily available to help her parents, especially in the summer.

The Malletts just celebrated the 20th anniversary of their annual bull sale –the Cattleman’s Kind Bull Sale – which takes place on the first Thursday in March, hosted by the Jordan Cattle Auction in San Saba, Texas.

“This year was our strongest sale,” Mike shares. “Having repeat buyers and attracting new buyers has been very rewarding. It is really a compliment when buyers repeatedly come back.”

Impressing at Midland

Mike shares, “My goal is to improve each year. I enjoy the challenge. It’s exciting to think out of the box. I like trying something new. It’s how we learn. It’s rewarding to see the cattle perform better and better.”

The Malletts have been focusing on performance and profit for their customers, which has helped them achieve the honor of con-

Austin Snook • 307-290-2161

Taylor Snook • 307-290-2273

Craig Deveraux • 307-746-5690

Dan Catlin • 406-671-7715

Clint Snook • 307-290-4000

signing some of the top bulls at the Midland Bull Test and Sale in Columbus, Mont.

In 2019, they received the High Performing Simmental Bull and High Efficiency Simmental Bull Award at Midland and have secured top honors every year since.

“The Midland team does a great job,” says Mike. “We started working with them 20 years ago and continue to benefit from their testing, gathering data to improve our operation.”

This year at Midland Bull Test, the Malletts consigned a phenotype standout, with nine traits in the top 25 percent, growth traits showing a great payout at weaning and strong maternal traits with a quiet disposition.

The Malletts will also be selling a docile, longboned, high-performance bull covering all of the bases with 10 traits in the top 25 percent, including maternal and carcass merit this year at the Midland

Cheyenne Seymour • 605-641-0638

Casey Sellers • 307-217-2614

Jim Forbes • 307-351-5932

Tye Curuchet • 307-351-8666

Daniel Escoz • 307-217-1440

Kade Kinghorn • 307-620-0525

"From the ring, to the video, and in the country, we market your livestock the competitive way."

Market Report • March 20, 2024 • No Sale

Thank you and we appreciate your business!

• March - april Sale Schedule •

27 -

To

3 -

www.buffalolivestockwyo.com

Competitive force – Mallett Simmentals’ lot 850 was a competitive force in the 2024 Midland Bull Test, ranking in the top three of all four categories. A son of ES TNT Unlocked GE49, this bull was the High Indexing Group 1 Simmental Fall Bull, with a Midland Bull Test Index of 103. He also ranked second in Efficiency (Eff) with an Eff of 103, second in weight per day of age (WDA) with a WDA of 2.90 and third in average daily gain (ADG) with an ADG of 3.54. This bull will sell on April 4 at the Midland Bull Test Final Sort Sale in Columbus, Mont. Chelsee Camblin photo

Bull Test Final Sort Sale.

Although the Malletts focus on performance, they have produced some show ring winners, and they were awarded the Fort Worth Stock Show Reserve Division Champion Maintainer Female in 2019 and the Reserve Grand Champion Maintainer Heifer at the 2020 Houston Livestock Show.

To conclude, Mike states, “There will always be challenges and setbacks that accompany the reward, but as long as I enjoy good health, I will continue to strive for improvement in the cattle industry.”

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

Plant center opens

Leaders with University of Idaho’s (UofI) College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) and supporters dedicated a new laboratory in Parma, Idaho which promises to advance crop science and technology, helping farmers adapt to a changing world.

More than 200 stakeholders attended the grand opening of the 9,600-square-foot Idaho Center for Plant and Soil Health, which replaces aging and dilapidated facilities at the UofI Parma Research and Extension Center.

The university’s new state-of-the-art building contains laboratory space for research in nematology, pomology, plant pathology, microbiology and hops quality.

“This facility is going to give farm families and farm companies all over the nation, and particularly all over the state of Idaho, the tools they need to be survivors and actually thrive in the face of changing challenges, whether they be climate challenges, consumer challenges or all of the other challenges we know exist every day,” said Gov. Brad Little.

CALS launched the campaign to construct the $12.1 million facility in 2019. Construction was made possible thanks to $3 million in donations from agricultural stakeholders, in addition to investment from the university and the state of Idaho.

I haven’t had the best of nights, to be honest I’ve seen better.

I’m cold. I’m hungry. I’m sleepy, and I’m flat out frustrated with that first-calf heifer.

I’d put four heavies in the barn last night, waiting for their young to hit the dirt.

I’d been patient with them all evening, I know labor without medication had to hurt.

The morning started relatively promising, snow on the ground but no wind.

We expected four pairs of ears to tag at sunrise, three of four mamas held up the deal on their end.

But one of four was not so easy, she bucked and wallered and bawled.

I’d threatened to pull her calf in the moonlight, but with each warning she stalled.

She’d stand up, then back down, she’d roar, moan and beller.

She’d roll and pound her hooves at the sky like she was giving the stars the middle finger.

I let her carry on like this through the night, the dirty, rotten, raggedy olʼ shrew.

But now the sun had risen, and it was time for her to deliver life anew.

So my husband Lane and I threw on our boots, for this huzzy’s calf must be retrieved.

We knew she’d put up a fight but this tired red heifer needed to be relieved.

Up to the barn we trekked, trudging through about a foot of snow.

She was waiting for us in the second jug from the right, pawing at the ground and putting on a show.

That red wench was as fiery as her hide, her eyes bewildered, her snout ferocious. Her tail was swished fiercely to and fro, her entire presence was atrocious.

I stood behind the fence in angst, the heifer panting from the other side.

I looked at Lane and he nodded his head, I opened the gate and thus began a wild ride.

She’d take a run at one of us, we’d hop up and rest on the fence.

Then she’d pivot to the other one, and we’d repeat this saga – we had no defense.

Our goal was to lure her into the head catch, and for about 20 minutes we were unlucky.

But then I heard Lane cuss and stomp, and I knew that heifer was about to get even more bucky.

“The human sacrifice” he called this move, he ran up to her and got right in her face.

Taunting and jumping and yelling, with his feet positioned, ready to race.

She huffed and puffed and scowled, that wretched hag took the bait.

She reared back and chased after him, Lane turned and yelped, “Open that gate!”

I flung the gate open with haste, I ran to the head catch, ready for attack.

Lane maneuvered that heifer like a bull fighter, her nose angrily nestled in his back.

Lane burst through the chute headfirst. The heifer followed behind him, right on cue.

I dropped the latch and got the chains ready, sadly, this escapade was not through.

With both feet out and water bag busted,

we knew this calf was anxious to meet the Earth. Between the stress of labor and our chase, the time was now – this heifer simply HAD to give birth.

So, we hooked up the chains as best as we could, gloves on, waiting for a contraction.

For the first time all morning, that heifer stood calm and collected, she just wasn’t ready for the action.

Lane threw his hands up and mumbled some cursings, I rolled my eyes and sighed aloud.

But then a thought popped into my head, “Hey, maybe she doesn’t want a crowd.”

We backed off and watched from the tack room, it took her a minute, but she finally had peace. Three pushes and that little bugger was out, the heifer stood still, but bellered for her release.

Bracing for impact, I unlatched the head catch, she quietly and slowly waltzed toward her baby. She licked him clean and snuggled the calf, it’s like she forgot she was supposed to be crazy.

The calf stood after a little while, and his mama let him feed, it’s like she was in a motherhood daze.

Me and Lane just stood in disbelief, clothes tattered, faces muddied and minds utterly amazed.

We left the pair to bond under the barn, “I can’t believe she went wild then let him suckle, I’ve never seen something so fickle,” I stated. Lane just grinned at the ground and let out a chuckle.

“What’re you laughing at?” I asked.

Lane met my gaze with a smile, the first of the morn’, “That heifer, she was sour, then sweet… reminds me of you when our daughter was born.”

March 26 Second Annual University of Wyoming High Altitude Bull Test and Sale, field day starts at 9 a.m. and the sale starts at 1 p.m., Cliff and Martha Hansen Teaching Arena, Laramie. For more information, contact Shelby Rosasco at 307-766-2329.

March 29 Wyoming Livestock Roundup Office Closed. We wish everyone a very happy and blessed Easter holiday!

March 30 Timber Dan Spring Toy Show and Sale, First National Bank Exhibition Building, Larimer County Fairgrounds, Loveland, Colo. For more information, call Sherlyn Sampson at 970-663-9392, e-mail sks80538@gmail.com or visit lovelandlionsclub.com

March 31 Wyoming Game and Fish Department 2024 Collectible Conservation Stamp Art Contest Deadline, 5 p.m. For more information, visit wgfd.wyo.gov

April 1 Ranching in the West Seminar Series: Leading the Field, Northwest College, Powell. For more information and to register, visit uwyo.edu/uwag/rmal

April 2 Bureau of Land Management Jackalope Wind Energy Project Public Scoping Meeting, 4-6 p.m., Memorial Community Center, Rawlins. For more information, contact Kimberlee Foster at 307-352-0201 or kfoster@blm.gov.

April 3 Bureau of Land Management Jackalope Wind Energy Project Public Scoping Meeting, 4-6 p.m., Holiday Inn, Rock Springs. For more information, contact Kimberlee Foster at 307-352-0201 or kfoster@blm.gov.

April 3 Institute for Managing Annual Grasses Invading Natural Ecosystems Free Virtual Workshop, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., online. For more information, contact Claire Visconti at cviscont@uwyo.edu.

April 4 Bureau of Reclamation Buffalo Bill Reservoir Water Information Meeting, 1 p.m., Room 70, Fagerberg Building, Northwest College, Powell. For more information, visit usbr.gov

April 6 University of Wyoming Extension Small-Scale Food Production Conference, 9 a.m., Sheridan College. For more information, visit wyoextension.org/ harvestwyo or contact Micah Most at mmost@uwyo.edu or 307-684-7522.

April 8-12 Second Annual Wyoming Funding Summit, Riverton. For more information and to register, visit lummis.senate.gov/wyoming-funding-summit/

April 9-10 Wyoming Beef Council Meeting, 12 p.m., Riverton Holiday Inn and Convention Center, Riverton. For more information, contact Ann Wittmann at ann.wittmann@wyo.gov or call 307-777-6399.

April 10 Yonts Water Conference, 8:30 a.m., Panhandle Research, Extension and Education Center, Scottsbluff, Neb. For more information or to register, visit go.unl.edu/yonts

April 13 2024 Ram Test Field Day, 470 Highway 230, Laramie. For more information, visit wyowool.com

April 14 Huge Bird and Animal Auction, 9 a.m., Dawson County Fairgrounds, Lexington, Neb. For more information or to consign, call 308-222-0335 or 308-233-1799.

April 16 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Technology in Ranching Roundtable, 7-8:30 p.m., 4-H Building, Kimball, Neb. For more information, contact Aaron Berger at 308-235-3122 or aberger2@unl.edu.

SALES

March 8-25 Dooley Auction Firearms, Ammo, Coins and Collectibles Online Auction 406-696-0412, dooleyauction.com

March 15-31

March 24

Dooley Auction Vehicles, Fusion Equipment, Pipe and Fittings Online Auction, 406-696-0412, dooleyauction.com

T-Heart Ranch High Altitude Bull Sale, at the ranch, LaGarita, Colo., 719850-3082, 719-850-3083, t-heartranch.com

March 24 Lancer Livestock Sale, Eastern Wyoming College’s ATEC Building, Torrington, 307-799-5419

March 24-25

March 25

March 25

March 26

March 26

Leachman Cattle of Colorado Spring Bull & Female Sale, Leachman Bull Barn, Ft. Collins, Colo., 970-568-3983, leachman.com

Sidwell Ranch & Frank Herefords Sale, Sidwell Barn, Columbus, Mont., 406-861-4426, 307-631-6012, sidwell-land.com, frankherefords.com

Axtell Cattle Company Annual Production Sale, Sterling Livestock Commission, Sterling, Colo., 970-383-2332, 970-554-1132, axtellcattlecompany.com

Northwest Wyoming Angus Association 46th Annual Sale, Riverton Livestock Auction, Riverton, 307-868-2595, greatbearreflection.com

Obsidian Angus at the Northwest Wyoming Angus Association 46th Annual Sale, Riverton Livestock Auction, Riverton, 307-868-2595, greatbearreflection.com

March 26 University of Wyoming Second Annual High Altitude Bull Test & Sale, UW-LREC Hansen Arena, Laramie, 307-766-2329, 307-766-3892, 307-7612811, uwyo.edu/anisci/outreach/index.html, DVAuction.com

March 27 McCumber Angus Ranch Annual Bull Sale, at the ranch, Rolette, N.D., 701871-1072, 701-871-9800, mccumberangus.com

March 27 NJW Polled Herefords Annual Bull Sale, at the ranch, Sheridan, 307-6723248, njwherefords.com

March 28 Schuler Red Angus 42nd Annual Bull Sale, at the ranch, Bridgeport, Neb., 308-262-0306, schulerredangus.com

March 28 Gartner~Denowh Angus Ranch 57th Annual Production Sale, at the ranch, Sidney, Mont., 406-489-0172, 406-480-2761, 406-489-1762, gdar-angus.com

March 28 Gibbs Red Angus Annual Production Sale, Glasgow Stockyards, Glasgow, Mont., 406-977-2852, gibbsredangus.com

March 29 Vertical Edge Genetics Annual Production Sale, at the ranch, Bancroft, Idaho, 208-390-6619. 208-540-2697, verticaledgegenetics.com

March 30 Diamond Peak Cattle Company Bull Sale, Loma Livestock, Loma, Colo., 970-326-8620, diamondpeakcattle.com

April 1 Snowshoe Cattle Company Annual Bull Sale, at the ranch, Arthur, Neb., 406-855-8288, 308-726-2138, snowshoecattle.com

April 2 Webo Angus Annual Turning Grass into Greenbacks Bull Sale, at the ranch, Lusk, 307-216-0090, 307-340-1182, 307-340-1499, weboangus.com

April 2 Bar 69 Angus 36th Annual Production Sale, Belle Fourche Livestock, Belle Fourche, S.D., 605-892-2875, bar69angus.com

April 2 Hinman Angus 37th Annual Bull Sale, at the ranch, Malta, Mont., 406-654-1809

April 2 Doubet Cattle Annual Bull Sale, Billings Livestock Commission, Billings, Mont., 303-638-2625, 303-681-7086, 720-302-3291

April 4 Arntzen Angus Ranch 48th Annual Production Sale, at the ranch, Hilger, Mont., 406-350-4000, 406-350-1612, 406-350-1728, arntzenangus.com

April 6 Botts Angus Ranch 11th Annual Customer-Oriented Bull Sale, at the ranch, Huntley, Mont., 541-263-0988, 541-263-0589, 308-430-2005, bottsangusranch.com

April 4-5 Midland Bull Test Final Sort Sale, Columbus, Mont., 406-322-5597, midlandbulltest.com

April 6 Big Country Genetics Bull Sale, at the ranch, Cody, 231-878-1908, bigcountrygenetics.com

April 6 Wagner Charolais 13th Annual Bull Sale, online and at the ranch, Nunn, Colo., 970-420-2336, wagner-ranch.com

April 8 Gray’s Angus Ranch Bull Sale, at the ranch, Harrison, Neb., 308-668-2525, 308-668-2520, graysangusranch.com

April 8 Colorado State University 38th Annual Yearling Commercial Angus Bull Sale, One Bar Eleven Ranch, Saratoga, 307-710-2938, 970-491-2722

April 9 Beckton’s 79th Anniversary Bull & Heifer Sale, at the ranch, Sheridan, 307674-6095, 307-674-8162, becktonredangus.com

POSTCARD from the Past

Compiled by Dick Perue rrichardperue@gmail.com

Celebrating Agriculture

Just by pure luck, as I was recently researching my files, I came across an interesting letter around the same time as my Wyoming Livestock Roundup arrived in the mail.

One of the headlines in the March 16 Wyoming Livestock Roundup is “Celebrating Agriculture: ACA encourages individuals to celebrate National Agriculture Week.”

With such a coincidence, I had to pass the following letter along to Postcard from the Past readers. Enjoy!

The White House, Washington, May 10, 1907

To the Stockman of Wyoming, in Convention at Wheatland,

It is with great pleasure I send you my greetings. I am deeply interested in all of the prob-

lems which confront you and am anxious to have your assistance in solving them in a way which will protect the interests of stockmen and bring the greatest prosperity to the people in general.

Public sentiment in favor of the conservative use of all of the natural resources of the country is rapidly growing stronger, and in my opinion, the time has come when definite action must be taken toward a proper control in the use of the public grazing lands.

I regret very much the hardship that necessarily follows the removal of all fences which have been constructed in violation of the law, because I am fully aware the best use of much of public grazing lands can only be secured by fencing it.

But, the law gives me no alternative, and I will continue to enforce it until such time as action is taken by Congress which will provide a means of properly regulating grazing on public range.

I am particularly anxious every legitimate means shall be taken to encourage the establishment of homes upon the public domain. In all legislation affecting the use of the public lands, the interests of the homestead settler must be carefully guarded. In every case, the homesteader must be given first consideration.

With this proviso, I will appreciate very much your advice as to the best practical methods of regulating the use of the public lands for grazing purposes.

We all want to make sure of the proper care and improvement of public lands for the greatest benefit of all concerned, and we all want a grazing system may be put into operation with the least inconvenience to the stockmen who are now occupying the range.

Theodore Roosevelt

According to a cutline accompanying a photo concerning the 1903 visit to Wyoming by Teddy Roosevelt, “The high point of Roosevelt’s 1903 Western Tour was his 65-mile ride from Laramie to Cheyenne.” Photo credit Library of Congress. The photo and article were on the wyohistory.org website and entitled “President Theodore Roosevelt’s 1903 visit to Wyoming” by Rebecca Hein. Historical Reproductions by Perue

US

Source: USDA AMS Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News, Torrington Source: USDA AMS Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News, Greeley, CO

National Sheep Summary

As of March 15, 2024

Compared to last week traditional slaughter lambs 3.007.00 higher, others mostly steady to 30.00 higher. Slaughter ewes steady to 10.00 higher. Feeder lambs not well tested. At San Angelo, TX 8,218 head sold in a two day sale. Equity Cooperative Auction sold 420 replacement ewes in New Mexico. In direct trading slaughter ewes and feeder lambs not tested. 6,958 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 120-170 lbs 190.00-202.00.

Ft. Collins: wooled and shorn 128 lbs 230.00.

South Dakota: wooled and shorn 120-170 lbs 204.00-260.00. Billings: wooled and shorn 120-135 lbs 197.50-232.00. Equity Coop: no sales.

Slaughter Lambs: Choice and Prime 1-2

San Angelo: hair 40-60 lbs 290.00-318.00, few 324.00; 60-70 lbs 292.00-320.00, few 324.00; 70-80 lbs 270.00-303.00, few 306.00-318.00; 80-90 lbs 270.00-298.00, few 300.00-310.00; 90-100 lbs 250.00-284.00, few 292.00-294.00; 100-110 lbs 250.00-262.00. wooled and shorn 40-50 lbs 298.00-300.00; 56 lbs 298.00; 60-70 lbs 300.00-302.00; 70-80 lbs 298.00-302.00; 81 lbs 286.00; 90-100 lbs 270.00-286.00; 100-115 lbs 270.00.

Ft. Collins: wooled and shorn 59 lbs 285.00; 70-80 lbs 287.50325.00; 80-90 wooled and shorn 50-60 lbs 275.00-277.50; 8090 lbs 290.00-295.00; 90-100 lbs 265.00-295.00; 100-115 lbs 240.00-300.00. hair 41 lbs 290.00; 50-60 lbs 282.50-295.00; 70-80 lbs 290.00-295.00; 80-90 lbs 270.00-290.00; 90-100 lbs 282.50-302.50; 100-110 lbs 278.00-305.00.

South Dakota: wooled and shorn 46 lbs 345.00; 50-60 lbs 300.00325.00; 60-70 lbs 300.00-320.00; 70-80 lbs 300.00-335.00; 80-90 lbs 295.00-320.00; 92 lbs 295.00; 100-110 lbs 225.00-245.00. hair 49 lbs 310.00; 50-60 lbs 285.00-310.00; 70-80 lbs 275.00-290.00; 83 lbs 290.00; 90-100 lbs 272.50-290.00.

Billings: wooled and shorn 70-80 lbs 242.50-247.50; 80-90 lbs 235.00-250.00; 90-100 lbs 240.00-242.50; 100-115 lbs 234.00-242.50. hair 60-70 lbs 255.00-262.50; 106 lbs 232.50. Slaughter Ewes

San Angelo: Good 3-4 (very fleshy) hair 70.00; Good 2-3 (fleshy) 92.00-116.00, hair 88.00-116.00; Utility and Good 1-3 (medium flesh) 128.00-132.00, hair 117.00-142.00; Utility 1-2 (thin) 90.00, hair 90.00-110.00; Cull and Utility 1-2 (very thin) hair 80.00-90.00; Cull 1 no test.

Ft. Collins: Good 3-4 (very fleshy) 87.00-112.50; Good 2-3 (fleshy) 80.00-120.00; Utility 1-2 (thin) no test; Cull 1 no test. South Dakota: Good 3-4 (very fleshy) 95.00-115.00; Good 2-3 (fleshy) 95.00-Good 3-4 (very fleshy) 75.00-100.00; Good 2-3 (fleshy) 60.00-116.00, hair 125.00-130.00; Utility 1-2 (thin) 60.00-85.00; Cull 1 55.00-75.00. Billings: Good 3-4 (very fleshy) 93.00-109.00; Good 2-3 (fleshy) 100.00-107.00, hair 97.00; Utility 1-2 (thin) 89.00104.00; Cull 1 40.00-44.00.

Feeder Lambs: Medium and Large 1-2

San Angelo: wooled and shorn 44 lbs 300.00. hair 30-40 lbs 270.00-320.00; 40-50 lbs 300.00-304.00; 50-60 lbs 302.00-

316.00.

Ft. Collins: no test.

South Dakota: wooled and shorn 20-30 lbs 355.00-365.00; 4050 lbs 325.00-340.00; 60-70 lbs 320.00-330.00; 78 lbs 271.00.

Billings: no test. Replacement Ewes: Medium and Large 1-2

San Angelo: hair lambs 100 lbs 190.00/cwt; yearling hair 90-125 lbs 158.00-170.00/cwt; young hair 100-135 lbs 146.00 166.00/cwt.

Ft. Collins: hair ewes with lambs 175.00-215.00/family.

South Dakota: bred young 210.00-260.00/head; bred aged 132.50-195.00/head.

Billings: no test.

Sheep and lambs slaughter under federal inspection for the week to date totaled 40,000 compared with 41,000 last week and 39,000 last year.

Source: USDA AMS Market News, San Angelo, Texas

National Wool Review

As of March 15, 2024

Domestic wool trading had no confirmed trades reported this week. Prices reflect trades FOB warehouse in original bag or square pack, bellies out, some graded, and 76 mm or longer. No allowance made for coring,

hay for dollar a point.

over 150 relative feed value is selling with the best demand as supplies of Good and higher quality hay are the lightest. High test hay (Premium and Supreme) is in very short supply. The best demand for feeder quality (utility and fair) hay remains around $150.00/ton delivered. Demand for straw is light as heavy straw supplies continue to be seen especially in the northern portion of the state. Mild weather and not much snow has kept both straw and hay usage low. Single load sales of straw continue to move at steady money from time to time, however many producers have lowered asking prices in an attempt to move volume as supplies remain high. According to the drought monitor 42.83% of the state is in Moderate drought or worse, down 5.77% from last week. 19.66% of the state is in an Severe drought or worse, down 2.32% from last week. 2.36% of the state is in Extreme drought or worse, unchanged from last week. According to USDA NRCS the Snow water equivalent percent of normal remain well below normal. Montana’s basins are from 61%-94% of normal, with the lowest basin being the Sun-Teton-Marias basin and the higher percent of normal being the Big Horn basin.

Alfalfa - Good Large Square 3x4 150

Alfalfa - Fair Large Square 125-130

Alfalfa - Utility Large Square 3x4 100

Source: USDA Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News, Billings, MT

The

Montana

As

C Compared to last week: Hay sold generally steady. Hay sales were very light this week. Light demand is being seen for feeder quality hay as ranchers continue to wait and see how much and if spring rains fall. Producers are content to sit on supplies as well, as many are betting on it being dry or in short supply somewhere in the state or surrounding states. Supplies of utility and fair quality hay are very high. Hay testing

First National Bank Exhibition Building, Larimer County Fairgrounds (The Ranch), 5280 Arena Circle, Loveland, CO, I-25 exit 259 (Crossroads

$5. Children 12 and under are free. Early entry before the public from 7-9 a.m., $10. Ninety plus dealers from 10 states displaying 250+ tables of items. Contact Sherlyn Sampson, 970663-9392, e-mail sks80538@ gmail.com or visit website at www.lovelandlionsclub.com

Facebook at Loveland Lions Clubs/events 3/23

Help Wanted

Duties include: Moving and handling cattle, calving, branding, maintaining water sources, fencing, putting out salt/mineral as needed, riding pens, etc. We offer housing, groceries (beef), health insurance, life insurance, paid-time off, profit sharing bonus, competitive wages dependent on experience. Contact Fred at 406-951-3953, Julie at 406232-4527, e-mail resume to jnowicki@midrivers.com or mail to PO Box 70, Miles City, MT 59301 3/30

ASSISTANT SUPERVISOR

POSITION AVAILABLE AT LARAMIE COUNTY WEED AND PEST, PINE BLUFFS, WY: This position is full time and open until filled. The position qualifications are available on our website at www. laramiecountyweedandpest. com along with the job application or by calling 307-2453213. Please mail your completed application and resume addressed to Attention: Matt Haas, district supervisor, Laramie County Weed and Pest, 801 Muddy Creek Drive, Pine Bluffs, WY 82082 and clearly marked “job application” on the envelope or by e-mail to lcwpsupervisor@gmail.com. For more information, contact Matt Haas, District Supervisor at 307-256-1979 3/30

The University of Wyoming is seeking an Assistant Farm Manager at the Sheridan Research and Extension Center. The University of Wyoming is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution. For qualifications, additional details and to apply visit https://eeik.fa.us2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/ CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1/ job/234074/?utm_medium=jobshare

Swift

Creek Outfitters & Teton Horseback Adventures

Help Wanted

SPRAY OPERATOR NEEDED FOR BETHUNE, CO AREA: Must have some experience. Salary depending on experience. Call 719-340-5480 3/30

CALVING HELP NEEDED: Calving, fencing, haying, general cattle work. Horses used.

Call 605-347-3403 or 605499-9088 4/13

WYOMING STATE PARKS IS HIRING ENERGETIC EMPLOYEES FOR THIS SUMMER!! The employment period will run from May until September 2024. Apply here: www.governmentjobs.com/ careers/wyoming by searching job code “ATTP99 024St. Parks & Historic Sites.” Maintenance and fee employees will be paid $10-$16/hour and law enforcement staff will be paid $18-$22/hour. Housing may be available. EEO/ ADA employer 4/6

PART-TIME DITCH RIDER

WANTED: Shell Canal Company, Greybull, WY. Call 307250-1572 3/30

HOT SPRINGS COUNTY WEED & PEST IN THERMOPOLIS, WY IS SEEKING A PROGRAM LEADER: Our ideal candidate enjoys working outdoors, has strong leadership skills and has an interest in weed science and natural resource management. This is a permanent, full-time position with benefits. EOE. Contact hscwpsupervisor@gmail.com or 307864-2278 for a complete job description and application information 3/30

RANGE RIDING JOB: Come spend your summer herding cattle for the Caribou Cattlemen’s Grazing Association, located east of Montpelier, ID. This job requires cowboys or cowgirls with a strong work ethic and a desire to tend to cattle on the National Forest. The pay is $3,500 a month. Job is from June 1-Oct. 31, 5 days a week. Responsibilities are packing salt, working with permittees to move cattle, doctoring cattle and keeping cattle where they belong. A cabin is provided with horse pasture. Applicants must have their own horses and tack, (dogs are welcome) and pickup and trailer. If interested, contact Dru Haderlie, 307723-0944 or Layne Keetch, 208-540-0634 3/23

EXPERIENCED FARMHAND WANTED: Year-round employment and benefits. Call 307-899-3772, 307-254-5672 or 307-271-1471 3/23

HELP WANTED: Five years plus cattle handling experience. All aspects of ranch operations: Irrigation, haying, feeding, cattle stewardship and horseback skills. Housing, benefits and salary. Only serious, committed candidates should apply. Eastern Oregon cow/calf operation. Send resumes to lisa. steele@pvranch.com 3/23

MOUNTAIN RANCH IN COLORADO LOOKING FOR COWBOY ON A YEARLING

Auctions

HUGE BIRD AND ANIMAL AUCTION SUN., APRIL 14: Selling horses, ponies, miniature cattle, goats, llamas, alpacas and birds of all types. Sale starts 9 a.m. Dawson County Fairgrounds, 1000 Plum Creek Pkwy., Lexington, NE. To consign or for more information, call 308-222-0335 or 308-233-1799 4/6

Financial Services

AGRI-ONE FINANCIAL: Farm/ ranch and all commercial loans. RATES AS LOW AS 5%. We have been helping with all aspects of agricultural, commercial financing and management for years. LET US HELP YOU on a consulting level with management to increase profitability, deal with and fix credit problems and for all your financing needs. WE CARE AND HAVE WORKING PROGRAMS designed for the farmer/rancher and not the banker. Please call Steve, 303-773-3545 or check out our website, www.agrionefinancial.com. I will come to you and get the job done!! 3/23

Services Services

Farm/Ranch Bookkeeping

ATTENTION FARMERS, RANCHERS AND SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS: Are you needing help with bookkeeping and data entry for your business or operation so information is ready for your accountant when tax time arrives? Let me help you! I’m local and work from home. Monthly fee is negotiable, averaging around $200/month, but will adjust up if your operation is larger and requires more time and attention. Please contact me if interested at thelake@bbc.net or 308-7603033 4/13

Brands

HISTORIC REGISTERED

WYOMING BRAND FOR SALE: LRC, LSH. Current through Jan. 1, 2025. $2,500. Contact Tony or Julie at 940337-8685 4/13

WALKING M REGISTERED WYOMING BRAND: Renewed to March 1, 2031, RRC, RSS, RTH, single iron, branding iron included. $4,000 OBO. Call 307-714-2484 3/23

Services

Services

Brands

WE ARE OFFERING FOR

SALE THE ANCHOR

BRAND: RRC, BS, RTH. One of Wyoming’s great one iron brands. The anchor has been a registered brand since the very early years in Wyoming, appearing in the 1909-1912 brand book. We know this brand has significant historic and monetary value and we have priced it accordingly at $15,000. If interested, you can call or message me at 307-330-4343 4/6

OLD REGISTERED WYOMING BRAND FOR

SALE: LRC, LBH. Hasn’t been used for 10 years. Expires 2032. $5,000. Call 307259-2062 3/30

WYOMING REGIS-

TERED BRAND FOR

SALE, LHC. Renewed to Jan. 1, 2031. $900. Includes electric cow iron and electric calf iron. Call 307-7156184 3/23

Dogs

BORDER COLLIE/AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD CROSS

PUPPIES: Born March 1. Out of ranch raised, working parents. Red and white. Need homes where they can work cattle and/or sheep. Ready to go at 6 weeks. Will have had first shots and wormer. Ken & Cheri Graves, Kaycee, WY, phone 307-738-2247, cell 307-2670724, e-mail gravesredfork@ rtconnect.net 4/13

AIREDALE TERRIER OORANG

PUPPIES: AKC registered, will be large calm protective dogs. Great farm/ranch protectors from mountain lions, bears, coyotes, vermin... For more information, call 307-219-2217 or 719-2178054 (cell) 4/13

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 25-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 605999-7149, click the “Our Labs” tab on the website for pictures, www.southdakotayellowlabs. com 3/23

BORDER COLLIE PUPPIES

FOR SALE: Mother is a registered Juan Reyes bred cow dog, father out of our good stock dog. Puppies will have a lot of bite and be good stock dogs. Two females and 3 males. Three black and white and 2 blue. Call 435-881-7049 4/6

OUTFIT: Experience roping, doctoring and riding rough terrain preferred. Must be able to work on a team. Housing and benefits included. For more information, call Whit Gates at 970-846-4353 3/23

Help wanted in the Tetons: Summer Trail Ride Wranglers and Summer Drive-In Camp Cook. Good Wages. (307) 730- 8830 OR (307) 856-1226

Check Out Our Website www.horsebackadv.com

BORDER COLLIE PUPPIES FOR SALE: Great bloodlines, out of excellent working parents. Born Feb. 1, $500. Call 307-645-3130 3/30

Cattle

LOOKING FOR TOP QUALITY CATTLE? I’m a North Dakota order buyer licensed and bonded. I can help you find the perfect cattle you are looking for. I buy in North Dakota and South Dakota barns. I can help you purchase feeder cattle, weighup cows, pairs and breds, replacement heifers and any other needs. I can also find country deals. Low commission rates. Feel free to call Cody Fettig at 701-391-9132 for all you cattle needs! 4/6

WANTED RECIP COWS: Must be open!! Two to 6 years old, Red Angus or Angus-based cows. For more information, call Corie Mydland, 406-855-5598 (cell), Trans Ova Genetics 3/23

WANTED: PRAIRIE DOGS AND YOTES. Mature (60+), responsible, experienced Iowa hunter seeking ranchers/farmers with excess prairie dogs and/or coyotes. Precision shooting, not lead flinging. Call or text Scott at 319-4312491 3/23

WANT TO BUY LONGHORN/ CORRIENTE COWS OR HEIFERS: Bred or open. Crossbred would be ok. Must be bangs vaccinated. Call 307921-3593 3/30

STAIRCASE CHAROLAIS AND RED ANGUS ONLINE BULL SALE: 50+ purebred yearling Charolais and Red Angus bulls SELLING APRIL 13-18 Timed auction online with www. DVAuction.com!! Our bulls are bred for balanced traits, functionality,

Angus

SALE * CHRISTENSEN RED ANGUS * SALE: Registered, vaccinated and fertility tested bulls. We have a deep carcass, high ADG packaged with moderate to low birthweights available. Call 406-208-4315 or e-mail criters64@gmail.com 4/13

Annual Bull Sale

Monday, April 1, 2024 at the ranch Arthur, NE

80 Head of Polled Hereford and Red Angus Bulls Bernie & Stacie Buzanowski 308-726-2138, 406-855-8288

YEARLING POLLED HEREFORD BULLS FOR SALE

PRIVATE TREATY: Forty-five year breeding program, bred to produce top baldy calves. Balanced trait genetics. Reasonably priced. See us on the web at www.mcmurrycattle.com, for pedigrees, photos and videos. BUY NOW! Call 406-254-1247 (house), leave message or 406697-4040 (cell). E-mail mcmurrycattle@gmail.com 3/23

will deliver. Call Joe Buseman, 605-351-1535 5/4

YEARLING ANGUS BULLS:

Very low birthweights, $3,000/ each. Call 307-241-0396, Glendo, WY 4/6

Red Angus

RED ANGUS 2-YEAR OLD

FORAGE BULLS FOR SALE: Bulls for heifers and cows. Smaller framed, efficient, easy fleshing, good dispositions. Not fat, but in great shape and ready to go to work. Have been worked with dogs, on foot and horseback. Raised in rugged, rough, steep, rocky, high elevation country. Red Fork Red Angus, Ken & Cheri Graves, Kaycee, WY, phone 307-7382247, cell 307-267-0724, email gravesredfork@rtconnect.net 4/13

Red Angus

RED ANGUS HIGH-ELEVATION YEARLING BULLS FOR SALE IN NORTHEASTERN UTAH: Out of AI and bull-bred sires. Will be trich, semen tested and fed for free until May 1. $2,500/head. Bar Lazy TL Ranch, David, 435-828-1320, barlazytlranch@ gmail.com 6/30

SIMANGUS YEARLING AND FALL-BORN BULLS AVAILABLE PRIVATE TREATY: Great dispositions. Black and BWF bulls available for cows and heifers. Bulls will be semen checked and ready to go. Quantity discounts. Call Rob at Schultz Farms, 308-3903612 3/30

SIMANGUS BULLS FOR SALE: 18-month-olds and yearlings. Sired by TJ Chief, Tehama Tahoe, TJ Big Easy, TJ Flatiron, MR SR Highlife, EWA Peyton or sons of TJ Main Event and SAV Rainfall. Call James Dilka/Dilka Cattle, 970-396-8791, thedilkas@aol.com 3/23

Saddles & Tack

RIDE, WORK, ROPE AND PLAY!! Great selection of: Quality GLOVES, mohair CINCHES, wool saddle PADS and blankets. TWISTED X BOOTS and SHOES… Over 300 BITS in stock!! $AVE on BOOTS: HONDO, BOULET, JUSTIN WORK BOOTS, TWISTED X (boots and shoes) and more!! WE CAN ship!! Shop Moss Saddles, Boots and Tack, 4648 West Yellowstone Highway, Casper, WY; 307-472-1872. Our family serving yours for 50 years!! Check us out on Facebook or our website 3/23

Leatherwork

LS CUSTOM LEATHER: Belts, tack, cell phone cases and much more!! Contact Lester, 307-6311053, leave a message. Located in Riverton, WY 3/23

Sheep

MOFFAT COUNTY SHEEP SHEARING SCHOOL, CRAIG, CO APRIL 12-14: This 3-day shearing school provides handson, instructed experience in shearing sheep and an introduction to equipment maintenance. No previous experience needed. E-mail megan.stetson@colostate.edu or call 970-826-3402 for registration information and questions 3/23

Ranch Lease Wanted

DO YOU WANT TO RETIRE

AT THE TOP OF THIS MARKET AND KNOW YOUR LAND IS IN GOOD HANDS?

Regen, LLC is a business that provides for ranchers/ landowners the service of professional ranch management. We work to understand your needs on your ranch and provide a professional management team tenancy where you no longer need to worry about the work, get paid competitive rent and can keep the ranch legacy intact. Instead of selling, please consider renting the ranch to our team. We are a family business, based in Wyoming and with expertise in all arrangements of federal, state and deeded land and work every day to accomplish our mission. We steward land with regenerative principles, where animals thrive by connecting rich heritage to vibrant futures. Call Sage, 307-351-4875 or e-mail at saskin12@gmail. com 5/11

PASTURE WANTED:

Hay & Feed

HAY FOR SALE: 3x3 and round bales. Call 605-840-0015 3/23

2023 FIRST CUTTING ALFAL-

ARE YOU IN NEED OF A NEW HERDER CAMP OR A PERSONAL RANGE CAMP FOR YOUR FAMILY? Contact us at Western Range Camps and see what we can build for you. We specialize in quality, handcrafted camps built to your specifications. Contact us today to design the camp just right for you. Western Range Camps, 435-462-5300, heidi@ wrcamps.com, 1145 S. Blackhawk Blvd, Mt. Pleasant, UT 84647 3/23

FOR SALE: Will calve March, April and a few in May. Bred to Brown Swiss bulls, most are AI’d and some live covered. Have had all shots. Poured with Ivomec on regular basis. TB tested and current health papers. Nice, gentle, outside cattle, in good shape and well fed. Delivery options available. For pictures or more information, call Robin Carlson, 605-224-6100, if no answer leave message. Pierre, S.D. To view photos, go to www.wylr.net in the classifieds 3/23

ORIGINAL DOCTOR’S BUG-

GY FOR SALE: Dark green body, red interior, black top. Top folds back to make into a convertible. Oak wheels with rubber on them. A1 condition. Was made by W.A. Heiss Coach Company in Mifflinburg, PA, company was in business from 1884-1920. Single horse shaft, always stored inside. Worland, WY. Call 307-347-2095. To view photos, go to www.wylr. net in the classifieds 4/6

REFURBISHED HORSEDRAWN BUGGIES: Early 1900s doctor’s buggy, $2,500. 1863 Canadian runabout, $2,000. A more modern surrey, $3,500. Twowheel cart, $500. All OBO. ALSO have harness. All in excellent condition. Call 307-241-0396, Glendo, WY 4/6

BEST OF THE BIG HORNS

HORSE SALE, APRIL 13, Buffalo Livestock Marketing, 44 TW Rd., Buffalo, WY. Online bidding through www.cattleusa.com, register 3 days prior to sale. Contact Ellen Allemand, 307-7518969 or Kay Lynn Allen, 406697-5882. Visit us on Facebook for updates 4/6

Horses

FA: Large net-wrapped round bales average 1,600 lbs. No rain between cutting, baling and stacking. Crude protein 20.4 and RFV 169. Located in Cody, WY. $155/ ton. Can load. For more information, call 307-250-2329 4/13

LOTS OF GRASS HAY FOR SALE, 1,200 lb. 3x4x8 bales. Cow and horse hay, $150/ton. Southwest WY. Call Kelly, 307-7807027 4/20

ROUND BALES: QUALITY GRASS HAY FOR SALE, bales weigh approximately 1,300 lbs. each, Laramie, WY. Call 307-7608429 4/6

Horses

25th

Ranch Lease Wanted

Ranch Lease Wanted

Hereford

Hay & Feed

QUALITY GRASS/ALFALFA

MIX IN SUBLETTE COUNTY, WY AREA: Tested, tarped, 3x4 approximately 1,250 lb. square bales, $185/ton. Call Brenda for more information 970-5964151 4/13

ALFALFA HAY FOR SALE:

First cutting big round bales, cow hay, had some rain. ALSO, first cutting small squares in bundles of 21 bales, no rain. Riverton, WY. Call 307-8503020 4/13

800 TONS NICE, green grass/ alfalfa mix (80/20); 600 TONS MIX with rain and/or weeds (cow/grinding hay); 300 TONS GRASS HAY, green; 1,000 TONS TRITICALE HAY, mostly green, some with rain; SEVERAL LOADS MILLET HAY, nice!! All types, mostly round bales, some 3x4/4x4. Delivery available. Please call 307-630-3768. Marketed by the Cheyenne, WY area producer 4/13

GOOD QUALITY OAT HAY: 3x4 bales. Barn stored $120/ ton. Outside $110/ton. Tests available, Lusk, WY. Call Paul Hicks, 970-203-5019 4/13

ALFALFA HAY FOR SALE: 3x3 bales, 55 tons second crop. No weather damage, under tarp. $175/ton. Pavillion, WY. Ranch phone, 307-856-1226, if no answer, leave a message 4/13

VALLEY VIDEO HAY MARKETS, LLC: Ranch hay consignments available now $130-$160, rounds and squares alfalfa. Lusk and Torrington, WY. Scottsbluff and Lyman, NE. Go to www.valleyvideohay.com or call Barry McRea, 308-235-5386 3/30

CERTIFIED WEED-FREE

PURE ALFALFA HAY: Small squares, all covered. First, second and third cutting available. Will load trucks and any open trailer. 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 at 307-254-0554 4/27

ROUND BALED GRASS HAY FOR SALE: Cody, WY area, 1,000 lb. net-wrapped bales, $60/bale. Call, don’t text, Anthony at 307-254-2645 3/30

300 TONS SUDANGRASS FOR SALE, NOT SORGUM SUDAN. Light rain. Most stored under shed. 3x4s, 1,100 lb. average. Great ration mixer. Extend your good hay. Riverton, WY area. Delivery available. Call 307-709-6290 3/30

2023 ALFALFA AND ALFALFA/GRASS MIX HAY, 3x3 bales barn stored. ALSO, SOME FEEDER HAY and BARLEY STRAW available. Call 307350-0350, Farson, WY 3/30

CERTIFIED BARLEY STRAW: Small bales, average 65 lbs., $5/bale. Farson, WY. Call 307350-5211 3/30

2023 ALFALFA/GRASS HAY: Large rounds, net wrapped. ALSO, 2023 OAT HAY, large rounds, net wrapped. Scale on site. Near Rapid City, S.D. Call 605-786-3272 (cell) or 605-7875373 (landline) 3/23

2023 OAT HAY FOR SALE: Good and green with lots of oats, 1,500 lb. round bales, plastic twine. Tested low in nitrates. $110/ton, 45 miles west of Fort Pierre, S.D. Call 605224-6100, if no answer leave message 3/30

100 TONS ALFALFA HAY: Big round 1,400 lb. bales, $165/ton.

100 TONS OATS/25% BEARDLESS TRITICALE MIX, big round 1,400 lb. bales, $150/ton. Call 308-778-6104 3/23

ALFALFA HAY FOR SALE

1st and 2nd Cutting Tarped 3x4 Bales Also Clean Wheat Straw Bozeman, MT (406) 600-4146

285 PLUS TONS OF 2023

GRASS HAY: 3x4, $175/ton, Encampment, WY. Call 307321-1444 TFN

CERTIFIED BARLEY STRAW FOR SALE, 3x4 bales. Cody, WY. Call 307-899-1952 TFN

Equipment

Advertise your Equipment Here

FOR SALE: John Deere 2155 diesel tractor, wide front, fenders, 3 pt., nice acreage tractor. Notch 24’ portable ground hay feeder. 12’x24’ heavy duty bale hauler. Phoenix H14 42’ rotary harrow. H&S 7+4 17’ and 16’ chuckwagons with bunk feeding extensions and tandem 14 ton running gear. Meyer 18’ chuckwagon with bunk feeding extensions and 14 ton gear, very nice. Two John Deere 716A chuckwagons with John Deere running gear and bunk feeding extensions, been shedded, nice condition. Big Valley cattle working chute with automatic headgate. Lorenz 16’x29’ stack mover. 12’ box scraper. All in very nice condition!! Call 605999-5482 4/6

Warner Ranch Seed

Serving Fremont County, Wyoming and the surrounding areas.

HarvXtra® alfalfa with Roundup Ready® technology, Roundup Ready® alfalfa and conventional varieties available!

Plant the best!

Buffalo Brand Seed for annual forages, cover crops, pasture grasses, small grains and custom mixes.

Call Today!

Bryan Warner • 307-850-7668 (cell)

GRASS SEED FOR SALE: Manifest wheatgrass and Cache Meadow brome, good germination, $3/lb. Call Big Horn Seed Company, 307-202-0704 or 307-645-3322 3/30

OPEN POLLINATED SEED CORN out produces hybrid for silage and grazing quality grain, $67/bushel +S/H. Call 217-857-3377 or cell/text 217343-4962, visit website www. borriesopenpollinatedseedcorn.com 3/23

WANT TO BUY: 1980’S ERA FORD F-350 TRUCK. With or without motor. 1980 to 1986 year preferred. Flatbed and dually preferred. Call Eric at 307696-9930 3/23

Equipment

Equipment

BARLEY STRAW: Certified weed-free small squares, $4/ bale. ALSO, 5x6 round bales, $125/ton. GRAIN/OATS, $20/ cwt. Greybull, WY area. Call 307-762-3878 or 307-899-4714, leave message 3/23 600+ TONS OF GRASS HAY FOR SALE. ALSO HAVE grass/ alfalfa mix and alfalfa hay, cow and barn stored. WHEAT HAY, OAT HAY AND STRAW. Small squares, 3x3s, 3x4s and round bales. Delivery available!! Large quantities still available. Call today for best price, 307-6303046 3/23

Equipment

2020 JOHN DEERE 3046R

TRACTOR: 4x4, low hours. Quick Attach 3 pt. hitch. Rear blade. Post hole digger 8” and 12”, 3 pt. Rototiller, 5’ Quick Attach loader, 3 pt. brush hog, dozer blade and bucket forks. $49,500. Call 307331-1151 or 307-214-0814. To view photos, go to www.wylr. net in the classifieds 3/30

ELSTON 3 PT. GOPHER GETTER, rebuilt hitch, stored inside, $950. Call 307-7156184 3/23

Equipment

Irrigation

FOR SALE:

1,360 ft. of 6” aluminum pipe and 2,250 ft. of 8” gated PVC pipe. Call 308-2493415, Potter, NE 3/23

3 TUBS RANCH: 3,316+ deeded acres in the treed canyons of 66 Mountain, LaGrange, WY. Lush meadows and mountain outcroppings. Deer, antelope, turkey and sage grouse. Run cows through 12 pastures, plus improvements. Excellent calving facilities. $4,700,000 Pictures and video at www.buyaranch. com. Call Casey Essert, Land Broker, 307-532-1750 3/23

FOR SALE: With clear views of the Beartooth Mountains, this pristine 89-acre property with 2,175 ft. of river frontage is located directly across from the Game and Fish hatchery on the Clarks Fork River. With plenty of building sites and abundant pasture, there is plenty of room for livestock, crops or your new home. It is rich with numerous wildlife species and blue-ribbon fishing, with approximately 50 acres of irrigated ground. All acreage is approximate and subject to survey before closing. Irrigation fees are to be determined as well. CALL MIKE CREEL AT COLDWELL

BANKER ANTLERS REALTY, INC. 307-587-5533. To view photos, go to www.codyproperty.com, MLS# 10022475, $899,000 3/23

Irrigation

FOR SALE: 7140 International Magnum tractor. D4 Caterpillar hydraulic dozer with manual angle. 9600 John Deere combine with 930 30’ grain header and a 893 8 row 30” corn header. 20’ Krause offset disc (new blades in front). ALSO, 8 feeder pigs. Contact Greg Keller at 406679-1136

Property for Sale

66.856 ACRES, JUST NORTHWEST OF RED LODGE, MT BORDERING THE GOLF

COURSE: This property is presently agriculturally zoned, current use is hay and pasture and it is fenced and cross fenced. Enjoy views of several mountain ranges and lots of water, including Spring Creek frontage, mature trees and lush grass. Could be zoned commercially, allowing for development of a number of homesites and/or other commercial ventures. This property is simply loaded with possibilities. Access is off Willow Creek Road. DNRC Right Nos. 43D 21633100 and 43D 200020-00, Pryde Ditch and West Fork of Rock Creek. $2,300,000. Property to be shown by appointment only and listing agent shall accompany all showings. Sellers ask that prospective buyers respect their privacy. Call Bill at 406-698-9266 for a tour of this parcel TFN

Property for Sale Property for Sale Home Renovation

Portable Living Units

TWO LOW COST PORTABLE

LABOR HOUSES MOUNTED

ON STEEL SKIDS: 28’x12’, fully furnished (Including: stove, refrigerator, microwave, bed, kitchen table and chairs), combined kitchen and living room. Bedroom, bathroom with shower and toilet, 2 sinks (hand wash and

2217 or 719-217-8054 4/13

HOME FOR SALE BY OWNER!! 97 SW. Ash St., Lewistown, MT, 3,000 sq. ft. 3 bedroom, 3 bath with basement. Nice size man cave, 46’x48’ shop with loft and bathroom, 12’ doors on shop. Creek in backyard with a greenhouse. Approximately 2 acres front and back of house. Asking $897,250. For more information, call 406-350-0919. To view photos, go to www.wylr. net in the classifieds 3/30

OREGON RANCH, Baker City, Baker County, OR. The Alder Creek pasture contains over 2,000 acres of native spring, summer and fall pasture. The rangeland is situated just east of Baker City, OR. The property is in good condition and has good perimeter fencing. The range is gently south facing slope with a variety of native grass.

FIRST TIME OFFERING at just over $500 per acre for deeded and contiguous ownership, $1,095,000. Give us a call at 541-523-4434, Intermountain Realty, Inc., Greg Sackos, Principal Broker, James Dunlap, Broker, www.intermountainland.com 3/23

Egg prices increase ahead of Easter holiday

Egg prices are on the rise as Easter approaches, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert, but they are lower than what consumers may have paid at the grocery store earlier in the year.

Consumers – and the Easter bunny – may have noticed the price of eggs increasing recently, but this mostly has to do with demand, said David Anderson, PhD and AgriLife Extension economist at Bryan-College Station, Texas.

Anderson said he expects this trend to continue leading up to the Easter holiday.

“We’re actually producing more eggs than we did a year ago, but eggs have a seasonal pattern to them,” he said. “And, with Easter being earlier than usual this year, we’re also seeing prices rise earlier than we typically would.”

Producers saw wholesale prices for cartons of shell eggs strengthening through this past week with increasing demand.

Holidays tend to drive demand up as consumers purchase more eggs than usual for eating and baking. The Easter holiday demand also includes the purchase of eggs to dye and hide. Egg prices rising but lower than last month

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, in Feb-

ruary, the Consumer Price Index for eggs increased 5.8 percent, which was 17 percent below the level of 2023, with an average price of three dollars per dozen.

This price was 47 cents per dozen higher than in January.

Egg prices peaked in February at $3.29 per dozen, according to some weekly U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agriculture Marketing Service retail grocery store data, Anderson said.

Last year around the Easter holiday, USDA reported retail eggs nationally were $2.74 per dozen. Anderson said consumers can expect them to be around $2.99 per dozen this year.

Anderson expects the cost of a dozen eggs will decline around Texas after the holiday, which is typical. However stores may drop prices closer to Easter if demand isn’t as strong as expected.

“But I don’t think I’d wait until right before Easter to buy eggs, just in case the demand is stronger than expected,” he said. “Individuals probably don’t want to wait too long to get eggs, especially if they’re planning on using real ones for their Easter egg hunt.”

Ongoing effect

of avian influenza

Avian influenza, which has devastated commer-

cial and backyard flocks in the U.S. since the outbreak began in January 2022, has been on the decline so far this year.

“Since December there have been around 14 million birds lost to avian flu, with the majority being in the upper Midwest,” said Greg Archer, PhD, AgriLife Extension poultry specialist and associate professor in the Texas A&M Department of Poultry Science.

He said while this number may be alarming, the majority – around 11 million – were impacted in December, and last month, only about 300,000 birds were lost.

Since the start of the outbreak in 2022, over 82 million birds have been affected. As producers have been able to replace the egglaying hens lost, consumers have seen this reflected in lower egg prices.

“Knock on wood we’ll continue to see those fatality numbers drop,” he said. “Since it hasn’t been as bad this year, I wouldn’t expect egg prices to be as affected by that as much as in past years.”

Laura Muntean is the press and media relations specialist for Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension. This article was originally published in the Texas A&M AgriLife E-Newsletter on March 20.

BLM continued from page 1

“Protecting and restoring sagebrush on BLM-managed public lands across the West is critical, not just for Greater sage grouse but also for the health of Western communities and other iconic Western species which rely on healthy sagebrush, including mule deer, pronghorn and the pygmy rabbit,” reads the BLM’s March 14 press release, which announced the draft plan.

“Additionally, these collaboratively developed landscape-level plans will ensure other multiple uses of BLM sagebrush lands, including clean energy projects, move forward in a manner limiting impacts to sensitive resources and can also help combat climate change – the main driver of Greater sage grouse habitat loss,” the brief continues.

BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning states, “The majesty of the West and its way of life are at stake. Sagebrush lands are places where people work and play, and they are the headwaters for the West’s major rivers.”

“Joint efforts to conserve the Greater sage grouse and its habitat led to the largest collaborative conservation effort in our history, and we are building on this work together with our partners to ensure the health of these lands and local economies into the future,” she adds.

Draft plan details

According to BLM, the agency considered over 1,900 comments gathered during the initial public scoping period, as well as information shared by stakeholders in more than 100 meetings

to ensure the draft plan was “informed by the best available science and input from local, state, federal and Tribal partners.”

The plan outlines six alternatives, covering a range of sage grouse management practices on public lands.

Under Alternative One, according to the agency’s executive summary, BLM would re-adopt all applicable sage grouse habitat management area boundaries, goals, objectives and actions from the 2015 records of decision (ROD) and approved resource management plan amendment (ARMPA).

“This alternative also includes designation of some areas of priority habitat designation (PHMA) as sagebrush focal areas with a recommendation to withdraw them from mineral location and entry under the Mining Law of 1872 and prioritization for various other activities related to vegetation treatments, livestock grazing and wild horses and burros,” the document reads.

Alternative Two is the “no-action” alternative, which includes applicable decisions from the 2019 Greater sage grouse RODs and ARMPAs.

Alternative Three is the most restrictive of the six and would designate 11,139,472 acres of areas of critical environmental concern (ACECs).

Under this alternative, all habitat management areas would be managed as PHMA, which would be closed to new fluid mineral leasing, saleable minerals and mineral materials, nonenergy

leasable minerals leasing and livestock grazing.

The agency’s fourth alternative would update habitat management area boundaries and associated management based on new information and science which has become available since the 2015 and 2019 efforts.

“While many of the allocations would be similar to Alternatives One and Two, areas to which management would be applied are updated to reflect new science,” states the document. “In Wyoming, all PHMA management would be changed to no surface occupancy stipulations for new oil and gas leases –all other states already have this stipulation in PHMA.”

The BLM has identified Alternative Five as its preferred alternative. Under Alternative Five, BLM would balance sage grouse conservation and management with other public land uses.

“Alternative Five considers options with fewer restrictions on resources and provides more opportunities for considering compensatory mitigation to offset impacts on Greater sage grouse and its habitat,” explains the agency.

Lastly, under Alternative Six, management of all habitat management areas would be the same as Alternative Five, with the addition of designating ACECs.

Industry response

Since the draft plan’s release, several ag industry stakeholders have voiced their opinion on the matter, many of which urge BLM to incorporate the latest research in its final plan.

In a news brief dated March 15, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

(NCBA) and Public Lands Council (PLC) notes, “After completing revisions to the plans in 2015 and again in 2019, the agency is currently amending 77 separate land use plans across the West and could potentially designate millions of acres as new ACECs.”

NCBA President and Wyoming Rancher Mark Eisele says, “This proposal has been years in the making. It will have far-reaching implications for how states conserve sage grouse habitat and how Western ranchers are able to operate going forward.”

“The BLM must extend the comment period and give local stakeholders more time to engage in this process and this process must be driven, first and foremost, by sound science,” Eisele adds.

PLC President Mark Roeber, a federal grazing permittee in the state of Colorado, cites a recent 10-year research study conducted by the University of Idaho, which confirmed livestock grazing actually benefits sage grouse populations by increasing biomass and diversity of insect species for food; reducing the risk of wildfire, which can kill

For more information on the BLM’s Greater sage grouse draft resource management plan or to submit comments, visit blm.gov/sagegrouse

sage grouse and destroy habitats and reducing the volume of cheatgrass and other invasive grasses which degrade the sagebrush biome.

“The agency must look at the science and leverage livestock grazing as a tool for strength,” Roeber states.

Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) adds, “For decades, Wyoming has led the country in successful sage grouse conservation efforts. Imposing sweeping regulations has hindered these efforts in the past and will only be ineffective in the future.”

“The BLM should rely on local experts in Wyoming and across the West as it updates its plan,” he continues. “The bureau’s final plan must allow activities essential to Wyoming’s economy – including energy production and livestock grazing –to thrive.”

Public input

The release of the BLM’s draft plan kicked off a 90-day public comment period,

which will end on June 13.

The agency will hold 13 public meetings to answer questions and provide more detailed information on the draft.

All in-person meetings will be open-house style and include a presentation and opportunities for questions and answers. Details on meeting venues and times will be posted on the project website at least 15 days prior to each meeting.

Two virtual meeting will be held April 9 and April 25.

Other meetings are scheduled for April 11 in Billings, Mont.; April 16 in Reno, Nev.; April 17 in Craig, Colo. and Lakeview, Ore.; April 18 in Cheyenne, Boise, Idaho and Ontario, Ore.; April 22 in Rock Springs; April 23 in Worland and Salt Lake City and April 24 in Casper.

Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

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