Volume 33 Number 39 • January 22, 2022
®
The Weekly News Source for Wyoming’s Ranchers, Farmers and AgriBusiness Community • www.wylr.net
A Look Inside Jennifer Whitlock discusses ongoing supply chain issues... .....................................Page 2 Dick Perue honors Cowboy Poet Chuck Larson.......Page 6 New column highlights agricultural education and advocacy............................Page 10
Suit filed over Thunder Basin prairie dog management On Nov. 18, 2021, Western Watersheds Project, Rocky Mountain Wild and WildEarth Guardians filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) Thunder Basin National Grassland
Hemp Meeting The Niobrara Conservation District will host an informational meeting on industrial hemp and its byproducts on Jan. 27 at 1 p.m. at the Niobrara County Fairgrounds. Local markets for hemp byproducts are located in Torrington, Scottsbluff, Neb., and others in Hot Springs and Hill City, S.D. area. Justin Loeffler, Green Tree Ag, and Wes Brown, Wyoming Department of Agriculture, will be on hand to visit about the process. For more information or to RSVP, e-mail lshaw@wyoming. com or call 307-334-9957.
der Basin National Grassland Land and Resource Management Plan. The amended plan intended to provide a wider array of management options to respond to “changing con-
Soybean Board The Western Region Soybean Board (WRSB) is looking for soybean farmers interested in filling its one director seat on the United Soybean Board. WRSB invests Soybean Checkoff dollars from producers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. For more information, contact Scott Ritzman at 402-432-5720 or scott@nebraskasoybeans. org.
U.S. Drought For the contiguous 48 states, the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) showed 55.01% of the area in moderate drought or worse, compared with 54.98% a week earlier. For all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, the USDM showed 45.98% of the area in moderate drought or worse, compared with 45.96% a week earlier.
Please see LAWSUIT on page 5
Improving cattle management starts through calving data collection Calving season is a stressful time of year for many producers, and collecting data can seem like a daunting task at times. The Beef Cattle Research Council hosted a webinar Jan. 12 to discuss the records that are worth spending valuable time on and the tools to help make collecting data easier. University of Calgary Assistant Professor of Bovine Health Management Dr. Jennifer Pearson advocates for the use of proper data collection during calving season. She says collecting data helps producers monitor inventory and production, investigate herd problems, look for areas of improvement and monitor management changes. Pearson believes it’s important for producers to keep records to determine if they’re having problems with individual cows. “Relying on our memory isn’t always the best when we’re trying to make some of these management decisions,” she says. Pearson urges producers to set “SMART” goals when ini-
tially approaching the task of collecting data. Goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-based. She believes the way producers collect data determines the output they have. “Put good data in and you’ll get reliable results out in the end,” Pearson says. How and what to collect Pearson performed a benchmarking calving study through the Canadian Cow-Calf Surveillance Network to determine what methods of collecting data were most common throughout Canadian producers. She says benchmarking numbers like these can be used as a comparison tool for producers to see where they fit in the region. “Benchmarking is a great tool for guidance, but it’s not an end goal,” she says. “We can always do better.” Please see CALVING on page 11
Meat Supply
On Jan. 18, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and 23 of her House colleagues sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, urging him to expand the availability of meat inspectors. The letter was sent in response to the Biden administration’s plan to increase competition in the meat and poultry supply chain as the price of protein continues to rise.
ditions on grassland, minimize prairie dog encroachment onto non-federal lands, reduce resource conflicts related to prairie dog occupancy and livestock grazing, ensure continued
Calving preparation
High inputs give Lee Pitts sticker shock...............Page 12
Quick Bits
prairie dog amendment. Need for control In 2020, the USFS, Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest and the Thunder Basin National Grassland completed an amendment to the Thun-
winter cattlemen’s edition 2022
Featuring Niob
rara County
WYLR photo
Check out the winter cattlemen's edition inside Edberg retires from WGFD Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) Deputy Chief of Wildlife and Deputy Chief Game Warden Scott Edberg is retiring after 31 years of service to the state of Wyoming. Edberg is best known for his strong work ethic, enthusiastic leadership, eye for details and drive for excellence throughout his career. “Scott's positive impact on Wyoming's wildlife and his contribution to the WGFD is impressive,” said Rick King, chief of the wildlife Scott Edberg division. “Throughout his WGFD Photo career, Scott has been the go-to person when a tough job required a strong leader who could plan, develop and implement a major project. He is without equal in his ability to pull together a team, initiate action and follow through on commitments. He will certainly leave an indelible legacy.” Edberg began with WGFD in 1988 in Pinedale as a temporary biologist technician on a Wyoming Range mule deer project. Two seasons later, he joined the storied red shirt ranks as the Glenrock game warden. “I was always fascinated by working outdoors with wildlife and people. I knew I wanted to be a game warden in the West because of the diversity of the job and the model Please see EDBERG on page 10
A publication
of the
Water Rule NCBA supports FRRCC’s position on WOTUS recommendations Washington, D.C. – In a press release dated Jan. 14, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced support for a report issued by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Advisory Committee (FRRCC). The recommendations were discussed by Scott Yager, NCBA chief environmental counsel, in the press release. Mary-Thomas Hart, NBCA environmental counsel, provided further comments in a Beltway Beef podcast dated Jan. 14. Background On Jan. 12, the FRRCC released a final report containing policy recommendations to EPA Administrator Michael Regan. In addition to the recommendations on Waters of the United States (WOTUS), NCBA is supportive of the FRRCC’s position on an ecosystem management system, pesticide management and food loss and waste, shared the press release. The recommendations focus on the need for clear, consistent policy positions from the EPA, which account for the needs of farmers and ranchers on their individual operations. In November 2021, the Biden administration released Please see NCBA on page 4
Show cattle prove relevant in commercial herds The cattle industry is home to two worlds appearing separatedat first glance – the show world and the “real world” of commercial ranch operations. Justin Mills welcomes Wyoming Ranchers Ty and Briley Miller, along with American Angus Association CEO Mark McCully, to discuss the importance of the show world on the Working Ranch Radio Show during the Cattlemen’s Conference in Oklahoma City, Jan. 1-16. Competition is commonly known for playing a large role in the show world. It is the driving force which motivates contestants to participate. “Competition is driven in the show world, but it’s a driving force for commercial produc-
ers as well,” says Briley. Commercial producers exist in a world driven by competing with other producers. There is a constant push to improve and produce at the highest standards. Briley acknowledges the need for producing the best cattle is the same in the show world as in the commercial world. “Whether they’re walking across the show ring or walking across the pasture, the good cattle are going to float to the top,” she says. Evaluating cattle is crucial in both worlds. Ty says evaluation is taken to an extreme in the show world, “nit-picking” for specific differentiations, but it is just as important to evaluate
periodical
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Please see CATTLE on page 5