Volume 32 Number 40 • January 30, 2021
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The Weekly News Source for Wyoming’s Ranchers, Farmers and AgriBusiness Community • www.wylr.net
A Look Inside 307 Meats in Laramie steps up to hold a collegiate meat judging contest.............................Page 7 Wyoming Legislature begins working sessions virtually........... ........................................Page 8 Windy Kelley shares predictions for Wyoming climate conditions...............................Page 15 Nitrogen-fixing microbes address nitrogen loss...Page 22
Quick Bits U.S. Drought For the contiguous 48 states, the U.S. Drought Monitor showed 46.02% of the area in moderate drought or worse, compared with 45% a week earlier. Drought now affects 64,806,849 people, compared with 66,927,452 a week earlier. For all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, the U.S. Drought Monitor showed 38.49% of the area in moderate drought or worse, compared with 37.64% a week earlier. Drought now affects 65,391,027 people, compared with 67,394,792 a week earlier.
New vaccines available for cattle diseases Both Elanco and Merck Animal Health recently announced the release of their new vaccines to the cattle market, which will help producers fight two of the most common and dangerous illnesses in cattle – anaplasmo-
sis and pneumonia. A study conducted by Elanco found Baytril 100CA1 can reduce the mortality rate of anaplasmosis, while Merck Animal Health’s new Bovilis Nasalgen 3-PMH can protect cat-
Water Update Snowpack and snow water equivalent (SWE) averages are still generally below average along many Wyoming basins for this time of year. The greatest increases in snowpack and SWE in the past week were in southeast Wyoming. All basins west of the Continental Divide generally had small SWE decreases during the week of Jan. 18. The best chance for mountain snow will be in northwest Wyoming through Feb. 6.
Please see VACCINE on page 10
UNL veterinarian shares tips and tools from calving toolbox While some producers have started calving already, many others are preparing for new calves on the ranch. Those waiting for calves to hit the ground have many tools to get ready and management practices to plan for.
Seat Filled
Elk Hunt
cows older than two years of age. Elanco’s Dr. Douglas Shane notes symptoms of anaplasmosis may include weakness, labored breathing, fever, abortion in pregnant cows and
CALVING PREPARATION IN FULL SWING
Gov. Mark Gordon has appointed Kenneth D. Roberts, a Republican from Lincoln County, to fill the vacant seat on the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission (WGFC) for District Three. Roberts’ term will commence immediately, and his nomination is subject to confirmation by the Wyoming Senate in coming weeks. District Three encompasses Uinta, Lincoln, Sublette and Teton counties. Roberts will serve the remaining two years of the vacant position for District Three’s term.
Nonresident elk hunters only have a few more days to finalize their hunting plans and submit applications for 2021. The deadline for nonresident elk applications is Feb. 1, and hunters must apply online. Tentative season information is also available on the Game and Fish Hunt Planner. Nonresident elk hunters can modify or withdraw their existing applications until May 10.
tle from pneumonia. Combating anaplasmosis Anaplasmosis, a vector-borne, infectious disease of red blood cells, is usually spread by ticks and causes severe anemia. The disease can be highly devastating to
Dr. Lindsay Waechter-Mead, from the Great Plains Veterinary Education Center in Clay Center, Neb. shares some of the items she keeps in her calving toolbox in the most recent episode of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Beefwatch podcast. Basic tools Basic tools in Waechter-Mead’s calving toolbox include disposable veterinary OB sleeves and some kind of lubricant, as well as chains or straps and a set of OB handles. Her box also contains a headlamp, waterproof bibs and a calf jack. “Choosing between chains and straps is a personal preference,” she explains. “I personally use chains because they seem to clean easier than straps, and I can rig them into a half-hitch to distribute force across calves’ feet.” Waechter-Mead shares in veterinary school she was taught OB handles could add a small amount of extra force when pulling a calf, but the force of two people pulling should be enough. She also keeps simple items such as a thermometer, 18-gauge and 16-gauge needles, syringes, tags and taggers, a record book and clean towels in Please see TIPS on page 23
Planning ahead – Dr. Lindsay Waechter-Mead stresses the importance of planning ahead and being ready in advance for calving season. Hannah Bugas photo
Research update SAREC director provides update on current agriculture research During the WyomingUtah Ag Day, held on Jan. 26 in Evanston, University of Wyoming (UW) Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension Center (SAREC) Director Dr. Steve Paisley provided an update on three current UW agricultural research projects. Cattle performance and grazing The first study brought up in Paisley’s discussion is a collaborative project led by Justin Derner, a rangeland scientist at the High Plains Research Station in Cheyenne and UW Graduate Student Averi Hales. Paisley explained the study consists of three different groups of cattle – a group of steers from a local grazing cooperative, a group from Colorado State University (CSU) and a group from the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC), headquartered in Clay Center, Neb. “The research is layered on some existing studies, but Hales is looking at the difference in performance between the three groups and why those cattle seem to perform better than the others,” Paisley said. “Specifically, the study is Please see STUDIES on page 5
UW ag personnel honored Several individuals from the University of Wyoming (UW) College of Agriculture and Natural Resources were recognized this past week for their dedication and hard work. Outstanding Staff Awards Mona Gupton, senior officer associate for the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences and David Hanna, lab technician for the Department of Animal Science, were selected as recipients for the college’s Outstanding Staff Awards. According to a UW press release dated Jan. 22, Gupton is often sought out by students for advice and is well known by her colleagues for always stepping outside of her assigned duties to get the job done. “Gupton is diligent, detail oriented, knowledgeable, caring and always willing to lend a hand wherever it is needed,” reads the press release. Fellow employee David Hanna also received honors for going above and beyond. According to the press release, Hanna is very good at problem solving, communicating, fixing equipment and patiently training students in the lab. “During the pandemic, Hanna monitored incoming packages to ensure proper storage and was prompt to fix freezers when a June snowstorm caused a massive power outage last year,” reads the release. WAES Outstanding Research Award Additionally, two researchers in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources were recognized for Please see AWARDS on page 12
Wind lease approved The Wyoming State Land Board voted Jan. 21 to reverse its Nov. 5 decision, ultimately approving a proposed wind energy lease for the company ConnectGen. ConnectGen’s project, called the Rail Tie Project, spans 26,000 acres near Tie Siding, including over 4,800 acres on Wyoming state land. The 500-megawatt project is expected to pay around $20 million to the state of Wyoming in wind energy leases over the project’s 35-year lifespan, and ConnectGen predicts the project will generate around $176 million in
new tax revenue, as well as create jobs and economic activity on top of lease payments. Previous decision In November 2020, the State Land Board declined ConnectGen’s application to lease 4,800 acres, even though the director of the Office of State Lands and Investments recommended the board approve the lease, given “no substantive impairments” to grazing and agricultural activities be identified. Several Albany County residents supported the project south of Laramie,
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Please see WIND on page 21