Volume 35 Number 37 • January 6, 2024
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The Weekly News Source for Ranchers, Farmers and the Agribusiness Community • www.wylr.net
A Look Inside
USDA releases America's Farms and Ranches at a Glance report
Heart of Ag outlines eight ways to sharpen the family business in 2024..........Page 8
On Dec. 12, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the 2023 America’s Farms and Ranches at a Glance report during a webinar hosted by Katherine Lacy, research
Range 2 Range Program created for Veterans interested in ranching......................Page 10 Study conducted to examine cattle viral transmission during commingling...............Page 11
agricultural economist in the Farm Economy Branch of the Rural Economic Division at USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS). Lacy’s research background has focused on the
changing distribution of farm and ranch sizes, the resilience of local food systems and the impacts of health and tax policies on rural communities. This year’s edition
of America’s Farm and Ranches at a Glance report describes the characteristics of nearly two million U.S. farms in 2022. Specifically, it examines what Please see USDA on page 9
Restoring soil biodiversity can help an operation’s bottom line.......................Page 18
Environmental Stewardship Recognized Quick Bits Snow Report In the third snow report for Water Year 2024, the state’s snowpack telemetry data reads 65% of median, with a basin high of 83% and a basin low of 16%. In 2023, the state was at 122% and at 105% in 2022. The report and map displaying basin snow water equivalent percentages of median for the state may be found at wrds.uwyo.edu/wrds/nrcs/ nrcs.html.
Meeting Set The Wyoming Water Development Commission will hold a meeting Jan. 10 at the Wyoming Water Development Office in Cheyenne. To view the livestream, sign up for public comment or to access the most recent agenda, visit wwdc.state.wy.us/.
Loan Rates On Dec. 27, The U.S. Department of Agriculture Commodity Credit Corporation announced Marketing Assistance Loan rates for the 2024 crop of graded wool by micron class. Loan rates for ungraded wool and mohair are unchanged and remained the same from the prior crop year. Marketing Assistance Loans and Loan Deficiency Payments are available for graded wool, ungraded wool and mohair. For more information, visit fas.usda.gov.
Hog Numbers As of Dec. 1, Wyoming’s inventory of all hogs and pigs was 96,000 head, down 11% from last year. Breeding inventory, at 33,000 head, was down 16,000 head from last year, and market hog inventory, at 63,000 head, was up 4,000 head from last year. At the same time, the U.S. inventory of all hogs and pigs was 75 million head, up slightly from 2022. Breeding inventory, at six million head, was down 3% from last year and down 3% from the previous quarter. Market hog inventory, at 69 million head, was up slightly from last year, but down slightly from last quarter.
WSGA honors S&W Livestock, LLC with 2024 Environmental Stewardship Award The Wyoming Environmental Stewardship Program recognizes ranchers whose natural stewardship practices contribute to the environment and enhance productivity and profitability. This year, S&W Livestock, LLC is honored as the 2024 Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA) Environmental Stewardship Award winner. WSGA, the Wyoming Department of Agriculture, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Audubon Rockies are proud sponsors of this prestigious award. “Over the 27-year history of WSGAʼs Environmental Stewardship Program, the consistent message has been the passionate commitment to resource
stewardship exemplified by the honorees. At the same time, as demonstrated by this year’s nominee, S&W Livestock, LLC, these successful ranches have each evolved in their own unique manner,” stated Jim Magagna, WSGA executive vice president. From the beginning University of Wyoming (UW) Professor of Plant Sciences and Director of the Sheridan Research and Extension Center Brian Mealor described S&W Livestock’s story as one of innovation, flexibility and foresight, not just with livestock or natural resources but also with succession planning and partnerships. “Don Spellman came back to his family’s ranch Please see WSGA on page 7
Utilizing electric fence – S&W Livestock, LLC uses electric fencing to improve livestock distribution. Courtesy photo
Precision management UW Extension educator discusses importance of ewe nutrition from breeding through lambing The short days of December and January mark an important milestone in the production cycle of a sheep flock – breeding season. And with lambs hitting the ground in just a short five months, proper ewe nutrition throughout pregnancy is critical. In an effort to ensure producers have success when they start lambing come spring, University of Wyoming Extension Sheep Specialist Dr. Whit Stewart gave a presentation on the importance of sheep nutrition from breeding through lambing during the 2023 West Central States Wool Growers Convention, held at the Riverside Hotel in Boise, Idaho Nov. 2-4. To begin, Stewart noted for most sheep producers, feed represents one of the highest costs on an operation in any given year. But, with the help of precision nutritional management, producers can alleviate some of these expenses. “We know sheep require certain nutrients throughout the calendar year but we also Please see SHEEP on page 6
Ag contributed $2.5 billion to Wyoming’s economy in 2021 A new publication by the University of Wyoming (UW) Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics reports economic activity related to agricultural production contributed $2.526 billion to Wyoming’s economy in 2021. This total includes direct farm-gate sales from 11 agricultural industries, as well as related business-to-business purchases and spending by agricultural households. “Everyone recognizes agriculture is big in Wyoming. Now, we have a single publication which allows us to support our comments concerning the importance of ag in Wyoming with economic data,” says Eric Webster, director of the Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station. “I am extremely happy the Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station was able to provide funding to support this project, which highlights the importance of agriculture across the state,” Webster continues. Report details Roger Coupal, a professor in the UW Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, and UW Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics Research Scientist Amy Nagler co-authored the report, which presents both statewide and county-specific data. Analysis was completed using IMPLAN economic impact modeling software and the most recent data available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service and U.S. Census Bureau. Unsurprisingly, Coupal and Nagler found cattle, other livestock – including sheep and hogs – and hay production Please see ECONOMY on page 5
Fertilizer outlook provided In 2022, the Russian invasion of Ukraine ultimately resulted in record high fertilizer prices, but over the past year these prices have eased. According to Farm Futures Grain Market Analyst Jacqueline Holland, producers can expect fertilizer prices to continue easing throughout the first six months of the new year due to Brazilian crop delays. “But, there could be some fertilizer outlook murkiness ahead as uncertainty in the Red Sea and China’s fertilizer export prospects could constrain global trade flows in coming months,” notes Holland in a Farm Progress article published on Dec. 22.
Good news from Brazil Holland reports good news has recently come out of Brazil, where dry weather has caused growers to slow purchases of fertilizer for the upcoming safrinha – second corn harvest – planting, which represents nearly 75 percent of Brazil’s national corn output, depending on the year. In a Dec. 18 Reuters article, Authors Rod Nickel, Ana Mano and Sourasis Bose point out Mosaic, a fertilizer producer based in the U.S., predicts Brazil’s second corn harvest will decline by 12 percent or 12.7 million metric tons, exceeding the Brazilian government’s original forecasts
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Please see FERTILIZER on page 12