Volume 32 Number 37 • January 9, 2021
®
The Weekly News Source for Wyoming’s Ranchers, Farmers and AgriBusiness Community • www.wylr.net
A Look Inside A UW graduate returns to the university as the Rochelle Endowed Chair in the Department of Animal Science............ ...................................... Page 5 Jeremiah Vardiman provides the latest on herbicide resistance research at the University of Wyoming................. Page 11
Producers gain benefit from funding packages A $900 billion COVID19 relief bill and $1.4 trillion government funding package was passed after a 359-53 vote in the House and a 92-6 vote in the Senate and was signed into law by President Trump on Dec. 27. National
Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA) Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane and Senior Executive Director of Government Affairs Danielle Beck explain the benefits of the coronavirus relief bill along with the omni-
bus spending bill in the latest episode of NCBA’s Beltway Beef podcast. The bills The coronavirus relief bill and the government spending bill are two different pieces of the deal, says Lane.
“The stimulus bill is targeted to give relief to those hurting from COVID-19, whether it is business or individuals, and the omnibus is the regular government spending bill,” Beck explains. “I Please see BILL on page 19
2021 retail food prices are projected after market volatility in 2020............................ Page 13 Lee Pitts shares about videoing photogenic cattle for sales........ .................................... Page 19
Quick Bits SWE Update Wyoming’s snowpack or snow water equivalent (SWE) as of Jan. 4 is 78% of median with highs of 106% in the Yellowstone Basin and lows of 10% in the South Platte Basin. The state median average was 111% in 2020 and 91% in 2019. The statewide SWE percent of average is currently 74%, compared to 105% in 2020 and 86% in 2019.
2021 PROJECTIONS 2020 was a year of significant price fluctuations, and there is no doubt the beef cattle market took quite the rollercoaster ride. Despite this, many industry experts believe markets for both cattle and beef will fall back to near-normal levels in 2021. Cattle market 2020 report Disruptions in feedlot dynamics made for a year of ups and downs in the fed cattle markets. According to Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Market Economist Dr. Derrell Peel, monthly feedlot placements have varied from down 23 percent
Experts provide beef and cattle market projections for the new year
year-over-year in March to 11 percent higher year-overyear in July and back down to 11 percent below one year ago in October. From January to November, total placements were down 4.4 percent year-over-year, and for the last half of this timeframe, placements were 0.5 percent above the same period last year. Despite the highs and lows in the fed cattle market this past year, Peel believes cattle moving through feedlots will be more consistent through 2021. Please see 2021 on page 9
CRP Signup Producers and landowners can sign up for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency, from now until Feb. 12. The program provides producers the opportunity to establish plant species to control soil erosion, improve water quality and enhance wildlife habitat on cropland. For more information, visit fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/conservation-programs/conservation-reserve-program/index.
Flower Prices According to Oil World, global sunflower production is forecasted 5.45 million metric tons lower than last year’s total due to droughtrelated yield reductions. Historically, sunflower prices fell with harvest pressure and heavy producer selling. However, prices have added $1.65 to $2.05 per hundredweight since harvest began. With production reductions, prices are expected to remain firm.
CCC Rates The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) announced January 2021 interest rates on Jan. 4. These rates are used for a variety of farm credit options available through USDA’s Farm Service Agency and are effective Jan. 4-31.
Hannah Bugas photo
2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines USDA, HHS highlight importance of lean meat in new guidelines On Dec. 29, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the 2020-25 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs), a set of science-based recommendations on what to eat and drink to promote health, reduce risk of chronic disease and meet nutrient needs. USDA and HHS release the guidelines every five years, and for the first time, the two organizations offered guidance for individuals in different stages of life including advice for children and pregnant and lactating women. Additionally, despite a growing market of meat and dairy alternatives, USDA and HHS recognized the importance of lean meat and dairy in a healthy lifestyle. Through every stage of life In the 2020-25 DGAs, themed “Make every bite count,” USDA and HHS focus on four key recommendations. The first of these four key recommendations, and one of the most notable changes added to the 2020-25 DGAs, is to follow a healthy dietary pattern at every life stage. According to USDA and HHS, “Be it infancy, toddlerhood, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, pregnancy, lactation or older adulthood, it is Please see DIET on page 12
Environmental litigation halted Mountain States Legal Foundation (MSLF) announced on Dec. 28 a legal win for farming and ranching communities. In the case, Center for Biological Diversity v. Bernhardt, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) was attempting to gain power over federally-managed and private lands to influence threatened and endangered species’ recovery plans through endless litigation. In the case, CBD sought to challenge the recovery plan for grizzly bear populations in the lower 48 states as well as ensuring the ability to sue to enforce binding recovery plans. Recovery plans, however, are designed to be flexible and adjust as circumstances evolve over time, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. Currently, there are six distinct population areas in which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials determined grizzly bear populations were recovered under the Bush, Obama and Trump administrations. According to MSLF, CBD could sue at any point in a species’ recovery process to force a strict plan, practically putting roadblocks in the way of U.S. Fish and Wildlife in declaring any species to be recovered and drawing out the process of species recovery for years on end. Previously, CBD directly challenged the authority of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to manage grizzly bear population recovery and succeeded in the case Crow Indian Tribe v. United States, ultimately overturning the rule and convincing a federal judge to order grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem be replaced on the Please see MSLF on page 9
UW researches brucellosis vaccines Brucellosis is a bacterial disease known to cause elk, bison and cattle to abort their fetuses with abortions associated with higher risk of transmission. While most of the U.S. is free of bovine brucellosis, the disease is endemic in bison and elk in the Greater Yellowstone Area, occasionally spilling over to cattle herds in northwestern Wyoming and adjoining parts of Idaho and Montana. Researchers at the University of Wyoming (UW) have been working to eradicate brucellosis for over 15 years. Brucella vaccines According to UW scientists studying the disease, the brucellosis vaccination has
been an integral part of eradicating the disease from domestic cattle populations. “While vaccination of cattle with Brucella abortus strain RB51 does reduce abortions, it does not necessarily prevent infection,” states an article written by UW Associate Professor in Veterinary Sciences Gerry Andrews and Brucellosis Research Coordinator Bruce Hoar. “Also, currently available vaccines are not appropriate for use in bison or elk.” While UW researchers have applied modern methods with the goal of producing a vaccine which protects more than one species of potential hosts of the disease,
periodical
periodical
Please see VACCINE on page 6