October 27, 2018

Volume 30 Number 26 • October 27, 2018

®

The Weekly News Source for Wyoming’s Ranchers, Farmers and AgriBusiness Community • www.wylr.net

A Look Inside Limiting intermingling reduces the chance of EHV, Strangles in horses.....................Page A8 Candidates for governor are entering the final steps of this year’s campaign........................................ ...........................Pages A10-11 Cold storage inventory is creating concern for some.......................Page B1 Goshen County youth hit highs in Kansas City.........................Page B7

Quick Bits Beef Production USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service released their September Livestock Slaughter report on Oct. 25, noting that commercial red meat production for the month totaled 4.19 billion pounds, down 5% from September 2017. Beef production was 3% below September 2017, and lamb and mutton production was up 1% from a year ago.

Wyo State Fair Board holds productive first meeting Douglas – With budget challenges and concerns about the Wyoming State Fair coming from across the state of Wyoming, during their 2018 session, the Wyoming Legislature created a Wyoming State Fair Board

to run the activities on the fairgrounds, both during the annual event and in the offtime.

On Oct. 18, the board announced by Gov. Matt Mead in September held their first meeting, kicking

off the new endeavor aimed at revitalizing the fair and improving its ability to generate money and be self-sustaining.

“Our first meeting was very productive,” says Wyoming State Fair Direc-

tor James Goodrich. “For our first gather, we got acquainted, had a useful orientation session and really kicked things off.”

The board also elected Joe Rankin of Converse Please see WSF on page A14

The latest in water legislation Water banking working group sets sights on collaborative discussion for big topic

Casper – Since June, the Wyoming Legislature’s Joint Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources Committee has held robust discussions on the topic of water banking, with the idea of alleviating concerns related to adherence with various compacts and endangered species requirements.

“There are some real opportunities within the state to look at potential ways to bank water, primarily for agricultural purposes but also to address endangered species issues and drought management topics,” says Wyoming Sen. Larry Hicks (R-Baggs). “This is not a new concept, and there are opportunities in years we carry over water to get credit for it in a banking program.”

Inside water banking Water banking adds benefits beyond just storage of new construction, says Hicks, commenting that the process allows water users to prepare for potential droughts or water shortages.

“If we have a good hydrological year where we don’t need to use our water, our irrigators can defer use of allocated water as supplemental supply for the next year,” he says. “Today, water that isn’t used is lost.”

Benefits “Every state around Wyoming uses prior appropriation doctrine, and nine of the 11 states in the West either have or have considered some form of water banking in Please see WATER on page A7

WWGA Meeting The early registration deadline for the West Central States Wool Growers Annual Convention is Nov. 1, and sheep producers are encouraged to register early to reserve their place at the event. Hundreds of sheep producers from across the region will travel to Casper Nov. 8-10 to discuss the latest and most pressing issues facing the sheep industry.

Ag Day University of Wyoming’s Ag Appreciation brought incredible success to the University of Wyoming College of Ag and its student organizations.

During the event, the barbecue luncheon fed over 670 people, raising money for 18 clubs and organizations with 58 student volunteers. The event raised over $9,000 for student groups.

Pork Culling China has culled 200,000 pigs from its herds due to the outbreak of African Swine Fever. That number represents a small part of the 700 million pigs that China slaughters every year for food consumption.

However, due to restrictions on transporting animals that are designed to help curb the spread of the disease have created tight pork supplies in parts of the country.

Saige Albert photo

Gayle Smith photo

Top returns Ranchers may see the greatest returns on moderate size cows Laramie – Finding ways to fine-tune an efficient cowherd can be challenging to producers. However, an Oklahoma State University Extension beef cattle specialist suggested most ranchers could find savings by moderating their cowherd and changing their selection criteria.

David Lalman told producers at the High Plains Nutrition Conference in Laramie that today, the U.S. is producing 14 percent more beef with 1.8 million fewer cows. He said substantial evidence exists that the environment is a limiting factor of calf weights at weaning.

“But once the calves enter the feedyard, their rate of gain explodes. I think it can be attributed to more aggressive selection of growth over time,” he said.

Importance of records With a focus on improving cowherd efficiency, Lalman told ranchers that individual ranch records are crucial.

“It is important to be Please see RETURNS on page A9

USDA meat oversight supported

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) highlighted the food safety and product labeling expertise of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) during a two-day public meeting on lab-grown fake meat. The public meeting, hosted jointly by USDA and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), took place Oct. 23-24. The meeting agenda listed a wide range of topics for consideration, including potential production hazards, food labeling and marketing claims.

NCBA President Kevin Kester and President-Elect Jennifer Houston delivered remarks during the open comment periods of the session. Houston explained why USDA is well-positioned to apply current food safety processes to lab-grown fake meat products. Two-thirds of the facilities already overseen by USDA are “processingonly” facilities where harvesting of animals does not take place.

“Ensuring lab-grown fake meat products are subject to strong, daily inspection by USDA’s trained professionals is essential,” she said. “The health of consumers is on the line, and USDA is far better suited to ensure the safety of lab-grown products.”

Kester focused his comments on how USDA oversight provides protects consumers against false and misleading marketing claims.

“USDA can be trusted to enforce truthful, transparent labeling of the products under its jurisdiction,” he said.

“Beef producers welcome competition, but product labels and marketing must be based on sound science, not the misleading claims of anti-animal agriculture activists.”

During the meeting, the United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) reiterated the importance of maintaining the integrity of beef labels and continues to oppose any use of the terms “beef” or “meat” on any product not harvested from livestock in the traditional manner.

Women in Ag

Flitner’s book highlights life on the ranch Shell – Writing a book wasn’t something Mary Flitner had planned on doing, but after compiling a set of ranch notebooks and journals one year for a family Christmas gift, she saw an opportunity to continue to improve her writing and create a heirloom that would be treasured by generations of her family.

“I’ve always kept a journal just for the fun of it,” Flitner says. “I kept records of when we turned cattle out, what the weather was like and little anecdotes from the family.”

She continues that the effort started as a way to keep a business account, but Flitner noticed that the

notebooks contained a lot about her family, as well.

“That Christmas, I put together a notebook for each member of our family, sharing a few short stories,” she comments. “Then, I started thinking I wanted to do a better job of writing and putting it all together.”

Starting a book As she began toying with the idea of writing a full-fledged book, Flitner took several writing classes and really delved into her family history, gathering stories from as far back as the 1800s, when her family first came to Wyoming.

“Daniel B. Budd came to Wyoming

periodical

periodical

Please see WIA on page A15

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 26 • October 27, 2018

Time to be Involved

Last week, I wrote about the fall meetings up to Nov. 12. I know we are going to miss some, but we just don’t know they are scheduled. Let us know, and we will place them in the Roundup Calendar of Events On the evening of Nov. 13, From the the Albany County Stock Growers Publisher will have their annual meeting at the Dennis Sun Albany County Fairgrounds.

On Nov. 13-15, the Wyoming Business Alliance and the Wyoming Heritage Foundation will host the Governor’s Business Forum, the state’s premier event for analysis and discussion about the state’s economic and business climate. This event is always a good one to attend, and this year there are some agriculture and Wyoming rodeo speakers, along with some excellent speakers from around the country. This event will take place at the Little America Hotel and Resort in Cheyenne. The theme for this year’s event is “Charting a New Course.”

The Wyoming Association of Conservation District’s Annual Convention will take place in Evanston on Nov. 14-16. The meetings will take place at the Historic Evanston Roundhouse. This convention is always full of information, high energy and fun. If you work with or are involved in a Conversation District – or agency or organization that does, it is where you need to be.

On Nov. 15-16, the 25th Wyoming Women’s Ag Symposium will be held at Parkway Plaza in Casper. On the evening of Nov. 15, Celeste Settrini will speak on her experiences on their ranch, her family and ranching close to development. On Nov. 16, Jolene Brown will be the keynote speaker. She has always been an advocate for agriculture and has a great way of expressing herself.

Other topics on the breakout sessions are bee keeping, a post-election legislative update, animal diseases to be aware of and what to do about them, new technology in the sheep industry and the Beneficial Use of the Water Alliance, which looks at communication between the oil and ag industries. This event is always a good time with tons of information, bring all interested members of your family.

On the afternoon and evening of Nov. 17, the Carbon County Stock Growers will host in Saratoga a business meeting and dinner at the Platte Valley Community Center. If you have an ag business or raise livestock in Carbon County, you need to join and attend.

The final state convention of the year is the Wyoming Stock Growers Winter Roundup on Dec. 3-5 at the Ramkota Hotel and Convention Center in Casper. More information will follow in the Roundup.

And don’t forget, in the first months of 2019, the national meetings of agriculture and livestock producers will be held. These large conventions are good because you really have time to enjoy yourself and the opportunity to hear some great national speakers. Also, you have the opportunity to make a difference nationally as you represent your state or region.

These days, it is not enough to just support your state organizations, as our world is changing so fast. We need to have a voice nationally through our support and voice.

People in ag around the country look to Wyoming for leadership and direction. We all need to stay tuned in.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup Reporting the News by the Code of the West

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GUEST OPINIONS Water Infrastructure Act is a Bipartisan Win for All Americans – From Farms to Cities

By U.S. Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.)

From Newcastle, Wyo. to New Castle, Del., water infrastructure is vital to every community in America. Our drinking water systems, dams, reservoirs, levees, shipping lanes and ports support and promote economic growth, are vital for our safety and security and keep this country moving.

They provide water for families, crops, cattle, chickens and small businesses. The country’s water infrastructure keeps our communities safe from dangerous floods, and it stores extra water for times of drought.

But the reality is that many of these systems are aging and in serious need of attention. That’s why Democrats and Republicans in the House and the Senate came together to pass a bill that makes critical updates to America’s water infrastructure, creates jobs and gives communities tools to improve drinking water systems. It is now law with President Donald Trump’s signature.

This law will protect urban and rural America As the top Republican and the top Democrat on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, we worked across the aisle to write this comprehensive law. Senators on our committee represent rural communities in places like South Dakota, Vermont and Alaska. Others represent some of our nation’s largest cities, including New York, Chicago and Baltimore. America’s Water Infrastructure Act is good for people in all of these places and more.

This bipartisan law authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to construct, expedite, modify or study more than 100 water resource projects. These important projects will create jobs here at home and spur economic growth. They will keep our waterways open to make it easier for American products to reach markets around the globe, keeping us competitive for years to come.

The new law will also increase water storage in the West, replenish shorelines in the East and build new dams and levees across the country. Access to consistent water supply is key for America’s ranchers and farmers. They expect that water will be there when they need it. Crumbling irrigation systems will now begin to receive badly needed maintenance.

Too often, important infrastructure projects can’t get off the ground because they are tied up in backlogs and delays. America’s Water Infrastructure Act gives local leaders an increased say in which projects the Army Corps of Engineers should prioritize.

Those on the ground often understand the needs of their communities best. Localities and states need to be considered full part-

ners with Washington.

Above all, America’s Water Infrastructure Act is about keeping families and communities safe. It allows the Army Corps of Engineers to more effectively assist communities recovering from devastating storms and surging rivers. The critical infrastructure projects included in this law will help prevent floods by maintaining dams, levees, beaches and wetlands. Improving these flood control systems will limit the damage caused by major hurricanes.

Each spring, melting ice causes rivers to overflow their banks and destroy property. Now, we are creating a permanent program to address these dangerous ice jam floods. Each summer and fall, we face disastrous storms impacting coastal communities. This bill creates new authorities to address the storms before they hit.

Safer drinking water at home and at school America’s Water Infrastructure Act is also the most significant drinking water law enacted in nearly two decades. It reauthorizes the program that lets states borrow money to build out and maintain drinking water systems. It also establishes new federal programs to help communities address water contamination.

The events that produced elevated lead levels in the water in Flint, Mich. were both tragic and avoidable. All parents – no matter what zip code they live in – should have confidence that the water coming out of their tap is safe for their kids to drink.

These same assurances should extend to schools, as well. That’s why our legislation expands programs to remove lead from school drinking fountains. That’s something we can all agree on, and it is something worth celebrating.

We are proud that this bill is bipartisan, and that it is fiscally responsible. America’s Water Infrastructure Act will not increase our nation’s budget deficit.

Too often, politics can keep meaningful legislation from moving forward. This legislation demonstrated that it’s still possible to find common ground on important issues that affect us all. America’s Water Infrastructure Act is a win for American families, for our economy and for our environment. It can serve as a model for other committees in Congress moving forward, and we hope it will.

Republican Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming and Democratic Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware are chairman and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Help Pollinators Help You

By USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service For most people, pollen means allergies and bees mean stings. Bees and pollen should mean much more to us because one out of every three bites of food we take is made possible by a pollinator.

Pollinators play a tremendous economic role. The problem is that too many people see the pollination process as a free service from nature. Most people don’t know the about the threats facing wild and managed pollinators worldwide.

Managed honey bee colonies have shrunk by 25 percent since 1990, and there are fewer bee hives in the United States than at any time in the past 50 years. For more than

a decade, biologists have documented declines in populations of migratory pollinators including butterflies, bats and birds.

Pollinators are particularly important to fruit, vegetable, and nut growers. These crops are valued at billions of dollars. California producers rent half a million bee hives a year for almond trees alone.

On your land, there are several things you can do to help pollinators.

Don’t disturb wild areas. Bumblebees nest in old mouse Please see NRCS on page A14

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 25 • October 20, 2018

NEWS BRIEFS Counties quality for support Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue designated two Wyoming counties as primary natural disaster areas. Producers in Big Horn and Laramie counties, who suffered losses due to hail, high winds, excessive rain, flash flooding, lightning and tornadoes, may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans.

This designation by Secretary Perdue allows FSA to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including replacing essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganizing a farming operation or refinancing certain debts.

Producers in Big Horn County, who suffered losses from a hailstorm and high winds that occurred on July 26, 2018, may apply for an emergency loan to help cover part of their actual losses.

Producers in the contiguous counties of Johnson, Park, Sheridan, Washakie in Wyoming, along with Big Horn and Carbon counties in Montana, are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.

Producers in Laramie County, who suffered losses from excessive rain, flash flooding, hail, high winds, lightning and tornadoes that occurred July 29 through Aug. 7, 2018, may apply for an emergency loan to help cover part of their actual losses.

The deadline to apply for these emergency loans is June 17, 2019.

USDA designates disasters Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue designated Sweetwater County as a primary natural disaster area.

Producers who suffered losses due to a recent drought may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans.

This designation by Secretary Perdue allows FSA to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including replacing essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganizing a farming operation or refinance certain debts.

Producers in the contiguous counties of Carbon, Fremont, Lincoln, Sublette and Uinta in Wyoming, along with Moffat County in Colorado, and Daggett and Summit counties in Utah, are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.

The deadline to apply for these emergency loans is June 3, 2019.

Food companies target millennials As consumers increasingly lean toward fruits, vegetables, grains and meats unsullied by preservatives and sweeteners, food makers including J.M. Smucker Co., General Mills Inc. and Conagra Brands Inc. are looking to reshape portfolios to shed slow- or no-growth units.

Instead, they’re looking to refocus on foods that can boost revenue in a world where millennials – with roughly $4 trillion in spending power – and Gen Z buyers rule.

Many “Big Food” companies have built up product portfolios over the last 25 years, but with food consumption patterns changing, companies are looking to sell less profitable units to focus on innovation in segments that can be marketed as healthy.

General Mills, for example, is focusing on cereals and yogurt with less sugar. Mondelez International is trying to figure out how to fuel new growth by providing the right snacks to on-the-go consumers working longer hours.

NACD praises appointment On Oct. 11, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue swore in Vicki Christiansen as chief of the agency’s Forest Service.

Christiansen has been a wildland fire fighter and fire manager for 36 years. Prior to joining the Forest Service, where she has been serving as Interim Chief since March, Christiansen was the Arizona State Forester and Director of the Arizona Division of Forestry.

The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) President Brent Van Dyke said, “Chief Christiansen has the necessary tools in her toolkit to hit the ground running in this new role. During her time at the Forest Service, Christiansen has worked closely with conservation districts to improve the health of our nation’s forests.”

“Due to her education and professional experience, she understands how failing to properly manage our nation’s forests leads to longer and more severe fire seasons. NACD commends Secretary Perdue’s appointment, and we look forward to expanding this productive relationship to continue making improvements to our nation’s public and private forest lands,” he continued.

Cattle on Feed bullish In the Oct. 22 edition of the Daily Livestock Report (DLR), the organization said futures market participants will likely view the latest cattle on feed inventory data as bullish for the late winter and early spring market.

“While USDA in January and July offers an estimate as to the supply of cattle outside of feedlots, the flow of feeders into feedlots and ultimately slaughter provide the true measure of supply availability,” DLR says. “Prior to the report analysts were split in their expectations for September placements.”

Seasonally, placements increase in September, but it appears that feedlots pulled some of the feeder supply forward by increasing placements in July and August, DLR adds Total cattle placed on feed in July and August were up 269,000 head compared to a year ago but they were down almost 100,000 head in September.

BLM finds forage reserve The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and a group of cooperating ranchers aim to make Big Desert Forage Reserve available for use by displaced animals next summer.

The project, also known as County Line Forage Reserve, has been in the works for around seven years near the border of Power and Bingham counties northwest of American Falls, Idaho.

Sited within the 219,000-acre Big Desert Sheep Allotment, the reserve is designed to give applicants a place to graze cattle and sheep whose usual feeding areas are made unavailable by fire, drought or landscape-health projects.

Tractor Supply supports 4-Hers Thousands of 4-H youth from across the country will experience valuable hands-on learning opportunities as a result of Tractor Supply’s Paper Clover Campaign. The biannual fundraiser, held in partnership with National 4-H Council, collectively raised $1,999,661 in 2018 through donations made with purchases in store and online.

Most recently, Tractor Supply raised more than $1 million as a result of its Fall Paper Clover event held from Oct. 3-14, marking the most successful fundraiser in the company’s history. Tractor Supply customers participated in Paper Clover by purchasing paper clovers for a donation during checkout at stores nationwide or through purchases made online at TractorSupply.com.

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WBC encourages beef meals October is often the calm before the storm. November and December not only bring stormy weather, but the gale of the holidays has blown into a true tempest.

Now, in the relative calm of October, the Wyoming Beef Council (WBC) recommends sprucing up your soups and stews selection in preparation for blustery days ahead.

Soups and stews require little preparation and can simmer all day in a slow cooker, or blast into delicious existence thanks to the breakout star of the kitchen – the instant pot. Low in calories and high in nutrition, they can feed a crowd on a budget and have the added allure of permeating your residence with a delicious aroma that can lure even the most social of teens from the smartest of phones.

A virtual treasure trove of recipes can be found at beefitswhatsfordinner.com. Most of the recipes require just a quick grocery stop and a few minutes of preparation time.

Mud snails found in North Platte The Wyoming Game and Fish Department recently confirmed new findings of New Zealand mud snails in both the North Platte River near Casper and the Salt River south of Alpine.

New Zealand mud snails are an aquatic invasive species (AIS) that have spread throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and now persist in several water bodies in the northwest part of the state, but this is the first finding on the North Platte River.

Study misleads consumers In a report titled “Chain Reaction IV: Burger Edition,” only two hamburger restaurants, California-based Shake Shack and Florida-based BurgerFi, earned A grades based on their public policy of sourcing meat raised without antibiotics.

The report was co-authored by Friends of the Earth, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Consumer Reports, Center for Food Safety, FACT: Food Animal Concerns Trust and the U.S. PIRG Education Fund, all of which were called public interest organizations working to eliminate the routine use of antibiotics in animal agriculture.

The restaurants earning A grades both currently serve only beef raised without antibiotics and claims that because the chains are expanding from the small number of current locations, that “their responsible sourcing practices – including serving beef raised without antibiotics – are paying off.”

The Wendy’s chain received a D- grade on the report because in 2018, the chain began to purchase 15 percent of its beef supply from producers that have “reduced the use of one medically important antibiotic, tylosin, by 20 percent.”

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 26 • October 27, 2018

NEWS BRIEFS USDA announced payments

The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to pay out farm safety net support of $4.8 billion in the weeks ahead.

Approximately $3 billion in payments will be made under the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2017 crop year, and approximately $1.8 billion will go to annual rental payments under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) for 2018.

MSU hires sheep specialist Montana State University (MSU) has hired Brent Roeder, an agriculture and natural resources Extension agent in Teton County, as the university’s Extension sheep specialist.

Roeder, who has served in Teton County since 2015, received his bachelor’s degree in animal science from Texas A&M University and his master’s degree in ruminant nutrition from Montana State University. Roeder will begin his new position on Nov. 1.

As the new statewide specialist, Roeder said he recognizes the vital role that sheep and wool play when it comes to wool products and Montana’s economic development.

“I see great opportunities for the industry to engage new producers and consumers through increased lamb consumption, using more sheep and goats for vegetation management, and improved opportunities for locally produced, value-added Montana products,” he said.

Wheat winds down Time flies and early August doesn’t seem that long ago when December Kansas City wheat prices were challenging $6.20 a bushel with help from dry weather concerns in Europe. Europe’s wheat production did suffer this year, nine percent lower according to USDA, and production is also estimated 18 percent lower in Russia and 13 percent lower in Australia.

In all, USDA estimates world wheat production will be down 3.7 percent in 2018-19 to 730.9 million metric tons (mmt) or 26.86 billion bushels (bb).

However, the big surpluses of the past few years are being trimmed, thanks to 745.6 mmt (27.40 bb) of world use.

In 2018-19, USDA expects ending wheat stocks for the top seven exporters to drop 25 percent to 52 mmt or 1.91 bb. Technically, that is the lowest in 11 years but is also close to where supplies were five years ago, in 2013-14 when Kansas City wheat prices traded around seven dollars.

EPA accelerates deregulation The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a plan for eliminating regulations next year that would likely dwarf its current rule-cutting pace.

The agency expects to finalize approximately 30 deregulatory actions and fewer than 10 regulatory actions in fiscal 2019, according to the Trump administration’s Unified Agenda, released last week.

FWS director tapped President Donald J. Trump announced the nomination of Aurelia Skipwith to be the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke applauded the nomination.

“For the past year-and-a-half while she served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary, I’ve come to know Aurelia Skipwith as a professional, a scientist and passionate conservationist, and I know she will be an incredible Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,” said Secretary Zinke.

“Deputy Assistant Secretary Skipwith has proven herself to be an effective and knowledgeable leader on a range of tough, contentious issues currently before the Department of the Interior,” said Ethan Lane, executive director of the Public Lands Council.

Kennedy testifies on bears U.S. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), welcomed John Kennedy, deputy director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, to the committee to testify at a hearing titled “From Yellowstone’s Grizzly Bear to the Chesapeake’s Delmarva Fox Squirrel – Successful State Conservation, Recovery and Management of Wildlife.”

The hearing focused on elevating the role of states in wildlife management, conservation and species recovery activities. The hearing followed a July legislative hearing on the Endangered Species Act Amendments of 2018, draft legislation authored

by Barrasso. The draft bill has received broad support from stakeholders, state and local governments and conservation organizations.

In his written testimony, Kennedy detailed how the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) has worked to successfully manage hundreds of wildlife species across the state.

“WGFD’s core priority is to manage fish and wildlife using sound scientific principles while maintaining stakeholder satisfaction with the wide array of recreation activities and experiences Wyoming has to offer,” he said.

Judge upholds Monsanto verdict A northern California judge on Oct. 22 upheld a jury’s verdict that found Monsanto’s weed killer caused a groundskeeper’s cancer, but she slashed the amount of money to be paid from $289 million to $78 million.

In denying Monsanto’s request for a new trial, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Suzanne Bolanos cut the jury’s punitive damage award from $250 million to $39 million. The judge had earlier said she had strong doubts about the jury’s entire punitive damage award.

Bolanos gave DeWayne Johnson until Dec. 7 to accept the reduced amount or demand a new trial.

Johnson’s spokeswoman Diana McKinley said he and his lawyers are reviewing the decision and haven’t decided the next step.

“Although we believe a reduction in punitive damages was unwarranted and we are weighing the options, we are pleased the court did not disturb the verdict,” she said.

Coming Soon!

2018 Christmas Corral November 3 - December 8 the Wyoming Livestock Roundup will be offering a special section featuring Christmas ideas for everyone in the family!

Receive a special rate of $7 per column inch when you advertise in the Christmas Corral!

To advertise in the Christmas Corral, contact Jody at 800-967-1647 or jodym@wylr.net.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • www.wylr.net • 800.967.1647 • 307.234.2700

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 25 • October 20, 2018

POSTCARD from the Past

Compiled by Dick Perue rrichardperue@gmail.com

The Ghost Walks The following account of the ghost surprise party was handed in by one of the ghosts and his unfamiliarity with mundane affairs must be his apology, but it is printed as written.

A very unique surprise party occurred Wednesday eve at the home of Mayor and Mrs. Winkelman. It was a surprise in more than one respect. The hostess was not only surprised to see such a gathering but a few of the late comers were surprised, yes, horror stricken, when entering the house to be surrounded by big ghosts, little ghosts and all things imaginable that go with ghosts to make it all the more horrible.

After the crowd had all assembled and were properly clothed to suit the occasion, a line of march was formed led by Mrs. Winkelman, and the fun started.

Once outside on the lawn many fancy figures were made by the marchers. Being convinced that all who were not ghosts within six miles of the line of march, were thoroughly frightened, the marchers were led to the refreshment parlor where a very delicious repast was

spread. Blue points on the half shell was course No. 1 on the menu card. Urn! Um! To think of being fortunate enough to have the pleasure of eating Blue points from the hall shell, in Encampment, was beyond all expectations, and many of the ghosts were really very much dazed and were very much more dazed when they were served a piece of lettuce on half a peanut shell.

Some fainted, and it was thought advisable to call a doctor, but some thoughtful ghost reminded those present that the next number on the card might arouse those who had fainted, and the calling of a doctor would be unnecessary. Boneless turkey! What? Yes, boneless turkey was No. 2 on the program. Thanks, many thanks, was sentiment of the ghosts to the carver who had made it possible to eat turkey without having to take it in their fingers and be placed in such an embarrassing position before so large a crowd. Alas! T-u-rk-e-y came forth. Pieces of paper, so artistically cut that it sure looked like chicken to many, was served. Well, but it wasn’t turkey. Faint

Ghost stories – The ghost of our boyhood resolved itself to an old tree when we had courage to examine it. Manhood has its ghosts, which, to the man who has courage to confront them, prove to be as harmless as the ghosts of boyhood. One of the ghosts which scare a great many people is the ghost of lung disease. But experience shows this disease to be very harmless. In cases, almost innumerable “weak” lungs have been made strong, obstinate coughs stopped and bronchial afflictions cured by the use of Pierce’s Golden Medical Discovery. And these cures have been wrought in many cases after the doctor had said, “There is no help for you.” Don’t give in to the superstition of a past age. Give the “Golden Medical Discovery” a fair and faithful trial. It always helps. It almost always cures.

Advertisement in “The Laramie Boomerang” July 11, 1901, Historical Reproductions by Perue

No. 2.

Soft rolls made their debut next. It was heartrending indeed to see so many different facial expressions when soft rolls of cotton like mother used to roll was served. The pressure at this time were pretty hard to stand, but all was well awaiting further developments.

Scalloped potatoes then arrived on the scene, Nuf. Sed. They were scalloped.

The liquid refreshment was a very welcome number.

On the menu card appeared the item Cambric Tea. Harmony once more prevailed at the thought of at least getting something to quench

A5

the many parched lips and throats caused from eating the oysters, turkey, soft rolls, and potatoes, Oh! such a headache. A large letter T was all the tea to be had.

Many enjoyable games were indulged in after which light refreshments were served. The guests were seated on the floor in a circle and provided with plates, each one designed to represent a skull.

One of most amusing features of the evening’s entertainment was that of trying to pin the cross bones under the skull, which had been painted on a piece of canvass and placed on the wall some distance away.

The contestants drew lots for places and each in their turn were blindfolded, whirled twice about and started supposedly in the direction of the skull. In this contest Mr. John Hardy and Mr. Geo. McClintick tied for first honors, both missing the mark by 6 feet 8.4 inches.

A pleasing part of the evening’s entertainment was a song by the Ghosts. Each Ghost present was given a slip of paper on which was written the title of the song each one was to sing. At the command of Mrs. Winkelman all started and were well under way when the voice of the peerless tenor

of Mr. A.G. Vagner was heard above the rest singing in a tremendously loud voice, “Love Me and the World is Mine.”

At the stroke of midnight the ghosts vanished, pronouncing Mrs. Winkelman a very delightful entertainer, and for many years to come, the event will be bright in the memory of the young ladies and gentlemen who were present.

The function was prear ranged by Miss Bessie DuBrosky.

Hope you enjoyed this spoof on Halloween from the front page of the October 2, 1908, issue of the “Grand Encampment Herald.”

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 26 • October 27, 2018

SALE REPORTS

2018 Sugar Bars Legacy Sale Futurities Sept. 15, 2018 Sheridan County Fairgrounds, Sheridan Ranch Horse Versatility Futurity – Youth First Place – Evans Black Sugar, three-yearold colt, Shown by: Kai Banks, Owner: Jessy Carlson, Breeder: Leon and Carol Theye Ranch Horse Versatility Futurity – Open First Place – Sugar Bars Mercury, two-yearold great-grandson of Sugar Bars, Sire: Sugar Bars Tough, Dam’s Sire: Way Out West, Owner: Double Triangle Ranch, Tom and Susan Vore Second Place – Stirrup Sugar Salute, twoyear-old, out of Sugar Bars, Leo and Devil Cat Dancer bloodlines, Owner: Becky Amio Breeder: Stirrup Ranch QH, Leroy and Shirley Wetz

Third Place – Wuz N Leo, two-year-old bay colt, Frenchmans Guy bloodlines, Owner: Jessy Carlson, Breeder: Bender Ranch, LeAnn Bender Sugar Bars Legacy Sale Youth Fillies First Place – VLW Sugar Lynx, Sire: AJ Oak Rocker, Dam: Montana Whispy Lynx, Shown by: Jamie Curuchet, Owner: Mike Curuchet, Breeder: VLW Ranch, Vern and Laurie Ward Second Place – True Docs Dinah, Shown by: Aspen Larmer, Owner: Aspen Larmer, Breeder: Mailloux Quarter Horses, Gary and Deb Mailloux Third Place – Frenchman With Sugar, Shown by: Norris Camino, Owner: Luke Camino,

Breeder: Howard and Bobbie Huxtable Sugar Bars Legacy Sale Youth Geldings First Place – Boonys Playboy, Sire: Booylensma, Grandsire: Peptoboonsmal, Shown by: Jason Foss, Owner: James Foss, Breeder: Shield 5 Quarter Horses, Dave and Susan Reisland Second Place – Shiny Copper Stirrup, Shown by: Londyn Mefford, Owner: Gary Mefford, Breeder: Stirrup Ranch QH, LeRoy and Shirley Wetz In-Hand Youth Yearling Halter Class First Place – Tinkies Irish Magic, Shown by: Mattie Bloomgren, Breeder: Long Ranch, Glen and Janet Long Second Place – Touchdown Soloist, Shown by: Teal Luther Third Place – Yenties

Drifting Gin, Shown by: Michael Allison Open Yearling Filly First Place – Don’t Touch My Sheri, Grandsire: Touchdown Kid, Shown by: Linda Henderson, Owner: Linda Henderson, Breeder: Bar M Quarter Horses Second Place – VLW

Sugars Lynx, Shown by: Jamie Curuchet Third Place – Freckles Trademark, Shown by: Karla McDonald, Owner: Aleena McDonald, Breeder: Bender Ranch, LeAnn Bender Open Yearling Stallion/ Gelding First Place – Centen-

nials Soloist, Grandsire: Touchdown Kid, Shown by: Karla McDonald, Owner: Susan Hert Second Place – Boonies Playboy, Shown by: James Foss Third Place – True Sweet Leo, Breeder: Mailloux Quarter Horses, Gary and Deb Mailloux

Youth focused -- The Sugar Bars Legacy Sale futurity emphasizes the importance of youth, providing prizes in the form of buckles and saddles for their hard work. Courtesy photo

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Trail in hand – Mattie Bloomgren of Buffalo won the Trail In Hand competition with Tinkies Irish Magic.

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Ranch Horse Versatility winner – Kai Banks of Newell, S.D. was presented a belt buckle by Committee Chairman Laurie Ward during the Sugar Bars Legacy Sale Futurity. Courtesy photo

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 25 • October 20, 2018

WATER continued from page A1 their state,” Hicks explains.

“There have been over 300 pieces of legislation in the last 20 years looking at water banking. It’s a widely accepted concept within the context of prior appropriation and beneficial use of water.”

With water issues facing the state of Wyoming in terms of meeting compact requirements resulting from both drought and endangered species requirements, Hicks comments that the state should be using all potential tools to ensure water availability.

On the endangered species front, Wyoming’s compact with Nebraska on the North Platte River promises to provide 30,000 acrefeet of water in the river in the next 13 years for the Platte River Recovery Program.

“We’ve already finished a modification on Pathfinder Reservoir to provide more storage, but we still have water to come up with, and much of it will likely have to come from agriculture,” he says. “A water bank might insulate that requirement and provide opportunities to have enough water to meet our requirements.”

Currently, one proposal would be to use the 120,000 acre-foot surplus in Glendo Reservoir to

bank the water.

“Irrigators could defer use of their water but still accrue that in an irrigation account. The year, the water could be used for other purposes, such as meeting a regulatory call,” Hicks explains. “It would also allowed continued irrigation in dry years, for example.”

Hicks notes that banking is designed to “provide maximum flexibility and insulate agriculture from drought, endangered species issues or compact calls.”

Water law When changing water law is mentioned, many in the agriculture industry take a step back, but Hicks says it is important to look at where changes to the law are being made before immediately taking a stance in opposition.

“We should be very cautious about changing the foundational principles of water law in Wyoming,” he says. “Those foundational principles are tremendously different than how we administer water law, though.”

Hicks explains water banking legislation is aimed at modifying administration of water law by adding water banking as an additional beneficial use.

“We never want to

A7

mess with prior appropriation or the requirement that water must be used beneficially,” he continues, noting that additional beneficial uses have been added several times in recent history.

As an example, when the coalbed methane boom hit northeast Wyoming, there was no beneficial use of water for energy production provided in Wyoming statutes. Without that beneficial use, energy companies would not have been able to pump ground water to access and produce natural gas.

“The legislature added a beneficial use to use water for energy production then,” Hicks says.

“Then in 2006, another beneficial use was added to include endangered species compliance to meet obligations to Nebraska on the North Platte River.”

“We don’t want to get rid of or change the fact that water has to be used beneficially, but water banking would allow us to spec-

ify the future use of stored water.”

Flexibility Hicks asserts that water banking further adds flexibility to deal with changes in demand over time.

“We, as legislators, have to facilitate evolving issues that nobody could have contemplated in 1890 when Wyoming constitution was written,” he says.

“We have to adapt but make sure we’re not messing with the pillars of Wyoming Water law.”

“We have to ask ourselves whether we are changing administrative procedures to better facilitate everybody’s ability to use water or whether we are messing with the foundational principles of water law,” Hicks continues. “We will never, ever mess with the foundation of water law. Water banking simply looks at how water is administered.”

Continued process As legislators continue crafting legislation, a Water Banking Working Group

“We as legislators have to facilitate evolving issues that nobody could have contemplated in 1890 when Wyoming constitution was written.” – Larry Hicks, Baggs has been formed.

However, Hicks adds that more input will be necessary from all interested parties.

“We have a group tackling this issue right now, and I anticipate we may have subgroups based on each water basin that look at the issue differently,” Hicks says.

Several in the ag industry are concerned about the potential impacts that the bill has on the agriculture industry and Wyoming’s water law in general. Jack Berger, Saratoga rancher, explains there are potential implications from unintended consequences.

“We have to really watch our water,” Berger explains. “There are often unintended consequences, and if we act without fully thinking something through, we could end up

with legislation that doesn’t work like we wanted it to.”

Members of the public are encouraged to attend a meeting of the Water Banking Working Group is set for Oct. 31 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Casper College’s Strausner Hall Room 207 to learn more about the bill and provide input.

“At this point in time, we want to dispel some of the misinformation about water banking and get some input,” Hicks comments. “I anticipate that this will be a multi-year effort by the Joint Ag Committee before we figure out how to make something work for different basins and the different issues in each basin in the state.”

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at saige@wylr. net.

THE “MONEY MATTERS” SALE! NOVEMBER 15, 2018

SALE REPORTS Micheli Ranch Annual Production Sale Reported By: Curt Cox, WLR Field Editor Oct. 24, 2018 The Micheli Ranch, Ft. Bridger Auctioneer: Butch Booker 41 Two-Year-Old Horned and Polled Hereford Bulls Avg. $4,732 48 Two-Year-Old Angus Bulls Avg. $5,149 12 Commercial Bred Heifers Avg. $1,469 Top Sellers Hereford bulls Lot 734 – MH MR Herf 734 – Price: $8,750 DOB: 3/22/17 Sire: CC CX 326 11X Pure Mr Herf 39Z Dam’s Sire: OL Power 904V EPDs: BW: +4.7, WW: +54, YW: +88, Milk: +22 and M&G: +49 Buyer: Warren Ranch Company, Cheyenne Lot 746 – MH MR Herf 746 – Price: $8,750 DOB: 3/27/17 Sire: CC CX 326 11X Pure Mr Herf 39Z Dam’s Sire: CC Franchize 39T EPDs: BW: +4.1, WW: +60, YW: +101, Milk: +28 and M&G: +58 Buyer: OD Cattle Company, Douglas Lot 713 – MH Victor 713 – Price: $8,250 DOB: 2/12/17 Sire: C 2052 4003 IC 5192 ET Dam’s Sire: C Thriller ET EPDs: BW: +5.6, WW: +64, YW: +97, Milk: +20 and M&G: +52 Buyer: Warren Ranch Company, Cheyenne Angus bulls Lot 710A – MAR Rito 710 – Price: $15,000 DOB: 2/6/17 Sire: McConnell Rito 4600 Dam’s Sire: S A V Pioneer 7301 EPDs BW: +1.9, WW: +56, YW: +98 and Milk: +26 Buyer: Jim Saxton, Evanston Lot 704A – MAR Altitude 704 – Price: $9,000 DOB: 2/3/17 Sire: McConnell Altitude 3114 Dam’s Sire: MR Northern Improvement 4480 EPDs: BW: -0.2, WW: +41, YW: +71 and Milk: +29 Buyer: Warren Ranch Company, Cheyenne Lot 716A – MAR Altitude 716 – Price: $8,250 DOB: 2/8/17 Sire: McConnell Altitude 3114 Dam’s Sire: MR Icon 2651 EPDs: BW: +0.9, WW: +50, YW: +86 and Milk: +21 Buyer: Boroff Land and Livestock, Daniel Lot 709A – MAR Rito 709 – Price: $8,000 DOB: 2/6/17 Sire: McConnell Rito 4600 Dam’s Sire: S A V Pioneer 7301 EPDs BW: +1.1, WW: +51, YW: +97 and Milk: +28 Buyer: Irwin Livestock, Douglas

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 26 • October 27, 2018

Veterinarian encourages against intermingling horses to prevent disease outbreaks Traveling with performance horses can be a health risk. Despite following a careful health management plan and vaccinating the horse, some conditions can still infect the horse.

Liz Boos, a veterinarian at the Belle Fouche Veterinary Clinic, talked to horse owners during the Black

Hills Horse Expo about some common diseases that can impact the performance of their horses.

EHV One of the more common diseases is Equine Herpes Virus (EHV).

“This spring was a perfect storm for this virus.

The college rodeo kids had

horses mixed together in enclosed trailers because it was so cold and wet. It’s like putting kids in daycare in a bubble and letting them sit there and cough, sneeze and spit on each other,” she says.

For horses that contract herpes, it will lie dormant in the nerves for their lifetime. Like infected col-

Avoiding disease – Liz Boos of the Belle Fourche Veterinary Clinic explained to a group of listeners during the Black Hills Horse Expo that avoiding commingling of horses at events can prevent disease.

Gayle Smith photo

lege kids during finals week, a cold sore can turn into an outbreak during periods of stress.

“I once had a pathologist at school tell us that love is fleeting, but herpes is forever,” she says. “Once a horse contracts EHV, they have it for life.”

Here are several different strains of the virus, but the most recognized are strains EHV-1 and EHV-4, which have respiratory-like symptoms.

The other strains impact the sexual organs like a sexually transmitted disease, she explains.

EHV-1 EHV-1 can have a specific strain of DNA, which can lead to herpes mild encephalopathy.

“We don’t completely understand how it happens,” Boos explains.

EHV-1 can also travel into the vessels and cause vasculitis, which can cause late-term abortions in pregnant mares. It can also

“I once had a pathologist at school tell us that love is fleeting, but herpes is forever. Once a horse contracts EHV, they have it for life.” – Liz Boos, Belle Fourche Veterinary Clinic cause vasculitis in the spinal column, which causes the inflammation and swelling of the nerves, resulting in ataxia, leaky behind and urine dropping, she notes.

“The problem is there is not a simple way to prevent EHV-1. Encephalopathy cannot be replicated in a laboratory, so even though there are multiple vaccines out there labeled for EHV, they won’t help with encephalopathy,” she explains.

Once the horse is given an EHV vaccination, Boos recommends taking two to three weeks off to give the vaccination time to work.

“The biggest takeaway is that herpes is everywhere.

Some samples taken in Kentucky indicate that 60 to 80 percent of horses have been exposed to it at some point in their lives,” Boos explains.

Strangles Another common disease is Strangles, which has symptoms similar to a respiratory infection.

Boos says it one of the most scary diseases for horse people because it hinders the horse’s breathing. Some horses have needed a tracheotomy just to breathe, she explains.

“The good news is most of the time, horses will get over it and be just fine,” she says.

The disease is more common in older horses. Horses contracting the disease will have swollen lymph nodes and a thick, green, nasal discharge.

Some will get abscesses.

“I have seen abscesses everywhere on the body from the fetlocks to the vulva to the mammary glands,” Boos explains.

Preventing the disease can be accomplished by using good management. It spreads from direct nose-tonose contact or the sharing of buckets and equipment. Disinfecting buckets, manure forks and any other equipment used for more than one horse can help prevent the disease, she explains.

“Strangles does not live in the ground. It actually isn’t a strong bacterium. It can’t live on wooden fence posts or stalls. Freeze, sunshine and a good disinfectant will kill it,” she says.

Finding strangles Strangles occurs mostly where multiple horses are

congregated, like training facilities, breeding facilities and horse events.

“There is usually a carrier when there is a chronic outbreak. They can carry it in their guttural pouch, and it may not show symptoms or a fever. They may show clinical signs for a day that the owner attributes to something else, when that horse is actually the Typhoid Mary,” Boos says.

Finding the carrier amongst a group of horses can be difficult.

“We can test the guttural pouch by flushing to determine the carrier, but it can be expensive,” she says.

Treatment and prevention Boos doesn’t recommend treating horses with antibiotics, except in severe cases.

“Antibiotics can be used if a horse is having a hard time breathing or its doing poorly,” she says. “But, most of the time, I don’t recommend antibiotics because it could end up causing the horse to have internal abscesses or abscessed lymph nodes.”

Owners can also vaccinate for Strangles. Boos recommends an intranasal vaccine that is a modified live strep bacterium.

“I would only recommend vaccinating horses that are going to areas where there are problems. The vaccination should be given separately from other vaccines, and I would wait at least two weeks before giving it any other vaccines. It allows the injection site time to heal, so the horse doesn’t end up with abscesses.”

“The horse will need a booster vaccination a month after the initial vaccine,” she adds.

Once vaccinated, the horse can be immune to the disease for up to five years.

“They have long-lived immunity once they are vaccinated,” she says. “Before we vaccinate again, I recommend checking the titers because every horse’s immune system is different.”

“If the titers are quite high, and the horse is vaccinated again, it can spur some extreme immune reactions,” she explains.

Gayle Smith is a correspondent for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

Study quantifies food A global shift towards healthy and more plantbased diets, halving food loss and waste and improving farming practices and technologies are required to feed 10 billion people sustainably by 2050, a new study finds.

Adopting these options reduces the risk of crossing global environmental limits related to climate change, the use of agricultural land, the extraction of freshwater resources and the pollution of ecosystems through overapplication of fertilizers, according to the researchers.

The study, published in the journal Nature, is the first to quantify how food production and consumption affects the planetary boundaries that describe a safe operating space for humanity beyond which Earth’s vital systems could become unstable.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 25 • October 20, 2018

RETURNS continued from page A1 able to analyze records over time and look for trends. If our weaning weights are not going up, then maybe we need to reconsider the genetics we are using – at least in terms of growth. If our weaning weights are not increasing, then we should be questioning why not.

Especially if our cow costs are not increasing,” he stated.

Data on cows Lalman shared with producers the growing amount of data available from research on cow size and feed efficiency.

During the past few decades, English breeds have significantly increased cow size.

“The cow weights in the Angus breed exploded for a while, but it looks like it has slowed down some,” he said.

The Hereford breed still shows a gradual increase, but the Red Angus breed has actually decreased its cow size, he pointed out.

“They have gone down in cow size since about the time they introduced their maintenance energy requirement expected progeny difference (EPD).

It is a good indication that if we give producers and progressive breeders a tool that really works, they will use it, which is indicated in their EPD data,” he stated.

Moderation in size Lalman suggested moderating cow size could be beneficial to many ranchers.

“I don’t think we need tiny cows, but I don’t see any benefit to continuing to increase cow size. I think the appropriate cow

size does vary some based on environment but not a whole lot. I think 1,100-, 1,200- and maybe even a 1,300-pound cow weight is about where we need to be,” he suggested.

Sharing some simple data that looked at the relationship between cow rate of gain adjusted to a body condition score five and calf weaning weight, Lalman explained that none of the data he has analyzed suggested any given ranch participating in the research has shown a strong correlation between the two.

“What that told me is there are a lot of other factors impacting calf weaning weight besides cow size,” he explained.

Economics Some data from around the country related to cow size versus weaning weight shows, for every 100 pounds of cow weight, calf weaning weights showed an increase of six to 31 pounds.

“We can get closer to justifying bigger cows with 31 pounds of response in calf size, but even at $1.20 of value of added gain, we think it costs $40 to $50 to keep an additional 100 pounds of cow weight around. If 31 pounds is only worth a dollar, then it is still not working, economically,” he explained.

“That is the basis we use to say there will be some big cows that are very efficient and some little cows that are very inefficient. But on a herd average basis, there seems to be no need or point in continuing to select for larger cow size,” Lalman suggested.

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Producers who select cattle for milk production may only get an additional pound of gain for every 42 to 52 pounds of milk the calf receives. Lalman said it takes 84 pounds of cow feed to make the milk for the additional pound of calf gain.

“Based on this data, it should encourage a lot of ranches to stabilize selection for milk and even moderately reduce genetics for milk production,” he said.

Fine-tuning efficiency The impact of growth on fine-tuning efficient cattle can be more difficult to quantify.

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“When we aggressively select for growth, we are increasing appetite. The gastrointestinal tract and liver make up less than 10 percent of the cow’s body mass, but they combine to use 40 to 50 percent of the total energy expended per cow.

If we don’t have a mechanism in place to control feed intake, we’re going to see higher feed intake over time,” he stated.

“There is a limit to what our forage can support in relation to maintenance and requirements,” he continues. “What is important is to resist the temptation to gradually

“We will need to manage heifer nutrition even after we get them bred.” – Chandra Engel, South Dakota State University modify the environment to suit the cow.”

“We could prop up the cows with 50 percent more feed and modify the environment. We could make those cows produce to their genetic potential, but those inputs are very expensive.

Selecting cows to suit the environment we have is a better management strategy,” he said.

“There are two philosophies out there,” Lalman added. “More is better all the time. Less is better

all the time. But, we don’t need either.”

“We don’t need little, bitty, tiny cows that totally ignore post weaning characteristics. What we can have are moderate, efficient cows that maximize the forage environment, fine-tune the system and have phenomenal postweaning cattle,” he stated.

Gayle Smith is a correspondent for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 26 • October 27, 2018

Campaign Headquarters Gordon sees strength in agriculture, Wyoming’s future After winning the primary election against a number of Republican candidates, Mark Gordon says his campaign for governor has maintained its pace.

“It was really exciting to see that the Republican Central Committee endorse the slate of Republican candidates. We have a lot of Republican support,” he says. “In every town across Wyoming, we’ve had good gathering of folks with lots of good questions and a lot of support from the people of Wyoming.”

Gordon says the voting factors in this race revolve around economic diversification, healthcare and education funding, but issues also face the agriculture industry.

“The candidate who has the better solution for financial stability in Wyoming will likely win,” he comments.

“The question is of whether it’s about revenue enhancements through things like our tax structure or looking for savings by reorganizing government and being strategic and thoughtful about using our savings to get to a fiscally stable future.”

Gordon sees the future of the state as looking for the opportunity to better align costs and revenues through savings is the best option for the state, rather than introducing new taxes.

Economic diversification As he looks at the hotbutton issue of economic

diversification, Gordon says Gov. Matt Mead’s ENDOW strategy provides a good base, but he’s looking for more specific information for communities and industries.

“I think ENDOW is a good start. I’d like to see it dive deeper into communities and industries,” Gordon explains. “Right now, we have a good high-level look at things.”

He continues, “We need to better organize our economic development efforts overall in the state. I think we need a structure that is easier and more efficient.”

Gordon cites confusion between the role of ENDOW, the Wyoming Business Council and other economic engines in the state.

“I’d like to see these bodies be clearer and easier to understand. There should be one place to stop for economic development in Wyoming,” he explains.

Gordon also says, however, that growth in Wyoming’s economy can occur across the spectrum.

“We should grow our

economy generally, making sure we have adequate resources – including money, technical expertise and other expertise for our smaller communities to help provide access to funding that helps build infrastructure,” he explains. “We need to make sure that we have opportunities for our small communities to continue to grow.”

Healthcare A strong debate has been held between candidates related to healthcare and ensuring a viable, costefficient healthcare system will be vital, as well, Gordon describes, noting that both care and insurance are important.

“However, I’m opposed to Medicaid expansion because I do think it puts a burden on the state that we can’t afford,” he says.

“I think there are things we can do to bring more transparency to the costs of medical care but also bring down premiums for health insurance.”

Education funding A final hot topic in the

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gubernatorial debates has been funding education into the future.

“I don’t think there’s a silver bullet,” Gordon says.

With more optimism in the Consensus Revenue Estimating Group report, Gordon says there is continued opportunity for savings.

“But I think those saving are going to found best at the local level. I think we can give guidance to local school boards and allow them to help us solve budgetary issues to make big difference and headway with education funding,” he explains.

Beef initiative As international trade opportunities abound, Gordon sees a positive future for the Wyoming Beef Initiative, and even on his own operation, he is working to deepen his connection to blockchain.

“I’d love to see a Wyoming beef brand,” he explains. “What we’re doing with a Taiwan trade office is exciting, and I would be interested to see if we can continue to expand to other Asian nations in the region.”

Gordon adds, “I think it’s high time we have a trade office in Taiwan.”

College of Ag Looking at higher education in the state, Gordon also sees an important place for the University of Wyoming’s (UW) College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, noting that his daughter graduated from the institution with a hydrology degree from the college.

“I think the College of Ag needs to be a really strong school,” he explains. “I’d like Wyoming to show real leadership in agriculture.”

“Beyond that, it’ll be interesting to make sure that we meet our objectives,” Gordon continues. “We don’t want to just grow agency folks. We want to equip young farmers and ranchers with the tools they need to grow and develop agri-business, whether that is in lending, on farms of their own or in services that are associated.”

At the same time, he sees room for research growth, particularly with investments in high-end laboratories at the Wyoming State Vet Lab and across campus.

Gordon comments, “I think there’s lots of room for research. Since UW is a landgrant school, part of its mission is to deal with issues that affect Wyoming producers through research.”

Overall, Gordon fully supports the activities of UW and looks forward to visiting with President Laurie Nichols to accomplish that mission.

Wyoming water Another issue that pops up frequently along the campaign trail for Gordon is the importance of water.

With drought in the Lower Basin of the Colorado River, he says, “Wyoming’s next governor is going to have to really gear up to make sure we have a strong presence as we get closer to trigger requirements under the Colorado River Compact.”

“In general, I think water is going to be an enormous issue, not only for the Colorado River Compact, but in other areas, as well,” Gordon comments. “There have been a few years where navigation on the Mississippi is an issue, and we have questions about what happens to the Missouri and all the tributaries going into that.”

The state of Wyoming has be armed with the best legal advice and prepared to defend the state’s most valuable resource.

Gordon also cautioned against opening water law or changing Wyoming’s water laws, but he also notes it will be imperative to work with the Wyoming Legislature and consider their actions carefully related to water.

“One thing I’ve talked to a number of people about is making Water Development funds more usable for small projects to deploy the funds for developments for ranchers and the agriculture industry,” he explains.

As he looks toward the future, Gordon sees optimism and excitement for the agriculture industry.

“We have so much entrepreneurial spirit in Wyoming,” he says. “I’d like to see these efforts continue and move forward to benefit Wyoming.”

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to saige@wylr.net.

State-wide elections In addition to seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate, Wyoming voters will elect a new Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Auditor and Superintendent of Public Instruction, as well as one United States Senator and our United States Representative.

Each candidate running for state-wide office was invited to visit with the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Only Mark Gordon and Mary Throne responded to this invitation.

Candidates are listed below, with their party affiliation.

U.S. Senate John Barrasso (R) Gary Trauner (D) Joseph Porambo (L) U.S. Representative Liz Cheney (R) Greg Hunter (D) Richard Brubaker (L) Daniel Clyde Cummings (C) Governor Mark Gordon (R) Mary A. Throne (D) Lawrence Gerard Struempf (L)

Rex “T-Rex” Rammell (C) Secretary of State Edward Buchanan (R) James W. Byrd (D) Kit Carson III (L) State Auditor Kristi Racines (R) Jeff Dockter (D) State Treasurer Curt Meier (R) Chris Lowry (D) Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow (R)

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 25 • October 20, 2018

Campaign Headquarters Throne sees opportunity to continue to make Wyoming a better place Raised on a ranch west of Gillette, Mary Throne comes from a family that homesteaded the area in 1917.

“Legend says that Grandpa Tarver brought her part of the family all the way from Georgia because they heard schools were better,” Throne says. “The Throne side of the family came from near Hastings, Neb. the same year.”

Throne’s ranch upbringing taught her many valuable lessons, and she said growing up on a ranch is unlike growing up anywhere else.

“I learned neighboring from my dad,” she recalls.

“The worst thing you could say about anyone was that they didn’t neighbor.”

The concept is one she has carried with her to today.

Importance of education Throne left the ranch to go to college, which was very important to her family. She attended college at Princeton and law school at Columbia, which provided her the opportunity to see and learn many new things.

“After law school and one-year clerking in New York, I wanted to get back to the West,” she says. “I was ready to move back to the West.”

Throne practiced law in Denver, Colo. for several years before seizing the opportunity to work for the Wyoming Attorney General in 1992 as the first dedicated air quality attorney.

Since leaving the Attorney General’s office, Throne has represented primarily energy producers – from oil, gas and coal to trona and uranium.

Interest in politics In 2006, Throne decided to run for the legislature, again with education in mind.

“We needed more younger people in the legislature with children in schools,” she says. “I also used my natural resources background.”

As an energy attorney, she fought against federal overreach and worked to facilitate new economic opportunities for Wyoming's energy sector.

“I loved being in the legislature,” Throne continues, “and I really developed knowledge and skills that will serve me well as governor, if I’m elected.”

She adds, “I developed a reputation for working across the aisle to get things done. That’s very important for our state.”

With her eye on the Governor’s Office, Throne says, “I see so much potential for Wyoming.”

Further, in her last few years in the Legislature,

she says, “We make ourselves a boom-and-bust state by the decisions we make. We keep doing those same things over and over again, expecting a different result.”

As she campaigns for governor, Throne hopes to end that cycle with thoughtful changes in policy.

“We can be an energy state, and I want us to continue to be an energy state,” she says. “But, we have to be more than just an energy state.”

Throne notes it is important to be fiscally responsible, and to do that, it is neither sustainable or fair to rely solely on one industry.

Economic development In an effort to meet the fiscal needs of the state, Throne says Gov. Mead’s ENDOW initiative provides some interesting ideas, noting she doesn’t support all the outcomes from the process.

“I would have also diversified the group a bit more, involving more local government leaders,” she explains. “Now that they have come up with some ideas, the key is for the next governor to show some leadership and be willing to implement the ideas to make sense.”

However, ENDOW is a step too late.

“We need ENDOW now. Our problems are more immediate,” Throne says. “I feel very strongly that elected officials should not outsource decisions to an outside group.”

Tax structure As part of her plan to support the state financially, Throne says, “We need to bite the bullet and talk about a new tax structure.

That isn’t politically palatable, but I don’t see how we move forward as a state when we are depending on three sources of income that are volatile in the best of times and all face challenging economic futures.”

A decreased dependency on three industries will only make the state of Wyoming stronger, she adds.

“I haven’t identified too many specific taxes,” she explains. “There have been a couple bills that didn’t pass but were introduced in the Legislature last year aimed at starting Tax Reform 2020 for Wyoming.”

As examples, Throne says the sin taxes are very low, but increases would likely be insufficient to solve the state’s problems.

“I think it will be a lot of little things,” she comments. “I don’t see one silver bullet, but several small ones.”

Further, commer-

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cial and industrial property taxes are lowest in the nation, which provides the opportunity to incrementally provide more revenue.

She also sees a need to look at residential property taxes and assess where changes can be made.

Throne explains, “We have to be very careful when we look at property taxes.”

Providing local governments more opportunity to raise money is a strategy that also works for large communities, and she says, “We’re going to need to also continue to support our small communities, as well.”

“The goal is to create a fair, equitable and competitive tax system,” Throne says. “We can’t just keep slicing and dicing the same pie.”

“I’m talking about building a tax structure for the economy of the future, not the economy of our past,” she comments.

Throne does not, however, support a state income

tax or added taxes for the ag community.

State challenges The rest of the state’s challenges flow from money, comments Throne.

“Maintaining a K-12 education system that fulfills our constitutional requirement is also a challenge,” she says, noting it is more expensive to educate children in Wyoming’s small rural communities than our urban centers.

Throne also cites healthcare, saying, “It is a necessity to have access to quality healthcare.”

“Healthcare is also an economic development issue. Our healthcare costs are so high it is a deterrent to build small businesses here,” she explains. “I’m a huge proponent for Medicare expansion.”

Medicare expansion is overwhelmingly a good deal for the state, Throne says, noting the 90-10 match is a deal the state would accept in any other situation, and healthcare should be no exception.

Throne supports costsaving strategies such as tele-health and other new programs that help reduce the cost of health insurance.

“We also have to tackle the question of why our healthcare costs so high,” Throne mentions. “Healthcare is complicated. It’s something we have been talking about since 2007, even when we had lots of money. Particularly when it comes to something like healthcare, if we can’t fix it, we have to try to make it better.”

Ag issues When it comes to the agriculture industry, Throne says the state should look at all options to meet the needs of the industry.

“For our water, we have to look at bills to make sure they have all the bells and whistles that we need,” she says. “We also have to be vigilant with the Colorado River Compact. We are blessed to have top-flight water laws and experts who’ve really been protective of Wyoming’s water

resource.”

Throne adds, “We have to continue to oppose ridiculous policies that invade Wyoming’s jurisdiction.

We know how to take care of our water and don’t need the federal government to tell us what to do.”

Throne also says every opportunity should be taken to promote Wyoming beef as its own brand.

She also sees the potential for blockchain to dramatically affect the beef industry.

With numerous issues affecting the industry, Throne says support for the Wyoming State Fair is important, and it must be maintained into the future.

Throne emphasizes, “We have to ask what we want government to do, what we have to pay for it and how we can better manage existing revenue sources.”

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to saige@wylr.net.

ANNUAL BULL SALE NOVEMBER 20, 2018 At the Ranch in Hyattville, WY

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 26 • October 27, 2018

CALENDAR

Nov. 9

Rees Brothers 31st Annual Fall Production Sale, at the ranch, Morgan, Utah, 801-668-8613, 801-949-8960, 801-913-5747, reescattle. com

Nov. 9

Ludvigson Stock Farms Fall Herdbuilder Bull and Female Sale, Weschenfelder Development Center, Shepherd, Mont., 406-534-4263, 712-384-2200, ludvigsonstockfarms.com

Nov. 9

Leachman Cattle of Colorado Red and White Sale, Leachman Bull Barn, Fort Collins, Colo., 970-568-3983, leachman.com

Nov. 10

Rocky Mountain Angus Association Golden Opportunity Angus Sale, Weber County Fairgrounds Auction Arena, Ogden, Utah, 916837-3095, 801-540-6818

Nov. 11

The Wyoming Angus Association Eighth Annual Wyoming Select Female Sale, Casper, College, Casper, 307-630-4604, wyomingangus.org

Nov. 12

Mohican West Bull Sale, at the ranch, Laurel, Mont., 406-633-2600, 406-633-2810, mohicanpolledherefords.com

Nov. 12

Perham Stockyards Feeder, Bred Cow and Heifer Sale, Perham, Minn., 218-346-3415, perhamstockyards.com

Nov. 13

Mytty Angus Ranch Annual Bull Sale, Burnt Fork Ranch Sale Facility, Stevensville, Mont., 406-546-8318, 970-219-8519, myttyangus.com

Nov. 14

Big Iron Auctions Unreserved Online Auction, 307-257-1171, 307532-6308, 800-937-3558, bigiron.com

Nov. 15

Largent and Sons Desert Mart “Money Matters” Sale, at the ranch, Kaycee, 307-738-2443, 307-267-3229, largentandsons.com

Submit your events to: Editor, Wyoming Livestock Roundup, P.O. Box 850, Casper, WY, 82602, or e-mail to roundup@wylr.net.

EVENTS Sept. 22 – Oct. 31 Green Acres Corn Maze, Casper. Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday and weekdays by appointment. For more information, visit greenacrescornmaze.net or call 307-797-8796.

Oct. 31 Wyoming Legislature’s Water Banking Working Group Meeting, Casper, Casper College, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visit wyoleg.gov for more information.

Nov. 1 Wyoming Animal Damage Management Board Meeting, Teleconference, 9 a.m. For an agenda or call-in instructions, visit wyadmb.com or call 307-777-6781.

Nov. 2-3 ICOW Annual Meeting, Casper, Ramkota Hotel and Convention Center. Visit icowwy.org.

Nov. 3 The Great American Cowboy PRCA Rodeo, Casper, Central Wyoming Fairground Arena, 7 p.m. For tickets and more information, call 307-259-1674 or visit tributetogac.org.

Nov. 3 Fifth Annual Crawford Cattle Call, Crawford, Neb., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Learn more by contacting Samantha Dyer at 308-458-7160.

Nov. 6-8 Wyoming Weed and Pest Fall Conference, Casper, Ramkota Hotel and Convention Center. For more information, visit wyoweed.org.

Nov. 7 Wyoming Legislature’s Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources Committee Meeting, Casper, Casper College, 7:30 a.m. For more information, visit wyoleg.gov.

Nov. 7-9 Wyoming Water Development Commission and Select Water Committee Meeting, Casper. Call 307-777-7626 or visit wwdc.state.wy.us for more information.

Nov. 7-9 Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting, Sheridan, Holiday Inn. For more information, visit wyfb.org.

Nov. 8-11 West Central States Wool Growers Convention, Casper, Ramkota Hotel and Convention Center. For more information, visit wyowool.com.

Nov. 13 Albany County Stock Growers Meeting, Laramie, Albany County Fairgrounds.

SALES

Nov. 1 Nov. 1 Nov. 3 Nov. 8-10

5L Red Angus Profit $eeker Bull Sale, at the ranch, Sheridan, Mont., 877-552-8557, 5lredangus.com, 5lbulls.com Obsidian Angus Private Treaty Sale, at the ranch, Meeteetse, 307272-4911, 307-868-2595, greatbearreflection.com Wooden Shoe Farms Angus and Polled Hereford Sale, at the ranch, Blackfoot, Idaho, 208-684-5252, 208-604-0235, 208-681-4169 Sinclair Cattle Company Frustration-Free Internet Sale, 307-2541477, sinclaircattle.com

CONNECTING AG to CLIMATE

By Windy Kelley, Northern Plains Regional Climate Hub

Fall forecast shows El Niño probability growing Wyoming experienced much above average temperatures and much below average precipitation in September, setting the month as the 11th warmest and 12th driest in 124 years of records.

The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) map from Oct. 16 shows that abnormally dry conditions have persisted or expanded in Albany, Carbon, Sweetwater, Fremont, Lincoln, Teton and Sublette counties – and developed in Johnson, Campbell, Converse, Weston and Niobrara counties.

Moderate drought conditions have persisted in Albany, Carbon, Sweetwater, Uinta and Lincoln counties. Severe drought conditions have persisted in Carbon and Sweetwater counties.

View the current USDM maps at weather. gov/riw/drought.

You can help inform the U.S. Drought Monitor by submitting conditions and impacts at droughtreporter. unl.edu/submitreport.

Forecasts The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) eight- to 14-day temperature forecast for Oct. 30 to Nov. 5, which was made Oct. 22, indicates 40 to 50

percent chance or probability that all of Wyoming will experience below average temperatures and above normal precipitation.

The forecast for November, made Oct. 18, indicates 50 to 60 percent probability of above normal temperatures for all of Wyoming, and the probability increases from east to west.

The November precipitation forecast is above, near or below average precipitation throughout the Cowboy State – with a 33 percent probability of below average precipitation in the northwest corner of the state.

To view NOAA’s most recent forecasts, visit cpc. ncep.noaa.gov.

El Niño As of Oct. 18, the probability of an El Niño developing this fall and into the winter had increased to 70 to 75 percent, which will likely drive weather forecasts.

As noted in August, historically, El Niño has resulted in warmer than normal temperatures December through March for much of Wyoming. The exception has been climate divisions (CD) 2 and 3, as are indicated on the map below, which have historically experienced near normal temperatures.

Wyoming

In general, conditions are drier than normal for the same timeframe throughout the state.

However, CDs 7 and 9 range from drier than normal to near normal while CD 8 generally receives near normal precipitation.

Ag considerations I know each of you is busy with fall work and trying to make the most of the warm weather much of the state has experienced. While you are outside working, consider inventorying the location of your haystacks. What happens if there is a blizzard? Will you be able to access feed? Are there areas of your ranch prone to spring flooding, which could result in your livestock being separated from their feed?

If you answered “Yes” or “I’m unsure” about any of the answers, then read this month’s featured resource for ideas how you can take advantage of the warm temperatures to set yourself up for success – or at least reduce your stress – when you’re hit by a blizzard or if spring flooding occurs.

An article by University of Wyoming Extension’s Scott Cotton from page 11 of the March 2018 edition of Backyards and Barnyards addresses the issue. The article, titled “Stack Hay High and Dry to Weather Major Blizzards and Floods,” can be found at bit.ly/2q8xxvx.

In closing, remember to plan, monitor, know your alternatives and adapt as needed.

This article was written by UW Extension, WAFERx and USDA Northern Plains Climate Hub Regional Extension Program Coordinator Windy Kelley. She can be reached at wkelley1@uwyo.edu or 307766-2205. The column was reviewed by Wyoming Water Resources Data System Deputy Director Tony Bergantino and Justin Derner of USDA Agricultural Research Service.

Dannelle Peck of USDA Northern Plains Climate Hub also reviewed the article.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 25 • October 20, 2018

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 26 • October 27, 2018

WSF continued from page A1 County as their chairman and Ron Harvey of Worland as vice chairman. Rankin was selected as the Converse County representative on the board, and Harvey represents the Wyoming Business Council.

2019 fair As their top priority for the meeting, the board set dates for the 2019 Wyoming State Fair.

“One of the first things we did was establish fair dates for 2019,” Goodrich explains. “We will have an official five-day run of the fair, from Aug. 13-17.”

The addition of one more day will provide a longer fair experience than the 2018 event, while still saving money by only hosting fair over one weekend.

“This puts us far ahead of where we were last year,” Goodrich continues, noting that a subcommittee has also been established to oversee the activities and events that will be held during the week of fair.

The State Fair Subcommittee includes Doug Miyamoto, Vicky Haley, Joe Bridges, Johnathan Despain and Stacy Broda, who will work together to plan and prioritize the Wyoming State Fair and its activities.

“This subcommittee was stipulated in statute, and they will work to develop the nuts and bolts of our Wyoming State Fair,” Goodrich said.

Subcommittees In addition to the Wyoming State Fair Subcommittee, four other committees were established to oversee various aspects of the Wyoming State Fair and its grounds.

The Finance and Budget Committee of the board will serve to oversee the entirety of the budget for the grounds, both during fair time and during the remainder of the year.

Darin Westby, Bret Hess, Dan Barks and Miyamoto sit on the committee.

“Personnel and Rules is our next committee, and Ron Harvey, Joe Bridges, Diana Berger and Doug Miyamoto will be on that committee,” Goodrich explains.

The Facilities Committee will include Westby, Barks and Rankin, and the Marketing, Promotion and Planning Committee includes Mandy Phillips, Shawn Steffen and Harvey.

“We’re still working to understand exactly what the scope of each committee will be before we really start doing too much,” says Goodrich. “We will be formulating guidelines for our work and determine our next steps.”

In addition, Goodrich expects the committees to continue to change as far as membership to harness the abilities of the board’s membership.

“We feel like we’ve made good strides and have seen accomplishments,” he comments. “As everybody gets the lay of the land, so to speak, we’ll continue to work forward.”

Looking forward While the first meeting of the group brought significant progress, Goodrich commented, “We still have a long way to go.”

“Each subcommittee will start to get organized and wrap their arms and minds around the different aspects that they will be responsible for,” he continues. “I think it will take some time to get ahold of our objectives, but our first steps are encouraging and positive.”

The entirety of the board will meet in person each quarter, and a conference call meeting will be held between each in-person meeting. Subcommittees will meet as needed, with the State Fair Subcommittee holding their first meeting in early November.

“The Wyoming State Fair Board will help to clarify some things and help us move forward,” Goodrich says.

“There are also areas that will be a little murky as we consider state laws, rules and where this board fits within the big picture. There’s going to be a big learning curve, but for now, we’ve got a good start to move forward.”

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at saige@wylr.net.

Visit wystatefair.com for the latest from the Wyoming State Fair or to learn more about the activities of the Wyoming State Fair Board.

NRCS continued from page A2 nests found in grassy areas and other bees nest in dead wood.

Plant pollinator friendly crops. Clovers, alfalfa, trefoils and other legumes enrich and protect the soil and are pollinator favorites. A number of commercially available cultivars of native plants are also valuable to pollinators. Plant a group of species that will flower for as long as possible throughout the growing season.

Let plants bloom. Try to time mowing, tilling or grazing management decisions so that plants have the opportunity to bloom.

For more information about conservation practices that can improve wildlife habitat on your land, stop at your local Natural Resources Conservation Service field office.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 25 • October 20, 2018

WIA continued from page A1 in the late 1800s, and he kept a diary of the entire trail drive,” she explains.

“He brought cattle from Nevada and trailed them to the Green River Valley.”

She started compiling Budd’s stories, merging them with her own family recollections and tales from her husband Stan’s family in the Big Horn Basin, and the process eventually resulted in a full-length manuscript titled, My Ranch, Too. “Eventually, I submitted a manuscript to the University of Oklahoma, and they accepted it,” Flitner says. “The book was published in August, and so far, sales have been great.”

Humbled by the success of the book, Flitner says, “It’s been such a huge honor.”

She continues, “If I would have known all that I didn’t know about writing a book, I would have never gotten this done.

I’ve learned so much about writing in the process.”

Inside the book “For more than 100 years, ranching has been the center of our families’ lives: Of my own family, and of my husband’s, as we joined the five generations that came before ours into the present day,” writes Flitner is the preface.

She continues the book, detailing tales of the past.

“Each story is selfsupporting, but they all fit together,” Flitner explains.

“A lot of it is about the ranching industry and how times have changed.”

My Ranch, Too is titled after an incident Flitner remembers from her earlier years on the ranch, when a women asked her why she worked so hard all the time.

“She asked, ‘Why would you do this?’ I said, ‘because it’s my ranch, too,’” Flitner comments.

“I think lots of women in ranching feel that way.”

She continues, “The

EXTENSION EDUCATION

By Anowar Islam, UW Extension Forage Specialist

Soil Health Benefits from Grass-legume Mixtures In my earlier articles, I discussed the system benefits of the mixtures of grass and legumes.

Introducing grass-legume systems instead of monoculture systems, such as those containing only legumes or only grass, can have multifaceted benefits. Examples include improved productivity and profitability through

reduced production costs and improved long-term soil health through boosted soil properties and microbial activities.

Through the symbiotic association with rhizobium bacteria, forage legumes can fix atmospheric nitrogen.

In addition to increased forage productivity and net farm profit, grass-legume mixtures

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title doesn’t imply that I’m entitled to the ranch, but it’s about wanting to succeed in business with my husband and keep the ranch in our family.”

Great praise With a forward by Teresa Jordan and praise for the book from Wendell Berry, the book is filled with stories from times past.

Berry writes, “My Ranch, Too is an honest, plain-speaking book about a way of life and work that the author rightly understands as a vocation. From start to finish, Mary Flitner tells what she authentically knows from her own experience and the involvement of several generations of her family.”

Berry calls Flitner “conscientiously practical,” adding, “She writes with the same care of the hardships and beauties of the work, of the pleasures and exasperations and sometimes the funniness of working with other people, and of the great love that makes sense of it all.”

A photograph taken

by Lander photographer Melissa Hemken captures Flitner on her horse looking over the Big Horn Basin from their property.

“Melissa did such a splendid job on the photo,” Flitner comments, noting that the photo captures the essence of what she loves about the ranch.

Opportunity “I’ve done nothing else in my life but raise kids and ranch,” says Flitner, noting that she moved from her childhood home in Big Piney when she married her husband Stan.

“I’ve watched the industry change and watched so many families that weren’t sustainable from one generation to the next.”

However, she sees opportunity in the agriculture industry. Today, young women have so many opportunities, Flitner emphasizes, both in agriculture and in the rest of the world.

“It never occurred to me that I might ranch solo, but girls have that opportunity and they do ranch themselves,” she

says. “When I was a girl, most of us figured out that if we wanted to be in ranching, we needed to marry a rancher. Business and career opportunities weren’t the same in the 1960s and 1970s as they are today.”

She also says, however, that everybody has their own path forward in life, with each journey bringing unique opportunities and encounters.

“I would love it if more women had the opportunity to commit to this kind of partnership and family ranch,” Flitner says.

Life on the ranch, however, can’t be summed up simply, Flitner comments.

“I’ve loved ranching, and it’s been an opportunity I really cherish,” she explains. “I don’t want to make it sound easy, because it wasn’t. There have been lots of challenging times, but I’ve loved it.”

Flitner adds, “It’s so gratifying to have a family who shares love for the land and the ranch. We feel very fortunate, and we definitely appreciate families and landowners who also share these values.”

Flitner will speak during the Wyoming Women’s Ag Symposium on Nov. 16 in Casper at the Parkway Plaza.

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at saige@ wylr.net.

have the potential to improve soil organic matter or soil carbon and nitrogen. However, the question is what proportion of grass and legumes will be beneficial for improving soil health, particularly soil carbon and nitrogen, in Wyoming conditions.

Forage researchers at the Department of Plant Sciences of University of Wyoming are conducting studies for last several years to find out the proper ratios of grass-legume mixtures and their benefits over long period.

A field study at the James C. Hageman Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension Center near Lingle from 2011-14 compared soil carbon

and nitrogen under different seeding proportions of grass and legume.

The study was very extensive, consisting of 16 treatments with different seeding proportions of two grasses, meadow bromegrass and orchardgrass, and one legume, alfalfa. Nitrogen fertilizer was not applied to monoculture legume and grass-legume mixtures, while monoculture grass and two grass mixtures received either no nitrogen or 134 pounds nitrogen per acre as urea.

The study shows clear evidence that grass-legume mixtures have beneficial effects on not only forage productivity and stand persistence

but also on soil health. Grasslegume mixtures provided improved soil health compared to monoculture grass with or without nitrogen. Soils under grass-legume systems had similar total nitrogen, mineralizable nitrogen and mineralizable carbon to soils under alfalfa monoculture.

Overall, grass-legume mixture systems have positive effects on soils.

The application of nitrogen fertilizer to the grass hay production system has little effect for improving soil properties. However, grass-legume mixtures without nitrogen fertilizer had great effect on the improvement of total nitrogen, inorganic nitrogen and miner-

alizable carbon in soil.

The 50-50 percent mixture of alfalfa and grass performed comparatively well and could be considered for use in Wyoming conditions to improve soil health and forage productivity.

For more and detailed information, please read the recent bulletin B-1328, which can be found at wyoextension. org/publications.

Anowar Islam is an associate professor and the University of Wyoming Extension forage specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. He can be reached at 307-7664151 or mislam@uwyo.edu.

“I’ve loved ranching, and it’s been an opportunity I really cherish.” – Mary Flitner

Mary Flitner

31ST ANNUAL FALL PRODUCTION SALE Take Exit 106 off I-84, Morgan, UT

November 9 • 1 p.m. at the ranch

Selling 100+ Lots of Hereford/Angus Bulls & Bred Heifers

Also selling 25+ bred commercial cows!

Online bidding available. If interested, contact Jake Rees for details Jake Rees Scott Rees Roger Rees, DVM 801.668.8613 801.949.8960 801.913.5747 reescattle@gmail.com

Lot 1 – RB Max 1E

HE SELLS!

Lot 741 – RB Miss EX 741E

SHE SELLS!

Lot 38A – RB Mustang 38

HE SELLS!

Lot 704A – RB Miss Upward 704

SHE SELLS!

For details and to view videos of lots, visit WWW.REESCATTLE.COM

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 26 • October 27, 2018

RIVERTON LIVESTOCK AUCTION

Market Report for Friday, October 19 & Tuesday, October 23 2018 • 7,488 Head Sold Representative Sales COWS THERMOPOLIS 4 Cow, 1131# .................................... $78.50 RIVERTON 3 Cow, 1216# .................................... $65.00 8 Cow, 1115# .................................... $63.00 6 Cow, 1204# .................................... $59.50 ROCK SPRINGS 9 Cow, 1197# .................................... $58.00 8 Cow, 1325# .................................... $57.00 5 Cow, 1328# .................................... $55.00 MEETEETSE 5 Cow, 1259# .................................... $54.00 PAVILLION 2 Cow, 1427# .................................... $53.50 MEETEETSE 7 Cow, 1444# .................................... $51.00 BULLS RIVERTON 1 Bull, 1255# ..................................... $86.00 BIG PINEY 1 Bull, 1655# ..................................... $76.50 KINNEAR 4 Bull, 1861# ..................................... $73.50 MORAN 1 Bull, 2185# ..................................... $73.00 DANIEL 1 Bull, 2280# ..................................... $69.50 BIG PINEY 3 Bull, 1990# ..................................... $66.50 BRED COWS DANIEL 4 Bred Cow, 1045# ...................... $1,200.00 SARATOGA 4 Bred Cow, 1251# ...................... $1,125.00 BIG PINEY 11 Bred Cow, 1248#....................... $1,100.00 DANIEL 8 Bred Cow, 1156#...................... $1,025.00 HEIFERETTES SARATOGA 13 Heiferette, 875# ........................... $113.50 DANIEL 17 Heiferette, 870# ........................... $110.25 BOULDER 16 Heiferette, 840# ........................... $106.25 KINNEAR 11 Heiferette, 921#.............................. $99.00 SARATOGA 20 Heiferette, 991# ............................. $96.50 MEETEETSE 7 Heiferette, 1074# ........................... $84.00 SARATOGA 5 Heiferette, 1125#............................ $83.50 STEERS SHOSHONI 24 Steer, 331#................................... $243.00 PINEDALE 9 Steer, 367#................................... $232.00 THERMOPOLIS 90 Steer, 384#................................... $223.00 MEETEETSE 14 Steer, 412#................................... $218.00 LANDER 26 Steer, 389#................................... $216.50 40 Steer, 392#................................... $214.00 CORA 28 Steer, 420#................................... $212.00 SHOSHONI 41 Steer, 424#................................... $209.00 50 Steer, 448#................................... $201.25 THERMOPOLIS 159 Steer, 467#................................... $195.75 PINEDALE 53 Steer, 470#................................... $195.50 CROWHEART 55 Steer, 482#................................... $194.50 RIVERTON 15 Steer, 512#................................... $190.00 TENSLEEP 49 Steer, 514#................................... $187.50 SHOSHONI 100 Steer, 525#................................... $182.00 LANDER 82 Steer, 526#................................... $181.75 MEETEETSE 91 Steer, 535#................................... $180.00 DANIEL 20 Steer, 546#................................... $175.50 LANDER 23 Steer, 564#................................... $175.00 TENSLEEP 116 Steer, 585# ................................... $172.50 LANDER 35 Steer, 605#................................... $166.00 COKEVILLE 40 Steer, 623#................................... $165.00 LANDER 26 Steer, 640#................................... $161.50 22 Steer, 662#................................... $158.00 10 Steer, 748#................................... $152.00 DUBOIS 12 Steer, 730#................................... $151.50 HEIFERS BAGGS 10 Heifer, 277#.................................. $195.00 SHOSHONI 102 Heifer, 474#.................................. $182.00 38 Heifer, 379#.................................. $181.00 LANDER 28 Heifer, 395#.................................. $178.00 JEFFREY CITY 26 Heifer, 391#.................................. $177.00 LANDER 29 Heifer, 384#.................................. $170.00 COKEVILLE 23 Heifer, 409#.................................. $169.50 RIVERTON 54 Heifer, 467#.................................. $168.00 LANDER 18 Heifer, 434#.................................. $167.00

ARMINTO 46 Heifer, 406#.................................. $166.00 RIVERTON 25 Heifer, 457#.................................. $163.00 CORA 31 Heifer, 454#.................................. $160.25 MEETEETSE 81 Heifer, 517#.................................. $158.00 SHOSHONI 13 Heifer, 542#.................................. $159.00 MEETEETSE 32 Heifer, 594#.................................. $144.75 LANDER 13 Heifer, 680#.................................. $135.50 MOUNTAIN VIEW 12 Heifer, 601#.................................. $134.00 DANIEL 11 Heifer, 685# .................................. $132.00 RIVERTON 12 Heifer, 943#.................................. $121.00

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30 CALF & YEARLING SPECIAL START TIME 8:00 AM LOAD LOTS @ 10:00 AM EXPECTING 6,500-7,000 HD YEARLINGS John Laybourn - 10 Blk Yrling Hfrs 750-800#.

Fancy!

CALVES Abernathy Ranch - 350 Blk Ang & AngX Strs 475-575# 275 Blk Ang & AngX Hfrs 450-550#. Rec Polybac w/ Somnus & 7-way @ Branding. No implants. 100% Blk Ang sired. Schaff influenced bulls. Reputation, high desert calves.

Griffin Brothers - 300 Blk Ang & AngX Strs 475550# 175 Blk Ang & AngX Hfrs 400-475#. Rec Vista Once SQ, Vision 7 w/ Somnus & Nasalgen @ Branding. 100% Lucky 7 Angus sired. Reputation, powerful, high desert calves!

Nicholls Ranch - 300 Blk Ang & AngX Hfrs 525575#.

75 Blk Ang & AngX Strs 450-500#. Rec Vista 5, 7-way & Nasalgen @ Branding. Sired

by Popo Agie Blk Ang bulls & approx. 20% Durbin Creek Hereford bulls.

Moon Ranch LLC - 160 Blk Strs 600# 110 Blk Hfrs 575#. Rec 8-way @ Branding & 8-way & Pasteurella @ Precon. High elevation!

Martin Ranch - 250 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 525575#. Rec Vista Once SQ, Once PMH & Vision 7 w/ Somnus @ Branding. Sired by top end Blk Ang bulls. Fancy, high elevation performers!

Double D Ranch - 250 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 475-525#. Rec Vista Once SQ, Nasalgen & 7-way w/ Somnus @ Branding. Sired by Power Genetics & SO Cattle Co bulls. Powerful, high desert calves. All natural.

Frank Fear Cattle Co - 180 Blk Ang Strs 600# 25 Blk Ang Hfrs 500#. Rec Vista Once SQ & Vision 8 w/ Somnus & Spur @ Branding & Precon (9/16) & poured w/ Ivomec. Sired by Connealy Blk Ang bulls. Reputation, high elevation performers!

Rafter Cross Livestock - 200 Blk Strs 520# (Few BWF). Rec Pyramid 5 & Vision 7 w/ Somnus @ Branding. Knife cut. All natural.

Fancy!

Nick & Nancy Anderson - 200 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 500-600#. Rec Virashield 6, 7-way & Pinkeye shot @ Branding. One brand, fancy!

Darwin Griebel - 200 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 525-600#. Rec Vista Once SQ & Vision 7 @ Branding. Knife cut. Popo Agie Blk Ang genetics. Choice, high elevation calves.

Givens/O’Neal - 200 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 475-525#. Rec Vista Once SQ & Vision 7 @ Branding. 100% Ang sired. Green, high desert. Fancy!

Jay Downs - 200 Red & Blk Strs & Hfrs 475525#. Comp vacc @ Branding.

Ondrea Shepperson - 180 Blk Strs & Hfrs 500525#. Rec Bovishield Gold & Ultrabac 7 @ Branding & Precon. Poured @ Precon. Hfrs are Bangs vacc. Sired by Redland Blk Ang bulls.

Steve Husted - 180 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 525575#. Rec Vista Once SQ & 7-way @ Branding & Precon. Popo Agie Ang genetics for years. Choice feeding calves!

George & Julia Carollo - 175 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 450-500#. Comp vacc @ Branding.

Lucky 7 genetics. High elevation!

Eastman Ranch - 170 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 575-625#. Rec Vision 8 w/ Somnus & Vista Once SQ @ Branding & prior to mountain turnout 6/1. Sired by Herring Blk Ang bulls. Choice, high elevation calves!

Brook Miller - 160 Black Strs & Hfrs 500#. Rec Virashield, Vision 7, Respishield @ Branding.

High Desert, high Quality!

Graves Ranch - 150 Blk Strs & Hfrs 475-525#.

Comp vacc @ Branding. Knife cut. High elevation, fancy!

Jason Lozier - 150 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 500-550#. Rec 7-way w/Somnus @ Birth & Branding. 100% Lucky 7 Angus sired. Powerful, high desert calves!!

Cody Post - 150 Strs & Hfrs 500#

Early Consignments Rowdy & Valree Muir - 110 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 350-450#. Comp vacc @ Branding. Knife cut.

High desert.

James Downing - 110 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 525-575#. Rec Vision 8 @ Birth & Branding. High elevation, fancy calves!

G & J Hatch Ranch - 100 Blk Ang & BWF Strs & Hfrs 400#. Rec Bovishield & 8-way.

Spike Garvin - 100 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 450-550#. Rec Vision 8 & Vista Once SQ @ Branding. Knife cut. High elevation, nice calves!

Dwight & Betty Lyman - 100 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 450-550#. Rec Ultrabac 7, Bovishield Gold & Nasalgen @ Branding. Sired by Clay Creek Blk Ang bulls. High elevation, fancy!

Jess Hankins - 100 Blk Strs & Hfrs 500#. Rec 7-way @ Branding. Fancy!

E Spear Ranch - 100 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 450-550#. Rec Vista Once SQ & Vision 7. Sired by SO Cattle Co Blk Ang Bulls. High Elevation.

Butch & Cathy Meyer - 95 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 550-625#. Rec Vista Once SQ & Vision 7 w/ Somnus @ Branding. Popo Agie Angus sired. Choice calves!

Robert Martinez - 92 Strs & Hfrs 500-525#.

Comp vacc @ Branding. Knife cut. No implants.

Ramon Walker - 60 Blk Ang Strs 575# 25 Blk Ang Hfrs 500#. Rec 8-way @ Branding; Bovishield Gold One Shot & 8-way @ Precon (10/12). Out of registered stock. Extra fancy!

Dennis Martin - 80 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 450-500#. Rec Vista Once SQ & Vision 7.

High Desert! Sired by Diamond Peak bulls.

James Butterfield - 75 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 400-500#. Rec Pyramid 5 & Vison 7 @ Branding. Green, high desert.

Steve James - 75 Red, few Blk Strs & Hfrs 500-600#. Rec two rounds of Blackleg shot & Virashield 6. Sired by Leachman bulls w/ performance EPD’s. On Vit-A-Zine mineral program. Fancy!

Dick & Suzy Thoman - 75 Blk Strs & Hfrs 500530#. Comp vacc @ Branding. OCC Legend & Hoover Dam genetics. All natural.

Double 7 Cattle Co - 65 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 500-600#. Comp vacc @ Branding. High desert.

Hill & Hill Ranch - 62 Red & Blk Strs & Hfrs 475-600#. Rec Vision 8 w/ Somnus+Spur & Virashield 6 @ Branding & Precon (10/21).

Hfrs are Bangs vacc.

Ken Persson - 60 Blk Strs & Hfrs 450-600#.

Comp vacc @ Branding.

Nick Pince - 55 Blk Strs & Hfrs 450-500#. Comp vacc @ Branding. High desert.

Darlene McKee - 50 Blk Strs & Hfrs 450-500#.

Comp vacc @ Branding. High altitude.

Brown Ranch - 50 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 475-550#. Rec Vista Once SQ & Ultra Choice 8 @ Branding & Precon (9/16). Poured @ Weaning. Hfrs are Bangs vacc. Sired by Diamond Peak bulls. On Purina mineral program.

Dakota Arno - 45 Red, few Blk Strs & Hfrs 500-600#. Rec two rounds of Blackleg shot & Virashield 6. Sired by Leachman bulls w/ performance EPD’s. On Vit-A-Zine mineral program. Fancy!

Steve Ward - 35 Blk Strs & Hfrs 500-550#.

Comp vacc @ Branding & Precon. Knife cut.

All natural. Fancy!

Tom & Maggie Goddard - 32 Blk Strs & Hfrs 475-525#. Rec Vista Once, 8-way & Multimin.

Ken Potter - 30 Sim/AngX Strs 500-550#. Rec Vista Once & 7-way @ Branding.

John Lupher - 25 Sim/AngX Strs 500-550#.

Rec Vista Once & 7-way @ Branding.

Lee Pierce - 25 Blk Strs & Hfrs 550# Jay Rodewald - 21 Mostly Blk Strs & Hfrs 500650#. Comp vacc @ Branding.

Lee Martinez - 20 Strs & Hfrs 500-525#. Comp vacc @ Branding. Knife cut. No implants.

S Bar A - 18 Strs & Hfrs 550#. Rec Bovishield Gold One Shot & Ultrabac 8 @ Branding & Precon. Bunk broke.

Elmer & Sarah Witzel - 15 Blk Strs & Hfrs 500600#. Comp vacc @ Branding.

Lori Davidson - 7 Blk Strs & Hfrs 600-700#.

Have been wormed.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2 COW SALE • START TIME 8:30 AM Louis Roberts - 2 Loads of open cows & Heiferettes Barney Ranch - 1 load of weigh cows

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6 CALF & YEARLING SPECIAL START TIME 8:30 AM Abernathy Ranch - 600 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 475550#. Rec Vista Once SQ, Once PMH & Vision 7 w/ Somnus. Schaff Angus genetics for years!

High desert, big time performing calves!

Ruby Ranch - 500 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 450-550#. Rec Vista 5, Once PMH & Multimin.

Knife cut. Sired by Popo Agie & Lucky 7 Blk Ang bulls. Fancy, high desert calves!

Cross Lazy Two - 450 Blk Ang & AngX Strs &

Hfrs 450-525#. Rec C & D & Multimin @ Birth; Ultrabac 7 & Multimin @ Branding. Knife cut.

Sired by Lucky 7 Blk Ang bulls & small % Durbin Creek Hereford bulls. High elevation & fancy!

Paxton Ranch - 300 Blk, BWF, small % Red, RWF & CharX Strs & Hfrs 475-550#. Rec Vista Once SQ, Vision 7 w/ Somnus & Multimin @ Branding. Sired by Blk Ang bulls. Powerful, high quality calves!

Trent & Bess Johnson - 275 Blk Ang/CharX Strs & Hfrs 500#. Rec Virashield 6 & Barvac 7 @ Branding. Sired by Redland Blk Ang & McKim Char bulls. Fancy!

Broken Bones Cattle - 235 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 400-500#. Comp vacc @ Branding.

Lucky 7 genetics. High desert calves.

Spear T Cattle Co - 140 Red Ang/HerefordX Strs 400-600# 65 Red Ang/HerefordX Hfrs 400-500#. Rec Bovishield Gold One Shot, Vision 7 w/ Somnus, Inj Dectomax & Multimin @ Branding; Vista Once SQ @ Precon 10/5. Knife cut. High desert & green.

Devries Livestock - 200 Pred Blk Strs & Hfrs 450-550#. Comp vacc @ Branding. Sired by Clay Creek Angus bulls. Fancy!

Red Canyon Cattle Co - 200 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 475-525#. Comp vacc @ Branding.

Green, choice high desert calves.

Seth Jones - 200 Blk Strs 475-525#. Comp vacc @ Branding.

Richie Ranch - 180 Hereford & HerefordX Strs 450-475#. Rec Pyramid 5 w/ Presponse & 7-way @ Branding & Precon 10/1. Reputation, high elevation, Yrling making strs!

Bar Lazy C Bar - 160 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 450-500#. Rec Pyramid 5, Vision 7 w/ Somnus + Spur & Respishield @ Precon 10/1. Fancy, high elevation!

Bray Ranch - 150 Blk Strs 7 Hfrs 450-500#.

Comp vacc @ Branding & Precon.

Bjornestad Ranch – 150 Blk Ang Strs 475-550# 150 Blk Ang Hfrs 450-525#. Rec Bovishield Gold One Shot & Ultrabac 7 Somnubac @ Branding & Precon. Poured w/ Ivomec @ Precon. Paintrock Angus sired. Reputation, great performing Roger Jones - 135 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 450-525#. Rec Vista Once SQ & 7-way @ Branding. Choice, high desert calves!

Double L Ranch - 100 Blk Ang & AngX Strs 500550# 30 Blk Ang & AngX Hfrs 450-500#. Rec Alpha 7 w/ C&D @ Birth; Polybac w/ Somnus & Vision 7 w /Somnus @ Branding. Sired by Popo Agie Blk Ang bulls. Knife cut, one iron, high altitude!

Cindy Cox - 130 Blk Strs & Hfrs 500-600#. Rec Vision 8 @ Branding. High elevation, fancy calves!

Larsen Ranch - 120 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 450550#. Hfrs Rec 7-way, Pyramid 5 + Presponse & Bangs vacc & Dectomax. Strs Rec Bovishield One Shot, Multimin, 7-way & Valbazon.

Sired by Paintrock & Diamond Peak Blk Ang bulls. Fancy, high elevation!

Robinson Ranch - 115 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 550-625#. Rec Vista Once SQ, Vision 7 w/ Somnus @ Branding. Stress tubs on cows for 3 weeks. Run above 7,500 ft since May 15th.

Fancy, high elevation.

CS Limmer - 100 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 450500#. Rec Pyramid 5 + Presponse @ Branding & Precon. Knife cut. Green, high desert.

Warren Fleming - 85 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 500-600#. Rec Pyramid 5 w/ Presponse, Invecton 8, Tetanus & poured @ Branding. Sired by Herring Blk Ang bulls. High elevation & fancy!

Scott Rakness - 75 Blk, BWF Strs & Hfrs 550625#. Rec Vision 7 w/ Spur, Vista Once SQ & poured @ Branding & Precon. Calves have been on the full Cattlactive program. High elevation, fancy!

Double Diamond Red Angus - 75 Blk & Red Strs & Hfrs 400-450#. Rec Vison 8 & Vista Once @ Branding; Ultrabac 8 & Pyramid 5 w/ Presponse @ Precon. Knife cut. 5L Firecracker genetics. Fancy!

Sulphur Creek Ranch - 70 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 450#. Rec Vista Once SQ, Vision 8 @ Branding & Precon & Dectomax; Vitacharge @ Birth. Fancy, high elevation.

Cal & Tonya O’Neal - 65 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 500-600#. All natural, high elevation.

Stanford St. Clair - 50 Blk & BWF Strs & Hfrs 400500#. Rec Vision 8 @ Branding. High desert calves.

Todd & Mandi Hirsch - 45 Blk, BWF Strs 550650#. Rec Vision 7 & Vista Once @ Branding.

Choice, high desert.

Lester Ranch - 25 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 450#. Rec Vista Once SQ, Vision 8 @ Branding & Precon & Dectomax; Vitacharge @ Birth. Fancy, high elevation.

Sarah Faith Ranch - 20 Blk Strs & Hfrs 450#. Rec 7-way w/ Somnus, Bovishield Gold One Shot & Inforce 3 @ Branding; 7-way w/ Somnus & Bovishield Gold @ Precon.

Wagstaff Family - 18 Blk Ang Strs & Hfrs 500#.

Comp Phizer program. Fancy, high elevation.

HDH Ranch - 14 Blk, BWF Strs & Hfrs 500-550#.

Rec Vision 7 w/ Spur, Vista Once SQ & poured @ Branding & Precon. Calves have been on the full Cattlactive program. High elevation, fancy!

Contact: Riverton Livestock Auction (307) 856-2209 • Jeff Brown (307) 850-4193 • Tom Linn (307) 728-8519 • Mark Winter (580) 747-9436 • www.rivertonlivestock.com • Also watch our live cattle auction at www.cattleusa.com

1490 South 8th Street East • River ton, WY 82501 • (307) 856-2209

®

Cold storage continues to grow but at slower pace than anticipated USDA’s September Cold Storage report showed beef, pork and poultry freezer levels between one and 18 percent higher than year-ago levels, but the Daily Livestock Report (DLR) said there is some positive news with a slower pace of increase.

“Inventories increased at a slower pace, in part because beef and pork production did not increase by as much as earlier expected,” said DLR. “We think futures market participants may view these results as supportive for the fourth quarter but not entirely unexpected.”

However, DLR noted concern in ever-increasing supplies of chicken in cold storage.

Beef storage For beef freezer inventory, 508.6 million pounds of beef was in cold storage at the end of September, a figure that is 2.5 percent higher than a year ago and 8.8 percent higher than the five-year average.

“Beef inventories in September increased by 1.5 percent, while in the last five years, the August and September stocks have increased by an average of 6.2 percent,” DLR said.

Further, boneless beef inventories were 1.3 percent above a last year and 0.7 percent higher than a month ago, at 460.4 million pounds.

“Beef production was smaller than a year ago this past September due to one less production day and less aggressive fed cattle marketings,” DLR commented. “Combined with

lower imports and robust exports, this limits the pace of beef inventory build last month.”

They continued, “It appears more beef cuts have gone into cold storage, something we also observed last year.”

However, DLR does not believe the increase is a result of weaker demand.

Instead, they believe the increase is a result of enduser efforts to accumulate product for year-end holiday needs.

Pork For pork producers, the increase of product in cold storage is not as high, but DLR also added that impacts of Hurricane Florence in North Carolina, coupled with one fewer slaughter day in September, contributed.

“The total supply of pork in cold storage at the end of September was estimated to be 588.99 million pounds,” DLR commented.

“Inventories increased 1.3 percent from August levels compared to a five-year average month-over-month increase of 2.6 percent.”

Looking back at year-ago levels, September increased 7.4 percent between August and September last year, and current pork inventory in cold storage is nearly five percent smaller than 2017 numbers.

“With less pork than expected coming to market and rising prices, it should not be a surprise that inventory build was slow,” they continued. “Market participants will likely view the number as positive going

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into the fourth quarter, when supplies are expected to rapidly increase.”

Inventory of hams in cold storage is particularly important, as they carry carcass value during the period when loin, shoulder and trim prices seasonally decline. Hams in cold storage in September hit 214.6 million pounds, a drop of 7.5 percent from last year and 6.2 percent from the five-year average.

Poultry data The largest and most concerning increases for producers for cold storage inventory comes from the poultry industry, where a 17.3 percent increase was seen from a year ago and 31.6 percent bump from the five-year average.

The supply includes whole broiler and broiler parts for a total of 959.4

million pounds.

“Freezer stocks are burdensome at this time,” DLR comments. “Inventories of wings and various chicken parts continue to back up in the freezer.”

They added, however, “On the other hand, the glut of turkey meat appears to be easing.”

Turkey breast inventories in particular were 14 percent lower than data

from last year in September.

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to saige@wylr.net.

Combined Beef, Pork, Chicken and Turkey in Cold Storage

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 26 • October 27, 2018

South Dakota group host event bringing agriculture women together Deadwood, S.D. – South Dakota Women in Ag is a group of ladies committed to bettering themselves and the future of agricul-

ture. Every fall, they host a conference for likeminded women, and this year, the event was held Oct.11-12 at The Lodge in

Deadwood, S.D. Nearly 100 ladies were in attendance, including 15 vendors who were able to participate in the ses-

Personal brand – Sharlet Tiegen of Belle Fourche, S.D. discussed the importance of a personal brand and developing that brand during the South Dakota Women in Ag Conference. Melissa Burke photo

sions. The conference is not restricted to women from South Dakota, however, and there were attendees from Colorado, Nebraska, Montana and Wyoming, as well.

Branding Several speakers were on the agenda, and the first topic on Oct. 11 was “Developing Your Personal Brand,” presented

by Sharlet Teigen of Belle Fourche, S.D. Teigen is co-founder and CEO of Demeter Communications, a virtual business which specializes in agriculture.

She began by stating that a brand is more than a name.

“Our brand is a combination of what we do and what our personality is. It is the impression that people have of us, our company and our product.

Once we understand what a brand is, then we can make all of our communications work better,” Tei-

“First impressions matter, with cattle and with people.” – Kip Lukasiewicz, Sandhills Cattle Consultants, Inc. gen said.

Teigen stressed that the most important aspect of a brand is personality, followed by the benefits.

“Function is less essential, she said. “We need to ask ourselves what we are good at versus what we can do. The idea is to identify traits like ability to pay attention to detail, instead of tasks, like being a great bookkeeper.”

A brand requires that a brand statement be established. This has to be set out on paper first and can be difficult to create.

Teigen recommended that ranchers start with stating who they want to be. The message will feed off of the brand statement.

A brand statement may or may not appear on the final product itself.

Visual brand The next aspect of a brand is the logo, which is the first visual component that is about what we want to convey.

“We always do our logo in black and white first,” said Teigen, to make sure it will look good with or without color. “Then, we can add a color scheme. We do need to make sure the colors we choose have enough contrast and that the logo is readable from a distance.”

A logo can be part of a word, such as the capital “G” on a box of General Mills® cereal, a symbol like the Nike® athletic shoe “swoosh” or a tone, such as the one used by computer processor Intel in its television commercials.

“Be patient and persistent,” Teigen advised.

A brand can be our very identity to a potential customer.

Current issues Dani Hanson spoke first on Oct. 12, discussing the Farm Bill. Hanson grew up near New Underwood, S.D., and after obtaining a bachelor’s degree in political science, she went to work with South Dakota Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) in Washington, D.C. She joined the South Dakota Department of Agriculture in 2015 and currently serves as policy advisor.

Hanson explained the farm bill is essentially a reauthorization of farm programs. The most recent bill expired at the end of September, but a conference committee is in the process of negotiating another.

The farm bill funds several categories of programs, including nutrition, at 80 percent of the budget, crop insurance at

eight percent, conservation at six percent, commodities at five percent and another one percent that consists of research, forestry, trade, energy and rural development.

Hands-on advice Animal handling was covered by Kip Lukasiewicz, DVM of St. Paul, Neb. Lukasiewicz is the owner of Sandhills Cattle Consultants, Inc. His primary focuses are in feedlot consulting, animal handling and facility design.

He explained to the audience that every day he has a chance to work with people who have little or no ag experience. This requires a lot of patience and a study of the basics.

“First impressions matter, with cattle and with people,” he said.

“Prey animals know us because of our eye position, body position and movements.

Problems arise when we don’t present ourselves correctly.”

He noted that cattle have poor depth perception but are quick to notice motion. Their points of balance are their eyes, particularly the left eye.

The steering wheel consists of the shoulder, rib, flank and hip.

Lukasiewicz concluded his session by showing some video of people working cattle at feedlots where he consults.

He pointed out instances where animals were being moved correctly and other instances where improvements could be made.

Inspiration Up-and-coming Adrian “Buckaroogirl” Brannan gave an inspiring presentation to wrap up the conference.

Equally at home aboard a ranch bronc or on stage with her guitar, Brannan began her music career at the age of 14. She has received accolades for her heartfelt western lyrics from Cowboys and Indians, Ranch and Reata and Western Horseman magazines.

Her weekly “Dear Cowgirl” posts on social media and blog keep her connected with a huge following of women, based upon her honest and upfront manner and her openness in regard to her experiences as a domestic violence survivor. She has also recently written a book of the same title.

At the end of her session, she performed several of her songs to the delight of the audience.

Melissa Burke is a correspondent for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net

For more information, go to southdakotawomeninag.com.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 26 • October 27, 2018

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CoBank: Output, trade concerns compress agricultural margins in U.S. The U.S. agriculture industry is no stranger to challenges, but Dan Kowalski with CoBank says the leading risk for the industry today is an escalating trade war with China, which has both short-term and longterm implications.

“Retaliatory actions taken by China and other trading partners have raised concerns of long-lasting effects on agricultural supply chains,” Kowalski says.

“USDA assistance to farmers and ranchers suffering hardship from trade wars will have only a modest impact on farm financial conditions.”

Looking forward to 2019’s domestic economic growth, he also noted that the competitiveness of the U.S. hinges on trade uncertainty and the elevated value of the dollar. The pressure on farm income will also continue, leading to additional pressure on the ag industry.

Kowalski looks inside concerns for the ag industry and recent challenges in an October 2018 report titled, “Rising Output Compressing Agricultural Margins.”

Global picture Kowalski cites that global economic momentum is a theme that will likely continue into 2019, commenting, “With the U.S. growth rate at its strongest level since 2011 and China continuing to grow at around six percent per year, emerging markets have been bolstered by solid trade growth.”

China’s currency also declined, which may have mitigated impacts of some of the tariffs.

Additionally, Europe and Asia have continued to grow steadily, but trade

uncertainty, as well as the lack of a united global leadership force to solve disputes, threatened to dismantle momentum.

“Continuing trade negotiations and potential trade disputes are the major concerns in the nearterm,” comments Kowalski, noting that both deals with China and the U.S.Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) have impacts.

He continues, “The reopening of trade discussions with Europe and Japan is a positive note.

The greatest concern is that the trade dispute with China will escalate if the U.S. imposes additional tariff hikes in the future.”

Domestic impacts At home, tax reform and increased government spending have bolstered the U.S. economy and provided fiscal stimulus. A four percent growth was seen in the second quarter, making it the strongest quarterly growth rate in four years.

“That growth rate is continued to expected to continue at a three percent rate well into 2019,” Kowalski comments. “It will also mean that the current business cycle, which began in the fourth quarter of 2007, has just become the longest for the U.S. since the end of World War II.” A wildcard in play, however, is the increase in interest rates by the Federal Reserve and their commitment to moving those rates higher. Interest rate hikes may provide drag on economic growth, and he notes that equity markets should be watched carefully, particularly in late 2019.

“Consumer spending remains strong and busi-

See the full report “Rising Output Compressing Agricultural Margins” at bit.ly/2PQRvpG, or learn more from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange at CoBank.com/knowledge-exchange.

ness investment should accelerate into 2019,” Kowalski says, also providing the caveat that rising interest rates might impact spending in both the consumer and business sectors, in turn slowing economic growth.

Ag markets The U.S. ag industry is feeling the pressure from ongoing trade negotiations, as nearly 70 percent of our exported ag products are traditionally destined for countries currently involved in active trade negotiations.

“Agricultural markets will be pressured until these issues are resolved,” Kowalski explains.

The possibility of potential records in corn, soybean and cotton crops further hamper opportunity for price improvements over the recent past.

A global tightening in stocks for all major commodities except soybeans, however, continues to sup-

port current price levels.

“Animal protein and dairy markets are also feeling the impact of trade issues, but the strength of domestic consumer demand has been a mitigating factor,” Kowalski says.

The big picture As he looks to the future, Kowalski commented, “Without any significant improvement in farm prices in 2018, the financial condition of U.S. agriculture will continue to decline.”

Kowalski further comments a five to 10 percent decline in 2018 net farm income likely as a result of rising production expenses and stagnating gross revenue. Some of that decline will be mitigated by USDA efforts to defray the impact of retaliatory tariffs.

For animal proteins, domestic supply has continued to grow during the third quarter of 2018, and production similarly increased at a rate of 2.5

“Record animal protein production and trade concerns continue to weight on the beef, poultry and pork markets.” – Dan Kowalski, CoBank percent versus 3.2 percent over the previous period.

“However, the rate of exports slowed significantly after growing by seven percent in the second quarter,” Kowalski said. “This is largely the result of new and higher retaliatory tariffs on U.S. pork and beef by Mexico and China.”

Kowalski also emphasizes the beef industry’s strength in the first half of 2018, despite headwinds from increased production, severe drought, increased hay prices and continued competition.

“Trade was the bright spot for the U.S. beef sector in the first half of 2018,” he says. “Volume increased by 14 percent through August, driven by growth in shipments to Korea, Japan and Tai-

wan.”

Ample supply and healthy demand both domestically and abroad have contributed to strong packer margins, and Kowalski predicts strong packer demand for cattle through 2019.

“Record animal protein production and trade concerns continue to weight on the beef, poultry and pork markets,” summarizes Kowalski. “Domestic consumer demand remains stout for animal protein, but pork is experiencing the biggest jolt, caused by trade disputes and oversupply.”

Saige Albert, managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup, compiled this article from CoBank’s recent report. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 26 • October 27, 2018

Genho: Cattle efficiency should be measured with economics in mind for top results With a focus on the future of the beef industry, Michael Genho, Elanco Animal Health’s director of feedyard business, takes a different look at efficiency, first looking at the economic perspective before translating that information to the feedyard.

As he looked at efficiency from an economic perspective Genho said efficiency is the optimal result from a given set of resources.

“Any definition of efficiency should consider what’s currently happening with what’s the optimal that could happen,”

he explained, noting that the cattle industry utilizes feed conversion ratio and residual feed intake at the production level to determine efficiency.

However, Genho comments, “While these are both useful metrics to the production metric, do they define efficiency? I would

submit that they don’t.”

Traditional look As a ratio, efficiency figured by pounds of feed compared to pounds of gain does not consider changes in input costs.

“The price and mix of our inputs change, and it’s gotten consistently more complicated,” he says.

Feedlot efficiency – Elanco’s Michael Genho said cattle efficiency must include economic factors, since Fred conversion rates can impact feedlot profits by up to 10 percent. Saige Albert photo

“An opportunity for the feeding sector is how we optimize efficiency.” – Michael Genho, Elanco Animal Health “Inputs all impact cost. We also have to think about the output as pounds produced, as well as the price received for those pounds produced.”

Genho adds, “This ratio fails to take into account the economic drivers, which should always be assessed in efficiency.”

Secondly, he says traditional production metrics fail to utilize an optimal comparator often.

“Feed efficiency is a difficult beast, and there are a lot of confounding factors with feed confusion,” he says.

Conversion As production is concerned, the largest driver for feedlot profitability is feed-to-weight conversion, and Genho says, without accounting for animal health, data shows a 10 percent variation in feedyard basis profit as a result of conversion.

Further, Genho says, “Days on feed have also increased over the last five years for both steers and heifers.”

“We tend to think if we keep feeding cattle, we give up performance, and we tend to think that we can feed performance into our cattle,” he continues, noting that the assertion is not necessarily true because of variation between animals.

“In many instances, in feedyards, we run projections off averages of weight, region of the country and sex. We run projection off those averages, and then cattle perform,” he says. “We have some that get to the endpoint quicker.”

Intake, feed conversation and grading meet industry standards for these high-performing cattle.

“There is a ton of vari-

ation in conversion from the 75th percentile to the 99 th percentile for feed conversion,” Genho says.

“There is also significant lot variation, and I suspect variation between individual animals in each lot is greater.”

From his conversations with nutritionists, as much to 50 percent of that difference results from management changes.

He adds, “Truthfully, we don’t know if we fed them to an optimal endpoint, depending on conditions.”

Summary After considering and attempting to compensate for a variety of factors, the end point is simple, says Genho.

“Efficiency is best measured in the context of what’s optimal. If we just isolate it for feed conversion or residual feed intakes, we’re going to miss the economic driver of efficiency,” he explains.

Further, he said efficiency has to be determined by the endpoint and target for production.

Because efficiency is the single biggest profit driver for feedyards, a focus on economic production efficiency is paramount to the profitability of the sector.

Genho comments, “An opportunity for the feeding sector is how we optimize efficiency within the endpoint targets we’re trying to get and within the set of constraints we see within the industry.”

Genho spoke during the 2018 Beef Improvement Federation Research Symposium and Convention, held in Loveland, Colo. June 20-23.

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to saige@wylr.net.

To watch Michael Genho’s presentation, “Focus on Efficient Red Meat Production,” visit youtube.com/ watch?v=9e1QrcJzo-k.

IPM road map updated The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on Oct. 24 the first update since 2013 of the National Road Map for Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

The update culminates a yearlong review by the Federal Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Coordinating Committee (FIPMCC), a joint effort that is coordinated by the Office of Pest Management Policy in the Office of USDA’s Chief Economist, with representatives of all federal agencies with responsibilities in IPM research, implementation or education programs. These agencies include Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of the Interior (DOI), and Department of Defense (DoD).

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a sciencebased, sustainable decision-making process that uses information on pest biology, environmental data and technology to manage pest damage in a way that minimizes both economic costs and risks to people, property and the environment.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 26 • October 27, 2018

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West Central States Wool Growers Convention comes to Casper in 2018 Casper – Join sheep producers from all over the West for two full days of produceroriented educational sessions and some fun, social events on Nov. 8-10. Sheep producers from Idaho, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming will be present, along with

producers from neighboring states.

Pre-meeting activities begin on Nov. 8, including a young entrepreneur’s session; the Mountain Plains Agricultural Services Membership meeting; Idaho, Utah and Wyoming state member-

ship meetings; and a sheep shearing calcutta.

Registration Early registration began in early October and continues through Oct. 31. On Nov. 1, registration prices increase. Registration can be completed at wyowool.com.

Tentative agenda From Nov. 8-11, the West Central States Wool Growers Convention has a full slate of speakers, panels and discussions, as well as social events and more. A tentative list of events is provided below.

Nov. 8 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Mountain Plains Agricultural Services Membership Meeting 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Young Entrepreneur’s Session (see agenda to the right) 1 p.m.

Registration opens 2 p.m.

Idaho Wool Growers Association Board of Directors and Membership Meeting Wyoming Wool Growers Association Board of Directors and Membership Meeting Utah Wool Growers Association Board of Directors and Membership Meeting 5:45 p.m.

Welcome to Casper Reception and Dinner 6:15 p.m.

Sheep Shearing Exhibition and Calcutta Nov. 9 7:30 a.m.

Registration opens Ram Sale Meeting 8:30 a.m.

Welcome from WWGA President Vance Broadbent 8:35 a.m.

Opening Speaker: The Business Side of Agriculture, Michael Marsch, National Council of Agricultural Employers 9:05 a.m.

Wool Market Update Panel Discussion, with Larry Prager of Center of the Nation Wool, Terry Martin of Anodyne Wool (invited) and Rick Powers of Lempriere (invited) 9:50 a.m.

American Lamb Board Update, Peter John Camino, ALB member 10 a.m.

Break 10:30 a.m.

Lamb Market Update Panel Discussion with Warrie Means of UW, Rick Stott of Superior Farms, Brad Graham of Mountain States Lamb Cooperative and Bob Harlan of the American Lamb Feeders Association 11 a.m.

American Sheep Industry Update, Peter Orwick 11:20 a.m.

What’s Happening with Department of the Interior, Tanner Beymer of Public Lands Council and Tim Williams of Department of the Interior 12 p.m.

Lunch 1 p.m.

Is H2A Right for Me? The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Kelli Griffith of Mountain Plains Agricultural Services and Monica Youree of Western Range Managing Animals in Natural Disasters: Wildfires, Floods and Other Calamities, Scott Cotton, UW Extension Continuing Business in an Animal Disease Emergency: Is it Possible?, Erica Sanko, California Wool Growers 2 p.m.

The Continuing Battle to Control Predators, USDA Wildlife Services’ Julie Young, USDA Wildlife Services Mike Foster Tools for Addressing Predation, Cat Urbigkit 3 p.m.

Rangeland Monitoring and NEPA for Ranchers, Justin Williams of Wyoming Department of Agriculture Practical Application of Monitoring Tools, Michelle Buzalski of U.S. Forest Service 4 p.m.

U.S. Forest Service Allotment Management Strategies in the Intermountain Region, USDA Regional Rangeland Management Staff Officer Terry Padilla 6 p.m.

Getting to Know Ewe Reception 6:45 p.m.

Live Auction Nov. 10 7 a.m.

Rocky Mountain Sheep Marketing Association Membership and Board Meeting 7:30 p.m.

Registration Opens 8 a.m.

Practical Sheep Management Considerations to Enhance Decision Making Track 1: Targeted Trace Mineral Supplementation in Sheep Track 2: Guardian Dog Solutions: Perspectives from a Rancher/ Researcher 8:45 a.m.

Track 1: Evaluating the Timing of Marketing Feeder Lambs Track 2: Using SWOT Analysis to Guide Emerging Sheep Producers 9:40 a.m.

Track 1: Coccidiosis: Challenges in Effective Prevention and Control Track 2: Keeping Good Wool Great 10:25 a.m.

Track 1: Sheep Brucellosis: An Update on Prevalence and Diagnostic Testing Track 2: New Technologies for Quantifying Sheep Diets and Nutritional Decision Making for Western Rangelands 11:15 a.m.

Track 1: Parasite Resistance in the Intermountain West Track 2: Annual and Perennial Forages in an Integrative Crop-Livestock System 12 p.m.

Lunch 1 p.m.

Track 1: Mastitis in Sheep: What it Costs and How to Mitigate its Effects Track 2: More Bang for Your Buck: Winter Supplementation Strategies for Sheep 1:45 p.m.

Track 1: Practical Tools and Strategies That Make a Vaccination Program Work Track 2: Integrating Grazing into Weed and Invasive Management Practices 2:40 p.m.

Track 1: Q Fever Management Considerations Track 2: Mastitis in Sheep: What It Costs and How to Mitigate Its Effects 3:25 p.m.

Track 1: Guardian Dog Solutions: Perspective from a Rancher/Researcher Track 2: Sheep Management Strategies that Pencil: Revisiting What’s Often Overlooked 6 p.m.

President’s Banquet Reception and Dinner Find the latest schedule at wyowool.com.

Family and friends can be added to the registration by clicking “Add Now” above the badge information section. Those not attending meetings have the option to purchase a meals package. For planning purposes and meal counts, tickets are required for all meals.

Meals prices will increase after Nov. 1, and meal availability cannot be guaranteed after that date.

There is no charge for meals for children under age 7, but registration for them is also appreciate for counts. Please select the option “Meals for Children Under 7” when registering.

Sponsors The West Central States Wool Growers Meeting is being presented with help from generous sponsors.

For those who are interested, sponsorship and donation opportunities are available to help offset costs for everything from door prizes to meals. Visit wyowool.com for information on sponsorships.

Rebellion Energy, Superior Farms, the University of Wyoming Department of Animal Sciences, University of Wyoming Extension, Wyoming Association of County Predatory Animal Boards and the Wyoming Livestock Roundup are Diamond sponsors, and Farm Credit Services of American is a Platinum sponsor. Gold

sponsors include Food and Fiber Risk Managers and Heininger Shearing Equipment.

A trade show will also be held, with vendors from across a wide spectrum of industry interests represented.

Accommodations The meeting will be held at the Ramkota Hotel in Casper. Room rate is $89 plus taxes, which includes

a hot breakfast. The hotel, which can be reached at 307266-6000, is pet friendly and conveniently located in close proximity to downtown Casper and Natrona County International Airport.

United and Delta have daily flights from Salt Lake City, Utah and Denver, Colo., and a shuttle is available. For more information about the Casper area, go to visitcasper.com.

Find the most up-to-date information and register for the West Central States Wool Growers Convention at wyowool.com.

Young Entrepreneurs Session In addition to serving the entirety of their membership, the West Central States Wool Growers Convention will feature a series of workshops preceding the convention targeting young entrepreneur’s.

The Young Entrepreneur’s Session is slated for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Nov. 8 and includes a full agenda of topics for those who are jumping into the wool business.

10 a.m.

Opportunities for Small and Emerging Rural Businesses, Scott Sutherland, USDA Rural Development 10:30 a.m. Local Textiles and the Rancher – Creating Added Value, Ben Hostetler, Mountain Meadow Wool Mill 11 a.m.

Understanding Basic Ranch Financials: From Balance Sheets to Business Plans, Bridger Feuz, University of Wyoming (UW) Extension 12 p.m.

Lunch Break 1 p.m.

The Congressional Progress: Developing National Policy and Government Oversight, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) 1:30 p.m. Rogue Science: Fear Mongering and Departure from the Facts, Bonnie Brown, Colorado Wool Growers Association

25th Annual

WY Women’s Ag Symposium

November 15-16, 2018 Parkway Plaza Hotel • Casper, WY

Thursday, Nov. 15

5:30 p.m. - Cash Bar & Hors d’oeuvres 6:30 p.m. - Celeste Settrini: Ranch Life Living 7:30 p.m. - Prairie Wildfire Band

Friday, Nov. 16

8:45 a.m. - Keynote: Jolene Brown “Let Go of the Rope!”

2:30 p.m. - Workshop: Jolene Brown “The Top 10 Mistakes That Break Up a Family Business!”

Breakouts: The Buzz - Michael Jordan • The Law - Saige Albert The Wave - Marvin Nash • The Crud - Dr. Kenzie Mares The Wool - Karen Hostetler • The Business - Dr. Bret Hess

Register at:

wywomeninag.org

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 26 • October 27, 2018

Proper injections minimize complications for cattle producers Injections – whether they be vaccines, antibiotics, medications to help reduce inflammation, injectable vitamins or minerals – should always be administered properly to minimize residues, injection site lesions and reduce risks for reactions and side effects.

Shannon Williams, Lemhi County Extension educator in Salmon, Idaho, says it is important to read labels to be aware of potential changes.

Williams notes vaccine companies sometimes

update their labels. Dosage or injection sites may change. Something that was given intramuscular (IM) in the past or with an option for IM or subcutaneous injection may now be labeled subcutaneous only, for example.

Proper use Williams also says ranchers need to use vaccines and antibiotics properly because of our commitment to consumers to provide a safe food product.

“We need a working relationship with our vet, to ask questions or get advice

on vaccination issues or injection techniques. Our vet is up-to-date on the latest vaccines and antibiotics, and we might want to change to a different vaccine that has fewer reactions or produces less irritation at the injection site,” Williams says.

She adds, “When giving boosters, make sure they are the same type and brand as the original vaccination. Don’t mix vaccines together unless this use is on the label.”

Needles “One challenge is to get

producers to change needles often enough, after about every 10 animals when working cattle,” Williams explains. “Producers need to figure out a system. One way would be to change needles every time we refill the syringe.”

Alternatively, the person keeping records could take the responsibility of handing the vaccinator a new needle after every 10 animals.

“With some vaccine guns, we attach the whole bottle, so we need to find a different way to remember to change needles because we are using the whole bottle before we do something different with the syringe,” says Williams.

Importance of a new needle The main thing is to realize the importance of changing needles.

“At one of our cowboy schools, I gave a demonstration for ranchers and used a piece of neck hide from the

“We need a working relationship with our vet, to ask questions or get advice on vaccination issues or injection techniques.” – Shannon Williams, Lemhi County Extension local custom butcher. I gave the ranchers needles and had them ‘inject’ through that hide and rank the amount of force needed to inject that ‘cow,’” she explains. “This was a good way to objectively evaluate the force it took to do an injection in a controlled situation without the distraction of a moving animal or a rushed situation.

The ranchers could feel the difference, the more times they injected that hide.

A sharp, new needle took a lot less force to penetrate the hide than a needle that had already been used a few times, she described.

“When we flipped the hide over, they could see everything they were trying to put that needle through,” she says.

Williams also showed

Chipotle dinged for campaign The fast-casual restaurant chain that promises “food with integrity” was just informed its marketing campaign is without integrity.

U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam Jr. ruled that Chipotle Mexican Grill’s non-GMO claims are misleading, opening the door for customers in Maryland, California and New York to proceed to trial in a class action lawsuit.

The lawsuit, filed in 2016, alleges that Chipotle’s “only non-GMO ingredients” claims on signs in its restaurants were “false, misleading and deceptive” because the meat and dairy products sold by Chipotle almost assuredly came from animals given at least some GMO feed.

The ruling from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, certified three separate classes and denied the company’s motion to throw out the case.

Legal experts say it was notable in important areas of class action and consumer law. – Drovers CattleNetwork

a series of photos taken at Iowa State University, looking at needles under a highpowered microscope. They showed a new, sharp needle before use, what it looked like after one use up through 16 uses, and how dull it became, along with the dirt and debris it collected Bent needles If ranchers inject through a not-so-clean hide or the needle bends or gets blunted by accidental contact with the chute, change needles immediately, Williams says.

She comments that it doesn’t take much to put a burr on the end of the needle.

“Some burrs are so tiny we can’t see them with the naked eye, and most ranchers are not wearing their reading glasses when working cattle,” she says. “One way to check a needle to see if it’s still sharp is to run the backside of the needle across the back of our hand.

If we feel anything at all, it has a burr on that tip.”

“The big challenge is to have some way at the chute to remind ourselves or the people helping us to change needles rather than using one too long or trying to straighten one that got slightly bent,” says Williams, commenting, when in doubt, change it out.

Heather Smith Thomas is a correspondent for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup.

Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 26 • October 27, 2018

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Goshen County 4-Hers see top three finish at American Royal meats judging contest When they won the Wyoming State 4-H Meats Judging Contest in April, Goshen County 4-Hers Anna Schmick, Kaci Schmick, Kendall Haas and Dally Wilkins began preparing to take the next step in their competition journey – competing at the American Royal.

“It’s always a good experience for 4-Hers to get the exposure of judging different places and competing at the national level,” says coach Mike Olsen, who lives on the Wyoming-Nebraska border near Torrington. “We went on a lengthy road trip to get to this contest, saw different universities and had some new experiences.

It’s good exposure for these young people.”

Kansas City trip In mid-October, the Goshen County Meats judging team, along with coaches Mike and his wife MaiLee, set off on a weeklong trip to Kansas City.

“We practiced judging in Laramie at the University

of Wyoming on Saturday and Sunday morning and then traveled to the University of Nebraska, Lincoln on Monday for more practice,” Mike explains. “They judged in Manhattan, Kans. at Kansas State University on Tuesday for the American Royal, and we finished with a banquet at the Royal on Wednesday morning.”

The fast-paced trip brought young people across a wide array of experiences, including trips to new universities they have never been to. Olsen took the opportunity to also introduce the youth to college judging coaches along the way, helping to provide connections for the future.

After the contest, the team came out with top honors, including a third place overall trophy and first place awards in both retail cuts judging and pork overall judging.

Preparing for the big event The big win didn’t come without a commitment to practice, however,

Competing sisters Sisters Anna and Kaci Schmick have competed together for many years, and in 2018, they were particularly successful in their judging efforts.

“Anna and Kaci placed first place in both the wool judging and meats judging contests on the same weekend in April this year,” says Goshen County 4-H Educator Megan Brittingham. “They had the opportunity to compete in Sonora, Texas for wool judging in June, and now, they have competed together in meats judging in Kansas City, Mo.” Brittingham adds, “They have some mileage from 4-H, and they’ve done well.”

In fact, the sisters’ passion for judging influenced Goshen County to start a wool judging program.

“Anna and Kaci came to me and asked if I could teach them how to wool judge,” Brittingham says. “They had the drive to teach themselves, and they’ve been very competitive.”

Anna is a freshman in college this year, which marks the end of her 4-H judging career, and she is currently judging at the college level at Eastern Wyoming College. Kaci continues to pursue for 4-H judging experiences in high school.

COVER YOUR HIDE

and Olsen says the team met weekly between June and October to study for the event.

“Each week, we go over different classes, judging from pictures we have compiled through the years as coaches,” Olsen says.

“On our road trip, we had the opportunity to see some of the product in person and judge cuts.”

The contest is made of judging classes, reasons and a retail identification line.

“The judging classes are the most traditional judging portion of the contest,” explains Megan Brittingham, Goshen County 4-H educator. “This classic comparing and ranking four cuts of meat.”

She continues, “Our coaches spend a lot of time teaching about muscles. If students can identify the muscles, they can identify the cut.”

At the Kansas City Royal, Olsen explains the

young people judged beef carcasses, beef ribs, pork carcasses, pork hams, t-bone/porterhouse steaks and pork rib chops.

“We did exceptionally well on the pork classes at this contest,” he says.

“They also had to give sets of reasons on three of those classes.”

In addition, the contest includes a retail identification line, where 4-Hers must identify the species of a cut, which primal the cut comes from, what the cut is and the USDA cookery method for the cut. The line includes 30 items for identification.

Praise for the win After the big win, Brittingham says the 4-H members spent a lot of time and effort to achieve the big win.

“This win has been in the works for a long time,” she explains. “I’m pretty tickled with this team and how hard they’ve worked.”

She further comments

that the coaches have also been exceptional and provided numerous opportunities outside of the traditional 4-H box.

“Our volunteer coaches are a true blessing.

We say it all the time, but volunteers are the heart of 4-H,” Brittingham emphasizes. “Our coaches have a strong passion to help our kids get connected to colleges or universities where they can judge in the future.”

She continues, “Our coaches push our students to do well and be successful, and they spend a lot of time helping young people make connections that will benefit them into the future.”

Look forward For the Olsens, meats judging has always been important, and they look forward to working with the Goshen County 4-H team in the future.

“Meats judging is a big part of our life,” Olsen

says. “MaiLee and I met at a meats judging contest in college, and we really enjoy helping young people.”

Three of the four team members are still involved in Goshen County 4-H, with the exception of Anna, who is a freshman at Eastern Wyoming College this year, and Olsen explains the team is still eligible to compete at the National Western Stock Show in the future if they have the opportunity.

“Once we judge at the American Royal, we aren’t eligible to judge there again, so we’re hoping to go to Denver in the future,” Olsen says.

“We’re planning on continuing to train, then coming back and doing well at the state contest next year.”

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to saige@wylr.net.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 26 • October 27, 2018

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 26 • October 27, 2018

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 26 • October 27, 2018

Property for Sale

Property for Sale

OREGON RANCHES THORN CREEK: Approximately 4,072 deeded, 80 BLM

– lifestyle property – elk, deer, bear, cougar, wolf, turkey, reservoir stocked with trout – seasonal summer pasture, 6 months, new HQ’s In 2014, tucked against the Eagle Caps with reasonable access to Wilderness, Hells Canyon, skiing, golf & quality dining, tuff to beat -$3.800,000, owner /agent.

COTTONWOOD CREEK: Owner Finance – Owner rated – 500 animal units – FREE artesian and spring fed irrigation water heads on the deeded, ample for 450 acres hay and pasture even on dry years - private BLM – roughly 70% annual AU’s contained on deeded base – 2 person operation – big game hunting with landowner tags – pheasant, quail, water fowl, 2 man-made lakes for fishery – Asking $4,500,000 – owner carry – attractive terms and interest.

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and Sales Western L www.westernland.net

Wood River Cutthroat Ranch, Meeteetse: Over 900 acres with 611+ deeded. 375 acres of irrigated meadows with adjoining private grazing lease. Nearly a mile of Wood River (both banks) and Lower Sunshine Reservoir shoreline. Spectacular section of river with good cutthroat fishing. Roy Ready (307) 921-0170, Clay (307) 8519856 Price: $2,650,000 New Baird Peak, Hot Springs County: 1,349+ acre mountain pasture on the Absaroka Front. Heavily wooded slopes with sage brush valleys. Very private. Joins privately controlled public land. Summer cattle pasture and home to resident elk, deer and bear. Elk Game unit 63. $1,349,000 – Owner financing. Roy (307) 921-0170, Clay (307) 851-9856 Lysite Winter Pasture, Lysite: 610 acres with 497+ acres of water rights bordering the town of Lysite. 80 AUM B.L.M. and State permit. $15,000/yr Lease income from commercial building & S.U.A. Built in revenue streams and great winter pasture.

Roy Ready (307) 921-0170 Price: $600,000 Big Ridge Ranch, Kinnear: 99+ acres with 75 irrigated. Pivot irrigated alfalfa, nice home, barns and corrals. Winter your cows or sell hay. Super-private, beautiful setting. Clay (307) 851-9856 Price: $525,000 Cowboy Mine Horse Farm, Thermopolis: 27.26+ acres with 25.61 irrigated (100 tons of hay). 2006, immaculate, ranch-style, home, shop, barn and machine storage. Thousands of acres of public land out the gate. Roy Ready (307) 9210170 Price: $495,000

Visit westernlandsales.net for more information and many more listings

Office: 307-234-2211

Roy Ready Broker • 307-921-0170 SOUTHWEST MCCONE COUNTY GREAT PASTURE LAND FOR SALE: 17,792+ total acres with 12,391 acres being deeded. Located approximately 14 miles from Brockway, MT with Hwy. 200 and 24 frontage. For more information or to make a physical inspection of the property, contact Montana Land Brokers Co., Jason Dunham, broker 406-366-5588 or Russell Pederson, broker 406-939-2501, www.montanalandauctions.com .........11/17 FOR SALE: 246 acres, Rd. 164 and Hwy. 30, Pine Bluffs, WY. Currently in CRP. Property has a water well and electricity.

Great location to build dream home or subdivide, no covenants.

Minerals included in sale. $310,000. Contact Trish with Pfister Land Company, LLC 307-640-6988, e-mail trish@ pfisterlandco.com, www.pfisterlandco.com ................. 11/10 HUNTING AND FISHING RETREAT PROPERTY FOR SALE: Fort Smith, MT, 77+ acres, 2 bedroom, 1.5 baths, shop/Quonset. $475,000. Call Travis for details or a showing. Travis Dimond 406-8697681, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Floberg Real Estate. MLS#289737, 31814 Hwy. 313, Fort Smith, MT, 59075..............................11/10 WINTER STOCKER RANCHES!! Arizona ranches!! Winter stockers or year-round, farms and horse Properties. Harley Hendricks Realty, please call toll free 877-349-2565, e-mail to HarleyHendricks@HarleyHendricks.com ..............11/10

AIRPORT HANGER BUILDING on 6.2 acres south of Torrington, WY. Advertising signs attached. 40’ door and runway strip in grass. $150,000. IRRIGATED HAY MEADOWS and impressive improvements on this balanced 360 acre property located near Veteran, WY. Nice home, shop, machine shed, livestock barn, Quonset, grain storage and corrals.

Ideal for a purebred livestock operation. 120 acres deeded plus 240 acres state lease. $766, 615. Reduced! Now $699,000. VETERAN, WY, 518 ACRES TOTAL: 118 acres deeded plus 400 acres Wyoming State Grazing Lease.

2004 Zimmatic 7 tower pivot.

Excellent combination of subirrigated grass, hard grass, irrigated grass and tall brush for calf protection. $405,000.

GOSHEN COUNTY, WY: Pivot irrigation. 160+ acres. Zimmatic pivot with 153 shares Horse Creek Conservation.

Home, shop, hay barns.

Five miles southwest of Yoder, WY. $650,000. Casey Essert at Empire Realty at 307-534-2222 or 1-888-340FARM. More listings available at www.buyaranch.com ..................................... TFN WHEATLAND, WY FARM FOR SALE, SENIOR WATER RIGHTS: Six registered wells.

1,367 acres; 903 cropland, 464 pasture. 5,760 sq. ft. steel building. 10 miles north of Wheatland, WY on Hwy. 30. Call Gaila 605-348-4599 ...................11/3

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Property for Sale

Hunting & Fishing

NEW LISTING!! Rock Creek Hereford Ranch, 200 acres, 60 acres irrigated. Highway location, $1,100,000.

SPRINGWATER RANCH: This 267+ acre ranch is located in a year-round trout stream with beautiful views of the Beartooth Mountains.

160+ acres hay meadows with 60+ acres irrigated. A spacious 2,600 sq. ft. home with a second plus shop and barn, $900,000. Located between Red Lodge and Roscoe, MT. Sidwell Land & Cattle Co., Richard Sidwell, 406-861-4426, 406-322-4425 or e-mail sidwell@sidwellland.com...................... 12/1

NOV. 16-19: PETSKA FUR WILL BE BUYING ALL DEER/ELK HIDES, ANTLERS AND FUR, IN THE FOLLOWING TOWNS AND LOCATIONS: NOV. 16: Ft. Bridger 5:15 p.m., Cash Store.

NOV. 17: Evanston 8-8:15 a.m., Prairie Inn; Kemmerer 9:15-9:30 a.m., Ham’s Fork Station/Sinclair; Cokeville 10:15-10:30 a.m., Flying J Truck Stop; Afton 11:30 a.m.-12 p.m., Gardeners Country Village; Thayne 12:30 p.m., Farmer’s Feed (drive thru); Alpine 1-1:30 p.m., Tack & Treasure Gun Shop; Hoback Jct. 2-2:15 p.m., Hoback Market/Exxon; Bondurant 3 p.m., Elkhorn Bar and Grill (drive thru); Pinedale 4:14-5:15 p.m., Gannett Sports; NOV. 18: Big Piney 8-8:15 a.m. Midway Mall; La Barge 8:459 a.m., All American Fuel; Fontenelle 9:45 a.m., Fontenelle Store (drive thru); Green River 11-11:15 a.m., under viaduct by Wild Horse Saloon; Rock Springs 11:45 a.m.12:15 p.m., WY Wool Warehouse; Wamsutter 1:40 p.m., Wamsutter Conoco (drive thru); Rawlins 2:40-3 p.m., Trails West Meat Processing; Saratoga 3:45-4 p.m., Saratoga Feed & Grain; Medicine Bow 5 p.m., JB’s (drive thru); Rock River 5:30 p.m., Rancher’s Supply (drive thru); NOV. 19: Laramie 8-8:30 a.m., West Laramie Fly Shop; Ft. Collins, CO 10-10:30 a.m., Gannett Ridge Hunting Equipment. For more information, call Marty 308-870-4887 or visit www.petskafur.net... 11/10

10 ACRE PROPERTY: Great value with 100’x225’ indoor arena plus a lovely 4 bedroom, 3 bath home. Only 1 mile south of Torrington, WY on Hwy. 85.

Fantastic opportunity for private or commercial equestrian clinics, ropings, self boarding with indoor and outdoor riding.

Includes pasture paddocks with shelters. $555,000. Reduced!

Now $535,000.

GOSHEN COUNTY 240 ACRES: Five miles south of Torrington, WY on paved Road #92. 126 acres Goshen Irrigation District irrigation water.

Small home. Hay and grass.

Value investment. $475,000.

35 ACRES: This 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with attached garage and bonus room on 35 acres is located on the south edge of Yoder, WY. Private lane leads to the home. Features include: Horse barn, loafing shed, corrals and hay meadows. There is no zoning which offers the opportunity to live the country life the way you desire. $425,000.

Casey Essert at Empire Realty at 307-5342222 or 1-888-340-FARM. More listings available at www.buyaranch.com .................................... TFN

Irrigation

Irrigation Systems The choice is simple.

Easier On You. Big Horn Truck and Equipment Manderson, WY rairdenjlw@tritel.net • 800-770-6280

Killebrew Irrigation Your one stop shop for all irrigation needs Lander, WY • (307) 332-3044 • Reinke center pivot sales and field design • Parts for most major irrigation systems • Underground and Surface PVC pipe and fittings • Pumps and Motors • Phase Converters

Roof Coatings TANK COATINGS ROOF COATINGS Available for METAL, composition shingles or tar roofs. Long lasting and easy to apply. We also manufacture tank coatings for concrete, rock, steel, galvanized or mobile tanks.

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NOV. 8-11: PETSKA FUR WILL BE BUYING ALL DEER/ ELK HIDES, ANTLERS AND FUR, IN THE FOLLOWING WYOMING TOWNS AND LOCATIONS: NOV. 8: Orin Junction 8-8:15 a.m., truck stop; Douglas 9:15-9:20 a.m., Douglas Feed (drive thru); Bill 9:50-10:05 a.m., Bill’s Store (drive thru); Wright 10:5011:10 a.m., Exxon Big D on S. 387; Newcastle 12:20-1 p.m., Voelker’s Body Shop; Upton 2:15-2:30 p.m., Joe’s Grocery Store parking lot; Moorcroft 3:10-3:30 p.m., The Coffee Cup; Gillette 4:00-4:30 p.m., T&T Guns and Ammo; Gillette 4:40-5:15 p.m., Rocky Mountain Sports. NOV. 9: Gillette 7:30-7:45 a.m., Rocky Mountain Sports; Kaycee 9:45-10:05 a.m., Sinclair Station; Sheridan 11:30 a.m.-12 p.m., Quick Sak (stop across street at Walmart); Buffalo 1-1:30 p.m., Good 2 Go; Ten Sleep 3:15-3:30 p.m., Pony Express; Worland 4:10-4:40 p.m., Co-op One Stop; Basin 5:30-5:40 p.m., Overland Express Mart (drive thru); Greybull 5:50-6:10 p.m., Overland Express Mart. NOV. 10: Lovell 7:45-8 a.m., Good 2 Go Convenience Store (or by appt.); Powell 8:30-8:50 a.m., Linton’s Big R; Cody 9:3010:15 a.m., Nature’s Design Taxidermy; Meeteetse 11:3011:45 a.m., Elk Horn Bar; Thermopolis 1-1:30 p.m., High Country Traders; Shoshoni 2:10-2:30 p.m., Powder Horn Bait; Riverton 3-4 p.m., Vic’s Body Shop (behind the Dollar Tree); Lander 4:45-5:15 p.m., Lander Mills. NOV. 11: Jeffrey City 8-8:15 a.m., Split Rock Cafe; Muddy Gap 8:45-9 a.m., 3 Fork Station (drive thru); Alcova 9:45-10 a.m., Sloane’s General Store (drive thru); Casper 11-11:45 a.m., Wagner Outdoor Sports; Glenrock 12:30-12:50 p.m., east exit on I-25; Douglas 1:45-2:15 p.m., Douglas Feed; Orin Junction 2:35-2:45 p.m., truck stop; Lusk 3:40-4 p.m., Decker’s Grocery. For more information, call Greg 308-750-0700, Lathan 308-730-1834 or visit www.petskafur.net ...... 11/3

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Want to Buy SCRAP METAL RECYCLING, Rawlins, WY. Call 307-321-1444 ..........................................TFN

Email your ad to denise@wylr.net

2018 Christmas Corral November 3- December 8 the Wyoming Livestock Roundup will be offering a special section featuring Christmas ideas for everyone in the family!

Receive a special rate of $7 per column inch when you advertise in the Christmas Corral!

To advertise in the Christmas Corral, contact Jody at 800-967-1647 or jodym@wylr.net.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • www.wylr.net 800.967.1647 • 307.234.2700

Craft breweries suggest shift The success of craft breweries and micro-distilleries in tiny towns and small cities across Wyoming suggests a cultural shift  and an alternative to extractive economics, says Samuel Western at newfoodeconomy.org.

As of 2018, there are 23 breweries and seven small distilleries, according

to Travel Wyoming.

Western adds it’s hard to grasp the novelty of micro-brewing and artisanal distilling in Wyoming, which isn’t about following trends. “It’s about self-reliance and breaking the cycle of dependency on oil, gas and extractive industries,� he emphasizes.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 26 • October 27, 2018

Perspective and Context

By Miranda Reiman

“You know, a dredge ditch…”

I was explaining the Minnesota farm I grew up on, and I was met with blank stares from some of my South Dakota State University classmates. “…where you drain water off the field,” I continued.

They looked dumbfounded, and I was equally as puzzled. Then, one spoke up, asking why in tarnation we’d be draining water off the field. They spent their summers irrigating or praying for rain, as they had well-drained soil, not the native swamp ground we farmed.

The older I get, the more I realize perspective is important.

What would be a drought in Minnesota might be a really good summer in west Texas; what is a lot of noise to one family might be an average day in our house full of kids; what might seem cheap to some would be a lifetime’s savings for another.

Considering perspective is important when looking at data and reading about studies.

“There is data out there that can support anything,” said a Ph.D. I heard at a conference this

summer. He was telling a room full of ag communicators to be vigilant for distorted use of numbers, to think critically and certainly not be part of the problem.

In the age of click-bait headlines and shareable infographics, it’s trendy to highlight a monumental cause and effect.

A few years ago, there was a lot of buzz about grass-fed beef having at least twice as much of the heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids as corn-fed beef. That is true. Heck,

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it may have 100 percent or even 150 percent more.

Scientists would call it “statistically significant.”

But that’s when you have to ask yourself, “Compared to what?”

Well, the 80 to 90 milligrams (mg) in a 3.5ounce serving of grass-fed beef may be double or triple the 30 to 40 mg in its conventional counterpart.

But compared to salmon’s 1,000 to 2,000 mg, it’s not enough to make a difference in your diet. It’s an irrelevant, moot point.

As we get more and more precise in our ability to measure, it seems we’re more at risk for distortion.

Consider the “vanishing zero.” We can measure to smaller and smaller concentrations. So, if there is five times as much of a substance in water, does that mean it was a difference in one versus five, or was it really 1 parts per trillion (ppt)

versus 5 ppt? That’s 1,000 times less than 1 part per billion (ppb). Comparing parts per trillion to the old standard parts per million? Well, it’s a million times smaller than that.

For a bit of an illustration, a part per billion would be like finding one kernel of corn in a 70-acre field. Just to show my work, that’s an average 180 bushels per acre, with 80,000 kernels per bushel.

All that is to say it’s small, very small.

And yet, sometimes it takes such a small amount to matter that the submicroscopic numbers are critically important. You just need enough context to know when.

I’m not expecting you to get out your calculator or dust off an old college stats notebook every time you read up on the latest technology or new best practices, but think about how a change might really affect

your herd. Will this new program increase rebreeding rates a lot or a little?

Will it be worth the investment in a year, five years or still doubtful in 10?

If a salesman says, “It doesn’t really hurt marbling,” does that mean it flat-out doesn’t affect it?

Or does it mean some new product or plan reduces intramuscular fat “just 20 or 30 points on a 999point scale?” Do you realize how many of your cattle typically end up 20 points either side of the Choice/ Select or even the Choice/ Prime line? What sounds like a little can have a big impact.

There is always a cause and effect. Sometimes it just takes a little perspective to recognize it.

Next time in Black Ink®, Nicole Lane Erceg will look at what changes bring.

Questions? E-mail mreiman@certifiedangusbeef. com.

OBITUARIES We welcome obituaries. Obituaries are printed free of charge and can be sent to roundup@wylr.net.

Les Marty

Nov. 4, 1949 – Oct. 18, 2018 Les Marty, 68, of Newcastle, died Oct.18 at the Department of Veterans Affairs Ft. Meade in Sturgis, S.D. after complications from a stroke.

Les was born on Nov. 4, 1949 in Hot Springs, S.D. to Henry “Ed” and Grace (Standen) Marty.

Les graduated from Edgemont High School in 1968. After high school, he served in the Army from 1969-71, including in Vietnam from 1970-71 where he was in the 101st Airborne Division and was a Purple Heart recipient.

He married Shirley Hammell on April 3, 1971 in Edgemont, S.D. They made their home in Newcastle.

They had one son, Zane, born in 1982.

Les was a jack of all trades. He worked for the U.S. Forest Service, the city of Newcastle and then Black Hills Power and Light as a lineman. After a back injury, he spent a few years working in the oilfield and ended up ranching and running a herd of Black Angus cow/ calf pairs in the later years of his life.

Les and Shirley built a carwash in 1988 and operated it for many years before “retirement” from that in 2016, which turned out to be perfect timing for the arrival of boy-girl twin grandchildren. Les’ pride and joy were his grandchildren Tyan and BlazeLee. He loved them so much and loved spending time with them. He would read to them and play on the floor with them. He took them outside and played with them in the dirt, showed them the horses and cows, caught the baby kitties for them to pet and taught them about ranching.

Even in retirement, Les was a hard-working ambitious man. Up until the end of his life, he was still daily making improvements on the ranch, working with young horses and taking care of the cows that he and Zane owned. He would help neighbors at branding time, gathering off the forest and trailing cows home.

He also loved to watch and support the youth of the community at numerous rodeo events. He helped run the chute for many roping events, clinics and horse sale previews and enjoyed leather making, creating numerous items for family and friends. He would still go to Cheyenne Frontier Days and Deadwood’s Days of ’76 rodeos every year.

Surviving Les is his wife Shirley; his son Zane (Staci); and grandchildren Tyan and BlazeLee, all of Newcastle; two sisters of the Denver, Colo. area; a brother of the Denver, Colo. area; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life gathering was held for family and friends on Oct. 25. Memorials or condolences may be mailed to 405 Highway 450, Newcastle, WY 82701, in care of Staci Marty.

A private family interment was held at Black Hills National Cemetery National Cemetery near Sturgis, S.D.

Considering the circumstances – The variability between ranches and individual situations means that data should be considered carefully before being haphazardly applied to a ranching operation, according to Miranda Reiman. Reiman further noted that what worked for her family’s Minnesota farm left South Dakota ranch kids puzzled. Certified Angus Beef photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 26 • October 27, 2018

It’s the Pitts

by Lee Pitts

Relatively Speaking My family talks funny.

My mom and grandparents on her side of the family are all gone now, but I can still hear them using words like privy, lariat, pipsqueak, scuttlebutt and wieners. They said things were “okeydokey” and “the bee’s knees.” My grandfather, a great man who never used the words paradigm, facilitate, sustainability, global warming or Facebook in his life always referred to the cattle I raised as Aberdeen Angus. When’s the last time you heard them called that? 1954?

I didn’t want to be seen in public with my relatives for fear they’d open their mouths and embarrass me.

Take the word “rodeo” for example. I’m proud of the fact that, in my hometown, there is a large park named after my grandfather with several ball fields and other facilities where the kids of my community can play safely. It’s named after my grandpa because he and some friends had a dream that, if they produced annual big time

RCA sanctioned rodeos, they could make enough money to buy the land and build a first-class playground for the kids. They did so in style.

Now, here’s the embarrassing part. My grandfather always referred to the land where the rodeos were held as the “ro-dayo” grounds.

If you want to lose your cowboy friends in a hurry, just say “ro-dayo.” They’ll think you are from Beverly Hills and do your shopping on Ro-dayo Drive. Golly gee, no one goes to the San Antonio or Denver Ro-day-o, and the NFR is not the National Finals Ro-day-o.

I ask you, who else talks this way? No one.

You can imagine my surprise when I went to the Salinas Rodeo for the first time, and old-timers there were referring to it as the Salinas Ro-day-o.

I thought I was in some strange time warp where I was back in my childhood. Surely all these people could not be related to me on my mother’s side.

Another word that grated like fingernails on a chalkboard was the way my family used the word “ranch.” Whenever anyone would say they were going out to my greatgrandma’s place, they’d say they were “going out to the ranch.” But she didn’t own a single cow.

She grew lemons and walnuts, and her place should have been referred to as an orchard or maybe a farm, but never a ranch. You don’t rope or roundup lemons for crying out loud.

I remember getting into an argument with my mom one time about the way her family talked.

“A ranch is where you grow animals, and a farm is where you plant things in the dirt and grow crops,” I patiently explained.

“Oh yeah, Mr. Smarty Pants, haven’t you ever heard of a dairy farm or a pig farm? Or how about a fish farm? They don’t stick fish in the ground to grow them.”

Changing the subject rapidly, I moved on to broach another subject that had been bothering me.

“On another language matter, the proper pronunciation is ‘ro-dee-oh.’”

“No, it’s of Spanish derivation, and ro-day-o is the proper pronunciation,” she argued.

I countered with a winning argument.

“Well, just because it’s proper doesn’t mean it’s right.”

I guess I told her.

I could see that my mother was still not convinced about the proper usage of the words “rodeo,” “farm” and “ranch,” so I suggested that we find an authority to settle the argument. My mother’s family is all from California and have been stuck here for six gener-

“If you want to lose your cowboy friends in a hurry, just say “ro-day-o.’” – Lee Pitts ations, so naturally, their misuse of words is tainted by the Spanish influence.

So, I suggested we ask someone more worldly – like someone from Missouri, Oklahoma or further south where my father’s family all come from.

So I asked a cousin, “We’re trying to settle an

argument. First of all, what is the definition of a ranch?”

“I thought you were going to ask me a hard one,” said my southern cousin.

“That’s easy. A ranch is a tool used for tightening bolts.”

Sometimes I think I was born into the wrong family.

Convention season kicks off Wyoming’s ag community gathers every fall to celebrate their achievements, catch up on what’s going on around the state and look at impending challenges. Many of Wyoming’s ag organizations meet during the month of November to discuss the latest issues facing their membership.

A list of the upcoming meetings for Wyoming’s ag organizations is provided below.

Nov. 2-3 ICOW Annual Meeting, Casper, Ramkota Hotel and Convention Center. Visit icowwy.org.

Nov. 6-8 Wyoming Weed and Pest Fall Conference, Casper, Ramkota Hotel and Convention Center. For more information, visit wyoweed.org.

Nov. 7-9 Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting, Sheridan, Holiday Inn. For more information, visit wyfb.org.

Nov. 8-11 West Central States Wool Growers Convention, Casper, Ramkota Hotel and Convention Center. For more information, visit wyowool. com.

Nov. 13-15 Governor’s Business Forum: Charting a New Course, Cheyenne, Little America Hotel and Resort. Visit wyomingbusinessalliance.com for more information or to register.

Nov. 14-16 Wyoming Association of Conservation Districts Annual Convention, Evanston, Historic Evanston Roundhouse. Visit conservewy.com for more information or to register.

Nov. 15-16 25th Wyoming Women’s Ag Symposium, Casper, Parkway Plaza. Visit wywomeninag.org.

Dec. 3-5 Wyoming Stock Growers Association Winter Roundup, Casper, Ramkota Hotel and Convention Center. Find more information and register at wysga.org.

If your organization’s meeting is missing, e-mail meeting details to roundup@wylr. net. Look for coverage of these meeting in upcoming editions of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup.