November 3, 2018

Volume 30 Number 27 • November 3, 2018

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

A Look Inside Casey Terrell looks at the impacts of ending “sue and settle” trends.............Page A2 Rabobank looks at the importance of leadership in the beef industry’s future........Page A6 Wyoming Conservation District are preparing for an information-packed annual meeting.....................Page B3 The Farm Foundation sees potential deficits from USMCA....................Page B5

Quick Bits EPA Chief President Donald Trump said U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler, a former coal industry lobbyist, was doing a good job and could be nominated to permanently take on the role.

Wheeler took the reins at EPA after the agency’s former head, Scott Pruitt, resigned in July following a slew of ethical controversies that included his firstclass travel, round-theclock security detail and expensive office equipment.

Decision impacts only small part of trespass law On Oct. 29, United States District Judge Scott Skavdahl released his decision on the final portion of Wyoming’s hotly contested trespass to collect data law.

Skavdahl’s decision concluded, “The First

Amendment’s guarantee of free speech in this case leads the Court to find Wyoming statutes 6-3-414(c) and 40-27-101(c) are facially unconstitutional.”

After the ruling, Western Watersheds Project

claims, “A federal court judge overturned and permanently blocked Wyoming’s bad laws that sought to prevent the public from accessing and documenting land and land use decisions in the state by impos-

ing civil and criminal penalties.”

While environmental groups publicized a loss for the State of Wyoming, Wyoming Senior Assistant Attorney General Erik Petersen Please see LAW on page A7

A TASTE OF LAMB Culinary experience connects chefs with lamb industry

Laramie – With funding from the American Lamb Board and the goal of increasing awareness about American lamb, the Wyoming Wool Growers Association (WWGA), Mountain States Lamb Cooperative (MSLC), University of Wyoming (UW) and UW Extension partnered to bring chefs and food service distributers to Laramie for a two-day intensive workshop.

“We wanted to determine what barriers there

are to putting American lamb on menus and break those barriers down,” comments Whit Stewart, UW Extension sheep specialist. “I think we accomplished both of those goals.”

With lamb consumption on the rise, Stewart says millenials appreciate the strong flavor profile of lamb, and data suggests lamb is a product that is increasingly popular on restaurant menus, Please see LAMB on page A11

CWD Spreads The Wyoming Game and Fish Department confirmed a buck deer has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Deer Hunt Area 169. The deer was harvested south of Kaycee. CWD has previously been documented in neighboring deer hunt areas.

Activist Potential According to the Animal Agriculture Alliance, “There is usually increased activist activity around Thanksgiving.

We encourage all farmers, ranchers and processing plant employees to be on the lookout for suspicious behavior.” The organization encourages farmers and ranchers to be cautious about unexpected visitors and remind everyone on the operation of how visitors should be handled.

Opioid Resources On Oct. 30, USDA and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy announced a guide that provides a listing for federal programs and resources that can be used to address opioid misuse in rural communities. The guide, titled Federal Resources for Rural Communities to Help Address Substance Use Disorder and Opioid Misuse, can be found at rd.usda.gov.

Saige Albert photo

‘Sunday Funday’ promotes lamb From tailgating to brunching to Sunday suppers, the American Lamb Board (ALB) has been promoting American lamb as the perfect fall protein through its “Sunday Funday” campaign.

The contest is being promoted by consumer e-blasts, social media and lambassador bloggers. ALB’s blogger partners have also created some great new fall recipes to inspire consumers to get lamb incorporated into their Sunday celebrations.

A collection of fall-based lamb recipes are available at americanlamb.com/consumer, or find other lamb recipes, including apple cider braised lamb shanks at runningtothekitchen.com/apple-cider-braised-lambshanks, a fall harvest bowl with lamb meatballs at twopurplefigs.com/fall-harvest-bowl-with-lamb-meatballsrecipe or the ultimate lamb chili at climbinggriermountain.com/2018/10/ultimate-lamb-chili.html.

The Sunday Funday contest is designed to collect new consumer e-mails to stay connected year-round with seasonal recipes, cooking tips, contests and events.

Lamb fans answer questions about their ideal “Sunday Funday” to determine their lamb personality – Sunday Bruncher, Tailgate Griller or Sunday Slow Cooker. Fans then receive two custom American lamb recipes and are entered for a chance to win a prize package from their category.

There is still time to help spread the word about the contest. Winners will be selected on Nov. 15. The direct link to the contest is americanlamb.com/sundayfunday.

Hitting the target Pritchard encourages ranchers to determine target weaning weight, evaluate progress

Laramie – Robbi Pritchard of University of Nebraska had an important question for ranchers during the recent High Plains Nutrition and Management Roundtable in Laramie.

“What is our target weaning weight?” he asked.

“More is not a target,” Pritchard told producers, scientists and students. “Everyone is quick to say our fed cattle are too big, but no one will tell me weaning weights are where they ought to be and shouldn’t go any higher.”

Driving weaning weight Total pounds of live weight gain post-weaning is the biggest driver of weaned calf value, Pritchard said.

“If we are going to increase weaning weight, but we don’t want the fed cattle getting any bigger, what is the feedlot manager going to do? The spread between calves and fed cattle is going to get smaller,” he said. “What we need to determine is what the right number is and where it should be.”

“What I do know is that 'more' is not a goal,” he stated.

Pritchard said ever since he can remember, he has been told feedlots never make money.

“Even as they add techPlease see CATTLE on page A9

Poll: Wyomingites value natural resources In 2004, The Ruckelshaus Institute at the University of Wyoming began conducting polls to gauge voter interest on conservation issues, specifically those related to wildlife habitat and open spaces, says Kit Freedman, Ruckelshaus Institute project and outreach coordinator.

The Ruckelshaus Institute released results from the 2018 Public Opinion Poll of Natural Resources Conservation in late October, and results showed broad support across the state for conservation issues.

“These results show that Wyoming voters identify as hunters, anglers and

outdoor recreationists at much higher rates than the national level. It should come as no surprise then that Wyoming voters in all corners of the state value conservation and oppose efforts that would negatively impact the open spaces and wildlife that contribute to the high quality of life for people in the state,” says Nicole Korfanta, Ruckelshaus Institute director.

Inside the poll The poll was conducted Oct. 9-13 by Lori Weigel of the firm Public Opinion Strategies and collected responses from 600 registered voters from across the state.

The survey was organized in partner-

periodical

periodical

Please see POLL on page A10

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 27 • November 3, 2018

Lame Duck Session After the General Election on Nov. 6, Congress will go back to work in Washington, D.C. With Thanksgiving and Christmas in the mix, there’s not much time to get things done before the year ends.

The big question is, who will control From the the U.S. House once the new memPublisher bers are installed? I’m not sure anyone Dennis Sun knows for sure at this point so close to the election. It hasn’t looked good for the Republicans up to this point, but some say lately they may be gaining ground. That is one reason we all need to vote.

To win a majority, House Democrats must increase their seats from 193 to 218, which may happen, given the unusually high number of House districts that, at this point, are too close to call. Historically, the party that holds the White House loses an average of 26 seats in a typical mid-term election. If the Democrats do win, this will make for some major changes in party dynamics, policy priorities and the House and for House committee leadership. That new leadership may hold a grudge towards the Republicans.

Congress has a lot of work to do in the short time in the lame-duck session beginning Nov. 13, such as appropriation bills before the Dec. 7 deadline. There is the farm bill to pass, numerous public land bills and the overhaul of the Endangered Species Act. Some in Congress want an extension of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which if approved, could lead to an omnibus lands bill. In the Senate, there is an 892-page comprehensive energy policy bill that has been before the Senate for more than two years. It addresses a broad range of energy policy issues but contains few provisions dealing with onshore energy production. It does contain major conservation provisions, such as making the Land and Water Conservation Fund permanent, establishing a small National Park Service maintenance fund, making permanent the National Historic Preservation Fund and approving over 60 individual Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Park Service management bills. In addition, the bill contains a sportsmens’ package that begins with a provision to ensure public lands would be open to hunting and fishing unless specifically closed. There could be a whole lot of spending going on.

The House has approved five separate bills to enhance oil and gas development. One would allocate half of new energy revenues from the public lands to support public schools. A second bill would direct BLM to extend categorical exclusions from environmental documentation to such issues as drilling a well if the surface disturbances were less than 20 acres. A third bill would impose fees on mineral lease sales protestors. A fourth bill would limit the requirement for BLM to process drilling permits, and a fifth bill would exempt activities on nonfederal lands less than 50 percent from federal permit. This would really help the ranchers north of Douglas with their issue of having the tribes consult on cultural matters.

The House Natural Resource Committee has five bills up on natural resources and endangered species, including one that would forbid litigation against the delisting of the Wyoming population of the gray wolf. Wyoming needs one doing the same for the grizzly bear.

As you can see, there is a lot of work for Congress to do, especially if the Democrats take over the House. Vote and say a prayer.

GUEST OPINIONS For Better or Worse: The End of “Sue and Settle” and What It Means for Livestock Producers in Wyoming

By Casey Terrell, Wyoming Attorney

In October of 2017, then-embattled Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt issued a directive to his agency to end the practice of “sue and settle,” and nearly one year later, it has resulted in potential unexpected challenges for livestock producers.

“Sue and settle” refers to the process by which special interest groups have overwhelmed federal agencies with lawsuits, forcing them to enter consent decrees and adopt new agency rules without any public input. Not only does this generate dangerous policy changes made without the valuable involvement of the public and industry, but it has also resulted in a financial windfall for special interest groups.

According to an October 2017 press release from Missouri Rep. Jason Smith (R), the compliance costs associated with these consent decrees have risen into the range of tens of millions of dollars in the past 20 years, with special interest groups receiving the lion’s share of the funds in the form of reimbursed attorney’s fees. The practice has significantly changed the way federal regulatory agencies do business over the last 11 years, with the majority of the changes starting in earnest with the beginning of the Obama administration.

In fact, “sue and settle” was responsible for over 100 new regulations from 2009-12 alone. In the field, this brought about additional regulatory burdens and uncertainty for livestock producers when it came to complying with big-

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Please see TERRELL on page A8

Conservation Needs Farm Bill Compromise

By Brent Van Dyke, National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) President

This summer, the U.S. House and Senate passed their versions of the 2018 Farm Bill. With the Sept. 30 expiration of the 2014 Farm Bill, the pressure is on to pass a finished product by the end of this year for farmers, ranchers and consumers. Everyone has a stake in the farm bill and the support it provides for not only a safe, affordable and nutritious food supply but for the conservation benefits the bill provides for cleaner water and healthier soils.

As conferees continue to meet and work out a compromise between their versions of the farm bill, Congress must ensure the locally-led conservation delivery system will continue to thrive in the final product.

As president of the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and a farmer and rancher in eastern New Mexico, I’ve experienced firsthand the benefits and importance of the voluntary, incentive-based conservation model. Conservation districts were created in the 1930s during the pinnacle of the Dust Bowl to educate landowners and promote improved conserva-

tion practices at the local level. Instead of a one-sizefits-all approach to conservation, the locally-led delivery system enables conservation districts along with federal and state government partners to implement locallybased solutions.

Farm bill conservation programs are successful when local stakeholders have a say in what natural resource concerns need to be addressed. Resource concerns look different across this nation. While water quality may be important in the Chesapeake Bay, water quantity may be the focus out West. That’s why determining those unique resource concerns at the local level is so important. Unfortunately, this locally-led model could be undermined if certain issues are not addressed in the final farm bill conference report.

First and foremost, the success of any conservation program is directly tied to the funding for the conservation title, and our nation’s investment in sustainable agriculture must be prioritized in this farm bill. ConserPlease see NACD on page A10

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

ticket legislation such as the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, all without their participation.

Then, with the election of President Trump and his subsequent appointment of Scott Pruitt as the administrator of the EPA, it seemed as though the “sue and settle” tide was about to turn.

In October of 2017, Pruitt distributed a directive to employees of the EPA Casey Terrell stating, “The days of regulation through litigation are over.” The directive listed eight steps that the EPA planned to take in order to counter the tide of lawsuits. Most significantly, the directive vowed that the agency would once again be reaching out to regulated entities, such as livestock producers, to seek their opinions before drafting consent decrees. The directive also committed EPA to open any consent decree drafts to public comment for 30 days, allowing input from folks in the field like any other agency rule making.

Perhaps the most controversial portion of the directive

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 27 • November 3, 2018

NEWS BRIEFS EPA clarifies emissions report A comment period is now open on a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule signed on Oct. 30 in Kansas City, Kan. The new rule makes it clear that reporting of air emissions from animal waste on farms is not required by the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA).

“The proposed rule is intended to make it clear to the regulated community that animal waste emissions from farms do not need to be reported under EPCRA,” EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler said. “This action provides much-needed certainty and clarity to America’s farmers and ranchers.”

Dicamba use allowed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued a following statement regarding the decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to extend the registration of dicamba for two years, noting the extension is important for the agriculture industry.

“It is important that the EPA has decided to renew the registration of over-the-top use of this important weed control technology on dicamba-resistant cotton and soybeans, because it presents farmers with options.

This represents the conclusion of a very thorough scientific review, in conjunction with stakeholders, involving site visits and careful consideration of facts,” Perdue said. “Producers who use this weed control method should review the label, understand why changes have been made and ensure all requirements of the label are met when the 2019 use season begins.”

The extension is for “over-the-top” use to control weeds in fields for cotton and soybean plants genetically engineered to resist dicamba.

Group seeks genetic sequencing The Earth BioGenome Project (EBP), a global effort to sequence the genetic code or genomes of all 1.5 million known animal, plant, protozoan and fungal species on Earth, officially launched Nov. 1 as key scientific partners and funders from around the globe gathered in London, UK to discuss progress in organizing and funding the project.

EBP will ultimately create a new foundation for biology to drive solutions for preserving biodiversity and sustaining human societies.

EBP aims to sequence, catalogue and categorize the genomes of all of Earth’s eukaryotic biodiversity over a period of 10 years. The estimated cost of the EBP is $4.7 billion. Accounting for inflation, the Human Genome Project today would cost $5 billion.

USDA to collect final crop reports As the 2018 growing season officially comes to an end, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will contact producers nationwide to gather final year-end crop production numbers and the amount of grain and oilseed they store on their farms.

At the same time, NASS will survey grain facility operators to determine year-end grain and oilseed stocks.

“These surveys are the largest and most important year-end surveys conducted by NASS,” explained Bill Meyer, director of the NASS Mountain Regional Field Office. “They are the basis for the official USDA estimates of production and harvested acres of all major agricultural commodities in the United States and yearend grain and oilseed supplies. Data from these surveys will benefit farmers and processors by providing timely and accurate information to help them make critical year-end business decisions and begin planning for the next growing and marketing season.”

The information will be compiled, analyzed and published in a series of USDA reports, including the Crop Production Annual Summary and quarterly Grain Stocks report.

These and all NASS reports are available online at nass.usda.gov. For more information, call the NASS Mountain Regional Field Office at 800-392-3202.

USDA Under Secretary visits Wyo USDA Under Secretary Bill Northey visited the Cheyenne Field Office the morning of Oct. 24. Staff from Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Risk Management Agency were present to discuss hiring challenges, IT services and the status of the new Farm Bill.

After the staff meeting, Under Secretary Northey held a roundtable discussion with seven Laramie County producers. He asked questions about what is and isn’t working with our programs and how the programs could be improved.

The producers provided helpful feedback and had very positive comments about the USDA Service Center staff.

The morning ended with a tour of the Fornstrom Feedlot in Pine Bluffs.

Senators push for proper labels A bipartisan group of five U.S. Senators pushed federal regulators to immediately halt the sale of imported water buffalo meat products labeled in a matter that leads consumers to believe they are buying North American bison.

Republican Sens. John Hoeven (N.D.) and John Thune (S.D.), along with Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet (Colo.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.) and Tom Udall (N.M.), sent a letter to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Deputy Commissioner Stephen Ostroff and USDA Acting Under Secretary Carmen Rottenberg urging prompt action to respond to the National Bison Association’s complaint regarding imported water buffalo meat being labeled only with descriptions such as “Natural Ground Buffalo.”

“Bison ranchers and marketers have worked diligently for more than two decades to build a strong market for bison meat. Their success was built on developing a relationship with the public based upon the great taste and high quality of bison meat,” the senators wrote. “Because the term buffalo is widely used to describe bison, the failure to label water buffalo transparently and accurately could be misleading to the American consumer.”

The National Bison Association in September filed a formal complaint with FDA and USDA regarding water buffalo being marketed in a manner to deceive customers into believing they were buying bison meat.

Dairy industry sees shift More than 50 percent of dairies have more than 1,000 cows, up from 29 percent just 10 years ago, showing consolidation of dairy operations has increased significantly. These larger dairy operations have taken advantage of economies of scale to survive the price cycles the dairy industry has come to know.

Now, the dominance of these larger dairies has led to a structural shift, which may mute the price cycles in the years ahead and lead to longer periods of lower prices, according to a new report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange Division.

“The new reality is a milk supply that is less responsive to short-term price shocks since that supply is coming mostly from large operations that can withstand lower prices,” said Ben Laine, senior dairy economist with CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange Division. “Smaller dairy operations are finding it nearly impossible to compete in the commodity milk market against their larger counterparts, so they are forced to either leave the business or find a higher value niche market for their milk.”

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GRSB reports progress When the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) formed in 2012, participants quickly realized sustainability goals, practices and measurements would need to reflect regional differences in beef–production environments.

Practices deemed sustainable in tropical environments could differ significantly from those in colder regions and vice-versa. Even within a country such as the United States, production environments vary widely between regions, such as the subtropical Southeast versus the arid West.

A new report issued following the GRSBs' third Global Conference on Sustainable Beef, held in Ireland in early October, reflects those regional differences and reports on progress based on regional goals and measurements.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 27 • November 3, 2018

NEWS BRIEFS ALB develops cooking videos The American Lamb Board (ALB) developed five new on-trend lamb recipes and videos showcasing American lamb in contemporary menu applications. The new videos feature live fire cooking techniques demonstrated by Chefs Stephen Barber and Kipp Ramsey from the Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch in Napa Valley.

The videos and recipes are now posted at CIAprochef. com and will be promoted in the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) e-newsletter to 14,000 food professionals, as well as the ProChef Smart Brief newsletter sent to 55,000 subscribers.

The video will also be promoted across the CIA and ALB social channels and the video content will be available on the CIA’s YouTube and podcast channels.

Drought continue to improve For the contiguous 48 states, the U.S. Drought Monitor showed 22 percent of the area in moderate drought or worse, compared with 23.91 percent a week earlier.

Drought now affects 43.5 million, compared with 45.9 million a week earlier.

For all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, the U.S. Drought Monitor showed 18.76 percent of the area in moderate drought or worse, compared with 20.36 percent a week earlier.

To find populations affected by drought for specific states or time periods please visit droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ Data/DataTables.aspx.

FDA sets biotech action plan The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) outlined steps the agency will take through 2020 to foster innovation in plant and animal biotechnology applications.

In a joint statement, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb and Deputy Commissioner Anna Abram said the FDA Plant and Animal Biotechnology Innovation Plan will advance FDA policy priorities, clarify the agency’s science- and risk-based approach for product developers and eliminate unnecessary barriers to future innovation in plant and animal biotechnology.

Promising new technologies that can edit animal and plant genomes have the potential to improve human and animal health, animal well-being, food productivity and food security,” Gottlieb and Abram said in the statement. “New forms of biotechnology allow modification of living organisms, such as plants or animals, to produce a new product, such as a novel pharmaceutical, new food variety or disease-resistant crop.

“At FDA, we’re committed to fostering advances in this field while ensuring the safety of plant and animal biotechnology products used by consumers. FDA is taking new steps to put in place modern regulation that fosters innovation in this emerging space,” they said. – Meatingplace

UW team sees major win A University of Wyoming livestock judging team member won the individual competition among 136 contestants, and the team placed fourth among 29 universities at the American Royal Livestock Show in Kansas City, Mo. on Oct. 26.

Laurel Rigby of Ronan, Mont. won the individual competition by nine points. She placed first in swine, third in beef and in reasons and seventh in sheep/goats judging. Her individual reasons score of 379, which is over a 47 average on eight sets, is an all-time UW record at any contest.

“Laurel had an outstanding day,” said Coach Caleb Boardman. “Typically, the top individual spots are decided by as little as one point and to win by nine over second place and 18 over third place is almost unheard of at a national contest.”

Tyler Shaw of Kimball, Neb., was 12th overall individual, and 10th in swine and 13th in sheep/goats. Juan Gavette of Everson, Wash., was 12th in sheep/goats.

The team was first in sheep/goats, sixth in swine, seventh in reasons and eighth in cattle.

The team’s final competition for the national championship is at the North American International Livestock Expo Show in Louisville, Ky. on Nov. 12.

CoBank: 5G won’t fix digital divide As rural telecommunications providers look for cost-effective solutions to bridge the rural-urban digital divide, 5G fixed wireless has been identified as a potential solution.

However, according to a new report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange Division, high costs, competition, spectrum propagation and ecosystem headwinds make 5G fixed wireless an unlikely candidate to solve rural America’s broadband challenges.

“As Verizon begins deploying its 5G fixed wireless network in urban and suburban markets, we believe they are facing operational and technical issues that will limit the scale of its 5G fixed wireless deployments,” said Jeff Johnston, lead communications economist with CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange Division. “While there may be limited use cases where the technology makes sense in urban and suburban markets, we don’t see the use of millimeter-wave spectrum in fixed wireless networks extending to rural markets given current challenges.”

EU approves antibiotic limits The European Parliament approved limits on the use of antibiotics in farm animals produced for food. The limits are aimed at keeping drug-resistant bacteria out of food. The legislation was adopted with 583 votes to 16 and 20 abstentions. The European Council must formally adopt the agreement before publication in the Official Journal.

The new regulations, which go into force in 2022, limit the use of antimicrobials as a preventive measure – in the absence of clinical signs of infection – to single animals.

A veterinarian must approve and justify the use of antibiotics in cases where there is a high risk of infection. Additionally, treating a group of animals when one shows signs of infection should be a last resort. Antibiotics should be administered only after a veterinarian has diagnosed infection and prescribed antimicrobials.

The new law also gives the European Commission power to reserve select antimicrobials for treating only humans and not animals.

Science looks at cold stress When temperatures drop, plants can’t bundle up. Plants instead undergo a series of biochemical changes that protect cells from damage. Scientists have described these changes and identified some of the genes controlling them, but it’s not clear how all the processes work together. Lacking this global view, plant breeders have struggled to engineer coldtolerant crops.

A recent study from the University of Illinois and Gebze Technical University in Turkey provides a new way of thinking about cold stress in plants that goes beyond the traditional approach of examining a single gene, protein, or biochemical pathway at a time.

Instead, it simultaneously examines the entire collection of genes, metabolites, pathways and reactions involved in the cold stress response.

“The chances are slim that breeders could successfully modify a single gene and achieve greater cold tolerance. We need to understand the entire system – not only the gene of interest but all the related genes that affect particular pathways and other biological activities involved in a plant’s stress response,” says Gustavo Caetano-Anollés, professor in the Department of Crop Sciences at U of I and an author on the Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology study. “Our study identifies significant metabolites associated with important traits and is a step forward in metabolic profiling techniques.”

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 27 • November 3, 2018

From the Kitchen Table

By Lynn Harlan

Green Knees It’s been a year since I began writing “From the Kitchen Table.” The view from my table is still impressive. This year’s fall color was quashed by that one morning of seven degrees and snow, but the weather has recovered and given us some nice days.

Besides the paper trail my table supports most of the time, it has been blessed by a new grandchild – our first! He has lain on a coat on the table and entertained us with his kicking and burbling. He is intent on swinging those tiny arms and legs as if he could harness all that energy and zoom away. He will someday.

Grandbabies give you something to enjoy, something that perhaps you couldn’t always delight in when you were a parent. We always had to be somewhere, doing something. I am content to just sit and watch the wonder of this tiny marvel.

However, there is still some fall work to finish up. I have been “stomping burrs,” a fall ritual when you own sheep.

Those hard, reddish-brown burrs embed themselves in the sheep’s wool and are extremely difficult to remove.

A Swedish engineer back in the 1940s was wondering why these burrs stuck in his dog’s coat and his socks. Under the microscope, he discovered the infinite tiny hooks. In 1955, he patented “Velcro,” all from the lowly cockleburr.

When the plant dies and dries, you can swing your “burr stomper” along and the burrs explode off the plant onto the ground. If there is a mostly flat area, you can drag a pipe or an old bedspring along behind the four-wheeler. If it’s a nice day, I don’t mind a few hours of trudging down through the draws and stomping burrs.

November is here, and my husband Bob is going to get a knee replaced. Bad knees are just a hazard of the trade when you run sheep. Years of bagging ewes in the chute and dodging wild ewes in the lambing shed, not to mention ornery cows in the alley, all add up to bad knees.

Many years ago, Bob decided to get his knee “scoped.”

The doctor used an arthroscope to go in and look at his knee joint and did a little repair.

Bob decided that he would do this around Thanksgiving, as we were planning to drive to Colorado and visit my sister and her family. “I might as well get this done when I’m taking a few days off,” he said.

It was an out-patient surgery, and Bob took a long shower that morning before we headed to Casper. The day before, he bought a double-deck trailer load of lambs up near Buffalo.

They had come off an alfalfa meadow and were a little “wet.”

Bob had to crawl up in the top deck to get them all unloaded, so he was a little wet by the end, also.

After checking in and disrobing, Bob was seated in the exam room in the backless gown. That’s when he happened to look down at his knees – they were green. He was dumbfounded. The nurse asked, “What’s that?” and Bob replied, “Sheep shit.” Bob assured her it was the color of money.

The nurse began to scrub his knee in preparation for surgery. She looked up at Bob and said, “I might as well do the other one, too!”

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. We will be enjoying all the family favorites – cornbread stuffing, pecan pie, pickled beets, homemade cranberry sauce, and the best of all – leftovers the next day.

And this year, physical therapy. Lots of physical therapy.

First grandbaby – Lynn and Bob Harlan’s first grandbaby is celebrating Halloween in full smiles and traditional orange-and-black garb. Lynn Harlan photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 27 • November 3, 2018

Sherrard: Sustainable beef industry requires leadership to overcome challenges Because consumers think about as many as 15 to 20 issues as they are making decisions about beef, Rabobank Research Global Strategist for Animal Protein Justin Sherrard says, “It’s complicated.”

While the issue isn’t an easy one to tackle, Sherrard comments that the beef industry also seems to lack a sense of urgency when it comes to addressing things

like sustainability in the beef industry.

Moving forward “Who are the people, who are the organizations, who are the companies and who are the farmers that are setting the direction and giving us the confidence to turn issues upside down and say our issues aren’t threats, but they’re opportunities,” he asks, asserting that more leaders are necessary in the

Job training programs announced Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced that USDA is awarding grants for 128 projects to increase access to job training, educational and health care services in rural areas.

“Empowering rural Americans with access to services for quality of life and economic development is critical to rural prosperity,” Secretary Perdue said. “Distance learning and telemedicine technology bridges the gap that often exists between rural communities and essential education, workforce training and health care resources.”

USDA is awarding $39.6 million through the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant Program. More than 4.5 million residents in 40 states and three territories will benefit from the funding.

beef industry to set the direction of the beef industry for the future.

“We have a great product, and we should all be proud of it,” Sherrard summarizes. “Lots of people are going to keep eating beef, the market is changing.”

As the market changes, the number and complexity of issues facing the industry will only continue to increase.

“We need to be ready for more change, too,” he says.

Rabobank’s research shows that global beef production will only continue a steady trend upward in 2019, increasing by several percentage points.

“This is the continuation of a couple of years of growth, and we see more growth ahead,” Sherrard explains. “North America and South America are really driving progress and growth.”

Driving issues In the near-term, Rabobank has also identified four

issues that drive the nearterm future of the industry.

“Consumer confidence is high in most parts of the world in general,” Sherrard says. “Generally, we know that is a good thing for beef consumption.”

However, Sherrard says several markets may be reaching a point of protein oversupply, so consumer confidence is necessary to maintain prices.

“This is something for us to just be aware of,” he explains.

Further, though African Swine Fever outbreaks in China and parts of Europe only affect the pork industry, Sherrard sees potential impacts beyond just pork to include seafood, beef and other proteins, as well.

“Finally, if we think about it, we’re quite conscious of two cost of production issues that are starting to weigh in some markets,” he explains. “Feed prices in some markets are going up 10 to 20 percent,

“It’s very important for us to understand where trade opportunities are in the future.” – Justin Sherrard, Rabobank Research and for some commodities, they look like they might go up even further.”

Labor costs are also rising, he says, which can impact farmers over both the long- and short-term.

Long-term outlook Into the next 10 years, Sherrard says generally protein consumption will continue to rise.

“In southeast Asia, we’ll see a structural deficit where production will be below consumption over the next 10 years, and also, in China, consumption is rising and production can’t keep up with that,” he explains.

“These are the key regions that are going to keep importing beef.”

“It’s very important for us to understand where trade opportunities are in the future,” Sherrard adds.

Important industries However, to realize impending opportunities, a spectrum of issues impact the outlook for markets, including trade, consumer preferences and competing products.

Firstly, trade flow may be disrupted as protectionist strategies grow.

“We should take this quite seriously,” Sherrard says. “The future of trade is not the last 10 years repeated.”

He continues, “Secondly, consumer preferences and the competitive responses in the retail landscape are huge issues that will shape the future of our industry.”

As alternative proteins rise, Sherrard explains a slew of challenges also hit the industry.

Beyond just competition for the center of the plate, Sherrard says, “The rise of alternative proteins impacts what people are eating and where it comes from. This is an issue we need to take seriously.”

Potential activity on greenhouse gas emissions – both in opportunities and threats facing agriculture, and the integration of technology in production, processing and supply chains will both “shake the outlook over the long-term.”

Volatility “But, make no mistake, it’s a busy world and an unpredictable world,” Sherrard comments. “The changes that we see are happening faster, and it feels harder to judge the future than it has in the past.”

Potential leaders in the beef sustainability movement, for example, could arise from a number of segments and areas in the world, he explains.

“Leadership requires us to look at a variety of issues and to spot the pathway through a barrier, to look at those issues from a glass half-full perspective and find a way to make it happen,” Sherrard continues. “It’s about finding the solution, working together, looking at issues as potential opportunities and building the solution.”

He comments, “In this fast, unpredictable world, who shapes the industry?

Our leaders do. They have the ability to flip problems to opportunities, draw others in and build the partners we need to be successful.”

Making investments Beyond just solving issues, Sherrard asserts that making investments in leadership to solve upcoming challenges results in positive outcomes for businesses.

As an example, investments in leadership should be forward-thinking on issues which allows management of risk.

“Leadership brings with it the ability to maintain or grow access to markets by engaging with consumers in deeper and more thoughtful ways,” he continues, noting that engagement is a key factor in the industry’s future.

He summarizes, “There is a key and compelling case for more people to step up in the beef industry.”

Sherrard spoke during the October 2018 Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef Conference, held in Ireland.

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

Chocolate has extensive history As trick-or-treaters feasted on chocolate, a new study from an international team of researchers, including the University of British Columbia (UBC), is pushing back the origins of the delicious sweet treat.

The study, published online in Nature Ecology and Evolution, suggests that cacao – the plant from which chocolate is made – was domesticated around 1,500 years earlier than previously thought. In addition, researchers found cacao was originally domesticated in South America, rather than in Central America.

“This new study shows us that people in the upper reaches of the Amazon basin, extending up into the foothills of the Andes in southeastern Ecuador, were harvesting and consuming cacao that appears to be a close relative of the type of cacao later used in Mexico – and they were doing this 1,500 years earlier,” said Michael Blake, study co-author and professor in the UBC department of anthropology.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 27 • November 3, 2018

LAW continued from page A1 clarifies, “We prevailed with two sections of the law in district court 18 months ago. The only part of the trespass to collect data law that was struck down is subsection C.” Into the details Petersen says it’s easiest to understand Skavdahl’s latest ruling by looking at the background of the law.

In 2015, the Wyoming Legislature passed a set of laws that would make the collection of resource data from private lands illegal.

The laws also made it illegal to cross private land to reach public land for the purpose of collecting resource data.

“This law has three provisions in subsection A, B and C,” he explains. “Subsections A and B relate to the collection of resource data from private property.

One subsection relates to intent, and one relates to the actual collection of data.”

After Western Watersheds Project, the National Press Photographers Association and Natural Resources Defense Council contested the law, the District Court of Wyoming ruled against the groups on all three subsections. Then, the groups appealed the decision of the District Court of Wyoming only on subsection C of the law.

In September 2017, the 10th Circuit Court ruled

unanimously on the appeal, reversing the District Court of Wyoming’s decision – again, only on subsection C. The 10th Circuit Court also remanded the case to Judge Scott Skavdahl for further action.

The Oct. 29 ruling reflects Judge Skavdahl’s final decision on subsection C of Wyoming’s law regarding trespass to collect data.

“If someone goes and collects data from private property without permission, that is still illegal,” Peterson emphasizes.

“These laws are alive, on the books and will remain there unless the Wyoming Legislature takes action on them.

We prevailed with respect to the suit against these laws in the District Court of Wyoming 18 months ago.”

Affected provisions Skavdahl’s latest decision, Petersen comments, relates to subsection C, which applied to people who crossed private property to collect data on public lands.

“Subsection C both criminalized and imposed civil penalties for people who cross private property without permission to access adjacent property to collect resource data,” he explains. “This law has been struck down.”

Ultimately, this portion of the law was the one that

UI looks at mastitis A University of Idaho (UI) study plans a new approach to mastitis, a major human and animal disease problem that causes discomfort for breastfeeding mothers and damages dairy industry productivity.

The bacterial-related disease frustrates mothers who want to provide the best nutrition for their babies and causes millions in annual financial losses for dairies. Mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland.

The new study will look more closely at those bacterial communities in milk from healthy and unhealthy women and cows.

UI nutritionist Michelle “Shelley” McGuire and lactation physiologist and dairy researcher Mark McGuire will co-lead a $2.4 million project funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to explore the cause of mastitis in women and cows.

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caused the most concern.

“The thought was if a person inadvertently trespasses on private land on their way to public land, they would find to be committing a crime unwittingly,” Petersen explains.

“However, folks are still not allowed to go onto private property to collect resource data.”

Specifically, Skavdahl struck down the law on the grounds of infringement of the Freedom of Speech.

“The government has not proven a strengthening of the state’s trespass laws would not accomplish the same goals without infring-

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ing on protected speech,” he wrote in his decision.

“There is simply no plausible reason for the specific curtailment of speech in the statutes beyond a clear attempt to punish individuals for engaging in protected speech that at least some find unpleasant,” Skavdahl added. “The laws are not narrowly tailored and fail strict scrutiny.”

Other portions of the law Petersen also mentions that there are numerous other parts of the law that also stand.

“Provisions of the law that say resource data collected in violation of the law

“We prevailed with two sections of the law in District Court 18 months ago. The only part of the trespass to collect data law that was struck down is subsection C.” – Erik Peterson, Wyoming Attorney General’s Office will be expunged from the record,” he explains, noting that both state and federal agencies cannot use illegally collected data in decision making. “All of the ancillary stuff related to the trespass laws is still alive and on the books.”

“My encouragement to people is, under our general trespass statutes, it's still illegal for people to trespass,” says Bobbie

Frank, Wyoming Association of Conservation Districts executive director.

“Regardless, if landowners are concerned of people trespassing, then we have to notice them and say, you're not allowed on. Trespassing is still illegal.”

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. 27 • November 3, 2018

South Dakota Women in Ag recognizes top industry women during conference Deadwood, S.D. – Two women were honored at the South Dakota Women in Ag conference held recently in Deadwood, S.D. Nominations for these awards begin in the spring of the year. Past recipients and others involved in the ag industry are encouraged to nominate women whom they feel would qualify.

South Dakota Women

in Ag board members and their families are not eligible to nominate or be nominated, and the selection committee is made up of non-board members.

Ag Woman of the Year Kris Rausch of Gettysburg, S.D. was named the 2018 South Dakota Ag Woman of the Year, an award presented to a woman from S.D. who makes her

living in agriculture and shares her love of the industry across generations.

Rausch and her husband Bob raise wheat, corn, sunflowers and soybeans on 5,000 acres in parts of Dewey, Potter and Sully counties. They also run 400 head of Angus cattle.

Rausch is the accountant for their corporation and land company, and she

also helps operate the business on a day-to-day basis.

During spring planting, she supervises the calving, helps with crop harvest and drives machinery when needed.

Rausch has been a member of the Medicine Rock Cattlewomen for 40 years and has cooked the beef for the Gettysburg FFA Chapter awards banquet for 18 of those years. She has been a Potter County 4-H leader since 1999 and volunteers at the county fair in the hobby and horticulture divisions. She and her husband are members of the South Dakota Farm Bureau, and they served on the Young Farmers and Ranchers committee in the late 80s through the 90s.

The Rausches have two

sons, Nick and A.J. and their families, who share in the planning but operate separately.

Young Gun of Ag Nineteen-year-old Darian Roghair of Okaton, S.D. was named the 2018 South Dakota Young Gun of Ag, an award that recognizes a South Dakota woman, age 25 or younger, who embraces the ag industry and encourages others by example to consider a career in agriculture.

A refreshingly polite and confident young lady, Roghair lives with her parents, Brad and Shawna, and five younger sisters on the ranch near Okaton, S.D. Her family raises registered Black and Red Angus cattle in addition to running a commercial herd.

TERRELL continued from page A2

Honorees – The South Dakota Women in Ag recognized Kris Rausch (right) and Darian Roghair (left) as the Ag Woman of the Year and Young Gun of Ag, respectively, for 2018. Melissa Burke photo

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stated that EPA would no longer include attorney’s fees or court costs in their consent decrees, resulting in a loss of millions of dollars for special interest organizations.

At first, the directive and other efforts to end “sue and settle” seemed like a win-win for livestock producers. Not only would they once again have a say in the regulations that affect them every day, but special interest groups would also have less money in their litigation war chests, meaning that livestock producers face a smaller likelihood of being dragged into frivolous lawsuits. What actually occurred has been quite the opposite, however.

Over one year after former Administrator Pruitt’s directive was distributed, livestock producers and private industry generally are facing as much, if not more, litigation according to Marc Robertson and the Washington Legal Foundation. The June 2018 Forbes article written by Robertson and the Washington Legal Foundation entitled, “Environmental Ambulance Chasing: DOJ Urges Court to Scrutinize Clean Water Citizen-Suit Settlements,” asserts the demise of “sue and settle” has caused a dramatic increase

in the use of citizen suit provisions found in environmental legislation such as the Clean Water Act. Citizen suit provisions allow any private party, including special interest groups, to sue both administrative agencies and private parties for perceived violations of the law.

Similar to consent decrees, citizen suit provisions also provide for the reimbursement of attorney’s fees for parties that initiate a lawsuit when “appropriate.”

Robertson and the Washington Legal Foundation note that this uptick in litigation has drawn the ire of the United States Department of Justice, who observed that litigation related to the Clean Water Act alone has produced citizen suit payouts totaling over $700,000 in the past two years.

What exactly does all this mean for the future of the livestock industry? Only time will tell. Newton’s third law of physics seems applicable in that, “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Perhaps this recent increase in citizen suit deployment will prompt an equal and opposite shift in policy from federal agencies, possibly on a broader basis rather than just the EPA, to provide additional protections for private parties including livestock producers from these suits.

On the other hand,

Roghair was home schooled and always an eager student. At the age of 14, she learned to artificially inseminate at the Cottonwood Research Station near Cottonwood, S.D. She also ultrasounds cattle for pregnancy testing and is building her own business around this skill.

She enjoys selecting replacement heifers, as well as photographing and promoting of sale bulls each year. She said that her family strives to raise good mother cows – cows with maternal ability, feed efficiency, and above all, good temperaments.

Melissa Burke is a correspondent for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net. maybe the constriction of “sue and settle” has brought about a permanent shift of how our system distributes the responsibility to defend against special interest litigation from federal agencies to private parties. This would almost certainly increase burdens on livestock producers, especially those in the western United States who often rely on public lands for their operations and therefore aver themselves to more liability under federal legislation such as the Endangered Species and Clean Water Acts.

One thing is for sure, to borrow once again from Newton, “an object in motion tends to remain in motion.” It is undeniable that the ending of “sue and settle” has started a significant shift in federal litigation effecting livestock producers, but what that shift displaces from here is yet to be seen.

Casey Terrell is a proud Wyoming native, growing up just north of Pinedale in the cattle country of the Green River Valley. He recently graduated from the University of Wyoming with his master’s and law degrees, and he enjoys camping and flyfishing in his free time. Terrell is an attorney with the law firm of Crowley Fleck, PLLP in Sheridan, but the opinions expressed in this piece are his own and do not represent his employer.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 27 • November 3, 2018

CATTLE continued from page A1 nology, they never become more profitable. I read an economic report once that stated feedlots return at least 90 percent of the economic benefit of a technology advancement back into the price of calves,” he explained. “Feedlots are in the habit of breaking even.”

“If I’m working in a feedlot, I’m really just working on the value of feeder calves, so I’m still working for ranches,” he said.

Implanting Pritchard sees implanting calves as a way producers can capture more value for their weaned calves.

“I hear a lot of arguments about implants in public, and I agree they need to be used wisely,” he said. “A lot of ranchers tell me they wish feedlots didn’t implant because that would take all this beef off the market, and they could run more cows.”

“But, a half hour later, they are talking about how they can’t find anymore grass because it’s too expensive or being plowed up,” he notes.

Looking at implanted and non-implanted programs in feedlots, starting with 700-pound steers, Pritchard finds the carcass weight sold per cow on the prairie is a huge driver in the price of feeder calves.

“Some 700-pound implanted calves showed a value of $23 per hundredweight over non-implanted calves because the feedlot can use implants,” he explained. “Feedlots spend all that money on the price of feeder cattle, so it’s basically going back to the country.”

“Ranchers need to be really careful about

not wanting feedlots to implant,” Pritchard continued. “Implants can add $163 a head, if the backgrounder is not making any money. Basically, that is $163 on a 550-pound weaned steer.”

“Ranchers worry about a two-dollar discount per hundredweight because their steers are implanted, but they’re giving up $30 a hundredweight in a world with no implants. That’s just not good economics,” he stated.

Cost of increased weaning weight Any increase in weaning weight will also increase the annual energy needed per cow, Pritchard explained.

“Producers will either need bigger cows or the cows they have will have to produce more milk. It could be both, with varying degrees of efficiency.

If we have good range, a given size of calf and we are increasing weaning weight without increasing the frame size of the calf, we’re just making fleshier calves. Who does that benefit in the long run? That’s why they get discounted,” he said.

Creep feeding to increase weaning weight is also an additional cost that should be evaluated, to determine if it’s very economical.

“If we want to add 20 pounds to weaning weight, ask ourselves what 20 pounds more expected progeny difference (EPD) for weaning weight costs in a bull. Bulls start getting really expensive when we start adding 20 more pounds of weaning weight,” he added. “We will spend a lot of money on a bull that

A9

will last an average of two years, which may make AI look very cost-effective.”

Pritchard remembers a time when auctioneers would brag up calves at the sale barn that had been implanted.

“Then, I watched a transition take place to where they would brag up the calves that have not been implanted. The implanted calves they were bragging about are calves that were actually checked on, the producers were trying to make progress with and they were actually better calves,” he recalled.

“If those calves had 40 pounds of additional weaning weight, at best, half of it could probably be attributed to implants and the rest to improved management.”

“They may actually have been bragging up improved management,” he said.

Running the numbers In an example, Pritchard compared two pot loads of calves of the same age and from the same environment

weighing an average of 650 pounds that came through the sale barn. One load was implanted and one was not.

Pritchard said the implanted calves actually had the genetic potential to only weigh 620 pounds.

“There is not as much grow power there. As a buyer, I’ve assessed they are the same frame size, same flesh, same weight and same color, but 30 pounds of growth is from implants,” he explained.

Pritchard believes implants work on a percentage of what the animal can do genetically, environmentally and nutritionally.

“I can’t get the same response out of a slowergrowth steer in absolute pounds per day when I implant them, but I will get the same percentage of response as I would out of a higher growth steer,” he explained. “When I put these two steers in the feedlot and give them the same implant, the higher growth steer will grow faster than the other. That’s what feed-

“Ranchers worry about a two-dollar discount per hundredweight because their steers are implanted, but they’re giving up $30 a hundredweight in a world with no implants.”

– Robbi Pritchard, University of Nebraska lots saw, and that’s why they didn’t want an implanted steer.”

“The problem wasn’t the implant, it was that the animal didn’t have as much genetic potential for

growth, and the implant covered that up,” he said.

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. 27 • November 3, 2018

POLL continued from page A1 ship with Wyoming Stock Growers Association, the Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust and The Nature Conservancy in Wyoming, as well as new sponsor the Wyoming Conservation Legacy, which includes the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union and Wyoming Wildlife Federation.

“This is the fourth time we’ve done the poll since 2004,” says Freedman.

“It’s nice to have a diversity of partners, because we think it adds credibility to

the poll.”

The poll is conducted every four years. During each poll, a battery of consistent questions is asked to strategically track changes in voter attitudes.

“We also add a few questions that are specific to new and emerging topics to engage Wyoming voters in those issues,” Freedman commented.

Take home message After reviewing results, Freedman said the overall take away was a high level

NACD continued from page A2 vation was significantly cut during the 2014 Farm Bill, so protecting funding levels from further cuts is critical for landowners to continue addressing the resource challenges the nation faces.

Funding alone does not guarantee a successful program. The mechanisms that allow programs like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) or the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) to be successful are rooted in the locally-led process. Local working groups, led by conservation districts, help inform State Technical Committees about how the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) should implement farm bill conservation programs to ensure the resource needs of each state and region are met. Because these resource concerns vary from state to state and county to county, Congress should ensure

these programs continue to be flexibly implemented.

Creating or increasing national requirements that specify certain program funds be set aside to address one specific concern places administrative burdens on USDA and limits locally-led decision making. This ultimately reduces the likelihood these programs will work as intended.

While each concern being addressed through these “set asides” is individually important, Congress should not be overly prescriptive in diverting program dollars and should, instead, increase USDA’s flexibility to locally implement these programs based upon the unique resource needs of each state.

However, set-asides and carved-out initiatives are not the only provisions that could jeopardize the locally-led delivery system. Granting conservation dollars to private entities to implement conservation programs, as

of support for conservation generally among Wyoming’s voters.

“This year, nine out of 10 survey respondents indicated that conservation topics are a priority and that they consider these topics when deciding whether to support an elected officials,” he explained.

“Across the board, there is support throughout Wyoming for conservation.”

Further, Freedman emphasized, “In particular, issues related to water availability for farming and ranching, the loss of family farms and ranches, water

quality and quantity, the decline in big game populations, loss of wildlife habitat and loss of open space were rated as important as issues like education, healthcare, jobs and the economy.”

Across the board, regardless of political affiliation, rural or urban status or geographical distribution, the survey showed, support across the state for conservation.

“Another interesting finding was the level of support for funding of the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust, as

proposed for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), takes away taxpayer dollars and gives it to organizations that may have conflicting interests and goals with local stakeholders, limiting the success of the underlying programs.

Over 80 years of successful conservation delivery at the local level shows how a strong conservation title enables agricultural producers and communities to best meet their needs. Unfortunately, some are publicly calling for Congress to take one chamber’s version over the other.

In August, NACD provided a blueprint of what this compromise should look like to the conference committee. Each version has policies worthwhile of the final product, and a compromise should blend the best parts of each bill.

NACD calls on Congress to take advantage of the opportunity through the 2018 Farm Bill to build upon the successes of prior legislation. By limiting national requirements and prioritizing flexibility

in program implementation, the locally-led process will continue to be successful.

Brent Van Dyke is the current president for the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD). Van Dyke and his wife Kim reside in Hobbs, N.M., where they farm alfalfa and coastal Bermuda hay in Eastern New Mexico and cotton in West Texas.

The National Association of Conservation Districts is the non-profit organization that represents the nation’s 3,000 conservation districts, their state and territory associations, and the 17,000 men and women who serve on their governing boards. For more than 70 years, local conservation districts have worked with cooperating landowners and managers of private working lands to help them plan and apply effective conservation practices. For more information about NACD, visit nacdnet.org.

This article originally appeared in AgriPulse.

“Issues related to water availability for farming and ranching, the loss of family farms and ranches, water quality and quantity, the decline in big game populations, loss of wildlife habitat and loss of open space were rated as important as issues like education, healthcare, jobs and the economy.” – Kit Freedman, Ruckelshaus Institute well as a willingness to pay local taxes to fund conservation locally,” Freedman says. “These findings also held true across political affiliations and geographically across the state.”

Ag topics In addition to topics related strictly to conservation, a number of questions address the agriculture industry, including topics related to water availability for ranching and the future of farming and ranching.

“We saw an increase in voters who said loss of farms and ranches, as well as loss of working areas and landscapes as they are broken up by development, were conservation issues of concern,” Freedman summarizes. “Farms and ranches are an essential part of the local landscape and open spaces.

While voters might not make that connection, it’s something we’re thinking about when we look at results from the poll.”

Additionally, Freedman notes that the agricultural industry plays a key role in maintaining habitat for wildlife, as well as other important conservation issues.”

Recreation influence Freedman also says the rates at which Wyoming voters say they engage in some form of outdoor recreation continues to be high, even reaching levels above what were expected.

“Wyoming has open spaces and public land, so it makes sense that the people who here are outside hunting, fishing and recreating,” he explains.

“The rates at which respondents identified as

being hunters or anglers engaged in outdoor recreation are much higher than those seen across the nation.”

Using the results With the results of the poll, Freedman explains that Ruckelshaus Institute works to engage Wyomingites in issues that are a top concern.

“This poll provides data that are specific to Wyoming and helps us understand what voters are thinking about and to be able to respond with different initiatives or opportunities,” he explains, noting that results are applied to spark conversations related to conservation and natural resources.

“For example, in the 2014 poll, we saw interest in issues related to wildlife habitat and development,” Freedman notes.

“From that, in 2015, the Ruckelshaus Institute helped convene an emerging issues forum to bring together stakeholders to hold conversations around the idea of migration corridors for big game.”

The forum is a biannual event held by Ruckelshaus Institute that strives to be on the leading edge of important conservation conversations in the state and region, and they are able to utilize the poll to steer topics for important conversations moving forward.

Freedman emphasizes, “What we see today, though, is a significant level of support among Wyoming voters for conservation issues.”

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

View the 2019 Public Opinion Poll of Natural Resources Conservation in Wyoming at uwyo.edu/haub/ ruckelshaus-institute/outreach/2018conservation-opinion-poll.html.

Global meat prices slump After holding steady last month, global prices for beef and pork came under pressure in October from growing supply, and poultry prices also fell, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations said.

The FAO Meat Price Index declined two percent from September and was down more significantly from a year ago as the prices of all main meat categories eased, FAO said.

Import restrictions associated with new cases of African swine fever, coupled with large export availabilities from the main producing countries, continued to weigh on pork prices.

Beef prices declined for the third consecutive month on continued abundant export supplies, while ongoing market sluggishness weighed on the prices of poultry meat.

The meat price weakness, along with lower prices for dairy and vegetable oils, dragged on the agency’s overall Food Price Index, which fell 0.9 percent from September and 7.4 percent from a year ago.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 27 • November 3, 2018

LAMB continued from page A1 so there are opportunities to engage chefs.

Coming to Laramie High-end culinary professionals, including hotel and restaurant chefs, catering companies and food service distributors from Wyoming and the Front Range of Colorado were invited to Laramie for the event, which included classroom demonstrations, hands-on workshops and an in-thefield look at lamb production.

“On the first day, after we talked about our goals and the unique partnership between UW, MSLC and WWGA, we jumped right into lamb carcasses and grading,” Stewart says.

“We looked at 10 carcasses and talked about how we currently grade lamb, for both quality and yield.”

In the classroom, chefs had the opportunity to trace loin eye, measure back fat and more, followed by in-depth discussions about institutional meat purchase specifications.

“Warrie Means is an excellent teacher and really walked through how lamb carcasses are graded now compared to how they used to be fabricated,” Stewart describes.

“He also looked at emerging trends.”

Mckensie Harris, a new instructor at UW, was also instrumental in providing information.

During the second day of the event, participants went to UW’s meat lab again and looked at modern lamb carcass fabrication.

“All the chefs wanted to get their knives and join in the fabrication. There was a lot of good conversation that occurred, talking about using different muscle cuts,” Stewart continued. “These chefs are confident and masters of their trade, but they would give hints as to new things they were walking away with.”

Lamb production One particularly notable aspect of the event was a pasture-to-plate tour of UW’s facilities, where chefs were given the opportunity to look at the entirety of the sheep production system.

“On the first afternoon, we walked everyone through sheep production,” Stewart says. “We started on pasture where we have ewes with rams.

We talked about breeds and how unique sheep are.”

He continues, “This was a good learning exercise because we were standing on a rank grass pasture talking about how sheep use the low-quality ingredient to create a high-quality protein.”

Specifically, Stewart adds one of his main goals was to showcase

commercial sheep production, noting, although producers work in economies of scale, it does not mean they are not sustainable.

“It was an ‘ah-ha’ moment for some chefs, who realized that we use by-products and a lowquality feed resources to produce a high-quality meat,” he adds. “We also walked through the lamb feedlot and talked about how we tailor rations to string out the supply of lamb.”

During production conversations, Stewart was able to dispel myths about commercial lamb production, including misconceptions about the use of high-energy feed grains.

“For example, one attendee didn’t realize that we couldn’t have grassfed product year-round,” he adds.

“We walked through the production system to see that the lamb industry is truly sustainable, but there are a lot of challenges,” Stewart comments. “Understanding the challenges ranchers face seemed to inspire chefs to get more lamb on their menus.”

Overcoming barriers Bridging the gap between the sheep industry and the restaurant industry was a main goal of the event, and Stewart says that the challenges that were perceived by lamb industry representatives were not necessarily the challenges faced by chefs.

“These chefs work with major food distribution channels, but finding American lamb is hard,” he comments. “Food distributors don’t feature it in their order catalogs.”

“It was interesting that the barrier isn’t necessarily on the price point where we thought it is. Really, the barrier is in accessibility,” Stewart continues.

Establishing relationships with partners like the Mountain States Lamb Cooperative proved to be essential during the event.

“The resounding themes after we finished also include the versatility of using leg steaks, shoulders as a pulled lamb product and different cuts for appetizers,” Stewart comments. “I think everyone thought about using less traditional cuts to make more money and add lamb to their menu, outside of just a rack of lamb or lamb chops.”

Chef perspectives Among the many positive aspects of the event, Stewart says many attendees were struck by the cooperation between the public institution and industry stakeholders.

Additionally, Stewart explains that, in culinary school, many chefs expressed they learned about cuts, but they

learned less about the process of aging and the other meat science topics.

“They were really passionate in talking about meat science,” he continues.

When asked why chefs do what they do, Stewart explains that many of them commented they cook to eliminate barriers and differences in people.

“When people share a meal, they are more unified,” Stewart says. “When we looked at the production cycle and talked about the challenges that ranchers face, a light bulb came on for these chefs. They expressed how we need to tell our story better.”

The idea that lamb from Wyoming, Colorado or Montana supports local economies also helped influence chefs to commit to sourcing only America lamb.

“I think these conversations are going to last more with the chefs than anything else,” Stewart emphasizes. “Most of all, through this workshop, we created allies for the lamb

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industry.”

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

“Understanding the challenges ranchers face seemed to inspire chefs to get more lamb on their menus.” – Whit Stewart, UW Extension

Production focus – As one of the most important parts of the two-day workshop, Whit Stewart says chefs had the opportunity to explore commercial sheep production on-the-ground. A tour walked chefs through the production cycle from breeding in pastures of course grass, through the feedlot to the end product. Saige Albert photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 27 • November 3, 2018

CALENDAR

SALES Nov. 8-10

Sinclair Cattle Company Frustration-Free Internet Sale, 307-254-1477, sinclaircattle.com

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

Nov. 9

EVENTS

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, 916-837-3095, 801540-6818

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, 406633-2810, 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, 307-5326308, 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

Nov. 15

K2 Red Angus Annual Fall Sale, at the ranch, Wheatland, 307-331-2917, k2redangus.com

Nov. 15

XH Angus Private Treaty Sale, at the ranch, Saratoga, 307-710-6700, 307326-3553, xhangus.com

Nov. 15

Superior Select Replacement Female Auction, 800-488-8117, 800-4222117, superiorlivestock.com

Nov. 16

HD Dunn and Son Angus Ranch 20th Annual Bull Sale, at the ranch, Tetonia, Idaho, 208-221-3866, hddunn.com

Nov. 16

Green Mountain Angus Ranch The Cattlemen’s Choice Fall Production Sale, at the ranch, Ryegate, Mont., 406-568-2768, 406-220-1975, greenmountainangus.com

Nov. 17

Redland Angus Annual Production Sale, Buffalo Livestock Auction, Buffalo, 307-250-1548, redlandangus.com

Nov. 17

Thistledew Land and Cattle Company Bull and Female Sale, Joliet, Mont., 406-962-3310, thistledewcattle.com

Nov. 3

Nov. 3 Nov. 6-8 Nov. 7

Nov. 7-9

Nov. 7-9 Nov. 8-11 Nov. 13 Nov. 13-15

Nov. 13

Nov. 13-14 Nov. 14

Nov. 14-16

Nov. 15 Nov. 15-16 Nov. 16

Nov. 17 Nov. 20

The Great American Cowboy PRCA Rodeo, Casper, Central Wyoming Fairground Arena, 7 p.m. For tickets and more information, call 307-2591674 or visit tributetogac.org.

Fifth Annual Crawford Cattle Call, Crawford, Neb., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Learn more by contacting Samantha Dyer at 308-458-7160.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

Governor’s Business Forum: Charting a New Course, Cheyenne, Little America Hotel and Resort, Cheyenne. For more information or tickets, visit wyomingbusinessalliance.com or e-mail amanda@wyoba.com.

Alfalfa Weevil and Black Grass Bug Integrated Pest Management Workshop, Powell, Powell Research and Extension Center, 2-4 p.m. Contact Jeremiah Vardiman at 307-754-8836 or jvardima@uwyo.edu for more information or to register.

Wyoming Game and Fish Commission Meeting, Casper, Hilton Garden Inn. For more information, visit wgfd.wyo.gov.

Alfalfa Weevil and Black Grass Bug Integrated Pest Management Workshop, Sheridan, Sheridan Research and Extension Center, 2- 4 p.m. Contact Blake Hauptman at 307-283-1192 or bhauptma@uwyo.edu for more information or to register.

Wyoming Association of Conservation Districts Annual Convention, Evanston, The Historic Evanston Roundhouse. Visit conservewy.com for more information.

Third Annual Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Innovation Fair, Cheyenne, Little America, 1 p.m. For more information, visit rmfu.org.

25th Wyoming Women’s Ag Symposium, Casper, New location to be announced. Visit wywomeninag.org.

Sage Grouse Implementation Team Meeting, Cheyenne, Wyoming Game and Fish Department Headquarters, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, visit wgfd.wyo.gov.

Carbon County Stock Growers Meeting, Saratoga, Platte Valley Community Center.

2018 Southeast Wyoming Beef Production Convention, Torrington, Goshen County Fairgrounds Rendezvous Center, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For a full schedule or to RSVP, visit bit.ly/2018WYObeefconv.

POSTCARD from the Past

Compiled by Dick Perue rrichardperue@gmail.com

The Barn Dance at Big Creek It is very seldom that people living as far west as Wyoming have an opportunity to attend a genuine barn dance.

Those who were unable to accept the general invitation extended by Messrs. Hunter, Casteel and Hunter, to attend the one given by them at their magnificent Big Creek ranch last Friday evening, Oct. 15, have much to regret. They missed having one of the best times of their lives.

About 60 from Encampment and the immediate neighborhood availed themselves of the cordial invitation and were among those present.

The dance was

given in the immense barn recently built on the ranch.

The affair was what might be called a dedication of the new structure or a genuine “warming” like they used to have back east when father and mother were many years younger than they are now and with the rest of the neighborhood went many miles to help the younger folk “break in” the neighbors new barn.

The guests from different parts of the country began to arrive on the scene early in the evening. Some were on horseback, others came in wagons and buggies, and still more in large vehicles drawn by four horses. In all, there were 250 in attendance. We wish

Big invitation – This drawing was used as invitation to the Big Creek barn dance, as well as a souvenir card for guests attending. From the Oct. 15, 1909 issue of “Grand Encampment Herald,” Historical Reproductions by Perue

to say right here that no matter where you might go, it would be impossible to find a gathering of people more congenial than those who were assembled on this occasion.

Promptly at 7 o’clock, the prompter announced that all was in readiness for the starting of the festivities. From that time until day break made its appearance above the neighboring peaks of the Medicine Bow, pleasure reigned supreme and “all went merry as a marriage bell,” and with the exception of the short intervals between the dances and the time given for the guests to partake of the many good things to eat, the dance continued without interruption of any kind. No one seemed to grow weary even after the hour hand on the big clock standing in the corner of the loft pointed a warning finger at the dial plate and announced that yesterday had vanished several hours before and that the new day was no longer an infant.

The music for the occasion was furnished by the Snider orchestra from Saratoga and Messrs.

Mallory and Lenke. It was all that could be wished for and was greatly appreciated by everyone.

Mr. Ira Casteel was master of ceremonies and assisted by his able stall of entertainers was on hand every minute extending to everyone the cordial hospitality always to be found at the Big Creek ranch... and the dance continues next week.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 27 • November 3, 2018

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 27 • November 3, 2018

Small sees a need for improved focus on animal health in the beef industry “Value for consumers might be changing from product quality to production attributes, including how cattle are raised, what they are fed and where they come from,” says Wade Small, president of Agri Beef Inc.’s Livestock Division.

The cattle industry in general has successfully responded to economic drivers that are easy to measure and gather data on, as well as those that are easy to see.

As an example, progress has been seen in improved carcass and weaning weights moving forward.

“Looking forward, a lot of our value might be different based on what region we’re in, what markets we’re in and what segment of the agriculture industry we’re in,” Small explains.

“The industry is focusing

on. What do we need to focus on from the demands on the consumer?”

Small predicts increased regulation on products like antibiotics and growth hormones, as well as other products that are regularly used to derive economic benefit.

To capture the opportunities for added value moving into the future, Small encourages producers to think about their operation and how it fits into the production system.

“When we can provide value, it creates added profit for beef, but it also increases demand for beef across the country,” Small comments.

Trends Looking at the industry in general, Small sees a dramatic increase in grades of cattle in the last 10 years, with a particular increase in the number of prime car-

casses in the last four year.

“Carcass weight continues to increase,” he continues. “Carcass weight is the biggest economic driver in the industry. It doesn’t matter what segment we are in, we sell cattle by the pound.”

While consumers have conflicting opinions on what they’re looking for from beef producers when compared to what is economical for producers, Small says the trend toward larger carcasses will likely continue unless there are dramatic changes in the way beef is sold.

“The increase in prime carcasses also tracks with the increase in yield grade four and five animals, which results from an increased back fat that comes from additional potential for marbling,” he says.

Days on feed have also

increased, as larger carcasses have been more economically profitable.

Cattle have also trended towards a more black-hided product.

Death loss concerns “From a production standpoint, we have bigger cattle that grade better,” Small says, “but we have also seen an increase in death loss.”

The trend is a growing concern for cattle producers, who have modified practices over time in an attempt to decrease death losses.

“Trying to find the underlying causes in death loss is a challenge,” he explains, noting producers are constantly looking for where they can change their management, whether by using or eliminating products like beta-agonists or antibiotics or if there are things that can be done dif-

2018 Christmas Corral

“From a production standpoint, we have bigger cattle that grade better, but we have also seen an increase in death loss.” – Wade Small, Agri Beef Inc. ferently.

Small comments, “This is a trend in the wrong direction. We need to keep an eye on this and figure out how to turn this trend in the right direction.”

Big picture Because the beef industry is good at improving and selecting traits that are easy to see, Small says the industry must consciously focusing on improving traits like animal health.

“If this trend continues, at some point in time, if we don’t focus on things like animal health, we’ll overcome the gains we see as a results of improved carcass quality,” he says.

Focusing on and identifying areas of potential challenges and proactively addressing those will be essential to the success of

the industry moving forward.

Continued improvement in quality must be the focus of the industry, Small continues, encouraging producers to make decisions and utilize data to make sure the industry is headed in the right direction.

“For the stay-ability of the beef industry,” Small says, “we need to make sure we’re looking at the right economics and how they affect the entire supply chain.”

Wade Small spoke during the 2018 Beef Improvement Federation meeting, held in Loveland, Colo. in June 2018.

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

Visit bifconference.com to view Wade Small’s presentation.

EPA provides EPCRA relief

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On Oct. 30, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler signed a proposal to exempt agriculture from reporting under the Emergency Planning Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA).

“This proposed rule is intended to make it clear to the regulated community that animal waste emissions from farms do not need to be reported under EPCRA,” said Andrew Wheeler. “This action provides much-needed certainty and clarity to America’s farmers and ranchers. It also ensures our emergency response officials are focusing their time and resources on hazardous waste emergencies and not routine animal waste.”

Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran, who hosted Wheeler in his home state, noted, “Farmers and ranchers continue to face numerous challenges, and the removal of this unnecessary and burdensome regulation is welcome news for producers across our state.”

Further, Moran said, “It was never the intent of Congress for normal odors from animal waste on farms to fall under our nation’s emergency hazardous waste reporting requirements.”

“Acting Administrator Wheeler announced a new rule proposal that would de-regulate emissions reporting for agriculture,” said National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Environmental Counsel Scott Yager. “This is something we have been fighting for some time.”

This issue stems back to May 2017, when the D.C. Circuit Court vacated EPA’s 2008 regulatory exemption for livestock reporting under EPCRA. Following that court action, the Trump EPA issued guidance stating reporting still does not need to occur from livestock producers based on EPA’s interpretation of EPCRA. In March 2018, Congress passed legislation that exempted producers from CERCLA reporting, and the Oct. 31 EPCRA exemption provides relief from an additional reporting.

CERCLA, or superfund, was enacted by Congress in 1980 to manage hazardous waste in solid waste landfills, explains Yager. Local municipal waste landfills are regulated under CERCLA, and they must report hazardous waste to the Coast Guard.

“EPCRA is an amendment to the superfund that requires certain reporting to the state and local level,” Yager says. “Under EPCRA, the same information reported to the Coast Guard under CERCLA must be reported to state and local emergency responders under EPCRA.” The exemption provides welcome relief for farmers and ranchers across the country.

Read the proposed rule at epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-10/documents/proposed_epcra_ amendment_signed_10-30-18.pdf. Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup.

Send comments on this article to saige@wylr.net.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 27 • November 3, 2018

Quality in the Cowherd When you think of a “quality” cowherd, I suspect you see easy-fleshing cows with 500- to 600pound calves, each born unassisted in a 60-day window. A dream to handle, docile in every case, never a stray missing the gate.

Calves top the market and feeders fight over who will own them every year.

That’s a pretty good picture, but let’s widen the view to a quality survey reported by McKensie Harris and others in the 2016 Market Cow Report of the National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA). It does not conjure picturesque or pastoral scenes, but there are some interesting quality trends to take in.

Market cows, the culls you sell, are a key source of lean trimmings to the beef supply chain and often rep-

resent 15 percent to 25 percent of gross income. However, the decision to sell a cow is not an active management choice in most operations.

Commercial cattlemen “market” cows as a byproduct of the cow’s inability to remain productive, not because they want to increase income from cull cows.

That’s certainly different from the feeder and fed cattle scene. For one thing, those cows reflect delayed genetic trends in the herd, assuming the culls are older than average. The previous market cow NBQA was in 2007, conducted prior to the significant drought and culling across the U.S. in the next several years. The 2016 report offers insight as to how genetics within the commercial herd have changed relative to type

ADMB looks at wolf impacts During a Nov. 1 meeting of the Animal Damage Management Board (ADMB), USDA Wildlife Services Wyoming Director Mike Foster noted that since July 1, nine wolves have been removed in Wyoming’s predator zone as a result of depredation incidents.

“We’ve spent about 37.7 hours in the air and 279 hours on the ground, for right at about $25,000 doing work under our contract with ADMB,” Foster explained, noting that the figures are current as of the end of September.

Work related to wolves has been done in Hot Springs, Lincoln, Park and Sublette counties.

“It seems that this year, we have been a little slower than in other years, with not quite as many problems with depredation,” he continued.

Foster added that, in Wyoming’s predator zone, it is legal for anyone to take a wolf, but as a federal agency, they are restricted to removing wolves only when conflicts arise.

“Through our compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, environmental assessments and other regulatory measures, we don’t just go in and randomly remove any kind of predators, including wolves,” Foster explained. “It is our policy for Wyoming that we must have an incident before our guys are allowed to start removing wolves.”

Further, Kent Drake, Wyoming Department of Agriculture predator management coordinator, added, “ADMB has also adopted rules that don’t allow pursuit of wolves without a depredation event.

We are on the same page as Wildlife Services.”

Drake added ADMB has also not had wolf activity in counties with independent contract trappers that have asked for reimbursement as a result of wolf removal.

During the tele-conference meeting, Lisa Robertson from Jackson inquired as to whether funds from ADMB are used for alternative techniques to deter wolves, rather than just lethal removal, and Drake responded the funding Foster referred to was strictly set up to address depredation.

“Local predator boards are given a pool of money, and it is up to them to determine how to manage that,” he explained. “We also have a final amount of money for research and on-the-ground projects.”

In the past, Drake described that several projects have done things like assessing the use of different breeds of guardian dogs, as well as collars for guardian dogs, targeted at impact from wolves.

“The funds we have expended to remove wolves are spent according to rules that have already been set,” he added.

Learn more about the Animal Damage Management Board by visiting wyadmb.com or calling Drake at 307-777-6781. Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at saige@wylr.net.

and carcass characteristics, due to management and drought-induced culling.

Today, the percentage of Angus-type fed cattle hovers around 67 percent, a comparable number to the 2016 market cow report that suggests 68 percent of cows and 67 percent of bulls were Angus type. That’s a sizable increase in Angus influence, considering the 2007 report from John Nicholson and others indicated 44 percent of market cows and 52 percent of market bulls were predominately black hided – just nine years earlier.

The genetic trend for marbling has increased for most breeds regardless of

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hide color. While neither market cows nor bulls are managed to express genetic potential for marbling, the 30-unit increase in average marbling score – by about one-third of a quality grade – from 2007 to 2016 confirms the commercial cow herd has improved in quality potential. Besides that 30-unit marbling increase, distribution of marbling scores also improved, moving a greater percentage of cows toward higher scores.

While skewed toward quality, cows fit every marbling category. There were 2.8 percent with enough to grade Prime, between slightly abundant to abundant marbling. It’s hard to argue the Prime target is too lofty a goal for fed cattle when nearly three percent of cull market cows achieved that level of marbling for prime. Remember, they likely represented a delayed genetic trend, and the report is already two years old. Market cows cannot qualify for Prime due

to advanced maturity, but today’s overall genetics and herd management signal the potential for continued increases in average quality grade.

NBQA herd changes were not limited to marbling potential. Market cow carcass weights increased by 50 pounds over the nine years, with ribeyes increased by 0.45 square inches. That’s a product of the larger carcass rather than more heavily muscled cows.

Cows can still get better, obviously. Twenty-one percent of them were marketed at a light muscle score, reducing beef yield and increasing the chance of harvest lameness. The fall season offers benefits for a short-term feeding period in which cows can put on weight quickly and generally move to a more favorable marketing window.

Keep in mind, feed efficiency tends to worsen with the older cows and the longer they are fed, so have a

marketing plan in place.

Before entertaining a cow-feeding enterprise, check two things. First, 14 percent of the market cows in the NBQA had worn or broken teeth, which makes them poor feeding candidates. Better candidates but perhaps wrongly classified were the 17 percent of cows pregnant when sold. A short feeding period may not only improve cull-cow quality but also offer a chance for one more pregnancy check before marketing. If these late-discovery bred cows don’t fit your ideal 60-day calving window, they certainly have more value for somebody as bred rather than thin, open cows.

Cull cows can serve as a good indicator, given the NBQA data, of where the beef community has improved and what challenges remain. In your herd, cull cows are a reflection of what doesn’t work in your system. Understanding how she got there offers a path to a higher quality cowherd.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 27 • November 3, 2018

®

2018 NILE Stock Show and Rodeo welcomes livestock from across the region Billings, Mont. – From Oct. 13-20, 13 different breeds of cattle from over 32 states visited The Expo Center and Montana Pavilion at MetraPark in Billings, Mont. for the 51st Annual Northern International Livestock Exposition (NILE).

“NILE has grown into what it is today due to the continued support of its membership base, community, exhibitors and contestants who attend this event each year,” said Randy Vogele, NILE president.

“Thank you for coming to the 51st Annual NILE Stock Show and Rodeo. We hope you can continue to come and support a lasting tradition with the NILE.” NILE General Manager Jennifer Boka added, “The mission of NILE is to support and embrace the future of those farmers and ranchers who feed the whole world. Each exhibitor is an essential part of that mission.”

The complete results for the livestock shows during the event can be found at thenile.org.

Any Other Breed Show Kirk Stierwalt of Leedey, Okla. judged the junior Any Other Breed (AOB) Show, and Clint Rusk of Stillwater, Okla.

judged the open show.

AOB Grand Champion Bull – R-C Proud Freckles 602, Sire: R-C WG Damn Proud, Exhibitor: Outlaw Cattle Co., Owner: R-C Show Cattle, Powell Shorthorn Show Kirk Stierwalt of Leedey, Okla. judged the junior Shorthorn Show, and Clint Rusk of Stillwater, Okla. judged the open show.

Jr. ShorthornPLUS Grand Champion Female – RTW Spice, Sire: Alta Cedar Storm 27Z, Exhibitor: Reese West, Cheyenne Shorthorn Grand Champion Female – RTW Sugar, Sire: Alta Cedar Storm 27Z, Exhibitor: Reese West, Cheyenne Hereford Show The Hereford Show was judged by Clint Rusk of Stillwater, Okla. for junior stock and Jason Hoffman of Thedford, Neb. for the open show.

Hereford Grand Champion Female – NJW 36A 10W Turquoise 2, Sire: LJR 023R Whitmore 10W, Exhibitor: NJW Polled Herefords, Sheridan Hereford Grand Champion Bull – NJW 76S 27A Long Range, Sire: NJW 135U 10Y Hometown, Exhibitor: NJW Polled Herefords, Sheridan

U.S.-EU trade talks frustrating The European Union (EU) and U.S. are reviewing their trade ties, spurred by U.S. accusations that the EU is duping American businesses.

Even though President Donald Trump notified Congress Oct. 16 that the U.S. intends to begin official trade talks with the 28-nation European Union, formal negotiations have yet to get underway and quarreling between the two sides signals an arduous process lies ahead.

The Trump administration in June hit the EU with steel and aluminum tariffs, prompting retaliation against iconic American products like Kentucky bourbon whiskey and Harley Davidson motorcycles. A descent into an all-out trade war was averted in July, when European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Trump agreed to a truce and an outline for limited talks.

Hereford Reserve Champion Bull – GCS Bandit 808, Sire: Churchill Gallatin 5211C ET, Exhibitor: Gene Stillahn, Cheyenne Supreme Champions Supreme Champion Bull – NJW 76S 27A Long Range, Sire: NJW 135U 10Y Hometown, Exhibitor: NJW Polled Herefords, Sheridan Commercial Heifer Classic Pen Show This show was judged

by Don Griffin, Matt Brown and Ray Gardiner.

Reserve Champion Commercial Heifer Pen – K2 Red Angus, Wheatland Junior Fed Market Steer Show The Junior Fed Market Steer Show was judged by Marcus Arnold of Ankney, Iowa.

Reserve Champion Market Steer – Kody Foley,

Cheyenne Reserve Champion Junior Steer Showman – Jhett West, Sheridan Reserve Champion Senior Steer Showman – Saige Ward, Laramie Junior Fed Market Lamb Show The Junior Fed Market Lamb Show was judged by Marcus Arnold of Ankney, Iowa.

Reserve Champion Market Lamb – Garrett Burkett, Evansville Reserve Champion Beginner Lamb Showman – Kendall Burch, Casper Grand Champion Junior Lamb Showman – Brayson Burch, Casper Reserve Champion Junior Lamb Showman – Garrett Burkett, Evansville Junior Fed Market Goat Show The Junior Fed Market

Lamb Show was judged by Marcus Arnold of Ankney, Iowa.

Reserve Champion Beginner Goat Showman – Blair Sanchez, Bear River Reserve Champion Senior Goat Showman – Saige Ward, Laramie Junior Fed Market Swine Show The Junior Fed Market Lamb Show was judged by Marcus Arnold of Ankney, Iowa.

Grand Champion Market Swine – Robert Choma, Thayne Grand Champion Beginner Swine Showman – Memphis Dolcater, Riverton

Club Calf Show The Club Calf Show was judged by Clint Rusk of Stillwater, Okla.

Reserve Champion Club Calf Heifer – Lot 348 – Price: $5,250, Consignor: Outlaw Cattle Co., Powell See the Oct. 20, 2018 edition of the Roundup for results from the NILE. The Northern International Livestock Exposition (NILE) is a non-profit organization 501(c)5 established in 1967 that is dedicated to the promotion of livestock, agriculture education and respect of the western tradition. For more information on the NILE, call 406-2562495 or visit thenile.org.

Visit thenile.org for complete results from the Northern International Livestock Exposition.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 27 • November 3, 2018

Panelists provide advice on dealing with anti-agriculture organizations “Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are not going away,” says Redge Johnson from the Office of Utah Gov. Gary Herbert.

“One statistic says $4.5 billion has been awarded over 25 years, so they're not going away.”

Despite the challenges the ranching industry faces from constant onslaught of NGOs focused on the environment, a panel of industry and advocacy experts notes that the agriculture industry must stand their ground, voice their opinion, get organized and work together to accomplish its goals.

Standing our grand Wyoming Attorney and Department of the Interior Deputy Solicitor Karen Budd-Falen encourages ranchers to push back and stand their ground.

“We need to push on agencies when they ask for comments,” she says.

“Department of the Interior isn't going to get bent out of shape when we push on them. In fact, they might appreciate it.”

Despite the fact that often comment periods are flooded by NGOs, the use of form letters by these groups means that many comments are carbon copies.

“Well-placed, wellthought-out comments get

more traction than all the form postcards provided

by NGOs,” Budd-Falen emphasizes.

Useful comments J.J. Goicoechea, National Cattlemen's Beef Association Federal Lands Committee (NCBA) member and Nevada rancher, explains that when comments are made based around a county master plan or land use plan, they tend to be in a better position moving through the process, and Johnson agreed.

“Every time there is a forest planning document or National Environmental Policy Act document, we work with Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for consistency and coordination with our state plans,” Johnson says. “There is language under Federal Land Management Planning Act that says, if we have formally adopted plans, these agencies are supposed to work with us.”

He comments, “We have gotten great use out of these plans in the last few months.

Nearly every environmental impact statement or environmental analysis that comes out is recognized and utilized. We have been able to get the language from our plans into those documents to help push local perspec-

Using data Looking at threats to the agriculture industry, Redge Johnson of the Officer of Utah Gov. Gary Herbert says the use of data – and in particular, the agriculture industry's lack of data use – brings concerns.

"We see those people who gather data on their allotments almost always in when their allotment is challenged," he explains. "Those who don't gather data, don't win. Having the data in our back pocket is key."

As an example, simply by taking photos at the same spot for 20 years, one Utah landowner was able to win a lawsuit and maintain their grazing use on the land.

tives and local knowledge.”

He further notes that the more states and counites work together, the better, providing a network of coordination, consistency review and cooperation with agencies.

Working together Opposition groups excel in their organizational efforts, Jaclyn Roberts of the Public Lands Council (PLC) says, noting these groups target and engage specific audiences. The same should be done in the agriculture industry, she adds.

Goicoechea also raised the question as to whether the agriculture industry unfairly dismisses potential cooperators, perhaps, including sportsmen or natural resources organizations.

“I think there are a lot of opportunities for us to work with other groups,” Roberts describes. “When we talk about policy and bi-partisan support, we are going to have to work across the aisle. We are working to show that we are willing to extend a hand.”

For example, the opportunity to work with moderate conservation groups, recreation or multiple use groups can provide potential partnerships, she adds, saying, “It's important that we capitalize on these relationships when we can.”

NCBA's Danielle Beck, however, says, “The optimist in me says, yes, we need to be the adults in the room and work with individuals whose viewpoints are different than us. However, I've been in Washington, D.C. too long to be too

positive.”

“It's good to be cautious and know thy enemy," she emphasizes.

Using caution When conflicts arise, Johnson says organizations must work together, particularly when it comes to multiple uses on public lands.

“We have to recognize that groups like sportsmen and forestry are other users out there that are key,” Johnson comments. “We will have conflicts, but at the same time, multiple use people want public lands open. We've got to be able to bring these people together and work with them and not be in silos.”

He adds, “The environmental groups are very good at joining together and focusing on something until they achieve their goal.

If we can't bring the multiple use groups together and focus them on these issues and keeping these landscapes open, whether it's Endangered Species Act or other issues, it makes it all the more difficult for us to be effective in our messaging, especially in D.C. where the number of phone calls matters.”

Regardless of whether the science behind the issue is present, Johnson says the loudest voice and people who make the most calls often have more influence.

The bottom line Budd-Falen agrees but notes it is important to avoid compromising the bottom line.

“We need to know where our bottom line is,” she comments. "We have to be open to saying, here are

Learn more about the Public Lands Council at publiclandscouncil.org.

"I think there are a lot of opportunities for us to work with other groups." – Jaclyn Roberts, Public Lands Council the six things we can agree on, here is the one thing we can't agree on, and it's okay.”

Budd-Falen used the example of marriage, saying, “How many of us agree on absolutely everything with our spouse? It isn't a bad thing, but we just don't agree on everything. As an industry, we have to know what our bottom line is.

If we find a group that we can agree on 80 percent of things on, agree to what we can agree on.”

While in Washington, D.C. there seems to be an all-or-none mentality, the agriculture industry must stay away from that mentality.

Public Lands Council Executive Director Ethan

Lane says the key, however, is making sure that all groups at the table are honest brokers.

“Everyone on this panel has dealt with groups who simply aren't what they appear to be,” Lane says.

“Across the board, we have decoy groups who have done an exceptional job of creating an 'astro-turf' environment. How do we hold those groups accountable so they don't control the playing field?”

Panelists addressed the 50th Annual Public Lands Council Meeting, held in Park City, Utah at the end of September.

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

Convention season continues 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. 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.

Bears continue spread In cooperation and at the direction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department recently captured and removed three grizzly bears southwest of Byron.

Cody Regional Wildlife Supervisor Dan Smith said this is the furthest east that a grizzly bear has been captured in recent history.

“We have not had grizzly bears in this area of BigHorn County since well before grizzly bear recovery efforts began in the 1970s, but as grizzly populations continue to expand in distribution, bear sightings are occurring more and more in areas we would not normally expect to see them and in areas that are not considered suitable for bears. Most of these areas are more susceptible to conflicts between humans and bears,” Smith said.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 27 • November 3, 2018

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Conservation districts head to southwest Wyoming for annual meeting Evanston – The state’s local natural resource conservation district leaders, staff and state and federal natural resource partners will be meeting and hearing about top priority resource challenges and working on policy issues for the coming year.

The Wyoming Association of Conservation Districts annual convention will be held Nov. 14-16, 2018 in Evanston at the Historic Roundhouse and Rail Yards. A detailed schedule, pre-registration, vendor and sponsorship information

is located online by visiting conservewy.com or calling 307-632-5716 to request additional information.

The Best Western Dunmar Inn and Holiday Inn Express are both serving as host hotels for the event, and they can be reached at 307-789-3770 and 307-7897999, respectively. Be sure to ask for the convention rate.

On Nov. 14, attendees will get an update on the efforts of the ENDOW Rural Council from Conservation District Representative Jaime Tarver of the Camp-

bell County Conservation District.

That afternoon will include a Wyoming Roundup highlighting Conservation District projects from across the state. These will include the Acme Power Plant Reclamation project in Sheridan County, Invasive Russian Olive removal on Clear Creek in Johnson County, Old Refinery Remediation in Albany County, Restoration of the North Platte River in Natrona County and local Conservation District roles in National Environmental Policy Act in Sub-

Tentative agenda The Wyoming Association of Conservation Districts (WACD) annual meeting, themed “Roundhouse Rendezvous for Grassroots Conservation,” kicks of Nov. 14, with a full two-day Nov. 14 7 a.m.

– Registration Opens 8 a.m.

– WACD Board of Directors Meeting – WCDEA Executive Committee Meeting 10 a.m.

– Trade Show Open.

– WCDEA General Membership Meeting 12 p.m.

– Luncheon – Video on the History of the Roundhouse and Rail Yards 1:30-3:15 – Wyoming Roundup – District Project Highlights, Mike Henn, WCDEA president – Acme Power Plan Reclamation, Sheridan County Conservation Districts – Russian Olive Removal on Clear Creek, Clear Creek Conservation District – Old Refinery Remediation, Laramie Rivers Conservation District – It Can Be Done: Restoration and Delisting a Water Body, Natrona County Conservation District – How Can Your District Help Federal Partners Complete NEPA, Sublette County Conservation District 3:15 p.m.

– Break 3:30-5 p.m. – Wyoming Roundup Continued 5 p.m.

– Ride the Turntable and Tour the Historic Roundhouse 6 p.m.

– Welcome Reception, hosted

by Uinta and Sublette County Conservation District Nov. 15 8 a.m.

– General Session – Opening Ceremonies, Todd Heward, WACD vice president

agenda at the Historic Evanston Roundhouse.

A tentative agenda for the event is provided below. For a complete, up-todate agenda, visit conservewy.com.

– Call to Order, Shaun Sims – Welcome, Uinta County CD Chairman Kelly Guild, Uinta County Commission Chair Eric South and City of Evanston Mayor Kent Williams

– President’s Remarks, WACD President Shaun Sims 9 a.m.

– National Association of Conservation Districts Update, Coleman Garrison, director of government affairs.

9:45 a.m.

– Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Programs, Conservation Planning and Program Delivery, Jimmy Bramblett, NRCS Dputy Chief of Programs 10:30 a.m. – Break 10:45 a.m. – Kelly Crane, UW Extension associate director 11:15 a.m. – UW Haub Schooland Ruckelshaus Institute, Drew Bennett 12 p.m.

– WACD Annual Awards Luncheon, Master of Ceremonies Bruce Peterson 2-5 p.m.

– Committee Meetings – Conservation Forestry; District Operations and Education; Private, State and Federal Lands; Water Resources; and Wildlife – Wyoming Natural Resource Foundation Board of Trustees Meeting 3:30 p.m.

– Break 5 p.m.

– Wyoming Natural Resource Foundation Social House and Live Auction Nov. 16 8 a.m.

– 12 p.m. – WACD Business Meeting 12 p.m.

– Convention Adjourns

lette County.

Speakers on Nov. 15 covering Farm Bill reauthorization and national conservation programs available to Wyoming communities include Jimmy Bramblett, Natural Resources Conservation Service Deputy Chief of Programs for Conservation Planning and Program Delivery, and Coleman Garrison, National Association of Conservation Districts Government Affairs director.

Following will be an afternoon of committee meetings where several updates and policy issues will be discussed. Committee meeting agendas are available at conservewy. com.

During the evening of Nov. 16, the annual Live Auction and Social, benefitting the Wyoming Natural Resource Foundation’s support of community driven conservation efforts, will be held.

Convention wraps up on Nov. 16 with the business meeting, including an election of new Association leadership.

The Wyoming Association of Conservation Districts,

which is made up of 34 Conservation Districts and 170 elected officials in Wyoming, is dedicated to conserving, enhancing and protecting the natural resources of our great state. Conservation Districts across the state assist local communities and both public and private landowners and managers to maintain, sustain and continue to improve Wyoming’s natural resources.

Visit conservewy.com or call 307-632-5716 for the latest information on the Wyoming Association of Conservation Districts’ Annual Convention “Roundhouse Rendezvous for Grassroots Conservation.”

County Committee voting begins Wyoming Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director Lois Van mark announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will begin mailing ballots to eligible agricultural producers for the 2018 FSA county committee elections on Nov. 5.

Producers must return ballots to their local FSA offices by Dec. 3, 2018 to ensure their vote is counted.

“County committee members represent the farmers, ranchers and forest-

ers in our Wyoming communities,” said Van Mark. “Producers elected to these committees have always played a vital role in local agricultural decisions. It is a valued partnership that helps us better understand the needs of the farmers and ranchers we serve.”

Nearly 7,700 FSA county committee members serve FSA offices nationwide. Each committee has three to 11 elected members who serve three-year terms of office.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 27 • November 3, 2018

MacDonald: Cheap feed sources may encourage ranchers to background calves With no two production systems the same, producers may have to explore what works for them when backgrounding calves. More producers are backgrounding to add more gain to their calves, if cheap feed options are available.

According to University of Nebraska Ruminant and Nutrition Specialist Jim MacDonald, ranchers may be able to add some value to their calves by feeding them through the winter.

Benefits of backgrounding One of the biggest benefits of backgrounding calves is the flexibility it gives producers in the marketing process. If they choose to background, ranchers must first decide what product they want to market, MacDonald says.

“System optimization may differ for a cow/ calf operator who is backgrounding through the winter months, a stocker

cattle operator who is marketing to a feedlot or an integrated operator who owns the calf from weaning until it is marketed to the packing plant,” he explains.

For many ranchers, backgrounding allows them to utilize forage resources they may have on hand.

“There are many macro-level benefits,” MacDonald explains. “For example, yearling cattle increase the amount of beef produced per cow exposed, which is a critical measure of efficiency in the system.”

A prior study showed that long-yearlings produced 50 pounds more carcass weight, compared to fed calves, while consuming 77 percent as much feed during the finishing period, MacDonald shares.

Nutritional considerations One of the most important parts of backgrounding cattle is nutrition.

Since many programs are forage-based, MacDonald encourages producers to think about the best ways to optimize the forage, since they can vary in quality and price.

“When evaluating different forage options, it is beneficial to compare their cost per unit of energy, which can be accomplished by converting the price to dollars-per-pound on a dry-basis and dividing by the total digestible nutrient (TDN) content,” MacDonald explains.

Feed sources Depending upon where they live, producers can utilize crop residues like cornstalks, feed forages like grass hay or grain sources like corn silage, cracked corn and distillers’ grains.

One option becoming more popular is cover crop grazing, which involves planting some sort of annual forage into crop residue like harvested wheat, rye or corn silage.

In Nebraska, producers have successfully been able to grow high-quality forages for backgrounding calves by planting grains like oats into harvested crop residue.

Oats were planted into a field harvested for corn silage, and the calves had an average daily gain of 1.29 to 1.3 pounds per day, which is similar to using high moisture corn or grazed residue during supplementation.

Cornstalks With the cost of range steadily increasing during the last 10 years, many producers renting grass no longer find it feasible to background calves by grazing them during the winter. MacDonald says producers can rent cornstalks for about $20 an acre in Nebraska, compared to more than $40 for range.

The key to utilizing cornstalks is the stocking rate. Typically, eight pounds of forage is available for every bushel of corn produced. Since cattle primarily utilize the leaf and husk, grazing efficiency is figured at 50 percent.

“The key is getting the right nutrients into the calf.”

– Jim MacDonald, University of Nebraska If a producer has 225 bushels of corn at $20 an acre and a TDN of 55 percent, it would cost two cents per pound of TDN. “I would compare the forage resources I have available and if I have flexibility in a forage program to a dollar per unit of energy or TDN,” MacDonald says. “Dollars per TDN gives us a common basis to compare forage resources.”

Supplementation “The key is getting the right nutrients into the calf, so where should we invest our money?” MacDonald asks producers.

Getting a forage supply at the cheapest unit of energy may require providing the backgrounded cattle with a supplement, he explains.

“In a young calf, the first limiting nutrient is protein,” he continues.

“In newly weaned or very young calves, intake of forage will be limited.”

“We can also increase the risk of acidosis from

fermentability by feeding something like too much corn,” he explains.

“The amount of bacterial protein supplying a newly weaned calf is going to be limited by intake of forage or because we supplied them with a readily fermentable carbohydrate, which puts them at risk for acidosis,” he further explains. “They won’t be able to get enough bacterial protein to meet their requirement, so from a supplementation standpoint, producers will need to provide a bypass protein.”

MacDonald says distillers’ grains can be a good source of bypass protein, but other alternatives, like soy pass, are available. He recommends looking into what is available, while keeping in mind that calves need a balanced diet so they can have optimal gain.

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

Backgrounding – When backgrounding calves, University of Nebraska’s Jim MacDonald says producers should compare feed sources according to total digestible nutrients required, rather than purely on cost alone. In Nebraska, for example, renting cornstalks is more economical than renting rangeland.

Gayle Smith photo

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 27 • November 3, 2018

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Farm Foundation assesses impact of USMCA trade agreement, seeing negatives On Oct. 31, the Farm Foundation debuted an analysis of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and its impact on the agricultural economy.

“As the landscape of global trade has changed in recent months, there have been a lot of questions about what it really means for U.S. agriculture,” said Constance Cullman, Farm Foundation president. “We commissioned from Purdue University Center for Global Trade analysis what the impact of retaliatory tariffs in USMCA will have on U.S. ag.”

Dominique van der Mensbrugghe, the director of the Center for Global Trade Analysis at Purdue University, was the lead author of the report, titled How U.S. Agriculture will Fare Under the USMCA and Retaliatory Tariffs.

Van der Mensbrugghe partnered with Wallace Tyner, Ph.D. and Maksym Chepeliev, Ph.D. in writing the report.

Overview “I think we can all be grateful that USMCA was agreed to,” van der Mensbrugghe said. “We will see if it will be ratified. It certainly consolidated significant gains from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).”

Looking back, van der Mensbrugghe says the U.S. has been on a path towards markets that are increasingly open since World War II. “Today, Canada and Mexico are some of the top exporting markets for U.S. agriculture, and the share has increased from 13-plus percent to more than 30 percent,” he described. “We’ve seen more than a doubling since the NAFTA.” Mexico’s share in the U.S. market has also increased, from 11 to 18 percent, and Canada’s market share has stayed moderately steady over time.

“These are two very important markets for U.S. farmers, accounting for roughly one-third of U.S. exports,” he commented.

Inside the agreement.

Firstly, the USMCA agreement consolidates the first NAFTA agreement, with some exceptions.

“There have been some market access changes, most notably in the auto sector, which will have implications in terms of the supply chain and other things,” van der Mensbrugghe explained.

“Perhaps even more significant is 45 percent of parts must come from factories where workers earn $16 or

more an hour, which will cost us.”

In the agriculture sector, the most significant impacts have include the expansion of import quotas in Canada for U.S. dairy and poultry products.

“There are a lot of other changes in the agreement, which is over 1,800 pages long,” he said.

Some who have analyzed the agreement called USMCA a renovation in NAFTA that addresses modernization in markets that have occurred since the 1970s.

Dairy and poultry After looking at industries in-depth, van der Mensbrugghe said increased market access in dairy will lead to a 106 percent increase in export of dairy products from the U.S. Under NAFTA, the total quota for fluid milk was roughly 65,000 metric tons, a rather small amount, and actual exports was about 55,000.

A five percent increase in dairy product exports is expected.

Other meat product exports will increase by 1.6 percent.

“That’s a small number as a percentage of U.S. dairy exports,” he explained. “In terms of other sectors, we have a 12 percent increase for poultry and pigs.” van der Mensbrugghe said, converted to dollars, the impact is $450 million, which is “not a huge amount given the size of the U.S. economy or even U.S. agriculture, but for dairy producers it is something.”

At the same time, given the size of the agreement, “We see very small impacts on the farm economy,” van der Mensbrugghe mentioned. “We also get a little bit of improvement in prices.”

Retaliation “But that’s not the end of the story,” van der Mensbrugghe said.

“USMCA is good, and it consolidates NAFTA and improves things for dairy and poultry producers.”

While an increase in market access is predicted, van der Mensbrugghe adds, however that retaliatory measures from the USMCA countries “will cause U.S. agricultural exports to decline by $1.8 billion.”

Retaliatory tariffs have been imposed to combat aluminum and steel products.

“Countries around the world are not targeting U.S. steel or aluminum, they’re targeting products that are sensitive, like agriculture products,” he

Learn more about the Farm Foundation and their analysis of trade at farmfoundation.org/trade.

said. “They’re going after more sensitive products hoping that the United States feel some political pain.”

Estimates of retaliatory measures from Iowa State University were used as the basis for the Purdue estimates.

“Canada has imposed tariffs of roughly two percent on poultry and pig products, four percent on sugar and 3.5 on average for other food products, which is a really big category,” he said. “Mexico has been a big more aggressive, with poultry and pigs, 10 percent, fruits and vegetables at four percent and 3.5 percent on other food.”

Export numbers decline by about $1.8 billion, which “largely negates whatever gains would come out of USMCA.” Bigger pictures “We looked at all retaliatory measures in another

simulation, not just ones focused on Canadian and Mexican agriculture, but all from all products,” van der Mensbrugghe said.

“The total decline in agriculture and food exports is $8 billion.”

Much of the impact is seen in oilseeds, including soybeans, poultry and pigs, as well as other foods, take a hit from the impact.

“If we look at the farm

“The total decline in agriculture and food exports is $8 billion.” – Dominique van der Mensbrugghe, Purdue University income impacts, we see a loss of 45,000 jobs in the food and agriculture sector,” he said. “We’re not sure if it would show up in U.S. labor statistics, but that’s quite a number of jobs.”

Land prices, particularly for those producing

soybeans, would decline approximately 18 percent.

“This is not good news for farmers,” van der Mensbrugghe commented.

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

Collaboration to reduce food waste USDA, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration signed a joint agency formal agreement aimed at improving coordination and communication across federal agencies attempting to educate Americans on the effects and importance of reducing food loss and waste.

Food waste is estimated at between 30 and 40 percent of the U.S. food supply. This figure is based on estimates from USDA’s Economic Research Service of 31 percent food loss at the retail and consumer levels. The figure corre-

sponds to about 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food in 2010.

Wasted food is the single largest category of material placed in municipal landfills. The water, energy and labor used to produce wasted food could have been used for other purposes. Effectively reducing food waste will require cooperation along the entire food chain.

There are tremendous economic opportunities and possible cost savings for businesses and individual households that can result from reducing food waste.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 27 • November 3, 2018

Effective vaccines begin by preparing and choosing the proper equipment Shannon Williams, Lemhi County Extension educator in Salmon, Idaho, notes properly administering injections is essential to minimizing residue and injection

site lesions while also reducing the risk for reactions and side effects.

Preparing cattle Prior to giving an injection, Williams says it is

important to make sure cattle aren’t too dirty.

“If cattle are dirty or their neck is covered with manure, move to the other side and find a cleaner area,”

Needle sizes – Selecting the appropriate needle for the size of animal and type of injection is essential to assuring a successful vaccination. Heather Smith Thomas photo

she comments.

“However, the animal is so dirty on both sides that even if producers wipe off manure, they would be injecting into a wet, dirty hide. In this situation, producers need to wash the area and dry it as best they can.

“If that’s not possible, we could inject into a cleaner area under the loose hide over the ribs behind the elbow,” Williams explains.

“There has been discussion about injecting behind the elbow, especially on small calves where we don’t want to make their neck sore with a bunch of injections. This is not a Beef Quality Assurance injection site at this point, but if I had to make a choice in a bad situation I might use that area.”

“Another thing a person might do is clean the dirty neck as best we can, go ahead and inject that animal and then change needles,” says Williams.

Proper needle Williams also notes it is

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Make sure cattle are adequately restrained or secured before we give injections.” – Shannon Williams, Lemhi County Extension important to select the proper length needle when giving intramuscular injections versus subcutaneous injections.

“Needle length can also vary depending on the technique,” she explains. “When tenting the skin to slip the needle underneath, we may want a longer needle than what we’d use on a syringe gun that’s just aimed at an angle into the hide.”

A larger diameter needle is necessary for thick fluids that won’t readily go through a smaller needle, and mature cattle with thick hides require a larger-diameter needle. No smaller than a 16-gauge needle should be used for mature livestock, which means producers will be less apt to bend or break the needle.

A smaller needle, such as an 18 gauge, can be used for calves with thinner skin.

Restraining cattle “Make sure cattle are adequately restrained or secured before we give injections,” Williams emphasizes.

“A good chute helps, if it’s easy to walk down a catwalk to reach the animals and not

have to catch each one,” she explains, “but we take a bigger chance of missed dosing, bending a needle, creating more tissue damage if the animal moves while we are injecting, putting an injection into the wrong location or getting our hand caught between cattle.”

“It’s usually best to restrain each animal and do it carefully and accurately,” says Williams.

At the end of the day, Williams says it pays to take whatever time is necessary to do it right. Otherwise, ranchers may end up with abscesses or lesions in the final product, needles broken off in the animal or an occasional condemned carcass.

“Often, we are giving more than one injection.

Make sure we put the same vaccine in the same syringe.

Mark the syringes or put color-coded tape on them, so we never make a mistake,” she says.

Heather Smith Thomas is a correspondent for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup.

Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

Brand renewal begins Wyoming Livestock Board (WLSB) sent out brand renewal notices for 2019 on Oct. 10. WLSB have listed all who need to renew their Wyoming Livestock brands at wlsb.state.wy.us.

To find a list of brand up for renewal, click “Brand Recording” on the home page, then look for a list of producers who need to renew in the right-hand column. A list of brand renewal notices that were returned as undeliverable is also included.

Producers who have not yet received their renewal list or who know anyone on the undeliverable list can notify the Wyoming Livestock Board at 307-777-7515 to provide phone number or updated address information.

Renewal ends Jan. 1, 2019 with a grace period until March 1, 2019.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 27 • November 3, 2018

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USDA-FDA meeting on fake meat sees strong support for USDA oversight The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hosted a joint public meeting in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 23-24.

The topic of both days concerned lab-grown meat and all issues associated with it, including production hazards, labeling and marketing claims. Attendees included cattle industry representatives, scientists and lab-grown meat manufacturers.

Lab-grown meat has been a hot-button issue

since it was first developed. Now, with plans in place to introduce the product to consumers by the end of this year, cattle industry groups are more eager than ever to set natural beef apart from lab-grown products.

During the meeting, beef advocates emphasized the importance of fair and equal oversight – along with their preference for USDA involvement as opposed to that of the FDA, as well as the accurate, factbased labeling of lab-grown meat products.

American lamb hits Japan Superior Farms announced on Oct. 24 it has exported the first shipment of American lamb to Japan since the country’s doors reopened after a 15-year absence.

The company is working closely with its producer partners to deliver an exceptional product that will exceed the expectations of the Japanese consumer. The Japanese distributor, Farmland Trading, is working with Superior Farms to introduce American lamb to high-end restaurants and retail outlets.

“We have continued our relationship with Farmland Trading for 15 years anticipating this day,” said Rick Stott, chief executive officer at Superior Farms. “This shipment represents a first step in a long-term strategic plan to grow the presence and appetite for American lamb in Japan. The potential to develop Japan into an excellent export country for American lamb is clearly there, but it will take time, investment and a long-term strategy to make that happen.”

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NCBA comments The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) came up to bat for the USDA. NCBA, in short, highlighted the importance of holding lab-grown meat manufacturers to the same standards – in terms of both safety and labeling – as natural beef processors.

NCBA President-elect Jennifer Houston spoke regarding the effectiveness of the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

“FSIS is perfectly capable of applying its existing expertise to the production of cell-cultured meat products and is far better suited to ensure the safety of these products throughout the lab to fork continuum,” said Houston.

She added FSIS regulation would be instrumental in creating fair and, most importantly, safe competition between lab-grown meat manufacturers and

beef producers.

Inspections NCBA also stressed the importance of regular inspection of lab-grown meat facilities. Inspection is something that, historically, FDA does sporadically while USDA does every day. Representatives of natural beef consider regular inspection of facilities in both industries crucial, especially considering that certain claims involving the cleanliness and sterility of “clean” meat production have been proven to be false.

Labeling More importantly, perhaps, is the role the USDA and FDA will play in ensuring truthful, science-based labeling on lab-grown meat products. Again, beef industry advocates were emphatic in stating that lab-grown products should receive the same treatment as natural beef.

Their reasoning, in the

“Given that the goal of these products is to compete directly with real meat, only USDA oversight can adequately ensure the outcome.”

– Kevin Kester, NCBA case of labeling, is two-fold – to ensure fair competition between the two industries and to protect consumers from misleading, non-factual marketing.

“Lab-grown fake meat labels should be held to the same standards as other meat labels,” said NCBA President Kevin Kester.

“Given that the goal of these products is to compete directly with real meat, only USDA oversight can adequately ensure the outcome.”

Kester said, “USDA can be trusted to enforce truthful, transparent labeling of products under its jurisdiction. Product labels and marketing must be based on sound science, not the misleading claims of anti-animal agriculture activists.”

Kester added that USDA oversight when applied to the labeling of lab-grown meat products will protect consumers against false and misleading marketing claims.

It is up to USDA and FDA, as the governmental bodies in charge of food safety and information, to ensure that food production industries are treated fairly no matter how their product is sourced, processed or prepared. More importantly, both are obligated to protect the consumer by providing guidelines for accurate, fact-based labeling on all food products.

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

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Professionals tell students to find their brand to facilitate job success

Laramie -- “What makes you unique?”

Kim Stackhouse of JBS asked students to think about the question while exploring job opportunities after they finish college. Stackhouse and Jeff Weyers with Zinpro spoke to a dozen college students about developing a brand and setting themselves up for career success during a recent student luncheon at the High Plains Nutrition and Management Roundtable in Laramie.

“What brands you as a person?” Stackhouse asked the students. “We need to figure out what makes us unique and irreplaceable.”

“Attitude is also important. At JBS, those two things equal each other,” she said.

Preparing for her presentation, Stackhouse recalls a discussion about uniqueness with her supervisor. He tells her that she is unique because of her capacity to operate at a high technical level, communicate in an easy to understand fashion and, from a company perspective, see the big picture.

“This is what makes me unique, but we have to find what makes us unique because for each of us, it will be something different,” she explained.

Don’t look at one job Students should selfevaluate, determine what

they are passionate about and how they can make a difference.

“Don’t think we are made for one job, just because that’s what we studied,” Weyers said.

Throughout college, he only studied and did research within the beef industry. After earning his bachelor’s, master’s and graduate degrees, Weyers became a dairy nutritionist.

“I had never fed a single beef cow in my life, except my own,” he said.

“I tell people that if they wait for the perfect conditions, they will never get anything done.”

Stackhouse noted, at JBS, they say, “Don’t let perfection get in the way of progress.”

Who you know The relationships students build can also lead to job positions that were never advertised.

“I don’t like to admit the world works like this, but it’s becoming a world of who we know,” Weyers told students. “It’s critical that students take any opportunity they can to get to know people in their industry.”

Being kind to people is a valuable asset.

“What I have learned and tell people is to work hard and be nice to people, especially those in the industry. We need to

ask ourselves how people perceive us and what we believe in. We would be surprised how many people move into high-paying positions and don’t treat people well. It happens all the time.”

When he was a nutritionist in the dairy industry, Weyers says many people in similar jobs felt it was the pinnacle of their career.

“Our boots are on the ground. We do the feeding because we’re the nutritionists, and everyone wants to talk to us,” he recalled. “Companies will cater to us. They all want to talk to us because we are the gatekeeper of how the feedyard or dairy gets fed.

So, we feel very important.”

“If we treat people the wrong way there, it will come back to haunt us,” he shared. “Fortunately, I treated people with respect.

Now that I am on the company-wide, I am the one calling on the nutritionists.”

“I am also more aware of how people perceive me as a representative of Zinpro, because they were the ones calling on me for 10 years,” he explains.

Starting point Weyers recommends students start forming relationships in college. Many companies hire on relationship-based recommen-

dations, rather than posting a position.

“The relationships students build should start with department heads and professors. Those are the people companies call for recommendations when they are hiring. Get to know the key people, because those phone calls do take place,” he said.

Stackhouse added that forming relationships with other students is also important.

“People who students go to school with are the first contacts. There are two women I met at school that I work with nearly every day,” she explained.

Weyers and Stackhouse also encourage students to check out a potential job opening, even if it is something they never imagined doing.

“It is impossible for young people to know everything when they come out of college. But, we will train students for what we want them to do,” Weyers said.

Public speaking Public speaking skills can be key to many highpaying jobs.

Weyers said he had to develop public speaking skills and spent a lot of years being afraid of speaking in public.

“We don’t have to be a professional and a know-

“It is important to self-reflect. Think about what we can do better and don’t be afraid to make changes.” – Jeff Weyers, Zinpro it-all on every subject, but if we do our research and learn the material, it’s fun,” he said.

In fact, Weyers travels frequently to give presentations and now enjoys public speaking.

In a room of people, like a boardroom setting, Weyers tells the students to talk some but not to be overbearing.

“It is important to selfreflect. Think about what we can do better and don’t be afraid to make changes,” he said.

Stackhouse shared with the students that she is a natural introvert and finds public speaking hard but she has made it an important skill to learn for her job.

“I used to have to tell myself to say hello to people when I pass them in the hall or even make eye contact with them,” she said.

“But, I am becoming more comfortable with it now.”

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

Industry concerned about E15 E15’s move to year-round availability starting next year likely will face two potential barriers – the EPA’s legal authority to make the move and a tight timeline set out by the agency.

Ethanol industry leaders and other experts told reporters they believe science supports E15 – a blend of 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline – as good for the environment. But they said they continue to have concern about whether EPA can complete a rulemaking in time for the June 2019 driving season.

The agency announced recently that it plans to release a proposed rule in February 2019, with finalization coming by the end of May 2019.

Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper said the EPA could expedite the rule for an earlier release.

“It is a very short window,” he said during a teleconference. “It doesn’t give EPA a whole lot of wiggle room to get this done. It’s going to take pedal to the metal to make that happen.” – DTN

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 27 • November 3, 2018

It’s the Pitts

by Lee Pitts

Riding with the Big Boys One of the best perks about being a cow writer has been that it served as a gateway to visit many of the biggest and best ranches in America. The highlight came when I got to sleep in the legendary Big House at the King Ranch and dine at a table whose centerpiece was a big silver bowl awarded in 1943 to the seventh Triple Crown winner in history, the King Ranch’s own Assault.

During a time when many cowboys are without cows and anyone with a good-sized flower garden calls itself a “ranch,” I got to visit ranches in West Texas that were measured in sections not acres, and anything less than 40 sections was considered a hobby farm.

I climbed all over Arizona’s big spreads like the OROs, Pruett and Wray, and John Wayne’s 26 Bar. I’ve written about many of

Alfalfa workshops set Alfalfa weevil and black grass bug integrated pest management (IPM) strategies and research are topics of free workshops in Powell and Sheridan in November.

The Powell workshop is 2-4 p.m. on Nov. 13 at the Powell Research and Extension Center. The Sheridan workshop is 2-4 p.m. on Nov. 14 at the Sheridan Research and Extension Center.

Alfalfa weevil is the most economically damaging insect to alfalfa grown for hay in the Intermountain region, said Blake Hauptman, University of Wyoming Extension educator based in Crook County.

Knowing how to monitor them and when to start a management strategy before populations reach an economic threshold is critical, he said. Improper management can lead to ineffective pesticide applications and waste dollars.

Extension Educator Jeremiah Vardiman, based in Park County, will present research and information on alfalfa weevil development and control.

Black grass bugs can cause significant damage to western range grasses, primarily to pastures reseeded to introduced wheatgrasses, said Hauptman.

UW Extension Entomologist Scott Schell will discuss impacts and IPM strategies for the pest.

“Pastures with wheatgrass varieties are common in Wyoming and provide substantial amounts of forage for livestock, so it is critical to recognize if black grass bugs are causing considerable damage to the forage resource,” said Hauptman.

Contact Vardiman at 307-754-8836 or jvardima@ uwyo.edu for information for the Powell workshop and Hauptman at 307-283-1192 or bhauptma@uwyo.edu for the Sheridan workshop.

California’s old land-grant ranches and find it sad that I can think of only one that’s still in the same family it was granted to. I got to ride out with the cowboys for a branding on the Bell Ranch in New Mexico. At night, we slept in our bedrolls, and they told me to cover by boots with my cowboy hat so snakes or scorpions wouldn’t climb in them and surprise me the next morning.

Every year, I got to go to Nebraska’s Haythorn Ranch for a video sale, and in Oregon, I got to visit and write stories about Oregon’s MC and part of Peter French’s former empire. As part of Western Video Market, I also got to take part in selling the cattle off many of the biggest spreads in the West, like the 1,000head lot of ZX calves we auctioned off in a grand total of 31 seconds.

I’ve always been awed by the great cattle barons in history, like Henry Miller of Miller and Lux who, it

was said, could ride in his buggy from southern California into British Colombia and sleep on his own land every night. It was also said of the notorious tightwad that not once along the way would he eat his own beef because the beef he ate always wore a neighbor’s brand.

I rode over ground once known as Swan Land and Cattle that was owned by a bunch of Scotsmen that covered 3.250 million acres and had so many brands they had their own brand book. And I live within a couple hours’ drive from the epicenter of what was once known as the Kern County Land Company that operated in multiple states and was the largest ranch in the world at its height, with 3.75 million acres under its control. Folks around here just called it “The Land Company,” and everyone knew who you were talking about.

When we lived in New Mexico, I often found

“I was always of the belief that you should never run more cows than your wife could take care of.”

– Lee Pitts myself on ground once owned by Maxwell Cattle Company that had 1.75 million acres in New Mexico and Colorado and was so large the Atchison and Topeka Railroad had six stations on the ranch.

The Chiricahua Cattle Company was on the San Carlos Apache Reservation and ran 45,000 head of cattle at one time.

They were known simply as “the Cherries.” I always wondered how they could possibly run on so many acres or look after so many cows. I was always of the belief that you should never run more cows than your wife could take care of.

Another famous Texas ranch I enjoyed writing about was the 101 Ranch that had its own Wild West Show. Few people knew it was so named because it consisted of 101,000

acres.

Whenever I visited one of these monster ranches, I always felt intimidated and felt I had to somehow justify my little 100 head cow/calf operation and try to compete with them.

I remember horseback riding on a huge Arizona border spread with the owner who told me, “I’ve got so many cattle there are thousands here that have never felt a rope around their neck.”

“Yeah,” I commiserated, “that’s the quality of ropers I get at my place, too.”

And I remember being on another huge Texas ranch in the Permian Basin whose owner told me, “My place is so big it takes three days to ride around it.”

Not to be outdone, I said, “Yeah, I had a pickup like that once, too.”