Volume 35 Number 33 • December 9, 2023
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The Weekly News Source for Ranchers, Farmers and the Agribusiness Community • www.wylr.net
A Look Inside
State legislators provide update at WSGA winter convention
Rep. Albert Sommers outlines the education savings account in Wyoming....................Page 2
Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA) Executive Vice President Jim Magagna kicked off the last day of the 2023 WSGA Winter Roundup Convention and Trade Show with the
UW Extension offers tips for discussing succession planning this holiday season........... ......................................Page 7 Test your ag knowledge with this month's crossword puzzle ......................................Page 8
annual legislative breakfast. Magagna introduced Sen. Cheri Steinmetz (R-SD3), Senate Ag Committee chair member, and Rep. Scott Heiner (R-HD18), Federal Natural Resource Manage-
ment Committee member, who gave attendees a legislative update. Legislative action items “WSGA and its members value the relationship it has with Wyoming Legisla-
ture, and it is imperative we provide information on local and state topics of concern to you,” Magagna stated. “It is important for individuals of the community, such as Please see WSGA on page 15
WIP works to improve economic prosperity
Make It With Wool Wyoming State Contest held in Casper... ......................................Page 9
Quick Bits Crop Prices As of Dec. 5, wheat prices edged one to four cents per bushel lower during the overnight trading session, with profit takers taking the top off of the Dec. 4 three-month high. Soybean prices rose three to six cents per bushel, with nearby Jan. 24 prices rising to $13.12 bushel. Corn prices wavered between gains and losses. Old crop futures prices traded one cent per bushel lower, while new crop futures rose one to two cents per bushel.
Cowboy HOF The Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame (HOF) is now accepting nominations. The deadline to submit nominations is Feb. 15, 2024. Nomination forms can be found at wyomingcowboyhalloffame.org. For questions, e-mail wchfassistant@ gmail.com.
BLM Meeting The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board is meeting Dec. 12-14 and the public is invited to participate. The meeting will be livestreamed at blm. gov/live. Additionally, the board is accepting public comments on Dec. 13 from 10:15-11:15 a.m. and Dec. 14 from 3-4 p.m. Written comments may also be submitted up to three days prior to the meeting and should be emailed to blm_wo_advisory_board_comments@ blm.gov.
Application The Pinedale Anticline Project Office (PAPO) is soliciting project applications for potential 2024 funding. Project application information and materials can be found at eplanning.blm.gov/eplanningui/project/77515/510, and the deadline for 2024 PAPO project applications is Jan. 31, 2024. To submit an application or for more information, contact Tracy Hoover at thoover@blm. gov or 307-367-5342.
Development and diversification
Grit and Perseverance Beef industry continues to fight and come out on top, despite continuous attacks
Cattle producers and other industry stakeholders gathered in Central Wyoming for the 2023 Wyoming Stock Growers Association Winter Roundup Convention and Trade Show, held Dec. 4-6 at the Ramkota Hotel in Casper. With the overarching theme of “Engaging in Your Industry,” the event provided a full schedule of commit-
tee meetings, educational programming, guest speakers, award luncheons, a legislative update, remarks from Wyoming’s Congressional delegation and a visit from special guests Gov. Mark Gordon and First Lady Jennie Gordon. On Dec. 5, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Please see BEEF on page 9
Optimistic update – National Cattlemen's Beef Association Chief Executive Officer Colin Woodall provided an optimistic update on the beef industry during the Wyoming Stock Growers Association Winter Roundup Convention and Trade Show in Casper. WYLR photo
WGFD, WLSB awards presented This year’s AccessYes and Law Enforcement Recognition honorees were announced at the annual awards luncheon, held during the Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA) Winter Roundup Convention and Trade Show in Casper on Dec. 6. Each year, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) recognizes landowners who are enrolled in the department’s AccessYes Program, contributing significantly to the hunting and fishing tradition of the Cowboy State. Additionally, WSGA and the Wyoming Livestock Board (WLSB) partnered to recognize state law enforcement officers who have provided outstanding services to their local communities and livestock producers during the event. AccessYes awards The AccessYes Program is comprised of hunter management areas (HMAs), walk-in hunting areas (WIHAs), walk-in fishing areas (WIFAs) and the Hunter/Landowner Assistance Program, and this year four families from each corner of Wyoming were honored. WGFD Southeast Wyoming Access Coordinator Kelly Todd began the ceremony by thanking everyone involved in the program for caring for the great state of Wyoming and introduced the Southwest AccessYes Award recipients, the Hanks family. The Hanks family reside in Uinta County and provide WIHAs for antelope, elk and deer, while enhancing the public land around them for hunting. Clyde Hanks, who has since passed, wanted to enhance the land and provide hunting opportunities to others. Please see AWARDS on page 14
As the Wyoming Innovation Partnership (WIP) continues to develop Wyoming’s strategy for economic development and diversification, leaders from around the state heard updates from panel experts at the 2023 Governor’s Business Forum held at the University of Wyoming’s (UW) Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center in Laramie on Nov 14. The panel included Wyoming Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Lance Porter, UW President Ed Seidel, Western Wyoming Community College President Dr. Kim Dale and Eastern Wyoming College President Dr. Jeffry Hawes, who updated forum attendees on progress made and the future of WIP. What is WIP? WIP was created at the request of Gov. Mark Gordon in 2021 to modernize and focus Wyoming’s efforts to develop a resilient workforce and economy. The effort aims to better align Wyoming’s economic development agenda by increasing collaborations between state entities and local partners. The expert panel discussed how essential partnerships between UW, state Please see WIP on page 8
Ag economist provides beef market overview Livestock Marketing Information Center (LMIC) Ag Economist Tyler Cozzens provided updates on and predictions for the beef market during the Progressive Rancher Forum held Dec. 4 at the Wyoming Stock Growers Association Winter Roundup Convention and Trade Show in Casper. “The title of this program is ‘Beef Market Prices – How Many Good Years Are Ahead?’ And, to get right to the point, I believe it will be two, possibly three years,” Cozzens began. Forage and crops Cozzens noted it is important to first have a discussion on forages and crops before diving into the beef market.
He pulled up a current U.S. Drought Monitor map and pointed out most of the West has come out of a fairly devastating drought, and the majority of Wyoming is no longer facing drought conditions. Drought conditions have instead shifted to the South, with impacts felt in the Southwest, Southeast and parts of Texas. Additionally, he noted hay stocks are down in Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Colorado, while other Western states have plenty of available forage. “For hay prices in Wyoming, monthly alfalfa prices have come down in the last few months compared to a year ago, but they are still higher than the typical
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Please see OUTLOOK on page 8