SPRING MELT

Muddy conditions may decrease animal performance

After an early April storm slammed the U.S., piling up several feet of snow and toppling a handful of snowfall records, on top of a long winter with some of the toughest conditions many have ever seen, the sun finally started shining and temperatures began to rise.

Although the warmth is welcome, producers and livestock alike will have to face another obstacle as the heavy snow load starts to melt – mud.

Industry experts agree mud accumulation can present a long list of problems on an operation, and they encourage producers to do their best to mitigate these issues.

Decreased performance

First and foremost, mud can have a severe impact on cattle performance.

In a Drovers article, dated April 7, 2016, University of Wisconsin Extension Specialist Bill Halfman explains mud makes it more difficult for animals to move around, requiring them to expend more energy, and therefore, increasing their energy requirements – up to 10 percent.

Additionally, energy requirements increase for cattle when they are cold, wet and covered in mud since they need more energy to stay warm. But, since mobility is difficult, animals will make fewer trips to the feedbunk

Please see MUD on page 9

NCBA receives FMD funding

Although eradicated in the U.S. in 1929, foot and mouth disease (FMD) is still a major concern for U.S. cattle producers as an outbreak could cause major economic disruptions in the beef system.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), FMD is a worldwide concern as it can spread quickly and cause significant economic losses.

FMD also has serious impacts on livestock trade. In fact, a single detection of FMD will likely stop international trade completely for a period of time.

In an effort to help further prevent entry into the U.S., USDA recently awarded the National Cattleman’s Beef Association (NCBA) nearly half a million dollars in funding to advance the Secure Beef Supply (SBS) Plan in the event of an FMD outbreak in the U.S.

“NCBA thanks USDA for awarding this critical funding. The SBS Plan, combined with USDA’s national vaccine bank, provides a strong safety net for cattle producers and multiple tools to mitigate risk from a potential outbreak,” says Allison Rivera, NCBA executive director of government affairs in a recent press release.

FMD facts

According to APHIS, “FMD causes illness in cows, pigs, sheep, goats, deer and other animals with divided hooves. It does not affect horses, dogs or cats. FMD is not a public health or food safety threat. It is also not related to hand, foot and mouth disease, which is a common childhood illness caused by a different virus.”

Ram test

UW Extension wraps up largest ram test to date at annual field day

Sixty-four years ago, University of Wyoming (UW) Extension created a ram test in an effort to help producers improve flock genetics. Today, UW Extension continues to maintain this mission by holding an annual test and field day for producers in Wyoming and surrounding states.

This year’s program wrapped up at the culminating field day event on April 1 in Laramie.

“The field day was great this year,” commented UW Sheep Unit Manager Kalli Koepke. “The UW sheep team put on a fantastic educational program on the integration of technology with performance data and the National Sheep Improvement Program, a ram cost of production benchmarking study update and bent leg and ram test genomic research updates.”

Koepke noted Extension personnel also provided ram test results and answered producer questions during the event.

“Following the program, we proceeded with a silent auction and viewing

Egg prices expected to fall after Easter

In recent months, downward-trending egg prices started rising again based on seasonal demand for Easter. However, following the holiday, consumers can expect prices to fall again, according to Dr. David Anderson, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist at Bryan-College Station.

Anderson said the Consumer Price Index reported retail egg prices dropped from $4.82 per dozen to $4.21 per dozen between January and February. Prices continued to fall into early March, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported wholesale egg prices made their annual climb as Easter approached.

Egg demand historically peaks each year with traditions related to Easter, such as egg hunts and baking for holiday meals, and prices typically follow.

“We were seeing prices come down, due in part to production levels improving and some reduced consumer demand because of high prices,” he said. “But, recent price trends are likely related to this buildup to the Easter holiday.”

Avian influenza timeline

Egg prices over the past year have been historically high. The number of table egg-laying hens has generally declined over the last few years due

Earlier this year, some individuals involved in agriculture from the Douglas area and those involved in rodeo at the Wyoming State Fair (WSF) started discussing the opportunity to bring back the ranch rodeo at WSF.

The good news is, at their latest board meeting, WSF agreed to partner with this local group and host the ranch rodeo on Aug. 15 at WSF.

I applaud both the local group and WSF for making this happen. It is really good news.

The local group had raised enough money for a stock contractor and prizes to put on the rodeo and calcutta when they first met with the WSF board and rodeo staff. At subsequent meetings, negotiations decided what each party could provide.

The goal of both groups was to determine how the partnership could put on a ranch rodeo this summer and in to the future.

The ranch rodeo was always a popular event at WSF, as the stands were usually full of spectators. It is a fitting event for the state of Wyoming, and it gave winning competitors the opportunity to qualify for regional and national ranch rodeos.

It made us realize there are some excellent ranch rodeo teams from Wyoming, and we are proud of them.

In 2022, there wasn’t a ranch rodeo at WSF. The board discontinued it because it didn’t make any money the year prior. I sure hope this partnership can make it work for the future.

During the April 11 meeting, it was troubling for me to hear WSF express their goal of increasing revenue for the state. This goal, which is a statutory responsibility of WSF, really puts the WSF board and staff in a tight position. Sure we all like to make money, but I don’t think WSF should be a revenue maker for the state.

There is a good staff and board managing WSF, and they are trying to keep the fair afloat for the future, while providing a great fair experience for all who attend.

State fairs should be held to showcase agriculture and our Western way of life. It is a time to showcase 4-H and FFA youth and the hard work that goes in to their projects.

But, in order to provide these opportunities, there has to be entertainment, such as a demolition derby, on top of the cost of admission to bring in revenue.

There are two states in the nation that don’t have a state fair anymore, and I suppose it’s because of lack of resources. We need to recognize a successful state fair needs to be subsidized by the state, and it will need a strong sponsorship from businesses. This is sometimes hard for states like Wyoming with its boom and bust history.

A successful state fair needs strong support from local area communities. Instead of asking what a state fair will do for us, we need to ask what we can do to support our state fair.

And most importantly, we all need to stop complaining, myself included. A state fair is an easy target, but it’s also easy to support.

WSF has a long list of supporters who have worked tirelessly throughout its history, and we can honor them by following their example. We also need to visit with our legislators and explain the good things WSF does for our state.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup