GUEST OPINIONS

Wolf Reintroduction in Colorado

As many know, voters in Colorado narrowly passed Proposition 114 in 2020, which approved the reintroduction of wolves on the Western slope.

While Rocky Mountain Farmers Union (RMFU) policy is clear in that we do not support wildlife management by ballot initiative as the vehicle for wolf reintroduction, we are now dealing with the reality wolves will be in the state in the near future.

The reintroduction of wolves is a major concern for RMFU and the ranchers we represent, particularly because of the inevitable disproportionate impact on individual ranching operations due to this reintroduction.

In addition to actively participating in the Wolf Restoration and Management Plan the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission is crafting, we are currently advocating for legislation in the Colorado General Assembly to guarantee ranchers are fairly compensated for losses they incur, as well as ensuring the state has all of the necessary tools to manage the wolf population effectively.

Wolf Depredation Compensation Fund

One of our major concerns related to the Wolf Restoration and Management Plan is the lack of a plan for sustained funding for compensation for depredation and production losses – lower weaning weights, lower pregnancy rates, etc.

Luckily, Senate Bill (SB) 23-255, Wolf Depredation Compensation Fund is addressing this. As intro-

By The Rocky Mountain Farmers Union

duced, the bill would only have paid for depredation and veterinary bills related to a wolf attack. We pushed for the legislation to allow the fund to include production losses.

Also, as the bill is written, any funds left over at the end of the fiscal year would revert to the Wildlife Cash Fund with CPW. We have advocated for these funds to be earmarked for wolf and livestock conflict minimization efforts so ranchers can offset costs related to prevention.

Previously, reverted funds could have been used by CPW for any program, including those not related to aiding ranchers with the burden associated with the wolf reintroduction.

SB 23-255 passed the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee unanimously on March 30. The bill awaits a hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee before it heads to the Senate floor for a vote.

We are hopeful this bill will pass the Senate and move to the House in the next week or two.

The $350,000 fund will be pivotal to ensuring ranchers receive fair and just compensation for depredation and production losses that we are certain will happen due to the reintroduction of wolves.

It is important to note the framework we worked out can be adjusted each year depending on the impacts of wolf reintroduction.

Management of Gray Wolves Reintroduction Bill

The other bill we are actively advocating for is SB 23-256, Management of Gray Wolves Reintroduction. This bill would ensure CPW has all of the necessary tools to manage the wolf population upon reintroduction.

Concerns, stories, questions or anything else related to this issue that individuals would like to share, should be e-mailed to RMFU Director of Government Relations Tyler Garrett at tyler.garrett@rmfu.org.

One of two main components would need to be completed before the reintroduction of wolves could occur. It requires the 10(j) Rule be adopted by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior before reintroduction.

It is imperative the ruling on the 10(j) Rule happen prior to the reintroduction of wolves in Colorado.

Since wolves are currently listed as an endangered species, this rule would allow wolves introduced into Colorado to be listed as an experimental population, which means the population in the state is not crucial to the species’ survival.

If the 10(j) Rule were in place, like it was when wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone, the state would have more tools available to them to manage the population effectively. This is because wolves in Colorado would be treated as a threatened species instead of an endangered species.

Without the rule in place, the state would have to defer to federal authorities to manage the wolf population, which would effectively nullify the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan. This would be detrimental to minimizing conflicts between the wolves, livestock and working animals.

The second component of the bill requires an environmental impact study on federal lands by reintroducing before wolves are placed on the ground. This bill also passed the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on March 30.

While wolf proponents have argued reintroduced wolves will only be on state and private land, it is common knowledge wolves migrate and can cover large areas of land.

Therefore, it is hard to imagine wolves will not make their way onto the extensive federal lands naturally located in western Colorado. It is important to know the impacts on native species already on federal lands, including the endangered sage grouse.

Wolves will most certainly have a sizable impact on the ecosystems on federal land, which is why it is important to understand this before reintroduction.

Please see WOLVES on page 4

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UW to host judging camp

The University of Wyoming (UW) is now accepting registration for the annual UW Livestock Judging Camp, which will be held June 12-14 in Laramie. Students ages 10 to 18 are eligible to participate.

Early registration, accepted until May 1, costs $300. From May 2-31, registration costs $325. This includes meals lodging, a UW judging manual, a camp T-shirt and other recreational activities during the camp.

To register, visit uw.uwyo.edu/livestock_camp_2023

For more information, contact Landon Eldridge at landon. eldridge@uwyo.edu or 979-224-1340.

BLM holds April adoption

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will offer 40 to 50 wild horses and burros for adoption on April 28 at the Wheatland Off-Range Corral in Wheatland.

Anyone interested can preview the animals starting at 8 a.m. until the live, competitive auction begins at 10 a.m. Animals not taken during the auction will be available on a first come, first served basis for the standard adoption fee of $125. The event ends at 3 p.m.

To qualify, adopters must be at least 18 years old and have facilities meeting the BLM’s requirements. To learn more about adoption requirements or to get adoption applications pre-approved, visit wildhorsesonline. blm.gov/.

Wild horses and burros for adoption were removed from overpopulated herds roaming Western public rangelands. In an effort to find every animal a good home, the BLM offers up to $1,000 to adopt an untrained animal.

To learn more about the adoption incentive program or for updates on future events, visit blm.gov/whb

USDA invests in infrastructure

On April 11, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary Xochitl Torres Small announced the BidenHarris administration is investing $6.6 million across the country to help people living in rural towns develop community-sized renewable energy projects to help lower their energy costs and create jobs.

These grants are part of the Rural Energy Pilot Program, which allows for community-driven solutions to address high energy costs and pollution through renewable energy systems, including wind, solar and other technologies like geothermal, micro-hydroelectric and biomass/bioenergy.

A portion of the awarded funds may also be used for community energy planning, capacity building, technical assistance, efficiency and weatherization.

This program, unique within USDA Rural Development, will provide historically underserved communities with the opportunity to keep essential systems functioning during climate change related extreme weather events and build resiliency directly into their energy infrastructure.

ALB promotes grazing

April is Earth Month and the ideal time for the American Lamb Board (ALB) to release a new grazing video featuring the benefits of sheep grazing. The video features American lamb farmers and ranchers across the U.S. using sheep to enhance landscapes, improve habitat, support wildfire prevention and even help other industries be more sustainable, as sheep offer natural weed control around vineyards and solar operations.

ALB is promoting the new video on social media, through a virtual video premiere and a campaign with Outside, Inc. The campaign will drive views of ALB’s grazing video on the Outdoor network and generate over four million impressions.

The campaign includes a mixture of display ads on Outside’s website, video advertisements on Outside TV, social media promotion and a custom content piece. Outside will feature an article on their website about the sheep industry’s sustainability efforts with embedded content from ALB’s grazing video.

The campaign is set to run through April and May.

For more information, visit lambresourcecenter.com

Monthly webinars offered

For Wyomingites interested in current and predicted drought status, temperatures and precipitation levels, the Wyoming Conditions and Monitoring Team (WCMT) will facilitate monthly webinars, which are open to the public.

Founded in response to an ongoing drought which emerged in 2020, WCMT brings together state, federal, university and Tribal partners to monitor and report droughtrelated information to the people of Wyoming and U.S. Drought Monitor.

WCMT’s monthly webinars address local and statewide precipitation, average temperatures, stream flow, reservoir levels, soil moisture and more. In addition to reporting current conditions, experts compare data to historical trends and relay predictions for the coming weeks and months.

The webinars also address seasonally relevant topics, such as flooding outlooks, wildland fire potential and snow water equivalent.

Webinars typically occur on the third Thursday of each month from 1-2 p.m. Webinar recordings and downloadable PDFs of the presentations are available at drought.wyo.gov Recordings can also be found on the University of Wyoming Extension’s YouTube channel.

The next Wyoming Conditions and Outlooks webinar is scheduled for April 20 at 1 p.m. To register, visit bit. ly/4014att

To join the monthly WCMT webinar invite list or submit questions, contact Windy Kelley at wkelley1@uwyo.edu.

Tom Horn Days scheduled

The Fourth Annual Tom Horn Days Cowboy Rendezvous has been scheduled for Aug. 11-13 in Bosler. This event will celebrate rich cowboy history and heritage through three action-packed days, featuring concerts, pasture bronc riding, pasture team roping, muley roping, stray gathering, camping, vendors, Sunday morning Cowboy Church and area history.

“Since 1874, when the Swan brothers formed the Swan Land and Cattle Company and other big cattlemen, such as Ora Haley, Bosler and Coble, invested in vast tracts of rich Wyoming grasslands, cowboys have been on the job day and night riding the rough string, pushing cows and gathering, branding and shipping. The rich heritage of the Laramie Plains around Bosler is steeped in this history, including being the part time headquarters of Stock Detective Tom Horn,” reads the Tom Horn Days website.

For more information about the event, visit tomhorndays.com

NCBA praises decision

On April 12, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) praised the decision by a judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota to grant a preliminary injunction stopping the Biden administration’s Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule from taking effect in 24 states.

Combined with a previous ruling in the Southern District of Texas, 26 states across the country are protected from Biden’s WOTUS rule.

“Once again, the courts have affirmed the Biden administration’s WOTUS rule is overreaching and harmful to America’s beef farmers and ranchers,” said NCBA President Todd Wilkinson. “Cattle producers in 26 states now have some additional certainty while this rule is being litigated, and we are optimistic the Supreme Court will provide nationwide clarity on the federal government’s proper jurisdiction over water.”

This injunction was granted thanks to a lawsuit filed by 24 state attorney generals seeking to overturn the WOTUS rule.

In total, NCBA and its litigation partners have secured preliminary injunctions in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.

NCBA’s motion for a nationwide injunction is still pending in the North Dakota court.

UW to host workshop

The University of Wyoming (UW) Extension will celebrate spring with a honey tasting event and educational program on April 29 at the Agricultural Learning and Resource Center in Casper, located at 2011 Fairgrounds Road. Programming begins at 8:30 a.m. and concludes at 12:45 p.m.

Elizabeth Moore, assistant lecturer of plant sciences, will kick off the event with a presentation and live demo on container gardening and pollinator-friendly plants that thrive in Wyoming.

UW Extension Horticulturist Catherine Wissner will lead the honey-tasting component of the program. Under her guidance, participants will learn about the nuances of honey flavors, then taste and evaluate a variety of honey samples.

Grace Shearrer, assistant professor of family and consumer sciences, will wrap up the event with a presentation on natural sweeteners and healthy options for satisfying sugar cravings.

To register for the event, visit the Natrona County Extension Office or call 307-235-9400. For those who sign up before April 21, the cost is $20 per person. After April 21, the cost is $25. Pre-payment is preferred, cash or check only.

Door prizes include a honey-tasting kit from Z Specialty Food, LLC and a jar of local honey from Hat Six Honey.

Trade mission launches

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis Taylor will lead USDA’s first-ever regional agribusiness trade mission to the Netherlands April 17-20.

Taylor will head a diverse delegation of more than 50 businesses, trade associations and state government leaders seeking to grow U.S. agricultural exports to the Netherlands, Scandinavia and beyond.

During the mission, U.S. participants will meet with importers from the Netherlands, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark.

With demand for high-quality U.S. products on the rise, Taylor expressed optimism the Netherlands trade mission will provide promising export opportunities for the wide variety of products American agriculture has to offer, from soybeans and tree nuts to meat and sweet potatoes, snacks, distilled spirits, forestry products and more.

While on the trade mission, participants will conduct business-to-business meetings with potential buyers, receive market briefings from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service and industry trade experts and participate in site visits.

Several businesses and individuals from Western states will embark on the mission. They include the U.S. Dry Pea and Lentil Council of Moscow, Idaho; Bard Valley Date Growers of Yuma, Ariz.; Beck and Bullow of Santa Fe, N.M.; Stahmanns Pecans of La Mesa, N.M.; Best Buy Grocers, Inc. of Seattle, Wash.; Fresh Nature Foods of Walla Walla, Wash.; the Western U.S. Agricultural Trade Association of Vancouver, Wash. and JM Grain of Garrison, N.D.

Six California companies will also be in attendance. These include the American Commodity Company, LLC; American Trading International; Blue Diamond Growers; MEM Fairway, Inc.; Redwood International and Sun Valley Rice.

In addition to the trade mission to the Netherlands, USDA is also planning a trade mission to Japan in June, to Chile in September, Malaysia in October and Angola in December.

Learn more about USDA trade missions by visiting fas. usda.gov/topics/trade-missions

WOLVES continued from page 2 efforts

RMFU is doing everything we can to ensure when wolves are reintroduced, ranchers are prepared and will have access to fair and just compensation for impacts from wolves.

It is also vital to hear from the public about the concerns they have regarding this reintroduction so we can accurately relay their concerns. We will continue to engage until the Wolf Restoration and Management Plan is final and to work with legislators as we continue to fight for Colorado ranchers.

The Rocky Mountain Farmers Union originally published this column on their website rmfu.org on April 6.

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Veterinarian shares tips to help newborn calves that aren’t breathing

Sometimes a newborn calf is stressed and exhausted from a difficult birth, and they struggle to breath. There are several ways to stimulate the calf to breathe or offer artificial respiration if the calf doesn’t start breathing on its own.

Dr. Jennifer Pearson of the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine says as soon as a calf is born, it is important to check the airway, breathing and circulation.

Resuscitation tips

“A few things many producers and veterinarians used to do, which is not recommended anymore, was to hold the calf up by the hind legs, hang the calf upside down over a fence or gate or swing the calf around in a circle to try to drain fluid out of the airways,”explains Pearson.

“Although fluid does come out of the calf’s nose and mouth when we do this, it is actually fluid from the stomach, not the trachea,” she continues.

She adds, “Newborn calves always have fluid in their stomachs because they normally swallow some of the fluid they float in while they are in the uterus.”

This fluid is important for a calf’s health and should not be removed. Hanging calves upside down to try to drain fluid from their airways is actually counterproductive. All of the weight from the intestines pushes against the diaphragm, which makes it even harder for calves to breathe.

Today, veterinarians recommend putting calves in the resuscitation position instead.

“We place them upright, resting on the breastbone, rather than flat on one side, and we pull the hind legs forward so the feet are up by their ears,” explains Pearson. “This helps keep the calf propped upright, resting on the belly and breastbone. The front legs can be straight out in front of the

EGGS continued from page 1 to high production costs, including feed and low egg prices.

But, since February 2022, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) led to the loss of 58.6 million poultry birds in 47 states, including more than 43 million laying hens.

The disease is believed to hit table egg-laying poultry flocks more frequently because egg-laying hens are in production much longer than broiler chickens, which increases their risk of exposure to the pathogen.

Egg-laying operations produce both table eggs and those for hatching, either in broiler production to provide meat in grocery stores and restaurants or to replenish laying hen numbers.

For instance, in April 2019, the U.S. layer flock consisted of 406 million hens, with 344 million hens producing eggs bound for table use.

There were 327 million hens producing table eggs in the U.S. flock in December 2021, and the average cost for a dozen eggs was $1.79.

Avian influenza outbreaks were reported in poultry operations in seven states by February 2022, and prices were $2.05 per dozen by March. By April, 23 million commercial poultry birds, including laying hens, broilers, ducks and turkeys, had been lost from production in dozens of states.

Replacing egg layers takes time, and commercial egg producers continued to replace lost birds as outbreaks continued to pop up across the country. The table egg-laying flock climbed to 309 million by December 2022 and recently reached 313 million hens. But, this is still 12 million fewer than in March of last year.

Avian influenza continues to be a concern as calf or tucked under it. Their head and neck are forward, with their nose low to the ground, as fluid in the air passages drains out.”

“This position enables both lungs of a calf to expand. If the calf is lying flat, there is too much pressure on the bottom lung to allow it to fill with air. This can hinder the calf’s ability to breathe appropriately,” she says.

Additionally, Pearson notes it’s important to clear fluid and mucus from the nose and mouth. Producers can keep a small suction bulb in a coat pocket for sucking out extra fluid and mucus.

The next step is to stimulate the calf to take a breath. Producers should use a clean piece of hay or straw to tickle the inside of one nostril. If the calf is conscious, this usually makes them sneeze or cough and take a breath.

She explains another method may include using a small-diameter needle to poke the center of the calf’s nose. Pearson notes it may not get the calf to breath normally, but it can get them started.

“I also do vigorous rubbing, with a towel or straw, all over the calf’s body, to stimulate circulation,” she says.

Check for a heartbeat

Pearson also encourages producers to check for a heartbeat. The calf may be unconscious and unresponsive, but if the heart is still beating, there is a chance producers can get them going.

She notes in many cases, newborn calves have a heartbeat, but they are not breathing.

If this is the case, artificial respiration can be attempted

To do this, producers should lay the calf on its side with its head and neck extended, hold the mouth and one nostril shut and blow a breath into the

"It's important to make sure the airway is open and the esophagus is closed off, so it helps if the head and neck are extended – Dr. Jennifer Pearson, University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine other nostril.

Pearson notes it is important to blow gently until the chest rises, then let the air come back out and blow in another breath –continuing to breathe for the calf until it starts breathing on its own.

“There are some devices available to help give artificial respiration,” she adds.

“One is called the McCulloch Calf Resuscitator, which is designed to inflate the lungs. It has a mask that fits over the calf’s nose and mouth, with a syringe to push air in and help inflate the lungs.”

One drawback to doing this is sometimes air goes into the stomach instead of the lungs.

“It’s important to make sure the airway is open and the esophagus is closed off, so it helps if the head and neck are extended,” explains Pearson. it circulates through wild bird populations, but commercial operations are not reporting losses at previous levels, due to increased biosecurity procedures.

If the calf is unconscious, unresponsive and there is no heartbeat, producers can do chest compressions, however, Pearson says this method isn’t usually successful. In many instances, if there is no heartbeat, it’s usually too late, she points out.

Pearson concludes there is research currently being done on devices to help resuscitate calves, however.

The previous peak price occurred in September 2015 at $2.97 per dozen and was also attributable to an HPAI outbreak in which more than 50 million commercial birds, including layers, broilers, turkeys and other poultry, were lost.

Market factors

Anderson said consumers should expect egg prices to fall after the Easter demand subsides. Supply and demand trends as well as expected feed cost declines in the future should fuel lower egg prices.

Egg producers are reporting fewer losses from the outbreak, so the table egg-laying flock should continue its return to normal levels, he noted.

If consumers continue to buy fewer eggs because of high prices, increased supplies should cause the price for a dozen eggs to trend down.

Another factor that could weigh into future egg prices will be the expectation the price of grains used in animal feed could decrease. Feed prices were exceptionally high over the past year, like many agriculture necessities including fertilizer, in response to multiple economic factors, from inflation to the war in Ukraine.

Anderson explained USDA’s prospective planting reports for corn was at 92 million acres, and good yields would be a positive signal for lower feed prices and livestock production.

“I think egg prices, the flock losses and recovery are a good representation of how long it can take to see the supply and demand side of agriculture play out,” he said. “We’ve seen this happen with drought and other calamities, natural and man- made, but an egg growing into a layer which produces more eggs to become more egg layers, is not an over-

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19

WEANED CALVES night thing.”

Kay Ledbetter is a communications manager for the Texas A&M AgriLife and

Extension Service. This article was originally published in the Texas A&M AgriLife E-Newsletter on April 4.

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