April 27, 2019

Volume 30 Number 52 • April 27, 2019

®

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

A Look Inside Regular vaccinations in sheep can help control clostridial organisms. . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6 Wyoming precipitation levels remain average across most of the state. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8 USMCA agreement is important for the future of U.S. trade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 9 Conservation economics is broken down for ranchers by economist Hal Gordon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 15

Quick Bits Public Meeting The Wyoming Broadband Advisory Council will hold a public meeting by teleconference from 1-5 p.m. on May 1 to talk about tele-health, mobile broadband, education and workforce transformation 2019 priorities and more. There will be time available for public comment. For more information, e-mail Broadband Manager Russ Elliott at russ.elliott@wyo.gov.

Labor markets impact the decline of rural communities Des Moines, Iowa – The rapidly changing pace of the agriculture industry across the U.S. brings to light conversations about innovation, technology and consumer engagement, and the National Institute for Animal Agriculture’s annual

spring meeting, held April 8-11 in Des Moines, Iowa, highlighted a variety of topics around the theme, “Animal Agriculture: Innovation, Technology and Consumer Engagement” to provide insight on the broad issues that impact the industry.

For the agriculture industry to succeed, Peter Orazem, a professor of economics at Iowa State University, noted rural entrepreneurs must be able to overcome a swath of challenges that are unique to small, isolated populations.

Orazem, a labor economist by trade, noted that technology generates interesting scenarios in labor and rural economies, creating winners and losers.

Labor markets The labor market brings Please see LABOR on page 15

OPTIMIZED PRODUCTIVITY Models can enhance rangeland monitoring systems

“Enhancing rangeland technology began with the ability to scale down our models and view smaller plots before we could view the entire ecosystem,” said University of Montana Research Scientist Nathanial Robinson.

Robinson has focused his research on remote tools to monitor rangeland ecosystems. He was among 10 speakers for the working lands for wildlife presentations at the 2019 Society for Range Management Conference.

Productivity defined “When we look at productivity, we all need to be on the same page about what productivity is,” Robinson said.

“There can be a lot of varying thoughts on what constitutes as productivity.”

He first defined production as the conversion of solar

energy to chemical energy through photosynthesis, which is represented by the total quantity of organic material produced within a given period by vegetation.

“Productivity is the rate of this production,” said Robinson. “Different professions all view productivity in a different way.”

“Ecologists view productivity as gross primary production (GPP) and net primary production (NPP),” according to Robinson. “Managers will look at biomass, standing crop, peak standing crop and total annual production.”

“All of these factors relate really well to each other,” said Robinson. “At the end of the day, it all comes down to forage on the ground, but the NPP and GPP are a really Please see RANGE on page 16

Surface Water The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Water Quality Division, Watershed Protection Program has posted the 2019 Surface Water Monitoring Plan to its website.

The plan describes the various surface water monitoring projects scheduled for 2019. Contact Jeremy ZumBerge at jeremy.zumberge@ wyo.gov or 307-675-5638 for more information.

Rangelands - Cattle also reap the benefits of healthy range systems. Wyoming Livestock Roundup Photo

NCBA Tour

Registration is now open to cattle producers for four events on National Cattleman’s Beef Association (NCBA) Stockmanship and Stewardship Regional Tour.

Events will be held in Iowa, Colorado, Kansas and Louisiana. The tour features events to be led by stockmanship experts. By attending, producers may also become Beef Quality Assurance certified.

Air Quality The American Lung Association’s 2019 State of the Air reports Wyoming received mixed grades for its air quality. While Casper and Cheyenne were rated two of the cleanest air quality areas in the country, Sublette, Campbell and Sheridan counties all received “D” grades. This year’s report showed ozone levels increased in most cities nationwide. Cheyenne experienced only one day of high ozone pollution during this data set.

Prescribed fire

Council organized in Wyoming Officially formed on Dec. 21, 2018, the Wyoming Prescribed Fire Council (WY-PFC) has been in the works for numerous years, according to advisory board member Michael Johnston.

“We had been talking on and off about a fire council for a few years and just never could get in touch with the right people,” says Johnston. “It finally started to come together last January when we got in contact with the Coalition of Prescribed Fire Councils.”

Getting started Johnston explained the key to getting the WYPFC started was getting the right individuals and agencies involved and on the same page.

“We reached out to a diverse audience of people and agencies when we first got started,” Johnston explains. “We needed people who were connected to fire and had a passion for making this council work.”

“I like to compare WYPFC to the rock soup story we all heard as kids,” he said. “If everyone brings a Please see FIRE on page 5

NCBA CEO retires Denver, Colo. − After 34 years with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), the past four as CEO, Kendal Frazier announced his plans for retirement in April. Frazier’s career began as a farm broadcaster in Kansas, where he also served as director of communications for Kansas Livestock Association before moving to Denver, Colo., to join the staff of the National Cattlemen’s Association (NCA), the predecessor organization to NCBA. During his illustrious career, he served the beef industry through some of its most challenging times and events.

“For more than three decades, the beef industry has benefitted from Kendal’s vision and leadership. There is no doubt in my mind that he has played a major role in ensuring the success of our industry today,” said NCBA President Jennifer Houston. “It has been my pleasure to work closely with Kendal for many years, and I can say without a doubt that we are far better off because of his service to cattlemen and cattlewomen.”

“I’m a lucky man to have worked in the cattle industry, what a wonderful journey this has been,” said Frazier in making the announcement. “It has been an honor to serve the men and women who make their living in the cattle business. I am confident that I’m leaving NCBA in a good place. Over the past several years, we have worked to strengthen NCBA’s relationship with our stakeholders, build the association’s financial resources and deepen our staff talent pool while ensuring we continue to meet growing demand for great tasting, high-quality beef at home and abroad and NCBA will continue its tradition of excellence long after my departure.”

NCBA will begin the search process to select a new CEO immediately, and Frazier will remain in place to assist with the transition process, until Dec. 31.

Team strives to solve water challenges Albin – Monty Lerwick, his cousin Damon Printz and father Ron Lerwick starting looking for opportunities to utilize remote sensing on their southeast Wyoming farm and ranch, seeking to ease the challenges associated with daily tasks on the operation.

“With our combined insights, we came up with a way to remotely check water levels by asking ourselves, what is something every rancher can use that we can build and build really well?” Monty says. “Our device is called Tank Toad, and it sends a text message to ranchers every day to update them on the water level in their stock tanks around the

ranch.”

Tank Toad provides information on the highest, lowest and average tank levels for the day, allowing ranchers to know if their stock tanks are within acceptable limits or not. Every morning, the device sends a text message relaying information on the water levels of each connected tank Starting from scratch Tank Toad is built on a four-inch square outdoor electric box. It has an aluminum face plate, swivel bolt and bracket to hold the solar panel that powers the unit. An antenna is also essential

periodical

periodical

Please see WATER on page 7

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 52 • April 27, 2019

Waste Not, Want Not

To help combat food waste, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is launching Ace the Waste, a student competition for food waste reduction ideas. This first-ever competition calls on students to come up with creative solutions to From the reduce food loss and waste in the United Publisher States.

Dennis Sun

The ideas the USDA is looking for include preventing food waste, recovering wholesome excess food to feed people, recycling food scraps to keep them out of landfills and to raise awareness of wasted food.

Preventing food waste is going to be a tough issue, more than one-third of the food in the U.S. is lost or wasted and this amounts up to 133 billion pounds or $161 billion worth of food each year. Food is the single largest type of waste in landfills today. We badly need new ideas to prolong the storage life of food, along with lengthening the expiration of the shelf life.

We should also try to create new products from unharvested or unsold crops or from food processing by-products.

We also need to find new innovative approaches for getting excess food to people who need it and measuring the value of food donations. There are lots of food banks out there today, and we need to find ways to get unused food to them. We hear that the millennials don’t eat leftovers. If that’s the case why are they cooking so much food?

While recycling food scraps, we need to find ways to connect food waste generators with recyclers to create animal feed, compost and energy.

The need to raise awareness is huge. We need ideas on how to make students, their parents and grandparents more aware about the amount of food being wasted and let them know how to reduce it.

In a recent poll, most Americans claimed to pay attention to reducing food waste, with the oldest group being the most cognizant.

Another poll conducted in January 2019 surveyed 2,090 Americans on their attitudes and knowledge of food issues.

Some of the key findings were 88 percent say they take steps to reduce food waste at home. This includes 94 percent of those age 55 and older and 81 percent under 30 years old. Forty-one percent correctly recognize that 31 to 50 percent of food annually produced in the United States goes to waste. This includes 44 percent of those age 55 and older and 36 percent under 30 years old.

Among the respondents who make efforts to reduce waste, 71 percent said they try not to purchase excess food, also 71 percent said they often consume food before it spoils and 34 percent share excess food when possible.

Of the 12 percent who say they do not take steps to reduce food waste at home, 31 percent say they do not waste food, 23 percent are not familiar with the term “food waste.” Twentyone percent do not know how to reduce food waste, 21 percent are not concerned about it, and 18 percent do not have the time.

The survey also said that 48 percent of Americans say they never, rarely or aren’t sure how often they consume genetically modified organisms. Forty-nine percent say they never or rarely seek information about where their food was grown or how it was produced, with an additional 15 percent responding once a month. Forty-one percent would be willing to buy a GMO-derived fruit or vegetable that stayed fresh longer than currently available produce.

These are interesting facts that need some thought.

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

Wyoming Livestock Roundup (USPS # 005-774) is published weekly by Maverick Press, Inc. P.O. Box 850 • Casper, WY 82602 Periodicals postage paid in Casper, WY Fax: 307-472-1781 • Email: roundup@wylr.net

Phone: 307-234-2700 800-967-1647 • www.wylr.net

DENNIS SUN, Publisher • Cell: 307-262-6132 email: dennis@wylr.net SAIGE ALBERT, Managing Editor • saige@wylr.net CALLIE HANSON, Assistant Editor • callie@wylr.net BEAU PITT, Production Coordinator • beau@wylr.net JODY MICHELENA, Advertising Director • jodym@wylr.net CURT COX, Director of Livestock Field Services • 307-630-4604 • curt@wylr.net CODY NEGRI, Livestock Field Services Representative • 208-697-1093 • cody@wylr.net ANDREA ZINK, Circulation/Accounting Manager • andrea@wylr.net DENISE OLSON, Classified Sales Manager • 307-685-8213 • denise@wylr.net

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This publication is © 2019 by Maverick Press, Inc.

GUEST OPINIONS Maintaining Robust Management Strategies For Longterm Health

By Jessica Crowder, Western Landowners Alliance; Scott Zimmerman, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union; Joy Bannon, Wyoming Wildlife Federation and Rick Danvir, Basin Wildlife Consulting and Western Landowners Alliance For the past two decades, Wyoming has been a leader in the effort to conserve the Greater sage grouse and western sagebrush landscapes. As part of a multi-state collaborative effort, Wyoming and 11 other western states developed a range-wide Greater sagegrouse conservation plan recognizing the needs of other users of Wyoming’s sagebrush landscapes.

Wyoming’s leadership is most notable in becoming the first state to formalize a Greater sage grouse management plan and executive order with a core area strategy.

In 2008, Gov. Dave Freudenthal established the Greater sage grouse executive order (SGEO), which provided a process for managing the bird across Wyoming. Revised SGEOs have been signed by Gov.Matt Mead, with the most recent being the State of Wyoming’s SGEO 2015-4. Our current Governor, Mark Gor-

don, is accepting public comments through May 1 to help craft an updated executive order that will be issued under his leadership. The SGEO is the primary regulatory mechanism to conserve the Greater sage-grouse in Wyoming.

Wyoming’s SGEO grew from the ground up – as landowners, scientists, resource managers, agriculture, industry and other interests developed local Working Group recommendations – which were merged into a balanced conservation plan and implementation process. Through these collaborative discussions, Wyoming developed an SGEO based on avoiding, minimizing or mitigating disturbance of important sage grouse habitat plus restoration of disturbed areas. Compensatory mitigation was developed as an important mechanism for improving sage grouse habitat elsewhere to compensate for unavoidable disturbance –

a tool beneficial to both sage grouse and landowners. The SGEO limits the rate of habitat disturbance and maintains or increases habitat on working rangelands, thereby conserving the bird and avoiding an Endangered Species Act listing. These management principles must remain the heart of the Wyoming SGEO. Since federal land management policy changes can create confusion and uncertainty, it is important the Wyoming SGEO remains a dependable, broadly supported plan providing the certainty and flexibility needed by conservationists, agricultural producers and industry. Local Working Groups should continue their important role in implementing sage grouse conservation as should Wyoming’s Sage Grouse Implementation Team.

As Gov. Gordon, his staff and the Wyoming Sage

Grouse Implementation Team consider comments and revisions to the SGEO, we suggest they continue to build on the management prescriptions developed through public input and conceived in the original SGEOs. Now, more than ever, it is important that Wyoming and the other 11 western states implement robust sage grouse management strategies. Western citizens and landowners need the certainty offered by the SGEO. Comments on the SGEO may be submitted through May 1 at wgfd.hpp@wyo. gov.

This article was cooperatively written by Jessica Crowder, Western Landowners Alliance, Scott Zimmerman, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Joy Bannon, Wyoming Wildlife Federation and Rick Danvir, Basin Wildlife Consulting and Western Landowners Alliance.

Fact Checks Disprove the Climate Narrative of the Left

By Jennifer Hudson, NCBA President

We’re not even a third of the way through 2019, but we already have a frontrunner for a political fact-checker’s annual “Lie of the Year” award, the trendy yet incorrect political and media narrative that if we all just cut back on eating delicious real beef hamburgers, we’re going to stop or significantly slow climate change.

You’ve heard the drumbeat all year. U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)

unveiled her so-called “Green New Deal” in January, lamenting that we probably can’t “get rid of all the farting cows” in just 10 years. Vegan U.S. Sen. Cory Booker claimed that our planet “can’t sustain billions of people consuming industrially produced animal agriculture.”

And then, appropriately on April Fools Day, Burger King announced that it would start selling beefless “Impossible Whoppers” - and the big-

city media fell right into line extolling the supposed Earthsaving opportunity represented by the heme and soybased product.

On April 9, Wall Street Journal columnist Walter Russell Mead praised the alleged environmental benefits of fake meat, while complaining, “Nine percent of U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions come from agriculture and almost one-third of that comes from cattle-based methane.”

Not to be outdone, the Washington Post on April 16 ran not one − but two long, nearly identical articles about the Impossible Whopper − combining for a “whopping” 2,158 words in that day’s print edition.

While one Post article lauded the product’s supposedly “environmentally friendly message” and “environmental appeal,” the second went a step further, claim-

Please see FACTS on page 5

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 52 • April 27, 2019

3

NEWS BRIEFS USDA accepting applications Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now accepting online applications for funding through the new ReConnect Rural Broadband Pilot Program. These funds will enable the federal government to partner with the private sector and rural communities to build modern broadband infrastructure in areas with insufficient internet service.

Insufficient service is defined as connection speeds of less than 10 megabits per second download and one megabit per second upload. ReConnect funding applications can be submitted at reconnect.usda.gov.

Congress first appropriated funds for the new Rural e-Connectivity Pilot Program, known as ReConnect, in 2018. The program will be a proof-of-concept, enabling USDA to create and implement innovative options for rural connectivity by providing various financial packages to our customers.

In this first round of funding, USDA is making available at least $600 million in rural broadband projects, $200 million in grants, $200 million in loan and grant combinations and $200 million in low-interest loans.

The application deadlines for each of these funding packages are May 31 for projects seeking federal funds from the grants-only package; June 21 for projects seeking a combination of federal loans and grants and July 12 for projects seeking low-interest federal loans.

This $600 million appropriation from Congress more than doubles federal funding available through USDA’s longstanding broadband programs. Future rounds of funding for ReConnect will be announced later this year.

Scholarship available The Wyoming Natural Resource Foundation (WNRF) will be awarding the annual Gary Beach memorial scholarship. This $1,200 scholarship for the 2019-20 school year is available to University of Wyoming students enrolled at the junior level or higher.

The Gary Beach scholarship was created in 2006 in honor of Gary Beach, a longtime Department of Environmental Quality employee. Beach served for several years as the Administrator of the water quality division and worked tirelessly to protect and enhance Wyoming’s water resources.

University of Wyoming students focusing on natural resource management are encouraged to apply. The applicant must be enrolled at the University of Wyoming in one of the following academic majors: environment and natural resources, water resources, rangeland ecology and watershed management or a related field.

Applications and scholarship criteria can be obtained by contacting the Wyoming Natural Resource Foundation at 307-632-5716 or online at wynaturalresourcefoundation.com.

Applications, copies of official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended and one letter of recommendation should be submitted no later than May 30 to the Wyoming Natural Resource Foundation; Bobbie Frank, Executive Director; 517 E. 19th Street; Cheyenne, WY 82001 or bobbie.frank@conservewy. com.

Game warden awarded Saratoga Game Warden Biff Burton received the 2018 Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association (WYOGA) Agency Personnel of the Year Award. Burton and his wife Lisa attended the WYOGA banquet in Casper where he was presented the award in front of over 225 outfitters, guides, hunters and current and past department leaders.

Outfitter Jim Schell of Rough Country Outfitters and Guides nominated Burton. Schell cited the warden’s professionalism, positive and friendly demeanor, dedication and ability to work positively with a wide array of publics on wildlife issues within the Platte Valley and the Saratoga Game Warden District.

Burton has served the people and wildlife of Wyoming for 39 years. After earning a bachelor’s degree in wildlife conservation and management from the University of Wyoming in 1978, he began his Game and Fish career as a seasonal employee. He worked various positions in northwest Wyoming, including feeding elk, construction, habitat development and fisheries and wildlife surveys.

He became a game warden trainee in 1982 and worked out of Cheyenne, Laramie, Casper, Lander and Green River. He also worked on the reservoir enforcement crew in the Platte River Reservoirs. He was appointed to the game warden position in Gillette in 1983 and transferred to Saratoga in 1989. That same year, Burton received the Shikar-Safari Wildlife Officer of the Year award.

Burton and wife Lisa live in Saratoga and have three children.

4-H awards scholarships Proposal announced

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), Public Lands Council (PLC), American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and Society for Range Management (SRM) announced support for a proposal to reduce wild horse and burro populations on western rangelands.

The proposal, titled The Path Forward for Management of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wild Horses and Burros is the result of several months of discussions among representatives from diverse stakeholder groups, including humane advocates, livestock producers, local governments and rangeland management professionals. The proposal focuses on the congressional appropriations process and does not recommend any amendments to the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act (WFRHBA).

The proposal, if fully implemented, would increase BLM’s capacity to gather horses and burros in overpopulated areas administer population-growth-suppressant to healthy animals at gather and increase use of long-term, pasture-based holding for older horses.

“In the current political environment, this proposal represents the best opportunity to address the growing wild horse and burro population crisis in the West by finally making substantial, year-over-year progress towards appropriate management level,” said Ethan Lane, senior executive director for NCBA Federal Lands and executive director of PLC. “If Congress does not act immediately, BLM will not have the necessary resources to carry out their statutory obligation to manage these animals.”

More than $63,000 in scholarships was awarded by the 4-H Foundation and State 4-H Office scholarship committee to 4-H’ers attending the University of Wyoming or a Wyoming community college this coming school year.

Approximately $37,000 was presented to first-time winners this year, according to 4-H Foundation Director Steve Mack.

Past Ella Schloredt Scholarship recipients, with a grade point average of at least 3.0 and meeting academic progress, are eligible to continue receiving the scholarship for up to four years. Thirteen continuing scholarships were awarded ranging from $1,000 to $2,200 for the fall 2019 academic semester.

NEW: Horizon Farm - Thermopolis: 180±acres in Lucerne with 145+-acres under pivots. Currently in Alfalfa and grass. Farm includes superb set of pipe working corrals and load out, and has water and power available. $792,500 NEW: Kinnear Valley Ranch - Kinnear; 942± acres on the Wind River west of Kinnear Wyoming. Three bedroom log home, 40x75 shop and pipe corrals right off Highway 26. River bottom meadows with adjacent grass pastures at the base of the Wind River range. Nice ranch in a scenic valley. $1,099,000 Lysite Winter Pasture: 610+ acres with 497+ acres of water rights bordering the town of Lysite. Includes B.L.M. and State permits with built in annual revenue streams from S.U.A. and Commercial Lease.

Great winter unit with lots of potential for improvement. $600,000 Jones Summer Pasture - Hot Springs County: 1280 acre State of Wyoming Grazing Lease with 80 deeded acres fenced into a 1360+ acre grass pasture on the slope of the Bridger Mountains.

Creek, reservoirs, springs and well. Good fences and minimal upkeep. $215,000 Wood River Cutthroat Ranch - Meeteetse: Over 900 acres with 611+ deeded including 375 acres of irrigated meadows with adjoining private lease. Nearly 1 mile of the Wood River AND Lower Sunshine Reservoir Shoreline. Spectacular water with great fishing on both ends of the ranch. $2,575,000 See more of our Farm and Ranch Listings at www.westernland.net

USDA Student contest opens Washington, D.C. − Food waste is a problem everyone can tackle, including our nation’s youth. As part of Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is launching Ace the Waste, a student competition for food waste reduction ideas. This first-ever competition calls on students to come up with creative solutions to reduce food loss and waste in the United States.

Students may submit a one-to two-page proposal or a one-to two-minute video. Proposals will be judged on impact potential, originality and creativity, clarity of expression and adherence/appropriateness to theme. Judges will include representatives from USDA, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration.

One winner will be selected from each age category, 11-14 and 15-18. The winner of the challenge will be honored with recognition on USDA’s social media accounts and website, receive a certificate of appreciation and will have the opportunity to discuss their proposals with USDA leadership.

The deadline for proposals is 3 p.m. May 24.

Office: 307-234-2211

Roy Ready Broker • 307-921-0170 www.westernland.net

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 52 • April 27, 2019

From the Kitchen Table

By Lynn Harlan

Range Anxiety “Range Anxiety” − it could refer to the state of your pastures and whether or not spring rains can save them. You could be anxious if you are overstocked and banking on those spring rains, mountain snow pack or other weather related phenomena to get you through 2019.

If you happen to own an electric car, range anxiety is a whole new concept. In early November of 2018, I traveled to Florida for the first time and stayed with some far-flung relatives in Ft. Lauderdale.

They are the proud owners of a new Tesla, an electric car. Elon Musk, who is currently the CEO of the company hopes to offer electric cars at affordable prices to the average consumer. The relatives had been on a waiting list for two years to get their affordable model, but assured me I could go to a dealership and buy the top-of-the-line today.

I took short rides in the electric car and kept listening for the engine noise to tell me we were motoring along. It was all very different, with a Star Trek dash and no keys −started by an app on a cell phone.

They plugged it in at home, into an outdoor 220 outlet.

We went to the mall, and there was a charging port and one at the grocery store also. We discussed what it takes to make energy and electricity to charge their electric car. Seventy percent of the nation’s electricity is still coal-powered, with solar lagging woefully behind.

In the end, we decided that my three-quarter ton diesel pickup and their electric car cancelled each other out.

I asked if they would be making a trip to Wyoming in their electric car.

They laughed and talked about “range anxiety.” The average range on an electric car tops out at 150

Torrington Livestock Markets PO Box 1097 • Torrington, WY 82240 307.532.3333 Fax: 307.532.2040

www.torringtonlivestock.com

miles. It works fine for their short commutes, but they’ll have to do some planning for longer trips.

I’ve run out of fuel considerable times in my lifetime. It’s not fun. I’m still able to carry fuel in a can to get me going again.

The neighbors unknowingly gave each other new range finders for Christmas. A new way to find that corner in your pasture? I didn’t ask.

Easter is here.

Undoubtedly, we’ll be shearing sheep soon. It never really matters if Easter is late or early.Sheep shearing falls on Easter. Due to the last week’s rain and snow, our “range anxiety” has lessened, but the shearers are behind, and we have wet and sloppy shearing corrals.

If we are lucky to be done before Easter, we’ll have beef, lamb or pork to celebrate and colored Easter eggs for the grandson to find and slobber on.

I love this cornbread salad. It’s colorful and tasty. We might have it for a Spring dinner, at home or on the tailgate of the pickup at the shearing corrals. It’s great for brandings or any celebration. I like it with a sweet cornbread, which is easily whipped up from this recipe or any cornbread mix at the store. Then add all the veggies and goodies,

and you have a substantial side dish.

CORNBREAD SALAD For cornbread: • 1 cup flour • 1 cup cornmeal • ¼ cup sugar • ¾ tsp. salt • 4 tsp. baking powder • 2 eggs • 1 cup milk • ¼ cup vegetable oil Stir in sugar, salt and baking powder. Whip together eggs, milk and vegetable oil. Stir into dry ingredients and pour into a greased 11x13 pan and bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

For salad: • 1lb cooked and crumbled bacon • 2 bunches green onions with tops, chopped • ½ of a green pepper, chopped • ½ of a red or yellow pepper, chopped or just one color pepper, whatever you have • 1 cup mayonnaise • 1 chopped tomato • 1 can green chilies (optional) • 1 cup corn (optional) Crumble cooled cornbread in a large bowl. Add bacon, green onion and peppers. I like to do this the night before and let all the flavors mingle. Before serving, add tomato and mayonnaise. You can add a can of green chilies or a cup of corn if you like.

Lightly toss and enjoy.

Lex Madden: 307-532-1580 Michael Schmitt: 307-532-1776 Chuck Petersen 307-575-4015

WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 2019 - YEARLING/CALF SPECIAL & VIDEO SALE FEEDERS Hester Farms 452 Blk Strs & Hfrs, 750-1000#, Weaned, Bunk Broke, Cattle Country Video – 1:00 pm MT Been on a Grower Ration, 2 Rounds of Shots, No Implants, Home Raised, All Sired by Top 5% in Angus Breed for Carcass Quality, Top Dollar Randy Burnison 300 Steers, Blk/Bwf, Base Wt: 925#, Delivery: 5/15/19 to 5/29/19. Located: 30 miles NE of Plankinton, South Dakota. Shrink: 3%.

Angus Certified, Hfrs are Replacement Quality & Bangs Vac Shots: Purchased with Precond Shots; Booster Shots: Titanium 5 & Vision Arrow -L Farms Inc./Bob Gorr 220 Blk/Rd Hfrs, 700#, Weaned a long time, Been on Ground Hay, Ground Wheat Straw, Sudan Grass with little 7 with Somnus. Poured with Ivermax. SafeGuard Wormer. No Implants by this Owner. Rep: Richard Zweifel 605-209-6307 Corn, All Shots, Bangs Vac., No Implants Gary Mehling 150 Blk/Rd Strs & Hfrs, 650-825#, Weaned a long time, For video preview & more info go to www.cattlecountryvideo.com Been on a Grower Ration, Branding & Weaning Shots, Home Raised, 1-Iron, All Natural, Hfrs Guaranteed Open Justin Olson 100 Blk Angus Hfrs, 700-800#, Weaned a long time, Been on a Grower Ration, Complete Vac. Program, Replacement Quality, Top Dollar Angus Certified, Originated from James Eklund, 1-Iron (not rebranded), 1-Riasing Dennis Edwards 90 Blk Angus Hfrs, 650-750#, Weaned since Oct., Hay Fed, Comp Vac. Prog, Fancy, Lots of Genetics, Replacement Quality CHK Cattle Co. 85 Blk/Rd Hfrs, 700-725#, Weaned a long time, Been on a Grower Ration, 3 Rounds of Shots, Home Raised David & Kellie Hinman 55 Blk/Rd Hfrs, 725#, Weaned a long time, Hay Fed, 3 Rounds of Shots, Home Raised, All Natural, No Replacements Kept off the Reds Ruth Ferguson 6 Blk/Red Hfrs, 750#, Replacement Quality, Weaned since Oct. 18, Hay Fed, NO Grain, Branding & Weaning Shots, Bangs Vac., Home Raised, All Natural CALVES Ben Seppenan 200 Mostly Blk few Rd/Char-x Strs & Hfrs, 425-550#, Weaned a long time, Been on a High Roughage Grower Ration, Wintered for grass, Shots: Bovi-Shield Gold 5 (lx), Vision 7 w/Spur (2x) Bruce & Debra Murray 170 Hereford/Bwf Strs, 600-650#, Weaned in Jan., Running Out, Full Vac. Program, All Natural, Home Raised Bill & Mary Owens 120 Red Angus Strs & Hfrs, 600-700#, Weaned a long time, Been on a Grower Ration, 3 Rounds of Shots, Home Raised, Red Angus Tagged John & Sherri Herbst 76 Blk Hfrs, 600#, Weaned a long time, Hay Fed, 2 Rounds of Shots, Wintered for grass Oak Leaf Ranch 75 Blk few Bwf Strs & Hfrs, 400-575#, Branding & Precond Shots, Strs are Knife Cut, Green, Wintered on pasture w/their moms and supplemented with hay Helen Nicolls 55 Blk Strs & Hfrs, 450-650#, Weaned in Nov., Hay Fed, One Round of Shots Scott & Becky Schaneman 45 Blk Strs & Hfrs, 450-600#, Weaned since Dec., Been on a Grower Ration, Complete Vac. Program, Poured w/ Dectromax in Feb., Home Raised, Wintered for grass Clark Ranches 22 Mx Strs, 400-500#, Weaned a long time, Running out on grass supplemented with Hay, Shots: 7-way, Home Raised Joe Kruse 20 All Blk Corr. Strs & Hfrs, 300-400#, Fresh, Horns past the ear, Current on Shots, Weaned Greg Wiebe 8 Blk Hfrs, 600#, Weaned 150 days, Hay Fed, 2 Rounds of Shots: Vira Shield, 7-way, Bangs Vac.

FRIDAY, MAY 3, 2019 - BRED COW/PAIR SPECIAL & VIDEO SALE LIVE AUCTION LMC Cattle Co. 40 Red Angus, 2 yr old--1st Calf Hfr Pairs, Tagged to Match, Feb/March Calves, Not Exposed back to bulls

“Like Us” for Sale Updates, Results and News

Cattle Country Video - May 3rd

Jack & Aletha Garson 50 Black First Calf Heifer Pairs, 1050-1100 lbs. Home Raised or Purchased of the Toiton Ranch Dispersal last Fall. High Elevation 7000 to 9000 ft. Tagged to Match. Not Exposed Back to Bulls. Late February, Early March Calves. Calf Shots: Inforce 3 & 7-way.

For video preview & more info go to www.cattlecountryvideo.com

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TORRINGTON LIVESTOCK AREA REPS Cody Thompson - Lusk, WY 307-334-3388 or 307-340-0150 * Ty Thompson – Lusk, WY 307-340-0770 Zach Johnson Lingle, WY –307-575-2171 Jeff Ward – Laramie, WY 307-399-9863 Tam Staman – Crawford, NE 308-631-8513 Artie Johnson - Lusk, WY 307-216-0117 Lander Nicodemus – Cheyenne, WY 307-421-8141 * Danny Nicodemus – Cheyenne, WY 307-632-4325 Chris Williams - Greybull, WY 307-272-4567

OBITUARIES We welcome obituaries. Obituaries are printed free of charge and can be sent to roundup@wylr.net.

Nancy Martson Palm June 24, 1927 – April 20, 2019

Nancy Palm, beloved wife, mother and friend crossed over the Great Divide on April 20, at the age of 91, after a long battle with Alzheimer's and dementia, while in the care of the Goshen Healthcare Community in Torrington.

Nancy was born in Sheridan on June 24, 1927.

She was adopted at infancy

by Burton and Beatrice Marston from Laramie.

Nancy started school in Laramie until WWII called Burton back into service at Weingarten POW Camp in 1943. Nancy graduated from High School at Farmington, Mo. After the war, the family moved back to Laramie, where Nancy entered the University of Wyoming (UW). While attending the University she was active in Pi Beta Phi Sorority and worked for the UW Science Camp near Centennial during the summers.

Nancy graduated with an elementary teaching degree in 1949. She taught one year in Casper.

While attending the University of Wyoming, Nancy met Gerald Palm, and they married on July 2, 1950. They had been married for 63 years at Gerald’s passing in 2013. They started their life together on Palm Livestock’s home ranch at the foot of Elk Mountain, one of several family ranches they would live on in the Elk Mountain and Hanna area.

Three boys were born to this union, Steve, John “Casey” and Burt. They raised their sons on the Basin Ranch near Elk Mountain, punching cows and putting up hay during the summer. The family moved to

headquarters near Hanna in the fall, where they looked after the sheep and the boys attended school.

Nancy was a member of the Chapter A, PEO in Rawlins, a board member of the UW Alumni Association in the 1970s and the Carbon County Cowbelles. She and Gerald were avid Wyoming Cowboy football fans, holding season tickets for 63 years. She enjoyed traveling with Gerald to Wyoming Stock Growers Conventions and National Cattlemen meetings.

Nancy had a passion for reading, amassing a huge library of books in her Elk Mountain home. She loved to cook and was always looking for new recipes to try. She was well known for her excellent pies. She always joked that Gerald married her on July 2 so he would have a cook for the hay crew that summer.

She enjoyed working in her perennial flower garden.

She was always a lady and had a great sense of style.

Nancy was an avid bridge player, and she and Gerald always packed cards in their bags when they traveled.

Most of all, Nancy loved spending time with her husband and her family.

She was preceded in death by her parents Burton and Beatrice Marston; and husband Gerald.

She is survived by sons Steve (Jackie) Palm, Casey (Nellie) Palm and Burt (Kay Lynn) Palm; grandchildren Jason (Jenni) Palm, Sonnie (Ryan) Neiman, Rita (Ryan) Farthing, Justin Palm, and Quade Palm; and six greatgranddaughters.

Funeral Services will be held at 1 p.m., April 29, at Montgomery-Stryker Funeral Home, with the Reverend Rhett Ivey, officiating. Burial will follow at Greenhill Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to the Wyoming State 4-H Foundation, 1000 E. University Ave. Department 3354, Laramie, WY 82071. Services are under the direction of Montgomery-Stryker Funeral Home. Online condolences may be made at montgomerystryker.com.

Bait site numbers counted

Statewide, the numbers of individual black bear bait registrations were down a little from 2018, but there are always people trickling in over the next several months to register bait sites. Overall, sites registered were similar to those registered in 2018. There has been a slight decrease in the overall number of sites registered since the Wyoming Game and Fish Department implemented the baiting and GPS location requirements required beginning with the 2017 black bear hunting season.

However, the number of bear bait holders has stayed close to the same. Green River Region Office Managers Regina Dickson and Sheila Dienhardt registered 42 black bear hunters and 84 bear baiting sites in less than one hour on April 1 at the Green River office. Hunters are urged to pick up a copy of the 2019 Black Bear Hunting Seasons pamphlet before going hunting.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 52 • April 27, 2019

FIRE continued from page 1 little something different, the end result is a really good soup or, in our case, a really effective group.”

“Above all, we wanted to build a strong network within Wyoming as we got started,” says Johnston.

Membership According to WYPFC, Wyoming joins 30 other states under the umbrella of the Prescribed Fire Coalition. The mission of the organization is to protect the right to burn, encourage the use of prescribed fires and promote the public understanding of prescribed fires.

WY-PFC boasts over 50 participants representing private, county, state and federal entities across Wyoming. Participants include Wyoming Game and Fish Department, University of Wyoming Extension, Wyoming Stock Growers Association, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest

Service.

Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA) representative and Treasurer Reg Phillips explained WSGA was invited to be apart of WYPFC at their annual summit meeting with the Forest Service.

“Fire is an issue for everyone and can be especially difficult for cattle producers who have forest service leases,” says Phillips, who is also a retired fireman.

Sweetwater County Commissioner Randy Wendling was contacted about being a part of the council very early in the process and notes one of the major responsibilities of a county commissioner is serving as a liaison between citizens and their local fire departments Benefits of prescribed fire “We have to understand the land we lived on

For more information about the Wyoming Prescribed Fire Council, visit wyoextension.org/wyprescribedfire.

Shed collection prohibited The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) reminds antler hunters there is a season in place which prohibits the gathering of horns or shed antlers from Jan. 1 to April 30 on public lands west of the Continental Divide in Wyoming. This regulation has been in effect since 2009 and includes all stateowned lands as well as federal lands.

In addition, many big game winter ranges in both Teton and Sublette counties have further restrictions to either human presence or motor vehicles during the winter months. However, the shed antler regulation does apply to all other federal or public lands not covered under such winter range closures.

Similarly, Wildlife Habitat Management Areas (WHMAs), managed by WGFD in the Jackson and Pinedale Regions are closed to human presence Dec. 1 to April 30.

According to the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission regulation, “collection” is defined as to search for, locate, stockpile or possess shed antlers and horns of big game animals on public land or attempt to search for, locate, stockpile or possess shed antlers and horns of big game animals on public land.

In addition, any antlers or horns found in Wyoming that are still attached to the skull need to be tagged with an Interstate Game Tag by a Wyoming Game and Fish Law enforcement officer. Individuals need to contact a game warden prior to removing the head from the field. There is an eight dollar fee for the tag.

High Plains Ranch Practicum School Hands on rancH management scHool focusing on production and rancH economics.

2019 Classes will be held in the Cheyenne, WY area.

School runs eight full days spread out from June to Nov.

Specific dates and registration details at http://HPRanchPracticum.com or contact Dallas Mount 307-322-3667 Registration deadline is June 15. Space is limited.

has evolved through fire,” says Johnston. “Plants have evolved to depend on fire for survival.”

Johnston explains the use of prescribed fire really depends on the user and the landscape in question.

“Prescribed fire can be particularly useful to agriculture when it comes to the burning of grasslands for maintenance,” says Johnston. “Timber management can also benefit from prescribed fire to remove any leftover debris following harvest.”

Wendling described prescribed fire as a tool in the manager’s box to use with both rangelands and forests alike.

“Using prescribed fires controls the amount of fuel on the ground,” says Wendling. “When the amount of fuel is controlled, this can help prevent mega wildfires that can cause a lot more damage.”

“Prescribed fire can also help recharge the water systems by removing dead trees and improving drainage,” Phillips explains. “Under a controlled situation fire can

5

be a really good thing for the environment and can help us improve species diversity within an ecosystem.”

Phillips notes prescribed fire is of particular interest to ranchers utilizing Forest Service land.

When the fires are unexpected and out of control, ranchers have to move cattle in a hurry and cattle can inhibit the ability to control the fire if they aren’t moved in time.

“There is a lot of economics associated with leases on forest land,” says Phillips. “In the event there is a wildfire, ranchers have to move their cattle in a hurry and figure out where they need to go.”

Moving forward “Our goal moving forward with WY-PFC is to provide education and resources to those who want to know more about prescribed fires and to keep people updated about the projects we’re doing and why we’re doing them,” says Wendling.

WY-PFC lists multiple upcoming projects for 2019 including BLM Wind River/Big Horn Basin District, Shoshone National

FACTS continued from page 2 ing that eating less beef “could help reduce the many environmental impacts that raising cattle has on our vulnerable planet” and possibly even “save planet Earth.”

Predictably, none of these politicians or journalists included any sourced data to support their assumptions, so I’ll do that here.

Here are the facts. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, direct emissions from beef cattle in the United States account for only

two percent of our nation’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, USDA recently reported that U.S. beef cattle production is “not a significant contributor to longterm global warming.”

Compare U.S. cattle’s two percent to the transportation and electricity sectors, which account for a combined 55 percent of our nation’s emissions, with another 41 percent coming from other sources.

The truth is beef production in the United States

“Fire is an issue for everyone and can be especially difficult for cattle producers who have forest service leases.” – Reg Phillips, Wyoming Stock Growers Association Forest and Teton Forest.

“Fire affects everyone, and we want to be a resource to the people of Wyoming when they have any questions or needs concerning prescribed

fire,” says Phillips.

Callie Hanson is the assistant editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup.

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

Fire success The Wyoming Prescribed Fire Council (WY-PFC) strives to be a resource for those who want to learn more about the benefits of prescribed fire in Wyoming.

One of the success stories they cite is the Maki Creek Project, which began in 2008.

“The Maki Creek Project was a treatment to rejuvenate conifer-encroached aspen stands and sagebrush near the Jewett elk feedgrounds,” according to WY-PFC. “The conifers were slashed prior to burning to achieve the desired burn severity and conifer mortality.”

The effects of the burn were tracked for 10 years and it was found to be successful in removing conifers in the area.

“The Maki slash and burn has been one of the most successful projects in terms of aspen response and boasted similar results as those of an unplanned wildfire,” according to WY-PFC. “The aspen density marker has far surpassed year 15 objectives in year 10.”

WY-PFC also noted the sagebrush populations have improved substantially following the fire.

has become much more efficient and environmentally sustainable over the past few decades. Compared to 1977, today’s American beef farmers and ranchers produce the same amount of beef with 33 percent fewer cattle. Improved efficiency and animal wellbeing mean a 16 percent lower carbon footprint and fewer natural resources used for every pound of beef produced.

And contrary to Sen. Booker’s vegan utopia, research shows that if every American went vegan, U.S. greenhouse gas emissions would only drop 2.6 per-

cent. At the same time, our national diet would provide insufficient nutrients to feed the U.S. population and result in increased use of synthetic fertilizer, as well as increased soil erosion.

If all these politicians and elite journalists want to replace delicious and nutritious American-produced beef in their diets with heme and soy, we wish them the best, along with our sympathies. But to claim that doing so will have any significant impact on global climate is ultimately the real whopper in this debate.

6

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 52 • April 27, 2019

EXTENSION EDUCATION

By Whit Stewart, UW Extension Sheep Specialist

Vaccinating is Key in Controlling Clostridial Organisms Lambing in Wyoming puts on display all of the preceding works of ram selection, nutritional programs and vaccination protocols.

Regardless of whether you’re done lambing or are still a month out, for our range lambing flocks, we all have a vested interest in keeping lambs healthy in the months ahead.

Sixty percent of total lamb losses in Wyoming occur pre-docking, according to 2015 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) data.

These losses are attributable to a variety of ailments.

However, one major killer of lambs is enterotoxemia or over-eating disease, which accounts for up to 9.2 percent of lamb losses in Wyoming flocks.

Types of Clostridial organisms Chances are if you’ve had sheep for more than a few years you’ve experienced the frustrating scenario of finding a previously healthy lamb dead in the group pen. Often these spontaneously dead lambs were the fastest growing from your best ewe.

Clostridial diseases cover a spectrum of bacteria, and their toxins that include well-known ailments such as botulism, blackleg, tetanus and enterotoxemia.

While each clostridial

species may have a different mode of action and exert different clinical signs on the afflicted sheep, for this article, we will focus on Clostridium perfringens Types C and D. Type C usually afflicts lambs and kids less than three-to-five days old. This spore-forming bacteria is ever-present in the environment and especially on everything in the lambing pen consumed orally. Lambs succumb quickly but if caught early on, evidence of loose, yellowish feces with flecks of blood may point to this deadly culprit.

Type D strains generally causes enterotoxemia “over-eating” and pulpy kidney. This organism produces a nasty epsilon toxin that increases gut permeability and wide-spread tissue damage. Most susceptible stages are in ewe lambs and rapidly growing, single-born lambs three to eight weeks of age, and in feedlot lambs one to three weeks after transition to new feed and management.

The commonality across most fatal instances is an abrupt change in diet or overingestion of high-energy feeds and fermentable carbohydrates in the diet, such as milk, small grains and lush pasture. Feeder lambs transitioning from dormant range grasses to a soy-hull and wheat-middling type diet

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have also been susceptible.

Consulting your local veterinarian and diagnostic lab is the best way to determine what happened but with these deadly organisms, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Timing of vaccination In visiting with producers throughout the state, some of these early lamb losses could be prevented with timely clostridial (CD&T) vaccination programs of ewes and lambs.

We are all aware of the life-saving properties of the ewe’s colostrum in the first 12 hours post birth. This essential “liquid gold” provides critical immune protection during the first 40 to 60 days of that lamb’s life until its own immune system develops. The quality or diversity of maternal antibodies provided in the colostrum in large part is influenced by the vaccination protocol of the ewe and her previous exposure to antigens. Clostridial vaccinations of ewes four to six weeks prior to lambing is important.

Two doses of the vaccine at least four weeks apart is recommended for previously unvaccinated adult sheep. Fortunately for many producers, CD&T vaccina-

tions coincide with shearing; however, in years where weather can delay shearing, vaccinations should be four to six weeks prior to lambing.

Research from Cornell University in 1997 observed ewes vaccinated with clostridial vaccine three weeks prior to lambing provided protective antibodies to Cl. perfringens, Type D six weeks after lambing compared to lambs from unvaccinated dams. This passive immunity acquired from colostrum protects the lamb during the very susceptible two to eight weeks postlambing as ewes reach peak lactation and lambs consume maximum amounts of milk.

Orphan lambs reared on milk replacer are also at greater risk due to their feeding patterns. Ensuring these lambs consume colostrum at birth and are revaccinated more frequently than naturally reared lambs is important.

Docking provides another important timepoint for vaccinating against clostridial diseases Type D and tetanus. It’s especially important in lambs to follow up with revaccination after the initial dose 21 to 28 days later with 3-Way vaccine, or

approximately 42 days with an 8-Way vaccine.

The period from docking to weaning on many operations represents a lower-risk timepoint as abrupt dietary changes don’t often occur during these periods. Yet, producers should be thinking ahead to shipping whether this is immediately after weaning or a period of backgrounding and planning an additional CD&T vaccine.

Vaccines Deciding which vaccine to purchase can be confusing with product descriptions like 8-way, 7-way or 4-way and their associated in prices, as shown in the table below. What’s important to remember is that all products are designed to provide coverage against the most common clostridial organisms and the toxins they produce, and if label instructions are followed, you are getting good protection.

Generally speaking, the number associated with a vaccine name indicates the number of killed clostridial species and strains used to make the vaccine. What’s most important is the product label specifically states protection against “enterotoxemia and tetanus caused

by the toxins of Clostridium perfringens Types C and D and Clostridium tetani.”

Remember, clostridial vaccination doesn’t eliminate the organisms but provides protection against the toxins produced by the bacteria. Vaccines should be stored, and ideally when vaccinating, at 35 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Keeping vaccines out of direct sunlight and higher temperatures during hot spring and summer days will ensure their efficacy. Consulting with your veterinarian and reading the manufacturer label information can help you wade through the different vaccine options.

There are a lot of wild cards on a sheep enterprise but getting better protection from your CD&T vaccine doesn’t have to be a gamble. Prioritizing vaccination schedules for pregnant ewes and re-vaccinating lambs will safeguard the welfare of the sheep throughout the production cycle and ultimately result in more lambs marketed.

Whit Stewart is an assistant professor and the University of Wyoming Extension Sheep Specialist in the Department of Animal Sciences. He can be reached at whit.stewart@uwyo.edu.

Table 1 - Common clostridial vaccine options, Cl. Species covered, approximate cost per dose and recommended re-vaccination instructions

Clostridial species/toxins by vaccine type

Approximate Cost/Dose

Manufacturer recommended revaccinations

3-Way

$0.44

Repeat vaccine in 21-28 days

(2 mL Dose)

Booster Annually

7-Way

$0.58 to $0.69

Repeat vaccine in 28-42 days

Clostridium chauvoei, Clostridium septicum, Clostridium novyi, Clostridium sordellii, and Clostridium perfringens Types C and D

(2.5 mL Dose)

Booster Annually

8-Way

$0.83

Primary dose 5 mL followed by 2 mL dose in 6 weeks

Clostridium Perfringens Type C and D, Tetani (3+)

Clostridium chauvoei, Clostridium septicum, Clostridium novyi Type B, Clostridium haemolyticum, (known also as C. novyi Type D), Clostridium tetani, and Clostridium perfringens Types C and D

Booster Annually

Sheep industry works to develop FMD contingency plan The American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) announced the development of a Secure Sheep and Wool Supply Plan during the week of April 15.

In collaboration with the Center for Food Security and Public Health at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, ASI’s Chase Adams explains, “The plan will focus primarily on ensuring producers can continue to deliver lamb and wool in the event of a foot and mouth disease outbreak.”

He adds, “The Secure Sheep and Wool Supply Plan will be consistent with USDA’s foot and mouth disease (FMD) response

goals and other secure food supply plans to maintain business continuity for sheep and wool producers whose animals are not infected with FMD.” Additionally, the plan would protect processors, enabling all segments of the sheep industry to provide a safe consistent supply of lamb and wool for consumers in the event of such an outbreak.

“The development of the plan will include input from all phases of the sheep and wool industry, as well as federal, state and tribal officials,” Adams explains.

To date, Iowa State’s Center for Food Security and Public Health has developed

similar plans for poultry, milk, pork and beef to “aid producers, transporters and food processors in the event of a foreign animal disease outbreaks.”

The center adds, “These response plans are designed to avoid interruption in animal and animal product movement from operations with no evidence of infection to maintain business continuity.”

FMD is the most highly contagious disease of livestock, affecting both domestic cloven-hoofed animals – including cattle, swine, sheep and goats – as well as many wild animals.

“The industry looks forward to working on this

important project with Iowa State’s Center for Food Security and Public Health,” said ASI President Benny Cox of Texas.

“I’m pleased that the sheep industry’s volunteer leaders have joined with stakeholder and review groups to provide valuable input in this process. ASI is funding the project because it is important for livestock industries to address emergency situations – such as a disease outbreak – before the need arises.”

Saige Albert, managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup, compiled this article from multiple press releases. Send comments to roundup@wylr.net.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 52 • April 27, 2019

WATER continued from page 1 for sending the text message.

“We designed our whole unit from scratch in our shop,” Monty says. “It is born, bred and manufactured right here.”

The unit also has a PC computer board in it, which is integral in sending the text message.

“All of our parts and pieces are manufactured in the U.S.,” he explains.

“We started getting our PC boards from China, but it was very difficult and very frustrating. So, we went with American made products.”

How it works Tank Toad has a sonar sensor on the bottom, which bounces off the surface of the tank and enables the sensor to read the water level.

Another method of measuring water levels is through pressure sensors, which is a technology that Tank Toad is working to harness.

“Damon has been working on developing the

pressure sensor this year,” Monty explains. “Pressure sensors work really well for large tanks. When we started, we didn’t have the right pressure sensor that was sensitive enough to do what we wanted.”

Instead, Printz built a pressure sensor inside of a pipe fitting to provide a second way to measure tank levels, specifically the levels of tall storage tanks.

“Sonar works better on typical stock tanks, but pressure sensors will work well for tall storage tanks,” Monty says.

Testing Today, Tank Toad is installed in almost 100 stock tanks across southwest Wyoming.

“We started with only 26 Tank Toads, and this year, we’re shooting to have 120 more out this year,” Monty says. “This is a home-grown effort, and we’re doing everything we can to make a more commercial model.”

While Monty notes the product is in research

To learn more about Tank Toad, visit tanktoad.com.

and development mode, he adds they are actively seeking partners to join in their efforts to help ranchers effectively and efficiently monitor stock tanks.

“We’d like to keep our partners between Casper, Laramie, Fort Collins, Colo. and the sandhills of Nebraska to keep our area relatively small,” he says.

“We like to personally do the installation ourselves to make sure it works and that we can find a cellular signal.”

So far, the team has always been able to find cell signals Tank Toad can connect to, and Monty explains they have been successful because the device only sends simple alpha-numeric text messages, rather than connecting to an app or more sophisticated technology.

“Text messages require very little data,” Monty says. “We haven’t found a stock tank yet that we couldn’t connect to. We’ve sent messages from the back 40 in the bottom of a draw to very remote areas of a ranch.”

Growth “Our little device is geared toward realworld application,” Monty emphasizes. “We’ve put almost all of our research

7

and development into creating a product that will survive in the most remote areas, in the harsh conditions of life in a stock tank.”

Tank Toad is able to run off a battery throughout winter in very remote areas through all kinds of weather in stock tanks and around cattle.

“We have very sketchy service in a lot of these areas. The technology has become increasingly reliable,” he explains.

“We are using a technology that is already available to create a solution for ranchers,” Monty emphasizes. “Instead of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars creating

“We’ve put almost all of our research and development into creating a product that will survive in the most remote areas, in the harsh conditions of life in a stock tank.” – Monty Lerwick, Tank Toad an expensive product that requires internet connectivity, we’ve taken a blue-collar approach to provide a simple, cheap, bulletproof product that helps ranchers.”

He continues, “Everyone has to check stock water, and everyone has a system in place to check their water. If ranchers can check tanks every three days instead of every day, they can check twice as

many cows, build more fence or do other chores on the ranch.”

“The Tank Toad checks water a whole lot better and a whole lot more reliably than most people can, which provides peace of mind for ranchers that cattle are being watered,” Monty comments.

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

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Neal & Amanda Sorenson • Spotted Horse, WY 307.736.2260 (h) • 307.680.7359 (c) • nasorenson@rangeweb.net

www.powderriverangus.com

8

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 52 • April 27, 2019

Wyoming Temperature and Precipitation Remain Average Wyoming experienced near average temperatures and precipitation in March.

However, taking a closer look – Climate Divisions (CDs) five, six, seven and eight experienced slightly below average temperatures. CDs three, seven, eight and 10 received above average precipitation while the remaining CDs had below average precipitation, except CD six had near normal precipitation.

The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) map for Wyoming from April 16 indicates that abnormally dry conditions have persisted in Uinta, Lincoln, Sweetwater, Sublette, Big Horn, Sheridan, Johnson, Campbell, Fremont, Hot Springs, Washakie and Park counties – with a reduced footprint in the latter four counties. Moderate drought conditions continue in Lincoln and Uinta counties and have developed along the east and west borders of Big Horn, Sheridan, Johnson and Washakie counties.

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

Help inform the USDM by submitting conditions and impacts at droughtreporter. unl.edu/submitreport.

The snow water equivalent (SWE) throughout Wyoming ranges from 72 to 125 percent of normal, with

the exception of CD seven – which is at three percent of normal, according to the April 24 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Snow Telemetry (SNOTEL) report.

View the current SWE map at wwa.colorado.edu/ climate/dashboard2.html.

Forecasts National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) eight- to 14-day forecasts for May 1-7, made April 23, indicates a 33 to 40 percent chance probability of below average temperatures from Lincoln County north into the northwestern corner of the state – stretching east towards South Dakota along the northern border.

There is a 33 percent probability that the southeastern corner of Wyoming will experience above average temperatures – while the rest of the state will experience near normal temperatures. There is a 40 percent probability for above normal precipitation for the entire state for the same timeframe.

The forecast for May, made April 18, indicates a 33 percent probability of above average temperatures for the northwestern corner of Wyoming.

The signal is less clear

for the rest of the state with equal chances for above, near, or below normal temperatures. For the same timeframe, there is a 33 to 40 percent probability for above average precipitation for all of Wyoming with the lowest probability in the northern third of the state.

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

Ag considerations I love this time of year – calves are running around, field prep is underway, and another growing season has begun. It’s also a critical time for decision making. That said, I want to revisit the relationship between the timing of precipitation and forage production on native rangelands.

Generally speaking, precipitation through April and May is a good indicator of forage production for cool season dominated rangelands, and precipitation in May for pastures with a mix of cool and warm season grasses.

Grass-Cast, an innovative grassland productivity forecast, was rolled out last year to help livestock producers reduce uncertainty by providing science-informed estimates of grassland productivity.

Visit grasscast.agsci.colo-

state.edu for coverage and updated maps beginning in early May. Additionally, University of Wyoming (UW) Extension has several bulletins discussing the relationship between timing of precipitation and forage production in greater detail, including destocking verses not, and recommends livestock producers make the decision to sell

or not by late April. Visit wyoextension.org/publications and search “drought” for more information.

The current conditions and forecast remind me that a warmer than usual and wetter spring may contribute to a higher rate of grasshopper hatching and hopper survival, which could result in higher grasshopper damage this summer. It’s recommended

to keep a watchful eye for little grasshoppers this spring and implement control, as necessary.

This article was written by UW Extension, WAFERx and USDA Northern Plains Climate Hub Regional Extension Program Coordinator Windy K. Kelley. She can be reached at wkelley1@ uwyo.edu or 307-3674325.

Wyoming Climate Divisions

Climate divisions - The state of Wyoming is divided into 10 climate divisions.

Bernard and Andrea McGuire

Muleshoe Ranch Complete Dispersion Auction Wednesday, May 15th – Starting @ 10:00 AM

4398 Palmer Canyon Road – Wheatland WY

Directions: The Muleshoe Ranch is located approximately six miles west of Wheatland, Wyoming. From I-25, take exit 78; turn onto West Mariposa Parkway and travel west for approximately 0.9 miles; turn left onto Ferguson Road/WY312 and travel approximately 0.1 miles; turn right at the first cross street onto Palmer Canyon Road traveling west for approximately 5 miles. Watch for the signs Vehicles, Trailers & ATV’s * 2001 Ford F350 Crew, PS diesel, dually w/ Hydra Bed. 4WD, 5 sp. Man. Trans.

130,000 miles.* 2004 Chevy 1500 PU. 4WD, auto trans, 99K miles, Silverado package * 1973 Ford F750 grain truck. Tandem duals, good hoist, Jacobs steel box (missing end gate) sells w/ 52K miles * 2015 Polaris 900 Crew cab Ranger w/ elect. Power steering, full hard cab, in-cab heater, good tires & sells w/ 6000 miles* 2011 Honda Foreman, 4WD 4 wheeler w/ elect. shift, 720 hrs. & a new seat.

Tractors, Implements, Haying Equipment * 2003 JD 6420 MFWD tractor w/ JD 640 self-leveling loader w/ grapple. Power Quad trans, LH reverser, Cab is spotless, air, heat, power seat, remote 3 pt. controls, sells w/ 1230 hrs. & has all the ex-

tras in working order SN L06420H388806* JD 6400 MFWD tractor w/ JD 640 loader. Power Quad trans., air/heat, SN L06400V207454 5860 Hrs. * JD 4430 tractor w/ PS trans, both wheel & suitcase weights, air/heat in clean cab, SN 4430H071345R * Ford 2110 diesel utility tractor w/ 4X4 trans. 3pt., PTO, dual remotes running on 13.6-28 rubber that is 80%* Vermeer 605M round baler. Both twine & net wrap, all HD pickup teeth, & is field ready w/ 9704 bales on monitor SN 1VRV1618261001275* Vermeer R23A hyd.

“V” rake. SN 1VRR201P541003876* Vermeer DiscPro 1030 mower/conditioner w/ new blades recently installed* JD 450 end wheel grain drill. 7.5” spacing, single disk, w/ alfalfa/grass box.Nice drill SN N00450X002282* Brillion 16’ culti-packer

w/ crowfoot front & back w/ sweeps* Sunflower 1211-10, 10’ off-set disk* corrugator w/ new points Skid Loaders, SL & 3 pt. Attachments * Caterpillar 257 trac skid loader w/ fully enclosed cab, air & heat, hand controls, 3372 hrs. * Owatonna 440 Hydrostatic skid loader w/ Mustang diesel eng. good tires, w/ 2900 hrs. & a clean unit * Danhauser, Hammer SL mount post pounder w/ post guide, Model SM40, SN 1427* SL attachments incl. grapple, sq. bale pickup/ spear, pallet forks* Case skid loader attach backhoe w/ 30” & 10” buckets Livestock handling, Fencing, & Irrigation * portable Pearson squeeze chute w/ steel floor and in like new cond. * used panels incl: (20) J-Bilt 10’, (7) J-Bilt 12’, (2) 10’ & (8) 12’ by Tarter

McNamee Auction Co, LLC * 6465 CR 39 Torrington WY * 307-532-4976 or 307-534-5156 www.mcnameeauctioncompany.com

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 52 • April 27, 2019

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Bacus explains importance of USMCA agreement for future of U.S. trade Washington, D.C. – Despite the noise across the globe in the trade arena, Kent Bacus, director of international trade and market access for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), said the organization is focused on the U.S.Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and its passage.

“There are a lot of distractions in the trade arena, but we are focused on USMCA,” Bacus said during NCBA’s annual legislative meeting, held at the beginning of April.

Export value “The U.S. beef industry has been very successful,” Bacus commented. “Our exports have seen record highs, and we’ve all seen the numbers from CattleFax and the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).”

In 2018, the U.S. sold $8.3 billion of beef globally, a billion dollar increase over 2017 level.

“That’s something we can be very proud of,” he added. “About $500 million of that is attributed to Korea. Korea is a prime example of how trade agreements and open markets allow us to capitalize on market demand.”

For producers, exports account for $327 per head, according to USMEF Pacific Rim countries With an eye toward continued open-market access for beef, Bacus said it will be increasingly important to continue to open markets around the world, particularly in Japan.

“Our biggest market is Japan,” he explained. “That was a $2 billion market for us, even with the 38.5 percent tariff. China and Hong

Kong is another billion-dollar market.”

In Hong Kong, he noted the U.S. currently enjoys full-market access with no restrictions or tariffs. China, however, imposes strict restricts and tariffs on U.S. beef.

Taiwan is another important market for U.S. beef.

Bacus said, “Taiwan is a booming market for us. In Taiwan, we’ve seen issues from BSE to beta agonists.

We’ve had all kinds of challenges with this market in the past, but really, over the last five years, we have seen year-on-year growth.”

Today, the U.S. holds 75 percent of the chilled beef in Taiwan, and Bacus commented, “Folks, we are kicking butt in Taiwan.”

North American partners Canada has also been a strong market for U.S. beef.

A recent decrease, he noted, is not a result of lack of demand.

“The decline is a measure of the difference between the Canadian dollar and the U.S. dollar,” Bacus said. “Those who like to travel enjoy going to Canada because a dollar goes a long way. That also means, however, our products are much more expensive, and we’re less competitive in that market.”

USMCA is vital to the agriculture industry, and Bacus said there are a number of important points to consider.

“One of the good things is, we don’t have really any changes from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA),” he explained. “In NAFTA, we created billion-dollar mar-

Visit beef.org for more information from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

kets in both Mexico and Canada.”

At the same time, dutyfree, unrestricted access to both Mexico and Canada is allowed for U.S. beef products.

Inside USMCA “USMCA brings NAFTA into the 21st century,” Bacus explained. “A lot of the provisions have been changed from NAFTA to USMCA apply to other segments of the U.S. economy.”

As the U.S. has moved to a predominantly servicebased economy, USMCA protects the segments of the U.S. economy that focus on services.

“USMCA also codifies some of the strong sanitary and phytosanitary standards that we already have, so it’s a good thing for us,” he continued.

However, USMCA avoids provisions like mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL).

“We want to continue to make sure we can market our product without the interference of the government to do what we do best,” Bacus explained, noting NCBA believes free markets should police COOL programs, rather than the government.

Bacus added, “We need to get USMCA over the line so we can move onto other trade agreements.”

Political moves Meanwhile, relationships between Mexico and the U.S. also impact trade.

“There have also been threats to closing the southern border,” Bacus said, noting that border security must be addressed. “The president has said if border security is not addressed, he would have no choice but to close the southern border.”

“Border security is important and trade is part of that,” he said. “It’s important that we talk about the importance of access into the mar-

“We need to get USMCA over the line so we can move onto other trade agreements.” – Kent Bacus, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association ket.”

Without an understanding of the timing or scope of a potential border closure, the White House is assessing economic impacts before making rash moves, Bacus added, noting Mexico’s impact on the agriculture industry is huge.

“We don’t want to see trade disrupted,” he explained. “Disruption of trade means we cannot capitalize on market demand, and there is strong demand in Mexican markets.”

“We’re hopeful this will get resolved, but we should also use this as an opportunity to talk about the importance of consistency and predictability in markets,” Bacus commented. “USMCA is a very important agreement for us.”

While USMCA will take

a heavy lift to move through Congress, Bacus said other trade agreements – like a potential agreement with Japan – will represent even bigger challenges.

“The only way to move forward with an agreement with Japan and other countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership is to get USMCA over the line,” he said. “It’s important to tell this story as we visit with our Congressional delegations.”

“If we don’t level the playing field in global markets, we could see impacts reaching $1.2 billion,” Bacus added. “Exports account for a lot of our profit margin, and they account for our future.”

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

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 52 • April 27, 2019

CALENDAR

April 30 April 30

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

May 11

EVENTS May 1 May 8 May 10-12 May 17-18 May 17-19 May 9-11 May 18 May 21 May 23 May 30 June 3-8 June 5-7 June 8 June 8-9 June 9-15 June 11 June 15 June 15 June 16-26

Excellence in Agriculture Symposium, Gillette, Camplex Energy Building, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information or to RSVP by April 5, call 307-7463264.

Society for Ecological Restoration Pub Talk, Casper, The Gaslight Social.

Contact Karen Rogers at 307-777-5003 for more information.

16th Annual Hotchkiss Sheep Camp Stock Dog Trials, Hotchkiss, Colo., Hotchkiss County Fairgrounds. Visit Hotchkissdogtrials.com for more information.

Wyoming Outdoor Weekend, Lander, Lander Community and Convention Center. Call 307-335-2630 or e-mail rene.schell@wyo.gov for more information.

Rocky Mountain Leather Trade Show, Sheridan. Visit LeatherCraftersJournal.com for more information.

Wyoming Outdoor Expo, Casper, Casper Events Center, 9a.m. to 3p.m.

Visit wyomingexpo.com for more information.

Wildflower Hike, Amsden Creek Wildlife Habitat Management Area. Contact Sheridan WGFD Regional Office at 307-672-7418 for more information.

Aquatic Invasive Species Inspector Training, Casper, Casper WGFD Office, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Contact Beth Bear at 307-721-1273 for more details Sandhill’s Cattle Association Convention, Valentine, Neb., Cherry County Fairgrounds. For more information, call 402-376-2310 Forage Field Day, Powell, Park County Fairgrounds, 9a.m. to 3p.m. RSVP to wyoforage2019.eventbrite Wyoming High School Rodeo Finals, Gillette, Cam-Plex. Visit wyhsra.org for more information.

Wyoming Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show, Gillette. Visit wysga.org for more information.

Wyoming State Youth Hunter Education Challenge, Upton, Upton Gun Club. Call contact Rick Rothleutner, at 307-281-9980 or George Oberstadt, at 307-777-4542 Don Layton Antique Engine and Tractor Show, Shoshoni, East Park. Contact Carlita Witthair at 307-856-1164 or Cindy Leonhard at 307-456-6304 for more information.

College National Finals Rodeo, Casper, Casper Events Center. Visit cnfr. com for tickets or more information.

Wyoming Women in Ag Diversification Tour, Gillette. Visit wywomeninag. org for more details.

Chris Ledoux Days, Kaycee, 2 p.m. Visit wywomeninag.org for more details.

High Plains Ranch Practicum School Registration Deadline, Cheyenne area. For registration details, visit HPRanchPracticum.com or contact Dallas Mount at 307-322-3667.

Seventh Annual Cow Cruise – Alaska Cruise and Denali Tour. Call Cruise Vacations at 855-53-0131 or visit clearoutwest.com or cruisevacations.ca for details.

SALES April 28 April 29

Gordon Livestock Market Horse Sale, Gordon, Neb., 308-282-1171, 308282-9998, 308-282-2655, gordonlivestock.dvauction.com Grand Hills Inaugural Charolais with Altitude Bull Sale, Albany County Fairgrounds, Laramie, 970-215-5281, 269-270-1889, 785-672-3195, grandhillscattle.com

Big horn Basin LIVESTOCK AUCTION LLC

April 25, 2019 - 732 Head Cows $2 to $5 Higher • Bulls Steady Feeders $5 to $8 Lower BULLS Clay Creek Angus - Greybull 1 Blk Bull, 2090# ........................................ $8900 1 Blk Bull, 2405# ........................................ $6700 Greer Land and Livestock - Hyattville 1 Red Bull, 1625# ....................................... $8100 Riley, Michael - Burlington 1 Red Bull, 1740# ....................................... $8100 Greer, Tyler or Amber - Hyattville 1 Red Bull, 1490# ....................................... $7900 BRED COWS Mooncrest Ranch - Cody 1 Blk Bred Cow....................................... $140000 Butterfield, James - Worland 6 Rd/Bk Bred Cows ................................ $101000 COWS Silver Sage Farms LLC - Basin 1 Blk Cow, 1050# ....................................... $7000 1 Blk Cow, 1360# ....................................... $6850 Hoyt, Mark - Basin 1 Blk Cow, 1270# ....................................... $6950 1 Blk Cow, 1460# ....................................... $6700 1 Blk Cow, 1450# ....................................... $6500 1 Blk Cow, 1430# ....................................... $6500 1 Blk Cow, 1655# ....................................... $6500 1 Blk Cow, 1605# ....................................... $6350 1 Blk Cow, 1445# ....................................... $6350 1 Blk Cow, 1540# ....................................... $6150 1 Blk Cow, 1515# ....................................... $6100 1 Blk Cow, 1540# ....................................... $6050 1 Blk Cow, 1495# ....................................... $5800 Lewton, Lonnie & Dana - Ten Sleep 1 Blk Cow, 1165# ........................................ $6950 1 Blk Cow, 1195# ........................................ $6850 1 Blk Cow, 1145# ........................................ $6650 1 Blk Cow, 1160# ........................................ $6200 1 Blk Cow, 1415# ....................................... $5550 Greer Land and Livestock - Hyattville 1 Red Cow, 1035# ...................................... $6900 Greet Ranch, Inc. - Ten Sleep 1 Blk Cow, 1330# ....................................... $6800 1 Blk Cow, 1280# ....................................... $6600 1 Blk Cow, 1095# ....................................... $6200 1 Blk Cow, 1300# ....................................... $5950 Preis, Jerold & Ray - Burlington 1 BWF Cow, 1295# .................................... $6700 Heart Mountain Cattle Co. - Powell 1 Blk Cow, 1040# ....................................... $6700 1 Blk Cow, 1220# ....................................... $6250 1 Blk Cow, 1250# ....................................... $6200

May 2

Worland, WY

Sale Barn: 307-347-9201 Danny Vigil: 307-388-0781 E O Bischoff Ranch - Lovell 1 Blk Cow, 1665# ....................................... $6500 Mueller, Terry - Shell 1 Blk Cow, 1120# ........................................ $6500 1 Blk Cow, 1305# ....................................... $5400 Mooncrest Ranch - Cody 1 BWF Cow, 1575# .................................... $6100 1 BWF Cow, 1740# .................................... $6050 1 Blk Cow, 1670# ....................................... $5650 Koehn, Christopher - Cody 1 Blk Cow, 1405# ....................................... $5450 HEIFERS Lazy YK Cattle Co. - Pavillion 20 Rd/Bk Hfr Clves, avg. 420# ................. $17250 Koehn, Christopher - Cody 10 Rd/Bk Hfr Clvs, avg. 499# ................... $16100 18 Blk Hfr Clves, avg. 598# ...................... $15500 W.S. Livestock - Riverton 13 Blk Hfr Clves, avg. 542# ...................... $15900 Mastre Feeders - Worland 5 Blk Hfr Clves, avg. 549# ........................ $15100 27 Rd/Bk Hfr Clves, avg. 669# ................. $14600 3 RWF/Bk Hfr Clves, avg. 630# ............... $13400 Doyle McKim & Sons Inc - Manderson 63 BWF Hfrs, avg. 736# ........................... $13325 Johnston, SK, Jr. - Big Horn 11 Blk Hfr Clves, avg. 688# ...................... $13300 Arrow S Ranch LLC - Burlington 57 Rd/Bk Hfrs, avg. 789# ......................... $13210 Fantaskey, Matthew - Worland 9 Red Hfrs, avg. 786# .............................. $12750 Durbin Creek Ranch - Thermopolis 4 Red Hfrette, avg. 1036# .......................... $9900 Mueller, Terry - Shell 1 Blk Hfrette, 1030#.................................... $9900 STEERS Lazy YK Cattle Co. - Pavillion 8 Rd/Bk Str Clves, avg. 405# ................... $19550 Bilyeu, Linda - Meeteetse 1 Blk Str Clf, 585# .................................... $16900 Flying V - Worland 4 Blk Str Clves, avg. 613# ........................ $15500 16 Blk Str Clves, avg. 692# ...................... $13500

• Upcoming Sales • May 2 - All Class Cattle May 9 - All Class Cattle and Pair Special May 16 - All Class Cattle, Sheep & Goats May 23 - All Class Cattle and Pair Special May 24 - Horse Sale May 30 - All Class Cattle

May 15 May 18 May 18 June 15 Aug. 9 Sept. 10 Sept. 22 Nov. 8

Rees Brothers Spring Angus Bull Sale, at the ranch, Morgan, Utah, 801668-8613, 801-949-8960, 801-913-5747, reescattle.com SO Cattle Inc. Annual Bull Sale, Riverton Livestock Auction, Riverton, 307330-4670 Paint Rock Angus Annual Bull Sale, at the ranch, Hyattville, 307-4692206, 307-469-2252, paintrockangus.com Best of the Rockies 21st Annual Cody Country Horse Sale, The Irma Hotel, Cody, 307-754-4320, codyhorsesale.com Muleshoe Ranch Liquidation Auction, 4398 Palmer Canyon Road, Wheatland, 307-532-4976, 307-534-5156, mcnameeauctioncompany.com 36th Annual WYO Quarter Horse, Arena, Ranch Broke Gelding and Production Sale, Hot Springs County Fairgrounds, Thermopolis, 307-864-5671, 307-272-0593, wyohorses.com Farmers and Ranchers Livestock Commission Spring Spectacular Catalog Horse Sale, Salina, Kan., 785-825-0211, 785-826-7884, 785-4932901, fandrlive.com Full House 10th Annual Elite Performance Stock Horse Sale, Weston County Fairgrounds, Newcastle, 307-746-5690, 307-421-1528, 307-7469477, fullhousehorsesale.com Ft. Fetterman Remount Invitation Horse Sale, Wyoming State Fairgrounds Pepsi Equine Center, Douglas, 307-351-1422, remountsale.com 91st Annual Wyoming State Ram Sale, Wyoming State Fairgrounds, Douglas, 307-265-5250, 307-351-1422, wyowool.com Sugar Bars Legacy 17th Annual Horse Sale, Sheridan County Fairgrounds, Sheridan, 605-347-8120, sugarbarslegacy.com Rees Brothers Annual Fall Production Sale, at the ranch, Morgan, UT, 801-668-8613, 801-949-8960, 801-913-5747, reescattle.com.

POSTCARD from the Past

Compiled by Dick Perue rrichardperue@gmail.com

Savage Mansion the Subject of Many Writings Information for this article comes from the writings of Gay Day Alcorn in her novel “Tough Country” and that of Lori Van Pelt in book “Dreamers and Schemers,” plus feature articles in “The Saratoga Sun” and historical “Pioneer Editions” in the Dick Perue/Bob Martin collection and the Saratoga Museum.

Elegant native stone home a tribute to a beautiful and loyal wife At times the success and romance of the West are so entwined that it is impossible to separate them. History reflects this in the story of Richard and Margaret Savage and their life at the Savage Ranch in Carbon County, Wyoming in the 1890s.

Their story not only demonstrates the hardships endured by the pioneers making their homes in Wyoming, but it contains at its heart a lasting expression of a deep and romantic love.

Richard Savage came to Carbon County from Canada in 1868 to trap and hunt game for the government. He was the first man to import Oxford or blackfaced sheep from Canada and reportedly also the first to experiment with crossing buffalo and cattle and had a whole herd of quarter-breeds.

He returned to Canada in the 1870s to go into the family’s lumber business but yearned to return to the beautiful place called Wyoming Territory. While in Canada, he met Margaret Ann Watson. Their romance blossomed, and they were married. Margaret eventually agreed to go see this wondrous land that had her husband enthralled.

Richard returned to Wyoming Territory first, and Margaret came later in 1881. When she stepped off the train at Fort Fred Steele, her beauty struck many of the men speechless.

Margaret didn’t know how strong her pioneer heart would have to be.

She would not see another

Savage Ranch mansion − This lavish two-story ranch house in south-central Wyoming was built with native stone as a tribute to the beautiful and loyal wife of one of the state’s earliest sheep ranchers. Richard Savage built the mansion in 1891 as a tribute to his wife Margaret. The house still stands at the Savage Ranch along the Upper North Platte River just south of Fort Fred Steele. Photo courtesy of Saratoga Historical and Cultural Association, Historical Reproduction by Dick Perue from Martin/Perue collection

woman until nine months after her arrival.

Her father came to see the couple. His opinion was that the wildly beautiful but barren Wyoming Territory was no place for a lady. He offered his daughter the opportunity to return to Canada.

Margaret declined and stayed with Richard at the ranch nestled along the Upper North Platte River about 15 miles north of Saratoga, known then as Warm Springs.

For such loyalty, Richard decided to make his beautiful wife more comfortable out in the wilds.

He built Margaret a mansion, and not just any mansion, but an opulent, fabulous home of stone. The elegant house was built in 1891, and it still stands on the property where it stirs images of romance through its floral wallpaper, classic woodwork and magnificent stone structure.

The stone was quarried on the ranch, leftover from a rejected railroad project, which was to run the rails from Ft. Steele through Saratoga on to Walden, Colo.

The stones were already cut, and Richard Savage acquired them to build his mansion.

It was noted that the rooms were once filled with fine furniture, and the Savages had several servants. Rose gardens trimmed the outside of the house, and a room with a three-sided window graced the home The Savages built a substantial herd of sheep from stock imported from their Canadian homeland.

The stone home built of loyalty and romance was headquarters for the Savage Sheep Co. The ranch remained in the Savage family until 1962, and the stone house stands as a silent reminder of a tender romance that grew strong in the lonely, barren territory.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 52 • April 27, 2019

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 52 • April 27, 2019

LABOR continued from page 1 both high and low points to the U.S. economy.

Unemployment over the long-term averages between 5.5 and six percent, but today’s unemployment rates has dipped below four percent.

“We’ve now had over 100 straight months of positive growth in jobs in the U.S., which is the longest expansion we’ve ever had,” Orazem commented. “We’ve just gone through over a generation of relatively strong economic performance.”

However, hourly pay rates have not met the same levels, with only nine percent growth annually since 2004.

“We are not adding purchasing power,” he explained. “One of the concerns in labor is we have not had the same growth in pro-

ductivity.”

Over the last century, productivity growth averaged two percent per year, but since 2000, growth has only been one percent per year.

Regardless, productivity growth in the U.S. has surpassed growth in Europe, allowing the U.S. to continue to be successful on a global scale.

Technology “Not all of the technological innovations we have seen have been shared equally,” Orazem said.

“Since 1980, the economy has favored the most skilled in the workforce. The premium of college graduates compared to high school is now two times what it was in 1980, and the premium of graduate degrees is now triple what it was in 1980.”

“College graduates very much benefit from the technological innovations from the last 30 or 40 years,” he continued.

In developing countries, as incomes rise, the demand for luxury goods and services – like education, financial and health services – grows more rapidly than income, while the demand for necessities – such as agricultural commodities – grows more slowly, which leads to a shift in production of services.

“In the United States, 70 percent of our economy is in the service sector, and agriculture is only about three percent of the labor sector,” Orazem said. “Technology also shifts what types of things people do.”

He continued, “It’s not that we produce fewer ag products. It’s that these products are produced by fewer people.”

“Agriculture is one of the

Ranchers conservation economics Sublette County – Economist Hal Gordon taught his three-day course, “Economic Analysis of Conservation Practices on Rangeland” to hundreds of employees within the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

On April 9, Gordon met with about a dozen ranchers and managers to share his knowledge with people considering coming to the local NRCS office for assistance with a conservation project or need.

“Producers are going to get the three-day course in six or seven hours,” Gordon said, handing out a course book of case studies, opportunities, alternatives, charts, graphs and handy tables to evaluate costs and benefits.

Analyzing costs and benefits of the wide variety of alternatives available to private landowners through a voluntary partnership with NRCS is a win for staff and a win for the rancher. Gordon described the differences between a “conservation goal” being economical and financially feasible in terms of the options available.

“NRCS offers voluntary technical assistance to ranch owners in managing grazing land resources,” Gordon wrote in a January tech note.

“The agency’s core ‘product’ is a conservation plan that provides a guide to resolve natural resource problems on private land. The most successful conservation plans address the landowner’s resource concerns while improving ranch viability.”

“Therefore, NRCS includes economic principles in all planning and agency resource allocation activities,” he added.

“The goal of any conservation activity is for benefits to exceed costs,” he continued. Landowners want to understand benefits and costs to their conservations plans before making important decisions and changes.”

If a rancher brings in a map of the private land involved with notes on cer-

tain problems such as soil erosion, water distribution, invasive plants and shrubs or enhancing livestock forage, NRCS employees would walk him or her through many economic exercises, Gordon explained.

NRCS’ goal is to help ranchers with funding on a cost-share basis. His principles as explained to employees and people at the workshop are to first inventory land, livestock, crops and equipment and determine budgets, actual costs and new options’ potential costs and savings.

“It’s really cowboy math,” he told the group. “If we can add, subtract, multiply and divide, that is all we need to know.”

One case study of the Rocking Raindrop Ranch looked at its land uses, soils and crops and examines several different irrigation methods to see how labor, materials and operating costs can differ as net returns.

Combining several smaller conservation goals on one piece of land might be best addressed by one option or another – Gordon said trying to fix one issue might bring about a totally different alternative for another so the projects work together to benefit a landowner.

Gordon also worked the group through amortization rates to show how NRCS and a landowner calculate different rates of an investment’s break-even or increased revenues. He showed the group how to determine if it’s better to buy a piece of equipment outright or over time.

Other exercises showed how to calculate the value of an animal-unit month to a ranch, create a personalized cow calf budget or make crop, hay or grazing decisions for a field.

In this area, Gordon pointed out that Sublette County’s nearby headwaters of the Green and Hoback rivers means use of that water, which runs quickly away from the county, might hold potential projects.

“We are rethinking water

efficiency – conservation versus ‘get it all on the field now,’” he said, pointing out that aquifers should be recharged along the way.

NRCS Agent Jennifer Hayward also said that locally, ranchers can break even with the Environmental Quailty Incentives Program’s (EQIP) cost-share for wildlife-friendly fences.

Also, ranchers can be paid for maintaining a 30-foot buffer in hayfields with Greater sage grouse habitat, she said.

Gordon advised interested ranchers to avoid “jumping to a conclusion” and focus layers of causes and effects of their resources problems – even time and labor – and think of structural, vegetative, management and combination solutions.

“Scoping” the priority issues that can benefit a farm of ranch lifestyle, income business and real estate markets can help someone decide where to focus.

NRCS can help evaluate multiple alternatives and rate them against a rancher’s timeline “desired future conditions.”

“Economics is an aid to our decision-making,” Gordon said. “Where do I start?

Does it pay off over time? Is it financially feasible? Will these solve a conservation issue?”

Hayward said starting to ask questions can help a family determine which directions work best for all and she enjoys working with that family’s goals.

“Sometimes those things open a door and it’s a win when you get a conservation project done successfully.”

For more information about the Natural Resource Conservation Service and its voluntary cost-share programs, contact a local USDA NRCS office.

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

15

fastest growing technological sectors in the U.S. economy,” Orazem stated. “Yet technologies aren’t going to be uniform in terms of their implications for the labor market.”

Innovation Orazem said, “The U.S. invests about a quarter of all investment in research and development.”

Ten years ago, however, the U.S. invested one-third of all research and development investments. Other countries around the world have steadily invested more and more in the sector in the last decade.

The U.S. government has also taken a backseat in innovation, deferring to the private sector, which tends to engage in applied research as opposed to basic research.

Orazem also asserted that the most impactful new innovations are likely to come in science and engineering, particularly health sciences.

“A disproportionate share of this innovation activity has been borne by foreign born U.S. residents,” he said. “Some of that has been done as we bring more people into the U.S. to our colleges and universities. Immigrants have also disproportionately entered high tech businesses.”

“We have to worry a little bit about whether the U.S. will maintain its leadership in terms of accessing the best and brightest from all over the world,” Orazem continued. “Australia, China and

Europe are increasing their share for competition for the best and brightest minds.”

The lack of ability to bring in top minds to U.S. colleges, universities and corporations may threaten the pace of innovation in the future.

20th century “The 20th century was viewed as the American century and the human capital century,” Orazem said.

“It was also a period of time when the U.S. went from most people having a high school degree to one-third of people having a college degree.”

The U.S. advantage of an educated workforce has also disappeared. When coupled with the performance of U.S. students compared to other countries, American students are performing poorly.

“We’re not bringing people in from other places, and we’re not growing our children either,” Orazem commented. “That will impact where we go.”

Rural economies Looking at the impact on rural and farming economies, Orazem plotted farm location with market share of operations, which shows that farm size from 1950 to today has grown from 250 acres to 1,300 acres, based on market share and market power.

“Visually, we can see a progression from a market dominated by small farms to a market dominated by large farms,” he said, further noting that not all ag commodities

have seen the same trend, however.”

For example, a decrease in the average farm size has been seen for producers of fruits, trees and nuts. The reason for the shift is directly related to the presence of more educated farm families, who are more likely to have off-farm jobs.

“About 80 percent of farm household income now comes from off-farm sources, which changes how we think about how agriculture is likely to occur,” Orazem said. “If we live in close proximity to an urban market, we see rewards for education, with growth, new innovation and higher wages.”

As a result, more relatively small farms will be seen close to heavily populated metropolitan areas, while large farms will be in more isolated areas where rural communities are also depopulating.

When people do move, Orazem said, they tend to move toward large metropolitan communities to access higher wages and more innovation.

The result, he emphasized is small, rural communities are poised to disappear, particularly in regions where there are few metropolitan areas.

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

Cultivating Leaders for Agriculture

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16

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 30 No. 52 • April 27, 2019

It’s the Pitts

by Lee Pitts

The Speech Makers Nowadays it’s not unusual for purebred breeders to offer 500 bulls in a sale. But when I started working bull sales 46 years ago, a typical sale might offer 60 or 70 bulls and it would take almost as long to sell them as it does 500 head today. The reason it took so long was because the sale managers and auctioneers would make long speeches about nearly every bull in the sale.

They’d prattle, harangue, preach and bab-

ble on about some dwarf relative five generations removed from the inferior bull in the ring, and they put a lot of fire into these speeches. Instead, most of their speeches should have been put in the fire.

Horse sales were even worse. I worked a lot of them, and we’d average selling about 10 head per hour, and if we sold 12, it was considered a blistering pace. Most of the horse sales I worked were for Dean Parker and Thane Lancaster,

Visit leepittsbooks.org for more from Lee Pitts.

RANGE continued from page 1 good base to start with.”

Models Robinson explained traditional models in the U.S. were originally scaled at 500 meters spatial resolution, meaning each individual plot was 500 meters.

“Imagine how much can happen with 500 meters of space,” said Robinson. “One of the greatest advancements we’ve made is the ability to shrink this down to 30 meters spatial resolution, which is

about the size of a baseball diamond.”

Even at this scaled down size, there is still not a lot of detail when considering how large rangeland ecosystems can be, especially when managers look at ranches and other large plots, Robinson noted.

“Another great advancement we’ve had is an increase in the time these models can track,” Robinson said. “Previously, these models could only go back to about 2001, and

two of the best that ever lived. Thane had an encyclopedic knowledge of horses, and Dean was one of the best horse auctioneers I’ve ever heard. His speeches were real stem-winders, and if he’d had chosen to be a preacher instead of an auctioneer, I have no doubt he’d have been bigger than Billy Graham.

If an auctioneer or sale manager had a reputation as being fairly knowledgeable, there might be a flurry of bidding after a long speech, but just as often, all this speechifying didn’t result in an advance of the bid. It’s like the story Mark Twain told about being so inspired by a preacher’s sermon and he was ready to put $400 in the collection plate, but the preacher kept on droning and Mark changed his assessment of the remarks to $300, then $200, then $100.

By the time the preacher concluded his remarks, Mark stole 10 cents out of the collection plate.

It wasn’t just auctioneers, sale managers and preachers who were more long-winded back then.

It was quite common for a President’s State of the Union address to take two hours of good TV time, which prompted Will Rogers to comment, “It’s oratory that’s killing this country.”

Oratory has also killed some auctioneer’s careers.

That’s why I always advised young auctioneers if they were going to give a speech that they pull up a little short when there was still some bidding left to be done because nothing looks worse than to stop a sale, make a big speech and then have no one bid.

Finally, someone realized that all these speeches were just killing the momentum, which is the best selling point of an auction in the first place. So nowadays, it’s not unusual to see 40,000 head of cattle sell in one day at a video auction or 500

now they can track as far back as 1984.”

He described the two models as a Landsat pixel and annual normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI).

“The NPP and GPP products are the basis of the Landsat pixel model,” Robinson said. “But these models aren’t a good representation of reality.”

Functional systems “When we look at these models through a different lens, we see there are many functional groups in a range system, such as bare ground

and litter, annuals, perennials and shrubs,” said Robinson.

“Using more detailed models that can track productivity over space and time will allow us to solve equations related to what each functional plant group contributes to the system,” Robinson explained.

“We have to understand perennials drive productivity in a system,” Robinson said.

“As a whole, annuals don’t contribute much to overall productivity.”

He explained studies on New Mexico and Montana rangelands showed perenni-

“If an auctioneer or sale manager had a reputation as being fairly knowledgeable, there might be a flurry of bidding after a long speech, but just as often, all this speechifying didn’t result in an advance of the bid.” – Lee Pitts bulls. Any speeches given at these affairs are like a woman’s skirt, long enough to cover the subject but short enough to be interesting.

For 20 years I was the announcer for a video company that sold about 400,000 head of cattle a year in the west. With satellite time costing $2,000 to $3,000 an hour, it was important not to dilly-dally around. Any speeches given were more for the benefit of the consignor than they were for the buyers.

If we had a consignor that was hard to please, I might lay it on a little thick, but I don’t know if it made the cattle fetch more because the buyers knew more about how the cattle would perform on grass, in

a feedlot or on the rail than any of the sale crew or even the consignor.

I learned to keep my mouth shut the hard way.

Once I went to the back of the big convention hall to catch my breath and take a discreet rest from announcing. I could hear a couple grizzled ranchers talking at a neighboring table, and they were discussing the pace of the auction. The fellow who took my place announcing kept the beginning and end of any speeches he gave very close together, which the men appreciated. I could hear one rancher say to the other, “Yeah that other guy - meaning me - sure does know a lot of big words that he should have left at home in the dictionary.”

“When we look at productivity we all need to be on the same page about what productivity is. There can be a lot of varying thoughts on what constitutes as productivity.” – Nathanial Robinson, University of Montana als contributed upwards of 90 percent of production.

“For productivity, we want to look at the entire biomass, both above and below ground,” said Robinson.

He explained ecologists are looking to the complete plant carbon allocation, converting that to above-ground biomass and partitioning it out

to functional groups.

“This is the information that will go into the range management platform for future models,” Robinson explained.

Callie Hanson is the assistant editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup.

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

RIVERTON LIVESTOCK AUCTION Tuesday, April 23, 2019 Market Report • 957 Head Sold Representative Sales COWS THERMOPOLIS 1 Cow, 1390# ....................................$78.00 LANDER 7 Cow, 1111# .....................................$74.50 2 Cow, 1172# .....................................$74.00 ARAPAHOE 3 Cow, 1088# ....................................$67.50 LANDER 2 Cow, 1250# ....................................$65.00 RIVERTON 2 Cow, 1217# ....................................$60.50 CROWHEART 2 Cow, 1585# ....................................$58.50 KINNEAR 2 Cow, 1427# ....................................$57.00 LANDER 4 Cow, 1483# ....................................$56.00 BULLS MORAN 2 Bull, 1940# .....................................$86.00 MANILLA, UT 1 Bull, 2070# .....................................$85.00 RIVERTON 2 Bull, 1807# .....................................$84.50 KINNEAR 1 Bull, 2115# ......................................$80.50 BRED COWS/HEIFERS LANDER 14 Bred Cow, 1115# (SM)...............$1,650.00 FARSON 3 Bred Cow, 1043# (SM) ..............$1,525.00 LANDER 9 Bred Cow, 1178# (SM Summer) .........................................................$1,460.00 THERMOPOLIS 14 Bred Cow, 1193# (SM Summer) .........................................................$1,400.00 LANDER 4 Bred Cow, 1262# (SS)...............$1,335.00 6 Bred Cow, 1237# (ST) ..................$975.00 3 Bred Heifer, 1140# .....................$1,600.00 FARSON 5 Bred Heifer, 1069# ....................$1,575.00

LANDER 3 Bred Heifer, 1126# .....................$1,525.00 8 Bred Heifer, 925# ......................$1,425.00 PAIRS LANDER 10 Pair, 1106# (2Yrs) ......................$2,025.00 10 Pair, 1096# (2 Yrs) ....................$1,985.00 THERMOPOLIS 10 Pair, 1168# (SM) ........................$1,565.00 THERMOPOLIS 54 Pair, 1136# (SM) ........................$1,525.00 HEIFERS MANILA, UT 12 Heifer, 437# ..................................$164.50 THERMOPOLIS 5 Heifer, 447# ..................................$164.00 MANILA , UT 2 Heifer, 460# ..................................$163.00 THERMOPOLIS 10 Heifer, 582# ..................................$156.00 POWDER RIVER 2 Heifer, 585# ..................................$149.00 3 Heifer, 620# ..................................$143.00 STEERS MANILA, UT 21 Steer, 548# ...................................$180.00 GREEN RIVER 5 Steer, 577# ...................................$164.00 THERMOPOLIS 3 Steer, 610# ...................................$152.50 MANILA, UT 1 Steer, 660# ...................................$149.00 HEIFERETTES THERMOPOLIS 12 Heiferette, 742# ............................$123.50 DANIEL 8 Heiferette, 824# ............................ $116.00 RIVERTON 26 Heiferette, 908# ............................$107.50 LANDER 3 Heiferette, 943# ............................$106.00 RIVERTON 16 Heiferette, 1004# ............................$94.00 3 Heiferette, 1071# ............................$91.00

Early Consignments TUESDAY, APRIL 30 BACK TO GRASS PAIR, BRED COW & BULL SPECIAL W/ ALL CATTLE CLASSES & SHEEP & HORSES START TIME 9:00 AM W/ SHEEP & WEIGH UPS PAIRS & BREDS at 11:00 AM BULLS @ NOON PAIRS Pam Noriega - 30 Blk Ang Hfr Pairs. Calves sired by Schaff & Connealy Blk Ang bulls. Rec 7-way w/ C & D @ Birth. Tagged to match. Hfrs originated from Lyman Ranch. Stout, powerful calves at side!

Shippen Inc - 30 Blk Ang Running Age Pairs.

Tagged to match. Rec Ultrabac 7 @ Birth. Big stout calves at side. High quality pairs!

Huxtable Ranch - 15 Blk ST Pairs. Tagged to match. Fancy pairs!

Terry Angel - 13 Blk Ang 2 Yr old Hfr Pairs. Calves tagged to match. 30-45 days old. Fancy!

FEEDERS David Bosen - 65 Blk Ang & AngX Strs & Hfrs 825-850#. Comp vacc. One brand. Choice feeders.

V3 Quarter Box - 50 Blk Hfrs 600#. Comp vacc.

Long time weaned. Been running out on pasture. Green!!

George Olson - 15 Blk Ang Hfrs 400-450#.

Comp Vacc & Weaned. Green!

BREEDING BULLS SO Cattle Co - 12 Blk Ang Yrling Bulls. Fertility & BVD tested. Sires include Unanimous, Journey, Angus Valley & Pay Weight. Reputation, high elevation bulls.

Lazy BV Cattle - 10 Blk Sim/AngX Yrling bulls.

Semen tested. 100% AI sired by ABS bulls.

High elevation, stout bulls. Ready for turnout.

John Gerstner - 7 Blk Ang Yrling bulls. AI sired

by Select Sires bulls (War Party, All In). Long time reputation calving ease program. Semen & Trich tested.

TUESDAY, MAY 7 BRED COW SPECIAL, START TIME 9:00 AM W/ WEIGH UPS, BREDS @ NOON

TUESDAY, MAY 14 FEEDER SPECIAL W/ ALL CATTLE CLASSES, START TIME 9:00 AM W/ WEIGH UPS

TUESDAY, MAY 21 BRED COW SPECIAL, START TIME 9:00 AM W/ WEIGH UPS, BREDS @ NOON

TUESDAY, MAY 28 FEEDER SPECIAL W/ SHEEP & HORSES START TIME 9:00 AM W/ SHEEP & WEIGH UPS

TUESDAY, JUNE 4 NO SALE

TUESDAY, JUNE 11 ALL CATTLE CLASSES

TUESDAY, JUNE 18 NO SALE

Be sure to check out our country cattle listings at www.cattleusa.com

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

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