Volume 32 Number 49 • April 3, 2021
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The Weekly News Source for Wyoming’s Ranchers, Farmers and AgriBusiness Community • www.wylr.net
A Look Inside Cover crops can diversify feedlot production systems....... ...................................... Page 7 Pasture seeding tips and tricks provided by range specialist..... ...................................... Page 8 Ogallala Aquifer remains a situation to be managed............... .................................... Page 13 Dick Perue shares an Easter poem from 1920.......... Page 14
Quick Bits Acres Planted According to the Mountain Regional Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, Wyoming growers intend to plant 79,000 acres of barley in 2021, up 5,000 acres, and 90,000 acres of corn, down 5,000 acres. Winter wheat seeded for harvest in 2021 is estimated at 120,000 acres, unchanged from 2020. Hay producers intend to harvest 1.20 million acres, up 120,000 acres from 2020. The area planted to sugarbeets is expected to be down 3,000 acres to 28,000 acres. Dry edible bean acreage is expected to total 23,000 acres, down 21% from 2020.
Producers encouraged to make crop insurance decision “This year is a particularly interesting year, as producers are starting the year off with higher than usual crop prices,” shares University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Grain Marketing Extension Specialist Cory Walter during
a Making Farm Program and Crop Insurance Decisions for 2021 webinar held March 1. UNL Extension Policy Specialist Brad Lubben joined Walter during the webinar, adding the year-long crop insurance decision to be made
is deciding which insurance policy best fits an operation. Looking at crop prices Crop prices are important for producers to acknowledge and understand because farm profit is largely dependent on crop prices, according
to Walter and Lubben. “As producers start the new year, it is unknown how crop prices will evolve throughout the growing season,” shares Walter. “It is important to note as producers Please see CROPS on page 5
2021 SPRING PLANTING EDITION
Sunn hemp Researchers at the University of Wyoming (UW) are studying sunn hemp as a potential forage crop for producers in the state. This tropical legume, unrelated to industrial hemp and cannabis, is known to perform well under hot growing conditions and add nitrogen into the system.
Tropical legume holds potential for Wyoming producers in rotations and as supplemental feed UW Assistant Professor of Agronomy and Cropping Systems Carrie Eberle, based at the James C. Hageman Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Lingle, is spearheading research to understand the best way for Wyoming producers Please see FORAGE on page 5
Grain Market Corn and soybean futures were locked limit up March 31 and traded higher later in the week. Given current trend yield assumptions, at 179.5 bushels per acre, the planting survey suggests analysts were 200 million bushels too high in their estimates prior to the U.S. Department of Agriculture planting report. As a result, the corn balance sheet for 2021-22 becomes tighter than previously expected.
Barley Stocks Off-farm barley stocks in Wyoming on March 1 totaled 2.77 million bushels, according to the Agricultural Survey and March Grain Stocks Report conducted by the Mountain Regional Field Office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Across the U.S., barley stocks in all positions on March 1 totaled 120 million bushels, up 4% from March 1, 2020.
SWE Update Statewide snowpack, or snow water equivalent (SWE), is 98% of median as of March 29. Several basins east of the Continental Divide continue to see increases in snowpack. The Powder and Lower North Platte Watersheds have the highest SWE in the state with 120-121% of median, respectively. The Belle Fourche and Cheyenne Basins are tied for the state low at 74% of median.
Emergency Forage – With the ability to grow four feet within 60 days of planting, sunn hemp can serve as an emergency forage during dry years. Carrie Eberle photo
Climate tools Sustainability remains likely focus of agricultural industries “Sustainability means something different to whomever we talk to – a producer, a consumer, a legislator or a regulator,” says Public Lands Council Executive Director and National Beef Cattlemen’s Association (NCBA) Executive Director of Natural Resources Kaitlynn Glover during a March 26 NCBA Beltway Beef podcast. “But, because it is a buzz word, it is all-encompassing and it is a great way to be able to talk about ecology, climate and the environment.” She adds, “On the grounds of realism, the word makes conversation relatable to not only environment and economics, but cultural and socioeconomic sustainability as well. Additionally, many conversations of the current administration and legislation will be viewed through the lens of climate.” “For some producers, this might be scary to hear,” Glover notes. “Historically, the cattle industry has gotten a bad rap when it comes to this word. Agricultural industries aren’t necessarily a problem, but a solution to Please see CLIMATE on page 5
Rammell raises argument Sublette County – Although scheduling slowdowns are keeping Rex F. Rammell’s civil suit for a declaratory judgment against Wyoming’s brand inspection law at a standstill, he filed a new argument to support his claim on March 29. Rammell is currently scheduled for a one-day jury trial on April 28 in Sublette County Circuit Court after being cited for five misdemeanor violations of Wyoming Statute 11-21-103(a) on June 27, 2019. Sublette County Deputy Attorney Stan Cannon asked the fifth count, for a nursing foal, be dismissed. Presiding Judge Gregory Corpening approved the change, but denied Rammell’s motion to continue the trial to await the outcome of Rammell’s civil suit, filed in Ninth District Court on Feb. 26. Rammell’s declaratory judgment asks, “Is Wyoming Statute 11-21-103(a) unconstitutional?” It is assigned to District Judge Marv Tyler, who has not yet acted on it. In a previous civil appeal, the judge had transferred the higher-court constitutional issue to Fourth District Judge John Fenn, who overturned a Circuit Court ruling and remanded the case back for more legal analysis. In this two-year process, the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office, as well as Cannon, continue to argue the state’s brand-inspection law is constitutional and necessary for livestock regulation and management, and the law is sufficient notice for livestock checks. One California court ruling approves warrantless Please see BRAND on page 10
Ag workforce bill reintroduced U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) reintroduced the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, House Resolution (HR) 1537, March 3. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act creates a solution to one of America’s agriculture industry’s biggest problems – workforce stability. The bill will provide stability, predictability and fairness to the most important sector of the U.S.’s economy, according to Lofgren and Newhouse. Legislation goals HR 1537 passed the House with strong bipartisan support in the 117th Congress. The bill’s goal is to provide a compromise solution making a meaningful reform to the H-2A
agricultural guestworker program, while also creating a merit-based visa program specifically designed for the agriculture sector. “The men and women working on America’s farms feed the nation,” said Lofgren during a press release. “However, many of them do so while living and working in a state of uncertainty and fear, which has only been heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Stabilizing the workforce will protect the future of our farms and our food supply.” She continued, “The Farm Workforce Modernization Act accomplishes this by providing a path to legal status for farm workers. It will update and streamline the
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Please see BILL on page 9