Volume 33 Number 4 • May 22, 2021
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The Weekly News Source for Wyoming’s Ranchers, Farmers and AgriBusiness Community • www.wylr.net
A Look Inside Check your answers to this month’s crossword puzzle......... .......................................page 3 WAIC bookmark finalists promote Wyoming industries......... ...................................... Page 5 Life after commencement in 1910 shared...................page 6
U.S. meat exports see record-breaking spring performance According to data compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) and released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), first quarter red meat exports set the bar high for the rest of 2021.
USMEF data shows beef and pork exports had the highest monthly value in March, and both set new volume records in the same month. “It’s very gratifying to see such an outstanding breakout month for U.S. beef and pork
exports,” said USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom. “Exports were off to a respectable start in 2021, considering the logistical and labor challenges the industry is facing and ongoing restrictions in the foodservice sector in many
key markets.” He continued, “While these obstacles are not totally behind us, the March results show the situation is improving, and the export totals better reflect the strong level of Please see EXPORTS on page 5
Lee Pitts gets out his thesaurus................................page 12
Quick Bits Wool Lab Montana House Bill 14 was signed into law earlier in May by Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte at the University of Montana. The bill secured $5 million in funding to build a new wool lab on Montana State University’s Bozeman campus. The remaining $1 million for the project will be collected through fundraising efforts. Look for more information on the new wool lab in next week’s Roundup.
STABLE CATTLE MARKET
Cattle organizations engage in common agreement for industry benefit At the request of the Livestock Marketing Association (LMA), leaders from organizations representing cattle producers met in Phoenix, Ariz. on May 10 to discuss challenges associated with marketing finished cattle. The ultimate goal of the meeting was to shine light on a sustainable situation for both feeders and
cow/calf producers from a financial perspective. Leaders from the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), National Farmers Union, R-CALF USA and the United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) Please see MARKET on page 11
Mining Ban The Biden administration announced it will consider a ban on new mining on large expanses of public land in western states to protect the Greater sage grouse. The Department of the Interior review of the temporary ban, imposed during the Obama administration and dropped by the Trump administration, is expected to cover 10 million acres in Idaho, Nevada, Montana, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming.
Horse Sale This year, 79 horses were sold at the annual Cody Horse Sale. The third highest selling horse sold for $40,000. The second highest selling horse sold for $58,000. LK Smokin Chex was the highest selling horse and sold for $110,000. Saddled horses averaged $29,000 and colts averaged around $2,000. More information can be found on the Cody Horse Sale website.
Brand Trial The planned one-day trial of Rex F. Rammell of Rock Springs is rescheduled for May 26. A deputy stopped Rammell in June 2019 while Rammell was transporting four horses and a colt from Sweetwater County to Sublette County, where Rammell was cited for violating the state brand inspection law. Rammell has contested the charges, acting as his own attorney throughout the process. The Circuit Court trial is set to take place in the Ninth District Courtroom.
Averi Hales photo
30x30 Plan Panelists discuss conservation policy for western states The Western Landowners Alliance (WLA) hosted a panel of landowners and land managers to share their perspective on the Biden administration’s 30x30 Plan. While the policy has not been completed, WLA is advocating the final policy should respect property rights, improve conservation outcomes and benefit rural communities. The panel included WLA Executive Director Lesli Allison, New Mexico Rancher Tuda Crews, California Rancher Jack Hanson, Department of Interior Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Kate Kelly, Idaho Rancher and Idaho Rangeland Conservation Partnership Coordinator Brenda Richards and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Acting Director Martha Williams. The plan To start, Kelly provided a summary report of the plan, now called Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful Plan. “This is the first time a president has set a national conservation goal, so this certainly brings up the question of why this is important,” Kelly says, noting the goal has three main focuses. The first is to address nature loss, second to address the climate crisis including historic drought and longer wildfire seasons and third to address disparities in access to Please see 30x30 on page 4
Peterson interns for Roundup Joining the team from central Nebraska, Savannah Peterson is the new intern for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Peterson is a current student at Casper College where she is studying agriculture communications and animal science. While she is at Casper College, she is a member of the livestock Savannah Peterson judging team. Peterson developed her passion for agriculture on her family’s fifth generation farm and ranch. From an early age, Peterson could be found in a mineral tub while her family was working cattle. If not found there, she was probably taking a nap in the planter or combine in the field. Peterson spent many hours working cows and planting corn and soybeans by the time she graduated high school. Becoming active in 4-H and FFA at a young age, Peterson enjoyed the challenges county and state fair brought. From her first bucket calf to her last champion market hog, Peterson enjoyed being in the show ring. Still, she found time to compete in other activities these organizations offered. She represented her county and state at many national events for livestock judging, meats judging and Skill-a-thon. All of these activities taught Peterson how to become Please see INTERN on page 12
Prescribed burns reconsidered Prescribed burns have been around since the beginning of European settlement. This range management tool helps keep many prairie ecosystems thriving. A University of Nebraska-Lincoln BeefWatch podcast dated May 12 focused on how prescribed burns are being studied and implemented to be successful. Change of plans According to Kansas State University Range Beef Cattle Specialist K.C. Olson, “There are some invasive plants, and very damaging invasive plants, that don’t respond to the traditional regime. We had to switch things up and rethink our approach to prescribed fire.”
Sericea lespedeza and old-world blue stem species pose a challenge on the traditional prescribed burn. It is hard for cattle to digest these plants, so producers want to remove them from their pastures. Unfortunately, traditional spring burns did not impact these plants. In previous studies, Olson tried various practices to continue to raise cattle that eat these undesirable plants, however nothing worked. This encouraged Olson to take another look at prescribe burns. “We partnered with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation,” says Olson. “We embarked on a four-year study to look at
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Please see BURNS on page 4