Roundup for 5.31.25

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MAHA Commission Report sparks ag industry outrage

The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission Report, titled

“The MAHA Report: Make Our Children Healthy Again Assessment,” was released on May 22 and highlights what the commission believes to be the four primary factors lead-

Quick Bits

Rodeo Finals

The 2025 Wyoming High School State Finals Rodeo will be held June 2-8 at the Johnson County Fairgrounds in Buffalo. Rodeo performances will be held June 3 at 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. and June 5-6 at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. The Reined Cow Horse and Cutting Finals will take place June 4 at 7 a.m. in the Sheridan College Indoor Barn. For more information, visit wyhsra.com

Symposium

There is still time to register for the 2025 Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Research Symposium and Convention, a three-day event which brings together leading researchers, producers and industry professionals to connect science and the beef industry in an effort to improve cattle genetics. The event is set for June 10-13 in Amarillo, Texas. For more information or to register, visit beefimprovement.org/2025-symposium/

BLM Project

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has approved a right-of-way authorization for the use of subsurface BLM-administered federal pore space for the Sweetwater Carbon Storage Hub carbon dioxide sequestration project. Frontier Carbon Solutions LLC received approval to construct three Class Six Underground Injection Control wells on non-federal lands. These wells are permitted and regulated by the state of Wyoming. For more information, contact BLM Project Coordinator Kelly Lamborn at 307-828-4505 or klamborn@blm.gov.

Wool Blanket

In honor of the Montana Wool Growers Association’s (MWGA) 100th Annual Ram Sale, MWGA has partnered with the Montana Wool Company to offer commemorative wool blankets. With two designs to choose from, all proceeds will raise funds for MWGA. Pre-ordered blankets will be available for pick up Sept. 10-11 at the ram sale in Miles City, Mont. For more information or to order a blanket, visit mtsheep.org or call 406-442-1330.

ing to childhood chronic disease –poor diets, exposure to environmental chemicals, stress and physical inactivity and overmedication.

The highly-anticipated 68-page report sparked outrage across the U.S. ag industry for calling out American farm-

ers and ranchers and making bold statements about the nation’s food system. Contradictory information

Specifically, multiple organizations voiced their concern about the report’s contradictory information and

Cattle Herd Rebuild

After dwindling to a 74-year low, industry experts indicate the nation’s beef cattle herd may be starting to rebuild.

During the U.S. Meat Export Federation’s (USMEF) Annual Spring Conference, held in Fort Worth, Texas May 21-23, CattleFax Chief Executive Officer Randy Blach provided a “cautiously optimistic” outlook on the cattle industry’s herd rebuilding efforts.

The rebuild

During his keynote speech, Blach notes the rebuild may be attributed to several factors and will likely be slow and steady, taking longer than many originally thought.

First, he points out, cow slaughter has declined

significantly, providing greater herd stability, and while producers have been slow to retain heifers, Blach believes there are enough encouraging signs to prove January was the low point of the current cattle cycle.

“Does this rebuild look anything like it did back in 2014-15 – the most rapid expansion in the history of the industry? No, this one isn’t that way. It is much, much slower, just as we expected it would be, and I think we need to plan on it continuing to be a slower expansion as it unfolds,” he says.

Market trends

Additionally, Blach provided a broad outlook of

Legislation helps protect against vultures

On May 23, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), alongside Sens. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Eric Schmitt (R-MO) and John Cornyn (R-TX), introduced the Black Vulture Relief Act of 2025, which would give producers across the U.S. the ability to protect livestock threatened by predatory animals without government interference.

According to the May 23 press release published by Mullin’s office, this legislation aims to remove the requirement for a depredation permit, allowing producers to take black vultures anytime they cause a threat, while preserving the requirement for annual take reporting to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to allow FWS to continue monitoring black vulture populations.

The bill would also prohibit the use of poison as a method of take.

Mullin states, “Oklahoma ranchers deserve the right to protect their livestock from threatening predators. Attacks from black vultures are all too common and our ranchers are suffering the consequences. As a rancher myself, I know firsthand the implications of the rapidly growing black vulture population and the negative effect this has on livestock production.”

“Removing the requirement for a depredation permit will allow producers the ability to do what is necessary to protect their livestock and reduce economic hardship. It’s vital to the livelihood of ranchers across the country that we get this fixed,” he adds.

Tuberville further comments, “America’s cattlemen

As the weather pattern shifts away from La Niña, Meteorologist Don Day, Jr. believes Wyoming will likely see warmer, wetter weather this summer and fall compared to last year.

Each year, Day presents the weather outlook for coming months during the Wyoming Bankers Association’s Agricultural Bankers Conference, which was held on May 14-15 at Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington this year.

“We are springboarding into a really important time of year in Wyoming,” Day began. “May through June are typically the wettest months of the year, and it is absolutely critical we get wet. If we don’t, then we’re obviously going to

Export Updates

USMEF conference focuses on innovative solutions in a challenging trade environment

The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) concluded its Annual Spring Conference in Fort Worth, Texas with a panel discussion in which senior international staff gave examples of innovative efforts to overcome trade challenges. Finding alternative markets

Jihae Yang, USMEF vice president for the Asia Pacific, noted with high tariffs and other barriers severely limiting pork and beef exports to China, the organization has intensified campaigns aimed at moving items traditionally popular in China to alternative markets.

For example, USMEF partnered with a major retailer in South Korea for a promotion of U.S. beef short plate, after uncertainty over plant eligibility and higher tariffs made the product more difficult to move in China.

Yang added if the trade impasse with China persists, she foresees more U.S. short plate being available to importers and distributors in Southeast Asia.

have some problems.”

A warm, wet forecast

Although the National Weather Service’s (NWS) probability data predicts a warmer, drier late spring and summer, Day doesn’t necessarily agree. With the exit of La Niña, he is optimistic the Cowboy State will see greater amounts of precipitation in coming months.

“NWS forecasts a warmer and drier than normal summer all over the Intermountain West,” he admitted. “Do I think this is going to be true in some places? Yes and no. In reality, we have islands of dry and islands of wet.”

“I do think it is going to be warmer

WYLR photo

GUEST OPINIONS America Needs a Labor Force

President Donald J. Trump wants to bring more factories and manufacturing to America. We applaud his efforts but realize he has an uphill road to get there, mainly having the workforce to do the job.

I think one of the problems we have today with our workforce was brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic when there were so many layoffs and unemployment benefits were extended for many months.

Here at the Roundup, we lease part of our building to an employment service. During the pandemic, there were always people at the employment office. I figured they were all looking for jobs but soon found out different.

At the time, the Biden administration and Congress used a lot of dollars to extend unemployment benefits by many months. The employment service wasn’t getting very many people hired, as most everyone wanted to fill out an application and take it to the unemployment office to get the benefits.

It caused quite a racket as there were many jobs open and most were just using government funds to not work.

I recently read an article in Moneywise on comments made by American TV Host and Philanthropist Mike Rowe who believes there’s a “horror story” unfolding in the American labor market.

Rowe has been talking across America lately on the need for young people to go to a trade school instead of attending college. Rowe said, “The stat that sticks with me and worries me is 7.2 million able-bodied men, today in their prime working years, are not only unemployed, they’re officially not even looking.”

The article said Rowe did not provide a source for this statistic, but the number of prime-working-age men – ages 25 to 54 – not participating in the labor market was around seven million in March 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). There was no information on whether they were “able-bodied” or not.

In the article, Rowe also pointed to the shortage of tradespeople in the U.S. and said the nation’s labor force is “wildly out of balance.”

The statistics show why men have abandoned the formal economy. According to BLS, men between the ages of 25 and 54 saw their labor force participation rate drop from 98 percent in September 1954 to 89.1 percent in March 2025.

To understand why men in their prime were participating less, the Bipartisan Policy Cent conducted a survey in 2024. The survey showed 57 percent of prime-age men not seeking work cited physical, mental or behavioral health reasons. Close to 30 percent said they are not working by choice, and nine percent said they are busy caring for others.

This was significantly different from men who are looking for work, of whom only 16 percent said their physical or mental health was the main reason they were out of work.

Men who are not employed and not looking for work may not be as able-bodied or mentally able as Rowe thinks, but his thoughts about an unbalanced labor market could be right, as some men seem to have acquired skills which are no longer a good fit for the labor market.

Those surveyed said they would go back to work if there were better health insurance, sick leave, accommodations for disabilities, flexible working arrangements and mental health benefits.

That may be asking a lot.

Trump Leadership: If You Want Welfare and Can Work, You Must

America’s welfare programs were created with a noble purpose – to help those who needed them most – seniors, individuals with disabilities, pregnant women and low-income families with children.

In recent years, though, these welfare programs have deviated from their original mission, both by drift and by design.

Millions of able-bodied adults have been added to the rolls in the past decade, primarily as a result of Medicaid expansion. Many of these recipients are working-age individuals without children who might remain on welfare for years. Some of them do not work at all or they work inconsistently throughout the year.

The increased share of welfare spending dedicated to able-bodied working-age adults distracts from what should be the focus of these programs – the truly needy.

This should not be the American way of welfare. This is why we are joining efforts to require able-bodied adults – defined as adults who have not been certified as physically or mentally unfit to work – with some exceptions, to get jobs and calling on Congress to enact commonsense reforms into law.

Congressional Republicans have already put forward new or revised work requirements for Medicaid and food stamps in the reconciliation package and much-needed tax relief for Americans in “The One, Big, Beautiful Bill.”

As leaders of the agencies that oversee the largest welfare programs in the nation – the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Medicaid and federal housing assistance, among others – we see the data, hear the stories and understand these programs are failing to deliver results.

For able-bodied adults, welfare should be a short-term hand-up, not a lifetime handout.

But too many able-bodied adults on welfare are not working at all, and too often we don’t even ask them to. For many, welfare is no longer a lifeline to self-sufficiency but a lifelong trap of dependency.

A recent analysis from an econo-

HANNAH BUGAS, Managing Editor • hannah@wylr.net

CANDICE PEDERSON, Production Coordinator • candice@wylr.net

JODY MICHELENA, Advertising Director • jodym@wylr.net

DENISE OLSON, Classified Sales Manager • 307-685-8213 • denise@wylr.net

ANDREA ZINK, General Manager • andrea@wylr.net

CURT COX, Director of Livestock Field Services • 307-630-4604 • curt@wylr.net

CALLI WILLIAMS, Livestock Field Services Rep. • 605-695-1990 • calli@wylr.net

mist at the American Enterprise Institute examined survey data from December 2022 – the most recent month available – and found just 44 percent of able-bodied, working-age Medicaid beneficiaries without dependents worked at least 80 hours in that month.

Establishing universal work requirements for able-bodied adults across the welfare programs we manage will prioritize the vulnerable, empower ablebodied individuals, help rebuild thriving communities and protect the taxpayers.

This is why a majority of Americans support work requirements – polling shows 60 to 80 percent of all Americans support work requirements in Medicaid, for instance. Even Joe Biden as a senator supported work requirements for welfare.

The good news is history shows us work requirements work.

In 1996, President Bill Clinton and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich joined forces to enact bipartisan welfare reform with a work requirement at the heart of it.

The results were astounding. As early as 1997, economists attributed a measurable increase in the national labor force participation rate and a decrease in dependency to welfare reform. This reform – combined with a strong economy and expanded tax credits for lowincome workers – led to a steady decrease in rates of child poverty in the late 1990s.

Today, the share of kids living in poverty is one-quarter lower than it was in 1996. The 1996 welfare reform was so successful Barack Obama, when he ran for president in 2008, admitted he had been wrong about it.

Our agencies are united in a very straightforward policy approach – ablebodied adults receiving benefits must work, participate in job training or volunteer in their communities at least 20 hours a week. Limited exceptions will be made for good cause, like caring for young children and health issues, but the principle is clear – those who can work, should.

Some will argue work requirements create barriers to resources. We disagree. We believe welfare dependency, not

work, is the barrier. There are millions of open jobs around the country, with more on the way as President Donald J. Trump’s job-creation policies are fully implemented. And if someone can’t find one of those millions of open jobs, he or she can meet the work requirement through job training or volunteering part time.

This is about opportunity. We believe work is transformative for the individual who moves from welfare to employment.

Yes, it is true a work requirement protects taxpayer dollars as it provides income to the worker and lessens dependence on government funding.

But it is not just about money. Work also provides purpose and dignity. It strengthens families and communities as it gives new life to start-ups and growing businesses. It provides an example to our next generation, and studies have shown work can improve physical and mental health.

Work requirements will also give new life to America’s welfare programs, which are breaking under the weight of misplaced priorities. Our policy is reasonable and will protect welfare for the truly needy while improving the trajectory of millions of families and of our federal government.

At the Departments of Agriculture, Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development, we are ready to implement work requirements. As we do so, we will work hand in hand with Congress, states, communities and individuals to make this vision a permanent reality.

The benefits are clear – stronger economies and a renewed sense of purpose for millions of Americans.

Brooke Rollins is the U.S. secretary of agriculture; Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is the Health and Human Services secretary; Mehmet Oz is the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator and Scott Turner is the Department of Housing and Urban Development secretary. This opinion column was originally published by the New York Times on May 15.

From the Publisher Dennis Sun

Nominations open

Each year, the Wyoming Livestock Roundup recognizes two Wyoming citizens or couples for their involvement in the state’s agriculture industry by inducting them into the Wyoming Agriculture Hall of Fame.

Started in 1992, the Wyoming Agriculture Hall of Fame has honored 73 Wyomingites to date.

“The Wyoming Agriculture Hall of Fame award was first started in 1992 to recognize leadership in the ag community,” says Wyoming Livestock Roundup Publisher Dennis Sun. “The need is there to recognize people who have been leaders and given themselves, their time and countless resources to help the ag community in the state.”

Last year’s inductees were Laurie Boner of Glenrock and Philip Ellis of Chugwater.

To nominate someone for the Wyoming Agriculture Hall of Fame, visit wylr.net and click on the Ag Hall of Fame tab, e-mail roundup@wylr.net or call the office at 307-234-2700.

Nominations must be submitted by June 7.

After all nominations are received, a panel of three judges independently rank nominees and select the year’s inductees. A belt buckle and poster will be presented to the winners at the 2025 Wyoming Agriculture Hall of Fame Picnic Aug. 13, the week of the Wyoming State Fair.

For more information, contact the Wyoming Livestock Roundup at 307-234-2700.

Public comment requested

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) is requesting public input on a proposed revision to the management objective for the Pine Ridge Elk Herd Unit in Casper and the Rawhide Elk Herd Unit in southeast Wyoming.

According to WGFD, the Pine Ridge Elk Herd Unit includes Elk Hunt Area 122, where the department currently manages for a satisfaction objective of 60 percent, set in 2012. Now, WGFD is proposing to implement a population objective of 1,500, noting the herd has been over the satisfaction objective for 15 years and landowners have expressed concern about the overabundance of elk in the herd unit.

For the Rawhide Elk Herd Unit, the proposed revision aims to change the objective from a landowner and hunter satisfaction-based objective to a post-season population objective.

A series of public meetings will be held to discuss these changes and gather community feedback.

A meeting for the Pine Ridge Elk Herd Unit will be held on June 3 at the Casper Game and Fish Regional Office at 4 p.m.

Two meetings will take place for the Rawhide Elk Herd Unit – one on June 2 at the First State Bank in Guernsey at 6 p.m. and the other on June 9 at the Niobrara County Fairgrounds in Lusk at 6 p.m.

For more information, contact Keaton Weber at keaton.weber@wyo.gov or 307-399-2507.

Registration open

For those interested in learning how to safely preserve food at home, a University of Wyoming (UW) Extension educator will help teach an online course in collaboration with the University of Idaho Extension.

The six-week course, titled “Preserve@Home,” is organized by Idaho Extension educators. It is offered twice a year during January and June.

This session of the course runs from June 12 through July 24. Real-time discussions occur every Thursday at 1 p.m.

The Preserve@Home course presents one lesson each week. Topics are foodborne illnesses; spoilage and canning basics; canning acidic food using a boiling water bath; canning low-acid foods with a pressure canner; canning specialty foods, such as jellies, salsas or fermented foods and drying and freezing foods.

The course teaches current research-based food safety practices which may be relevant to participants of all experience levels.

For each lesson, class members read assigned materials, respond to a discussion board prompt and take a quiz on the lesson topic. Weekly real-time Zoom sessions allow participants to discuss lessons and other food preservation questions with instructors. All meetings are recorded and made available to participants during the six-week course.

The course also provides supplementary information about other subjects, including canning at high altitudes, using root cellars to store food and the nutritional value of preserved foods.

Preserve@Home is a non-credit course and cannot be taken for college credit, but participants have the opportunity to earn a certificate of completion.

Registration for the course costs $35 and closes on June 9. Registration can be completed online at bit.ly/register-preserve For more information, e-mail vhayman@uwyo.edu or call 307-746-3531.

Webinar set

A webinar hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will examine and help educate agricultural producers and the public about the New World screwworm (NWS).

Scheduled from 2-4 p.m. on June 9, the free webinar will cover the biology of the pest; prevention and treatment strategies; public health perspectives, including pets; the importance of NWS awareness and prevention; current status; government response and surveillance programs, as well as a question-and-answer session.

To register, visit tx.ag/NWSwebinar

Claims now open

Ranchers who have claims to file in the $83.5 million settlement in a JBS anti-trust case have until Sept. 15 to get it done.

In February, the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota granted preliminary approval of the settlement because of a class-action lawsuit filed in 2019 by the National Farmers Union, R-CALF USA and four individual ranchers who alleged JBS took part in anti-competitive conduct in the cattle market.

The ag groups alleged in their lawsuit Tyson, Cargill and the National Beef Company leveraged their “consistent control” over the purchase of about 85 percent of fed cattle in the U.S.

The settlement classes covered by the proposed settlement include – subject to certain exclusions and conditions – all persons or entities within the U.S. that directly sold fed cattle for slaughter to Tyson, JBS, Cargill and/or National Beef Company from June 1, 2015 to Feb. 29, 2020, other than pursuant to a cost-plus agreement and/or a profit-sharing agreement, according to a news release from the National Farmers Union.

Also eligible are entities that held a long position in live cattle futures traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange prior to June 1, 2015, and then liquidated the long position through an offsetting market transaction at any point prior to Nov. 1, 2016.

The settlement website, cattleantitrustsettlement.com, provides information for feeders and futures traders on how to file claims and how to object or opt out of the settlement.

The court has appointed a claims administrator who can answer questions about the JBS settlement, including any questions regarding how to submit a claim to share in the settlement.

The administrator can be reached at 844-435-8844 or info@cattleantitrustsettlement.com.

Summit unites industry

According to a May 21 Western Ag Network article, in the face of mounting challenges, 40 leaders from across the livestock industry convened at the Common Ground Summit April 21-23 at Denver’s Brown Palace Hotel, with a shared mission to safeguard rural communities, ensure America’s food independence and preserve a way of life central to the nation’s agricultural heritage.

One of the participants was Livestock Marketing Association Vice President and Billings, Mont. Auction Market Owner Joe Goggins. He explained the task at hand for the entire U.S. livestock industry and the call to action.

The three-day summit tackled a stark reality – America risks losing its capacity to feed itself independently, a situation with profound implications for both national security and the agricultural sector.

Through intensive dialogue, participants reached consensus on six critical areas for action, including ag-friendly tax policy, risk management tools, access to labor, flexibility for livestock haulers, support for young and emerging producers and innovation and sustainability.

The Common Ground Summit stands as a testament to the power of collaboration, charting a path forward for America’s livestock industry.

For more information, visit commongroundsummit.net

Landowners awarded

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) has selected four landowners from around the state for its 30th Annual Landowner of the Year Award. These landowners were nominated by WGFD employees through a regional and state selection process.

The four landowners are Turtle Rock Ranch, ran by the Mark and Angela Grant family in Casper; NL Land and Livestock, Inc. in Lander; J Bar 9 Ranch Managers, ran by Bob Curtis and the Curtis family in Cody and Falxa Ranch, ran by Betty Falxa and her late husband Martin in Sheridan.

“We are excited to recognize these landowners and the exemplary values they demonstrate,” WGFD Director Angi Bruce said. “The partnership between WGFD and Wyoming’s landowners is not just beneficial, it’s critical to our shared success in wildlife management and conservation.”

Since 1995, the Landowner of the Year Award has been presented to Wyoming landowners who have demonstrated outstanding practices in wildlife management, habitat improvement and conservation techniques on their properties. These companies and families have cooperated with WGFD to provide access for hunters and anglers on their properties as well.

The formal award ceremony for these landowners will take place on Sept. 9 in Lander.

VULTURES

work hard to feed our communities and shouldn’t have to jump through a bunch of hoops just to protect their herds. Adjusting these sub-permit requirements based on outdated data is just one more commonsense way we can support our cattlemen and help them keep more of their hard-earned dollars.”

Background information

The press release notes the Black Vulture Relief Act comes in response to the increasing burden producers face due to the rise in livestock depredation by an ever-growing number of black vultures.

In fact, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Breeding Bird Survey, the black vulture population has increased by approximately 468 percent to more than 190 million birds since 1990.

Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service’s Wildlife Services (WS) shows black vultures as the third

leading cause of calf death from predators in 2015, behind coyotes and unknown predators, with vultures causing 24,600 or 10 percent of all predatory death.

WS also notes from 2020-25, black vulture attacks on cattle rose nearly 25 percent.

Despite this, the black vulture is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, making it illegal to take one without obtaining a permit, with fines up to $15,000.

FWS currently issues master permits to individual states, which then issue subpermits to ranchers, with a limit of three to 10 per state.

Only 14 states participate in the program, including Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

In January, the America’s Conservation Enhancement Act was signed into

law, including a provision Mullin secured to codify the original Black Vulture Relief Act Pilot Program.

Today’s legislation has been cosponsored by Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Katie Britt (R-AL), Rick Scott (R-FL), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Ted Budd (R-NC), John Barrasso (R-WY), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Ted Cruz (R-TX), James Lankford (R-OK), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

Nationwide support

Since its introduction, the Black Vulture Relief Act of 2025 has gained sweeping support across the nation’s ag industry, with endorsements from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife and Conservation, Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association and Wyoming Stock

Growers Association.

Additionally, 14 cattlemen’s associations, including those in Alabama, Colorado, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Missouri, Tennessee and Virgina, as

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well as the state farm bureau federations in Florida, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming have voiced support for the bill as well.

“The challenges faced by America’s farmers and ranchers are numerous, from unstable commodity prices to drought and unpredictable weather,” states AFBF Vice President of Public Policy Sam Kieffer. “The safety threat to livestock posed by predatory birds like black vultures is yet another risk our members face, day in and day out, and we’re appreciative of Mullin’s leadership to help our members mitigate this risk. Protecting their livestock is of the utmost importance to farmers and ranchers, and this legislation will better equip them to do just that.”

NCBA Executive Director of Natural Resources and Public Lands Council Executive Director Kaitlynn Glover comments, “Cur-

rently, black vulture populations in the south and Midwest are skyrocketing, and it is a success story of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. Now is the time to recognize this success and allow cattle producers to effectively manage this abundant predator species through commonsense measures like the Black Vulture Relief Act of 2025.”

“Family cattle operations are facing financial strain from the abundance of black vultures on their operations and the propensity of these predators to target newborn calves that cannot defend themselves,” she continues. “NCBA and PLC thank Mullin for taking action to fix this problem and providing producers the management tools they need to protect their livelihoods.”

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

Adobe Stock photo

A federal judge recently cleared the way for a California-based food company to continue challenging a Florida law banning the manufacture and sale of labgrown meat. But in doing so, he trimmed back the company’s multipronged dispute against the Sunshine State’s 2023 law.

District Court Judge Mark Walker’s decision the Dormant Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution protects businesses from discrimination in interstate commerce allowed Upside Foods, Inc. to move forward with only one point of its case.

Walker generally sided with state attorneys and livestock industry interests which are seeking to dismiss Upside Foods’ lawsuit. He said while the production and sale of lab-grown meat is allowed by federal law, it doesn’t mean individual states can’t ban its production and sale.

The April 25 decision on motions filed by the defendants – Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and state attorneys – to dismiss the case came after Walker rejected Upside Foods’ request for a preliminary injunction to halt the law in October.

Upside Foods has appealed Walker’s October decision to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. History of lab-grown meat

The first cultured beef was created in 2013 in the Netherlands. By 2020, the world’s initial commercial sale of cell-cultured meat occurred at a restaurant in Singapore.

Meanwhile the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) agreed in March 2019 to establish a framework for the production of human foods made from cultured cells taken from livestock and poultry. Their intent was to ensure any such products placed into commerce are safe, unadulterated and truthfully labeled.

Under the joint rules, FDA oversees the collection, growth and the differentiation of living cells, such as proteins and fats. FSIS regulates the harvesting stage of the cell-culturing process, along with the processing, labeling and packaging of the products.

The federal rules enacted in July 2023 paved the way for two California startups – Good Meat, Inc. and Upside Foods, Inc. – to enter lab-cultivated chicken into interstate commerce.

Two high-end Washington, D.C. restaurants added Good Meat’s chicken products to their menus.

Upside Foods soon thereafter produced the first cultivated beef while exploring the cell cultivation of other meats and seafoods. The company claims it can generate any meat, poultry or seafood protein in its labs.

The production process is similar to the fermentation of yeast. It starts with animal tissue cells placed in a tightly controlled and monitored environment. The cells are fed an oxygenrich culture medium containing amino acids, glucose, vitamins and inorganic salts – typically supplemented with patent-protected “growth factors” and other proteins.

Once the cells begin to multiply, more nutrients and growth factors are added to create a specific type of tissue. As tissues grow, they assume characteristics of muscle, fat or connective material and can be harvested and prepared with conventional food processing methods.

Bucking the headwinds

Both optimists and pessimists of lab-grown meat know for cultivated meat to have significant impact, the industry will have to increase to a scale previously unmatched by any biopharma, fermentation or biotechnology business in history.

Cultivated meat startups are also pursuing the Holy Grail of the alternative protein sector – price parity with traditional livestock farm-raised animal protein.

Then there’s simply the stigma of producing “Frankenfoods,” a term longused by activists who rage against industrialized food production.

“The lab-grown meat sector will continue to face headwinds as consumers and lawmakers learn more about the use of immortalized cells,” said Jack Hubbard, executive director of the Center for Environment and Welfare, one of the leading critics of lab-grown meat.

“We are seeing a bipartisan consumer movement against an experimental product we believe will ultimately intensify as more people learn about how lab-grown meat is manufactured.”

Yet, proponents of labgrown proteins say old-fashioned protectionism is lurking behind livestock industry opposition. They say Florida’s ban was enacted after intense lobbying by cattle interests and their anticompetitive resolutions.

“Protecting agricultural interests from competition is not a legitimate use of government power,” said a spokesperson for the Institute for Justice, Upside Foods’ legal group. “All Upside Foods wants is the right to sell its innovative products to willing Florida consumers.”

The Institute for Justice further contended the USDA and FDA both reviewed the evidence Upside Foods’ product is just as safe as conventional product and gave the company the green light to market its product throughout the country.

Where’s the lab-grown beef?

There has been some speculation about McDonald’s Corp. using lab-grown

meat in its burgers, but McDonald’s said their burger patties are made with 100 percent North American beef.

In fact, McDonald’s foray into the plant-based beef world proved short lived.

The McPlant burger, a Beyond Meat patty that debuted Feb. 1, 2022 in San Francisco and Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, failed to ignite customer interest. This suggests American consumers, unlike their European counterparts, where the McPlant remains available, weren’t seeking plant-based options at McDonald’s, a company spokesperson said.

There are no confirmed plans for Chick-fil-A to switch to lab-grown meat. Chick-fil-A has stated it is committed to sourcing traditional meat products, emphasizing its focus on quality and where the food originates.

While Burger King offers a plant-based option in the Impossible Whopper, the company does not currently use lab-grown meat in its products. Burger King’s traditional burgers are made with 100 percent beef.

Across the globe, Italy has become the first country to ban cell-cultured animal products and animal feed.

“In defense of health of the Italian production system and thousands of jobs, of our culture and tradition, Italy is the first nation in the world to be safe from the social and economic risks of synthetic food,” said Italy’s Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida.

The European Union’s Council of Ministers has said the lab-grown meat sector is not “a sustainable alternative to primary farmbased production.”

Additionally, the Austrian and French agricultural ministers are presently opposed to cultivated meat production. The countries of Czechia, Cyprus, Hungary, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Malta, Romania and Slovakia have also supported the argument.

As of the end of 2024, additional cultivated meat products are under regulatory review in Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Thailand and South Korea.

But in China, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs created a pace for lab-grown proteins with the release of its official five-year agricultural plan this past January. The plan includes cultivated meats and other “future foods” like plant-based eggs as part of its blueprint for food security going forward.

Fencing out lab-grown meat

Florida was the first U.S. state to fence out federal rules enacted in 2023 allowing the production and sale of cell-cultured meats. In doing so, Florida’s lawmakers lit a fuse igniting opposition to artificiallyproduced proteins across the U.S.

“We stand with agriculture. We stand with cattle ranchers. We stand with farmers because we understand it’s important for the backbone of the state,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said. “Take your fake lab-grown meat elsewhere.”

“Elsewhere” is shirking though as livestock and poultry interests in at least seven other states have convinced their respective legislatures to pump the brakes on lab-grown meats.

On Oct. 1, 2024, Alabama became the second state to ban the sale of cultured meat.

In March, the legislature unanimously passed House Bill (HB) 1006 banning the manufacture, sale or distribution of cultivated food products derived from cultured animal cells in Mississippi.

In Montana, HB0401 prohibits the manufacture, sale or distribution of cell-

cultured edible products.

Starting Oct. 1, 2025, any retail food establishment which violates the law faces suspension of their license, fines and imprisonment if convicted.

In Nebraska, a bill barring the distribution or sale of cultivated protein food products throughout the state received approval on May 14 of this year.

As of July 1, entities in the state of Indiana will not be able to sell cultivated meat products for two years.

In Oklahoma, a new law aims at alerting consumers if a product comes directly from an animal or from somewhere else – an attempt to prevent false advertising. Lawmakers said specific labeling rules on meat products, including those made in a lab or from cellular cultivation, were better than banning them.

In September 2023, the

Texas Legislature stopped short of banning lab-grown meats. It passed a law requiring the labels of cultivated meat products sold in the state to say “cell-cultured,” “lab-grown” or have similar language on the packaging.

But not California. There’s widespread support in the Golden State for the innovation of cell-cultured animal products.

The University of California, Davis opened the Integrative Center for Alternative Meat and Protein in January 2024. The center’s Director David Block said advancements in sustainable alternative proteins will lead to widespread distribution of affordable products in 10 to 15 years.

Clint Peck is an author for BEEF Magazine. This article was originally published in BEEF Magazine on May 20.

$59,900*

6.9%

Adobe Stock photo

than normal this summer in Wyoming though, but not as warm as they say,” he added.

In regards to precipitation, Day said all indications show a better thunderstorm season in Wyoming.

“Honestly, if we are going to get rain in Wyoming between the middle of June and middle of October, it’s going to be from a thunderstorm, and if we don’t have a good thunderstorm season, it makes things worse,” he explained.

“The summer monsoon, which is the thunderstorm pattern we see in July and August in Wyoming, starts in June in Mexico, Arizona and New Mexico, working its way up,” Day continued. “We knew by June of last year it was going to be a bad thunderstorm season because when the water temperatures are colder,

the monsoon weakens. But we are already starting off warmer than we were a year ago, which is why I think it’s not going to be as hot as NWS is saying and why I think it’s going to be more wet.”

Additionally, Day noted if water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean begin to warm up quicker, there will likely be more wet, spring storms across Wyoming for the rest of May and into June.

“And we’re probably going to have the best chance I’ve seen in a long time for rain in east-central Wyoming,” he said.

According to Day, soil moisture profiles are also important to consider when forecasting summer weather conditions.

“If there is a soil moisture deficit, there will be problems in the summer

because we have natural feedback in the atmosphere from the moisture in the soil moving into the air, which helps with thunderstorms and summer showers,” he stated.

“The areas I am most concerned about this summer are those with dry soils right now, and the only thing that can really change this is about three to four inches of rain over the next six weeks, which would be hard to do,” he added. “Where we see bad soil moisture profiles is where we are most concerned about getting droughty this summer.”

Drought conditions improve

On this note, Day pointed out, while some areas across the state have seen huge improvements regarding drought conditions, others are still struggling.

“It all depends on where you are,” he said.

Overall, drought has been easing, but Day lik-

ened it to a puddle, noting puddles evaporate from the edges inward. Similarly, areas geographically located at the center of a drought will be the last to recover.

“Eastern and central Wyoming and western Nebraska are in the middle of the ‘puddle,’ and the last place to get out of a drought is in the middle,” he explained. “The good news is we are seeing precipitation return around the edges – southern Colorado, southern Kansas and northern New Mexico have been really wet the last few weeks. But the middle of the drought is going to be the last to get better.”

He added, “This is what’s going to make it tough this summer. I just don’t see enough moisture coming for the rest of May and into June to completely turn things around for those in the center of the drought.”

While it may take time for these areas to recover, Day said he doesn’t believe drought conditions will worsen this year.

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

Ongoing uncertainty about the direction of international trade policy is clouding the outlook for U.S. grain elevators and merchandisers.

The lack of clarity surrounding tariffs with key U.S. trading partners like China has pulled new-crop sales well below historical

ing the picture for elevators and merchandisers heavily reliant on export demand.

According to a new research brief from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange, the longer uncertainty continues to drag on sales of newcrop exports, export-dependent grain elevators and merchandisers risk enter-

As of May 1, U.S. newcrop export sales were well below their five-year historical averages, with soybeans falling 88.2 percent and corn dropping 26.9 percent. All-wheat sales were slightly ahead of their fiveyear average at the beginning of May.

China has been conspic-

Summer fun – As residents and visitors prepare to enjoy Wyoming’s great outdoors, Meteorologist Don Day, Jr. says to expect a warmer, wetter summer this year. WYLR photo

Yang also updated members on how USMEF is working with a Korean meal kit manufacturer and a Japanese distributor to develop and promote items featuring U.S. pork bung. U.S. pork tongue trimmings are also being promoted in popular dishes in Japan’s casual dining sector.

Facing competition in the Mexican market

Gerardo Rodriguez, USMEF director for Mexico, Central America and the Dominican Republic, explained while Mexico has been developed into the largest destination for U.S. red meat, the U.S. industry now faces unprecedented levels of competition in the Mexican market.

He noted it is more important than ever to differentiate U.S. red meat from other suppliers’ products and educate consumers about its unique attributes.

“Right now, a major focus for USMEF is to establish loyalty in the next generation of consumers, developing several programs for the future customer,” Rodriguez said.

“With Mexico being a trading partner for so long, it can be easy to think of it as a mature market. But there are always new markets within the market we can expand on and new tactics we can employ. Our mobile grill academy is a good example, where we highlight the unique attributes of U.S. red meat all across the country,” he continued.

Overcoming

Columbian restrictions

USMEF Latin America Representative Homero Recio highlighted the U.S. industry’s efforts to overcome Colombia’s restrictions on U.S. beef, which were imposed for much of last year due to findings of highly pathogenic avian influenza in dairy cows.

The ban, which eventually extended to beef from 14 U.S. states, was lifted in September 2024 but the impact has persisted, in part because it created a new opportunity in the Colombian market for Canadian beef.

Recio said while reclaiming this business has not been easy, it has resulted in heightened efforts to establish customer loyalty to U.S. red meat.

“This really gave us the resolve to say, ‘We’re going to get this back, we’re going to fight back,’” he explained. “In the past, we often talked about our importers. Well you know what? Our importers went and bought Canadian beef, so we have to go to the next level – whether it’s with a supermarket chain or a foodservice chain – and develop a further, stronger relationship with them and really tie them to a brand.”

Reconciliation bill addresses problems in ag John Newton, executive head of Terrain, was the featured speaker at USMEF’s general session on May 22. Newton applauded the

House of Representatives’ passage of President Donald J. Trump’s budget reconciliation bill earlier that morning.

“If anybody stayed up until 3-4 a.m., they know Trump’s ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ made it over the finish line in the House. There is work to do in the Senate, but the bill touches on a lot of farm bill elements farmers have been asking for,” Newton said.

He explained the urgency of many farm programs included in the bill as he described some of the major challenges facing agriculture, especially row crop producers.

Farm operating costs remain elevated, while revenue derived for major crops have been below cost of production for three straight years. Input costs show no signs of going down, while crop prices have – in some cases – fallen by 30 percent and show no signs of improvement.

“For seven years now, Congress has responded to ag market conditions with annual ad hoc support for agriculture. But it’s the federal support that’s been propping up the farm economy. It’s not because we’re seeing higher grain prices,” he explained.

Newton described the process the bill will undergo in the Senate and while expecting some modifications, believes the goal in the Senate is to get it signed by July 4.

Newton highlighted an

increase in funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) export market development programs as critical support for America’s farmers and ranchers. Strengthening these programs would be very helpful in finding and developing new markets around the world.

Newton added the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service is particularly bullish on expanding American agriculture’s footprint in Southeast Asia.

“The world becomes more competitive each year, so, it’s really important for us to get out and find those new deals to help the farm economy,” Newton explained. “Trade is clearly a focus of this administration, and I think Trump will push for substantive progress ahead of next year’s midterm elections. In fact, I might be one of the few people who thinks we’re going to get a Phase Two deal with China.”

Other topics of discussion

Heightened U.S.-China trade tensions, which have severely limited beef and pork exports to China in recent weeks were a major topic of discussion throughout the USMEF Spring Conference.

But USMEF President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dan Halstrom noted, rather than dwell on trade obstacles, the conversation focused mostly on how to develop and capitalize on alternative destinations.

“USMEF’s focus is on bringing solutions to the table,” Halstrom said. “So when we see something like

China happen, we’re pivoting on the demand side – and this is what our membership expects of us. This is why we have these offices all over the world –105 employees in 20 regions – and this is what they are there for –to be as nimble as possible at finding solutions when there are changes in market conditions and market access.”

Opening day speakers at the USMEF Spring Conference included CattleFax CEO Randy Blach and Rick Stott, president and CEO of Superior Farms.

USMEF members will meet next at the organization’s Annual Strategic Planning Conference Nov. 12-14 in Indianapolis.

Keynote speaker – Dr. John Newton, executive head of Terrain, addresses U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) members on the latest farm and trade policy developments and the outlook for the U.S. agricultural economy. USMEF photo
Panel discussion – Pictured from left to right, U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Senior Vice President for Communications Joe Schuele moderates a staff panel discussion on current trade challenges featuring Jihae Yang, USMEF vice president for the Asia Pacific; Gerardo Rodriguez, USMEF director for Mexico, Central America and the Dominican Republic and USMEF Latin America Representative Homero Recio. USMEF photo

Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists have developed a new approach to countering citrus greening and potato zebra chip diseases, two economically devastating agricultural diseases in the U.S.

Their method uses spinach antimicrobial peptides, known as defensins, which naturally defend plants against a broad range of pathogens.

In a recent study published in the Plant Biotechnology Journal, researchers showed some spinach defensins can confer similar protection to citrus and potatoes – and possibly other crops.

The effects show significant progress toward recovering yield and improving quality in diseased plants.

The study was led by Dr. Kranthi Mandadi, an AgriLife Research plant molecular biologist and professor in the Texas A&M Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, located at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center.

“Mandadi continues to demonstrate exceptional leadership and innovation in plant pathology, advancing solutions toward greater agricultural resilience and food security,” said Dr. Amir Ibrahim, associate director and chief scientific officer of AgriLife Research. “His pioneering work, from hairy root technology to peptide treatments, exemplifies our commitment to scientific discovery which empowers farmers and sustains the agricultural economy in Texas and beyond.”

Recovering citrus trees

Mandadi and his team chose spinach antimicrobial peptides after learning from previous studies they can fend off various pathogenic fungi and bacteria. Because these peptides occur naturally in spinach, they’re also frequently consumed by humans.

In 2021, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded dietary exposure to spinach defensins is safe for the U.S. population, including infants and children. This makes them an attractive choice for both effectiveness and safety, as they pose no known health risks.

The researchers delivered the peptides to commercial citrus trees using a benign virus developed by University of Florida researchers, who collaborated on the study.

The virus naturally infects the trees in the same location where the diseasecausing bacteria reside.

Using a simple grafting procedure, the researchers were able to apply the virus and allow it to deliver the peptides targeting the bacteria largely on its own.

Over a few years, the research team monitored how citrus trees infected with Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, the bacterium responsible for citrus greening, responded to treatment with specific antimicrobial peptides. They saw promising results, including up to 50 percent increases in fruit yield compared to untreated trees after only a

single application.

Recovering potatoes and more Additionally, the researchers explored how the spinach peptides might enhance the immune response against Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum. This bacterium is related to the citrus greening pathogen and causes zebra chip disease in potatoes and other vegetables.

When researchers expressed the antimicrobial peptides in potatoes, the potato plants showed minimal disease symptoms, had less disease-causing bacteria present, had much less of the characteristic zebra chip discoloration in tubers

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and had greater tuber numbers compared to untreated plants.

Altogether, the team’s results show encouraging effects for the two spinach antimicrobial peptides added independently to citrus and potatoes.

Looking forward, Mandadi plans to explore broader applications and expand the technology’s possibilities. He envisions creating “cocktails” of multiple peptides and exploring the effects when combined with other integrated management strategies to control the insects spreading the bacteria as well.

“This is just the beginning,” Mandadi said.

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“There’s a lot of promise in these antimicrobial peptides as a new treatment for broader agricultural diseases. We’re interested in seeing what other crops these peptides can support. I think it has the potential to become a new broad-spectrum treatment method for crops, alongside traditional agricultural practices.”

Southern Gardens Citrus, a subsidiary of U.S. Sugar, has licensed patent rights for the defensins technology developed by AgriLife Research from The Texas A&M University System, as well as the use of the viral vector technology from the University of Florida.

They are working with Silvec Biologics to commercialize this technology for use against the bacterium responsible for citrus greening.

Silvec filed an application with the EPA in January 2024 to allow for commercial use, marking a critical step toward making this innovation accessible to growers.

A collaborative endeavor

The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agricul-

ture, along with support from Southern Gardens Citrus and AgriLife Research funds awarded to Mandadi.

Mandadi led the study with collaboration from Drs. Carmen Padilla, Sonia Irigoyen, Manikandan Ramasamy, Mona Damaj, Michelle Domingue, Denise Ross and Renesh Bedre, who worked at the Texas A&M AgriLife center in Weslaco, Texas.

Drs. William Dawson and Choaa El-Mohtar of the Citrus Research and Education Center at the University of Florida and Michael Irey of Southern Gardens Citrus were also integral to the study.

The study’s publication was dedicated to Dr. Erik Mirkov, a plant pathologist at AgriLife Research who worked closely with Mandadi at the Texas A&M AgriLife center before passing away in 2018.

Together, the two discovered the spinach defensin peptides as a possible treatment to protect crops.

Ashley Vargo is a communications specialist for Texas A&M AgriLife. This article was originally published by AgriLife Today on May 5.

Zebra chip disease – Potatoes with zebra chip disease show characteristic dark stripes which become more pronounced when fried. Insects spread the bacteria responsible for zebra chip and for citrus greening, respectively. Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Fekede Workneh
Citrus greening disease – Citrus greening disease causes fruits

possible implications.

In a May 22 American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) press release, AFBF President Zippy Duvall says it is “deeply troubling for the White House to endorse a report that sows seeds of doubt and fear in the nation’s food system and farming practices, then attempts to celebrate farmers and the critical role they play in producing the safest food supply in the world.”

“Farmers are identified as ‘critical partners,’ yet were excluded from development of the report, despite many requests for a seat at the table,” Duvall continues.

He goes on, “The report also expresses a desire to ensure farmers continue to thrive, but undermining confidence in our food system directly contradicts this noble goal. The report spotlights outlier studies and presents unproven theories which feed a false narrative, and only then does it acknowledge a mountain of evidence about the safety of our food system. We suspect the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had a prominent role in the report’s recognition farmers are the critical first step in the food system, but as a whole, the report falls short.”

The American Soybean Association (ASA) released a statement in strong opposition of the report as well, noting it is “brazenly unscientific and damaging to consumer confidence.”

ASA says it is “disturbed the MAHA report contains recommendations not grounded in science and seem to advance the agenda of food elitists and activist groups which have long sought to undermine U.S. agriculture.”

“These developments are even more troubling after Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. falsely assured members of Congress earlier in the week of the report’s release that, ‘there is not a single word in the report that should worry the American farmer,’” ASA writes in a press release.

“Should the administration act on the report –which was drafted entirely behind closed doors – it

will harm U.S. farmers, increase food costs for consumers and worsen health outcomes for all Americans,” ASA continues.

“ASA calls on President Donald J. Trump, who has long been a friend of farmers, to step in and correct the commission’s deeply misguided report.”

Additionally, ASA Director Alan Meadows, a farmer from Halls, Tenn., comments, “Both farmers and members of Congress tried to warn the administration activist groups were trying to hijack the MAHA Commission to advance their longstanding goal of harming U.S. farmers. Reading this report, it appears this is exactly what has happened.”

Unscientific claims

Another big sticking point for groups enraged by the report is the commission’s stance on pesticides.

In the report, the commission highlights the potential hazards of glyphosate-based Roundup and makes several recommendations regarding the “critical role farmers play in children’s health.”

The report also emphasizes the need for further research on the cumulative effects of pesticide exposure, particularly in children; urges the use of better tools to assess how multiple exposures to pesticides affects long-term health; calls for the launch of a national initiative to map interactions with pesticides, pollutants and endocrine disruptors affecting childhood disease risks and encourages investments in new test models, as well as surveillance powered by artificial intelligence.

For glyphosate specifically, MAHA highlights studies showing potential health effects, including reproductive and developmental disorders, cancer and liver inflammation, but then goes on to say the federal government’s review of epidemiologic data “did not establish a direct link between use, according to label directions and health outcomes.”

In a May 22 press release published by the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), the organization voices concern the report is filled with fearbased information about pesticides, rather than sci-

To read the Make America Health Again Commission Report in its entirety, visit foodfix.co/wp-content/uploads/

ence-based evidence.

“We are deeply troubled claims of this magnitude are being made without any scientific basis or regard for a long history of Environmental Protection Agency expert evaluations of these products,” NCGA writes. “Decades of extensive research and testing show pesticides, including atrazine and glyphosate, can be applied safely for their intended uses.”

“If the administration’s goal is to bring more efficiency to government, then why is the HHS secretary duplicating efforts by raising questions about pesticides which have been answered repeatedly through research and reviews by federal regulatory bodies?” asks NCGA.

Additionally, the Modern Ag Alliance notes it is concerned the report will drive future policy decisions regarding pesticides in a direction which would harm the ag industry.

“For example, without glyphosate – the most widely used weed-fighting tool by U.S. farmers – crop yields would decline, input costs would surge by 150 percent and food inflation would more than double,” the alliance states.

“We’ve already seen the disastrous effects of policies like these which have been contemplated by certain leaders of the MAHA Commission,” adds Elizabeth BurnsThompson, Modern Ag Alliance executive director. “When Sri Lanka prohibited the use of synthetic

pesticides and fertilizers in 2021, crop yields fell by over 50 percent, forcing the government to import massive amounts of food just to meet basic needs. We should be focused on moving American agriculture and the country forward.”

Also in the report, MAHA contributes the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPAs) as a leading driver in childhood chronic disease, then goes on to classify seed oils as UPAs.

In response, ASA says, “Significant research conducted over decades shows plant-based oils are low in saturated fats and can improve health outcomes.

For example, a March 2025 study from the Journal of the American Medical Association found, after following more than 220,000 individuals for more than 30 years, frequent consumption of plant-based oils led to a 16 percent reduction in cancer, cardiovascular disease and other ailments when compared to alternatives high in saturated fat.”

ASA also cites a “thirdparty economic study” released in April conducted on behalf of ASA and the United Soybean Board which found removing seed oils from the food supply could “increase consumer costs for edible fats and oils by as much as 42 percent.”

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

Bookmark and Beyond

Each year, to showcase their understanding and appreciation of Wyoming’s essential resources, second- through fifth-grade students from across the state create bookmarks illustrating a Wyoming resource message through Wyoming Agriculture in the Classroom’s Bookmark and Beyond Program.

This year, 12 winning designs were printed and distributed throughout the state.

For coming weeks, the Roundup will share photos of the 2025 Bookmark and Beyond finalists.

ASGA conducts census

The American Solar Grazing Association (ASGA) recently published the results of its first-ever U.S. Solar Grazing Census.

There were 129,000 acres of solar grazed by more than 113,000 sheep in 2024, according to the survey. These numbers were reported from 500 sites and 33 states.

There were clear regional variations, with the South exceeding the Midwest, Northeast and West in both sheep numbers and acres engaged in solar grazing.

Sheep grazing was commonly utilized on utilityscale solar sites and smaller community and distributed generation facilities, as well as fixed and tracking style solar arrays.

ASGA also learned valuable perspectives of solar grazers, including motivations, challenges and benefits in the industry. Additionally, the report provides demographic information of solar grazers and how they manage their sites.

The information gained from the Solar Grazing Census was collected from 127 respondents, with 65 of those reported as active solar grazers who answered as themselves or on behalf of their business.

Fourth-grade finalist – Created by Joseph Roberts, fourth grade, Wind River Elementary, Pavilion, sponsored by Superior Livestock Auction
Fifth-grade finalist – Created by Madysen Bradshaw, fifth grade, Lyman Intermediate School, Lyman, sponsored by OnlyCo
Cynthia “Cindy” Lee (Fenster) Youtz passed away from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis on May 2. Her funeral mass was held on May 17 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Edgewood, N.M. Cindy will be laid to rest next

CALENDAR

June 2 Beef Quality Assurance Certification Class, University of Wyoming Conference Center, Laramie. For more information or to register, visit wysga.org or call 307-638-3942.

June 2 Natrona County Predator Management District 2025 Budget and Board Meeting, 6 p.m., Wyoming Wool Growers Office, Casper. For more information, e-mail ncpmd1@charter.net.

June 2 Wyoming Game and Fish Department Rawhide Elk Herd Unit Public Meeting, 6 p.m., First State Bank, Guernsey. For more information, contact Keaton Weber at keaton.weber@wyo.gov or 307-399-2507.

June 2-4 Wyoming Stock Growers Association Summer Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show, Laramie. For more information and to register, visit wysga.org.

June 2-8 2025 Wyoming High School State Finals Rodeo, Johnson County Fairgrounds, Buffalo. For more information, call 307-351-1327.

June 3 Wyoming Game and Fish Department Pine Ridge Elk Herd Unit Public Meeting, 4 p.m., Casper Game and Fish Regional Office, Casper. For more information, contact Keaton Weber at keaton.weber@wyo.gov or 307-399-2507.

June 3-4 Tractor and Equipment Training Course, Legacy of the Plains Museum, Gering, Neb. For more information or to register, visit go.unmc.edu/tractorsafety-training

June 5 Tractor and Equipment Safety Course, Dawes County Fairgrounds, Chadron, Neb. For more information or to register, visit go.unmc.edu/tractor-safetytraining

June 6 Sandhills Cattle Association 86th Annual Convention and Banquet, 4:308:30 p.m., Cherry County Fairgrounds, Valentine, Neb. For more information or to register, visit sandhillscattle.com

June 6-7 37th Annual Overland Stage Stampede Rodeo, 7 p.m., Green River. For more information, call 307-872-0514.

June 7 Wyoming Agriculture Hall of Fame Nominations Due. For more information, contact the Wyoming Livestock Roundup at 307-234-2700.

June 7 Albany County Firewise Education Event, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Boulder Ridge, Laramie. For more information or to RSVP, visit eventbrite.com/e/Albanycounty-firewise-education-event-tickets-1245451983409?aff=oddtdtcreator

June 7 Up In Arms LLC Flea Market and Gun Show, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Hot Springs County Fairgrounds, Thermopolis. For more information, call 208-420-2295.

June 8 Up In Arms LLC Flea Market and Gun Show, 9 a.m.–3 p.m., Hot Springs County Fairgrounds, Thermopolis. For more information, call 208-420-2295.

June 8 Bureau of Land Management Rawlins Field Office and Xerces Society Free Public Bumblebee Workshop, 1-4 p.m., Bureau of Land Management Rawlins Field Office, Rawlins. For more information, visit xerces.org/events/ wyoming-bumble-bee-atlas-short-training-workshop-rawlins-wy

June 9 Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service New World Screwworm Webinar, 2-4 p.m., online. For more information or to register, visit tx.ag/nwswebinar

June 9 Wyoming Game and Fish Department Rawhide Elk Herd Unit Public Meeting, 6 p.m., Niobrara County Fairgrounds, Lusk. For more information, contact Keaton Weber at keaton.weber@wyo.gov or 307-399-2507.

June 9-12 Beef Leaders Institute, Saint Joseph, Mo. For more information, visit angus. org/angus-media/angus-journal/2025/01/bli-apps-open

June 9-13 Wyoming Ranch Camp, Ladder Ranch, Savery. For more information, visit wyoextension.org/fremontcounty/agriculture-natural-resources/ranch-camp/

June 10-13 2025 Beef Improvement Federation Research Symposium and Convention, Amarillo, Texas. For more information or to register, visit beefimprovement.org/2025-symposium/

June 12-15 Art of the Cowgirl Foundation Wyoming Gathering 2025, TA Ranch, Buffalo. For more information or to register, visit artofthecowgirl.com or e-mail savanna@artofthecowgirl.com.

June 12-July 24 Preserve@Home, every Thursday at 1 p.m., online. For more information, e-mail vhayman@uwyo.edu or call 307-746-3531.

June 13 Chris Ledoux Days Early Arrivers Friday Night Rodeo, 7 p.m., Harold Jarrard Park, Kaycee. For more information, visit chrisledoux.com

Hoffman, Ronnie - Thermopolis

1 BWF Cow, 1365# $16200

3 Blk Cows, avg. 1247# $15900 Mead, Mary - Jackson

1 Blk Cow, 1405# $16200 Hildebrand, Sheila - Red Lodge

1 Blk Cow, 1215# $16100

1 Blk Cow, 1490# $15500 Martin Land & Livestock - Shoshoni

1 Blk Cow, 1140# $16050

1 Blk Cow, 1480# $16000

3 Blk Cows, avg. 1262# $15900

2 Blk Cows, avg. 1250# $15700 Lewis, Matt - Lovell

1 Blk Cow, 1350# $16050 Mastre, Shane - Basin

2 Red Cows, avg. 1463# $16000 Warner, Michael - Worland

1 Blk Cow, 1705# $16000 Red Wall Ranch LLC - Meeteetse

1 Blk Cow, 1420# $15900 Swing, Bryce - Worland

1 Blk Cow, 1435# $15800 Lyman Ranch Co. - Ten Sleep

June 14 47th Annual Wyoming All Breed Gaited Horse Sale, Park County Fairgrounds, Powell, 307-272-3743, 307-431-2109, 307-202-1848, henyauctionwy.com

June 16-21

June 17-19

June 19-20

July 1

July 7-11

July 7-13

July 11-12

July 14-16

July 21-23

July 24

July 26

July 28-Aug 1

2025 National Rambouileet Sheep Show and Sale, CAM-PLEX, Gillette, 409-256-3687, rambouilletsheep.org

Superior Livestock Auction Corn Belt Classic, 800-422-2117, superiorlivestock.com

Northern Livestock Video Auction Early Summer Special, 866-616-5035, northernlivestockvideo.com

Cattle Country Video High Plains Showcase Sale, UW Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center, Laramie, 888-322-8853, cattlecountryvideo.com

Superior Livestock Auction Week in the Rockies, 800-422-2117, superiorlivestock.com

Colorado Horse Sale Saddle Horse Sale, online at coloradohorsesale.com, 970-744-8989

Mile High Summer Classic Sale, Adams County Regional Park, Brighton, Colo., 970-381-3649, 970-381-3547, joshwhiteauctions.com

Western Video Market, Silver Legacy Casino Resort, Reno, Nev., 530-3473793, wvmcattle.com

Northern Livestock Video Auction Summertime Classic, 866-616-5035, northernlivestockvideo.com

Stellpflug Cattle Company “New Frontier” Female Sale, at the ranch, Guernsey, 307-351-1712, stellpflugcattle.com

South Dakota Sheep Growers Association Premium Yearling Ewe Sale, Magness Livestock Auction, Huron, S.D., 406-581-7772, sdsheepgrowers.org

Superior Livestock Auction Video Royale, 800-422-2117, superiorlivestock.com

POSTCARD from the Past

Compiled by Dick Perue rrichardperue@gmail.com

New Saratoga Fish Hatchery

A front page article in the Nov. 19, 1903 issue of The Saratoga Sun proclaims: Saratoga Fish

Hatchery: A View of the Building Recently Put up at the Large Spring on Centennial Creek and Also of the Dam Which Will Confine the Water of the Spring 

An Ideal Location for a Branch Fish Hatchery: Abundance of Water, of the Right Temperature and Quality. A Complete Building, Equipped in Modern Manner for Work of Raising Trout. An Industry That is Sure to Assume Importance in the Near Future.

We present our readers this week with a cut of the new fish hatchery building, erected this past fall, near the large spring on Centennial Creek, some 10 miles southwest of this place.

inches in depth. These troughs are all double and made of clear white pine.

The tanks and troughs occupy two-thirds of the building.

The spring used at the hatchery is a very large one and flows a good strong body of water, sufficient at present for all purposes connected with the hatchery. It is believed if it were blasted out and opened up, it could be made to flow a much larger stream then at present.

The water in the dam is eight feet in depth and covers an area of 14 by 30 feet. This is thought to be sufficient for all purposes for years to come. The water is of a moderate temperature, clear and of the quality required for hatchery purposes, being free from injurious minerals or substances.

TD & Sons LLC - Worland

1353# $15900

2 Blk Cows, avg. 1548# $15800 Rice Ranch Inc. - Ten Sleep 1 Red Cow, 1310# $15800 Anderson, Sawyer - Manderson

3 Blk Cows, avg. 1262# $16300 Bjornestad Land & Cattle - Manderson

1 Blk Cow, 1220# $16300

1 Blk Cow, 1315# $16150

1 Blk Cow, 1470# $15800 Ward, Paul - Thermopolis

1 Blk Cow, 1245# $16300

1 Blk Cow, 1265# $15800

1 Red Cow, 1480# $15500

1 BWF Cow, 1455# $15200 Aagard, Mike - Burlington

1 Blk Cow, 1330# $15200 Hampton Sheep Co. - Worland

1 Blk Cow, 1315# $15100 Black, Vern - Riverton

1 Red Cow, 1185# $15100

Batt, Terry - Worland

1 Red Cow, 1240# $15000

Barnard, Wade - Powell 1 XBred Cow, 1030# $15000 White, Arnie - Burlington

2 Red Cows, avg. 1633# $14500

Skalsky, Alan - Powell 1 Blk Cow, 1325# $14100 HEIFERETTES

TD & Sons LLC - Worland

9 Blk Hfrettes, avg. 1054# $24100 PAIRS Vogel, Darlene - Pavillion 31 Blk Pairs $3550/Hd. Red Wall Ranch LLC - Meeteetse

48 Blk Pairs $3470/Hd.

• Upcoming Sales •

June 12 – All Class Cattle

June 26 – All Class Cattle, Sheep & Goat

July 10 – All Class Cattle

July 24 – All Class Cattle, Sheep & Goat

August 7 – All Class Cattle

August 21 – All Class Cattle, Sheep & Goat

I was unable to reproduce the picture, but added a photo of the building and dam in the 1920s or 30s.

The building is one story – 24 by 50 feet. It is a good substantial building, with a stone foundation and contains three rooms.

One end of the building is occupied by an office and bedroom for the superintendent of the hatchery. In one corner of the other end of the building is a kitchen, 10 by 14 feet in size. In the southwest corner of the building, a large tank – five by six by five feet – is located.

Another small tank sits to the east of the large tank, after which come the troughs for the fry, which are 16 feet in length and 14 inches in width by eight

Mr. Campbell, the state fish warden, pronounced the waters of the spring to be superior to any he saw in this part of the country. He was very much pleased with the size of the spring, the quantity and quality of its water and the location of the ground.

Campbell has had 40 acres of ground, on which the spring and buildings are situated, withdrawn from entry, and it now belongs to the state, thus making all the improvements made upon the ground perfectly safe. This hatchery has been constructed upon a plan which will readily admit of additions being built onto it, so in case of future enlargement, which is bound to come as the hatchery progresses in importance, the arrangements and plans will fit together harmoniously. From present indications, it is quite certain the Saratoga Fish Hatchery will become one of the most important in the state. Not only will the North Platte River and Grand Encampment River require each year a large number of trout fry to keep up their supply of trout, but it is the intention to keep the small tributaries of the Platte – of which there are some 15 in number – well supplied with brook and mountain trout. At present Capt. C.J. Rhodes, the superintendent of the Saratoga Fish Hatchery, is at Laramie at the state hatchery, where he is assisting in the gathering of spawn from the mountain brook trout of the region, and he will probably be engaged in this work until the spring, when the time will come to open up the Saratoga Fish Hatchery.

Pictured is the Saratoga State Fish Hatchery building, dam and pond on Centennial Creek in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains between Saratoga and Encampment as it appeared in the 1920s or 30s after being sold to a private party following the opening of the National Fish Hatchery north of Saratoga. Photo by Bob Martin from the Martin/ Perue collection. Historical Reproductions by Dick Perue

Source: USDA AMS Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market

Source: USDA AMS Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News, Greeley, CO

National Sheep Summary

As of May 23, 2025

Compared to last week slaughter lambs traded firm, Slaughter ewes mostly firm. Feeder lambs not well tested. Equity Cooperative Auction had a auction. All sheep sold per hundred weight (CWT) unless otherwise specified. Slaughter Lambs: Choice and Prime 1-3 San Angelo: wooled and shorn 60-70 lbs 276.00.00-340.00; 70-80 lbs 284.00-385.00; 80 lbs 280.00; 120 lbs 242.00. Billings: 60-70 lbs 250.00-275.00; 70-80 lbs 240.00-280.00; 80-90 lbs 220.00-265.00; 90-100 lbs 220.00-255.00. Ft. Collins: wooled and shorn 50-55 lbs 290.00-315.00; 80-90 lbs 305.00-312.50; 90-100 lbs 310.00; 115 lbs 285.00. Sioux Falls: 50-60 lbs 257.50-319.00; 60-70 lbs 235.00287.00; 70-80 lbs 230.00-285.00; 80-90 lbs 250.00-281.00; 90-100 lbs 250.00-275.00;100-110 lbs 237.00-256.00; 120-130 lbs 220.00; 130-140 lbs 227.00-235.00; 140-150 lbs 225.00229.00. Equity Coop: No test. Slaughter Ewes

San Angelo: Good 2-3 96.00-130.00; Utility 1-2 70.00-77.00. Billings: Good 2-3 87.00-101.00; Good 3-4 91.00-97.00; Utility 1-2 90.00-105.00.

Ft. Collins: Good 2-3 80.00-145.00; Good 4-5 80.00-150.00. Sioux Falls: Good 2-3 80.00-145.00; Good 4-5 90.00-115.00; Utility 1-2 75.00-110.00. Feeder Lambs: Medium and Large 1 San Angelo: 30-40 lbs 250.00-252.00; 40-50 lbs 260.00280.00.

Billings: 40-50 lbs 230.00; 50-60 lbs 235.00-245.00.

Ft. Collins: 30 lbs 280.00; 40-45 lbs 290.00-300.00. Sioux Falls: 20-30 lbs 335.00-355.00; 30-40 lbs 280.00360.00; 40-50 lbs 275.00-325.00; 50-55 lbs 265.00-315.00; 60-70 lbs 270.00-300.00. Equity Coop: 90-100 lbs 221.00; 110-120 lbs 201.50-202.00; 130 lbs 189.50-190.00. Replacement Ewes: Medium and Large 1-2 San Angelo: No test. Billings: Medium and Large 1-2 young open 120-160 lbs 101.00-107.00.

Ft. Collins: No test.

Sioux Falls: No test. Sheep and lamb slaughter under federal inspection for the week to date totaled 39,000 compared to 36,000 last week and 36,305 last year.

Source: USDA AMS LPG Market News, San Angelo, Texas

Source: USDA- CO Dept of Ag Market News Service, Greeley, CO

Wyoming Hay Summary

As of May 29, 2025

Compared to last week, demand and movement has slightly decreased. Most of the hay sold last week was in small loads at a time. The demand for cubes has decreased slightly with grass greening up, the demand for pellets remains steady. There is expected to be some carryover when new crop starts with demand being slow and producers not moving much hay. Some producers have said demand has been slow for old crop and there’s quite a few tons of 2023 and 2024 hay left to sell all over the state. According to the U.S. drought monitor website, Wyoming is under abnormally dry to moderately dry soil moisture with the area of Southeast Wyoming having extreme dry soil moisture. According to the Wyoming crop progress report, as of May 25th, pasture and range conditions are 26% good condition, alfalfa hay is 60% good condition, other hay is 63% good condition, 78% corn has been planted. Central Wyoming

Alfalfa - Supreme Cubes

-

Source: USDA AMS Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News Torrington

Nebraska Hay Summary

As of May 29, 2025

Compared to last week all reported forages sold steady. Demand was moderate at best this week. Pretty good general rains across the state over the Memorial Day weekend. These rain showers took quite a lot of pressure off the market. Livestock owners now feel like these spring rains will help pastures green up and grow and will help the warm season grasses to grow. Few, more rain showers would be helpful on the native meadows for a decent amount of tonnage. Quite a lot of weevil damage been reported across the state. Damage is way worse than previous years for some reason. Some producers are spraying now, but will have to wait for a few days before they can harvest the alfalfa. Per NASS report May 25: Topsoil moisture supplies rated 17% very short, 33% short, 48% adequate. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 27% very short, 41% short, 32% adequate. Much improvement from previous week’s report.

Source: USDA AMS Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News, Kearny, NE

CLASSIFIEDS

Publication in this newspaper does not guarantee the legitimacy of any offer or solicitation. Take reasonable steps to evaluate an offer before you send money or provide personal/financial information to an advertiser. If you have questions or believe you have been the victim of fraud, contact the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office, Consumer Protection Unit, 109 Capitol Building, Cheyenne, WY 82002, 307-777-6397 TFN

Events

UP IN ARMS, LLC FLEA MARKET AND GUN SHOW JUNE 7-8, Thermopolis, WY at the Hot Springs County Fairgrounds. Open to the public. Sat., June 7, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun., June 8, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Giving away a .22 pistol Sunday at 2 p.m., must be present to win, 21 years of age and able to pass background check. Buy, sell, trade. Adults $6, children 12 and under free (when accompanied by an adult). For more information, contact Lisa, 208-420-2295 5/31

Cloud, NE www.gottschcattlecompany.com Come Join the Gottsch Livestock Feeders Family! Gottsch Livestock Feeders is looking for Cowboys/Pen Riders for their feedyard in Red Cloud, NE. The main focus of the Cowboy/Pen Riders are spotting, pulling, diagnosing and taking cattle to the hospital and shipping fat cattle. This person will need to be a team player who is seeking a long-term position. You will have the opportunity to work with and learn

are interested stop by and fill out an application or visit our website at Call Brandon Furr at 402-257-7769 or 402-746-2222 for more information.

TORRINGTON LIVESTOCK MARKETS IS HIRING

YARD HELP – Looking for someone with cattle handing & sorting experience

PEN BACK – Some computer skills needed. Calling pens after cattle are sold

Call 307-532-3333 or send resume to: Torrington Livestock PO Box 1097, Torrington, WY 82240

DEVILS TOWER FOREST

PRODUCTS A LUMBER

MANUFACTURER IN HULETT, WY IS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR FULLTIME BOILER/KILN OPERATOR, MILLWRIGHT, PLANER PRODUCTION OPERATORS AND BAGGER POSITIONS: Benefit package includes company paid medical and dental insurance (including dependents), life insurance, company matching 401(k) retirement program, safety incentives, holiday pay, paid vacation and sign-on bonus. Mandatory employment and random drug testing conducted. D.O.E. Online applications are available at www. neimanenterprises.com. Email applications to joe.ortner@devilstowerfp.com or fax to 307-467-5418. Contact Joe Ortner at 307-467-5252 with additional questions. E.O.E 6/7

PEEGEE RANCH NEAR ARVADA, WY IS LOOKING FOR A FULL-TIME FARM/RANCH EMPLOYEE: This position is open immediately. Applicant must be self-motivated, reliable and responsible with knowledge of haying and farming. Mechanical skills are a must. Farming duties include swathing, baling and raking hay, etc. This is not a cowboy position, but applicant will need to assist in all aspects of cattle work as well. Those duties include calving heifers, feeding hay, branding and gathering, etc. Nearest big town is 60+ miles and nearest K-12 school is 30+ miles away (location of the ranch is remote). Housing is provided and on a school bus route. Please send resume with references by mail or e-mail to: PeeGee Ranch, 1251 Lower Powder River Road, Arvada, WY 82831, pgranch@rangeweb.net. Call 307-736-2461 6/14

RANCH HAND/GROUNDS

KEEPER: Full-time position at a family-owned ranch near Cody, WY and located in the Shoshone National Forest. Position entails lawn care, irrigation, heavy equipment operation, carpentry, equipment maintenance, building maintenance and overall residential and agricultural property maintenance. Experience is welcome but will train the right candidate. The ideal candidate will be reliable; have a strong work ethic; be able to perform individually and with a team; be a self-starter and enjoy working outdoors. Benefits include health, with optional dental and eye; paid-time off and 401(k) with employer matching contribution. For the right candidate housing on property is also available. Salary based upon previous experience. Send resumes to cg1@colliergroupoffice.com or call 307-5876275 for questions 6/7

WASHAKIE COUNTY IS SEEKING APPLICANTS FOR A FULL-TIME EQUIPMENT OPERATOR WITH THE ROAD AND BRIDGE DEPARTMENT. CDL is required. For more information, please contact Road and Bridge Superintendent Stuart Bower at 307-3884848 5/31

CONSTRUCTION BY OATES ENTERPRISES: Offering custom welding and dirt construction: livestock pens, feeders, pipe fencing, road work repair, pad building, excavation for mechanical into homes and businesses, pond reclamation, NRCS registered vendor. Free estimates, www.constructionxoe.com. Call Levi Compton at 254-433-3434, Casper, WY. To view photos, go to www.wylr.net in the classifieds 7/19

AGRI-ONE FINANCIAL: Farm/ranch and all commercial loans. RATES AS LOW AS 5%. We have been helping with all aspects of agricultural, commercial financing and management for years. LET US HELP YOU on a consulting level with management to increase profitability, deal with and fix credit problems and for all your financing needs. WE CARE AND HAVE WORKING PROGRAMS designed for the farmer/rancher and not the banker. Please call Steve, 303-7733545 or check out our website, www.agrionefinancial.com. I will come to you and get the job done!! 6/14

Going, Going, Gone

WYOMING BRAND FOR SALE: RRC, registered until Jan. 1, 2035. No cattle with brand. $2,500. Call after 5 p.m., 307-3882456 6/7

REGISTERED WYOMING LIVESTOCK BRAND: RRC, RSH, renewed to March 2027. Have 3 sets of irons to go with the brand. Price is negotiable. Call 307-672-8596 5/31

AKC BERNESE MOUNTAIN DOG PUPPIES: All first shots, microchipped and vet checked. Ready for their new homes now!! $1,200. Call or text 605-680-2571. To view photos, go to www.wylr.net in the classifieds 5/31

AUSSIEDOODLES (25 lbs.) AND COCKAPOOS (15 lbs.), potty trained and crate trained. Raised in our home with our children. Ready for homes. Montana Beartooth Doodles, call 406-633-1660 or visit www.montanabeartoothdoodless.com 5/31

BRAND FOR SALE: RRC, RSH. Registered until Jan. 1, 2035. No horse or cattle with brand. No irons available. $1,500. Contact Ronnie at 303-9132493 6/21

WYOMING BRAND FOR SALE: LSC LBH. Dues paid to January 2035. Does not come with irons, $2,000 OBO. Call 307-5277288, leave a message if no one answers 5/31

Cattle

WANTED RECIP COWS:

Must be open!! Two to 6 years old, Red Angus or Angusbased cows. For more information, call Corie Mydland, 406-855-5598 (cell), Trans Ova Genetics 5/31

COMMERCIAL BLACK ANGUS BULLS FOR SALE

Yearling bulls. We select for fertility, milking ability, calving ease, gain and disposition. Reasonably priced. Call Shippen Angus 307-856-7531

MYDLAND ANGUS RANCH: Yearling Angus bulls. Performance tested, EPDs available. Home raised. Call 406-5913404 or 406-855-5598 6/21

BULLS FOR SALE: Registered yearling and 2-year-old Black Angus range bulls for sale private treaty. Good selection for heifers and cows. From popular sires and industry leaders. Semen tested and ready to go. CLAY CREEK ANGUS, 307-762-3541, www. claycreek.net 5/31

YEARLING AI SIRED BLACK ANGUS BULLS: Will work on heifers. Sires include Johnny Walker, Sterling Pacific and Myers Fair-N-Square. Semen tested. Minatare, NE. Call Byron Miller, 303-818-8152, leave message 5/31

YEARLING ANGUS BULLS: These bulls are grown, not fattened, will get out and cover cows. Many will work on heifers. We will deliver. Call Joe Buseman, 605-351-1535 5/31

REGISTERED BLACK ANGUS YEARLING AND 2-YEAR-OLD BULLS: For sale private treaty. Performance and fertility tested. Delivery available. REPLACEMENT HEIFERS available. TRANGMOE ANGUS RANCH, Glendive, MT. Call 406-6873315, 406-989-3315 or 907232-6093 6/28

RED ANGUS 2-YEAR OLD FORAGE BULLS FOR SALE: Bulls for heifers and cows. Smaller framed, efficient, easy fleshing, good dispositions. Not fat, but in great shape and ready to go to work. Have been worked with dogs, on foot and horseback. Raised in rugged, rough, steep, rocky, high elevation country. Red Fork Red Angus, Ken & Cheri Graves, Kaycee, WY, phone 307-7382247, cell 307-267-0724, email gravesredfork@rtconnect.net 6/21

BEST LAST CHANCE SALE!!

LYTLE RED ANGUS is offering via private treaty yearling bulls from their grazing developed herd of consistent, efficient and proficient cows. Bulls have passed breeding soundness exams and are ready to work for you!! Visit www.lytleredangus.com or call Zeb, 605-4417658. To view photos, go to www.wylr.net in the classifieds 5/31

RED ANGUS HIGH-ELEVATION YEARLING BULLS FOR SALE IN NORTHEASTERN UTAH : Out of AI and bull-bred sires. Will be trich, semen tested and fed for free until May 1. $2,700/head. Bar Lazy TL Ranch, David, 435828-1320, barlazytlranch@ gmail.com 6/14

SHORTHORN BULLS FOR SALE PRIVATE TREATY: Yearlings up to mature bulls available. Developed conservatively so they hold up. Remember a red Shorthorn bull on your homozygous black cows will give you black calves. Shorthorns are excellent maternal cattle that produce quality beef. Francis-Millvale Shorthorns, Gene and Roberta Francis Family, 701-331-2403, e-mail francis. millvale@gmail.com. To view photos, go to www.wylr.net in the classifieds 6/21

YEARLING SIMANGUS

BULLS FOR SALE: All bulls have GE EPDS, are homozygous polled, most are homozygous black. Bulls can be inspected at Dilka Cattle, pictures available by request. All bulls guaranteed for first breeding season. Information on the bulls may be requested by e-mail at thedilkas@ aol.com or calling 970-3968791 6/7

CUSTOM FEEDING AND FINISHING FOR CATTLE AND SHEEP. Cactus Hill Ranch Company, Fort Collins, CO. Contact AJ Nelson, 970-3728273 6/7

FAITHFUL FEEDERS: Heifer development, backgrounding, and grass calf prep. Billings, MT. Call Ryan, 406-696-0104 4/11

Pasture

ROOM FOR 1,160 YEARLINGS OR 530 PAIRS: Available now. North and west of Medicine Bow, WY. Would be split in two groups of 250 and 910. Full care, fenced and great water. Excellent care. Salt provided. ALSO willing to entertain cattle on shares of profit. We also have ground load scale for shipping off grass. Lots of experience and historic 1.7-2.0 lbs. daily gains on these ranches . reGen LLC, call or text Sage Askin for more information, 307-3514875 or e-mail saskin12@ gmail.com 5/31

LOOKING FOR RANCH OR PASTURE TO LEASE FOR 150-200 HEAD: Will pay lease or run owner’s cows. Looking for place with corrals. Long term. Call 307-689-6172 (cell) or 307868-2170 (house) 5/31

Red Angus Angus
SimAngus

Livestock Equipment

Hay & Feed

VALLEY VIDEO HAY MARKETS, LLC: Representing 40 of the best growers in eastern Wyoming and western Nebraska. Call now for your summer/fall needs, Barry McRea, 308-2355386, www.valleyvideohay. com 6/21

Ranch for Lease

PARK COUNTY, WY RANCH

NEAR CODY, WY IS AVAILABLE FOR A LONG-TERM

LEASE: The ranch has over 50,000 acres and supports an irrigated hay base with BOR water rights. Carrying capacity is 700 animal units yearround with hay production. Willing to split the hay ground and grazing. Please e-mail Honora Beirne (hbeirne@ acpg.com) and Melanie Giliati (mgiliati@acpg.com) for details 6/14

HAY FOR SALE: 2022 first and second cutting alfalfa. 2023 first and second cutting alfalfa, milo and grass/alfalfa. 2024 first and second cutting alfalfa, grass/alfalfa. ALSO, haybet barley and forage oat hay, low nitrates, good protein, call for feed analysis. GRINDING HAY also available. All in net-wrapped round bales. Semi load delivery available. Call for pricing, ask for Klint, 701290-4418, send a text if no answer or keep trying 6/21

ROUND-BALED GRASS: 2024 crop $40/bale. 1,000 lb. netwrapped bales. Cody, WY area. Call, don’t text, Anthony at 307-254-2645 8/16

Horses

SILVER STATE INTERNATIONAL RODEO JUNE 30JULY 7 : Winnemucca Events Complex, Winnemucca, NV.

$20,000 ADDED money. ALL STAR TEAM: Each state will pick 5 contestants to represent their state. The team with the most points will win $1,500 cash. Prizes include: Cash prizes, saddles for event winners and buckles for 2nd-4th and go round prizes, 1st-3rd. For more information or to register online, visit www.ssir.us , call Kathy, 775-217-2810 or email silverstate10@yahoo. com. Check us out on Facebook 6/21

Saddles & Tack

BOOT UP FOR SUMMER!!

$AVE on BOOTS: HONDO, BOULET, JUSTIN WORK BOOTS, TWISTED X (boots and shoes) and more!! SOMETHING for EVERYONE!! Great SELECTION of GIFTS for all OCCASIONS!! WE CAN ship!! Shop Moss Saddles, Boots and Tack, 4648 West Yellowstone Highway, Casper, WY; 307-472-1872. Our family serving yours for 50 years!! Check us out on Facebook or our website 5/31

ROCKY MOUNTAIN KATAH-

DIN ASSOCIATION IS HOLD-

ING THEIR ANNUAL EDUCATIONAL MEETING JUNE 19-20 FROM 10 AM - 5 PM EACH DAY. Lunch is provided. The Ft. Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory is hosting. The meeting will be held at the Fairbridge Inn and Suites in Miles City, MT. There’s a special rate if they mention the Rocky Mountain Katahdin Association meeting. Hotel reservations can be made by calling 406-232-3661. For more information, call 719-468-0928 or e-mail babfief87@gmail.com 6/7

BUTCHER PIGS FOR SALE: Located in Hardin, MT. Call 406679-1136 6/21

Hay & Feed

BARLEY STRAW: Certified weed-free small squares, $4/ bale. ALSO, 5x6 round bales, $125/ton. GRAIN OATS, wheat and barley, $20/cwt. Greybull, WY area. Call 307762-3878 or 307-899-4714, leave message 6/14

CERTIFIED BARLEY STRAW FOR SALE, 3x4 bales. Cody, WY. Call 307-899-1952 TFN

CERTIFIED WEED-FREE PURE ALFALFA HAY: Small squares, covered. 2023 first cutting available for a reduced price. 2024 first, second and third cutting available. Will load trucks and any open trailer. MONIDA OATS, $16/cwt. Combine run. Will auger into truck, trailer or large totes/ag bags. Located between Powell and Cody, WY. Call or text Knopp Farms for details, 307-254-0554 6/21

Wheat Harvesting

VAN BEEK HARVESTING: WHEAT HARVESTING WANTED, 2025 and beyond. Two John Deere 780 combines with supporting equipment, Pollock, S.D. Call 605848-1080 6/21

Classic Vehicles

CLASSIC: 1983 JEEP CJ8 SCRAMBLER PICKUP, frame off restoration, custom half cab, 258CI inline 6 cylinder engine, 5 speed manual transmission, 12,000 lb. winch, very clean, runs great, garage kept, car show ready, 10,000 miles on rebuilt engine, $43,750 OBO Call 406-498-1830. To view photos, go to www.wylr. net in the classifieds 6/14

FOR SALE: 2015 6215R, 3,530 hours, 20 speed auto quad transmission, weights, duals, guidance ready, $105,000. 2014 7230R, 8,900 hours, E23 transmission, guidance ready, $59,000. 2014 2270XD, 57,556 bales, tandem axle, roller chute, $49,000. IH 490 disk, $900. 2021 2270XD, 21,600 bales, tandem axle, chain lube, $149,000. Call 307-630-3046 6/7

1960 JOHN DEERE 95 COMBINE, round back, 16’. All new belts, stored inside, overhaul on engine. $2,500. Call Ivan, 307629-0974 TFN

1986 FIAT FR10 PAYLOADER, 4 speed power shift, 125 HP, 2.5 yard bucket, low hours, very tight, $34,250 OBO. Retiree. Call 605-366-0690 6/7

FOR SALE: Meridian 240 seed tender with hydraulic remote control, roll tarp, Honda motor, excellent condition. John Deere 7000 8RN corn and bean planter. Ford 7N tractor with wide front, runs great. Phillips 43’ hydraulic rotary harrow. Rowse 9’ pull type mower. Rowse 9’ 3 pt. mower. Rowse 14 wheel high capacity v-rake. John Deere 3970 silage cutter with John Deeres 3RN head. 2020 Freightliner, automatic transmission, DD13 engine, 178” wheelbase, 407,673 miles, runs and drives nice. Summers hydraulic rock picker. Miller Pro 5100 18’ chuckwagon with bunk feeding extensions and tandem running gear. H&S 7+4 18’ chuckwagon with bunk feeding extensions and tandem 14 ton running gear. 12’ HD box scraper with tilt. All in very nice condition!! Call 605999-5482 5/31

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE, FARMER RETIRING: John Deere 71 Flex 8 row corn planter on a 24’ stackable bar. AC Model 1300 30’ ripper with rakes. 9600 John Deere combine with 930 30’ grain header and an 893 8 row 30” corn header. A 20’ Krause offset disc (new blades in front). 24’ Model 630 John Deere tandem disc. Safety pull with a bull hitch. John Deere front suitcase weights. IHC front suitcase weights. Round John Deere wheel weights. Contact Greg Keller at 406-679-1136 6/21

JOHN DEERE 250 SKID STEER, 2,309 hours, has foot controls, cab enclosure with heat, excellent tires, 66” bucket, auxiliary hydraulics, excellent shape and runs great. $21,000. Call or text 308-241-2188. To view photos, go to www.wylr.net in the classifieds 5/31

LODGEPOLE OUTDOOR FURNACES, 307-223-2046. Your authorized Central Boiler Dealer. Get your outdoor wood furnace today!! $2,000 tax credit on qualifying models!! Efficient wood heat. Heat multiple buildings. Invest in your heating, don’t just pay for it!! See us at www.cb.lodgepoleproducts. com!! 5/31

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FOR SALE: One new bundle of galvanized, 24’x3’ windbreak panels. Originally $5,000, now $3,000. Call 307-680-9834, Patt Lynch, Newcastle, WY 6/7

MANUFACTURER OF HEAVY DUTY CONTINUOUS FENCE: Corral panels, farm gates, free standing panels and more. Call for pricing and delivery, Rocky Ridge Welding, Nevada, MO, 417-549-1077 8/9

LODGEPOLE PRODUCTS, 307-742-6992, SERVING AGRIBUSINESSES SINCE 1975!! Treated posts, corral poles, buck-and-rail, western rail, fence stays, rough-sawn lumber, bedding. SEE US at www.lodgepoleproducts.com and click our “Picking A Fence Post” tab to see why folks choose our posts!! TFN

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PIPE FOR SALE!! 2 7/8”, 3 1/2” tubing, 4” drill pipe, 4 1/2” casing, 5” casing, 7” casing. Rods 3/4”, 7/8” and 1” located in Montana, can ship anywhere. Call Mike, 602758-4447. To view photos, go to www.wylr.net in the classifieds 7/26

OILFIELD PIPE: PRICE REDUCED!! RPJ Enterprises, Inc. 2 3/8”, 2 7/8” and 4.5” is available, pricing is coming down. Used for fencing, corrals, cattle guards, etc. 2 3/8” and 2 7/8” are on average 31.5’ long per joint. Pierce, CO. Call for details, 970-3244580 6/28

Irrigation Irrigation

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NEW MEXICO RANCH 209+

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CUSTOM-BUILT LOG HOME ON 40 ACRES NEAR FORT LARAMIE, WY, 1,352 sq. ft., 2 bedroom, 2 bath home. Beautifully set among trees and natural rock outcroppings. Stunning views, including Laramie Peak. Thirty acres fenced, ideal for horses or livestock. Horse shed included. For more details, visit www.ranchworldads. com under Horse Properties. Price $475,000. Shown by appointment only. Call Neil, 260413-0626 5/31

THE ROUNDUP GETS RESULTS

the U.S. protein market, in which he analyzed demand trends for beef, pork and poultry.

Blach notes the beef industry’s focus on increased quality has paid “enormous dividends” – not just in terms of consumption volume but in consumers’ willingness to pay extra for higher-quality cuts.

“When you look at demand across all proteins, chicken is capturing 50 percent of the stomach but 25 percent of the wallet,” he explains. “Beef, on the other hand, is getting 25 percent of the stomach and 50 percent of the wallet. Which would you rather have?”

In a May 28 episode of RFD-TV, Blach states, “When we look back, it looks like January of 2025 will be the low in the beef cow herd. So, as I look at the numbers out here, I think it’s important people recognize our per capita beef supplies are pretty flat. They haven’t changed much.”

“The price increase we’re experiencing in the industry is demand driven. Beef demand is at a 37-year high, and I think when people think about demand, obviously quality has been the key. We’ve seen the quality of the animals being produced has increased substantially,” he adds.

Lance Zimmerman, senior beef cattle industry analyst for Rabobank, reit-

Business for Sale

REPUTABLE FERTILIZER BUSINESS FOR SALE!! BE YOUR OWN BOSS!! Currently operating in western Colorado, Rodman’s Custom Fertilizer Company is FOR SALE. Includes ALL EQUIPMENT needed and a LIST of CURRENT HAPPY CUSTOMERS!! Some training will be provided by a respected expert in the field of fertilization. This business is proven to make generous income within just a few short months of the year. Lots of room for expansion and more money to be made for someone with young energy and drive! Business and equipment available for purchase for $175,000. Entire home base, located in Paonia, CO, encompassing 5.47 acres, an expansive shop/storage facility and a modest home also available for a package price of $475,000. Address 40822 Stewart Mesa Rd., Paonia, CO 81428. Don’t let this opportunity slip by!! Contact listing brokers at Needlerock Mountain Realty and Land LLC. Liz Heidrick, 970-234-5344, liz. needlerock@gmail.com or Bree Pearce, 970-201-5705, bree.needlerock@gmail.com. To view photos, go to www.wylr. net in the classifieds 6/7

LOOKING TO BUY ANTIQUE COWBOY, INDIAN AND OLD WEST ITEMS: Saddles, spurs, bits, chaps, horsehair bridles and pre-1930 bead work. Willing to buy entire collections. Contact Matt at 308637-3300 6/21

WE WILL PICK UP SCRAP IRON: On-site processing and removal. Receive $$$ top dollar $$$ for your junk!! Call for details, Pacific Steel and Recycling, 307-234-6006. Casper/ Central Wyoming 5/31

erates this sentiment on the RFD-TV episode, stating, “And I’m here to tell you, as we look at early 2025, all indications are demand is going to continue to set new near-term record highs, looking like the best demand we’ve seen since 1986 at the moment. A lot of this is due to the fact, even though consumer pricing is going up and even though the consumer’s increasingly stressed, buying beef at retail is still a relatively cheap lifestyle upgrade that the consumer can make.”

During his presentation at the USMEF conference, Blach notes exports continue to be critical to the U.S. livestock and poultry producers bottom line. Collectively, these two sectors export about 17 percent of total production, while the

“Right now, we are in a profitable period across the board for cattle, pork and poultry producers, and this is something we haven’t seen in several years.” – Randy Blach, CattleFax

pork industry leads at 30 percent and beef accounts for around 14 percent.

“Right now, we are in a profitable period across the board for cattle, pork and poultry producers,” he concludes. “And this is something we haven’t seen in several years.”

Current cattle numbers

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest Cattle on Feed Report, released on May 23, there were 11.6 million head of cattle and calves on feed in feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 head or more as of May 1, which is down slightly from the previous year’s report

In a May 21 market update, Certified Angus Beef Director of Supply Management and Analysis Paul Dykstra notes recent federally-inspected cattle harvest totaled 566,000, an increase of 7,000 head from the week prior but 31,000 head below year-ago levels.

Industry data shows a decrease in the percentage of heifers on feed and a decline in heifer and beef cow slaughter, suggesting breeding females are being retained in the herd.

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

by Lee Pitts IT'S THE PITTS

Lifecycle of the Heel

The heel flies in the face of our healthy wellbeing and is probably the most destructive parasite attacking ranchers today.

The common heel is a hairy, wasp-like maggot that first originated in Washington, D.C. There are two species – the “Republicanis defenses” and the “Democratius welfarius.”

Both species of this parasite are destructive, although the Eastern variety is capable of inflicting more pain.

Lifecycle

The heel works within the system and can strike at any time of the year.

The bloodsuckers approach everything with an open mouth, stinging the host on his legs, his pocketbook and all over his body. They feed on B.S. and baloney.

The incubation stage – the campaign – of the heel is spent outside of the host. Then the leeches attach themselves to the host and go along for a four-year free ride. At the end of the four-year period, the maggot wriggles out of everything, leaving a scar on the host.

Eventually, each maggot feels impelled to rise to the top and depart the host, despite promises to return and help the host who fed it. The maggot emerges from the host as a fully-formed heel. If the infestation is bad enough, the parasites can make the host so poor and weak, he or she eventually dies. Because they are external parasites, the heels are capable of staying in midair on all issues and just fly to another victim if one host succumbs.

Then the lifecycle

begins anew.

Diagnosis

The presence of the common heel can be detected by a lumpy and bruised appearance. Eighty-five percent of all carcasses are damaged by the heel.

The parasite makes a lot of noise that means absolutely nothing, but the sound is enough to send some hosts into shock. If this happens consult a veterinarian.

A conclusive diagnosis can be made if the host runs around frantically with his or her tail in the air. He or she is trying to escape by running for shelter. It won’t work and is a hopeless cause.

There is usually an offensive smell that goes with the heel, and often, the symptoms are similar to “Foot In Mouth Disease.”

Some hosts have developed allergic reactions to the I.R.S. form of the parasite and have had to leave the country.

Treatment Running away won’t help. Neither will spraying or dipping.

About all one can do is stand in the mud for temporary relief.

Prevention

Following the terrible outbreaks of 1980 and 1984, which caused great economic loss to the hosts, the U.S. government decided to do something about this menace.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture spent trillions of dollars and man hours in an effort to eradicate the pests. The number of spongers only multiplied more.

There appears to be no way to keep them from getting under one’s skin.

Gordon completes review

Gov. Mark Gordon has completed his review of verified complaints against Weston County Clerk Becky Hadlock alleging acts of misconduct or malfeasance and requesting her removal from office.

The governor determined while Hadlock made serious mistakes in the 2024 Weston County elections, her actions do not constitute “willful negligence” or “malicious intent.” Therefore, he will not direct the attorney general to commence an action to initiate the clerk’s removal from office.

“The decision of who should fill a county office is best made by the people of Weston County in the next election just a little over a year away. Preempting privilege without a clear and obvious showing of willfulness or intentional acts rising to the level of misconduct or malfeasance is not justifiable,” the governor wrote in his findings letter.

The governor emphasized the electors’ complaint was taken seriously and a thorough review was undertaken, including a review of interviews and written materials submitted by multiple parties.

He also stressed the seriousness of a governor using his discretionary authority to subvert the will of the electorate, because it results in the functional disenfranchisement of county voters by a statewide official.

Angus breeders look to leverage maternal strengths with new tools

The cow is a cornerstone of any successful ranching operation, and Angus females have proven themselves to be reliable, consistent producers. Their merit is reflected in the population of the U.S. cow herd, which is now more than 80 percent Angus influenced.

Producers have spent years selecting cattle with not only good maternal strengths, but those who exemplify the best of the Angus breed.

“We’ve always bred for cows,” said Mark Nikkel, owner of Mill Brae Ranch since 2018, and herd manager since 1987. “The bulls pay the bills and keep you in business, but there’s got to be a cow first.”

Now, Nikkel and other Angus producers can be even more confident in selection decisions made in pursuit of maternal merit.

The American Angus Association (AAA) released three new maternal expected progeny differences (EPDs) on May 23, alongside annual updates to the genetic evaluation – Functional Longevity (FL), Teat Size (Teat) and Udder Suspension (UDDR).

Developed by Angus Genetics, Inc. (AGI), the EPDs offer consistent characterization of the traits across the entire reg-

istered Angus population, which will cut down on the research time Nikkel’s wife Janice has invested each year to find the right genetics for their herd.

EPDs in use

The couple began tracking udder quality on their Maple Hill, Kan. operation more than a decade before the association formalized a scoring guide in 2021.

“The teat size and shape is so important to us as we calve. Age plays into this as well. This is where the longevity piece comes in,” Janice explained. “When you have a three-year-old that shows a decline in udder quality, they’re not going to be here very long. Now we’ve wasted a lot of time and money to produce this high-quality animal to send her down the road and it makes no sense.”

This is a sentiment Esther Tarpoff, AAA director of performance programs, hears.

“We’re excited to move these EPDs into full production, enabling weekly predictions of the traits,” Tarpoff said. “This advancement enhances the ability of association members and, more importantly, their commercial cow/ calf customers to select for cow survivability and lifetime productivity – an area which has been miss-

EXTENSION EDUCATION

ing from the Angus genetic toolkit until now.”

Following a dispersal of the original Mill Brae herd in 2018 and a brief break from raising seedstock, Mark and Janice made the decision to purchase back several foundational females still in production at other operations to reestablish their registered Angus operation.

They made the commitment, at the time, to enroll in the association’s Inventory Reporting Program to earn MaternalPlus distinction and submit their historic teat and udder data. The two initiatives gave the Nikkels access to the three research EPDs.

“I used those spreadsheets – I know they are just research EPDs – but I am so thankful I had access to them,” said Janice. “If an individual bull we were looking at didn’t score well in the longevity, teat and udder categories, he went off the list – it takes too long to overcome challenges with those types of traits.”

EPD breakdown

The FL EPD aims at improving the cow herd by increasing the number of calves a female can produce over her lifetime. The Inventory Reporting Program and the commitment made by enrolled members was crucial to the ability to

characterize this trait.

As a whole herd reporting system, Inventory Reporting and its second tier, MaternalPlus, tells a more complete story about a herd and its females.

Every year, each female is reported to have a calf, a reason code for not having one or a reason code for culling. This allows for more complete data to be quantified and used to predict the number of calves a female – or daughters of a sire – is expected to produce by six years of age.

“With the use of technology like genomics, we are turning generation intervals faster than ever,” said Kelli Retallick-Riley, pres-

ident of AGI. “Traits like udder quality or lifetime production records take time to collect. Producers will be able to utilize the FL, Teat and UDDR EPDs as risk mitigation tools, especially in today’s fastpaced genetic landscape where an artificial insemination sire may no longer be actively marketed by the time his daughters reach full production.”

Along with the release of the three new EPDs, the Maternal Weaned Calf Value ($M) and Combined Value ($C) indexes have been updated to include the new traits.

The release of these maternal tools ran alongside annual evaluation updates to the economic assumptions used in the indexes as well as updates to the models for the Heifer Pregnancy (HP) EPD and feed efficiency. Annual genomic score updates, which have typically coincided with the annual update and the release of the 2025 Fall Sire Evaluation Report, will be released on June 27. Producers interested in learning more can find a detailed breakdown of the updates at angus.org Jessica Hartman is a communications specialist for AAA. This article was originally published by the association on May 23.

First generation business owners, farmers and ranchers face a wave of challenges when trying to get started. From organizing a business, to securing the capital to launch something new, to navigating complex financial decisions, it can feel like a lot and mistakes come with the process.

Then, you either figure it out the hard way, ask for help or, if you’re lucky, find a special person who steps in and takes the time to show you how it’s done just because they care.

As an Extension educator, I deeply admire those who choose to dedicate their lives to agriculture, whether it’s through running a business, managing a ranch or contributing in other meaningful ways.

But as a young entrepreneur outside of my professional life who blends a love for art and agriculture and who didn’t grow up in a family rooted in either business or farming, I understand how intimidating starting a business from

scratch can be.

While imposter syndrome is real, it is worth remembering your willingness to try and a commitment to grow are exactly what this industry needs most.

There are two keys to entrepreneurship. The first is curiosity. Often, when I’m helping at a branding or working livestock with friends and loved ones, I ask the people around me –whether I know them or not – two questions out of my own curiosity and on behalf of the community members I educate in my career with Extension.

1. How did you get started?

2. What would you say to someone just starting out in agriculture or business for the first time?

The answers to the first question vary widely. Everyone has their own unique story, but there’s one common theme that ties them all together which just so happens to also be the second key to entrepreneurship – grit.

These folks didn’t take “no” for an answer, and if “no” really was the answer, they found a way despite it with enough determination and passion.

As for the second question, most people laugh, shift uncomfortably or have a hard time answering at all. I rarely get a detailed answer beyond, “It’s hard” or “I’m not sure.”

But the few who take the time to explain parts of the industry, teach me a skill or offer some encouragement are the people I admire most. A kind gesture, a shared lesson or a simple word of wisdom are so valuable.

One of my favorite quotes comes from “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” by Charlie Mackesy. It goes like this:

“What is the bravest thing you’ve ever said?” asked the boy.

“Help,” said the horse.

“Asking for help isn’t giving up,” said the horse. “It’s refusing to give up.”

Asking for help isn’t a weakness, but a desire to grow. Being humble enough to admit we don’t know everything but being eager to learn anyway is the first step to success.

Surrounding yourself with people who share your values and who appreciate you just as much as you appreciate them is not only a gift, it’s essential to growth as both a person and a business or operation owner.

And maybe, one day, you’ll see a new entrepre-

neur just starting out and you’ll be the one who steps in to offer wisdom just because.

So, if you’re just getting started or even just thinking about it, know this – you don’t have to know everything before you start, it’s okay to learn along the way.

You don’t need a family legacy in agriculture or a perfect business plan to belong in this industry, instead what you do need is the courage to ask ques-

tions, the grit to keep going when things get tough and the curiosity to keep learning at every step.

Surround yourself with people and mentors who will teach you, support you and remind you your dreams are worth pursuing. Even if you feel like an outsider, keep showing up anyway and don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. And help others too. This is how communities and legacies are built.

Agriculture doesn’t just need people with land or money. It needs people with hearts full of determination, curious minds and perseverance to keep growing. If this is you, keep going. You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be. Brenna Litynski is the University of Wyoming Extension agriculture and natural resources educator serving Albany County. She can be reached at blitynsk@ uwyo.edu or 307-721-2571.

Adobe Stock photo

1

1

1 Cow, 1010#

3 Cow, 1180#

3 Cow, 1250#

Cow, 1295#

4 Cow, 1255# $151.50 SHOSHONI

7 Cow, 1345#

2 Cow, 1255#

5 Cow, 1495#

1 Cow, 1400#

6 Cow, 1350#

3 Cow, 1298#

4 Cow, 1695#

2 Cow, 1112#

Heiferette, 890# $235.00

1 Heiferette, 940# $231.00

RAWLINS 2 Heiferette, 1007# $216.00

2 Heiferette, 1002# $215.00

LANDER

2 Heiferette, 987# $212.00

PAVILLION

1 Heiferette, 940# $211.00 1 Heiferette, 995# $201.00 2 Heiferette, 1067# $195.00 BRED COWS & HEIFERS

ALCOVA

1 Bred Cow, 1265# $3,250.00

PAVILLION

1 Bred Heifer, 1010# $2,600.00 STEERS

FORT BRIDGER

5 Steer, 475# $428.00

PAVILLION

6 Steer, 569# $363.00

SHOSHONI

1 Steer, 635# $332.50

PAVILLION

3 Steer, 608# $328.00

BOULDER

1 Steer, 665# $320.00

FORT BRIDGER

3 Steer, 761# $312.00

PAVILLION

2 Steer, 675# $300.00

FORT BRIDGER

1 Steer, 690# $300.00

THERMOPOLIS

3 Steer, 915# $240.50

1 Steer, 1445# $143.50 HEIFERS

FORT BRIDGER

5 Heifer, 500# $332.50

THERMOPOLIS

5 Heifer, 483# $332.50

FORT BRIDGER

5 Heifer, 515# $326.00

CASPER

4 Heifer, 546# $315.00

BOULDER

5 Heifer, 565# $302.50

9 Heifer, 640# $291.00

TUESDAY, JULY 8

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