EXTENSION EDUCATION

By Catherine Wissner, UW Extension Educator

Life Out in the Country –Rain, Grass and Now Weeds

ipe to myself. My childhood best friend gave me this recipe, and it really is a game changer in the world of chocolate chip cookies.

It might have something to do with the amount of butter used, because in the words of Paula Deen, “Butter makes it better.”

Callie’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

3 1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 ½ c. butter (soft)

1 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. sugar

1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix (6 serving size)

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

3 eggs

3 c. dark chocolate chips

1 c. chopped pecans

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Mix flour and baking soda, and set aside. Combine butter, sugars, pudding mix and vanilla. Add the eggs and mix. Gradually add the flour mixture.

Finally, add in the chocolate chips and pecans slowly so they mix in well.

I like to make these cookies big, so I scoop 2-3 tablespoons sized dough balls, but you can make them whatever size you want. For smaller cookies, bake 8-10 minutes. For larger cookies, start the timer at 9 minutes, and add on time from there, baking until they are golden brown.

Tressa Lawrence lives and works on her family’s cattle ranch, where she runs cattle, cooks a few meals, fixes a lot of darn fence and juggles freelance writing and photography. Comments can be sent to lawrenceranchbeefco@gmail.com.

HENDERSON SALES & RENTALS, INC

All of the spring rain has brought on a wonderful flush of prairie grass wildflowers and unfortunately, a lot of weeds.

Currently blooming, the tall yellow spike which looks like snapdragons is dalmatian toadflax. This plant is considered a noxious weed and must be controlled. It is a perennial weed with a vigorous root system and massive amounts of seeds.

Mature plants are very competitive, out-growing native grass and flowers. It’s not palatable by animals and contains iridoid glucoside compounds, which can be toxic to livestock.

Management approaches for weed control

There are several management approaches to control this or any weed.

Timing is very important. The best times to spray toadflax or thistle is in the blooming stage. If this window is missed, then individuals should spray after the first frost in the fall.

When it comes to understanding which herbicides are the best to use, individuals should contact their local county weed and pest office, not the local farm store.

Mowing and fire are not an effective control method and can cause this weed to spread faster.

Do not indiscriminately use pesticides or rodent poisons, they can get into well water or poison nontarget animals. Use pesticides wisely, and read the label.

There are some biological controls where individuals can use live, natural enemies of the weed to reduce its population. This requires time and patience to work.

One cannot mix chemical controls with biological controls – it has to be one or the other, but not both.

A good reference book for this is entitled “Biological Control of Invasive Plants in the United States.” This book is an anthology of research on the topic.

Benefits of letting the prairie grow wild

Native plants on the prairie form a vital habitat for many animals from bees and butterflies to mammals, but weeds prevent or alter this. Individuals should let their prairie go wild, control weeds and only mow around the house and out buildings.

They should also plant grasses well adapted to the

FESTIVAL continued from page 2 learning kiosk on the Triangle along with a Hand-spinning Fleece Auction on the Triangle. All of the events of the day will commence into the Sheepherders Come Bye Awards Dinner from 6-8 p.m. where we will honor WWGA’s annual award winners, the Wyoming Wool Initiative’s Lamb-AYear awards and the art and area and easy to grow from seed, such as western wheatgrass, thickspike wheatgrass, intermediate wheatgrass and many others.

Means, PhD, and Cody Gifford, PhD, will take place on the Triangle at 10:30 a.m.

The second educational program will be held at 2 p.m. at the South Lincoln Training and Event Center, entitled “Non-Traditional Sheep Market insights,” presented by UW’s Whit Stewart, PhD and John Kane of Madison, Wis.

There is a very narrow window to plant grass – October to May 15. After that, one will need to wait, since it’s all about natural rain and snow. Once established, grasses take very little water, and they do not need to be mowed.

Prairie grass stops growing around the middle to the end of May. What one will see on June 1 is all they will get for the rest of the growing season. A healthy prairie will out compete weeds.

The prairie is home to numerous birds like the meadowlark, lark bunting, horned lark and killdeer, who nest and raise their young on the ground, hidden in the prairie grass.

The dinner will be held at the South Lincoln Training and Event Center and is the only ticketed event of the festival. Following the Sheepherders Come Bye, Colby Acuff will kick off the barn dance with a live show at 8 p.m. This is a free show for the community, general public and local sheep ranchers.

Celebration wraps up on July 2

The last day of the fes

Wyoming’s state bird, the western meadowlark, builds a domed nest of grass on the ground and has a diet of both insects and seeds. Nesting season is March to July. Be cautious with herbicides – 2, 4 D is toxic to birds.

Good management of prairie grass can help prevent soil erosion, reduce snow drifting, help recharge a well and reduce fire danger. Research shows unmowed tall prairie grass is cooler, the soil holds more moisture, has less weeds and ground squirrels and deters prairie dogs.

Mow less, play more and enjoy the views and wildlife.

Catherine Wissner is the University of Wyoming Laramie County Extension horticulturist. She can be reached at cwissner@ uwyo.edu or 307-633-4480.

9 a.m. with the final educational program from WWGA Executive Director Alison Crane, PhD, discussing the newly implemented Food and Drug Administration’s ruling on antibiotic usage in livestock and what it means for sheep producers.

WWGA’s summer business meeting will begin at 9:45 a.m. to conduct annual business and will conclude at 12 p.m.

We hope everyone will come celebrate the Wyoming sheep and wool industries with us, even if they have never seen a sheep before. This is the perfect weekend to not only see sheep but to learn so much about the amazing industry.

The festival would not be possible without so many of our sponsors throughout the state, especially the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, Wyoming Humanities Council and the Wyoming Arts Council. Thank you!

Please visit our website wyomingsheepandwoolfestival.com to see all of the available vendors and sponsors.

Alison Crane is the executive director of WWGA. She can be reached at alison@wyowool.com.

University of Wyoming (UW) Firearms Research Center (FRC) Co-Founder

Ashley Hlebinsky, former curator of the Cody Firearms Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center, was this year’s opening keynote speaker at the Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA) Annual Summer Convention and Trade Show June 7-9.

During Hlebinsky’s presentation on June 8, she articulated the need to bring more voices to the firearms discussion, generate new scholars and remove silos, creating opportunities to exchange knowledge.

Building opportunities

Earlier this year, the FRC, which is housed in UW’s College of Law, was officially unveiled and operations began pioneering research for peer review and public use.

“After years of hard work, we are thrilled to launch the FRC and know its impact will be wide- approval. He requested funding to update the operating system and funding to revise the livestock website.

“Updating the website and making it more interactive will allow for better communication between producers and the state,” True explained.

Both action items passed.

Brand inspection and recording updates

Lee Romsa, WLSB brand commissioner, reviewed information discussed on delinquent brands at the Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA) Convention held June 7-9 in Riverton.

District brand inspectors are currently undergoing training to reduce the number of individuals on the delinquent list.

“We have developed district training events to facilitate ways to identify and contact individuals who are on the delinquent list. Many of the state’s brand inspec-

Creating more voices: UW’s Firearms Research Center launched

spread and meaningful,” stated Hlebinsky.

She explained the FRC hopes to unite scholars and experts, creating an open dialogue which will transform how firearms are discussed and understood.

Currently in the U.S., there is an ongoing debate over the Second Amendment, with little cross-disciplinary work forming an unbalanced narrative.

Hlebinsky noted she and her co-founder George Mocsary, a law professor at UW, want to establish a center to generate more voices in the firearms discussion and to encourage new scholars.

“Options for students in the U.S. who want to study firearms are limited, and many are centered around politics, legislative gun restrictions or public health,” she stated.

“There is no other place in the U.S. to study firearms, past and present, in a non-bipartisan setting. We need to have a balanced dialogue on the topic,” Hlebinsky added.

She continued, “We are experiencing a lack of scholarship on the topic of firearms and we need to build a repository of knowledge, and the center is intended to facilitate a new stance on the study of firearms by incorporating nontraditional and traditional coursework, leading to certifications or degrees.”

“Most of the current scholarship around firearms contains technical inaccuracies despite being passed through the academic review system into publication,” she stated.

Hlebinsky expressed, “A limited number of experts understanding technical firearm information creates a flawed peer review system leading to inconsistent and inaccurate research. However, we are excited to see this change through the center’s work.”

“Another exciting resource the center has to offer is its interactive website. It will host firearmsrelated data, research and related law to serve as a resource for academics, practitioners, lawmakers, media members and the public,” she added. The website’s functionality will continue to grow and provide live information on current court cases and other relevant topics around firearms. Furthermore, this information will offer a reliable center of excellence for journalists and others who seek to communicate about firearms topics with more than emotion and oversimplification.

Community outreach

FRC prides itself on being a center that also focuses on the community. The center will offer a variety of public events and educational resources.

Hlebinsky said, “The center will be home to firearm education and facilitate gun safety material to cre- ate a broader knowledge.”

For more information about the FRC, visit frc.uwyo.edu.

“We want to do right by our community. And, to show our support and commitment, the FRC will host several events, including hunter education, firearm safety and hunter therapy classes. The center is also excited to announce we are partnering with the Wyoming Department of Health to create a suicide prevention program,” Hlebinsky expressed Wyoming has led the U.S. in suicides since 2018, and the state’s suicide rate continues to climb, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. To help support local communities, FRC will provide suicide awareness and prevention resources and host events to address gun safety.

Hlebinksy explained this will include resources for individuals who may voluntarily surrender their firearm when they feel the need to set them aside, turning them over to the gun shops or the other secure facilities, while they get through a personal crisis. tors know the rightful owner personally and can contact them directly,” he said.

Hlebinsky also shared exciting news about the center co-hosting the 2023 Firearms Law Works-InProgress Workshop with the Duke Center for Firearms Law this June in Fort Worth, Texas.

The center is in its early stages of development but is already seeing positive changes, allowing diverse voices to enter the firearms debate while impacting the future of firearms.

Melissa Anderson is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

Romsa stated, “Over the summer, state brand inspectors visit many venues, but it is a slack time for inspections.”

However, state brand inspectors stay busy during the summer working events, such as the College National Finals Rodeo and the National High School Finals Rodeo, which will be held July 16-22.

Romsa concluded his updates with a brief review of the new brand inspector wages going into effect and thanked the inspectors for their dedication and hard work.

Animal health updates

Wyoming State Veterinarian Dr. Hallie Hasel and Assistant State Field Veterinarian Dr. Teckla Webb updated the board on brucellosis risk mitigation plans and addressed questions around the new report of a confirmed brucellosis case in Sweetwater County. Board conversations developed around the brucellosis standard testing protocol.

Hasel stated, “Wyoming’s voluntary custom slaughter brucellosis surveillance program is vital to our state.”

She further informed the board the comment period ended for the chapter rules. The board discussed and approved Chapter Six, Brucellosis Risk Mitigation Activities and Compensation – Emergency Rule and Chapter 25, Brucellosis Quarantine Mitigation Expense.

Webb then walked the board through a brief presentation on brucellosis and how to create a brucellosis mitigation plan.

Webb continued to describe a mitigation plan, stating, “The plan is composed of two parts, the risk assessment and risk mitigation and can be created for any operation, but is especially important for produc-