Submit your letters to: Editor, Wyoming Livestock Roundup, P.O. Box 850, Casper, WY, 82602, or e-mail to roundup@wylr.net. We reserve the right to edit letters.

It is the policy of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup that we do not print letters attacking individuals, groups or organizations within the Wyoming agricultural community.

Dear Editor, Your recent article on the Sage Grouse Implementation Team’s (SGIT) process for expanding the core sage grouse protection areas leaves out some important details.

Executive orders deal with the executive branch of government, but where the governor gets the power to force private land into core areas is a mystery. The

Wyoming Constitution says the governor will faithfully execute the laws of the state. There is no law establishing core areas.

SGIT does not follow the Administrative Procedures Act, as they are an advisory group to the governor. Landowners are never notified their land is to be included, are not allowed due process of law nor do they get compensation.

SGIT claims they are not regulating private land but then they have to have private land in the core. If they are not regulating the use of private land, why do they need it in the core?

The greatest fiction is their idea they can somehow stop the federal government from listing the bird.

Recently, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the dunes sagebrush lizard when three million acres of land were already in conservation agreements. This will greatly affect Permian Basin oil production and no one knew it was imminent.

Here, SGIT is responding to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) threats to change its resource management plan.

In order to please the BLM are we going to force more private land into core areas?

This whole effort is public relations mixed with a little old fashioned tyranny.

Doug Cooper 7L Livestock Co. Casper

Sheepherder recovering after bear attack

A Peruvian sheepherder is recovering following surgery to treat injuries sustained in a black bear attack.

David Vasquez, 35, was attacked while tending about 750 ewes with lambs in the Weminuche Wilderness, 23 miles northeast of Durango, Colo., near Lemon Reservoir.

Vasquez works for Sheep Rancher J. Paul Brown, who said he was able to call the ranch in the early morning hours following the attack.

Brown said Vasquez was able to move quickly up the trail to meet the medevac team from Mercy Regional

Medical Center in Durango. He was transferred to Grand Junction, Colo. and treated for facial lacerations, a broken arm and puncture wounds.

This is Brown’s 53rd summer in the Weminuche. He said a bear woke him in his bedroll some 40 years ago, but an attack like this hasn’t occurred, something Brown attributes to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) management of black bears.

“We’ve never had this happen before to any of our men – nobody’s ever been attacked,” Brown said.

“He went out that night and

Torrington Livestock Markets PO Box 1097 • Torrington, WY 82240 307.532.3333 Fax: 307.532.2040 www.torringtonlivestock.com checked the sheep, and the bear was right there growling at him.”

Brown said Vasquez shot the bear, and while his dog fought to protect him, Vasquez slipped and the bear “was on top of him.”

“We’re very thankful he’s going to be all right,” he said. “He’s going to be scarred up, but he’s going to be all right. He has some puncture wounds on his thigh and groin area and a broken arm. He put his arm up to protect himself while the bear was trying to bite his head.”

CPW officials gathered DNA samples from Vasquez, and officers on scene found two sheep carcasses with wounds consistent with a bear attack. An agent with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service was called out, and using a team of dogs, he was able to locate a bear in the vicinity and shoot and kill it.

The bear is estimated to be an eight-year-old male weighing 250 pounds. Officers found sheep wool in the bear’s stomach and are confident it was the animal responsible for the attack but will not be certain until DNA testing is completed.

Lex Madden 307-532-1580

Chuck Petersen 307-575-4015 Lander Nicodemus 307-421-8141

BYAM continued from page

Byam later moved to the East Coast as the assistant state conservationist for programs, continuing her leadership roles in Illinois, South Dakota and Kansas before becoming the state conservationist in Wyoming.

She is bringing a vast wealth of knowledge to support various programs in Wyoming.

Byam stated, “There will always be challenges. We are focusing on messaging to improve programs for Wyoming communities and how we can make them work here. We are here to assist.”

Offering assistance

NRCS is a non-regulatory agency and works oneon-one with producers to find solutions to meet business and conservation goals. This partnership ensures the state’s natural resources and the sustainability of local agriculture.

Byam recommends visiting the website to find the local office to get started.

She explained, “The local district conservationist and field offices are the best resources for individuals looking for assistance. The local staff are the experts.” ment program to protect the nation’s food supply.

NRCS provides financial assistance for selected conservation practices and technical support.

Byam also noted NRCS is a customer-facing agency, in which they focus on staffing to assist producers – prioritizing local staff who can be out in the field working with producers.

Byam stated, “We are staffing up and filling vacancies. NRCS is hiring staff and internally developing plans to provide the best customer service to our base.”

“Our offices are here for small backyard growers to the large producers. We are reaching out and serving all,” she continued. Conservation programs

“Wildlife and working lands are a priority,” Byam expressed.

“NRCS piloted big game migration in Wyoming, and Wyoming was the first state to sign a memorandum of understanding between the USDA and Gov. Mark Gordon, which started in 2022,” she added.

Currently, Wyoming NRCS is working on five priority migration routes, and this pilot program is open to producers in Wyoming statewide, as there are several areas where big game migrations are known to be prevalent.

FRIDAY, JULY 28 - BRED COW SPECIAL & ALL CLASSES WEDNESDAY,

Wyoming currently has several state programs and initiatives, and NRCS is streamlining programs to improve them for landowners, helping producers strengthen programs and build conservation efforts.

“We would be hardpressed not to find a program or an initiative for our ranchers here in Wyoming,” she added.

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Contact us to receive email updates. 307-532-3333 mindy@maddenbrothers.com

TORRINGTON LIVESTOCK AREA REPS

Michael Schmitt - Torrington, WY 307-532-1776

Ty Thompson – Lusk, WY 307-340-0770

Cody Thompson - Lusk, WY 307-340-0150

Zach Johnson Lingle, WY –307-575-2171

Jeff Ward – Laramie, WY 307-399-9863

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Tam Staman – Crawford, NE 308-631-8513

Chris Williams - Greybull, WY 307-272-4567

Ben Kukowski - Kaycee, WY 307-217-1472

Danny Nicodemus – Cheyenne, WY 307-632-4325

Scott Redden - Burns, CO 970-596-3588 www.torringtonlivestock.com

One program to mention is the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program – Agriculture Land Easement. It protects working farms and ranches by limiting non-agricultural land uses through conservation easements. NRCS is currently streamlining its ease- standards and the persistently inverted yield curve are likely to result in a mild recession by the fourth quarter of 2023.

During the Western Governors’ Association meeting in June, USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Robert Bonnie announced a significant new focus on private lands programs focused on wildlife conservation efforts.

“Big game migration has evolved, and dedicated funding is being committed to this project,” Byam concluded.

Landowners interested in applying for consideration in any program should contact their local NRCS office.

“There is still a lot of wind at the back of this economy, and we don’t believe a severe contraction is coming,” said Dan Kowalski, vice president of CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange. “But, we do believe it is important to not misinterpret delayed impacts for minimal impacts. Monetary effects can be slow in developing, and history tells us the economy can seem just fine right before a recession hits.”

Labor market

The labor market remains relatively tight, but the situation has improved significantly as female and non-native workers have stormed back into the work force.

The labor force participation rate for women between the ages of 25-54 now stands at an all-time high, up more than four percentage points from the low in April 2020.

Foreign-born employment has increased at roughly double the pace of native-born employment since April 2020. The successes in these two groups have been critical so far in the economic recovery.

But looking forward, it raises the question of how many more workers are available to be coaxed in off the sidelines. Ultimately, the U.S. labor force challenges are far from over.

Grains, farm supplies and biofuels

With the corn and soybean growing season in full swing, drought across the Central U.S. is driving heightened seasonal market volatility. Markets are balancing the quickly deteriorating crop conditions against the potential for El Niño to bring wetter conditions later in the growing season.

Wheat harvest is advancing northward in the U.S. and is revealing high variability in crop quality. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) expects the U.S. hard red winter wheat crop to be the smallest since 1957 on substantially higher abandonments and lower yields.

Ag retailers faced a more challenging environment in the second quarter as fertilizer prices continued to fall. Prices were weighed down by reduced demand, as farmers took advantage of pre-payment programs during fall of 2022 to purchase fertilizer in advance.

Despite an overall slowdown in inflation, ag retailers continued to face rising costs, especially for property insurance. Grain and farm supply cooperatives paid about 50 percent more for property and casualty insurance coverage during the January and April 2023 renewal seasons.

The ethanol complex delivered strong second quarter results with steady production and above-average profitability. Operating margins averaged 45 cents per gallon, nearly double the long-term average.

While the finalized blending requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard were somewhat disappointing for ethanol, they were incrementally positive for biomass-based diesel.

The new rules call for 2.82 billion gallons of biodiesel and renewable diesel in 2023 and 3.35 billion gallons in 2025.

Animal protein and dairy

As the summer grilling season kicked off, beef demand remained incredibly resilient despite elevated prices for consumers.

Retail beef prices averaged $7.50 per pound in May, a record high for the period and an increase of two percent year-over-year.

Robust demand combined with tighter cattle supplies spurred market momentum for cattle. Fed cattle values reached record levels, above $180 per hundredweight (cwt) and feeder cattle shot above $240 per cwt.

While consumers have yet to balk at higher beef prices, things could quickly change when seasonal support wanes.

Excess hog supply and weak pork demand put hog prices in jeopardy this spring. After a steady start to the year, the CME Lean Hog Index tumbled about $10 per cwt, to $72 from mid-March to late April.

However, more favorable market conditions across the animal protein segment drove lean hog values up 30 percent through May and June. While still down about $15 year-over-year, the pork cutout landed in the upper $90s, gaining about $20 per cwt through the quarter.

Domestic chicken consumption was up about four percent year-over-year through June 1, which has helped chip away at elevated cold storage holdings. Wholesale broiler meat prices have largely rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, following significant declines in late 2022 and early 2023.

Feed costs have come down about 10 percent from 2022 but remain well above their historic averages. For broiler integrators, increased feed costs coupled with higher operational expenses have crimped profitability.

U.S. milk producers continue to struggle in the current price environment.

The national all-in mailbox milk price has dropped below the $20 per cwt mark after averaging $25.34 per cwt in 2022.

While several factors are to blame for this year’s milk price decline, the sharp drop in American/cheddar-style cheese prices is the most significant. Prices for this category have dropped by onethird since the beginning of the year.

Milk and feed futures suggest producer profitability should improve considerably by October when Class III milk prices are anticipated to increase by about three dollars per cwt.

Cotton, rice and specialty crops

U.S. cotton production is rebounding from last year’s crop, which was devastated by extreme drought across the Southwest. Recent rainfall in top-producing Texas is expected to reduce abandonment following three years of severe drought.

The U.S. cotton crop is now estimated at 16.5 million bales, up 14 percent from last year.

Price inflation for clothing and apparel in the U.S. continues to ease with the moderation of cotton prices, which may work to draw in new consumer demand.

U.S. rice production is expected to recover from 2022’s small crop, although concerns over dryness and worsening conditions in the mid-South have led to increased volatility of rough rice prices.

With improved water availability this year, California medium-grain rice production is also expected to rebound with planted acreage at 465,000 acres. This is a substantial increase from last year’s planted acreage of 220,000 acres, which were restricted by historic drought conditions.

Sugar prices remain historically high as markets ration tight global supplies. USDA currently calls for a rebound in world sugar production for 2023-24, but concerns are growing El Niño will result in smaller harvests in 2023-24.

In the U.S., there is no relief in sight for high prices as wet weather delayed planting across Northern states this spring, which resulted in a smaller U.S. sugarbeet crop.

CoBank is a cooperative bank and member of the Farm Credit System, serving vital industries across rural America. The bank provides loans, leases, export financing and other financial services to agribusinesses and rural power, water and communications providers in all 50 states. This article was originally published in CoBank’s Quarterly Report on July 13.