Volume 38 Number 9 • June 20, 2026
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The Weekly News Source for Ranchers, Farmers and AgriBusiness Community • www.wylr.net
A Look Inside
Joint Ag Committee begins interim work with preg check debate
Ground pork offerings can boost retailer sales, according to this week's guest columnist ... ........................................ Page 2
On June 11, the Wyoming Legislature’s Joint Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources Committee began their interim legislative work with a meeting held at Central Wyoming College in Riverton. The committee heard testimony
Future of conservation discussed during annual WSGA summer convention ..... Page 8 Test your ag knowledge in this week's crossword puzzle .................. Page 15 WAIC Bookmark and Beyond winners highlighted ... ...................................Page 16
Quick Bits
on a variety of relevant ag-related issues, including potential changes to livestock pregnancy checking statutes within the Wyoming Veterinary Practice Act which garnered significant conversation. The topic of debate is whether
pregnancy testing by a non-veterinarian as a standalone service should be allowed, and the committee heard from several members of Wyoming’s ag community on the issue. Please see COMMITTEE on page 4
WILDFIRE WATCH
FMD Webinar
The Wyoming Livestock Board invites producers to participate in a webinar titled “What U.S. Livestock Producers Need to Know About Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) Vaccine” on July 1 at 10 a.m. The webinar will be recorded and posted on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Veterinary Services National Training and Exercise Program YouTube page. Registration is required, and interested participants may register at us02web. zoom.us/webinar/register/ WN_YUo5Xh9MTWetuJAEOY1zVA#/registration.
WSGLT Event
The Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust will host its annual Legacy (WSGLT) of the Land celebration and fundraiser on Aug. 22 at the Barn at Elk Hollow in Carbon County. An optional tour of the Silver Spur Ranch will be available later in the day. Tickets are $110 for adults and $30 for children. For more information, visit event.auctria.com/c3e0d7f944a1-47ff-8da0-0cfb4aadd5 6c/09480e501ee611eaa945b b9e2ddcf87f.
Resources
The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) has provided New World screwworm (NWS) disease guidelines and treatment and prevention information on their website at aaep.org/ resource/aaep-infectiousdisease-guidelines-newworld-screwworm/?utm_ medium=email&utm_ source=govdelivery. Additionally, the American Veterinary Medical Association has put together guidance for veterinary teams in the evaluation and response for NWS in companion animals, which is available at avma.org/resources-tools/ one-health/veterinariansand-public-health/newworld-screwworm/newworld-screwworm-nwscompanion-animals-evaluation-and-response?utm_ medium=email&utm_ source=govdelivery.
EARLY FIRES RAISE CONCERNS FOR WESTERN REGION With summer only just beginning, wildfires have already scorched thousands of acres across Wyoming and neighboring states, prompting concerns among fire officials, ranchers and state residents that the 2026 fire season may arrive earlier and burn more aggressively than normal. Although recent fires across the Cowboy State have been quickly contained, the combination of
dry conditions, low snowpack and persistent winds have created conditions more indicative of those seen in late-summer than in early June. According to officials, the recent Raven Creek Fire in northeastern Wyoming has become one of the state’s most notable early-season blazes, highlighting concerns about what could lie ahead for Please see WILDFIRE on page 6
Battling the blaze – A wildland firefighter ignites a back burn on the historic Red Canyon Fire, which charred nearly 125,000 acres in Hot Springs County during August 2025. Bureau of Land Management Wind River/Bighorn Basin District photo
Legislative Meeting Food safety and fencing laws dominate second day of Joint Ag Committee meeting Proposed changes to the Wyoming Food Freedom Act and state fencing laws dominated discussion during the second day of the Wyoming Legislature’s Joint Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources Committee meeting, held June 11-12 at Central Wyoming College in Riverton. Committee members spent the majority of day two discussing state and federal food regulations, debating the sale of raw milk and locally produced meat and considering whether Wyoming’s longstanding fence-out doctrine remains relevant in today’s day and age. Food Freedom Act amendments To begin, Wyoming Legislative Service Office (LSO) Attorney Anna Johnson presented two amendments to the Wyoming Food Freedom Act, which was originally enacted in 2015 to expand opportunities for direct-to-consumer food sales in the state. The first would allow commercial food establishments to use raw milk as a food ingredient under the condition consumers receive Please see FOOD on page 5
USDA launches new big game habitat framework On June 2, during the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) Summer Meeting in Boise, Idaho, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released “Migratory Big Game: A Framework for Conservation Action,” a new blueprint aimed at conserving habitat and migration corridors for elk, mule deer and pronghorn across the West. According to the department, the framework outlines a coordinated strategy between federal, state and Tribal partners to address habitat fragmentation, movement barriers and declining habitat quality of big game species, while simultaneously keeping America’s farms and ranches in production. Described by officials as “the most unified landscapescale effort undertaken by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA) to support migratory big game conservation,” this is the agency’s fifth Framework for Conservation Action and represents the third framework developed for western landscapes through USDA’s Working Lands for Wildlife initiative. The effort builds on previous conservation frameworks which focus on sagebrush ecosystems and Great Plains grasslands and “incorporates lessons learned from 15 years of Working Lands for Wildlife implementation, along with new migration science, mapping technologies and habitat research.” Please see FRAMEWORK on page 7
COUNTY FAIR FEATURE Styvar strives for exhibiting excellence Brylee Styvar of Gillette has made a name for herself and learned a lot throughout the past 10 years exhibiting livestock through Boots and Buckles 4-H Club and Campbell County FFA. The 18-year-old recent graduate of Campbell County High School will split her summer between getting livestock ready for fair and preparing to serve as president of the 2026-27 Wyoming FFA State Officer Team. Early love Brylee got her start showing when
she was young, with the help of her parents Casey and Stephanie Styvar and the surrounding community. “My dad is an ag teacher at Campbell County High School, so I got into showing sheep with the help of some of his FFA students by going out on project visits and helping them work with their animals,” Brylee explains. She has shown sheep, cattle and hogs at both the Campbell County Fair and Wyoming State Fair (WSF) but says
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Please see STYVAR on page 11