Volume 36 Number 37 • January 11, 2025
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The Weekly News Source for Ranchers, Farmers and AgriBusiness Community • www.wylr.net
A Look Inside Gray wolf reintroduction issues continue in Colorado..... .....................................Page A4 BraveHearts program heals through horse therapy............... ...................................Page A10 Prevent strangles in horses through diagnostic testing......... .....................................Page B7
Quick Bits Snow Report
In the fourth snow report for Water Year 2025, the state’s snowpack telemetry data reads 92% of median, with a basin high of 109% and a basin low of 20%. Last year, the state was at 65% and at 123% in 2023. The report and a map displaying basin snow water equivalent percentages of median for the state may be found at wrds.uwyo.edu/ wrds/nrcs/nrcs.html.
DOI finalizes Western Solar Plan, includes state of Wyoming On Dec. 20, 2024, the Department of the Interior (DOI) announced an updated Western Solar Plan to promote efficient and environmentally-responsible solar energy permitting
on public lands throughout the West. The DOI’s initiatives regarding clean energy on public lands are overseen by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and
since 2021, the BLM has approved 45 renewable energy projects on public lands, surpassing its goal of permitting 25 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2025. According to the DOI,
the updated plan aims to guide the placement of solar energy proposals in areas with fewer resource conflicts and seeks to advance the nation’s growing clean Please see DOI on page A11
protections maintained
USDA Grant
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reminds specialty crop producers to apply for assistance for marketing and food safety certification expenses. Specifically, USDA’s Farm Service Agency reminds specialty crop producers of the Jan. 31 deadline to apply for the Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops program for 2024 expenses.
DLT Program U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Under Secretary Dr. Basil Gooden invites grant applications to improve access to remote education and healthcare in rural and Tribal communities. USDA is making approximately $40 million in funding available under the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant Program. This program funds distance learning and telemedicine equipment, and funds will help digitally connect people to education, training and healthcare resources otherwise unavailable or limited in remote parts of the country. For more information, visit rd.usda.gov.
Scholarship Applications are now open for the Young Cattlemen’s Conference, which begins in Denver and proceeds across the country to Washington, D.C. to help young leaders understand all areas of the beef business. The program is limited to a small number of producers each year and all participants must be nominated by one of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s affiliate organizations. For more information or to apply, visit angus.org/events/young-cattlemens-conference. Applications will close on Jan. 31.
Adobe Stock photo
FWS upholds ESA listing of GYE grizzly bear and proposes management updates On Jan. 8, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) will remain listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), denying petitions from Wyoming and Montana to remove the species from the ESA. At the same time, the agency issued a proposed rule to increase management flexibility and allow state wildlife agencies to better address human safety and livestock depredation. “FWS is proposing a rule to clarify the geographic area where grizzly bears in the lower 48 states are subject to protection under the ESA,” reads the press
release. “FWS also proposes revisions to the current protective regulations to provide additional management flexibility for authorized agencies and individuals experiencing conflicts with grizzly bears.” Additionally, FWS announced it will publish an “updated, independent peer-revied species status assessment to compile best available science to help inform further decision-making.” “This reclassification will facilitate recovery of grizzly bears and provide a stronger foundation for eventual delisting,” says FWS Director Martha Williams. “And the proposed changes to our 4(d) rule will Please see BEARS on page A7
Pork outlook What can pork producers expect in 2025? The pork industry is constantly up against variables and unknowns which make the future hard to predict. On the Jan. 3 episode of Farm Journal’s Pork podcast, Host Jennifer Shike joins Rabobank Senior Animal Protein Analyst Christine McCracken, who shares her knowledge and perspective about what she sees for the pork marketplace in the year ahead. From a young age, McCracken has actively participated in the pork industry, showcasing hogs in 4-H and FFA throughout her childhood. She holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree in agricultural and natural resource economics from the University of California-Davis. She currently conducts animal protein research for North America at Rabobank. Rabobank was founded by farmers and a group of small credit unions, and its entrepreneurial spirit and cooperative mentality have guided producers throughout its 125-year history. A look at 2025 McCracken shares profitability is always a moving target, but she is optimistic heading into 2025. Please see PORK on page A6
Legislation introduced On Dec. 12, 2024 U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) introduced the Fence Line Fairness Act, which aims to establish a formal mediation process for land boundary disputes between landowners and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). According to Rounds, the Fence Line Fairness Act would create a committee composed of appointed producers who would be responsible for mediating disputes and providing recommendations to both the agency and involved producers. Rounds explains, “The committee will include producers from the state, with two members appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and three members appointed by the state’s departments of agriculture or natural resources.” This legislation is supported by several organizations, including the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association, South Dakota Stockgrowers Association, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), R-CALF USA, Public Lands Council (PLC) and the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association. A look inside the new bill During the Dec. 26, 2024 episode of NCBA’s Beltway Beef podcast, PLC and NCBA Natural Resources Executive Director Kaitlynn Glover shares an update on the new Fence Line Fairness Act. “This act would create a mediation process when a boundary dispute occurs with the USFS, one we haven’t seen before, as the USFS has a number of tools to resolve defense line boundary disputes,” Glover explains. “However, USFS doesn’t have a mediation process and this bill will fill this void.” Please see BILL on page A5
Post-fire rangeland recovery highlighted Following Wyoming’s second worst wildfire year in terms of acreage burned, wildfire recovery efforts were a hot topic during the Wyoming Stock Growers Association Winter Roundup Convention and Trade Show, held Dec. 9-11, 2024 at the Ramkota Hotel and Conference Center in Casper. During the Progressive Rancher Forum on the first morning of the event, Dr. Brian Mealor, a University of Wyoming professor and the director of the Sheridan Research and Extension Center, discussed post-fire recovery of rangeland forages. Fire history To begin, Mealor outlined the instance of wildfire throughout Wyoming’s history.
“We’re much more of a fire-prone landscape than we think we are in parts of the state,” he said. “And, fire is not necessarily strange to what we manage for in Wyoming.” Mealor displayed a map showing high fire activity across the forested mountain ecosystem in the northwest part of the state, over to the grasslands of northeastern Wyoming. He pointed out a noticeable gap in the southwest corner. “The northeastern corner of the state is more of a Great Plains type of rangeland setting, and as we move south and west, we get into more of a true sagebrush grassland situation,” he explained.
periodical
periodical
Please see RECOVERY on page A14