Volume 36 Number 29 • November 9, 2024
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The Weekly News Source for Ranchers, Farmers and AgriBusiness Community • www.wylr.net
A Look Inside Postcard from the Past highlights the history of Saratoga’s mineral hot springs....Page A12 UW researchers study relationship between insects and wind turbines...............Page B1 Rural residents should consider testing private water wells. ..................................Page B11 Working ranch horse diets require plenty of forage............ ..................................Page B12
Quick Bits Tax Webinars Registration is now open for two free webinars hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Hurricane and Disaster Tax Issues for Farmers and Ranchers Webinar will take place from 12:30-2:30 p.m. on Nov. 20, and the Working with a Tax Professional Webinar will take place from 11 a.m.12:30 p.m. on Nov. 22. For more information or to register, visit farmers.gov.
A cold and snowy winter is predicted in the Cowboy State Official meteorological winter is just around the corner, although most of Wyoming and parts of the West have already received some heavy snow and frigid
temperatures the past few weeks. According to a Sept. 7 Cowboy State Daily article by Andrew Rossi, Meteorologist Don Day says this is
a foreshadowing of what is to come during the next few months, in what he believes will be colder and snowier than last winter. “This is the short ver-
sion. While North America endures an El Niño-La Niña whiplash transition phase, the signs strongly suggest Wyoming has a real winter Please see WINTER on page A11
Welcoming a new administration
Fuel Options On Oct. 29, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small announced USDA is awarding $39 million in grants to U.S. business owners to increase the availability of domestic biofuels in 18 states and give Americans cleaner, more affordable fuel options. Small also announced USDA will make $200 million available through the new Biobased Market Access and Development Grants, made possible by Commodity Credit Corporation funds.
New ERA
On Oct. 25, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced more than $3 billion through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Empowering Rural America (New ERA) Program to lower electricity. USDA is awarding nearly $2.5 billion in financing for Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association and has selected six rural electric cooperatives to move forward in the awards process for nearly $1 billion in New ERA funds.
Crop Prices As of Nov. 6, corn was down 2.5 cents at $4.16 per bushel, and futures advanced 4.5 cents to $10.01. December soybean meal was down $4.40 at $295.10 per ton, and soybean oil was down 29 points at 44.70 cents per pound. December Chicago wheat was down nine cents at $5.63, Kansas City wheat was down 8.5 cents at $5.68 and Minneapolis wheat was down 7.5 cents at $6.03
WYLR photo
2024 election results have sweeping implications for agriculture As the last of the voting polls closed and more than 140 million ballots were tallied, Donald Trump was ultimately triumphant in a hard-fought campaign against Kamala Harris, securing 291 electoral college votes and 50.8 percent of the people’s vote. “I want to thank the American people for the extraordinary honor of being elected the 47th – and 45th – president,” Trump said at an early morning rally in West Palm Beach, Fla. following his victory. “Every citizen, I will fight for you, your family and your future every single day. I will not rest until we deliver the strong, safe and prosperous America our children and all of you deserve,” he continued. “This will truly be the golden
NILE results reported Cattle breeders, exhibitors and consignors from across the U.S. and Canada gathered in Billings, Mont. Oct. 11-19 to show off the cream of their crop at the Northern International Livestock Exposition (NILE). The week-long stock show and rodeo draws livestock enthusiasts from far and wide for numerous competitive open and junior breed shows, a handful of junior fed market shows, several pen shows and multiple breed sales. Cattlemen from Wyoming and surrounding states topped the leaderboard during multiple 2024 NILE competitions. Aberdeen show results During the NILE Aberdeen Show’s Junior Moderator Division, Emmery O’Hara of Fort Benton, Mont. received top honors with her Junior Moderator Grand Champion Female Emo Simone. Fransisco Lewis of Parker, Colo. followed in the reservechampion position with NY Marie 11M, which also went on to win the title of Moderator Grand Champion Female in the open division. Additionally, Lewis’ NY Marion 14M was recognized as the Open Moderator Grand Champion Bull. Lewis was followed by Stardust Ranch’s SRH Connie of Rathdrum, Idaho as the Open Moderator Reserve Champion Female and ILC Moose, shown by John Tomlinson of Hayden, Idaho, as the Open Moderator Reserve Champion Bull. Archer Valley Ranch of Priest River, Idaho dominated the Open Aberdeen Division, taking home honors with the Open Aberdeen Grand Champion Female AVR Lucious Lou, the Open Aberdeen Reserve Champion Female AVR Mexicali Rose and the Open Aberdeen Full-Blood Grand Champion Please see NILE on page A10
age of America. This is a major victory for the American people, which will allow us to make America great again.” Ag organization endorsements Trump’s victory was met favorably by several agriculture-related organizations, who voiced their eagerness to work with the new administration into the future. “Congratulations to President-Elect Trump for his historic victory last night and for running such a hard-fought campaign. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is excited to work with Trump to undo the harm cattle producers have endured under four years of ‘Bidenomics’ and restore the free-market principles which have Please see ELECTION on page A5
WWPC update Wyoming counties vote to label cheatgrass as a noxious weed During the final business meeting at the annual Wyoming Weed and Pest Council (WWPC) Conference, held Oct. 29-31 at the Ramkota Hotel and Conference Center in Casper, Wyoming’s 23 weed and pest districts voted to list cheatgrass on the state’s invasive and noxious weed list. “There is still another step for cheatgrass to be added to the Wyoming designated noxious weed list,” stated Natrona County Weed and Pest Supervisor Matt Jolivet. “As it stands, the WWPC voted 14 to nine to add it to the list. The petition will now be sent to the Wyoming Department of Agriculture’s Board of Agriculture, and it must be adopted there as well.” What is cheatgrass? Cheatgrass goes by various names and can be identified by its drooping head and hairy leaves, among a few other characteristics. It’s highly competitive and will push out other grasses, and it’s known for not playing fair, which is how it got its name. According to the Bureau of Land Management Please see WWPC on page A8
Wyo ranchers solve winter water problems Shondah and Randall Otwell are ranchers in northeastern Wyoming near the small town of Oshoto in Crook County. Shondah is the fourth generation on the family ranch, located in high desert country where it gets hot in the summer and cold in winter. Shondah noted her and Randall both left corporate jobs to return to the ranch in 2010 following her father’s passing – Shondah from a position as a network engineer, building businesses to support corporate computer networks and Randall from a job as a substation electrician. While facing challenges that come with continuing the family legacy, Shondah and Randall have invented a unique
solution to keeping stock water from freezing in Wyoming’s harsh winter weather. A better idea “When my father passed away in 2010 and we came back to take over the family ranch, one of our biggest challenges during the winter was stock water,” Shondah noted. “Our options were chopping ice or using electric stock tank heaters.” However, as many can attest, chopping ice is difficult physical labor, while electric tank heaters are expensive to operate and only work marginally when weather is extremely cold. “Trying to heat water in an outdoor
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Please see WATER on page A6