Volume 36 Number 46 • March 8, 2025
®
The Weekly News Source for Ranchers, Farmers and AgriBusiness Community • www.wylr.net
A Look Inside Multi-species grazing can benefit Wyoming operations..... ........................... Pages A10-11 Groundwater easements may provide water solutions in the West............................Page B5 Four States Irrigation Council honors ag leaders........Page B7 LREC project observes effectiveness of burros as livestock guardian animals....... Page B11
Industry leaders call on Congress to pass farm bill Throughout the month of February, representatives from numerous agricultural groups testified before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry on the state of the U.S. ag industry and called on Congress to pass an updated farm bill as soon as possible.
The first hearing, held on Feb. 5 at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. featured farming industry representatives from the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), National Farmers Union (NFU), National Cotton Coun-
cil, National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG), National Barley Growers Association, National Sorghum Producers, American Soybean Association, American Sugarbeet Please see FARM BILL on page A5
Quick Bits
Addressing Industry Issues
Ag Month
Panel discusses current challenges faced by the ag industry during annual forum
The Agriculture Council of America (ACA) announced March as National Ag Month and March 17-21 as National Ag Week. Themed “Together We Grow,” ACA will host several national events on March 18, which has been designated as National Ag Day. Starting at 8:30 a.m., the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will host Ag Day at USDA on the USDA Whitten Patio in Washington, D.C., followed by a Celebration of National Ag Day in the Russell Senate Office Building from 5:30-8 p.m. The event will be livestreamed for free starting at 9 a.m. For more information and to access the livestream, visit agday.org.
“Meeting Tomorrow’s Challenges, Today” was the theme of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 101st Annual Agricultural Outlook Forum, held Feb. 27-28 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Va., where industry stakeholders from across the U.S. and worldwide gathered to discuss all things agriculture. In order to expand on the conference theme, the plenary session held on the first morning of the event included a panel of professionals who addressed current
challenges faced by those in agriculture today. The panel was moderated by Oklahoma State University Vice President and Dean of Agricultural Programs Jayson Lusk and featured South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers, Farm Foundation President Shari Rogge-Fidler and National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) Executive Vice President of Policy Development and Strategies Jaime Castaneda. Please see CHALLENGES on page A7
Snow Report
In the 12th snow report for Water Year 2025, the state’s snowpack telemetry data reads 98% of median, with a basin high of 106% and a basin low of 46%. Last year, the state was at 95% and at 117% 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.
NRCHA Event
History was made during the 2025 National Reined Cow Horse Association’s (NRCHA) World’s Greatest Horseman, when Erin Taorimino of Lipan, Texas was the first woman to ever win the prestigious event on nine-year-old red roan stallion Hazardouz Material by Metallic Cat, the first sire to achieve three back-toback wins, making for four World’s Greatest Horseman championships in total.
UW Rodeo
Tickets are now on sale for the University of Wyoming’s (UW) Laramie River Rendezvous Rodeo, scheduled for April 25-27 at the Cliff and Martha Hansen Teaching Arena in Laramie. Adult tickets are $30 and youth tickets are $15. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit gowyo. com/tickets.
WYLR photo
Agricultural outlook USDAʼs annual forum forecasts future of agriculture since 1923 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) held its 101st Annual Agricultural Outlook Forum on Feb. 27-28 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Va., themed “Meeting Tomorrow’s Challenges, Today.” The 2025 program featured remarks by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, a presentation on agricultural markets and trade by USDA Chief Economist Seth Meyer, numerous distinguished speakers and 30 breakout sessions covering timely agricultural, food, market and environmental issues. While the forum was held in a hybrid format, onsite attendees had the opportunity to visit booths showcasing important missions and activities of various USDA agencies, as well as recent USDA-funded innovations. About the forum According to USDA’s website, the first Agricultural Outlook Forum was held in 1923 to distribute and interpret national forecasts to farmers in the field. Organized by USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist, along with other Please see USDA on page A15
Tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico go into effect The Trump administration’s planned tariffs on U.S. exports took effect on March 4, including a 25 percent tariff on Mexico and Canada, with one exception for Canadian energy exports, which has a 10 percent tariff in place. President Donald J. Trump also raised current tariffs on imports from China to 20 percent, targeting all three countries for not doing more to help the U.S. counter the fentanyl crisis. The tariffs were initially set to go into effect last month, but Trump opted to delay them, citing progress in negotiations with the three countries. “Trump is proceeding with implementing tariffs on Canada and Mexico under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to combat the extraordinary threat to U.S. national security, including our public health posed by unchecked drug trafficking,” a White House press release states. However, Mexico and Canada have since retaliated with their own duties on U.S. goods but Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has promised to address retaliatory tariffs, stressing the importance of resolving trade disagreements to help farmers focus on their work. During Trump’s Congressional speech, he announced another sweeping “external” agriculture tariff which will take effect April 2, but did not specify which products would be impacted or whether any exceptions would be made. He did acknowledge the economic repercussions of his tariffs, asking the American people to bear with him through the adjustment period. Please see TARIFFS on page A6
NASDA adopts policy for the year ahead Members of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) gathered in Washington, D.C. Feb. 24-26 for the 2025 NASDA Winter Policy Conference, themed “United We Thrive.” By the end of the three-day event, the association had adopted 17 policy amendments and 10 action items on a wide range of topics from food safety and labor reform to water conservation and animal disease research. Hot topics As cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) continue to wreak havoc on the U.S. poultry industry, enacting a national response to the outbreak was top
of mind for NASDA members. During the conference, the organization amended its policy to support the implementation of a national action plan for the detection, surveillance, response and containment of HPAI and passed two action items to initiate the first steps in executing this policy. NASDA calls on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to develop and implement a national vaccine strategy and urges Congress to enact legislation in support of APHIS’s indemnity and compensation program for foreign animal disease outbreaks.
periodical
periodical
Please see NASDA on page A8