Volume 35 Number 26 • October 21, 2023
®
The Weekly News Source for Ranchers, Farmers and the Agribusiness Community • www.wylr.net
A Look Inside Health concerns for cattle on cornstalks outlined by UNL experts............................Page 5 Annual Ag Expo teaches students the importance of Wyoming ag...........................Page 8 UW Extension encourages producers to create an effective weed management program..... .......................................Page 9 Target body weight can provide guidance in nutritional management of heifers..............Page 20
Quick Bits PAPO Meeting The Pinedale Anticline Project Office (PAPO) Board of Directors will hold a virtual meeting on Nov. 7 from 1-3 p.m. The board will review and make decisions concerning overall budget and projects for 2023. The meeting is open to the public and will be held via Zoom at blm.zoomgov.com/ j/1606420049?pwd=NEFB UXV2UjRVaHgvZFFMMk 00L0dwdz09 with the meeting ID: 160 642 0049 and passcode: 169525. For more information, contact Tracy Hoover at thoover@blm. gov or 307-367-5342.
CRP Payout The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued more than $1.77 billion this year to agricultural producers and landowners through its Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a critical piece of the department’s efforts to support climate-smart agriculture and forestry on working lands. Currently, CRP’s 667,000 plus participants received payments from USDA’s Farm Service Agency for their voluntary conservation efforts on more than 23 million acres of private land.
Milk Loss
The U.S Department of Agriculture is extending the application deadline for the Milk Loss Program to Oct. 30, allowing more time for eligible dairy farmers to apply for much-needed, weatherrelated disaster recovery assistance. For more information on the program or to apply, visit fas.usda.gov.
IDF Report The 2023 edition of the International Dairy Foundation (IDF) World Dairy Situation Report is now available. Again this year, the report provides all actors and stakeholders of the dairy chain with relevant data and analysis on the global production, processing, trade, prices and consumption of milk and dairy products from 50 important dairy countries. To view the report, visit fil-idf.org.
CoBank releases quarterly research report on rural industries CoBank, a part of the Farm Credit System, was formed in 1916 by Congress and provides a quarterly research report offering a broad view of rural industries.
CoBank’s latest research report, “Higher for Longer – A Drag on Rural Economy,” published Oct. 11, discusses how rural economies are hurting as they battle inflation, interest rates and the
surging U.S. dollar. Economic outlook “Higher for longer is now the trending catchphrase among market watchers,” states Rob Fox, CoBank director of
the Knowledge Exchange research division. “The average new 30-year fixedrate mortgage is currently sitting at 7.4 percent, the highest since President Bill Please see REPORT on page 12
REST & RECOVERY Producers should place priority on bull health after breeding season WYLR photo
With fall in full swing, many herd bulls are back on the ranch after spending a few months chasing cows on summer pasture. Those few months are the most important and physically taxing on bulls during the course of the year, and in order to ensure breeding sires continue to perform to the best of their ability, it is important for producers to place an emphasis on proper nutrition and care after the breeding season. According to an Aug. 11, 2020 article written by Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Beef Cattle Specialist James Byrne, bulls can lose between 100 to 200 pounds and a few body condition scores over the course of the breeding season. “It’s completely understandable after this level of exertion, post-breeding recovery can take between
four to eight months,” states Byrne. “A good recovery period is essential for bulls to be fit and ready for next year’s breeding season.” Post-breeding nutrition In an Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach article published on Oct. 6, Iowa Beef Center Research Scientist Garland Dahlke notes post-breeding nutrition is dependent on the age of bulls and the amount of weight they lost during the breeding season. Dahlke and Byrne agree mature bulls in fair condition will typically recover any weight lost on a simple, all-roughage diet without supplementation through the winter. “Hay quality should have around eight to 10 percent crude protein and be fed at two percent of body Please see BULLS on page 18
Fall grazing considerations UNL provides tips to manage grazing frosted forage Producers welcome the first frost for its fly-killing ability, but grazing cattle on fall forage comes with a few safety tips. In a recent University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) BeefWatch podcast, dated Oct. 1, UNL Beef Extension Educator Troy Walz discusses an article titled “Cautions for Cattle Grazing Frosted Forage,” published in the October UNL BeefWatch Newsletter. According to Walz, when some forages freeze, grazing cattle may potentially bloat or be affected by deadly toxins. When alfalfa, sorghum and grasses like oat or sudangrass freeze, the plant’s composition may change and potentially poison livestock. Mitigating risks, avoiding bloat “When grazing alfalfa in the fall, bloat remains a potential problem, especially during the first three to five days after alfalfa has been exposed to freezing temperatures,” Walz states. “The risk of bloat will be minimal only after a significant portion – about 50 to 70 percent – of the alfalfaʼs top growth has been frozen and dried.” Please see GRAZING on page 6
Convention season kicks off State and national associations are gearing up for a busy season of meetings and conventions throughout Wyoming and across the nation. With hay harvested, cows gathered off of the mountain and calves weaned and shipped, fall work for many producers is winding down, just in time for them to attend this year’s schedule of events. Fall conventions The fall convention season lineup kicked off with the Inaugural Wyoming Water Quality Conference, held in person at the University of Wyoming Conference Center in Laramie Oct. 17-18. In honor of the Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) 50th anniversary, the Water Quality Division (WQD) invited attendees to learn about WQD permitting programs and current requirements, funding opportunities and how the division is responding to emerging contaminants, including harmful cyanobacteria blooms, just to name a few. On Oct. 19-22, the American Hereford Association hosted their annual membership meeting in Kansas City, Mo. to bring together members from across the U.S. for a trade show, educational sessions, an honoree reception and to elect new members for the board of directors. With the theme “Flowing Together for Shared Water Resources,” the Wyoming Water Association will hold its annual meeting and conference jointly with the Upper Missouri Water Association at the CAM-PLEX Energy Hall Ballroom in Gillette on Oct. 24-26. During the conference, water resource professionals from Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota Please see CONVENTIONS on page 18
WOMEN IN AG Annual hunt empowers women of Wyoming In 2013, a group of female trailblazers, referred to today as the “Founding Does,” established the Wyoming Women’s Antelope Hunt through the Wyoming Women’s Foundation (WYWF) to provide an opportunity for mentorship and camaraderie between women across the state. The goal of the event is to provide education on sustainability and to encourage self sufficiency, while emphasizing hunter safety, hunting and land ethics, conservation and natural resource management. Held Oct. 12-15 at UCross in Buf-
falo, this year’s event offered a venue for mentorship, community, camaraderie and sisterhood, while empowering women across the state of Wyoming. Getting involved Hailing from all four corners of Wyoming and everywhere in between, women participating in the hunt come from all walks of life and have unique reasons for getting involved. For first-time hunter Alli Anderson of Cheyenne, partaking in the annual hunt always seemed to be in the cards. In fact, Anderson’s mom was a Founding Doe
periodical
periodical
Please see HUNT on page 10