Sortin` Pen - Johnsons.net

Transcription

Sortin` Pen - Johnsons.net
The Only Weekly A Busy Rancher Needs To Read.
Billings, Montana
Thursday, September 3, 2015
by the publisher
Pat Goggins
As I See It
During the last couple
of weeks, there has been
a lot of video sales and
special auction market
sales of bred stock as well
as other classes. The “Big
Board” for cattle took a hit,
as did the stock market,
and there was times when
it was off the limit, off
$3.50 to $3.70 on some
of those back contracts,
and it scared the be-devil
out of a lot of people. I’m
around these sales all the
time, listening to the cattle
people, cattle buyers, and
people who make out to
know something about the
market. They’re all talking
about this “being a hit”
and that it is “the start of a
big downfall in this cattle
market.”
I think they’re wrong.
There is going to be a big
supply of hay and forage
available for the cattle
trade starting in the next
couple of months down
the road. So, I think these
people that think they’re
going to buy these really
good bred cattle for a lot
less are dead wrong. I
think there’s enough folks
out there wanting to buy
the good kind to keep
the prices up. I think that
those that have them are
going to be selling them
handsomely, and that it’s
not going to be a buyers’
market. It’s going to be a
seller’s market.
So I’ve not changed my
stance at all. I think my
stance is legitimate; all
the government figures
tell me it’s legitimate, and
the need for more cows on
the range is legitimate. So
if you’re in the ranching
business and if you’ve
got a good ranch and if
you have it lightly stocked
with ample feed and have
the availability to get ad…Cont. on pg 5
Food for Thought:
“It has been said that politics is the second
oldest profession. I have learned that it
bears a striking resemblance to the first.”
-Ronald Reagan
Sortin’ Pen
By Leesa Zalesky
Volume 7
Federal judge blocks WOTUS rule
By Leesa Zalesky
On August 27, Federal
Judge Ralph Erickson of the
District Court for the District
of North Dakota ruled that
the 13 states suing to block
the Obama administration’s
“Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) rule met the criteria
necessary for a preliminary
injunction. North Dakota
and 12 other states had
asked that the rule’s August
28, 2015, effective date be
delayed due to the irrepa-
rable harm it would cause
the states. Judge Erickson’s
injunction does just that.
Maybe. According to the
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), Erickson
may have blocked the rule in
13 states but EPA announced
that it would implement it in
all 37 other states.
In his order, Judge Erickson agreed that the rule
should be delayed during
the ongoing litigation, writing “the states are likely
to succeed on their claim
because 1) it appears likely
that the EPA has violated
its congressional grant of
authority in its promulgation
of the rule at issue, and 2) it
appears likely that the EPA
failed to comply with APA
(Administrative Procedures
Act) requirements when
promulgating the rule.”
Erickson added, “Once the
rule takes effect, the states
will lose their sovereignty
over intrastate waters that
will then be subject to the
scope of the Clean Water
Act. While the exact amount
of land that would be sub-
No. 49
ject to the increase is hotly
disputed, the agencies admit
to an increase in control
over those traditional stateregulated waters of between
2.84 to 4.65%. Immediately
upon the rule taking effect,
the rule will irreparably
diminish the states’ power
over their waters.” Erickson
called the Obama administration’s interpretation of its
jurisdiction “exceptionally
expansive.”
Defiant EPA administra…Cont. on pg 4
Wyden & Vilsack call for wildfire disaster funding
Citing the continuing wildfires in the western states,
Senator Ron Wyden (DOR) and Ag Secretary Tom
Vilsack said recently that
they would urge Congress
to pass a bill to change the
system to pay for fighting
the worst forest fires. Wyden
and Senator Mike Crapo
(R-ID) have introduced a
Wildfire Disaster Funding
Act that would move any
fire suppression spending
above 70% of the 10-year
average to a disaster funding
account that is separate from
Forest Service and Interior
budgets. The change would
be limited to the 1 to 2%
of largest wildfires, which
consume 30% of firefighting
budgets.
In a call to reporters from
Portland, Vilsack said that
fighting forest fires now
takes up more than 50%
of the U.S. Forest Service
budget and that the continual
transfer of funds from other
Forest Service activities is
making the problem worse.
“If this problem does not
get fixed, we will continue
to see continued budget
creep,” Vilsack said, noting
that as recently as 1995 only
16% of the Forest Service
budget went to fire fighting. Vilsack also noted that
Forest Service Chief Tom
Tidwell has put a hold on
other spending, pending an
analysis of further firefighting needs.
Wyden said the forest fires
are particularly bad this year
because there has been “a
terrible trifecta” of very hot
temperatures, drought, and
a buildup of fuel. “My con-
Good news... railroad grain
train cars in abundant supply
The grain elevator that
towers over the small prairie town of Sterling, North
Dakota, has been humming
with workers loading crops
onto rail cars destined for
domestic and worldwide
markets. It’s a welcome
sight in Sterling and across
the upper Great Plains,
where in the past two years
grain elevators overflowed
and mountains of wheat,
corn, soybeans and other
crops lay in piles, awaiting
rail cars that seemed to never
come.
Just in time for what the
USDA expects to be nearrecord corn and soybean harvests, grain train cars are in
cern is that, for the West, this
is the new norm,” he said.
Wyden said that a coalition of 11 Western senators
are determined to pass his
Wildfire Disaster Funding Act in September and
that they have gotten the
support of Senate Budget
Committee Chairman Mike
Enzi (R-WY). He also mentioned that President Barack
Obama noted the issue when
he met recently with a group
of senators. Wyden also said
…Cont. on pg 5
abundance. The reversal is
attributed to unprecedented
spending on track upgrades,
political pressure from politicians in ag-rich states, and
…Cont. on pg 4
Livestock dying & pastures
burning in Pacific Northwest...
After a year of drought losses, ranchers in the Pacific
Northwest are now suffering livestock deaths as the region
burns. Numerous ranches are located in the Okanogan
Complex of fires in north-central Washington, which have
burned 475 square miles and is ranked as the largest wildfire in state history. Making matters worse, Farm Service
Agency (FSA) personnel are still processing payments for
lost livestock from last year’s brutal Carlton Complex fires
in the Method Valley, which was -- until the Okanogan
Complex Fires began -- the largest wildfire recorded in
Washington. More than 1,000 cattle burned in that fire,
along with 500 miles of fencing, and officials say this
year’s losses are going to be worse.
I can’t stress enough how important it is for ranchers to
report their losses within 30 days, under the federal Livestock Indemnity Program. This is often difficult when still
fighting fire and trying to rescue cows, but the program allows cattle owners and others to recoup 75% of the market
value of livestock that died because of these conditions.
In Idaho, FSA staff say they are still gathering reports on
livestock losses in the Soda Fire southwest of Boise and
the Clearwater Complex fire around Kamiah. During the
Soda Fire, cattle located in the fire zone were moved to a
single location and have not yet been sorted for a count by
their owners. There are reports that one producer has lost
…Cont. on pg 3
This horrific scene has been viewed by way too many ranchers this awful fire season. This particular
fire was part of the Okanogan Complex Fire / Tunk Block Fire in Washington. According to Joy Wilson of
Brewster, Washington, who shared this photo and the one inside on page 16, “It took less than 1.5 hours
to burn our 7,000 acres of pasture. My husband Mike Wilson is watching the fire burn before it exploded
across our pasture. The second photo (inside) shows him moving cattle across the road to the corrals
that were saved. We have many thanks for lots of help from neighbors and family.”
INDEX
Down Dirt Roads................ 6
On A Side Note................. 11
Agri-Kids............................ 8
Classified......................... 26
Letters............................. 2-3
Poet’s Corner................... 11
Barry Naugle.................... 10
Comments.......................... 9
Markets............................. 20
Ramblings.......................... 7
Bill’s Warbag.................... 14
Cooking in the West........ 17
Obituary............................ 19
Sale Report...................... 21
2
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Letters
We are delighted to print letters from
our readers on ag and livestock
issues. However, the letters are
subject to editing for length, grammar,
libel, and pertinence to the industry
and/or subject at hand.
Editor
to the
With great disappointment...
I was disappointed in the August 14, 2015, Great Falls
Tribune article, “Restoring buffalo is an act of healing,”
by the National Wildlife Federation (see article following
this letter). The article claims that “[Original Americans’]
lives centered on a close relationship with buffalo for thousands of years.” And yet, it proposes “restoring buffalo in
and around the million-acre Charles M. Russell National
Wildlife Refuge (CMR).”
I firmly believe that buffalo and Original Americans were
part of a vital, dual-species, keystone species complex.
Neither species could operate in its old, keystone function
without the other. Losing its ecosystem partner would be
devastating to the orphaned species. I believe that we saw
this in the Original Americans when the bison disappeared,
and I also believe that losing their ecosystem partners to
small pox and war was the single most critical factor in
the near-extinction of the buffalo. To just take bison alone,
dump them on the CMR, and assume that abandoned
bison will be every bit as healthy as bison that have their
evolved ecosystem partners seems to me to be the height
of disrespect to those partners. If it is true, and I believe it
is, that Original Americans had a “close relationship with
buffalo,” then buffalo should be going where there are
Original Americans (or other people willing to fulfill that
vital role) that can have a close relationship with them...
and not into a great big lake.
Almost half the article emphasizes how Original Americans have no contact with buffalo anymore. I was shocked
Sales Calendar 2015
SEPTEMBER
6
Montana Breeders Group Horse Sale, Great Falls, MT
12
Montana Hereford Tour, South Central, Montana
12-13 Wildcat Creek Red Angus Dispersion. Peabody, KS
16-17 Montana Ram & Ewe Sale, Miles City, MT
17
Holden Hereford Female Sale, Valier, MT
18
Churchill Cattle Co. Hereford Female Sale, Manhattan, MT
19
Weaver/Treasure State Quarter Horse Production Sale,
Great Falls, MT
20
Sugar Bars Legacy Horse Sale, Sheridan, WY
21
Northern Livestock Video Fall Premier Special, Billings, MT
24
Mohican West & Guests Polled Hereford Female Sale,
Laurel, MT
28
Hoffman Ranch Female Production Sale, Thedford, NE
OCTOBER
3
Fall Harvest Shorthorn Production Sale, Grand Island, NE
10-17 NILE Stock Show & Rodeo, Billings, MT
12
OxBow Ranch Angus Female Sale, Wolf Creek, MT
13
Coleman Angus Female Sale, Charlo, MT
14
Pine Coulee Angus Female Sale, Columbus, MT
19
The Berry’s Hereford Production Sale, Cheyenne, WY
24
Pieper Red Angus Fall Production Sale, Hay Springs, NE
26
Montana Female Bonanza Commercial Angus Female
Sale, Billings, MT
NOVEMBER
5
6
7
7
9
11
12
16
17
19
20
20
21
21
22
23
28
29
30
5L Red Angus Fall Production Sale, Sheridan, MT
Ludvigson Stock Farms Fall Production Sale, Billings, MT
Laubach Red Angus Production Sale, Big Timber, MT
Marcy Cattle Co. & M Diamond Ranch Angus Female Sale,
Gordon, NE
Mohican West Polled Herefords Bull Sale, Laurel, MT
Heart K Angus Production Sale, Lewistown, MT
Diamond D Angus Production Sale, Valier, MT
Sitz Angus Commercial Bred Heifer Sale, Dillon, MT
Mytty Angus Ranch Fall Production Sale, Florence, MT
Largent & Son Hereford Production Sale, Kaycee, WY
Shurrtop Angus & Charolais Fall Bull Sale, McCook, NE
Green Mountain Angus Ranch Production Sale, Ryegate,
MT
Redland Black Angus Fall Sale, Buffalo, WY
Thistledew Cattle Co. Angus Production Sale, Joliet, MT
Gana Farms Foundation Female Sale, Martell, NE
Bobcat Angus Production Sale, Great Falls, MT
Vermilion Ranch Fall Production Sale, Billings, MT
Rice Ranches Production Sale, Harrison, MT
Stevenson’s Diamond Dot Angus Production Sale, Hobson,
MT
DECEMBER
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
5
5
5
7
8
9
10
12
14
14
15
Stevenson Angus Fall Production Sale, Hobson, MT
Beef Country Breeders Production Sale, Columbus, MT
Big Sky Elite Red Angus Female Sale, Logan, MT
Peak Dot Angus Ranch Fall Sale, Wood Mountain, SK
Sitz Angus Fall Production Sale, Harrison, MT
KG Ranch Production Sale, Three Forks, MT
Harmon Angus Ranch Production Sale, Lavina, MT
Leachman Cattle of Colorado Western Slope Bull Sale,
Loma, CO
Currant Creek Angus Fall Production Sale, Roundup, MT
Montana Choice Simmental Female Sale, Billings, MT
TK Angus Production Sale, Valentine, NE
Armstrong Angus Production Sale, Cardwell, MT
Shipwheel Cattle Co. Angus Production Sale, Chinook, MT
Paint Rock Angus Ranch Bull Sale, Hyattville, WY
Stars of Montana Angus Female Sale, Columbus, MT
Cross Diamond Cattle Co. Red Angus Production Sale,
Bertrand, NE
Jacobsen Ranch Salers & Angus Production Sale, Great
Falls, MT
Hunt Creek Angus Production Sale, Miles City, MT
WESTERN AG REPORTER
I’ve always felt the writer’s great weapon
is the truth and integrity of his voice.
And as long as what you’re saying
is what you truly, honestly believe to be the case,
then, whatever the consequences, that’s fine.
That’s an honorable position.
Salman Rushdie
by this claim. As far as I know, every Montana reservation
has its own herd of bison. Certainly all the reservations
that I’ve been on have bison... I’ve seen them. Why would
the article dwell at such length on the idea that Original
Americans can no longer eat buffalo or no longer see buffalo? My little girl can see buffalo belonging to Original
Americans; surely their own little girls are able to. What
is the purpose of denigrating tribal herds? These are the
buffalo for which the “close relationship” yet exists. Isn’t
that something that should be celebrated with pride? Montana’s impressive tribal buffalo herds are granted exactly
one sentence, “Several Montana tribes already are working
to restore buffalo on their lands.”
According to this article, “the ‘No-Action Alternative’
can [not] possibly be considered an option.” Why not?
Right now, the tribes are free to own their own herds of
bison and manage them in “close relationship.” Selling
premium buffalo hunts brings in much needed revenue
to the reservation. Giving the state of Montana control
over bison would put the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
(FWP) in direct competition with Montana’s tribes. And
there is absolutely no reason to believe that the bison and
their ecosystem would thrive under FWP management; the
specters of disease and starvation loom.
Several years ago, I listened with horror as the FWP lawyer testified in court that Montana’s Original Americans
cannot be trusted to effectively manage bison and that,
therefore, control must be in the hands of FWP. Listening
to that testimony made me feel physically ill. It is with
great disappointment that I find the Great Falls Tribune
and the National Wildlife Federation skating so very close
to that same opinion.
I just want to make sure to state very clearly: the reason
the author of the article I objected to believes that she can
get away with being so dismissive of Original American
bison herds and lobby for turning bison over to the state and
no one will call her on the apparent racist slant is because
she is an “Original American.”
Sierra Stoneberg Holt, Ph.D.
Hinsdale, MT
Restoring buffalo is an act of healing
By Marsha F. Small, 8/14
To the people whose roots run deepest in Montana, almost
nothing has inflicted more environmental and economic
harm than eliminating wild buffalo. Our ancestors’ lives
centered on a close relationship with buffalo for thousands
of years. Eliminating buffalo from our homelands dealt a
devastating blow to tribal communities, our connection
to the land, our ability to sustain our families, and our
ways of life.
The loss of buffalo has also created major health problems
for the original inhabitants of this land. Diabetes is the No.
4 killer of Native Americans, killing us at twice the rate of
the general population. This is partly because our healthy
diet and active existence gathering and hunting have given
way to poorer food and a more sedentary lifestyle, and the
loss of buffalo has been a factor.
So, it is with some sense of irony that many of us view
a new environmental impact statement from the state of
Montana examining the possibility of restoring a herd of
perhaps 400 buffalo, numbers far below historic accounts
and definitely not sustainable as a population. Weighing
impacts of returning some buffalo overlooks the bigger
picture.
We’ve lived for more than a century with the environmental and economic consequences of killing off buffalo.
And how odd that Montana’s Department of Fish, Wildlife
& Parks is exploring buffalo restoration without formally
consulting Montana tribes. It’s impossible to understand
all the benefits of bringing back buffalo without talking to
the Montana people most affected by their absence.
This summer, I’m attending tribal celebrations throughout
Montana. I’ve spoken with hundreds of people from tribes
across Montana and beyond about restoring buffalo in
and around the million-acre Charles M. Russell National
Wildlife Refuge. Native voices speak loudly and clearly in
support of restoring buffalo in Montana. “I miss the taste of
buffalo,” an Elder told me recently. “Boy, we would cook
that meat with those mushrooms that grow on them trees.
It was really good.” A lonesome stare came over her face,
and I wondered at the memory that could make her look
so lost. Another approached me and said, “I haven’t had
buffalo meat for a l-o-o-n-g time.”
A middle-aged guy dressed in Army fatigues fished out
his dried moose meat and mashed berries to share with me,
saying he wished it were buffalo. He reminded me that,
because of the loss of traditional foods, diabetes is rampant
in Indian Country. “I know,” I replied.
The loss of the buffalo has created many voids in many
families. One man told me he could sure use a buffalo
hide for a new drum. I can’t stop thinking about the little
girl who said the only buffalo she’s ever seen was on the
photographic banner I’ve been raising at tribal celebrations. Or the boy who said the only buffalo he’s seen was
in a zoo. No one should have to visit a zoo to connect with
his heritage.
Several Montana tribes already are working to restore
buffalo on their lands. Utah, Arizona, and Alaska have
John Goggins has
a new email address:
[email protected]
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3
Thursday, September 3, 2015
WESTERN AG REPORTER
established herds of wild buffalo on public lands without
harming cattle ranching or agriculture. So have Alberta
and Saskatchewan in Canada. What people are doing for
buffalo elsewhere can be done - far better - on public land
in Montana. The state’s EIS leaves no doubt about this.
The one nagging question the EIS doesn’t address is,
given the ability and opportunity to bring back some of
our buffalo, why doing nothing - the EIS calls it the “NoAction Alternative” - can possibly be considered an option.
“No action” on buffalo means more environmental and
economic harm, not less.
Sortin Pen
the National Wildlife Federation and a member of the Northern
Cheyenne Tribe.
Canadian cattle producers say they want the age restriction lifted on cows exported to the U.S. Currently, cows
shipped to the U.S. must be born after March 1999 under
a rule implemented by the USDA in 2007. Older animals
are considered to be high risk for bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE), but USDA has agreed with the
Canadian Food Inspection Agency that the danger is likely
over. Although USDA has agreed to the change, it has not
taken action to do so officially. Canadian officials say the
change is necessary because exporters will buy only cows
they presume to be about six years of age.
Sale Report Index
cont. from pg. 1
50 head. According to the Bureau of Land Management,
at least 27 wild horses died when they were caught in the
fire. The Washington State University Extension Office
for Spokane County is helping organize livestock hay and
feed donations, which will be distributed to those in need
because their hay supplies and pastures have been destroyed.
Canada wants to export
Note: Marsha Small is the Montana tribal outreach associate for younger cattle to America...
Editor’s note: Personally, I don’t give a hing-hang one way or the
other about the buffalo... other than there are way more than
enough of them already in Yellowstone Park and lots of other
places. Like the wolves, if they cross onto private property, the
landowner should be able to shoot them on sight - it’s a private
property rights issue, not an “original American” issue. Small is
likely a graduate of a creative writing class, given the amount
of sentimental claptrap in her article. She’s also a member of
the National Wildlife Federation, which speaks volumes for
her motive in writing. Like Holt pointed out, there are buffalo
everywhere these days - both stomping around on four feet goring
ignorant Park visitors and tearing down tax-paying ranchers’
fences or being served up politely on a dinner plate at numerous
restaurants. LG
For generations to come...
Linda & Western Ag Reporter, thank you so much for
selecting me as one of your 2015 Ag Communications
Scholarship winners. The money will be very helpful to pay
for college expenses as I pursue a degree in the ag industry.
Linda, I would like to thank you for all the hard work
you put into producing a wonderful paper and your effort
to keep young people involved in agriculture.
My family and I enjoy reading the weekly issue of WAR
every Saturday, and I’m sure we will be continuing to do
so for generations to come.
Melanie Johnson
Sand Springs, MT
Better cheerleaders...
How ironic that a few months ago Montana Stock Growers’ officers and staff stood at Montana Legislative sessions
extolling the virtues of the CSKT water compact. This
compact will enslave the people of western Montana and
the 130,000-acre Flathead Irrigation Project
Now MSGA’s officers and staff are shedding big alligator tears for an eastern Montana irrigation project under
assault (see page 11 of last week’s issue).
I guess MSGA simply found us in western Montana
expendable.
If the Intake Diversion Dam irrigators in eastern Montana
hope to succeed, they need to find better cheerleaders, some
with credibility and spines.
Ross Middlemist
Former MSGA member
Dixon, MT
Aussie to U.S. beef quota triggered...
Market analysts say unprecedented beef shipments to the
U.S. from Australia means administrators will allocate the
final portion of beef quota as early as this week. Meat &
Livestock Australia (MLA) says 82% of quota was reached
on August 21, and MLA says the strong movement of beef
from Australia to the U.S. is due to strong demand in the U.S.
for imported products. After the quota is reached, a tariff
will be imposed of 21.1%. The last 15% of the allocated
quota is tradable and can be transferred among exporters in
the 10 business days after the quota is triggered, meaning
that exporters without quota can purchase volumes from
those having reached quota. Another option would be to
apply for 2016 U.S. beef quota with the understanding that
the product would not be allowed to clear U.S. Customs
until 2016 and must be held in storage until then.
Emergency roundup
for Nevada’s starving horses...
Federal authorities announced on August 28 that they will
conduct an emergency roundup to gather as many as 200
wild horses that are starving in the mountains outside of
Las Vegas. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) said
drought and overpopulation have left the horses with nothing
to eat and have forced them
to travel 10 miles between
water sources. An assistant
manager for the BLM’s
Southern Nevada district
and a veterinarian toured the
area last week and reported
seeing almost 80 horses with
Myers Ranch/Copper Springs Ranch Horse Sale..............21
conditions ranging from “exceptionally emaciated to thin.”
The veterinarian reportedly estimated that up to half of the
herd might not survive another winter. Hay and water will
be used to lure the horses into corrals, but the operation
could take a week or a month, said officials. The horses
are located in the BLM’s Wheeler Pass Herd Management
Area, a 102,000-acre swath of public land surrounding
Cold Creek. After 200 of those in the worst condition are
removed, officials say about 250 will remain in the area.
Officials say the Wheeler Pass Herd Management Area
can support only about 66 horses.
100 people fall ill
after eating at Chipotle...
California health authorities are investigating after more
than 100 people were sickened after eating food from
Chipotle. Inspectors report that on August 18 and 19, 98
customers and 17 employees fell ill, and many went to local
emergency rooms after dining at Chipotle. The restaurant
was hastily shut down, and it’s being reported that inspectors found several alarming health violations, including
unsanitary conditions, unclean utensils, dirty restrooms,
and equipment hooked directly to the sewer. Chris Arnold,
a representative of Chipotle corporate headquarters, issued
a statement: “When we were contacted by customers who
reported feeling poorly after visiting our restaurant in Simi
Valley, we immediately began a review of the incident and
have taken all of the necessary steps to ensure that it is safe
to eat there.” The restaurant has since reopened, but many
employees are refusing to return to work.
Vilsack endorses Clinton...
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack announced last week that he
is supporting Hillary Clinton for president in 2016 as her
poll numbers plummet in Iowa, Vilsack’s home state. “Too
often the discussion of good jobs fails to include the unique
challenges faced by rural Americans,” wrote Vilsack in an
Iowa opinion-editorial. “Hillary Clinton understands that
some of the deepest and most pronounced poverty exists
in rural areas of the country.” Vilsack said Clinton supports
a renewable fuel standard, which “would increase the use
of ethanol, of which Iowa is one of the nation’s leading
producers.”
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4
Thursday, September 3, 2015
WESTERN AG REPORTER
How come none of the cowboys in City Slickers or The Rifleman or The Magnificent Seven ever looked like this? And you can tell from this photo which of
these hardworking men were working the front of the line on the headgate and which were working the back of the line shoving hundreds of reluctant calves
through the crowding alley in the wind-driven dirt that blew for several hours on Sunday August 30 east of Billings, Montana! Three generations of Indian
Creek Ranch, L to R: Mike Hammond, Clint Hammond, Cody Irons, Sutton Foltz, and Rance Gerdes. This is a Caucasian family, by the way, although you can’t
ascertain that from their complexions after four hours in the blowing dirt! Photo by Linda Grosskopf, horseback in corral, also with dirt on her face!
WOTUS
cont. from pg. 1
tors immediately said they
would begin enforcing the
rule on August 28 in the 37
states not involved in the
lawsuit, saying the injunction only applies to the
13 states that filed for it:
Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas,
Colorado, Idaho, Missouri,
Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North
Dakota, South Dakota, and
Wyoming. “In all other respects, the rule is effective
on August 28,” said an EPA
spokesman. “The agencies
are evaluating these orders
and considering next steps
in the litigation.”
Judge Ericsson’s preliminary injunction is designed
only to last as long as the
litigation and is subject to
appeal. The 13 states are
participating in one of 10
lawsuits against the water
rule -- 29 states, along with
business interests representing energy, developers,
farmers, ranchers, and others -- are also suing, but
those cases have been consolidated into one lawsuit at
the Court of Appeals for the
Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati.
Counsel for the American
Farm Bureau Federation
(AFBF), one of the groups
involved in legal action
against the rule, said AFBF
believes the court’s ruling
means EPA cannot enforce
the rule nationally, saying
the EPA’s interpretation is
legally incorrect.
North Dakota Attorney
General Wayne Stenehem
said the ruling is just the
beginning of what he expects will be a lengthy court
battle, but Erickson’s ruling
will maintain the status quo
until the states’ challenge
can be fully decided by the
courts. “I am very pleased
by today’s ruling, which
protects the state and its citizens from the serious harm
presented by this unprecedented federal usurpation
of the state’s authority,” he
said in a written statement.
“This is a victory in the first
skirmish, but it is only the
first.”
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Grain Train
cont. from pg. 1
a drastic decrease in trains
hauling crude and freight
to and from western North
Dakota’s oil-producing
region. “There had been
some uncertainties, but it
has gradually gotten better,”
said Josh Mardikian, grain
manager at the South Central
Grain Cooperative elevator
in Sterling. As he spoke, a
train was being loaded with
24 million pounds of spring
wheat, much of which would
be used for a national pizza
chain’s dough. Grain trains
had been running late by
as much as 45 days in the
past 18 months, Mardikian
said, but in the past week,
mile-long, 110-car trains
had shown up some four
days earlier than expected.
Oil activity in North Dakota was partly to blame
for the widespread shortage
and backlog of rail cars from
North Dakota and Montana
down to Kansas and east
Rangemate 32-10
Liquid Livestock
Supplement 2015 Pricing
Delivered Price Per 25 Ton
MONTANA___________________
Billings, MT . . . . . . . .
Miles City, MT . . . . . .
Broadus, MT . . . . . . .
Great Falls, MT . . . . .
Dillon, MT . . . . . . . . .
Belgrade, MT. . . . . . .
$394
$371
$368
$399
$369
$378
into Illinois, National Farmers Union President Roger
Johnson said. “It doesn’t
take too much more on the
tracks to really get things
snarled up,” he said. The
long delays added to costs
for grain elevators and ag
producers, but whether the
costs trickled down to consumers depends on the food
product manufacturer, said
Ed Usset, a grain marketing
economist at the University
of Minnesota. “It’s conceivable that every bakery in the
world could have tried to
pass those costs along, but
oftentimes companies just
ride it out until things get
better,” he said.
Frustrations with grain
shipping made it all the way
to Washington DC, where
politicians last year called on
the Surface Transportation
Board to press the railroads,
which it oversees, for plans
to address the backlog.
BNSF Railway Co. said
it has invested billions of
dollars in upgrades across
its rail network since 2013,
including $1 billion in North
Dakota alone. The railroad
is now shipping all freight
“faster, more predictable,
and more consistent,” according to John Miller, a
vice president who oversees
the Fort Worth, Texas-based
company’s grain-related
business.
“We put the pressure on the
railroads and were willing
to be a pain to them, but we
are also willing to give them
credit that they’ve owned up
to this problem and appear to
have fixed it,” said U.S. Rep.
Kevin Cramer, a Republican
from North Dakota, who
was one of the politicians
who pressed for solutions.
“We’ll see.”
Lochiel Edwards, a grain
farmer who represents Montana’s Grain Growers Association on rail issues, said the
“only logical solution was to
build a bigger rail network.”
Also contributing to the
turnaround is a slowdown
in drilling activity in western
North Dakota’s oil patch
due to depressed oil prices.
While the state’s oil production has remained stable at
about 1.2 million barrels a
month, the percentage of
crude shipped by rail has
dropped below 50% due to
increased refining capacity
and additional pipelines. “I
hope we don’t have to put up
with the crap we had to in
the past,” Minnesota Farmers Union President Doug
Peterson said, especially in a
year when his state is seeing
bumper crops.
Johnson, the national farmers’ union leader, remains
optimistic.
- Associated Press, 8/29
KROGMANN
BALEBEDS
WYOMING___________________
Buffalo, WY . . . . . . . .
Wheatland, WY . . . . .
Rawlins, WY . . . . . . .
Douglas, WY . . . . . . .
Rock Springs, WY . . .
Riverton, WY . . . . . . .
$384
$388
$396
$383
$379
$387
SOUTH DAKOTA _____________
Aberdeen, SD . . . . . .
Huron, SD . . . . . . . . .
Pierre, SD . . . . . . . . .
Faith, SD . . . . . . . . . .
Midland, SD . . . . . . . .
Winner, SD . . . . . . . .
$303
$304
$335
$338
$334
$327
NORTH DAKOTA _____________
Bowman, ND . . . . . . .
Killdeer, ND . . . . . . . .
Towner, ND . . . . . . . .
Carrington, ND . . . . .
Minot, ND . . . . . . . . .
Jamestown, ND . . . . .
$345
$349
$337
$319
$346
$312
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Commercial Advertising
Representative
P.O. Box 30758
Billings, MT 59107
Cell: 406-672-8500
Office: 406-259-4589
E-mail:
[email protected]
If you're wanting to advertise your
commercial business.
I'd like to help.
As I See It
cont. from pg. 1
ditional feed, the only thing
you maybe don’t have is the
number of cattle around you.
So if this thing does make
a move to the upside and if
you don’t have the numbers,
you’re not going to be in a
position to take advantage
of the opportunity.
All I’m saying is this: be
firm, be strong, run your
ranch, and keep it going because this cattle business and
the world demand for animal
protein continue to soar,
and you must have some
Wildfires
cont. from pg. 1
the Congressional Budget
Office has issued an analysis
that shows the bill would
reduce firefighting spending
in the long run.
He acknowledged that opponents have expressed fears
that the program “would
create a new back-door
spending spigot,” but that he
believes the combination of
Enzi’s support and the CBO
analysis will counter that
argument.
Wyden said he believes
the support for the change
has grown and will continue
this fall because the fire
season has gotten longer
and is likely to continue.
“It is hard to tell when one
fire season ends and another
begins,” Wyden said, noting
that there were fires on the
Oregon coast in January.
“This has been a horrific season for firefighters,” Vilsack
added. “We lost seven of our
brightest and best.”
Wyden and Vilsack noted
that more than 250 private
sector organizations are supporting the bill, and Vilsack
said he believes they will
numbers around you when
that demand figure moves
strong, strong, strong.
I think that, with the
moisture that’s hit a lot of
the South where much of
the country has been so dry,
they’ve seeded already, and
I think it’s going to be ankle
high and grazing ready by
spring like you can’t believe.
So if you’re in a position
to take advantage of both
availability and lower prices
for hay, you’re riding a good
horse. The main thing is to
not lose interest in the future
of the cattle business. It is
one of the greatest busi-
nesses you could be in at the
present time. If you have the
room, if you have the grass
and or the availability of hay,
make sure you get it in the
stack next spring, next year,
because a lot of people put
up a lot of hay this year but it
will probably be even more
than that next year.
Finally, I want you to remember that you cannot run
one of these ranches and be
a pessimist. You’re going
to be looking down a black
hole if you’re a pessimist.
You’ll be zigging while
you should be zagging. An
optimistic person is going to
step up with lobbying on it
this fall.
They also noted that the
fires have hurt the recreation
industry. “This recreation
issue is a real driver in rural America,” Vilsack said.
“There are many industries
dependent on forests.”
But there is conflict between the Senate and the
House on the issue. A
spokesman for House Natural Resources Committee
Chairman Rob Bishop (RUT) noted in an email to
the Hagstrom Report that
the House has passed a bill
called the Resilient Federal
Forests Act, which would
scale back the environmental reviews that go into some
timber projects and make it
harder to file lawsuits that
delay thinning projects. “It
is encouraging that Senator
Wyden continues to call
attention to our wildfire
crisis. Unfortunately, a fireborrowing fix alone is a drop
in the bucket when it comes
to addressing the underlying
management crisis on our
forest lands.”
- Hagstrom Report
MT Stockgrowers seeks
nominations for Ranching
Woman of the Year
The Montana Stockgrowers Association is seeking
nominations for the 2015
Montana Ranching Woman
of the Year. The annual award
is presented to an MSGA
member who has made great
contributions to the Montana
ranching community and
has gone above and beyond
to support her family and
friends. Nominations are
due October 31, and the recipient will be recognized at
MSGA’s annual convention
in Billings on December 3-5.
“Women are often the backbone of Montana’s ranching
communities. These women
often go above and beyond
to support their immediate
family members and to pitch
in whenever the need arises
in their communities,” said
Gene Curry, MSGA President from Valier. “We look
forward to recognizing these
accomplished women each
year at our annual convention
and thanking them for their
hard work.”
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Tuesday, sepTember 15
trailhead yearling special
& regular cattle sale
FEEDERS
*Miles City - 25-30 Head Black Yearling Heifers -Tested
Open.................................................................. 900#
CALVES
*Cohagen -110 Head Mixed Calves-Black Angus - 2
Rounds MLV ............................................... 400-425#
*Miles City - 160 Head Mixed Calves - Black Angus Branding Shots - Virashield 6 & 7way ...... 425-450#
*Worden - Mixed Calves - 20 Steers, 20 Heifers,
Hereford/Red/X, Knife Cut - 7 way & Virashield 6
...........................................................................575#
Tuesday, sepTember 22
regular caTTle &
yearling sale
FEEDERS
*Miles City-15 Yearling Steers-Blk/bwf-2 Round ....950#
CALVES
*Miles City-220 Black Angus-Mixed Calves-Virashield 6
& 7way/blackleg@branding ................................525#
Tuesday, sepTember 29
regular sale &
yearling special
For complete details on the market, check out our market report
and USDA report at www.milescitylivestock.net
Bart Meged
406-421-5377
406- 951-3005
1-800-755-5177
5
Thursday, September 3, 2015
WESTERN AG REPORTER
Field Representatives
Collin Gibbs
406-939-0645
Visit our website at www.milescitylivestock.net
Andy Wemmer
406-853-0539
1-406-234-1790
grow hay and put up all the
hay he can, he’s going to up
the quality of his cattle, and
he’s going to make sure he’s
got ample numbers that his
ranch will comfortably run.
Yes sir, it takes a guy with
some fortitude now because
I’m convinced we’re going
to have a lot more hay and
a lot more available forage
than most of the prognosticators thought two months
ago, and I the prices and the
opportunity is going to hold.
Have an excellent Labor
Day!
Last year’s recipient of
the Ranching Woman of the
Year was Bev Fryer, who
ranches with her husband Ed
near White Sulfur Springs.
Past recipients of the award
include Glenna Stucky of
Avon, Floydena Garrison
of Glen, Helen Hougen of
Melstone, Marian Hanson
of Ashland, Carol Mosher
of Augusta, and Donna SitzArthun of Billings.
Nomination letters submitted by family or close friends
should identify a ranching
woman, who is a member
of Montana Stockgrowers
and describe her role on the
ranch, the characteristics that
set her apart when supporting
the family and ranch, and
her involvement in community efforts. Biographies
should include the ranching
Get a load of this! While this package of beef is
PLAINLY stamped “Australia Inspected,” what is
far more interesting to your WAR editor are its
equal plain and EASILY READABLE country-oforigin markings. Notice the two labels. The top
yellow-and-black label reads: Cattleman’s Finest.
Boneless New York Strip. Cooking Suggestions:
xxx. Helpful Hints - Courtesy of the Beef Checkoff:
xxx. Product of USA. Keep Refrigerated. Recipes &
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& Harvested USA. Safe Handling Instructions: xxx.
Sell By: 8/29/15. Net Weight: 12.43 lb. Unit Price:
$6.09/lb. Total Price: $75.70
woman’s hometown, family
members, and number of
years involved in ranching
activities. Along with the
nomination biography, submissions should include photos depicting the ranching
woman’s family, ranch, and
community involvement.
Nominations should be
submitted to the Montana
Stockgrowers’ office by
October 31 via mail (420
North California, Helena,
MT 59601) or by email
([email protected]). For
more information, contact
the MSGA office by phone
at 406-442-3420 or visit mtbeef.org/ranching-woman
6
Thursday, September 3, 2015
“Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of
happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty.” Louis D. Brandeis
(1856-1941), lawyer & associate justice of the Supreme Court
~ Montana Ram & Ewe Sale ~
NSIP EBV’S >< Ribeye Data >< Scrapie Codon >< Wool Micron >< Gain Data
2nd Montana Ewe Sale - September 16
Eastern Montana Fairgrounds, Miles City
5 PM Social honoring Dr. Lisa Surber
6 PM 1,000 Montana born and raised ewe lambs
& yearling ewes sell
Cheryl Schuldt Manager 406-945-0404
Watch both sales live
and bid at
Frontierstockyards.com
Catalogs available
Sept. 9 at
www.mtsheep.org
90th Montana Ram Sale - September 17
Eastern Montana Fairgrounds, Miles City
11 AM Lunch - Noon Sale
300 Production oriented, range ready
Montana Rams sell
Brent Roeder Manager 406-980-0719
MSU Sheep Symposia
September 16 at 10 AM
Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Center
Dr. Whit Stewart-MSU 406-589-5980
Lesa Eidman-Superior Farms
Dr. Dave Notter-Virginia Tech
Rusty Burgett-NSIP
WESTERN AG REPORTER
From Down
Dirt Roads
…Opinions of our readers
When feds seize
land, may they make
the rules to be sued?
By William Perry
Pendley, President &
CEO
Mountain States Legal
Foundation
One of the best known
constitutional guarantees,
certainly among landowners, is the right to “just compensation” when the federal
government seizes “private
property” for “public use.”
What is NOT well known is
that, despite explicit constitutional assurances, victims
of a “taking” may NOT sue in
federal courts established by
the Constitution, nor are they
allowed a jury trial to determine the amount of their
recompense. Fortunately, a
brave band from Michigan
challenges the constitutionality of decades-old federal
laws that deny those rights.
Muskegon -- a city of
38,000 on the Muskegon
River where it empties into
Muskegon Lake in Muskegon County, Michigan
- is the largest city on Lake
Michigan’s eastern edge;
172,000 live in its metropolitan area. Grand Rapids,
the largest city in western
Michigan (with a million
metro area residents), is 50
miles to the southeast. In historical times, Muskegon was
home to bands of American
Indian tribes, then fur trappers and traders, and finally
loggers. Today, its economy
is advanced manufacturing,
including aerospace, armor,
and bearings.
One Muskegon business
typical of every American
town is Fredricks Construction Company, a family-owned and -run outfit
specializing in roofing applications, siding, windows,
and insulation for residential
projects. Founded in 1969
by Gar Fredricks, Fredricks
Construction has been operated since 1979 at its current
location in a mixed light
industrial and residential
area. Along the property’s
southern boundary runs
a railroad right-of-way,
established in 1886 by the
Grand Rapids & Indiana
Railroad with a Fredricks’
predecessor. The line was acquired by the Pennsylvania
Railroad; then by the Grand
Trunk & Western Railroad,
which became the Central
Michigan Railroad; then by
RailTex, Inc., which formed
the Michigan Shore Railroad
that was subsequently RailAmerica, Inc.; and finally by
the Mid-Michigan Railroad,
Inc. (MMRR).
In 2008, MMRR ended
railroad activity, which -by operation of the contract
with successor-in-interest
Fredricks and pursuant to
Michigan law -- caused the
land to revert to Fredricks.
The federal Rails-to-Trails
Act of 1983, however,
required MMRR to file its
request to abandon with the
federal Surface Transportation Board (STB). In 2009,
STB issued orders authorizing MMRR to negotiate with
a trail operator to convert the
right-of-way into a public
trail and created two new
easements on Fredricks’
property: one for the trail
and one that holds the land
in perpetuity for future railroad use.
Neither Fredricks nor
the 19 other individuals,
families, and small businesses in this predominantly
African-America section of
Muskegon whose land was
taken unconstitutionally
were notified. Faced with a
clear violation of their Fifth
Amendment rights, the landowners sought relief before
a court established under
the Constitution. After all,
in 1990 the U.S. Supreme
Court held unanimously
that the Rails-to-Trails Act
“gives rise to a taking....”
Furthermore, the Seventh
Amendment guarantees the
right to trial by jury.
Unfortunately, two laws
passed in 1887 require any
takings claim of $10,000 or
more be brought, not in a
constitutional (Article III)
court such as the Michigan
federal district court in
nearby Grand Rapids, but
in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington,
D.C. - an executive branch
tribunal or legislative court
created by Congress in that
long ago statute. Worst yet,
the claims court does not
provide trial by jury.
To protect their rights, the
landowners -- represented by
Mark Hearne II of Arent Fox,
who has fought this battle
for decades -- sued in the
claims court in Washington
DC in July of 2014. Then,
in January 2015, they sued
in Michigan federal district
court, seeking their “just
compensation,” demanding
a trial by jury, and challenging the constitutionality of
the federal laws that deny
them all of this.
Days ago, the claims court
rejected the federal government’s motion to dismiss
their lawsuit. Final briefs
are being filed before the
argument and ruling that
could set them on course for
a landmark decision from the
Supreme Court.
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HORN WRAP CALL
1st & 3rd Tuesdays of each month
785-686-2400
Code: 032007#
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How to equalize inheritance
among on-farm and off-farm children
By Chris Nolt
Deciding how to be fair to
on-farm and off-farm children can be a challenging issue. Because the farm/ ranch
assets typically represent
the entire net worth of an
ag family, it’s not possible
to equalize inheritances by
leaving off-farm children
other assets. A common
solution that ag families
use in this situations is to
purchase life insurance for
the benefit of the off-farm
kids. In the example below,
we will examine a common
scenario among ag families
and three solutions using
life insurance to achieve
the family’s financial goals.
Example:
Tom and Barb own an
$8,000,000 ranch in Montana. They are both in their
mid-sixties and have three
children: Stan, Mike, and
Sherry. Besides the ranch
assets, they have savings and
investments of $150,000.
Tom and Barb’s son Stan
has lived and worked on the
ranch his entire life. They
pay Stan an annual salary of
$30,000. Mike and Sherry
have other careers and are
not interested in coming
back to the ranch. Tom and
Barb would like to pass the
ranch to Stan while still providing a “fair” inheritance to
Mike and Sherry. Their goal
is to leave Mike and Sherry
an inheritance equal to half
of the current value of the
ranch divided equally between them. Tom and Barb
meet with their advisory
team to explore options for
providing Mike and Sue
each with $2,000,000.
Option 1: Save
The family estimates Tom
and Barb’s joint life expectancy to be 20 years.
Assuming they could earn
an average annual return of
6% on an investment, they
calculate they would need
to save over $110,000 per
year for 20 years to come
up with $4,000,000 to leave
Mike and Sherry.
Option one won’t work.
Option 2: Borrow
They call their local banker
and Farm Credit Services
representative to see how
much it would cost for Stan
to borrow $4,000,000. Using
a fixed interest rate of 6%
and a term of 20 years, Stan’s
monthly payment would be
$26,398.23. Over 20 years,
his payments would total
$6,335,575.
Option two won’t work.
7
Thursday, September 3, 2015
WESTERN AG REPORTER
Option 3: Insure
The family obtains quotes
on a $4,000,000 Survivorship Life Insurance policy
on Tom and Barb’s life.
Based on standard ratings,
the annual premium would
be approximately $60,000.
The family concludes that
using life insurance to
equalize the estate is the
best option. Three potential
solutions are presented involving life insurance:
Solution 1: Tom and Barb
establish an Irrevocable
Life Insurance Trust (ILIT)
and purchase a $4,000,000
Survivorship Life Insurance policy with the ILIT
as owner and beneficiary
of the life insurance policy.
Tom and Barb name their
two off-farm children, Mike
and Sherry, as beneficiaries
of the ILIT. When Tom and
Barb die, Stan inherits the
ranch, and Mike and Sherry
split the $4,000,000 life
insurance proceeds equally.
Solution 2: Tom and Barb,
in their wills and/or living
trusts, provide for a distribution of a one-half interest in
the ranch to Stan and a onequarter interest each to Mike
and Sherry. During their lifetimes, they have Stan, Mike,
and Sherry execute a binding
cross-purchase agreement
whereby Stan agrees to
buy-out, at fair market value,
the one-quarter interests
($1,000,000 each) that will
be distributed to Mike and
Sherry. Stan then purchases
a $2,000,000 Survivorship
Life Insurance policy on
Tom and Barb. If he needs
additional funds to pay the
premiums on the policy, the
ranch may be in a position to
increase his salary or bonus
additional money to him on
an annual basis. Upon the
second to die of Tom and
Barb, Stan uses the death
benefit to acquire their interest, per the cross-purchase
agreement.
Solution 3: The family
determines they cannot afford the $60,000 annual
life insurance premium. To
come up with the money to
pay the annual premium,
they decide to sell a lesser
productive portion of their
land valued at $1,000,000
through a Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) and
use the annual income
from the CRT to pay the
annual life insurance premium. Because the CRT is
a tax-exempt entity, it will
not have to pay capital gain
tax on the sale. Assuming
they net $1,000,000 from
the sale of land and select a
6% payout in the CRT, they
will receive approximately
$60,000 per year from the
Ramblings of a
Conservative
Cow Doctor
CRT. They will use this income to pay the annual life
insurance premiums.
Life insurance can be an
effective tool for an ag family. There are many types of
life insurance polices and
many ways of structuring
policies for achieving one’s
goals. There are also serious
tax ramifications associated
with the ownership of life
insurance. It is important to
work with an experienced
independent insurance agent
and to involve the assistance
of an estate-planning attorney.
Note: Chris Nolt is the
owner of Solid Rock Wealth
Management and Solid
Rock Realty Advisors, LLC,
sister companies dedicated
to working with families
selling a farm or ranch and
transitioning into retirement.
For more information, call
406-582-1264 or visit www.
solidrockwealth.com and
www.solidrockproperty.com
by Rep. Krayton Kerns, DVM
www.kraytonkerns.org
Yearning to control...
Recent senseless shootings of innocent citizens
have gun control extremists a-twitter, as never have
they been closer to seeing
America voluntarily surrender her firearms. We are but
one school shooting away
from making an error from
which liberty will never
recover. To advance their
gun control agenda during
an election cycle, propagandists -- disguised as
reporters -- grill Republican
candidates looking for who
can be flipped. Conversely,
the Democrats draw a pass,
as all are proud members
of the gun confiscation
cult. Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson
was recently crucified by
CNN; his opposition to gun
control was correct, but he
based his opinion on a false,
progressive premise, one I
will expose here. NEVER
FORGET: mind control always precedes gun control.
If you believe the Second Amendment refers to
hunting, target shooting, or
sportsman access to public
lands, gun controllers are
playing you for the fool.
Dr. Carson’s belief that the
right to keep and bear arms
originates from the Second
Amendment is an equally
dangerous misunderstanding regarding the origin
of an American’s rights. If
government were the source
of rights, said rights could
be bequeathed or revoked
by a simple show of hands.
Instead, the Declaration of
Independence clearly states
our Creator as the source
of our unalienable rights to
life, liberty, and the pursuit
of happiness. Thus, the
Second Amendment says
that government CANNOT
infringe upon your FUNDAMENTAL right to keep and
bear arms. Protecting your
life and liberty and that of
others with whatever means
you can garner is not only
your right, but also your
obligation. Our founders
recognized that unchecked
power in the hands of the few
would feed upon itself and
rapidly become pathological. A free society will only
remain such as long as the
unwashed has both the armament and the courage to remain free. Sadly, decades of
ruling class propaganda has
convinced a near majority of
Americans that it is best to
trade freedom for security
under the illusion that the
safest society is one where
only government is armed.
Mind control always precedes gun control.
www.westernagreporter.com
2015 SORREL COLT • Frenchmans Shake Em x Dashing To
Fame x Dash Ta Fame. Dam is mother to offspring earners of
$70,000+ including Frenchmans Tiny Watch, currently 10th in
the PRCA standings with Lisa Welch. Also Megan Lewis’ great
horse “Buttons” plus numerous other performers.
Selling select weanlings, performance bred prospects, and broodmares out of proven stallions
and daughters of Dash Ta Fame, Frenchmans Guy, A Streak Of Fling and more!
All of our foals are raised and tested on the ranch.
Online &
s
Phone Bid
Welcome!
REFERENCE STALLIONS
Perks Status Symbol
Frenchmans Shake Em
Dash For Perks x My Status Symbol, AAA (Mr Eye Opener
Foals just coming of performance age.
2015 PALOMINO COLT • Frenchmans Shake Em
x Queens Royal Ransom x Dash Ta Fame. Money
earners top and bottom!
Royal Shake Em x Frenchmansfancyfree
(Frenchmnas Guy)
2014 GREY FILLY • JL Sirrocco (DTF) x CS Dee Light x Royal
Quick Dash. Dam is full sister to CS Flashlight.
2015 PALOMINO COLT • Frenchmans Shake Em x Might Be 2013 BAY ROAN GELDING • Frenchmans Shake Em x
Legal x Dash Ta Fame. Dam has produced a Pac West derby Streakin Wild Lace x A Streak Of Fling. Outstanding prospect
- A Streak Of Fling/ Shawnee Bug cross!
winner and a 1D winner with earnings over $20,000+!
MARK FRISBIE
Field Editor
Washington, Oregon, Idaho,
Utah, California
11851 Fantastic Drive
Melba, ID 83641
Cell: 208-890-4517
Home: 208-495-2601
E-mail
[email protected]
2015 PALOMINO COLT • Frenchmans Shake Em and
a great producing Easily Smashed bred mare. Flawless
look and conformation!
2015 BAY ROAN COLT • Perks Status Symbol x
Streakin Wild Lace x A Streak Of Fling. Outstanding,
proven maternal line.
2013 BROWN FILLY • Perks Status Symbol x
Ruasspecialasi x Frenchmans Guy. Great maternal
line in a chromed-up package.
www.TreasureStateQuarterHorses.com
Todd & Una Ford • 406-395-4400 • [email protected] • Like us on Facebook
8
Thursday, September 3, 2015
WESTERN AG REPORTER
Agri-News 4 Kids
Hey, kids, Banjo is a three-legged ranch dog. He lives on a big ranch in Montana with his two-legged family
(Hannah & Tate) and his four-legged friends (Rascal, the pesky raccoon; Mrs. McBauck, queen of the hen house;
Cowsuela, head mother cow; & Horse Chief Ben, boss of the cavvy). This page is for you kids out there in the
rural countryside. Why not send us a picture of yourself doing something fun? Write to Agri-News 4 Kids, PO Box
30755, Billings MT 59107.
Fall brings an unwelcome guest...
“Awww,” he yawned.
His back arched as he
stretched his giant paws.
His dagger-like claws extended into the earth as he
yawned once more. Even
with his thick fur, Bartholemew could feel the chill of
fall in the air. He’d been out
and about plenty lately ...
it was just a bear kind of
year for socializing ... but
this morning he wanted
to amble his way down a
familiar coulee and head to
the ranch he’d once raised
AGRI-KID
of the Week
quite the havoc upon. Not
many of his cohorts had
been that direction yet,
and he wanted to not only
be the first to drop in to
say HI, but also to throw
out a cautionary reminder
of what and who could
be in the neighborhood.
Bartholemew lumbered
Isn’t this a fetching picture? This is three-year-old Sofia Johnson of Egeland,
North Dakota, in the process of receiving calf kisses! Not only is Sofia a cute
little girl, but she’s also got a bunch of smart folks, who I’m told are all regular
WAR readers: Jeremy & JoLeen Johnson of Egeland, ND; Jim & Mary Krueger
of Hartford, SD; and Terry & Marcia Johnson of Cando, ND. Hats off to the
works of you!
through the thick brush,
ambled down a game trail,
and lifted high on his back
two oversized legs when
he reached the outskirts
of the ranch. “There they
are,” his voice rumbled.
The mighty black bear
drop to all fours, and the
ground shook. He’d grown
much bigger over the past
couple years. “I hope they’ll
remember me,” he said as
he proceeded forward.
Big Ed’s hackles lifted instinctively. His nose sniffed
at the air, and he scanned
every corner of the ranch’s
hill he could to verify what
his other senses were telling him. Then he saw it.
The rustling of young quaky
leaves moving down one of
the ranch’s main coulees.
“Bear?” said Big Ed aloud.
He saw the edge of Bartholomew’s back breaking
through the brush. “Bear!”
he said aloud once more
with strong confirmation.
The ewes and lambs were
still in the lower pastures,
and the cows and calves
were in the upper. The
lambs would be the first
target, he knew it. Big
Ed raced down from his
Annual
Breeding
S
Y
Ram
&
Ewe
A
P d Spring Lamb Special
an
5000 Lambs
Over 150 Top Quality Rams
9
Monday, Sept. 14
We expect over 5000 Sheep on September 14 and will start the
lamb sale at 8:00 AM, then sell the Breeding Rams & Breeding
Ewes at 1:00 PM, and then complete the regular sale.
Early Consignments
25
25
Korman Targhees
15
Redland Targhees
8
Rath Suffolks
10
Heart Lazy P Suffolks 10
10
Stevens Suffolks
15
Craig Targhees
9
McCuin Rambouillets
3
Lehfeldt Rambouillets
5
Julson Targhees
15
Grabofsky Hampshires 13
Lozano Columbias
20
● Smith Hampshires
HOG, SHEEP
& GOAT SCHEDULE
FALL 2015
September 21
September 28
October 5
October 12
October 19
November 2
November 16
December 14
NO Sale
Sheep & Goat Sale
Sheep & Goat Sale
Hogs,Sheep & Goat Sale
Sheep & Goat Sale
Sheep & Goat Sale
Hog, Sheep & Goat Sale
Sheep & Goat Sale
* Hog Sales on: Oct. 12 & Nov. 16
ALL sheep and goats consigned for sale
at PAYS require Scrapie tags.
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Ram Lambs
Ewe Lambs
Yearling Rams
Yearling Rams
Ram Lambs
Ram Lambs
Ewe Lambs
Yearling & Ram Lambs
Yearling Rams
Ram Lambs
2-Year Old Rams
Yearling Targhee Ewes
Ram Lambs - 1 Yearling
Ram Lambs & Yearlings
406/245-6447
P.O. Box 1781 • Billings, MT 59103
www.cattleplus.com
Call Bob Cook Toll Free to
visit about your marketing needs
1-800-821-6447 or 406-670-0078 (Cell)
watch, towards the barn,
barking his warning bark
all the way. “Woof! Woof!”
went Big Ed’s deep voice.
Banjo heard him. He knew
by the sound of his bark
that something serious had
happened. Banjo raced as
fast as his three legs could
take him towards his friend
in the field to find out what
was causing the alarm.
“Bear! It’s a bear!” said Big
Ed, meeting Banjo at the
end of the lane. “He’s big.
I didn’t even see him in full,
but he was moving through
those little quakies, coming down the coulee.” For
a Great Pyrenees, Big Ed
was big, and he’d run so
hard that he was a little out
of breath, but not by much.
He was used to running
coyotes, foxes, and other
varmints off the ranch, but
a bear was different!
“It’s that time of year,” said
Banjo. “I’ve heard the papa
talking about how many
bears are on the prowl. I’ll
tell Tuff to move the calves
and cows, and you and I are
going right to Mr. Bear. He’ll
drop into the lambs first.” “That’s what I thought,”
said Big Ed.
“Let’s go!” said Banjo.
“Clink,” went the metal
trash can. Rascal had
been hiding in the trash
can, scavenging all the
pieces of food he could
rustle up. “Hmmm... a
bear?” he sniveled. The
pesky raccoon lifted his
masked face from the can
and peered over the side to
watch the guard dogs race
to the rescue. He chomped
on the end of a carrot.
“Hmmm... I wonder if it’s
a friendly bear, or maybe
it’s the magic of the wolf/
badger thing?” he muttered
to himself with a garbling
sound since his cheeks
were now overflowing with
more than just the carrot.
No one could have understood him, but himself. With
that question, he shimmied
his plump body off the side
of the trash can, managing
to keep his arms full so that
he landed with his rotund
belly first on the ground in
a splat. He hastily picked
himself up and scurried off
to follow the dogs on their
trip to meet the predator.
“I must investigate,” he
sniveled. “I must, I must...”
Eweniece and Ewela
heard the dogs’ warning
barks. They knew what to
do until they found out specifically where the threat
was coming: they gathered the other ewes and
lambs into a circle. They
all sensed and smelled
trouble, and they all called
out with a disturbing consistent ‘baa’ in recognition
that they knew “something”
was coming their way.
It didn’t take long for
Banjo and Big Ed to make
their way to the sheep. As
lead ewe, Eweniece met
them first, before they got
to the others. “What is it?”
she questioned in alarm.
“A bear,” said Banjo with
a slight pause. “And a big
one. You lead the girls to
the corrals just south of the
lambing shed. I’ll send Big
Ed to follow. Do NOT run!
Just move quietly and like
it was a morning routine to
head to the barns.”
“We don’t know where he
could be right now,” said
Big Ed.
“Yes,” said Banjo. “He or
she was moving quickly
down the coulee up the
main fork of the ranch, and
I don’t want to give him
cause for chase.” Eweniece nodded in agreement
and called to the sheep with
a special ‘baa’ tone; they
moved directly into step
behind her. Banjo nodded at Big Ed. “Get them
to safety,” said Banjo. “I’ll
investigate first and then
circle around and join you.”
“Sounds good,” said Big
Ed. “But watch yourself, old
friend. We just don’t know
about this one yet.”
Banjo smiled. “Will do,” he
said as he raced towards
the fence line that would
drop him right into the
bottom side of the coulee.
To be continued...
Don’t miss this!
The 2015 Montana Hereford Association Tour
is set for September 12. Join us for a day of viewing Herefords Under The Big Sky! Tour stops at
Origen (Billings), McMurry Cattle Co. (Billings),
Banjo Ranch (Molt), Sidwell Ranch (Columbus),
and Loyning & Walen Cattle Co. (Absarokee). Display cattle by Churchill Cattle Co. of Manhattan,
Frank Herefords of Columbus, Barker Herefords of
Shelby, Feddes Herefords of Manhattan, and Bowen
Ranch of Joliet. Poker card drawing at each stop
with prize for best hand at the end! Tour highlights
include breakfast with IVF presentation at Origen,
light lunch at Banjo Ranch, and Pitchfork Fondue
dinner featuring Certified Hereford Beef at Loyning
& Walen Cattle Co. For more information, go to
website www.montanahereford.org or call Denise
Loyning at 406-425-2252, Richard Sidwell at 406861-4426, or Kelle Ellis at 406-425-1233.
9
Thursday, September 3, 2015
WESTERN AG REPORTER
Cleaner cow burps may save the planet...
On into September we go! Where did the summer go? It
doesn’t seem possible that we have less than three weeks
until the first day of Fall. Any of you that know me very well
at all are aware of the fact that this is my absolute favorite
time of the year. Yup, that’s right: football, archery season,
and production sales kicking back in again!
I have been out for the last two weekends scouting the
elk and the deer and am highly anticipating the opening of
our season here this weekend (September 5).
I know I say this every year, but hopefully I will be able
to share a photo or two with all of you IF I am fortunate
enough to be able to harvest something with my bow this
year.
The cattle markets have still been on a roller coaster ride
for the past ten days or so up to press time. We have seen
some nice gains on some days in the cattle futures... only
to see the stock market here or in China head lower and
drag the futures markets right back down with it.
Labor Day Weekend is upon us and thus we are approaching the end of the Prime-Time Grilling Season. Hopefully
we will see some very nice movement of beef in this last
big push of the grilling season. Looks to me like the industry really needs to see some nice movement to maybe
give this market a little boost again. We are at a time right
now where pork and poultry prices at the grocery store are
lower than they were a year ago. Beef is the only one that is
seeing prices right now at the retail level higher than they
were a year ago. I know that this is making many people
in the beef industry very nervous right now because the
prices of competing protein is cheaper than beef.
I guess I understand why this would make some people
nervous, but keep in mind that the consumers of the United
States and around the world, for that matter, really like
beef. Of course, there is a point at which beef could price
itself out of the market, but most people are willing to pay
more for beef than the competing proteins as long it is a
quality product.
The last time we saw quite a bit of pressure on the beef
market and movement was slow at the retail level was
when we saw record-high fuel prices in this country. It is
never a good thing when consumers are forced to have to
choose between food and fuel with their spending dollars.
But we are in a time right now where fuel prices have
dropped dramatically across the United States throughout
the summer. In fact, diesel is around 20 cents cheaper than
gas right now. I didn’t know if I would ever see that happen
again. It sure will help out as we get into fall, and shipping
season kicks into full swing.
I know that many around the beef industry are very
nervous about what the markets are going to be like here
in the near future. I could be dead wrong, but I just have
the feeling that the herd expansion in the United States
is not going to build as fast as many of the experts are
predicting. I realize that numbers have grown quite a lot
in the South where they have finally been blessed with
ample moisture. But I’m not sure too many folks realize
how dry it is around a pretty big area of this country. Look
at the wildfires that are burning out of control around the
Northwest. A very big chunk of the Northwest and on into
Canada is extremely dry, and worse, quite a lot of it is on
fire. This region represents a huge number of cattle in the
grand scheme of things in the United States. Most of us
have seen smoke in the air pretty much every day over the
past two months or so. Many areas are canceling outdoor
sporting events due to air quality concerns. I feel so bad
for those ranchers that are affected by these wild fires, and
the thoughts and prayers of this nation are with all of you.
I see that there is pretty good rain forecasted for early to
mid next week. I pray the Good Lord will bless these firestricken areas with ample moisture to put these fires out
and to lower the fire danger in so many other areas as well.
John Goggins has
a new email address:
[email protected]
First, let’s get one thing
straight: Despite what you
may have heard, it is cow
BURPS, not cow flatulence,
that are the real climate
change problem. Here’s
how it works: Cows digest
their food in four-part stomachs, including a “rumen,”
which is a site that allows
for fermentation, a process
that gives off a lot of carbon
dioxide and methane gas, as
microorganisms aid in the
process of digestion. That
gas has to get out of the cow’s
body somehow - hence,
burps. “Approximately 132
to 264 gallons of ruminal
gas produced by fermentation are belched each day,”
notes the Penn State College
of Ag Sciences. And because
we have so many cows, this
really adds up.
Indeed, according to the
EPA, so-called “enteric
fermentation” in cows and
other ruminant animals, like
sheep and goats, contributed
26% of the country’s total
emissions of methane, a
hard-hitting greenhouse gas
with much greater shortterm warming consequences
than carbon dioxide (though
the latter packs a far greater
long-term punch). Globally, meanwhile, methane
emissions from livestock
are an even bigger problem. Overall, the livestock
supply chain emits 44% of
the globe’s human-caused
methane, according to the
U.N.’s Food & Agriculture
Organization, and a large
slice of that comes from
cattle’s methane burps. So
anything you could do to
cut down on cow belching
would, literally, help save
the planet.
The ideas for how to do
this have been numerous
- and sometimes hilarious.
We’ve heard about cow
backpacks, for instance, to
capture methane and put it
to use. And there are also
more mundane solutions
like simple “husbandry,”
says Johan Kuylenstierna,
policy director of the Stockholm Environment Institute.
“You could reduce emission
intensities - i.e. emissions
per kg meat or milk -- by
about 30% if people in a
given region adopted the
good practices of the top
10% of farmers that have
the lowest methane emissions,” Kuylenstierna says
by e-mail, citing the FAO.
This includes keeping animals healthier, giving them
better diets, and managing
their reproduction to lower
their overall emissions.
But one fundamental way
of fixing the problem involves trying to change the
chemistry of what’s happening in cows’ rumens - after
all, methane emissions represent lost food energy that
could have gone towards
cow growth or milk production. For some time now,
the Dutch life sciences and
materials company DSM
has been pursuing such a
solution, which it appropriately calls its “Clean Cow”
project. The company has
created a powder that can
be added to cow feed that,
it says, can reduce emissions
with no negative effects on
the animal. And now, newly
published science backs this
idea up.
DSM worked with a top
dairy sciences researcher,
who focuses on methane
emissions, Alexander Hristov of Penn State University, to study the clean cow
technology - what they
more technically called a
“methane inhibitor.” And
they got promising results.
Hristov and colleagues, including several researchers
from DSM, designed and
carried out a trial in which
48 cows, receiving varying
amounts of the inhibitor in
their feed, were observed
over 12 weeks.
The research found that the
inhibitor cut methane emissions in dairy cows by 30%.
“The present experiment is,
to our knowledge, the first
to document this effect using a methane inhibitor with
potential for widespread use
in the livestock industries,”
notes the study. It was just
published in an influential
scientific journal, the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences.
- By Chris Mooney,
Washington Post, 8/2
ce Female Pageant 2
n
a
v
d
A
0
ss
i
15
September 17, 2015
M
At the Ranch • Valier, Montana
SELLING 100 ELITE LINE ONE FEMALES
* 40 Proven Females-All females born in 2009 and 2010 including donors
* 20 March Calving 2,3, and 4 year old cows
* 15 March Calving Bred Heifers
* 25 Open Fall Yearling Heifers
Your opportunity to purchase females from one of America’s top cowherds.
* Average Milk EPD on sale offering is +30 *
hh miss Advance 0121X
hh miss Advance 1180Y eT
Reg#43074007
Sire: HH Advance 8203U MGS: HH Advance 4140P
Reg#43173212
Sire: HH Advance 7034T Dam: HH Miss Advance 5139R
CED
3.7
BW
1.9
WW
54
YW
82
MM
34
M&G
61
REA MARB CHB$
.26
.0
24
* Here is an opportunity to get a daughter out of the $175,000
5139R cow.
* 1180Y is powerful, fancy, extra stout, and a foundation female.
* Tremendous combination of EPD,s phenotype, and cow power
* One of 4 daughters selling out of the great 5139R donor cow
that has produced over $900,000 in progeny sales
CED
-4.8
BW
3.9
WW
54
YW
79
MM
20
M&G
47
REA MARB CHB$
.29
.55
32
* Dam of the $240,000 4075B bull from our 2015 Sale
* Great combination of eye appeal, power, maternal, and
carcass
* #1 cow in our herd on MARB EPD
* Sells open and ready to flush
Call or email for your catalog. DVD’s of sale cattle available on request.
Holden Herefords
Jack & Tresha Holden: 406-279-3301 • (m) 406-450-1029
Jay D. Evans: 406-450-0129 • Brad Holden: 406-590-3307
3139 Valier Dupuyer Rd • Valier, Mt 59486
e-mail jtholden@3rivers. net
www.holdenherefords.com
10
Thursday, September 3, 2015
I’d Rather
Be Lucky
Than Smart
by Barry Naugle
A Wide Spot on the Road
There are many Wide
Spots on the Road throughout the Western cattle country along the highways and
by ways. These little places
generally started as one
convenience store and eventually divided into several
separate establishments as
the homesteaded farms and
ranches developed around
them. One place I frequented
had a small general store
selling everything from
fresh eggs to horse collars,
a little café that always
provided fresh coffee and
homemade pie, a blacksmith
and welder, and of course,
a rather rustic saloon that
had been converted from
the front room of a house.
The rest of the house was
the owner’s living quarters.
The bar in this saloon was,
perhaps, 10 feet long with
several dilapidated stools
along its front. The rest of
the seating arrangements
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BILLINGS • GREAT FALLS • DILLON • LEWISTOWN • MILES CITY
WESTERN AG REPORTER
were old car seats on the
floor with the backs against
the wall. The owner’s idea
was that, if you were too
smashed to get up off the
seats to get to the bars, you
sure did not need more to
drink. He served only those
who could stand to the bar.
Along about 9:30 p.m.,
the lights in the saloon
would blink three times.
The proprietor immediately
pumped up three Coleman
Gas Lamps and lit them.
The blinking electric lights
meant that the owner of
the diesel fuel-powered
electric generator that supplied the “Wide Spot” was
going to bed. It was widely
rumored in this enclave that
the blacksmith’s wife spent
the majority of her days in
bed reading books and that,
while there, also raised her
homemade loaves of bread
and, now and then, hatched
out a batch of baby chickens.
Jackie and I were traveling slowly through central
Nevada. This was dry desert
country, growing weirdlooking cactus-like trees.
We saw small, wild bands
of burros (jackasses?) in the
distance. Miniature tornadodust devils swirled, and an
occasional tarantula crossed
the ribbon of blacktop pavement that stretched on and
on. There was a dirt side road
that took off from our highway. I said, “Let’s explore
that.” Jackie said, “Go for it,
Dad,” which was an expression that sometimes got us in
trouble. We followed the dirt
track and eventually came to
a NO TRESPASSING sign.
“Keep going, Dad.” Then
Upcoming SaleS:
September
Wednesday, September 9
Regular Sale
Wednesday, September 16
Regular & Feeder Sale
200 hd mixed yearlings from Fairfield; 850 lbs to 900 lbs
260 Head of 875 lbs Steers
Wednesday, September 23
Regular & Sheep Sale
Visit us at www.westernlivestockmontana.com
Serving the Big Sky
Country
of North Central Montana
REPRESENTATIVE
SALES
• August 26, 2015 • 536 Sold
Steers
John Widhalm
Valier
8 Blk
787
M Robert (Bob) Lytle Cut Bank 2 Blk
953
Heifers
Mytty Angus Ranch Florence 24 Blk/Bwf 745
Little Belt Crk Ranch I Belt
4 Blk
879
Mytty Angus Ranch Florence 11 Blk/Bwf 920
M Robert (Bob) Lytle Cut Bank 5 Blk
929
Jay Lytle
Cut Bank 6 Blk
908
Connelly Angus
Valier
8 Blk
863
Allen Denzer
Conrad
8 Blk
903
Jay Lytle
Cut Bank 3 Blk
982
Connelly Angus
Valier
4 Blk
946
Allen Denzer
Conrad
2 Blk 1,025
Glacier Livestock
Vaughn
3 Blk 1,040
M Robert (Bob) Lytle Cut Bank 4 Xbred 976
Cows
Mark DeBruycker
Bynum
2 Char 1,893
Mark DeBruycker
Bynum
2 Char 1,568
Larry Whitford
Browning 1 Rwf 1,335
June Tatsey
Browning 1 Blk 1,350
Doug Orpin
Oilmont
4 Blk 1,249
Connelly Angus
Valier
1 Blk 1,540
Valerie Heptner-Running Fisher
1 Red 1,275
Blair Nack
Geraldine 1 Blk 1,325
Wade Jacobsen
Sun River 1 Blk 1,385
Doug Orpin
Oilmont
1 Blk 1,355
205.50
192.00
195.50
186.00
185.75
185.50
185.00
182.50
182.00
177.50
175.50
174.50
171.50
166.50
111.50
110.50
109.50
108.00
108.00
106.50
106.50
106.50
106.00
106.00
June Tatsey
Browning
Gordon Lapke
Simms
Holden Herefords
Valier
Edna Longtime Sleeping Browning
June Tatsey
Browning
June Tatsey
Browning
Fretheim Brothers
Shelby
Larry Whitford
Browning
Bulls
Bignell Ranch Co.
Helmville
Mike Johnson
Choteau
Brett Debruycker
Dutton
Donald Vandenbos
Valier
Rappold Ranch
Dupuyer
Chris Boyce
Big Sandy
Kent Mosher
Augusta
Nilson Enterprises Inc Great Falls
Chris Boyce
Big Sandy
Kenneth Ritlan
Loma
Gary Reddish
Belt
Blair Nack
Geraldine
Todd Prosser
Belt
Cutter Martin
Conrad
Nilson Enterprises Inc Great Falls
Blair Nack
Geraldine
Robert Woldstad
Valier
Bignell Ranch Co.
Helmville
1 Blk
1 Blk
3 Rwf
1 Blk
1 Red
3 Blk
1 Bbf
1 Blk
1,485
1,325
1,268
1,375
1,185
1,178
1,365
1,460
105.00
105.00
103.00
102.50
102.50
101.00
99.50
99.50
1 Blk
1 Blk
1 Char
1 Blk
1 Blk
1 Char
3 Blk
2 Blk
1 Char
1 Blk
1 Blk
1 Blk
1 Blk
1 Char
2 Blk
1 Blk
2 Blk
1 Blk
2,335
2,195
2,090
1,805
1,995
1,740
1,095
1,595
1,535
2,215
1,990
1,855
1,600
2,065
1,528
1,740
1,875
2,080
147.00
137.00
137.00
136.50
133.00
131.50
131.00
130.50
130.00
129.50
128.00
128.00
127.50
127.50
127.00
127.00
126.50
126.00
Listen to Market Reports Monday thru Friday on:
KMON-AM 560
KSEN-AM 1150
Great Falls
Shelby
8:35 a.m.
6:30 a.m.
KOJM-AM 610
KPQX-FM 92.5
Havre
Havre
Your Golden Triangle Northern Livestock Video Auction Representative.
406 Vaughn S. Frontage Rd. • Great Falls, MT 59404
(406) 727-5400
6:40 a.m.
6:35 a.m.
october
Saturday, October 3
Customer Appreciation
Feeder Special Sale
75 Head Mixed Angus Calves from Dupuyer
there was another larger sign
that stated, “If you are going
to continue on this road, you
should go get something to
eat. There ain’t no point in
you dying hungry.” OKAY!
We turned around.
Out in the middle of this
Nevada Nowhere was a
short, rutted track leading to
a trailer that sported a CAFÉ
sign. The E did not light up.
Underneath was a smaller
“For Sale” sign. We stepped
up wooden steps into a small
entryway and opened another door. To enter we had
to step over a very large,
shaggy dog. Evidently, the
pooch’s chosen spot to sleep
was across the doorway. An
elderly lady stuck her head
out of the kitchen area and
said, “Pour your own coffee.
Be right with ya.” Then she
yelled, “Anything special?”
We just wanted coffee and a
couple of frosted doughnuts.
Our cook-waitress emerged
from the kitchen with our
heated doughnuts and halted
about six feet from our table,
arms extended, holding a
small tray with our order.
“As far as I go, kids.”
She was tethered by a long
oxygen tube that was clipped
to her nostrils. The tube
trailed back into the cooking area and presumably
was attached to oxygen
tanks. Jackie jumped up and
took the offered tray. Good
frosted sinkers!
We went to pay at the counter, which she could reach,
and we had only a $20 bill
with which to pay. She could
not make change, and that
was our smallest bill. “Well,
kids, you’re in luck. Your
breakfast is on the house.”
We really didn’t want to do
that. But she said, “Lemme
get your eats. It’s been done
for me once or twice.” Jackie
wrote down the address as
we left and sent some cash
to the owner at a later date.
As we left, the old gal said,
“Say, you wouldn’t wanna
buy this joint, would, ya?”
Well, not really. Oxygen
tanks in a kitchen? Open
flames?
We were motoring through
some desolate country in
southern Oregon. There
was nothing for miles and
very little traffic. We came
to a single building with
a small covered deck and
a lone gas pump standing
sentinel duty. We stopped
and entered to order coffee.
The owners, a middle-aged
couple, brought us our coffee, and both of them immediately pulled up chairs
to our table. The man had his
coffee mug, and the graying,
nice-looking lady had a large
knitting bag with her. “I do
hope,” said the lady, “that
you don’t mind us intruding.
But as you can see, we do
not get many visitors, and we
are starved for small talk.”
We did not mind at all.
Our 30-minute pit-stop grew
into several hours. The lady
showed us several quilts
she had hand-sewn with the
finest stitching we had ever
seen. Fantastically skilled
work. Once a year the couple
journeyed to a big quilting
show in Portland, and her
work sold for high sums.
Regretfully, I cannot recall
the New England state they
came from or how they happened to settle far out in an
Oregon desert.
Very often the “Wide Spot”
was a general store with
a few groceries, canned
goods, gloves, pitchforks,
what have you, and the allimportant local Post Office.
The proprietors of the stores
were the post mistresses and
were invariable very accommodating people, although
once one shocked us by
bluntly asking, “Are you
two really married or just
shacking up while working
on that cow outfit?” Now
back in the 1950s, that sort of
behavior was not condoned
by nice folks. We were a bit
put out by the question.
Any packages that were
delivered to these small,
but important, post offices
were stored in an unheated
back room until a rancher,
often snow bound, could
get their mail. Jackie’s
parents (Easterners) entered her in the Fruit of the
Month Club, and a box of
very nice pears, peaches,
apples, etc., was stored for
her in the back room. Jackie
noticed, at times, that the
box had been opened and
fruit was missing, and she
questioned the post mistress,
who answered, “Oh yeah. I
opened the box and ate the
fruit that was spoiling. Once
they freeze, they don’t last.”
Well, that was better than
wasting it, I guess.
Regular Sale Every Wednesday
Call the Crew at Western To Consign
Allen Denzer
Conrad
Flying Shit House Ranch Augusta
Louis Mundt
Belt
Jacque Jacobsen
Fairfield
Allen Denzer
Conrad
Stephen Boyce
Big Sandy
James Henderson
Lloyd
Heifer Calves
Hales Scalese
Galata
Lydia Tatsey
Browning
Weaver Livestock
Drummond
Terry Tatsey
Browning
Steer Calves
Aaron Vandenberg
Browning
June Tatsey
Browning
Hales Scalese
Galata
Lydia Tatsey
Browning
June Tatsey
Browning
Alfred Parker
Box Elder
1 Blk
1 Blk
1 Blk
1 Char
2 Blk
1 Blk
1 Blk
2,015
1,855
2,005
1,265
1,445
1,505
1,485
126.00
125.00
125.00
124.50
123.25
122.50
121.00
3 Blk
4 Blk/Bwf
4 Blk
4 Blk
280
420
360
444
257.50
250.00
242.50
240.00
2 Blk
8 Blk
3 Blk
7 Blk
7 Blk/Bwf
4 Blk
388
358
340
434
454
571
287.50
281.00
275.00
260.00
258.00
216.00
View Western Livestock On
www.cattleusa.com
General Manager: Lynn Perry • Cell (406) 788-5400
Yard Manager & Fieldman: Ryan Perry • Cell (406) 788-9869
Office Manager: Sarah McCafferty
Yard Foreman & Fieldman: Tim Brunner • Cell (406) 788-5403
Auctioneer:
Casey Weaver • Cell (406) 544-0386
Email: [email protected]
Website: westernlivestockmontana.com
[email protected]
Regular Cattle Sales Every Wednesday • Special Feeder Sales Saturdays In Season
Don’t miss this!
The South Dakota Annual Angus Tour
is scheduled for October 1-2 featuring the
central South Dakota Angus area. Don’t
miss these events: SD Angus Association’s
banquet and annual meeting and the Elite Angus Female Sale. This year’s tour showcases
these cattle operations: Deep Creek Angus
Ranch, Miller Angus of Draper, Eagle Pass
Ranch, Slovek Ranch, Fuoss Angus Ranch,
Thomas Ranch, Ma & Pa Angus, and Trans
Ova-Yackley Division. Tour headquarters are
located at the Best Western Ramkota Hotel
in Pierre, SD (605-224-6877). Additional
lodging sites include Club House Inn (605494-2582), River Lodge (605-224-4140), and
Governors Inn (605-224-4200). For more
information, contact T.J. Gabriel by phone
at 605-280-3069 or by email at tjranch@
gwtc.net
www.westernagreporter.com
11
Thursday, September 3, 2015
WESTERN AG REPORTER
ON A SIDE NOTE
By Zack Goggins
No time to waste!
It is August 30, and I just got back home from my Aunt
Coreen and Uncle Bob’s 40th anniversary dinner held in
Billings tonight. How inspirational is that? She was married at 20 years old, and they are still holding tight to each
other, very cool! They definitely have had an incredible
example to follow with my grandparents, who passed the
60 year mark a few years ago. To me, it never ceases to
be impressive as married couples or even entire families
conquer year after year together. I have seen a few people
fairly recently around my life (not family or close friends
though) that have split their marriages after over 20 years
of being together. That is very extreme. It seems there is
never a marked or definite point where everything simply
becomes easy. The strength, faith, and self investment it
takes to hold two people together for a lifetime can only
come from God.
Whenever I write an article in here, I find myself worrying
a bit about my relevance level in relation to the rest of this
paper as far as my topics of choice go, but I was graciously
given a slot in here to fill, and I will continue to talk about
what I know or how I see the world as long as they let me.
And sometimes I may have to go a little personal to get
across what I’m trying to say, so please bear with me; this
is not quite as light-hearted as I’d like it to be, but it’s real
and it’s serious.
In May of 2013, I almost died; correction, I should have
died. I was in a head-on collision where I was turning at
about 20 mph, but the person who hit me was driving 65.
That is an impact at 85 mph. Thankfully, I was not even
close to severely injured; I maybe had a mildly sprained
ankle. I realized how crazy that was, but it wasn’t until
some serious personal life changes occurred that I realized
exactly the implications of this, and I still think about this
all the time. At that time of my life, I was selfish: I didn’t
care about others, I had basically forgotten about my faith
altogether, and did I mention I was selfish? I don’t believe
I was a significantly horrible person; in fact, I may have
even come off as a nice kid to most because, I guess, I was
friendly to most.
My point here is that I came so extremely close to dying
and leaving nothing truly good, nothing meaningful, no selfless deeds, no willful acts of charity or hospitality, nothing
for people to glorify God for. Even my relationship with
my girlfriend (now of three years) was twisted at the time
(and I do believe an invested loving relationship dedicated
to God is something to glorify Him by). However, I managed to butcher that aspect.
It may seem dark to think about this, yes? Hey, I’m different now, so why look back, right?
No. This is important. I don’t regret my past because
regret leads to death, but I can’t forget how blessed I
am to be alive. I am forever grateful I did not die as the
person I was on the day of the accident. If you die today,
will you die clinging to money or as a thief or a cheat? A
deceiver maybe?
I almost did, and I pray that I can now make something
out of the time I do have, whatever that may be. I love my
life and everyone who touches it! Don’t let this column be
depressing; I want this to be an encouragement to anyone
who may need it.
The industry that everyone reading this paper is in is
generally a morally solid and integral group of people, but
you never know what someone struggles with in the dark,
and I hope that this may help someone. There is no time
to waste! Hopefully this packed a punch! Thank you all
for reading and supporting my articles. Have an amazing
week! Also, the archery season begins for Elk soon. That’s
a smile for ya right there!
Rick Young and Sons Auctioneers
Caring Hands Lawn Care Service Moving Auction
September 12, 2015 at 10:00 am
LOCATION: 1800 43rd Street West, Billings, MT
̶ A short distance West of Shiloh Road and Grand Avenue interstection
TRAILERS
COMMERCIAL LAWN
MOWERS
Poet's Corner
Toro Z Master commercial mower – triple
bagged
Toro Z Master commercial mower
Toro Z Master commercial mower
Toro Z Master commercial mower
Walker H08400 commercial mower – liquid
cooled, hyd. dump
Lawn aerator- pull behind
There’s Good News, and
There’s Bad News...
By John L. Moore
2012 Cy Corp Dump 18 Foot Tandem
Axle Hydraulic Dump Box Trailer
The good news is it was a nice day to ride.
The bad news is I found another calf to doctor.
The good news is I could have easily heeled the calf.
The bad news is the antibiotic was left at the corral.
Cedar chest
Glass top oval end table
Caned seat chair
Apartment size table – 4 chairs
Microwave and stand
2 office chairs
Cedar trunk
Tea tray cart
Recliner chairs
Bookshelf
Large entertainment center
Recliner couch
Other Items
3 POINT EQUIPMENT
Land Pride box scraper with ripper teeth
Land Pride RCR 1872 rotary P.T.O.
mower
Danuser post hole digger- like new
The good news is no one was interfering.
The bad news is no one was there to help.
The good news is my gelding and I got the pair penned.
The bad news is lone calves are harder to heel in the pen.
The good news is I ran the calf into a squeeze chute.
The bad news is young calves don’t fit well in squeeze
chutes.
The good news is I used a neck rope to secure him and
tied one hind leg up.
The bad news is the scrotum was swollen so big it was
hard to grip.
SHOP TOOLS
Toro Riding Lawn Mower
TRACTOR
2-12' Bumper Pull single axle
Flatbed Trailer
HOUSEHOLD
The good news is I had a sharp knife and made a decisive cut.
The bad news is the calf jumped and popped a side bar
loose.
The good news is I never saw it coming.
The bad news is it struck me in the head and knocked
me five feet backward.
The good news is I was limp and unconscious when I
landed in the fire pit.
The bad news is it contains cinderblocks and sticks.
The good news is my wife bakes great beans in that pit.
The bad news is my head aches and I have two divots on
the ninth green.
The good news is I recovered and extracted a jar of
“grape jam” from the calf.
The bad news is I have yet to tell my wife.
The good news is no cinder blocks were broken.
The bad news is I have yet to tell my wife.
BEEF
2004 Cy-Corp 20" Cargo Trailer
VEHICLES
2000 Dodge Durango 4 W.D. auto tran.
gas eng. 139.880 miles – good cond.
1996 Ford F250 power stroke diesel auto
tran, 4 W.D. ext. cab with service box
160,000 miles
2004 Dodge1/2 ton pickup , 2W.D. 4
door, standard tran.
2003 Ford. F250. Super Duty – short box
auto. tran., 4 W.D., gas engine 164,000
miles
2003 GMC DuraMax 3500 – diesel,
4W.D, auto. tran., bucket seats, 4 door,
customized
4 WHEELER
2005 Arctic Cat 4-wheeler. 4 W.D. –
winch
Born & Raised in the USA
TM
2014 Kubota MX 5100 tractor with LA844
loader. 175nhours 3 pt. P.T.O. FWA –
new engine being installed – tractor will
be like new.
3 refrigerator- freezers
Upright freezer
Oak coffee table
Wrought iron bakers rack
Bedroom set- bed , chest of drawers,
bookshelf, king size bed- good cond.
Ruby red glassware
Recliner chair
Storage cupboards
Foot locker
Corner TV stand
Oak kitchen table 6 chairs
Several end tables
drop leaf table
Several dressers and chests of drawers
Washer and dryer- good cond.
Pet carriers
Corner desk
Large metal storage cabinet
6 bar stools
Corner shelf
Filing cabinets
Rubber maid storage cabinet
Cherry wood sofa table
Large 4 piece bookshelf- tv stand
Futon couch
Halltree
Patio swing
5 piece patio set – iron frame- nice
2-weber gas bar-B-Q
Extension ladder
Kipor 3000 watt generator
Parts washer
4 wheelbarrows
Pressure washer- gas engine
Hobart 140 wire feed welder – 110 amp
Air compressor – 125 psi
Shop vacuum
7 foot wood work bench
Jack stands
2 floor jacks
10 drawer tool box full of tools
Work bench with vise and bench grinder
Dewalt chop saw
Wrench sets
Storage cupboard
Sand blaster
Large work bench with vise
Dewalt air compressor
Utility garden wagon
Engine hoist
Drill press- bench mount
Appliance hand cart
SNOWPLOW
Hinniker 9 foot snowplow – hydr. Lift –
like new
ANTIQUES AND
MISCELLANEOUS
Tredle sewing machine
Cuckoo clock
Old hand stitched quilts
Crocheted doilies and table cloths
Wood bowl
Large wicker basket
Bender amplifier
Rolls of vacuum tube – new
Numerous landscape bricks
3 french drains
Minolta Dimage 7 5.0 mega pixel camera
Many more items
Terms: cash or check. No buyers premium.
Sale Managed By: Rick Young & Sons Auctioneers
phone: 406-328-4296 • cell 406-321-1534 • www.rickyoungauctioneers.com
12
Thursday, September 3, 2015
WESTERN AG REPORTER
Hats off! Montana’s John Edwards to be inducted into Rodeo Hall of Fame
By Leesa Zalesky
The annual Rodeo Hall
of Fame Weekend, set for
September 25 - 26 in Oklahoma City, will feature the
induction of Montana’s own
rodeo legend John Edwards
into the Rodeo Hall of Fame.
Edwards, a bareback rider,
qualified for the National
Finals Rodeo (NFR) in 19651971 and won the event at
the 1970 NFR. Edwards
finished third for the World
Championship in 1966.
Edwards, who retired from
rodeo in 1980 in Red Lodge,
Montana, says his start in
the business wasn’t easy. “It
was tough in the beginning,
but after awhile, I started
traveling with Paul Mayo
(another rodeo cowboy), and
things started picking up for
me then.” Edwards enjoyed
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PAYS
a 20-year career in the business, traveling all over the
U.S. and Canada. “I enjoyed
every minute of it; I got to
see so much of the United
States and Canada, and I
met a lot of great people and
made a lot of great friends.”
Edwards says he was raised
on a dairy farm in New York
state but moved out west
in 1961 to pursue a rodeo
career. To say that he was
successful in that endeavor
is an understatement. When
PRCA bareback rider Kaycee Feild won the first three
rounds of the NFR in 2011,
he became just the second
bareback rider in Wrangler
National Finals Rodeo history to win each of the first
three rounds. The first one
to do so was Edwards, who
won the first three rounds
of bareback riding at the
1969 NFR.
Reflecting on his career,
Edwards says that three
broncs stand out in his
memory as truly outstanding bareback horses: “I’d
say Harry Vold’s ‘Necklace’
and Reg Kesler’s ‘Three
Bars’ and ‘Moonshine’
were the best horses a cowboy could draw back then.
They were tough to beat.”
Rodeo Hall of Fame Weekend includes a cocktail
reception September 25 at
5:30 p.m. with a concert
featuring Ned LeDoux,
Western musician and son
of rodeo music legend Chris
LeDoux, at 8 p.m. “There
are few things more iconic
in the American West than
the rodeo tradition,” said
“Fall Classic
Yearling Special”
WEDNESDAY, September 9
Museum President
Steven Karr. “Rodeo Hall of Fame
Weekend invites
both rodeo enthusiasts and members
of the public to
come together and
celebrate rodeo’s
cultural contributions, as well as the
individuals who
have made rodeo
the phenomenon it
is today. Nowhere
else in the world
can you experience
this unique culture
in such a way.”
Edwards says he’s
looking forward to
traveling to Oklahoma City for
the Hall of Fame
Weekend. “I’ll see
friends I haven’t
seen for years,” he
said, “and that’ll
John Edwards on “Party
be one of the best parts Doll” at the 1966 Oakdale,
of the whole weekend.” California, rodeo.
Note: Friends of Edwards have organized a meetand-greet social and send-off for him at the Bull
& Bear Saloon in Red Lodge on Sunday, September 13, from 3 to 5 p.m. The public is invited. The agony of defeat… Harry Vold’s “Necklace”
unloaded John Edwards one second from
winning the Calgary Stampede in 1968.
1000 Cattle Sell!!
Already Consigned:
150 Open Blk heifers - 850#
200 Open Blk & BWF heifers - 900#
200 Blk Angus calves - 470-500#
The yearling market is strong and this
special has always been one of the top
sales of the early fall season. We will also
be selling several strings of calves.
Call us with your consignments so we can
advertise them. It’s important to let our
buyers know what you will be bringing to
PAYS!
Consign Today
1-800-821-6447
Go to www.publicauctionyards.com for all
the up to date consigments & information.
(406) 245-6447
P.O. Box 1781 • Billings, MT 59103
www.publicauctionyards.com
Call
Joe Goggins • 861-5664
Bob Cook • 670-0078
John Edwards riding “Empty Saddles” in San
Bernardino, California, in 1966.
Alan Sears, Field Editor
Nebraska, Colorado,
and Wyoming
61 Westward Way
Eaton, CO 80615
(970) 454-3986 Home/Office
(970) 396-7521 CO Cell
(308) 660-3866 NE Cell
E-mail: [email protected]
If you're looking for herd bulls,
replacements, registered or
commercial females, I've been
making the rounds in my territory.
I'd like to help.
13
Thursday, September 3, 2015
WESTERN AG REPORTER
1st place (tied)...
10th annual WAR scholarship...
Congratulations to Melanie Johnson of Sand Springs,
Montana. Following are Melanie’s autobiography followed
by a short article she submitted on “a controversial subject.”
I am 17 years old and live in Garfield County, Montana. I
have two sisters, Lennae and Raina, and one brother, Ethan.
I have a passion for writing and horses. Ever since I was
young, I loved being able to express myself on paper and
I also love riding! There wasn’t anything you could say
or do to keep me from doing one or the other. Throughout
the years, as my parents pushed me to do the best I could,
my passion grew. And now I have a passion to pursue a
career in the ag industry as well as in ag communications.
When you are little, everyone always asks you, “What do
you want to be when you grow up?” I would always hold
my head up high and say, “I want to be a veterinarian,”
which is still true today, providing some minor adjustments
to the plan. I enjoy working with horses and spend many
hours of each day training colts, practicing for rodeo, or just
going for a ride. Last fall, my rodeo horse, Dunny, popped
his shoulder out of place, and we had to have an equine
chiropractor put it back in. After watching the procedure,
I became fascinated in a new medical field that is immerging and becoming more popular. I decided I wanted to be
an Equine Therapist instead of a veterinarian because I
wanted to be someone who paved the way and put their
name out there for others to follow. Equine Therapy is a
relatively new field and few people practice it so I thought
it was the perfect choice.
However, could I just give up my love of writing? No
way! I wasn’t going to sacrifice either of them. I decided
I would double major. Wow. I felt like I was taking on the
whole world in one second with that one decision. Even
though it is a hard task, I am a tough girls and believe I
can power through adversity to accomplish my goals. I am
planning to attend Miles Community College for my first
two years of school. I will then transfer to the University
of Montana-Western to complete both a degree in Ag
Journalism and one in Equine Therapy.
The one major wish for my long-term career is to have a
job that I love and enjoy doing. Someday I hope to come
back to my great community to raise a family, work for
an ag newspaper that serves my area, and start a ranch
or continue working on the family ranch. I also want to
continue to rodeo and use rodeo as an avenue to sell my
equine therapy services.
There are many reasons people use a tree to symbolize
their family growth. Trees have long extending branches that
symbolize how the family continues to thrive and grow...
but trees also have roots. The roots of the tree symbolize the origins of the family. They are what keeps strong
family ties ingrained within you and makes you proud of
where you came from. My family has been ranching in
Garfield County since the late 1800s. My mom was born
and raised here. My dad moved to this area in the spring
of 1978 from Minnesota, where his family owned a small
dairy farm. They met while working for the Brown Ranch.
Mom and Dad help operate the family ranch with my aunts
and uncles; they also owned some land and cattle of their
own. My brother, sisters, cousins, and I are always on hand
to help with branding, feeding, calving, fencing, moving
cows, and all the other little things it takes to maintain a
successful ranching operation.
animals such as cattle, horses, pigs, and sheep. It has always
been an arguable point how both these wild and domestic
variables can coincide peacefully, but perhaps the most
controversial point is how to preserve the natural resources
while still being able to farm or ranch the land. From this
question, the idea of wildlife conservation through sustainable ranching was born.
Improving the land for future generations has always been
a goal of ranchers. There are many collaborative restoration and conservation strategies to build on that heritage
of stewardship. “Sustainable” is defined as a system that
maintains its own viability by using techniques that allow
for continual reuse. The Sage Grouse Initiative has applied
this idea to develop sustainable ranching that suggests
ranchers use grazing systems, conservation easements,
marking fences, and conifer removal to protect and develop
healthy rangeland for their animals and the sage grouse.
The Sage Grouse Initiative encourages ranchers to support and participate in conservation as an alternative to
subdividing their ranchland. The best way to provide
sustenance for the sage grouse is to keep the land in grazing. Therefore, whether the sage grouse is listed under
the Endangered Species Act or not, the landowners who
carry out approved practices can continue what they are
doing without further regulations, which is a huge benefit
to farmers and ranchers. Range wide, more than 380,000
acres will remain as working ranches without threat of
subdivision because more and more ranchers are choosing
to partake in the Sage Grouse Initiative.
Rich and Earline Lawrence, like many ranchers, want
to pass on the legacy of big open country that supports a
thriving livestock industry to their children and grandchildren. They have spent years developing their ranch west of
Jordan, Montana, into prosperous grazing and farmland.
Earline’s view, similar to the other ranchers in the area,
is that the government doesn’t need to control how they
operate their place any more than they already do. She
believes, “We are conservationists enough without the
government stepping in.”
There is a (sage grouse) stomping ground on her place; they
plowed it up to make a wheat field, but Earline says the sage
grouse don’t seem to mind... or they wouldn’t keep coming
back. Ranchers take good care of and preserve their land to
keep the livestock and grassland in good condition. They
all have some sort of conservation methods already applied
to their operation to maintain the land they live and work
on. “There is enough conservation; it takes care of itself.”
However, when
asked if the Sage
Grouse Initiative
is a good compromise to sage grouse
being added to the
Endangered Species List, the answer was Yes. She
would rather keep
the land in grazing
and the power in
the ranchers’ hands
than having it subdivided because of Melanie Johnson
a bird.
Good grazing land is a renewable source of nutrients
and feed for your livestock as long as you take care of it.
Rangeland can take years to recover from overgrazing or
continual use. “Ranchers manage their grazing in the best
possible way now because, if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be
in business,” says Doug Weeding. The way ranchers manage
their grazing doesn’t seem to affect the sage grouse, which
are everywhere. Doug and Lavetta Weeding run a productive cattle ranch and performance horse business northwest
of Jordan. The Sage Grouse Initiative has carried out 2.6
million acres of improved grazing systems, boosting sage
grouse nest success by 10%. Are these “improved” grazing
systems really needed though? Not according to the Weedings. “We have our own grazing systems” that have been
in place for centuries, and nothing seems to be different.
The livestock still gain pounds, and there is an abundance
of sage grouse ... just like there was a long time ago.
The Sage Grouse Initiative focuses its work on private
land but also participates in projects on federal lands
where ranchers have grazing leases. SGI aims for seamless
conservation across boundaries. Ranchers have always
worked to preserve the natural resources it takes to operate a successful business. The way they do business hasn’t
dramatically affected the sage grouse population, and the
final decision on whether to participate in the project is
up to the ranchers who lease or own the land. There will
always be controversy on whether or not we need to conserve more, but one thing is certain: Ranchers everywhere
are going to have different opinions on whether they are in
support of or against the Sage Grouse Initiative and why
the initiative will help or harm them.
Helping or Harming?
The familiar sound of the long, mournful howl of coyotes
and the short, sharp yips of their pups early in the morning
is no strange occurrence in central Montana. Coyotes are
one of the many kinds of animals that call this luscious
prairie home. Along with the wild animals, farmland and
ranches stretch for miles, housing the owner’s domestic
VISIT US ONLINE AT:
www.westernagreporter.com
NILE offers internships
The 2015 NILE Stock Show & Rodeo is rapidly approaching, and NILE is accepting applications for its internship
program. The Northern International Livestock Exposition
is a non-profit organization based in Billings, MT, that
is dedicated to the promotion of livestock, ag education,
and the respect for Western tradition. Interns will have the
opportunity to assist in all aspects of event planning and
execution for the NILE Stock Show & Rodeo, as well as
the opportunity to gain training and work experience in
the livestock and equine industries.
Open to college sophomores, juniors, and seniors with
GPAs of 3.0 and above, internships are split into four areas:
Livestock Emphasis, Equine Emphasis, Rodeo Relations,
and Media Relations/ Communications. On top of a oncein-a-lifetime experience, interns will be decked out in NILE
merchandise, will have the option to earn college credit,
and will receive a scholarship for the Spring 2016 semester.
Questions? Contact NILE at 406-256-2495.
Show Heifer Prospects,
Elite Donors, and Bred Heifers
14
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Bill in his prime, about 1915.
Diggin' in…
by
Bill Huntington
Horse traders...
a scummy lot...
Since the automobile and
tractor have come in common use, the old-time horse
trader has faded away.
There was more traders in
the South and East where
it was thickly settled. Their
disappearance was no loss to
the country for, as a whole
class, they was a scummy
lot. I think most of them went
into the used car business
for nowadays car salesmen
are just about as deceiving
in their line of patter.
In Oklahoma over 40 years
ago (Editor’s note: This
column first appeared in the
August 4, 1954, issue of the
Western Livestock Reporter,
so Gramps would have been
talking about 1910 or so
when he would have been in
his mid-30s), I met a typical
horse trader, who followed
my show for a while. I’ll call
him John Doe. He was a big,
stout, sandy-complected
man with lots of savvy. He
had two faces -- one he used
for the public, which was
charming, and the other,
which he turned toward his
family, which was mean
and overbearing. Since most
folks have never come in
contact with an old-time
horse trader, I am going to
PERRY’S TRAILER SALES
Check Out These
Stock Trailers
tell you about John Doe, his
outfit, and how he worked.
John had a little better
outfit than most traders.
He traveled with his family of five children. He had
a covered wagon drawn
by a team of good mules
and another wagon loaded
with a large tent and camp
equipment trailing a buggy.
That was followed by 15 or
20 trading horses with John
on horseback bringing up
the rear.
Mrs. Doe was a very nice,
refined woman with a talent
for painting. Whenever they
stopped and set up the tent,
it looked just like home. A
bed was set up with rugs on
the ground, little tables was
set up with knick-knacks on
them, and there was always
a bowl of wild flowers if
they was available. She
would take the buggy with
WESTERN AG REPORTER
one of the children to drive
it and peddle lace, silver polish, or some of her paintings.
If she couldn’t get money for
her goods, she would trade
for chickens, vegetables, or
anything that was usable.
She was the one that kept
the family together.
It was a shame such a nice
family was wasted on that
horse trader. There was a
boy about 16 named Roy.
He was John’s stepson and
was treated by John like one.
There was two nice girls,
probably about 14 and 13,
and a boy about 12 called
Dude, who was the favorite
of John and a spoiled brat.
There was another little boy
was Ernest, a bright likable
boy of 8, who was right
handy at ducking out of sight
when John was getting over
a hangover.
John knowed most all the
tricks in horse trading. He
could doll an old mule or
horse up so it would look
like it was seven or eight
years old. Most old horses
that ain’t range horses, their
teeth get long. John had a
fine-toothed saw that was
made to fit a horse’s mouth.
He would cut their teeth off
nice and even. He had a cupping outfit so that he could
put cups in their teeth, and
then he would take caustic
acid and burn the cups black.
If anyone looked in the
horse’s mouth to tell their
age and wasn’t an expert,
they sure would be fooled.
Old mules and horses get
gray around the head, their
eyebrows get white, and
there is a hollow that comes
above their eyes. John had a
way to fix them up, too. He
used potash to color all the
white hairs. He had a bulb
Don’t miss this!
The 42nd annual Montana Angus Tour will be held September 15-17 in
south-central Montana. Over 20 prominent Angus breeders and 3 nationally
recognized A.I. bull studs will participate. The tour will cover stops from
Big Timber to Hardin over three days. The Montana Angus Association will
hold its annual meeting and banquet on September 15. Tour headquarters
are located at the Big Horn Resort in Billings. Hotel rooms have been
blocked at the following: Big Horn Resort 406-839-9300; Hampton Inn
406-656-7511; and Homewood Suites 406-656-0525. Note: Hampton Inn
and Homewood Suites are within walking distance of Big Horn Resort.
We advise making reservations early. Make sure you mention that you are
with the Montana Angus Tour. For more information, contact Bob Cook
at [email protected]
A Huge THANK YOU To
Hjelvik Seeds
For Purchasing My Steer at
MontanaFair in Billings, MT
!
u
o
Y
k
n
Tha
2016 Trails West Hotshot
Stock Combo trailers available in
16' x 20'. Options:center gate with
sort door, Rear slider gate, plexiglass,
escape door, lights, saddle racks, halter
hooks, front tack, mats, spare tire.
It’s businesses like this that make 4-H and FFA so
successful around our great nation!
Krista Callantine
Belgrade, Montana
2016 Trails West Hotshot
Stock trailers available in 20'x24'
(and Bumperpull models availabe in 14' x 17').
Options: center gate with sort door,
Rear slider gate, Center gates, mats,
spare tire, escape door, lights.
See our inventory online:
www.perrystrailers.com
FINANCING
AVAILABLE!
syringe with a hollow needle
that he used to blow up the
cavities over their eyes. He
would trim their mane and
tail, cut the foretop, clip
the long hairs off their legs,
give them a shot of dope to
pep them up, and they were
ready for a trade. Someone
always got a good beating.
If he saw a horse he wanted
to trade for and he could get
to it on the sly, he would take
a needle, thread it with hair
that was pulled out of the tail,
and stick the needle through
the horse’s front leg between
the knee and the ankle where
the cords in the legs and the
leg is small. Then he would
cut off the ends of the hair
so it wouldn’t show. The
horse would go lame in
10 minutes and hold up its
foot. If anyone tried to move
him, he would hobble off,
barely putting his hoof on the
ground. You could examine
the horse to see what made
it lame but you couldn’t find
a thing.
Then John would just
happen around and tell the
owner of the horse that
he thought the horse had
slipped a joint in its shoulder. If John couldn’t trade
for the horse, he would tell
the man to leave the horse
as he thought he could heat
some pads and get the joint
in place for about 10 bucks.
He generally either made a
nice trade or pulled out the
hair in the horse’s leg and the
horse was okay. After he got
$10 for curing the horse, he
would try to sell the owner
a bottle of water with some
ashes, a few drops of potash,
and some food coloring in it
for about $2.50 to use as a
rub on the horse’s shoulder
for a few days.
The boot money John got
in a horse trade never done
the family any good for John
always spent it on a jug of
moon. He’d hunt a horse
trader up to share it with,
and they’d get pretty well lit
up. Then they’d swap tricks
of the trade to each other of
how to trim a sucker. When
the moonshine was all gone,
John would go back to his
camp and raise hell with his
family.
It’s That Time of Year
It is time to start thinking
about Fall-Winter Feeding
Stop in and check out our full line of
Tractors & Loaders
TRADES
WELCOME!
Tom O’Reilly
1-800-756-4048 • Cell 406-861-7352
1738 1/2 King Ave. West
Billings, MT 59102
1-800-584-9115
2516 COFFEEN AVE. • SHERIDAN, WY 82801
YELLOWSTONE COUNTY IMPLEMENT
Billings, 5121 Midland Road, East of Holiday Inn • 1-800-823-9242 or 406-248-7787
7:30 AM - 5:30 PM M-F & 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM Sat
Thursday, September 3, 2015
WESTERN AG REPORTER
Western Ag Reporter and the Juniors say
Thank You to the 2015 Buyers!
Kids Sale Buyers
Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers
Albertsons (Central)
Animal Health International
Archie Cochrane Motors
Armstrong, Bob and Rolann
Arrow Striping
Auto Auction of Montana
B & L Scales
Bay Ltd
Beard Insurance Agency
Beartooth Environmental
Bell, Richard & Lori
Berger, Jeff & Tami
Billings Animal Family Hospital
Billings By Owner
Billings Farmhand Sales
Billings Kubota
Billings Livestock Commission
Blue Body & Paint
Bobcat of Big Sky
Briess Malt
C & C Livestock
Carbon Co. Feed
Caring Hands Veterinary
Centenna Cattle
Coal Black Cattle Co
Common Ground Ind.
Cornerstone Financial
Crowley Fleck PLLP
Denny Menholt
Diamond E Diesel
Drange Apiary
Dubs, Louis DDS
Finishing Touch Exteriors
First Interstate Bank
Flowmark
Goggins, Pat and Babe
Hjelvik Seeds
Huntley Feeders
Industrial Sales
Inland Truck Parts
J & L Livestock
J & S Transportation
Jacobs Livestock Sales
Johannes, Clint
Johannes, Norm
K4 Cattle
Karman Ranch LLC
Kautz, Dusty & Shae
Kindsfather, Gary and Jackie
Kraft, Ed and Roxie
Kraft, Rick and Brenda
L.R. Bell Inc
Lockwood Veterinary
Champion Steer - Kolby Dietz
Buyer: Thomas Shows
Luster, Robert
Marketing Specialty
McCaffree, Justin and Rachael
Mintana Mills Inc.
Montana Ranches.com
Muhs, Mel
Northern Ag Network
Northern Livestock Video
Nutralix
Oblander Chiropractic
Olson Plumbing & Heating
Overtime Enterprise Inc.
Party Time Plus
Peck Transport
Premier Intermountain Properties
Prewitt & Co
Project Meats
Public Auction Yards
Quality Liquid Feeds
Raw Machinery
RB & C Grain
Reisig Agency and Cattle
Rimrock Engineering
Rimrock Pediatric Dentisry
Riverside Contracting
Salutes Our Future Ag Leaders:
4-H and FFA Youth
Each year we have the privilege of sponsoring the Junior Livestock Sale at MontanaFair
in Billings. It gives us a chance to watch these youngsters in action as they begin working
with livestock and as they mature through the years.
All of them - from the champions to the beginners - have a right to be proud of the work
and effort put into their animals and themselves. The lessons they learn throughout the
process of starting a young animal and continuing with it through the season will carry
these young people through life with sound work ethics. They’ll be the ones delivering an
abundant supply of high quality, local food for our country in the years to come. We are
proud of these hard working 4-H and FFA youths and also of the buyers who are willing
to pay the extra premium to reward the juniors’ efforts.
Riverside Repair
Rocky Mountain Air
Roger Daniel Insurance
Rome, Gary
S & P Brake
S Ranch
Sankey Rodeo
SCCMF
Selle Livestock
Sherrod, Bud
Shipton’s Big R
Staley’s Tire
Stella’s Kitchen
Steve Nelson Trucking
Stillwater Packing
Stockman Bank
Stockman Bank 1
TerraLogics Inc
The Truck Shop
Thomas Shows
Thompson Cattle Company
Torgerson’s LLC
Town & Country Supply
Vermilion Ranch
Walborn & Assoc
Walter, Leroy & Norma
Weber, Jim and Elaine
Wells Fargo Bank
Western Ag Reporter
Western Ranch Supply
Western Security Bank
Wolter, Rory
World West Sire Services,
INC
WS Livestock585 Fremont St
Yellowstone Bank - Laurel
Yellowstone County Implement
Yellowstone Valley Parts &
Equipment
Poultry winners on page 16
Reserve Hog - Brighton Lane
Buyer: Rory Wolter
Champion Hog - Holden Vandivort
Buyer: J & L Livestock
Reserve Steer - Krista Callantine
Buyer: Hjelvik Seeds
Champion Rabbits - Jennifer Larkins
Buyer: Justin & Rachael McCaffree
Champion Lamb - Allison Nyquist
Buyer: Bay Unlimited
Reserve Goat - Lexy Dietz
Buyer: Finish Touch Interiors
Reserve Lamb - Holden Vandivort
Buyer: Thompson Cattle Co.
Champion Goat - Dustin Huntington
Buyer: The Truck Stop
15
16
Thursday, September 3, 2015
WESTERN AG REPORTER
Increasing
genetic herd value...
Details on Page 1
The
LIV
ES
Best o
f Northern Ca
ttle!
TOCK
O
CTI
VIDEO AU
FALL PREMIER SPECIAL
The video sale featuring the top performance cattle of the north
N
Monday • September 21, 2015
Sale Time: 8:00 a.m. MDT • Billings LiveStock Commission
STEER CALVES • HEIFER CALVES
YEARLING STEERS
OPEN HEIFERS • BRED FEMALES
REPLACEMENT HEIFERS
SPRING LAMBS
The American Gelbvieh Association has introduced the
Smart Select Service data-management system to help commercial cattle producers increase the genetic value of their
herds. For $1 per head, commercial producers can enroll
females in a database to manage herd data from individual
performance, exposure, and vaccination information. Herd
summaries, dam and progeny reports, and herd-sire reports
will be available.
The association also will offer producers access to the
feeder profit index and stayability score on males and
females. The feeder profit index was developed to help
producers select sires whose progeny will perform in
the feedlot and on the rail. Stayability scores predict the
probability a sire’s daughters will stay productive past six
years of age.
For an additional fee, producers may use DNA testing
for parent verification on all animals or the association’s
Maternal Edge Female Profile on Gelbvieh-influenced animals. Visit www.gelbvieh.org/smartselect.html or contact
Kelli Retallick by phone at 303-465-2333 or by email at
[email protected] for more information.
MT Fair Junior Poultry Winners
Our Fall Premier Special features
outstanding bred heifers and bred cows.
Many strings are ultrasound pregnancy
tested and are top performance cattle.
There will be a complete listing
available next week on
www.northernlivestockvideo.com
Northern Livestock Video Auction held their annual Early Fall Preview August 24 & 25 broadcast live from
Billings Livestock Commission. 54,000 cattle and 14,000 sheep were offered. 75% of cattle sold on a lower
but active market, 100% of the sheep sold on a strong market.
★ For complete results and information go to www.northernlivestockvideo.com ★
Seller
Head
Tranel Ranch
140
V Bar Cattle Co.
130
Loyning Ranch
210
Murray Bros Partnership
120
Two Dot Ranch
510
McCarty Ranching LLC
220
2 K Land & Lvstck/Hepp Lvstck
120
Tranel Ranch
325
Louie Petrie Ranch
94
Ponessa Ranch
120
Warren Lybeck/Steve Swank
200
Brusett Angus
100
Brusett Angus
100
Mallett Cattle Co
195
Ranch Land Inc
95
Fly Creek Angus Inc
110
Rugg Ranch
98
Flatwillow Ranch
440
4 Diamond Ranch
360
Tomahawk Ranch
110
Tomahawk Ranch
102
Box E Cattle LLC/Gordon Delyea 104
7 L Livestock Company
185
Brace Rhamy/Donna York
85
Crosby Ranch
87
Forgey & Smith Angus LLC
83
Forgey & Smith Angus LLC
90
Falkenburg Ranch
90
Jim & Dana Fitzhugh
155
Jim & Dana Fitzhugh
90
Griffith Ranch
85
Cross Canyon Ranch
88
Cross Canyon Ranch
95
J Bar L Ranches LLC
130
Castle Mountain Ranch
275
Kind
Strs
Strs
Strs
Strs
Strs
Strs
Strs
Hfrs
Rplcmnt Hfrs
Hfrs
Wnd Hfrs
Hfrs
Rplcmnt Hfrs
Rplcmnt Hfrs
Rplcmnt Hfrs
Strs
Strs
Strs
Strs
Strs
Strs
Strs
Strs
Strs
Wnd Strs
Strs
Hfrs
Strs
Strs
Hfrs
Hfrs
Strs
Hfrs
Strs
Strs
Base Price
395
312.00
410
292.50
480
273.00
510
260.00
415
318.00
470
284.00
420
304.00
490
266.00
530
254.00
500
246.00
500
240.50
515
245.00
545
260.00
540
266.00
540
241.00
510
266.00
510
261.50
535
260.00
540
257.00
505
266.00
590
241.00
555
252.00
560
245.50
560
248.50
575
242.50
630
237.00
550
243.00
680
234.00
660
240.50
600
317.50
545
298.00
580
239.75
570
297.50
850
204.00
865
207.25
Firehammer's Inc
Hat Ranch
CBC Grain & Livestock
Marvin & Sharron Gookin
Castle Mountain Ranch
124
200
290
63
300
Strs
Strs
Strs
Strs
Spayed Hfrs
890
950
950
960
835
203.75
196.50
196.00
202.50
197.50
Firehammer's Inc
Espenscheid Enterprises
Ericksen Sandhills Ranch LLC
Miller Ranch
Miller Ranch
Miller Ranch
Gordon Gerbig
Rodney Lutz
L Double Bar Ranch
Lyle & Twila Phillips
Kleeman Ranch
Dale & Pam Bilyeu
74
120
136
91
84
95
105
90
90
90
180
100
Open Hfrs
Open Hfrs
Open Hfrs
Strs
Strs
Hfrs
Strs
Strs
Strs
Wnd Strs
Rplcmnt Hfrs
Hfrs
850
850
870
555
640
570
585
600
640
625
575
575
196.00
197.00
205.75
253.00
236.50
236.00
247.00
239.00
238.75
240.00
284.00
287.00
Town
Roundup, MT
Billings, MT
Bridger, MT
Bridger, MT
Cody, WY
Cody, WY
Kaycee, WY
Roundup, MT
Turner, MT
Ingomar, MT
Chinook , MT
Miles City, MT
Miles City, MT
Broadus, MT
Whitehall, MT
Billings, MT
Plevna, MT
Roundup, MT
Wilsall, MT
Whitehall, MT
Whitehall, MT
Douglas, WY
Casper, WY
Douglas, WY
Cowley, WY
Douglas, WY
Douglas, WY
Douglas, WY
Douglas, WY
Douglas, WY
Shawmut, MT
Helena, MT
Helena, MT
Lima, MT
White Sulphur
Springs, MT
Billings, MT
Kaycee, WY
Great Falls, MT
Baker, MT
White Sulphur
Springs, MT
Billings, MT
Big Piney, WY
Seneca, NE
Bowman, ND
Bowman, ND
Bowman, ND
Bowman, ND
Bowman, ND
Bowman, ND
Mullen, NE
Miles City, MT
Worden, MT
Seller
Mike & Deb Delaney
Phil Wirth Angus Ranch
DeGrand Angus
Lester & Carol Sluggett
Rocking Chair Ranch
Bruce & Nola Fladager
Bruce & Nola Fladager
Bruce & Nola Fladager
Bruce & Nola Fladager
Richardson East Ranch
Medearis Cattle
Medearis Cattle
Jackson Ranch/Scott Jackson
Jim & Carrie Bignell
John Jones & Family
Lance or Nicole Johnson
Ruby Dell Ranch
McFarland White Ranch
L G Bradbrook
L G Bradbrook
Beartooth Cattle Co
TE Ranch Limited Partnership
Woolery Ranch
Pokorny Ranch
Foster Deep Creek Ranch
Lyle & Colleen David
Lyle & Colleen David
Rettinger Ranch
Rob & Laurie Braaten
O'Connor Land & Livestock
Hjelvik Ranch
Spring Vale Ranch
R Bar N Ranch LLC
LJ & Kristy Pancost
John & Bill Peebles
Keith & Brandi Forgey
Ken Yerger
Svenson Brothers
McKamey Ranchj
Dave & Lenora McEwen
Erik & John Lehfeldt
Fred Murnion
Tom & Kenni Ryan
Lee Murnion
Lee/Tyler Murnion
Kiehl Ranch
Bair Ranch
Green Acre Ranch
Larry Wentz
Oliver Wentz
Fred Murion
Keith & Brandi Forgey
Head
Kind Base Price
110
Rplcmnt Hfrs 575
249.00
105
Rplcmnt Hfrs 590
260.00
80
Wnd Hfrs 600
268.00
150
Hfrs 600
256.00
164
Hfrs 610
245.00
102
Strs 560
247.00
93
Strs 650
234.50
90
Rplcmnt Hfrs 600
293.00
90
Rplcmnt Hfrs 540
295.00
100
Rplcmnt Hfrs 540
294.00
200
Strs 570
250.00
210
Hfrs 540
288.00
195 Wnd Rplcmnt Hfrs 560
280.00
105
Rplcmnt Hfrs 590
257.00
100
Strs 625
237.75
200
Strs 630
239.00
420
Strs 630
237.50
500
Strs 650
235.50
75
Strs 650
234.75
80
Hfrs 625
219.50
100
Wnd Strs 620
248.00
275
Wnd Strs 640
239.00
200
Wnd Strs 625
245.00
90
Wnd Strs 635
245.00
180
Wnd Strs 650
245.00
95
Wnd Strs 660
241.50
100
Wnd Hfrs 610
241.00
75
Strs 660
235.75
74
Strs 680
240.75
100
Hfrs 620
223.75
90
Rplcmnt Hfrs 620
250.50
65 Wnd Rplcmnt Hfrs 725
230.00
70 Wnd Rplcmnt Hfrs 700
239.00
82
Wnd Strs 670
235.00
380
Strs 700
229.75
Sheep Sale
1220
Wnd Lambs 84
195.00
565
Mxd Lambs 85
187.00
550
Mxd Lambs 85
187.00
530
Mxd Lambs 90
182.00
500
Mxd Lambs 80
188.50
1200
Feeder Lambs 85
194.00
570
Feeder Lambs 85
192.00
570
Wnd Lambs 85
197.00
600
Feeder Lambs 82
197.00
570
Feeder Lambs 85
195.50
1100
Mxd Lambs 85
193.50
1700
Feeder Lambs 96
186.00
500
Mxd Lambs 100
182.00
500
Mxd Lambs 88
182.50
475
Feeder Lambs 95
186.00
410
Ewes 140
265.00
620 5-6 Yr Old Ewes 140
95.00
Town
Grass Range, MT
Helena, MT
Baker, MT
Roy, MT
Philipsburg, MT
Peerless, MT
Peerless, MT
Peerless, MT
Peerless, MT
Billings, MT
Baker, MT
Baker, MT
Billings, MT
Helena, MT
Champion Poultry - Rose Baeten
Buyer: Bay Unlimited
Lewistown, MT
Monida, MT
Two Dot, MT
Rapelje, MT
Rapelje, MT
Powell, WY
Cody , WY
Riverton, WY
Riverton, WY
Riverton, WY
Riverton, WY
Riverton, WY
Bowman, ND
Bowman, ND
Plevna, MT
Forsyth, MT
Hot Springs, MT
Deer Lodge, MT
Dillon, MT
Great Falls, MT
Powder River, WY
Billings, MT
Cohagen, MT
Great Falls, MT
Galata, MT
Lavina, MT
Miles City, MT
Jordan, MT
Jordan, MT
Jordan, MT
Billings, MT
Martinsdale, MT
Broadus, MT
Boise, ID
Miles City, MT
Powder River, WY
Reserve Poultry - Jessika Harmon
Buyer: Stella’s
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