Categories General Discussion

Board of Livestock to meet March 15-16

DOL – The Montana Board of Livestock will meet March 15-16 in the Scott Hart Auditorium (Department of Agriculture/Department of Livestock building, 301 N. Roberts) in Helena.

Agenda items include a joint meeting between the board and Board of Milk Control, reports from Montana Department of Livestock (MDOL) division administrators, updates on the department’s budget and special revenue projections, and a report from Attorney General Steve Bullock on a new consumer protection position relating to agriculture.

For a complete board meeting agenda click here.

MSGA responds to sage grouse decision

Helena, Mont. – Today the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared the greater sage grouse a “warranted but precluded” species in regards to the Endangered Species Act. The sage grouse will be placed on the “candidate species” list which means the status of the sage grouse will be reviewed each year.

“We have a healthy sage grouse population in Montana,” said Jay Bodner, Natural Resource Director for the Montana Stockgrowers Association. “One of the reasons for this is the well-managed grazing and conservation efforts of Montana’s family ranchers on both private and federal land.”

Vicki Olson, a director of the Montana Public Lands Council, listed many specific efforts undertaken by Montana ranching families to protect sage grouse, include monitoring of rangeland conditions and sage grouse populations, grazing management plans, fence flagging, water trough escape ramps and water development.

“Many ranchers that graze in sage grouse habitat include rotations in their grazing management plans to minimize their impact and provide the right vegetation structure favored by sage grouse and other grassland birds for their habitat,” Olson said.

While this decision may change the way federal land management agencies make land use decisions, George Trischman, chairman of the Montana Public Lands Council, said it will not affect the conservation efforts of Montana ranchers.

“Family ranchers here in Montana were making efforts to protect healthy sage grouse populations before this decision and they will continue those efforts regardless of this or any future decision,” Trischman said.

Past MSGA Director, Leo Barthelmess wins Montana Neighbor Award

Today, Leo Barthelmess, Jr. was announced as one of four 2010 Montana Neighbor Award Recipients for displaying “the traditional neighborly spirit that helped make Montana what it is.”

Barthelmess hails from a multi-generation ranching family, and is widely recognized for his long-time commitment to the ranching community and quality range management. Barthelmess, a recent member of the Montana Stockgrowers Association board of directors and a leader of the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA), has pioneered collaborative conservation solutions involving ranching, development, conservation groups and resource agencies. RSA and conservation organizations recently received funding to improve wildlife habitat on thousands of acres of private ranchlands in Phillips County. RSA was also recently named the 2010 Montana Environmental Stewardship Award winners by the Montana Stockgrowers Association. Barthelmess is a Certified Land Steward through the Undaunted Stewardship program and has been active in the Sage Grouse Working Group.

The awards are given every year by an informal coalition including the Montana Alliance of Land Trusts, Artemis Common Ground, The Nature Conservancy of Montana, the Montana Council of Trout Unlimited and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Award criteria include cooperation, land stewardship/conservation ethic, neighborly land access, and community leadership.

“Our mission is to promote the on-the-ground reality of being a good Montana neighbor in a time of transition in our state,” said Chris King, the Petroleum County Commissioner and Winnett rancher who serves on the awards committee. “We believe that publicizing the good things that are happening will encourage others to undertake similar efforts.”

The other award winners are Annie and Bob Graham, Madison Valley ranchland owners; Stoltze Lumber Company of Columbia Falls; and Wisdom rancher Calvin Erb.

Brand Owners Reminded to Update Addresses

DOL – Every 10 years, the Montana Department of Livestock (MDOL) rerecords brands. With more than 55,000 active brands in the Big Sky, it’s a big job. It’s also an important job, as brands are a return address for your livestock – brands help prevent loss and theft of livestock, assist with the movement of livestock through markets channels, and are used to identify livestock in animal health emergencies.

“Brands are a big part of the state’s history,” said MDOL Brands Division administrator John Grainger. “It’s something people take seriously, and there’s some colorful history about rustlers who tried to beat the system and found the business end of a rope. It’s a system that’s worked well for 150 years, and it still works well today.”

In short, brands are rerecorded to keep DOL’s brand system – generally regarded as one the best in the nation – current, and that helps keep your livestock safe. Rerecord also allows brand owners to retain ownership of their brands, which is also a pretty big deal: Brands are possessions, and often have a family and historic value that can’t be measured by the cost of registration or rerecord fees. Brands that are not rerecorded are vacated and made available to the public.

“Brands will always be a fundamental part of the department’s operations, and rerecord is a fundamental part of keeping the system maintained,” Grainger said.

So, what does rerecord mean for you, the brand owner? It’s simple.
The first step is making sure your mailing address is up-to-date so that renewal notices get sent to the correct address. If your address has changed within the past 10 years – and many have with the restructuring of rural 911 systems – it needs to be updated. Addresses can be updated on the http://www.rerecord.mt.gov/ web site; by calling the Rerecord Hotline at 406/444-4999 (or secondary rerecord lines at 406/444-3812, 406/444-2045 or 406/444-9431); or by using mail-in cards available at brand offices, markets and other locations.

MSU College of Ag announces visits of candidates for head of Dept. of Animal and Range Sciences

MSU – The Montana State University College of Agriculture is pleased to announce the campus interview visits of two candidates for the Department Head position for the Department of Animal and Range Sciences. Information about the candidates and their interview schedules can be found here. Each candidate will be giving a research seminar and an administrative philosophy seminar. We have also arranged time for the candidates to interact with members of the Montana animal and range community who have an interest in the department and this position. These times are listed below and flyers for each seminar are attached.

Dr. Charles Weems, University of Hawaii
Administrative Philosophy Seminar: Thursday February 18 at 4 p.m. in the Byker Auditorium, Chemistry Building
Ag Community Social: Thursday February 18 at 5:30 in the Aspen Room, GranTree Inn
Research Seminar: Friday February 19 at 10 a.m. in 231 Linfield Hall

Dr. Glenn Duff, University of Arizona
Administrative Philosophy Seminar: Thursday March 4 at 4 p.m. in 233 Strand Union Building
Ag Community Social: Thursday March 4 at 5:30 in the Aspen Room, GranTree Inn
Research Seminar: Friday March 5 at 2 p.m. in 233 Strand Union Building

DOL to host meetings on Official Calfhood Vaccination

DOL – The Montana Department of Livestock will host a series of meetings to talk with livestock producers about its preliminary proposal on statewide Official Calfhood Vaccination (OCV) for brucellosis, and will additionally solicit comment via an informal public participation process.
The proposal would, in short, require OCV for all sexually intact female cattle and bison not destined for slaughter. A copy of the proposal will be available at the meetings, and has also been posted on the department’s web site at http://liv.mt.gov/.

Currently, the state does not require cattle to be vaccinated against brucellosis except for the four counties (Beaverhead, Gallatin, Madison and Park counties) in the newly created brucellosis Designated Surveillance Area (DSA). A key issue is that buyers of Montana cattle could perceive that the state is doing less than neighboring states – Wyoming and Idaho both have statewide OCV requirements – to prevent transmission of the disease from infected elk and bison to cattle.

“There are advantages to becoming an OCV state, and it’s a good time to have that discussion,” said state veterinarian Dr. Marty Zaluski, who, as chair of the U.S. Animal Health Association’s subcommitttee on brucellosis in the Greater Yellowstone Area, has helped the department play a leadership role in the development of brucellosis policy. “It’s a hot topic, though, and there will be concerns.”

At this point, the proposal is a just a starting point for discussion with the livestock and associated industries.

“Mostly, we just want to talk with producers to get their thoughts on statewide OCV,” Zaluski said. “Producers have legitimate questions, and our goal is providing information that enables them to have constructive, informed input. We want them to be aware of the potential benefits as well as any drawbacks that may exist.”

Meetings have been scheduled for:
Glasgow Stockyards – Wednesday, February 17, 3 p.m.;
Western Livestock Auction, Great Falls – Thursday February 18, 1 p.m.;
Miles City Livestock Commission – Monday, February 22, 1:30 p.m.;
Public Auction Yards, Billings – Tuesday, February 23, 1:30 p.m.;
Montana Livestock Company, Ramsay – Wednesday, February 24, 10 a.m.;
Headwaters Livestock Auction, Three Forks – Thursday, February 25, 1 p.m.

Public comment can be submitted via U.S Postal Service mail at Montana Department of Livestock, ATTN: OCV Comments/Animal Health Division, PO Box 200201, Helena MT, 59620-2001, and via email at [email protected]

With 70 percent of the state’s cattle voluntarily vaccinated by livestock producers, Zaluski doesn’t believe the proposal would require a significant increase in the number of animals needing to be vaccinated.

“The only animals that will require vaccination are sexually intact females retained for the state’s breeding herd rather than those raised for beef,” he said.

The proposal comes as USDA considers changes to its federal brucellosis program.

“If APHIS (USDA-Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service) proceeds with its desire to eliminate the Class Free status system, it could put the state at a serious disadvantage,” Zaluski said, referring to a concept paper that outlines a new direction for federal brucellosis policy. “Having a statewide program assures our trading partners that we’re doing everything we can to assure brucellosis-free cattle.”

Statewide OCV, Zaluski added, would also reduce the potential for brucellosis-infected wildlife transmitting the disease to domestic livestock.

“Bottom line, having a statewide OCV rule will look better for states that import Montana cattle, and it will look better for wildlife advocates who say the state isn’t doing enough to prevent transmission of the disease,” Zaluski said.

Zaluski stressed that the proposal is preliminary, and that any decisions regarding OCV would be made by the Board of Livestock after public comment has been collected and evaluated and all possible ramifications of implementation have been examined.

“We’ve invested a lot of time in producer and industry participation in the development of brucellosis policy, including the BAP (Brucellosis Action Plan) and DSA (Designated Surveillance Area ),” Zaluski said. “This is no different, we want and need participation from producers and industry.”

The proposal, if enacted, would not affect current requirements for livestock producers operating within the DSA.

You may download the preliminary proposal here.

Improving Rural Vet Service Survey

If you are a rancher in Montana, please take a moment to fill out this survey and forward your answers to Jim Knight, [email protected], Associate Director of Extension at MSU. Jim is working with the Montana Veterinary Association to submit a proposal for a USDA program that pays off student loans for veterinarians who agree to practice in underserved rural areas. Please forward this on to others so we can provide Jim with a good data set for his proposal.

1. What county are you in?
2. How many miles is it from your ranch/farm to the nearest D.V.M. practice?
3. In the event THAT D.V.M. is not available, how many miles is it to the next D.V.M.?
4. For routine regulatory or non-emergency DVM service, how long do you wait:
a. Same day _______
b. 1-3 days ________
c. More than 3 days ______

MSGA addresses brucellosis, EAJA, and NCBA structural change at 2010 Cattle Industry Convention in San Antonio

Grazinglands reduce greenhouse gases

Rangeland Ecology & Management—A green pasture with grazing animals offers an idyllic image of our natural environment. With the current focus on climate change, such a pasture has much more to offer than image. Through effective policy implementation, grazinglands can reduce greenhouse gases through carbon sequestration and emissions reductions offset credits.

Carbon sequestration is the long-term storage of carbon in the ground or oceans, slowing the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere enters the soil of grazinglands through the natural process of photosynthesis by green plants. The subsequent cycling turns some of that carbon into soil organic carbon—and into an environmental, societal and economic benefit for every country with these grazinglands.

“Offset credits are a viable, important cost-containment mechanism for cap-and-trade approaches to mandatory greenhouse gas emissions reductions programs,” according to an article in the journal Rangeland Ecology & Management. Greenhouse gas emission policies that can provide incentives and monetary awards for land management that leads to greater soil carbon offer much potential. Land management practices are integral to maintaining or improving grasslands with the goal of protecting soil, water and air quality as well as wildlife habitat.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has officially identified carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases as public health hazards. Greenhouse gases and grazinglands are the topic of a special issue of the journal Rangeland Ecology & Management, featuring contributions from an international group of rangeland ecologists, economists, and social scientists. One of the articles in the January 2010 issue discusses societal benefits and policy implications of soil carbon sequestration from the U.S. perspective, while another article examines the matter in West Africa.

In the United States, the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (the “Farm Bill”) contains new programs enabling agricultural producers to increase soil carbon in grazingland soils, but no regional or state mandatory policies exist that recognize this as a certifiable offset. Legislation currently in the U.S. Congress would recognize soil carbon sequestration, including on grazinglands, as a valid offset. Agricultural mitigation strategies are likely to be recognized and adopted for the future environmental framework.

In less developed countries with high poverty rates, credits offer a socioeconomic opportunity. However, carbon offsets from agricultural sources are currently limited under regulatory cap-and-trade regimes, and prices in voluntary markets are relatively low, the article reports.

About 2 percent of the global soil organic carbon reserves are estimated to be in West Africa—more than any other single region of the world. Using carbon credits for poverty reduction and to avoid further degradation or to restore lightly degraded lands is an achievable method to sequester carbon at very low cost over extensive areas. Improving the management of West African grazinglands can increase livestock productivity and agricultural income as well, thus improving the situation of some of the world’s poorest people.

For the full text of the article, “Soil Carbon Sequestration in Grazinglands: Societal Benefits and Policy Implications,” visit http://www2.allenpress.com/pdf/rama-63.12FIN.pdf.

For the full text of the article, “Supplying Carbon Sequestration from West African Rangelands: Opportunities and Barriers,” visit http://www2.allenpress.com/pdf/rama-63.1FIN.pdf

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About Rangeland Ecology & Management
Rangeland Ecology & Management is a peer-reviewed journal of the Society for Range Management that is published six times a year. The journal provides a forum for the presentation and discussion of research information, concepts, and philosophies pertaining to the function, management, and sustainable use of global rangeland resources. For more information on the society and journal, visit: http://www.rangelands.org/