SUBLETTE COUNTY – The 2025 Green River Valley Cattlemen’s Association opened its annual meeting Saturday, March 1, with the annual appearance of Wyoming’s U.S. Sen. John Barrasso.

He was followed by speakers with updates in vet medicine, marketing, winter chill, hay analysis, current legislation and the Pinedale FFA.

Barrasso reviewed the current list of President Donald Trump’s secretarial appointees, including former North Dakota governor and new U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, whom he said “is terrific for us” due to being a westerner familiar with agricultural and energy issues.

He also cited Elon Musk, “in charge of DOGE,” the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency,  for cutting federal and civil government agencies and employees.

Wyoming ranchers work closely with Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management on land-use management permits and policies.

Barrasso told the mainly Sublette County group that he receives emails about terminated employees that affect the livestock industry.

“Things are being shaken up in Washington right now,” Barrasso said. He advised, “If you see someone has been terminated … let us know. … Overall, better days are just ahead.”

The U.S. Farm Bill is extended until October, he said. “We want more ‘farm’ in the Farm Bill.”

Under DOGE, some benefit programs’ budgets will be cut or reduced, he explained.

Barrasso discussed the BLM’s Rock Springs Resource Management Plan with Burgum and the president, he said. For “ag and energy, the new use is nonuse. … We don’t think that way.”

He invited people to visit Washington, D.C. and meet with him, U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis and House Rep. Harriet Hageman.“We still do Wyoming Wednesdays coffee.”

Daniel rancher Steve James asked about a government lands’ program.

Barrasso explained that China owns or wants to buy lands in Wyoming by the F.E. Warren Air Force Base, as well as in North Dakota. He recognized James as one of the 2024 Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame inductees last year and related an anecdote about twice buying a quilt donated by a member the Green River Valley Cowbelles.

Boulder rancher Cotton Bousman asked about Musk’s team’s involvement in cutting local federal jobs, using the scenario of six Forest Service “range cons” when only three are needed. “We all appreciate what DOGE is doing,” he said. When and if “the pendulum swings back the other way,” is there a way to prevent agencies from rehiring and refilling the positions?

Barrasso said that will be written into law. “What Trump is trying to do, what we’re trying to do, is let agriculture be agriculture.”

Another man asked if long-empty Forest Service and federal positions the ag industry relies on can be filled.

Barrasso related Musk’s Tesla and Space X entities’ achievements such as landing a space capsule on its floating base in the ocean.

“We’re trying to find ways to do that,” he said. “We have the cabinet in place to do that.”

“Meanwhile if there’s an issue we can call you?” the man asked.

Barrasso said to contact him. “Not just for agriculture.”

Susan Bousman of Boulder told Barrasso local ranchers need to maintain the USDA Wildlife Services’ trapper that contracts with Sublette County Predator Management Board around their ranches in the gray wolf predator zone. “How many people in Wyoming know what this man knows?”

Barrasso said that would use “a surgical scalpel.”

He closed by saying he “works with the president regularly” and attended the 2025 Super Bowl with him. “With Trump – you’re not going to see any football,” he joked.

GRVCA President Kristy Wardell introduced a variety of speakers with vice president Walden Campbell keeping an eye on the clock.

Forecast

First up was University of Wyoming Extension’s Rod Ziegler with his Beef Market Outlook, thoroughly covering cattle futures, inventory, markets and trends. Drought, employment, inflation and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) will be factors in hay, alfalfa and corn production and prices but “currently look favorable.”

Consumer demand remains constant – even when times are uncertain. Americans’ per capita beef consumption was around 60 pounds for 2024.

“The long-term trend is going up overall,” he said. If feed prices rise, though, “it might slow down a little.”

Local FFA

Pinedale High School ag teacher and FFA advisor Anna Campbell Hays introduced her students Payzli Baker and Treyven Rouge and the three reviewed the program’s advantages and their accomplishments. The Pinedale FFA participates in many community activities – including waiting on tables at that night’s annual GRVCA banquet as in past years.

Heifer program

With the Green River Valley Cowbelles, the GRVCA is sponsoring the second year of special replacement heifer categories at the Sublette County Fair, GRVCA’s Audra Rouge reported for Marsha Barlow.

This complements the Sublette County Fair’s market steer special contests and encourages local youth to continue another year with a heifer and her first calf.

In 2024 and this year, donors included GRV Cowbelles, GRVCA, Pinedale FFA Alumni, and Farm Credit Services. Last year, Matazi Landers took the top heifer award at the fair; Shane Rogers was second and Mesa Landers third, with a total cash payout of $1,500.

This year’s contest will take place on the Wednesday of Fair Week with Barlow, RJ Thompson and Eric Marincic as judges with payouts of $1,830 and buckles for the top replacement heifers and the top first-calf heifers. Barlow requested a special buckle for the top interviewee.

This year, nine first-calf heifers and nine replacement heifers are tagged for the summer contests, Rouge reported.

Hay analysis

UW Extension Agent Dagan Montgomery reviewed cattle hay analyses and seasonal cattle feeding needs. Cold weather, especially with wind chill, for bred cows means they need more nutrition, he said. Having hay analyzed can determine which supplements they might need. Montgomery asked area hay growers to share samples confidentially for the Sublette Hay Quality Survey.

Bull health

Vet Chad Pelensky of the Uinta Veterinary Hospital advised producers to have all bulls undergo bull breeding soundness exams annually to determine which ones are sub-fertile and costing them lost revenue. “Bull soundness” is just beginning to join EPDs when young bulls are marketed.

His other message was a discussion of “pinkeye,” a painful central corneal ulcer that turns off buyers and causes feeder cattle to lode weight. If cattle are injected with pinkeye vaccine, battling endotoxins in Scourguard, for example, at the same time can really knock an animal down.