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Western Ag Reporter Podcast

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1:08

Farm Bureau Applauds Senate Action to Restore Whole...

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/11/22

American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall today applauded Senate passage of the bipartisan Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025. “This is a win-win for kids and dairy farmers because the nutritional benefits of whole milk are now broadly known. By lifting the restrictions on whole and reduced-fat 2 percent milk in schools, kids have more access to important protein, calcium and vitamins. Because school milk accounts for almost 8 percent of fluid milk demand, it’s a significant marke...

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3:15

It's the Pitts - TMI

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/11/22

We are told that consumers want to know everything about the food they eat, from the time it was planted or impregnated until the time it reaches their plate. I think we have to be very careful in how we meet the consumer’s wishes, or it could backfire on us. Follow along with me now as we join the Wilson family as they are gathered around the dinner table to enjoy a scrumptious prime rib. Instead of saying grace before dinner Mrs. Wilson scanned a bar code on the beef package so they could p...

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3:52

Reader Opinion - Schweitzer: Forcing Packers to Play...

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/11/22

Curbing anti-competitive practices and reinstating mandatory Country of Origin Labeling will do more to lower beef prices than importing more beef from Argentina. Unfortunately, ranchers have already taken another hit in a volatile market. It takes about the same percentage of your paycheck to buy a pound of beef today as it did 10 years ago. Sure, the price of beef is higher, but so is everything else, including the average paycheck – thanks to inflation. There is also about the same amount ...

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5:06

Reader Opinion - The Good 'Ol Days of PAYS Horse Sales

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/11/21

Long before the Billings Livestock Commission started having horse sales, the Public Auction Yards had them once a month on a Saturday. When checked in, if the horse was branded, the brand its location was written on the “mail” that hangs on the gate. If there is no brand a “No Br” or “NB” or some facsimile is written on the “mail.” The horses to be sold were divided into three classifications: loose, which were the least expensive to sell; yard rides, which were slightly higher to sell and w...

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2:45

ODA Implements Rules to Help Prevent the Spread of...

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/11/21

The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) has issued temporary rules to help reduce the risk of spreading Equine Herpes Virus (EHV)/Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EMH). The rules filed on November 19, 2025, will immediately strengthen Oregon’s ability to prevent the entry and spread of EHV/EHM by requiring additional safeguards for horses entering the state or attending high-risk events. ODA was recently made aware of an outbreak of EHV/EHM in horses that were at or associate...

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1:56

Award of Excellence Puts Veteran Farmer in National...

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/11/21

The American Farm Bureau Federation announced the next recipient of an award that recognizes veterans or service members for excellence in farming or agriculture and positively impacting local communities. Retired Army Command Sgt. Maj. Matthew Rutter of South Carolina is the second recipient of the Veteran Farmer Award of Excellence presented by AFBF with support from Farm Credit. Rutter served 22 years in the Army, where his service included leading intelligence operations across Europe and...

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6:42

Cooking - Camp Cook

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/11/21

We have been enjoying a really beautiful fall with temperatures reaching into the 50’s and 60’s in November. I am loving the lack of snow and cold, but I do know how quickly Indian summer can disappear. This is a column I wrote about the rude interruption of winter on a beautiful autumn. Diary of a Hunting Camp Cook Day #1: It was a beautiful ride into Meadow Creek in the Scapegoat Wilderness today. I think it was about 60 degrees and cloudless. To top it off, my favorite horse was saddl...

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0:09

Agri-Kid of the Week - Colby Anderson

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/11/21

Colby Anderson, age seven, helping gather cattle. Photo submitted by Amber Anderson. Article Link

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2:56

Cowboy Tales - Bob Fudge

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/11/20

I was riding down the Yellowstone River east of Miles City, Montana around 1900. That’s when I met XIT cowboy Bob Fudge. I had heard about him and was thrilled to meet him. You see, Bob began his XIT career breaking horses for them in Texas as a kid in 1877 – big for his age of 15. The ranch was putting together herds of steers to trail north. That same year he made his first trail drive to Montana ending up on the Little Bighorn River in the shadow of the Bighorn Mountains. He returned to Te...

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3:48

Reality Check - A Soldier's Best Friend - The History...

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/11/20

The history of animals in combat and mascots in the military animals have served alongside humanity in combat since at least the time of the ancient Sumerians, around 2500 BC, when chariots were drawn by recently domesticated wild asses native to the region now known as southern Iraq. From that point forward, countless other animals were employed in humanity’s struggles: dogs, camels, elephants, pigeons, and more, all playing vital roles in the history of war. For the sake of time, this artic...

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7:09

Banjo - Bullridin'

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/11/20

Henry pushed his cowboy hat down around his ears and leaned forward. His paw was under the bull rope and with a blink of an eye he was nodding. “Let’r rip boys,” Henry, the bull riding hedgehog, said with an airy breath, and the gate latch was pulled. “PHWAP!” it released and hit the back side of the panel. “YEEHAW!” Henry called. The bull bucked up and down and then decided to spin. “He’s down in the well,” Banjo said. He and Tuff watched the hedgehog hold on. “Ironhide’s known as a spinner,...

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5:36

New World Screwworm Dispersal Facility Opens

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/11/20

On November 13, the USDA announced that a sterile fly dispersal facility is opening in Tampico, Mexico. The announcement came after Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, conducted the “largest U.S. Department of Agriculture agribusiness trade mission in the history of our country” to Mexico the prior week. “The opening of the Tampico sterile fly dispersal facility is another incredibly important tool in our arsenal to stop the spread of screwworm. The facility will ensure flexibility and ...

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3:54

Don't Let Winter's Cold Open the Door to BRD

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/11/20

Winter weather isn’t just tough on producers — it’s tough on cattle, too. “There are reasons why we see more BRD challenges in cold and damp conditions,” Nathan Meyer, DVM, Ph.D., Boehringer Ingelheim, said. “It really comes down to stress. When animals are stressed, they’re less able to fight off infections as effectively as they would under more ideal conditions.” Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) remains the costliest disease impacting U.S. beef cattle, research by JD Taylor, et al. found. ...

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4:16

Rodeo Officially Montana's State Sport

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/11/20

Many states have a state sport that embodies the spirit and essence of the state. For instance, the state sport of Alaska is dog sledding, the state sport of California is surfing, etc. In the spring of this year, rodeo became the official sport of Montana, passed by the Montana legislature. Greg Overstreet, Montana Representative for the 88th district, was the sponsor of the bill to make rodeo the state sport. He believes rodeo “symbolizes and captures the Montana spirit like nothing else.” ...

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3:02

Comments by the Publisher 11.20.25

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/11/20

I am going to start out this week with a comment I came across over this past weekend, that in my mind, really sums up with what we are dealing with at this time. It comes from Dr. Andrew Griffith, assistant professor and livestock marketing specialist for the Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics at University of Tennessee. Dr. Griffith wrote, “It has become clear that beef cattle producers are concerned about the negative direction of cattle prices stemming from national leadersh...

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2:12

CattleCon 2026 Prepares Next Generation of Producers

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/11/19

College students and recent graduates are encouraged to attend CattleCon 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee, February 3-5, to help them prepare for careers in the cattle industry. Future agricultural leaders will have the opportunity to engage with potential employers during the new “Career Crawl” at the NCBA Trade Show on Thursday, February 5. “The largest cattle industry event of the year is a great place for the next generation to network with some of our industry’s most impactful companies,” Na...

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2:49

A Look Into the Markets - Grain Spreads: Sell the...

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/11/18

Written Friday, November 14 USDA cut its corn crop estimate 62 million bushels from the September report. The average yield declined 0.7 bu. to 186.0 bushels per acre, though still 6.7 bu. above last year’s record. Harvested area was unchanged at 90.047 million acres. The 186 United States national yield was made up of increased yields in Illinois, Indiana, South Dakota, and Kansas. In Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri yields were lower according to the USDA. Overall, the report can be considered...

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0:37

AFBF on WOTUS Rule

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/11/18

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers’ proposed Waters of the United States rule. “Clean water is a top priority for farmers and ranchers – we depend on it. We are pleased that the new rule protects critical water sources while respecting the efforts of farmers to protect the natural resources they’ve been entrusted with. “The Supreme Court clearly ruled several years ago that the government overreached in its interpretat...

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7:03

Senator Sheehy Reflects on Trump's Argentina Deal -...

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/10/25

On October 22, following a contentious week of debate surrounding President Donald Trump’s deal with Argentina to lower the price of beef in the United States, USDA released a 13 page “Plan to Fortify the American Beef Industry.” The plan focuses on three priorities, which include: protecting and improving ranching as a business; expanding processing capabilities, market access, and improving consumer transparency; and increasing demand while growing domestic supply. Prior to USDA’s official ...

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8:02

Banjo - Daisy's New Friend

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/10/25

Last week, Daisy felt awful. She battled with her conscience and wanted to right the wrong she’d been a part of but didn’t know how or what she was going to do when she found Rascal in the mountains. But he found her first and mocked her for wanting to make good on his prank. Will Daisy get a chance to convince Rascal to fix what he’s done or will he get away again? “Crunch, crunch, crunch,” the carpet of the wood’s recently fallen leaves sounded as the animal walked across them. Daisy turned...

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