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Western Ag Reporter Podcast

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5:24

Tips for Targeting Perennials, Biennials, and Winter...

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/09/18

As the growing season winds down and pastures go dormant, weed management might not be top of mind – but fall can be one of the most effective times to control some of our toughest rangeland invaders. Fall offers a window of opportunity, especially for targeting perennial and biennial weeds. Understanding which species respond best to fall control and how weather affects treatment success can help improve rangeland productivity and reduce weed pressure heading into next spring. Why Fall Matte...

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5:18

U.S. Maintains Scrapie Status

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/09/18

Scrapie is a fatal disease affecting the central nervous system of sheep and goats. APHIS classifies it as a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy that leads to “significant production losses” in infected flocks. Currently, the United States is not scrapie free according to World Organization for Animal Health standards. “Essentially, what it {scrapie} is, is mad cow disease for sheep,” Chris Posbergh, assistant professor of sheep production at Montana State University, described. The disea...

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2:58

Comments by the Publisher 9.18.25

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/09/18

It was a topsy-turvy week as far as cattle futures were concerned last week with big corrections on the board. I am not going to go into every detail, but what I did want to talk about concerning this subject was people talking doom-and-gloom that the cattle markets have peaked and maybe we are heading the other direction. The “bears” were out in full force. Some folks even went so far as to say the correction in cattle futures last week was due to demand for beef weakening. I can’t emphasize...

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2:35

Independent Ranchers Meet With White House, USDA,...

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/09/18

Independent cattle producers from eight states traveled to Washington, D.C., last week as part of R-CALF USA’s fly-in, delivering a clear message: food security is national security, and the prosperity of America’s ranching families must be central to America First policymaking. The group met with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and other USDA senior advisors, White House staff in the Executive Office of the President, and officials from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representativ...

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2:59

Tebeliuses Named 2025 RAAA Commercial Producer of the...

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/09/18

Jon and Patty Tebelius of Bowdon, North Dakota, were recognized as the Red Angus Association of America’s 2025 Commercial Producer of the Year during the 72nd Annual National Red Angus Convention in Loveland, Colorado. The award honors cattle producers who successfully use Red Angus genetics to strengthen their herds and employ innovative marketing practices that add value to their calf crops. The Tebelius herd has evolved from a mixed group of Simmental, Hereford, Charolais and Angus-cross c...

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6:22

Do You Qualify for the JBS Antitrust Settlement?

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/08/28

In 2019, a class-action lawsuit alleging anticompetitive practices by JBS, Tyson, Cargill, and National Beef (collectively referred to as the Big Four) was jointly filed by National Farmers Union, R-CALF USA, and four individual ranchers. In February 2025, following an extensive discovery period, the court gave preliminary approval of an .5 million settlement with JBS; the court gave final approval of the settlement on August 15. Specifically, the plaintiffs claim that the Big Four packers vi...

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5:14

July Inventory Report Hints at Modest Herd Rebuilding

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/08/28

In their regular Agricultural Market Situation and Outlook webinar, extension specialists from North Dakota State University highlighted the state of agricultural outputs and byproducts in the last month including crops, biofuels, and livestock. A highlight this month was Tim Petry’s discussion and analysis of the newly reinstated July Cattle Inventory Report, which was not issued in 2024 due to budgetary reasons. Breaking down cowherd numbers across the country, drought conditions, and the f...

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4:57

Leader Creates Unique Opportunities for Cloverbuds

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/08/28

For over 30 years, Barb Larsen has been involved in 4-H in Toole County, Montana. Over the years, she has stepped into leadership roles, developed programs, taught workshops, been a 4-H camp nurse, founded a club, been on committees, along with a whole host of other achievements throughout her years in the program. In a nomination letter for Montana State University’s Agriculture Leader Award, fellow 4-H leader, Lindsey Habets, described Larsen as a “powerhouse” whose “fingerprints are all ov...

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4:57

Leader Creates Unique Opportunities for Cloverbuds

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/08/28

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2:30

Comments by the Publisher 8.28.25

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/08/28

I think all of us were anticipating another very bullish Cattle on Feed Report last Friday. Yet some analysts called it slightly bearish, because placements were only down 6 percent instead of the 8.9 percent estimated pre-report. Here is what didn’t make sense at all to me while looking at the Cattle on Feed Report, aside from the fact placements were down 6 percent as compared to last year. Here is the breakdown of the weight categories placed on feed in July. Net placements came in at 1.55...

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6:20

Editor's Perspective - The Wild Horse Crisis: My...

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/08/28

On August 18, an opinion piece titled “Wild horses are pitted against grazing cattle in a battle for survival across the West” appeared in the Greeley Tribune and the Denver Post in Colorado. The author, Jennifer Best, is a member of the wildlife law team for the organization “Friends of Animals.” The stated goal of the organization is to “…free animals from cruelty and institutionalized exploitation around the world.” In this piece, Best claims that “Colorado does not have a wild horse probl...

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1:42

Leadership Change for SD FFA Foundation

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/08/25

After many years of service in various roles, Gretchen Sharp resigned from the South Dakota FFA Foundation in July to dedicate time to other endeavors. Serving as Executive Assistant from 2010-2025 and Executive Director from 2001-2010, she left a lasting mark on our organization. Gretchen’s contributions have been widely recognized, including the Honorary State FFA Degree in 2004, SD Association of Agricultural Educators Honorary Membership in 2005, and the Honorary American Degree—the organ...

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7:26

Banjo - Enlisting Help from the CIA

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/08/23

“Did you see the jam?” Tuff asked. Banjo nodded. “I did,” he said. “Do you suppose it really is huckleberry?” “That’s what the label says,” Tuff said. “And the mama wouldn’t lie about her prize jam.” “That’s a fact. I thought maybe she was trying a new batch with another berry. I shouldn’t have even thought it might not be the real thing,” Banjo said. “With that bear muddling up our huckleberry picking, we missed helping her. She must have hiked into a new secret patch and picked more so she ...

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3:27

It's the Pitts - Our Other Immigration Problem

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/08/23

I bet you can’t guess what creature is the most dangerous in the world? I thought it was wolves, but it’s flies. That’s because they carry and spread more diseases than any other animal or insect in the world. Which begs the question...why didn’t Noah grab his big old fly swatter and kill both flies on the Ark when he had the chance? I was reading about the flies that spread New World screwworm when I came up with an idea that could solve another deadly immigration problem that is spreading m...

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4:16

Reader Opinion - Put America's Cattle Producers First

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/08/23

President Trump called out Australia for its policy of allowing imports of U.S. beef only if the beef came from cattle born and raised in the United States. In other words, Australia was allowing U.S. beef to be imported, but only if the beef was exclusively USA beef – not beef from cattle that had been imported from Mexico or Canada. On average, Australia imported about 1.8 million pounds of beef each year from the United States over the past 10 years. That’s roughly the live cattle equivale...

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3:20

South Dakota Backgrounder Finds Deworming Success

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/08/22

Return on investment (ROI) is a top priority when it comes to a parasite management program, says Jesse Rave, backgrounder from Dell Rapids, South Dakota. Getting calves started on a healthy path is important for a positive return. The calves come in weighing 600 to 900 pounds and are finished out in one of Rave’s two feedlots. “We used to only work calves once, usually 24 hours after arrival,” he said. Depending on their incoming weight and days on feed, calves would typically receive a gene...

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0:24

Agri-Kid of the Week - Natalee Niederegger

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/08/22

Agri-kid of the week, Natalee Niederegger, from Harlem, Montana, roping and dragging calves for branding on the ranch. She is nine years old, and she has wanted to rope and drag calves since she was just a small fry. After lots of years of practice and persistence, it paid off. Dreams come true with hard work! Photo courtesy of Brittany Niederegger. Article Link

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6:43

Cooking - Back to School

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/08/22

The first day of school is upon us, and I am about to experience my 61st first day of school as a student, teacher, or administrator. No wonder I am so tired, and no wonder readers are thinking, “For the love of God, woman, hang up your ruler!” I have a picture on my desk that I received from a reader back in 2009. I look at it every year before school starts and tell myself I can do this because I am fulfilling my destiny. The picture sent to me by Ruth Knapp Coulter of Brussett, Montana, is...

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3:22

Prairie Ponderings - Pondering Pushing Just a Little...

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/08/21

My daughter, Abby, my friend, Colleen, and I grabbed the opportunity for a pack trip to the mountains last week. We planned to ride both familiar and unexplored trails for a couple of days, take a few deep breaths, and pause the chaos swirling among our respective to-do lists. We had no idea we were about to learn the importance of pushing ourselves just a little farther. We started out in the afternoon, so by the time our feet hit the stirrups, we had about two hours of daylight left. We hea...

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2:37

Wyoming Wool Initiative Launches Fourth Annual...

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/08/21

The Wyoming Wool Initiative, in partnership with the University of Wyoming College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources, is now accepting applications for its 2025-2026 Lamb-a-Year program. This flagship program, now in its fourth year, offers UW students valuable industry experience and provides regional sheep producers with individualized lamb quality data. “Lamb-a-Year is a value discovery program where producers donate lambs, we feed out those lambs here at the Laramie Rese...

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