[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 107 (Monday, June 21, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4654-S4655]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    THE REAL CHALLENGES OF RANCHING

  Mr. BARRASSO. Madam President, I rise today to submit for the record 
a column written by Mr. Jim Magagna, executive vice president of the 
Wyoming Stock Growers Association, entitled ``Magagna: The Real 
Challenges of Ranching.'' The article was published on June 2 of this 
year.
  I recently spoke at the 2021 Wyoming Cattle Industry Convention and 
Trade Show, ``Positioning Wyoming's Beef Industry for Success,'' hosted 
by the 149-year-old Wyoming Stock Growers Association in Sheridan. This 
convention focused on both the challenges and the opportunities that 
producers have before them. Jim says it best: Some of these are just 
simply challenging opportunities.
  I urge my colleagues to stand with ranchers like Jim Magagna and the 
ranchers that he represents. Stand with those who understand the land 
best and not with extremists who do not know how to run a farm, a 
ranch, or a small business.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

       Ranching in Wyoming begins with a dedicated, often multi-
     generational, ranching family or a highly qualified dedicated 
     ranch manager. Beyond this foundation, success on an annual 
     basis is driven primarily by three factors--the weather, the 
     markets and the government. When two of these are positive, 
     most ranchers would describe their year as a ``success''. In 
     that rare year when all three factors are particularly 
     favorable, the seasoned rancher saves dollars in preparation 
     for the inevitable bad year.

[[Page S4655]]

       2020, given the impacts of COVID, was a year of ``all of 
     the above'' and more. The daily chores and challenges of 
     operating the ranch continued. With livestock needing to be 
     fed, and calved or lambed there was no unemployment. While 
     others struggled to adjust to having their children home 
     doing remote learning, many ranchers just welcomed the extra 
     help from the kids. A major challenge was driving long 
     distances into town for supplies, only to find that many of 
     the needed items were not available.
       Livestock markets crashed in the spring of 2020, but 
     returned to a more normal range by the time that most Wyoming 
     ranchers were facing fall marketing. Government policies were 
     stable and somewhat friendly toward agriculture. While some 
     areas of Wyoming experienced drought, most ranchers were able 
     to maintain their herds with some added supplemental feeding. 
     Federal payments through the CARES Act provided significant 
     relief for some. Looking back, two of the three factors could 
     be deemed to have been positive at some time during the year.
       While the impacts of COVID have lessened, 2021 is evolving 
     as a much more challenging year for many Wyoming ranchers 
     than 2020 when assessed by the three factors. Drought clearly 
     rises to the top of concerns faced by producers across most 
     of the state. Northwestern Wyoming experienced good winter 
     snowfall and the very southeastern portion has had 
     significant spring moisture. However, the majority of Wyoming 
     is suffering from both a shortage of irrigation water and a 
     lack of soil moisture. As a result, we are seeing a worrisome 
     reduction in the number of summer pasture cattle coming into 
     the state as well as the sale of replacement heifers that had 
     been retained in the fall of 2020. This will have impacts on 
     production for at least the next several years.
       The change in administrations in Washington, DC this year 
     has added another high level of uncertainty to Wyoming 
     ranching. While some degree of uncertainty accompanies any 
     political change, the rhetoric and fast-paced issuance of 
     Executive and Secretarial Orders by the current 
     administration has been particularly frightening. The 
     rhetoric that surrounds ``30 x 30'', ``Make America 
     Beautiful'', ``Climate Change'' and other initiatives to date 
     lacks any substantive detail to enable our assessment of how 
     it might affect Wyoming's agriculture industry.
       Cattle market events in recent years have given cattle 
     producers both needed wake-up call and a new path forward. 
     Our beef marketing chain clearly has a bottleneck at the 
     processing level. This both increases risk when an event such 
     as COVID impacts a major facility, and concentrates market 
     control in too few hands. Consumer interest in buying local 
     and knowing where their food comes from has provided new 
     marketing opportunities for some producers. In the span of 
     two years Wyoming has gone from having only one federally 
     inspected processing facility to nine facilities either 
     operating or under construction. New larger facilities being 
     developed across the nation, including in Idaho and Nebraska, 
     will provide greater competition and lessen dependence on the 
     ``Big Four'' U.S. beef processors. Efforts by the industry 
     and the Wyoming Business Council continue to attract larger 
     processors to Wyoming.
       A discussion of ranching' s challenges would not be 
     complete without acknowledging the emergence of ``fake 
     meat''--both plant-based and lab-cultured products. While 
     these products have received tremendous publicity, 
     endorsement by celebrities and are now offered in some retail 
     establishments, they have not emerged as a threat to the 
     demand for high-quality beef and lamb.
       Yes, ranching today is faced with significant emerging 
     challenges. Fortunately, these challenges are leading to 
     exciting new opportunities. Exploring these opportunities 
     will be the focus of the 2021 Wyoming Cattle Industry 
     Convention and Trade Show, ``Positioning Wyoming's Beef 
     industry for Success'' hosted by the 149 year-old Wyoming 
     Stock Growers Association in Sheridan June 2-4.

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