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ICOW elects new officers

The board of directors of the Independent Cattlemen of Wyoming met in Casper, Wyo., on Jan. 15, 2018, to elect new officers.

With the new officers up and running, they are currently tackling such issues looming in the legislative budget session such as fighting the tax issue of raising property taxes by 2 percent (in reality more, when viewing the method of calculation), a sales tax to be put on all current exemptions including medical expenses, health insurance premiums, groceries, etc., affecting not only ICOW members, but all Wyoming citizens, and a preliminary gross receipts bill which would require documentation from every businesses’ gross (not net) receipts to the secretary of state’s office, for future “potential sources of revenue,” i.e. taxes. Once they gather that information, they can move forward to passing such a bill in the future. New officers who are leading the charge from 2018 through 2019 are: Bobby Giesse, president, Les Barkhurst, vice-president, Nina David, secretary and Joyce Menke, treasurer. New directors were nominated at the annual meeting in November, and subsequently voted on by the members. Directors are divided into regions, and the terms are staggered. Current directors are: District 1 (Laramie, Goshen, Platte) Mark Bebo and Larry Goyen; District 2 (Carbon, Albany, Sweetwater) Les Barkhurst, Joyce Menke; District 3 (Teton, Sublette, Lincoln, Uinta) Jim Jensen, Nina David; District 4 (Campbell, Johnson, Sheridan) John Hanson, Nathan Williams; District 5 (Park, Big Horn, Washakie, Hot Springs) Stanley Jones; District 6 (Crook, Weston, Niobrara) Bobby Giesse, Justin Gerstner; District 7 (Fremont, Natrona, Converse) W. Frank Eathorne, Tammy Delyea.

Smith to serve on congressional delegation to NAFTA negotiations



WASHINGTON — Congressman Adrian Smith, R-Neb., was selected to serve on the congressional delegation that traveled to North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations in Montreal last week, where he met with negotiators, government officials and business leaders to stress the importance of the trade agreement. “NAFTA is vital to Nebraska agriculture, and I have been focused throughout the negotiations on making the case to do no harm to the ag economy,” Smith said. “I am pleased to have the opportunity to serve on this congressional delegation and bring Nebraska’s voice to the table in the next round of NAFTA talks. As negotiations move forward, I will continue to lead on this crucial issue and work to strengthen the market access ag producers have achieved under NAFTA.” Smith serves on the Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over trade.

Wiseman named interim Colorado State Fair general manager



PUEBLO, Colo. — The Colorado Department of Agriculture is reviewing applications for the vacant Colorado State Fair general manager position. Until that position is filled, former CDA Deputy Commissioner Chris Wiseman has been named as interim general manager. The vacancy was created when Sarah Cummings, the fair’s general manager since 2015, accepted the executive director position for the Western Fairs Association headquartered in her home state of California. Wiseman retired from CDA in November 2017, after 23 years of state service, 18 of those at the Colorado State Fair. A Pueblo native, he began his association with the fair while serving as an aide to former Gov. Roy Romer. In 1996, Romer assigned Wiseman to assist in the expo’s return to state government. In 1998, he became assistant manager of the fair and in October of 2004, he was named general manager. In 2015, Wiseman was named deputy commissioner for the Colorado Department of Agriculture. He retired from that position in 2018. The Colorado State Fair runs Aug. 24-Sept. 3, 2018. For more information, visit http://www.coloradostatefair.com.

National 4-H Roundup contest results

The 2017 Western National Roundup was held in Denver Jan. 4-7, 2018. Two teams from the Boulder County 4-H Horse Program represented Colorado at this event in the Horse Classic as a result of winning their respective contests at the Colorado 4-H State Conference in June. In a close contest, the Boulder County 4-H judging team, consisting of Bennett Groshong, Melanie Hansen and Katherine Cannady, and coached by Rachel LeClere, tied in points for the championship and were named reserve champion as a result of the tiebreaker, which was based on points awarded for reasons. The team placed fourth in halter, third in reasons and first in performance. Individual awards were: Bennett Groshong 17th in halter, 4th in performance, fourth in reasons, and fifth overall; Katherine Cannady fifth in halter, 14th in performance, seventh in reasons, and sixth overall; and Melanie Hansen fifth in performance, 10th in reasons and nineth overall. The Boulder County 4-H Horse Bowl Team, consisting of captain Reilly Dhaliwal, Ryleigh Corlett, Alora Klatka, Sam Trombly and Caitlin Steele, coached by Carmen Porter, were the champion Horse Bowl Team. Individually, four of the team members placed in the top 10. Alora Klatka was 10th, Reilly Dhaliwal was eighth, Ryleigh Corlett was fifth, and Sam Trombly placed as third overall individual. In addition, the two teams were contributors to the state of Colorado being awarded first place in the Horse Classic High State Overall Award, which combined team and individual contest placings from all the horse-related contests.

Four finalists named in NEFB YF&R discussion meet

OMAHA, Neb. — Chris Niemann of Dwight, Erin Norman of Crawford, Jason Perdue of York and Brady Revels of Omaha advanced to the final round of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers discussion meet to be held at the next NEFB Annual Convention in December. Eleanor Aufdenkamp of North Platte was named first alternate and Luke Norman of Crawford is the second alternate. Finalists received the top scores of contestants after competing in three rounds of the discussion meet at the YF&R Conference on Jan. 19-20. Niemann is a fourth-generation farmer who grows corn, soybeans and raises beef cattle on his family farm in Butler County, where he serves on his county Farm Bureau board. He and his wife, Ashely, have a son, 3-year-old Colton, who they hope will become the fifth generation to farm in their family. Erin Norman is a Dawes County Farm Bureau board member and she serves on the YF&R Committee. Norman is a teacher at Chadron State College and is a registered dietitian. She is currently working toward earning a PhD in public health. She lives on the family ranch with her husband, Luke, and their four children, Ada, 7, Ben, 5, Claire, 3, and Axel, 1. Perdue is a York County Farm Bureau member who works for a family-owned ag retail company that distributes crop protection products. He also serves as the York County Farm Bureau president and serves on the YF&R Committee. Perdue raises corn and soybeans, has a small cattle herd and is a contract poultry farmer. He and his wife, Karah, have four children Annah, 8, Lane, 7, Bennett, 4, and Jase, 2. Revels is a Douglas County Farm Bureau board member and serves on the YF&R Committee. He grew up on a family farm in Florida, but relocated to Nebraska when his job as a sales representative for an animal health company moved him to Omaha. He helps coach several area FFA judging teams and volunteers with the Nebraska State Dairy Contest. His wife, Katie, is a chiropractor. Aufdenkamp is a Lincoln County Farm Bureau member and a graduate of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis. She is currently studying agriculture education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her goals include becoming a high school ag teacher and FFA adviser. Aufdenkamp is heavily involved in her Collegiate Farm Bureau, livestock judging team, Collegiate Cattlemen and NCTA Women in Ag.

Luke Norman is a member of the Dawes County Farm Bureau board. He runs a cow/calf ranch in western Nebraska, is a feed salesman, and recently expanded the family business by selling registered Angus bulls. He ranches with his wife, Erin, and their four children, Ada, 7, Ben, 5, Claire, 3 and Axel, 1.

Krone NA names Fowler as president and CEO

Krone North America announced that Tommy Jones has resigned his role as president and CEO of the company. Jones has been replaced in that leadership role by Rusty Fowler, who led the company for 28 years, from 1986 through 2014. “Speaking on behalf of the entire Krone Organization, we want to thank Tommy for his contributions to the continued development of our company in North America,” Fowler said. “However, there are times when all parties involved realize that the leadership at the top must be adjusted to ensure consensus and alignment on business direction and goals. Fortunately, our existing leadership team averages over 25 years of experience with the company which will ensure a seamless transition following this change.” “I’m excited to have the pleasure to lead this company once again,” Fowler said. “Krone NA has always had a concentrated focus on our core values as an organization, as well as putting our dealers and customers first. That focus doesn’t change. We know that when they are successful, we are successful.”

USDA announces American Lamb Board appointments

WASHINGTON — Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the appointment of five members to serve on the American Lamb Board. The members appointed to serve three-year terms are: Sally J. Scholle, producer, Littlestown, Pa.; David Quam, producer, San Angelo, Texas; Peter J. Camino, feeder, Buffalo, Wyo.; Elizabeth A.W. dressler, first handler, Parker, Colo.; Greg Deakin, seedstock producer, Cuba, Ill. “These appointees represent a cross section of the lamb industry with great experience in the industry and I know they will help us better meet the needs of our American farmers, ranchers, and producers,” Perdue said. ❖


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