14 CapitalPress.com
March 27, 2015
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Dairy/Livestock
Dairy
Markets
Lee Mielke
Mid-March
dairy prices
heading
lower
By LEE MIELKE
For the Capital Press
C
ash block Cheddar cheese
closed Friday in Chicago
at $1.54 per pound, down
3 cents on the week and a whop-
ping 88 3/4-cents below a year
ago, when it reached the second
highest peak of 2014, $2.4275.
You recall it peaked at a record
high $2.45 in mid-September.
The blocks slipped a penny
Monday but were unchanged
Tuesday, holding at $1.53 per
pound.
The barrel Cheddar closed
Friday at $1.52, down 2
1/2-cents on the week and 79
cents below a year ago. They
dropped 3 cents Monday but
regained two cents Tuesday, to
close at $1.51. Fourteen cars
of block were sold last week in
the cash market and only one of
barrel.
Cash butter finished Friday
at $1.68 per pound, down 1
1/2-cents on the week and 24
cents below a year ago. It was
unchanged Monday and Tues-
day. Only three cars were sold
last week in the spot market.
Cash Grade A nonfat dry
milk continued its decline, clos-
ing Friday at 97 1/2-cents per
pound, down 1 3/4-cents and
the lowest spot price since Jan.
22. The powder was unchanged
Monday and Tuesday. Seven
carloads were sold last week at
the CME.
File photo/Associated Press
Two sage grouse roosters challenge each other for hens. A coalition of Western counties and ranching, mining and energy associations is challenging reports government
agencies are using to make public lands and endangered species listing decisions for greater sage grouse.
Coalition challenges agencies’ science on sage grouse
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
A coalition of Western
counties and ranching, min-
ing and energy associations
filed three formal challenges
this week against the Bureau
of Land Management, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service and
U.S. Geological Survey over
the reports the agencies are
using to make public lands
and endangered species list-
ing decisions for greater sage
grouse.
The “Challenges for Cor-
rection of Information” were
filed under the Data Quality
Act.
The coalition contends
the agencies are using se-
lective and flawed science
to justify top-down restric-
tive measures that will dam-
age Western communities
in sage grouse habitat while
discouraging more effective
state and local conservation
efforts.
The agencies are justi-
fying their approach with
faulty information that ig-
nores a large body of scien-
tific literature on the species,
while not being transparent
about their actions, said
Kathleen Sgamma, vice
president of government and
public affairs for the West-
ern Energy Alliance.
The coalition had to file
lawsuits under the Freedom
of Information Act against
each of the three agencies
to get the agencies’ reports,
which should have been pub-
licly available, she said.
Kent
Holsinger
of
Holsinger Law, Denver, at-
torney for the coalition, said
in a press release the coa-
lition’s scientific and legal
team analyzed that data and
found extensive flaws in the
agencies’ science as well as
exaggerated impacts from
human activities and an ig-
noring of real threats like
predation and natural fluctu-
ations.
“We have repeatedly
pointed out the flaws in their
science. But rather than tak-
ing that input constructively,
they have persisted with in-
complete and erroneous in-
formation,” Sgamma said.
The coalition is not sure if
the Fish and Wildlife Service
is leaning toward listing sage
grouse — which would affect
private, state and federal land
— but the land use restric-
tions coming down the pike
would be at least as onerous
as an endangered species list-
ing, Sgamma said.
“It’s an enormous threat to
the West,” she said.
BLM and the U.S. For-
but will also preserve the
Western way of life.
“We are working hand in
hand with states, local com-
munities, ranchers, sports-
men and other stakehold-
ers. It’s worth noting that
USDA’s Natural Resources
Conservation Service and its
partners in the Sage-Grouse
Initiative have worked with
private landowners to restore
4.4 million acres of habitat
for sage-grouse while main-
taining working landscapes
across the West.
“Science is at the heart of
this effort, and the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service will
make a final decision based
on the best available science
to review the status of the
species and the ability of the
plans and other conservation
efforts to address threats to
the greater sage-grouse hab-
itat.”
S. Idaho Livestock Hall of
Fame to honor inductees
Milk production up
1.7 percent
U.S. milk production topped
that of a year ago for the 14th
consecutive month, according
to preliminary data in March
19’s February Milk Production
report. The Agriculture De-
partment estimates output in
the top 23 producing states at
15.1 billion pounds, up 1.7 per-
cent from February 2014. The
50-state total, at 16.2 billion
pounds, was also up 1.7 percent
from a year ago.
Revisions raised the original
January 23-state estimate by 17
million pounds, now reported
at 16.5 billion pounds, up 2.2
percent from a year ago.
February cow numbers in
the 23 states, at 8.62 million
head, were up 2,000 head from
January and 106,000 more than
a year ago. The 50-state count,
at 9.3 million head, is up 3,000
from January and 100,000
more than a year ago.
February output per cow in
the 23 states averaged 1,757
pounds, up 8 pounds from Feb-
ruary 2014, and the highest pro-
duction per cow for the month
of February since the 23-state
series began in 2003.
est Service plan to finalize
their land use plans for sage
grouse habitat in a June time
frame, she said.
Sgamma said the Fish and
Wildlife Service’s report in
particular fits in with BLM’s
restrictions on public lands
that push toward uniform
restrictions in the West. But
states in the West are quite
different from one another,
requiring different manage-
ment practices, she said.
“One size fits all super-
sedes actual on-the-ground
work states are doing,” she
said.
In an emailed response,
Department of Interior stat-
ed: “We are engaged in an
unprecedented, collaborative
partnership across 11 states
to put in place smart and
effective conservation mea-
sures that will not only ben-
efit the greater sage-grouse,
Capital Press
The Southern Idaho Live-
stock Hall of Fame will hon-
or its newest inductees on
April 14 in Twin Falls.
This year’s inductees are:
dairy producers Hill and
Ann Brandsma, Wendell;
cow-calf producers DeVern
and Barbara Fuller, Twin
Falls; sheep producer John
W. “Bill” Jones, Hagerman;
feedlot operators Arnold and
Cecilia Patterson, Declo;
cow-calf producers Allen and
Kim Thompson, King Hill;
and cattle trader Carole Sten-
nett, Buhl.
The honorees will be in-
ducted April 14 during the or-
ganization’s 56th annual ban-
quet at the Turf Club in Twin
Falls. Social time begins at
6:30 p.m. with dinner at 7 p.m.
Tickets for the prime rib
dinner are $25 and available
at Northwest Farm Cred-
it Services, 815 N. College
Road, Twin Falls, or by call-
ing Eric Bennett at (208)
732-1077.
Capital Press file
USDA officials are considering a federal milk marketing order for California. A series of meetings on
the topic is planned for May.
USDA plans federal milk order
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
USDA has set three out-
reach meetings in California
in May to review proposals
it has received to establish
a federal milk marketing or-
der in the state, according to
a notice from the agency.
The meetings will give
USDA officials an oppor-
tunity to explain the federal
order rulemaking process
and allow proposal sponsors
the opportunity to explain
the technical details of their
submissions.
Agendas for the meet-
ings will be released af-
ter the April 10 deadline
for submitting additional
13-1/#5
proposals.
Attendees are encour-
aged to pre-register at www.
ams.usda.gov under dairy
programs.
The meetings will begin
at 9 a.m. and are set for:
• May 5: California State
University-Chico,
Bell
Memorial Student Union,
Room 203.
• May 6: Picadilly Inn
airport, Fresno.
• May 7: Los Angeles
County Farm Bureau, Palm-
dale.
For more information,
call (202) 720-4392.
‘Obamacow’ bill to help
Missouri’s dairy industry
heads to governor
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.
(AP) — Lawmakers on
Thursday sent a bill aimed at
spurring growth in Missouri’s
dairy industry to Democratic
Gov. Jay Nixon’s desk, one
of the first bills to make it that
far this session.
Touted by sponsor Rep.
Bill Reiboldt, R-Neosho, as
the Dairy Revitalization Act,
the measure earned a second
nickname Thursday: “Obama-
cow.” The name stems from
a provision of the bill that
would subsidize federal dairy
insurance for up to 70 percent
of farmers’ premium pay-
ments.
Before voting in favor of
the bill, Republican Sen. Ryan
Silvey of Kansas City ques-
tioned helping provide dairy
insurance while the majority
party has resisted growing a
federal health care program
for low-income adults. Sil-
vey is one of the few GOP
members who this session has
joined Democrats in calling to
expand eligibility for Medic-
aid.
13-1/#8