The Future of Ranching in Wyoming

Candidate statement for Cow Country Magazine

One of the most significant ways we can improve the future of agriculture in Wyoming is by addressing the greatest single pressure on livestock producers today: drought. I have begun by working with the Legislature to emphasize water development projects. From the $97 million we have invested in Water Development Account III for large storage projects to the money we have made available through the wind and solar-stock water initiative, we have worked to make more of Wyoming's water available to its people. Practically, today's producers will not likely experience the benefit of one drop of the water that will be developed through Water Account III - but the future of the next generation of farmers and ranchers will be exponentially better because of the foresight and investments made by this generation.

We must also continue our efforts to take full advantage of today's favorable market conditions, especially with the return of our Brucellosis-Free status. In 2003, the resolve of Wyoming's agricultural community was put to the test. Following the loss of our Free status, many suggested that we split the state, east and west, and cut our losses. But when I met with producers, from across the state, they wanted the chance to find a solution that would work for all Wyoming ranchers. So I called on folks from places like Boulder, Lost Cabin and Osage to work with legislators, wildlife managers and reasonable sportsmen and women to craft a plan to move us forward. Not three years later, Wyoming has regained its Class-Free status, a remarkable feat when judged against the fact that Texas has been Class A since 1994. While we certainly still have work to do, the experience of the Brucellosis Team demonstrates the determination of today's ranchers to safeguard their way of life for future generations. To this end, I remain committed to the premise that we must stand together and not forget those producers in western Wyoming that, in the near term, must continue with stepped-up testing requirements.

Finally, the agriculture sector will benefit from ongoing, vigilant attention to implementing the Endangered Species Act in a way that works for Wyoming. The ESA is a well-intentioned law. Unfortunately, in the case of the grizzly bear, wolf and Preble's mouse, the Act's promise has been converted to significant burdens on the future of Wyoming's ranchers. In the context of the grizzly, our problem has been that the federal government keeps moving the line - both in terms of the "recovery" goal and literally in terms of the size of the grizzly bear recovery area - leading to more predation on livestock and affecting more private land and federal and state permittees. With the wolf, the federal government has ignored its own science, which it is statutorily required to follow, and disregarded the tenuous compromise that we in Wyoming worked so hard to forge. And in the absence of state management of wolves, the Department of the Interior has continued to mismanage the species, in many cases by not managing at all, and negatively impacted the state's livestock producers and wildlife populations. Finally, in the case of the Preble's meadow jumping mouse, the Fish and Wildlife Service has seemed to find every possible way to not correct an obvious listing error, and in the process, impacted irrigation and grazing practices across eastern Wyoming. This is not to say that we have not experienced success. I would submit that our work and attentiveness with the black and white-tailed prairie dogs, sage grouse, mountain plover and pygmy rabbit fended off potentially devastating listing decisions in our state. Despite these successes, if Wyoming's agricultural heritage is going to be available to the next generation, the Act, and how it is implemented, must see some reform.

In the last four years, we have made great strides. Relying on a culture of cooperation and "putting Wyoming first," the Legislature and I have worked together to invest in the people of this state and accomplish great things on your behalf. I am confident that if we stay the course, we can continue to build a vibrant and stable future, in agriculture and other sectors of our economy, for our children and grandchildren.