JACKSON -- Ranchers in some areas of the state have differing views of whether Wyoming's proposed new wolf plan is good or bad news for their business.Some ranchers in the Upper Green River Valley area -- where wolves would receive no protection under the current draft plan -- would rather see their lands incorporated into a proposed trophy game zone for wolves. That's because with trophy game status, the ranchers would have help with wolf control and would be reimbursed for livestock losses, actions that would not happen outside the trophy game zone.But around Cody, some ranchers within the proposed trophy game area would rather see so-called predator status for wolves there, so they could have greater flexibility in controlling problem wolves.The Wyoming Game and Fish Department, for its part, says the draft plan is a balance between the two interests.

County Fair dips into technology with new livestock practice

The Santa Barbara County Fair will require livestock exhibitors to supply DNA samples of their animals to verify ownership this year.

Youth exhibitors will collect 40 hairs, which will be collected 60 days prior to the fair for sheep, swine and goats and 120 days prior to the fair for heifers and steers.

"It's a way of reducing chances of exhibitors cheating, where they are replacing an animal last-minute," said Joe Brengle, deputy manager for the fair. "It's an easier and more exact way of identifying the animals than the prior method."

Previously, the livestock were ear-tagged, but Brengle said there are ways to take ear tags from one animal and place them on another.

Owners had to physically take their animals to the fair to be ear-tagged but with the DNA method, exhibitors can leave their animals at home.

An open letter to the U.S. cattle industry:

Sharon McDonald, wife of former R-CALF USA director Dennis McDonald, and former member Judie Manuel have been submitting letters to various publications that mislead readers by asserting that litigation against former directors and members has absolutely no basis, that the lawsuits are frivolous and wasting producer dollars.No organization is without occasional problems and disagreements. Normally, their letters should not merit a response; however, R-CALF has had major impacts for producers with its positions on BSE, the Canadian border, and in its role in resolving the problems with COOL n placing it back on track as originally intended: the labeling of foreign cattle/products as such, and not the costly, surrogate program for domestic animal ID, which COOL had become.

Conservation district targets prairie dogs

They're fuzzy.They're cute and cuddly.They carry the plague.Prairie dogs also can rival the grass consumption of cattle, said Deena McDaniels, manager of the Natrona County Conservation District.The district has mounted a program to control prairie dogs through poisoning and natural predators, although an environmental group disputes the effectiveness of such programs.Prairie dogs in Natrona County have expanded their territory as the long-running drought has forced them to seek greener pastures. .

LDWF adds wildlife disease page to Web site

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Wildlife Disease Program has created a page within the LDWF Web site designed to provide current and timely information on wildlife diseases, mortality events and other critical news updates related to wildlife diseases in Louisiana.

The Web page is located at www.wlf.louisiana.gov/education/wildlifedisease.

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