WLSB members provide update from recent meeting

Laramie – WyoTech hosted the Wyoming Livestock Board (WLSB) meeting on Jan. 20. WLSB Director Steve True and President Shaun Sims would like to sincerely thank WyoTech for hosting the meeting and giving the group a tour.

WLSB members including True, Sims and State Veterinarian Dr. Hallie Hasel further discussed topics which may have caused confusion for the public at the meeting. Board members would like to reassure the public there will be a time for comments and discussion on these topics in the near future.

Budget cuts

Gov. Mark Gordon established budget reductions impacting the WLSB General Fund portion of the Brand Inspection and Recording 

program. Gordon’s phase two and phase three budget reductions will amount to $656,533 in general fund reductions to the Brand Inspection Recording Program.

The WLSB is proposing small fee increases to offset the majority of that amount over the next two years. These increases do not include regular cattle or sheep inspection fees.

True says the fee increase will “allow the WLSB to continue to operate the Inspection and Recording program in the manner our producers are accustomed to.”

According to True, a public notice will be released within the next 30 days on plans for the fees and public comment will be welcomed.

Trichomoniasis
testing of bulls

The WLSB wrote an order for trichomoniasis testing of all bulls in a special focus area in 2013, which was later revised in 2017. Producers located within Uinta County, Lincoln County – excluding the area north and east of Fontenelle Creek Road – and Sweetwater County, south of Interstate 80, are considered to be within the special focus area.

True says a producer went through the process of asking the board to hear his comments to rescind this      order at the meeting last week. Since it is a board order, the board can choose to continue, amend or rescind the specific order. Time was taken at this past meeting to hear the initial comment, and the board is offering no action at this time, says True.

“Our next board meeting will be geared towards this issue in order to elicit as much public comment as we can and to continue that discussion,” says True.

Chapter 15 rules deal with the disease separate and apart from the focus area. According to Hasel, the rules were established for import into the state of Wyoming.

“I would like to emphasize we are not intending to change our Chapter 15 trichomoniasis rules at this time, including the requirement for bulls to be tested annually on communal grazing properties,” says Hasel.

She says although the board isn’t intending to change the Chapter 15 rules, they are taking a serious look at the trichomoniasis board order.

Sims says it’s important for producers to know the difference between the board order and the Chapter 15 rules. 

“The board order special focus area has a few more requirements, but the requirements under Chapter 15 would still be in place, even if the board rescinded the special focus area,” says Sims.

Sims notes the board hasn’t made a decision, and they want to gather more information and hear public comment at the next board meeting. He says the board will try to hold the next meeting in the southwestern portion of the state.

“This will give a chance for those producers in that area to come and make their comments and give the board some direction on how they feel it needs to go,” Sims says.

“There will be plenty of opportunity for producers to weigh in on that,” adds True.

Brucellosis testing

“We are also taking a cursory look at the brucellosis rules,” says Sims, “It’s mostly just cleaning up the rules and terminology changes.”

Hasel notes the board is not changing the Designated Surveillance Area (DSA) boundaries for brucellosis at this time or putting in any recommendations to change them. She says the board isn’t looking at changing the brucellosis testing requirements at this time.

“What we are doing is improving the brucellosis reimbursement process for our veterinarians. That’s one of our primary focuses,” says Hasel.

She says the board is also considering changing some terminology, including changing the previous name from “brucellosis area of concern” to possibly a different name that doesn’t sound quite so “ominous” to surrounding state counter     parts.

Sims says these rules haven’t been moved forward to the comment process.

“If they do move forward, we will certainly get them out so there can be public comment on it,” Sims says, “We currently aren’t contemplating any major changes in the brucellosis rules.”

Kaitlyn Root is an editor for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.