RBC | Vesicular stomatitis, or VS, is a virus that primarily afflicts horses and but can also affect pigs, sheep and goats. Flies and midges are the primary vector for the virus, which causes mouth ulcers and can cause lameness if it affects the coronal band, among other symptoms. It[Read More…]
Tag: Livestock
Moving livestock? Call Community Counts first
RBC | Spring is just around the corner and we know a lot of the ranchers in the area will be moving their livestock to other pastures. Community Counts Colorado (CCC), an organization that works to help promote open communication between the community and energy/extraction industries, would be happy to provide[Read More…]
Bear predation becoming a greater problem for livestock
RBC | The issue of increasing livestock predation by black bears has left Colorado officials looking for solutions to protect both livestock and wildlife. However, lawsuits filed by environmental activist groups are challenging Colorado’s predator control tactics. According to a presentation given by USDA Wildlife Services at Rangely and Meeker town[Read More…]
Ranchers now required to report livestock gas to EPA
RBC | Beginning on May 1 ranchers and livestock producers will be required to report releases of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide from animal waste as they are mandated to participate in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act[Read More…]
Reintroduction of wolves to Colorado is the topic of Dec. 7 Sierra Club meeting in Steamboat
RBC | Gray wolves were eradicated from Colorado by the 1940s to protect domestic livestock, but groups like the Sierra Club are working to change public perception of wolves in hopes of reintroducing the animals to their former habitat. United States Fish and Wildlife Service has restored wolf populations to[Read More…]
Don’t forget to renew brand fees
RBC | Livestock brands are vital to protecting Colorado’s livestock industry and are an important part of the state’s history and culture. The Colorado Department of Agriculture’s Brand Inspection Division reminds brand owners that the brand assessment fee for the five-year assessment period beginning Jan.1 is due and must be[Read More…]
Signs of spring…
An early spring has broke out in calves—numerous calves—all around Rio Blanco County, but notably on this ranch west of Meeker. Calves can be seen running after mom, playing with each other and still being born, hopefully safe from a winter that could still pop its head up before spring[Read More…]
No more cases of Vesicular Stomatitis in county, state
RBC I As of Friday, all Vesicular Stomatitis (VS) affected premises have been released from quarantine in Colorado. There are currently no VS-affected premises under quarantine in the United States. The VS outbreak in the United States began in April 2015, with a total of 823 cases in eight states;[Read More…]
Sure sign of spring…
Along State Highway 64 west of Meeker, some young calves could be seen at play on Sunday. They are either early births or were brought into the area from somewhere that calving is already going on. There were also newborn calves along eastern Piceance Creek/County Road 5 on Sunday, including[Read More…]
Slow traffic…
Traffic was a little slow along Market Street in Meeker on Saturday afternoon as a herd of roughly 60 cows was headed west to greener pastures. A common sight these days of spring, herds can be seen all over Rio Blanco County roads and highways as they head to where[Read More…]
Area livestock producers not happy over pay
RBC I In mid-April, the U.S. Department of Labor released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking titled “Temporary Agricultural Employment of H-2A Foreign Workers in the Herding or Production of Livestock On the Open Range in the United States.”