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The fall is upon us, and throughout the country, producers are busy with their fall work. This fall has been trying on producers throughout the country. Mother Nature has provided all sorts of challenges. As all of us in production agriculture know, challenges are just part of the game and our livelihood. However, hurricanes, wildfires and sporadic weather patterns this year have seemed to provide some extraordinary challenges.
Unfortunately, this fall has been extremely dry in parts of the country and consequently, some major wildfires have ravished ranchers. Our thoughts and prayers are with those dealing with the major fires that are still burning in areas like Sheridan, WY, and the aftermath of the major fires in North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and all over the West. Tens of thousands of cattle have been displaced. It will take years for the grasslands to recover for most of the country affected by fires and those whose public lands grazing were impacted will definitely have bureaucratic obstacles to overcome in the future. The flames are only the beginning challenge agriculture producers have to overcome during these terrible events. That being said, thank you to all the firefighters, both volunteer and professional, who put their lives on the line each day fighting these beasts.
In the Southeast portion of the U.S., there has been drastic devastation from back-to-back hurricanes. The damage from hurricanes Helene and Milton is still being tallied. It is estimated that nearly 32 million acres and over 700,000 agriculture producers have been directly affected by these hurricanes. The loss of life, structures, infrastructure and commodities will impact people all over the country. Please keep those affected by these natural disasters in your thoughts and prayers. If you are able to provide assistance to those in need, I would encourage you to do so.
In my home state of Montana, ranchers are busy shipping calves by the thousands. Cattle are making their way to town for early fall sale specials at the local auction markets or have loaded trucks for the next stage of their development, fulfilling contracts made earlier this summer. Fortunately for most ranchers, reports on calf weights are coming in much better than last year, when scales were reading lighter than expected. Calf weights are more on par, and ranchers are receiving record payments for this year’s hard work. I would encourage you to meet with your tax advisers early so that you can adequately plan.
A few weeks ago, my wife, Samantha, and I made a trip to British Columbia, Canada to start the planning for the 2025 Livestock Tour presented by WLJ. We are excited to take next year’s group north of the border to see how cattle ranching and agriculture production is done in that part of the world. We have lined up some great ranches to visit and think you will find the agricultural production practices done by our neighbors to the north very interesting. Along with this, you will get to see some beautiful country with breathtaking mountain scenery. If you are interested in attending, please feel free to reach out to me. Registration will be open in January, and we encourage you to register early as we expect this tour to fill up fast. Mark your calendars for June 1-7, 2025, and make sure your passports are ready to join us in Canada.
On a final note, Election Day is less than three weeks away. The mainstream media is consumed with election coverage. It seems like every day there is a new headline relating to the presidential candidates. There are also a large number of closely watched state elections as well. I truly believe that this will be the most important election of our lifetime—at least until the next election. The future direction of the country and the world will be impacted by the results on Nov. 5th. I am not going to tell you which way to vote. It is up to every individual to do their research and vote in the direction that they see fit. I would simply like to encourage each and every one of the WLJ readers to cast their vote; every vote will matter in this election.
As we continue through the last quarter of 2024, I hope that you finish the year with one of your most productive yet. Please continue to keep those negatively impacted by the tragic natural disasters in your thoughts and prayers. Please get out and vote in the upcoming election and encourage your family, friends and neighbors to do the same. Here is to hoping you ship big healthy calves, and you receive favorable moisture and weather going into 2025. — DEVIN MURNIN
