Jen Kocher - Headshot CSD

Jen Kocher

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's managing editor, Greg Johnson.

Greg Johnson

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily reporter, Jackie Dorothy.

Jackie Dorothy

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's general assignment reporter, Clair McFarland.

Clair McFarland

Government & Politics

Politics

Wyoming’s 10-candidate Republican primary race for U.S. House dropped to nine Thursday, when Teton County rancher Frank Chapman dropped out of the race.

He told Cowboy State Daily it’s irresponsible to continue in this crowded race, “when the voters need to whittle it down and figure it out, through a couple people.”

“There’s too much clutter. It’s not easy to get a message out in that situation,” said Chapman in a Thursday phone interview. “I don’t think it’s responsible to allow people to spend the kind of money that would be required to keep going in this.”

As of the second-quarter Federal Election Commission reports, Chapman landed among the top four candidates in terms of campaign funding. 

He and three other candidates — philanthropist Steve Friess, Casper businessman Reid Rasner, and Secretary of State Chuck Gray — have loaned themselves more than $1 million each.

[{"type":"text","text":"Rasner has spent the most as of July 1, at nearly $2 million."}]

Chapman said he is not out of money, but he does not believe it’s responsible “to allow people to spend the kind of money that would be required to keep going in this.” 

That leaves Friess, Rasner, Gray, state Senate President Bo Biteman, former Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow, veterans David Giralt and Kevin Christensen, former legislator Keith Goodenough, and Richard Dodson in the race.

Chapman told Cowboy State Daily he’s very conservative, especially in fiscal terms. But he dislikes divisive politicking and believes the GOP should use more of a big-tent approach.

[{"type":"text","text":"He said he’s not endorsing any of the other candidates at this time."}]

“It’s so important to get everybody into the big tent and not allow your state party to fight,” he said. 

Chapman also said Republicans should “try to get these people to work together so we can actually get something done and not just take advantage of the electorate by saying ridiculous statements you don’t mean … don’t fight with everybody to get it done.”

Chapman added: “It’s not about self-promotion, but about what’s best for the people and how to make their lives better.”

The Wyoming Republican Party’s state central committee, or top statewide delegates, made a controversial move Monday evening by endorsing Gray in the race.

State law bars the party from directly or indirectly backing one Republican over another in the primary election. While some argue that any expense toward endorsements and endorsement announcements violates this law, that remains unclear.

The party is suing Gray in his official capacity in an effort to have the law overturned as an unconstitutional violation of its First Amendment rights. That case is ongoing.

“I think the party made a mistake in endorsing anyone,” said Chapman. “I think that when you have power you have to be judicious in how you use that power, and even if they do have the right to endorse … intelligence and good governance would tell you not to endorse; and let the people decide.”

Miami billionaire Ken Griffin contributed more than $2.5 million to a super-PAC, Fighting for Wyoming, that touted Chapman as a conservative rancher ready to fight with President Donald Trump for the people of Wyoming.

[{"type":"text","text":"That PAC had spent $32,975.67 as of July 1."}]

Chapman said Thursday of Griffin, “He’s a wonderful person that I’ve known since I was in the ninth grade. And we’re just really good friends, and it’s not about politics.

“It’s about who he believes will do a wonderful job for the people of Wyoming and the United States.”

In his own campaign, Chapman’s total receipts as of July 1 amounted to $1,091,623.83.

Of that, $31,622.89 came from contributions; $1.06 million came from a self-loan by Chapman.

The campaign had spent $596,462.50 as of July 1 and had $495,161.33 cash on hand, the FEC says.

Chapman told Cowboy State Daily he may run for office again, if the people wish it. 

A statement his campaign released Thursday quotes Chapman saying, "Wyoming is great because we, the people of Wyoming, are tenacious, independent, hardworking, and unwilling to be pushed around. Although my time as a candidate has come to an end, my commitment to Wyoming has not."

"I will continue to stand with the people of this state, demand accountability and honest answers from those in power, and make certain Washington never forgets that it works for the people of Wyoming—not the other way around," he added. 

Chapman 7 23 26

Cowboy State Daily is Wyoming’s largest newspaper with Wyoming’s most experienced journalists. 

<title>Frank Chapman Drops Out Of 10-Person Wyoming GOP House Race | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Teton County rancher Frank Chapman dropped out of the 10-candidate race for the Republican nomination in Wyoming's U.S. House race on Thursday. "There’s too much clutter" in that crowded race, Chapman told Cowboy State Daily.

Frank Chapman Drops Out Of 10-Person Wyoming GOP House Race

Mac Watson

Daily Video News

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Thursday, July 23rd.  I’m Reece Cowan, filling in for Mac Watson

This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas!

Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"–"}]

Sgt. Zach Burns — shot three times by a gunman in Baggs last month — got a hero’s welcome in Rawlins after a 230-mile escort from a Colorado hospital Wednesday. Cowboy State Daily’s Greg Johnson reports that the Rawlins police chief said “On the scale of heroism, that’s pretty far up there.”

“Six weeks after Sergeant Zach Burns was shot three times by a gunman in bags, he returned home on Wednesday, and and the people in Rollins just gave him a real hero's welcome. They were out on the streets. They had signs for him, and and his his brothers in blue law enforcement, other first responders. They followed him all the way from Colorado, about 230 miles. A long procession of police cars, sheriff's vehicles, ambulances, all with lights and sirens going, gave him a long procession all the way across Wyoming and home into Rollins. So it was really impressive, and and it was a true hero's welcome.”

For Chief Ward and other law enforcement officers, the risk is always there, he said. While running toward danger while others run from it is what they sign up for, the hope is that they won’t have to. 

U.S. House candidate Bo Biteman is one of many criticizing the Republican Party's decision to endorse candidates. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports he called Chuck Gray, who sought and received the endorsement, the establishment. "Well Chuckie-boy you’re the insider, buddy," he said.

“Technically, it's illegal for the party to financially back one Republican over another in the primary. That has been interpreted by some as been also on endorsements since that's indirect funding. One of many critics, was Senate President Beau Beitman, who is running in the U.S. House race? He did not seek the party's endorsement at all. He did not turn in its threshold questionnaire. Secretary Gray has repeatedly derided an unspecified group of insiders in his statements. And Senate President Beau Beitman, who did not put in for the Republican Party endorsement, was reflecting on it. He said that it is galvanizing a group of insiders, and he said, "Well, Chucky boy, you're the insider, buddy.”

State Party Chair Bryan Miller has countered in both a press release and an email interview, saying the party respects the “fiercely independent, discerning” voter base. 

Officials concluded Tuesday that a 33-year-old man likely surprised a grizzly in the dark before he was killed in Glacier National Park in May. Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that running into a bear in the dark is a “nightmare scenario,” said an outdoorsman who was in the park at the time.

“They try to use the trails when they know people typically aren't going to be there. If it's dark and you're by yourself, even if you're trying to make noise, you might not make enough noise, and there's just that chance where you're going to come up on a grizzly. Boom, you know, instant encounter, close range. Evidently the guy did use his bear spray, but the investigators say it probably happened so fast at such close range, they're not even sure he was able to hit the bear with the spray at that point. It was just kind of a confluence of everything going wrong, all at the same time and very quickly, and it ended up costing this guy his life.”

The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee’s report on the investigation of the site indicates that the attack, by an adult male grizzly, was brief and intense. His body was found about 69 feet below the trail and about 2.5 miles from the trailhead. 

Wyoming ranchers are struggling with an existential problem out of their control. Hay has become harder to find, harder to grow, and more expensive to buy. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that some say this will hasten the end of family farms and ranches that can’t afford to feed their animals.

“With the lack of rain in the spring and the lack of snowpack in the winter, Wyoming can't grow enough hay to meet its own demand. So, ranchers who are in the routine of growing enough hay to feed their livestock might be struggling this year, and a lot of them are. In order to feed their livestock, they're having to pay a lot of money for hay. A year ago you could get a bale of hay for $150 per ton. Now you're lucky if you can find it for $300 per ton, and are selling for a lot more than that. And ranchers are already having to make the decision, it's either they find the money somehow or they start selling their livestock.”

Right now, the hay feeding Wyoming’s livestock is probably from out-of-state. Jason Watts, co-owner of HayWerks in Buffalo said importing hay from neighboring states “might” be enough to stabilize Wyoming, if only temporarily. 

I’ll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.

Cowboy State Daily News continues now….

A police sergeant urged the Green River City Council Tuesday to reconsider license plate reader cameras, two weeks after vocal residents blocked the project. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that he says they are a valuable tool in helping find missing and vulnerable people.

“A group of vocal opponents to license plate reader cameras opposed the city getting $112,000 federal grant to put them in at city entrances two weeks ago, and they were so vocal that they got the project shut down. Rhere was a little bit of a counterpoint where Council Member Gary, who had been the lone nay vote in favor of the the grant for the cameras two weeks ago, said seems like the people opposing these don't understand this issue fully, and Dennis Laughlin, vice chair of the Libertarian Party, countered saying, 'I would say Killpack doesn't understand what the people of Green River obviously want.'”

Green River Police Chief Shawn Sturlaugson had noted the grant was characterized as an anti-terrorism effort, but he said the cameras would also be a tool in helping find missing and vulnerable people, as well as answering other real-time investigations. 

Ornery Yellowstone bull bison have now tossed a grandpa 8 feet in the air, chased a man around cabins and popped a car tire, because they're in their annual rut, says one bison biologist. Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that a bison rancher says one solution is a face full of bear spray.

“Sometimes a bison will display displacement behavior, which is he kind of likened it like if if somebody's driving in a car and they get cut off and the other driver makes them mad, but they can't take it out directly on that person, so they turn around and yell at their kids. Bison will do that sometimes. The bison rancher said he goes through cases of bear spray, and generally he only has to use it once. Like if if an animal's having really bad attitude, he'll hit it with bear spray once, and that's it. They learn their lesson. Bear spray isn't just good for bears; it's good for anything with with an olfactory system.”

Ken Klemm past president and a lifelong member of the National Bison Association said that when bison display those sorts of behaviors, there should be consequences, such as getting hit with bear spray. “If those bulls knew that there was a risk associated with going after people, they would find something else to take their frustration out on.”

A Bar Nunn woman has agreed to plead guilty to six felonies for embezzling $206,000 from Special Olympics Wyoming. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that her attorney told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday that she is "very remorseful for her actions and deeply regrets them.

“According to court records made available this week in Natrona County, 50-seven-year-old Christine Marie Rodriguez has accepted a plea deal for felony theft charges after being accused of embezzling more than $200,000 from the Special Olympics Wyoming nonprofit organization. Investigators are calling the scheme sophisticated. It took place over years while Rodriguez worked at the organization, falsifying financial records, forging checks, and concealing missing cash. Rodriguez was initially charged with nine felonies as part of the plea agreement. The courts have decided to drop three, and she will plead guilty to six. She could still face up to 20 years in prison, and as part of the plea agreement, she is expected to fully repay restitution.”

Special Olympics Wyoming CEO Jen Haines declined to comment on the specifics of the plea agreement, saying the organization does not want to jeopardize the proceedings and plans to speak more openly once the case is resolved. 

Soft seats, catered food, and a commanding view — Cheyenne Frontier Days’ premium skybox experience already has fans. Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports that your eyes stretch from one end of Cheyenne’s historic outdoor arena to the other, with no obstructions.

“I gotta say, it's it's better than even I expected. You are like on top of the world up there, looking down on creation. They've got the sound wired directly into the box. You know, it's so clear and loud. I thought it might be really hot up there, but the way they've designed it, the wind is like constantly kind of breezing through there. It feels almost like air conditioning. Before they had like 20 to 20-five people, sponsors who could fit in the box that they had above shoot nine, and they maybe had a rooftop that would allow 70 people. This has room for 450 people.”

Until now Cheyenne Frontier Days has lacked a true, modern skybox experience. While the grounds previously offered limited, basic, upper-level VIP areas, the new complex marks a much bigger leap into premium hospitality.  

And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on 

 - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our 

 channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app.  Thanks for watching - I’m Reece Cowan, in for Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.

News image 7 23 26

<title>Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Thursday, July 23, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Today's headlines include: 
*Hero’s Welcome In Rawlins
*Hay Crisis For Ranchers In Wyo
*Candidates Criticize GOP Endorsements

Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Thursday, July 23, 2026

Wyoming Life

Around Wyoming

RAWLINS — Six weeks ago, Carbon County Sheriff’s Sgt. Zach Burns was fighting for his life in the dirt parking lot of a Baggs apartment building after 

 from a gunman who later died in a shootout with law enforcement.

Wednesday, he was discharged from a Colorado hospital and got a hero’s welcome as he was escorted roughly 230 miles home by a long procession of law enforcement representing agencies across two states.

 streets through downtown Rawlins were lined with pockets of people who paused their workdays to wave and yell as Burns was driven by with a loud chorus of sirens following.

“That doesn’t surprise me at all,” said local resident Deanna Deffenbaugh about the turnout. “We take care of our own around here.

“Anytime an officer has gotten hurt in the line of duty — even his family — we get the community involved to step up and help take care of them.”

Deffenbaugh said she doesn’t know the Burns family personally, “but that doesn’t matter. If they’re willing to put their lives at risk for us, we need to take care of them.”

Maybe Deffenbaugh doesn’t know Burns, his wife and two young children, but the folks at the Carbon County Courthouse do. He’s their courtroom bailiff, said Jo Rieger, who had staked out a small patch of shade along 3

“Woo-hoo. He’s coming home!” she shouted. “This is cool and very inspiring. He deserves it. He deserves the biggest hero’s welcome ever.”

For Micah Johnson, who also works with Burns at the courthouse, Wednesday was 

, when Burns took bullets in the neck, arm and hip.

“You fear the worst when you first hear about that, you know?” he said. “I think a lot of us were just waiting to hear any kind of piece of news, right? Then I saw the post that he’s coming home today.”

He was referring to a Facebook post Sheriff Alex Bakken made earlier Wednesday telling people that Burns had been discharged from a Colorado hospital and was on his way home.

At 3:31 p.m., the small groups stationed at street corners and in front of the Carbon Building on the corner of 3

 and Pine streets began to cheer as they heard the sirens blaring louder, along with a medical helicopter circling the procession.

“There he is. I see him,” said a woman in the crowd as a Carbon County Sheriff’s Office truck slowly passed.

Sergeant Burns was sitting in the passenger side with the window rolled down and enthusiastically waving to those who gathered for him.

His beaming smile got just a little bit bigger when he saw a giant red, white and blue “Welcome Home Zach” banner.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"‘We’re All Family’"}]

About an hour earlier, Valeta Rogabaugh was anxious for the procession to get to Rawlins.

The longtime dispatch supervisor for the Rawlins Police Department walked into the bullpen at the department with tears in her eyes.

She had just heard a county dispatch bulletin that Burns and the procession had “come home” and had just passed into Carbon County on westbound Interstate 80.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said when Chief Michael Ward asked how she was holding up. “It’s just emotional. They even talked to (Burns’ wife) and told her welcome home too.”

Although Burns works for the county sheriff’s office, there are deep connections with the Rawlins PD and other agencies, she said.

“We’re all a team and we’re all family,” Rogabaugh said, adding that Burns’ wife also is a dispatcher for the sheriff’s office.

There are no lines between agencies, said Rawlins Police Sgt. Thom Gamblin, adding that he’s good friends with Burns.

“This isn’t just a guy in uniform coming home, he’s a guy who works and lives here. I’m saying that this is a community, this is home, and it isn’t just his workplace,” Gamblin said.

“This isn’t just his work office, it’s people who love him,” he continued. “These are the people who care for him. It’s the people he meets every day when he serves.”

There’s a reason close to 100 officers from multiple jurisdictions around Wyoming and Colorado responded to Baggs that afternoon when the bulletin went out about an officer down and a gunman was on the run, Gamblin said.

“This is personal,” he said. “He did his job and nearly lost his life over it. He didn’t — thankfully — and now he’s back here where we can protect him.”

Without the quick action of a pair of Baggs residents who 

, he likely would have died, said Chief Ward. Wednesday’s procession was for them as well.

[{"type":"text","text":"“They’re heroes, too,” he told Cowboy State Daily."}]

“It’s a miracle that he’s still with us,” Ward added. “All of us are grateful for that, every minute of every day. His daughter still has a father. His wife still has a husband. He’s still with all of us.

“We could not be more relieved, grateful and excited he’s coming home today.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Stopped ‘Large-Scale Act’"}]

The scope of the potential carnage Burns may have prevented unfolded in the days following, Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken has said.

That includes Burns interrupting the suspect carrying out what appeared to be a devastating plan, the sheriff said

The man had a stockpile of semiautomatic weapon ammunition in his Baggs apartment and was likely planning a "large-scale act," Bakken reported June 17.

Burns was in the area June 8 when dispatchers relayed information about a suspect in an active shooting incident. Burns located the suspect driving in town and conducted a traffic stop at his apartment, the CCSO has reported.

“Upon coming to a stop, the suspect immediately exited his vehicle and opened fire on Sergeant Burns with a semiautomatic rifle,” Bakken said in the report.

The suspect — who so far has not been publicly identified — then 

The suspect tried to start his apartment complex on fire with numerous propane tanks inside, then sped away in his car again, according to the CCSO.

He was eventually killed in a shootout with law enforcement after crashing his car north of town off state Highway 789.

“Thanks to his bravery, (Burns) saved the lives of countless first responders and community members,” Bakken says in the report. “The gunman had stockpiled hundreds of AR-15 magazines in his apartment and, by all appearances, had been prepared to initiate a large-scale act of violence.”

At the Hilltop Conoco station along Cedar Avenue, Paige Garwood and Heather Stalinski were working Wednesday afternoon, handling a steady stream of locals and visitors driving through just off I-80.

They both said they were excited to learn that the long procession of emergency responders for Burns would go past their station.

Neither knows Burns or his family, but both said that Rawlins is a small town, and when one person is in trouble, everyone knows and responds.

“I’ve been reading about him and heard what happened to him. He’s a hero,” said Stalinski. “That he’s coming home is really good, and great for his family, his wife.

“I think he was really brave for what he did. He’s a brave, brave man. I think she should get a lot of (accolades). Would I call him a hero? Absolutely.”

Garwood said that Burns getting out of the hospital and getting back to Rawlins is a great boost for the whole town.

“I think it’s great that he’s coming home, because he almost died because of that idiot,” she said. “He deserves it.”

For Chief Ward and other law enforcement officers, the risk is always there, he said. While running toward danger while others run from it is what they sign up for, the hope is that they won’t have to.

“He took an oath to protect our community, and he almost gave his life doing so,” Ward said about Burns. “On the scale of heroism, that’s pretty far up there.”

Sgt Burns Home 1

<title>Hero’s Welcome In Rawlins: Deputy Nearly Killed In Baggs Shootout Comes Home | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Sgt. Zach Burns — shot three times by a gunman in Baggs last month — got a hero’s welcome in Rawlins after a 230-mile escort from a Colorado hospital Wednesday. “On the scale of heroism, that’s pretty far up there,” said the Rawlins police chief.

Hero’s Welcome In Rawlins: Deputy Nearly Killed In Baggs Shootout Comes Home

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's Feature Reporter, Andrew Rossi.

Andrew Rossi

Many Wyoming ranchers are struggling with an existential problem that’s completely out of their control. Hay has become harder to find, harder to grow, and more expensive to buy.

With the lack of rain and ongoing drought, it’s harder to grow hay for feeding Wyoming’s cattle, horses and other livestock. Ranchers who have historically harvested their own hay might have to purchase it to keep their animals fed, and prices are constantly creeping upward.

In the short term, it’s enough to make ranching difficult. In the long term, some say, it could hasten the end of many family farms and ranches that can’t afford to feed their animals.

“If it’s not a problem now, it’s going to be,” said Dennis Sun, publisher of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. “Some people are looking to sell cattle because they’re afraid they can't get the hay to feed them.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Not A Hay Day"}]

Meeteetse resident Mitchell Huene works with Cowboys with a Mission, a nonprofit that runs two annual Bible schools teaching kids to ride, brand, lay irrigation pipes, and understand “where their food comes from.”

“Whatever anybody needs us to do, we'll do,” he told Cowboy State Daily. “To facilitate that, we've got 43 horses we need to feed.”

In the past, Cowboys with a Mission got its hay from the Pitchfork Ranch. Huene learned in May that the ranch wouldn’t be able to supply them this summer.

“Because of how bad the winter was, nobody in the area has any grass,” he said. “They're grazing their hay fields at the Pitchfork.”

They found a new supplier near Powell that had enough hay in their price range. However, that deal fell through last week.

“There wasn't as much hay coming off the fields as he thought, and he had other customers to take care of first,” Huene said. “That was a bit of a problem for us, because we had about 10 days’ worth of hay left at that point.”

When Huene first arrived in Meeteetse 12 years ago, he was paying $100 per ton of hay. Last summer, it was $150 per ton.

This summer, finding hay for less than $200 per ton is a bargain, and even that’s a rare find.

“We’re seeing hay going for $300 to $350 per ton on Facebook Marketplace,” Huene said. “There was some hay down in Thermopolis posted for $450 a ton this morning. We're a nonprofit, so we're not exactly rolling in dough, and that’s three times what we were paying last year.”

Huene has heard similar stories from ranchers across Wyoming. They either can't produce enough hay or are worried about affording enough hay.

“One hay producer in the area said he got 250 tons off a field last year,” he said. “He got 100 off of it this year.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"No Hay, No Way"}]

Hay is essential to Wyoming’s agricultural industry. Animals need it, and ranchers need to make sure they’re amply supplied to feed their livestock throughout the year.

[{"type":"text","text":"The year so far has been a struggle for ranchers across the state."}]

“Most ranchers produce their own hay,” Sun said. “When there’s a drought, there’s not much going on.  I'm hearing that ranchers aren’t getting enough water to put up their usual amount of hay.”

By Sun’s estimate, a 1,000-pound cow needs at least 20 pounds of hay every day, assuming it’s grazing and has its diet supplemented with other sources such as grain or corn.

[{"type":"text","text":"A cow that isn’t grazing will need around 25 pounds of hay per day."}]

Many ranchers have reliably produced enough hay to keep their livestock well fed. Anything extra can be sold or stored.

That hasn’t been the case this summer. Sun has heard reports of ranchers who’ve only had a quarter of their usual tonnage.

“They'll either have to start selling livestock or buying hay,” he said. “It’s better when you can buy at $100 or $150 per ton, but you're not going to see any hay like that this summer.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"It Gets Worse"}]

Jason Watts, co-owner of HayWerks in Buffalo, has been crunching the numbers. Overall, they aren’t good.

“Overall assessment for hay in Wyoming is down 60-70% of a normal year over a 10-year period,” he said. “Certain areas in Wyoming are much worse than other areas where snow packs were moderate this spring.”

One of Watts’s largest customers is the HF Bar Ranch near Buffalo. They typically order between 250 to 275 tons of hay per year to feed 200 horses.

[{"type":"text","text":"On July 1, they ordered an additional 300 tons of hay."}]

“They began feeding their horses in late June this year because the pastures were too dry to graze during the summer months,” Watts said. “Now, take this example of one customer and how they are handling the hay situation and multiply this across Wyoming.”

Watts managed to meet the HF Bar Ranch’s order by studying drought maps and finding an area that had enough moisture to grow a surplus of hay. He found growers in North Dakota that could meet the ranch’s needs.

“Delivered prices this year are $125 a ton higher over 2025 prices,” he said. “I arranged transportation and began shipping hay (from Fargo, North Dakota) to the HF Bar Ranch. That’s 625 miles, one way.”

That’s a hefty cost for any ranch, but larger ranches have an easier time footing the bill. That usually isn’t an option for smaller ranches, or even people with small acreages with a handful of horses.

Watts said he works in a “small hay world,” selling only a few thousand tons of hay each year. That’s why he finds the current situation so concerning.

“I cannot imagine, on a state level, how much hay is needed to feed privately owned livestock,” he said. “Customers are scrambling to dig deep into their bank accounts to buy hay and keep the livestock they own.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Grass Isn’t Greener"}]

According to Watts, the HF Bar Ranch needed hay because there was no grass in its pastures. That, too, is a universal problem and growing concern.

“In a lot of places, there's no grass in the hills for the cattle to winter on,” Sun said. “If there’s no grass, you’re going to have to feed them more hay.”

It’s particularly bad for areas recovering from recent wildfires. Sun knows of several ranchers who have little to no hope of seeing any grass this year.

“If they got really affected by the fires last summer, there’s no new grass coming in where the fire was,” he said. “That’s going to make hay even more expensive.”

Even if a rancher can only buy at $450 per ton, they’ll be paying much more. According to Sun, that money covers the hay only.

“That doesn't cover the high cost of trucking it in from some place that does have hay,” he said. “For ranchers in droughty areas, it doesn’t look good at all, and that’s probably over half of Wyoming.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Kitchen Table Decisions"}]

Right now, the hay feeding Wyoming’s livestock is probably from out-of-state. Watts said importing hay from neighboring states “might” be enough to stabilize Wyoming, if only temporarily.

“Folks in Montana and North Dakota ship hay into eastern Wyoming,” he said. “Eastern Idaho has hay that will likely end up in western Wyoming. It’s the central and southeastern area of Wyoming that I cannot predict how they will improve on hay supply.”

Central and southeastern Wyoming are struggling because they’re competing with Colorado, Watts said, adding that Colorado is “pulling a lot of hay from multiple surrounding states” to cover its own crop losses.

While the pressure is certainly being felt now, Watts said he thinks the severity of Wyoming’s hay situation will come to a head this fall.

“When calves are taken to market, the decision to buy hay or sell (livestock) will be the topic at many kitchen tables,” he said.

That will be the reality unless something changes. And something can still change to improve the outlook.

“There's not going to be much improvement unless we get some of these monsoon rains,” he said.

Sun referred to 2025 as an example of a recent turnaround. The rains “stopped” in July and August, and it stayed dry until October.

“I had pastures with six inches of green grass in them in October,” he said. “These things can happen at any time, but they need to happen.”

Monsoonal rains are in Wyoming’s forecast, but favorable weather is never guaranteed. Sun is looking at this week’s forecast with increasing concern.

“If we don't get it here in the next few days, and it goes back to 98 degrees during the day next week, that’ll be a problem,” he said. “You don't want to stop doing your rain dances.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"“It’ll Break Us”"}]

Faced with a growing shortage of hay, Huene turned to Facebook to see if anyone had anything extra that they’d be willing to sell at a reasonable price.

“The worst they can do is say no or ignore you,” he said. “They can't take away your birthday, right?”

Wyoming ranchers are struggling with an existential problem out of their control. Hay has become harder to find, harder to grow, and more expensive to buy. Some say this will hasten the end of family farms and ranches that can’t afford to feed their animals.

CSD Staff

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Letter To The Editor: The Economy Has Destroyed The Local Dating Scene