Ranching

Cattlemen have long memories, which is why many Texas beef producers are holding off on replenishing herds they thinned during last year's historic drought.

As water supplies dried up, as grasses and wheat shriveled, and as the price of hay skyrocketed, local ranchers sold off tens of thousands of cattle they couldn't afford to keep.

"The people inhabiting this State do affirm and declare that they forever disclaim all right and title to the unappropriated public lands lying within the boundaries hereof..."

-- Utah Constitution, Article 3, Section 2

When Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, is the voice of reason, the argument has gone off the rails. Utah suing the federal government to get Utah's federal land is one such train wreck.

TABIONA -- A Minnesota bank is having trouble finding a buyer for a massive eastern Utah lodge featuring 13 bedrooms and its own herd of 50 bull elk.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- An environmental group on Wednesday accused the U.S. Bureau of Land Management of neglecting science in favor of politics while the agency conducts six ecological studies covering millions of acres and a variety of landscapes across Utah and the West.

Following seven months of research and study the Utah Agriculture Sustainability Task Force is offering 29 recommendations that are expected to protect and enhance Utah agriculture. The recommendations generally call for the creation of new laws and policies at the federal, state and local levels that remove obstacles for safe and modern farming and ranching.

WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Gene Jordan waited in line more than an hour and a half to drop off 20 head of cattle to sell at Wednesday's auction at Wichita Livestock Sales. That's the longest he has waited in a lifetime of ranching.

He had to wait because so many fellow cattlemen were lined up trying to get rid of substantial portions of their herds. With the lingering drought, they no longer can feed them and keep them watered.

Robert Dixon Isakson, 70, died Thursday, June 23, 2011, at his home in Elko, Nev. A funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, July 1, at Lindquist’s Layton Mortuary, 1867 N. Fairfield Road. Friends may visit family from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday at the mortuary. Interment, Kaysville City Cemetery. Condolences may be shared at www.lindquistmortuary.com. See the complete obituary in the Standard-Examiner's e-edition.