A piece of local history turned to ash on Sunday, May 25, 2025, as the dilapidated Jeppeson School District 50, a one-room schoolhouse, was burned. The blaze marked the end of an era for the educational institution, which had stood for over a century, enriching the lives of countless children.

The original Carlock Hotel, a historic structure dating back to 1904, was burned down on Saturday, May 24, 2025. Built by Milton Bektoe, the hotel saw several ownership changes, passing to Milo Carrey in 1906 and then to James Cornell in 1907.

Commentary by Bill Bullard, CEO, R-CALF USA Recently, a colleague from the sheep industry, Carson Jorgensen, and I met with White House officials to discuss our plan for rebuilding and expanding our shrunken cattle and sheep industries. Our mission was not only to keep our message simple but also to provide compelling evidence showing that the policies we’ve been subjected to for the past few decades have been a complete failure.

On February 20, 2025, the Cattle Plaintiffs in the Cattle and Beef Antitrust Litigation against JBS, Tyson, Cargill, and National Beef received preliminary approval of an $83.5 million settlement with JBS. The settlement was reached in the class action antitrust lawsuit filed in 2019 by R-CALF USA, four individual ranchers, and the National Farmers Union. The litigation against Tyson, Cargill, and National Beef continues.

Ever since soil moisture was fluid (unfrozen), healthy soil bugs have been busy reproducing and preparing soil mineral nitrogen to be completely available to healthy native grass plants. Likely the most unrecognized source of income to a rancher is the nitrogen made available through functioning soil. The average ranch might have 80 pounds available, when the potential is 100 – 140 pounds of plant available nitrogen without any inputs. Grazing management through biologically - effective grazing strategy can do this, making for more nutrient dense feed for a livestock business.

For the week ending May 18, 2025, there were 4.1 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 10% very short, 35% short, 50% adequate, and 5% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 19% very short, 38% short, 42% adequate, and 1% surplus.