EVANSTON — Sheep ranchers are the earliest agricultural victims in Uinta County to feel the economic implications of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The cattle industry and other types of agriculture will soon join them in having to adjust to the wide-spread economic fall-out from the virus.

Cole Ehmke in the Department of Agriculture and Applied Economics at the University of Wyoming stated in a press release, the implications for agriculture due to the coronavirus include: falling commodity prices; a manpower shortage; trucking of needed supplies and illnesses of workers at processing facilities which could cause a backlog of animals at ranches or feedlots. He said, even spring branding social events may have to change. (www.uwagnews.com)

Evanston area rancher Vance Broadbent said, the wool market is not trading at all, and there is wool in storage from last year. He said he will still shear his sheep and is in the process of trying to find a local building to store it until the market opens up again.

“The wool market was hurt with the China trade closing, and now with the pandemic and the stock market and all that is happening, there just isn’t any market.” Broadbent said. “Plus we usually hire up to 10 migrant shearers every spring. Most left for the winter, and now cannot get back.”

At the Broadbent ranch, migrant workers with the H2A classification work visa usually come from Peru, which is now closed, and some from Mexico. Shearing usually starts in early April and lambing in May. Broadbent said he has applied for two workers from Mexico and is hoping to get them soon.

Broadbent added, the mass run on groceries has been a huge problem. In the past, he would put in an order with the grocery stores and pick-up once a month, but since the pandemic, he was only able to get enough food for his herders to last a couple of weeks.

Robin Whitmore of Bear River has a small sheep operation with two rams and 30 breeding ewes. Currently she has 35 lambs. Whitmore raises club lambs for FAA and 4-H students. Whitmore said she usually sells all of the lambs in mid-April for the students’ projects.

“Usually by this time we have most of the lambs sold off the property, but currently we have sold none. People are afraid to come out to look at the lambs and are afraid to travel,” Whitmore said. “Also, I think people are low on money due to lay-offs; and they don’t know if there will even be a County Fair this year. Some of the families who usually buy from me are from other communities and don’t want to travel due to the Coronavirus. This past weekend there were four families who had planned to come,and only two of them showed up,” Whitmore added.

Lyman rancher Carl Larson has 7,000 head of sheep that roam over 160 acres plus. He said, since his ranch doesn’t sell the lambs until the fall season, he is not sure how much of an effect the COVID-19 pandemic will have on prices at that time.

Larson keeps three of his documented workers on through the winter but will need five more for the summer when he usually hires a total of eight. He isn’t worried yet about the shearing and hopes the workers can get their paperwork completed over the phone in order to come. Larson said he realizes the market for wool is down due to the China trade deal and the virus.

“Now as far as grocery shopping for my three herders goes, it’s been tough."

Larson remains optimistic the economy will be able to recover. For now, he feels fortunate to live on a ranch and out of the hot spots of the Coronavirus.