LMD Dec 2013

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Livestock “The greatest homage we can pay to truth is to use it.” – JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL DECEMBER 15, 2013 • www. aaalivestock . com

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Digest Volume 55 • No. 12

Will We Ever Learn? by Lee Pitts ell, another year of attrition in the cattle industry has gone by and the top story for the year was the devastating blizzard in western South Dakota. It diminished us as an industry and its repercussions will be felt for a generation by decent, hardworking South Dakota ranchers. Our hearts go out to them. In my opinion, the second most important story of the year was the Zilmax® debacle. Since I believe you should never let a fiasco go to waste I’ve come up with ten lessons the Zilmax® misadventure should have taught us. #10 – Captive supplies are weapons of math destruction. I’ve been writing about captive supplies and their negative impact on the cattle industry for 30 years and critics always counter that I had no statistics or mathematical proof that captive supplies are bad for business. I never dreamed that a multinational drug company would be the one to provide clear evidence that captive supplies lower the price we all receive for cattle. You want proof? I’ll give you proof. Beta agonists have been around for a decade; Optaflexx® from Elanco won approval from

The easiest way to find something lost is to buy a replacement.

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the FDA in 2003 and Merck’s more potent Zilmax® followed three years later. It’s estimated that prior to the withdrawal of Zilmax® that 70 percent of the cattle in U.S. feedlots were treated with a beta agonists. Since the makers recommended that they only be used during the last 20 days prior to slaughter the cattle became like ripe bananas. When they had to go . . . they had to go. Gerald Timmerman, a vocal critic of beta agonists, told

me that, “A feeder called the packer and scheduled a kill date for the cattle 20 days after they started feeding the cattle Zilmax®. Then the cattle feeder took what the packer would give that day. There’s no way they could bargain.” Mike Callicrate told the Wall Street Journal that, “Now, you only have so many days after an animal has been fed a beta agonist before it's got to go to slaughter or it becomes so lame

it can’t move.” As a result they became captive cattle. Timmerman estimates the price of cattle went up five cents after the last Zilmax cattle were killed because the cattle no longer had an expiration date. He attributes half of that increase to the packers no longer being able to dictate the price. They no longer had the cattle feeders over a barrel because the feeders could pass on the price and hold out for a higher one. # 9 – Ranchers have no idea what happens to their cattle after they leave the ranch. After we came out with our beta agonist story in February I was shocked how few ranchers had any idea such products existed. One rancher I spoke with has fed tens of thousands of cattle over the last 40 years and he had never heard of them, yet they were being fed to his cattle at that very moment without his knowledge. It was the same with continued on page two

Federal Takeover of State Water Rights? Part 1 BY HEATHER SMITH THOMAS

t’s happening in Klamath County in Oregon and now its showdown time in western Montana. The Montana water rights controversy centers on the Flathead Indian Reservation, and the present conflict revolves around the proposed Federal Reserved Water Rights Compact between the state of Montana, the federal government and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT), and whether the Compact (a forever document) is fair to all parties or even legal. Many people in Western Montana are still not aware of the potential negative impact on their way of life, should this plan come to fruition. Negotiations between the three parties have been underway for several decades, however. The current version of the Compact was completed in February 2013, with a big push to get it passed by the Montana legislature. The Compact proposed that federal dollars, along with $55 million of Montana’s money be given to the tribes to settle this water issue, in addition to the state giving up water rights for most if not all of the water in western Montana—giving it to the federal government in trust for the tribes. The bill was defeated at that point partly because two groups of concerned citizens

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Riding Herd

became aware of what was happening and worked hard to fight it. The Flathead Reservation is somewhat unique in that it was opened by the federal government to settlement in 1904 and there is a great deal of private land located within its boundaries; nearly 80% of the reservation’s population is non-Indian. Of the 28,000 people living there, 23,000 of them are not Indians. Yet the proposed Compact would give all water running through and under the reservation to the tribes. It would also give all of the water in Flathead Lake, and all of the water in the Flathead Irrigation Project to the federal government and adversely affect irrigators throughout 11 counties in western Montana in the Clark Fork and Kootenai River Basins. It would ultimately affect about 360,000 people. CONCERNED CITIZENS - Terry Backs lives on private land within the exterior boundaries of the Flathead Reservation. “I became involved in early 2012 when I saw a newspaper article that indicated the tribe was getting close to finalizing negotiations for their reserved water rights and they were holding firm concerning their ownership of all the water in their aboriginal territory. Until then, I had absolutely no idea what was going on. So I started researching the

by LEE PITTS

ObamaCow Dateline: A presidential press conference from the left wing of the White House. President Obama: I am proud today to be joined by an unwed Holstein cow and an unemployed beef cow to announce the rollout of the Affordable Cow Act. After the Supreme Court ruled that the government can force people to buy things they don’t want, and after ObamaCare was such a resounding success, I was shocked to find that there are thirty million beef cows and their children in this country who have no health insurance whatsoever! So today I take great pride in rolling out ObamaCow. Reporter from Cattle Today: Have you exempted any rancher from having to buy health insurance for his or her cows? Obama: Any Congressman who owns cattle will be exempt. Progressive Cattleman: Let me get this right. So the people who voted for ObamaCow excluded themselves from it? Obama: That’s right. Also, ranchers who own over 300 cows will be exempt for one year to give them time to come up with a permanent loophole. Ranchers with fewer than 20 part-time or open cows will also be exempt from the employer mandate. Livestock Weekly: But won’t that cause a glut of cows on the market from small operators selling off a few cows to get under the 20 head requirement? Obama: That’s ridiculous. I might add that Mexican steers coming across the border will continue to get their health care for free. That will not change. I promise. New Mexico Stockman: What if ranchers refuse to buy insurance for their cows? Obama: They must pay $95 per uninsured cow or risk being audited by the IRS. Western Livestock Reporter: Will ranchers be able to keep their own vets? Obama: Of course (wink, wink), although based on our experience with ObamaCare, many veterinarians may choose to leave their continued on page six

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www.LeePittsbooks.com


Livestock Market Digest

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December 15, 2013

Will We Ever Learn?

Jack Pirtle, Member Since 2012

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purebred producers who have gone to great expense to sell bulls that will improve the quality of the meat, only to have cattle feeders feed the progeny of those bulls an additive that drastically reduces meat quality, made some cattle crazy, increased their chances of respiratory distress, and damaged their joints. Ranchers, both purebred and commercial, have made great strides in producing a better and tastier product with commercial cattlemen spending upwards of ten thousand dollars for range bulls to make their cattle grade and marble better, only to have the cattle feeders destroy much of that improvement with beta agonists. #8 – Professors are on the payroll. It’s no secret that colleges are having to find alternative sources of cash, other than tuition fees that have skyrocketed and dwindling funds from state and federal sources. More and more they are turning to big corporations for the money. That’s why, according to Food and Water Watch, on the University of Minnesota there is the Cargill Plant Genomics Building, at the University of Missouri there is a Monsanto Auditorium, Iowa State students hang out at the Monsanto Student Services Wing and at Purdue there is the Kroger Sensory Evaluation Lab. According to eminent scholar and professor Robert Taylor, “You can look at any of the universities with large Animal Science or Ag programs and they're pretty much owned by big Ag.” Public universities have turned into corporate puppets, according to Melody Petersen who wrote in the Chronicle of Higher Education, “Scores of animal scientists employed by public universities have helped pharmaceutical companies persuade farmers and ranchers to use antibiotics, hormones, and drugs like Zilmax® to make their cattle grow bigger ever faster. It’s been a profitable venture for the drug companies, as well as for the professors and their universities. Agriculture schools increasingly depend on the industry for research grants, a sizable portion of which cover overhead and administrative costs. And many professors now add to their personal bank accounts by working for the companies as consultants and speakers. More than twothirds of animal scientists reported in a 2005 survey that they had received money from industry in the previous five years,” wrote Petersen. “Yet unlike a growing number of medical schools, where administrators have recently tightened rules to better police their faculty’s ties to pharmaceutical companies, the schools of agriculture have largely rejected critics’ concerns about industry,” said Peteresen. “Few animal scientists have been interested in looking at what harm the live-

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stock drugs may be causing to the cattle, the environment, or the people eating the meat. They’ve left most of that work to scientists outside of agriculture, consumer groups, and others who take interest. But with the introduction of Zilmax®, the situation may have reached a tipping point. Critics say some academic animal scientists have become so closely tied to the drug companies that they may be working more in the companies' interests than in those of farmers and ranchers—the very groups that land-grant universities were created to serve.” #7 – Temple Grandin is the conscience of the American cattle industry. There are exceptions to every rule and Temple Grandin is an exceptional exception. In the words of Gerald Timmerman, the well known professor of animal science at Colorado State University is, “One gal who can’t be bought. At any price.” After Merck took Zilmax® off the market they announced they were developing a Merck Animal Health Advisory Board. There were rumors that Merck would try to convince Temple Grandin to sit on this board. Anyone who knows Temple knew right away there was zero chance of that happening as she has always said what she thinks without any outside influence or big bucks from drug companies. She is the most respected expert on animal welfare in our industry and we are blessed to have her on our side. Instead of sitting on Merck’s advisory board she said, “Heat stress reduces weight gain and is more likely to occur in cattle fed beta agonists such as Zilmax® or Optaflexx®.” After a tour of three three slaughterhouses on a hot day she found as many as one third the cattle were lame and publicly blamed the beta agonists. Don’t be surprised if Merck reformulates and renames Zilmax® and gets back in the beta agonist game. There’s just too much money to be made. We would be shocked, however, to see testimonials for the new product from Temple. #6 – If something is too good to be true, it is. Zilmax® at $8,428.50 for a 22 pound bag was said to increase carcass weights by 24 to 33 pounds and dressing percentage by 1.4 percent. Further, Zilmax® doubled the percentage of Yield Grade 1 cattle, cut in half the number of Yield Grade 4 and 5 cattle and increased rib eyes by 1.25 square inches. So what’s not to like, you ask? As we said, ranchers have gone to great lengths to improve the marbling in their cattle. That’s the primary push behind the Angus breed’s domination the last few years and the reason for the improved quality of beef in grocery stores and restaurants. Then along came beta agonists which reduce marbling and gradcontinued on page three


“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

December 15, 2013

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Will We Ever Learn? ing percentages and therefore reduced the number one selling point of beef: taste, which comes from marbling. In September, when the cattle industry had not yet been weaned off Zilmax®, cattle were grading 3.23% Prime and 60.55% Choice. By the week ended November 1, they graded 4.50% Prime and 64.22% Choice. In the year 2012, 64 percent of all cattle processed graded choice. As I write this it’s 68.5 percent right before Thanksgiving. What happened to make such a difference? Zilmax® was pulled off the market in September. #5 – The NCBA is bought and paid for. Okay, so this isn’t a news flash. Over 80 percent of the NCBA’s income each year comes from the checkoff and they always profess to the ranchers how they are spending the money to promote safe, healthy and nutritious beef that is produced sustainably. And yet they sat on the sidelines and wouldn’t do anything, or say anything critical about Zilmax® that is the exact opposite of everything the NCBA is supposed to stand for. Like Mike Callicrate says, “Why has the NCBA and the Beef Checkoff ignored the drastic quality decline in commodity beef?” It’s really very simple. It’s what we warned would happen when we opposed the merger and the selling of NCBA Board seats. If you go to next year’s NCBA convention, where they think up ways to spend your checkoff dollars, look at who are the major sponsors of events and programs and you’ll see it’s all the major drug companies. The NCBA acts like they don’t want to bite the hand that feeds them, not even realizing they are getting the bulk of their money from ranchers, not drug companies. A note to future NCBA officers: Leadership is not standing up and reading a speech written for you by the staff back at NCBA headquarters, or issuing a press release that reads like a big sponsor wrote it. #4 – You get what you pay for. Don’t believe everything you read these days. I know, that’s some advice coming from a writer. But talk about being bought and paid for! I would be remiss if I didn’t criticize the livestock press, specifically the big national magazines with lots of color advertising that come in the mail for free. Their dirty little secret is that the tail is wagging the dog, the tail being expensive, full color advertising from pharmaceutical companies. In an era where print media is like a sick sheep trying hard to die, and margins are slim to nonexistent, editors must not only check spelling and grammar but they must also not print anything that might slightly irritate the big drug companies who buy lots of fancy and expensive ads that

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keep them in business. Many editors are afraid of lawsuits and calls to their boss from big advertisers so they err on the side of caution. That’s why none of them printed the letter that was sent to them by Gerald Timmerman and Harvey Dietrich that you read in the Digest last month. They put profit and their promotion ahead of the old rule in our business that the advertising and editorial departments should be separate entities. #3 – Heroes still walk amongst us. Gerald Timmerman hates how beta agonists make cattle wild and lame. Besides being a major cattle feeder, Gerald is involved in every phase of the beef business as a meat packer, feeder and rancher. He stated

very publicly that customer complaints about meat quality went up as the use of Zilmax® did. Gerald and another giant of our industry, Harvey Dietrich, became very active in trying to rid our business of them. Gerald was quoted in the Wall Street Journal saying. “These days, you can drive through a feed yard and spot every one of the cattle that's on it. They look like muscle-bound athletes. I felt it was not the right thing to do.” Dr. Ray Rodriguez was another longtime friend who educated me about beta agonists, and we’ve already mentioned the everhonest Temple Grandin. (To this list of heroes I would add the publisher of this newspaper.) At great risk to themselves, and their businesses, each did the right thing in exposing beta agonists

for the harmful feed additives they are. Without these folks I’m quite confident Merck would still be selling Zilmax®. This is proof once again that a handful of people can make a difference in this world by simply doing the right thing. #2 – There’s work still to be done. Those of us opposed to Zilmax® can’t relax now because there is a ticking time bomb out there. The juniors. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a product of the FFA and the showring. I wouldn’t have had the money for college without it and I learned so much from raising show cattle. Showing animals remains one of the best programs in the country to teach young people responsibility and about the humane treatment of animals.

It’s good for kids and their families. Having said that, with $10,000 feeder calves, and $50,000 Grand Champions there are bound to be a few cheaters. All it takes is one to misuse the beta agonists that are still on the market and the showring will be tarnished forever. A steer jock might think, “If a little is good, a lot is better.” And then the beef business will have a very serious problem on their hands. Maybe even a death, heaven forbid. #1– It’s time to settle this. Harvey Dietrich, boiled all this down for me in one very simple sentence: “Do we really want to produce beef that comes from chemical cattle?” The time has come, cowboys, to make up your mind, once and for all.

NMSU, Texas A&M to host Southwest Beef Symposium in Clayton hile rangeland conditions improved in the latter part of the growing season, southern plains cattle producers still have a lot to evaluate as thoughts of rebuilding herd inventories continue. Cattle industry experts will address global industry issues, timely nutrition and health management strategies, and the economics and risk associated with restocking ranches during the Southwest Beef Symposium. The annual symposium and tradeshow will be Thursday and Friday, January 9 and 10, 2014 at the Clayton Civic Center, 124 North Front St., Clayton, N.M. As is customary with the symposium format, the opening afternoon session will address big-picture emerging issues in the global beef industry.

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Leann Saunders, co-founder and president of Where Food Comes From, Inc. and chair-elect of the U.S. Meat Export Federation, will open the symposium at 1 p.m. Thursday with a discussion on the “Effects of Global Meat Exports on U.S. Beef Producers.” Additional afternoon outlook sessions will address the changes in agriculture lending policies, emerging beef sustainability issues by major beef purveyors and a short and long-term weather outlook. On Friday, Cooperative Extension Service specialists and university faculty from Texas A&M AgriLife, Kansas State University and New Mexico State University will provide strategies and considerations on rebuilding regional beef herds specifically focused on the economics of re-stocking, defining current pasture lease rates

and effectively selecting and managing the nutrition and health programs for stocker calves and cows. The symposium will wrap up with a panel discussion by regional ranch managers on their individual perspectives of rebuilding regional cattle inventories. Individual registration is $70, which includes a steak dinner on Thursday, lunch on Friday, refreshments and symposium proceedings. Online registration and payment will be available Dec. 2. Registration deadline is Jan. 3. The schedule of events, lodging information and presenter information is available at http://swbs.nmsu.edu For more information contact Manny Encinias at 505/927-7935 or Bruce Carpenter at 432/336-9632.


Livestock Market Digest

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December 15, 2013

State Water Rights Compact. The more I looked into it, the more troubled I became by the details of it,” she says. The Tribes had been pushing for this particular Compact for more than a decade but only within the last year did the public become aware of it. The public review and comment document for this Compact was not presented to the public until October 2012—just a couple months ahead of the Montana legislature session. Two grassroots groups quickly organized to address the issues with the compact: Concerned Citizens of Western Montana, taking an informational and legislative approach, and the Western Montana Water Users Association LLC, representing reservation irrigators and using a legal strategy. “We quickly discovered that the proposed CSKT Compact was not at all like the other Compacts that had been done for the state of Montana” says Terry. Very early in our efforts, we were able to get in touch with Dr. Kate Vandemoer, a hydrologist and water manager with more than 26 years experience working with and for Tribes on the quantification, management, and development of federal reserved water rights on Indian reservations. “When I first heard about this Compact, I could not believe what I was hearing or reading,” says Dr. Kate. “I was concerned that the Compact was running

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afoul of the federal reserved water rights doctrine, also known as the Winters Doctrine. I certainly believe that tribes have federal reserved water rights and I have worked on them for many years. But I also know that Tribes don’t get to have everything. The more I looked into this, the more concerned I became. I saw it as my responsibility to help sort it out. Now I see that my background and experience has allowed me to get to this point and offer some perspective on this, and point out the problems with the whole plan,” Dr. Kate said. She arrived in Montana in November 2012 and helped the newly formed Concerned Citizens group analyze the Compact. The group worked with the legislature and was able to kill the Compact bill that was presented in April 2013. That bill was resurrected, however, by the Compact Commission—and they are still hoping to get it pushed through. “We had no idea how big a project this would be. My first reaction, at many of the meetings that the Compact Commission held (to tell people about the Compact), was astonishment at the administration program they are trying to foist on people, their claims about the off-reservation water rights, and so on. A federal reserved water right applies only to the land that is so reserved,” says Dr. Kate. “There are a few parallels to the Klamath situation, but the

Treaty of Hellgate (which created the Flathead Reservation) only allows the tribe here to take fish, in common with the citizens of the territory. That means that everyone, including the tribes, has the right to take fish, but none of us have a water right associated with that. The direct line between taking fish and a water right is not there. It’s a big leap, and illegal,” she explains. The Concerned Citizens group developed a comparison chart to show that this particular Compact was like no other. “The chart shows how this Compact compares to the other tribal compacts for the state of Montana,” says Terry. “It shows how over-reaching this Compact is. When you look at this, coupled with the water rights that they are claiming are held in the name of the federal government in trust for the tribe, it adds a new dimension to all of this,” she says. “We have a Compact Commission here in Montana that effectively tried to relinquish all of the water in western Montana to the federal government, along with the management of that water. It takes on a whole different light when you realize that it’s the federal government that is pushing for this,” Terry explains. It would change the ability of farmers and ranchers to use water for agricultural purposes in a traditional manner; it takes water law and adjudication away from the states and puts it all in the hands of the federal

government for other purposes. “This is also what I see in the Klamath situation,” says Dr. Kate. It’s the federal government using the tribes to accomplish its own objective which is essentially to kick everybody off the land, move them to the city, and lock up the land. There would be no productive use of the land, no crops or livestock, no timber harvest—no livelihoods generated from the land, no use of natural renewable resources, and no contribution to feeding, clothing or sheltering our expanding human population. “Here in Montana we’ve seen the decimation of the mining industry, the timber industry, and all we have left is agriculture—and we believe that this Compact will be the straw that breaks the back of the agricultural economy,” says Terry. “We think that this is intentional. A lot of the things in the Compact are anti-agriculture, and would be very detrimental.” This is a great tool for the people who want to depopulate the open spaces in the West and get rid of the rural population. There are several extremist groups who are using this as a way to further their own agenda and they are helping push it along. THE RESERVED WATER RIGHTS COMPACT – This document’s sole purpose is supposedly to quantify the federal reserved water that is necessary for the needs of the Flathead Indian Reservation—the land that was originally reserved for

the tribes. “This Compact does not do this. Instead, it takes all the water, and moves off the reservation to claim water, too,” says Terry. As a bit of background information, the Montana Reserved Water Rights Compact Commission was created in 1979 and given the task of negotiating an equitable division and apportionment of water between the state and its people and the federal reserved interests. The federal reserved water rights have been identified for the purposes of national parks, forests, military and wildlife installations refuges—and also the water rights held in trust for Indian tribes for the purposes for which the Indian reservations were set aside. After 34 years, the Compact Commission had negotiated 17 compacts for various federal land management agencies within the state, and for 6 of the 7 Indian reservations in Montana. The only one remaining is the Flathead Reservation and the reserved water rights for the Confederated Salish-Kootenai Tribes (CSKT), and this one is fraught with conflict. This particular Compact has been in the making for about 30 years. During that time these tribes files a series of lawsuits aiming to force the state off the Reservation and they were successful. When the tribes’ case was taken to the Montana Supreme Court in 1996, that court said that until the tribes’ water right was quantified, the

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the global cattle industry as a gateway into Africa and the Middle East. Jimmie Hargrove (Lake Placid) describes his family’s survival strategy establishing a ranch in Wild Florida when he was just a child. The tragic story of border heritage rancher, Rob Krentz (murdered by a suspected illegal) is told by his dedicated wife, Sue, (Douglas, Arizona) with other border ranchers describing their everyday battles with the Mexican Cartel: John Ladd (Bisbee, Arizona), Ed Ashurst (Apache, Arizona). Interview with Scott George, Pres. National Beef Cattleman responding to ranchers on border issues; Sheriff Lanier Hardee County on cartel drug bust in Lake Placid, Florida; McCain statement; Sen. Rubio and Flake (AZ) refusing to answer border rancher questions AND statement from Tex. Ag. Commission on border security not being met. True stories in this book reflect different lives, different places and times, but reveal a common unity of purpose: Sur-

vival. Born in Tombstone, AZ, Caren Cowan, Executive Director, New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association (Albuquerque, New Mexico) describes her heritage; Don Reay, Executive Director, Texas Border Sheriff’s Coalition (El Paso, Texas) shares his experiences in Border Patrol/Customs. In Florida, there are the stories of James Prescott (Lake Placid), Joel Tyson (Fellsmere, Florida), and the ancient history of the Belle Glades Indians preserved at the Blueberry Archaeological Site (Lake Placid, Florida). In a world wrought with political strife, man waging war against man, global power struggles, new technology and climate change, the cowboy Spirit and Heritage gives hope for humanity as joy, suffering, grief, emotional, spiritual challenges arrive upon our doorstep through these true stories. Hopefully, their lives will inspire future generations to recognize that the global frontier and beyond it is yet to be fulfilled and will challenge those who dare to carve it.


December 15, 2013

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

State Water Rights state cannot issue water use permits on the reservation and must stop the adjudication process. Since 1996, the state has not been able to issue water permits. Any permit requests for wells, for instance, have been on hold. “The Compact bill is a 1400 page document,” says Terry. “This includes the Compact itself, an irrigator water use agreement, a water administration plan called the Unitary Management Ordinance, and about 1,000 pages of water abstracts that lay claim to most of the water in western Montana. During Thanksgiving and Christmas last year the Compact Commission held a series of public meetings to ‘sell’ this Compact to the public. Then the legislative session started in January 2013. We were successful in getting legislators to take a look and realize there was something different about this Compact and that they couldn’t just go ahead and vote this one through like they had the other Compacts. They did not allow it to go through the legislature in this last session,” she explains. Many people feel that the flaws in the document need to be changed before it is passed into law. Though it failed to pass, the Compact Commission and the Governor have been working hard to continue to push it forward, as is, and the Tribes are telling people that it has to be this Compact. “We are concerned that the Governor may call a special session of the legislature to try to push it through,” says Terry.

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Largely as a result of the citizens’ group and their educational work with the legislature, there has now been more scrutiny of the Compact. “We developed a critical review of the Compact,” says Dr. Kate. “Our review points out major issues of concern. The legislators we’ve been working with came to us and asked us to draft an alternative or corrected Compact—to address the flaws. If the Compact Commission was actually representing state interests, and if they were following the law of federally reserved water rights and how they are determined, our corrected version is what a Compact should look like,” she explains. “We identified a federal reserved water right for the CSKT based on the purposes of the reservation, current uses, and future development.” The citizen’s group’s chart compares the various Montana Indian Reservations and their reserved water rights compacts. “We went through the 1,000 pages of water rights abstracts to try to determine how much water was in this Compact because the Compact Commission had not told us how much is being claimed. They publicly said they disagree with the numbers we pulled together for that analysis, but they refuse to provide their own quantification numbers,” she says. One of the reasons for this failure to identify for the legislature how much water is claimed in the Compact is that it might be too much water. “In doing our research we dis-

covered some minutes from a Clark Fork River Basin Task Force where the attorney for the Compact Commission said that ‘if they were to quantify the amount of water that the tribe gets for their reserved water right, it would exceed the available supply of water’”, says Terry. “This is totally unacceptable and incorrect,” says Dr. Kate. “A federal reserved water right amount is based on the purpose of the reservation and the amount of water to fulfill those purposes. You can’t reserve more water than actually exists,” she says. FEDERAL RESERVED WATER RIGHTS. When the federal government takes a piece of land out of the public domain, it automatically reserves an amount of water necessary to fulfill the purpose of the land so reserved. The amount of water in a federal reserved water right is based on the purpose of the reservation and the amount of water necessary to fulfill that purpose. Importantly, a federal reserved water right applies only to reservation land; a federal reserved water right does not exist outside of the reservation. THE STEVENS TREATY Like many Tribes in the Pacific Northwest, the CSKT signed a treaty with Governor Isaac Stevens in 1855. This one was the Treaty of Hellgate, which set aside the Flathead Indian Reservation, known as a “Stevens Treaty” reservation. While the Tribes ceded their aboriginal territory to the United States in exchange for payment and the

set-aside of the Flathead Indian Reservation, the Treaty secured for them “a right to take fish…in common with the citizens of the territory”. Plainly, this means that the Tribes and the citizens of Montana have an equal right to “take fish”. Nowhere in the Treaty does this “right to take fish” mean “water right”; the direct line from “taking fish” to a “water right” is elusive at best. Other Tribes in the Pacific Northwest with Stevens’ Treaty

language have interpreted the “right to take fish” as a right to take a portion of the harvest each year and have legally pursued this right. The famous Boldt decision is one such case, and this decision was about harvest of fish, not water rights. However, even if there is a “water right” associated with a “right to take fish”, it is not a federal reserved water right because it is not within the reservation boundaries.

Arizona National Receives Honors from International Association Fairs & Expositions he Arizona National Livestock Show will be recognized at the International Association Fairs & Expositions Convention in December in the Agriculture and Communications Award Programs. Arizona National placed second in Division 1 for Print Material in the Agricultural Awards Program. The Arizona National Livestock Show Program provides educational information about the livestock judging process and historical information. In the Communications Award Program Arizona National placed third in Division 1 for the television ad from this past year which was produced by Merestone Production Company in Scottsdale, Ari-

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zona. “We are honored to be recognized for our accomplishments and have the opportunity to compete among thousands of fairs and expositions across the country,” Rochell Planty, Director of Public Relations shared. The Arizona National Livestock Show, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting youth and promoting livestock and agriculture to the public while preserving our western heritage. The 66th annual Arizona National Livestock Show will be held December 28-30, 2013 at the Arizona State Fairgrounds. For more information call the Arizona National office at: 602/2588568, or visit www.anls.org.


Livestock Market Digest

Page 6

Riding Herd practice to become horseshoers and sheep shearers, and any vets who choose to stay in business will work only for cash and won’t take any new cow patients that are over six years old. Fence Post: ObamaCow covers cows but what about their offspring? Obama: Calves will be able to stay on their mothers policy until they are 26. Tri State Livestock News: You do know that cattle don’t live that long? Where do ranchers go to sign up their cows withoutå coverage? Obama: Go to our web site, ObamaCow.worsethana colonoscopy.com on which we spent 31 billion dollars and one hundred million man hours. Wyoming Livestock Roundup: Mr. President, with all due respect, I just tried to go on your web site and after asking some very personal questions it crashed. Obama: That would be George Bush’s fault. Livestock Market Digest: In 2009 you told ABC News that if Congress didn’t pass ObamaCare our government would

continued from page one

go bankrupt. Are you aware that we are 17 trillion dollars in debt? Aren’t we technically already bankrupt and won’t ObamaCow make it worse? Obama: Who let you in here? I bet you are one of those Tea Party crackpots. Someone call security! Gulf Coast Cattleman: What will ObamaCow cover and how much will it cost? Obama: It will cover pinkeye and lump jaw but not elective surgeries such as a Caesarean section. For other procedures, such as castration or removing porcupine quills from the nose of a cow, you’ll have to seek approval from what we jokingly call around here the “Death Squad.” There will also be a slight backup due to all the veterinarians leaving the field, so if you want to preg check your cows two years from now I’d call Charley from Roto Rooter right now as he’s already booked up one year in advance. As for how much ObamaCow will cost, I’d like to quote my proctologist who once said to me, “Easy now, this won’t hurt one bit.”

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he U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have announced an expanded partnership to support water quality trading and other market-based approaches that provide benefits to the environment and economy. “New water quality trading markets hold incredible potential to benefit rural America by providing new income opportunities and enhancing conservation of water and wildlife habitat,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. “Additionally, these efforts will strengthen businesses across the nation by providing a new pathway to comply with regulatory requirements.” “EPA is committed to finding collaborative solutions that protect and restore our nation’s waterways and the health of the communities that depend on them,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “We’re excited about partnering with USDA to expand support for water quality trading, which shows that environmental improvements can mean a better bottom line for farmers and ranchers.” Water quality trading provides a cost-effective approach

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for regulated entities to comply with EPA Clean Water Act requirements, including water quality-based effluent limits in National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits. Trading would allow regulated entities to purchase and use pollutant reduction credits generated by other sources in a watershed. Cost savings and other economic incentives are key motivators for parties engaged in trading. Water quality trading can also provide additional environmental and economic benefits, such as air quality improvements, enhanced wildlife habitat, carbon capture and storage, and new income and employment opportunities for rural America. EPA and USDA are working together to implement and coordinate policies and programs that encourage water quality trading. The Department and the Agency will identify opportunities to work collaboratively to help improve water quality trading programs across the country. Cooperative management and technical assistance will improve resource management and public services, and accelerate implementation. USDA and EPA will: n Coordinate and enhance

communications and outreach to states, agricultural producers, regulated sources, and interested third parties on water quality trading; n Engage expertise across agencies in the review of grants, loans or technical assistance programs focused on water quality trading; n Share information on the development of rules and guidance that have the potential to affect water quality trading; n Collaborate on developing tools and information resources for states and credit generators to guide decision making, reduce costs in program design and implementation, improve environmental performance, and foster consistency and integrity across regional initiatives; n Co-host a workshop by 2015 to share tools and resources available to assist in stakeholder decision making and opportunities. The purpose of this policy is to support states, interstate agencies and tribes as they develop and implement water quality trading programs for nutrients, sediments and other pollutants where opportunities exist to achieve water quality improvements at reduced costs.

Cowboy Night Before Christmas by Jim Olson

O

505-865-6011 ron@aaalivestock.com Livestock Market Digest PO Box 7458 Albuquerque, NM 87194

USDA, EPA Partnership Supports Water Quality Trading To Benefit Environment, Economy

Featuring the

RON ARCHER

December 15, 2013

nward came the cowboy, came from afar Curiously following the glow of a star Arrived at the livery, a place for his horse Few extra oats on a chilly night of course Told the stable man, hey, thanks for the light Lit the desert nicely – such a dark night The man just grinned and said with a nod Sir, it ‘twas not me – I believe it was God! There ‘tween a burro and sheep freshly shorn Cooed a little baby, not long ago born Parents huddled, three men gathered round Gazed lovingly, at a babe on the ground Well Cowboy was curious as men usually are & Knew right there, the purpose of the star No doubt in his mind, that he was on hand, To witness a miracle, the world’s only perfect man Well the Babe stared at him, right into his soul Knew all about him, but how did he know? Had piercing blue eyes that seemed to speak Cowboy got a message & his knees grew weak Then a horse rip-snorted, he sat right up in bed Guess he’d been dreamin’, twas all in his head Jumped up with a start, realizing the dream It seemed so real, these things that he’d seen A voice came to him from somewhere within Said Cowboy – past is gone, you’re forgiven Trust your instincts inside – I put ‘em there, Remember I’m with you, here and everywhere Tend your horses, cattle and your fellow man

For to do right by me, treat ‘em best as you can Remember now, to be kind to children And care for your soul – you must make amends He pondered a while this message received Shore enough a miracle, is what he believed It rattled round in his head loud and clear Help your fellow man – both far and near Cowboy resolved to do better, best he could The world surely needs, a bit more good Why then he felt warm and fuzzy all over Like a wild horse herd, running through clover He sat there a-rubbin’ grog from his eyes Looks to the window – saw another surprise Perched on the sill – a snow-white Dove Knows it has to be, a sign from above Cowboy smiled, thought man what a night Dove then nodded and took off in flight Twas no use a-trying to sleep after that Got up, got dressed – stuffed on his hat And he passed the calendar – on the wall December 25th – well don’t that beat all? Now out in the barn, it’s time to throw feed But the horse is sweaty, what’s wrong with the steed Why he’s been ridden – evidence clear showed Looks in the bin and & oats have been throwed A cold winter chill went straight down the spine I knew then I’d encountered – something Divine!


“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

December 15, 2013

Page 7

The Problem with the Price of Water ISSUES AND COMMENTARY FROM HENTGES/KAHN/STRAUSS, LLC AND THE LEMPERT REPORT

armers in California are struggling with the impact of water costs on their land. The only farmers not affected are north of Sacramento due to long standing riparian rights with access to free water from the biggest river in the state and the biggest precipitation area. While breaking down the cause of the rise of the price of water is a complex task, it can be universally agreed that water insecurity leads to higher costs. “The societal, economic and cultural question is how much do we value farming?” asks Dave Puglia, Western Growers Sr. Vice President, Government Affairs and Communications, Arizona & California. “American farming means access to fresh fruits and vegetables and protection of open space. In order to reap these benefits, we need to ensure a reliable water supply to all farmers. We are not doing that right now. We are headed the other way.” It may be prudent to reflect on the thinking of President John Kennedy in his 1962 speech presiding over the groundbreaking of the San Luis Reservoir where he emphasized the importance of one area of a state sharing resources with another area of the state. “Americans can work together . . . because if this state does well, so does the country.”

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Where DO the farmers in California get their water?* On the east side of the San Joaquin Valley (Central Valley Project) citrus, nuts and stone fruit are mostly produced. The San Joaquin River Restoration Program allocated approximately 200,000 acre feet** away from the east side’s supply for environmental purposes (“to restore and maintain fish populations in ‘good condition’ in the main stem of the San Joaquin River below Friant Dam to the confluence of the Merced River, including naturally reproducing and self-sustaining populations of salmon and other fish”). Regardless of the merit of these environmental acts, the east side (the Friant Division) suffering from drought is in dire need for water. In Salinas Valley, water issues are looming due to saltwater intrusion. The management of existing groundwater resources is costly. The Paso Robles area is stressed because there are many wineries drawing water from the ground and also the urban uses of water. In the desert, to reduce the over-dependence on the Colorado River, the Imperial Irrigation District entered a Quantitative Settlement Agreement delivering 300,000 acre feet a year of water to San Diego. In exchange for payment of the water, farmers fallowed acres of their land. The question is how much fallowing can the region handle and still

produce a majority of our nation’s winter vegetables? The west side of the valley grows a lot of almonds and leafy green veggies. Their irrigation district can receive water from water transfer arrangements. Those transfers will cost a farmer a premium. Also, for these farmers, a primary source of “replacement” water in times of regulatory drought (the Endangered Species Act-driven cuts to their surface water supply) is increased pumping of groundwater. There are environmental implications with increased pumping. (see environmental impact below.) The SJ River Exchange Contractors hold some of the oldest water rights in the state where they receive “substitute” water from the Sacramento River via the Delta-Mendota canal and other facilities of the US. This is due to the building of the dams, specifically the Friant Dam. *Assistance by Western Growers ** Acre foot is the amount of water covering 1 acre to a depth of 1 foot or 326,000 gallons

Issues for Consumers to Understand Barry Bedwell, President of the California Grape and Tree Fruit League, points out that food safety and national security issues are two major concerns behind the issue of the rising price of water. “It’s not just about local California pride,” says Bedwell. “As an example, when you look at table grape numbers, California produced over 100 million boxes in 2012, and it is a wonderful success story. However, keep in mind that the #1 producer in the world at 991 million boxes is China. China has filed for access to the US market. Access will take a number of years because of pests and diseases concerns that need to be addressed, but it’s in motion. The US consumer has to understand if we don’t grow table grapes in CA, we won’t get them from say Mexico or Chile . . . we will get them from China. They have to ask themselves how they feel about that?” Urban use can be the biggest challenge for water scarcity and cost for farmers. Families Protecting The Valley is one of the organizations getting a different message out, stating on their website, “California’s water policy is about more than farmers. It’s about jobs, schools, families and our environment.” The California Farm Water Coalition’s slogan is “Food grows where water flows.” Farmers have long term water supply reliability concerns. In ten to 15 years, will they be able to sustain their operation with unknown but certainly higher water costs? Farmers are truly trying to be sustainable and are very sensitive to water use.

Changing Farmers, Changing Retailers Bedwell explains, “Consumers should also realize that what is happening in the grocery retail

sector is also what is happening with farms. Over the last three or four decades, there has been the consolidation of grocery stores and retail outlets. In turn, family farms had to get bigger to be more efficient to meet retailer requirements. Forty years ago there were 1200 estimated table grape growers and 20 million boxes of California grapes a year. Now there are 100 million boxes of grapes, but only 471 growers.” The California Grape and Tree Fruit League’s 2013 Top Ten Issues lists water supply issues as #4 after labor costs and laws and immigration reform. Where consumers may desire California grown, big buyers have their eye on a long term reliable chain of product at a certain cost. “A large buyer of a certain fresh produce commodity is going to focus on long term planning. They may look globally and at other parts of the US as a possible source for that commodity. California brand has some value in the marketplace, California Grown, but at the end of the day a customer wants their product,” says Dave Puglia of Western Growers.

Running Westlands Water District The Westlands Water District covers 600,000 acres on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley; the entire western half of Fresno and a portion of Kings county. It is the largest irrigation district in the country in terms of crop production with 60 different kinds of crops. Westlands, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Kern County Water Agency and the Santa Clara Valley Water District are all are partners in pursuing the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, and at risk, which binds them significantly. Jason Peltier, Chief Deputy General Manager of Westlands Water District, spoke frankly with The Food Journal about the water shortage due to environmental restrictions for farmers, and coping mechanisms. “Due to environmental restrictions (the Endangered Species Act) placed on the Central Valley Project, we have weathered water supply cutbacks of 40 then 60 then 90 percent over the last twenty years. While of course we want a healthy ecosystem, the two decades of project restrictions seem to have done no good for the fisheries. Our ongoing shortages and the failures of the regulatory regime have led us to pursue the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. The BDCP has two purposes; to increase water supplies and reliability, and restore ecosystem values in the Delta.” “Farmers are incredibly agile and do a fantastic job of substituting the food producing machine,” says Peltier. “We are the #1 agricultural state in the country with 45 billion dollars of crop value at the farm gate. While we are the largest food producing state, we are also one of the most highly urbanized states in the nation,

and we haven't reconciled those two realities.”

The Impact on the Environment Where water cost increase manifests – that is whenever regulatory restrictions cut back the water supply for farmers – they often turn up irrigation pumps. They pump more from aquifers and doing so can create a situation called overdraft, which can have serious consequences for the basin. Subsidence (or sinking) can happen when too much water is drawn out of the ground. There can be the collapse of aquifers and caverns under the ground. The land above can also come down. There has been subsidence in the San Joaquin Valley. If subsidence continues, one impact may be the disruption of the California Aqueduct itself. If it is on a slight grade, the water is not going to flow.

Voters and Water Water supply insecurity translates to higher costs for consumers. The question is, how

much higher costs? The decisions involving the supply of water to farmers will be made in part by the voting consumers in urban locations such of LA, San Diego and San Francisco. How much do these voters know about the water complexities and costs to the farmers in Fresno County alone? It is decisions voters make in this area that will increase or decrease access to domestic and local food. The 2014 Water Bond was brought forth by the Association of California Water Agencies to address the state’s poorly interconnected patchwork of large and small systems and recently, The California Natural Resources Agency, the California EPA and the California Department of Food and Agriculture released a draft of The California Water Action Plan addressing solutions for the reliability of water. There is and will continue to be competition for water use. Food and fiber cannot be grown without water and decisions on allocation and price will impact supplies.


Livestock Market Digest

Page 8

Improving forage, livestock production begins with the soil any ranchers view livestock as their base crop. Other ranchers view grass as their foundational crop from which the cattle grow. While healthy cattle depend on healthy forages, the entire process begins with the soil, according to Chad Ellis, Noble Foundation pasture and range consultant. “The management of soil health is of vital importance to producers as it is the dynamic resource,” Ellis said. “As managers, we often focus on managing the aboveground production in our pastures while paying little attention to what happens belowground. Sound grazing management is the art of capturing sunlight and water while recycling a portion of the aboveground parts of the plant through livestock.” Ellis outlined five principles for building soil health: Armor the soil Bare ground is enemy No. 1. It is damaging because it increases soil temperatures

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and even kills biological activity. Once soil temperatures reach 140 degrees, soil bacteria die. The soil must be covered through forage and crop residue. Minimize soil disturbance Physical soil disturbance such as plowing and overgrazing can result in bare ground and compacted soils that disrupt soil microbial activity. Incorporating reduced tillage methods in cropping systems and proper grazing management in pastures will keep soil covered. Increase plant diversity Increasing plant diversity above ground allows for more diverse underground community. The more diverse the microbial population in the soil, the better the forage will respond, due to increased biological activity. Keep living roots in the ground all year Soils are most productive when soil microbes have access to living plant material. A living root provides a food

source for beneficial bacteria and promotes the relationship between plant roots and mycorrhizal fungi. This is aided by increased plant diversity, which can be achieved by incorporating cover crops into your pasture and crop systems. Integrate livestock grazing Grasses evolved under grazing pressure. Soil and plant health is improved by grazing, which recycles nutrients, reduces plant selectivity and increases plant diversity. The most important factor in grazing systems is to allow adequate rest for the plant to recover before being grazed again. “Our land’s condition is characterized by the functioning of both the soil and plant communities,” Ellis said. “Following these principles will allow the site production, health of the soil, and mineral and water cycles to greatly improve, resulting in an increase of forage production and animal production.”

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‘Weedy junk no longer’ BY: JONATHAN KNUTSON, HTTP://WWW.AGWEEK.COM

eil Shook, manager of the Chase Lake Wetland Management District, Woodworth, South Dakota, tells this story about a group of bird-watchers who once toured it. “They saw cattle grazing. They said, ‘Why do you have cows out here? Cows are bad.’ I said, ‘No, cows are good,’” Shook says. The birders weren’t convinced. So Shook took them into a section of the district that hadn’t been grazed since the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took over the land in the early 1960s. He and the birders looked closely and found lots of weeds, only a few native flowers and a thick mat of old, dead grass that hampered the growth of new grass. Then Shook took the birders into a section hat had been grazed. Again, they looked closely at the ground. “We could see all these native orbs, native flowers, the grass starting to come back. It really

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clicked with the birders,” he says. Shook, in his fourth year as manager of the district, has put into practice something that ranchers in the Upper Midwest have known for generations. This summer, for the first time since the 1960s, sheep grazed on some sections of the district. It was the third straight summer cattle grazed on some tracts there. “The prairie evolved with grazing. It needs grazing,” Shook says. “It’s not just the actual grazing, the eating of those plants. It’s also the hoof action on that soil. It’s also the nitrogen those animals leave. It’s the whole gamut.” Before grazing, “Some of this (grassland) was weedy junk. It’s so much better now,” he says. Shook, an Iowa native, had spent most of his professional career in eastern North Dakota, where cropland is common and grassland is not. In contrast, Chase Lake, in central North Dakota, “has grass. It has cows. I realized I continued on page nine

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“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

December 15, 2013

Page 9

Weedy Junk had to get cows on our stuff (wetland grass),” he says. Shook knew right away that he needed to work with ranchers to achieve his goals for Chase Lake. “I’m a biologist. I’m not a rancher. I don’t know squat about livestock. But I know prairie. I know what I want this stuff to look like,” he says. Ranchers, in turn, “know what their animals can and can’t do,” he says. Shook is working with about 25 ranchers, known as cooperators, who have cattle grazing on the wetland district. One of the cooperators is Brent Kuss, a Woodworth farmer and rancher with a strong interest in soil health and alternative grazing practices, both on his own farm and at the wetland management district. “He’s very livestock-friendly,” Kuss says of Shook. “He’s willing to work with us to help achieve his goals and to learn more

continued from page eight

about how we do things.” Kuss says he and Shook meet before the growing season to discuss what parcels of grassland might be available, what Shook hopes to accomplish and how livestock can help achieve those goals. Shook says he and his cooperators “have a true partnership.” Kuss also grazes sheep at Chase Lake, the only cooperator to do so. Shook hopes to find more sheep cooperators. Sheep and cattle eat different plants, so a combination of the two types of livestock would be good, Shook says.

Fee schedule Cooperator grazing fees are based on U.S. Department of Agriculture rates for federal land. The rates involve AUMs, or the amount of forage required by an animal unit in a month. Different types of livestock — a cow and a cow-calf pair, for instance — have different

AUMs and are assessed different fees. Typically, private landowners charge a per-acre fee for grazing. Chase Lake cooperators like the AUM approach, Shook says. The Chase Lake Wetland Management District has different financial arrangements with its various cooperators for fencing. Kuss, for instance, provides his own electrical fence, which his animals are used to, and receives a deduction for doing so. There are other scenarios as well, including one in which the wetland management district provides the fencing materials, which remains property of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for which Shook works.

Not a reason to expand Kuss isn’t adding more sheep and cattle to his operation because he’s grazing at the wetland management district.

Drought could change the district’s grazing needs, and Kuss doesn’t want to take for granted that pasture will be available there. “I’m not going to expand my herd knowing that this (grazing at Chase Lake) may not be an option,” he says. “I’m trying not to become dependent on it.” Grazing at Chase Lake, however, gives Kuss more flexibility in managing his own pasture. “We bring cattle down here (to Chase Lake) and we can bank grass at home,” he says. Shook says he tells all his cooperators the same thing. “Do not increase your herd size because you graze here,” he says.

Changing attitudes Wildlife groups and ranchers have a long history of disagreements. But that’s changing, Shook says. He squeezes his hands into fists and pushes them together,

knuckle against knuckle. “For a long time, it seems like the wildlife community and the agricultural communities have been like this,” he says. “If you’re 100 percent into crop production, I can understand it. But if you’re 100 percent into livestock or if part of your operation is livestock, well, there’s a lot more that the wildlife community and the agricultural community have in common than not,” he says. Shook’s bottom line is simple: the wetland management district provides better habitat when it’s grazed. “I remember going out one morning and walking on two tracts (of grassland). One had been grazed, the other hadn’t,” he says. “Where the cattle had grazed, it was noisy with insects and birds. Where they hadn’t, it was dead silence. It was that remarkable a difference,” he says.

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Livestock Market Digest

Page 10

December 15, 2013

Oklahoma man convicted of knowingly concealing stolen property Sperry, Oklahoma, man was convicted in mid November of knowingly concealing stolen property. Terry Lee Jett, 42, was convicted after he knowingly sold stolen cattle at the Collinsville livestock auction in Collinsville, Oklahoma. According to Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) Special Ranger Bart Perrier, who led

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the investigation, in August 2011, Jett stole and sold 9 head of cattle from an Osage County rancher who had hired him to catch and pen his cattle. Those cattle were positively identified through sale barn records as the cattle that were stolen. Jett was sentenced to five years in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and was fined $1,200 and $732 in court

costs. TSCRA has 30 special rangers stationed strategically throughout Texas and Oklahoma who have in-depth knowledge of the cattle industry and are trained in all facets of law enforcement. All are commissioned as Special Rangers by the Texas Department of Public Safety and/or the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

Farm Credit Of New Mexico: Community Service Is A Long Held Tradition n the cooperative spirit, being involved is a significant part of Farm Credit of New Mexico’s day to day operations. Having the benefit of living and doing business in strong and healthy communities, state, and agricultural industry is imperative to the company’s success. We not only advocate that giving monetarily is important, but also giving our time and talent as individuals is vital. Community involvement is nothing new at Farm Credit of New Mexico; it is a long held tradition. One example of this is Beverly Gabaldon, Chief Financial Officer, she has been actively involved in community service throughout her 30 year career at Farm Credit. As she stated, “volunteering or serving others provides me with so much more than I give to the organizations.” This is not only Beverly’s philosophy but also Farm Credit of New Mexico’s. What we as a company receive out of the time and money we contribute to the

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communities and agricultural industry return ten times what is put in. There are 46 employees who give their time and talents in and outside of work. In fact, this year alone, our employees have spent 4,404 hours volunteering, which is over 550 work days or 110 work weeks spent volunteering. It would take one person working 40 hours a week over 2 years, with no vacation, to put in this many volunteer hours. Employees gave their time to 46 different groups including statewide agriculture groups, groups that work on curing disease and supporting those living with disease, church and faith based groups, helping seniors and homeless, and state and local youth groups including: sports, agriculture, and special needs groups. As a Company we participate in many philanthropic actives for example, a scholarship endowment at New Mexico State University was established in 2005 with $250,000. The endowment

funds a scholarship for Farm Credit of New Mexico members’ children and grandchildren who attend the University. It provides $2,000 annual scholarships. The first scholarship was awarded in the fall 2006. To date 34 scholarships totaling $68,000 have been awarded. For the second year in a row Farm Credit of New Mexico staff visited New Mexico State University to visit with Students about the Company and New Mexico Agriculture. This year, staff spoke with 10 classes and talked to 196 students. FCNM also hosted a luncheon for faculty and department heads. Farm Credit of New Mexico is a consistent buyer at the county and state fair junior livestock sales around the state. This year alone over $100,000 was spent throughout the state. Animals were purchased at 28 sales. Supporting our communities and industry has and will continue to be a priority for Farm Credit of New Mexico and our employees.

Crypt Orchid is King “In the land of the geldings, the crypt orchid is king.” hat seems to be the best way to describe American politics since Reagan or Truman. But we get what we deserve. Politics by nature is divisive, susceptible to corruption and injurious to the participant. Government bureaucracy is the pre-eminent example of Peter’s Principle, which says as long as one achieves at a position he is in, he will be promoted. When he finally reaches a position he is not good in, he remains at that level. Mediocrity is the expectation. The appointed jobs after elections often go to big campaign donors or cronies. Cabinet members and judicial positions are only as good as the judgment of the president himself. Then stop and remember how presidents are chosen. By the time they reach that level they are fully gelded politicians. To paraphrase William Buckley, “I would rather be governed by the first 400 people in the St. Jo phone book, than by the hapless congress and administration in Washington, D.C.” We are governed by the lowest common denominator. I don’t know which is more unintelligibly obtuse; a politician being interviewed by a reporter OR an NFL lineman being questioned about his poor performance. When they pontificate from the podium

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that “everybody counts or nobody counts, that we are all in this together,” ask yourself why every senator, representative, administration member and their sycophants are exempt from the force-fed debacles they create and we, the victims, are gagging on. We resent CEO’s in business who wreck a company, get fired and walk away with millions of dollars. Our own elected government potentates in Washington wreak their own havoc but have protected themselves with a “golden parachute” that would make Donald Trump blush! I must admit, after making these comments I have little hope that it will ever change. Even the terms of Presidents Washington, Adams and Jefferson were beset with connivery, slander and sabotage. “Lack of character” did not begin with Nixon or end with Clinton. The most we can expect from our leaders is “not to make it worse.” On a lighter note, once you get over the indignation, disgust and urge to protest, try this; while watching them squawk politico-media blather on television with their talk show accomplices, turn the sound down. Then imagine they are actors on a reality show discussing hemorrhoid medications. At least it would be more believable.

America’s Leaders are Being Duped he United Nations’ Agenda 21 is not a liberal or conservative problem, it is an American problem, according to a special report issued by RANGE magazine. RANGE is an award-winning publication devoted to the search for commonsense solutions to environmental issues. No stranger to controversy, for more than 20 years RANGE has been the outspoken advocate for the protection of land, wildlife and recreation, and the people who produce food for America. In the 1990s, Agenda 21 was quietly, but deliberately, introduced into the United States and given to President Clinton’s Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD) in 1993. The PCSD converted Agenda 21 into U.S. policy guidelines in 1996 through Sustainable America, a federal document. Sustainable America provides the backbone of nearly all federal policies and is being implemented nationwide at the federal, state and local levels, with very few people even being aware of it. Agenda 21 is a 40-chapter document designed to control human activity—globally. Bottom line: Thousands of cities and counties are lured to participate through very lucrative federal grants, but by accepting Sustainable America grant money, leaders are signing over their freedom to govern at the local level to the United Nations. The name Sustainable America is never used and elected officials have no idea there is a direct link to Agenda 21 when they embrace an idea that always sounds wonderful, but the true costs are never revealed until after the grants are accepted. Those costs not only include money, but also the loss of power by the local governments when decision-making is transferred to non-elected regional commissions. Most important, these grant-funded programs cannot be implemented without the loss of private property rights by citizens. Property rights are a key to America’s success. The U.S. financial ranking in the world has plummeted from third place in 2000 to 19th in 2011. This is largely due to the plummeting of the U.S. ranking in the

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world for legally protected property rights and the rule of law. U.S. ranking dropped from first place in 1980 worldwide, to ninth place in 2000 and to 38th place in 2011. The cause is deficit spending and regulatory loss of private property rights. “If [Agenda 21 is] fully implemented, private property rights will be a thing of the past,” warns the special report’s award-winning author, Michael S. Coffman, Ph.D. As president of Environmental Perspectives Inc. and CEO of Sovereignty International in Bangor, Maine, Coffman has more than 30 years of university teaching, research, and consulting in forestry and environmental sciences and, now, geopolitics. He is viewed as an expert in tracking Agenda 21 and the threat it poses to the American way of life. “This U.N. program is very dangerous to our personal liberties and the stealth with which Agenda 21 has been implemented should concern everyone,” Coffman warns. “I have been studying the Agenda 21 phenomenon since the 1980s—before it was made public at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.” He is credited with stopping the ratification of a U.N. treaty, which was linked to Agenda 21, in the United States Senate when he exposed its hidden agenda. “Agenda 21 and its existing and proposed enforcement treaties are designed to provide a web of interlocking international laws that would regulate virtually every aspect of human interaction with the environment,” he says. In other words, Agenda 21 puts the United Nations in charge—global governance—with every country following the same course, following U.N. directions and decisions, even the United States. A digital version of Coffman’s special reports, “Agenda 21: Swallowing America” and “Implementation by Stealth: How Agenda 21 Works,” can be found on the Winter 2014 Web page by visiting www.rangemagazine.com.


December 15, 2013

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

Page 11

The Importance of Sire Selection DAN W. MOSER, KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY

ull selection presents an important opportunity to enhance the profitability of the beef production enterprise. For several reasons, bull selection is one of the most important producer decisions, and as such, requires advance preparation and effort to be successful. To effectively select sires, producers must not only be well versed in the use of expected progeny differences (EPD) and understand breed differences, they must accurately and objectively assess their current genetics, resources and management. Furthermore, recent advances in DNA technol- ogy and decisionsupport tools add complexity to selection, but will ultimately enhance selection accuracy. Producers who stay up to date on advances in beef cattle genetics should profit from enhanced revenue and reduced production costs, as they best match genetics to their production situation.

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Opportunity for Genetic Change Sire selection represents the greatest opportunity for genetic change. Genetic change in cowcalf operations can occur both through sire selection and through replacement female selection in conjunction with cow culling. Most producers raise their own replacement heifers rather than purchasing from other sources. This greatly limits contribution of female selection to genetic change because a large fraction of the heifer crop is needed for replacements. Depending on culling rate in the cowherd, usually onehalf or more of the replacement heifer candidates are retained at weaning to allow for further selection at breeding time. So even if the best half of the heifers are retained, some average heifers will be in that group. Finally, the information used to select replacement heifers in commercial herds is limited. Producers may use in-herd ratios along with data on the heifers’ dams, but these types of data on females do not reflect genetic differences as well as do the EPD used to select bulls. In contrast, whether selecting natural service sires for purchase or sires to be used via artificial insemination (AI), the amount of variation available can be almost overwhelming. Producers

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can find bulls that will increase or decrease nearly any trait of economic importance. Furthermore, since a relatively few bulls will service a large number of cows, producers can select bulls that are fairly elite even when natural mating. Use of AI allows commercial producers to use some of the most outstanding bulls in the world at a reasonable cost, allowing for enormous amounts of genetic change, if desired. Finally, selection of bulls is more accurate than female selection. Seedstock breeders provide genetic information in the form of EPD, which allow for direct comparison of potential sires across herds and environments.

Unlike actual measurements, EPD consider the heritability of the trait to accurately predict genetic differences between animals. If AI is used, even greater accuracy is possible. Bulls used in AI may have highly proven EPD, calculated from thousands of progeny measured in many herds and environments.

Permanent and Long-Term Change Genetic change is permanent change. Among management decisions, genetic selection differs from others in that the effects are permanent, not temporary. Feeding a supplement to meet nutritional requirements is beneficial as long as the feeding

continues and health protocols, while important, must be maintained year after year. However, once a genetic change occurs, that change will remain until additional new genetics enter the herd. Whether selecting for growth, carcass traits or maternal performance, those traits, once established in the herd, are automatically passed on to the next generation. Sire selection has a long-term impact. Regardless of whether a selected sire has a favorable or unfavorable effect on the herd, if his daughters enter the cowherd, his effects will remain for a considerable period of time. Assuming a sire is used for four years and his daughters are retained,

his impact will easily extend into the next decade. And, while each generation dilutes his contribution, his granddaughters and great-granddaughters may remain in the herd a quarter-century after last sired calves. For this reason, purchases of bulls and semen should be viewed not as a short-term expense, but a long-term investment into the efficiency and adaptability of the beef production enterprise. This is an excerpt from the National Beef Evaluation Consortium Sire Selection Manual. This comprehensive manual features a variety of NBCEC research and genetic technology that producers can apply to their farms and ranches. To request a printed copy, contact Twig Marston (twig.marston at gmail.com) or Lois Schreiner (lschrein at ksu.edu) of the Beef Improvement Federation.


Livestock Market Digest

Page 12

December 15, 2013

Texas Cattleman Awarded Beefmaster Breeder of the Year winging B Ranch, owned and operated by Loran “Mackie” Bounds and his wife Norma Jean, was announced as the 2013 Beefmaster Breeders United (BBU) Breeder of the Year during the “Beefmasters United in Cowtown” 2013 BBU Convention held in Fort Worth, Texas from Oct. 31-Nov. 2, 2013. Swinging B Ranch is located in Axtell, Texas. Bounds started the Swinging B Ranch in 1991. He began with a commercial herd and in 1996 Swinging B Ranch moved into the “Beefmaster world” when Bounds’ two children showed interest in exhibiting the Beefmaster breed. By the end of 1997 the Beefmaster female had become the prominent momma cow at the Swinging B Ranch and in May 1998 the ranch was one hundred percent purebred Beefmaster. Mr. Bounds is known in the “construction world” as an industry leader. He has owned Brazos Masonry since 1989 and today it is recognized throughout the country as an elite masonry con-

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tracting firm. He took the same attitude toward the cattle world. Just being a purebred breeder was not enough; he felt they could be better. Bounds is always happy with today, but he believes “we can do better tomorrow.” The vision at the Swinging B Ranch includes three core values for the cattle they produce; performance, pedigree and pretty. Performance is a must and in his production Bounds records birth, weaning and yearling weights on all of his cattle. He also has carcass data collected on every animal produced by the Swinging B Ranch. The ranch is now also recording udder scores, calving ease and disposition scores. EPDs are studied and considered as Swinging B Ranch breeds for the future. The ranch also participates in the BBU program Whole Herd Reporting, along with parent verifying every animal produced. They want to be able to say “you are buying what we say you are buying.” Bounds is active in his local church, community and of course holds multiple leadership

positions within BBU. He has served on the Junior Beefmaster Breeders Association (JBBA) adult committee and continues to serve on the finance and advertising committees associated with BBU. He is currently serving as the BBU Vice-President and has recently been elected to the Board of Directors of the South Texas Beefmaster Breeders Association (STBBA). Mr. Bounds also supports the beef cattle industry as a member of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. He gives his time and energy wherever he is needed. The Swinging B Ranch is the home of Bulletproof, one of the top bulls in the Beefmaster breed. The core values of performance, pedigree, and pretty can always be seen in the production of the Swinging B Ranch. The cattle produced by Swinging B Ranch and the leadership displayed by Bounds made the decision of awarding him breeder of the year an easy one. BBU looks forward to his continued leadership in the beef cattle industry.

Beefmaster Breeders United Hosts Successful Cowtown Convention he 53rd Annual Beefmaster Breeders United (BBU) Convention wrapped up Sat., Nov. 2, 2013, with an awards banquet where several Beefmaster breeders and industry leaders were recognized for their efforts and commitment to the breed. The annual convention “Beefmasters United in Cowtown” was hosted in Fort Worth, Texas from October 31 - November 2, 2013. During the general membership meeting BBU members elected new Board of Director members and officers. The BBU secretary is Steve Carpenter, of Tecumseh, Okla. Dwight Bertrand, Elton, La., was elected BBU’s treasurer. Jerry A. Davis, of Canton, Texas, was elected place one director, Clark Jones of Savannah, Tenn., is a director – place two, Tom Hood of Tahlequah, Okla., was elected place three director, Bob Siddons of Tilden, Texas, is a director – place four, and Kito Saenz of San Isidro, Texas, was selected to fill a unexpired term for a director – place four. Lastly, the general membership voted on a bylaw change that allowed the Junior Committee to be transferred from a special committee to a standing committee. Beefmaster breeders from throughout the United States and Mexico attended this year’s convention. Attendees enjoyed seminars, great food and fellowship with other cattlemen

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and women in the historic atmosphere of the Fort Worth Stockyards. This year’s convention participants learned about the value of consignments sales, the importance of cattle health protocols during the Boehringer Ingelheim seminar and enjoyed a spooktacular Halloween welcome reception, a night full of costumes, Fort Worth Stockyards treat street buggy rides and plenty of local cuisine. The convention also hosted the President’s Reception and the Beefmaster Education Endowment Foundation (B.E.E.F.) Gala where attendees were entertained by a mechanical bull riding contest, singer and songwriter Sonny Burgess and a surprise performance by Kix Brooks. The auctions hosted during the gala helped raise money to fund B.E.E.F. scholarships and research programs, as well as helped with convention costs. One highlight of the convention was the kick-off luncheon where Kix Brooks, who is known for his country duo fame but is also a Beefmaster breeder in Tennessee, addressed the crowd about the future of the Beefmaster industry and how honored he is to be a part of the BBU convention. Being a down-to-earth guy, he also took time for some photo opportunities and visit with junior members. “I want people that are buying steaks to think about buying Beefmaster steaks,” said

Brooks. “We are raising great cattle and we need to let the world know how great Beefmasters are.” He concluded that he had a tremendous time at this year’s convention and it was an exceptional program. In addition to seminars, luncheons and galas the attendees interacted with Junior Beefmaster Breeders’ Association members that presented award winning speeches and exhibited award winning cattle. The convention was concluded with the annual awards banquet where top honors were announced. Joshua Bird of Rogersville, Mo., was selected new member of the year. Swinging B Ranch owned by Loran “Mackie” and Norma Jean Bounds of Axtell, Texas, was selected breeder of the year. Lyssy Beefmasters of San Antonio, Texas was announced member of the year and environmental member of the year was awarded to Chaparrosa Ranch La Pryor, Texas, and Margaritas Ranch of Coahuila, Mexico. “I am looking forward to seeing what this year will bring for the Beefmaster breed,” said BBU President Steve Emmons. “There will always be challenges, but I have a dream that the Beefmaster breed will be the American breed of choice. This convention was a great success and just the kick-off we needed for a new and exciting year in the Beefmaster industry.”


“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

December 15, 2013

Top Hand BY BARRY DENTON

he old truck and trailer came barreling into the ranch last spring at full gallop and screeched to a halt in front of the round pen where I was riding a jittery colt. The truck door slammed and out jumps the man to replace John Wayne according to him. Red was about five foot four and was just certain he could leap tall buildings in a single bound. To steal a line from Yavapai Pete “he had a head like a hatchet with a face made to

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match it.” The rest of him was narrow and wiry. The stubble on his face convinced you that he had some ferret in his background. His big roweled spurs drug the ground with each step. Other than strutting like a bantam rooster and lying consistently he wasn’t too bad of a cowboy or so I thought. Red arrived at the round pen gate and said he had a cow and calf just east of our place that needed to be doctored. Could I come and help him? This was mid morning and of course the

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middle of our work day. To make the best of it I figured my jittery colt could use the work. Red swung open his trailer door and out came one of the strangest looking horses I have ever seen. Other than being sixteen hands tall he looked just like Red. The horse was narrow faced with pig eyes and a big old hump in his forehead. His legs went in every direction and his feet were pointed in the other. The horse was slicked out which was unusual for any of Reds’ horses. Red mounted up and explained that the boss had given him a blank check to find a good horse for the ranch. Red said that he searched high and low for a few months and came upon this horse at a sale. The horse was supposed to go back to Hancock and Secretariat — figure that one out. He said that he had been bidding against an agent for Tuf Cooper who really wanted the horse, but he just couldn’t outbid ol’Red. I figured if Red was right I ought to see a world class ranch and rope horse at work today. We headed out for the east pasture at a high trot. When we had gone about four hundred yards the world’s greatest ranch horse proceeded to buck. The way I would describe it would be a high fashion buck. That homely old horse was actually one of the prettiest buckers I have ever seen. He just seemed to float on

air and then really snap as he hit the earth. Right about then he hit a stand of live oak trees with Red still hanging on. Red and his horse finally came out the other side, but it looked like they had been through a bar room donnybrook. To his credit Red stayed on, but he would have been better getting off. The horse looked fairly unscathed by the entire incident, but Red’s face was so swollen he couldn’t say much. Actually that wasn’t a bad thing as we still had about four more miles to cover. I was thankful that my jittery colt didn’t even raise an eyebrow. Red had sure gotten quiet and looked awful. His face was a collection of bruises and cuts oozing blood. Finally we spotted the cow and calf. The pair was bushed up in some oak brush so I went to chase them to the clearing where Red could stick a rope on them. Of course Red only saw his cattle about twice a year so things got pretty western in a hurry. However, that ugly old horse was right on that calf and Red dropped a loop on him. True to his legend Red’s mount stopped like a rodeo calf horse when he felt the tug from the calf. The next thing that happened astounded me. Red got off his horse to tie the calf down. When he did he tied one of his extra long split reins to his leg and pro-

Page 13 ceeded to the calf with his piggin string. I was keeping an eye on the cow who had stopped running and was coming back for her calf. She was still about two hundred yards away. I tried to ask Red politely why he tied that rein to his leg. He said he always does that with a new horse in case mama cow comes back and he has to mount up quickly. Just about that time mama was coming back at a dead run and I tried to head her off. Needless to say the new horse saw this and left immediately with Red’s leg and the calf in tow. Mama cow had arrived and was hooking everyone and everything in sight. However, Red’s good rein wasn’t about to break and with Red bouncing so much he couldn’t get it untied. Pretty soon mama cow was hooking Red on a regular basis. I finally got a rope on Red’s horse and got him stopped. Next I was able to cut the rope and then the rein. When I cut the rope mama cow gave up the chase and was standing there licking her calf. Red was full of cholla, rocks, dirt, and blood. I made sure he didn’t break anything and propped him up under a nearby tree. I then rode home quickly and came back with a truck. Red was about four months getting over his injuries. It is always interesting when you ride with a “top hand”.


Livestock Market Digest

Page 14

Family Operated Ranch Selected as Beefmaster Member of the Year yssy Beefmasters of San Antonio, Texas was selected and announced as the 2013 Beefmaster Breeders United (BBU) Member of the Year during the “Beefmasters United in Cowtown” 2013 BBU Convention held in Fort Worth, Texas from October 31 - November 2, 2013. Lyssy Beefmasters, operated by Lawrence, George and Lauren Lyssy, continuously strives to improve the Beefmaster breed by using the most advanced technologies available to the cattle industry. The Lyssy Beefmaster operation utilizes artificial insemination, embryo transfer and carcass ultrasound to improve genetics and produce high performing cattle. Not only does Lyssy Beefmasters use breeding technologies, they also believe in performance tested animals. Lyssy Beefmasters has taken several of their Beefmaster bulls to the Genetic Development Center in Navasota, Texas, in order to measure genetic performance through multiple feed intake tests. At Lyssy Beefmasters they firmly believe “you can’t manage what you can’t measure,” so they continue to use the performance testing facility as a tool to

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select true performance genetics, add value to their product, and add confidence in their customer’s purchases. During the fall 2012 performance test Lyssy showed the beef industry that Beefmasters are true performers. The Lyssy Beefmaster bulls topped the test with the highest average daily gain bull and the most feed efficient bull. The spring 2013 test also proved to be just as successful, the Lyssys had the highest performing Beefmaster bulls. When the three men are not busy producing performance tested Beefmaster bulls and females, they are actively giving back to the Beefmaster industry by hosting ultrasound field days for their fellow breeders. Beefmaster breeders attend the events to scan cattle and to learn from educational sessions that focus on breeding programs, feed efficiency and economics. Lawrence, George and Lauren also serve as board of director members and committee members at the BBU and satellite levels. Lyssy Beefmasters has been a supporter of Beefmaster advertising for several years and plans to continue to promote Beefmasters across the United States and world.

December 15, 2013

Dino Cornay: Telling the Truth With a Pencil BY SHARON NIEDERMAN

hen Dino Cornay holds a pencil in his hand, life doesn’t imitate art; instead, life becomes art. The pencil is the magic wand he uses to tell the absolute truth about cowboys, horses, livestock, and the daily events of ranch life. His meticulously composed and drawn black-and-white images communicate the artist’s world directly to the viewer’s heart. Following that initial lightning jolt of recognition, the viewer asks: How does he do it? How does he make the horse’s mane look so real you can reach out and feel it; the sun shine through the grasses with warmth you can touch; and the caring between mama cow and baby calf so devoted that it breaks your heart, just with pencil and paper? From the bay windows of his studio, Cornay looks east toward the vast country and skies of Union County, where the American cowboy endures. Except, to Cornay, who’s lived most of his life on his family’s fifth-generation Folsom, NM ranch, this way of life is hardly a myth, and it is far from falling into the pages of history books. Both he and his dad, Carlos, now 85, who can still ride all day and sleeps in the same room where he was born, are immersed in the daily work of managing the ranch along with Rob Pickard. The original Cornay Ranch, founded in 1865, is owned by three families and raises primarily Herefords and pastures steers in the summer. In addition, Carlos and Dino’s sister, Maria and Dino own a nearby ranch where they run Charolais cattle. Cornay’s great-grandfather, Carlos Cornay, came to Taos from France, via a stay in Canada, with his brother, when he was 13 years old. He landed on the site of the Cornay Ranch and was attracted to the live water. As a young man, he recalled the buffalo migrations in spring and fall. He was part of a chuckwagon cowboy crew called the Dutch Company that went to El Paso, brought cattle up, summer the cattle in Folsom, then drive them to Dodge City in the fall. That way of life ended in 1888, when the railroad came through. The train whistles through daily conversation around the wooden dining table in Cornay’s 110-year-old Folsom home. “Certain traditions on a ranch endure because of the

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Artist Dino Cornay with his father Carlos lifestyle. Pound for pound, New Mexico has as many true cowboys as anywhere in the U.S. Cattle still have to be worked primarily on horseback on our country because it is so rough. Heavy cattle work can still require hard riding of thirty or forty miles a day on some ranches. Branding is still a tradition, and that’s why NM has such a low rate of cattle theft,” Cornay says.“Some people may view branding as cruel, but it must be done to protect owner- "Intensity" Cornay's latest work ship. “I’ve never considered enhance my work. “I deal in realism, and I myself a good hand but like anybody raised on a ranch, I strive for authenticity in everyunderstand it and am steeped thing I do. To every cowboy, in it. Besides, I never learned everything he owns is his idento rope well. I’m cautious tity- his spurs, his chaps, his about my hands because I play saddle, and his hat – and every the guitar and do my art. cowboy shapes his hat differEverybody starts young here, ently. Plus, it is my artistic and I made my first cattle drive nature that I pay great attenup to Johnson Mesa when I tion to animal anatomy. Horswas five. This lifestyle has gen- es are my favorite subject, and erated and enhanced my art. I also love drawing cattle, native wildlife, and children. I It’s all that we know,” he says. When Cornay needs a will go the extra mile and break from the studio, he picks spend the extra time required up his guitar to relax. He is a to make everything authentic. member of the Raton-based That’s what people expect country band, Colfax Reunion, from me. The nice thing about well known throughout north- art is: you can make huge mistakes, but as you progress eastern New Mexico. “I can get away from the through the years, you should confinement of the studio and improve. I want true ranch go ride horseback or go feed people to view my work as with my dad, and I have an accurate. That is what I strive outlet to clear my mind,” he for, because these are my peosays. “I love to ride, work cat- ple.” Cornay has never had fortle, and walk on the ranch. This land gets a hold of you. mal training, in fact, he Smelling branding smoke, “almost flunked” the only colbeing in the corral, the smell lege drawing class he took. after a rain – all the daily expecontinued on page fifteen riences of being on the ranch –


December 15, 2013

Dino Cornay

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

continued from page fourteen

Rather, he considers himself a graduate of the“OJT,” or the “on-thejob” training school of art. “I can never remember a time when I wasn’t drawing,” he says. He began drawing as a child, sketching cartoons to entertain the family, and he used the only paper available, Big Chief tablets. He was scolded in school early on for drawing during class, but his high school art teacher made sure he always had a pencil or a paintbrush in his hand and encouraged him. He graduated from "Tally Book" Another great Colby Community College and Kansas State with Cornay pencil drawing a degree in animal sciresearches his subjects. He ence. He was a member of a works freehand and uses phonationally renowned livestock tographic references but alters and horse judging team at both the landscape or the placement institutions and was high indi- of an element to suit his comvidual at four contests and tied position. for high at a fifth. He first “It’s still freehand,” he developed his judging skills as a says.“Composition and techmember of the state champion nique is a never-ending 4-H and FFA livestock judging process. Everything I do and teams while at school in Des see on the ranch comes back to Moines. This judging experi- me when I work.” ence enhanced his knowledge Technically, graphite is a of animal anatomy. “This judg- simple yet complex medium. ing contributed to my being a “Everyone is familiar with a stickler for anatomical authen- pencil and amazed when they ticity.” see what can be done with During college and follow- one,” he says. Cornay uses ing graduation, with much three brands of pencils, which encouragement, he began to he mixes and matches by longrealize he could make a career developed feel. of art. He came home to the Cornay relies on his dad, ranch, did some drawings and Carlos, as one of his best critprinted them. But because he ics. “My dad’s extensive knowlhad no clientele, sales were dis- edge of ranching and livestock mal. That’s when he learned gives me a fresh perspective. what a hard business art is to We eat lunch together every break into. He started develop- day,” he says, “and discuss ing a client list, writing down many subjects.” While Cornay every name he could think of works, he enjoys all kinds of among his acquaintances and music, from rock, to country, contacts. Despite years of to contemporary Christian. recognition and a client list that “New Mexico has produced includes numerous serious col- outstanding artists. I am lectors from all over, he blessed to show my work with remains involved in all aspects theirs,” he says. of his business, down to wrap“The grit, determination, ping prints for shipping. Most hardiness, and independence of his originals are sold private- of the people I portray is phely, and to date, Cornay has sold nomenal, and their sense of out 22 editions of his limited humor is infectious. Ranch edition prints. His work has men and women never comappeared in numerous art plain. I remember in 1973, shows. after four consecutive spring Pencil art is a longstanding blizzards, we lost 80 cows and cowboy tradition, an example 135 calves, and I never heard of “the medium is the mes- my dad or my granddad say a sage,” just as a sepia or a black word of complaint. We just carand white photo is more West- ried on. The only thing my ern looking and lends well to granddad was afraid of was a the subject matter. Contrast is drought. My dad never comextremely important in the plains. medium. You do not have the “What I do is work, but it’s luxury of color, Cornay not work. It’s my place to docuexplains, so you have to use 3- ment what I see in my lifetime. D effects as well as contrast to I’ve got a responsibility to do draw the eye in and stop the that, whether it’s through the viewer so he or she really looks pencil or the camera. The art at the piece. and the ranching go hand in To achieve his effects, he hand and are interwoven. I’m uses a classic graphing system fortunate to be able to have that dates to the old masters. that combination right out my He takes many photos as he front door.”

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USDA Announces Members for Beginning Farmers & Ranchers Committee griculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden announced the appointment of 20 members to serve on the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers & Ranchers during a trip to the University of Delaware. The Committee will provide guidance to the Secretary on expanding opportunities that will help beginning farmers and ranchers succeed in agriculture. “The next generation of America’s farmers and ranchers are more diverse than ever before, have new market opportunities and continue to bring innovative ideas to the agriculture industry,” Deputy Secretary Harden said. “The Secretary and I look forward to working closely with this Advisory Committee to continue supporting the promise of agriculture’s future. At the same time, we need passage of a new Food, Farm and Jobs Bill to invest in support and assistance for new farmers in the years to come.” The following individuals have been asked to serve on the committee through September 2015: Mr. Chris Beyerhelm, Deputy Administrator for Farm Loan Programs with the Farm Service Agency from Washington, DC; Ms. Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant, Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator, University of Illinois Extension; Dr. Duncan M. Chembezi, Professor and

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Extension Economist from Alabama A&M University in Madison, Alabama; Ms. Michelle Conner, Owner/Farm Manager of Evandale Farm, LLC, and Beginning Farmer Program Coordinator from Pittsfield, New Hampshire; Mr. Marcus Creasy, Cow/Calf Producer & Immediate Past President of the Arkansas CatAssociation in tlemen’s Arkansas; Mr. Kole James Fitzpatrick, Regional Technical Assistance Specialist with Intertribal Agriculture Council & Operator of a Small Cow/Calf Ranch from Montana; Ms. Marty Gerencer, Principal/ Owner of Morse Marketing Connections, LLC in Michigan; Mr. Timothy M. Gossman, Farm Loan Officer/Senior Vice President, Root River State Bank from Minnesota; Mr. Christopher Holman, Farmer/Owner Operator of Nami Moon Farms from Custer, Wisconsin; Mrs. Adrienne Farrar Houël, President and CEO of Greater Bridgeport Community Enterprises, Inc., from Connecticut; Dr. Anna J. Jones-Crabtree, Beginning Farmer and Owner/Operator of Vilicus Farms in Montana; Ms. Yani Rose Keo, Executive Director/Co- Founder of the Alliance for Multicultural Community Services and President/Founder of Cambodian Gardens Inc., from Texas; Mr. Gary Matteson, VP of Young, Beginning, Small Farmer Programs for the Farm Credit Council from Washington, DC;

Ms. Maria Miller, Director of Education, National Farmers Union in Colorado; Mrs. Julie D. Neill, Owner/Operator of Neill & Sons Dairy, a grazing dairy in Missouri; Mr. Peter Scheffert, Farm Loan Officer with Farmers State Bank of Hartland from Minnesota; Mr. Jose Antonio Serrano, General Manager of Alba Organics from California; Dr. Garry Stephenson, Professor/Coordinator of Small Farms Program from Oregon State University; Dr. Jennifer Elaine Taylor, Coordinator of Small Farm Programs from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University in Tallahassee, Florida; Mrs. Windy Mae Van Dam, Dairy Rancher/Former Operator of 2 B Dairy and Director, Animal Health & Food Safety Laboratory Board from California. The committee will provide public and industry perspectives on USDA strategies, policies, and programs to broadly capture the many issues relevant to beginning farmers and ranchers including but not limited to opportunities in local food systems, generational transfers, training and credit. The committee’s upcoming meeting will be announced in the Federal Register prior to the meeting and will include the meeting date, details and topics for discussion. Information will also be available on the committee's website at: http://www.outreach.usda.gov/ committees/ACBFR.htm.

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Livestock Market Digest

Page 16

December 15, 2013

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