LMD January 2019

Riding Herd “The greatest homage we can pay to truth is to use it.”

– JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL

January 15, 2019 • www.aaalivestock.com

Volume 61 • No. 1

Second Verse, Same As The First

BY LEE PITTS

Dreams don’t work unless you do.

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NEWSPAPER PRIORITY HANDLING

ias Alert: I enthusiastically voted for President Trump and think he has done a great job in fulfilling his campaign promises, which hasn’t been done since President Polk promised to only serve one term. He freed the Hammonds; significantly reduced the size of Grand Escalante and Bear’s Ears National Monuments; appointed the public lands rancher’s best friend, Karen Budd Falen, to be deputy solicitor for wildlife and parks; appointed two conservative judges to the Supreme Court and so forth. While I may wince at his past peccadilloes, I think Trump saved this country from falling over a precipice into an abyss of socialism had Hillary been elected.

Most polling data currently shows that Trump has an approval rating with the general public somewhere in the low forty percentile, while the latest Farm Journal Pulse poll shows Trump’s approval rating amongst farmers and ranchers reaching up to 76%. Only 21% said they disapproved of Trump’s handling of his job as president, this despite the fact that in renegotiating trade agreements farmers and ranchers got beaten up and left for dead on the mean streets of globalism. Trump tried to ease the pain with the Market Facilitation Program (MFP) which was conceived to help farmers and ranchers survive amidst low commodity prices brought about by Trump’s trade deals.

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson said, “Support through MFP is welcome news to family farmers and ranchers who are suffering the brunt of the retaliation from China and other trading partners, but this trade aid falls woefully short of the sort of sup-

port required to blunt current and future damages of the administration’s trade wars. We’ve lost markets that took decades to build. We’ve lost significant value on most commodities.

And probably most concerning, we’re losing our reputation as a reliable trading partner, jeopardizing international markets for years to come.”

It says a lot about the character of America’s farmers and ranchers that in continuing to support Trump, they are putting the survival of their country above that of their own.

Hasta La Vista Baby One of Trump’s campaign promises was to renegotiate NAFTA which was a disaster for America’s ranchers. According to R CALF’s CEO Bill Bullard, “NAFTA empowered multinational beef packers to indiscriminately displace domestic cattle and beef production with cheaper, undifferentiated imports of

both cattle and beef. This has substantially weakened the U.S. live cattle supply chain and has caused the dismantling of the domestic supply chain’s critical marketing channels and infrastructure, which has substantially reduced competition for the industry and is contributing to the hollowing out of America’s rural communities.”

If you doubt Bullard’s words consider these ten facts compiled by R CALF: 1. During NAFTA’s first 18 years 20% of all U.S. beef cattle operations exited the industry.

2. During NAFTA’s first 21 years, 75% of all U.S. cattle feedlots exited the industry!!!

3. By 2014, the U.S. beef cow herd declined to the lowest level in 70 years and today is nearly three million head less than it was when NAFTA began on January 1, 1994.

4. Forty-eight U.S. beef packing plants were shuttered between 1995-2014, and there

have been very few new plants built.

5. The average annual return per bred cow for U.S. cow/calf producers declined from an average of $50 during the seven years prior to NAFTA to $37 from 1994 through 2017.

6. The only years cow/calf returns per bred cow exceeded the NAFTA period’s $37 average were in 2004-2005 when the U.S. banned Canadian cattle imports, and after the 2009 implementation of country-of-origin labeling (COOL).

7. Under NAFTA, the U.S. cattle industry suffered an annual average of a $1.4 billion deficit in the trade of cattle, beef, beef variety meats and processed beef, resulting in a cumulative NAFTA trade deficit of negative $31 billion!

8. In 2014, the U.S. cattle industry suffered a 41% value-based import surge from Canada and Mexico, resulting in the collapse of U.S. cattle prices beginning in 2015.

9. The U.S. cattle producers’ share of every consumer beef dollar declined from 56% the year before NAFTA to 45% in 2017; consequently, packer margins reached unprecedented levels in recent years, averaging $216 per head from 2016 through mid-2018. And the packers just enjoyed their most continued on page two

Why Are Conservative Voters Supporting Liberal Ballot Measures?

BY ALAN GREENBLATT | WWW.GOVERNING

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resident of rural Stockton, Mo., casts his vote in November’s election. (AP/Charlie Riedel) Missouri Republicans triumphed in the November 2018 elections. In defeating Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, GOP state Attorney General Josh Hawley carried 110 of the state’s 114 counties. Republicans also maintained supermajority control over both legislative chambers.

Yet at the same time, Missouri voters approved a number of liberal ballot measures.

They supported an increase in the minimum wage, legalized medical marijuana and a broad measure to restrict lobbying, put new limits on campaign finance and take primary authority for redistricting away from legislators.

Not only did those measures pass statewide, but they won majorities in the state’s rural counties, which gave more than 70 percent of their vote to Hawley.

The same disparity occurred in other states.

Florida’s Amendment 4, which restored voting rights for ex-felons, carried the state’s rural counties. In fact, it was passed by voters

in every state Senate district in Florida, even as Republicans maintained their legislative majorities and won the U.S. Senate and governor races. In solidly red Utah, a majority of rural voters approved a ballot measure to expand Medicaid.

Ballot initiatives have lately been more a tool of the left, with progressives looking for ways to push ideas that have no chance in Republican-controlled legislatures.

Still, why are voters who would likely never vote for a Democrat willing to support policy ideas that are straight out of the Democratic platform?

“There’s like a 20 to 25 point difference on voting for a Democrat and voting for a policy a Democrat would support,” says Bill Bishop, co-founder of the Daily Yonder, which covers rural issues.

Bishop argues that politics now is more about identity -- feeling part of a partisan team -- than policy, with candidates paying an “identity penalty” because of their party affiliations.

At least some voters who might like a Democrat’s ideas will vote against her, simply because of her party label, he says. continued on page five

by LEE PITTS

How To Live A Long Time

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s a child I was ALWAYS taught to respect my elders but now days it’s getting harder and harder to find one. One of those I respected immensely was Chuck Irwin who just passed away at the age of 94. If his name sounds familiar it’s probably because he was one of the best bit and spur makers in the country. Cowboys loved his silver works of art and horses even more so.

Chuck was at a show three days before he died, still taking orders. That night he went out to eat, tripped over a curb and fell. He grimaced, cowboyed up, ate a steak and drank some whiskey before some friends convinced him to go to a hospital. Three days later Chuck checked out of this orbiting nut house and the world is a lesser place.

Someone I’m sure you’ve never heard about was the lovely Lavinia, a friend of a friend who my wife visited religiously two and three times a week for a couple years. I dropped by on holidays and birthdays and one of the two photographs I have in my room is of Lavinia as I fed her chocolate cake on her hundredth birthday.

My favorite old person was my wonderful grandfather who passed away at 94. I think of him every day.

From these three wonderful people I learned a few things on how to live a long and meaningful life.

First, stay away from doctors, hospitals and pharmacies. I bet between them, Chuck, Lavinia and grandpa never spent twelve days in a hospital. I also learned that people are a lot like cows, when their teeth start to deteriorate so does their life.

At the end, my grandpa’s teeth didn’t even sleep in the same room as he did. My friends also avoided lawyers, stayed out of divorce court and were each married only once until death did them part.

Not one of my friends was a vegetarian or took Ginko biloba. They were raised on meat and milk and ate their share of prunes. They ate slowly and in small amounts.

My grandpa could take an hour to eat one enchilada and when I fed Lavinia two helpings of her centennial birthday cake I thought

continued on page four

Page 2

Livestock Market Digest

Beef Producers May Need BQA Certification to Sell in 2019

BY CHRIS KICK, WWW.FARMANDDAIRY.COM

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attle producers who want to sell beef in 2019 and beyond should consider getting their Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certificate.

Beginning January 1, 2019 major U.S. buyers, including Wendy’s and Tyson, will require the farmers they purchase from to be BQA certified, and the expectation is that other buyers will follow.

The BQA program covers the basic aspects of animal production, care and handling, and is another way for meat buyers and producers to assure their customers of a quality product.

“The consumer drives the marketplace and this is something that our consumers are looking for,” said Stephanie Sindel, the Beef Quality Assurance Coordinator with the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association. “You have to stay competitive in your marketplace, and this the new industry standard.”

Existing program Sindel said it should be a relief to producers to know that the new standard is based on a program that has been nationally accepted for many years. The training lasts about two hours and covers critical issues involved with the production of quality beef, including feedstuffs, medications and injection sites, herd health and cattle handling.

There is no cost to complete the training in most states, thanks in part to beef checkoff funding, and partnerships with state university extension services. The training can be completed in-person or online, and a certificate is issued to the producer after completion. The online training is available to producers in all states.

Although the material is likely something ranchers and farmers are already doing, Sindel said it provides them a good measuring stick and a way of promoting the quality of their operation.

Industry trend Ranchers and farmers do not necessarily need the certificate, if they do direct marketing or sell to a buyer who does not require BQA certification, but because of where the industry is heading, many say it makes more sense just to get certified.

“It all started with Wendy’s and Tyson — eventually all of the packers are going to follow their lead,” said Denny Ruff, who manages the Muskingum Livestock Auction in Zanesville.

“I’m just telling everybody to do it — it’s not

that big of a deal.”

Pennsylvania auction barns are seeing a similar trend, and say that overall, the certification is not difficult and is probably a good way of preparing for the future.

“It is what it is. What’s going to happen is they’re all going to require it, one day or another,” said Justin Loomis, auctioneer at Mercer Livestock Auction, in Mercer, Pennsylvania.

“It’s going to happen at some point.”

The following are some answers to frequently asked questions regarding BQA. Q. What is BQA? A. Beef Quality Assurance is a nationally coordinated, state implemented program that provides information to U.S. beef producers and beef consumers of how common sense husbandry techniques can be coupled with scientific knowledge, to raise cattle under optimum management and environmental conditions.

Q. I’ve never been BQA certified, why do it now?

A. By 2019, Wendy’s has committed to sourcing beef from only BQA certified producers and Tyson has pledged to follow suit, also

by January 1. Beef experts expect other retailers and packers will do the same. Being BQA certified will be a producer’s ticket to market access, much like the pork industry.

Q. Who needs to be BQA certified?

A. Anyone selling beef animals to be harvested for meat. This includes producers of fed beef, dairy beef, cull cows and bulls including dairy cull cows.

Q. What do I need to do to become BQA certified?

A. Attend a training session or complete online BQA training at BQA.org. Either format will require a couple of hours’ time.

Q. How long is my certification good for?

A. Three years.

Q. How will the cattle buyer know I am BQA certified.

A. Upon completion of BQA, you will receive a confirmation that you completed the certification. It is up to you to share that information with your local stockyards to relay to the cattle buyer or you can share with the buyer when in a direct marketing scenario.

Q. Where can I check my certification status?

A. A database with all certified producers will be housed at the state beef council and maintained by the state BQA coordinators.

January 15, 2019

SECOND VERSE profitable year in history!

10. Average returns to U.S. cattle feeders during the past 18 years under NAFTA were a negative $20.40 per head per month.

So to NAFTA we all said an enthusiastic “hasta la vista baby.”

Why Are We Such Masochists!

We had high hopes that in ripping apart NAFTA President Trump would replace it with something more rancher friendly. You can imagine our dismay when the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) that the President’s team came up with was a carbon copy of NAFTA for beef producers. No COOL, no evening up the playing field, NO NOTHING! As usual, Bill Bullard said it best. In testimony before the U.S. International Trade Commission he said, “The likely impact of the USMCA on the U.S. cattle industry will be substantial, and it will be substantially negative. Because the USMCA incorporates NAFTA’s fundamentally flawed provisions, it should be expected that the USMCA will now cause the elimination of the critical mass of competitive marketing channels and industry infrastructure needed to sustain an independent family farm and ranch system of cattle production in the United States. Thus, the new USMCA will accelerate the destruction of the U.S. cattle industry as we know it today.”

As a lifetime registered Republican it irks me that the most obtrusive and wrongheaded environmental laws were instigated by a Republican (President Nixon), and the final nails hammered into the coffin of the American rancher were pounded in by President Trump, also a Republican. And the biggest cheerleader on the sidelines urging no changes in NAFTA was the largely Republican National Cattlemen’s Beef Association which only lives on because it stole, and continues to steal, your checkoff Why do we insist on inflicting such pain on ourselves?

With Friends Like That

CAREN COWAN..........Publisher

LEE PITTS....................Executive Editor

CHUCK STOCKS.........Publisher Emeritus RANDY SUMMERS......Sales Rep

RANDY SUMMERS, 505/850-8544 email: rjsauctioneer@aol.com

MARGUERITE VENSEL..Office Manager

JESSICA DECKER..........Special Assistance CHRISTINE CARTER......Graphic Designer

I can’t put all the blame on Trump for giving birth to NAFTA.2 because lobbyists from the NCBA were no doubt whispering sweet nothings in his ear.

Bullard wasn’t the only one testifying before the International Trade Commission regarding USMCA. Both William Westman, who represented the North American Meat Institute (NAMI), dominated by the Big 3 beef packers, and Kelley Sullivan, representing the NCBA, proved R-CALF’s point that NAFTA displaced American cattle produced by American ranchers with foreign cattle produced by foreigners. You didn’t have to look any further than America’s great Northwest to see the proof.

NAMI (the packer’s group) testified that, “The Northwest region imports 227,000 head of Canadian fat cattle per year representing approximately 19% of processing capacity in the region. Additionally, another 55,000 of Canadian feeder cattle are imported annually into Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, representing 8% of the onetime packing capacity in that region.”

continued from page one

The NCBA testified that, “Especially in the Pacific Northwest, imports of Canadian and Mexican cattle have supplemented seasonal shortages in our herd and helped our feedyards and packing facilities run at optimal levels.”

In the first 18 years of NAFTA the number of beef cattle operations in the states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho declined from 56,500 to 37,169. During the same period total number of beef cows in those same states declined from 1.46 million head to 1.28 million head, representing a 12% decline. And a recent study by Washington State found that the decline of the beef cow herd in the state of Washington shrunk at double the rate of decline of the U.S. herd, implying that the closer you get to Canada the greater the damage, and the same is true on our southern border.

“Thus,” says R CALF, “while the U.S. is importing 282,000 head of fat cattle and feeder cattle from Canada and/or Mexico into the Pacific Northwest, and producing undifferentiated beef from those imported cattle, the domestic beef cow herd in the Pacific Northwest has shrunk by about 180,000 head, and 18,831 beef cattle farms have exited the U.S. cattle supply chain. These data and admissions by both the NAMI and NCBA fully support R- CALF USA’s position that NAFTA has harmed the U.S. cattle supply chain by displacing U.S. cattle operations and U.S. cattle, and the new USMCA is expected to exact the same type of harm in that region and throughout the entire United States.”

Putting Our Customers At Risk President Trump was also misled by the NCBA and the packers about the differences in production standards between the U.S., Mexico and Canada. “One clear example,” says R CALF, “is that Canada continued to import live animals from Europe long after the U.S. banned such imports because of Europe’s mad cow disease outbreak. This is how mad cow disease was introduced into Canada in the early 90s, causing the disease to spread throughout Canada’s cow herd by the early 2000s.

“More recently,” according to R CALF, “in 2016, reports indicated that Mexican cattle were administered clenbuterol and the NFL issued a warning to its players not to consume Mexican beef.” (Mexico was supposed to be subject to the same health standards as the U.S. where the use of clenbuterol is banned).

“Also, since 2015, the U.S. has subjected U.S. cattle producers to the FDA’s Veterinary Feed Directive, requiring veterinary authorization to feed antibiotics to cattle. This production requirement does not apply to cattle raised in either Canada or Mexico. Neither the testing nor inspection of meat products entering the United States can identify whether the animal from which the meat was derived was subject to the veterinary requirements imposed on U.S. cattle producers.” Because the USMCA is a carbon copy of NAFTA, which is what the NCBA and the packers wanted, “it will subject American consumers to undifferentiated continued on page three

January 15, 2019

SECOND VERSE meat products that were not produced under the more stringent, safety-related production standards required in the U.S.”

A New Old Edsel The NCBA also gave President Trump an earful of manure regarding COOL. They didn’t tell Trump that the highest prices ranchers ever received for the product of their toil occurred during the period when COOL was in effect. On the contrary, the NCBA testified that COOL was the cause of the consolidation of feedlots and beef packers! This despite the fact that most of the destructive dismantling of cattle production in this country occurred well before the partial implementation of COOL that occurred in early 2009, and before the full implementation of COOL from May of 2013 through December of 2015. The big wipeout of beef packers in this country also occurred well before the implementation of COOL, thus proving that NCBA’s claim that COOL contributed to the concentration of the beef packing industry was an out-and-out lie.

R CALF tried its darndest to refute the load of manure that the NCBA and NAMI were spreading in Washington DC but it’s pretty hard to go toe to toe with the NCBA which is playing with millions in free money from the checkoff, while R CALF has to replenish its coffers with dues and money from rollover calf auctions at sale barns.

We wonder why Trump’s dimwits at the USDA couldn’t see through the ridiculous assertion

by NCBA’s Kelley Sullivan that, exports contribute $320 dollars to ranchers on every cow and every steer. To arrive at such a figure R CALF says, “the NCBA deceptively uses wholesale beef prices received by beef packers and beef exporters to calculate its $320 per head benefit from exports. Neither the NCBA nor the NAMI proffer any evidence to disprove R CALF’s asser-

Livestock Market Digest continued from page two

tion that the profits captured by meatpackers/wholesalers/ distributers from exports are not passed to the 729,000 independent cattle producers who comprise the U.S. live cattle industry and who sell live cattle, not wholesale beef. Proceeds from export sales are not based on cattle prices paid to domestic cattle producers, they are based on what packers and other wholesalers receive and that is why packers are now earning record margins while U.S. cattle prices remain depressed.”

“Indeed,” said Bullard, “it would be incredulous if just 13% of an industry’s production (the percentage of our beef that’s currently exported) would account for almost one-fourth of the value of every fed animal sold in America. This is a baseless claim on its face, particularly given that the U.S. cattle industry under-produces for the domestic market.”

Perhaps the biggest load of bull ever dumped on DC was the comment made by NCBA’s Kelley Sullivan when she stated, “I will tell you the greatest threat that we have in our industry is labor. We can’t find enough skilled people to do the things that we need to do. So that’s why our average sized cow herd has gone down so much.”

Are we disappointed in President Trump? YES! His swapping out NAFTA with the USMCA was akin to getting a “new” car by jacking up the radiator cap on a lime green Edsel and driving a nauseating purple Edsel underneath it.

Are we so disappointed in Trump that we will no longer support him? No, we care too much about our country’s future to do that. But should President Trump decide to seek a second term he shouldn’t automatically expect the same level of support from America’s farmers and ranchers because as a result of his trade policies a healthy chunk of them will no longer be in business.

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NMSU & TAMU Host Southwest Beef Symposium in Tucumcari January 16-17

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sing the latest research-based information for best practices helps ranchers in the Southwest produce more beef with less impact on natural resources.

To help livestock producers stay up with the latest information the Southwest Beef Symposium will be held Wednesday and Thursday, January 16 and 17, at the Tucumcari Convention Center, 1500 E. Route 66 Blvd.

The Symposium is an educational event tailored to beef producers in the Southwest, jointly hosted by New Mexico State University’s Cooperative Extension Service and Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service.

This year’s program begins Wednesday at 1 p.m. with a

presentation on the benefits of technology in the beef industry by Gary Sides, veterinarian with Zoetis Animal Health.

Wednesday’s program includes presentations on consumer-driven Beef Quality Assurance in the beef industry by Ben Weinheimer, Texas Cattle Feeders Association; emerging health concerns in feeder cattle by Greta Krasfur, Colorado State University veterinary college; and an update on vaccines.

The day concludes with dinner at 6 p.m.

Thursday’s New Technologies in the Beef Industry program begins at 8 a.m. Presentations will include water management at the ranch

by Marcy Ward, NMSU Ex-

tension livestock specialist, and a panel of New Mexico ranchers; antimicrobial use in the industry by Elaine Blythe, West Texas A&M University; animal health company panel on vaccine technology; and a wrap up talk by Craig Gifford, NMSU Extension beef specialist.

Following lunch there will be breakout sessions including BQA training and certification for New Mexico and Texas; a cow model demonstration; and a tour of the Tucumcari Bull Test Station at NMSU’s Agricultural Science Center at Tucumcari.

Onsite registration is $95.

Register online at http://www. swbs2019attendee.ezregister. com, or by phone at 575-6443379.

Lawsuit Pushes Trump Administration to Protect Arizona, New Mexico Snakes

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he Center for Biological Diversity (CB) sued the Trump administration for failing to protect critical habitat for the northern Mexican garter snake and narrow-headed garter snake, according to a late December press release issued by the group.

The lawsuit against the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), filed in U.S. District Court in Tucson, notes that populations of both snakes occur at low densities or may already be gone in nearly 90 percent of their historic ranges in Arizona and New Mexico.

After more than a decade of delay, the FWS protected the northern Mexican garter snake and narrow-headed garter snake as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2014.

The agency also proposed protecting more than 420,000 acres of critical habitat for the snakes in 2013, but failed to finalize those habitat protections.

“We can’t save these unique, beautiful garter snakes without protecting the riverside habitats where they live,” said Jenny Loda, a CBD biologist and attorney working to protect vulnerable amphibians and reptiles. “The Trump administration needs to act now to give these species a fight-

ing chance at survival. Safeguarding the rivers these snakes depend on will also benefit people and other native wildlife that need healthy waterways.”

These aquatic garter snakes are threatened by nonnative species and the loss and degradation of their riverside habitats. The snakes have undergone dramatic, range-wide declines in their native habitats of Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico.

They are now almost entirely limited to small, isolated populations at risk of being driven extinct.

Designating critical habitat is an important step toward ensuring the snakes’ survival. Their streamside habitats have been destroyed by livestock grazing, water withdrawal and agricultural and urban sprawl, as well as the introduction and spread of nonnative species like sunfish, bass and crayfish.

Critical habitat designation would help address the numerous threats by requiring federal agencies to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service when their actions may result in damage or destruction of the snakes’ habitats.

“Studies show that species with critical habcontinued on page six

Page 4

Livestock Market Digest

RIDING HERD

January 15, 2019

continued from page one

she’d make 101 before we were done. Nor did they let alcohol ruin their lives, although Grandpa did enjoy a thimbleful of blackberry wine occasionally, but I doubt that’s what killed him.

My three friends got up early and I’d be surprised if they ever stayed up late enough to watch the Tonight show. They loved to work, didn’t need a gym membership to stay fit and when their possessions were dispersed their wasn’t one “Thigh Master”, “Bun Burner” or Richard Simmons exercise tape. They lived in older, cluttered homes and didn’t waste too much time doing housework.

They all loved animals.

Chuck and Grandpa were especially fond of horses while Lavinia loved cats. (Her only fault, as far as I was concerned.) Lavinia loved to garden and was married to a farmer. Chuck was a farmer and a cowman and my grandpa was raised on a walnut ranch and kept busy weeding two ballparks he built for the kids in our community. That’s another thing, all three were good citizens and highly respected in their SMALL communities.

None had a long commute to work... they just opened the back door and there it was.

My friends weren’t stuffy or full of themselves and were comfortable in their own skins. I never once heard any one of them say the “F” word.

Not one had a Facebook page, Tweeted or lived their life on “social media”. They didn’t dread the future nor think the younger generation is going to Hell. All three were willing to share their immense knowledge and skills with younger folks. All you had to do was ask. Instead, youngsters wrote them off as silly old senior citizens.

Chuck never spent one day in a resthome while Grandpa and Lavinia had to spend a couple years in a warehouse where old folks are stored.

They hated every minute.

So if I were you, I wouldn’t spend another minute worrying about things that will never happen. Instead just make sure that when the sun sets tonight you can look back and say it was a day well spent.

That’s what Grandpa, Chuck and Lavinia did. wwwLeePittsbooks.com

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Legislative Legerdemain Purposely Excludes The Public

I

t almost happened, but thanks to Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah), it didn’t.

In a move of legislative legerdemain, this time led by Republicans, our illustrious Congress tried to pass a 680 page federal lands package in the closing moments of this Congressional Session.

To accomplish this they needed unanimous consent, and Senator Lee, along with Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, objected. Not having unanimous consent, the federal lands package failed.

Now let’s step back and review how legislation is supposed to be passsed. A bill is introduced, let’s say in the House and is referred to a Committee, such as the Nature Resources Committee, which then assigns it to a Subcommittee, for our example we’ll use the Subcommittee on Federal Lands. The Subcommittee will hold at least one hearing, where the public is invited to testify, the language in the bill can be debated and Subcommittee members can offer amendments.

The Subcommittee votes on the amended version, and if it passes, it moves on to the full Committee where once again the public is invited to testify, debate can occur and amendments may be offered by any member of the full Committee. If the full Committee votes to pass the bill, it along with a full report on the bill is sent to the House floor. There more debate can occur and additional amendments can be offered by any member of the House. If the bill passes the House by majority vote, it is then referred to the Senate where the same process is repeated. Count those up and you see the public has three opportunities to comment on the bill. Add the three opportunities in the Senate and the public has six opportunities to influence the legislation.

Many times there are either minor or major differences between the Senate passed version and the version passed by the House.

In those cases, a Conference Committee, made up of members from the House and Senate is appointed to iron out the differences.

Usually hearings are not held, but members of the public are free to contact their Congressman to try to influence the Conference Committee. Once the Conference Committee reaches agreement on the contents

of the bill, that new bill along with a full report must pass both Houses of Congress, where again debate and amendments can occur. If agreement on a final version is reached, it is then sent to the President for his or her signature. That process offers three more opportunities for the public to comment on the legislation.

That makes a total of nine times individual members of the public have the opportunity to influence legislation that may impact them, their families or their businesses.

This approach was designed by our Founding Fathers for the very purpose of including the public in the legislative process.

The federal lands package spoken of previously short-circuits this whole system and thereby cuts the public out of the process.

The package threw together bills which had never passed either House of Congress, and in many instances had only passed one Committee in one of the Houses, and by doing so, gutted the public’s opportunities to influence the legislation. It was this process, thankfully, that Senator Lee had the fortitude to thwart by objecting to it in the Senate.

When I started this column, I could not tell you how it affected New Mexico, because I could not find a copy. Nothing was on the websites of either Senator Udall or Senator Heinrich, nor was there a copy on the websites of either the House or Senate Committees. I wasn’t the only one who experienced this problem.

Read what Senator Lee had to say during the debate on the Senate floor: “Mr. President, in reserving the right to object, we have a bill here that we received at 10 o’clock this morning, and it is 680 pages long. I have spent many hours reviewing it. This is a bill that came out of the committee on which I serve.

I have been trying for many weeks, through the chairman of that committee and her staff, to get language or to at least get an outline of this. We were not able to get that until today at 10 a.m.

Even after we got that, we asked for at least an outline of this bill or for a summary of the bill text from the committee staff, from the chairman’s staff. They didn’t respond to us. They wouldn’t give it to us, just as they haven’t for weeks. We got this-

-the closest thing to a summary--from a lobbyist. We had to wait to get it from a lobbyist.”

A United States Senator was denied copies of the bill until 10 a.m. on the day they were supposed to vote on it. He couldn’t even get a summary. He had to obtain the summary from a lobbyist. Now is that an open and transparent way to pass legislation? No, it is sneaky, behind the scenes deal making that totally excludes the public. Unfortunately, one of the biggest proponents of this federal lands package is NM Senator Martin Heinrich, and you are soon to find out why.

Caren Cowan was able to obtain a copy of the package and rushed it to me today.

So what does this bill do? It designates 130 million acres of new Wilderness and creates newnew national parks, wildlife refuges, wild and scenic rivers and national heritage areas. For New Mexico it designates ten new Wilderness areas in Dona Ana County and two new Wilderness areas in northern New Mexico.

Twelve new Wilderness areas will be created by this subterfuge of the legislative process.

Why was it done this way?

Here is Senator Lee again speaking from the floor of the Senate: “I don’t believe it was a coincidence that I wasn’t informed of this. I don’t believe it was a coincidence that even after this bill was released at 10 a.m. today, the staff of the committee refused even to give me an outline--an outline--of what was in the bill, even after they had filed it. We had to get this from a lobbyist. This is wrong. It is wrong that the State of Utah is treated the way it is.”

And I would add it is wrong for the people of New Mexico to be treated like this. It is also not a coincidence. Senator Heinrich knows he would have a hard time passing a stand alone bill that created so much Wilderness right next to our border with Mexico.

His only chance was to get it thrown into a huge package where it wouldn’t receive close scrutiny.

Furthermore, the battle is apparently not over. Senators Murkowski and Heinrich are lobbying furiously to place the federal lands package in in the Continuing Resolution currently being debated in Congress to fund the government. By the time you read this, we will know whether they were successful in this last desperate attempt to exclude the public from their legislative endeavors.

Until next time, be a nuisance to the devil and don’t forget to check that cinch.

Frank DuBois was the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003, is the author of a blog: The Westerner (www. thewesterner.blogspot.com) and is the founder of The DuBois Rodeo Scholarship and The DuBois Western Heritage Foundation

January 15, 2019

Livestock Market Digest

Page 5

California’s Brown Slams Rural Voters for Not Wanting Higher Taxes WWW.CONSERVATIVEFREEPRESS.COM

A

ppearing as part of a stunt special “Meet the Press” episode focused exclusively on climate change, California Governor Jerry Brown dismissed rural voters in his state that did not appreciate being hit with higher fuel taxes that targeted them disproportionately.

“You won your gas tax fight,” noted host Chuck Todd, “but rural Californians didn’t like it.”

And well they shouldn’t have, since the new gas tax is especially hard on those who don’t have ready access to public transit.

It’s no big deal to hike gas prices for residents who live in major metropolitan areas; they can take the bus or the trolley if they don’t want to fill up their cars.

But for rural Californians who have no choice but to drive their own vehicles – Californians who are often working on a much

tighter budget to begin with – it’s a punishing form of liberalism.

But Brown didn’t care about any of that. He simply dismissed rural voters as being out-oftouch simpletons who would need to eventually get with the program.

“No, they don’t,” Brown agreed. “They don’t like a lot of things. They voted against housing bonds, they voted for the Republican Cox who didn’t even make 40 percent. There is the same divide in California as in America. The red is different than the blue, and it is associated definitely with rural areas.”

He went on to praise liberal California voters for understanding they needed to pay higher taxes as a way of “helping their community.”

Brown said that Americans needed to take an adversarial approach to climate change in much the same way the country

Current and Former Owners of Land Next to or Under Railroad Rights of Way May Be Eligible for Cash Payments from Class Action Settlement

A

federal court has granted preliminary approval for a class-action Settlement involving fiber-optic cable and related telecommunications equipment that have been installed in railroad Rights of Way. This Settlement resolves a lawsuit in Arizona and will provide cash benefits to current and former owners of land next to or under the Rights of Way. Sprint, CenturyLink, WilTel, and Level 3 Communications, the Defendants, are telecommunications companies. The Defendants or their predecessors buried fiber-optic cable and installed related telecommunications equipment within railroad Rights of Way nationwide.

A railroad Right of Way is a strip of land on which a railroad company builds and operates a railroad. The Defendants entered into agreements with the railroads that own and occupy the Rights of Way, and under those agreements paid the railroads for the rights to install the fiber-optic cable and related telecommunications equipment within the Rights of Way. Plaintiffs allege that, before installing the fiber-optic cable and related telecommunications equipment, the Defendants also were required to obtain consent from those landowners who owned the land under the Rights of Way. The Defendants contend that the railroads had the right to allow

them to use the Rights of Way without the need for further permission from the adjoining landowners and deny any wrongdoing.

Class Members include current or previous owners of land next to or under a railroad Right of Way, at any time since the cable was installed in the state of Arizona. Settlements have previously been approved in 45 states.

Class Members can find out when fiber-optic cable was installed in a particular Right of Way by visiting www.ArizonaFiberOpticSettlement.com or calling 1-877-900-9196.

Class Members will have an opportunity to claim cash benefits if the Court approves the Proposed Settlement.

The Proposed Settlement will provide cash payments to qualifying Class Members based on various factors that include: • How many feet of property you own next to the railroad right of way, • How long you owned the property, and • How many people coown the property with you.

The Proposed Settlement will also result in any Court order granting final approval of the Settlement being recorded in the chain-of-title of Class Members’ property.

For more information regarding the Class Actions visit www.ArizonaFiberOpticSettlement.com or call 1-877-900-9196.

was galvanized after Pearl Harbor.

“I would point to the fact that it took Roosevelt many, many years to get America willing to go into World War II and fight the Nazis,” he said. “We have an enemy and perhaps very much devastating in a similar way and we have to fight climate change and the president has got to lead on that.”

Putting aside the absurdity of Brown’s syntax, the idea that there is any similarity between Nazis killing Jews by the thousands and a warming climate is ridiculous and offensive. Sadly, this is neither the first nor the last time we expect to hear this kind of idiotic comparison. After all, this is a party that delights in telling voters that Trump is a would-be Hitler himself, so it

WHY Conversely, notes Rob Pyers, research director for the nonpartisan California Target Book, “if the California GOP House candidates had performed as well as the gas tax repeal did in their districts, they would have gained three seats instead of losing seven.”

Why Some Voters Go Against Party Political scientists and pollsters have shown that voters are often willing to change their positions on issues in order to suit their party’s stances. But if that’s the case, it doesn’t solve the mystery of why so many conservative voters were willing to support progressive ballot measures this year.

Several factors appear to be at play.

For one thing, while Republican politicians might have opposed some of these measures, they didn’t always campaign against them.

Florida GOP officials, for instance, are seeking to delay implementation of Amendment 4, but they ran no formal opposition campaign against it leading up to the election.

“If you’re a conservative governor, and you’re finding out that minimum wage increases are actually playing pretty well, why would you go out there and talk about that issue when you’d be bringing on an additional headwind to your own victory?” says Craig Burnett, a political scientist at Hofstra University.

Organized opposition makes a difference.

Medicaid expansion initiatives were approved in Idaho and Nebraska, along with Utah. But a measure that would have extended the Medicaid expansion in Montana by increasing tobacco taxes was defeated, in no small part thanks to $17 million spent against it by tobacco companies.

Ballot measures represent binary choices. You’re either for the idea, or you’re not.

You know precisely what you’re voting for, or against (assuming the ballot language is clear and not misleading).

should come as no surprise to hear them use this rhetoric in relation to global warming.

Nor is it surprising to hear them denigrate rural Americans; for California elitists like Brown, the space in between L.A. and Nevada might as well be empty.

Just like the space between California and New York. All that matters are the coasts and the cities. continued from page one

By contrast, when you vote for a candidate, she might pledge to support marijuana legalization or Medicaid but be unable to get the job done in the legislature, or come back with some mushy compromise.

“People do view candidates and elected officials in a different way from these issues,” says Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, executive director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, which promotes progressive ballot measures.

Figueredo argues that voters look at ballot measures through the lens of their potential impact on their daily lives. A minimum wage increase might mean a raise. Medicaid expansion means more residents will have health insurance.

“They associate a lot of these candidates with political parties,” she says, “but then they look at the ballot and say, ‘I need access to health care, I’m going to vote for that.’”

There’s some truth to the idea that voters are less likely to attach partisan labels to ballot measures than they automatically would with candidates, says Burnett, the Hofstra professor.

Certain policy ideas have become so closely identified with one party or the other that it’s hard to imagine how they could win support from many partisans on the other side. Voter ID restrictions aren’t going to be approved by voters in states with a clear liberal bent, while measures to address climate change are unlikely to win favor in conservative places.

But in general, people are sometimes willing to vote for ideas that sound good to them, even when their party doesn’t approve.

“When you look at the way these ballot measures are structured,” Burnett says, “there’s no party attached to it. You don’t necessarily know who’s supporting them.”

Editor’s Note: Missouri Senator Elect Josh Hawley is the husband of Erin nee Morrow who grew up in Northeastern New Mexico. An attorney herself, Erin clerked for the U.S. Supreme Court prior to her marriage.

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Page 6

Livestock Market Digest

January 15, 2019

Arizona Projected to Gain Seat in U.S. House

BY HOWARD FISCHER, CAPITOL MEDIA SERVICES

I

t’s beginning to look like Arizona’s going to have a bit more congressional clout after 2022.

A new analysis by Election Data Services concludes that the shifts in population from the Northeast to the South and West pretty much guarantee that Arizona is going to pick up a 10th seat in the U.S. House after the decennial census. The organization’s Kimball Brace said that’s because Arizona is adding residents at a rate faster than much of the rest of the country.

But Arizona’s gain is going to be someone else’s loss. And in this case, Brace said the latest estimates mean that seat will come from Rhode Island.

The reason is that reapportionment is a zero-sum game.

Federal law limits the House to 435 members. And if Arizona gets an additional seat, it has to come from somewhere else.

It’s sort of like musical chairs.

Brace said that, based on the latest population trends, Rhode Island will be reduced to having just one representative in the House.

It’s not just Arizona, which already has added about 780,000 new residents since the 2010 census when the last lines were drawn.

Brace figures that Texas, which already has 36 representatives, will pick up another two based on adding more than 3.5 million residents already since the 2010 census.

Other rapidly growing states that will get an additional House seat include Oregon, Colorado, Florida and North Carolina.

The losers?

Aside from Rhode Island, Brace pre-

dicts shrinking congressional delegations for New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Michigan, Illinois and Minnesota.

It isn’t a strict math formula, dividing up the U.S. population by 435 to determine how many new residents it takes to get an additional congressional seat. Since each state is entitled to one, that means Wyoming gets the same single representative at 577,000 residents as Rhode Island with more than a million inhabitants.

And Brace said the projections — and they are just that — could depend on some variables.

One of the more interesting scenarios would involve California actually losing one of its 53 representatives because of possible faster growth in Minnesota than the current numbers suggest. If that happens, Brace said, it would be the first time in California’s nearly 160-year history that it actually lost a seat.

And he said it’s possible that New York actually could lose two seats, depending on the projection modeling.

While that might help Texas or Montana, Brace does not see the numbers giving Arizona more than one new seat.

All that then creates an interesting scenario of how to redivide the state in 10 pieces rather than nine.

Officially speaking, politics will not play a role here.

That’s because voters in 2000 stripped the responsibility of drawing lines away from legislators and gave it to the Independent Redistricting Commission. It is composed of two Republicans, two Democrats and chaired by an independent chosen by the other four.

But politics does matter.

The initiative that created the commission requires that it consider a variety of factors, including respecting communities of interest, using county boundaries when

The View FROM THE BACK SIDE

The Expert

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I

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possible and have districts of roughly equal population.

More to the point, what that law also mandates is that commissioners create as many politically competitive districts as possible.

The 2018 election resulted in the election of five Democrats and four Republicans, a pickup of one seat by Democrats.

Political consultant Chuck Coughlin points out that the most rapid growth in Arizona is occurring in Maricopa County.

He said that makes it likely that any new district created likely would be carved, at least in part, out of districts already in the county.

Seven of the nine existing districts touch on populated areas of Maricopa County, with five of these wholly within the county. occurrence or it was just the day for it.

Yes, even the best of us make mistakes, and most of us learn from those mistakes or near death experiences.

However, the person I fear the most is the one that keeps repeating the same mistakes and is proud of it.

I have deemed these folks “experts” in their field.

If you break down the word “expert”, it comes down to this, “ex” means former, and a “spert” doesn’t amount to a heck of a lot. Therefore when you put them together you have less than nothing.

I remember one instance with a small remuda being driven into a large corral at the home ranch. My guess is there were about 25 head in there. The horses were being caught up by the other cowboys and being reshod.

The horse wrangler was gone for the day so everyone was catching and tending their own string. It got down to three horses being left in the corral and they got together, started running around, and wouldn’t let anyone catch them. A couple of cowboys would be just about up to them and the horses would take off again.

About that time along came Jimmy who was the camp gopher. Jimmy was a likeable guy, but had no talent for doing anything. He was a relative of the ranch owner, and the owner’s family did not know what to do with him so he was pawned off to help the cowboys.

The horse wrangler had taken Jimmy under his wing to keep him out of trouble.

As long as Jimmy’s job was kept simple he could get

Coughlin said one likely move would be to redraw the lines in the East Valley area of the county.

He said CD 9, the district that until recently was represented by Kyrsten Sinema, could be carved up a bit to give Democrats a bit less of an edge and make it more politically competitive.

But in creating a new CD 10 in the area, the commission might have to alter the makeup of the heavily Republican CD 5 on the county’s southeast edge which is currently represented by Andy Biggs.

And there’s something else.

Each change has a ripple effect through the rest of the state. And with the population growth in the Phoenix area, that could mean the rural districts will become even larger geographically to cobble together the approximately 740,000 people necessary.

along. The downside to all this is that Jimmy thought of himself as the “horse wrangler deluxe,” especially when his boss was gone. Pretty soon he strides up there and says, I’ll show you how to catch the rest of those horses.

This was a long rectangular corral that was made of heavy boards with railroad tie posts. Jimmy went in with his rope and caught the first horse quite easily. Since they were broke to being roped, the horse stood absolutely still as soon as he felt the rope on his neck.

That was one, and I will say that Jimmy could throw a pretty good houlihan. With the help of some of the other cowboys Jimmy got the second horse into one of the corners and was able to rope him. They tried for awhile, but no matter what they did they could not get the third horse in a corner and it was making the boys look pretty foolish.

Naturally they went to Plan B. Jimmy asked the boys to haze the last horse by him between him and the fence, which they proceeded to do. That old gelding came running down the fence, Jimmy made his throw, the horse ducked and the loop landed on the railroad tie post. You realize how these things happen in a split second. When the horse ducked his head and the loop caught the post the rest of the rope dropped down in front of the neck. Of course Jimmy had a good hold on that rope. When the running horse’s neck hit the rope, it launched Jimmy into orbit and flung him the length of

the rope.

He was sailing supine about 90 miles per hour when he hit that heavy board fence. It certainly knocked the wind out of him. He did not get up well and he was so bruised it took him about two months to get over it.

I also believe his arms got about 2 inches longer.

Now, after the cowboys figured out he wasn’t dead or seriously injured, everyone thought it was pretty funny.

They gave up on catching the horse for the rest of the day, until the horse wrangler got back. The horse wrangler listened to the story and was incredulous about the entire thing, but did not say a word.

He walked out to the alleged wild horse in the corral with a morral and a few oats in it. Of course, he just walked up to the wild horse and the wild horse put his head down, so the horse wrangler could put the morral on. If you are not from the southwest “morral” is the Spanish word for bag. Everyone was watching the horse wrangler do this in complete silence and awe.

When he left the corral he saw Jimmy resting on the bunkhouse bench looking pretty sheepish. He walked up to Jimmy with the crowd following behind and asked Jimmy, “What is the last chore I give you at the end of each and every day?” Jimmy answered, “Putting the morral on that horse.” “And why?” asked the horse wrangler. “Because that horse is scared of a rope from the ground”, said Jimmy. The horse wrangler just walked off and never uttered a word.

January 15, 2019

Livestock Market Digest

Page 7

Idaho, USDA Sign Logging & Forest Restoration Agreement

BY STEVE BERTEL WWW.KIVITV.COM

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daho has signed an agreement with federal authorities to increase logging and restoration work on millions of acres of U.S. Forest Service lands that experts say are increasingly plagued with insect infestations and destructive wildfires.

Idaho Governor “Butch” Otter, Gov.-elect Brad Little

and U.S. Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Jim Hubbard signed the Shared Stewardship Agreement on Tuesday -- that officials say could serve as a template for other Western states.

The agreement calls for ramping up a federal-state partnership of the federally approved Good Neighbor Authority that allows state workers to assist on timber sales and restoration work on For-

est Service land.

Officials say landscape-scale projects are needed to treat 6.1 million acres of national forests in Idaho that have a high risk for disease and wildfire.

“By pooling resources, sharing expertise and making decisions together, the State of Idaho and the Forest Service can get more work done in our forests to protect communities and provide jobs,”

said Undersecretary Hubbard.

“Idaho has proven repeatedly, it is an effective and innovative leader in finding consensus-based, commonsense solutions to complex natural resource issues,” Otter said. “By anchoring to GNA –- and keeping our value of stewardship at the forefront of our minds –- we are well positioned to implement this shared stewardship plan of action that will get the right

results for Idaho.”

“Idaho is leading the nation in implementing new ways to reduce fire risk in our communities and improve the overall health of our public lands,” Governor-elect Little added.

“The agreement we signed today commits us to working even more closely with our federal partners so together we can make the biggest impact on the land and in the lives of our citizens.”

Peterson Joins Select Sires as Beef Business Development Manager

S

elect Sires has hired Ryan Peterson as beef business development manager. In this role, Peterson will oversee both domestic and international marketing initiatives, in addition to leading training efforts regarding the beef program within the federation.

In large, he will be responsible for mentoring beef sales representatives and assisting members with identifying, acquiring, servicing and retaining strategic accounts. Additionally, he will support beef personnel in international beef markets by coordinating pricing and availability of beef semen.

In 2008, Peterson graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science in agribusiness management. He then pursued his master’s degree from Colorado State University and earned a Master of Science in the field of ruminant nutrition in 2011.

Since 2010, Peterson has worked for Leachman Cattle of Colorado as head salesman and most recently, director of sales. Throughout the years, he has filled nearly every role from overseeing the cowherd, managing bulls on test, organizing A.I. breeding synchronization schedules and directing sales.

In total, Peterson has coordinated more than 60 production sales, marketing nearly 10,000 head of cattle.

His experiences and skills extend to bull selection, picturing, videography and catalog

LAWSUIT

continued from page three

itat protections are twice as likely to be recovering as those without,” said Loda. “It’s time for the Trump administration to stop dragging its feet and comply with the Endangered Species Act by finalizing habitat protections for these threatened snakes.”

Background The northern Mexican garter snake historically existed in every county in Arizona, with additional populations in New Mexico and Mexico. It ranges from olive to olive-brown in color and has three bright, lateral stripes. The northern Mexican garter snakes’ habitat requirements include permanent water, vegetative cover and native prey.

The narrow-headed garter snake is widely considered one of the most aquatic garter snakes. This small- to medium-sized garter snake is tan or gray-brown, has an unusually elongated head and brown, black or reddish spots. It lives in the Mogollon Rim in New Mexico and Arizona in clear and rocky stream habitats.

production. Lorna Marshall, vice president of beef genetics at Select Sires, says, “We are excited to have someone of Ryan’s caliber, talent and experience join our team. He will take our domestic and international marketing efforts to new heights and further the strong growth in our beef sales.”

Peterson’s qualifications are made stronger by his passion for the industry and his deep roots in agriculture. He previously completed internships with Land O’ Lakes Purina, LLC in beef feed sales and Elanco Animal Health in the dairy business unit. From October 2005 to October 2006,

he served as the Eastern Region Vice President for the National FFA Organization. Peterson’s experiences and skills bring value to Select Sires’ innovative and industry-leading beef department.

Based in Plain City, Ohio, Select Sires Inc., is North America’s largest A.I. organiza-

tion and is comprised of eight farmer-owned and -controlled cooperatives. As the industry leader, it provides highly fertile semen as well as excellence in service and programs to achieve its basic objective of supplying dairy and beef producers with North America’s best genetics at a reasonable price.

Page 8

Livestock Market Digest

Baxter BLACK ON THE EDGE OF COMMON SENSE www.baxterblack.com

Prejudice

P

rejudice is a funny thing. have’m call me.” Nice of him, When a city slicker or a I thought. dude comes meanderSomehow I never found Walin’ into the Montana bar in ter’s but at the corner of 39th Glasgow he’s liable to get a lot and Jackson I spied Willie’s Toof hard stares. But, I’m here to tal Experience Lounge. I recogtell ya, when the shoe’s on the nized the name from the paper other foot, it can be mighty un- so I went in. comfortable.

I was dressed Years ago in I told him I heard normal; hat, Levi’s Kansas City, I set and boots. The barthis was the best out one night to tender was a lady music in Kansas find one of them named Bert. She ‘down home gui- City and I came to served me a scotch find out! tar blues pickers and creme soda. that I had read I sat at a table in about in the Sunday paper. I was front of the band. As the cliendrivin’ around Saturday night tele came in they all sat around lookin’ for Walter’s Crescen- by the walls. Kind of like they do Lounge. I had some ribs at were circlin’ me. Nobody said Money’s on Prospect and asked much and they weren’t real directions. The feller told me friendly. Finally the band leader, not to go over there after dark. Freddy, came over to my table Then, after thinkin’ about it, he and asked me, “Hey man, what scribbled his name and phone are you doin’ here?” number on a piece of paper and I told him I heard this was said, “When you git in trouble, the best music in Kansas City and I came to find out!

Well he must have thought the same thing ‘cause it sure tickled him! He couldn’t do enough to make me feel at home. His sister was the waitress and he told her to make sure my grape Nehi never went dry.

By then I wuz smarter’n a tree full o’ owls, ten foot tall and bullet proof, as Tink would say! But I couldn’t get nobody to dance with me! Eventually this lady named Elizabeth consented. She must have figured I wasn’t so bad after all ‘cause she sat at my table and invited Louise and Wilma to join us. The four of us danced until closin’ time. It was a fine evening and although they didn’t take to me at first they must have decided that cowboys aren’t from outer space, just different.

I remember that little lesson when I see a kid wearin’ a headband and sandals in a cowboy bar. I always try to give’m the benefit of the doubt. After all, he might be friskin’ customers at the door next time I make it Willie’s Total Experience Lounge! www.baxterblack.com

Collectors Corner

by Jim Olson

Tips for Dating Bolo Ties

A

man named Victor Emanuel Cedarstaff is often credited with inventing the bolo tie durning the late 1940s.

Many authors have stated that Victor Patented the bolo, however, records show the only patent awarded to Mr. Cedarstaff was for a “Slide for a necktie” in 1954 (pat. #2,896,217) and it was for a type of a bolo slide, not the bolo itself.

An article in Sunset Magazine is often quoted as well: “Victor Cedarstaff was riding his horse one day when his hat blew off.

Wary of losing the silver-trimmed hatband, he slipped it around his neck. His companion joked, ‘That’s a nice-looking tie you’re wearing, Vic.’ An idea incubated, and Cedarstaff soon fashioned the first bola tie (the name is derived from boleadora, an Argentine lariat).” However, the article was written in 2002, and no sources were quoted.

The Cedarstaff story is widely circulated, but no concrete proof was found to substantiate the claim he “invented” the bolo tie other than said story being repeated.

Even earlier than Cedarstaff’s patent, in 1953, William Meeker applied for a for patent #2,846,688 which was titled, “Apparel For Neckwear.” It was later assigned to Hickok Manufacturing Co. of Rochester, N.Y.. In the patent application, it states, “The present invention relates generally to apparel and is directed particularly to a novel article of neckwear comprising a necktie and a slide cooperatively associated therewith for relative adjustment.” The picture and description which accompany the patent are of a bolo tie (although it is not called that by name).

There are other sources who claim the bolo tie has been around since the late 1800s. I found online a picture of old neckwear that looks similar to a bolo tie which was said to be from the 1930s. However, it did not look much like what we consider to be a traditional bolo today. Perhaps items like it are where the idea germinated from however.

Regardless of who “invented” the bolo tie, or when it happened, we can pretty much all agree that you did not see them much before the 1950s. During a period from the 1950s to 70s, they jumped in popularity until now they are recognized around the world as a Western version of a tie.

When you are buying a vintage bolo tie there are a couple of tell-tale signs that will help you put a date range on when it may have been made. First and foremost is the clasp on the back. The most popular clasp ever used, on many thousands of bolo ties, bears the name of a person named Bennett.

The “Bennett” clasp is found on probably 8 out of 10 vintage bolos (if not more). Bennett did not make the bolos, as some folks often mistake, but the clasps used on their backs to secure the braided cord bore the Bennett name and were available to silversmiths via the jewelry supply store.

Here is a generally accepted timeline for dating a bolo based on what the clasp on the back looks like: From the invention of the bolo (whenever that was) until about the mid-1950s, there was no clasp. Bolo cord ran through a couple of loops on the back which held a little pressure on the cord to

January 15, 2019

keep it in place. There were a couple of other variations during this time period, but no clasp yet. By the mid-1950s however, you begin to see the bolo tie clasp. As mentioned above, Cedarstaff patented one in 1954.

The Bennett clasp which is marked, Bennett Pat. Pend. C-31, came onto the market about this same time. The “C-31” clasp was used from the mid-1950s until about the mid-60s. For some unknown reason, this is when we see the “C-31” disappear from the Bennett clasp. The clasps afterward which said, Bennett Pat. Pend. were in production from about the mid-60s until the late 1980s.

It has been reported that when Mr. Bennett passed, a jewelry supply store bought his dies and started producing the clasp, but now without the Bennett name on the back.

This would have been in the late 80s or early 90s.

As far as I can tell, nobody seems to know who “Mr. Bennett” was and even though the clasps said, “Pat. Pend.” on them, I find no evidence of a patent ever being filed for. But whoever he (or she) was, their name will forever live on the back of thousands of bolo ties.

Along the way there were others who applied for patents on bolo tie clasps. In 1972, a patent was granted to John W. Day for a bolo clasp with a spring-loaded, push button type of release that kept pressure on the braided leather cord. In the patent application, he stated the date of the invention went back to 1966.

In January of 1968, James H. Mosby applied for a patent on an invention which provided for a removable mounting for a gem stone or other ornament that is removably secured to a sliding carrier on a bolo tie, known as a bolo slide. Basically an interchangeable slide with clasp.

June of 1974, a patent was applied for by an E. Larsen titled, “Clasp for a Bola Tie with Interchangeable Mount.” It goes on to explain, “This invention relates to bola ties and more particularly to the clasp for a bola tie which holds the braids of the bola tie to prevent slipping and at the same time locks a removable mount to the clasp. The lock provides for a quick release in order to remove either or both the bola tie from the persons neck and the mount from the bola tie clasp.” It was similar sounding, but different in style, to the Mosby patent.

Keep in mind that any of the variations of bolo tie clasps mentioned above were in use for many years after their invention dates so the clasp itself can only tell you the earliest date which the item may have been made. There are also many modern-day silver smiths who make retro looking items, so you can still find contemporary bolos with old-school silver loops on the back instead of a clasp. Those are usually pretty easy to spot however because they look more modern in style and are usually hallmarked with a contemporary artist’s stamp.

A few fun facts about bolos. After gaining popularity in the 1950s through 70s and becoming known as the “Western” tie, the state of Arizona made the bolo its official neckwear in 1971. New Mexico designated the bolo as the state’s official neckwear in 1987, but it wasn’t until 2007 that New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson signed the legislation. Also in 2007, the bolo tie was named the official tie of Texas.

One last question remains, is it a “Bola” tie or a “Bolo” tie? Although some old-timers use the word “Bola” and if you go back to the root of the word, “Boleadora” (what Gauchos in South America use as a sort of lariat to bring down cattle—and it also resembles our western tie), then the “a” at the end is probably most technically correct. However, if you do a google search of “bola” it will ask you if you really meant to search for the word “bolo” instead (indicating that Google thinks you made a mistake in spelling). This indicates that people search for the word “bolo” many, many times more often than its counterpart, “bola” in Google searches.

Bolo, with an “o” seems to be the most modernly accepted term. It’s kind of like “concho belt” or “concha belt”. The “a” is probably most technically correct, but the “o” is the most widely accepted in todays world.

Jim Olson © 2019 • WesternTradingPost.com

January 15, 2019

Livestock Market Digest

Page 9

REAL ESTATE GUIDE Bottari Realty

Bar M Real Estate

Paul Bottari, Broker

775/752-3040

SOCORRO PLAZA REALTY

For Real Estate and Classified Advertising Please Call 505/243-9515

On the Plaza

Donald Brown

Qualifying Broker

505-507-2915 cell 505-838-0095 fax

116 Plaza PO Box 1903 Socorro, NM 87801 www.socorroplazarealty.com dbrown@socorroplazarealty.com

BAKER CITY, OREGON Andrew Bryan, Owner/Broker Office 541-523-5871 Cell 208-484-5835

andrew@bakercityrealty.com www.bakercityrealty.com

Nevada Farms & raNch PrOPerTY

SCOTT MCNALLY

www.bottarirealty.com

Ranch Sales & Appraisals

AG LOANS AGLAND LAND LOANS Selling residential, farm, ranch, commercial and relocating properties.

575-226-0671 www.buenavista-nm.com

1509 Davis Rd, very nice home, lots of garage and barn space - 3 miles east 1242 NM 480, fantastic ranch home on 58 acres overlooking Portales 1809 S Rrd 8, south of town - beautiful 3 bdrm on 10 acres - great home 2344 S Rrd K, 3 bdrm 2 bath farm home with hand house, 7 steel grain bins, corrals, shop bldg - Select what you want and we will adjust price. Good location, on good road - mail route, school bus for Dora See these and other properties at www.buenavista-nm.com

O’NEILL LAND, llc P.O. Box 145, Cimarron, NM 87714 • 575/376-2341 • Fax: 575/376-2347 land@swranches.com • www.swranches.com

WAGONMOUND RANCH, Mora/Harding Counties, NM. 4,927 +/- deeded acres, 1,336.80 +/- state lease acres, 2,617 +/- Kiowa National Grassland Lease Acres.

8,880.80 +/- Total Acres. Substantial holding with good mix of grazing land and broken country off rim onto Canadian River. Fenced into four main pastures with shipping and headquarter pasture and additional four pastures in the Kiowa lease. Modern well, storage tank and piped water system supplementing existing dirt tanks located on deeded. Located approximately 17 miles east of Wagon Mound on pavement then county road. Nice headquarters and good access to above rim. Wildlife include antelope, mule deer and some elk. $2,710,000

RATON MILLION DOLLAR VIEW, Colfax County, NM. 97.68 +/- deeded acres, 2 parcels, excellent home, big shop, wildlife, a true million dollar view at end of private road. $489,000. House & 1 parcel $375,000

SOLD

MIAMI 80 ACRES, Colfax County, NM. 80 +/- deeded acres, 80 water shares, expansive views, house, shop, roping arena, barns and outbuildings. Reduced $485,000

COLD BEER VIEW, Colfax County, NM 83.22 +/- deeded acre, 3,174 sq ft, 5 bedroom, 3 ½ bathrm, 2 car garage home situated on top of the hill with amazing 360 degree views.

MIAMI HORSE HEAVEN, Colfax County, NM. Very Reduced $398,000 $349,000 private approx. 4,800 sq ft double walled adobe MIAMI 20 ACRES, Colfax County, NM. 20 +/- deed4 bedroom, 3 bathroom home with many custom ed acres, 20 water shares, quality 2,715 sq ft adobe features, 77.50 +/- deeded acres with water rights home, barn, grounds and trees. Private setting. This is and large 7 stall barn, insulated metal shop with own a must see. Reduced to $265,000 septic. Would suit indoor growing operation, large hay FRENCH TRACT 80, Irrigated farm with gated pipe, barn/equipment shed. $1,375,000. house, stone shop, many out buildings privacy.

MAXWELL FARM IMPROVED, Colfax County, Reduced to $292,000 $282,000 NM. 280 +/- deeded acres, 160 Class A irrigation shares, 2 center pivots, nice sale barn, 100 hd feed- MAXWELL SMALL HOLDING, home with horse lot. Depredation Elk Tags available. Owner financing improvements, fenced, water rights and 19+/available to qualified buyer. Significantly reduced to deeded acres. Handy to I25 on quiet country road. $232,000. $550,000

CONTRACT P E N D IN G

AsLow LowAsAs 3% As 4.5% OPWKCAP 2.9% OPWKCAP 2.9%

INTEREST RATESAS AS LOW 3% INTEREST RATES LOW ASAS 4.5% Payments Scheduledon on2525 Years Payments Scheduled Years

COLETTA RAY

Pioneer Realty 1304 Pile Street, Clovis, NM 88101

521 West Second St., Portales, NM 88130

www.ranchesnm.com 575/622-5867 575/420-1237

TEXAS & OKLA. FARMS & RANCHES • 80 acre wood home with barns, meadows and woods.

Fronts State Rd. $650,000

575-799-9600 Direct 575.935.9680 Office 575.935.9680 Fax coletta@plateautel.net www.clovisrealestatesales.com

• 14 acre Van Zandt County TX, Canton. 2 homes, 2 shops. Fronts State Rd. Excellent buy at $400,000

521 West Second St. • Portales, NM 88130

575-226-0671 or 575-226-0672 fax

Buena Vista Realty

Qualifying Broker: A.H. (Jack) Merrick 575-760-7521 www.buenavista-nm.com

• 160 acre Ranger Eastland Co, $560,000 • 270 acre Mitchell County, Texas ranch. Investors dream; excellent cash flow. Rock formation being crushed and sold; wind turbans, some minerals.

Irrigation water developed, crop & cattle, modest improvements. Just off I-20.

Price reduced to $1.6 million.

Joe Priest Real Estate

1-800/671-4548

joepriestre.net • joepriestre@earthlink.com

UNDER CONTRACT

DOUBLE L RANCH – Central NM, 10 miles west of Carrizozo, NM. 12,000 total acres; 175 AUYL, BLM Section 3 grazing permit; Water provided by 3 wells and buried pipeline. Improvements include house and pens. Price Reduced: $1,150,000 X T RANCH – Southeastern NM cattle ranch 40 miles northwest of Roswell, NM on the Chaves/Lincoln County line. Good grass ranch with gently rolling grass covered hills. 8,000 total acres, 200 AUYL grazing capacity. Partitioned into four pastures watered by 2 wells with pipelines. Call for brochure. Price: $1,750,000 SOUTH BROWN LAKE RANCH – Nicely improved cattle ranch located northwest of Roswell, NM. 5,735 total acres to include 960 acres deeded. 164 A.U. yearlong grazing capacity. Modern residence, bunkhouse, shop and feed barn. Three wells and buried pipeline. Excellent grass country. Price: $1,300,000 L-X RANCH – Southeastern NM just ten minutes from Roswell, NM with paved gated and locked access. 3,761 total acres divided into several pastures and traps. Nice improvements to include a site built adobe residence. One well with extensive pipeline system. Well suited for a registered cattle operation. Price: $900,000 $825,000

Joe Stubblefield & Associates 13830 Western St., Amarillo, TX 806/622-3482 • cell 806/674-2062 joes3@suddenlink.net Michael Perez Associates Nara Visa, NM • 575/403-7970

Missouri Land Sales

See all my listings at: paulmcgilliard.murney.com

Paul McGilliard • 564 ACRE GASCONADE RIVER FARM. 360 Acres of lush Cell: 417/839-5096 grass/hay/tillable bottom ground make up this highly productive 1-800/743-0336 livestock/hunting property.Well maintained older 4 Bed, 3 Ba Murney Assoc., Realtors home. Only 45 miles east of Springfield, Mo. MLS#60115449 Springfield, MO 65804 • 11.2 ACRES GREAT RETREAT IN THE WOODS, or permanent residence if you love seclusion! Winter view of the North Fork River. Would be a great corporate retreat, or a large family, could sleep 15+. Property sells fully furnished.

MLS#60109625 • 80 ACRES - 60 Acres hayable, live water only 50 miles east of Springfield, 1/4 mile off of Hwy 60. 3 Bed, 1 1/2 Ba, 1432 sq. ft. home, nestled under the trees. Full basement (partially finished), John Deer Room. MLS#60059808.

Scott Land co.

Ranch & Farm Real Estate

1301 Front Street, Dimmitt, TX 79027 Ben G. Scott - Broker Krystal M. Nelson - NM Qualifying Broker 800-933-9698 • 5:00am/10:00pm www.scottlandcompany.com

WE NEED LISTINGS ON ALL TYPES OF AG PROPERTIES LARGE OR SMALL! ■ PRICE REDUCED! MALPAIS OF NM - Lincoln/Socorro Counties, 37.65 sections +/- (13,322 ac. +/Deeded, 8,457 ac. +/- BLM Lease, 2,320 ac. +/- State Lease) good, useable improvements & water, some irrigation w/water rights for 2 pivot sprinklers, on pvmt. & all-weather road.

■ WATER, WATER, WATER! – This 6,376.92 ac. +/- ranch is located a short drive from Lubbock, Texas, in Kent Co. just east of Post, TX w/excellent deer & bird hunting. This ranch has the reputation of being the best watered ranch in the area w/wells equipped w/subs & windmills, year-round dirt tanks & the north fork of the Brazos River. Super improvements are included together w/a red angus registered cow herd, ranch & farm equipment including pickup trucks, trailers & tractors & owner’s share of producing minerals, salt water disposal income & potential commercial water sales.

■ PAJARITO CREEK RANCH – Guadalupe Co., NM – 4,243 ac.+/- deeded, 240 +/- State Lease, 2,704 sq. ft. custom home built in 2012, shop, bunk house, barns, etc. Pajarito Creek, I-40 frontage.

■ SANTA ROSA, NM – 78 ac. +/- heavily improved for horses, cattle & other livestock w/virtually new barns, pens, cross fences etc., on city water, w/internet access to the front gate.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA RANCH PROPERTY 31 years in the ranch business see www.ranch-lands.com for videos & brochures

N

3

ALL 3 RANCHES HAVE EXCELLENT LOW COST WATER!

DUANE & DIXIE McGARVA RANCH: approx. 985 acres Likely, CA. with about 600+ acre gravity flood irrigated pastures PLUS private 542 AU BLM permit. About 425 acres so of the irrigated are level to flood excellent pastures with balance good flood irrigated pastures. NO PUMPING COST! Dryland perfect for expansion to pivot irrigated alfalfa – access to very low cost Surprise Valley Electric. Corrals & livestock scales. The private BLM permit is fenced into 4 fields on about 18,000 acres just about 7 miles away. $3,495,000 Call Bill Wright. 530-941-8100 BEAVER CREEK RANCH: about 82,000 acres - with 2,700 deeded acres plus contiguous USFS & BLM permits for 450 pair; 580+- acres irrigated alfalfa, pasture, and meadow from Beaver Creek water rights and one irrigation well. 3 homes, 2 hay barns, 4 feedlots each w/ 250 ton barns, 2 large reservoirs, can run up to 500-600 cows YEAR ROUND. Reduced Asking Price $5,400,000. Call for Info ROUND HOUSE RANCH: approx. 291 acres just outside Redding, CA. Adjudicated Water Rights from Oak Run Creek – about 45 acres flood irrigated with water rights and springs plus 4 ponds. Like new Headquarters tucked in next to a pond and beautiful view overlooking the irrigated fields. Reduced Asking Price $1,995,000 Call Bill Wright 530-941-8100

BILL WRIGHT, SHASTA LAND SERVICES, INC. 530-941-8100 • DRE# 00963490 • www.ranch-lands.com

DUAN PLUS flood i cost S just ab

BEAV pair; 5 barns, $5,400

ROUN 45 acr view o

Page 10

Livestock Market Digest

January 15, 2019

Arizona Approves Pact to Let New Mexico Pipe Natural Gas Through Arizona to Sonora MEDIA SERVICES

A

rizona Governor Doug Ducey inked his approval late December to a pact that will enable New Mexico to move its excess natural gas through Arizona to Sonora for eventual sale to Asian nations.

The deal provides a new market for New Mexico, where Governor Susana Martinez said her state has more natural gas than it can use.

Sonora Governor Claudia

Pavlovich said her state benefits from the jobs that will be created building and operating a plant that will compress the gas into liquefied form for transport on ships.

And what does Arizona get, other than a pipeline and other facilities to transport the gas? In essence, Ducey said, it’s goodwill.

“This is just a way for us to work with our neighbors and promote binational trade,” Ducey said, pointing out that Sonora already is Arizona’s largest

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angus

g•u•i•d•e

Bradley 3 Ranch Ltd. 70+ Charolais Bulls 200+ Angus Bulls

— BULL SALE — FEBRUARY 9, 2019

www.bradley3ranch.com M. L.: 940/585-6471 James: 940/585-6171.

Ranch-Raised Bulls For Ranchers Since 1955

BEEFMASTER

210.732.3132 • beefmasters.org 118 W. BANDERA ROAD BOERNE, TX 78006 575/638-5434

Registered Polled Herefords Bulls & Heifers

FOR SALE AT THE FARM

Cañones Route P.O. Abiquiu, N.M. 87510 MANUEL SALAZAR P.O. Box 867 Española, N.M. 87532

RED ANGUS

A SOURCE FOR PROVEN SUPERIOR RED ANGUS GENETICS 14298 N. Atkins Rd., Lodi, CA 95240

209/727-3335

BRANGUS

gas that exists just in one state, much less the rest of the country,” she said. “I don’t have any concerns that because we find a market that we are not going to be able to have that continuing discovery and production of natural gas.”

According to the agreement, New Mexico is currently producing 3.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas daily and is on track to reach 4.0 billion by 2022. It also says New Mexico is among the top 10 states in proven reserves, with nearly 14.4 trillion cubic feet when measured at the end of 2016.

The agreement is largely about logistics.

Right now any natural gas New Mexico wants to sell to Asia — Taiwan in particular — goes through Houston. That requires transporting the gas to the Gulf of Mexico where it is liquefied to be put onto ships that must go through the Panama Canal, a process that adds time and cost.

Sending the gas by pipeline to Guaymas, Sonora, on the Sea of Cortez — what is called the Gulf of California in the United States —expedites the process.

The latest version of

CORRIENTE

he American Gelbvieh Association (AGA) is pleased to announce and welcome Will Fiske as the breed growth specialist.

In this role, Fiske will be involved with data analysis projects, assist the AGA marketing team’s efforts to further grow demand for Gelbvieh and Balancer®-influenced cattle, and facilitate and increase the use of AGA’s commercial cowherd database, Smart Select Service.

“I’m truly honored and excited to serve the membership of the AGA and work with such an excellent team,” says Fiske. “I look forward to connecting our members and their customers with profitable opportunities in today’s beef industry through technologies and markets.”

A native of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, Fiske grew up in the commercial cow-calf and stocker business. Taking an active role in 4-H and FFA as well as serving as a junior board director of the National Junior Angus Association also encouraged his passion for the beef industry.

Willcox, AZ

HWY 4

J17 M AR

IPOSA

SALE SITE

RD

VALLEY HOME

HWY 99 OAKDALE

HWY 120 ESCALON

SALE MANTECA HEADQUARTERS

MODESTO

#N

TO FRESNO

Facility located at: 25525 East Lone Tree Road, Escalon, CA 95320

LIVESTOCK SALES 3 days per week on

Monday, Wednesday, & Friday

rm Call fo ation m r fo in g signin on con stock. r u o y

4995 Arzberger Rd. Willcox, Arizona 85643

TO SACRAMENTO

STOCKTON

ESCALON LIVESTOCK MARKET, INC.

NTS IGNME CONS OME! WELC ore

520/384-3654

With bachelor’s degrees in agribusiness and animal science from Virginia Tech, Fiske managed a heifer research and development facility before pursuing a master’s degree in animal breeding and genetics at Kansas State University.

While at Kansas State, Fiske was involved with projects that assessed structural soundness of purebred cattle. Additionally, Fiske was involved with a nutritional supplementation study. His thesis work includes the development of a genetic evaluation for a Bos indicus cattle breed (Afrikaner) in South Africa. Most recently, he served as a contractor with American Angus Association’s Angus Genetics Inc., collecting and analyzing foot data in Angus herds across the country.

“We are excited to have Will joining the AGA team. His expertise and industry experience are sure to be an asset for the AGA as we continue to become a progressive breed association in today’s modern beef industry,” says Megan Slater, AGA interim executive director.

ELM MONDAY: Beef Cattle WEDNESDAY: Dairy Cattle

R.L. Robbs

cross-border cooperation comes as President Trump continues to decry what he’s called unfair trade deals with our southern neighbors. Ducey said to ignore the rhetoric and look instead at actions.

“The actions that I’ve seen are the recent signings of the USMCA,” short for the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement, “which is basically a new and improved NAFTA,” the now defunct North American Free Trade Agreement.

“I’m hopeful for more of those types of actions,” Ducey continued. “Those are going to be what I’m going to be advocating for out of the governor’s office.”

And if nothing else, he said, Arizona will continue its own separate relationship with Mexico regardless of what is coming out of Washington.

The major beneficiary of the deal could be Sonora, which will have to construct a plant to convert the natural gas into liquid form.

“It’s going to be jobs for everyone right there,” Pavlovich said. She declined to speculate on a potential peso or dollar figure.

Fiske Joins American Gelbvieh Association Staff

T

At The Ranch NE Of Estelline, Texas

HEREFORD

trading partner. “This is just another way for us to bring that to life and be cooperative in economic development.”

At this point it’s just an agreement to cooperate. Details, including a timeline and route for the pipeline, are not yet on the horizon. The agreement is valid for four years.

Ducey said it is an important first step.

He acknowledged that in prior decades there have been shortages of natural gas, which led to price spikes. There was a moratorium for a time on installing natural gas in new homes. But Ducey said he’s not worried that shipping excess natural gas to Asia will result in less for this country when needed.

“Right now we’re in a positive position on energy,” he said.

To have maximum flexibility, Arizona is “going to continue to have an all-of-the-above philosophy around energy, with a preference for renewables.”

Martinez, for her part, said there is no basis for such a worry.

Advertisement (1 of 1): 0:09 “I don’t think anybody understands the abundance of natural

FARMINGTON

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MIGUEL A. MACHADO President Office: 209/838-7011 Mobile: 209/595-2014

FRIDAY: Small Animals Poultry – Butcher Cows JOE VIEIRA Representative Mobile: 209/531-4156 THOMAS BERT 209/605-3866

CJ BRANTLEY Field Representative 209/596-0139

www.escalonlivestockmarket.com • escalonlivestockmarket@yahoo.com

January 15, 2019

Livestock Market Digest

Gelbvieh Steer Challenge

R

esults of the third annual American Gelbvieh Foundation (AGF) Steer Challenge and Scale and Rail Sire-Identified Carcass Contest were announced during the 48th Annual American Gelbvieh Association (AGA) National Convention awards banquet on Friday, November 30, 2018. Producers from South Dakota took home top honors with prize payouts totaling $4,750.

The AGF continues to help advance the Gelbvieh and Balancer® breed through its support of research and development. For this reason, the AGF launched the Steer Challenge and Scale and Rail Sire-Identified Carcass Contest in 2016. These two projects together provide the information and funds necessary to generate datasets to advance Gelbvieh and Balancer carcass merit.

The AGF Steer Challenge is a competition amongst individual Gelbvieh and Balancer-influenced steers in which the judging criteria focuses on carcass value and average daily gain in the feedyard. The Steer Challenge gives an opportunity for participants to donate a steer to the AGF. All proceeds from the donation go toward research and development within the breed.

In its third year, six ranches participated at Roode Feedyard in Fairbury, Nebraska.

All steers were harvested and index values were calculated in July 2018 with a total of 156 individual carcass data records. The Gelbvieh and Balancer breed continues to prove itself on the rail with 90 percent of these carcasses obtaining a quality grade of USDA Choice and better.

In addition, 92 percent of the steers were USDA Yield Grades 1,2, and 3. These steers averaged a 958-pound hot carcass weight with an average daily gain of 3.81 pounds per head with a 5.47:1 feed conversion on a dry matter basis.

Hamilton Farms, a commercial operation near Hitchcock, South Dakota, won big at this event. Scott Hamilton, who was named AGA’s Commercial Producer of the Year in 2016, had the champion Balancer steer in the average daily gain category with the winning steer gaining 5.17

pounds per day. They also had the runner-up Balancer steer in the average daily gain category with the steer gaining 4.99 pounds per day. In the AGF Steer Challenge portion of this contest Hamilton Farms had the champion steer in average daily gain with the animal gaining 4.36 pounds per day. That same animal also had the highest carcass value index in the steer challenge portion of the contest with a 17.20 square inch ribeye, 1,043 hot carcass weight and graded USDA Choice, Yield Grade 2 carcass. Hamilton Farms took home $2,250, which was the highest amount of prize money awarded for this year’s event.

Eagle Pass Ranch, Highmore, South Dakota, owned the champion pen of Balancer steers in the Scale and Rail Contest with a total carcass value index of 3,357.66. They had the champion Balancer steer in the carcass value category with an animal hanging a USDA Choice, Yield Grade 2 carcass with a 16.90 square inch ribeye and 1,048 pound hot carcass weight for a total carcass value index of 1,124.They also had the runner-up Balancer Steer in the carcass value category with an animal hanging USDA Choice, Yield Grade 3 carcass with a 16.65 square inch ribeye and a 1,046 pound hot carcass weight. In total, Eagle Pass Ranch took home $1,500 in prize money.

In the Gelbvieh division, CKS Gelbvieh, Collins, Iowa, was the winner, owning the steer for top average daily gain and carcass value indexing steer as well as champion pen and won $1,000 in prize payouts. CKS Gelbvieh’s winning steer in the average daily gain category gained 4.40 pounds per day. Their top carcass steer had a carcass value index of 996.92, a hot carcass weight of 936 pounds, and a ribeye area of 16.22 square inches. This steer also hung a Yield Grade 2 and USDA Choice carcass. CKS Gelbvieh also owned the champion pen of Gelbvieh steers with a total carcass value index of 2,913.26.

To view full results, including all closeout data, please visit the projects page under the Foundation section of www.gelbvieh.org.

Page 11

Gene Editing vs. Gene ModifyingNo, They’re Not the Same

BY ERIC PFEIFFER WWW.HOOSIERAGTODAY.COM

A

s gene editing technology, or CRISPR, continues to advance, its perception in the public eye will be critical to its success in agriculture. Eric Williams is a partner and patent attorney at the law firm of Barnes & Thornburg in Indianapolis. He also holds a doctorate in pharmacy. He was the keynote speaker at the Midwest Pork Conference held in early December and told attendees that farmers need to start learning about this technology sooner rather than later.

“I don’t think the science is slowing down any and I think that things are accelerating where gene edited products, or gene editing of animals, is going to become so commonplace that farmers need to know, and producers need to know, what’s going on, so they can adapt

their practices.”

He worries that the perception of gene editing will fall in line with that of GMO’s. While GMO’s have been tested and proven to be safe, there are still those who reject the idea and are quite vocal about it. Many of those people believe gene editing is the same as genetically modifying, which is not the case. Williams says it is the animal or plants own genome that is being edited, not other foreign DNA being introduced.

“The analogy I like to use is Microsoft Word because when you misspell a word time and time again in a document, you can do a global find and replace.

So, in other words, the document finds all the misspellings of a particular word and replaces them with the correct spelling. CRISPR technology is exactly like that. You tell the body where the misspelling is in your genetic code and then it replac-

es it with the correct spelling of the genetic code.”

He says that it’s important to know that using gene editing is just getting us to a better place for animals and consumers sooner.

“I like to think of CRISPR as an advanced breeding technique because really what you’re doing is science has identified the genes that are responsible for a particular trait and you’re just able to accelerate the development of that trait in the final product. So, those things would have happened over hundreds of years of natural breeding but using the technologies of gene editing you’re able to get there a lot faster.”

Williams says he hopes that the US is on the forefront regarding CRISPR technology, and that regulations on gene edited products are clear from the beginning.

BUY THE BEST DON’T JUST BUY A BULL 39TH Annual Gateway “Breeding Value” Bull Sale Monday, February 4, 2019 at Noon, MST

Offering 250 Bulls at the Ranch near Lewistown, Montana SALE BULL AVERAGE EPDs:

API

TI

CE

BW

WW

YW

MCE

MILK STAY MARB

148

79

14

-0.5

69

108

8

25

18

0.48

8%

12%

25%

25%

35%

30%

20%

30%

15%

12%

Whichever direction you are going, they cross.

679F

ASA 3389856

485F

ASA 3389831

HOOK`S BEACON 56B x GW MISS G. CHANGER 443A

LANCASTER ENFORCER K25 x GW MISS GPRD 298Z

HOMO BLACK HOMO POLLED PB SM

HOMO BLACK HOMO POLLED 3/4 SM 1/4 AN

CE 10 DOC 11

BW 0.3 CW 24

WW 72 YG -0.39

YW 109 MARB 0.44

MCE 6 REA 1.00

MILK 29 API 154

MWW 65 TI 83

454F

ASA 3389394

TFS DUE NORTH 2659Z x GW MISS PREDESTINED 195Y

HOMO BLACK HOMO POLLED 5/8 SM 3/8 AN CE 12 DOC 15

BW 0.5 CW 29

WW 73 YG -0.34

YW 115 MARB 0.70

MCE 7 REA 0.97

MILK 20 API 160

MWW 56 TI 85

CE 14 DOC 7

BW -1.5 CW 34

WW 69 YG -0.28

YW 104 MARB 0.52

MCE 9 REA 0.53

MILK 33 API 152

MWW 68 TI 82

Gateway Simmental and Lucky Cross bulls

are bred to deliver better females and better beef! Consider our growthy, moderate framed, big bodied bulls with great EPDs for combined calving ease, maternal calving ease and stayability.

Gateway bulls are bred to keep you in the business delivering long term value into the future. Buy Gateway bulls this spring to deliver heterosis, durability and generations of proven maternal adaptability!

ALL BULLS SELL WITH GENOMIC ENHANCED EPDS FREE FEEDING UNTIL APRIL • FREE DELIVERY

Marty Ropp 406-581-7835 Corey Wilkins 256-590-2487 www.alliedgeneticresources.com

Jim and Tom Butcher Jim 406-350-0467 • Tom 406-350-0979 butcher@3riversdbs.net 2109 Joyland Road, Lewistown, MT 59457 www.gatewaysimmental.com Chris Miller, Larry Hagenbuch, Logan Butcher

Page 12

Livestock Market Digest

January 15, 2019

l l u B s u g n a r B l l e w s Ro male Sale p.m.

1 Fe &

t a 9 1 0 2 , !

3 L 2 L E y r S a L u L I r b W e F S L , L y U a B d r T u S t E a B S OUR ONLY

60 to 80 Brangus & Angus Plus Bulls

AT ROSWELL LIVESTOCK AUCTION ROSWELL, N.M. • 575/622-5580

Cattle may be viewed Friday, Feb. 22, 2019

• Most with EPDs • Registered and Commercial • Fertility Tested • These bulls have been bred and raised under Southwest range conditions.

• Most bulls rock-footed • Trich-tested to go anywhere

at Roswell Livestock Auction

This sale offers you some of the highest quality Brangus in the Southwest! The “good doing” kind.

BUY DIRECT FROM BRANGUS BREEDERS! NO HIGH-PRICED COMMISSION MEN TO RUN THE PRICE UP!

Females— 500 to 700 • Registered Open Heifers • Registered Bred Heifers and Bred Cows • Bred Cows and Pairs – 3- to 7-yrs.-old • Bred Heifers – Coming 2-yr.-olds • Open Yearling Heifers FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: Years Raising Bulls

Total:

40 years 15 years 35 years 35 years 30 years 45 years 207 years

Years as IBBA Director 12 years w/Patti 5 years 3 years 6 years 3 years 6 years 35 years

Gayland Townsend Steven Townsend Troy Floyd Bill Morrison Joe Lack Larry Parker

580/443-5777, Mob. 580/380-1606 Mob. 580/380-1968 575/734-7005, Mob. 575/626-4062 575/482-3254, Mob. 575/760-7263 575/267-1016 520/508-3505, Mob. 520/845-2411

TO RECEIVE A CATALOG CONTACT: Bill Morrison: 575/482-3254 • C: 575/760-7263 To Consign Top Females Contact: Gayland Townsend: 580/443-5777 • C: 580/380-1606