LMD Aug 2014

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

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Digest S Volume 56 • No. 8

by Lee Pitts

T

The Greatest Cattlemen Of Our Time

NEWSPAPER PRIORITY HANDLING

Don’t look for Zietsman’s book to become a college text as he has little regard for academics, although he almost became one. Zietsman was a Bonsma student at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, and after he graduated with high honors he turned down an invitation to join

Everyone has a photographic memory. Some are just out of film.

image of a functionally efficient animal and bred and selected towards that relying to a large degree on visual appraisal.

Lasater said he couldn’t care less what an animal looks like. I came to understand,” says Zietsman, “that Lasater’s approach, relying on nature to do the selection, is infallible.”

A Rancher’s Resume

his staff. Zietsman had his sights set on becoming a rancher like his father and uncles. It was probably for the best, says Zietsman today, “Although I was greatly influenced by Bonsma’s thinking, I became aware that there were some serious flaws in his approach to breeding. Bonsma was influential in initiating the “frame-scoring” era of the 1970s and 1980s. Fat became a dirty word and “lean and efficient”, slab-sided bulls were winning show prizes and perform-

ance classes. Concurrent with this there arose the need to select for larger scrotums in an effort to counter the hormonal imballance resulting from high frame scores.”

Still, he considers Bonsma and Tom Lasater “the greatest cattlemen of our time.” But the more Zietsman learned the hard way from running his own cows, the less he agreed with Bonsma, and the more he saw what a true genius Tom Lasater was. “Bonsma had in his mind’s eye an

Zietsman has a great pedigree. Growing up, his father and his two uncles ran over 10,000 head of cattle on tropical veld in Zimbabwe. “This was at a time” says Zietsman, “when the scale was not in use, supplementary feed not commercially available and weekly dipping in plunge dips was compulsory by law.”

After spending three years in research Zietsman returned to the family ranch in 1975 as manager. Later he acquired his own property and the longer he continued on page two

Montana Water Woes Part 4 – Flaws in the Compact

BY HEATHER SMITH THOMAS

ontana State Senator Verdell Jackson (Republican, Kalispell) is the offreservation representative for the area north of Flathead Lake, with 16 years in the legislature. He served on the Clark Fork River Basin task force and is also very concerned about the impacts of the proposed Compact on all of western Montana. He feels that the Compact (between the Flathead Reservation tribes and the State of Montana regarding federal reserved water rights) needs to be revised before it is passed by the legislature.

Senator Jackson brings a lot of experience in these issues to the debate. “I was in the House of Representatives until I termed out after 8 years. I will be in the Senate for another year. I retired from the State of Alaska Department of Education where I was the rural school

M

by LEE PITTS

Sign Language

A Voice From The Veld he veld is a flat, open area in southern Africa covered in grass and low scrub. In many ways it is like Australia’s outback and parts of the American West. Once a generation a voice arises from this veld that radically alters the livestock landscape. In my lifetime two of these voices were Jan Bonsma and Allan Savory. Bonsma was a visiting professor at Texas A&M University in the 1960s when he literally wrote the book on cattle breeding; a 94-page cowboy classic. Of course, Savory is the man who changed the way the world looks at cattle grazing.

The name of the next fellow from the veld you might want to pay attention to is Johann Zietsman. He, too, has written a book and his publisher, Paul Butler, says Man, Cattle and Veld (www.profitableranching.com) could be the most important book about cattle breeding ever written. And he may not be just bragging.

Riding Herd

specialist and worked with the Eskimos, Aleuts, and several different tribes in rural Alaska for many years. I spent a lot of time with various Indian tribes in Alaska and helped transfer their schools from federal control to local control. I understand some of these issues,” says Jackson.

“When I came to Montana I went into the fields of natural resources, business and labor, and energy. Having been on the Natural Resources Committee in the Senate, I’ve done a lot of research in state water law.

That background has helped me in my effort to make sure the Compact is fair and equitable to everyone involved.”

Most people haven’t read the Compact because of its length (1400 pages).

“This Compact will affect most of my Senate district, which goes from the east side of Flathead Lake to the bottom of the lake at Polson, and on the west side down past Lakeside. About ¾ of the

shore of Flathead Lake is in my district, which goes about 20 miles north of the lake as well,” he says.

“I started studying the offreservation water rights (which affect 11 counties), looking at the water abstracts that are made out to the federal government in trust to the Tribes. It gives three parties, the federal government, the tribe and the state (if the state—Fish, Wildlife and Parks—has Murphy rights) the right to make a call for water when there is low flow.

The Murphy rights are based on survival of fish. The Compact water rights are based on a robust stream or river, and not just on survival of fish, so the Compact rights are much higher than they would be if based on the low flow. There are more than 1000 pages of abstracts, but they’ve never been analyzed to be able to tell irrigators whether they would have water or not,” continued on page fourteen

igns these days work as well as an eight term Congress person. If a sign says wet paint, people touch it, and how often do you see an abandoned couch beneath a “No Dumping” sign? If your “No Trespassing” sign isn’t stolen, it only serves as an invitation to party and picnic on your private property. “No Hunting” signs only remind hunters to clean their gun in anticipation of hunting season, and if they see a big buck on your property there isn’t a sign in the world that will keep them off of it.

Let’s be honest, who amongst us when they see a 65 miles per hour speed limit sign doesn’t drive 68 or 69 just to see what we can get away with? In every restaurant that has a sign that says, “No shoes, no shirt, no service” you’re bound to see diners wearing tank tops and flip-flops because none of us like to be told what we can, or can’t, do. Some people see a “No Parking” sign and their reaction is, “Well, we’ll just see about that, won’t we now? No one is going to tell me where to park!”

Part of the reason that signs don’t seem as effective any more is because they are written poorly and convey the wrong image. For example, I’ve seen signs in rest rooms of several restaurants that read, “Employees must wash your hands.”

I am perfectly capable of washing my own hands, thank you very much.

Those signs along the road that tell what services are available at the next exit can really be confusing. One in our area says “Hospital Camping Next Exit”, which makes visitors wonder how good medical care is in our neck of the woods.

Years ago the Readers Digest told of a sign in a church that read, “The bowl to the rear of the church that says, “For the Sick,” is for monetary contributions only.” And a sign out front of another church that listed the week’s sermon and special messages said, “Do you know what hell is? Come and hear our organist.”

Some signs are funny but I’m not sure they were meant continued on page five

www.LeePittsbooks.com

Livestock Market Digest

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August 15, 2014

A Voice ranched the more he came to learn that “conventional ranching practices in the main are neither economically or ecologically sustainable.”

Zietsman built a most impressive rancher resume. He inseminated his 800 cows, restricted calving to a 42 day period, and 80–90 percent of calves were sired with semen and 55-60 percent of calves were born within the first two weeks. He developed his own breed (Veldmaster), had the highest bull sale average in the country for 16 years, and he regularly hosted visitors from around the world until his ranch was taken from him by the Zimbabwe Government in 2002. “Expropriation” they call it.

“In the early 1990s my cattle were performing very well under commercial ranching conditions at the officially recommended stocking rate; bulls were selling at record prices but the veld was visibly deteriorating. This was forcefully brought home to me one day whilst walking through the veld. I was struck by two adjacent grasses of the same unpalatable species that were dead. One was level to the ground; the other stood a meter high. One was killed by continuous overgrazing; the other died as a result of a lack of defoliation. Clearly, a conservative stocking rate as generally advocated was not having a desirable effect. What was it in my management that could result in such divergent treatment of the same grass species?”

That was this question that led him to fellow African, Allan Savory.

Too Crazy To Contemplate

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“I knew the answers lay in implementing principles advocated by Acocks and Savory,” says Zietsman, “and it was clear I was not going to get answers to my questions from the academics.”

Unlike our own Forest Service and BLM, Zietsman knew the answer lay in more cattle grazing the land, not less. They only need to be managed differently. And if more paddocks were the answer “what would happen at 1,000 paddocks per herd?” That’s right, he said ONE THOUSAND! The question’s almost too crazy to contemplate.

Zietsman says cattle have two purposes, produce quality beef AND improve the land. Zietsman was accomplishing one goal but not the other. “Putting a few animals in a paddock for a few days or a few weeks or months does not constitute management. Management is only possible when mouths and hoofs can be controlled in respect of physical impact on plants and soil as well as the degree of selective grazing in relation to the time on an area and the length of the grazing cycle. This sort of control is only possible with the use of electric fences and, to a lesser extent, herding.”

Eventually Zietsman would

continued from page one

run up to 700 cattle in one herd at a stock density varying between 1,000 and 5,000 mature animals per hectare. (A hectare is about two and a half acres.)

Zietsman is acknowledged by Allan Savory as the first person to use ultra high stock density.

“Several barriers had been crossed,” says Zietsman. “We were ranching on a different plane. Within two weeks, in the driest year on record, I realized I had to double stocking rate owing to improved utilization of sourveld.” After a few years he was able to quadruple the number of cattle on the same land and better yet,“Veld composition, color and plant density improved beyond recognition.

There was a population explosion of indigenous and introduced legumes. Severely capped and compacted soil became humus-rich.”

Let Nature Take Its Course Zietsman is not a big fan of drug and chemical ranching either. “My opposition to the use of anthelmintics went further than the fact that they killed dung beetles. Dosing had never been practiced on the family ranch. Although some cattle may have been affected adversely the majority did well. The bulls were always in good condition – an indication of thriftiness and the absence of stress from internal parasites. I was not interested in breeding cattle that required dosing.”

“The fact that I grew up in a situation where cattle were plunge dipped weekly blinded me to the fact that, as with internal parasites, cattle must have inherent mechanisms protecting them from ticks as well as the disease they transmit. I was aware of some cattle that were never dipped yet never had ticks on them. Indigenous cattle were never dipped prior to the intervention of modern man. The problem of ticks and internal parasites is not going to be solved with poisons. Dipping and dosing make cattle more susceptible to parasites and dependent on the continued use of poison.

In addition, beneficial organisms are killed.

“The point is that there are genotypes available that require no, or only strategic, chemical control of parasites. Why is this not the preferred option?” Zietsman asks and then answers his own question. “There is a great deal of money to be made in producing and selling antibiotics, dips and drenches.”

Nor is Zietsman a fan of bulldozers for brush. “Eradicating trees and bushes is not addressing the main cause of the problem, grasses weakened through a combination of overgrazing, under-utilization and insufficient animal impact. Encroachment is the result of weak grasses, lack of browsing and, in some cases, insufficient hot fire. Monoculture pastures are preferred, as is continued on page three

August 15, 2014

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

A Voice fattening cattle in feedlots using grain. Rather than breeding tick resistant cattle we breed dip resistant ticks. In all the mentioned cases “productivity” requires external inputs that are costly and unsustainable. Until man learns to mimic nature in agricultural systems there will be discord between man and nature.”

Good Fat With ultrahigh density grazing Zietsman knew he had to change his cattle’s genotype in order to bring harmony between cattle and veld. “Regardless of size, the faster an animal grows, the larger the intake and the greater the efficiency. When animals of varying size grow at the same rate, the smaller animals are more efficient. It is very clear that animals of varying size cannot be compared on the basis of absolute growth (ADG or weight). The variation in size has to be considered.”

Zietsman asks, “Why is it that the smaller frame animals in a herd or the smaller frame breeds are always in better body condition? Why do the smaller species of mammals (mice) have a faster maturity and reproductive rate than the larger mammals (elephant)? The answer lies in feed intake. An animal’s feed intake is influenced by many variables such as climatic adaptation, resistance to parasites/diseases, and individual appetite. These characteristics are highly heritable and individualistic. The net result is that the smaller frame animal has an unfair advantage.

It is also true to say that the larger frame animal is genetically

Page 3 continued from page two

handicapped because its intake of nutrients falls short of what is required in order for it to grow in proportion to its size.”

Zietsman says that fat has an unfair reputation. “Since the 1960s cattle breeders and producers have been brainwashed with the idea that “fat is bad”.

This led to the breeding of late maturing genotypes (large frame and lean) and the use of the Continental breeds. This suited feedlots using cheap grain as well as breeders striving for fast absolute gain since less energy is required for gain consisting largely of lean meat and water.

Has everyone forgotten that a cow needs to be in good body condition in order to calve young and regularly?” he asks.

“Man seems to think that if an idea or practice is simple it can’t work. He spends time, effort and money on complicating matters. “Experts” try and do a balancing act with EPD figures, of generally low accuracy, for antagonistic criteria in order to breed “curve-benders” that are raised under artificial conditions in an effort to improve veld productivity. The quest for heavy weaners has led to the selection of cows with too much milk relative to the nutrition provided by the environment. The result is lower reconception rates due to poor body condition or uneconomically high levels of feeding in order to maintain fertility (body condition) at an acceptable level.” (Zietsman is still talking about the situation on the African continent, isn’t he?)

He also wonders, “How can the use of crossbred cows be good and not the use of cross-

bred bulls? Both productivity and selection progress are greater when using crossbred bulls. And the fewer the traits selected for the faster the progress. This means ignoring the unimportant and concentrating on the important. The important are, in broad terms, grass conversion efficiency, hormonal bAllance, optimum milk, easy-care and functional conformation.”

Coming To Look Us Over When Zietsman came to the U.S. in the summer of 2013 he says, “I have never seen as many heat stressed cattle. Such a statement may seem strange coming from someone who has lived their entire life in the tropics.” Zietsman says, “In addition to the problems of stress from heat and horn fly, the vast majority of cattle are further handicapped by a large frame.

The overall result is poor grass conversion efficiency and inherently poor body condition.

Ranchers now seem to realize (thanks to Allan Savory) that they need to manage their cattle in a way that will result in range improvement and efficient grass utilization. Many are now doing this. How many ranchers realize that they also have to do an about-turn in terms of cattle breeding in order to produce cattle that can efficiently convert grass into beef?

“If the goal is economically and ecologically sustainable production then the American beef production model is seriously flawed,” he says. “How can anycontinued on page four

Cattle Breeding According to Johann Zietsman Large frame cattle are genetically handicapped. n Small frame cattle have an unfair advantage. n The smaller and heavier the better. n Change cattle to suit the environment and not the environment to suit the cattle. n Cattle judges have the ability to make the important unimportant and the unimportant important. n There are two broad categories of cattle. There are those that win beauty contests and those that complete survival courses. It is time ranchers differentiated between the two. n We have erred by measuring inappropriate criteria accurately and appropriate criteria inaccurately. n We have bred cattle to be lean and “efficient” but which requite better nutrition in order to be “productive.” n Cattle breeding should be limited to “reading” nature correctly and accelerating the process of natural selection. n Everything in cattle breeding and management revolves around body condition.

Breeding and management decisions influence, or are influenced by body condition.

Ranchers have a choice: breed or feed for improved body condition. n Stocking rate is the most important determinant of ranch profitability. n

n An animal not adapted to its environment is like a poorly tuned car engine – it performs poorly and is expensive to run. n Measuring inappropriate selection criteria more accurately (EPDs) is the same as increasing the speed of a car on the wrong road. n In the name of progress, efficient grass converting cattle are being changed into inefficient grain converting “hogs”. n If a rancher did the opposite of what is conventionally advised he would be more right than wrong. n Whoever is good at learning more about less will eventually become an expert knowing everything about nothing. n Selecting for feed conversion efficiency as done conventionally, is mathematically incorrect and scientifically flawed. n Cattle have a dual role – convert grass into meat and improve the land. n The rancher’s role is very simple – accelerate natural selection and enhance natural processes. n In order to be a good animal scientist you first have to be a good herdsman. n The only difference between show judging and sorcery is the people. n Who is the “wise” man who decided that crossbred cows are superior and crossbred bulls inferior?

Livestock Market Digest

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A Voice

continued from page three

one in their right mind believe that trying to genetically modify an efficient grass converting ruminant into an inefficient grain converting “hog” is progress? To add to the current sorry state of affairs is the fact that the rest of the world imitates America.”

Zietsman also questions the logic in discriminating against animals of a certain color.

“What is the goal: Veld productivity or feedlot productivity? Assuming the goal is biased in favor of feedlot productivity, how are ruminants (cattle)

ever going to compete with monogastrics in converting grain to meat? Cattle have an unfair advantage over pigs and chickens in converting grass into quality meat and, if managed appropriately, in improving the land. This is what they have been created to do. It is crazy to believe they must compete with pigs and chickens in converting grain into meat.”

After reading his book I really must say that “crazy” is one thing Johann Zietsman can’t be accused of.

August 15, 2014

New technologies needed for increasing livestock production

BY SARAH MUIRHEAD, FEEDSTUFFS FOODLINK

n the next 30 years, the world’s population is projected to grow by nearly 2 billion and will become more urbanized, with a more skilled workforce. The good news is that global prosperity and affluence will increase.

At the same time, the challenge will be a food supply that needs to be more than doubled in order to meet the increasing

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demand.

Specifically, the demand for animal-sourced foods will need to be more than doubled to meet the demands of the newly affluent.

At the 2014 Joint Annual Meeting of the American Dairy Science Association and the American Society of Animal Science, Donald Nkrumah with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, Wash., explained that with fewer and fewer people engaged in agriculture, and for the sake of the planet, animal production growth cannot continue to come from the deployment of more animals and land.

Some have argued that current organic systems may be for the rich and curious and could not produce enough food to feed the world in the future. Past technologies that allowed us to advance productivity may not be enough to bring about future intensification, especially for

small holders who live in areas that require attention to climatic adaptability and disease resiliency, said Nkrumah. Instead, changes in total factor productivity will need to occur through significant changes in current techniques, he said.

To transform current nearsubsistence small holder production systems, Nkrumah said technological innovation will be required to drive the needed sustainable productivity increases.

That means collaborative global research teams must strive to come up with new ways of developing and adapting modern concepts in biotechnology to create the next-generation of animal genetics, health, and livestock nutrition systems. These technologies will then have to be deployed affordably through context-relevant mobile communication and digital platforms to increase accessibility.

Gelbvieh Performance Advantage Program Recognizes Breeders he American Gelbvieh Association is proud to honor nine members from Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, Nevada, Missouri and Ohio for achieving Bronze, Silver or Gold status for the association's Gelbvieh Performance Advantage program for the 2013 management year.

The Gelbvieh Performance Advantage (GPA) program was initiated in 2009 and recognizes AGA members who promote the performance aspects of their program through data collection.

Nine members were recognized for the 2013 management year including two being honored with gold status, two with silver status, and five members being honored with bronze status.

The GPA program is unique within the seedstock industry and provides a tool for Gelbvieh producers, both small and large, to be recognized on records kept and data recorded in the previous calendar year.

“Participating members use the GPA program as a way to enhance customer experience as they provide a value-added service with the data they collect from their breeding program,” said Susan Willmon, American Gelbvieh Association director of breed improvement.

To attain GPA status, the AGA member must record performance data, use sires that meet or exceed established performance criteria, and implement technologies such as DNA testing, ultrasound, and A.I. in their programs.

In order for a member to achieve GPA Gold status, pro-

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ducers must collect and submit data on the highest percentage of performance data points.

These herds practice A.I. breeding, DNA testing on calves and select sires to enhance breed improvement goals. Attaining this level requires 300 points.

Attaining GPA Silver status requires producers to collect data on animals later in their production cycle, in addition to standard types of measurement.

This can include complete yearling data on females and mature cows, ultrasound data and DNA testing. A minimum of 200 points are required to achieve this level.

GPA Bronze status entails gathering performance data above the minimum standards set for the breed. Typically, a mix of performance data collection, DNA testing and sire selection standards categorizes a breeder at this level. A total of 100 points are needed to achieve this level.

Congratulations to this year’s award winners.

Gold status award winners Ginger Ertle, Greentop, Mo. John Huston Cattle Co., New Carlisle, Ohio Silver status award winners Jean McWilliams, Orovada, Nev. Judd Ranch, Pomona, Kan. Bronze status award winners Cranview Gelbvieh, Minot, N.D. McClatchey Cattle Company, Palisade, Neb. MLM Gelbvieh, Superior, Neb. Rippe Gelbvieh, Hubbell, Neb. Sandy Knoll Farms, St. John, Kan.

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August 15, 2014

BRD scoring for timely diagnosis JOHN MADAY, MANAGING EDITOR, DROVERS CATTLENETWORK

n limiting losses from Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD), early diagnosis and appropriate treatment play a major role in success. During the BRD conference taking place in Denver, several presentations outlined new diagnostic tools, some involving emerging technologies and others simply making better use of existing diagnostic techniques.

University of Wisconsin veterinarian Sheila McGuirk, DVM, PhD, ACVIM, says beef and dairy producers often do not routinely screen calves for respiratory disease. Eventually, producers and veterinarians will have access to comprehensive, practical and affordable respiratory disease screening tools such as accelerometers, pedometers, appetite monitors, feed consumption detection systems, remote temperature recording devices, radiant heat detectors, electronic stethoscopes, and thoracic ultrasound.

But until these systems are validated and available, producers can improve their timely diagnosis of BRD by using a standardized scoring system.

McGuirk and her team have developed a scoring system that attributes severity scores to each of four clinical parameters: rectal temperature, cough, nasal discharge, ocular discharge or ear position. A total respiratory score of five points or higher can be used to distinguish affected from unaffected calves.

She recommends using the scoring system twice weekly in pre-weaned dairy calves to facilitate early detection. Coupled with effective treatment protocols she says, this scoring system will reduce post-weaning pneumonia, chronic pneumonia and otitis media.

In this clinical signs-based respiratory scoring system, respiratory disease is determined to be present when two or more examination parameters are moderate or severely abnormal.

The examination parameters and graded scale evaluation criteria are available online from the University of Wisconsin’s Vetmed website.

The scoring system's points range from 0 to 3 as clinical signs progress from normal (0), to mildly abnormal (1), to moderately abnormal (2) to severely abnormal (3). Calves with a total respiratory score > 5 or that have 2 or more clinical parameters with score 2 or 3 are considered to have respiratory disease. For calves in group pens, the respiratory screening process can be modified, and a form for group pen screening is available from the University of Wisconsin.

McGuirk says a farm’s calfhealth screening program should include daily observa-

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tions, twice-weekly screening tests and a defined exam process. Respiratory scoring is part of the twice-weekly health screening program but also should be applied when workers doing daily observations note individual calves that need a more detailed examination. She recommends setting up daily observations for high-risk calves and those that have shown early signs of BRD but have scored below 5 in the scoring system.

She also notes that BRD prevalence increases with age in preweaned calves so strategic use screening of calves just prior to weaning can positively impact the occurrence of postweaning pneumonia.

Implementing a routine screening process entails some labor costs, but the benefits can pay for a dairy. A University of Wisconsin Extension study indicated that that, on average, one full time equivalent (FTE) employee is needed to perform the routine daily chores for each 100 calves. McGuirk estimates an additional 0.5 FTE is needed for every 100 calves to perform

these daily and weekly health screening procedures.

Initially, farms likely will see an increase in number of calves treated, treatment costs, respiratory morbidity and calls to the veterinarian. Mortality rate from BRD however, likely will decline, and over time, the farm will benefit from decreases in calf treatment rate, number of days of treatment, treatment relapses, treatment costs, morbidity and mortality. Over the long term, producers can achieve better productivity and profitability of replacement heifers, better employee morale and motivation and reduced employee turnover.

Veterinarians can work with clients to enter individual calf scoring results into a record system to track performance and cost, monitor disease incidence, analyze treatment efficacy or create valuable health reports.

When these records indicate a change in prevalence of respiratory disease, the veterinarian can focus diagnostic testing on the most recent, untreated diseased calves.

Page 5

Riding Herd

continued from page one

to be. As a child on old Route 66 every summer we passed a lot of Stuckey's signs that read, “Eat with us and get gas.” And I heard about a sign in a skyscraper restaurant restroom that read, “Toilet out of order. Please use floor below.” I’d hate to be the janitor in that place.

Your typical ranch signs don’t work any more either. The landlord of a ranch we leased had six expensive “No Trespassing” signs painted. Four of them were stolen in less than a month and years later I spotted one at a former friend’s house!

I think optional signs like these might have been more effective in keeping trespassers out: “Please don’t feed the Rottweillers or German Shepherds; Don’t trespass; the Drones are watching; Bulls mating, stay in your car; Our dogs are not vegetarians; Beware of quicksand.”

Instead of having a sign that shows your home is protected by some security company have one instead that says, “This home protected by Smith, Wesson, Winchester and Baretta. And

that ain’t no law firm!”

Visual stimuli can also be effective. If you are tired of getting your fences cut tie a couple roadkill squirrels or rabbits and a “High Voltage” sign on your fence along with a sign that says . . . “You will be CHARGED if you cut this fence.” If you are tired of your ranch being used as a dumping ground, instead of a “No Dumping” sign have one made that reads “Toxic Waste Dump”. If you are a dumping ground for cat litters put up a sign that says, "Cats welcome.

Dog food is getting expensive.”

Then there’s the smart rancher who got tired of following slow moving tourists and big motor homes on the road to his ranch so he painted his own sign that said, “Historical marker ahead.”

Then a quarter mile up the road he flattened a small parking lot and placed an important looking rock marker with a brass plaque on it that said: “History was made this day when a slow-moving, rubbernecking tourist pulled to the side of the road so I that I could finally pass. Adios sucker!”

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Livestock Market Digest

Page 6

By Frank DuBois -My column this month covers wolves, Smokey the water bandit, Michelle Obama, food stamps and toilet bowls

Wolves, Mexican and otherwise exican authorities have announced that a litter of Mexican wolves has been born in the wild for the first time in over thirty years. Mexico has been raising breeding pairs in captivity and releasing them into the mountains of western Mexico.

A pair released in December of 2013 has been monitored by officials and a June sighting confirmed five wolf pups in good health. A spokesman for the recovery effort says this is an “important step in the reintro-

M

duction program.”

Back in the U.S, the Draft EIS on the revised Mexican Wolf and 10j rule are supposed to be published on July 25 and a public hearing on the proposed revisions will be held in T or C, New Mexico on August 13. We can probably count on the recovery area to be expanded in the north and south, and that any wolves found south of I-10 will have the full protection of the Endangered Species Act. If that indeed occurs, all we’ll have to worry about is unaccompanied, minor wolves entering from Mexico.

Finally, we have a Congressman calling for “Wolf Safety Zones” around Yellowstone National Park. An Oregon rep has asked Interior Secretary Sally

Jewell to work with Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho officials to develop a “wolf safety zone” around Yellowstone National Park, saying without one the health of the park’s wolf populations will suffer.

August 15, 2014

members of Congress upset.

In a letter to Ag Secretary Vilsack signed by 40 members of Congress (including Steve Pearce of NM) the lawmakers claim the proposed directive would initiate U.S. Forest Service authority over state-managed groundwater resources.

The Congressional letter says the directive would claim that surface water and groundwater are “hydraulically interconnected” and allow the agency to object to state-regulated projects on “adjacent” land that might harm groundwater.

The Western Governors have also written Vilsack saying, “Western states are the exclusive authority for allocating, administering, protecting and developing

Then there’s those “specialized shopping carts” Think of the precedent that would set. Consider all the parks, monuments, wildlife refuges and wilderness areas in New Mexico and then apply the safety zone concept to your favorite species.

Maybe, just maybe, someday a Congressman will propose “Rancher Safety Zones”. I’ve got some great ideas for that.

Smokey is thirsty What is it about the Forest Service and water?

Last month we wrote about the Forest Service fencing cattle off water in the Lincoln National Forest to protect the meadow jumping mouse. Now the issue has moved north to the Santa Fe National Forest where they are proposing to fence cattle off around 230 acres so far. An allotment owner, Mike Lucero says “it’s very frustrating because we don’t know where we stand, and we’re going to have to spend money in litigation just to fight for our rights,” and “we’re fighting our own tax dollars. They’re using my tax money to put me out of business. Lucero sums it up by saying, “That’s ridiculous, and it’s sad.” Yes Mike, it’s both and now there are reports they want to do the same on nearly 200 miles along streams and wetlands in a dozen counties in three states. And just to make sure that or worse happens, the Wild Earth Guardians has notified the Forest Service it will be suing for greater protections of the mouse's streamside habitat, saying grazing authorized by the agency is a threat to the mouse’s existence.

I’m afraid to ask, but is there a Mexican meadow jumping mouse?

Here comes the Forest Service again, with a Proposed Directive on Groundwater Resource Management which has the Western Governor’s Association (WGA) and certain

groundwater resources, and they are responsible for water supply planning within their boundaries. That authority was recognized by Congress in the Desert Land Act of 1877 and reasserted in a 1935 Supreme Court ruling.”

The governors are also miffed that the directive only identifies states as “potentially affected parties”.

In addition, the governors ask some important questions, such as: Given the legislative and legal context, what is the legal basis for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and USFS assertion of federal authority in the context of the Proposed Directive?

How will USFS ensure that the Proposed Directive will not infringe upon, abrogate, or in any way interfere with states' exclusive authority to allocate and administer rights to the use of groundwater?

The governors requested the Forest Service seek an “authentic partnership” with the states on this issue. Sorry, but I don’t know what that means and I wonder which governor wanted that wimpy language in the letter. Have they entered into “inauthentic partnerships” with the Forest Service in the past?

Come to think of it, I know many ranchers who’ve had that experience.

Barack barbeque?

Michelle Obama continues to lobby for “reform” of the School Lunch Program. Speaking to a room full of children at the third annual Kids State Dinner, she blasted Congress for “undoing” some of the program and urged them to become advocates of reform despite the opposition of some “grownups”. There was also a healthy recipe contest, judged

by White House chef Sam Kass and others. Some of the over 1,500 submissions included such things as “Grilling Veggie Style”,

a black bean burger with a side of carrot salad, and “Barack-oli and Mich-room Obama-let”, made with goat cheese and mushrooms. The latter even included “carMALIAized” onions, named for sixteen yearold Malia Obama.

I’m sorry to report that nowhere in the submissions could we find a plate of “Barack Barbeque” with a side of “Malia Mashed Potatoes” and all washed down with a sparkling bottle of “Michelle Mountain Dew”.

Do you need a “nudge” from the feds?

The DC Deep Thinkers never stop. In an effort to get food stamp recipients and others to make healthier food choices, the USDA assembled a panel of “experts” who have issued an eighty page report on the matter.

Their six preferred strategies are: discount coupons, rebates of up to $60 for healthy food purchases on EBT cards, a buy on get one free deals for folks in the program, a targeted marketing plan to promote healthy food; a USDA loyalty card; and new specialized shopping carts.

I’m sure you noticed this gov’t plan to fight obesity, with its discount coupons, rebates and buy one get on free deals, will enable folks to BUY MORE FOOD! Then there’s those “specialized shopping carts”, which one publication describes this way: The “MyCart grocery cart” would provide dividers for shoppers to make sure they are selecting enough items in each “MyPlate” category, the USDA’s food icon.

The cart would be color-coded, physically divided, and have a system installed so that when the shopping cart reaches its healthy “threshold” it would congratulate the customer. “The algorithm would group the purchases to classify them using the MyPlate designations and to provide consumers with a message of support or encouragement (e.g., “You achieved a MyCart healthy shopping basket!”),” the report said.

Sorry, but my research says that all these free deals and loyalty cards, along with your shopping cart screaming at you, will definitely cause folks to be . . . constipated.

But never fear, The Westerner is here, and I’ve got a brand new apparatus.

Let’s call it the USDA, Grade A, MyFart Toilet Bowl. It too will be “color-coded”, be able to provide “a message of support or encouragement”, and have a system installed so that when the bowl reaches its “healthy threshold” it will “congratulate” you.

Kind of a Happy Turd Day from the DC Deep Stinkers.

And folks, my study will cost much less than the one you just paid $999,891 for.

Till 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 (http://www.nmsu.edu/~duboisrodeo/).

August 15, 2014

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

USDA Selects 36 Energy Facilities to Accept Biomass Deliveries Program Includes Biomass Removals from Federal Lands to Reduce Forest Fires griculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has selected 36 energy facilities in 14 states to accept biomass deliveries supported by the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), which was authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. Biomass owners who supply these facilities may qualify for BCAP delivery assistance starting July 28, 2014.

Of the total $25 million per year authorized for BCAP, up to 50 percent ($12.5 million) is available each year to assist biomass owners with the cost of delivery of agricultural or forest residues for energy generation.

Some BCAP payments will target the removal of dead or diseased trees from National Forests and Bureau of Land Management public lands for renewable energy, which reduces the risk of forest fire.

“This program generates clean energy from biomass, reduces the threat of fires by removing dead or diseased trees from public forest lands, and invests in rural businesses and new energy markets,” said Vilsack. “The fires we are seeing right now in the West underscore the need for

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forest restoration and fire prevention. Pairing this effort with forest restoration on public lands will help guard against these fires while promoting economic opportunity for rural communities.”

Farmers, ranchers or foresters who harvest and deliver forest or agricultural residues to a BCAPqualified energy facility may be eligible for financial assistance for deliveries. The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), which administers BCAP, will begin accepting applications from biomass owners from July 28 through Aug. 25. Deliveries of residues for approved contracts may be made through Sept. 26, 2014.

The 36 BCAP energy facilities are: Arizona Novo BioPower LLC (f/k/a Snowflake White Mountain Power) Forest Energy Corporation California Burney Forest Power Pacific Ultrapower-Chinese Station HL(Honey Lake) Power Company Rio Bravo Rocklin Collins Pine Company Thermal Energy Development Partnership, LP Covanta Delano Inc. Covanta Mendota L.P. Sierra Pacific Industries – Sonora Sierra Pacific Industries – Burney Division Sierra Pacific Industries – Quincy Division Sierra Pacific Indus-

tries – Lincoln Roseburg Forest Products Colorado Eagle Valley Clean Energy, LLC Idaho Clearwater Paper Corporation Basic American Foods Kansas Abengoa Michigan Hillman Power Company LLC Minnesota Minnesota Power – Hibbard Renewable Energy Center Minnesota Power – Rapid Energy Center Missouri Enginuity Montana Eureka Pellet Mills Inc. F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber Co. Nebraska Chadron State College New Mexico Mt. Taylor Machine LLC Oregon Biomass One LP Interfor Pacific Inc., Gilchrist Division Ochoco Lumber dba Malheur Lumber Roseburg Forest Products Seneca Sustainable Energy, LLC South Carolina Council Energy Inc. Allendale Biomass LLC Dorchester Biomass, LLC Washington Boise White Paper

Third Annual American Akaushi Association Convention November 14-16, 2014, Bastrop, Texas he Third Annual American Akaushi Association Convention is set for November 14-16 at the Hyatt Lost Pines Resort and Spa near Bastrop, Texas. This year’s event will again bring together cowmen and various professionals to discuss their excitement and industry awareness for the American Akaushi.

This third gathering of Akaushi breeders, animal scientists, feeders, packers, retailers, restaurants, and consumers, will continue to document the breed’s tremendous growth and profitability story within the American Beef industry.

Bubba Bain, Executive Director of the American Akaushi Association says, “Our message has spread all over the U.S. and when we gather this year, we expect a record number to attend the convention and take part in all the activities we have to offer. Our convention is fully inclusive as we gather and seek more input and ideas from all that attend for our continued growth and direction. Helping to inspire more thoughts and ideas for growth will again be a unique and diverse set of speakers with definite first-hand Akaushi influences.”

Speakers for the 2014 convention include Colin Woodall NCBA, Vice President Of Government Affairs, Dr. Sara Place Oklahoma State University, Dr.

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Joe Massey - DigitalBeef, Janie Bain - American Akaushi Association, Eric Dorr - Kemin Animal Nutrition, Dr. Stephen Smith Texas A & M University, Dr. Rick Machen - Texas A & M University, Bill Fielding - CEO HeartBrand Beef - Moderator and Panelists: Rodd Willis - DOT Foods, Jake Hickton - Burger Monger Restaurants, Joe Doria - Bolner’s Meat Company and Jordan Beeman - President, HeartBrand Beef. The evening keynote speaker for 2014 includes Lt. General H. M. “Bud” Wyatt III , USAF, Retired.

The highlight of the annual evening banquet will again be the presentation of the 2014 “Securing the Legacy Award”.

Bain said, “this award is given to the individual, family or ranch that has provided key leadership and marketing efforts for the American Akaushi. Last year’s recipient of the “Securing the Legacy Award” was the Austin Brown Ranch, Beeville, Texas.”

In addition to the great lineup of speakers, there will be activities ranging from a Golf Tournament, Trade Show, Taste of Akaushi dining, the always popular “Ice Cream Social”, Fun Auction, Country Church, and HeartBrand Beef Tours. “We have a great family-style atmosphere at our convention and without question there is literally something for any age to enjoy,”

Bain said.

The American Akaushi is known as “Nature’s Healthy Beef” because of the rare, inherent oleic acid and the higher ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fat in the beef. “With today’s consumer, healthier is key and with Akaushi beef in

Page 7

New Mexico Veterinarian Ellen Mary Wilson, D.V.M. llen Mary Wilson, D.V.M. was raised with seven brothers and two sisters on a working family farm in northeastern Pennsylvania raising prime veal, dairy replacement heifers, and beef cattle. The farm, of course, also had horses, sheep, swine and poultry.

Involvement in 4-H provided the avenue for further cultivation of interest in animal agriculture and contributed to many memorable experiences showing horses and cattle.

Exposure as a youngster to the work of the local Mixed Animal veterinary practitioner seeded a deep desire and goal to become a veterinarian.

With encouragement and unwavering support from her family on the long road to achieve this dream, she received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Marquette University, a Master of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Scranton and a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Ross University. Since graduation, her veterinary career has been rich with opportunities, which began as a Clinical Veterinarian for the New Mexico State University Primate Research Institute in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

This was a unique and treasured experience working with chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates to advance research and understanding of diseases of humans. This posi-

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high demand, we have many opportunities for cowmen to expand and participate in this new model for higher profit potential. Come take a real look at opportunity in the Beef busi-

tion was the springboard to another opportunity, but relocation from New Mexico was required.

She was Commissioned as an Officer with the United States Public Health Service, served in various veterinary positions with the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration in Bethesda, MD and attained the rank of Lieutenant Commander during her time of service. Although the career and management experiences were invaluable, life in the Beltway seemed too far away from her roots in agriculture and life’s next chapter involved family and a working farm with beef cattle, horses and a large herd of goats in Alabama. In addition to managing the farm, Dr. Wilson began a solo Mixed Animal veterinary practice.

Changes in life eventually led Dr. Wilson to a return to public service with the California Department of Food and Agriculture, where she served as the Assistant Chief of the Animal Health Branch for the past eight years.

Dr. Wilson brings a wealth of veterinary, regulatory and management experience to the position of New Mexico State Veterinarian with the New Mexico Livestock Board and is thrilled to be returning to the Land of Enchantment to serve the NMLB and citizens of New Mexico as the State Veterinarian. ness.” Bain said.

Please visit www.Akaushi.com for the complete 2014 convention schedule and registration as well as other information about the American Akaushi.

Livestock Market Digest

Page 8

August 15, 2014

Thorpe honored for beef industry achievements here is no man more associated with the words “cattle market” than Topper Thorpe, who left his mark on the industry during a 32-year tenure with CattleFax. His contributions and leadership will be noted as Thorpe receives the Feeding Quality Forum Industry Achievement Award in August.

“The uniqueness of the cattle feeding industry is that we supply almost 80 percent of the fed cattle produced in the world,” says Larry Corah, vice president of supply for Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB), who began his own career when Thorpe was a rising star. “That is a pretty impactful industry, and CattleFax and Topper have had a strong influence on how successful it has been.”

Raised on a diversified livestock and crop operation in southern New Mexico, Thorpe earned degrees in business and economics from New Mexico State University before becoming one of two original employees of CattleFax in 1968. As the first analyst at the start-up company, Thorpe laid the foundation and served 30 years as CEO of

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Topper Thorpe

what became “the nation’s premier market information, analysis, research and education service, owned by cattle producers and feeders.”

“His leadership in creating

the organization of CattleFax and putting market power in producer hands helped the feeding industry grow and become what it is today,” Corah says.

“Topper understood the value

LIVESTOCK

of data, of information, and he could take that aggregate data and do the analysis and then weave a picture of what this industry looked like and what it was going to look like 5 to 10 years down the road,” says Randy Blach, current CattleFax CEO, hired by Thorpe in 1980.

Friends and customers always appreciated Thorpe’s candor in bringing transparency to all sectors of the cattle industry. He led CattleFax through the farm crisis of the 1980s, ensuring company analysts always told the honest truth, even if it wasn’t what customers wanted to hear.

During his leadership, CattleFax evolved with technology that “accelerated the learning curve” for producers.

“I think really all the credit goes to Topper,” Blach says.

“CattleFax wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for him. And it wasn’t always easy – there were a lot of lean years, but his wisdom and guidance got us through those years and developed a foundation that we still benefit from today.”

Beyond his talent with the

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market and business, Thorpe was known for the emphasis he put on relationships, multiplying himself through others who knew him as a great mentor.

“You always knew where he stood,” Blach says. “He showed he was genuinely interested in his people.”

The former CEO may have stepped down in 2001, but his vision sustains CattleFax and the cattle industry today.

“I just want to thank Topper personally for all he has done for me and all that he has done for CattleFax and the benefit he has brought to the cattle and beef industries through all these years,” says Blach.

But to Thorpe, he was just doing his job.

“Receiving this award is very humbling because there are many others that have made great contributions in the industry. To be considered is an honor,” Thorpe says.

He will be recognized and comment at the 9th annual Feeding Quality Forums in Kearney, Neb., on August 19 and in Amarillo, Texas, on August 21.

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“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

August 15, 2014

Who Would Like RFDtv Off The Air? ho would like RFDtv off the air? Or U.S. Farm Report? Who would like Farm Bureaus shut down, along with the National Cattlemen’s Assn, the Pork Producers, the Egg Council, the Northern Ag Network, Range Magazine, the Delmarva Farmer, the Farm Journal, the Beef Checkoff, the Brownfield Ag Network? Who would like to make it illegal for movie stars, sports stars, heroes, singers and baby calves to be pictured with a milk moustache?

ANSWER: Any person or group that does not want people to know “Where their food comes from.” The first one that comes to mind is Humane Society of the U.S. (not associated with the local Humane Society in your home town). They make a living attempting to make farmers and ranchers look bad. I don’t question their motive, it’s a job, it’s how they pay the bills.

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They come to work each day and send out letters asking for the “Cash” so they can “fight the evil farmers and ranchers.” As long as they can keep their donors misinformed, blindfolded and mislead about the whole truth, the “Cash” keeps comin’ in!

Another factor that is critical, is to portray agriculture, be it modern or homegrown, as inhumane, environmentally harmful, and run by insensitive, country hicks who have no real moral attachment to the animals and the land . . . that it’s all about money. That is easy for them to understand since so much of their own time and effort and commitment is dedicated to the pursuit of “Cash”. There seems to be endless quasi-associations seeking funds to “protect and enhance the wildlife and the habitat, the heritage and the natural resources.” They pop up every time someone can find a cause that will stimulate the

“Cash.” But just having a good cause is not enough. They must create a straw man to portray the enemy. That eliminates any deep inspection of the validity of their cause, and ranchers and farmers, hunters, miners, lumberjacks and oil field roughnecks fill their bill.

Another influential group of people who don’t want people to know “Where their food comes from” are politicians with a prejudice against those who work the land. Their reasons are usually personal; some childhood animosity that is now being repaid because they have the power, a guilt complex because they were born with a golden spoon, maybe the only farmer he knows ran against him for office. Who knows?

RFDtv is being dropped from some media networks that are intent on merging. The reason given is that a network about and for agriculture is not relevant to the modern urban viewer.

HSUS, among others, will be thrilled! Agriculture on television is one of the few places where the consumer can get to know “Where their food comes from.”

The presence of agriculture is growing. It’s not uncommon to see or hear news stories about farmers and ranchers. Most are good. Most reporters are reasonable people, they eat bacon and hamburger. They have a general concept that global population growth will demand more food, and that the USDA represents and is involved with keeping our food safe.

They are like most Americans, they trust farmers and ranchers and expect us to stay on top of

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Page 9

things. We are able to do that because we have access to such a broad source of information, (re: first paragraph). We continue to educate and include the curious urban consumers in our thinking. We invite them to see for themselves; to know the

truth about our business and to show them “Where your food really comes from.” And that, my friends, is the last thing the Humane Society of the U.S., the extremist ANTI’s, and vengeful offended politicians want them to know.

O’NEILL LAND, LLC P.O. Box 145, Cimarron, NM 87714 • 575/376-2341 • Fax: 575/376-2347 land@swranches.com • www.swranches.com Good inventory in the Miami, Springer, Maxwell and Cimarron area. Great year-round climate suitable for horses. Give yourself and your horses a break and come on up to the Cimarron Country.

Miami Horse Training Facility. Ideal horse training facility w/large 4 bedroom 3 bathroom approx 3,593 sq ft home, 248.32± deeded acres, 208 irrigation shares, 30' X 60' metal sided shop/ bunkhouse, 8 stall barn w/tack room, 7 stall barn w/storage, 10 stall open sided barn w/10 ft alley, 2 stall loafing shed, 14 11' x 24' Run-In Shelters, 135' Round Pen, Priefert six horse panel walker. Many more features & improvements. All you need for a serious horse operation in serious horse country of Miami New Mexico. Additional 150 acres available on south side of road. Miami is at the perfect year round horse training elevation of 6,200. Far enough south to have mostly mild winters. Convenient to I-25. $1,550,000.

REDUCED! Miami Horse Heaven. Very private approx. 4,800 sq. ft. double-walled adobe 4 bed., 3 bath home w/many custom features, 77.5± deeded acres & 77.25± water shares, large 7 stall horse barn, large insulated metal shop, large haybarn/equipment shed, all for

$1,375,000, plus an additional 160+/- deeded acres w/142 water shares avail. $560,000 (subject to purchase of 77.5± deeded acre parcel.)

Krause Ranch. 939.37 +/- deeded acres. 88 Springer Ditch Company water shares. Mostly west of I;25, exit 414. Big views. $725,000.

Miami Mountain View. 80± deeded acres w/80 water shares & house. $540,000.

Miami. 10± deeded acres, awesome home, total remodel, awesome views $295,000.

Miami WOW. Big home in Santa Fe Style great for family on 3 acres. $249,000.

Miami Tangle Foot. 10.02± deeded acres w/water shares & meter. $118,000.

Maxwell. 19.5± deeded acres, water, outbuildings, great horse set up. $234,000.

Canadian River. 39.088± deeded acres, w/nice ranch home & river. $279,000. CONTRACT PENDING

O’NEILL AGRICULTURAL, LLC “Offers computer-generated color custom mapping service on digital USGS base maps.

Hang a map in your office that looks like your ranch, w/water lines, pastures & roads etc. Put your ranch on one piece of paper.”

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Livestock Market Digest

Page 10

Where Freedom Grows

BY BARRY DENTON

f you will notice when cattle are in a corral and being shoved down a chute they are not very happy, they are scared, and over react to simple requests. The same is true with people. When you start crowding them into cities, start shoving them down a certain path, and they tend to make outlandish decisions.

A multitude of decisions are made in Washington, D.C. by these people that are caged there. These outlandish decisions often affect those of us living in the wide open spaces. In order to live and survive in wide open

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spaces you need an abundance of common sense. Natural elements are your biggest enemy not your neighbor.

This is perhaps the best argument for keeping your politics local and the importance of state sovereignty. If your local political leaders keep your state in good financial shape then that gives you the choice of keeping federal funding and regulation out. That means more freedom for your citizens. This is why hometown elections are vitally important. I always cringe when people tell me that they only vote in national elections.

Every year at roundup you brand calves as they are the the

future of your herd. You also get rid of your old and ‘shelly’ cows to make room for the new ones.

The strength of your herd relies on good stock. We all might keep an old cow an extra year because she is a sentimental favorite, but inevitably the day arrives when she too must go.

It only makes sense to me that we rotate our politicians as well. Term limits would be a healthy addition to our United States Constitution. The only ones that don’t seem to want it are the career politicians. If “career politician” isn’t probably the worst phrase in the English language I don’t know what is.

Do you remember your lessons about the American Revolution? Originally they wanted George Washington to be king.

When he refused they wanted him to remain President for a third term. He refused that proposal as well and returned to private life. He did not feel it would be healthy for the country if he were to remain in office.

These career politicians should have a sense of honor and go home after serving a couple of terms. The country would only be healthier for it. Cull the herd in Washington, DC and the country would remain fresh.

There are way too many ‘shelly’ cows and empty heads in the

August 15, 2014 United States Congress, to say nothing about a lack of honor.

If you are a rancher or cowboy you probably get up in the morning, walk to the barn or corral, saddle up and head out to do your days work, usually not near a town, and in the wide open spaces. Life for you is a series of long days and hard work. If you have a band of coyotes after a newborn calf, you shoot them.

When your pensioner horse is getting too crippled to eat, you do the humane thing. You don’t shoot your neighbor that lives fifteen miles away because you may need him in a time of crisis and he may need you too. The laws of nature require you to execute certain tasks, many of which are unpleasant. However, you do them, as it is who you are.

Isn’t it funny that you can do the right thing without someone from the government telling you how? When a man or a woman is allowed their freedom, things run smoothly, when government erodes that freedom chaos develops.

Lastly, think of the taxes you are required to pay when you get no services. A few years ago there was a knife attack from a drug crazed ranch hand and a shooting on a neighboring ranch.

The rancher handled the incident himself and did what he had to do to save his family. Law enforcement and the ambulance arrived an hour and forty five minutes after they were called.

Unfortunately the rancher got no tax refund because of lousy service. Keep in mind that taxes are nothing more than an erosion of your freedom. Just think what you could do with that extra ten thousand dollar property tax check at the end of the year. At least if you had less taxes to pay you wouldn’t mind the lousy service.

The pat answer when complaining about poor performance from a politician is to vote them out. A poor politician can wreak a lot of havoc before you ever get the opportunity to vote them out. These people are never held accountable when they make bad decisions with your money.

It looks to me like most bureaucrats and politicians belong to a close knit fraternity that is bad for America. This is election year and you might be listening to a political speech at some point. Do not vote for anyone that doesn’t mention what they are going to do for the expansion and continuation of your freedom. It’s time to improve our government that has gone amok.

Pharmaceutical Use in Cattle — Online course PRESENTED BY WEST TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

he course will equip persons involved in the management, administration, distribution or sale of pharmaceuticals used in cattle to maximize therapeutic outcomes, prevent drug-related problems and protect the wholesomeness of the food supply chain.

Students throughout the country can easily access this web-based course to gain up-todate information and training in veterinary labeled drugs, animal disease states, regulatory issues

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and public health topics.

Upon completing this course, students will have knowledge and skills that can positively impact educational, veterinary and economic outcomes by applying their drug knowledge resources to veterinary situations.

This 3-credit hour online course is ideal for students majoring in; animal science, dairy science, feedyard/ranch management, agricultural education, meat science, veterinary technology, and pre-veterinary medicine. Students are welcome to take the course on an individual basis and transfer the

elective credit back to their home school.

Registration for the fall 2014 course begins immediately and closes the first week of class.

The course begins August 25th, 2014. The course is offered every spring, summer and fall semesters.

For more information on course objectives, dates, syllabus, tuition or registration instructions visit http://wtamu.edu/academics/vet erinary-pharmacy.aspx For more information on this one-of-a-kind course contact the instructor, Elaine Blythe, PharmD.

Is There Really a 97 Percent Consensus on Global Warming? limate change proponents routinely cite the “scientific consensus” that surrounds anthropogenic (human-caused) global warming. But NCPA Senior Fellow Michael Stroup explains where that “scientific consensus” comes from and why the numbers are unreliable.

In 2013, a group of scientists published a study in Environmental Research Letters entitled, “Quantifying the consensus on anthropogenic global warming in the scientific literature.” The study reviewed the abstracts of 11,944 scientific papers dealing with global warming and climate change. According to climate change activists, the study is proof that 97 percent of scientists in the climate research community agree that global warming is humancaused.

Except, explains Stroup, that the study did not make that conclusion. In fact: The study examined more than 11,944 peerreviewed articles published from 1991 to 2011.

The researchers tracked which studies stated an opinion on human-caused global warming and which did not. Of those that did state an

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opinion, the researchers determined whether the reports supported, rejected or were uncertain about the cause of global warming.

Of the studies examined, 66.4 percent of the abstracts expressed no position whatsoever on human-caused global warming.

Of the abstracts that did express an opinion on human-caused warming, 97.1 percent endorsed the notion that it was human-caused.

Stroup likens the 97 percent claim to a survey of 10,000 ice cream lovers. Imagine a survey that asked respondents what their preferred ice cream brand was, but more than half of those surveyed do not respond to the question. If 97 percent of those who did respond to the question report that their favorite ice cream is Haagen Dazs, asks Stroup, is that proof that all ice cream lovers support the consensus view that Haagen Dazs is the best ice cream?

Stroup cautions policymakers to engage in logical analysis when crafting environmental policies, not spin misleading statistics.

Source: Michael Stroup, “The Big Lie of the ‘Consensus View’ on Global Warming,” Energy and Environment: Clearing the Air Blog, National Center for Policy Analysis, July 30, 2014.

August 15, 2014

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

2014 Arizona CattleWoman of the Year he Arizona State Cowbelles (ASC) are proud to announce our CattleWoman of the Year for 2014, Mary Jo Rideout. Born in Los Angeles, California, she moved to Continental, Arizona with her family when she was about 2 years old. She started working on the family operation as soon as she could sit on a horse, feed livestock, check waters, etc. She started her first small herd by feeding doggie calves when she was a teenager.

She earned enough money from the sale of these cattle to buy her first car. She and her brothers and sister showed cattle in 4-H, at the Arizona National Livestock Show and in Southern Arizona International Livestock Association (SAILA) shows throughout Arizona. When the family moved to Red Rock, Arizona, she became an integral part of that business and she still is today.

She and her husband first worked on a ranch in Wyoming; she was the ranch cook. Cooking for a big crew and learning to survive Wyoming winters kept her plenty busy. They came south again to work in feed yards in Arizona and Texas. Then came an opportunity to be part of his family’s ranching business so they relocated to that ranch in Montana. Mary Jo was Post Mistress in the small town and it was in Montana where their two sons were born.

Mary Jo divorced and moved her boys back to Arizona. She supported them in all their 4-H projects and watched them have prize winning steers in livestock shows throughout Arizona. Family is and has always been impor-

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Mary Jo Rideout (right) with her family (L-R): Tim and Barbara Jackson, Betty and Carl Stevenson. tant to her.

Mary Jo has supported and worked in many capacities in the beef industry. She was the first woman to be voted to the Board of Directors for the Arizona Cattle Feeders’ Association and still serves on this board today. She has represented Arizona Cattle Growers’, Feeders’, and Cowbelles on various National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) committees and forums. She served on the Arizona Cattle Education and Research Industry Foundation Board for 3 years and currently

represents the Arizona Cattle Feeders’ on the Arizona Beef Council.

Cowbelles has always been part of her life. Her mother was a very active Cowbelle. At one time, she wouldn’t let them eat Campbell soup because it contained imported beef. Her mother is a past Arizona State Cowbelle President as well as American National Cowbelle President. Mary Jo and her sister, Barbara Jackson, have been Cowbelles since they were old enough to join. She has served as American National Cattle-

Women (ANCW) Budget Committee Chair for three years. She has been the ASC treasurer for the past 12 years and still is today.

Even though she isn’t often recognized because she works in the background, Mary Jo has been involved in many of the activities of the industry. As one of her co-workers stated, “When she is given a task, you don’t have to worry. She just goes about getting it done.” ASC recognizes Mary Jo’s hard work and dedication for the industry and is proud to honor her as the 2014 CattleWoman of the Year.

American Gelbvieh Junior Association Names 2014-2015 Ambassadors wo junior members were selected at the American Gelbvieh Junior Association (AGJA) 2014 Barnyard Classic to represent the AGJA as ambassadors. Jessie Lowe of Adrian, Mo., was selected to be the 2014-2015 AGJA Junior Ambassador. Taylor Vavra, Nisland, S.D., was chosen to be the 2014-2015 AGJA Intermediate Ambassador.

Jessie is the nine-year-old daughter of Raymond and Melissa Lowe and she is excited to share her love of Gelbvieh throughout the coming year. In addition to this new role, she is very active in several other junior associations including Altona 4-H club, Missouri Junior Cattlemen’s Association, and Heart of America Gelbvieh Junior Association, just to name a few.

“I thought it would be great to help other people love Gelbviehas much as I do,” says Jessie.

“I think if people knew more about Gelbvieh and what they can do for them, more people would love them as much as I do. This is the first goal I have as Junior Ambassador.” She has

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even started a Facebook group page called Missouri Gelbvieh where people can post pictures and other news about all things Gelbvieh.

Jessie currently raises Gelbvieh and Balancer® cattle along with her brother, Baxter and sister, Isabel. She obtained her firstGelbvieh heifer, named Sweetheart, in March 2013 and has gone to 23 shows with her so far, including the Missouri State Fair, American Royal, and National Western Stock Show.

She looks forward to going to even more Gelbvieh events in the next year and spreading her love for the breed.

Taylor is the 15-year-old daughter of Brent and Eve Vavra. She is currently involved in 4-H, FFA, cheerleading, golf, community band, and has been a member of the AGJA since 1998.

“When I was first registered as a member of AGJA, my grandparents gifted me with my first Gelbvieh cow,” said Taylor.

“Gelbvieh has opened many doors for me, and has helped me to meet many new people.” Taylor is also very involved with her

own herd and shows her animals all over including at the National Western Stock Show, Northern International Livestock Exposition, Black Hills Stock Show, Butte-Lawrence County Fair, and AGJA junior national show. Her herd currently consists of 11 cows where she handles everything from money management to late night calving checks.

Taylor’s younger sister, Carlee, was the 2013-2014 AGJA Junior Ambassador and having learned things from her sister, is excited to promote the AGJA herself. “As the older sister, I have seen behind the scenes of Carlee’s ambassadorship and it fuels my fire,” added Taylor.

The ambassador competition was held during the junior national show, which took place June 29 through July 4 in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Junior Ambassador must be eight to 11 years of age and the Intermediate Ambassador must be 12 to 15 years old.

The AGJA created the ambassador program to encourage youth involvement in the breed’s activities. The ambassa-

dors represent the AGJA at Gelbvieh functions throughout the year including Gelbvieh and Balancer shows held at the American Royal, the North American International Livestock Exposition and the National Western Stock Show, along with many state fairs and other events.

The ambassador candidates are judged on their notebook, an oral interview, a speech given at the AGJA annual meeting and overall conduct during the annual junior national show. The notebook includes information and photographs on activities, awards and organizations as well as an essay on the candidate’s background and experiences with the Gelbvieh breed. A committee is appointed to conduct the interviews and select the AGJA Junior and Intermediate Ambassadors.

The American Gelbvieh Junior Association serves more than 500 members nationally. The vision of the AGJA is to unify, educate, and develop leaders of the beef industry. To learn more about Gelbvieh or the American Gelbvieh Junior Association visit www.gelbvieh.org

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Livestock Market Digest

Page 12

Herring to Receive National Golden Spur Award

Arizona Tax Court Judge Issues Ruling in Favor of Ranching Families Property Tax Lawsuit n July 15, 2014, Judge Dean M. Fink ruled in favor of the ranching families (“Ranchers”) on their claims that the Yavapai County Assessor, Pamela G. Pearsall, violated Arizona law by increasing the taxable values of their natural grazing land in Yavapai County for tax years 2012 and 2013 by more than 300 percent.

During the more than two and one half years of litigation, this March during the trial, Ms. Pearsall testified her office had relied on a statistical survey performed by the Arizona Department of Revenue (“ADOR”), which ADOR later told her could not be used to value individual properties. Specifically, Judge Fink found: “Based on the evidence presented at trial, the Court finds the ADOR study lacks foundation and, consistent with [ADOR]’s memorandum to all assessors, it should not have been used to establish the full cash values of grazing land in Yavapai County for tax years 2012 or 2013.”

The ranch families originally filed their legal challenge in November of 2011. In it, they argued that the Assessor was required to follow state law, nothing more and nothing less. The Tax Court agreed that the Assessor did not follow the law, and Judge Fink even ruled that: “[T]he manner in which the Assessor’s Office utilized the ADOR report was an abuse of discretion.” Ms. Pearsall also admitted that her office had copies of many grazing leases in its files that the Ranchers (and other cattle ranchers) were required by law to file whenever they leased grazing land as part of their ranching operations. Judge Fink ruled that these leases could have been used by the Assessor to perform the duties imposed upon her by Arizona law to determine the taxable value of grazing land, but he also found that: “Yavapai County Assessor Pamela Pearsall admitted that neither

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James E. Herring

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ames E. Herring, of Amarillo, Texas, has been selected to receive the prestigious National Golden Spur Award for 2014. Herring will receive the award on September 20, 2014 at the National Ranching Heritage Center on the Texas Tech University campus.

Bestowed to an individual who has provided outstanding contributions to the nation’s ranching and livestock industry, the National Golden Spur Award has become an iconic national honor. Herring is the 37th recipient and joins the ranks of men and women whose work and accomplishments have earned the highest respect of their peers. The accolade is a joint recognition of some of the industry’s leading organizations: American Quarter Horse Association; National Cattlemen’s Foundation; Ranching Heritage Association; Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association; Texas Cattle Feeders Association; and Texas Farm Bureau.

Herring’s lifelong work has created tremendous benefits and opportunities for ranchers and beef producers throughout the United States. As chairman and CEO of Friona Industries, Herring led an innovative approach to coordinate efforts of ranchers, cattle feeders, beef processors and retailers to enhance quality and consistency of beef. Herring’s work made great strides in

raising the competitive position of beef in a highly competitive environment for consumer preferences.

Fortunately, consumers and cattle producers benefit because of the ingenuity and drive of Herring’s leadership.

“I am honored to know and have worked with James for many years,” said Ross Wilson, president and CEO of Texas Cattle Feeders Association. “He is a visionary businessman with an uncanny ability to foresee and capitalize on opportunities in the beef industry, many of which have not been easy to achieve.

At the same time, he gives back to the beef industry and community interests through countless hours of volunteer service. James loves and appreciates the tradition of the cattle industry while recognizing that we must continue to improve the way we produce and market beef to satisfy the ever increasing demands of U.S. and foreign customers. He is most deserving of this prestigious award.”

The National Golden Spur Award reception, dinner and ceremony, hosted by the National Ranching Heritage Center, will begin at 6:00 p.m., September 20 in the center’s main gallery located at 3121 Fourth Street in Lubbock, Texas. Reserved tables for eight are $1,250 and individual tickets are $100.

August 15, 2014

she nor anyone in her office ever conducted a study to determine the average annual net cash rental value of natural grazing land in Yavapai County prior to increasing the full cash values from $7.56/acre to $25/acre in tax year 2012.”

Judge Fink also commented specifically on this in his decision: “[W]hen asked why the Assessor’s Office had not used the information that was filed by plaintiffs (and others) to conduct a study as to the average annual net cash rental of natural grazing land in Yavapai County, [the County’s Chief Appraiser, Ron Gibbs] testified that the County did not have the human resources or time necessary to make those computations.” The irony of this testimony is that the County has now paid over $267,000 to an outside law firm to try to defend the Assessor’s illegal actions, not counting the money that was spent on two different expert witnesses — neither of whom was even called by the County to testify at trial — presumably because their conclusions did not support what the Assessor did in this case.

In summary, based on the evidence presented by the Ranch Families expert witness at trial, the Tax Court found that the Assessor’s $25 per acre full cash value for natural grazing land was excessive and had to be reduced to $9.19 per acre for the 2012 tax year and $10.10 per acre for the 2013 tax year. The Court also directed the Ranchers’ counsel to submit an application to recover their attorneys’ fees and costs by no later than August 7. The Ranchers will each be entitled to recover refunds of the taxes they paid on the excess, plus interest.

Andy Groseta, one of the plaintiffs, said: “We are pleased that Judge Fink ruled in our favor.

All of the ranchers in Yavapai County want to pay their fair share of taxes. However, we expect the County Assessor to follow the State law in determining our values.”

Kansas State University Student Receives 2014 Forrest Bassford Award ogan Britton, a senior majoring in agricultural communications and agriculture economics at Kansas State University (KSU), is the recipient of the 2014 Livestock Publications Council (LPC) Forrest Bassford Student Award sponsored by Alltech.

Britton was presented a $2,000 scholarship and a plaque during the Ag Media Summit (AMS) held in Indianapolis, Indiana, July 26-30.

Britton, the son of Tara and Henry Britton from Bartlett, Kansas, is an active member of Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT), Student National Agri-Marketing Association and the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity. He is a KSU College of Agriculture ambassador. Britton also serves on the KSU College of Agriculture student coun-

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cil as a student senator. He is a member of LPC, the American Agricultural Editor’s Association (AAEA) and National FFA Alumni Association.

In addition to his involvement in collegiate clubs and national organizations, Britton serves as the office manager for the KSU College of Agriculture academic programs and a teaching assistant in the department of communications and agricultural education. This summer, he is participating in an internship sponsored by AAEA with the National FFA organization.

“I didn’t grow up living on a farm or showing livestock. Realizing how important agriculture is, I want to bridge the gap that exists between the field and the plate today,” said Britton. “I owe several people for opportunities provided to me and my growth – I’m truly honored to receive this award.”

The Forrest Bassford award honors excellence, professionalism and leadership among students. Each year, following a competitive application process, the LPC Student Award Program presents four young people travel scholarships to attend AMS. In addition to Britton, this year's travel award winners were Breanne Brammer, University of

Missouri; Courtney Leeper, University of Missouri and Lynsey Meharg, Texas Tech University. While at the meeting, the four finalists’ portfolios were reviewed and each was interviewed by a panel of professionals.

2014 marks the 29th year for the Student Award Program.

Forrest Bassford’s name was appended to the LPC Student Award in 1992 in honor of his contribution to LPC, and his particular interest in furthering the Student Award. Alltech has co-sponsored the award since 2012.

“Today’s young agricultural journalists must not only be excellent communicators, but also able to successfully multitask between various social and traditional media channels. They must be ‘agvocates’ and educate a growing urban population about our industry. Finally they must be catalysts for change as they share new technologies developed and polices passed with their readers,” said Ann Hess, North America field PR manager for Alltech. “We are pleased to present this award to a fine young leader in agricultural journalism and wish Logan the best in his future aspirations.”

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

August 15, 2014

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Food supplement to improve cattle digestive system uring drought, having cattle that can tolerate poor nutritional forage is the difference between a cow and calf operation going under, or staying in business.

Pregnant cows have a harder time during drought because they are eating for two. If they are not able to consume and digest the required nutrients during pregnancy, calf development can be negatively influenced, which in turn has an impact on the dollars in the cattle producer’s bank account.

To help the cows’ digestive systems to be more efficient in harvesting nutrients from poorquality forage, New Mexico State University Assistant Professor Eric Scholljegerdes is

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developing an amino acid feed supplement and studying the influence it has on fetal programming.

“This particular amino acid has been shown to stimulate blood flow by increasing the number and size of blood vessels going to the placenta,” said Scholljegerdes, beef cattle nutritionist. He is conducting research on cattle at NMSU’s Corona Range and Livestock Research Center.

“This increase in blood flow should stimulate the overall nutrients supplied to the fetus.

By giving the amino acid supplement to the cow 40 days into gestation when fetal organs are developing, in particular the digestive tract and associated

organs, it should help the digestive system function better after birth.”

The first generation of calves, born during the fall of 2013, is currently being monitored to assess the impact of this feeding program.

“One of the first questions we hoped to answer is how it was going to influence the birth weight. The answer is that the offspring of the amino acid supplemented cows did not have higher birth weights, and that is important to cattle producers,” he said. “We are now conducting performance tests on the calves to determine if their digestive system is more efficient than the control group of the mothers who did not receive the amino

acid.”

A second part of the study is looking at the impact of the amino acid feed supplement administered 200 days into gestation, during the last trimester of the pregnancy.

“During the third trimester, the calf is pretty well developed and it is growing,” Scholljegerdes said. “However, our thought is that if we can improve blood flow to particular tissues, we could see an improvement in meat quality.”

“Overall, we hope that we can improve females’ longevity by enhancing the digestive system,” Scholljegerdes said. “So when the cow is pregnant and we are in a drought, we are hopeful that through this feeding program

she will be able to tolerate poor forage and extract the nutrients she needs for her developing fetus.”

The downside to this work, he said, is that during the early period of gestation when this program may have the greatest impact, grass is starting to grow and is typically of high quality.

Many cattle producers do not want to supplement cows because quality of the grass is sufficient to meet their needs.

“I don’t disagree with that at all, but if we can come up with a 30-day nutrient supplement program that’s going to stimulate the calf’s future abilities to thrive, then I would argue the ends may justify the means,” Scholljegerdes said.

Federal Appeals Court Ruling a Victory for Consumers and Ranchers

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he United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) says the July 29 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upholding the U.S. country of origin labeling (COOL) program and affirming a lower court’s denial of a preliminary injunction to block COOL is a significant victory for consumers and U.S. cattle producers.

The ruling was limited to addressing the reach of First Amendment claims by the appellants where information required to be disclosed was factual and noncontroversial. Nine of the eleven judges of the D.C Circuit who participated in the en banc review concluded that no First Amendment violation arises under the Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2013 COOL regulations.

The July 29 ruling stems from a lawsuit filed on July 8, 2013 by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), the American Meat Institute (AMI), National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), North American Meat Association (NAMA), Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, Canadian Pork Council, Mexico’s National Confederation of Livestock Organizations, Southwest Meat Association and the American Association of Meat Processors, seeking to block implementation of

USDA’s 2013 COOL implementation regulations and seeking a preliminary injunction to halt the program’s implementation immediately. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia denied the groups' motion for preliminary injunction and the full appellate panel heard the case after a three-judge appeals panel upheld the lower court's decision but suggested the full court review its ruling on the First Amendment issue in light of other D.C. Circuit decisions on the topic.

USCA is one of four defendant-intervenors in the lawsuit. “USCA became involved in this lawsuit as a defendant-intervenor because we felt it was very important for the court to hear directly from U.S. ranchers,” said Jon Wooster, USCA President, San Lucas, California.

“We are pleased with the court’s decision that the 2013 regulations do not violate the First Amendment rights of the appellants,” continued Wooster. “The court indicated clearly that the history of COOL ‘lifts it above’ mere consumer curiosity; that origin labeling rules have existed for almost 125 years; and there’s a ‘time-tested consensus’ that consumers want to know the origin of products they purchase. COOL’s primary purpose is to

provide consumers with enhanced labeling information so they can make informed purchases. We believe USDA’s revised COOL regulations achieve exactly that goal.”

“USCA strongly supports the en banc decision of the D.C. Circuit, the earlier D.C. Circuit panel decision and the District Court decision denying the preliminary injunction sought by the plantiffs/appellants,” noted Leo McDonnell, USCA Director Emeritus, Columbus, MT. “In its opinion, the court wrote that the government’s interest in COOL is ‘substantial’ because there is a long history of such disclosures and there’s a demonstrated consumer interest in knowing where their food comes from. The real question is why plaintiffs continue to seek to deny consumers information so basic as to where their food was produced,” added McDonnell.

“While it is unclear at this time whether the plaintiffs will file a petition for certiorari in order to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court or pursue a jury trial at the District Court level on the merits of the agency's rule-making, USCA will continue to participate to ensure domestic producers have a strong voice in any remaining judicial action.”

Angus Selects the Next Youth Breed Ambassador Arkansas’ Emma Jumper to serve the business breed for the upcoming year he National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) announces Emma Jumper, Paragould, Arkansas, as the 2014-2015 Angus Ambassador, serving a one-year term as a spokesperson for the organization’s nearly 6,000 members at cattle industry events across the United States and Canada.

“As the American Angus Association, we are known as the business breed for a purpose,” Jumper says. “We lead this country, and the world, in providing one of the most stable and safe food supplies. But it’s not just about stopping where we are at and being content, it’s about growing and keeping on for the future.”

Jumper, a junior at Mississippi State University double majoring in business administration and foreign language, was named the new Angus Ambassador during a competition held July 24 at the American Angus Association® headquarters in Saint Joseph, Missouri. Joining her in the group of top finalists

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were Esther McCabe, Elk City, Kansas, and Will Pohlman, Prairie Grove, Arkansas.

“The caliber of applicants in our Angus Ambassador program are second to none,” says Jaclyn Upperman, Association director of events and education. “It’s tremendous to see such dedicated and passionate youth who are looking forward to a future promoting our breed and the entire beef industry.”

A former National Beef Ambassador, Jumper’s involvement in the beef business runs deep. She and her family operate Rock Creek Angus Ranch in northeast Arkansas, where Jumper says she experienced some of her most important life lessons. Today, they service the mid-Southern region with registered herd sires, replacement heifers and show cattle.

“Traveling around my state talking about agriculture and about the Angus industry especially in the Delta, where I live, is an experience that I greatly value,” Jumper says. “So many people know what it’s like to see cotton and corn and rice being raised, but they are very unsure what it’s like to be a rancher.

And so, taking that to the next level and being able to do that nationally is very exciting.”

To be considered for the Angus Ambassador position, earlier this spring, each junior member submitted a cover letter, résumé and two essay responses. The top candidates were invited to the Association where they gave a 3-5 minute presentation with 5 minutes of questions that followed.

Jumper’s presentation was titled, “Playing the offense: Operating amid misconceptions in an information-driven society.” She stressed the importance of creating transparency between food production and consumption, and the growing need to share with consumers why farming and ranching is a valued way of life for individuals and families worldwide.

“The beef story is really unique to everyone, and for me, it’s about passion and purpose.

Those two things go hand-inhand,” Jumper says. “I’m very passionate about agriculture, and I want the consumer to know that. I encourage my fellow producers to get in there and create these lines of com-

munications with consumers.”

Judging this year’s competition were John Butler, chief executive officer of Beef Marketing Group; Crystal Albers, director of communications for Angus Productions Inc.; Jason Kenyon, Association director of information systems; Ginette Kurtz, Association director of commercial programs; and John Pfeiffer, Association Board Director.

Funded by the Angus Foundation, the Angus Ambassador will represent the breed at industry events throughout the United States and Canada, including the Angus Means Business National Convention and Trade Show in Kansas City, Mo.; a Certified Angus Beef ® Building Blocks Seminar in Wooster, Ohio; the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Cattle Industry Annual Convention in San Antonio, Texas; the Beef Improvement Federation Annual Research Symposium and Convention; and the Guiding Outstanding Angus Leaders (GOAL) Conference in Canada.

For more information about the NJAA or the Ambassador program visitwww.ANGUS.org.

Livestock Market Digest

Page 14

August 15, 2014

Water Woes Jackson says.

“Based on this Compact, a farmer might ask how may times during a 10 year period (based on historical data) would he not be able to use water. I have no idea because it would require a hydrologist to go through all of these abstracts and do the research and come up with the analysis. This has never been done.” There is no way for any irrigator to know what his/her water right would actually be on any given year.

“I am very concerned because the way these low-flow water rights are written, they target irrigators—a fairly small group of people. Yet these people grow the food we eat. It’s not a good idea to put the farmers out of business. The Tribes are saying they won’t make a call on your exempt well that services your house, and won’t make a call on your municipal water supply, etc. The Compact Commission and the people who support the Compact make ¾ of their presentation telling about the things that are NOT affected, and make a lot of threats about what would happen if it goes to litigation.”

Jackson points out that the Compact Commission is using the word litigation instead of the more accurate term adjudication. Adjudication is a determination of water right. “An example is when the individual water rights owners go to a water court and present their papers—and find out what water rights they do or don’t have. Judge Loble (chief water judge, in charge of water rights adjudication for Montana) told us in a meeting at Polson that 95 percent of the people do not

continued from page one

hire a lawyer; they put together the required paperwork and do it themselves,” Jackson says.

“So when the Compact Commission says ‘litigation’ they are trying to convince people that they’ll need to have a lawyer and pay thousands of dollars, which is not true. This is how they started out every hearing in western Montana. It was obviously just a sell job rather than explaining the Compact. The Commission was there just to sell it, and the arrogance of the Commission made people angry. I thought we were going to have a riot at the meeting here in Kalispell because of the condescending remarks the Commission made to the people who had questions. Their attitude made people extremely angry and this was not appropriate. No matter how naive a question might seem, these people were just trying to find out about the Compact. Some of the questions were irrelevant but this was no reason to put anyone down—just because they don’t know anything about it. This is why they were there, to try to learn about it,” says Jackson.

He wrote a letter to the editor concisely describing the 3 parts of the Compact—the proposed water use agreement, the Unitary Management Board, and off-reservation treaty water rights. “The proposed water use agreement is complicated, with a mixture of Montana statebased water rights and tribal water rights. The Compact transfers all irrigation water rights to the tribal government, which issues a water allocation to each irrigator of 1.4 acre foot of water for each acre.” In many

instances this is not enough; it’s a reduction of what these irrigators have used in the past. Jackson points out that this is a violation of Article II of the Montana Constitution (and the U.S. Constitution) to take the state-based water rights without compensation and transfer them to the tribes.

The Unitary Water Management Board would administer all water rights within the Flathead Reservation. This would be an unelected board controlled by the tribes. “There is risk that the water users would be treated differently based on where they live. No other tribal compact negotiated in Montana has had a special administration board proposed in their compact. This is an equal protection issue and would violate the 14th Amendment of the U.S Constitution and Article II of the Montana Constitution.”

The off-reservation rights claimed by the Compact would negatively impact growth and development in 11 Montana counties. “No other compact has used a treaty right (the right to catch fish off the reservation) to secure water rights to control the flow of rivers. Water right abstracts that have a time immemorial priority date are in the proposed Compact and are made out to the federal government in trust for the CSKT. These are enforceable minimum flows that enable both the federal government and the tribes to make a call (stop irrigators from using water). The target low flows are based on an arbitrary standard for robust streams and rivers, not on survival of fish,” he points out.

“The Compact itself is 1400

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pages. The bill itself is 130 pages and I may have been the only legislator who read it all the way through before it was voted on. This bill was dropped in on the very last day that new bills could be introduced, in April. I don’t know if the Compact Commission did that on purpose so the legislators wouldn’t have time to read it, but I do know that they were making changes in the Compact during most of the session.

I noticed little changes while we were in session and on the very last day they dropped it in for us to vote on,” he says.

“I don’t know why this would be a partisan issue because Democrats farm, too, and not just Republicans. I would think the Democrats would also want their property rights to remain intact. But this bill has been a partisan issue from the beginning. Out of 150 legislators most of the Republicans voted for my bill to extend the Compact until we could make it fair and equitable, and most of the Democrats voted against my bill, not wanting to give it the time to make changes to make it fair. I think the Tribe was telling the Governor to kill the bill,” says Jackson.

“When we had the hearings the Tribe showed up. The rooms were packed, and most of the people came to testify to extend the time. The bill to extend the time to work on the Compact and correct its flaws was supported by most of the people and it passed the House, but the Governor vetoed it.”

There was a fiscal note of $55 million dollars associated with the Compact, which would primarily go to the deferred maintenance on the Flathead Irrigation Project. “I did not think that the state of Montana had any responsibility to do that work on the Project because it’s a federal project,” he says.

“The state made citizens of the Indians and they have the full rights and privileges that were given to them by the state.

They vote in all of our elections.

They have members of the Tribe in the legislature, even though they do not pay much tax to the state or to the federal government,” Jackson says. It is like they are citizens of two different countries.

Regarding the Compact, at this point people are wondering if the Governor will call a special session of the legislature to try to pass it. “Of the 11 counties affected by this Compact, 6 of them oppose it. The Concerned Citizens of Western Montana has met with the County Commissioners in the 11 counties and so has the Compact Commission. The Compact Commission has been travelling around trying to convince people, primarily the County Commissioners, that this Compact is needed,” says Jackson.

“Missoula County and Butte

County (primarily controlled by Democrats) are for the Compact. When it comes to the general population, we will probably see that the rural counties will be against the Compact, and the counties with the big cities are for it. The cities are taking the view that it doesn’t really affect them and they want to get it settled. They haven’t bothered to read anything about it,” he says.

Eastern Montana has been threatened by the Tribes, saying that if the eastern counties don’t approve the Compact the way it is, the Tribes will go after their water. Another divide and conquer strategy. “The Tribes are saying that this is their original hunting and fishing territory and it covers 2/3 of the state of Montana. They are trying to scare eastern Montana into supporting the Compact so the eastern counties can get to keep their water,” he explains.

“When I look at water law I realize it is very archaic. It is somewhat fair; we have the prior appropriation doctrine so the people who settled the land first get their amount of water, and if there is some left over the junior rights can have it,” he says.

“With individual water rights on the reservation, the Tribes are saying that if there is extra water, then it will be distributed according to when the irrigators got their water rights. So it would be distributed among the users based on their priority dates; that’s the way the state of Montana law reads. But otherwise the Tribe has its onesize-fits-all, at 1.4 acre feet,” he says.

“There are 3 sets of water rights talked about in the Compact but I interpret those differently than the Compact does, and I think my interpretation is consistent with state law.” His interpretation is also consistent with what Judge C. B. McNeil ruled in the recent lawsuit between the Western Montana Water Users Association and the irrigation districts and FJBC. “There are two things that back up my position. Number one, the individual irrigation rights are still in the Compact.

If they are gone they wouldn’t be in the Compact. Secondly, Conclusion number 5 of the judge in the recent trial says ‘There also is a void of any authority for the Flathead Joint Board of Control to enter into an agreement that provides for the assignment of the irrigators’ water rights to the Tribes without just compensation for their valuable water rights in violation of the Montana Constitution.’ If I am wrong, so is the judge!”

As an interesting side note, there was an article about the Compact controversy in the Fall 2013 issue of Range Magazine. “The Chairman of the continued on page fifteen

August 15, 2014

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

Water Woes

HEREFORD

continued from page fourteen

are required to defend the Compact and the Water Use Agreement against any and all challenges. That means if one of our irrigators has an issue with the agreements and goes to court, I (as a Joint Board member) have to work against that irrigator even though he may have a just cause to complain,” says Laskody.

“I am on the Flathead Joint Board of Control (for the irrigation districts) and these are the issues that we’ve brought up, and the things we need to discuss, because they are not acceptable to us under those kinds of terms. We sent our issues to the Tribe in a September letter and they have never responded to our request to sit down and talk about them. The whole idea of having a Compact and an attached Water Use Agreement flies in the face of what should be done here.

The tribe needs to be quantifying their reserved right, and the State needs to do their job,” he says.

“The Winters doctrine says they have to define the purpose of the reservation and then quantify the amount of water to serve that purpose. They have never done that. They have the state and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) on their side and the irrigators are getting a lot of bullying from the BIA on a whole bunch of other issues to put pressure on us, at this point in time. They are threatening to increase the in-stream flow requirements and all sorts of things like that—at a time when we are trying to deal with this Compact issue and survive,” he says.

“We thought we killed the Compact bill at the last legislative session, but it seems to have more lives than a cat! It never even made it to the floor last year and we felt good about that. One law did make it to the floor, and it was pretty reasonable, stating that the legislature should take time to study the Compact and make recommendations to improve it (and correct its flaws, to make it more fair) before it went to the legislature. Verdell Jackson from Kalispell proposed that bill and it got through both houses and was approved and sent to the Governor and he vetoed it,” says Laskody.

“The Governor said we already had a Compact that the tribe agreed to and we should pass it. Yet it was obvious that it couldn’t get to the floor because the majority of the people who testified were against it—and it never made it out of committee.

Why couldn’t we pass Jackson’s law that was so innocuous? The politics of this issue are such that the state wants to give this gift of water to the tribe, and has thrown the irrigators under the bus!”

Additional information on Montana’s water issues can be found on Senator Jackson’s website: www.vjackmt.tripod.com

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big part of the control. They have been very politically astute. It would only take one of these appointees to side with the tribe and they would control what goes on with fee land here, and we would have no recourse but to go to court,” says Laskody.

“They would have different regulations than the state of Montana,” says Jackson. “They would already have the irrigation rights taken away from the land owners (Indians and nonIndians who have private property) and then this Unitary Management would determine how it is used. In our Constitution it is very clear about the Bill of Rights and importance of private property. We protect people’s private property and water rights under our Constitutional Republic.

But the Montana citizens on the reservation would be subject to this Unitary Management Board which would not protect their rights,” he says.

“It’s also a duplicate system (because the water is already being administered by the state) and will cost a lot of money. It will cause a lot of stress—especially on the irrigators They are specifically targeted, and not just the people who irrigate with water from the rivers. Any irrigation well that is hydraulically connected to the river can also be called (even though there is no science for measuring this); the board could tell the well owners not to pump water. So not only the surface water, but also the irrigation wells would be in jeopardy. A lot of these wells are crucial for growing crops. A pivot sprinkler takes about 1200 gallons per minute,” explains Jackson.

“The compact would only allow 100 gallons. People who are not acquainted with irrigation think that 100 is a big number, but it’s just a fraction of what an irrigator would need. There are about 90 irrigators and some of them have hundreds of acres, and we are talking about a lot of water. The Compact Commission is telling people it won’t affect them because they have an exempt well, and that they will only do a call on irrigators,” he says.

The irrigators don’t have much voice.

WATER USE AGREEMENT — Another outstandingly undesirable part of the Water Use Agreement document in the Compact is the “consensual agreement” which allows anyone to make a private deal with the tribe regarding their water deliveries, irrigation wells, etc. “In other words, you can bypass this agreement’s germs and conditions by cutting a side deal with the Tribes,” says Laskody. “This is a state-supported invitation to graft and corruption and makes this agreement a sham!” he says.

“Additionally, all the signers

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Tribe didn’t like the article and wrote a rebuttal. I was tempted to write a comment on his rebuttal because it led me to believe that he had not read the Compact—because he said some things that were not in the Compact,” says Jackson.

“This Compact is actually a contract, in that there is nothing we can do as legislators to change it, once it is accepted. If there’s a big mistake in it, we can’t fix it. So it needs to be correct the first time. This is why we need lots more information about it, to make sure that this contract isn’t going to have horrendous consequences on down the road, after it’s signed.” It needs to be fair.

UNITARY MANAGEMENT ORDINANCE – “The Tribes and Compact Commission have been working on their goal (to take the water) for many years, ever since I was in the House,” says Jackson.

“They are seeking to manage the water on the reservation with their own Tribal department. The Tribe has their own police force, their own natural resources staff, etc. and this Tribal department is partially financed by the federal government—to have this structure in Pablo (where the tribal headquarters is located).”

The Tribe is now proposing that the Unitary Management group will be made up of two people picked by the Governor, and two people picked by the legislature, and then those four people choose a fifth member.

“The Tribe would have two people on this board and all they’d need is one more vote. Odds are that they would control it, and not the state of Montana, even though the state of Montana would pay half the cost.

Knowing what happens with bureaucracy, they would soon have hundreds of people employed as the years go by,” says Jackson.

This politically appointed board has no checks and balances, no accountability.

According to one of the ranchers whose irrigation water would be in jeopardy, the door is left wide open for nepotism and favors, or retaliation and revenge.

Jerry Laskody, another rancher living within the reservation boundaries, says this special board would be the “final straw” in the water issue.

The creation of the Board would violate the State Constitution that requires the State to administer water rights everywhere within the State of Montana.

“We as fee land irrigators don’t believe that we should be treated any different than the rest of the state of Montana.

This would be the only place in the state where water rights on fee land would not be administered by the state. That makes no sense to us. I can understand it from the tribes’ viewpoint because it gives them a

Page 15

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August 15, 2014

TSCRA Cattlemen’s Column: Time to submit comments on EPA water rule BY: RICHARD THORPE III, FIRST VICE PRESIDENT, TEXAS AND SOUTHWESTERN CATTLE RAISERS ASSOCIATION

n 1972, Congress established the Clean Water Act (CWA) to create a basic structure for regulating water quality standards and discharges of pollutants into “waters of the United States.” Under this act, “waters of the U.S.” are classified as bodies of water that are “navigable.”

I

Richard Thorpe III

In other words, the EPA has jurisdiction over a body of water you can sail a steamboat or large ship through.

While Congress gave the EPA authority over “navigable” waterways, the EPA is again trying to abuse and expand its authority.

The agency announced a new rule proposal in March that would redefine “waters of the U.S.” to expand the water and land that falls under its jurisdiction.

This proposal amounts to the largest land grab in history.

Essentially, it would give the agency control over all bodies of water. This includes ponds, streams, creeks, ditches, puddles, man-made conveyances, wet areas on pastures, etc. Basically, the federal government would control every drop of water in the country.

The EPA doesn’t want to pass this rule through regular order in Congress. They have tried this

twice and failed. Instead, the agency plans to bypass Congress and force us to comply through a rulemaking process.

If adopted, the new rule would not be good for the Texas cattle industry. For the first time, certain ditches would be defined as jurisdictional tributaries under Clean Water Act programs.

Additionally, conservation activities not complying with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) practice standards would be required to have a 404 dredge-and-fill permit.

The EPA doesn’t want to pass this rule through regular order in Congress.

This means you would be subject to additional permitting requirements for applying pesticides, grazing cattle, conducting construction projects and performing other routine maintenance on your land. These permits can cost around $30,000 and take up to a year to receive.

Failure to obtain them would likely result in a penalty.

When the EPA drafted this flawed rule, they didn’t consult with agricultural industry groups or you as producers. Instead, the agency was too concerned with finding ways to expand its jurisdiction, while in-turn creating more burdensome regulations for the men and women who work daily to provide the food and fiber of our country.

This proposal presents significant challenges for us, but there is a way we can help stop it. I encourage you, your family, friends and neighbors to comment on the rule in the federal register before the deadline ends Monday, October 20, 2014.

Your participation is important as we must let the EPA know how detrimental this rule would be to our industry and livelihood.

You can submit your comments by visiting our web site at TSCRA.org, and clicking on the “EPA Land Grab” button. We need to get at least 10,000 comments by this deadline, and anyone is welcome to comment.

Also, let your Congressmen and Senators know they should oppose this rule.

It is crucial that we send a clear message to the EPA that we will not allow this proposal to be implemented, and its desire to expand onerous government regulations will not be tolerated.

It’s time to get rid of this rule.

The future of our industry depends on it.

Richard Thorpe III is the owner and operator of Mesa T Ranch, headquartered in Winters, Texas. Thorpe currently serves as the First Vice President of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, and he became a TSCRA director in March 2006.