LMD Dec 2021

Riding Herd Saying things that need to be said.

December 15, 2021 • www.aaalivestock.com

Volume 63 • No. 12

The Map Makers

BY LEE PITTS

W

hat the spotted owl was to the logger, climate change will be to the rancher.

Just as the spotted owl virtually shut down the logging industry, decimating small logging towns in the process, so too will climate change kick cows off all public land and make it even more difficult for private landowners to navigate the morass of new rules and regulations and higher estate and property taxes put in place by Biden and his merry band of socialists.

Most ranchers know the onslaught is coming, they just aren’t aware of when and where the next shot will come from.

Most ranchers probably haven’t even heard of one tool the enviros are counting on to rid the west of cattlemen and their cows. It’s called “climate mapping” and it’s akin to “redistricting” where the political party in power redraws maps to ensure that one of their kind will be elected and reelected ad infinitum. Only the losers in this case will be cattlemen.

Dumbing It Down

NEWSPAPER PRIORITY HANDLING

In January 2010, Donald Jensen, of Utah State and Andy Keller, Ph. D. created the very first climate map. They did so by accumulating data from 56,000 weather stations around the world. A climate map can use one, or any number of variables like precipitation, humidity, and changes in temperature over a specified time or a specific area.

A climate map may use data that covers the entire planet, a single continent, a state, county or even a town which is then used in a classification system based on averages which are

An education seldom hurts a man if he’s willin’ to learn a little something after he graduates. then assigned a color on a cliThe U.S. Climate Atlas conmate map. tains multiple maps based on a A collection of such maps dataset which uses daily obseris called a climate atlas. These vations of temperature and premaps can easily be used to cre- cipitation from over 10,000 staate a slanted viewpoint and can tions in the U.S. This daily data be very effective in convincing is then summarized in monthly congresspersons, who either values which are then used to don’t know how to read, or don’t create colorful maps. The U.S. have the time to read the legis- Climate Atlas includes maps for lation they pass because they’re too busy campaigning for reelection.

Green groups Eastern politicians can take one look at a colorimmediately saw the ful climate map and think they have all the justificapotential for climate maps tion they need to turn the west into one big private to handcuff farmers and park for their constituents to visit during vacation. (Although there’s ranchers ...” not as much western wonder to see because national any particular month and year forests have been mismanaged from 1895 to present. There by the feds and are now burned are also more complicated and to a crisp along with the wildlife in-depth climatology maps repthat lived there.) resenting average values from

“

1991 to 2020.

Green groups immediately saw the potential for climate maps to handcuff farmers and ranchers and in convincing the general public that agriculturalists were wasting W-A-A-A-Y too much water just to produce something as ludicrous as food.

To give you an idea of all the minutiae to be found in the U.S Climate Atlas, the continental U.S. is broken down into 344 climate divisions and temperature and precipitation values are computed daily for every one.

Keep in mind that these numbers can vary based on where the weather stations that collect such data are placed. These divisional values are then “weighted” by area to compute statewide, regional, county and local datasets which are then used to create maps in bright colors that are much easier to understand for voters and their legislators who can just Google® “climate map” and see visible proof of climate change that even a third grader might understand. Never mind that the data that is inputted may be “weighted” to portray a skewed view of things.

In other words, they’ve dumbed down climate change to a group of colorful maps that are meant to create fear amongst the pop continued on page 2

Coyote Populations Continue to Grow Throughout U.S.

Inflation is Hurting Rural Americans More Than City Folk — Here’s Why

K-State expert says trapping is best way to resolve interactions with livestock

BY IRINA IVANOVA / CBSNEWS.COM

I

f it seems like there are a lot more coyotes mingling in human spaces these days, it’s because…well, there are.

“When we look at abundance trends, the population of coyotes has increased threefold since the fur market crashed in the late 1980s,” said Drew Ricketts, a wildlife management specialist with K-State Research and Extension.

Depending on time of year, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks estimates between 150,000 and 300,000 coyotes live in Kansas alone. Coyotes are found in every U.S. state, except Hawaii.

They are also being seen increasingly in more heavily populated areas. Ricketts notes that wildlife cameras have eyed coyotes in such cities as Chicago, Portland and Denver. Researchers in Chicago found that coyotes even learned how to use traffic control signals: “They were waiting until lights turned green before crossing the street,” Ricketts said. “They have learned to navigate an urban landscape.”

“One of the things that has allowed coyotes continued on page 4

P

rices are rising across the U.S., driving up the cost of food, housing, heat, cars and many other essential items. But inflation isn’t hitting everyone equally. Data shows that Americans with less education and those living in rural areas are feeling the pinch most acutely.

Among Americans without a college degree, more than half say inflation has caused them financial hardship, compared to 30 percent of college-educated adults, according to a new Gallup poll. For people earning less than $40,000 a year, 71 percent said they felt the sting of higher prices — three in ten said the hardships were severe enough to affect their standard of living. Among those making $100,000 or more, the figures were reversed — 71 percent of six-figure-earners said inflation hadn’t caused any hardship, Gallup found.

A recent analysis from Bank of America also underlines how inflation is disproportionately affecting lower-income and rural people. Rural Americans have seen their spending power drop 5.2 percent on an annualized basis, compared with 3.5 percent for urban households, the recontinued on page 4

by LEE PITTS

Barely Legal

T

here’s lots of talk about how the beef industry needs more small processing plants to combat the power of the Big Four beef packers. Becoming a small beef packer is the best way I know to lose your shirt in the shortest possible time. I’ve known two guys who tried it and they both lost a million dollars. To build a new small plant will cost you $1.2 million which will only process 20 head per week! Plus the meat has to be inspected by a federal inspector.

The fact that we have no price discovery in fat cattle is because of contract production like they have in the pork and poultry industries.

Contract production got us into this mess and it can get us out, only it’s not the contract the Big Four want you to sign.

I’ve known since I was a freshman in high school how to compete with meatpackers. My ag teacher liked to start FFA members out with a lamb project where they’d feed one or two lambs a diet of alfalfa hay and cull lima beans, which were plentiful in our area, and take the lambs from 60 pounds to 100 pounds. Our chapter had a waiting list of locals who loved the final product and in 40 years there was NEVER a complaint about the quality of the lamb and no one got sick due to unsanitary slaughter conditions.

We got around the rule that says the final product had to be federally inspected by exposing a loophole in the law big enough to drive a semi through. Folks with business degrees from Harvard and Wharton like to call what we did a “workaround”.

You see, I didn’t really own the two 60 pound lambs I fed, watered and cleaned up after every day. No, they were owned (wink, wink) by two people on our chapter’s waiting list who craved the lamb. There was even a page in our FFA project books for any such contracts that we entered into. My customers had full visitation rights if they wanted to see how their lamb was being raised.

Talk about transparency! I’d deliver the lamb carcass that we killed in our school’s farm shop to a local butcher who then cut it up according to the specifications of the own-

continued on page 4

Page 2

Livestock Market Digest

December 15, 2021

MAP MAKERS

continued from page 1

ulace that the sixth mass extinction in earth’s history may soon be upon us.

Your Land Is Their Land I learned about climate maps from the American Stewards of Liberty (ASL), a non-profit organization that often confronts the radical environmental movement and the administrative state every chance it gets. Stewards was founded by western ranchers in 1992 to support the Fifth Amendment takings case Hage v. United States. In a revealing post titled “Your Land Is Their Land”, the Stewards said, “Whether in rural America or corporate boardrooms, we help citizens protect their lands and protect our country. From defeating the Trans Texas Corridor and developing the local government coordination strategy, to proactively delisting species— our work is unique, effective, and has led to some of the most successful efforts protecting property rights in America over the last thirty years. We challenge the policies that seek to undermine American’s ability to produce the food, fiber, energy, and minerals our nation needs. We confront the radical environmental movement, which believes the administrative state, not individuals, should determine how people use their land.”

(For further information about American Stewards of Liberty or to arrange a speaker you can contact them by email at asl@americanstewards.us; by phone: 512-591-7843; or by mail: P.O. Box 801, Georgetown, Texas 78627.)

Colin Robson

The ASL brought to my attention two online mapping tools that were created to help the public identify lands in America that should be protected under the so-called climate crisis agenda, at least according to The Nature Conservancy (TNC). The Conservancy came up with their own climate atlas called the Resilient Connected Network which is focused on “achieving ecosystem connectivity across state and regional boundaries.” The lands they covet when put on a map looks like America’s interstate highway system, going through virtually every state except those in the northeast, which is probably where the map makers live.

According to The Conservancy, their report, Natural Highways and Neighborhoods: Conserving a Network of Climate-Resilient Lands, “provides a remarkable new mapping tool that provides a roadmap for conserving places where plants and animals can thrive in a changing climate.”

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The purpose of TNC’s mapping tool is to, “Help the world’s species be more resilient to climate change and other human disturbances, such as pollution or agriculture. To have the greatest impact on biodiversity, we need to protect lands with a variety of habitat that support wildlife now and into the future. TNC has developed a mapping tool to identify exactly those places in the U.S., called the Resilient Connected Network.”

Dr. Mark Anderson, TNC’s Director of Science for the Eastern United States who led the mapping work says, “Our challenge is to accelerate the pace and scale of conservation and conserve a representative network of resilient, connected lands and waters that will allow nature to adapt to climate change. Over the past 10 years, TNC scientists have mapped a network of landscapes across the United States with unique topographies, geologies, and other characteristics that can help withstand climate impacts. This roadmap of natural highways and neighborhoods shows where plant and animal species have the best chance to move away from growing climate threats and find new places to call home.”

One example of a TNC neighborhood is the Southern High Plains, an area including lands in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico, which serves as a home to the lesser prairie chicken. The Stewards of Liberty says, “According to the TNC’s analysis, only 11 percent of the lands in this region are preserved.

While the TNC map does not identify how much of the land in this region is privately owned, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service does.

Approximately 97 percent of the lesser prairie chicken habitat is private. Making the claim that only 11 percent of these lands are protected, is really an issue of control and not conservation (Emphasis ours.) The best managed lands are those with a landowner who manages it daily, makes a living from that land, and passes it down to the next generation in better condition. As a result, these are the places where species and wildlife are abundant,” concludes ASL. “Deceptively,” the Stewards claim, “The Nature Conservancy is leading the public to believe that 89 percent of the lands in this specific area are unprotected, that species are in peril, and that agriculture is to blame. As they manipulate the public sentiment, they carry out their campaign to be the private landowners greatest advocate helping them conserve their lands by offering conservation easements, through which the land trust, or the federal government, gains primary control of the property.”

The Nature Conservancy’s Resilient Connected Network map identifies natural highways and neighborhoods for species that looks like one of those old colorful maps you used to get for free from gas stations when you filled your tank.

A Deep Dive The second mapping tool we mentioned, The Climate Atlas, was created by four environmental groups and focuses on state and federal lands they are targeting for increased protections. According to The Stewards, “The Climate Atlas focuses its marketing campaign on increasing protections for lands already owned by State and Federal governments.”

The TNC says the Climate Atlas “helps users to identify the lands that should be further restricted by viewing the data in the following ways: (1) View baseline data on the health and status of a landscape, and what the government is currently doing (or not continued on page 3

December 15, 2021

MAP MAKERS cont from pg 2 doing) to protect it; (2) Identify which public lands offer the best opportunities for storing carbon, supporting wildlife and species richness, and protecting biodiversity; and (3) Help inform and prioritize which public lands to protect based on the values you select.” (pull quote) Landowners can take a deep dive into these public maps to see what lands environmentalists have targeted to be protected under the Biden Administration’s 30 x 30 plan. (30 by 30 is Biden’s plan to make 30 percent of America a wilderness by the year 2030.) The Stewards of Liberty says, “Keep an eye out for land trusts and federal agencies to be active in these areas, promoting conservation easements, conservation programs, wildlife corridors, grassland protections and all the other tools in the toolbox they can wield to increase land use restrictions.”

Nature’s Highway You may not even be aware yet that your place is included in one or more of the climate atlases. For example, the Niobrara Valley in Nebraska is one of many places identified by the right color on a map as having resilience for a changing climate. So too is Broken Kettle Grassland Preserve in the Loess Hills of Iowa. The Loess Hills host an abundance of species including prairie rattlesnake, Great Plains skunk, and ornate box turtles. Migrating raptors follow the ridgelines while the upland sandpiper, a declining species, lives in the grasslands.

Also, among the natural highways and neighborhoods scientists have identified across the U.S are the Jarbridge River and Jarbridge Mountains in Nevada near the Idaho border.

This area is home to the only population of endangered bull trout in the state. Another coveted area is The Monsoon Passage that stretches from Lake Meade in the south, up through

Livestock Market Digest Great Basin National Park and north where it connects to the Jarbridge mountains. The Nature Conservancy wants “this natural highway” of connected mountain ranges and wet valley bottoms to protect desert tortoises, bighorn sheep, Cooper’s hawk, mule deer, golden eagles and other species escape routes from “growing climate impacts.”

This particular natural highway, says the Nature Conservancy “will become increasingly important as climate change leads to higher temperatures and forces animals to seek cooler habitat and sources of drinking water.”

Surprisingly, The Nature Conservancy wants natural neighborhoods in the East too.

At 253,000 acres, the Cumberland Forest Project is one of TNC’s largest-ever conservation efforts in the eastern United States, protecting sweeping forest landscapes across Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee.

According to the TNC, “Safeguarding this vast stretch of forest confronts climate change in two ways: by storing millions of tons of carbon dioxide and by connecting a migratory corridor

Hypocrisy, Thy Name Is Climate Alarmists

BY H. STERLING BURNETT / CLIMATE CHANGE WEEKLY

G

lobal elites regularly decry the supposedly “existential” threat purported human-caused climate change poses to the environment, civilization, and even human survival.

These same elites propose policies intended to avert global climate disaster, almost all of them involving ending

that scientists believe could be one of North America’s most important ‘escape routes’ as plant and animal species shift their ranges to cooler climates.”

To control this vast swath of land the Conservancy is, “Attracting private investment capital that allows TNC to conserve lands at a greater scale and at a faster pace. By carefully managing these forests and enrolling them in the California Carbon Market the project aims to improve the forest’s health while generating the revenue to pay back conservation-minded investors.”

You Are In The Way You can’t say the Nature Conservancy doesn’t think big.

TNC’s roadmap of natural highways and neighborhoods covers 33 percent of the continental United States!

Jim Shallow, director of strategic conservation initiatives for TNC in Vermont, says “Our challenge is to accelerate the pace and scale of conservation and conserve a representative network of resilient, connected lands and waters that will allow nature to adapt to climate

the use of fossil fuels and fundamentally changing how people live—forcing people to live in high-density urban settings along mass transportation nodes and eat locally supplied vegetarian diets. But the elites don’t act as if they believe their rhetoric.

The alarmed climate elites’ hypocritical “do as I say, not as I do, hair shirts and gruel for thee, but not for me” were on full display at the twoweek-long U.N. climate conference, COP-26 for short, which was held in Glasgow, Scotland, from October 31 through November 13.

Global Saviors in 400 Private Jets If world leaders and the mandarin bureaucrats who

Page 3 change. So animals can move around their local neighborhood to find suitable habitat where they can escape climate threats.”

The Nature Conservancy’s problem, and yours, is that if you’re a rancher owning private land you probably stand right in the way of one of their natural highways. This is why ranchers seeking a conservation easement on their land should be very careful in choosing who they partner with. Or if they should even partner up at all.

The Nature Conservancy will be on the lookout for ranches where the owners have recently died and the kids may want to cash out. Those who inherit may not even care if they sell out to a green group just as long as they get their money. And to Hell with the neighbors who must try to coexist with the map makers.

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supposedly serve them and the wider public were really concerned that human greenhouse gas emissions endanger the earth, they could have hosted the entire conference, backroom negotiations and all, via Zoom, Skype, Streamyard, or any of the other conferencing services in existence. After all, the world just spent a year on lockdown yet somehow media interviews, international negotiations, and legislation still got done.

Barring virtual communication, COP-26’s participants could have all arrived via commercial or shared transport, and eaten only vegetarian or vegan meals, as they propose for the unwashed masses, the hoi polloi. They didn’t do that. Instead, according to

the Scotsman, carbon dioxide emissions from COP-26 were more than double that emitted by attendees of COP-25 and emitted more greenhouse gas emission overall than any previous international summit in history. Sixty percent of the conferences’ more than 100,000 tons of emissions was from transportation alone, with the remainder coming from water use, heating and cooling of five-star accommodations, and meat-heavy gourmet meals.

Indeed, the world’s leading climate scolds, those wealthy self-appointed saviors of the earth who would have common people give up air travel and private cars, arrived in a stream of more than 400 pricontinued on page 4

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HERD

Livestock Market Digest

er of the lamb. The contractee would then pay me thirty dollars for fulfilling the contract. Neither the lamb nor the facility had to be federally inspected because it was, and still is, legal for the owner of an animal to process it himself, or have it done for him, as long as they are the final consumer.

This was all made possible because most folks back then had a big freezer on their back porch that would hold a half a beef and a lamb and they never had to be at the mercy of supply chain issues like we are now.

I have a friend who made a lot of money on a variation of this theme by buying bull calves at auction, feeding them and then selling the animals to people who liked to kill them in the manner demanded by their religion. My friend sold them the animal and then they killed it using my friend’s facilities. To my knowledge my friend never spent a day in jail, at least for animal related issues. Hunters do the same thing every year when they shoot a deer, elk or moose and process it themselves.

I can’t say that I got rich off the two lambs (I only ended up clearing $3.00 per head) but it gave me the idea for my much larger rabbit enterprise where I took care of some thirty does that I sold (double wink, wink) to final consumers who ate the rabbits their does produced. I admit I may have been working in a little bit of a gray area here but the statue of limitations ran out long ago so na na nananny goat.

So for those of you itching to go into competition with Tyson, JBS or Cargill, I have a much better idea. Just send me the $1.2 million you’d spend on a mini-slaughterhouse and I’ll go to Las Vegas and shoot craps until the all money is gone.

Believe me, we’ll both have a lot more fun. cont from pg 1

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wwwLeePittsbooks.com

CLIMATE ALARMISTS vate jets, spewing more emissions in a two-week period than that emitted by more than 1,600 average people in the United Kingdom in a year. If their own pronouncements of planetary doom are to be believed, it seems Bank of America, Jeff Bezos and other multi-billion dollar businesses and individuals feel you must first kill the earth before you can save it.

Conference host Boris Johnson, prime minister of the United Kingdom, jetted in from a meeting of the G-20 in Rome (where climate was also discussed), only to berate the world for its fossil fuel profligacy.

continued from page 3

Johnson harangued the assembled attendees for their climate crimes, saying, “When it comes to tackling climate change, words without action, without deeds are absolutely pointless.” Yet, after being on the ground in Glasgow for about a day, he took a private jet back to London rather than taking the train, which emits far less carbon dioxide. Later, near the conference’s end, Johnson jetted back to Glasgow to express his belief that hard commitments to significantly reduce carbon dioxide emission were vital to saving the world. His actions spoke loudly, and they

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COYOTE

December 15, 2021

to be so successful is that they are so adaptable,” Ricketts said. “We typically think of coyotes as predators, whereas they are really omnivores (an animal that eats plant and animal food).

They eat a lot of insect matter, fruits and vegetables; they eat a lot of animal matter, too, but they are also good at capitalizing on human by-products, like trash. So in cities they are able to make a living.”

Ranchers have long viewed coyotes as a threat to small livestock, especially goats, sheep and newborn calves. Ricketts said of the dozens of calls he takes yearly from farmers and ranchers on wildlife intrusions, nearly half of those relate to coyotes, even though coyotes aren’t always to blame for suspicious livestock deaths.

It is legal to hunt coyotes in Kansas, but Ricketts said “population control is not effective. We have been trying to eradicate coyotes for a couple hundred years, and we still haven’t been able to do it.”

Most landowners – in rural and urban settings – resolve themselves to trapping animals once they become a problem in their area. The K-State Research and Extension publication, How to Trap a Coyote (originally published in 1975), is still one of the organization’s most popular downloads each year, with a high of 10,217 views in 2014.

Ricketts said K-State Research and Extension also has published a series of videos on setting traps and picking a location.

The five video series is available online.

“Trapping is more likely to take care of those problem animals,” Ricketts said. “Traps are working 24 hours a day. They are a bit more effective at dealing with problem animals than hunting.”

Snares and foothold traps are the most common ways to catch a coyote that is preying on farm livestock, according to Ricketts. While snares are effective, they are also more dangerous to sheep, goats and guardian dogs.

Foothold traps, he said, rarely do much damage or cause injuries, but their placement is critical to success. Ricketts said foothold traps should be placed in areas where there are coyote tracks or scat; near pond dams or a trail; or in a specific area where the problem is occurring. cont from pg 1

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belied his words.

Not the First Time the Powerful Have Failed to Live Up to the Ideal To be fair, COP-26 is hardly the first time those in power—who are constantly telling the poor of the world that they must live with less to save the planet,—have not lived up to the ideal they set for others.

President Joe Biden’s climate czar, John Kerry, is famous for using his family’s private jet to attend climate negotiations and climate award dinners. His excuse: he’s important! I guess this somehow means he is to be held to a lower standard than others.

BTW, John, usually if you want to set an example you hold yourself to a higher standard than others; just a thought.

And then there is actor/activist Leonardo DiCaprio, who once again made an appearance at a climate summit. We all know actors set the lifestyle example an environmentally conscious person should aspire to. To his credit, for once, DiCaprio flew commercial. Perhaps his image needed burnishing. After all, he is widely known for travelling repeatedly for pleasure every year via private planes and private yachts. DiCaprio has real chutzpah. As detailed in Luxury Launches, “Despite coaching viewers to ‘work together’ to fight climate change while accepting his first Oscar in March, DiCaprio chose to fly private to pick up an award from a clean-water advocacy group at the Riverkeeper Fishermen’s Ball and back to Cannes to attend an AIDS benefit gala 24 hours later. “ He excuses his private carbon profligacy by saying he pays someone to plant trees on his behalf.

Then there is climate Cassandra-in-chief, former vice-president Al Gore, who profited handsomely, raking in $70 to $100 million from the sale of his cable news network Current TV to cable news channel Al Jazeera. How is that climate hypocrisy, you ask? Well, after

years of claiming we need to abandon oil and gas production and promoting legislation and lawsuits to force that to occur, Gore sold his station to a company primarily owned by the government of Qatar. That government makes most of its annual revenue from oil production and is a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

It’s akin to Baptists taking donations from bootleggers.

Not to be outdone, former president Barack Obama appeared at COP-26—one suspects via private jet, followed by private car service—to acknowledge the existence of climate hypocrisy.

“For most of your lives you’ve been bombarded with warnings about what the future will look like if you don’t address climate change, but you see adults who act like the problem doesn’t exist,” Obama opined. “You are right to be frustrated.”

Barack Obama & His $11 Million Beachfront Home Whom should they be frustrated with? one wonders.

Obama spent eight years as president warning climate change was causing the seas to rise rapidly and that they would soon swamp much of the U.S. Eastern seaboard. Yet upon retiring, he bought, at a discounted price of $11.75 million, a beachfront home in Martha’s Vineyard, just inches-to-feet above sea level.

As far as I can tell, he isn’t investing in sea walls to keep out the rising tides.

None of the people who claim that we are causing planet-killing climate change through human energy use, housing infrastructure, and agricultural systems live as if they believe this is true.

That’s something to think about the next time such a person gives a speech or appears on television saying people should give up their cars, air travel, hamburgers and barbeque, and stand-alone single family homes, continued on page 11

INFLATION

cont from pg 1

search found.

“Inflation hurts lower-income households — namely, less-educated and rural households, those with non-managerial workers and minorities — the most,” the analysts wrote.

Less money, more expenses One reason inflation is taking a bigger hit on rural Americans is that they tend to have lower incomes than city dwellers. In 2019, the average rural household income was $61,800, compared with $85,000 in urban areas, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But beyond having less money to spend, rural households also spend more money on the very goods that have seen the biggest price increases this year such as food, energy, cars and household furnishings, Bank of America found.

Energy costs take up more than 8 percent of a typical rural family’s budget, compared with 5.6 percent for an urban household, Bank of America found.

Rural Americans spend an average of more than 10 percent on new and used cars, compared with 5.8 percent for urban residents, and slightly more on food — 12.5 percent versus 11.4 percent, according to the analysis.

These differences are partly due to logistics. Rural households tend to have bigger houses and so spend more to keep them heated and cooled, noted Bank of America senior economist Aditya Bhave, one of the authors of the report.

Rural dwellers also generally spend more on transportation because they travel longer distances, said Jane Kolodinsky, director of the Center for Rural Studies at the University of Vermont. That raises the cost of shipping food, fuel and other goods to rural consumers, making those items pricier, she noted.

Those factors, combined with the typically lower incomes of rural Americans, mean these consumers spend a larger share of their budget on day-to-day expenses, Kolodinsky said.

“Food and gasoline and fuel for your home … you need them, and you need them every week,” she said.

The demographic divide on inflation suggests that rising prices could pose a significant threat to the ongoing economic recovery, Bhave said. Bank of America recently downgraded its predictions for consumer spending growth to 2.5 percent, a level he called “not great, but not terrible either.”

What’s more, these analyses suggest that the large amounts of money saved during the pandemic aren’t benefitting the lowest-income consumers. Between stimulus checks, unemployment funds and forced savings during economic lockdowns, Americans have a surplus of $1.2 trillion to $1.4 trillion in their bank accounts, Bhave said. But those savings are skewed toward the wealthiest.

“That’s a huge amount sitting in bank accounts waiting to be spent,” he said. “The problem is, our analysis suggests it’s sitting in the wrong accounts.”

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December 15, 2021

Prescribed Burns Are Key to Reducing Wildfire Risk, But Federal Agencies Are Lagging

BY ALEX WIGGLESWORTH / STAFF WRITER, L.A. TIMES

W

hen wildfire burned through a federal research area in Klamath National Forest this summer, scientists were dismayed to see more than 20 years of work go up in smoke.

But when they returned to the charred study area near California’s northern border, they realized they’d been given a unique opportunity.

Although the scientists had set out to understand how the thinning and controlled burning of vegetation could help regrow large trees more quickly, they now had a chance to study another urgent question: Could these same treatments make forests more resilient to wildfire? Or more specifically, could they moderate fire behavior so that flames were less intense and firefighters would have a better chance of snuffing a blaze before it barreled into a populated area?

The answer appeared to be a resounding yes.

“In areas where we didn’t do anything, the untreated controls, the predominant fire behavior was a crown fire which killed every tree and consumed the entire tree crown,” said Eric Knapp, research ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service.

However, the plots that had been thinned and then treated with broadcast burning — in which an area of land is set alight to mimic naturally occurring wildfire — emerged relatively unscathed, he said.

The results, once confirmed, will rank among the strongest scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of these socalled fuels treatments, Knapp said. But they were not unexpected. Researchers have found in the past that the best outcome is reached by the combination of thinning crown fuels, or tree canopy, and burning surface fuels, or vegetation on the ground.

Despite this knowledge, however, the federal government, which manages about 57% of the forested land in California, has completed only half of the fuels treatments it had hoped to get done in the state for the year — a statistic that profoundly dismayed wildfire experts.

As of mid-September, the Forest Service had completed or contracted out fewer than 37,000 acres of prescribed fire projects in California since Oct. 1, 2020. The majority was the burning of stacks of vegetation that had been piled after thinning, in which crews prune branches or cut down smaller trees, often using chain saws or cranes.

An additional 6,063 acres of managed land included naturally ignited fires that were allowed to burn — a practice the Forest

Livestock Market Digest Service suspended after it came under heated criticism over the summer.

Another 5,000 acres were treated with broadcast burning, which in combination with thinning has shown to be most effective.

“That’s just depressing,” said Lenya Quinn-Davidson, fire advisor for the University of California Cooperative Extension.

“That’s so little, given how much land the Forest Service manages in California. It is just a drop in the bucket.

“I think it speaks to the need for such drastic change around prescribed fire.”

In total, the Forest Service had, as of Sept. 17, met about 54% of its goal of treating 238,200 acres in the state during the fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30. The target does not discriminate between prescribed burning and other methods of vegetation removal. Those include grazing, thinning, chemical treatments such as herbicide, and disposing of the thinned vegetation, including biomass removal, chipping, crushing and piling.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service, which manage much less forested land in California, didn’t fare any better.

The NPS performed a total of 616 acres of broadcast burning in the state so far this calendar year; the BLM has burned 214 acres of a planned total of 300.

Officials say the lag in forest treatment is due to several factors, including lack of funding and personnel, but also to fundamental changes in the fire season. They say that drought, climate change and fuel overloading have stretched out the season and narrowed the time frame in which prepared burns can be conducted.

“There’s a lot of structural issues that need to be overcome to burn at the scale that is needed,” Knapp said.

The Klamath study, dubbed the Goosenest Adaptive Management Area, is a patch of old timberland that was heavily logged before it was turned over to the Forest Service in the mid-1950s. Before it was privately managed, fires had burned through the area every nine years or so, but by the time researchers began to focus on the area, it had not burned in decades, Knapp said.

The parcel was crowded with young trees competing for light and resources, and they had transitioned from primarily pine to fir, which is less fire- and drought-tolerant, he said.

Scientists were trying to see if they could remove some vegetation to re-allocate the growth to fewer trees, making them grow larger more quickly and restoring the forest to something that more closely resembles what it looked like a century ago.

They put in place three treatments: thinning favoring the reestablishment of pine species; thinning favoring pine species plus two rounds of broadcast burning, in 2001 and 2010; and thinning favoring the largest-diameter trees with no regard to species. Each was repeated on five 100-acre plots. Five control plots received no treatment.

The lightning-sparked Antelope fire burned through all of the plots over the course of four days starting Aug. 4.

“Because we have five replicates of each of these treatments that were all hit by fire

burning under oftentimes similar conditions, we can tease out the effect of weather and the effect of fuels,” Knapp said. “It will be a very compelling example of the interaction of fuels treatments and weather in affecting the outcome.”

Initial observations suggest that the plots that were thinned and burned fared the best, the control plots the worst, and the plots that were only thinned made out somewhere in the middle. There was little noticeable difference between the two types of thinning.

“What it shows to me is that under the most extreme fire behavior, thinning alone is oftentimes not enough,” Knapp said.

“You have to also deal with the stuff on the ground.”

That’s not to say thinning alone didn’t change fire behavior, he said. Though many of the trees in the thinned plots still died, they were killed by heat, their needles scorched brown.

By contrast, the trees in the control plots were entirely consumed by fire, leaving behind only dead, blackened sticks.

That suggests the thinned plots experienced a hot surface fire. The control plots, however, experienced even hotter fire that reached up into the crowns and burned the canopy, likely spitting out embers ahead of the main fire that made it move more quickly, Knapp said. Such variations in intensity and speed could mean the difference between firefighters being able to battle the fire or being forced to retreat.

Traditionally, parts of California would get a rainstorm in late September or early October, and broadcast burning could start a couple of weeks later once the vegetation dried out, Knapp said.

But in the last few years, fall rains haven’t arrived until late October or November. By that time, the sun angle is so low on the horizon and it’s so cool that the rain-soaked vegetation might never dry to the point where these burns can be conducted, he said. And even once the right conditions are in place, fire smoke and air quality considerations limit the number of burns that can be performed at once, Knapp added.

At the same time, fire seasons have grown longer and more intense, so the crews that once transitioned from fighting blazes to setting them are no longer available because they are still in fire suppression mode.

The National Interagency Fire Center reached its highest preparedness level, 5, in July, the earliest point in a decade.

The designation indicates that 80% of the nation’s wildland firefighting personnel are committed to incidents.

U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore cited those resource limitations in August when he announced the agency would no longer consider conducting prescribed burns until the preparedness level dropped back down to 2.

“We are in a ‘triage mode’ where our primary focus must be on fires that threaten communities and infrastructure,” he wrote in a memo explaining the decision.

The move underscored the dire need for a full-time workforce dedicated solely to prescribed burning, with positions that are well-paid and attractive, continued on page 11

Page 5

Baxter

BLACK

ON THE EDGE OF COMMON SENSE

www.baxterblack.com

How Do You Know It’s Christmas?

So how do you know it’s Christmas?

‘Cause the sheep can always tell.

They follow a little tradition and have for quite a spell.

On Christmas Eve around midnight, the sheep, wherever they are All rise in quiet unison and fixate on a star.

And from their stirring comes a sound, a chuckling tra, la, la That weaves and builds itself into a soft melodious baaa Which carries like a dove’s lament when nights are very still As if they’re calling for someone beyond a yonder hill.

The legend herders passed on down attributes this tradition To one late night in Bethlehem. A heavenly petition Wherein a host of angels came and lured them with a song.

The herders left in haste, they say, and stayed gone all night long.

Well, sheep don’t do too well alone.

They’ve never comprehended That on that night they waited up, the world was upended.

So, now when daylight shortens up and nights get long and cold I make my check at midnight like we’ve done since days of old.

And if I find the flock intent and standing all around I listen for the heavenly host above their throaty sound And scan the dim horizon in an effort discern The sign the sheep are seeking, that their shepherds will return.

And I am but a watchman in this drama that replays Around the earth this time if year, and so I stand and gaze And though I see no special star or hear no sweet noel.

I know it must be Christmas, ‘cause the sheep can always tell.

▫

www.baxterblack.com

Page 6

Livestock Market Digest

Prescribed Burn Kit Launch Aims At Education, Advocacy

BY SUSAN HIMES / AGRILIFETODAY.TAMU.EDU

O

ne of the biggest obstacles for landowners and burn managers advocating for prescribed burns is the need to educate communities and county officials about what exactly a prescribed burn entails, the safety protocols involved and the ultimate benefits for the land.

Experts from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, rangeland and prescribed burn scientists and specialists, and stakeholders all came together to create a communication kit to make it easier for landowners to educate the public and advocate for prescribed burns.

Anyone may now download the Prescribed Burn Kit they developed for free at https://tx.ag/PrescribeBurnCommKit. Hard copies are also available at select AgriLife Extension county offices.

Creating the prescribed fire kit After some research, Treadwell and some other members of the Great Plains Fire Science Exchange, a federal agency funded by the Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management to support prescribed fires within the Great Plains states, determined that a communication kit should be created to fill the void.

“We needed to create something that was landowner-friendly and landowner-driven,” Treadwell said. “We needed to make a consolidated report that was essentially a one-stop-shop for prescribed burn information.”

The five-member committee that created the Prescribed Burn Kit included Treadwell; Watson; Carolyn Baldwin, Ph.D., primary investigator and program coordinator, and Lori Bammerlin, communications and outreach coordinator, both with Great Plains Fire Science Exchange, Kansas State University; and Carissa Wonkka, Ph.D., U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Northern Plains Agriculture Research Lab, Montana.

“What we all came together to ultimately develop was an excellent way to communicate the science of prescribed burns to burn managers and prescribed burn associations all across the country,” said Baldwin.

Although the eight-page kit was tailored for prescribed burns in the Great Plains region, it can be used by any burn association, burn manager or landowner since it includes options to customize to a region’s resources.

Baldwin said the kit includes talking points, communication methods, suggestions on how to effectively advocate, a sample burn notification letter, as well as links to videos and additional useful information.

Education The committee saw the kit as something burn association members could utilize when speaking with local government officials.

“We wanted members to have the best possible outcome when approaching officials about prescribed burns,” Baldwin said. “We wanted members to be able to present factual information that would provide an accurate understanding of the many benefits of prescribed burning including range management, livestock production, woody plant control and the benefits to nature and wildlife habitat.”

She said one of the best ways to communicate risk management and the benefits of fire is to utilize the kit and invite commissioners and judges to participate in a prescribed burn themselves. By sharing the prescribed burn plan with them, they can better understand how much planning goes into a prescribed burn.

“We want the support of our county, neighbors, volunteer fire department and officials when we do prescribed burns,” Watson said. “This provides us with a tool kit to present information on prescribed burns. These burns are key not only to restoring land but reducing burn loads, which better protects land from wildfires.”

Take your marketing program to the top!

Contact

Randy Summers

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Office: 505/243-9515 Cell: 505/850-8544 randy@aaalivestock.com

Global Food Prices Reach 10-Year High in November

BY SUSAN KELLY / MEATINGPLACE.COM

I

nternational food commodity prices rose for a fourth straight month in November to their highest level since 2011, the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) food price index shows.

Meat prices fell 0.9 percent from October, however, posting their fourth consecutive monthly decline under pressure from reduced pork purchases by China, which weighed on international quotations, the United Nations agency said Thursday.

The overall index is 27.3 percent higher than its level in November 2020, averaging 134.4 points last month. Strong demand for wheat and dairy products drove the latest surge, pushing the index up 1.2 percent from October.

The FAO Meat Price Index also came under pressure from a sharp decline in ovine prices due to higher exportable supplies from Australia. Beef and poultry meat prices were largely stable.

Still, meat prices are up 17.6 percent from a year ago, according to the index. In November, international quotes for pork fell for the fifth consecutive month due to reduced purchases by China, especially from the European Union.

Meanwhile, international beef prices remained steady as decreased quotations for Brazil’s meat were offset by higher Australian export values, reflecting low cattle sales for slaughter amid high herd rebuilding demand.

Poultry prices were also largely stable, as global supplies seemed adequate to meet demand despite supply constraints, especially shipping container shortages, and avian flu outbreaks in Europe and Asia, the FAO said.

▫

A

ndrew Sylvester of Wamego, Kansas was named champion at the 2022 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship (WLAC) Midwestern Region qualifying event. Cherokee Sales Co., located in Cherokee, Okla., hosted the second of three WLAC qualifying events on Wednesday, October 10. A total of 30 contestants competed for a top ten placing, which would grant them a spot in the 2022 WLAC

The View FROM THE BACK SIDE

Pass the Oil Please!

W

e just returned from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and the American Quarter Horse Association’ World Championship Horse Show.

Luckily, we had a very successful show and a

safe trip.

Every ranch or farm that I know of has several vehicles on their place. Because we are so spread out here in the West, we naturally drive much further than Easterners. Besides we use lots of tractors, big equipment, and trucks just for our day-today operations.

Since we have been home a few days, I have been doing some accounting and looking over the bills from the trip. Lo and behold, our fuel bill is exactly double of what it was for last year’s trip. We used the same truck to haul with, the same horse trailer, the same number of horses, the same route, and the same amount of hauling time.

The only difference in hauling there this year as opposed to last are the idiots holding political office. Let’s put it this way, Let’s Go Brandon is not a friend to the working person or family as he claimed during his presidential campaign that he did not legitimately win. Nonetheless, we are stuck with Let’s Go Brandon and his relentless pursuit to shut down oil pipelines in the United States and Canada.

Last year we were the world’s top oil producer with oil being around $30 per barrel and now it is over $80 dollars a barrel, with Let’s Go Brandon begging OPEC to produce more oil.

Really, Let’s Go Brandon and his cohorts seem to work overtime at destroying the United States as we know it.

However, one unintended consequence of their alleged concern for the environment is that the rising costs of natural gas has reignited the coal industry which is up over 22 percent in production at the time of this writing. Even in the United Kingdom and Germany where this climate change hoax has really taken hold, they are opening new coal plants.

This has got to be the funniest result yet of trying to shut down American oil production. The special climate change ambassador John Kerry from the Let’s Go Brandon administration announced at the recent UN Climate Change Summit in Glasgow, Scotland that coal production in the US will be eliminated by 2030. Coal is going through the roof, Kerry is traveling everywhere he can in a private jet, which contradicts what he preaches each time he lands.

Look at how many private jets were at the climate change conference. I would like to know the carbon footprint left by 1,000 jets in Scotland. Do not worry, they will not own up to it, they will continue to blame cattle.

The saddest part of his entire mission is that this climate hoax is costing the American taxpayer a fortune. Family farms and ranches are taking a big hit because of the fools in office once again. This is not just another rant.

Start taking action yourself. Get in touch with your elected representatives and tell them your side of the equation. It may fall on deaf ears but doing nothing will work even less.

Lots of people calling and emailing makes an impression on those that are elected. You must get off your duff and make your voice heard. Start attending your local political party functions. You may not like to or have the time, but with this Let’s Go Brandon crew in charge for the time being, your freedom will suffer greatly, like never before.

These people want you to fall into line and do what they tell you is good for you. Don’t do it farmers and ranchers. We are smarter than that.

▫

▫

Kansas Auctioneer Wins World Livestock Auctioneer Championship Midwestern Qualifier

December 15, 2021

semifinals at Shipshewana Auction, Inc. in Shipshewana, Ind. “It’s truly humbling,” Sylvester said. “I honestly wasn’t expecting this. My goal was to come here and not embarrass my family, my livestock market or myself. I just tried my best to come in genuine, and get up there and do my job.”

This was Sylvester’s first appearance in a WLAC qualifying event, where he also walked away with the title of High Score Rookie.

“Am I a rookie?” Sylvester said. “Yes – I’ve never been to the contest before, but I’ve been selling cattle for a few years and I’ve been involved in the industry during that time.”

Sylvester originally started auctioneering with the interest of selling purebred cattle, but realized he was more interested in all facets of the livestock and livestock marketing industries.

He currently serves as the auctioneer for Manhattan Com-

mission Company in Manhattan, Kan. and Crossroads Real Estate & Auction.

A live cattle sale took place, with the market’s regular buyers and sellers in the seats. Auctioneer contestants were judged on the clarity and quality of their chant, presentation, ability to catch bids/conduct the sale and how likely the judge would be to hire the auctioneer. Judges for the qualifying event were livestock market owners, managers, dealers and/or allied industry members from across the nation.

Individuals advancing to the semifinals with Sylvester are Zach Ballard, Presho, South Dakota.; Reserve Champion Justin Dodson, Welch, Oklahoma; Runner-Up Will Epperly, Dunlap, Iowa; Brandon Hamel, Natoma, Kansas; Lynn Langvardt, Chapman, Kan.; Kyle Layman, North Platte, Nebraska; Chris Pinard, Swainsboro, Georgia.; Barrett Simon, Rosa-

lia, Kansas; Dustin Smith, Jay, Oklahoma.

Other contestants who competed were Leon Caselman, Long Lane, Missouri.; Spencer Cline, Kingston, Arkansas; Keelan Dunn, Bowie, Texas; Quest Flesner, Hannibal, Missouri; Jacob Hills, Ridgeway, Wisconsin; Calvin Hollis, Mannford, Oklahoma; Michael Imbrogno, Turlock, California; John Kisner, Hays, Kansas; Josh Larson, Haxtun, Colorado; Lane Marbach, Victoria, Texas; Tilon Mast, Auburn, Nebraska; Clayton Neumann, Ringwood, Oklahoma; Lander Nicodemus, Cheyenne, Wyoming; Ross Parks, New Concord, Ohio; Kade Rogge, Rupert, Idaho; Ethan Schuette, Washington, Kansas; Jeff Showalter, Broadway, Virgina; Lonnie Stripe, Humeston, Iowa; Andrew Sylvester, Wamego, Kansas; Scott Twardowski, Swanville, Minnesota; Corbitt Wall, Canyon, Texas.

▫

December 15, 2021

TEXAS & OKLA. FARMS & RANCHES www.scottlandcompany.com

Ben G. Scott – Broker Krystal M. Nelson – NM QB 800-933-9698 5:00 a.m./10:00 p.m.

RANCH & FARM REAL ESTATE

We need listings on all types of ag properties large or small!

■ “RARE FIND” LAJUNTA, CO – Otero Co, CO, 400 +/- acres. 3.5 mi. east of LaJunta, just 65 miles from Pueblo, CO! Home, barns, pens, fenced, good access, close to town.

■ DAWN, TX. FARM – Deaf Smith Co., TX - This property consists of 612.16 ac. +/-, dryland, native Livestock Market and improved grass, has HWY 60Digest frontage & development potential. This property is close to Amarillo & Canyon, Texas.

■ SIGNIFICANT PRICE REDUCTION! RIMROCK RANCH, BUEYEROS, NM – 14,993.49 total acres +/- (12,157.49 deeded acres +/-, 2,836 +/- New Mexico State Lease). Live water with five miles of scenic Ute Creek. Elk, deer and antelope to go along with a good cattle ranch!

■ ALAMOSA CREEK RANCH – Roosevelt Co., NM – 14,982 +/- acres (10,982 ac. +/- deeded, 4,000 ac. +/- State Lease). Good cow ranch in Eastern NM excellent access via US 60 frontage between Clovis and Fort Sumner. Alamosa creek crosses through the heart of the gently rolling grassland.

■ SARGENT CANYON RANCH–(Chaves/Otero Co.) – 18,460 +/- ac. - 200 +/- deeded, 2,580 +/- State, 11,200 +/- BLM, 4,480 +/- Forest permitted for 380 AUs year-round, well watered, good headquarters, very nice updated home, excellent pens & out buildings. Scenic ranch!

■ PRICE REDUCED! DRY CIMARRON RANCH – Union Co., NM – 1,571 ac.+/- of grassland on the dry Cimarron River, located on pvmt. near Kenton, OK just under the Black Mesa.

521 West Second St. • Portales, NM 88130 ■ CEDARVALE, NM – 7,113 acre ranch (5,152 575-226-0671 fax ac. +/Deeded – 1,961or ac.575-226-0672 +/- State Lease) well fenced & watered w/good pens, new barn.

Buena Vista Realty ■ TEXAS PANHANDLE – Let’s look at this Qualifying 6,000 hd. permitted feedyardBroker: w/953 ac. +/-, a recently remodeled owner’s 2 residences A.H. (Jack) Merrickhome, 575-760-7521 for employee www.buenavista-nm.com housing, addtl. home on 6 ac., 5 pivot sprinkler irr. circles, truck scale, cattle scale, excellent perimeter fencing, located on pavement & all weather road, currently in full operation.

■ SUPER OPPORTUNITY! One of the best steak houses in the nation just out of Amarillo & Canyon at Umbarger, TX., state-of-the-art bldg., turn-key w/ complete • 83facilities. acre wood home with barns, ■ EAST EDGE OF FT. SUMNER, NM – a 900 hd. meadows and woods.

State grow yard w/immaculate 7.32 ac.Fronts +/-, a beautiful home, & other improvements w/a long line of Rd. included, $545,000on pvmt. equipment ■ DALLAM CO, TX – 1,216.63 ac. +/- of CRP/ ranchland w/irrigation, re-development potential, wells &• pipelines in place.

160 acrealready Ranger Eastland Co, ■ QUAY CO, NM. – 142 ac. +/-, 120.5 ac. +/$560,000 CRP, very nice site-built home & barn, located on all weather road.

■ CASTRO CO, TX. – some of the strongest water • 2701,280 acreac.Mitchell County,sprinklers Texas & in the area, +/- w/2 half-mile six irrigation wells, on pvmt., prime farming country.

40

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y.com

mitt, TX 79027 Scott - Broker lifying Broker am/10:00pm company.com

R SMALL!

uadalupe Co., eded & 519 anch on both g flow daily) mner; wildlife, buyer looking New Mexico

980 ac. +/past, land lays e of Hwy. 54. on Co., NM – and w/statey remodeled in very good n pvmt. . +/- heavily listing r livestockagent w/ 75-825-1291. ences etc., on ta-nm.com e front gate. ic ac. +/- on d by Lincoln in Pines & ed meadow Penasco. This uild a legacy

4 ac. irr., on exico, adjoins l.

POTENTIAL xline Special,

+/- w/water & a beautiful 3 bathrooms, etal shop.

TEXAS & OKLA. FARMS & RANCHES

ranch. Investors dream; excellent cash flow. Rock formation being crushed and sold; wind turbans, some minerals. Irrigation water developed, crop & cattle, modest improvements. Just off I-20. Price reduced to $1.25 million.

TEXAS & OKLA. FARMS & RANCHES Page 7

Selling residential, farm, ranch, commercial and relocating properties.

Selling residential, farm, ranch, commercial and COLETTA RAY relocating properties.

Pioneer Realty

1304 Pile Street, Clovis, NM 88101

COLETTA RAY 575-799-9600 Direct Pioneer Realty 575.935.9680 Office 1304 Pile Street, Clovis, NM 88101 575.935.9680 Direct Fax 575-799-9600 coletta@plateautel.net 575.935.9680 Office www.clovisrealestatesales.com 575.935.9680 Fax coletta@plateautel.net www.clovisrealestatesales.com

FANTASTIC SOCORRO SALESREALTY IN 2021 PLAZA

On the 133 AC at Plaza 1.7 Million Donald Brown 147 Qualifying AC at 2.3 Million Broker 505-507-2915 cell 150505-838-0095 AC at 2.3 Million fax 17 ACPO116 atBoxPlaza 1.5 Million 1903 Socorro, NM 87801 www.socorroplazarealty.com dbrown@socorroplazarealty.com

Joe Priest Real Estate

1-800/671-4548 AG LAND LOANS AG LAND LOANS joepriestre.net • joepriestre@earthlink.com INTEREST RATESAS AS LOW 3% INTEREST RATES LOW ASAS 4.5% Payments Scheduledon on2525 Years Payments Scheduled Years

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

www.ranchesnm.com 575/622-5867 575/420-1237 Ranch Sales & Appraisals

AG LAND LOANS As Low As 3.5% OPWKCAP 3.5%

INTEREST RATES AS LOW AS 3.5% Payments Scheduled on 25 Years

Paul Bottari, Broker

775/752-3040 Nevada Farms & raNch PrOPerTY www.bottarirealty.com

joes3@suddenlink.net Michael Perez Associates Nara Visa, NM • 575-403-7970

1-800/671-4548

CRP remains, eligible re-inroll if newat www.buenavista-nm.com program $120,000 — See details on See these andtoother properties www.buenavista-nm.com See these Properties with details at www.buenavista-nm.com or call agent for info

• 840 Immaculate, Hunt Co,20TX.miles northwest of the small community of Elida. Acreage includes 4,700 Mexico approximately Ranch.

Pastures, 40 +/- deeded acres,tanks, 640 and acres NM State Lease acres and 320 of Uncontrolled acres. Livestock water is lakes.

Beautiful home, barns, provided by three wells and approximately four miles of pipeline. The ranch is fenced into four pastures NORTHERN CALIFORNIA RANCH PROPERTY and other improvements. Some 31 years in the ranch - see www.ranch-lands.com for videos brochures and one small trap. Grazing capacity is estimated to bebusiness 80-100 AUYL. This place has &had excellent minerals, game galore. All for $1.35 summer last year.

It’sapprox. as985good as itCA.gets, come take look or DUANE since & DIXIE McGARVA RANCH: acres Likely, with about 600+ acre gravity a flood million. rains and has not been stocked irrigated pastures PLUS private 542 AU BLM permit. About 425 acres so of the irrigated are level to flood call for a brochure. Price: $1,620,000 excellent pastures with balance good flood irrigated pastures. NO PUMPING COST! Dryland is perfect for expansion to pivot irrigated alfalfa if desired. Plus BLM permit for 540 AU is fenced into 4 fields on about 18,000 acres only 7 miles away. REDUCED ASKING PRICE - $3,125,000

COWBOY DRAW RANCH Excellent small cattle ranch located in southeastern New Joe Priest Real Estate Mexico approximately 50 miles northwest of Roswell on the Chaves/Lincoln county line. 7,455 total BEAVER CREEK RANCH: about 82,000 acres - with 2,700 deeded acres plus contiguous USFS & BLM permits for 450 pair; 580+- acres irrigated alfalfa, pasture, and meadow from Beaver Creek water rights and one irrigation well. 3 homes, 2 hay barns, 4 feedlots each w/ 250 ton barns, 2 large reservoirs, can run up to 500-600 cows YEAR ROUND. REDUCED ASKING PRICE - $5,400,000.

acres1-800/671-4548 with 2,600 deeded with the balance federal BLM lease acres. Permitted for 151 animal units joepriestre.net • joepriestre@earthlink.com yearlong with an additional 30 animal a temporary with two BEARunits CREEK on RANCH: Approx. 1,278 acresnonrenewable winter range ground andbasis. recreationalWatered property. Located on Bear Creek and accessed from South Cow Creek Valley Road. Should be great hunting for deer, wild turkey, wild wells and several miles of water pipeline. draws run through ranch that ranches. provide pigs, quail &Two ownerlarger states goodopen trout fishing in Bear Creek.

Deeded accessthe easement thru neighbor No improvements & very private inside the ranch. overflow areas to enhance grazing. The terrain and rolling with good turf. The ranch has had Now only $700 peris acreopen - $894,600 good summer rains with no cattle since last spring. The ranch is in excellent condition. Call for a BILL WRIGHT, SHASTA LAND SERVICES, INC. 530-941-8100 • DRE# 00963490 • www.ranch-lands.com brochure and come take a look. Price: $1,350,000 Scott McNally, Qualifying Broker

O’NEILL LAND, llc

in state lease. Excellent grass and water. Two plus miles of the Chico Creek meandering through the center of the property.

Additional wells and dirt tanks. Nice historic head quarters privately located with shade trees and excellent views of the prop-

home. Owns both sides of river in places. Horse/cow/chicken/ vegetable garden/greenhouse/orchard set up. Country living at it’s finest, in town, but in a world of your own. Very special on river. Appointment only. $650,000.

B

A.H. (J ww

AS PRO R Call

505-243-9515

for more information

14298 N

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

Buena Vista Realty

521 West Second St., Portales, NM 88130

Rural Properties around Portales, NM 1242 NM 480 - Nice home on 59.7 acres, grass 694.9 ACRE IN-ROOSEVELT CO NM 1931 S Rrd B24+ has ac total new 5 427 SRANCH Rrd P 1/2 Large nice home, lots of barns 1694 Rrdcorners 4, Great home, barns, cattle wire, steel post,Spipe etc, pipe corrals, POND, nicepens, ranchlocation house with 2 good 2344some S Rrd K time eastremains of Dora, NM, great - Near wind farms water wells, CRP $665,000 properties excellent homes & can have horses, etc. ac some FARM All LAND IN ROOSEVELT CO NM 2550 S. Rrd 6 159.8

575-226-0

521 West Second St. • Portales, NM 88130

joepriestre.net • joepriestre@earthlink.com

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

521 West Se

Advertise to Cattlemen and Ranchers!

Joe Stubblefield & Associates 13830 Western St., Amarillo, TX 806/622-3482 • cell 806/674-2062

Joe Priest Real Estate

ch that has been owned and operated Bar M Real Estate, LLC s southeast of Corona, NM in Lincoln NM 88202 M Lease Acres and 2,240 NM State P.O. Box 428,P.O.Roswell, Box 145, Cimarron, NM 87714 • 575/376-2341 • Fax: 575/376-2347 land@swranches.com • www.swranches.com UYL. Water provided by five wells andOffice: 575-622-5867 Cell: 575-420-1237 corrals. The ranch had a good summer CHICO CREEK RANCH, Colfax County, NM. NEW LISTING. CIMARRON ON THE RIVER, Colfax County, NM. 7.338 +/www.ranchesnm.com 6,404.26 +/- Total Acres, Located approximately 10 miles east of deeded acres with 4.040 acre-feet per annum out of the for a brochure or view on my website. Website: Springer New Mexico. 3,692.60 +/- deeded acres with balance Maxwell-Clutton Ditch. Custom country-chic 2,094 +/- sq ft

R

SCOTT MCNALLY

Bottari Realty

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

DOUGLASS RANCH A quality ranch property located in northeastern Chaves County, New

y limits of Roswell, NM. Six total acres

Bar M Real Estate

Qualifying Broker: A.H. (Jack) Merrick 575-760-7521 Call Buena Vista Realty at 575-226-0671 or the listing agent www.buenavista-nm.com Lori Bohm 575-760-9847, or Melody Sandberg 575-825-1291.

Many good pictures on MLS or www.buenavista-nm.com

521 West Second St. • Portales, NM 88130

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

UNIQUE COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITY IN MT. GROVE! Three addresses including large retail building (105 W., 9600 SF built in 1995) (107 W. 11th, 13000 SG built in 2000); single family home (1103 N Main, 874 SF with 378 SQ unfinished basement built in 1940s) This is the last commercial corner of this size in the city and on MO95 (1.45 acres) so it is perfect for a bigger user who needs access and visibility. Nearby national/ regional businesses including Dollar Tree, Legacy Bank, Taco Bell, McDonalds, Fresenius Dialysis. It is also suitable for any retail business who wants additional income from warehouse and house. The warehouse has a drive-in garage door; and the big building has a dock for second story loading. This has been part of a family-owned business for decades and is currently operating as an antique/collectible store with high quality items. Owner’s inventory is for sale separately in private negotiations. Shown by appointment only after business hours. MLS#60199328

Buena Vista Realty

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

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

CIMARRON PASTURE, 6.26± deeded acres. $139,000. Sold separately, 3.1116± acres irrigated off 1870 Maxwell-Clutton Ditch. $45,000. Water meter, well. 3 phase power.

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

MAXWELL ESCAPE, 440 Elm Tree Rd. Nice 2-story home plus park model home, horse barn, many other buildings, shade trees, private, 34.2 irrigable acres, 45± total deeded acres. $575,000 MAXWELL 2ND HOME, 2nd Home 461 Elm Tree Rd. 2-story,

3-bedroom, 2-bathroom home with usable outbuildings, barn, storage, 22.22 irrigable acres, 42.02 total deeded acres. $500,000.

UTE PARK RIVER PLACE 6.83 +/- ACRES, 450 +/- feet of the Cimarron River and more than that of Ute Creek are the south and east boundaries of this unique one of a kind water property. 2 bedroom 1 bathroom cabin, year round access off Hwy 64. $599,000

E

E

CIMARRON BUSINESS, Frontage opportunity, house, big shop and office buildings, easy view off Hwy 64. Formerly known as “The Porch.” $295,000

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REAL ESTATE GUIDE

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Livestock Market Digest

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Livestock Market Digest

December 15, 2021

IRS’s New Bank Reporting Janell Reid Requirements a Step in Receives the Wrong Direction American Agri-Women s if the federal government didn’t already pry enough LEAVEN into our private lives, the Biden Administration recently unveiled a plan to expand the Internal Reve- Award

BY KENT LASSMAN / COMPETITIVE ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE PRESIDENT & CEO

A

nue Service’s scope even more. The administration, led by Secretary Yellen, proposed that banks report all accounts that have yearly aggregate inflows and outflows of $600 [later suggested by the U.S. Senate to raise to $10,000] or more to the IRS. The purpose of this incredibly low reporting threshold was, ostensibly, to snare tax cheats. Color me skeptical.

The direct and immediate effects are plain to see and precisely what we’ve been communicating to legislators. More data available for the IRS to analyze patterns of behavior about how, when, and where people work, engage in commerce, and travel. More honest taxpayers caught up in the dragnet of IRS mistakes that cost time and money while producing a presumption of guilt. More administrative overhead for banks which necessarily raises the cost of access to bank services – exacerbating the problem of the unbanked in America.

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen claimed the threshold was necessary to capture more revenue from billionaires, yet as Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) Senior Attorney Rob Carter points out from his background as a tax attorney, something in this logic doesn’t gel. “The one percent simply aren’t disguising income by dispersing it through a vast network of accounts with a scant $50 of activity per month. Similarly, there is no need for the IRS to compile a financial profile on nearly every American with a bank account, loan, or credit card to pursue multi-millionaire tax cheats.”

Most of the IRS’ complaints about tax avoidance could be addressed by simplifying the 70,000-page tax code. As Senior Fellow Ryan Young explains, this solution would save taxpayers time, money, and hassle in revenue-neutral ways. But regulators ignore simple solutions in exchange for complicated requirements, this time in the form of new legislation imposing occupational licensing requirements on tax preparers.

The end result will be to open up underground black markets for unlicensed “ghost preparers,” who can provide cheaper tax preparation services while escaping liability for their mistakes. This is the very opposite of consumer protection.

The IRS is special among federal agencies in that for many working Americans it is the one place where they come into contact with the regulatory state. Similarly, for many retired individuals, it is the IRS that regulates their Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs).

A provision of the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill is threatening to ban IRA holders from investing in companies that don’t trade on major U.S stock exchanges, including those utilizing provisions of the bipartisan Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act passed under former President Barack Obama. As CEI Senior Fellow John Berlau asks in a recent Forbes column, why would we exclude IRA holders from investments?

Regulation is not self-executing. When we decide, through democratic processes, to cede authority to agencies with weak or non-existent accountability, they will create mechanisms to implement those rules that don’t always protect our rights.

The area that looms largest in the public mind may be the IRS and tax collectors. After all, it was IRS revenuers who broke up the stills and speakeasies of Prohibition. It was the IRS that eventually snagged gangster Al Capone, not the Federal Bureau of Investigation or Chicago police.

Enlisting the providers of financial services – like banks, credit unions, and credit card companies – to monitor and report on their customers does not promote a culture of freedom, innovation, and risk-taking. It shuts the door on a brighter future for everyone and especially for those in lower-wealth households, anyone who works with small or local tax preparers, and small banks.

These proposals are not yet law and you can count on CEI to do everything possible to stop them.

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CEI is a non-profit dedicated to advancing a stronger, healthier and more vibrant society.

A

merican Agri Women (AAW) presented the LEAVEN Award, its highest honor for members, to Janell Reid of Colorado Agri-Women at its 2021 National Convention held recently in Phoenix, Arizona.

Though raised around agriculture and active in 4-H, Janell’s involvement intensified when she married her husband John and joined the family ranch in eastern Colorado. The family operation, Reid Cattle Company, has raised commercial and registered cattle, including seed stock bulls for commercial cattle producers, for four generations on Colorado’s eastern plains.

Janell is a founding member of Colorado Agri-Women and has served as past President of the American Agri-Women Foundation board, AAW nominating committee member, and the AAW beef commodity group. In addition to her involvement with CAW and AAW, Janell played an instrumental role in forming and serving as a board member for Colorado

Janell Reid and husband John, Ordway, Colorado

Independent Cattle Growers Association, remaining involved today as Membership Coordinator. Janell is involved in numerous local and regional agriculture groups, including local FFA advisory committees, countless 4-H leader roles, the Lincoln County (Colorado) 4-H Foundation, and numerous political party roles and campaigns.

Janell is a tireless advocate for private property rights, maintaining an independent and thriving beef industry, and preserving Western heritage.

Janell, a quiet but persuasive leader, believes that the best way to build an organization

is working at the ground level.

Her efforts have strengthened countless leaders and teams in AAW and beyond.

AAW presents the LEAVEN AWARD to those persons who, to an extraordinary degree, have acted as “leaven,” a truly feminine concept since “lady” means giver of bread. “Leaven” (yeast) is a small element that can interact and influence everything around it. It permeates and raises the elements it’s mixed with.

Leaven multiplies its effectiveness for good.

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USDA Releases Sheep Death Loss 2020 Report Dashboard

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he U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) has released the Sheep Death Loss 2020: Sheep and Lamb Predator and Nonpredator Death Loss in the United States report on Tableau. The interactive dashboard can be accessed at: https://www.aphis.usda. gov/aphis/dashboards/tableau/ sheep-death-dashboard .

The study is a collaborative effort between USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS); USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services; and NAHMS. The dashboard contains data from sheep death loss studies dating back to 1995.

The iterations occur every five years along with NASS’s Sheep and Goat survey.

ing upwards since 2004.

Methods included fencing, night penning, and the use of lamb sheds.

Sheep Death Loss 2020 Report Highlights

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Approximately 5.2 million shep and lambs were raised on 99,364 operations.

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Approximately 607,000 sheep and lambs - valuing $121.6 million - were lost in 2019.

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Sheep losses of 219,000 in 2019 accounted for 6.8 percent of the January 2020 adult sheep inventory; lamb losses of 388,000 in 2019 accounted for 12 percent of the 2019 lamb crop lost.

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In 2019, predation accounted for 32.6 percent of adult sheep losses and 40.1 percent of lamb losses.

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The leading known nonpredator causes of loss for adult sheep were old age, internal parasites, and lambing problems. For lambs, the leading known nonpredator causes of loss were weather-related causes, internal parasites, and lambing problems.

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The main predators causing loss of adult sheep were coyotes, dogs, and bears. The main predators causing loss of lambs were coyotes, dogs, and mountain lions.

Approximately $51.4 million was spent by 77.1 percent of operators who used nonlethal predator damage management methods. The use of these methods has been trend-

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Approximately $4.7 million was spent by the 13.4 percent of operators who used lethal predator damage management methods.

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New information in the latest report includes: ●●

Producer-reported costs of non-lethal and lethal predator damage management methods.

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Use of lethal predator damage management methods.

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Use of government assistance to manage predator damage.

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Use of official identification.

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Number of producers ceasing sheep operation and their reasons.

Questions and comments about the study or dashboard can be directed to Matthew Branan, Matthew.A.Branan@usda.gov.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is pleased to announce the launch of our Facebook page, which will compliment their social media presence on Twitter and LinkedIn and offer additional opportunities to share information and engage with stakeholders

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December 15, 2021

Livestock Market Digest

Scholarships Available For Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine SOURCE: DROVERS

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he Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo (SVM) has received tremendous scholarship support for its inaugural class through various philanthropic efforts. Scholarships are essential in helping the school achieve its mission to provide access to world-class, affordable professional education. Scholarships enable student success and open the door to a professional career in very tangible ways.

One donor who clearly understands the school’s mission is Aurora Pharmaceutical Inc., headquartered in Northfield, Minnesota.

After seeing Texas Tech University pursue and successfully develop a veterinary school, Aurora immediately jumped at the chance to be part of an extraordinary program by helping aid the next generation of veterinary students financially.

Aurora launched its brand-new Texas Tech Inaugural Class Scholarship Program on Nov. 1, providing $15,000 in scholarships to SVM students in the inaugural class.

“When you start a new school, everything starts new, including scholarship resources,” said Britt Conklin, associate dean for clinical programs at the School of Veterinary Medicine. “We are thrilled Aurora was an early partner that understood our mission and is offering a program that will be transformational to the success of the school and the student recipients.”

Aurora is offering four students each a $2,500 scholarship. Also, one student will receive an individual scholarship of $5,000. The deadline to apply is January 14, 2022.

Qualified applicants must be a first-year veterinary student at Texas Tech. Aurora will select recipients based on a combination of academic achievement, related work experience, community and university involvement, goals, essay and letters of reference. All applications will be judged by a committee of Aurora team members.

“The costs associated with pursuing a degree in veterinary medicine can be daunting,” said Matt Klotz, equine technical service veterinarian at Aurora Pharmaceutical. “I am thrilled that Aurora has made the decision to support this group of students who are embarking in this program.”

By creating this program, Aurora joins the SVM to make a difference in students’ lives that will, in return, make a lasting impact on the profession of veterinary medicine. This program aids in the SVM’s mission to serve the needs of rural and regional communities and provides access to affordable, world-class veterinary education.

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Program applications may be obtained by contacting scholarships@aurorapharmaceutical. com or by visiting AuroraPharmaceutical.com/scholarships

Ireland Would Need To Cull Up to 1.3 M Cattle to Reach Climate Targets

BY LISA O’CARROLL / THE GUARDIAN

U

p to 1.3 million cattle would have to be culled in Ireland to reach anticipated government targets for reducing greenhouse gases in the agriculture sector, a new report has concluded.

Irish farmers are expecting the worst after Taoiseach (the prime minster of Ireland) Micheál Martin described the report by KPMG, commissioned by weekly newspaper the Irish Farmers Journal, as “scaremongering”.

The debate over agriculture’s role in reducing carbon emissions is a hugely controversial topic in Ireland, pitting Dublin against rural communities.

The country has long relied on farming, alongside multinational investment, to drive its economy. Irish beef and dairy brands such as Kerrygold and Pilgrims Choice are among its most successful exports.

But Irish agriculture is under huge pressure: 35 percent of national greenhouse gases come from the sector, the highest level in Europe, where the average is 11 percent. And more than 60 percent of that comes from methane associated with belching by ruminant animals.

More than 100 countries pledged to reduce methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030 in Glasgow on Tuesday

in an initiative put forward by the US and the EU. Although methane breaks down relatively quickly in the atmosphere, it is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Reducing these emissions has been touted as one of the most immediate opportunities to slow global heating.

Stephen Prendiville, head of sustainability at the EY consultancy in Dublin, said the debate about methane “had been lost” in the narrative about the climate emergency and this would help countries reliant on agriculture to focus on how to “operationalize” reductions.

Irish climate emergency plans The Irish government is due to unveil its sector-by-sector soon and is considering a 21 percent to 30 percent cut in carbon emissions from the agriculture sector.

KPMG looked at four scenarios, concluding that rural Ireland faced a €4bn hit to the economy and the loss of more than 56,000 jobs if the government opted for the 30 percent target.

It also warned that a 30 percent cut would require a 20 percent cut in cattle numbers, 22 percent of the beef herd and 18 percent of the dairy herd.

With 6.5 million cattle in the country according to official Central Statistics Office data this equates to a reduction of 1.3 million of the national herd.

The lower target of 21 percent would mean a reduction of about 5 percent, or 325,000 cattle, according to the KPMG analysis.

“Farmers desperately hope that it doesn’t come to this

Smokey gathers cattle, climate change & cloud seeding Smokey closes a forest

T

he Forest Service has announced they are closing parts of three different districts in the Gila National Forest during activity to remove unauthorized and unbranded cattle. The closures are to “minimize public exposure to the potentially hazardous conditions associated with the capture and removal of the cattle.” They have let a contract to remove 50 head, to be completed by September 2022.

I don’t recall the Forest Service closing an area so a rancher can gather his cattle.

I guess if your cattle are authorized and branded, you are on your own.

The Forest Service says this is part of a decades-long effort to stop the spread of unauthorized cattle that have been in the removal area since the 1970s. They let us know that since 1994 they have removed over 640 head. That computes to one cow every 15 days and not something I would he highlighting in a press release.

They also tell us the unmanaged cattle “cause long-term damage to water quality, riparian ecosystem conditions, and habitat for threatened and endangered species.”

What would happen to you and I if we went 27 years in a row violating the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act on our property? The press release would be about fines and jail time, not removing two cows per month.

Meat sell-out The North American Meat Institute, which claims to represent 95 percent of the country’s meat producers, has announced they have committed to reduce greenhouse emissions by 2030, in line with international climate targets. The Meat Insti-

[culling],” said Phelim O’Neill, editor of the Irish Farmers Journal. “There is widespread acknowledgement that we need to reduce emissions”, he said but he had commissioned the report to put some facts back into the “heated debate” that is giving famers “climate anxiety” about their futures.

The debate has pitted Dublin versus rural Ireland, with farmers feeling they are being unfairly targeted without government assessments of the impact on their industry.

The president of the Irish Farmers’ Association, Tim Cullinan, said it was “extraordinary” to hear the Taoiseach say the report was scaremongering.

Martin told RTE on Tuesday: “I think we need to be very careful of that scaremongering,” after reports that targets at the lower end of the scale would result in 10,000 fewer jobs in agriculture. “Farming will have to change,” he said.

Cullinan said: “We have repeatedly asked for such an exercise to be carried out by our government, but they have refused to do so. Micheál Martin is shooting in the dark and he

Page 9 tute says it will help individual companies establish reduction goals, and those targets (set in the 2015 Paris Agreement) must be approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative, a partnership among the Carbon Disclosure Project, the United Nations Global Compact, the World Resources Institute and the World Wide Fund for Nature. Oh, goody.

To make sure each of their members meet the Paris Agreement targets, they will verify the progress each company makes on animal care, food safety, labor and human rights.

Just what do “animal care, food safety, labor and human rights” have to do with climate change?

This, my friends, is another example of how enviros use a hook, such as climate change, to accomplish their other goals, such as animal rights.

COP 26, double your pleasure The United Nations Summit on Climate Change, known as COP 26, recently met in Glasgow, Scotland. The summit kicked off with various leaders taking the podium and promising programs to address the climate change threat. After the Presidents and Prime Ministers left, the work really began. The goal was to agree on policies to deal with deforestation, warming temperatures, rising seas, cutting greenhouse gas emissions and determining how the wealthier countries of the world deliver on promises to help the poorer, less developed nations.

Thankfully, they reached agreement on none of those issues. What did they reach agreement on? Like most government entities do, they reached agreement on expanding themselves.

They created three new lobbying groups: a coalition of nations to halt deforestation, another coalition to curb methane, another to lobby to stop spending tax dollars to fund overseas fossil fuel projects.

We also now know the environmental cost attributed to this U.N. summit. The twoweek climate conference is expected to produce 102,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide

has no idea what the economic or social impact of these ceilings will be in rural areas.”

Ireland has committed to reducing carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2030 with a cabinet subcommittee meeting on Wednesday to finalize the sector details.

according to a United Nations assessment. That is the equivalent of 222.9 million pounds of carbon dioxide. The previous climate change summit, COP 25 in 2019, resulted in the emission of 51,101 metric tons of carbon dioxide. That means the environmental elite, who want us to lower our carbon footprint and completely redo our economy for earth’s sake, doubled their emission carbon dioxide.

They lecture us, bemoan our lifestyle, and at the same time double their own pollution.

Cloud seeding The Washington Post recently ran an extensive article on cloud seeding. It pointed out the western United States is having one of its worst droughts in recent memory, with one-third of the country, mainly west of the Rocky Mountains, experiencing severe to exceptional drought.

The article states that with this historical drought in the west, “states are doubling down on their cloud seeding programs.”

While I was at the Dept. of Interior, the subject of cloud seeding came up several times, usually in relation to the Bureau of Reclamation. I always raised the same questions. If federal dollars are used to fund or partially fund cloud seeding: “Who owns the additional water?”

“Who decides what amounts are allocated to what uses?”

“Are the additional waters subject to NEPA, ESA and CWA considerations?”

I never received the answers.

C.J. Hadley Range Magazine editor and publisher, C.J. Hadley was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Will Rogers Medallion Awards committee at their recent banquet in Fort Worth, Texas.

Congratulations C.J. What a wonderful recognition of your many talents!

I would also like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and hope you have a very Prosperous New Year.

Frank DuBois— N.M. Sec. of Agriculture ‘88–’03, thewesterner.blogspot.com & The DuBois Rodeo Scholarship & The DuBois Western Heritage Foundation

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Martin told RTE the country had “no choice” and if it did not commit to the targets it would affect the country’s “economic sustainability”. He also admitted that over the past decade carbon emissions in the country had increased and “that is problematic.”

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Page 10

Livestock Market Digest

Collector 's o r n e r

Chaps

“C

haps” is an Americanized version of the Spanish word “Chaparreras” which loosely translates into, “for the brush.”

This makes sense, as chaps are intended to protect the legs of

horsemen from thorny vegetation, cactus, mesquite and various other hazards possibly encountered while riding the range. Chaps are also sometimes referred to as “leggings.”

Like so many things “cowboy” in the Western United States, the wearing of chaps is something picked up originally from Mexican cowboys (vaqueros) during the 1800s.

Although many sources claim the origin of chaps to be Mexi-

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co, during the Spanish Colonial period, it is very possible the earliest known form of chaps actually comes from the South of Spain much earlier. Since we know the word chaps is short for chaparreras, and that this refers to leather coverings worn to protect a rider’s legs from the chaparral, we should look at the origin of the word chaparral.

According to John Russell Bartlett, in the Dictionary of Americanisms, “In Spain, a chaparral is a bush of a species of oak. The termination ‘al’ signifies a place abounding in; so chaparral is a place of oak-bushes. This word, chaparral, has been introduced into the language since our acquisition of Texas and New Mexico, where these bushes abound. It is a series of thickets, of various sizes, from one hundred yards to a mile through, with bushes and briars, all covered with thorns, and so closely entwined together as to prevent the passage of anything larger than a wolf or hare.”

Much of our cowboy culture, trappings and traditions can trace their origins something like this: American cowboys learned it from Mexican vaqueros who in turn learned it from the Spanish caballeros who brought it across the ocean from Spain where they had learned it from the Moors to the south. Along the way, each culture took what they learned and adapted it, to make it their own special version. Chaps are no different.

The earliest form of chaps known were referred to as armas. They were a large piece of cowhide or other leather that hung from the saddle and draped down over the rider’s legs, covering the saddle and rider, kind of like an apron.

Some sources say these were first used in Spain, others date the invention to New Spain (Mexico), during the Colonial days.

Armas were improved upon over time and along the way became known as chaparreras.

These were truly the catalyst of today’s modern day chaps as they were worn around the rider’s waist, not draped over the saddle like armas had been.

When Texas cowboys began learning the cattle trade from the vaqueros, they adopted their leg protections and the word they were called by was shortened to chaps (sometimes spelled back then as “schaps” since it is pronounced with more of an sch sound). There

December 15, 2021 are several different types of chaps recognized today.

Shotgun chaps were so named because the legs are straight and narrow (resembling the look of peering down a large shotgun barrel when putting them on). It is generally accepted this was the earliest design used by Texas cowboys. They fit snugly, wrapping completely around the leg, kind of like another pair of leather pants over your regular pants. They are sometimes referred to as “step in chaps” because you put them on pretty much the same as a pair of pants. The legs are usually fringed and often accented with conchos. They are generally better at keeping the legs warm, an advantage in colder conditions, though they can be unpleasant in hot or humid weather. Shotgun chaps are more common on ranches in the American West than any other type.

Batwing chaps are cut wide and flare out as they go lower down the leg, but are open on the back. Generally they have two or three fasteners around the back of the thigh, usually a thin piece of leather with a hook on the end which attaches around the backside. Although said to be a later invention than shotgun style chaps, it makes sense to assume the earliest chaparreras worn by vaqueros (built to be worn from the waist) probably more closely resembled this style than the shotgun style. Advantages of the batwing are allowing greater freedom of movement. This not only makes it easier to mount a horse, it is easier to move around in general. The design also allows for more air circulation and is often preferred in hotter weather. In the early 1900s, Wild West show performers liked decorated versions of batwing chaps and today’s rodeo cowboys use a modified version of them.

Wooly chaps are made basically the same as shotgun chaps. The main difference being they have a fleece (most often angora) left on the outer areas and they are usually lined with canvas on the inside. They are designed for colder climates and are the warmest of all chap types. They are often associated with the Northern Plains and Rocky Mountain regions, but because of their look, they gained popularity with Wild West Show performers as well in the early 1900s.

Chinks are simply halflength chaps that stop just below the knee. They usually have fringe along the sides and bot-

tom. The leg shape is similar to a short pair of batwings and each leg usually has only two fasteners around the backside of the thigh (similar to how batwings are fastened). They are cooler to wear and easy to get around in. They are often used when working in a corral or in hotter weather.

Rodeo Chaps by definition are just a specialized version of batwing chaps, however, contestants do not refer to them as batwings. They are simply called rodeo chaps. There are a few differences between working ranch batwing chaps and rodeo chaps. Rodeo chaps are usually of a thinner leather and more supple for ease of movement.

They are also more colorful and generally decorated so a contestant stands out. On the other hand, ranch cowboys need toughness over style so ranch batwings are usually of a heavier leather and not decorated up so much (except in the case of ones used in back in the day by Wild West show performers).

Other types of chaps commonly used include; farriers chaps/apron (used by farriers while shoeing horses). There are other variations commonly used as well such as armitas, zamorros, polainas charras and English chaps—all of which are used in non-Western disciplines of riding. Other specialized versions include things like biker’s chaps (generally worn by motorcycle riders and similar to a shotgun chap style). Buckskins worn by Native Americans and Mountain men are similar to chaps, but are really more of a form of leather pants, rather than a leather covering worn over pants like chaps are.

Collectability of chaps.

There is definitely a collectors market out there for Western chaps. Generally, the older, the better and condition is very important. Also, chaps made by certain makers can be collectible. The top tier of collectability would be something very old (late 1800s or so) that is in great condition and marked by a wellknown maker. Other things collectors like are chaps that are visibly appealing such as woolies and decorated batwings like the Wild West show performers used. Another sub-set of collecting would be chaps worn by a famous person, such as a rodeo performer. Although not really considered that old by Western Americana collectors, a pair of chaps used by someone such as Casey Tibbs or Jim Shoulders (famous rodeo contestants) would be collectible.

As with all Western Americana items, it is always advisable to either know your stuff and/or deal with a reputable seller when acquiring a collection of chaps (preferably both). Unfortunately there are unscrupulous sellers out there that will take a plain pair of chaps and place “studs” or other decorations all over them in order to pass them off as a more desirable pair. Others will even go as far as placing fake hallmarks of well-known makers on a plain, unmarked pair to enhance their value and artificial aging is also common. Beware of fakes or items enhanced after the fact because they do not retain value.

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December 15, 2021

Livestock Market Digest

Cattle Raisers Support Safe Border Act Representative Stephanie Bice (R-OK-05) introduced H.R. 6120 the Securing American Families from Exploitation at the Border Act, or SAFE Border Act on December 2, 2021.

This legislation would transfer $75 million of unobligated border construction funds that have gone unused by the Biden Administration to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish the Southern Border Landowner Security Grant Program. This grant program would enable American families living in high-risk areas of the U.S.- Mexico border to strengthen their own physical security against property damage, theft or other losses. The grant program would also provide modest compensation to landowners who have experienced property damage, theft, or other losses.

Joining Representative Bice as original cosponsors on the bill are Representatives Brian Babin (TX -36), Dan Crenshaw (TX-02), Jake Ellzey (TX-06), Pat Fallon (TX-04), Tony Gonzales (TX-23), Kevin Hern (OK-01), Ronny Jackson (TX13), Frank Lucas (OK-03), Markwayne Mullin (OK-02), August Pfluger (TX-11), and Randy Weber (TX-14).

“Earlier this year I visited the Del Rio Sector of the border and saw with my own eyes the damage illegal border crossings continue to cause in our southern border communities.

Something must be done to protect American citizens who live on or near the border,” said Rep. Bice. “Since the Biden administration has chosen to halt construction of the wall, and refuses to effectively address the border crisis, Congress must find other ways to help people protect their property and this legislation will assist.”

The grant program would provide competitive grants to individuals based on their losses or their unmet security needs.

In addition, applicants would be required to submit specific documentation to substantiate their claims to apply for the funds from FEMA. “Illegal border crossings continue to be a major issue in the states that border Mexico. This legislation provides a pathway to help landowners who are at risk or who have already been impacted,” Bice said.

In addition to support from House members, Rep. Bice’s legislation has also received endorsements from the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, National Border Patrol Council, South Texans’ Property Rights Association, Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Texas Farm Bureau, and Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association.

“Farm Bureau members in our neighboring southern border states have repeatedly asked for help with the serious issues related to trespassing, theft and damage they face when illegal migrants cross their property. Oklahoma Farm Bureau is thankful Congresswoman Bice is willing to defend private property rights with this commonsense plan that would offer much-needed assistance to impacted landowners,” said Rodd Moesel, president, Oklahoma Farm Bureau.

“Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) members continue suffering devastating losses due to the surge in illegal immigration,” said TFB President Russell Boening. “Many hardworking farm and ranch families have shared examples of property damage, vandalization, stolen equipment, security concerns and more. We appreciate Congresswoman Bice for visiting the Texas-Mexico border to learn about these issues and introducing the SAFE Border Act to help provide needed assistance to landowners impacted by the border crisis.”

“Today, on behalf of South Texans’ Property Rights Association and myself, I would like to thank Congresswoman Bice for introducing the SAFE Border Act. We look forward to working with her to protect the interests of the hard-working families of South Texas. She seems to be one of the few that are ready to put words into action,” said W.W. “Whit” Jones III, board chairman, South Texans Property Rights Association.

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Pen-Side Test For BRD May Save Cattle Industry Millions, Reduce Antibiotic Use

BY ELIZABETH K. GARDNER

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ous-vide cooking (French for ‘under vaccum’) inspired an idea that took promising technology out of the lab and into the barn. Researchers at Purdue University successfully developed an on-site bovine respiratory disease (BRD) test that provides results within an hour.

“We wanted to see if the technology is tough enough for the farm and how messy we could get,” said Mohit Verma, assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering, who led the research. “We weren’t overly cautious with cleanliness because we want the test to be easy to use. Respiratory disease can quickly spread from animal to animal, and it can be devastating. Quick diagnosis leads to the proper treatment and reduces unnecessary use of antibiotics.”

The team also added an easyto-read color change from red to yellow to indicate the test results, he said. A paper detailing the work was published in the journal Veterinary Research.

“We’ve been working to improve our test to get it out of the lab and into the hands of farmers and veterinarians, and it worked very well in the field,” Verma said. “One key to achieving this advancement was using a sous-vide water bath to maintain the temperature needed for it to work, around 149 degrees Fahrenheit. My brother was doing sous-vide cooking and the idea just clicked. It is something easy to bring to a farm, fill with water and allow the test to be run.”

BRD is responsible for half of all cattle deaths from disease in North America and costs the beef industry $900 million annually, he said. Several strains of bacteria and viruses can cause the disease, which makes it dif-

PRESCRIBED BURNS Quinn-Davidson said.

“We need more jobs focused on prescribed fire and fuels treatments that don’t get pulled off to fire suppression,” she said.

Authorities caution that many Western U.S. forests have suffered through so many years of imbalance due to aggressive fire suppression practices and climate change that broadcast burning alone is not sufficient to restore them.

National forests like El Dorado are now so overgrown that the landscape often must receive one or more rounds of thinning before it is safe to put fire on the ground, said Jeff Marsolais, forest supervisor of El Dorado, which has seen no prescribed burning this fiscal year.

“Getting to where we can broadcast burn and having fire burn naturally through the ground like it did 100 years ago, that’s exactly what we’re trying

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to get to,” he said. “But there’s a ton of work that has to go into restoring the resilience of the forest before we can get to that level.”

And even if federal authorities were able to perform these treatments on the scale that is needed, the increasingly extreme conditions under which fires are burning still means they wouldn’t always be sufficient to protect forests and communities from damage.

In a development that surprised researchers on the Goosenest study, one of the units treated by thinning and prescribed fire that burned during a four-hour high wind event appears to have been fairly heavily damaged despite the low surface and crown fuel loads, Knapp said.

“To me, this illustrates there may be some limits to what treatments can do under severe

fire conditions,” he said. “Maybe when we’re up against the worst conditions, you just can’t really do much to prevent that.”

Still, he said, high wind events tend to be of limited duration and account for a minor portion of the time during which a fire burns. And treatments can slow the spread of the blaze so that less land burns under those extreme conditions, he added.

The plot was also overdue to receive another round of prescribed fire, underscoring the importance of maintenance.

And it still fared better than the control plots that burned under the same weather conditions, he said, estimating that 25% to 50% of the trees will survive.

“So even in the worst conditions, it did something that made the forest more resilient,” he said. “Just maybe not as resilient as we would’ve hoped.”

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Page 11 ficult to effectively treat.

“Some of the bacteria that cause BRD have become resistant to certain antibiotics,” Verma said. “Unfortunately, because the standard test can take several days to provide a result, the farmers need to treat the cattle before they know the pathogen responsible. This can lead to use of an ineffective antibiotic or overuse of antibiotics.”

The technology created by Verma’s team can identify three strains of bacteria among the top four that cause BRD: Pasteurella multocida, Mannheimia haemolytica, and Histophilus somni.

A nasal swab collects the needed sample, and the swab is put into a small vial with corresponding primers and reagents developed by the team that serve as biosensors for the bacteria. The vial and its contents, which is called an assay, are heated in the water bath to enable the chemical reactions.

If the bacteria for which the test is designed is present, the assay changes color.

The technology tests for DNA from the bacteria and uses a method of nucleic acid amplification called loop-mediated isothermal amplification, or LAMP. When the bacterial DNA is present, LAMP amplifies it. As the level of nucleic acid increases, it changes the pH of the assay, which triggers the color change.

The advantage of LAMP over other methods is that it does not require extraction and processing of the samples, which can be lengthy and expensive, and it produces results in under an hour, Verma said.

Its results matched those from a polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, test 60 to100 percent of the time.

Ana Pascual-Garrigos worked on the project as an undergraduate student in biochemistry and is first author of the paper. Additional members of the research team and co-authors of the paper include Jennifer Koziol, from Purdue’s College of Veterinary Medicine; Aaron Ault, from Purdue’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Timothy Johnson and Jon Schoonmaker from Purdue’s Department of Animal Sciences; Deepti Pillai from Purdue’s Department of Comparative Pathobiology; and Murali Kannan Maruthamuthu, Josiah Levi Davidson and Grigorii Rudakov from Purdue’s Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering.

Verma and his team ad-

vanced the technology to this stage through a $1 million USDA-NIFA grant. In a parallel project, Verma is using the same technology for a saliva-based test for COVID-19. The BRD technology is part of his startup company Krishi Inc. The startup received $100,000 from the Purdue Ag-Celerator fund earlier this year.

The next step in their pursuit of putting the technology into the hands of veterinarians and farmers is to develop paper test strips. These strips could include multiple assays, such that one strip could identify the presence of several different pathogens. They also plan to apply the same approach to tests for other infectious diseases in cows and pigs, and to investigate the potential for detecting food contamination.

“This platform is very versatile,” Verma said. “We just need to change the matrix we are using – develop new primers and assays – for different pathogens. We are working to apply our technology to address other health issues, and we believe it has potential for quick detection of new viruses to help prevent global pandemics.”

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CLIMATE

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in order to save the planet.

They aren’t including themselves among those giving up things.

The policies that they are proposing will impose higher energy costs, which many people—the working poor, those on fixed incomes, and the lower middle class— will struggle to pay for. Yet they will make no sacrifices in their own lives. Indeed, the cost of their policies to them will be beneath their margins of error at the bank.

Wealthy climate alarmists apparently have the self-awareness and ability to delay gratification of a typical two-year old. They remind me of Democratic apologists who are claiming inflation is a good thing, or at least not so bad, admonishing the poor to “suck it up” and pay the higher costs without complaint.

It’s not a good image, and it certainly doesn’t inspire confidence that they really believe the earth hangs in the balance.

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Livestock Market Digest

December 15, 2021