Saying things that need to be said.
Cars, Coal & Cows
If you believe the environmentalists, we’re on the brink of a national climate catastrophe and it’s all because of cows and the methane they belch. But when you try to pinpoint exactly what percentage of the methane created is produced by cattle, you’ll find guestimates ranging anywhere from three to thirty-three percent. The greenies insist that the largest source of man-made methane emissions is agriculture, which they say is responsible one quarter of the dastardly gas, followed closely by the energy sector, which includes emissions from cars and coal. How convenient that the greenies can get rid of the top three on their hit list with just one man-made scam. If all of agriculture is responsible for 25 percent of all methane emissions in this country how can cows alone be responsible for 33 percent? Aren’t cows considered agriculture? Cow burps aren’t even the largest source of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. Food waste is. Yet you hardly ever hear of anyone who is studying how to get rid of food. For some reason greenies just seem to hate cows and in response academics and the enviros are trying to come up with
a more climate-friendly cow.
Jumping Through Hoops
For the sake of argument, let’s say that cows are responsible for 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, which is the figure most often mentioned. Because the feds and the green groups covet the land ranchers own for wildlife corridors, endangered species habitat and solar farms, the greenies targeted grazing cows
answer in search of a problem.
Dr. Charley Martinez, an Ag Economist at the University of Tennessee, suggests that the answer is to find an EPD ranchers can use to help select cattle that produce less methane.
Don’t judge folks by their relatives.
because they say they produce more methane than feedlots or dairy cows. This is because beef cattle get more fiber from grass which produces more methane. So academics and bureaucrats are twisting themselves into a full blown fit trying to find an
“There are efforts out there,” says Martinez, “to develop a climate-friendly EPD and while that development may be another 5 to 10 years away, it could be accelerated if a corporation like McDonald’s suddenly wants their beef to come from climate-friendly cattle, causing buyers and feeders to source cattle from climate-friendly sources and breeders. If this happens we could see premiums for breeders who are early adopters of climate-friendly practices and breeding selections.”
Dr. Martinez says, “A lot of money is being thrown at it for research.” Towards the end of
60 Days to Save the Horse Industry
APHIS HPA Rule Goes Into Effect on April 2, 2025
SOURCE: WESTERN JUSTICE
On January 24, 2025, USDA’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) temporarily postponed its final rule to amend the Horse Protection Act (HPA) regulations for 60 days from February 1, 2025 to April 2, 2025.
APHIS published the final rule (89 FR 39194-39251) amending the horse protection regulations to provide, among other provisions, that the Agency will screen, train, and authorize qualified persons for appointment by the management of any horse show, horse exhibition, or horse sale or auction to detect and diagnose soring at such events for the purposes of enforcing the HPA.
With the exception of § 11.19, which went into effect on June 7, 2024 and authorized the training of horse protection inspectors, the remainder of the rule was scheduled to go into effect on February 1, 2025.
As the implementation date for the revised Horse Protection Act (HPA) looms over the horse industry, many people who are involved with horses find themselves wondering exactly how they will be affected. Simply put, the revised version of the HPA would make unnecessary, heavy-handed government overreach the norm, devastate all levels of horse show communities, and effectively cripple much of the equine industry in the United States.
by
I Have My Reasons
2023, the Bezos Earth Fund donated 57 million dollars to go towards making the livestock sector more sustainable. Thirty million of that will be spent on low-methane feed and genetic breeding programs to make low-methane cows.
We have our doubts that in the not-so-distant future ranchers are going to select their bulls based on methane production. Still, colleges across the globe are trying to find a solution to cure gaseous cows. Professors at Curtin University in Western Australia analyzed 27 different academic publications and identified dozens of potential strategies to reduce methane emissions from Australia’s beef and dairy sectors. Merideth Kelliher who is leading the charge said that “The fastest way to lower methane emissions would be to convert farmland into wetlands and forests.” In other words, we could solve the problem by ridding the world of cows.
Kelliher added, “Studies have found low emission cattle have inheritable genetic traits which can significantly reduce meth-
continued on page 2
Endangered Species Emerge as Trump’s Latest Takedown Target
BY BOBBY MAGILL / BLOOMBERG LAW
Environmental law groups are hiring a cadre of attorneys in a bid to block President Donald Trump’s deregulatory efforts, which they assert will dismantle endangered species protections.
The Center for Biological Diversity, which sued the first Trump administration more than 280 times, is adding six lawyers. Earthjustice, a nonprofit law firm that sued more than 200 times, is seeking eight more.
Both groups say they’re preparing to file possibly hundreds of lawsuits to challenge potential rollbacks under Trump’s Jan. 31 deregulation plan, which directs federal agencies to eliminate 10 rules for each new one they enact.
“We’re not as caught by surprise as we were last time around,” said Kristen Boyles, managing attorney for Earthjustice.
The scramble is a response to the disruption cascading across multiple departments and agencies, as the president and his newly formed Department of Government Efficiency seek to shrink government and repeal or replace every last vestige of the Biden agenda.
Trump’s Jan. 20 energy emergency declaration notably uses the Endangered Species Act to expedite development, directing his secretary of the Interior to regularly convene a rarely used committee to identify “obstacles to domestic energy infrastructure specifically deriving from implementation of the ESA or the Marine
Using a set of reasons like I used to give on my high school and college livestock judging teams I will now appraise your average farm animals. Sir, or Madame, I place this class of farm animals #1 (dog), #2 (horse), #3 (hog), #4 (cow), and #5 (sheep). I had a very close top pair and an easy bottom. I place the dog on top, and over the horse, because the dog can’t buck you off so high that birds will build nests in your beard on your way back down to earth. The dog doesn’t smell as bad as the hog (unless it’s tangled with a skunk), doesn’t have the brains of a fire hydrant like the sheep and doesn’t try to kill you in the sorting alley or the rodeo arena like the bovine. Dogs are cheap to feed, can ride in the cab of your pickup, and will protect the empty beer cans and broken jack in the bed of your truck with their life.
I do grant that the dog can’t carry you around on its back all day like the horse and its incessant yapping can be annoying.
In placing the horse second, I highly value that you can tell your rumors, gossip, hearsay and transgressions to your horse and it will never spill the beans. Also, a horse will follow your subtle commands unless they are of an idiotic nature. The horse can turn like a serpent, walk like a cat and run like a deer. The only other contrivance that can do that on a farm is green and is mechanical in nature. The horse looks good in leather and is the only animal I know of that smells good when sweaty. Unlike a cowboy, your average horse knows what “whoa” means. Horses have better dentition than the cow and can run faster than a sow. Horses are also kinder than other farm animals and if you don’t think so watch them stand head to tail and swat flies off each other. Name one time you’ve ever seen a hog do that with its corkscrew tail. Over the centuries a good cow horse has always been worth about ten times the value of a cow.
I do grant that pork tastes better than horse meat and your average county fair racing pig costs less than the average Thoroughbred at Keeneland.
LEE PITTS
Volume 67 • No. 2
LEE PITTS
ane production if included in national breeding objectives. While more research is needed to identify the best traits for low emission cows, consideration should also be given to land use emissions and identifying suitable agricultural land for restoration to natural habitat.”
Playing God?
For a more homegrown solution, University of California at Davis scientists “Are teaming up with UC Berkeley and
UC San Francisco researchers on a $70-million donor-funded initiative that aims to cut climate-change-causing emissions from cattle by using the genome-editing tool CRISPR on microbes in the cow’s gut.”
Think of CRISPR as a precise pair of scissors that can snip parts and pieces of DNA and rearrange or totally eliminate the DNA. In other words, it creates genetically modified organisms.
Heading up the initiative are Professor Ermias Kebreab and
Power of Angus.
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Associate Professor Matthias Hess. They will collaborate with a team of academics at UC Berkeley including Jennifer Doudna who won the 2020 Nobel Prize in chemistry for her work to develop CRISPR genome-editing technology.
“Engineering these microbes to produce less methane,” says Hess, “would help limit emissions before they are burped out. We’re trying to come up with a solution to reduce methane that is easily accessible and inexpensive, without restrictions or limitations, and that can be made available not only to Cali-
fornia but globally.”
It is Hess and Kebreab’s idea, “To deliver oral treatments to calves to intervene in their microbial systems at an early stage and reduce methane emissions for the rest of their lifetimes. While this is hypothetical for now, early studies offer hope it could eventually become a global practice.”
The two professors had better speed up because California has a mandate to reduce methane emissions 40 percent by 2030.
What’s a ZELP?
Another potential solution are methane masks that when placed on a cow’s snout trap methane burps and convert them into other forms of gas. These gas mask contraptions were designed by ZELP, the Zero-Emissions Livestock Project, and are reported to trap half of all methane emitted by cows.
One problem with methane masks for cows is that the masks turn methane into carbon dioxide which is necessary for plant growth and life, but is also considered a greenhouse gas by the greenies!
I wonder, how is a cow grazing on grass with a great big gas mask covering its mouth supposed to eat? There are alleged incidences of cows having been severely wounded by the masks, while others suffered from bald spots and skin abrasions. But ZELP says the “Masks cut into how many total emissions are saved per carton of milk.” But if their masks work so great why is ZELP interested in also selling carbon offset credits, thus relying on carbon markets instead of just making more gas masks?
Saving The Planet With Seaweed
Perhaps the most popular idea to reduce methane produced by grazing cows is the feeding of seaweed. The idea has been around since 2020 when a study by researchers at the University of California at Davis found that feeding grazing beef cattle a seaweed supplement in pellet form reduced their methane emissions by almost 40 percent without affecting their health or weight.
ranch in Dillon, Montana. Since these were grazing cattle, they ate the supplement voluntarily, which still resulted in a nearly 40 percent cut in emissions.”
Meanwhile, “the algae supplement had no effect on the cow’s overall health or weight, in line with the findings of previous research. We intend to look into how we can incorporate [red algae] into lick blocks or even water to reduce emissions. Either way, expanding the methane-busting power of seaweed into the pasture brings us closer to the reality of a climate-friendly cow.”
An Australian firm called Sea Forest started selling the world’s first climate-friendly dairy milk in May 2024. Sea Forest’s EcoMilk comes from dairy cows that have been fed Sea Forest’s signature additive, SeaFeed™, made with the Asparagopsis seaweed native to Tasmanian waters.
They claim that “When just a tiny amount of their additive is mixed with the animal’s normal feed, it can cut methane emissions almost entirely. With no taste difference and only a small cost increase, consumers have the opportunity to not only support sustainable farming but also contribute to broader climate action.”
A Whopper of A Whopper®?
It wasn’t long after seaweed was put forth as the savior of the planet that other additives joined the party. In 2020, Burger King rolled out their green new deal and said that beef from cows fed 100 grams of lemongrass reduced methane emissions by 33 percent.
Unfortunately, Burger King started using this statistic in advertising before the research was published or peer reviewed. Some say that the overall reduction in methane was more like 3.6 percent. In other words, the Home of the Whopper® may have been telling one because this research has never been replicated successfully.
A Bold And Brazen® Claim
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In an article in the publication Anthropocene, Emma Bryce wrote “Red algae—a species of seaweed, could reduce methane emissions in feedlot cattle and dairy cows. The algae contains compounds that inhibit the activity of methane-making microbes in cow guts, and for years it has been showing striking results on cattle farms around the world, where farmers are already incorporating it into their animal feed.”
Bryce wrote, “So far, studies have shown that seaweed amendments to cattle feed can cut methane emissions by over 80 percent when fed to cattle in feedlots, and over 50 percent in dairy cows. But cows raised mainly in pasture present a different challenge, because these animals roam freely and so it’s more difficult to incorporate the algae into their diets in a regimented way.”
Professor Kebreab identified the problem: “The main criticism of feed additives has been that it was not applicable to grazing cattle, which is the majority of ruminants. So in this work, we show that it is possible to apply to pasture based animals. Researchers conducted the 10-week experiment at a
The USDA is so excited about a possible “net-zero cow” that they have already unveiled a new “climate-friendly” beef label that was first used by Tyson Foods. Tyson created a new brand called Brazen Beef® but eco-cowboys shouldn’t get their hopes up because Brazen Beef® only claims to reduce methane emissions by 10 percent compared to other beef
The claim is based on the fact that the beef was produced using regenerative agriculture. Tyson says they achieved the 10 percent figure with changes in crop tillage, the adoption of cover crops and better nutrient management. According to Brazen Beef, “Its ranchers must undergo a qualification process but can also customize the practices they use to reduce greenhouse gas emissions based on individualized needs, including steps such as pasture rotation.” Tyson only mentions one outfit where they source their “climate-friendly” beef. That would be Adams Land and Cattle, a 125,000 Nebraska-based feedlot. To sell cattle to Adams for use under the Brazen Beef® label, “Ranchers must show that the cattle are certified ‘BeefCARE,’ a private animal welfare standard. Producers must also be enrolled in Tyson’s Climate-Smart Beef program and agree to provide data necessary to support emissions calcula-
Greenwashing
As you might expect, the greenies aren’t ready yet to give up on their plan to get rid of cars, coal and cows. Björn Ólafsson wrote in Sentient Climate that climate-friendly beef is just greenwashing. “From methane masks to lemongrass, how do the many efforts to make sustainable beef compare to just eating a little less?” He also wrote that, “Empirical evidence suggests that rewilding land is far more beneficial than any form of grazing.”
And according to Ólafsson you can forget about eating locally produced food to save the planet. “It turns out that only
Mammal Protection Act.”
That committee, nicknamed the “God Squad” because of its power to unilaterally lift protections for imperiled species, will be key to Trump’s deregulatory efforts because developers often see those rules as impediments to oil, gas, and mining projects, and other industries he also embraces.
Project 2025, considered a policy blueprint for the second Trump administration though he has denied it, claimed the ESA is a failure because it stands in the way of some economic development, and it contends many protected species remain on the brink of extinction. It called for numerous ESA reforms, including abolishing protections for the gray wolf and the grizzly bear, and preventing the still-unprotected but imperiled greater sage-grouse from blocking energy development. [Editor’s Note: Project 2025 is/was a document prepared by the Heritage Foundation for a new administration. They produce a document like this every four years.]
Endangered species protections involve thousands of regulations—at least one rule for each of the roughly 2,375 imperiled plants and animals listed as endangered or threatened. There were 172 endangered species-related rulemakings in
a tiny fraction of the food system’s greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation. For beef, that fraction is somewhere around one percent.” (We’d sure like to see that research!) “Research shows it’s far more effective to cut back on beef, no matter where it’s raised,” says Ólafsson.
Ólafsson also dumped on the seaweed proposition. He claims the cows on the diet mentioned earlier ate less and weighed less at slaughter, which means that more cows need to be slaughtered to keep up with an increasing demand for meat, which in turn ticks those emissions back up again. There’s also another problem: the cows don’t like it either. Cows don’t seem
progress at the end of the Biden administration. If those are to be enacted, Trump’s order dictates that another 1,720 rules would need to be abolished.
Lesser Prairie Chicken Test
The God Squad has lifted some protections for only three species since Congress created it in 1978: the snail darter and the whooping crane in 1979, and the northern spotted owl in 1992. The committee lifted protections for the snail darter to make way for the Tellico Dam on the Little Tennessee River and to prevent whooping crane protections from blocking construction of Wyoming’s Grayrocks Dam. The committee later permitted logging in spotted owl habitat in Oregon after a timber industry advocacy campaign.
Sandi Snodgrass, partner at Holland & Hart LLP in Denver, said she’s watching whether the Interior Department will use the God Squad specifically to attempt to remove endangered species protections that get in the way of development, or to exempt developers from having to get a permit to kill species in their way.
“Litigation would be fast and furious if the de-listing was not supported by a defensible analysis of the threats to the species but was instead based on policy,” she said.
Normally, eliminating endan-
to like the taste and it upsets their digestive system.
Ólafsson showed his true colors when he wrote, “Plant-based meats and cultivated meats have the potential to reduce emissions by 89 percent and 91.4 percent, respectively. But the industry has struggled to continue its initial meteoric rise. It can be hard,” wrote Ólafsson “to convince people to go back to the humble bean. Ultimately, getting people to actually cut back on meat is no simple endeavor.”
Leaving No Footprints
Ranchers are going to feel really stupid if they change their operations to focus primarily on reducing methane production. After spending trillions of dol-
gered species rules isn’t simple. Such a step typically demands scientific evidence to prove that a rollback is warranted, and then that goes through a lengthy rulemaking process, said Melinda Taylor, a senior lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law.
Taylor said a test case will be the fate of the lesser prairie chicken, an imperiled bird whose habitat overlaps the oil fields of the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico.
President Joe Biden in 2022 listed one lesser prairie chicken population as endangered, and another population as threatened. Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas—representing oil industry interests—sued, and the Biden administration defended the listing in court.
Another test is likely to be the grizzly bear, one of the targets of Project 2025. Republicans have for years called for grizzlies around Yellowstone National Park and the Continental Divide to lose protections, in part because the bear population has tripled. But the Biden administration in January declined to de-list the bear, contending grizzlies still need protection.
That decision “endangers communities, especially farmers and ranchers, who live under the threat of grizzly bear attacks,” Rep. Bruce Westerman
lars trying to change the weather the net result is that China, Brazil and India are laughing at us right now because even if we got rid of every cow in America other countries would step in to meet the insatiable demand for beef around the world.
A good case can be made that livestock have no detectable effect on climate at all. Dr. Albrecht Glatzle has authored over 100 scientific papers and two books and wrote back in 2018 in a research paper that, “There is no scientific evidence, whatsoever, that domestic livestock could represent a risk for the Earth’s climate and the warming potential of anthropogenic (man-made) greenhouse gas emissions has been exagger-
(R-Ark.), chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, said in a statement following Biden’s announcement.
It’s unclear how the possible staffing and budget reductions across the federal government will affect the Interior Department and its endangered species programs.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly, responding to questions about how Trump’s orders would affect endangered species regulations, said Trump will “unleash America’s energy potential” and cut regulations as his executive orders describe.
“He will simultaneously ensure that our nation’s land and water can be enjoyed for generations to come,” Kelly said.
The US Fish & Wildlife Service declined to comment on its implementation of the executive orders.
Boyles and other environmental attorneys said they’re watching how aggressively the administration uses the endangered species “God Squad” as a deregulatory weapon. “If they try to use those emergency procedures in ways that are fundamentally unlawful,” a lawsuit will follow, she said.
“Executive orders aren’t law,” Boyles said. ▫
ated.” The evidence he provides is that his team “could not find a clear domestic livestock fingerprint, neither in the geographical methane distribution nor in the historical evolution of mean atmospheric methane concentration.”
Glatzle stated, “From 1990 to 2005 the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said that there was a complete stabilization of atmospheric methane, despite the world cattle population increasing by one million head.” The good doctor also wrote, “We all have to stop blaming cows for climate change.” ▫
New Rules to Follow
For example, as of April 2, 2025, horse event managers must:
■ Notify APHIS no less than 30 days in advance of the event, also specifying whether or not they are hiring/requesting an inspector.
■ Notify APHIS of any event updates 15 days prior to the event
■ Police warm-up areas
■ Allow free and uninhibited access by HPIs to records, barns, horse trailers, stables, stalls, arenas, and all other show or exhibition grounds.
■ Verify identity of each horse entered at a show, exhibition, sale, or auction
■ Maintain all horse show and exhibition records for 90 days and make available to inspectors
■ Report any violations of the Horse Protection Act to the APHIS regional director within five days after conclusion of the event.
For horse owners, the rule revisions mean many things. If you show or exhibit horses in any way and/or offer horses through sales, here is a partial list of rules you will be forced to follow if the revised HPA is implemented:
■ Anything that could make a horse sore, lame, or irritated are prohibited. Sore muscles from a focused
training session or a small rub from an incorrectly fitted bell boot could be equated to intentional soring
■ Any substance that could make a horse sore or have an inflammatory reaction is prohibited, including therapeutic liniment
■ No substances may be used on the limbs of a horse, including skin and hair conditioners or fly spray
■ Horse owners are not the only ones liable. Any participant with horses is subject to liability, including agents, haulers, trainers, vendors, supporters, and sponsors.
■ Mandatory rest periods must be observed during shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions.
■ Any information requested must be provided to inspectors on demand.
■ Horses’ legs must be blemish-free, including dermatologic conditions such as irritation, moisture, edema, swelling, redness, epidermal thickening, loss of hair, or other evidence of inflammation.
■ Horse inspections may include, but are not limited to, “visual inspection of a horse and review of records, physical examination of a horse, including touching, rubbing, palpating, and observation of vital signs, and the use of any diagnostic device or instrument, and may re-
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quire the removal of any shoe or any other equipment, substance, or paraphernalia from the horse when deemed necessary by the professional conducting such inspection.
■ Horses can be detained by HPIs for 24 hours.
■ Therapeutic treatments, including massage, chiropractic treatments, and PMF must be administered or overseen by qualified veterinarians
■ Complete veterinary records must be kept and maintained for horses receiving therapeutic treatment of any kind
■ Requirements for shipping and transporting horses.
■ Any horse winning first place in a class is required to be re-inspected.
■ Horses that receive a rub or blemish while competing are subject to HPA violations, even if the horse passed inspection prior to entering the ring.
Again, please note that this is not a complete list, and we encourage you to read the official full 129-page HPA document to understand the true weight of what is currently intended.
What This Means for the Horse Industry
The Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association website states that there have been 541,322 TWHs registered since the association’s founding in 1935. Just for comparison, the American Quarter Horse Association has registered over 6 million horses since its founding in 1940. With several other major breed associations, numerous competition organizations, and hundreds of horse sales in the nation, there are thousands and thousands of horses competing or selling that would require inspection by the new HPA.
The inspection process for TWHs is notoriously long and laborious; it is not unheard of for competitors to stand in line for literally hours to have their horses inspected. The largest TWH show is the annual 10day Celebration where approximately 2,000 horses compete. Historically, the USDA has inspected around 50 TWH events annually.
What happens when inspections are required at every show across the country, from 4-H play-days to large international events, especially when there is a shortage of qualified inspectors? It is common for TWH exhibitors to have to wait in line for several hours to have their horses inspected; what happens at a show like the NCHA futurity, with over 600 horses in the three-year old class alone?
Several Western Justice team members attended a recent webinar hosted by the USDA regarding the HPA. During the question/answer period, our questions went unanswered. Uncomfortable questions, USDA left the call a half hour early.
Background
The HPA was made law in 1970 to regulate the Tennessee Walking Horse (TWH) industry, prohibiting the showing, sale, auction, exhibition, or transport of sored horses.
The USDA defines soring as
“the application of any chemical (e.g., mustard oil or diesel fuel), mechanical agent (e.g., overweight chains), or practice (e.g., trimming a hoof to expose the sensitive tissue) inflicted upon any limb of a horse, that can cause or be expected to cause the horse to suffer physical pain or distress when moving.” Soring was sometimes utilized by unscrupulous trainers to artificially create a highly animated gait in TWHs and other gaited breeds.
Since 1976, rigorous inspections of show horses, both before and after a class, have been required at all TWH events. Any evidence of soring of any kind results in instant disqualification from the class and fines. In the years since the HPA was enacted, compliance of the law has been consistently over 90 percent. In 2023, the compliance rate was 98 percent.
Nevertheless, animal extremists have not only persisted in their attacks of the TWH industry, but also in seeking to expand the definition of “soring” to encompass as much of the horse industry as possible.
The recent revisions to the law are the result. The lead USDA veterinarian, Dr. Aaron Rhyner, even went so far as to say that he could see how just riding a horse could be considered to be a type of soring.
The revised rule states: “Soring has been used almost exclusively in the training of certain Tennessee Walking Horses and racking horses to induce pain, resulting in an exaggerated gait that is valued in the show ring. However, the HPA’s prohibition against sored horses participating in shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions extends to events involving all horse breeds.”
It has been estimated that there are usually no more than 50 TWH shows in any given year, which stands to reason as the TWH sector is a relatively small portion of the overall United States horse industry.
The new requirements would extend to ALL shows, from local 4-H play-days to annual international competitions, easily totaling hundreds of shows. Currently, speed-based events are exempt.
If an event manager chooses not to request or hire a USDA inspector, they are then liable for any HPA violations found at their event.
While the USDA has exponentially and arbitrarily expanded the scope of the HPA, they have at the same time drastically reduced the number of possible inspectors by eliminating the use of third-partt designated qualified persons (DQPs) that have historically been utilized. This has very effectively and even deliberately created a shortage of qualified inspectors.
The USDA’s APHIS is now solely responsible for training and employing Horse Protection Inspectors (HPIs), who must be licensed veterinarians or veterinary technicians.
The new rule can be read in its entirety here:: www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/05/08/2024-09469/horseprotection-amendments www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2024-0508/pdf/2024-09469.pdf www.aphis.usda.gov/news/ program-update/hpa-final-rule-postponment1-24-2025
I place the hog in the third position and over the cow because the pig doesn’t have the IQ of a cauliflower like many cows I’ve known. In terms of intelligence, hogs could have been placed at the top of the class but their putrid smell and evasive nature puts them in the third position today. I do not like that they are evasive as coyotes and have the morals of a Congressperson.
I grant that the meat from a bovine tastes better that all the rest but I was forced to put the cow in the fourth spot today because when the chips are down cattle are nowhere to be found. Take the bull for instance, when he’s done violating cows and heifers he goes off and drinks with his buddies for nine months. Neither is the cow that quick on the uptake. All a cow has to do to live a long and productive life is bring a healthy calf to the branding pen every year and yet she will not stand for a bull and kicks at the artificial inseminator. They also have a propensity to pee on expensive hay. Cows aren’t cowboy-friendly and if you yell instructions at them it just goes in one ear and out the udder.
I place the cow above the sheep and rolled the sheep to the bottom of the class because the cow is still not as stupid as your normal sheep whose IQ is lower than the average temperature of South Dakota in winter. A sheep doesn’t know the difference between a cow and a sow and spends its time just huntin’ for a place to die. A young lamb’s goal in life is to grow up and be a car seat cushion like its father and mother.
It’s for these reasons that I place this class of farm animals dog, horse, hog, cow, and sheep. ▫
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Arizona Governor’s Illegal Water Rule Threatens Housing in Arizona— Goldwater Sues
BY STACY SKANKEY
Arizona is facing a housing crisis, and now Governor Katie Hobbs is taking illegal actions that make the problem even worse, throwing up roadblocks to new home construction.
Today, the Goldwater Institute sued the Hobbs administration on behalf of the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona to halt one of the most significant bureaucratic overreaches in Arizona’s history.
In certain parts of Maricopa County, builders must obtain a certificate showing a 100-year groundwater supply before they construct new housing—and home builders have historically met this requirement. But in November, the Arizona Department of Water Resources imposed a new policy, based on a flawed concept called “unmet demand,” that prevents new housing projects in large portions of the Valley, including Buckeye and Queen Creek.
Although the phrase “unmet demand” does not exist in Arizona law, this new rule
now requires homebuilders to show a 100-year groundwater supply across the entire water management area (a specially designated area with a reliance on groundwater) rather than at the site of the proposed development. In other words, if a groundwater shortage is projected anywhere within a management area, the Department of Water Resources now claims that there is insufficient groundwater elsewhere in the Valley.
The model further compounds this issue by arbitrarily placing wells throughout the management area that do not move over the course of 100 years, far in excess of the life expectancy of most wells. This approach defies common sense.
If water in a hypothetical well is projected to dip below a certain depth in the East Valley, the agency declares a water shortage for developments in entirely unrelated areas like the West Valley, prohibiting homebuilders in the affected areas from constructing any new homes.
The new rule is also illegal—it was imposed without legislative authorization or the required
USDA Raises 2025 Beef Production Forecast
BY CHRIS MOORE / MEATINGPLACE.COM
The USDA adjusted its 2024 red meat, poultry and egg supply estimates to reflect December production, ending stocks and trade data. For 2025, the beef production forecast was raised due to resumed cattle imports from Mexico, a larger-than-expected 2024 calf crop and increased placements, particularly in the second half of the year, according to the latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE). Heavier carcass weights also contributed to the increase.
Pork production was revised upward as higher weights are expected to offset a slower slaughter pace in the first quarter. Broiler production remained unchanged, with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)-related culling slowing first-quarter slaughter, offset by increased third-quarter production. Turkey and egg production forecasts were lowered due to HPAI-related losses, though flocks are expected to rebuild in the second half of the year.
Beef exports for 2025 were raised on increased production and strong global demand, while pork exports were lowered due to slower-than-expected market growth. Broiler and turkey export forecasts were reduced due to global competition and domestic supply constraints.
Cattle price forecasts increased across all four quarters, reflecting recent price trends and strong beef demand. Hog prices rose for the first quarter, while broiler price forecasts remained unchanged. Turkey prices were lowered on weaker demand. ▫
formal rulemaking process.
Under Arizona law, sweeping policies like the “unmet demand” rule must go through formal rulemaking, ensuring input from stakeholders and those impacted. Furthermore, all agency rules must be authorized by the Arizona Legislature—a principle rooted in our democratic system, where lawmaking is entrusted to elected representatives, not faceless bureaucrats.
“Decisions on vital statewide concerns like the availability of affordable housing and the responsible stewardship of our natural resources should be made through a transparent, democratic process—not imposed by executive fiat,” Goldwater Institute Vice President for Litigation Jon Riches says.
“Gov. Hobbs’ deeply inaccurate and flawed claim that Arizona is running out of groundwater is having devastating effects on housing affordability in the state, which already ranks among the worst in the country,” adds Jackson Moll, CEO of the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona.
“Today’s lawsuit strives to uphold the basic democratic and separation of powers principles found in the state constitution, protect our state’s ability to conserve its precious natural resources, and grow economically for the future.”
The Goldwater Institute has a long history of standing up to government bureaucrats when they overstep their authority, both in Arizona and around the nation. We’ll keep fighting government overreach—and ensuring bureaucrats can’t run roughshod over our rights. ▫
Texas A&M Animal Science Researcher Earns Global Recognition with Marshall Medal
Bazer honored for groundbreaking contributions to livestock reproduction research
BY KAY LEDBETTER / TAMU
Fuller Bazer, Ph.D., a professor in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Animal Science, received the Marshall Medal, the highest honor awarded by the Society for Reproduction and Fertility. This prestigious accolade recognizes a career with a significant impact on fertility and reproduction.
Bazer received the medal during the 18th annual Fertility Conference in Liverpool, hosted by leading reproductive science organizations, including the Association of Reproductive and Clinical Scientists, the British Fertility Society and the Society for Reproduction and Fertility.
Established in 1963, the Marshall Medal commemorates the legacy of agricultural physiologist F. H. A. Marshall, Ph.D., and honors those whose lifetime achievements have advanced reproductive sciences.
Clay Mathis, Ph.D., head of the Department of Animal Science, underscored the significance of this recognition and praised Bazer’s work for how it has transformed our understanding of livestock production efficiency worldwide.
“We are proud of Dr. Bazer’s recognition for the advancement of animal science,” Mathis said. “He has built an enduring legacy as one of the foremost reproductive scientists in the world. His innovative work has transformed our understanding of pregnancy establishment in livestock, cementing Texas A&M’s leadership in animal science research.”
Bazer, recently recognized as the top researcher in the world in the “Animal Science and Veterinary” category by Research.com, is a Regents Fellow, Distinguished Professor and the O.D. Butler Chair of Physiology and Reproduction. He is credited with discovering uteroferrin, a phosphatase produced in response to progesterone that transfers iron to the developing embryo and stimulates red blood cell development. He also identified estradiol as the pregnancy recognition signal in swine and interferon tau as the signal in ruminants — findings that have reshaped animal management practices to improve pregnancy outcomes.
Bazer is a past recipient of the Morrison Award from the American Society of Animal Science, the Hartman Award from the Society for the Study of Reproduction and the Wolf Prize in Agriculture for his Interferon tau discovery as well as his discovery of other pregnancy-associated proteins. He is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a recipient of the L.E. Casida Award for Graduate Education, and the Animal Physiology and Endocrinology Award, both from the American Society of Animal Science, and awards for research, graduate education and service from the Society for the Study of Reproduction.
Catastrophic wildfires are destroying our forests, homes, and communities. We can’t afford more delays — Congress must act now.
BY NICK SMITH / HEALTHY FORESTS, HEALTHY COMMUNITIES
The bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act (H.R. 471) is a solution we need. This critical legislation, sponsored by Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA), will streamline forest management, reduce fuel loads, and help prevent devastating wildfires before they ignite. Wildfires are burning hotter,
faster, and more destructive than ever. In just 2024 alone, over 7 million acres have been scorched, with billions of dollars in damage and thousands of families displaced. We must act to restore forest health and protect our communities.
The House of Representatives passed the Fix Our Forests Act in January with bipartisan support, but the Senate has yet to act. We need your voice to urge the Senate
Time to Rethink Deworming the Beef Herd
ERIC BAILEY, UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI
The use of commercial livestock dewormers has paid off in terms of animal health and productivity, but it has also resulted in resistance among parasite populations.
“As dewormers lose effectiveness, producers need to develop a broader strategy for managing internal parasites in their livestock,” said Eric Meusch, University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist.
Resistance to deworming products
A recent study funded by Merck Animal Health and led by Eric Bailey of the University of Missouri conducted fecal egg count reduction tests in beef herds across the state, finding resistance to macrocyclic lactone dewormers (avermectin-type dewormers). The benzimidazole class of dewormer (“white” dewormer) still showed efficacy above the threshold for effective deworming, which is 90 percent. The results of the Missouri study are consistent with a larger data set compiled by Merck Animal Health.
The dewormers losing efficacy are products commonly used in pour-on and injectable forms and have become popular due to cost and ease of administration.
“The popularity and frequency of use of these products has likely led to resistance,” said Meusch.
Understanding the enemy
To manage parasites, it is important to understand their life cycle, said Meusch. Stomach worms must complete several life-cycle stages both inside the gastrointestinal tract of cattle and on the pasture. The cows can only be infected by consuming grass from infected pastures, and pastures can only be infected by cows carrying adult stomach worms.
Worms that are resistant to a dewormer (less than 90 percent are killed by the treatment) survive and lay eggs that are deposited in the pasture. Over time, the percentage of resistant larvae increases in the pasture until the animals are infected with worms that can no longer be controlled with the product.
Manage the problem strategically
Better grazing and pasture management can limit the exposure of cows to parasites on pasture, Meusch said. Rotational grazing can allow cows to avoid times when the most larvae are emerging on the grass. Because the larvae remain lower in the grass surface layer to keep from drying out, leaving a higher residual when grazing can help avoid exposure to the larvae as well.
Strategic deworming is another concept that can help avoid exposure to parasite larvae on pasture. This is basically timing deworming treatments to take advantage of when the worms on the pasture are dormant and not re-infecting animals. When temperatures drop to 28 degrees Fahrenheit a few times, typically in the late fall, it can be a good time to deworm because it isn’t likely that cattle will be re-infected from the pasture after that point. This allows them to go through the winter without stomach worms, ensuring they benefit the most from supplemental feeding. It also ensures cattle aren’t depositing more eggs on the pasture over the winter.
The parasites infecting pastures will become active again in the spring when temperatures regularly exceed 50 degrees. As the eggs emerge into larvae and advance to the third stage, the cows will be infected again. The next strategic time to deworm is about six weeks after the springtime temperatures exceed 50 degrees. At this time, the cows will have been re-infected but are not yet depositing eggs in the pasture. This extends the time that eggs aren’t being deposited and helps reduce the parasite burden on the pasture.
It isn’t always possible to visually identify which cows are carrying the heaviest worm loads, but culling cows that chronically show symptoms of a heavy parasite infection can also benefit overall herd health.
“By managing grazing and strategically deworming cattle to avoid further pasture contamination, producers can keep their animals healthy and productive, as well as help ensure the long-term efficacy of deworming products,” said Meusch.
For more info about deworming strategies or assessing the worm load in your cow herd, contact your local MU Extension center, or email Eric Meusch at meusche@missouri.edu. ▫
to pass this bill without delay and send it to the President’s desk! Please take two minutes to send a message in the form below.
healthyforests.org/action-center
Why the Fix Our Forests Act Matters
■ Restores Forest Health: The bill allows for more effective, science-based forest thinning and fuels reduction to reduce wildfire risk.
■ Cuts Red Tape: It simplifies environmental reviews and removes bureaucratic delays that slow down critical wildfire prevention projects.
■ Increases Collaboration: Encourages cooperation
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Moves to Downlist the Endangered GoldenCheeked Warbler
BY DAVID MARTIN DAVIES, TEXAS PUBLIC RADIO
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) recently decided that the golden-cheeked warbler should no longer be considered “endangered.” The decision came despite mounting threats to the warbler’s habitat from both land development and climate change.
The golden-cheeked warbler is a small songbird native to Central Texas. It is the only bird species that breeds exclusively in Texas.
The announcement to downlist the bird came after a fiveyear FWS assessment. In early January it published a review that found that the Texas bird no longer required an “endangered” listing under the Endangered Species Act. The assessment proposed downlisting the warbler to “threatened,” which could reduce the protections the bird has in the state.
In 2019, a federal judge ruled that the golden-cheeked warbler should stay listed as endangered due to the continued loss of its habitat in the Texas Hill Country because of new subdivisions, businesses, roads, reservoirs, and other human activity.
In 2020, a judge from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the FWS to reconsider the status. The federal agency rejected the petition again in July that same year. In early January 2022, the fight was revived when another lawsuit was filed to delist the bird as an endangered species.
After five years and the latest evaluation, the proposal to downlist the bird returned.
LMA Offers
Nine $2,500 Scholarships for Students in Agriculture
The Livestock Marketing Association has opened its 2025 scholarship program application period. This annual program is designed to support students who understand the vital role of agriculture and its supporting industries, including the auction method of livestock marketing.
The program invites applicants to share how they plan to use their education and future careers to advocate for or advance the livestock marketing industry. Nine deserving students will each be awarded a one-time $2,500 scholarship to assist with their academic pursuits.
The scholarship, now in its third year, was expanded to support more students with aspirations of using their careers to support the livestock and livestock marketing industry. Applicants must be sponsored by an LMA member livestock marketing business and answer essay questions on issues of importance to the industry.
Additional requirements include a minimum GPA of 2.0 and sponsorship by an LMA member livestock marketing business. Along with the scholarship funds, recipients gain industry recognition and networking opportunities with livestock marketing professionals.
LMA is committed to fostering the next generation of leaders in agriculture and ensuring the sustainability of the livestock marketing industry. The scholarship program aims to help students build careers that contribute to the success of livestock auctions, marketing operations, and related agricultural enterprises.
Applications will be accepted through Friday, March 14, 2025, at 4 p.m. CT. The selection committee evaluates applicants based on academic achievements, involvement in agriculture, leadership experience, and responses to essay questions addressing key industry topics.
Winners will be announced later in the year, with scholarships awarded for the 20252026 academic year. Students interested in applying can visit www.lmaweb.com/ About/scholarships for application details and eligibility requirements. ▫
between federal, state, tribal, and local land managers to create a unified response to wildfire risks.
■ Expands Management Areas: Increases the size of existing Categorical Exclusions (CEs) for forest treatments from 3,000 or 4,500 acres to 10,000 acres, allowing more proactive management.
■ Stops Frivolous Litigation: Fixes the “Cottonwood” decision to prevent unnecessary lawsuits from obstructing vital forest restoration projects.
■ Saves Water: Forest thinning helps conserve billions of gallons of water annually, protecting aquifers and ensuring water flows for communities, farms, and wildlife.
Austin-based groups Save Our Springs Alliance and Earth Justice expressed disappointment in any attempt to downlist the status of the warbler. They’ve urged the agency to reconsider its decision. In a statement the groups said the decision was “out of step with the best available science.”
If the new designation is approved, the downlisting is subject to review and comment from the public.
Without urgent action, our forests will remain vulnerable to extreme wildfires. We cannot wait for another disaster. The Fix Our Forests Act is a common-sense, bipartisan solution that will prevent destruction, protect our natural resources, and support our rural communities. Please send a message to your U.S. Senators and urge them to support the Fix Our Forests Act (H.R. 471). Ask them to push for an immediate vote to pass this legislation and protect our forests and communities. ▫
