LMD Feb 24

Riding Herd Saying things that need to be said.

February 15, 2024 • www.aaalivestock.com

Volume 66 • No. 2

by LEE PITTS

The CON In Conservation Your Carbon

BY LEE PITTS

A

fter writing in this space for 40 years, I’ve found that there are three subjects guaranteed to generate hate mail. By far the number one topic of discord is wolves. After one encounter with the subject I even received my one and only death threat (I tend not to write about wolves quite as often as I should). The number two subject of hostility is the NCBA/ Checkoff connection. Believe me, I’ve got a filing cabinet full of letters pro and con and a cauliflower ear from listening to all the callers on both sides of that subject.

I’ve written early and often about the third most contentious topic which is conservation easements and I’ve had readers on both sides of the subject accuse me of being for or against them.

Initially, I liked conservation easements. I thought they were an ingenious way to preserve ag land and allow ranchers adequate funds so they wouldn’t have to sell out to rich easterners. Or see the land that several generations of their family loved and preserved be paved over by developers. But I’m afraid as time goes by cracks and chinks in the easement’s armor began to show and it’s getting harder and harder to sing their praises when stories like the one that follows keep popping up.

Bad Actors

NEWSPAPER PRIORITY HANDLING

According to the Land Trust Alliance, Inc. “There are a small number of bad actors profiteering off the manipulation of tax

was a certified public accountant who began selling units in his abusive tax shelters as early as 2008 and is now looking at 25 years in prison. James Sinnott, an attorney who joined Fisher in 2013 and oversaw the massive expansion of the tax shelter’s fraudulent deduction amounts claimed from the IRS was sentenced to 23 years.

“Using inflated appraisals, backdated documents and other sham actions, these conspirators generated more than $1.3 billion in fraudulent syndicated conservation easement tax deductions.” The DOJ reported that this led to a tax loss to the IRS of over $450 million.

And the IRS doesn’t like to “That was the trouble with get cheated explaining with words. out of their fair share!

If you explained Fisher’s aswith gunpowder, sistant, Kate Joy, was also people listened.” indicted and remains a fugitive.

Fisher was The Department of Justice a pioneer in the conservation Office (DOJ) says Jack Fisher easement industry and he and Sinnott each made millions of incentives intended to encourage charitable gifts of land and conservation easements.” On January 9, 2024, two of these bad actors were sentenced to 25 years and 23 years in prison in a billion-dollar syndicated conservation easement tax scheme.

The two men will be spending a lot of time making license plates or hair bridles in prison for crimes arising from their organization, promotion and sale of abusive syndicated conservation easement tax shelters.

According to Forbes, “There is also restitution to be paid: $455,855,755 from Fisher and $443,760,035 from Sinnott.”

Columbia Basin’s Odessa Ground Water Replacement Program Affects Many People

BY HEATHER SMITH THOMAS

T

he U.S. Bureau of Reclamation was created in 1902 to help develop the arid western states. Central Washington’s Columbia Plateau was a perfect candidate for a project—a desert with fertile soil and the Columbia River passing through. Various groups lobbied for irrigation projects. A Spokane group wanted a 134-mile gravity flow canal from Lake Pend Oreille and a Wenatchee group wanted a dam on the Columbia River, to pump water up to fill nearby Grand Coulee, a dry canyon.

After thirteen years of debate, President Franklin Roosevelt authorized the dam with National Industrial Recovery Act money, later authorized by the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1935, then reauthorized by the Columbia Basin Project Act of 1943 which put it under the Reclamation Project Act of 1939.

The Columbia Basin Project goal was to put 1,100,000 acres under irrigation to attract settlers to farm the land.

Construction of Grand Coulee Dam began in 1933 and was completed in 1942. Its main purpose—irrigation--was postponed during World War II in favor of electrical power generation for the war effort. Additional hydroelectric generating capacity was contincontinued on page 4

dollars promoting and selling their tax shelters to wealthy taxpayers. The two men also used fraudulent deductions generated by their tax shelters on their own personal income tax returns to reduce the taxes they owed on the millions earned.

“The evidence,” according to the DOJ, “proved that Fisher and Sinnott designed, marketed and sold to high-income clients abusive syndicated conservation easement tax shelters based on fraudulently inflated charitable contribution tax deductions, promising them deductions 4.5 times the amount the taxpayer clients paid to buy the deductions.”

In what looks like a snub to the IRS, “Fisher and Sinnott then used the funds raised from their taxpayer clients to buy land through their holding companies and then had those companies donate the land, or a conservation easement over the land, often within days or weeks of the land’s purchase,” said the DOJ. “To reach the inflated fair market value of the donations, Fisher and Sinnott then used appraisals of the conservation

continued on page 2

Feds to Draw Up Plan to Return Grizzly Bears to Idaho, Montana

BY MICHAEL DOYLE / GREENWIRE

G

rizzly bears could return to the Bitterroot region of Montana and Idaho, under potential plans that will now be scrutinized by the Fish and Wildlife Service.

Pressed by environmentalists and a judge’s order, the federal agency announced Wednesday that it will “reevaluate a range of options to restore the grizzly bear” to the area known as the Bitterroot ecosystem. The environmental impact statement will assess options that include designating an “experimental population” of the grizzlies.

“We expect that the alternatives could potentially restore a grizzly bear population to the [ecosystem] with varying success and in varying timeframes,” the Fish and Wildlife Service stated.

Underscoring the complications ahead, the FWS noted that the potential impacts include those on “fish and wildlife, including grizzly bears, wilderness areas, visitor use and recreational experience, public and employee safety, socioeconomics, and Tribal cultural and related resources.”

The grizzly bear is currently designated as threatened under the ESA, though the Fish and Wildlife Service is reevaluating this status.

The Bitterroot ecosystem is one of six “recovery zones” identified in a 1993 species recovery plan, meaning it is large enough and has sufficontinued on page 6

Footprint

W

e hear a lot about our carbon footprint but so far no one has come up with a formula or algorithm to calculate it. It’s not as easy as just buying a pair of Birkenstocks and trading in your Cadillac for a Smart Car. We’re told that the goal of all of us should be to become “carbon neutral,” or “net zero.”

If we don’t, we’re told the ice caps will melt and Polar Bears will have to relocate to Detroit and Los Angeles.

San Francisco and Portland will be flooded away. There could be some negative consequences too.

The day is rapidly approaching when your carbon footprint score will be more important than your credit score. You’ll try to buy a fossil-powered car and the salesman will be forced to say, “Sorry, we’d like to sell you this car but your carbon footprint is already bigger than Sasquatch’s.”

For the first time someone (me) has figured out a way to calculate your carbon footprint. Here’s my formula: Everyone starts out at net zero, in other words, you use up as much carbon as you produce. If your carbon footprint score is less than net zero that’s good, whereas a carbon footprint score larger than net zero means you’re a revolting pariah and socially undesirable.

If you drive a Tesla, Volt or Prius you’re off to a good start, provided of course you remembered to plug your car in. Subtract 50 points for every electric car or truck you own despite the fact the electricity it runs on was actually produced by nuclear power or natural gas. If you drive a gas-powered truck with a bed large enough to hold two Smart Cars add 50 points. Also add ten points for every foot your truck is off the ground because it makes the drivers of diminutive electric cars like the Ioniq, Ariya, Lyriq, Lucid, Crosstrek and Euv’s nervous.

(For every misspelled electric car you own subtract another 50 points.)

If you voted for Donald Trump for President add 100 points to your score. Also add 30 points for every time you stayed in one of his hotels, played one of his golf

continued on page 4

Page 2

Livestock Market Digest

February 15, 2024

THE CON IN CONSERVATIVE

lit Yes.

easements at valuations often more than 10 times higher than the price actually paid to acquire the property.”

According to the DOJ, “The evidence further showed that Fisher and Sinnott backdated and instructed others to falsely backdate documents to be presented to the IRS. Fisher’s accountant, a partner at the accounting firm Fisher started, testified at trial and previously pleaded guilty for his role in the scheme. Along with Fisher and Sinnott, he oversaw the preparation of false tax returns, which claimed charitable contribution tax deductions based upon the false appraisals. The evidence demonstrated that Fisher, Sinnott and others received more than $41 million in payments from the sale of units in these tax shelters that involved backdated documents or untimely payments, which were paid to claim fraudulent and inflated tax deductions.

“The government proved that Fisher and Sinnott personally made millions from their scheme. Fisher used the illegal proceeds to purchase luxury items, including a Mercedes Benz, an upscale RV and trailer and a private jet. Fisher also used proceeds of the scheme to purchase homes and condos in the U.S. and on the Caribbean Island of Bonaire,” according to the DOJ.

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The American Institute of Certified Tax Planners (AICTP) explains, “To set up a conservation easement, the owner enters into an agreement with an environmental organization or public agency, the donee.

Donees may not be just anyone, but most U.S. government agencies, public charities and not-for-profit land trusts qualify.

The donee then has the right to enforce the easement.

“In most cases, you cannot claim a charitable tax deduction on property if you still own property you donated. A conservation easement is different.

The owner may claim contribution deductions for the fair market value of conservation easements they donate even though they still own and use the land.

“The tax deduction is not for the total value of the land, but for the value of the use you gave up. So, you have the land appraised for the value it would have if the land were developed, perhaps the site of a residential housing development or office park. Then you get another appraisal for the land with the conservation easement which would bar development. The difference is the value of the charitable contribution.”

According to the AICTP, “The limitation on a charitable deduction for a conservation easement is usually 50 percent of adjusted gross income for individual taxpayers. Another plus is that for any charitable contribution that is above the limitation, the taxpayer can carry it over for 15 years. Most charitable contributions are limited to a five-year carry-over.”

On their face, conservation easements sound beneficial to everyone. “They can be another arrow in the quiver of environmentalists who want to resist the trend to “pave paradise to put up a parking lot,” says the AICTP. “Owners of green spaces are given charitable tax

from page 1

deductions to encourage them to preserve part of the natural world, which results in a benefit to the community.”

That’s the theory anyway.

As often happens with good things, people take well-intended regulations and twist them to purposes never imagined in the original design. “The primary way they abuse the law is through fraudulent appraisals,” says the AICTP. They offer up a typical example of the fraud.

“You might buy some grassland at $2 million and put a conservation easement on it that restricts its use to grazing livestock. There can be no development or construction outside of maybe a barn for the animals.

The appraiser then values the land at $20 million, on the basis of its worth if you developed commercial buildings on the property, even if that may not ever be a likely outcome. Voila!

A $20 million charitable tax deduction, $18 million over what you actually paid.”

It’s the syndication of these deals that could blow up the landowner’s vision of what might happen to his or her property. “When you are talking about this kind of a pay-off in real estate, syndication cannot be far behind,” says the AICTP. “Increasingly, instead of benevolent landowners granting conservation easements in order to preserve the land, promoters are syndicating conservation easement purchases for investors, who then get charitable contribution deductions that far surpass the amounts they invested.”

Don’t Irritate The IRS As far back as 2017 the IRS said, “The average contribution deduction from this preliminary analysis was 9 times the amount of the investment in the transaction. On top of that, the promoter, of course, takes a healthy fee for putting the deal together.”

Here’s another typical example of the scam. “A conservation easement is granted when a landowner permanently protects pristine land from development,” says the DOJ. “The idea is that the public enjoys the benefit of undeveloped land and the taxpayer gets a charitable deduction. However, when a securities offering is created and syndicated promoters then buy land, find an appraiser willing to declare that it has huge development value and thus is worth many more times the purchase price, and the issuer then turns around and sells stakes in the deal to wealthy investors who extract enormous tax deductions that are often five or more times what the investment costs.”

To make the whole scam work the syndicators need an appraiser who is willing to sell his or her soul to the devil. Enter one Walter Roberts II. Mr. Roberts conspired with others to defraud the U.S. by fraudulently inflating the value of the conservation easements upon which the tax deductions were based from 2008 to 2019.

Roberts became a licensed appraiser in 2007 and immediately began providing appraisals of conservation easements.

According to the DOJ, “In just 11 years Roberts fraudulently inflated the values of at least 18 conservation easements by

The AICTP advises their members, “If your client owns some land they would genuinely like to preserve, they are not a target of the IRS. Notice 201710 is not aimed at taxpayers who want to put a conservation easement on property they already own. Neither does it apply to a pass-through entity such as an LLC where there has been no promotion to investors to get a huge tax deduction from their investment in the conservation easement.” But still, “Syndicated conservation easements are extremely suspect, and the IRS is looking closely at them.”

The IRS has been watching these syndicators since at least since 2019 when they put conservation easements on its annual “Dirty Dozen” list which, says the IRS, “represents the worst of the worst tax scams.”

How did a seemingly benign charitable tax deduction go so wrong?

Any story about conservation easements wouldn’t be complete if it didn’t include another firm the IRS has been watching: EcoVest Capital Inc. A current government lawsuit accuses that firm of helping generate more than $3 billion in deductions as part of several conservation easement alleged cons.

The Atlanta firm is one of the biggest promotors of syndicated conservation easements investment programs and is a primary target of the DOJ. Their lawsuit states that EcoVest has been involved in 51 syndication easement deals since 2009.

A typical EcoVest syndicated offering was called Miramar Pointe Holdings LLC, and it shows how brokerage firms make gobs of cash from

United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) must first make available all compatibility determinations and document the history of refuge establishment and management as well as original refuge purposes and authorizing authority”

these offerings. Over 200 investors bought part of The Miramar Pointe LLC beginning on December 5, 2018. From these 204 investors EcoVest allegedly gathered up $18,961,022 with sales commissions and fees on the offering estimated at $ 2,154,386. Or nearly 9 percent of the offering amount.

That’s good work if you can get it!

In 2015 an affiliate of EcoVest acquired 28 acres in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for $1.1 million. The firm then went out and raised around $9 million from investors to buy the property and made an easement donation.

The donation was alleged to be based on a claimed value for what the land would be worth if developed as a multifamily resort but this appraisal resulting in a tax deduction of about $39.7 million. In total, the tax write-off for investors was $4.12 for every $1 invested.

No wonder there are three IRS divisions presently conducting examinations of conservation easement syndication deals after identifying 125 high-risk cases. In addition, more than 80 tax court cases are now pending against partnerships that used the syndicated easement deduction.

If you have entered into a conservation easement don’t worry, you are not necessarily a target of the IRS sharks. The people who should be wor-

Now the FWS is saying because of climate change, history is not as important. But the statutes prioritize original purpose and intent. Here is the link to the preliminary Federal Register Draft for the rule below: 2024-02076.pdf (federalregister.gov)

Advertise to Cattleman in the Livestock Market Digest

USFWS Notice of Intent for Refuge Policy

he US Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) proposal for refuge management states that historical conditions need to serve as a reference point rather than an end goal, and that this could allow refuge managers to alter targets for restoration of habitat and wildlife populations.

“This proposed language would untether current and future management actions from sustaining historical conditions that may no longer be possible on many refuges,” the FWS said.

FWS Director Martha Williams claims the updates will, “provide a consistent, transparent approach and help strengthen the

Service’s ability to achieve the Refuge System mission to conserve, manage and restore fish, wildlife and plant resources on national wildlife refuges across the United States.”

This goes directly contrary to the National Refuge Improvement Act which requires each individual refuge to be managed according to the original purposes for which they have been established which often times includes, as in the case of the CMR, wildlife population thresholds, and livestock grazing enjoying a secondary use of the range.

MtNRC Comments from October 16th 2023, “National refuge system goals and plans are subordinate to individual refuge purposes. The

▫

Comment on this rule will presumably be due March2, 2024.

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

– JAMES RUSSEL

L LOWELL

January 15, 2016

by LEE PITTS

• www.aaalivestoc

Playing G k.com

Volume 58 • No.

1

Getting Hammered

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he soundtrack of my life has been the chant of an auctioneer.

By Lee Pitts In the past I have attended 43 years he stars in this of auctions and thousands glow-in-the-dark story are auctions from have seen fish might pee every angle in the gene pool, muscle-bound kitty-cats, as a consigno If you’re ridin’ so to speak, salmon, r, buyer, ring thereby creating silk-spinning ahead man, mutant clerk, auctione wild salmon. of the herd, take po-allergenic-cow goats, hyOnly after man and announc er, gate AquaBounty a look was able to make er of a viderless chickens s and featheo auction compan their AquAdv . So back every now antage fish sterile taking up your why are we y for 20 years that sold did FDA give & time talking nearly half a their about animals then to make million head per proval. The FDA seal of apthat would seem sure it’s year. to belong more also demandhelped sell everythin I have ed that for it on some circus to midway freak still there. art to road graders g from United States be sold in the show more than they do the front AquAdvantage and the only kind of salmon must page of a cattle auction I think be raised only newspaper? doesn’t get its I haven’t worked in land-bas way. ed A “pout” is a tanks Because in a to American consume hogs. And it’s is one for ties, one in Canadain two facilifew short years serpent-like fish with antifreez not on my you may be rs. A clos- er and the othproteins in its e er look at bucket list. As creating your in Panama AquaBo blood . own it to an auction unty reveals it customized cows allowing is junkie I formed majority-owned live Although, CostCo the following by a firm technology that using the same By mixing in freezing waters. trades , Tradopinions. genes from the under the name that er Joe’s, Whole freaks of non-natucreated these strains Foods, Tartwo trexon of In- get, Safeway of salmon Auctioneers re.

Corpora scientists created with the pout as the Monsan tion. Think of it they won’t and Kroger’s say slowest chants with the A Game Change to of genetica sell are wine and can reach a marketaa fish that modified r lly salmon, there’s AquAdvantage art auctione (GM) fish. ers ble weight a In 2004 there fastest are cattle while the As you can in the next few good chance was a much-ig in a year-and-a-half instead imagine, connored America years you may of sumer, The best person colonels. unknowingly n monster movie the usual three years buy and eat some with wild groups animal rights and green whose villain to have salmon. at an auction because as of was were not thrilled is now, the engineered fish a genetically just bidder like with foreign After a 20-year the coming-out with who raises his that lived in beef, it doesn’t battle with or her hand party of the suLouisiana bayou. a regulato have to perfish. and keeps it in be labeled. That’s rs, AquaBo (Don’t feel the unty has bad, I never saw the least favorite air, while The AquAdv FDA says there because the the film either.) now been given U.S. antage salmon person is a You may never Food & are no materiDrug Adminis non-buying busy-bod al differences have heard of tration (FDA) was actually declared safe between an engithe name of the y who to eat neered by the FDA constantly waves non-Oscar award approval to sell its and a normal way back in genetically winning movie salmon.

2010 but critics objected The most male to friends. called Franken altered AquAdvantage AquaBounty’s dominated fish, but you salmon that CEO Ronald back then crowds will in the futurethe genetically are found at because critics engineered Safari Club, Rocky of genetically Mounta modified organism and Duck’s Unlimite in Elk continued on page s (GMO’s) have slapped two d auctions while more the Franken fish females are nickname on found at quilt a auctions. salmon created quick-growing The neatest trick I’ve Massachusetts in 1989 by a ever seen an company called auctioneer do AquaBounty. was frequent The ly Atlantic salmon firm took an

by Bert and Rubenperformed and inserted genes from a Reyes in

BY ADAM WITHNA South Texas.

Chinook salmon LL, My friends had and an ocean INDEPENDENT.CO the ability to “pout”. And sell in no, mended “healthie .UK we aren’t talking glish and Spanish both Enabout what advice from the r” foods prescribed in recent your kid does ommon vegetabl switch back and and could US when he or es ‘require more forth on the she increased a person’s Department of Agricult es per calorie’ same lot dependi ure impact on the than many people resourc- across all three ng on who environment according to was bidding. factors – even a team of scientist realize, orie intake when overall was reduced prestigious calThe least dangero s at the The experts examine . us aucbased in Pittsbur Carnegie Mellon Universi tions are cake ty ing and d how growing gh, Pennsylvania. auctions and , processtransporting Eating a healthie you’d think that food; sales and r diet rich in gun and househo etables could might be the most auctions actually be more fruit and veg- the environmld storage and use all take service; environment a toll on harmful to the but auto auctionsdangerous ent for different than foods. are. Not Paul study has claimed. consuming some meat, a because they US professoFischbeck, study co-autho can r and CMU’s r of social and Lettuce is “over you but because bankrupt decisions sciences I almost got house gas emission three times worse in green- “Lots of common vegetabl , said: run over by a 56 es require more ing to research s than eating bacon”, accord- sources per calorie than car auction once. Chevy at a ers from the you would think. re“Eggplant, celery Carnegie Mellon University who The biggest steals and analysed the at aucimpact per calorie ularly bad when comparecucumbers look particof different foods tions are found at The initial findings d to pork or chicken.” estate use and emission in terms of energy cost, water sales and silent of the study s. auctions. The prising”, accordin were “surPublished in worse deals are g to senior the found at any Anthony research Decisions journal, Environment Systems auction where and pendent Froggatt at Chatham House, fellow the study goes the grain of recent an indethink-tank which wears tuxedos, sales crew calls for humans against the a project is currently running the auction meat to curb looking at the to quit eating has a theme, climate link between there is valet sumption and meat conResearchers did change. parking, food greenhouse gas not argue against is emissions.

Mr. Froggatt people should real dishes and served on the idea told the Indepen be eating less one spouse lettuce dent it is “true meat, or the that livestock often asks the fact energy can be incredibly water contributes to other for their intensive and an enormous portion of global intensive to produce opinion. I have proemissions – up NEVER seen according to to 51 per cent ative exercises vary hugely ”, but such compara cow buyer ask some studies. depending on a wife, or a the foods are But they found mistress, for how raised that eating only permission to “We usually look or grown. the recomat proteins rather than calcontinued on page fourteen continued on page fourteen

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Lettuce is ‘thr bacon’ for em ee times worse than diets could beissions and vegetarian bad for environ ment

LING

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The Dirty Dozen

Page 3

PRIORITY HAND

not following normal appraisal methods, making false statements, and either personally manipulating or relying on knowingly manipulated data, in order to reach a targeted appraisal value that would result in the desired tax deduction amount.”

In other words, Roberts asked his co-conspirators what the appraisal number needed to be (We wonder if Mr. Roberts actually visited the site). When the IRS zeroed in on his appraisals, they found Roberts inflated some of his appraisals by at least 70 percent. The 18 conservation easements Roberts fraudulently appraised claimed approximately $466,961,000 in tax deductions, resulting in a tax loss to the IRS exceeding $129,000,000.

And the IRS doesn’t like being cheated out of its fair share!

Livestock Market Digest

NEWSPAPER

February 15, 2024

C

www.LeePittsbooks.c

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ried are the ones whose conservation easement was financed by one of these syndicates. Everything may go along swimmingly until you, or your kids, grow tired of partnering with the syndicate and want to sell the ranch. And who is standing there with three-dollar bills with Biden’s picture on them to buy it? The Federal Government, that’s who.

And that, my friends, could be how your property becomes part of Biden’s 30 by 30 conservation plan whose goal is to preserve and conserve 30 percent of America’s land mass. It’s becoming more clear with each passing day that the best tool the feds have at their disposal to reach that goal are conservation easements. So stay tuned for any further developments.

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Page 4

Livestock Market Digest

BASIN YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

continued from page 1

courses, gambled at one of his casinos, watched his TV show called The Apprentice, or attended one of his MAGA rallies.

Also add 50 points if you are a registered Republican. Conversely, subtract 50 points if you are a Democrat. Subtract another 50 points if you still have the Biden/Kamala bumper sticker on your car. That takes real courage to admit to it.

If you are a member of Greenpeace, the Sierra Club, PETA, World Wildlife Fund or Black Lives Matter subtract another 50 points from your carbon score. Also subtract dollar for dollar any extra money you’ve given to these organizations.

Add 25 points to your carbon score for every child in your family more than 2.2 children, which is the amount we would need to maintain a stable population, if hordes weren’t crossing into the U.S. via our southern border. Celebrities with 19 or 20 kids who have their own TV show on cable are exempt. Ditto famous actors who have their own jets and often go places in them to preach to people about decreasing their carbon footprint accompanied only by their pilot, co-pilot and mistress.

If you have solar panels on your roof subtract 50 points even if they are blocked by the Mangrove trees you planted. Subtract another 10 points for every tree you planted.

You can also subtract 10 points for every pound of Beyond Meat or Impossible Beef burger you’ve consumed. (Not just purchased but actually eaten.) Speaking of beef patties, add 25 points each for every cow you own that leaves behind little cow patties of carbon to decompose. For every Big Bird Blender windmill on your property that is busy producing clean energy while slicing and dicing endangered bird species subtract another 50 points.

To reduce your carbon footprint score even further you can subtract 20 points for every time you watch Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth.” Don’t forget to subtract the same amount from your IQ too!

Once you die and your carcass is buried in the ground where it can decay and rot away gracefully, CONGRATULATIONS, you have now officially achieved net zero and are carbon neutral.

Now that wasn’t that hard, was it?

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Take your marketinJ.{ program to the topf Advertise in the

Contact

Randy Summers ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE

Office: 505/243-9515 Cell: 505/850-8544 rjsauctioneer@aol.com

continued from page 1

February 15, 2024 ter for the 25 communities that rely on the aquifer for their water. This will help stabilize the regional economy and provide a response to environmental impacts of the declining Odessa Subarea aquifer.

Michelle Kiesz is a fourth-generation farmer whose great-grandfather came in 1900 from Odessa, Russia, as did many of the families who farm in the Odessa Subarea. “A bunch of them settled in the Dakotas but my grandfather and many others came farther west and settled here. They trekked across a harsh environment. My great-grandmother lost a set of twins along the way.” It was a tough challenge but they made it work.

Michelle married a

the wells off-line and get surface water from the Columbia. If we can’t, those farmers will be out of business.

They will be back to dryland farming which is not very productive.”

ually added, into the 1970s.

After World War, II the irrigation project suffered a number of setbacks. Water began to arrive between 1948 and 1952, but costs escalated. The origAll four of her wells are off. inal plan, whereby the people “I had to turn them all off about receiving irrigation water would five years ago. It would have pay back the costs of the projcost us about a million dollars ect over time, was repeatedly to go for more water. I can’t do revised. Also, the original vision that to my family and my grandof a social engineering project kids, to pay for that. When the intended to help farmers settle chief of the NRCS (Natural Reon small landholdings wasn’t gosources Conservation Service) ing to work. Farm plots, at first came out last summer I showed restricted in size, became larger. him the neighbor who is still The original plan was for a fedrunning his wells, right next to eral agency, similar to the Tenme, with a beautiful crop of tall nessee Valley Authority, would corn and the soil underneath manage the entire system. Conthat corn is wet and gorgeous. flicts between the Bureau of When you step out of that cornReclamation and the field and into my dry Department of Agridirt, the powdery dust culture thwarted the wafts up your ankles. shared goal of both When you step out of that That’s what happens agencies of settling when you don’t have the area with small cornfield and into my dry dirt, water for this beautiful family farms. soil,” she says.

Determination This land is just the powdery dust wafts up your ankles. to finish the plan south of I-90 and to irrigate the full when wind blows from That’s what happens when you don’t 1,100,000 acres the south it blows waned during the across that freeway. have water for this beautiful soil,” 1960s. Estimated to“We get brownouts tal cost for completwith dust from that ing the project more dryland, causing accidents on than doubled between 1940 and fourth-generation dryland the freeway. All it takes is water, 1964. It became clear that the wheat farmer near Ritzville. to change what this soil can do. government’s financial invest- “Our fathers graduated from It’s sandy loam, and the best in ment would not be recovered. Ritzville High School together. the world,” she says.

Farmers who had taken up land We have four sons and seven “We have the most secure on the unfinished portion, trust- grandchildren. I try to advocate watershed in the nation. ing that they would eventually for the farm community. I am Water in the Columbia flows have the water that had been a paralegal but didn’t finish my out of Canada and we don’t promised to them, were strug- legal degree; I stayed home and have water shortage issues gling to make a living. As a tem- took care of my kids and just like California has. They porary measure, they were given dove into it.” have a million acres off-line permission to drill wells to tap Her efforts began more than right now and estimate there into the underlying aquifer—to 10 years ago after she got a call will be two million acres offsupply the water until the proj- from her cousin Clark Kagele. line in the next couple years. ect was completed and they “Our dads were brothers. Our By contrast, we have a sewould have Columbia River wa- grandfather, Jake Kagele, setcure watershed and could ter delivered by canal. tled in the area where Clark put a million acres under Delay in completing this lives and put down the first deep irrigation and continue deproject resulted in a drain on the well,” Michelle says. velopment of the Columbia aquifer. The Columbia Basin’s “Clark called me because Basin Project. The Odessa Odessa aquifer is a sole-source he was doing irrigation.

Groundwater Replacement aquifer and groundwater for the I was on a dryland farm. to get the wells off-line is just region’s domestic water supply.

Clark said they were looking the emergency phase because Evidence of aquifer depletion at replacing the deep wells we have to get these wells offbegan in the mid-1960s, with and told me I should start line. There are 25 towns that increasing concern about the efgoing to the meetings.” She are already short of water,” fect of deep-well irrigation. invested time and effort into says Michelle.

This aquifer is part of an inresearch on the project, and terconnected systems of aqui“The city of Lind, about 20 began lobbying for it at her fers underlying parts of Grant, miles south of I-90, had a fire 2 own expense, trying to be the Adams, Lincoln, and Franklin years ago that would have wiped voice of the farmers. counties. Declining water supout the entire town because She joined the Columbia their well could not fill the fire plies in the Odessa Subarea has put the region at risk of losing Basin Development League trucks. So all of us farmers in this important resource. Farm- advocating for completion of surrounding areas filled our waers who rely on water for their the project. “This is more than ter trucks and drove to Lind and livelihoods, and communities just getting the wells off-line. put the fire out. That’s the kind and industries that rely on the It is mainly about how to get of community this is, we care aquifer, realize how crucial this water to everyone out here. about each other. These towns resource is to the future of the This is a federal project. These are in a horrific situation, the people were promised water in wells are going dry in Ritzville, region.

The Columbia Basin Con- the 1930’s and 40’s. They were Washtucna, Reardon, Davenservation District participates promised the ability to farm this port, Kahlotus, Moses Lake, in development and implemen- land; a million acres was sup- Othello, and many others—intation of multiple programs and posed to get water from Grand volving more than 125,000 peoprojects designed to address Coulee Dam,” says Michelle. ple, and that number is growwater quantity, quality and presing,” she says.

“Gravity flow was the ervation and protection of the solution, to get water from “This is affecting everyremaining groundwater. A key the dam down to this beauone. It’s not just about farmcomponent of these programs is tiful soil that grows the best ing; it affects many people a vigorous monitoring program potatoes in the world and in central Washington under to evaluate the effect conservamany other crops. It’s not the Columbia Basin Project. tion efforts will have on aquifer just about getting our wells We are dedicated to get this recovery. off-line. My cousin Clark accomplished. These farmThe Odessa Ground Wahas wells that are more than ers grow food for the nation ter Replacement Program 2200 feet deep and the waand the world, and this is (OGWRP) is an aquifer rester down there is about 115 all about food security, and cue mission, with a plan to exdegrees and full of calcium making sure people don’t change--acre for acre--deep well and sodium which isn’t good go hungry. We don’t want irrigation with Columbia Basin for the soil,” she explains. to see people in food lines, Project surface water for 87,700 like we did during COVID.” acres. The goal is to preserve the “We’ve been working with Her worst nightmare, having declining aquifer by reducing the State and were able to grandchildren, is envisioning the drain on it from irrigation pass legislation a couple this happen to them in the wells as soon as possible and years ago to safeguard the future. conserve remaining ground wawater rights until we can get

“

February 15, 2024

THE NEED FOR COOPERATIVE EFFORTS – “The infrastructure to do this will cost billions of dollars. Originally it was estimated at $500 million but we know what has happened over the last few years with inflation and cost increases.

The ability of the farmers to pay for the infrastructure today would be impossible,” says Michelle.

The Bureau of Reclamation did an ability-of-farmers-to-pay study in 2015 on the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Project. “Their finding was a negative $7.57 per acre regarding the farmers’ ability to pay.

This was proof that the farmers themselves could not build this infrastructure. The State was looking at a bond for the irrigation district to put the money up front for us, and we would have to pay for 30 years on a bond for this infrastructure. For a section (640 acres) of land it would take about 3.5 million dollars.

As much as we need the water, we realize we can’t do this. We don’t want to go bankrupt. If the state and the feds want us to continue to feed the world, they will have to help us,” she says.

“Regarding funding, many people just think we want it for free. They don’t know how many millions of dollars farmers have put into drilling wells and building their own infrastructures just to get some water on the land to grow food for the nation and the world until this project is finished. The feds promised us they would finish the Columbia Basin Project. It is still Congressionally approved, to finish 1.1 million acres, and only half the project was completed. On the other half million, only the farmers on 80,000 acres could afford to drill wells. The state gave my grandpa and other farmers at that time permission to dig a well and grow crops until they came back and finished the project. The wells were supposed to be temporary.

Here we are, all these years later, still without water,” she explains.

“I have been working hard on organizing the people involved. The problem was everyone being segmented off in their own little corners—the State, the feds, the farmers, the water purveyors, etc. When we discovered that the Bureau of Reclamation would not be able to fund completion of the project, we found that the NRCS had a conservation program.” Michelle says.

“Farmers can make a gallon of water go a long way. The current push against farmers and ranchers is discouraging. Some people are trying to demonize the growing of alfalfa and hay to feed cattle, yet they want to eat a good steak.” There is a movement to get rid of animal agriculture, and farmers are accused of damaging the environment. People don’t understand the reality--how farmers and ranchers are good stewards of the land, and the fact that people need to eat.

“With the Biden administration, the word of the day is climate. Whether you agree or disagree, no one is better at carbon sequestration than farmers and

Livestock Market Digest ranchers. We have to re-evaluate how we talk, however, to make the climate people understand. When we took folks from the NRCS out there to show them the area south of I-90 on my farm, they could understand. They are climate geniuses and know soils. There was a field with water and a field next to it without. The dirt on the field with no water was probably 100-plus degrees; when you step down into that dirt, it burns your foot. When you go to the watered area that had crops growing, the soil was 30 degrees cooler,” she says.

Heat destroys soil biology—all the microbes in the soil that are necessary to keep it healthy. “We had to show them that big blanket of green out there, with healthier soil, sequestering carbon. We must reeducate the educators in this country! We learned how to speak their language and show them what we can do already, and what we can do even better with adequate water,” says Michelle.

“We were able to include irrigated agriculture in the IRA Climate Smart program, so we qualified for some of the farm bill funding.” The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provided an additional $19.5 billion over five years for climate-smart agriculture through several conservation programs that USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) implements.

“This was the largest award to any project ever, for three of our pumping systems, to irrigate close to 20,000 acres. The farmers now have hope, but I understand their skepticism, wondering if this is ever going to really happen, since it has taken so long. Many have fought for it and died, waiting to see water come to the second half of this project that was promised so long ago. I am the fourth generation on my side of the family that has been involved with this. Watching their faces, when trying to excitedly explain to these farmers that ‘We’ve got this program and are writing grants and having meetings every week— talking to the state, the feds, etcetera,’ the farmers are not believing it because it’s all been promised before,” she says.

“Back in 1987 there was a study done and they thought they would be able to facilitate the second half of the project in the early 1990’s. They were ready to begin, and the Secretary of Interior decided that salmon should be a higher priority. We watched some of those farmers crumble. Some committed suicide. All their hopes were dashed,” she says.

In this area, rainfall is scarce.

“I am dryland farming 2000 acres and only had 8-bushel wheat on one of those pieces last year, which was devastating.” Normally a farm would produce at least 40 bushels per acre, and irrigated ground can produce much more. For instance, in 2020 a Moses Lake farmer produced 206 bushels per acre in an irrigated field,

which was the nation’s best wheat yield that year.

“Now we have hope because we know the water is coming. I have faith that this is what is supposed to happen and we will get it done.

There are wells being turned off all over because farmers can’t continue to run them.”

The wells are going dry or have bad water and people don’t want to put those harmful components into the soil.

“When we got that money awarded, two of the board members of the East Columbia Irrigation District have families who will now be able to get the infrastructure built on their farms. Their reaction was a mix of shock, disbelief, awe and gratefulness, a huge mix of emotions that made my heart leap with joy. We are going to get this done!”

Now they are working on several other grant proposals.

“Harold Crose (with the Columbia Basin Conservation District) came out of retirement to help with this because finishing this project was on his bucket list. It’s been a group effort.

We had to convince the State of certain things they need to do, and they have stepped up to the plate in ways that opened the eyes of the federal government.

The State is helping pay for construction of a federal project, and the farmers themselves are investing in this Public/Private Partnership. We are just making sure that everyone is in the same room, talking the same talk, getting the same information at the same time and not going in different directions that slow us down. Communication committees have been very successful,” she says.

We need more success stories like this. “I truly believe this will be a complete success.

It doesn’t matter which administration does this or what side of the aisle you are on. We all need to eat and we all need potable water for our towns.” This project should unify people because we all need this.

Page 5

Collector 's o r n e r

History of the Horse in Americas & 10 Interesting Facts

BY JIM OLSON

T

here seems to be conflicting stories about when the modern-day horse was first used in the Americas. Some claim Native Americans were using horses before their first contact with Europeans. However, for hundreds of years, the popular narrative has been that the Spaniards were the first to introduce horses to this continent. It seems both claims may be partially correct. Let’s delve into this further.

Archaeological evidence indicates that the ancestor of modern day horses were present on the North American continent more than 10,000 years ago. They likely crossed the land bridge of the Bering Strait along with other mammals and even humans. However, there is also evidence showing these early version of horses went extinct, and there is no solid evidence of any surviving on this continent for thousands of years afterward.

According to an article published by the Smithsonian: Horses evolved in the Americas up to four-million years ago, but by about 10,000 years ago, they had disappeared from the fossil record. Spanish settlers likely first re-introduced horses to the Americas in 1519 when Hernán Cortés arrived on the continent in Mexico. Indigenous peoples then transported horses north along trade networks.

Again, per the Smithsonian: To trace the spread of horses, researchers radiocarbon dated and analyzed the DNA of the remains of more than two dozen horses found across the Western U.S. (dating them to the 1600 and 1700s). They compared the ancient horses’ DNA with that of modern horses and found that the centuries-old equines had largely Spanish ancestry. The findings suggest that horses spread “from Spanish settlements in the American Southwest to the northern Rockies and central Great Plains by the first half of the 17th century.”

So, it would make sense that certain Native American tribes in the American West could have had horses when they first encountered Europeans. However, just because that particular tribe had not encountered a European yet, does not mean that the horses continued on page 6

“This is the largest unfinished reclamation project in U.S. history. Whoever is responsible for finishing it will be doing a great thing and we are here to make sure it gets done,” she says.

“This is beautiful farmland that just needs water, to bring these towns back to life,” says Michelle. “This is why those towns are here.”

She feels a strong need to help educate people about the importance of supporting farmers—not financially, but emotionally. They are feeding all of us and need to know that they are appreciated.

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Page 6

GRIZZLY

Livestock Market Digest continued from page 1

failure to follow through on the 2000 plan. Last March, U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy ruled in favor of the environmentalists and ordered the FWS to prepare a new environmental impact statement.

February 15, 2024

citizen involvement in the program.”

In 2022, Idaho Gov. Brad Little and the state’s Department of Fish and Game petitioned the FWS to remove grizzly bears altogether from federal

Jim Urquhart/AP

cient habitat quality to support a recovered grizzly bear population.

The region spans upward of 4 million acres through Idaho and a small chunk of western Montana and includes two designated wilderness areas.

“The Bitterroot ecosystem is essential for successfully recovering grizzlies and eventually removing them from the Endangered Species List,” Mike Garrity, executive director of the Alliance for the Wild Rockies, said Wednesday.

Garrity described the region as the “vital connecting corridor” A grizzly bear roams in 2011 near Beaver Lake in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. among the Cabinet-Yaak, Selkirk, Northern Continental “Now, almost forty years protection.

Divide and Yellowstone grizzly have passed, and nothing has “We find our rural commupopulations. been done: no bears, no com- nities and important conser“The Fish and Wildlife Sermunity advisory committee, no vation efforts held hostage by vice also needs to ensure that community or other educational procedural gridlock concerning grizzlies have secure habitat to instruction in towns or schools the ESA-listed status of grizzly recover,” Garrity said, adding for bear safety,” Molloy wrote. bears in 44 states where people that “the best available science Citing the “change in cir- do not have to live with grizzly says to have secure grizzly habcumstances” since 2000, includ- bears as neighbors,” the Idaho itat, it’s necessary to implement ing more observations of grizzly petition stated. habitat protection standards bears naturally meandering into Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke such as road restrictions bethe ecosystem, the Fish and of Montana, who served as Intecause most grizzlies are killed Wildlife Service said it will be rior secretary during the Trump near roads by poachers.” “taking a fresh look” at the op- administration, called establishThe agency previously decidtions, with the draft EIS now ex- ing an experimental population ed to reintroduce grizzly bears pected by the end of 2025 and of grizzlies in the Bitterroot into the Bitterroot ecosystem in a final EIS expected in the fall ecosystem “unwise and unwar2000. The plan called for movof 2026. ranted.” ing a minimum of 25 grizzly One option provided for “Introducing grizzlies to the bears of both sexes over a fiveunder the ESA is designating Bitterroot will result in increased year period from areas in Cana “nonessential experimental community and agency conflict, ada and the United States that population” that may be rein- and increased litigation,” Zinke had grizzly bear populations livtroduced to the ecosystem and said Wednesday. “If the bears ing in habitats similar to those managed with greater flexibili- decide to get there on their in the Bitterroot ecosystem. ty than is usually the case with own, they should be allowed to The George W. Bush adminspecies listed as threatened or remain. But the establishment istration deep-sixed that deciendangered. of an experimental population sion in 2001. Since then, the The 2000 plan entailed des- is just another way to combat Fish and Wildlife Service said it ignating a nonessential experi- the science that says grizzlies has “observed individual bears mental population, with the Fish should be delisted.” from other ecosystems dispersand Wildlife Service explaining ing through the [ecosystem] at the time that this would allow and adjacent areas with greatmanagement practices that “ader regularity, particularly in the dress local concerns about expast several years.” cessive government regulation In November 2021, the Alon private lands, uncontrolled liance for the Wild Rockies and livestock depredation, excessive Native Ecosystems Council big game predation, and lack sued the federal agency for its of State government and local

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HISTORY OF THE HORSE

continued from page 5

they were using did not originate from other Europeans whom they had not yet encountered. There is no scientific evidence of horses surviving on this continent at any point after 10,000 years ago and prior to the Spanish re-introducing them in the early 1500s.

These are the facts as we know them today: There may have been Native American tribes using horses before their first contact with Europeans, but they had to have gotten those horses from other Natives who had made contact.

And the Spanish weren’t the first to introduce horses to the Americas, but they were the first to re-introduce them after a several-thousand-year-lapse. All else is conjecture at this point.

From those humble beginnings of a few Spanish horses, there now exists a huge community of equine enthusiasts on this continent. The horses we see today are examples of selective breeding influenced by humans over thousands of years. Currently, there are an estimated 9 to 10 million horses in the United States alone. There are many popular breeds represented such as American Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds, Paints, Appaloosas, Arabians, and rarer breeds like the Percheron, Fox Trotters, Lippizan, Morgans, Friesians, and Spanish Mustangs. People use them for rodeos, shows, trail riding, racing, draft work, breeding, therapy, and a myriad of other purposes.

Today, most horse owners treat their animals as extended members of the family, almost like another big ol’ pet.

Whereas our ancestors primarily used them for utility, and thought of them much as we would a pickup truck today.

They were a tool to them. Granted, some loved on their horses more than others, just like some today take better care of their trucks than others. But like everything else, with research, technology, a broader understanding, and a change in necessity, we have evolved greatly as horsemen and guardians of our equine partners. Our understanding of them has increased exponentially, so they have never had it so good throughout all of history.

Here are 10 interesting facts about horses: 1. Ancient Companions: Horses have been domesticated by humans for over 5,000 years, making them one of the earliest domesticated animals.

2. Horse Breeds: There are over 300 distinct horse breeds around the world, each with its own unique characteristics and abilities.

3. Rapid Growth: Newborn foals can stand and walk within a few hours of birth, and they can start running and playing shortly after that. By 2 to 3 years old, they are pretty well grown up.

4. Communication: Horses communicate with each other and humans through a combination of body language, vocalizations, and facial expressions. They can convey emotions like fear, excitement, and contentment with great clarity.

5. Powerful Navigators: Horses have a remarkable sense of direction and can find their way back home, even after being taken far away.

6. Teeth Tales: Young horses have temporary teeth and as they grow, they develop permanent teeth which continue growing throughout their lives. Therefore, you can estimate a horse’s age by examining its teeth.

7. Unique Eye Placement: Horses have one of the largest eyes of any land mammal, and their eyes are positioned on the sides of their head, giving them nearly 360-degree vision. However, they have a small blind spot directly in front and behind them.

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8. Sleeping Upright: Horses have a unique ability to sleep while standing up, thanks to a system of ligaments and tendons that allow them to lock their knees. They also experience REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep while standing, which is essential for their well-being.

9. Speed Demons: The fastest recorded speed of a horse was achieved by the Thoroughbred racehorse Secretariat, who reportedly reached a top speed of 55 miles per hour.

10.

Height Record: The tallest horse ever recorded was a Belgian draft horse named Big Jake, who stood a staggering 20.2 hands (82.75 inches) tall.

11.

Bonus — Most Expensive: Fusaichi Pegasus, a thoroughbred stallion racehorse currently holds the title of the most expensive horse. He sold for a whopping $70 million!

We hope you enjoyed this brief history, with a few interesting facts about horses. They are an animal which captivates people worldwide with their grace, intelligence, and unique capabilities.

As Winston Churchill famously said, “The outside of a horse, is good for the inside of a man.”

Take yom to the topf progra

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Thisto pivotone ofalfalfatheif desired. better ranches is nicely expansion irrigated Plus BLM permit for 540in AU isthe fencedarea. into 4 fieldsIton about 18,000 acres only 7 miles away. REDUCED ASKING PRICE - $3,125,000 improved andReal well-watered. won’t find anything comparable for the price. Call or email Joe Priest Estate You BEAVER CREEK RANCH: about 82,000 acres - with 2,700 deeded acres plus contiguous USFS & BLM for a brochure and an appointmentpermitstoforcome takeacresairrigated look.alfalfa, pasture, and meadow from Beaver Creek water rights and 450 pair; 580+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.

joepriestre.net • joepriestre@earthlink.com EIGHT MILE DRAW LAND 740 ± Acres of unimproved native grassland BEAR CREEK RANCH: Approx. 1,278 acres winter range ground and recreational property. Located on Bear

SouthHill Cow Creek Road. Should be great hunting for deer, wild turkey, wild located four miles west of RoswellCreek inandtheaccessed SixfromMile areaValleywith frontage along U.S. Highway pigs, quail & owner states good trout fishing in Bear Creek. Deeded access easement thru neighbor ranches. & very private the ranch. 120 acres of additional land that 70/380. This parcel is fenced onNoNowimprovements three sides andinside adjoins only $700 per acre - $894,600 may be purchased. Great investment. $600 per acre.

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

MAXWELL FARM, 140+/- deeded acres with 103.75 +/- irrigable acres of Class A water shares.

Property has a domestic water meter also utilized for livestock.

Currently a flood irrigation system but would suit installing a pivot. Property is bounded on the south with SHW 505 and the west with Rufuge Rd, on the east with the Maxwell Wildlife Refuge. $320,000 MIAMI DREAM, 14.70 +/deeded acres. Approx 1,583 sq ft 2 bedroom 1 bath home. Real country living with barn wood siding, porches, recent remodel for remote workspace. Irrigation and horse facilities, 57 Wampler St., Miami, NM $370,000 $345,000

BAR LAZY 7 RANCH, Colfax County, Moreno Valley 594.38 +/- deeded acres, accessed off blacktop between Eagle Nest and Angel Fire. Historic headquarters.

Currently used as summer grazing, pond and trees accessed off

county road on rear of property as well. Presented “ASIS” New Survey, $4,000,000 $3,800,000 SPRINGER VIEW, 29.70 +/deeded acres. Large house being remodeled, shop, trees, old irrigation pond. All back off highway with great southern aspect. 311 Hwy 56, Colfax County. $209,000 $205,000

CONTRACT PENDING

MAXWELL, 408.90 +/- Deeded Acres. 143.05 Irrigable Acres/ Shares with TL pivot covering approximately 80 acres, with balance dry land. Property has one water meter used for livestock, but could support a home as well. There are two troughs located in the middle of the property.

Electricity for pivot is back toward the middle of the property as well.

Property has highway frontage on NM 505 and Highline Rd, a County Rd. Back up to Maxwell Wildlife area. Colfax County, NM.$599,000

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

Buena Vista Realty

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

O’NEILL LAND, llc

CHICO CREEK RANCH, Colfax County, NM. NEW LISTING. 6,404.26 +/- Total Acres, Located approximately 10 miles east of Springer New Mexico. 3,692.60 +/- deeded acres with balance

CIMARRON ON THE RIVER, Colfax County, NM. 7.338 +/deeded acres with 4.040 acre-feet per annum out of the Maxwell-Clutton Ditch. Custom country-chic 2,094 +/- sq ft

E

SOLD

521 West Second St. • Portales, NM 88130

BILL WRIGHT, SHASTA LAND SERVICES, INC.

land@swranches.com • www.swranches.com

E

CON W

C

530-941-8100 • DRE# 00963490 • www.ranch-lands.com Scott McNally, Qualifying Broker Bar M Real Estate, LLC ch that has been owned and operated P.O. Box 428, Roswell, NM 88202 s southeast of Corona, NM in Lincoln Office: 575-622-5867 Cell: 575-420-1237 M Lease Acres and 2,240 NM State Website: www.ranchesnm.com P.O. Box 145, Cimarron, NM 87714 • 575/376-2341 • Fax: 575/376-2347

UYL. Water provided by five wells and corrals. The ranch had a good summer for a brochure or view on my website.

521 West Se

See these and other properties at www.buenavista-nm.com

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

1-800/671-4548

Paul Bottari, Broker

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■ NEW LISTING! UNION CO., NM – Just out of Clayton, NM, 2 sections +/- located on pvmt. complete with two ½ mile +/- sprinklers & irrigation wells w/an addtl. large feedyard & one section of land irrigated by four ¼ mile sprinklers & irrigation wells. Two sections or the feedyard w/irrigated section can be purchased together or separately.

■ PRICE REDUCED! YESO EAST RANCH – De Baca Co., NM - Hwy. 60 frontage. 6,307± deeded, 1,556± State Lease and 40± uncontrolled acres. Terrain is gently Livestock rolling with good grass and is divided into three Market Digest pastures. Wildlife includes antelope, some mule deer, quail, etc. The ranch has good improvements (including home) convenient access and has been well managed.

■ VAUGHAN RIVER RANCH – 11,628.76 ac. +/- deeded - a scenic, live water ranch on the Pecos River south of Ft. Sumner, New Mexico. Excellent example of a southwestern cattle ranch with wildlife to boot all within minutes of the convenience of town. Call us to take a look!

■ UNION CO., NM – This 1,966 +/- acre ranch located just south of Clayton, New Mexico is in some of the most sought-after grazing land in the Continental U.S.A. The ranch will be excellent for a yearling operation, with high quality grass, good fences and water.

■ KB RANCH - Kenney Co., TX – KB Ranch is a low fenced 802 +/- acre property that is surrounded by large ranches. The ranch has abundant whitetail and is also populated with turkey, dove, quail, hogs and varmint species. Axis are in the area and have been occasionally seen. The ranch lies approximately 9 miles south of Bracketville on TX 131 and is accessed by all weather Standart Road.

■ COLFAX COUNTY NM GETAWAY – 1,482.90 ac.+/grassland (1,193.59 ac. +/- Deeded, 289.31 ac.

State Lease), great location near all types of mountain recreation.

■ ANGUS, NM – 250 +/- acres with over a 1/2 mile of NM 48 frontage. Elevations from 6,800 to 7,200 feet.

Two 521 springs alongSecond a creek. St. Ideal•forPortales, future development West NM 88130 or build your own getaway home.

575-226-0671 fax ■ PECOS CO. – 637 ac.,or Big575-226-0672 water, State Classified Minerals.

Realty ■ CARSON CO., TXBuena – 640 ac.Vista +/- 5 mi.

N of Panhandle on TX 207. 333 ac.Qualifying +/- under 3 Broker: center pivot systems.

One well produces 800 GPM. Permanent perimeter A.H. (Jack) Merrick 575-760-7521 and cross fencing. www.buenavista-nm.com ■ CLAYTON, NM – 3 bdrm,/2.5 bath really nice manufactured home w/ porches etc. located on 80 ac. with 2 almost new metal barns/shops/garages with automatic roll-up doors & water supplied from the City of Clayton.

■ CLAYTON, NM – 44 acres located approx. 2 miles south of Clayton, NM on Hwy 87 on the east side of the highway. This property has about ½ mile of highway frontage and would be great for residential housing, commercial development or addtl. RV development (adjoins the 16.75 ac. RV park).

■ CLAYTON, NM – a 16.75 ac. RV park located approximately 2 mi. south of Clayton on the east side of Hwy. 87 with 34 RV spaces, water supplied from the City of Clayton, a domestic well to provide water for a pond on the property with an office and men’s and women’s restrooms and showers. 44 acres may be purchased adjoining this property for additional development.

980 ac. +/ast, land lays e of Hwy. 54. n Co., NM – and w/stateremodeled n very good n pvmt. +/- heavily isting livestockagent w/ 75-825-1291. nces etc., on ea-nm.com front gate. c ac. +/- on

by Lincoln in Pines & ed meadow enasco. This uild a legacy

ac. irr., on xico, adjoins .

POTENTIAL xline Special,

Bottari Realty

RANCH & FARM REAL ESTATE

ATE GUIDE

alty

Page 7

521 West Second St. • Portales, NM 88130

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

Page 8

Livestock Market Digest

Shrinking Supply of Dairy Heifers May Limit Growth of U.S. Milk Production Increasing cost of raising heifer calves leads to a steep decline in dairy replacements

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to the tune of $600 - $900 per animal,” said Corey Geiger, lead dairy economist for CoBank.

“To better manage onfarm heifer inventories, dairy farmers have turned to using beef semen on a portion of their dairy herd to reduce the number of replacement heifers. That’s enabled farmers to cut the costs associated with raising heifers and generate additional income from beef sales.”

Less than a decade ago, dairy heifers sold for a tidy profit, but rearing costs today mean they sell at a loss. While heifer rearing cost estimates vary, they are all trending upward.

University of Wisconsin Extension survey data from 1999 to 2015 found the total cost to raise a dairy heifer from birth to entering the milking herd climbed from $1,360 to $2,510 per head.

In a similar analysis looking at 2016 to 2021, Penn State Extension specialists calculated heifer rearing costs averaged $2,034.

Meanwhile, heifer values have not kept pace with higher rearing costs. From April 2018 to January 2022, the sale price of dairy heifers never exceeded $1,400 per head, according to USDA’s Agricultural Prices report. The discrepancy between rearing costs and sale value led to a

prolonged and steady decline in replacement heifers in recent years.

Some fluctuation in the population of replacement heifers is a natural outcome of market and economic forces. But a sufficient inventory is important to the continuity of U.S. milk production and critical to the industry’s ability to expand. While the number of replacement heifers has dropped to a 20-year low, the overall U.S. dairy herd has been stable with 9.3 million to 9.4 million head of dairy cows over the last six years.

The steep drop in heifer supply went largely unnoticed until recently, when dairy farmers went looking to buy now-scarce replacements. As a result, dairy replacement prices have now jumped to an eight-year high, with USDA data and auction market reports ranging from $1,890 to $2,800 per head. These higher replacement values will likely be in place for the foreseeable future given the tight supply.

Geiger said the shrinking replacement pipeline will impact the ability to grow U.S. milk production for some time. “Even if dairy producers reverse course and use more dairy bull semen in the coming years, it will be two to three years before the resulting dairy calves even reach the milking barns,” he said.

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Feds Say No to Reintroducing Jaguars in NM but Could Expand Habitat There & in AZ

BY HAYLEIGH EVANS / ARIZONA REPUBLIC

T

he U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) has denied a petition to reintroduce jaguars in New Mexico but is still considering a proposal to expand the imperiled species’ critical habitat in Arizona and New Mexico.

The Center for Biological Diversity submitted a petition in December 2022 to establish an experimental population in New Mexico and reintroduce jaguars in the Gila National Forest. Mexican gray wolves are being managed under such a program in New Mexico and Arizona.

The group asked the wildlife service to create an experimental population under section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act, which allows the agency to reestablish self-sustaining populations outside a species’ current range.

The center also wanted the wildlife service to expand jaguars’ critical habitat. The U.S. currently protects about 750,000 acres of habitat along the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona and New Mexico, and the center petitioned to increase this area to nearly 15 million acres.

The federal agency denied the center’s request to create a reintroduction program, concluding that it was unnecessary for the species’ survival, but the wildlife service has not yet decided whether to expand protected habitat.

Advocates still hope the agency will expand critical habitat after recent jaguar sightings in the U.S.

What did the Center for Biological Diversity seek?

Advocates believe recovering a stable jaguar population in the United States would benefit the species overall, right past wrongs and improve ecosystems in Arizona and New Mexico.

Jaguars evolved in North America, eventually expanding their range south into Central and South America. They were largely extirpated from the U.S. by the mid-20th century due to habitat loss and hunting.

Jaguars were protected under the Endangered Species Act in 1997, and critical habitat was designated along the border in 2014.

In the last 30 years, eight jaguars have been seen in the U.S., with the most recent sighting of a new jaguar in December 2023.

Experts believe these jaguars traveled across the border from the nearest population of about 150 big cats in Sonora, Mexico.

Conservationists believe recent sightings are signs more action is needed to recover the species in the U.S. “The presence of a new jaguar in Arizona’s wilderness proves these cats are capable of a historic comeback, but full recovery requires the Fish and Wildlife Service to take meaningful action,” Jordahl said.

Jordahl said apex predators like jaguars ensure balance in ecosystems and create healthy prey bases. He believes the Gila National Forest has suitable habitat with plenty of prey for jaguars.

Conservationists worry the northernmost jaguar population in Sonora has a limited gene pool because it is largely isolated from cats across the range. The center believes reintroducing a population in New Mexico could reverse this genetic decline.

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What was wildlife service’s response?

The agency reviewed the center’s petition, deciding an experimental population in New Mexico is not essential to the continued existence of the species in the wild.

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sharp decline in the number of dairy heifers available to replace older cows exiting the U.S. dairy herd could limit any meaningful growth in domestic milk production over the next few years. The number of dairy replacement heifers has fallen almost 15 percent over the last six years to reach a 20-year low, according to data from the USDA’s most recent Cattle report.

While the global demand outlook for U.S. dairy products remains murky due to export market uncertainties, any potential growth opportunities may be stymied by an inability to expand U.S. milk production.

According to a new report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange, the rising cost of rearing dairy heifer calves has far outpaced increases in heifer values over the last several years. That imbalance has prompted dairy farmers to reduce their heifer replacement inventories, in large part by breeding more dairy heifers and cows to beef bulls.

Contraction in the U.S. beef herd due to drought and other adverse conditions has led to record high prices for beef cattle and retail beef products.

“Raising dairy heifers has been a losing proposition for most farmers in recent years,

February 15, 2024

“We believe the establishment of an experimental population as described in the petition would not result in substantial contributions to the recovery of the species,” the Fish and Wildlife Service said in a letter responding to the center’s petition.

The agency said relocating jaguars from Sonora could accelerate declines in that population, and captive populations are not large or genetically diverse enough to support reintroduction in New Mexico.

The last female jaguar in the U.S. was reported in Arizona in 1963, and the FWS believes the habitat north of the border is suitable for individual males, rather than breeding females.

The agency also believes the Gila National Forest is too far north from the Sonora population and the locations of recent cat sightings in Arizona to create connectivity for dispersal and breeding.

Why does the center want to expand critical habitat?

The center is hopeful the FWS will approve its request to expand jaguars’ critical habitat, keeping corridors between the Sonora population and the U.S. open for cats to roam.

Critical habitat is a geographic area designated to provide physical or biological features imperative to conserving an endangered or threatened species.

These allocations prohibit federal agencies from permitting or funding actions that could threaten a species or its habitat.

Hayleigh Evans covers environmental issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Send tips or questions tohayleigh.evans@ arizonarepublic.com.

Environmental coverage on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

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February 15, 2024

Livestock Market Digest

Victory for Europe’s Farmers as Brussels Caves on Emissions Targets & Eating Less Meat STORY BY JOE BARNES / THE TELEGRAPH

T

he European Union has caved in to angry protests from farmers, cutting its target to scrap specific agricultural emissions which formed part of the bloc’s net zero drive.

A demand to reduce nitrogen, methane and other emissions linked to farming by almost a third has been removed from a wider Brussels plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 90 per cent by 2040.

In early February, Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, offered a further concession to demonstrating farmers by dropping her controversial proposal to halve pesticide use within six years.

A recommendation urging EU citizens to eat less meat was also removed from the plan.

The concessions came amid mounting demonstrations by farmers in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Romania ahead of this year’s EU elections.

Spanish farmers joined the movement by blockading major highways with convoys of tractors and burning tyres.

Meanwhile, blockades on supermarket distribution centres have left shelves empty in Brussels, while several people have been injured in traffic accidents caused by farmers’ protests in the Netherlands, as they dumped rubbish and set fires on highways.

Organizers have threatened to continue disruption in the lead-up to the European Parliament elections in June.

The plight of the disillusioned farmers has become politically symbolic ahead of the vote.

To quell their angry protests, which have sometimes become violent and caused destruction to cities, Mrs. von der Leyen acknowledged net zero rules targeting farmers would need to be watered down.

Our farmers deserve to be listened to,” she told the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday.

“I know that they are worried about the future of agriculture and their future as farmers.

“But they also know that agriculture needs to move to a more sustainable model of production so that their farms remain profitable in the years to come.”

The Commission president admitted the proposal to cut pesticide use had become a “symbol of polarization”.

Brussels is also rowing back on planned rules on animal welfare and allowing the cultivation of land left fallow to restore nature.

The reduction of nitrogen oxide emissions was seen as a key pillar of the EU’s climate change strategy, which sparked the initial wave of farming protests in the Netherlands over the summer of 2022.

The target means farmers will be required to reduce their livestock in order to meet the binding limit on emissions.

Mrs. von der Leyen has also tried to get farmers on side by announcing a series of “strategic dialogues” to allow them to voice their concerns directly to EU bureaucrats.

The View FROM THE BACK SIDE

BY BARRY DENTON

T

hat is right, if you are a rancher or farmer then you are already a high stakes gambler like they have in Las Vegas. What is safe about any of it?

I think the worst word in the English language is “guarantee.” That word should never enter your mind. Just look at what it does to people.

First off when you try and teach an entire society that they must go to school, do well in school, go to college, and secure a job with a salary, what does that teach them?

It teaches them to become dependent on someone else other than themselves.

It creates a herd mentality that diminishes individual thought. If you get up in the morning, drive to work, put in your time, and drive back home at quitting time with no personal investment, then what good have you done yourself or your fellow man?

The one good thing is that you have secured your paycheck for that week.

Stop and think about this.

The dumbest thing that you did when you got your job was agreeing to work for a certain amount for each week. Why would you do that? Why would you limit yourself to a certain amount each week when you are

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probably capable of making twice or three times as much in that same period?

You do it because you are programmed that way, and I recognize that many people enjoy that security or “guarantee” of a paycheck.

However, this scenario has nothing to do with ranchers or farmers. Every day that they get up in the morning their entire life and livelihood are at risk.

If a rancher or farmer is just getting started, you can bet that he has a note to pay off at a bank or somewhere.

His note getting paid off has to do with how much hard work he puts in. There are no set hours to work, and often they will think nothing of putting in 80-hour weeks instead of 40-hour ones. Just because ranchers or farmers put in long hours there is no guarantee that their cattle or crops won’t die, and all that labor is for nought.

Risk is the secret ingredient that makes people more industrious, it makes them clever, and they also do not take themselves too seriously.

When is the last time a “humble” government employee showed up at your ranch and tried to help you rather than dictate a new policy to you?

They teach these guys that it is their mission to save the earth from the evil rancher and that cows are bad. Once those guys get that green

uniform and their name on their shirt, they get mighty important.

Remember when the US Forest Service was your friend and tried to help you?

Now we have these guys with a guaranteed paycheck trying to tell high risk ranchers or farmers what they should be doing. It just makes no sense.

The guy with the guaranteed paycheck has absolutely nothing at risk.

The rancher or farmer can lose everything in a split second. We have been having some mighty cold weather up north this year. You can bet it makes for a ton of extra work on your ranchers and farmers.

Folks, these are the hard workers providing your meat and vegetables. The government needs to be helping not hindering these great people.

A little vituperation may go a long way to making you feel better at the local bar, but I think it is up to the rancher to demand the respect they deserve.

What I see at cattle growers’ meetings are more and more ranchers accepting ludicrous government policies. Ranchers need to be careful of who they vote for and to get some of their own back in government. Why do we even have the National Cattleman’s Beef Association?

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“The root of the problem is clear: the majority of farmers simply cannot make a living from their work,” they wrote.

“They are trapped in a system that is killing them.”

The Greens also called for Brussels to halt trade talks with South America’s Mercosur bloc, with competition from cheap non-EU products a chief concern amongst farmers.

Maros Sefcovic, a Commission vice-president, said the publication of the bloc’s landmark plan to cut emissions by 90 per cent by 2040 came at a “crucial moment in the debate around the future path of Europe’s green transition”.

“We do recognise the legitimate concerns of citizens and industry over the cost of transition,” he added.

Wages Not Wagers

WILLCOX

Mounting pressure Her effort to placate the farmers came after mounting pressure from political allies ahead of the European parliamentary elections.

Manfred Weber, a German MEP and leader of the centre-Right European Political Party, from which Mrs Von der Leyen is a member, warned farming communities could shift their allegiances to hard-Right parties at the ballot.

“We always realised that farmers are citizens and don’t want Left-wing ideologies that dictate everything to them,” he told the European Parliament on Tuesday.

In a letter to the Commission, the Parliament’s Green group said the farmers’ protest movement was “no surprise to us”.

Page 9

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Page 10

Livestock Market Digest

in the western U.S., further

and fragmenting Montana to Sue Feds Over restricting wolverine habitat.”

Wolverine Endangered Earthjustice attorney Tim Preso has repeatedly chalSpecies Listing lenged the U.S. Fish and

T

he state of Montana intends to sue the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) over its Endangered Species listing of the wolverine.

In late January, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) announced that it had notified the FWS of its intent to sue over the agency’s November 29 decision to grant Endangered Species protection to the wolverine. Under the Endangered Species law, challengers have to give 60 days notice of their intent to sue.

The FWP announcement said wolverines are doing well in Montana, and that federal protection would interfere with state conservation work.

It didn’t elaborate on what conservation work would be affected.

Notably, on Nov. 10 just prior to the Service’s listing decision, Fish, Wildlife & Parks wardens received a report of a wolverine carcass found on a U.S. Forest Service road northwest of Wisdom. A warden located the carcass and confirmed the animal had been shot, skinned and abandoned.

In a release, Governor Greg Gianforte called the wolverine listing decision “illogical.”

“In Montana, we’ve worked hard to manage and conserve the wolverine population and have partnered with neighboring states on research and monitoring efforts to ensure the future conservation of the species,” Gianforte said.

“Adding a layer of unnecessary bureaucracy does nothing for conservation but does everything to undermine our responsible management of this species.”

The FWP announcement raised a question about wheth-

er wolverines in the lower 48 U.S. states should be treated as a population unto itself, also called a distinct population segment because wolverines also exist in Canada.

However, in September, the US Fish and Wildlife Service issued a 70-page species status assessment of the wolverine, which found that the U.S. population is dependent on gene flow from Canada, but no gene flow has occurred since the Trans-Canada Highway was built in the 1960s.

The Trans-Canada Highway is about 150 miles north of the Montana border and runs east-west, so it fragmented the North American wolverine population.

FWP said it also questions the wolverine’s need for snow for winter denning as climate change continues to cause winter snowpack to decline.

FWP says wolverines are adaptable, “able to den and reproduce without snow.”

However, in both the 2023 and 2018 species status assessments, the Fish and Wildlife Service identified the effects of climate change as the most significant stressor for wolverines, because warming temperatures and snowpack loss meant the loss of denning habitat. But in the September update, the agency also analyzed how climate change affects wolverine connectivity and population structure.

Shorter winters and higher temperatures mean snowy habitat is going to shrink as it moves farther north and higher in elevation. And some years, as with this year’s El Nino, could be worse than others. According to the addendum, “climate change will continue to negatively affect persistent spring snowpack

Wildlife Service during the 20 years it balked at listing the wolverine and supports the listing.

“Wolverines need the protection of the Endangered Species Act. The FWS issued a listing decision that fully justified the threatened determination for the wolverine,” Preso said. “We’ll examine whatever Montana has to say, but we believe the listing was well supported by the available science.”

Most recently, 20 environmental groups, including Defenders of Wildlife and the Center for Biological Diversity, sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2022 after the agency under Trump administration said concerns found in a 2013 species status assessment weren’t as significant as what the assessment said and claimed wolverines weren’t separate from those in Canada. Now, Montana seeks to make the same claim.

“There’s a very real danger that wolverines will disappear from the lower 48 states without strong federal protections,” said Andrea Zaccardi, the Center for Biological Diversity’s carnivore conservation legal director. “Montana continues to demonstrate that it can’t be trusted to protect its imperiled wildlife. We won’t let Montana strip wolverines of the Endangered Species Act protections they desperately need.”

Prior to January 2013, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks allowed trappers to kill five wolverines a year.

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Who Do Elected Representatives Think They’re Representing?

BY TOM DEWEESE / AMERICAN POLICY CENTER

H

ow is it possible that someone is talented and involved enough to run for political office and win the election but once in office, has no clue of the origins or purpose behind the very policies they are forced to consider?

Specifically, policies dealing with comprehensive planning, such as Smart Growth, 30x30 land issues, energy, and transportation, all of which affect day-to- day life in the community. These are the issues that every city council and county commission in the nation is now faced with imposing on the community.

Yet when citizens attend council meetings and seek to speak out in

BY FRANK DUBOIS

Designations and Access…

Again

The ink hadn’t dried on last month’s column when the BLM had to go and prove me…right. had written of the various land use designations such as wilderness and national monument and how they were acts of exclusion. Beware, I wrote, of any politician or other official who argued they were necessary to guarantee your access, where I said just the opposite would be the case, that you would have less access than before.

Now let’s turn to the BLM and the Sonoran Desert National Monument. This national monument was proclaimed in 2001

by Bill Clinton and contains 485,791 acres of BLM-managed federal lands in Maricopa and Pinal counties.

What is the relevance of all this to my thesis that these land use designations will result in less access?

The BLM has just proposed an amendment to its resource management plan for the monument to reduce the share of land where recreational target shooting is allowed from about 90 percent to roughly 1 percent. Currently, target shooting is permitted on 435,700 acres of the monument, but the amendment would reduce that area to 5,295 of its 486,400 acres.

Pre-national monument designation, target shooting was authorized on 435,700 acres. Post-national monument designation, target shooting will be allowed on 5,295 acres. Pre-designation, 9o percent of the area was available for target shooting.

Post-designation approximately 1 percent is available.

I would say that is a pretty stark comparison of before and after.

I

Endangered species at 50 The Endangered Species Act (ESA) has turned 50 and several of the federal agencies are out celebrating this and touting the accomplishments resulting from passage of the act.

However, Jonathan H. Adler has some questions about that.

Adler is a professor of law and the director of the Coleman P. Burke Center for Environmental Law at Case Western Reserve University. In a paper, “Tarnished Gold: The Endangered Species Act at 50”, Adler summarizes some of his findings and conclusions: In terms of the Act’s failure to conserve species, here are a few salient points discussed in the paper.

■■ The ESA’s stated purpose is to “conserve” those species

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BY LAURA LUNDQUIST / MISSOULA CURRENT

February 15, 2024

listed as endangered or threatened, and expressly defines conservation of species as bringing populations to the point at which the Act’s protections are no longer necessary. Thus, looking at the Act’s success (or failure) to recover species is evaluating the Act on its own terms.

■■ Since Congress enacted the ESA, the number of species

listed as threatened or endangered has steadily grown. As of October 2023, there were 2,388 listed animal and plant species, 1,690 of which are present in the United States.

■■ Since 1973, only 127 species—only 5 percent of listed spe-

cies—have been delisted. According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, 32 were delisted because they went extinct and 22 were erroneously listed in the first place. Thus only 73 of the delistings are classified by the FWS as recoveries.

■■ Of the 73 species listed as recovered, 12 are foreign spe-

cies, which lie outside of the U.S. government’s regulatory jurisdiction, some species were (de)listed more than once (e.g. three separate domestic populations of Humpback whales were listed and delisted separately), and 20 are plants, which are not subject to the same degree of regulatory protection as are endangered animals.

■■ Of the domestic animal species delisted, several are listed

as ESA success stories that either should not have been listed in the first place, or that recovered for reasons other than the ESA’ regulatory interventions (e.g. due to exogenous factors or direct acquisition of habitat). Indeed, it is not clear there is a single ESA recovery that can be credited to the ESA’s regulation of habitat on private land.

Not a glowing report on the ESA. Until next time, be a nuisance to the devil and don’t forget to check that cinch.

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

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February 15, 2024 opposition, discussing how such policies are negatively affecting their property rights, small businesses, and their neighborhoods, they are often met by their elected council members staring at them, with arms folded, scowls on their faces, and gavels in hand, ready to stop their testimony. Even worse, if opponents try to explain that such policies are rooted in the global Agenda 2030, the Green New Deal or the Great Reset, now the officials really become agitated. You will get several different responses. A council member will say, “I have never heard of this before.” Another will chime in and say, “These policies are all local.” And then comes the final comment on the issue, “This is just how it’s done; everyone is doing it.”

A growing tactic by local and county governments is to hide behind the edicts of government-appointed boards. As I’ve worked across the country to stop the assault on private property and the farm industry, many elected officials have responded saying they oppose such plans, but there is nothing they can do because appointed utility boards oversee the issue. This was the case in Iowa and South Dakota as local residents fought to stop the enforcement of the Carbon Capture Pipelines in which private corporations were using appointed public utility boards to gain the power of eminent domain to just take the land they wanted for this private corporate project.

The fact is appointed boards are created by elected officials, usually to be the workforce to carry out programs that they approved. These appointed boards represent no one. They do not have the right or the power to make policy. They certainly do not have the power to prevent elected officials from representing and protecting the wishes of their constituents. The elected officials are the Boss of appointed boards! Any politician who uses the lame excuse that they have no authority to stop the actions of the appointed board has a different agenda. They want to avoid dealing with the very people who put them in office specifically to protect their rights.

In short, they are cowards working against the people!

Where is the Republican Party? As insanity spews out of the Democrat Party, the long-time overseer of limited government, free enterprise and individual liberty has no response, no unified plan to counter the Democrats, and, indeed, seems confused rather than offended by the Socialist antics.

For the election of 2023, the Virginia Republican Party’s official plan to win the statewide election to control the Legislature was to encourage Republican voters to sign up for mail-in ballots or to be sure to vote early rather than to wait and vote on election day. For the past three election cycles the Democrats have proven this ballot strategy to be the kingpin of ballot insecurity. Democrats have the people in place to watch all of the early ballots as they arrive.

This allows them to gain an early knowledge of how the vote is going and where they need to push for more ballots for their own candidates. The result of the Virginia election was no surprise to anyone knowledgeable in how the Democrats operate – the Republicans lost everything!

How could the leadership of

Livestock Market Digest the party not understand that they were falling right into the Democrat trap? Why won’t the Republican Party, nationwide, take up the fight to demand election day voting with paper ballots, as the means to assure election integrity? A great example of how effective this works is the recent Iowa Republican Caucus, where votes were all cast at the same time on paper ballots and the results were known almost instantly. For over two hundred years this is how the United States conducted elections in a fair and honest process. Yet the Republican Party remains silent and complicit in assisting its own demise.

At the congressional level it gets even worse. A few years ago, as Republicans were faced with the most open and blatantly radical agenda yet proposed by the Democrats, they missed their greatest opportunity to go on the attack and expose the insanity of the real goals of the Global Left. The Green New Deal represents the largest step ever taken by the Socialists/ Sustainablists forces that have been pushing Agenda 21 for over 30 years.

Introduced by one of the most radical members of Congress, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortrez, Republicans like Senate leader Mitch McConnell simply laughed, saying it was just too radical to be taken seriously.

Then the laughing really started when the Republican-controlled Senate brought the Green New Deal up for a vote and the tally was 57-0. The Dems didn’t even vote for it themselves, went the joke. Such a silly, stupid little girl, they said with great hilarity!

Leaders of many establishment conservative organizations in Washington, DC laughed too.

Well, the fools are the Republicans, and some of those establishment Conservatives, as they failed to understand the determination of these forces behind that “silly little girl.” The Democrats set a trap and the Republicans marched right into it.

What really occurred is that the Socialist Democrats made a classic negotiating tactic. They came to the table and delivered the most radical, complete, all-inclusive agenda for the total take-down of the American Republic, our free enterprise system, our property rights, and our way of life.

The Republicans were completely unprepared for it. Since they have ignored the warnings of those of us who have led the fight against Agenda 21 for 30 years the Green New Deal sounded too nuts. Too far out.

No one would fall for it. They laughed and dismissed it without a thought. The Senate vote showed them!

But, true to form for these elected officials who refuse to take the time to research and understand the true goal of such policy, the Republicans fell into the trap! For example, Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz announced that he was working on the Green REAL Deal! Said Gaetz, his bill would be more reasonable. The classic response. In the Senate, Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander countered with his “Manhattan Project for Clean Energy.” The difference from the Green New Deal? Almost nothing! Senator Lindsey Graham said “We owe it to the country to have an alternative to the Green New Deal.” He said

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he was frustrated because large parts of the Republican Party still resist the idea of climate change legislation.

Did any of these “leaders” ever take the time to study the roots of such legislation and read what the forces behind it say it’s all about? Sen. Graham and other faltering Republicans seem to not understand that any attempt to provide “an alternative to the Green New Deal” actually serves to legitimize the dangerous, wrong-headed leftist environmental movement.

This is exactly what the Democrats were counting on. They made an outrageously radical proposal that moves the agenda miles down the road and then – to be more “reasonable” the stupid Republicans join right in with just a little smaller proposal. That’s how we lose our nation – by being “reasonable” to tyrants.

This is the tragedy that is taking place across the nation, at every level of government. Those elected to represent the people don’t take the time to research and understand the true origins and purposes of the issues. They are surrounded by Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) that serve as the ground troops for the global forces. The NGOs bring them the legislation, the talking points, and the grant money – all in a neat little package. And they apply pressure to ensure the officials support their agenda. Incredibly, the officials call the NGO’s stakeholders – like they are their constituents who elected them. Meanwhile, except for a few, we aren’t there.

They feel no pressure from us, no threat to their future. Is it any wonder why local citizens who do try to speak out, get the evil eye when they come to op-

pose those policies?

To change this situation before the nation is completely lost, Americans who oppose such policies must learn a very important lesson. The other side has a clear agenda, and they will not back away from it. They will not accept defeat. BUT - supporters of the American tradition of Freedom do not have such an agenda. We have simply been reduced to defending freedom. It’s not working as we have lacked the ability to express what we mean by freedom.

We must find a way to define our own agenda and get on the offensive, demanding freedom in every government action at every level of government. We must learn to paint a clear picture as to what life in America will be like under our vision of freedom. Make your opponents responsible for their own policies. Put their names to them.

Make them defend their plans.

In the founding documents of this nation, we were assured that the government didn’t grant us our rights -we are born with them. Our rights are not “Constitutional” rights. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights grant us nothing. You have those rights despite those documents. We are “endowed by our Creator,” Government’s job, according to our founders, is to protect what we have naturally.

In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson said that our liberty is “self-evident.” In today’s language that would mean “obvious.” Unfortunately, there is nothing obvious. As sad as it is, Liberty should be obvious. It is to some, but we make the mistake of thinking it is obvious to our fellow Americans.

Today, we do not have a government that respects those rights. Just as our founders experienced with the King, we now have a long train of abuses from the government. We now stand in the same place as our founders stood in 1776 when they took action to end the tyranny of a king who refused to address their grievances.

We the People created Congress and all other levels of government. Unlike a kingship, they work for us! They’re out of control because earlier generations allowed them to do so. For too long, we haven’t been there to ensure they are listening to the people. But the forces who seek total control are there, and so elected representatives think they are representing them, not you and me.

Today’s freedom activists must organize effectively. That specifically requires action at the local level. The further government gets from the people, the more corrupt it becomes.

Let’s organize to change that.

Now is the time to prepare for this year’s vital election. Do not accept ‘the defeatist attitude’ that we can’t win. Get involved.

Don’t let your local Board of Elections cop out by saying the State legislature makes the rules, so there is nothing they can do.

Organize to keep the pressure on them to make sure all is run fairly and legally. Volunteer to be election observers and ensure votes are counted legally and accurately, and don’t allow anyone to push you out. Forces which may want to do harm are less likely to do it if they know they are being watched.

Tyranny ends when free people stand strong. That is our duty for this new year.

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Livestock Market Digest

February 15, 2024

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