Livestock “The greatest homage we can pay to truth is to use it.”
MARKET
Digest R
FEBRUARY 15, 2012 • www. aaalivestock . com
Volume 54 • No. 2
Riding For The Bar Code by Lee Pitts
O
Crooks in Cowboy Hats
NEWSPAPER PRIORITY HANDLING
The reports of rustling written up in small weekly newspapers tell the story: ■ In two weeks in January ten head went missing in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma; 8 head were stolen in Big Horn County,
by LEE PITTS
One For The Records
– JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL
ne of the many benefits of being a syndicated columnist is that several of the rural weekly newspapers that carry my column send me their newspapers. So instead of getting my news from The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, I get mine from papers like the Hico NewsReview, Las Cruces Sun Times, Bonesteel Enterprise and the Rural Messenger. Instead of reading about crooks on Wall Street I read about petty criminals in places like Kingfisher, Oklahoma, and Nance County, Nebraska. Lately those papers report a scary trend in rural America: the stealing of cattle is on the rise. Although there’s no federal agency that keeps track of such thievery, it seems that bovine theft in rural America today is on par with Wild West days when rustlers built great fortunes, some of which still exist, with nothing more than a long rope, running iron or a red-hot cinch ring. And the foolish courage to use them, of course.
Riding Herd
“A fool and his money are soon elected.” Wyoming, since the summer 2011; and five head of cattle were rustled in Elko County, Nevada, during the same period. Around Van Castle, Wyoming, in the last three months 14 cattle were stolen. Whereas ranchers usually can count on a one percent loss from theft, these days the total is closer to four and five percent. So far we’ve only talked about the work of petty crooks, although it wasn’t petty if it was your thousand dol-
lar beasts the crooks got away with! Then there were these thefts that took rustling up a notch: ■ 150 head cattle weighing around 700 pounds have been stolen in the Ruby Valley, Elko, Nevada, since June 1, 2011. ■ In Jasper County, Missouri, 100 head were snatched during six-weeks and in the first eight months of last year 150 cattle were stolen in the immediate vicinity. ■ In Texas some 4,500 cattle
were reported missing in less than a year! ■ As in the Old West, sometimes it’s one of our own who’s doing the stealing. One Colorado rancher was out trying to rid his ranch of prairie dogs who were stealing his grass when he spotted evidence that neighbors were stealing his cows, too. When he called in the law they found 67 head worth $68,000, belonging to nine different people. ■ In Montana and Nevada authorities broke up a multistate cattle-rustling ring that had stolen at least 61 head in Oregon, Nevada and Washington. ■ Idaho State Brand Inspector Larry Hayhurst says that the incidence of cattle gone missing under suspicious circumstances in Idaho during just three months (250) exceeded the previous year’s total. Two hundred cattle were stolen in a four-county area of western Idaho alone. ■ Authorities in Montana have recovered more than 7,300 stolen continued on page two
Can Bad Meal Deter Wolves? Managers To Link Sickness, Cattle by SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN, The Associated Press
ildlife managers are running out of options when it comes to helping Mexican gray wolves overcome hurdles that have thwarted reintroduction into their historic range in the Southwest. Harassment and rubber bullets haven’t worked, so they’re trying something new — a food therapy that has the potential to make the wolves queasy enough to never want anything to do with cattle again. As in people, the memories associated with eating a bad meal are rooted in the brain stem, triggered any time associated sights and smells pulse their way through the nervous system. Wildlife managers are trying to tap into that physiological response in the wolves, hoping that feeding them beef laced with an odorless and tasteless medication will make them ill enough to kill their appetite for livestock. Cattle depredations throughout southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona have served as an Achilles’ heel for the federal government’s efforts to return the wolves. Conditioned taste aversion — the technical term for what amounts to a simple reaction —
W
is not a magic bullet for boosting the recovery of the Mexican wolf, but some biologists see it as one of few options remaining for getting the program back on track after nearly 14 years of stumbling. “Just the very fact that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is trying something new ought to send the message that they really are seriously concerned about the ranchers’ concerns,” said Dan Moriarty, a professor and chairman of the psychological sciences department at the University of San Diego. After four decades and tens of millions of dollars, the federal government was recently able to remove the animals from the endangered species list in several states. The case is much different in the Southwest, where the population of the Mexican wolf — a subspecies of the gray wolf — continues to be about 50 despite more than a decade of work. Biologists had hoped to have more than 100 wolves in the wild by 2006. About 90 wolves and some dependent pups continued on page three
ecently I heard a couple talking-heads on TV bemoaning the popular sentiment that today’s kids graduate from high school, and even college, without ever being taught how to balance a checkbook or build a budget. I don’t know what school they went to but I can assure you that they were never Future Farmers in high school. The FFA turned me into a serial entrepreneur for the rest of my life and I’m proud to say that I’ve started, or been a part of starting, eight businesses. Everything from a stationery store to an auction newspaper, and everyone of them was profitable from day one. I even got to pursue my lifelong dream of ranching despite the fact that one magazine said it was high on the list of businesses most likely to go broke, right after vending machines and bookstores. I didn’t have an MBA from MIT like my brother, and I never took a business course in college. My professors were Professor Oink and Mr. Moo, and I learned how to keep records in the blue FFA record books we were required to keep. I still have mine and they tell the tale of a business man in training. I was busier than Paris Hilton’s publicist and I did anything to make a buck; from shearing sheep to growing orchids. That’s right, call me a sissy but I profitably raised flowers for a florist who made corsages out of them for high school dances. Although I was way too busy to ever attend a prom, my orchids went to every one. And they were a lot more popular than I ever was. I started my first record book in 1966 when I was 14 and my initial FFA project was two commercial ewe lambs, inappropriately named Amos and Andy. My second project was a 450-pound show steer named Abe who cost $157.50 to buy and lost continued on page four
www.LeePittsbooks.com
Livestock Market Digest
Page 2
February 15, 2012
Riding For The Bar Code? or missing cattle worth nearly $8 million during the past three years. “What you see as far as figures from livestock departments is a drop in the bucket from what’s been going on,” said Kim Baker, president of the Montana Cattlemen’s Association. Brand boards and agencies put the value of cattle deemed lost, stolen, strayed, or in questionable ownership in recent years in the tens of millions of dollars, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Most cattle crooks get away with their crimes, as it’s estimated that less than 10 percent of stolen animals are recovered, and we’re lucky it’s that high due to the vigilance of brand inspectors and existence of auction markets.
Adding Insult to Injury
We understand how you make your living, because it’s how we make our living. And tougher times call for smarter, careful thinking. That’s why, since 1916, New Mexico’s farmers and ranchers have counted on us for solid financial services when they need them most. We’ve been there. We’ll be here.
C A L L 1 - 8 0 0 - 4 5 1 - 5 9 9 7 o r v i s i t W W W. F A R M C R E D I T N M . C O M ALBUQUERQUE
•
ROSWELL
•
LAS CRUCES
•
TUCUMCARI
•
CLOVIS
Livestock Market
Digest
Livestock Market Digest (ISSN 0024-5208) (USPS NO. 712320) is published monthly except semi-monthly in September by Rainy Day, Inc. at 2231 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104. Periodicals Postage Paid at Albuquerque, N.M.
POSTMASTER – Send change of address to: Livestock Market Digest, P.O. Box 7458, Albuquerque, N.M. 87194 Subscription Rates: $19.95 per year
Subscribe Today
For advertising, subscription and editorial inquiries write or call: Livestock Market Digest, P.O. Box 7458 Albuquerque, N.M. 87194 Telephone: 505/243-9515 Fax: 505/998-6236 www.aaalivestock.com EDITORIAL and ADVERTISING STAFF: CAREN COWAN, Publisher LEE PITTS, Executive Editor CHUCK STOCKS, Publisher Emeritus FALL MARKETING EDITION AD SALES: RON ARCHER, 505/865-6011 archerron@aol.com
NAME
FIELD EDITOR: ADDRESS
DELVIN HELDERMON 580/622-5754, 1094 Koller Rd. Sulphur, OK 73086
CITY
STATE
❏
ZIP
My check is enclosed for: One Year: $19.95 ❏ Two Years $29.95
Clip & mail to: Livestock Market Digest, P.O. Box 7458, Albuquerque, N.M. 87194
ADMINISTRATIVE and PRODUCTION STAFF: MARGUERITE VENSEL, Office Mgr. CAROL PENDLETON, Special Assistance CAMILLE PANSEWICZ, Graphic Artist
Needless to say, we’re not talking about unsophisticated crooks armed with a rubber gun and wearing a woman’s stocking for a mask. In many cases these are professionals who know which end of the cow gets up first. In the words of one brand inspector, “They’re pretty slick and bolder than your average bandit.” For example, Sheriff Jim Arnott reported that 19 calves from the countryside near Republic, Missouri, were stolen right along with the trailer the crook used to haul them away. We’re not just talking about live animals or one species either. Six thousand lambs were stolen from a feedlot in Texas, and 1,000 hogs have been stolen from farms in Iowa and Minnesota. Yes, pig rustlers! What some folks will do to make a living! Sometimes the animals they steal aren’t even born yet. An Ohio woman has been charged with taking $110,000 worth of bull semen from a nitrogen tank at a genetics company where she once worked. And not all of the animal thieves are smarter than your average Border Collie. With millions of unwanted horses just begging for a home due to the lack of horse processing facilities, someone is stealing horses in northeastern Illinois. Just wait till they want to get rid of them and see how hard it is! We don’t want to make light of a very serious and costly matter. Most ranchers have spent years buying the best bulls and breeding up the quality of their cattle and to stand over a steaming pile of guts, all that’s left after someone killed your cow and gutted its carcass as if they were on safari, only adds insult to injury. And it can take the profit right out of the cow business in a hurry.
A Rural Crime Wave It’s easy to see why the rise of rustling in on a serious uptick. We’re in a slumping economy with many folks out of work, the price of beef in the grocery store is relatively high compared to previous years, and some people are just flat out hungry. With the advent of video surveillance and
continued from page one
crazy convenience store clerks who are now packing pistols, the crooks have evidently decided it’s much easier to steal a Gooseneck load of cattle than to hold up a store or a bank. And the rewards can be much higher. You might get $200 and a free case of beer from a convenience store, while you could net $20,000 from a trailer full of cattle with no one watching or shooting back at you. “Any time the price of cattle goes up,” says Tyler Peterson, deputy brand inspector for Idaho, “especially like what they’re doing now, the bad guys come out of the woodwork.” Instead of packing iron to pull their heist, modern day rustlers sometimes arm themselves with nothing more than a sack of alfalfa cubes, while the more serious career crooks take along a good cow dog, horse, a few panels, bolt cutters and a GPS to plan their getaway. And before you know it the crooks have $6,000 of your net worth in the back of their trailer. And did we mention that the rustlers are bolder than, well, bolder than bandits. There’s just no other way to say it. In Alabama rustlers came back to the same ranch and the same pasture on three separate occasions! The GPS isn’t the only technological device the crooks are using. A lot of the stolen beef is finding its way on to the Internet: For sale on Craigslist, “Half a beef, cheap.” Or, “Cow for sale. Cash only. Can also find you a bull. What kind do you want?”
Social Security For Cows Back country roads are underpatrolled anyway and the rural thefts are coming at a bad time, as local law enforcement agencies are cutting back on manpower due to budget restraints. But never fear, the federal government has an answer for us. Yes, the feds response is to de-emphasize the brand as an identification device. They want cowboys to ride for the bar code, not the brand. At first the USDA failed to convince anyone other than tag manufacturers and their fellow bureaucrats, of the need for their “voluntary” tracking program, that was supposedly so they’d be able to trace back cattle in case of a disease outbreak like foot and mouth disease (FMD). But this isn’t really about cattle diseases. When the USDA first started talking about mandatory ID they used FMD as the best example of why we need a big government ID program. The feds said that the possible introduction and spread of FMD alone was enough to justify mandatory ID. But in its newest proposed rule FMD isn’t even mentioned. What happened, did the USDA wipe it out? After USDA’s first attempt at ID failed they went back to the drawing board and came up with continued on page three
February 15, 2012 a strikingly similar program that will require cattle have a tracking device if they are shipped or sold across state lines. We wonder, how does a cow-calf operator know when he works his calves if they will be sold and shipped across state lines in the future? And if he doesn’t want to ear tag his cattle with a federally approved ear tag isn’t he severely restricting the market into which his calves can be sold? Isn’t the government therefore guilty of severely restraining and restricting trade like the World Trade Organization said we’re doing in the case of COOL (country of origin labeling). Then there is this: the feds keep insisting that the ID program they’ve been pushing ever since a mad cow raised its ugly head nine years ago is for disease control purposes only. So why leave it up to the state whether they want to make their ranchers ID their cattle or not? Don’t cattle within a state get sick too? And cattle moving across state lines already need certificates of health, can’t they use them to trace back diseases? State brand inspectors already document the movement 27,000,000 cattle a year and we’ve had no major disease outbreaks and continue to be able to trace back sick animals when needed. So why institute a costly program that will drive more small ranchers out of business and slow down commerce? This is nothing more than an answer in search of a problem All this nonsense has been a smokescreen for cunningly implementing a federally controlled mandatory ID program that the USDA has wanted all along, so that they can charge fees, expand the bureaucracy and collect fines. Just because computers now make such a database possible they see that as reason enough for doing so. Brands have been used in this country with great effectiveness ever since Hernando Cortés set foot in the New World in 1541. Now a bunch of soft-shoed bureaucrats in Washington, DC think they can improve on the brand with a high-cost ear tag that will become your cow’s Social Security number. Unless it rips out, or a bandit cuts part of an ear off, of course. The fed’s final rule de-emphasizing the brand as an ID tool is expected to be released sometime this summer. Consider it the federal government’s way of stimulating business . . . for the cattle rustlers!
If It Works, Get Rid Of It In a letter to the feds R-CALF protested, “In one fell swoop, the Obama Administration is poised to clinch the prize that eluded the Bush Administration for four years – that prize is the denigration of the United States cattle industry’s iconic, centuries-old, hot-iron brand. It is apparent the prize’s sponsor, the World Trade Organization, has successfully persuaded the Obama Administration to denigrate America’s hot-iron brand
“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper” to not only make room for the internationally numbered ear tag, but also to elevate that tag to an exclusive category. So exclusive is the category that it bumped out America’s centuriesold brand to get there.” When the feds do issue their rule it won’t be the first time, nor the last, that they went back on their word. “You and your agency outright lied to us,” said R-CALF in the letter the feds. “R-CALF USA relied exclusively on your word when it ceased its opposition to your agency’s development of a mandatory, national animal identification system. Your word included a written promise that hot-iron brands would remain on the list of official identification devices. Specifically, in February 2010 you, through your agency, wrote: “USDA will maintain a list of official identification devices, which can be updated or expanded based on the needs of the States and Tribal Nations. There are many official identification options available, such as BRANDING, (emphasis ours) metal tags, RFID, just to name a few. (APHIS Factsheet, February 2010) “Relegating the hot-iron brand to a secondary position
behind the international ear tag has nothing to do with animal health, and everything to do with capitulating to a global agenda under the auspices of the World Trade Organization, Codex Alimentarius, and the World Organization for Animal Health. No 15-character alphanumeric identification code can ever replace a “Lazy J,” “Hanging R” or “Flying 45,” said Bill Bullard of R-CALF. “The government is giving in to international pressure to adopt a one-size-fits-all system that replaces the American tradition of branding. Our ability to control and eradicate disease has earned us the envy of the world – and now the USDA proposes to throw out an integral part of our program.” For 500 years branding has been the simplest and most-efficient way to identify a cow. And it still is. A cowboy can immediately see when a cow is on the wrong side of the fence, brand inspectors use them every day to identify stolen cattle, and a brand is the only type of animal ID that has ever held up in court for a conviction of rustling. Because brands are a proven and effective means of conducting disease trace back it’s only
Page 3
natural the dysfunctional feds want to get rid of them and replace them with an untested and expensive ID system based on bar codes and ear tags that any rustler can remove in a matter of minutes. Thanks to the feds stupidity, in the future when ranchers gather their herds and count their cattle they won’t know how many of their cattle were stolen, or killed by wolves.
Deter Wolves
Which brings up yet another federal program dreamed up by bureaucrats in a vacuum of knowledge and common sense. As cattle thieves ponder the new federal ID rules, which deemphasize the biggest deterrent to theft, the brand, they must be chomping at the bit, laughing at such federal foolishness, and planning for major business expansion.
continued from page one
have been removed, in some cases lethally, from the wild since the program began because of livestock problems. In the last year, monthly reports show wildlife managers investigated four dozen depredations in Arizona and New Mexico. They determined that wolves were involved in half of the cases. Biologists working at a captive breeding center at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in south-central New Mexico treated six wolves last April and two more in October. The animals were fed baits made up of beef, cow hide and an odorless, tasteless deworming medication that makes the wolves queasy. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Susan Dicks said the initial tests appear to be successful, with the wolves not wanting anything to do with the beef baits after their first serving. “We’re learning as we go, but so far we have seen some good aversions produced,” Dicks said. “Again, it’s impossible to say yet whether this translates to a livestock animal running around on the hoof.”
San Angelo Packing Co., Inc.
1809 NORTH BELL ST., SAN ANGELO, TX 76903 P.O. BOX 1469, SAN ANGELO, TX 76902
A DIRECT MARKET FOR THE PRODUCER A BUYER OF QUALITY SLAUGHTER COWS & BULLS 800/588-6328 • 800/LUV-MEAT
Livestock Market Digest
Page 4
Solar Stocks Plunge as Germany Vows to Quicken Subsidy Cuts olar stocks plunged around the world on January 20, 2012 after Germany, the largest market for panels, said it will make quicker cuts to subsidized rates and phase out support for the industry by 2017. Chinese manufacturers listed in New York fell for a second day, with Trina Solar Ltd. and JA Solar Holdings Co. skidding 17 percent over the two-day period. GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Ltd., which makes the raw material for most panels, fell the most since November in Hong Kong. In Europe, Meyer Burger Technology AG, Solarworld AG and SMA Solar Technology AG dropped at least 5.3 percent each. German Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen said that he planned to reduce feed-in tariffs providing above-market prices for solar power every month instead of twice a year as he does now. He said he’s working to curb an “unacceptable” surge in installations last year. “It was clear that Roettgen would accelerate feed-in tariff digressions which would remove the bloom from the rose,” Jesse Pichel, an analyst for Jefferies Group Inc. “This will remove the ability for the German market to materially upside estimates.” The decision indicated ministers are speeding up efforts to restrain the boom in installations after developers added 7.5 gigawatts of panels last year, surpassing the 3 gigawatts that Roettgen said would be acceptable.
S
Government Concern Economy Minister Philipp Roesler has said spiraling costs linked to solar subsidies are a threat to the economy. Roettgen
before the cuts take affect. A surge in output from Chinese manufacturers such as Suntech Power Holdings Ltd. led to a crash in prices, squeezing margins for German and U.S. producers. Solar-equipment makers in the U.S. are pursuing a trade complaint through the U.S. Commerce Department aimed at curbing what they say is Chinese dumping of goods abroad. Solarworld is seeking to team with European peers to initiate anti-dumping proceedings in Europe.
on Jan. 18 indicated concern that the funds are benefiting Chinese companies. “The increase in installations in the past few years has gone far beyond what we had targeted in our legislation,” Roettgen said recently. He said the subsidy overhaul would be handled “quickly.” Gordon Johnson, the Axiom Capital Management Inc. analyst who recently removed his “sell” recommendation on First Solar Inc. for the first time since 2008, cut his guidance again, giving five other solar companies a “sell” rating too. “That was short,” he said in a note to clients. “We believe a severe cut in global demand is near.” The higher frequency in cuts will do away with the year-end rushes of the past and may help bring installation “closer toward” the government’s target, Solarworld Chief Executive Officer Frank Asbeck said by phone.
‘Solar Junk Rally’ “We continue to believe the recent solar junk rally has not priced in the risk of potential anti-dumping and countervailing duties as well as further feed-in tariffs cuts in Europe, Italy is next,” Pichel said in a note to investors. A slowdown in the German and Italian markets, which accounted for about half of worldwide installations last year, is bound to hurt the industry. Germany targets 2.5 to 3.5 gigawatts a year and seeks to phase out subsidies by 2017, Roettgen said. The minister will propose aggressive cuts to fend off the “very real possibility” of a cap on installations, Pichel said. The country was expected to cut tariffs by 15 percent in July, following a 15 percent reduction that took effect Jan. 1. Under the current law, lower rates are imposed automatically by abovetarget installations.
Meyer Burger, SMA In Zurich, Meyer Burger skidded 6.6 percent to 17.80 francs, the largest drop since December 1 by Europe’s biggest maker of solar-panel manufacturing equipment. In Frankfurt trading, SMA, Germany’s largest solar company, fell 5.3 percent, the most in a week. Solarworld, the country’s leading panel maker, dropped 6.5 percent, the biggest drop in almost two months. Worldwide, photovoltaic panels installations rose more than 50 percent to a record 28 gigawatts last year, Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimates. Germany added 3 gigawatts in December alone as developers rushed to take advantage of subsidized rates
Source: Bloomberg Businessweek Written with assistance from Stuart Biggs in Tokyo, Christopher Martin and Ehren Goossens in New York, Corinne Gretler in Zurich, Stefan Nicola in Berlin and Ben Sills in Madrid . Editors: Reed Landberg, Randall Hackley.
Breeding cattle for rangeland beef production to accomplish teaching and research missions of New Mexico’s Land Grant University.
30th ANNUAL NMSU
Cattle & Horse Sale Will be April 21, 2012
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LIVESTOCK PROGRAMS AT NMSU SEND US AN EMAIL anrsknox@nmsu.edu, OR CALL THE Department of Animal & Range Sciences at 575/646 2515; OR, VISIT THESE WEBSITES: COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, CONSUMER & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
http://www.aces.nmsu.edu
N ew Mexico State Unive Angus, rsity Bra and Bra ngus, hm a cattle n
• Cattle derived from Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center and Corona Range and Livestock Research Center. • Calving ease and fertility considered our most economically relevant traits. Selection based on performance data, EPDs, DNA, and whole herd reporting for maternal traits.
DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL & RANGE SCIENCES
CORONA RANGE AND LIVESTOCK RESEARCH CENTER
CHIHUAHUAN DESERT RANGELAND RESEARCH CENTER
http://www.aces.nmsu.edu/ academics/anrs
http://www.coronasc.nmsu.edu
http://chihuahuansc.nmsu.edu
February 15, 2012
National Western Stock Show Sets All Time Record for Jr. Livestock Auction n all time record total was achieved at the Junior Livestock Auction at the National Western Stock Show in Denver in mid January. The previous high total was $592,707 which was set in 2006 for the 100th Anniversary of Stock Show. This year, 98 animals were sold for a record $611,200, nearly a $20,000 increase from the previous record. The money invested supports the youth that raised the animal as they plan for their future needs for college education. In addition, a portion of the proceeds support the National Western Scholarship Trust, which funds scholarships in agriculture and rural medicine at colleges throughout Colorado and Wyoming. Last year, 74 students received funds to aid their education. The data from this year’s Jr. Livestock Auction are below: ■ Total bid dollars came to $611,200, smashing the previ-
A
Riding Herd $13.50 when I sold him at the fair, despite having well over 300 hours invested. (One wonders why I ever bought another bovine.) I know all this because we were required to use a double entry accounting system that I still use today. In the front of the book was a “Calendar of Events and Operations”, a journal of my daily activities in which I wrote about earth shattering events like, “Abe’s stools are loose.” I started in the FFA with nothing but a loan from a nice banker and according to the “Non-Depreciable Property” pages in my books I went from $35.55 after my first year to over $2,700, with an additional $3,500 in the bank when I received my American Farmer degree. My classmates went from teasing me to begging for loans. Back then I made plenty of mistakes in business but they all served to make me a better businessman later in life. For the life of me I don’t know why I agreed to plant 20 avocado trees on our one acre of ground and to take care of them, even though I’d be long gone before there’d be any crop. But there it was, right there in the Business Agreement section of my record book. I was
To place your ad, contact Caren at 505/243-9515, ext. 21 or caren@aaalivestock.com
ous total of $592,707. ■ The Grand Champion Steer sold for the second highest dollar amount of all time! Ames Construction, led by Butch Ames, invested $106,000, honoring the 106th National Western Stock Show! ■ TransWest Truck and Trailer bought the reserve grand champion steer for $45,000, up from $33,000. ■ The grand champion hog sold for $25,000 to Anadarko Petroleum, nearly double last year’s total. $15,500 was paid for the reserve champion hog by Colorado Business Bank. ■ The grand champion lamb went for $24,000 to Carter Energy Corporation. The reserve champion lamb went to Greenberg Traurig, LLC for $21,000. ■ The grand champion goat went to the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce for $26,000 and the reserve champion goat went to Larry and Susan Hamil for $12,000.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE
hoodwinked by my mom which taught me that henceforth I’d be a lot more careful who I partnered up with. I learned the most from my rabbit project that grew from four bunnies to 350 faster than you can say “nymphomaniacs.” I quickly learned that a good businessman controls his inventory, balances supply with demand, and if you aren’t making money raising one rabbit in all likelihood you probably aren’t going to make any raising 500. Not that there wasn’t some demand for my New Zealand Whites. I happened to live in an area that had a large population of dust bowl immigrants from Missouri and Oklahoma and they grew up eating rabbit. And they still had a hankering for it! One of my steady customers was a shirttail relative who thought he deserved a discount just because he was related to me. “How much for one rabbit?” he initially asked. “Three fifty,” I replied, “cut and wrapped.” “No, no, that’s way too much. I deserve a discount. I want a rabbit at your cost.” “Okay, if you insist,” I replied. “That will be five dollars.”
“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”
February 15, 2012
Rabies program could be victim of its success Express-News Editorial Board, www.mysanantonio.com
his year’s month-long drop of 1.8 million oral doses of rabies vaccines could be the last large operation due to budget cuts and the program’s success. Next year’s drop of the rabies-fighting drug could be greatly reduced to include only a narrow band of land along the Texas-Mexico border, Express-News medical writer Don Finley reported. During the last 17 years, the program has been responsible for dropping millions of doses of oral rabies vaccines in little packets smelling of fish to coyotes and foxes across Texas. It has proven quite successful and prompted the federal government in 2004 to declare the canine strain of rabies eliminated from the state, the ExpressNews reported. State health officials had hoped to start focusing on skunk rabies next after recording more than 500 cases of skunk rabies during the first 10 months of 2011, but sadly, that effort is now unlikely. The state’s financial woes have impacted the program. During the last legislative session, budget writers cut the vaccination program by 25 percent to $3 million, which means the area covered by the vaccine drops had to be reduced and expansion of the program is unlikely. Federal funding for wildlife rabies programs also has been reduced. It’s easy to forget what prompted these programs when things are going well and they have achieved their intended results. It has been almost two decades since the high profile death of a 14-year-old Edinburg teenager who is suspected of having been infected with deadly rabies virus by a puppy he had been given that died a few days after it was born. State officials must bear in mind that although the rabies problems have been eliminated on this side of the border, they persist on the other side of the border. The Express-News noted that two rabid dogs have been reported recently near Laredo in the Mexican state of Nuevo Léon. The state cannot afford to drop its defenses in the fight against this horrible virus, which is almost always fatal in humans unless it is diagnosed and treated quickly.
T
Page 5
Gosar Decries the Obama Administration’s New Federal Forest Regulations ongressman Paul Gosar (R-AZ) responded to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s release of the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for the U.S. Forest Service’s new forest planning rule, policy that will determine how the agency manages the country’s national forests and grasslands: “The Obama Administration’s new forest planning rule increases costly, burdensome regulations and undermines the multiple-use mission of the Forest Service. Rural Arizonans know first-hand the unfortunate truth: these types of policies stifle our local economies and lead to unhealthy and overgrown forests, which leave my constituents vulnerable to catastrophic wildfires. Our forest and natural resources are a
C
Join Us for
way of life in Arizona. I urge the Administration to reconsider these new overly restrictive regulations. A new plan that emphasizes active forest management will improve pub-
“The Obama Administration’s new forest planning rule increases costly, burdensome regulations and undermines the multiple-use mission of the Forest Service. lic safety, help the environment, and stimulate the economy of rural Arizona.” Last February, Congressman Gosar joined 58 other Congressmen, who represent over 75 percent of our country’s federal
forest and grass lands, in sending a letter to Secretary Tom Vilsack raising concerns about the proposed new planning rules’ deemphasis on active forest management. The Administration’s new regulations represent excessive layers of bureaucracy that will cost jobs, hinder proper forest management, increase litigation and add burdensome costs for Americans. The National Forest System consists of 155 National Forests and 20 Grasslands, totaling 192 million acres in 44 States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Arizona’s First Congressional District is home to over nine million acres of those lands. That acreage includes all or parts of Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino, Kaibab, Prescott, and Tonto National Forests
Cattleman’s Weekend in Prescott, Arizona
Friday & Saturday, March 16-17, 2012 at Prescott Livestock Auction in Chino Valley Selling 75 Bulls of All Breeds, 35 Ranch-Raised Horses & Yearlings, and 200 Replacement Heifers
Featured Events:
38th Annual Arizona Hereford Association Bull Sale 12th Annual Arizona Angus Association Bull Sale 24th Annual Prescott All Breed Bull Sale 14th Annual Invitational Ranch Remuda Sale (The best ranch horse sale and competition in the state, featuring Arizona’s top working ranches!)
20th Annual Commercial Heifer Sale 21st Annual Cattleman’s Trade Show, and More! For more information contact: Richard Smyer, Prescott Livestock Auction, Sale Manager, P.O. Box 5880, Chino Valley, AZ 86323 928/445-9571, Ed Ashurst, Horse Sale Manager: 520/558-2303 Leslie Hoffman, Trade Show Coordinator: 928/713-2658
Sale Barn located 5-1/2 miles east of Hwy. 89 on Perkinsville Road in Chino Valley For Cattleman’s Weekend Program visit our website www.cattlemansweekend.com or email us at: mccraine@cableone.net
Livestock Market Digest
Page 6
Federal lawsuit targeting Forest Service alleges bias against Hispanic ranchers group of ranchers and one county said Monday that they are suing the U.S. Forest Service over its decision to limit grazing on historic land grant areas in northern New Mexico. The group of Hispanic ranchers and Rio Arriba County officials contend the agency is trying to push them from land that has been ranched by their families for centuries. They say at stake is a piece of Hispanic culture and the economic viability of several northern New Mexico communities that depend on access to surrounding lands for everything from grazing to fire wood. “Without the ability to access and utilize natural resources, our communities are drying up. We’re not economically sustain-
A
able. We’re losing our customs and our culture,” said David Sanchez of the Northern New Mexico Stockman’s Association. The lawsuit centers on a 2010 decision by El Rito District Ranger Diana Trujillo to cut grazing by nearly one-fifth on the Jarita Mesa and Alamosa grazing allotments, which are part of an area recognized by the federal government for special treatment aimed at benefiting land grant heirs. Forest Service spokesman Mark Chavez said the agency had not seen the lawsuit and that he would not be able to comment on the pending litigation. The feud over the federal government’s management of land grants established at the end of the Mexican-American War
through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo has been decades in the making. The ranchers’ lawsuit chronicles a history in which they say the property rights of Hispanics have been ignored and an institutional bias has been allowed to continue despite the Forest Service’s obligation to accommodate the heirs’ dependency on the land. They point to a 1972 Forest Service policy that emerged following the raid of the Tierra Amarilla Courthouse in 1967 over unresolved land grant issues. The policy noted the relationship Hispanic residents of northern New Mexico had with the land and declared their culture a resource that must be recognized when setting agency objectives and policies. After two years of study, the Forest Service released an environmental assessment of grazing alternatives on the Jarita Mesa and Alamosa allotments. One would have let ranchers maintain their existing herds. Instead, Trujillo ordered that grazing be reduced by 18 percent. She argued that current grazing levels were unsustainable. The Forest Service explained in a March 2011 letter to U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, D-NM,
February 15, 2012 that management practices by the ranchers had contributed to overuse of meadows in the two allotments and that fences were either poorly maintained or in disrepair. The agency also said the allotments had been operating below their permitted numbers of livestock for over a decade. Even
Forest Service has violated its own policies and federal environmental laws, the ranchers contended. County officials said they are concerned about the loss of grazing fees, half of which are returned by the federal government to help fund local school districts and other public works.
“Without the ability to access and utilize natural resources, our communities are drying up. We’re not economically sustainable. We’re losing our customs and our culture.” with fewer cattle, the agency argued the allotments wouldn’t be able to recover. The ranchers maintain Trujillo’s decision was retribution for them speaking out against the Forest Service’s management practices and for requesting that she be transferred. They have repeatedly voiced their concerns at public meetings and have written letters to New Mexico’s congressional delegation about declining grazing opportunities and access to historic land grant areas. The lawsuit accuses Trujillo of “engaging in a continuing and ongoing campaign of retaliation, misusing her position to harass and punish plaintiffs for their constitutionally protected conduct.” In addition to violating their First Amendment rights, the
County Commissioner Felipe Martinez also said ranchers help sustain the local economy by purchasing fuel, groceries and other equipment for their cattle operations. “It all trickles down,” he said. “For us, it’s also about preserving the custom and culture, the language, the religion, everything that helps to identify us as who we are.” Attorney Ted Trujillo, who is representing the plaintiffs, said the lawsuit is the culmination of a long history of management disputes surrounding northern New Mexico’s land grants. “I think it’s going to take a lot of education all the way around,” he said, “but hopefully we can engage in some public policy discussions that would make a difference for the people of New Mexico.”
Livestock industry wins Supreme Court appeal by BILL MEARS, CNN Supreme Court Producer
state law mandating “humane treatment” of downed livestock headed for the slaughterhouse was unanimously overturned recently by the Supreme Court. At issue was whether federal regulations dealing with inspection of domesticated animals about to be killed, processed, and sold for human consumption preempted — or nullified — California Penal Code 599f. Several justices had earlier noted the good intentions behind the state action, but all now agreed that it went too far into the traditional federal arena.
A
g Space NOW! Reserve Your Advertisin
f For the 2012 Edition o s t’ Livestock Market Diges ION IT FALL MARKETING ED
The best read annual publication in the livestock industry!
FEATURING THE . . .
U.S. Supreme Court rules on health care challenge/ GPS tracking
Please contact me to discuss your advertising plans! RON ARCHER 505/865-6011 archerron@aol.com Livestock Market Digest P.O. Box 7458 Albuquerque, NM 87194
“The Federal Meat Inspection Act regulates slaughterhouses’ handling and treatment of non-ambulatory pigs from the moment of their delivery through the end of the meat production process,” wrote Justice Elena Kagan. “California’s (law) endeavors to regulate the same thing, at the same time, in the same place — except by imposing different requirements. The FMIA expressly preempts such a state law.” That state law became effec-
tive in 2009, following shocking undercover video released by the Humane Society. Slaughterhouse workers in San Bernardino County outside Los Angeles were shown dragging, prodding and bulldozing weak, “non-ambulatory” cows into slaughter pens. Water from hoses was used on some cattle lying on their sides, to force them to their feet. Penal Code 599f would require meat processors to immediately remove downed animals and “humanely” euthanize them. And the sale, purchase or shipment of such animals would be criminally prohibited. The long-standing Federal Meat Inspection Act also requires animals lying down to be removed, but gives discretion to federal inspectors to determine whether the livestock can recover sufficiently and become fit for slaughter and human consumption. That law expressly prohibits any state regulation “in addition to or different from” the federal requirements. It includes cattle, pigs, sheep and goats. The Supreme Court has long ruled that interstate commerce is under federal jurisdiction, trumping any state efforts to regulate it.
The current case was brought by a meat trade group on behalf of pig farmers in California. The Obama administration sided with pork producers, a move criticized by a number of animal rights groups. A federal appeals court in San Francisco last year had ruled in favor of the state law, labeling as “hogwash” an earlier judge’s decision that favored the industry. The law’s enforcement has been put on hold pending the Supreme Court’s decision, now in legal support of the industry. Animal defenders blasted the high court’s ruling, and urged the federal government to step up its enforcement and monitoring of slaughterhouses. “This is a deeply troubling decision, preventing a wide range of actions by the states to protect animals and consumers from reckless practices by the meat industry, including the mishandling and slaughter of animals too sick or injured to walk,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States. “The fact is, Congress and the USDA have been in the grip of the agribusiness lobby for decades, and that’s why our federal animal handling and food safety laws are so anemic. California tried
“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”
February 15, 2012
Recently weekly ethanol production uses 14 million bushels of corn ccording to Energy Information Administration, recent weekly ethanol averaged production 941,000 barrels per day (b/d) or 39.52 million gallons daily. That is down 3,000 barrels from the previous week.
A
The 4-week average for ethanol production stood at 953,000 b/d for an annualized rate of 14.6 billion gallons. Stocks of ethanol stood at 19.5 million barrels, the highest since early June 2010. Gasoline demand for the week averaged 335.8 million gallons daily, the lowest weekly demand since September 2001. As a percentage of daily gasoline demand, daily ethanol production was 11.77 percent. Ethanol producers were using 14.268 million bushels of corn to produce ethanol and 105,909 metric tons of livestock feed, 95,551 metric tons of which were distillers grains. The rest is comprised of corn gluten feed and corn gluten meal. Additionally, ethanol producers were providing 4.33 million pounds of corn oil daily.
to protect its citizens and the animals at slaughterhouses from acute and extreme abuses, but its effort was cannibalized by the federal government.” Pork producers in their legal brief estimated that about 3 percent of swine are non-ambulatory when they arrive at the slaughterhouse. Most of the downed beasts, they say, are merely overheated, fatigued or stubborn, and most are soon back on their feet. Animal rights activists challenge that assertion. The meat industry argued being forced to immediately euthanize all downed animals would hurt its ability to detect and fight one particularly virulent disease: footand-mouth, which is highly contagious. The industry says federal inspection is preferred, since pre-slaughter inspections of sick animals are required. The state law would mandate immediate killing and disposal of the lying-down livestock. California — backed by animal rights groups — also contended the two laws were compatible, allowing local conditions to be addressed and ensuring that moral and humane conditions would be part of meat processing rules. The case is National Meat Association v. Harris (10-224).
All-Womens Ranch Rodeo Association Kicks Off ll-Women’s Ranch Rodeo is exploding with the creation of the Ranch Cowgirls Rodeo Association (RCRA), that will hold its first rodeo season in 2012. RCRA is looking forward to lady cowhands from all over the country joining up to show their amazing cow and pony skills. The RCRA formed because of the ever-growing desire for cowgirls to have ranch rodeo competitions where cowgirls’ skills and lifestyle are showcased in a forum that is fair, professional, accountable and organized. RCRA also provides support and assistance to cowgirls and their
A
families in times of need. RCRA is dedicated to un-biased competitions and decisions, as well as exciting performances, according to the group’s mission statement. RCRA is not only about rodeos, but will be pursuing philanthropic endeavors as well. Women have always been a major part of all ranch works whether it was as a mother, house-wife, cow hand, horsebreaker, feed hand, or all of the above. In recent decades, women’s rodeo abilities have come more forefront in the rodeo sports world, according to founders. The group will be the first All-Women’s Ranch Rodeo organization that has a full board
of non-contestants, as well as the first All-Women’s Ranch Rodeo organization that will have a fund for cowgirls’ and their families in need. Ranch Cowgirls Rodeo Association has a Facebook page as well as a website, http:// www.ranchcowgirlsrodeoassociation.com. Ranch Cowgirls Rodeo Association board members, Kathleen Hill, Channing, Texas; Will Durrett, Wildorado, Texas; Mary Davis, Cimarron, N.M.; Steve Lewis, Amarillo, Texas; and Coli Hunt, Texico, N.M. are ready to start off the first ever RCRA rodeo season with an April 22 rodeo in Clovis, N.M.
Page 7
Cowley Farm & Feedlot Company • 5,000-Head Capacity • Backgrounding and Finishing • Feeding silage, alfalfa hay, corn and barley • Hedging on Request Three generations serving you IVAN, BRAD & JEREMY COWLEY 546 N. Venice Main St., Venice, Utah 84701 435/896-5260 cowleyfarm@hotmail.com
Livestock Market Digest
Page 8 R_H
SINCE 1962
NGUS FARMS ~17th ANNUAL~
Bull and Heifer Sale Saturday, March 17, 2012 Canyon, Texas 27951 S. U.S. Hwy. 87, Canyon, TX 79015-6515 Richmond Hales • 806/488-2471, C: 806/679-1919 Rick Hales • 806/655-3815, C: 806/679-9303 halesangus@midplains.coop
www.halesangus.com
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Lifetime Products ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ TANK COATINGS, ★ ★ ROOF COATINGS ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Available for ★ ★ metal, composition ★ ★ shingles or tar roofs. ★ ★ ★ Long lasting and easy ★ ★ ★ to apply. ★ ★ ★ We also manufacture ★ ★ ★ tank coatings for ★ ★ concrete, rock, ★ ★ ★ steel, galvanized ★ ★ ★ and mobile tanks. ★ ★ ★ ★ Call for our free ★ ★ catalog. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ VIRDEN PERMA BILT CO. ★ ★ ★ 806/352-2761 ★ ★ ★ www.virdenproducts.com ★ ★ ★ ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
V IRDEN PERMA-BILT
February 15, 2012
The long road to recovery for Southwest cattle industry by LOGAN HAWKES, Southwestfarmpress.com
istorically tough times — that’s how some livestock experts are summing up the 2011 livestock Southwest industry. One of the worst droughts on record has forced many livestock producers to cull herds, turn to out-of-state forage sources, and in many cases scramble for adequate water supplies just to keep their herds alive. And in spite of rain in late December and January in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, the forecast is calling for extended dry conditions and a long road to recovery, even if substantial rainfall comes this summer season. “The drought is the last in a series of events that have hurt the industry,” says Dr. Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist. “The timing of the drought couldn’t have been worse. But we didn’t get into this predicament overnight, and we’re not going to get out of it quickly either.” Peel says he expects recovery to take 4 to 5 years before herds can be significantly reestablished, and says a more patient approach will be necessary before the industry can experience expansion and return to pre-drought conditions. But he says some positive improvement could happen as early as later this year and next year depending on a number of developments, including substantial rainfall. “It is not just a question of adding back beef cows. There are not enough females to sup-
H
port repopulation in one year. Ranchers won’t run out of females, but prices will get high enough to encourage producers to wait to buy them. And one of the greatest challenges we face will be redeveloping forage acreage and inventories. This is not going to happen overnight,” he adds. “Producers should consider a more patient recovery strategy of rebuilding cow herds over a two- to four-year period. This may be beneficial to promote optimal recovery and healing of pastures. It also will fit cattle market conditions better.” Early estimates indicate Texas may have lost as much as 20 percent of its beef cattle as a result of last year’s drought, and Peel says Oklahoma losses could run that high and possibly more counting yearlings and stocker cows. “As an industry we have painted ourselves into a corner,” says Texas AgriLife Extension agriculture economist Stan Bevers. “We are battered and bruised by a terrible drought and most livestock producers have reacted as you would expect, selling off cows or moving them — often great distances — to greener pastures, and buying out-of-state hay and forage.”
No overnight recovery Bevers agrees that substantial recovery is not going to happen overnight, especially considering assessment of losses is an ongoing process. “How bad is it? No one knows for certain. We estimate some 120,000 cows won’t be marketed in Texas this year as a result of drought-related problems. Herds were culled, many cows moved
Working to Protect the Rich Tapestry of the West What They are Saying About Us… • The $206,098,920 Endangered Species Act Settlement Agreements — Is all that paperwork worth it? • Leveling the Playing Field: Support for the Grazing Improvement Act of 2011 • Support for the Governmental Litigation Savings Act of 2011 — Reform of Excessive Litigation Pay-outs • Foreign & Domestic Train Wreck in the Making — More of the ESA • The Secret World of the Animal Rights Agenda TO SUPPORT THESE CAUSES AND MORE, JOIN US!
I am/our organization is committed to protecting the open spaces, private property, private businesses & ensuring the responsible use of public lands. Please list me/my organization as a member of the Western Legacy Alliance. I have included my membership dues and my $____________ additional contribution. Name: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Organization: _______________________________________________________________________________ Address: ________________________________________ City: __________________________ State: _____ Zip: __________ Phone: __________________ Fax: __________________ Email: ______________________
Individual Membership: $25 Association Membership: $500 Corporate Membership: $1,000 Help You Can
936 West 350 North • Blackfoot, ID 83221 westernlegacyalliance@gmail.com • 208-681-6004 www.westernlegacyalliance.org
JOIN TODAY!
out-of-state, including some stocker cattle, and only time will tell how great the impact on the overall industry,” Bevers added. He says the drought-imposed setback represents a new develop-
environment and now we need to learn how to produce cattle that eat less grain. Already we’re seeing a move in that direction,” Peel said. Alternative feed and forage including by-product feeds like ‘cotton trash’, orange/citrus peel and pulp, corn distiller’s grain, soy hulls, cottonseed and corn stalks are all viable products being tested for cattle feed and may one
“The timing of the drought couldn’t have been worse. But we didn’t get into this predicament overnight, and we’re not going to get out of it quickly either.” ment in an industry that has been losing ground for some time. “In 1976 for example, Texas had about 44 million cows. But by 2011 that number had fallen to about 31 million, so the drought accelerated a trend for smaller inventories, and did so at a time when demand was steady and markets were up,” Bevers said. Both economists say they remain optimistic that the Southwest cattle industry will recover and that patience and innovation will be key for growers to survive. Robust strategies need to be developed and a degree of re-education will be required for the growth of the industry in years to come. Bevers said this year’s drought made it tough to generate profits. However, ranchers have been through droughts before, he says, and the difference now is the additional rising input costs and market volatility. He says coming out of this drought “will require a new level of understanding and pencil pushing.” “For a number of years we have been teaching how to grow the industry in a grain-based
day replace conventional grains. “Grain prices aren’t going to get any cheaper and production costs are going to continue to get higher, so in order to survive the industry will need to embrace new ways of doing things. But demand and a healthy market for beef is going to continue and as I have been saying to producers, patience and the ability to survive the current challenges will pay off in the long run,” Bevers said. New strategies for cattlemen could include concentrating on stocker cattle as they slowly add back beef cows to the heard over the next few years, and the market for feeder cattle is up, another area ranchers may be looking at in an effort to survive the current challenges. “I remain optimistic that recovery will happen. The only tragic variable would be another stretch of severe drought. If we don’t see rain this spring, we will probably see additional culling of herds by late spring and early summer, and this would be a development that would complicate any hope for a substantial recovery any time soon,” Peel said.
Shorthorn Summer 2012 Internship Available he American Shorthorn Association (ASA) and the American Junior Shorthorn Association (AJSA) seek individuals interested in a full-time paid summer internship. ASA will be selecting two (2) individuals for the 2012 summer internships. This is an outstanding opportunity to attain training and work experience in an association atmosphere. The intern will assist with programs of the ASA and AJSA activities, such as the planning and execution of the National Junior Shorthorn Show & Youth Conference, including but not limited to press releases, creative design work, media contact, correspondence with planning committees, and data and entry input and organization. Applicants should be a sophomore, junior, or senior in college and have an interest in working in an agriculturerelated field after college. Located at the ASA headquarters in Omaha, Neb.raska with beginning and ending dates flexible, the intern will assist with the daily in-office preparations for various ASA activities, correspondence, communications, as well as other work as assigned. Computer skills and experience with communications and agriculture are desired. More information can be found at www.shorthorn.org or by contacting Gwen Crawford, 402/393-7200 or gwen@shorthorn.org. Interested applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and three letters of reference by March 1, 2012 to the American Shorthorn Association: Internship, 8288 Hascall Street, Omaha, NE 68124.
T
“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”
February 15, 2012
Wind and solar power have failed to take off hough wind and solar energy have received enormous government subsidies for years, each remains relatively insignificant in terms of its contribution to aggregate energy production. The low market share of these forms of energy speaks to the fact that the necessary technology for efficient implementation does not yet exist, and that advocates are essentially swimming against the market current, says Benjamin Zycher, a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. ■ Renewable electricity generation from all nonhydroelectric sources was only 3.6 percent of total U.S. generation in 2010. ■ Despite this small energy share, nonhydroelectric production received 53.5 percent of all federal financial support for the electric power. ■ Wind power alone, providing 2.3 percent of generation, received 42 percent of such support. Wind and solar renewable energy have failed to take off despite government support because they face substantial market impediments. First, their energy production is relatively concentrated and requires as a result large amounts of land per unit of energy. ■ A wind farm with a theoretical generation capacity of 1,000 megawatts (MW) and a gener-
T
ous generation capacity of 35 percent would require 144,000192,000 acres. ■ The land requirement problem for solar thermal facilities is of sufficient importance because most analyses assume a maximum generation capacity of 50100 MW, which, conservatively, would require approximately 1,250 acres. ■ In contrast, a 1,000 MW gas-fired plant requires about 1015 acres; conventional coal, natural gas, and nuclear plants have capacity factors of 85-90 percent. Wind and solar energy also face a broader geographic challenge. Because they’re located primarily in the Midwest and the Southwest, respectively, they are far from the coasts where most electricity is consumed. This creates significant transmission costs. One survey of 40 transmission studies for wind projects conducted from 2001 to 2008 finds a median transmission cost of $15 per megawatt hour. These forms of energy face additional market obstacles as well, such as challenges to industry-wide economies of scale and inconsistent production. For these reasons, the total market has not embraced wind and solar. Source: Benjamin Zycher, “Wind and Solar Power, Part I: Uncooperative Reality,” American Enterprise Institute, January 17, 2012.
e l t t a C m o t Cus s t i t a g n i Feed Finest! Johnny Trotter, President / General Mgr. Res: 806/364-1172 • Mob.: 806/346-2508 Email: jtrotter@bar-g.com Kevin Bunch, Assistant Manager Mike Blair, Comptroller Mike Anthony, Shipping/Receiving
PO BOX 1797 HEREFORD, TX 79045
806/357-2241
Page 9
www.baxterblack.com
Baxter BLACK ON
THE
EDGE
OF
COMMON
SENSE
Enviro-Cred ince when did the term ‘environmentalist’ take on such a negative connotation?” This quote is from a letter-to-the-editor of a major metropolitan newspaper. “Sure,” it continues, “. . . there are extremists who make the evening news, but they are very much the minority . . .” Maybe the first thing we should do is define “environmentalist.” It was not even listed as a word in my 1961 Webster Dictionary. According to the internet I found three definitions: 1) advocate for environmentalism 2) one concerned about environmental quality especially of the human environment with respect to control of pollution 3) a person who protects the natural world from pollution and other threats It seems anyone can call themselves an “environmentalist.” It just depends on how you define pollution, the natural world and quality. Since the definition is so vague I suggest we have a means of evaluating one’s EnviroCred. Criteria would be based on 1) personal sacrifice, 2) realistic goals, and 3) actual reduction of pollution. If you give up your job, leave your family and tie yourself to a tree, that might mark you a C+ Environmentalist. You get your picture in the paper but expect someone else to pay for it. Say a person sells his house, takes all his savings and tries to buy the tree to protect it, that would be a B+ Environmentalist. Great personal sacrifice, but no guarantee you
“S
can force the owner to do something against his will. Compare that to someone who already owns the tree and refuses to cut it down, that would be the greatest sacrifice, an A+ Environmentalist. It is a matter of putting your money where your mouth is. Not the government’s money, but your personal commitment. It’s easy to be generous with somebody else’s money. Those of us in agriculture are frequent targets for D-rated Enviros who decide that loach minnows are endangered. They are willing to sacrifice your land, your property rights, your labor, heritage and income to attain their goal. These Enviros are the most despicable. They are ready and willing to condemn somebody else’s property to build wetlands, roads, or army training grounds for “the greater good,” as long as it is not “in their backyard!” Often, those who are most passionate about an issue and prey on rural communities, know the least about it! We see these self-important politicians, protestors, media pundits and celebrities pounding the table and orating, with all EnviroCred of a monkey behind the wheel of a Maserati! The label ‘environmentalist’ has been grossly abused. Maybe to be called one, a license based on your EnviroCred should be required. One that embodies some personal investment, some knowledge, and one that is environment-specific. Then, in response to the letter to the editor, common sense and credibility would allow the title, environmentalist, to be seen in a positive light. Which it should be, of course.
Bar-G FEEDYARD 125,000-Head Capacity 8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF HEREFORD, TEXAS FINANCING AVAILABLE
Livestock Market Digest
Page 10
The Truth Hurts by ED ASHURST, Apache, Arizona, January 26, 2012
“Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.” — ALBERT EINSTEIN —
n three occasions in the last twelve months I have toured the border east of Douglas with various dignitaries including authors, Tea Party leaders, film makers and three congressman: Jason Altmire and Tim Holden from Pennsylvania, and John Barrow from the state of Georgia. If you stand at the international boundary where it traverses the southern edge of the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge you can look east and west and see a stretch of road right next to the border fence and get a panoramic view at the least fifteen miles in length. At no time on any of these three trips did we encounter, or see, a single border patrol vehicle or agent. Why isn’t the Border Patrol on the border?
O
Twenty-seven miles straight north of the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge, five miles north of Highway 80 on Price Canyon Road there is a Border Patrol camp. While three shifts of agents work out of this camp Mexican outlaws pack dope on a nightly basis a mere stones throw away from the FEMA surplus camp trailers that house these Border Patrol employees. I live where Price Canyon Road leaves the highway, and I view Border Patrol vehicles going to and fro fifteen times an hour —24/7. Off duty agents drive into town in government vehicles to get supplies, and none of them that you ask will tell you they catch more than one in four illegal aliens; many estimates are one in ten. In the last several years Mexican cartel employees have started numerous forest fires in Cochise County costing the American taxpayer hundreds of millions to fight. In the summer of 2011 the Horseshoe Fire #2 burned the entire Chiracuhua Mountain range down and that fire alone cost the U.S. Treasury fifty million to put out. Since that fire the National Forest Service, who refuses to acknowledge the fires were started by outlaw Mexicans, have installed large metal gates on all major roads entering forest lands in the Chiracuhua range. On Tex Canyon Road a mile or so above the Krentz Ranch the new gate is a few steps away from a large sign installed by the federal government warning all who see it that drug smugglers and criminal aliens are known to be in the area. The heavy metal gate that cost taxpayers $2,500 to build has one purpose: to deny access to you and me on what is supposed to be public land. Mexican outlaws are free to roam, but you and I will soon be locked out. Why do Mexican outlaws have more freedom that I have? A Border Patrol supervisor from the camp on Price Canyon Road recently told a neighboring rancher that he was going to have to take some mandatory time off. “Why?” The rancher asked. The agent replied he had exceeded the maximum overtime limit and if he didn’t stand down for several weeks he would be making too much money. “How much do you make,” the rancher asked? “Oh, I’ll pull down about $134 thousand this year” was the agents reply. In the last decade job growth in the private sector has increased 1 percent, compared to 15 percent in government. When this recession started a couple years ago the U.S. Department of Transportation had one employee making $170,000 a year, today there are 1690. Employees in the Department of Defense making over $150,000 a year has increased in numbers from 1168 to 10,100 in a couple years. Since Obama
has been elected President, federal employees making over $100,000 have doubled in number. Per capita, individuals who are employed by the federal government make over twice as much as those employed in the private sector. The Border Patrol itself has 21,000 plus agents. I wonder how many of these would vote for a candidate who truly wanted to seal the border? In the last few months I have interviewed numerous business people and law enforcement personnel from several agencies. I ask them how many businesses in border towns like Douglas are legitimate and how many are mere fronts for money laundering and other illegal activities relative to cartel smuggling. The lowest estimate given me was 20 percent who are involved to some degree with illegal border trade. The highest estimate was 80 percent, with most people I talked to saying it’s somewhere between 35 percent and 50 percent. No one I questioned denies a large underground economy that benefits not only Mexicans but many U.S. citizens, some of whom have ties to Washington, D.C. The drug trade in Mexico is estimated to be a trilliondollar industry. No one knows for sure how big it is, but everyone agrees that it is so awash with cash that it makes the GDP of many nations in the world pale in comparison. I am acquainted with a plain clothes NARC detective (who is not employed by a federal agency). In a conversation a few months ago he told me a story how in the mid-nineties he and other officers after making a large narcotics bust acquired enough evidence to arrest three U.S. Customs agents for taking bribes and in the course of the investigation on these agent’s treasonous acts they put together a cut and dried case that should have convicted them. They couldn’t even get an indictment. He explained that the U.S. Customs agency itself didn’t want the bad publicity. The judge was apathetic and the district attorney was lazy — nobody cared. At the end of this story he looked at me with disgust and said,” Right today I know of ten agents working at the port of entry between Douglas and Agua Prieta that are taking bribes, and there is nothing I can do about it.” The idea that a fence from San Diego to Brownsville will fix the border problem is a fantasy. The border isn’t sealed because too many people are getting immensely wealthy doing business under the radar and many of them are Americans. For Washington politicians there is too much power at stake to actually find real solutions. We don’t need a fence; we need a change in the rules of engagement. About ten years ago about a dozen
Cochise County ranchers, including myself had a meeting with Congressman Tom Tancredo. Mr. Tancredo is a true pioneer in trying to expose truth about border violence and the flood of illegal activity on the border. He told us that on any give day it was impossible to find over two or three individuals in the capitol building who would be willing to discuss border issues. Everyone in Washington, Mr. Tancredo said, considers the problem on the border political suicide. The impotent gangster, Philipe Calderon, who is nothing but a puppet in a regime completely out of control, gets an invite from Obama himself to address a joint session of Congress. His speech, which Obama hoped he could use to embarrass conservatives in general and Arizona in particular, was considered a smashing success by all on the left. Congressman Altmire, Holden, and Barrow were there along with Giffords, Pelosi, Reed, Grijalva and McCain, standing — cheering. We bomb Qadafi without a declaration of war and ignore the plague of human atrocities committed daily in Philipe Calderon’s country.
February 15, 2012 be forced to acknowledge we are in a war, if not with Mexico, at least with the Mexican drug cartels. Experts say that the cartels now control seventy percent of Mexico, so war with Mexico or war with Mexican drug cartels are for all practical purposes one and the same. If and when the U.S. government (which means Obama or whoever is on the throne) realizes war has come home to roost, the language is SB 1867 could take on a more relevant tone. Could it at that time seem more acceptable for a president to arrest someone who has the reputation of being dangerous? This puts a whole new light on Joe Biden’s comment that the Taliban isn’t the real enemy. Under Obama, respect for the constitution and the rule of law have been replaced by post millennial political activism. Patriotism has become a dirty word. The Obama agenda is not, nor has it ever been, solution driven. This is most evident in the President’s refusal to acknowledge the well documented relationship the Mexican drug cartels have with Hamas, Hezbollah and other terror-
The border isn’t getting sealed because too many people are getting rich and powerful perpetuating the red hot economy that drug and human trafficking fuels. In an article in the New American Friday January 13, 2012 written by Brian Koenig some enlightening statistics about the U.S. citizen and immigration service are revealed. The article states that over half of USCIS officials say that Obama puts more focus on promoting immigration that on national security. Twenty-four percent of USCIS officials say that they are pressured by their superiors to approve applications that should have been rejected. The article goes on to say that five veteran employees were either demoted or given a choice to relocate because they were too tough on individuals applying for immigration benefits. “People are afraid,” said one veteran employee. “Integrity only carries a person so far because they’ve got to pay the rent.” I personally have had a dozen or more Border Patrol agents tell me their superior officers purposely cause them to be unsuccessful. Border Patrol agents who are aggressive are given desk jobs and incompetence is rewarded. There are several agents in prison for simply doing their jobs. Agent Brian Terry lost his life because of the Obama administration’s refusal to call the situation what it is: dangerous. Bean bags should never have been an option. In the last few weeks there has been considerable uproar over SB 1867. This bill was coauthored by none other than Arizona’s own Manchurian candidate, John McCain. It gives, among other things, the President the right to send the U.S. Army to your house and arrest you if he (in this case, Obama) deems you are a threat to National Security. No due process, no phone call, no attorney, no trial, only the Gulag. Of course Obama promises to never misuse the language of the bill which he and McCain think we the people have misinterpreted. Perhaps at this time the contents of this bill seem benign, but I believe in the not too distant future this is going to change. The situation in Mexico continues to deteriorate, and in spite of what Obama says the effects of cartel presence within our borders increases daily. The United States government will eventually
ist groups who want to destroy America. Since Obama became President we’ve had no federal budget, colossal debt, embarrassing foreign policy, no energy policy, higher gas prices, no Keystone pipeline, higher unemployment, increased class warfare, embarrassing government subsidies to companies doomed to bankruptcy, praise from the White House toward Wall Street occupiers and open hatred for Tea Party activists, violence and increased anarchy on the Mexican border, increased anger, frustration , confusion, depression, hysteria, and disgust from the American public which leads to more executive power, more departmental czars, increased regulation, federal intervention, and eventually we will have martial law. As Rahm Emmanuel said, “You never want a good crisis to go to waste.” By now you are probably thinking, “This guy is paranoid.” I have contemplated this and have decided that paranoia rests on a higher plane than deliberate naivety and cultivated stupidity. One doesn’t have to participate in the current dumbing down of America. Connect the dots and fill in the spaces. The border isn’t getting sealed because too many people are getting rich and powerful perpetuating the red hot economy that drug and human trafficking fuels. Anarchy, cruelty and killing are just unfortunate byproducts of the crisis that Obama and Holder and Napolitano refuse to recognize. In a recent conversation I had with Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever, who is an honorable man, I remarked to him, “Larry, several people have told me that the cartel is going to kill me because of the articles I’ve written. What do you think?” He replied, “Yes, there are people who would kill you if given the opportunity” He paused momentarily, staring at me, and then continued, “But who you really need to worry about is the U.S. government. They have ways of punishing people like you.” That begs another question, “Who are you afraid of?” The possibilities are endless.
“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper�
February 15, 2012
Public pension “Air Time� — a generous perk SA Today reports that 21 states currently allow government workers to take advantage of an obscure perk known as “air time.� It allows public employees to essentially purchase credit for extra years of work that are applied toward their pension benefits. Here’s an example provided by USA Today, says Andrew G. Biggs, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. ■A Michigan State Police analyst makes $56,000 each year. ■He retires after 27 years of service, but before doing so, he pays $30,365 (an amount determined by the pension’s actuaries) to purchase five years of work credit. ■This credit gives him retirement benefits equivalent to a 32year worker instead of his actual 27 years. ■This will add around $6,825 to the worker’s annual pension, boosting lifetime benefits by around $170,000. Government officials and the pension actuaries alike respond to the charge that this is an overly generous payout by emphasizing the careful calculation of the air time price. Essentially, actuaries estimate the total payout per year over the course of the worker’s lifetime, and discount the payout with a given interest rate, usually around 8 percent. Yet it is not the calculation itself that makes this perk extraordinary, but the assumptions beneath it. By discounting future payments at a given interest rate, state governments are essentially offering a guaranteed return on a worker’s investment at that rate. Now, returning to the use of 8 percent, it becomes clear why this option is obscenely beneficial for the worker, as a comparable option is unavailable anywhere else. ■Guaranteed U.S. Treasury securities currently pay less than 3 percent. ■Annuities issued to federal government employees by the Thrift Savings Plan have an underlying interest rate of around 2.25 percent. ■In the private sector, guaranteeing an 8 percent return on a mixed stock/bond portfolio over 25 years would cost around 133 percent of the portfolio’s original value. Furthermore, this 8 percent rate is also used to calculate necessary worker contributions for pension plans in general, meaning that many workers receive an 8 percent return on all contributions.
U
Page 11
Germany to seek EU animal welfare label on meat MINISTER CALLS FOR EU ACTION * Work still needed on definition * Farmers group says consumers will pay more ermany will press the European Union to introduce a label on meat saying it came from humanely raised farm animals, German agriculture minister Ilse Aigner said on recently. The move would be part of a new German government program to improve farm animal welfare, she said. “Transparency changes buying behaviour and then the pro-
G
duction processes and manufacturing processes,� she said at the opening of the Green Week food trade fair in Berlin. An EU-wide label on meat to show consumers that the animal was reared humanely should be introduced, she said. “This will make it possible for consumers to recognise products which were produced using a very high level of animal welfare,� she said. It would not be practical for
Germany to make such a move alone, she said. Farm animal welfare is part of a charter for agriculture and consumers setting out a series of medium- and long-term goals for German farm policy announced by Aigner. The charter said the amount of space farm animals receive and their freedom of movement were key factors for animal welfare. Practices such as castrating piglets without painkillers was not compatible with animal welfare, it said. The actual definition of humanely-reared still needs considerable research, said a report
from a ministry working group preparing the charter. Consumers must be ready to pay more for meat with such labels, German farmer’s association DBV said. “Consumers will have to change their understanding of prices,� said Heinrich Graf von Bassewitz, DBV spokesman for organic farming. “Consumers who complain about so-called factory farming have pushed forward this form of agriculture though their purchases of cheap foods and their extreme price-consciousness.� (Reporting by Hans-Edzard Busemann, additional reporting by Michael Hogan; editing by Jason Neely)
GENERATIONS OF ANGUS • RELIABLE BULLS
WK $QQXDO
HALES ANGUS FARMS SALE 6DWXUGD\ 0DUFK ‡ &DQ\RQ 7H[DV OFFERING 100 COMING TWO-YEAR-OLD & YEARLING ANGUS BULLS, AS WELL AS 50 BRED AND OPEN ANGUS HEIFERS.
SIRES OF THE CATTLE SELLING INCLUDE: Objective • In Focus • N Bar Prime Time Protege • Gardens Wave
Sale will be broadcast live on RFD-TV for your convenience.
Source: Andrew G. Biggs, “Public Pension ‘Air Time’ Is an Absurdly Generous Perk,� The American, January 13, 2012.
HALES ANGUS FARMS
&DWWOH'HVLJQŠ
To place your ad here, call Caren Cowan at 505/243-9515, ext. 21, or email caren@aaalivestock.com
27951 S. US Hwy. 87, Canyon, TX 79015 www.halesangus.com • halesangus@midplains.coop • 806-488-2274 fax
RICHMOND HALES 806-488-2471 • 806-679-1919 cell
RICK HALES 806-655-3815 • 806-679-9303 cell
\HDUV RI EUHHGLQJ $QJXV FDWWOH
Livestock Market Digest
Page 12
February 15, 2012
Vilsack Announces Disaster Assistance to Producers and Communities in 33 States and Puerto Rico n mid January U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced a package of disaster assistance to help farmers, land owners, communities and others recover and rebuild after a year in which a wave of natural disasters swept across all regions of the United States. The funding, totaling $308 million, provides financial and technical assistance to help
I
rebuild and repair land damaged on account of flooding, drought, tornadoes and other natural disasters in 33 states and Puerto Rico. Funding is provided by the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP) as well as the Farm Service Agency’s Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Emergency Forest Restoration
Program (EFRP). “Landowners, individuals and communities have endured incredible hardships because of the intensity and volume of natural disasters that have impacted their livelihoods,” said Vilsack. “America’s farmers and rural communities are vitally important to our nation’s economy, producing the food, feed, fiber and fuel that continue to help us
Animal scientists emphasize importance of antibiotic use in livestock he Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced last week that it would close hearings on the potential risks of “subtherapeutic” antibiotic use in food animals. This announcement means the FDA will no longer regulate the use of the antibiotics penicillin and tetracycline in feeds for livestock. Though some object to the policy change, FDA announcement actually comes at the recommendation of leading animal scientists. In the U.S., many livestock producers give their animals lowlevels of antibiotics to prevent disease and promote growth. Some argue that this practice has led to increased antibiotic-resistant human diseases. When the FDA opened hearings on the issue in 1977, scientists lacked information on whether giving
T
livestock antibiotics for “growth promotion” could lead to antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections in humans. Since then, animal scientists have shown that antibiotics can be used safely to promote growth and health in livestock. According to the FDA notice, published in the Federal Register, “FDA’s thinking on this issue has evolved over the last three decades, and FDA now generally considers disease control and prevention claims to be judicious uses (in other words, therapeutic uses), especially when the drug is administered at the direction and under the oversight of a licensed veterinarian.” This statement reflects the conclusions of many animal scientists working in animal agriculture and clinical research. In November 2011, after a scientific symposium on antibiotic use
in animals, the National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) concluded that “estimated farmto-fork risk from on-farm antibiotic use is extremely low.” Dr. Rodney Preston, a retired animal scientist and member of the Federation of Animal Science Societies’ Committee on Food Safety, agreed with the NIAA conclusion. Preston said risk of antibiotic use in animals leading to antibiotic-resistant human diseases is “minimal.” Dr. Scott Hurd, an associate professor in veterinary diagnostics and production animal medicine at Iowa State University, called the FDA announcement “a good plan.” Hurd gave his opinion on the part of the FDA announcement calling for the livestock industry to begin “voluntary reforms.” Source: American Society of Animal Science
The Best of the Bunch
grow. This funding will help to rebuild communities, while states can use the funds to carry out emergency recovery measures. At the same time, this assistance keeps farmers on the farm, ranchers on the ranch, and landowners on their land, helping to keep American agriculture profitable.” The Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) will contribute $215.7 million to provide financial and technical assistance to address public safety and restoration efforts on private, public and tribal lands. When funding is allocated to a project, NRCS contracts the heavy construction work to local contractors, spurring creation of jobs. Typical projects funded under EWP include removing debris from waterways, protecting eroded stream banks, reseeding damaged areas, and in some cases, purchasing floodplain easements on eligible land. A list of states and their fiscal year 2012 EWP Program allocations can be viewed at http://www.nrcs.usda. gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/landscape/ewpp. The Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) program will contribute $80 million to producers to help remove debris from farmland, restore livestock fences and conservation structures, provide water for livestock during periods of severe drought, and grade and shape farmland damaged by a natural disaster. FSA county committees determine eligibility based on on-site inspections of damaged land and considering the type and extent of damage. For land to be eligible, the natural disaster must create new conservation problems. The Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) program will provide $12 million in payments to eligible owners of nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) land in order to carry
out emergency measures to restore land damaged by a natural disaster. A list of states and their fiscal year 2012 ECP and EFRP allocations can be viewed athttp://www.fsa.usda.gov/Internet/FSA_File/20120108_ecp_efr p_table.pdf. USDA works with state and local governments and private landowners to conserve and protect our nation’s natural resources — helping preserve our land and clean our air and water. During the past two years, USDA's conservation agencies — NRCS, FSA and the U.S. Forest Service — have delivered technical assistance and implemented restoration practices on public and private lands. At the same time, USDA is working to better target conservation investments to embrace locally driven conservation and entering partnerships that focus on large, landscape-scale conservation. A strong farm safety net is important to sustain the success of American agriculture. To help keep American agriculture profitable, USDA immediately responds to disasters across the country, ranging from record floods, droughts and tropical storms, with direct support, disaster assistance, technical assistance, and access to credit. For example, USDA’s crop insurance program insures 264 million acres, 1.14 million policies, and $110 billion worth of liability on about 500,000 farms. Over the past 3 years, USDA has paid out about $17.2 billion in crop insurance indemnities to more than 325,000 farmers who lost crops due to natural disasters. And in response to tighter financial markets, USDA has expanded the availability of farm credit, helping struggling farmers refinance loans. In the past three years, USDA provided 103,000 loans to family farmers totaling $14.6 billion. Over 50 percent of the loans went to beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.
GIPSA’s Butler resigns FROM THE PHOTO of his hand-tooled cover to the very last story, Lee’s newest book, A Handmade Life, is pure Pitts. In the tradition of Dirt Roads and God’s Country, Lee’s latest will entertain and inspire. Destined to be a classic. ORDER FORM
QUANTITY
Four Book Special
oose any four 4-BOOK SPECIAL! Ch only $49.95. pay and ks bo ’s of Lee ty Postage! ori Pri es lud And that inc tential po a to It all ads up saving of over $20! PRICE
TOTAL
$49.95
BOOKS ORDERED SEPARATELY A Handmade Life
$14.95
These Things I Wish
$14.95
A Collection of Characters
$12.95
Essays from God’s Country
$12.95
Back Door People
$11.95
People Who Live at the End of Dirt Roads
$12.95
Shipping & Handling
$3.00
(Per Item if ordered separately)
Tax (If California resident only)
TOTAL
x 8.25%
GRAND TOTAL Name__________________________________________________________________________________ Mailing Address ________________________________________________________________________ City _________________________________________________ State _________ Zip________________
h t t p : / / a a a l i ve s to ck .c o m / in d ex . p h p / le e - p it t s
FOR BOOKS ORDERED SEPARATELY PLEASE PAY $3.00 EACH FOR POSTAGE AND HANDLING.
MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO: LEE PITTS, AND MAIL TO: P.O. BOX 616, MORRO BAY, CALIFORNIA 93443
by STEWART DOAN ©Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc.
udley Butler, administrator of USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA), has tendered his resignation, effective Jan. 26, Agri-Pulse learned recently. Butler oversaw the development of a controversial proposal to reform livestock and poultry marketing practices that became known as the GIPSA rule. It aimed to give Butler’s agency expanded authority under the 1921 Packers and Stockyards Act to protect livestock and contract chicken producers from unfair, fraudulent or retaliatory practices. The proposal was cheered by farm activists but heavily criticized by major livestock organi-
D
zations, including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Pork Producers Council and National Chicken Council, who claimed it went beyond the wishes of Congress in 2008 Farm Bill. In the end, many of the marketing reforms that mattered most to competition advocates were stripped from the final rule. Butler’s involvement in the rulemaking was slammed by Republicans on Capitol Hill. His previous experience as a trial lawyer who litigated cases under the P&S Act amounted to a conflict of interest in the minds of many of his detractors. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stood by his GIPSA Administrator throughout the controversy, and in a statement issued recently, thanked Butler for his “outstanding service.”
“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”
February 15, 2012
Page 13
Animal Advocates Gain Formal Protection for African Antelopes anuary 2012 marked the conclusion of a long trek to important protection for African antelopes living in the United States according to Taylor Jones, WildEarth Guardians and Lee Hall, Friends of Animals . Three African antelope species living in U.S. zoos and on Texas ranches finally have the same protections under the Endangered Species Act as their wild counterparts in Africa. The publication of a new rule by the Fish and Wildlife Service is the culmination of more than a decade of effort by Friends of Animals to protect scimitarhorned oryx, addax, and dama gazelles. The U.S. Fish &
J
prises. For live antelopes, embryos, gametes, and “sporthunted trophies” of these three species on U.S. soil, the blanket exemption authorized killing, commercial transport, and interstate or foreign commerce. All three groups of antelope are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, prohibiting international transport of listed animals (dead, alive, or parts). Shooting these antelopes in Africa and bringing trophies into the U.S. would be illegal. Yet under the exemption, killing them in the U.S. was legal. Lee Hall, Vice President of
The “advocates” for the antelopes in the US have now removed any incentive for American ranchers to maintain healthy captive stocks of these antelopes, which are endangered in Africa. Wildlife Service (FWS) will now protect all members of these three species as “endangered” including those bred in the U.S. and sold for sport-hunting. These antelope communities are critically endangered in their home territories in northern Africa, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. The addax and dama gazelles are nearly wiped out, and scimitar-horned oryx would be virtually extinct, if not for Friends of Animals’ work in protecting them and augmenting their numbers in Senegal. Yet more of these antelopes live on Texas hunting ranches, where they are bred and hunted, than in the wild in Africa. As early as 1991, the scimitarhorned oryx, dama gazelle, and addax were proposed for ESA protection. Friends of Animals went to the desert of Senegal, Africa, to help the rare antelopes regain footing in their own habitat. In addition, Friends of Animals, with the Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law, sued the federal government to list the these antelopes as “endangered” under U.S. law. In September 2005, the FWS did list the three species as “endangered,” noting that desertification, human encroachment, ranching, regional military activity, and hunting imperil these antelopes. Yet on the same date, the FWS published an exception to the rule removing take and transport prohibitions from the very animals that the United States has the strongest power to protect — those kept by U.S. enter-
Legal Affairs for Friends of Animals, lauded the new rule, saying, “At last these antelopes are free from being handled and killed for kicks. This protects three communities of North African antelopes from being transplanted to or bred into exploitive captivity, and stalked because of their remarkably graceful horns.” With the blanket exemption in place, a lucrative industry in hunting “popular exotics” and supplying feed, fencing, and taxidermy has continued to operate. FWS accepted arguments that hunting is good for antelope because it provides an incentive for maintaining their populations. Hall continued, “The publication of this rule ends the preposterous legal fiction that canned hunting ranches protect and propagate endangered species when in reality they are pimping members of species just barely hanging onto life on Earth in effect, exploiting the ‘endangered’ classification for profit.”
Advocates Strike Back A court case brought by Friends of Animals and WildEarth Guardians in 2009 challenged the loophole and secured a court order finding that the exemption violated Section 10 of the ESA by letting canned hunting ranches “harm, harass, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect” members of endangered species. District Judge Henry H. Kennedy, Jr. called blanket exemptions “anathema” to the ESA, and in June 2009 remanded the rule to the FWS for the appropriate change. Change has
now come. “This success is a step forward for all endangered species,” said Taylor Jones, Endangered Species Advocate for WildEarth Guardians. “The ESA is a powerful law, but it cannot work as it was meant to if exemptions are freely granted for any species hunters might want to hang on their wall.”
The pro-hunting Safari Club, represented by house attorney Anna Seidman, wants to set aside the new rule and give tourists the legal prerogative to pay $3,500 or more to kill the 2,000-plus captive antelopes still alive on U.S. ranches. Friends of Animals’ Lee Hall counters: “While the Endangered Species Act does allow, for
example, some movement of listed animals for science-related reasons or to enhance the propagation or survival of the animals contingent on a public feedback process for each good-faith application it is not meant to authorize sport-hunting.” “Hunting these antelopes is no way to save them or treat them with dignity; nor is it a dignified interpretation of the Endangered Species Act,” Hall stated. Editor’s Note: The “advocates” for the antelopes in the US have now removed any incentive for American ranchers to maintain healthy captive stocks of these antelopes, which are endangered in Africa.
If you are planning on selling bulls this spring, or next spring . . . You better be placing your ad in the Livestock Market Digest! The most likely bull buyers for spring 2012 will come from where it has rained. Where is that? The West Coast and Northwest. Where does the Livestock Market Digest cover the most? The West Coast and Northwest! The Livestock Market Digest has readers across the nation, and a great number of those readers are in California, Orgeon, Washington, Montana and Wyoming!
Call TODAY to reserve space for YOUR BULL SALE ad!
Contact CAREN COWAN at: caren@aaalivestock.com or at 505/243-9515, ext. 21.
Livestock Market Digest
Page 14
Over $10,000 in scholarships available for Junior Shorthorn Breeders ach year, there are several scholarships sponsored by The Shorthorn Foundation as well as the American Shorthorn Association (ASA) available to American Junior Shorthorn Association (AJSA) members. The ASA and the Foundation find offering college support to the youth of the association greatly important as they are the future of the industry and the Shorthorn breed. AJSA members are eligible to apply for one of six different college scholarships: ■ Mike Dugdale Memorial Scholarship: The $1,000 Dugdale Scholarship is awarded to a collegiate upperclassman who is an active AJSA member with a sincere interest in bettering the beef cattle industry after college. ■ John C. “Jack” Ragsdale Scholarship: The $1,000 Jack Ragsdale Scholarship is awarded to a high school senior or college freshman who is an active AJSA member with a sincere interest in learning how to evaluate livestock and an appreciation for the purebred livestock industry. ■ Don Longley Memorial Scholarships: Applicants may also apply for Lyle & Katharyn DeWitt Memorial Scholarship. There are four $1,000 Longley Memorial Scholarships awarded each year. The scholarships are sponsored by The Shorthorn Foundation and awarded to high school seniors or college freshmen based upon Shorthorn involvement, grades, need, and participation in other activities. ■ Lyle & Katharyn DeWitt
E
Memorial Scholarship: Applicants may also apply for Don Longley Memorial Scholarships. The one $1,000 Lyle and Katharyn DeWitt Memorial Scholarship is sponsored by The Shorthorn Foundation and awarded to high school seniors or college freshmen based upon Shorthorn involvement, grades, need, and participation in other activities ■ Jesse M. & Jennie S. Duckett Memorial Scholarship: The one $1,000 Jesse M. & Jennie S. Duckett Memorial Scholarship is sponsored by The Shorthorn Foundation and awarded to high school seniors or college freshmen based upon the applicants’ involvement in Agriculture, educational background, ACT scores, and high school and/or college GPA. ■ Charles B. “Chuck” Leemon Memorial Scholarship: Applicants may also apply for any other scholarship offered. New this year is the one $2,500 Charles B. “Chuck” Leemon Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship is sponsored by the family of Chuck Leemon in cooperation with The Shorthorn Foundation and awarded to a college student based upon the applicants’ involvement, future goals and career plans in Agriculture, college GPA, and character references. Applications for the scholarships are available at www.shorthorn.org or by contacting the ASA at 877/272-0686 or bert@shorthorn.org. Please send completed applications to The American Shorthorn Association, Attn: Scholarship Application, 8288 Hascall Street, Omaha, NE 68124 by May 1, 2012. All scholarship recipients will be announced during the 2012 Shorthorn Junior National Show & Youth Conference, in Grand Island, Neb., June 29, 2012.
Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. to help sponsor for June’s World Livestock Auctioneer Championship ivestock Marketing Association has announced that Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. (BIVI) is the Platinum Level sponsor for LMA’s 2012 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship (WLAC). LMA President David Macedo said the Platinum Level “is the highest level of sponsorship for the WLAC, now in its 49th year, and widely considered the World Series and Super Bowl of the livestock auctioneering profession. “We are very pleased to be working with a worldwide leader in cattle vaccine products, a company that shares our members’ concerns about livestock health.” LMA is North America’s largest membership organization dedicated to supporting, representing and communicating with and for the entire livestock marketing sector. LMA represents some 800 livestock auction markets, livestock dealer/brokers and related businesses. BIVI Brand Manager Monica Porter said, “We realized that the livestock auction market owner has a key role in the value that producers capture for the cattle they sell and has a significant influence on the health protocols that producers follow. “We want to partner with LMA members to help educate cattle producers on ways to improve their end product through flexible health programs, like our Range Ready Quality
L
g•u•i•d•e HEREFORD angus
Bell Key Angus Dennis Boehlke 208/467-2747 Cell. 208/989-1612
A few Choice Bulls Available at Private Treaty. NAMPA, IDAHO
SCHUSTER
HEREFORDS To list your herd, call CAREN COWAN at call 505/243-9515, ext. 21, or email caren@ aaalivestock.com. BRANGUS
Washington’s Oldest Source of Herefords “SINCE 1938”
SELLING RANGE BULLS IN VOLUME (TOP REPLACEMENT HEIFERS) CLAY SCHUSTER • shuster@gorge.net 509/773-6051 Home • 541/980-7464 Cell GOLDENDALE, WA 99620
RED ANGUS
Bradley 3 Ranch Ltd. www.bradley3ranch.com
200+ Angus Bulls Sell February 11, 2012 at the Ranch NE of Estelline, TX Ranch-Raised ANGUS Bulls for Ranchers Since 1955
M.L. Bradley 806/888-1062 Fax: 806/888-1010 • Cell: 940/585-6471
R.L. Robbs 520/384-3654 4995 Arzberger Rd. Willcox, Arizona 85643
February 15, 2012
A SOURCE FOR PROVEN SUPERIOR RED ANGUS GENETICS 14298 N. Atkins Rd., Lodi, CA 95240
209/727-3335
Feeder Calf program. Healthier calves pay producers back with repeat buyers.” The Range Ready Quality Feeder Calf program, Porter said, “is a preconditioned calf program that offers the convenience of online enrollment, as well as flexible protocols to fit the management styles of producers throughout the country. “Upon completion of the protocol, producers are provided a certificate electronically that shows what products were given and when, so buyers can have confidence in the health program behind the cattle they are purchasing.” Discussing BIVI’s future work with LMA, Porter said, “The value of being able to talk directly to livestock market owners and getting feedback on what works in different geographical areas is invaluable to our program and planning. We appreciate the
partnership we are building with LMA members and the WLAC contestants.” BIVI is the U.S. animal health division of Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation, a family-owned company founded in 1885 in Ingelheim, Germany. BIVI recently expanded its vaccine manufacturing facility in St. Joseph, Mo., and continues to dedicate itself to research and development of innovative vaccine products for cattle producers. The 2012 WLAC will be held June 16 at Turlock Livestock Auction Yard, Inc., Turlock, Calif. Thirty-three contestants will compete at an actual livestock sale and three titlists will be selected – world, reserve and runner-up champion. The winners receive thousands of dollars in cash and prizes. The Championship will be broadcast live at www.LMAAuctions.com
Goes Receives Gelbvieh Association Member of Year ark Goes, Odell, Neb., was named the 2012 American Gelbvieh Association (AGA) Member of the Year. The AGA Member of the Year award is presented annually to an outstanding member who gives their time, talent, and dedication to further the improvement of their state and national association. This year’s honoree has selflessly given his time and talent on each level, exemplifying the qualities and attributes of the award. Mark has been very active in the Gelbvieh breed and the livestock industry. He has been a member of the Gelbvieh Association in Nebraska (GAIN) since 1987 and the American Gelbvieh Association since 1988 as owner of M&P Gelbvieh, which he owns with his wife Patti and daughter Tricia. Mark has served on the Board of Directors for each association, lending his time and input to shape the direction of both associations. He has been a director for seven of the past eight years with GAIN, where he worked to create the GAIN field representative position. Currently, Mark serves on the AGA Board of Directors, and was recently elected as the 28th president of the American Gelbvieh Association. Additionally, he has chaired numerous AGA committees including productivity, finance and national show and has written six published articles in Gelbvieh World. As a champion for youth, Mark and Patti have been junior GAIN sponsors for the last ten years. Moreover, Mark has played an instrumental role in developing and carrying out the American Gelbvieh Junior Association (AGJA) live carcass evaluation contest. His efforts brought the contest from a concept to a reality. Recently, Mark
M
and Patti served on the AGJA Twister Classic host committee which planned and carried out a very successful national show for more than 150 AGJA exhibitors and their families. M&P Gelbvieh has built a reputation of raising high-quality and showring-competitive cattle. M&P Gelbvieh has exhibited cattle at the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) for ten years and taken home many purple ribbons. In 2005, PMG Pegasus 01P, a bull bred and raised by M&P Gelbvieh, was named champion of the Breeder’s Choice Gelbvieh Bull Futurity. They have also exhibited cattle many times at the American Royal, and in 2010 showed the reserve grand champion Balancer® female. Outside of M&P Gelbvieh, Mark is an instructor of livestock production at the Beatrice campus of Southeast Community College located in southeast Nebraska. In 1999, Mark was responsible for adding a registered Gelbvieh and Balancer herd to the beef program at SCC. Southeast Community College has hosted multiple Gelbvieh tours with a variety of guests including representatives from the Canadian Gelbvieh Association. As an instructor, Mark has been a mentor to SCC students by helping them to exhibit and market Gelbvieh and Balancer cattle at state sales as well as the NWSS and the National Gelbvieh Sale. The American Gelbvieh Association was honored to recognize Mark as the 2012 Member of the Year during the AGA “Blazing New Trails” annual convention held January 4-7 in Denver, Colo. His countless hours of time and dedication to Gelbvieh organizations set a remarkable example for all AGA members to follow.
“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”
February 15, 2012
Grau Reappointed to Cattlemen’s Beef Board esley Grau, Grady, was appointed to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, the national board that administers the Beef Checkoff program, by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in late December.
W
Labor Department To Re-propose parental exemption in child labor regs he U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has announced that it will re-propose the portion of its regulation on child labor in agriculture interpreting the “parental exemption.” The decision to re-propose is in part a response to requests from the public and members of Congress that the agency allow an opportunity for more input on this aspect of the rule. Following the president’s historic executive order on regulation, issued in January 2011, this re-proposal reflects the department’s careful attention to public comments and its conclusion that it is appropriate to provide the public with further opportunities to participate in the regulatory process. The parental exemption allows children of any age who are employed by their parent, or a person standing in the place of a parent, to perform any job on a farm owned or operated by their parent or such person standing in the place of a parent. Congress created the parental exemption in 1966 when it expanded protections for children employed in agriculture and prohibited their employment in jobs the Department of Labor declared particularly hazardous for children under the age of 16 to perform. The department recognizes the unique attributes of farm families and rural communities. The reproposal process will seek comments and inputs as to how the department can comply with statutory requirements to protect children, while respecting rural traditions. The re-proposed portion of the rule is expected to be published for public comment by early summer. The department will continue to review the comments received regarding the remaining portions of the proposed rule for inclusion in a final rule. Until the revised exemption is final, the Wage and Hour Division will apply the parental exemption to situations in which the parent or person standing in the place of a parent is a part owner of the farm, a partner in a partnership or an officer of a corporation that owns the farm if the ownership interest in the partnership or corporation is substantial. This approach is consistent with guidance the Wage and Hour Division has provided to the public on its website for the past several years.
T
If you have any additional questions or concerns, feel free to contact mckinney. julia.n@dol.gov or 202/693-4600.
This will be the second threeyear term for the Grady rancher, who was elected Chairman of the Board in August, 2011. “The Beef Checkoff, which funds beef promotion and research and fuels the market for our product, is crucial to our industry,” said Rex Wilson, New Mexico Cattle Growers Association President, Carrizozo. “We are fortunate to have Wesley helping direct those funds. He is a rancher and farmer, understands both the commercial and registered sides of the cattle business, and has experience on the political front. We couldn’t have a better person representing our interests.” Grau and his family raise Charolais cattle in eastern New Mexico. He is an active member and past president of the NMCGA, and was named Cattleman of the Year by the Association in 2009. He is a former member of the New Mexico House of Representatives, past president of the New Mexico Beef Cattle Performance Association, member of the American International Charolais Association and NCBA, and past president of the New Mexico Wheat Growers’ Association. He and his wife have three children and five grandchildren. The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff
assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval. Recent appointees to the 103member board representing cattle producers include: Leo C. Sutterfield, Jr., Ark.; Phyllis K. Snyder, Colo.; Sarah K. Childs, Fla.; Kimberly Brackett, Idaho; Stacy M. McClintock and Perry L. Owens, Kan.; Daniel C. Smith, Ky.; Leon Kreisler, Mo.; Lyle V. Peterson and Linda M. Nielsen, Mont.; Douglas A. Temme and Sherry A. Vinton, Neb.; Wesley L. Grau, N.M.; Patrick L. Becker, N.Dak.; Terry L. Wyatt and Barbara A. Jacques, Okla.; Joyce A. Bupp, Pa.; Gerald R. Sharp, S.D.; Ted A. Greidanus, Southwest Unit; Richard A. Winter, Paul H. Looney, Jr., G. Hughes Abell, Lavina G. Sartwell, and Thomas R. Alger, Texas; and Frank H. Maxey, Jr., Va. Newly appointed members representing importers are: Andrew N. Burtt, Va.; Stephen K. Edwards, Va.; Cristobal J. Hutton, Ill.; and Joakim A. Holzner, Colo.
t DigesClassifieds To place your Digest Classified ad here, contact CAREN COWAN at caren@aaalivestock.com or by phone at 505/243-9515, ext. 21
Auction Schools COME TRAIN WITH THE CHAMPIONS. Join the financially rewarding world of auctioneering. World Wide College of Auctioneering. Free catalog. 1-800/423-5242, www.worldwidecollegeofauctioneering.com. BE AN AUCTIONEER – Missouri Auction School, world’s largest since 1905. Free CD and catalog. Call toll-free 1-800/8351955, ext. 5. www.auctionschool.com. LEARN AUCTIONEERING for the 2000s! Nashville Auction School “Free Catalog” 800/543-7061, learntoauction.com, 112 W. Lauderdale St., Tullahoma, TN 37388.
Livestock Haulers
Page 15
THE LIVESTOCK MARKET DIGEST
Real Estate Guide TO PLACE YOUR REAL ESTATE LISTINGS call CAREN COWAN at 505/243-9515, ext. 21, or email caren@aaalivestock.com
TEXAS & OKLA. FARMS & RANCHES • 735 acres Paris, Texas, excellent pasture, paved road frontage, huge lake, mansion home. $2,750,000. • 274 acres in the shadow of Dallas. Secluded lakes, trees, excellent grass. Hunting & fishing, dream home sites. $3,550/ac. Can add 300 more acres, only 30 miles out of Dallas. • 1,700-acre classic NE TX cattle & hunting ranch. $2,750/ac. Some mineral production. • 256 Acre Texas Jewel – Deep sandy soil, highrolling hills, scattered good quality trees, & excellent improved grasses. Water line on 2 sides rd., frontage on 2 sides, fenced into 5 pastures, 5 spring fed tanks and lakes, deer, hogs & ducks. Near Tyler & Athens. Price $1,920,000. Make us an offer! • 146 horse, hunting cattle ranch N. of Clarksville, TX. Red River Co. nice brick home, 2 barns, pipe fences, good deer, hogs, ducks, hunting. PRICE REDUCED to $375,000. • 535 ac. Limestone, Fallas, & Robertson counties, fronts on Hwy. 14 and has rail frontage water line, to ranch, fenced into 5 pastures, 2 sets, cattle pens, loamy soil, good quality trees, hogs, and deer hunting. Priced reduced to $1,750 per ac. • 10 Wooded Acres with a 6-bedroom, 3.5 bath and a 2-car garage and shop for $199,000. • 134 acres Wortham, Texas, $1,750/ac. Hunting and cattle. Fronts FM Hwy.
Joe Priest Real Estate 1205 N. Hwy 175, Seagoville, TX 75159
972/287-4548 • 214/676-6973 1-800/671-4548 www.joepriest.com joepriestre@earthlink.com
Ben G. Scott and Krystal M. Nelson, Brokers 1301 Front St., Dimmitt, TX 79027 1-800/933-9698 day/night ➤ www.scottlandcompany.com ➤ www.texascrp.com
RANCH & FARM REAL ESTATE CHECK OUR WEBSITES FOR OTHER PROPERTIES.
VALLEY VIEW RANCH: Lipscomb Co., Texas, 177 ac. with extraordinary 5,404± sq. ft. home overlooking the property with beautiful views of live creek, trees, wildlife (deer, quail, and turkey), covered horse training facilities, stables, excellent cattle working facilities and pens, commercial dog kennels, employee housing. We can divide (10 ac. with main residence or 167± ac. with other improvements)! HWY 1055/303 RANCH: 8-section ranch with new set of pens, concrete bunks, truck/cattle scale and commodity barn, mobile home, watered by subs, mill and pipeline, hour from Lubbock, Texas, mule deer and quail.
JU-Ranch 30,148 Acres 20 Miles South of Elida, NM
DANE STUHAAN (CA) 559/688-7695 • Cell (NE): 559/731-7695
LIVESTOCK HAULING California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho & Nebraska
· 6,520 Deeded Acres · 14,988 State Lease Acres · 8,640 BLM Acres · 650 Animal Units Year Long · 1/ 2 sand country, 1/ 2 hard country · Good water; windmills & submergible tanks · Extensive pipeline system · Modest improvements for living quarters CALL FOR PRICE
Equipment POWDER RIVER LIVESTOCK EQUIPMENT. Best prices with delivery available. CONLIN SUPPLY CO. INC., Oakdale, CA. 209/847-8977. NEW HOLLAND pull type bale wagons: 1033, 104 bales, $5,100; 1034, 104 bales, unloads both ways, $4,400; 1044, 120 bales, $3,700; 1063, 160 bales, $10,800; 1010, 56 bales, $1,200. Also have self propelled wagons. Delivery available. 785/ 336-6103, www.roederimp.com.
KADDATZ Auctioneering and Farm Equipment Sales
New and used tractors, equipment, and parts. Salvage yard, combines, tractors, hay equipment and all types of equipment parts. ORDER PARTS ONLINE.
www.kaddatzequipment.com • 254/582-3000
Rodent Control BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOG PROBLEMS? Don’t risk having to do it over again with ineffective products. Rozol Prairie Dog Bait is a restricted-use pesticide approved for use by state certified applicators on blacktailed prairie dogs in CO, KS, ND, NE, NM, OK, SD, TX and WY. Made with food-grade winter wheat, a preferred food source, to ensure quick rodent acceptance and control. No pre-baiting required. Proven in university trials on over 11,000 burrows to provide over 94% control in a single application. For use in-burrow only. It is the responsibility of the user to read and follow all label directions. Protect your range and pastureland from damage with Rozol. For info call: 888-331-7900 or visit www.rodent-control.com
UNITED COUNTRY VISTA NUEVA, INC. Charles Bennett • 575/356-5616 www.vista-nueva.com
Place your Real Estate ad in the 2012 FME (Including the DIGEST 25) 5 0 5 / 2 4 3 - 9 5 1 5
•
✴ Special Real Estate section ✴ Full-color, high-gloss magazine with internet visibility ✴ Appears on the internet for 12 full months after publication ✴ www.aaalivestock is the top-ranking website in the Yahoo and MSN search engines
w w w . a a a l i v e s t o c k . c o m
Livestock Market Digest
Page 16
Farmers warned: We’re all one regulation away from jail or bankruptcy by AMERICAN FARM Bureau Federation
armers need to commit their time, energy, money and best thinking if they want to stop the proliferation of federal regulations that threaten their businesses, a U.S. Chamber of Commerce official said recently at the American Farm Bureau Federation 93rd Annual Meeting.“This isn’t academic folks,” said Reed Rubinstein, senior counsel for the Chamber of Commerce. “When the federal government
F
exercises its authority, it can send you to jail. We are all one regulation away from being out of business.” Most of the“hyper regulation” currently affecting farmers stems from expansion of environmental law, he said, but new health care regulations and financial reform will add to their regulatory burden in the next five to 10 years. Increasingly, the Environmental Protection Agency is emphasizing ecological sustainability of agriculture in its regulatory programs, based on what it says are public concerns, Rubinstein said.
“Translation: ‘You need somebody to tell you how to run your business because you’re not doing it in the right way,” he said. “But who’s going to decide what ‘sustainable’ means?” EPA also is having internal discussions about moving away from place-based regulations supported by science to a holistic approach, which includes concern for social issues in writing regulations, he said. Farmers need to get engaged in these issues, Rubinstein said, and comment on proposed regulations at every level of government.
February 15, 2012 Hyper regulation is also a state and local issue, he emphasized. Farmers need to be willing to serve on federal and local advisory panels that draft and review regulations, and file lawsuits if necessary.
“We need to ask, ‘how do we work together to achieve it’” in a way that doesn’t handicap farmers’ ability to grow food. “If you’re not in there punching, you don’t have a chance,” he said. In addition to responding, farmers and ranchers need to be proactive in addressing issues, he said. “We all want clean water, clean air,” he said. “We need to
l a u n n l A l u 1 B 2 s u g n a r B ll st
e w s Ro emale Sale .m. a 0 1 &F t a 2 1 0 2 ,
5 2 y r a u r b e F , y a d r Satu Brangus and Angus Plus Bulls • Most with EPDs • Registered and Commercial • Fertility- , TB-, and Brucellosis-tested • These bulls have been bred and raised under Southwest range conditions. • Most bulls rock-footed • Trich-tested to go anywhere
Females . . .
ask, ‘how do we work together to achieve it’” in a way that doesn’t handicap farmers’ ability to grow food. Rubinstein also encouraged farmers and ranchers to support legislation that would regulate
AT ROSWELL LIVESTOCK AUCTION ROSWELL, N.M. • 575/622-5580 Cattle may be viewed Friday, Feb. 24, 2012 at Roswell Livestock Auction This sale offers you some of the highest quality Brangus in the Southwest! The “good doing” kind. BUY DIRECT FROM BRANGUS BREEDERS! NO HIGH-PRICED COMMISSION MEN TO RUN THE PRICE UP!
• Registered Open Heifers • Registered Bred Heifers and Bred Cows • Bred Cows and Pairs: 3- to 7-yrs.-old • Bred Heifers: Coming 2-yr.-olds • Open Yearling Heifers
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: Gayland Townsend . . . 580/443-5777, MOB. 580/380-1606 Troy Floyd . . . . . . . . . . . . 575/734-7005 Bill Morrison . . . . . . . . . . 575/482-3254, MOB. 575/760-7263 Joe Lack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 575/267-1016 Larry Parker . . . . . . . . . . . 520/845-2315, MOB. 520/845-2411 TO RECEIVE A CATALOG CONTACT: Bill Morrison: 575/482-3254 • C: 575/760-7263 To Consign Top Females Contact: Gayland Townsend: 580/443-5777 • C: 580/380-1606
how EPA settles lawsuits filed against it. Often environmental groups sue the agency to advance their agenda and EPA settles the lawsuits in a manner that establishes the regulatory control the groups wanted. Farmers can find coalition partners in other groups that feel as strongly as they do about private property rights, he suggested. There also is value in publicizing excessive regulations, Rubinstein said, such as EPA’s plan to regulate spilled milk under the Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures program. The agency backed off when the plan was brought to the attention of the general public. “Sunshine is a great disinfectant when it comes to government actions,” he said.
ASI plans wool handling/ classing schools re you interested in attending an informational wool course? If so, let the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) know your interest. ASI offers two different schools: a four-day woolcertified classing school and a two-day wool handling school. Both classes are comprised of classroom learning in addition to time spent handling wool. The certified classing school is designed for sheep producers with woolfocused genetics in their flock. Technical information on wool production, genetics, nutritional influences as well as an opportunity to skirt and class a wide variety of fleeces is covered. The more general wool handling school provides more general information about wool marketing and preparation with a broadbased view of the wool industry. For more information regarding these classes or to show interest in one of the courses, contact ASI at 303/771-3500 or email Mary at: mary@sheepusa.org.
A
To place your ad here, call Caren Cowan at 505/243-9515, ext. 21, or email caren@aaalivestock.com