LMD June 2024

Saying things that need to be said.

Consider The Possibilities

For nearly 20 years we’ve been speaking out against USDA’s efforts to force you to put electronic ear tags in all your cattle and most of the time it felt like we were just tilting at windmills. Like other battles we’ve fought it looks like we’ve lost another one because on April 26 the USDA came out with their final rule mandating that beginning six months from now you’ll have to put electronic ear tags in your cattle if you intend to ship them to another state. The USDA insists it’s not mandatory but once again, they are being deceitful when they say you don’t have to use the tags as long as you don’t move your cattle across state lines. Who can tell when you brand your calves or work your cows where their eventual destination will be?

exclude out-of-state buyers and have only one bidder for them when they go to slaughter.

The USDA says it is taking such action for animal disease trace back and to maintain foreign markets for beef but once again they aren’t being truthful. Over and over, they have insisted we simply must have the EID to be able to trace back a disease outbreak to the responsible culprit but this is hogwash.

According to R-CALF, “The

or high-cost EIDs) in the U.S. cattle herd.”

And remember, this is on 40-45 percent of the beef we eat.

by

Take my home state, California, for example. Because we don’t have a thriving feedlot sector and now virtually only one major cow killer you’d have to be an idiot not to put EID tags in all your cattle and limit the number of buyers on your cattle to only those in your state. Most of our California calves end up in trucks headed for midwest feedlots. And if you don’t put tags in your cows, it means you’ll

“I ain’t afraid to love a man. I ain’t afraid to shoot him either.” – Annie Oakley

final rule will not subject any more cattle to EID than are currently subject to the ‘flexible solution,’ which enables tracebacks in less than one hour. This means the final rule does nothing at all to expand the coverage of official identification devices (either low-cost nonelectronic

Consider this if you will: We know that 40 percent to 45 percent of all beef consumed in America is ground beef which is mixed in huge batches that theoretically could have beef in it from two dozen countries. Tell me, how in the world are they going to trace back a disease in this instance to a single cow? The USDA won’t even demand that there be mandatory country of origin labeling (mCOOL) for heaven’s sake so at least they’d have some idea where to look to trace back a disease. So on one hand, how can the USDA be so concerned that they make you use electronic ear tags in all your cattle to trace back a disease while at the same time they import beef from two dozen countries without mCOOL or have any idea if it is diseased or not?

Tell the World, the Dutch Tractor Protests and Their War on Net Zero Won

BY JOANNE NOVA

Six months after Geert Wilders won the Dutch election, he has finally negotiated an agreement with a few minor parties to form government, and the unthinkable has happened. The centre-of-the-road conservatives (referred to as “far-right extremists”) got elected to unwind the worst excesses of the totalitarian left.

Henceforth, the forced farm reclamations will stop, mandated heat pumps are out, electric car subsidies are going, and, in a brave scientific move, no one will be culling livestock to change the weather. The Netherlands won’t have to pursue stronger environmental policies than the rest of the EU, so their leaders can show off at cocktail parties and get jobs with the UN.

The Netherlands will still be tied to crazy EU rules, but those elections are coming next month. And official government ministers are so much harder to ignore in EU negotiations. The landscape has changed.

The Telegraph in the UK gets the message: The Tories should go to war on Net Zero. This applies everywhere else, too. Tony Abbott didn’t win a 90-seat landslide victory in Australia by trying to do half a carbon tax. He won because he said he would Axe the Tax.

(And Stop the Boats.)

The political candidate who goes to war on

continued on page 3

Keep in mind that only 11 percent of the beef produced in the U.S. is exported and according to R-CALF, “In 2023, the U.S. did not produce enough beef to meet domestic beef consumption, though it exported 3 billion pounds of beef representing only 11 percent of the 27 billion pounds of beef produced in the United States. Thus, the final rule imposes an EID mandate on 100 percent of our nation’s 622,000 remaining beef cattle producers for the benefit of the small minority of beef cattle producers whose cattle produce beef that is actually exported.”

Who’s Your Daddy?

Of all the national livestock organizations, R-CALF is the only one that has taken a leading role in fighting against electronic ID. Their CEO, Bill Bullard, said in response to the USDA’s announcement that EID will begin in six months. “The USDA has slapped independent cattle producers, who

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Young Adults Losing the Climate Faith in the US

BY JOANNE NOVA

Good news: despite 2023 being the hottest year since Homo Erectus, there was a 17 percent fall in the number of 18 to 34-year-olds who call “Climate change” a very serious problem. Even though there were hottest-ever-headlines month after month, the punters lost the faith.

No one is cracking champagne because 50 percent of young adults still tell pollsters they think it is a “very serious problem.” But when all is said and done, at least half the generation that was drip-fed the dogma since kindergarten can not only see through the catastrophism, but they are brave enough to tell a pollster that, too.

For the most part, after a few hot El Nino years, “climate fear” is back where it was in 2016 or so. Most people still want the government to solve the weather with someone else’s money. But where younger people were once much more enthusiastic about a Big Government fix than older people were, now that gap is almost closed. What was a 21 percent difference between those age groups is now only 2 percent. That’s a whopping fall in faith in the government to do something useful, or probably, a recognition that whatever the government does will cost too much.

Looks like young adults are learning to be cynical adults faster?

The Monmouth University group polled 804 people in late April:

The percentage of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 who see climate change as a

continued on page 4

The Middle Man

Iwas born at the wrong time, but then my timing has always been off. At the tender age of 21 I was hired as a field editor for a livestock weekly and there were eight of us all together. Every other man was at least 20 years older than me and most were 30 years older. The editor, publisher and owner were also at least 30 years older so everything that went wrong was obviously my fault. When I started work in 1973 the price of feeder calves was 70 to 80 cents a pound and within my first year prices for the same weight and age of cattle dropped to 30 cents per pound! Naturally, this was all my fault too. Due to my youth my fellow field editors thought they had the right to boss me around. One of them, who I thought was my friend, came to me and said that one of his contacts had asked him to find 40 Polled Hereford heifers to be shipped to Japan but there was one condition: they had to come from Arizona, which just happened to be part of my territory. They had to come from a desert environment because cattle from California tested positive for blue tongue even though they didn’t have the disease. My friend said that this would be a big feather in my cap and the grateful breeders would probably buy a big thank you ad on which I’d get a commission. Plus, I’d get to write a fascinating story.

So I paid all my expenses, motel, gas, and food and crawled all over Arizona to find six people in the whole state who had Polled Herefords for sale. After weeks of work I finally found 45 head of Polled heifers and arranged for them all to be blood tested, gathered up at one central location to be loaded on a truck and hauled to the port of Oakland, California. There they were inspected by Japanese health officials who found a wart on one heifer the size of a pencil eraser and they grounded her. I was not privy to the selling price. All that was handled by my fellow field editor who I sensed was making money off my hard work. This was all part of the massive sale of Polled Here-

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have worked closely with the USDA in the past to very successfully control, contain, and eradicate foreign animal diseases, in the face. We will fight against the implementation of this disastrous rule that infringes on the freedoms and liberties of our nation’s independent cattle farmers and ranchers. This is government overreach at its worst.”

“Our goal will be to restore for our nation’s cattle producers the flexibility the USDA promised them when they agreed to the agency’s 2013 rule,” said Bullard. “That common-sense rule provided producers the flexibility to use a variety of different animal identification devices, depending on what best fit their individual operations. Among those approved devices producers could choose among were the very inexpensive metal eartags and the very costly EID eartags The USDA has robbed producers of their ability to make their own business decisions. We cannot and should not tolerate this as an industry.”

There is something very sinister at work here. If the feds cared so deeply about disease transmission, why did they move the National Bio and Agro-Defense Laboratory from Plum, Island, New York, to Manhattan, not the one in New York but the one in Kansas, where researchers will experiment on some of the deadliest diseases known to man right smack dab in the largest concentration of cattle in the country. Oh, but such diseases never leak out of labs, do they?

(Cough, cough COVID)

Bullard says, “It’s no surprise that while USDA claims this EID mandate is to improve disease control, it proudly discloses in the rule’s accompanying press release that ‘the most significant benefit of the rule’ is to maintain foreign markets. This is because the beneficiaries of this rule are not cattle producers or consumers. Instead, this rule is intended to benefit multinational beef packers and multinational eartag manufacturers who will profit at the expense of cattle producers and consumers.”

This ongoing 20-year battle over EID began back in 2002 when the USDA first tried to demand the use of EID tags. R-CALF has tried to stop this madness from the very beginning while the NCBA, whose lobbyists tell Congressmen that they are the voice of the American rancher despite the fact that only 4 percent of ranchers are actual NCBA members. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has vehemently supported USDA’s position from the beginning. They have also carried water for the Big 4 multinational beef packers who have wanted a government-mandated national data base that would allow them to have even more control over prices than they have now. They would have access to all the data gathered using the EID tags which they would then use to manipulate markets. Also, if and when there is an outbreak of listeria, e coli or other foodborne bacterial illness, they could pass the responsibility for the outbreak back to the producer, washing their hands of any blame or liability.

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What really bothers Bullard and should make ranchers mad is, “Not only is such a mandate bad policy, this rule has not gone through the proper regulatory review required. APHIS failed to undertake a proper federalism review and did not provide an accurate economic analysis. This mandate is duplicative and places an unjust burden on ranchers who have to cross state lines to take their cattle to market.”

The Fart Tax

We used to live in a world where it was impolite to ask a rancher how many acres or cows he or she owned. But that was before the socialists gained such a stronghold in America. One cannot discount the role the “climate-change-crises” industry played in making EID a fact of life. Through the use of EID the feds will know exactly how many cattle you own and where they are. Using this information, they will then apply a climate-change-tax on all your cattle for the role they play in creating greenhouse gases. Call it a fart tax if you will. They will tax you so hard they hope you’ll fall victim to the Biden’s 30 by 30 goal of having 30 percent of America’s land mass conserved by the year 2030. When you no longer have an economically viable operation because the climate change tax is too high, you’ll have no choice but to sell out to the feds for pennies on the dollar or sign a conservation easement with some greenie group whose eventual goal is for all people to become vegans and all cows to become extinct. And keep in mind that Biden and his socialist cronies also have a 50 x 50 plan after that and he has hinted of a 70 x 70 goal. If Biden’s 30 x 30 plan is sufficient to decimate the west, can you imagine what a 70 x 70 world would look like?

Rest assured the greenies will not take into account the fact that cows are four-legged carbon-bankers which eat plants that took CO2 from the atmosphere and the cows took that and turned it into carbon-filled cow patties that return to the soil and fertilize plant growth. It’s a cycle that has repeated itself ever since the first mammal consumed its first leafy green. It’s also a fact the greenies ignore because it goes against their goal of ridding the world of cows. So they’ll try to tax you out of existence. And when another arm of the greedy government, the IRS, sees how well that works they’ll want to tax any ranchers that are left every year on every head they own. Call it an inventory tax, if you will. And all made possible by the use of EID of beef cattle that tell them exactly how many head of cattle you own.

It wasn’t that long ago that such info was none of their darn business?

Bad Economics

Perhaps a little history lesson is called for here. “In 2002,” says Bill Bullard, “USDA introduced its National Animal Identification System plan, or NAIS. In 2010, the agency reported that since 2004 it had spent $150 million trying to get NAIS up and running, adding that Congress had reduced USDA’s funding because it wasn’t succeeding in implementing the program.”

The 2010 report said, “Certain portions of the U.S. cattle industry have shown strong resistance to what they perceive as a costly government intrusion in their private affairs.” Only 18 percent of

ranchers voluntarily signed up to register their premises.

But that wasn’t good enough for the Big Four multinational beef packers. So they gathered up their packer backer friends at the NCBA and the socialist greenie groups and applied more pressure on the USDA, never giving up on their eventual goal of having every head of beef cattle in the U.S. sporting an electronic ear tag.

The USDA knew their EID plan would not be well received by ranchers so they will provide free tags to producers “to jumpstart efforts to enable the fastest possible response to a foreign animal disease,” R-CALF’s Bill Bullard says. “Because the rule is cost-prohibitive for independent cattle producers, the agency is using millions of taxpayer dollars to give millions of their unnecessary EID eartags away. The USDA estimates this new mandate imposed only on cattle producers will cost cattle producers tens of millions of dollars each year, without any means of recovering this mandatory cost from the marketplace.”

Supporting Bullard’s comments, The Congressional Research Service recently estimated that EID would cost the cattle industry more than $200 million each year!

The minute the USDA stops handing out free ear tags American ranchers are apt to make some startling discoveries. One dairyman has reported that he has had to replace about 10 to 15 percent of the tags EVERY YEAR on his cows. And keep in mind this is on a dairy. The numbers are apt to be much higher in, let’s say, the brush country of south Texas. And how much will the ear tags cost? According to the new rule public auction markets will be required to watch for tags, and typically apply tags if needed for a fee of $18 or more per head!

Hail Mary

On May 8, U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) introduced legislation to block the Secretary of Agriculture from usurping the rights of independent U.S. cattle farmers and ranchers to participate in animal disease traceback programs in a manner that best fits their individual business operations.

According to R-CALF’s Bill Bullard, “If passed by Congress, the new legislation would nullify the final rule by prohibiting the Secretary from implementing any rule or regulation requiring the mandatory use of electronic identification eartags. This would preserve for the nation’s farmers and ranchers the ability to participate in animal disease traceback programs using the type of official eartags that best fit their businesses’ operations.”

“Rounds’ legislation respects the freedoms, liberty and property rights of America’s ranchers by preserving for them the right to choose among the types of eartags that work best in their individual management systems,” says Bullard. “There can be no more important legislation than one that preserves and protects the rights of American businesses from government overreach and control, and that’s precisely what Rounds’ legislation does.”

If Round’s and R-CALF’s efforts fail we will be left with a costly, needless, socialist system that in Bullard’s words, “Will never go away.” ▫

Stupid Plans has the freedom to point out all the stupidity. The weaker man with a halfway plan is still agreeing with the witchcraft; he’s just suggesting a different spell. No wonder it doesn’t sell.

To arrange the deal, Wilders gave up the Prime Ministership (a win, no doubt, for the name-calling mud slingers), but he appears to be the one in charge nonetheless. We hope he gets his day…

Dutch Farmers Force Heat Pumps About-Turn

MEIKE EIJSBERG LONDON AND JAMES CRISP, THE TELEGRAPH

The Netherlands will tear up rules forcing homeowners to buy heat pumps as part of a war on net zero by Geert Wilders and the Dutch farmers’ party.

Six months after his shock election victory, Mr. Wilders this week struck an agreement to usher in a Right-wing coalition government of four parties. “We are writing history,” he said as he announced the program for the new government.

The new coalition marks the first time that a party focused on the interests of the agricultural sector has got into power in the Netherlands. Earlier this year, mass farmers’ protests swept Europe.

The coalition pact includes pledges to reverse green policies introduced under the previous government to hit EU climate targets, including compulsory buyouts of polluting farms. It also plans to end subsidies for electric cars in 2025 and rejects an EU demand that the Dutch reduce livestock numbers to cut pollution.

The Tories Should Go To War On Net Zero Excess

EDITORIAL, THE TELEGRAPH

But now, even Western countries are starting to turn against the worst excesses of the green movement. The new Dutch coalition has released its program for government, and at the heart of it are a swathe of pro-consumer, pro-energy security policies, reversing some of the bizarre environmental schemes introduced by its predecessors.

Among them was a program to compulsorily purchase farms to meet EU climate targets. The result was a farmers’ revolt and a new insurgent political party. The coalition agreement tears up rules forcing homeowners to buy heat pumps and scraps an obligation that the Netherlands should pursue a “more ambitious environment policy” than the rest of Europe.

Young voters are shifting right and breaking “taboos.”

Geert Wilders’ party did better among 18 to 35-year-olds than among some older groups. If all ages matched the younger vote, his party would have won four more seats.

At Politico, writers are worried that trends like this, which are also seen in Portugal and France, mean the “taboos against voting for populist anti-immigration parties are fading.” This begs the question of who decided that was taboo in the first place.

Their biggest fear is that even young voters are breaking out of their educational pens. They paint this as a devious “far right” opportunity instead of what it really is: the young rebelling against a lifetime of propaganda. The old jargon and name-calling formula to bully the workers into submission isn’t working anymore.

Geert Wilder Turned All Corners of Dutch Society Into Far Right Voters

BY HANNE COKELAERE AND EVA HARTOG, POLITICO

Across Europe, far-right parties are advancing with support from young — and first-time — voters. Despite being one of the EU’s wealthiest countries, the Netherlands’ shortage of affordable housing has become a key concern. Amid rising prices, many have an increasingly cynical outlook on life. Unlike their parents and grandparents, this generation feels less restricted

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Patronize Our Adver tisers

continued from page 1 “the media” — cowed into submission because someone might call them a denier if they don’t grovel before the Climate Demi-God?

very serious problem has fallen by 17 points in the past three years (50 percent, down from 67 percent in 2021), compared with smaller declines among those who are 35 to 54 years old (44 percent, down from 48 percent) and those age 55 and older (44 percent, down from 54 percent).

Monmouth poll on Climate Change

But what does “a very serious problem” even mean?

Anyone can say, “It’s serious,” but only 1 in 6 people can even be bothered pretending to a pollster that climate change influences their vote:

A Monmouth poll released last month found only 15 percent of voters view climate change as a determinative issue in how they will vote in the 2024 presidential election, ranking far lower than inflation, immigration, and abortion.

People used to lie to pollsters and say they cared and it would affect their vote, but now most don’t even pretend. In 2019, in the UK, two-thirds of people agreed climate was the biggest issue facing humankind. The Guardian writers were sure that climate change would determine how most of the voters would vote, but the party promising to give them better weather lost in a landslide.

In 2015, when nearly half of US voters said climate was a “very serious problem,” other surveys showed only three percent ranked climate change as the most important issue.

If a twenty-something really believed the Antarctic ice cap was about to melt, wouldn’t it rate as a voting issue?

Last year, a survey showed more than half of the US are wondering the same question and agree that the people who really “run” the country are not known to voters.

Fully 92 percent of Democrat voters say they think climate change is real. (What else could they say; they’d be excommunicated from friends and family if they said anything else.) Only 51 percent of Republicans tell pollsters they think climate change is real. But imagine how fast that would plummet if skeptical professors were interviewed on TV, and half of Republican politicians spoke for half the Republican voters?

Only a third of voters agree with the UN Experts that climate change is mainly a human-driven thing

Despite the UN experts being 97 percent certain, only one-third of voters completely agree with them. That’s really quite astounding.

So let’s be clear, year after year, we see the same results. The voters don’t want to spend money on climate change and won’t change their vote, but the politicians act as though their career depends upon it, and the public is “demanding action.”

After years of surveys like this, we know the politicians know the voters don’t care, but they go and force climate action on the voters anyway. Who are they really working for? Their donors? The people who give them “jobs” after they leave office, or the people who employ their children now? Or are they working to appease

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Public opinion remains mixed on the degree to which human behavior contributes to change in the climate. Just over onethird (34 percent) say climate change is caused mainly by human activity, while 31 percent say human activity and natural changes in the environment play equal roles. Another 7 percent put climate change down mainly to natural causes, with the remainder saying climate change is not happening (23 percent) or are not sure if it is happening (4 percent).

Just over half of Americans (51 percent) say there is still time to prevent the worst effects of climate change, while just 17 percent say it is too late.

After thirty years of scientific and media purity, only one-third think climate change is “mostly human.” Another third thinks the UN must be exaggerating, and the last third knows the UN is wrong.

REFERENCE The Monmouth University poll, Climate Change Concerns Dip, May 6th, 2024 Joanne Nova is a prize-winning science graduate in molecular biology. She has given keynotes about the medical revolution, gene technology and aging at conferences. She hosted a children’s TV series, and has done over 200 radio interviews, many on the Australian ABC. She’s author of The Skeptics Handbook which has been translated into 15 languages. Each day 5,000 people read joannenova.com.au

TALE continued from page 3

by party loyalties, making them more of a wild card and, therefore, an attractive pool of new voters for anti-establishment candidates.

“The older voter, who was still loyal, is dying; younger voters are going in all directions,” said Josse de Voogd, a Dutch researcher who has made electoral geography his specialty.

For far-right parties, that presents an opportunity.

Wilders’ success took many by surprise, but it is indicative of a broader trend: The taboo of voting for populist, anti-immigration parties is fading. In the June EU election, the European Parliament’s Identity and Democracy group is projected to reap the electoral benefits of increasingly broad support, also among young voters.

In Portugal, exit polls from the March election suggested that under-30s accounted for approximately 25 percent of those who voted for the farright Chega party.

Young voters are looking for a strong leader, and few men are as strong as Geert Wilders — the man who received countless death threats and lives under permanent guard but keeps going. It is easy to imagine the new Prime Minister (whoever that is) living in the shadow of the real leader, the man who takes risks.

Joanne Nova is a prize-winning science graduate in molecular biology. She has given keynotes about the medical revolution, gene technology and aging at conferences. She hosted a children’s TV series, and has done over 200 radio interviews, many on the Australian ABC. She’s author of The Skeptics Handbook which has been translated into 15 languages. Each day 5,000 people read joannenova.com.au

fords around the world, 10,000 of which were exported in 1968 and 1969 to Chile alone. The world wanted our Polled Herefords because they had none of their own as the breed was started in the United States.

To write my story I went to the Port of Oakland on the departure date where I was allowed inside the stretched jet that would take the heifers to Japan. My tour guide called the jet “four engines mounted on a coffin” and told me of an earlier shipment of 30 head from the U.S. to South America that had been improperly secured, the load shifted forward, the pilot lost control and everything died. I did a little investigating for my story and also learned about a planeload of hogs enroute from Chicago to Europe that suffocated on the ground in New York. One of the pilots going to Japan with the Polled Herefords called his beat-up airplane “The Vomit Comet.”

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There was another load of cattle from New York to Europe that expelled so much moisture everything froze up inside the plane and they had to make an emergency landing. Initially, I thought I could write a better story if I went with the Polled Hereford heifers I’d handpicked to Japan, just like the old time herdsmen who accompanied their cattle on the train trip to Chicago for the International. After much consideration I had “reservations” about my reservations for the flight and canceled at the last minute. The whole thing was pretty sketchy and I thought it prophetic that we’d be leaving from a place called a “terminal.” I didn’t want the last thing to go through my mind to be a load of Polled Herefords.

To make a long story short, afterwards none of the Arizona Polled Hereford breeders would speak to me, my editor never did run my story and I was later told that my “buddy” who gave me the assignment got two free plane tickets and a weeks stay in Tahiti for all his hard work. ▫

Iowa Governor Calls on USDA to Prioritize Animal Vaccinations

BY CHRIS SCOTT

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is asking USDA officials to “expedite the review and approval process for animal vaccines” in light of the foreign animal diseases that threaten the U.S. agricultural industry.

Reynolds also is urging USDA and the USDA Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB) to prioritize those vaccines that have demonstrated safety, efficacy and feasibility, she noted in a letter to USDA head Tom Vilsack.

The governor encouraged USDA to allocate resources and support research efforts aimed at developing innovative vaccines and vaccination strategies to battle such threats as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and Avian Metapneumovirus (aMPV) in Iowa turkey farms.

Recent outbreaks of HPAI in dairy cattle, poultry and other mammals in the last month pose “significant threats” to the agricultural industry, food security and economic stability, she added.

Because agriculture affects consumers from the food they eat to the clothing they wear, it is crucial that farmers and ranchers have the tools they need care for their animals and produce the food the nation relies on, the letter stressed.

Having safe and effective vaccines is a key tool in the fight against these animal infections, Gov. Reynolds noted in the letter. In early June animal health officials in Iowa confirmed that 103,000 turkeys were culled after HPAI was confirmed in Cherokee County, the first HPAI outbreak in the state since December.

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TMcDuffie Announced as the American Gelbvieh Association Summer Intern

he American Gelbvieh Association (AGA) is excited to announce the hiring of Ryan McDuffie, Perry, Georgia, as the AGA summer intern. In his internship, McDuffie will assist in all aspects of AGA operations including member programs and services support, member education and American Gelbvieh Junior Association (AGJA) Junior Classic activities.

“We are so excited to have Ryan join us in Lincoln this summer! His extensive background in competitive events and livestock shows will be a huge asset, and we look forward to the ideas he will bring to the table for hosting summer regional shows and the AGJA Junior Classic,” said Tawnie DeJong, AGA member and youth activities coordinator.

McDuffie is an alumnus of Fort Scott Community College and the University of Arkansas, where he was a member of competitive livestock judging teams at both institutions. McDuffie graduated with a bachelor of science in animal science and decided to further his education in animal science at the University of Arkansas. While obtaining his master’s degree, he has been the assistant coach of the 2024 University of Arkansas livestock judging team.

McDuffie is deeply committed to advancing youth participation in the agriculture industry and possesses a keen ability to ignite enthusiasm among young individuals for agriculture. He has honed this passion through internships at prominent junior livestock shows such as the Arkansas Youth Expo, California Youth Agriculture Expo, Cattlemen’s Congress, and the North American International Livestock Exposition. Through these experiences, McDuffie has cultivated a genuine love for youth exhibitors and a profound appreciation for his work within the junior livestock show circuit.

McDuffie eagerly anticipates the chance to collaborate with and gain wisdom from an esteemed breed association. His aspirations include forging connections with countless individuals, deepening his understanding of the Gelbvieh and Balancer® breeds, and helping orchestrate an unforgettable AGJA Way Out West Junior Classic event. ▫

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Proposition 12: The Persecution of Farmers to Promote a Vegan Agenda

BY BEVERLY SCHWENNING FOR PROTECT THE HARVEST

In the Riverside County farming community of San Jacinto, California, operations on family owned Demler Farms are returning to normal after Proposition 12 upended its egg production during the past few years. The Demler Family has been in the egg business for 70 years, yet the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) funded, 2018, Prop. 12 ballot initiative imposed unnecessary regulations on California’s egg farmers that nearly led the Demler family to shut down their farm. It was only with a great deal of patience and perseverance that the Demler family was able to struggle through the daunting construction and logistical mandates of Prop. 12 to meet the state’s unscientific, factually inaccurate, unnecessary, restrictions and requirements of the new regulations.

California Prop. 12 was established to allegedly improve the welfare of farm animals and was backed by dozens of animal rights organizations and lobbyists. The proposition set minimum space requirements for the housing of breeding pigs, veal calves, and egg-laying hens. Under the proposition’s requirements, egg-laying hens need one square foot of floor space but, when a farmer has thousands of chickens, that can be a daunting requirement. While Demler Farms has always been committed to the ethical and humane treatment of its egg-laying hens, the new regulations imposed on their farm due to Prop. 12’s passage posed significant challenges for egg farmers throughout the state.

Financial burden creates uncertainty

When Prop. 12 passed in 2018, pork and egg farmers throughout California, and those across the nation who supplied to California, had to scramble to implement new plans. Many outside California have not, and may not, make the required investments to meet Prop. 12 requirements.

For Demler Farms, one of the most challenging aspects of the process was funding a project of this scope, as it would require a multi-million-dollar investment to modify housing for their chickens. New chicken barns would need to be constructed to comply, as upgrading existing structures would not be feasible. The Demlers also had to invest in upgraded equipment, infrastructure, and cover labor costs for this project.

Finding a lender willing to provide the money necessary to build chicken houses that would comply with the state’s new standards was no easy task since, like many farmers, the Demlers have limited resources. Convincing lenders to provide funding for costly infrastructure upgrades that would yield minimal, if any, additional income or

profits made the task that much more difficult. After months of meetings, plans, and proposals, the Demlers secured the capital needed to start construction.

The Demlers prefer not to disclose the construction cost, but they did say it was an amount that was hard to wrap their minds around and question if they will ever fully recoup the investment.

The long road to compliance

Prop. 12 gave farmers about four years to update their animal housing before the new law went into effect. While that may sound reasonable, building new structures in California is not a simple process. As one might imagine, California has some of the most stringent building codes and environmental restrictions in the country. The Demlers had to present their plan to multiple entities, and undergo numerous rounds of revisions, before they were granted building permits. This process took nearly a year, which caused a tremendous amount of stress.

The Demlers still had a business to run while managing the construction of their new facilities, which added to the complexity and stress of Prop. 12 compliance.

Throughout construction, the project was inspected by the local government, CalFire, and other state agencies to ensure all state and local building ordinances were being met. This resulted in multiple changes to the project and subsequent construction delays. Building supply and labor shortages added to the delays, which got so bad the Demlers considered scratching the project and shutting down the farm. Dealing with the requirements to meet Prop. 12’s mandates led the Demlers to question if the construction work could be completed before the new laws went into effect. Eventually, construction wrapped up and the Demlers could focus on the next logistical hurdle – transitioning birds into their new housing.

The ordering and delivery process of chickens had to be timed perfectly to ensure there would be no disruption in production. With the Prop. 12 compliance deadline looming, and orders to fill, the new chicks were delivered just in time, and the new, cage-free, chicken houses were up and running.

An unexpected challenge

Changing how their chickens were housed has been more challenging than the Demlers anticipated. Since the regulations were created without considering the animals’ natural behaviors, the chickens are now exposed to unnatural living situations, which has proven dangerous. Chickens enjoy being close to one another but also like to peck one another to

assert dominance. The “pecking order” was more manageable when the chickens were housed in smaller cages with fewer birds and limited contact.

When the chickens were caged in smaller groups their behavior and health were much easier to monitor. If one became ill, or needed more food, it would be quickly identified and handled. Now, because so many birds are moving around a large space, it is challenging to determine if one isn’t eating or is injured by the other chickens. Additionally, when a chicken does become ill, or injured it is no longer allowed to be nursed back to health in a hospital cage. The Demlers are now seeing a higher mortality rate than before moving to cage-free facilities, which is another adverse impact to their production and income.

Farmers need our support

Not all affected farmer operations made it through Prop. 12’s requirements, and those who did need our support moving forward. In 2018, more than 60 percent of California voters were persuaded by HSUS’s multi-million-dollar anti-animal-agriculture crusade to vote in favor of Prop. 12, without truly understanding the implications for farmers, food inflation and food security. Prop. 12’s mandates reach beyond its borders to prescribe animal housing requirements for all pork, eggs and veal sold in California, even though the state produces only about one percent of the eggs and pork consumed by its residents.

Like everything HSUS and other animal rights extremist organizations advocate, their ultimate goals include reduced animal agriculture, increased prices and less affordability for animal products, and a cult-like crusade for a vegan society.

Policymakers, industry stakeholders and consumers/voters need to better understand why the ideologies spewed by animal rights extremist organizations don’t make sense and discourage other states from pursuing similarly restrictive laws lacking science, facts, truth and proven practices to back them. Educated citizens who vote can better ensure A Free and Fed America™ for the long-term benefit of the vast majority of Americans who enjoy consuming safe, nutritious, accessible, abundant and affordable products resulting from the hard work of this nation’s farmers and ranchers engaged in animal agriculture.

Ryan McDuffie, AGA summer intern

Mike VanMaanen Elected President of Livestock Marketing Association

Auction market owner from Missouri will serve a two-year term leading the national, member-led organization.

Mike VanMaanen married into a family of Livestock Marketing Association members in the 1980s, but never dreamed he’d one day lead the organization. Even though he immediately recognized the benefits of membership, he thought he was too busy to get involved or since his niche market wasn’t nationally known, he didn’t have a place. Soon enough, VanMaanen learned he was wrong on both accounts, and on May 17, he was elected president.

VanMaanen, who grew up on a corn, soybean and hog farm in Iowa, attended Missouri Western State University, where he graduated with degrees in agricultural economics and agronomy. It was there he met Lori Angell, a third-generation livestock marketer. The two married soon after graduation and joined her family’s auction market business in Columbia, Missouri, and bought into it in 1990. In 2000, the couple, along with two of her cousins, took over Eastern Missouri Commission Co., in Bowling Green. Last year, they became sole owners.

The World Livestock Auctioneer Championship was VanMaanen’s gateway to Livestock Marketing Association leadership, first serving as a judge in the Parsons, Kansas, qualifier in the fall of 2009 and at the finals in Oklahoma City the following summer. He joined the association’s government and industry affairs committee in 2014 and the board of directors in 2016. During his tenure on the board, he also chaired the membership services committee for two years. He said his time on the board has had many highlights, and he looks forward to what’s to come.

“I’ve had the opportunity to testify in front of the House Committee on Transportation, I worked alongside many others to get Dealer Statutory Trust signed into law and was a part of the producer profitability initiative we launched last fall,” VanMaanen said. “I’m extremely proud of the work LMA has done and look forward to continuing it.”

VanMaanen will take over the reins from Mark Barnett during the association’s annual convention in June. First up on his agenda? Having deep discussions with members and staff about how to protect the livestock auction market sector.

“We’re going to take a look at what it takes not only for the larger markets to survive, but what it takes for those small markets that are so important in their rural communities, to keep them alive and going,” VanMaanen said.

But the conversation won’t just be about markets. He said Livestock Marketing Association members will continue to push their producer profitability initiative, aimed at bringing the entire industry together for a common goal.

“By supporting America’s farmers and ranchers, we are supporting the f uture of livestock marketing, too,” VanMaanen said. “We know producer profitability is industry sustainability.”

The incoming president said he hopes all members will take the opportunity to get more involved this year, whether that means attending the convention, participating in the D.C. Fly-In, joining a committee — or even just staying in touch with their region executive officer.

“I think when people start getting involved, they find it really rewarding,” he said. “And you don’t have to be a big operator — I’m a good example of that. You just have to want to pitch in and do some work to improve your livelihood. If you can stay active and participate in conversations, we’d love to have you.” ▫

BY BARRY DENTON

Most of us know the song “Old Shep” written by Red Foley and Arthur Willis in 1935 as one of the saddest ever written. It was about Red’s own boyhood German Shepherd and constant companion that he had to put down because he had been poisoned by a neighbor.

Red knew the dog was beyond getting well and had to end his life with a bullet. That’s a huge undertaking for anyone let alone a boy. However, the boy did what he had to do and ended his best friend’s life. It was truly a harsh lesson of love and responsibility.

The song became very popular as so many people could relate to it. In 1936 there was a movie entitled, “Old Shep” and another in 1946 and still another a few years later. The stories varied, but the scenarios remained the same. In 1956 Elvis Presley first recorded the song which gave it a rebirth as you can imagine. As a result, I’ll never forget the story or it’s lessons.

On May 7th 2024 South

US Cattle Herd Under Drought Down to 13 Percent

BY FRANK FUHRIG / MEATINGPLACE.COM

Drought conditions for U.S. cattle continue to ease amid wetter 2024 conditions in Western states, according to the latest data from the USDA and the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Data through last week show about 13 percent of US beef cattle inventory under drought conditions, a sharp decline from 19 percent a month earlier and equal to the 12-month low reached in March, the USDA’s weekly Ag in Drought report showed. A year ago, the nationwide drought rate for cattle was 37 percent, peaking at 47 percent in October 2023.

The bulk of the decline in drought conditions came during a six-week period starting in early January.

The rate of extreme drought for cattle inventory has dropped to virtually nothing from 16 percent a year ago. The only current extreme drought conditions are in New Mexico.

Severe drought conditions nationwide have dropped from a peak of 27 percent in September to 5 percent last week. Outside of New Mexico, most of the severe drought areas for the US cattle herd are in western Kansas, the Oklahoma Panhandle and west Texas.

Other areas with moderate drought conditions include parts of southern AZ, western MT and the Idaho Panhandle, eastern Iowa, and smaller areas in FL, WI, MN, inland WA and SE Nebraska.

America & Old Shep

Dakota Governor Kristi Noem released her new book entitled, “No Going Back.” Within the book are some pages about her having to put down a “rogue dog” she had which was killing the neighbor’s livestock and biting her.

Immediately the “fake news” took many things out of context and distorted the facts. They tried hard to make a “puppy killer” out of her and to discredit her qualifications to be a possible vice president candidate for Republican front runner Donald Trump.

Even Fox’s conservative Jeanine Pirro took issue with Noem stating, “And don’t tell me you shot a puppy because it wasn’t used to hunting, she said, “You know, maybe you’re not a good teacher.”

Talk about Miss Pirro talking about something she knows nothing about. I bet she has never lived on a ranch or gone on a hunting trip. I’d say Miss Pirro and her liberal news friends need a lesson in rural life.

In Arizona where I live you have every right to kill an animal that is harassing your livestock and I’m sure the rules are the same in South Dakota. I’ll bet most of these city slickers have never seen a coyote pack surround a cow that’s off having a

calf in the middle of nowhere.

The mama cow will wear herself out fighting off a pack of coyotes and die along with the calf. One thing that attacks newborn calves in our area are ravens. They are just as big a menace as the coyotes.

Sometimes we get lost domestic dogs after our livestock and the only solution is killing them. No one likes these situations or having to deal with them, but there is a time and place for it.

Regardless of our feelings, it has to be done. Thank God for governors like Kristi Noem that understand the realities of ranch and rural living.

One item that astounds me about most of Governor Noem’s critics is that they think killing a bad dog is a horrible thing, yet the killing of babies with late term abortions is a good thing. What is happening to our society when a dog becomes more valuable than a human?

Thankfully, the United States Supreme Court started the solution by sending the responsibility of abortion back to each individual state. That way the local people decide what is best for their community. This country has been, “going to the dogs” for too long now. It is time to wake up! ▫

Evolution of Firearms: From Inception to SemiAutomatics

The history of firearms can be traced back to ancient China, with the discovery of the Heilongjiang “hand cannon” dating to about 1288. However, the widespread adoption of firearms began in the early 1300s. This article reflects on the evolution of firearms from their inception, to the development of smokeless powder, semi-automatic weapons at the closing of the 1800s. Then we look at the top 10 reasons to collect them.

Early Innovations (13th14th Century): The inception of firearms involved simple devices ignited by lighting a wick to spark the powder in the barrel, resembling the operation of antique cannons. Early firearms were often referred to as “hand cannons.”

Introduction of the Matchlock system (1400s): The matchlock, credited to Portuguese inventors around 1400, marked a major improvement. It utilized a “flash pan” to hold primer powder, allowing for more controlled ignition and improved accuracy. You could now keep both hands on the weapon when firing (after lighting the match or wick).

Invention of Wheel-lock (Early 1500s): The wheel-lock, invented in Germany, introduced a mechanically generated spark through spinning a steel wheel against pyrite. Although

complex and expensive for the time, it offered more reliability on a windy day than the matchlock. However, its complexity and price also limited widespread use.

Development of Flintlock (Early 1600s): The flintlock mechanism, invented in France, replaced previous systems. It utilized a piece of flint (driven by the hammer) to strike a steel frizzen, creating sparks which ignited the powder charge. This was a more reliable ignition system than before and it was even less susceptible to weather conditions.

Percussion System (Early 1800s): The percussion system superseded the flintlock, utilizing a small cap with fulminate of mercury to directly ignite the powder charge upon impact, eliminating the need for an external spark. This innovation improved reliability greatly, and almost eliminated problems due adverse weather conditions (however you still needed to keep your powder dry).

Invention of Metallic Cartridges (Mid-1800s): The mid1800s saw the development of metallic cartridges. Metallic cartridges offered convenience and reliability by encapsulating the explosive material (powder) and bullet into a single unit. Weather conditions were no longer an issue with regards to firing and reloading could be done in a

fraction of the time it took with previous systems.

Advances in Multiple Shot Systems (Mid-1800s): During this period, innovations such as the lever action, pepper box (featuring rotating barrels) and the patenting of the revolving cylinder in 1852, paved the way for firearms capable of firing multiple rounds between reloads. This allowed for rapid firing from both pistols and rifles, further advancing firearm technology and capabilities.

Transition to Semi-Automatics and the use of smokeless powder (Late 19th Century): The 19th century concluded with the invention of semi-automatic firearms (much like we have today), marking a significant milestone in firearms technology and ushering in the modern era of weaponry. The transition from black powder to smokeless powder in the late 1890s marked the end of what we now refer to the antique firearms era.

Of note in history, the 1800s witnessed unparalleled advancements in firearms technology. It began with flintlocks and wound up with semi-automatics using metallic cartridges. While modern firearms have evolved since then to become lighter and quicker, their fundamental principles remain rooted in the innovations brought about during the 19th century.

Now here are 10 Compelling Reasons to Collect Antique Firearms:

1. Historical Significance: Antique firearms offer a tangible connection to moments in history, allowing collectors to

actually hold pieces that witnessed significant events and possibly even shaped civilizations.

2. Connection to Personal History: For some collectors, certain antique firearms hold personal significance, either through family heirlooms passed down through generations, or perhaps a connection to their own military service. Emotional connections are often one of the strongest.

3. Investment Potential: Antique firearms often appreciate over time, making them a potentially lucrative investment opportunity for collectors who possess knowledge of market trends and the value of historical significance.

4. Artistic Value: Many antique firearms are intricately designed and ornate, representing the artistic mastery of their time periods. This is something everyone can appreciate and it helps to add aesthetic appeal to any collection.

5. Educational Experience: Studying antique firearms provides an educational journey into the evolution of weaponry, manufacturing techniques, and even military strategies. This offers valuable insight into technological advancements and even historical contexts.

6. Cultural Heritage:

Collecting antique firearms preserves our heritage by safeguarding artifacts that reflect the craftsmanship, technology, and traditions of those who came before us.

7. Unique Experience: Unlike most contemporary firearms, antique weapons are very limited items. Each has its own distinctive story, making the search a unique and rewarding experience for collectors.

8. Community and Camaraderie: Collecting antique firearms fosters a sense of community among enthusiasts who share a passion for history, craftsmanship, and preserving heritage. This provides opportunities for making new friends and reconnecting with old ones.

9. Preserving a Legacy: By collecting and maintaining antique firearms, collectors contribute to the preservation of historical artifacts for future generations, ensuring the legacy of the past endures.

10. Hobby and Enjoyment: Above all, collecting antique firearms should be a fulfilling hobby that brings joy and satisfaction to enthusiasts. Whether you appreciate the workmanship or historical significance of these timeless artifacts, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

11. Bonus: You can still shoot many of them! ▫

Monuments Again

Last month I wrote about Biden’s use of national monuments, wildlife refuges, and areas of critical environmental concern to reach his goals for the 30x30 program. That is the Biden program to protect 30 percent all land and water in the U.S.

Some may remember Andy Kerr, a former staffer on the House Resources Committee. He was there when Rep. Roncalio was successful in getting the Public Rangelands Improvement Act (PRIA) passed. He was also the author of the Section 8 language that was so important to New Mexico.

Earlier Kerr took a look at the 30x30 program and wrote the following:

The halfway mark of the first and perhaps only term of the Biden administration is fast approaching, and Biden is way behind that average 41,526,763-acres-per-year pace necessary to attain 30x3. This pace translates to (all numbers are 24/7/365; no rest for the righteous)

3,463,564 acres per month, or 799,284 acres per week 114,183 acres per day, or 4,758 acres per hour, or 79 acres per minute, or 1.3 acres per second.

Kerr is much in favor of the program and tells us the “most efficient way for the Biden

administration to rack up the protected land acres needed is by using the Antiquities Act of 1906.”

And that appears to be what is happening. The press is now reporting a coalition of different environmental groups has presented a petition with more than 800,000 signatures to Secretary Haaland and the White House, calling on Biden to use the act for new or expanded designations of 11 historic sites in seven states, including California, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Illinois and Maryland.

On another front, recall that Biden, on his first day in office, signed an executive order directing federal agencies to reinstate or strengthen more than 100 environmental regulations that Trump had weakened or removed. We have the “big ten” remaining, trying to get them finished this spring. Why is the timing so important? Under the 1996 Congressional Review Act, Congress can delete new federal regulations by a simple majority vote within 60 legislative days of their publication in the Federal Register. Senate Republicans used that procedure in early 2017 to “wipe out 14 regulations in 16 days.” Biden has his crew rushing to finalize regulations to protect them. Until next time, be a nuisance to the devil and don’t forget to check that cinch.

DuBois was