Riding Herd
“The greatest homage we can pay to truth is to use it.”
by LEE PITTS
– JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL
March 15, 2018 • www.aaalivestock.com
Volume 60 • No. 3
Zinke’s Zoo
BY LEE PITTS
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any years ago I worked an auction for a well known hunter’s organization. Prior to the sale there was a presentation from a rep sent out from national headquarters to explain about all the work they did for the hunters and why their dues were so high. Since most ranchers I know also like to hunt, prior to that evening I had assumed hunters and ranchers would be on the same side in defending the multiple-use concept on our public lands. After the comments made that evening I specifically remember thinking on my drive home that if push ever came to shove, the hunters would definitely NOT be on the rancher’s side. Well folks, push has now come to shove and you’re on your own.
Zinke The Zealot
NEWSPAPER PRIORITY HANDLING
BIAS ALERT: Even though I optimistically voted for Donald Trump, from day one I’ve never been a fan of his appointment to head the Department of the Interior. Even diehard Trumpsters must admit that some of his appointments have been questiionable, and in some cases, unmitigated disasters. With each passing day Ryan Zinke’s appointment to head the Interior is looking
If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’. more and more like one of those disasters. Oh sure, Zinke has the resume to be a bureaucrat. He has a B.S. degree in geology, an M.B.A. and an M.S. in global leadership and was a U.S. Navy SEAL from 1986 until 2008. In fact, he was the first Navy SEAL to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and rumor has it that someday he’d like to follow in Trump’s footsteps and be Pres-
ident. Trump tabbed Zinke to run the Interior Department after being urged to do so by Donald Trump Jr. who was a hunting buddy of Zinke’s. Zinke says he’s a strong advocate for multiple use on public lands, except in his case, Zinke seems to think that “multiple use” refers to elk, deer and ducks, not ranchers, miners, foresters or roustabouts. Even his admirers admit that Zinke is a zealot when
it comes to hunting. Here are just some of the gifts the lifelong sportsman from Montana has given hunters in just his first year: Zinke expanded hunting and fishing opportunities at 10 national wildlife refuges; directed bureaus to open hunting and fishing on all national monument lands where legally allowed; finalized a land acquisition to make the Sabinoso Wilderness Area accessible to hunters for the first time ever. A recent Interior press release freely admits that, “Secretary Zinke has prioritized sportsmen’s access and healthy herds during his tenure at the Department.” Zinke chose a hunting expo in Utah to present his biggest gift yet to hunters and fishermen. A gift that The Free Range Report says will be “the
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Opinion: CME Reverses Course on Addressing Cattle Market Volatility BY KENNY GRANER / AGRI-PULSE OPINION
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our months after the CME Group “declared victory over cattle market volatility” (Reuters, Oct. 11), the futures exchange offered yet another surprise for the cattle industry. On Feb. 1, the CME issued an advisory notice to the marketplace that stated three delivery points would not renew their participation on the Live Cattle Futures Contract: North Platte, NE; Columbus, NE, and Pratt, KS. We understand that participating in the delivery mechanism on the contract places an onus on the stockyard and we respect any individual stockyard’s decision to participate in the contract, but a reduction in delivery capacity on the Live Cattle futures contract is unacceptable. The discontinuation of those delivery locations directly follows a year where the United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) worked diligently with CME and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to address cattle marketplace volatility by adding delivery locations to the contract. (USCA Letter to CME, Feb. 2017). The withdrawal of North Platte, Columbus and Pratt from the contract amounts to an estimated 10 percent immediate reduction in the
weekly deliverable supply capacity, according to the CFTC’s rules and regulations. The annual approval process was a key feature of the 2017 contract changes that was meant to ensure financial soundness and physical infrastructure of participating yards was sufficient to ensure the health and safety of the cattle, the yard crew, and the USDA graders. It was also the direct result of CME’s neglect of the physical delivery infrastructure which manifested in the removal of the yard at Norfolk, NE nearly four months after it went out of business. The annual renewal process was not meant for CME to passively watch the delivery capacity dwindle on the contract. Annual applications to the CME for renewal of regularity are due prior to January 1, so the Exchange had at least one month to anticipate and address any reductions or withdrawals of regularity on the contract. This is particularly egregious given that our letter to the CME offered eight suggested delivery locations, of which the CME successfully added three of those recommendations to the contract: Kearney, NE; Lexington, NE; West Point, NE. Even though the typical review process is one month, the application for regularity from Dunlap, IA has been languishing continued on page four
If Butt For A Name
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here’s a fad occurring in the western world that I’d like to encourage. Ranch people are naming their kids rodeo-inspired words. I’m not talking about names like Freckles, Ote, Tibbs Ty, Tuff, Trevor, Tomkins, Luke, Lane, Beaver, Monty, Mahan, Shoulders, Charmayne, Ace, Jake or Walt. Although all of these are excellent names. (My personal favorite is Shoulders. With a name like Shoulders the kid is already half way to winning the world in steer wrestling.) What I’m referring to is the use of nouns for names. What inspired this column was a Christmas card I got from my good friend Jimmy who named his daughter Dally. From her photo I can tell she’s as beautiful as her name. It’s got a good ring to it, don’t you think? And if Dally decides to become a rodeo star, and she’s already on her way, can’t you see what an advantage it will be at the pay window? There won’t be a rope, saddle, boot, or hat company that won’t be offering Dally big bucks to promote their products. I’ve met a couple youngsters recently with the first name “Cinch” and I can see the dollar signs roll like the wheels on a slot machine in the eyes of their parents. This is great strategic thinking and I can see Cinch Jeans throwing dollars at their namesakes in the future. Of course, this would also hold true for any kids name Levi. But you have to pick the right company, after all, my name is Lee and I’ve never had the jeans company of the same name offer me a multimillion dollar endorsement deal. Or even a free pair of pants, for that matter. I’ve also heard of kids being named Buck, Rope, Riggin and Sorrel. Isn’t Sorrel a pretty name for a gal? I personally know a Bronc and a Bull, although I’ve yet to meet a Bodacious. I think Bull is the perfect name for
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