LMD Nov 2016

Riding Herd

“The greatest homage we can pay to truth is to use it.”

by LEE PITTS

– JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL

November 15, 2016 • www.aaalivestock.com

Volume 58 • No. 11

Chickenized

BY LEE PITTS

I

hope that my Chicken Little routine that I’ve been doing these past 33 years on the front page of this newspaper hasn’t made anyone apathetic to the changes occurring in our industry. After all, I’ve been preaching that if we were not vigilant the sky could fall and the beef industry could go dark too as it was transformed into something akin to the poultry industry. If I’ve played the role Chicken Little it was only because I was so afraid of what BIG CHICKEN LICKEN would do to the rank and file of my friends, cattle ranchers.

Chicken Little Was Right

NEWSPAPER PRIORITY HANDLING

The only reason the cattle business hasn’t been vertically integrated and concentrated to the degree the poultry and hog business were is because it had something they didn’t: R CALF and competitive bidding at weekly cattle auctions and monthly video sales. Instead of a rancher getting one bid in the country for his calves, and that from a big feeder and their packer backers, they had marketing options. Competition was alive and well. And one can only speculate that if pork producers had an R PIGLET maybe they wouldn’t have lost 90 percent of their producers and those that remain wouldn’t be forced to sign one-sided con-

Dogs have owners. Cats have staff. tracts if they wanted to remain in the business.

It was auctions and competitive bidding that discovered fair prices for cattle and prevented the widespread use of contract production as seen in the poultry industry with their 24 page contracts. Contracts that, by the way, confined the responsibilities of the packer to three paragraphs while the rest of the 24 page contract listed the responsibilities of the producer. For awhile even the hog industry was able to fend off the packers because they had

auctions too, but eventually too many hog producers signed on the dotted line to become contract producers, so with fewer and fewer hogs being sent to auction the pig markets dried up.

Of course, there were other causes, the Chinese were allowed to buy Smithfiled, America’s largest pork packer, and the National Pork Producer’s Council (NPPC) got too powerful and cozy with the packers thanks to checkoff cash. Sound familiar? The final stroke came after a burst of great prices fol-

lowed by an eight cent hog market. Sure, it’s higher now, but that doesn’t resuscitate all those broke hog farmers. Chicken Little’s sky above America’s pig barns did come crashing down on hog farmers, and before you pass it off as just another fairy tale or child’s play, be advised that although my Chicken Little warnings may have gotten a little stale, the cattle business is currently very much in the process of what R CALF’s Bill Bullard calls “Being Chickenized.”

An Industry In Decline There are ominous dark clouds in the sky over cattle country and we find ourselves in the midst of a great storm.

According to R CALF’s CEO Bill Bullard, “Over 40 percent of U.S. cattle operations in business about 30 years ago are gone today, we’ve lost over continued on page two

Lynx Rule Becomes Law of Land, But Will the Law Stand?

BY ROB CHANEY / MISSOULIAN.COM

A

court order to do more work on protecting Canadian lynx in Rocky Mountain forests could become a late-season battleground for congressional action this winter.

In mid October, the Supreme Court let stand a U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that the U.S. Forest Service has to take a big-picture look at how it protects critical lynx habitat across 12 million acres touching 11 national forests. While wildlife advocates claimed a major win for the Endangered Species Act, timber industry supporters vowed to rewrite laws to speed up logging projects.

“It’s now known as the Cottonwood decision, and it affects pretty much the whole Northwest,” said Julia Altemus of the Montana Wood Products Association. “I’m hoping we can find a path forward, either legally or by a congressional path.”

Altemus referred to Cottonwood Environmental Law Center, whose Bozeman attorney John Meyer argued the Cottonwood vs. U.S. Forest Service USFS) case.

“It’s our job to ensure the Forest Service is doing its job,” Meyer said. “We’re not looking to stop every timber sale. We’re trying to ensure we have communities that can log legally.”

The case dredges up the long history of lynx protection over the past 16 years. The

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) declared Canada lynx a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in 2000. It wrote management guidelines affecting snowmobiling, wildland firefighting, logging and thinning projects and other forest activity.

In 2006, FWS mapped out lynx critical habitat in National Park Service (NPS) lands, but left out national forests. The next year, FWS consulted with the USFS and concluded that its national forest standards and guidelines wouldn’t hurt the wild cat. The Endangered Species Act requires any federal agency whose actions might affect a threatened species to consult with FWS to avoid harming the species.

But an investigation into the critical habitat maps found that former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior Julie MacDonald improperly excluded millions of acres of federal, state and private lands. MacDonald resigned and FWS redid its lynx habitat analysis, increasing the cat’s critical territory from 1,841 square miles to about 39,000 square miles.

However, the USDA didn’t restart its consultation process with its sister agency on its own lynx standards and guidelines. Cottonwood Law and others sued the USFS over that omission and won at both the U.S. Discontinued on page four

Bullish

F

or years purebred bull breeders didn’t get paid what they deserved for making such a big investment in better genetics, so I’m glad to see them finally getting paid handsomely for their better bulls. Having said that, the rise in price has made it difficult on cheapskates like my friend Patch who never spent more than a $1,550 on a bull before in his life. Despite being one of the richest guys in the county he’s a sub-optimal spender who wears big patches on his drugstore pants. Hence the nickname.

Patch is tighter than the wires on a brand new fence, looks in vending machines for any change left behind and worships the almighty dollar. In his 66 years of life he has never been known to utter the words, “Keep the change.”

Most ranchers I know study all the bull sale catalogs and step up when it comes to buying better bulls because they know it will pay off when it comes time to sell their calves. Not to mention the added bonus of building a front pasture kind of cow herd. Granted, the typical wife of a rancher may be driving a 15 year old Yugo but the rancher will not hesitate to spend $7,000 for a bull.

Not so Patch. For 35 years he has called me before every bull sale season and asked me to buy a couple bulls for him but to keep the price under $1,500 each.

I didn’t mind buying bulls for him if he would just keep it a secret but no, every time his calves hit the sale ring he’d stand up, interrupt the auctioneer and say, “These calves were all sired by bulls selected by Lee Pitts.” And then the sorriest looking calves you ever saw would sell fifteen bucks behind the market toppers.

Yes sir, if you wanted to crash the market then Lee Pitts was your guy. He never mentioned his cheap budget for bulls or that his wallet was rusted shut. One year I went fifty bucks over my limit on a better type of bull and you should have heard Patch cry. continued on page four

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500,000 producers during the past 30 years. When cattle producers began exiting the industry, our mother-cow herd began shrinking and just two years ago fell to the smallest size since 1941, which was 75 years ago.

As producers exited our industry and as our factory (our mother-cow herd) shrank, domestic beef production began falling and last year fell to the lowest level in over two decades, since the year before NAFTA was implemented. Our industry’s cattle cycle, which once predicted short periods of contraction (3-4 years) and longer periods of expansion (6-7 years), is being disrupted. With historically tight cattle supplies, producers should have experienced historically strong cattle prices for at least three more years – until 2018. Instead, however, the expected, long-term upswing in cattle prices was inexplicably compressed into less than 18 months. Since mid-2015, cattle prices have fallen farther and faster than any time in history and 2016 cash receipts from the sale of live cattle are expected to be nearly $12 billion below 2014 levels.

“These are not indicators of progress” says Bullard, “these are indicators of an industry in decline. The dominant meatpackers are aggressively capturing control of the cattle feeding sector of our live cattle supply chain and are increasingly dictating the terms of production, terms of marketing, and prices through the market control they are achieving through vertical integration.”

If you doubt Bullard’s words consider the case of one of the Big Three packers who won’t participate in one of the major video auction company’s sales because they wanted to draw up the contracts. Contracts that would have provided an “easy-out” for them in case they ended up paying more for the cattle than what the market was on the day of delivery. In other words, you had a deal, unless of course the packer said it wasn’t.

Of course, they wouldn’t think of giving the rancher a similar easy-out option.

Too Big To Regulate

CAREN COWAN............Publisher LEE PITTS.......................Executive Editor CHUCK STOCKS............Publisher Emeritus RANDY SUMMERS.........Sales Rep RON ARCHER................Sales Rep

MARGUERITE VENSEL..Office Manager JESSICA DECKER..........Special Assistance CHRISTINE CARTER......Graphic Designer

According to the following folks the sky has already caved in on cattlemen: • Herman Schumacher, co-founder of R-CALF, cattle feeder and former owner of Herreid Livestock Auction: “Fed cattle prices fell by more than 40 percent during the past 18 months and calf prices fell even more, declining by over 50 percent during the same period.

The price of calves in September 2016 was more than onethird less than it was in September 2015. Cattle prices, which have fallen farther and faster than in any time in history.

“The cattle-price free-fall started soon after the USDA announced that cattle inventories, which were at a 65-year low in 2014, had increased by

continued from page one

just 1 percent in 2015. It’s impossible for a mere 1 percent increase in cattle inventories to compress our supply-driven price increase, which should have lasted three or more years, into a single year, but that is exactly what happened.”

• Mike Schultz, cattleman and activist: “In 2008 we had 82,170 feeders, in 2015 there were 27,189 a 67 percent DROP! And only 2,189 of the remaining have a one-time capacity of over 1,000 head and of those they marketed 87 percent of all cattle marketed.

“NCBA and their cronies fight against COOL cost the US cattle industry a loss of $16.1 BILLION. Who’s going to have the money to stay in business at that rate if NCBA has done such a great job? NCBA has sold all of us in the USA out for cheap unmarked imports.”

• USDA: “Production cost for a 1,300 pound steer is $1,565 per animal.” As I write this that means cattle feeders are losing $140 on every head.

Multiply this by the head count of 600,000 cattle slaughtered each week and you’ll see a cumulative loss of $84 million less than the cattle producers’ cost of production. And that’s EVERY WEEK! • The CME Group: “Packer margins could easily surpass 2015’s level by more than 30 percent and set a new 20-year high beef packer margin.”

Lower prices paid to ranchers did not translate into lower prices at the meat counter.

Consumer beef prices during the first half of 2016 averaged about $0.20 more per pound than they did throughout 2014, a year when cattle prices were more than $300 per head above 2016 prices.

R CALF’S Bill Bullard: “Federal regulators know the marketplace is broken and that multinational meatpackers are engaged in abusive, anticompetitive cattle procurement practices. But federal regulators are afraid to do anything about it. Through their years of inaction, the USDA, DOJ and CFTC fostered the unprecedented concentration of the meatpacking industry that is now too big for them to regulate.”

Shut It Down!

President Obama promised us the world and on his shift he said the packers would be dealt with. Remember that? His USDA had listening sessions all over the country and, boy oh boy, did they ever get an earful.

Was it all for show or did the USDA really listen? Did we get the “change” Obama promised?

Bill Bullard reminds us that, “Secretary Vilsack and then Attorney General Holder both committed to taking steps to improve competition in our cattle industry during their much promoted 2010 joint workshop extravaganzas, but neither has done anything during the past five years to fulfill those comcontinued on page three

November 15, 2016

Livestock Market Digest

Page 3

CHICKENIZED mitments. In fact, Secretary Vilsack actually recommended that Congress repeal country of origin labeling, which stripped from U.S. cattle producers their competitive edge in the domestic beef market and empowered meatpackers to substitute domestic production with undifferentiated, imported beef.”

Many industry observers blame the futures market for the sudden collapse in beef prices, “Even the CFTC,” says Bullard, “ knows that, like the cash cattle market that is now too thin to function as a price-discovery tool, the multinational meatpackers have driven a majority of bona fide hedgers out of the cattle futures market. This is allowing the dominant meatpackers to turn the futures market on its head with just a couple of hundred orders, yet the CFTC remains in a trance-like state of inaction.

“Our cattle industry is in dire need of leadership from federal regulators to restore transparency in the cattle market and stop the abusive cattle procurement practices by the dominant meatpackers,” says Bullard.

“Until that leadership emerges, the CFTC should shut down the cattle futures market that is now being exploited by the dominant meatpackers with impunity. The cattle futures market is now the new go-to tool the packers are using to “manage” the price of cattle.”

Going Forward One BIG reason cattle feeders are now dealing with prices that are below the cost of their production is government agencies have failed in their duty to prevent multinational meatpackers from manipulating cattle prices.”No other conclusion can be drawn from the circumstances unfolding in our cattle market except that the USDA and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission have all failed to regulate the meatpackers and the cattle markets to prevent antitrust violations and anticompetitive practices,” said Bullard.

Going forward a complete reset is needed if the U.S. is to maintain a healthy rural economy. It’s not just cattle ranchers, it’s also farmers and dairymen who are suffering. Small, iIncremental changes are not the answer to the powerful multinational conglomerates who are on a buying rampage these days to solidify their positions. “We must act aggressively to reverse our industry’s decline before the packers dismantle or destroy the competitive processes and marketing channels within our industry. When those are gone, we will no longer be able to bring our industry back,” he said.

If we are to reverse the current decline of the U.S. cattle industry R CALF says we need to: • Reinstate mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) for beef.

• Require all trade agree-

continued from page two

ments to adopt a born, raised and slaughtered origin standard for international trade in beef.

• Amend the Packers and Stockyards Act to ban the largest packers from owning, controlling or feeding livestock for more than 7 days prior to slaughter.

• Amend the PSA to ban the largest packers from procuring fed cattle through un-priced, i.e., formula, contracts.

• Authorize the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to prohibit dominant packer from shorting the cattle futures market or otherwise speculating in the cattle futures market with the effect of lowering both futures and cash prices.

• Amend the Animal Health Protection Act to expressly prohibit the importation of fresh beef from Brazil, Argentina, Namibia, or any other country not free of FMD without vaccination. Pending full enforcement of the above ban, there should be an immediate authorization of not less than $150 million for an emergency FMD vaccine bank.

• Pass the Voluntary Checkoff Program Participation Act introduced by Senator Mike Lee that requires all checkoff programs to be voluntary at the point of sale. Pass the Commodity Checkoff Program Improvement Act of 2016 introduced by Senators Cory Booker

and Mike Lee which would ban lobbying groups from receiving checkoff dollars. We need to increase transparency of checkoff spending, require regular audits, and stop the funding of any anticompetitive program or program that disparages other commodities. This legislation should be amended to allow funds collected domestically to advertise and promote beef produced exclusively in the United States.

Slim and None What are the odds of the feds doing even one of these things? The answer is slim and none. That’s why R CALF has taken matters into their own

hands and formed a legal team to challenge to the federal Beef Checkoff. R-CALF filed suit against the USDA in May alleging that the Check-Off tax, which collected more than $80 million in FY 2015, is being unconstitutionally used to promote international beef, to the detriment of U.S. beef products and producers. R-CALF says that, “while its members must pay a $1-per-head tax to the Checkoff program, funds from that tax are used to convince consumers that beef from R-CALF members’ cattle, raised domestically and in compliance with the U.S. standards continued on page four

Page 4

Livestock Market Digest

November 15, 2016

LYNX

RIDING HERD Needles to say, it has become increasingly difficult to fill Patch’s bull order and when he called last time the conversation went like this.

“Hey Pittsy, I need three bulls this year so what’s it gonna cost me?”

“Well, I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention but good bull sales are averaging $5,000 to $7,000 and I even heard of one sale that averaged over $15,000.”

The phone went dead for awhile before Patch said in a weak voice, “Did you say $15,000?” he gurgled? “That must be on just a few head.”

“Nope, I’m talking sales of four and five hundred bulls averaging $5,000 to $15,000!”

“So you’re saying you can’t find me three registered bulls for $1,500 apiece plus free delivery?”

“Nope. That would be harder to do than finding the elbows on a blowfly. I could not do that even if I bought them out of the slaughter run at the sales yard. Good bulls cost more. I heard of one ranch manager buying 15

CHICKENIZED

continued from page one

head and averaging $10,000 apiece. Another bull sold for a valuation of a million bucks!”

You should have heard the wailing on the other end of the line. “That’s insane,” whimpered Patch. “I bet the livestock insurance salesmen are living high”. “Oh come on Patch, spend some of all that money you’ve stockpiled.

You might as well, after all, you can’t take it with you.”

“No, but I can go to the cemetery in a much better car.”

“Where you’re going Patch and the kind of life you’ve led it wouldn’t do you any good if you could take it with you because it’s just gonna burn up anyway.”

“Lee, if I bought a bull for $5,000 he’d have to sleep in the house where I could keep tabs on him. I’d have to serve his feed off the fine China and buy one of those $100,000 live-in trailers like Trevor Brazile’s got so I could take the bull with us when we went on vacation.” wwwLeePittsbooks.com

continued from page three

concerning safety, treatment and quality, is no different than beef produced under far less stringent procedures abroad.”

Failing a positive result in that case, dark clouds will continue to swirl around rancher’s heads until the packers finish what they started: to complete

the trifecta and gain complete control over pork, poultry and beef production in this country, if not the world.

I think it was either Chicken Little or a poultry plucker who once said, “Eternal vigilance is the price one must pay for freedom.”

Advertise to Cattleman in the Livestock Market Digest Call 505-243-9515

continued from page one

trict Court and U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The USFS asked for a rehearing before the full 9th Circuit, but the appeals court declined.

The agency then appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In mid-October, the high court declined to hear the case. That makes the 9th Circuit decision the law of the land.

“I’m very disappointed that the Supreme Court declined to hear this case,” Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, wrote “Allowing the 9th Circuit’s disastrous ruling to stand will greatly increase needless paperwork on the Forest Service and further delay much-needed restorative management work. This development makes it especially critical that Congress act to explicitly remove this crippling regulatory burden, and I will continue to fight toward that end.”

In a letter to the congressional conference committee leaders reviewing the Energy Policy Modernization Act, Daines asked for a new law stating that “federal agencies are not required to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service at a programmatic level when new critical habitat is designated or a new species is listed.” The energy bill is an expected “mustpass” piece of legislation that may include many changes to forest policy and management when it’s voted on this winter.

Altemus said the USFS was doing an effective job applying lynx standards on a project-by-project basis. But forcing a region-wide review would kill progress in the woods.

“The court said the Forest Service has to do changes at the programmatic level rather than the project level,” Altemus said.

“When the first ruling came out, it shut down the (Beaverhead-Deerlodge National For-

est) program for two years. All sales had to be stopped. Nobody can afford to not have any fiber moving for that long. If this stands on the lynx, it could be applied on other species as well. We can’t keep fixing the forest plan every time something happens.”

However, the 9th Circuit judges noted the USFS already lost that argument. While the agency did study the lynx impacts of individual projects, the judges found that “overlooks a

nature of the lynx’s threatened status itself.

“The Canada lynx wasn’t listed because of the effects of any one timber sale,” Meyer said.

“The single reason why they were listed was the forest plans – they weren’t protecting Canada lynx. The FWS said the USFS needs to provide programmatic management direction – that’s why we list them.”

And the listing occurred before climate change was a major factor in the debate, Meyer added. Canada lynx almost exclusively eat snowshoe hares, and they’ve evolved to hunt the rabbits in deep snow when other predators like bobcats and mountain lions are at a disadvantage. As mountain snowpacks diminish, Canada lynx may find it harder to compete with those other predators if their critical habitat gets degraded by human development.

The judges emphasized the unique nature of the Endangered Species Act in such situations.

“Our opinion does nothing to disturb the Supreme Court’s holding … that when evaluating a request for injunctive relief to remedy an ESA procedural violation, the equities and public interest factors always tip in favor of the protected species,” the judges wrote. “As the Court made unmistakably clear: Congress has spoken in the plainest of words, making it abundantly clear that the balance has been struck in favor of affording endangered species the highest of priorities, thereby adopting a policy which it described as ‘institutionalized caution.’”

That could be where Sen. Daines focuses his efforts in Congress. In his email, Daines noted that the 9th Circuit has 11 pending lawsuits and 26 pending Notices of Intent to Sue over Endangered Species Act consultations regarding lynx or bull trout (another threatened species). Several bills are jockeying for attention in the final months of this congressional session, including a variety of potential amendments to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) or the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

On the other hand, Meyer said the problem could be solved if Congress would provide the USFS with the funds to do its own lynx homework and follow the existing laws. Part of the current delay, Meyer said, was because of political interference in biological research processes.

“If they want to talk about using their old plan, or take the FWS’s advice, that’s up to the USFS,” Meyer said. “Whatever they come up with, we’ll look at. We want to partner with the UFS. We don’t want to put small family operations out of business.”

The USFS was doing an effective job applying lynx standards on a project-by-project basis. significant aspect of the consultation process.” To analyze lynx impact, the USFS looks at the FWS’s 2007 lynx guidelines “that were completed before critical habitat was designated on National Forest land,” the judges wrote.

“Here FWS discovered that its decision on critical habitat had been tainted by an ethical lapse in its own administrative ranks,” the judges wrote.

“Re-evaluation of the data generated a drastically different result that justified vast designation of previously unprotected critical habitat. These new protections triggered new obligations. The USFS cannot evade its obligations by relying on an analysis it completed before the protections were put in place.”

They added that just because the USFS had incorporated the 2007 FWS lynx amendments in its plans, that didn’t mean the job was done. As long as the agency had jurisdiction over Canada lynx and its habitat, it was obligated to consider new information that could change management needs.

Meyer said that was particularly important because of the

November 15, 2016

Livestock Market Digest

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The Trans-Pacific Partnership, another bad free trade agreement Why free trade isn’t always fair for America.

BY ELISABETH ERICKSON-NOE, COLORADO INDEPENDENT CATTLEGROWERS ASSOCIATION

T

he Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is advocated by supporters and the Obama administration, as a “free trade” agreement between the United States and eleven Pacific Rim countries that will boost our economy and increase exports.

However, the TPP lacks necessary safeguards for American sovereignty, workers, producers and consumers. Instead, the agreement provides no protection against currency manipulation and overwhelmingly expands power to foreign nations and multinational corporations under tribunal courts.

Contrary to claims that the TPP will improve the economy, a study released by The Global and Environmental Institute at Tufts University finds “that the benefits to economic growth are even smaller than those projected with full - employment models, and are negative for Japan and the United States . . . We find negative effects on growth in the United States and in Japan.” The future of American ranchers and USA-raised beef would be drastically impacted if the TPP passes.

Gerald Schreiber, R-Calf USA, aptly observes that “With each trade agreement the U.S. signs, we have subjugated our sovereignty to the World Trade Organization” (WTO). Case in point, the WTO actions in 2015 concerning the U.S.’ Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) for beef and pork. For the first time

ever, COOL would have allowed American consumers to know where their pork and beef comes from. (Americans know where their produce, clothing and goods come from and CICA believes Americans should have the right to know the same for meat.)

Under the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Canada and Mexico complained of potential adverse impacts to their profits if Americans had the choice between buying USAraised or imported meat. Shortly following the passage of COOL, Congress repealed it amidst WTO threats of $1 billion in retaliatory import tariffs against the U.S.. Multinational corporations already import tariff-free, lesser quality, less regulated beef and sell it to American consumers without any realized competition from American beef, stifling American ranchers’ profits and potentially endangering the health of consumers.

Perilously, the TPP determines the country of origin for beef to be wherever the animal is slaughtered, regardless of where it is raised. It’s plausible that multinational packers could meet the U.S. demand for beef with cheaper imported beef, destroying the domestic market by driving demand and prices down even further. Quality U.S. beef is indeed more expensive than beef from countries that have Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Mad Cow Disease outbreaks, manipulated currencies and weaker or non-existent environmental or labor regulations.

Three of the twelve nations in TPP have had confirmed

cases of FMD, a highly contagious disease that was eradicated from the U.S. in 1929. The transmission of FMD to cattle, pork, goats, deer, buffalo, and other cloven hooved animals, can rapidly spread through various methods including aerosol and human clothing. Epidemics can costs billions to control. Although not a health threat to humans, FMD is considered a very real bioterrorism threat which is now actively monitored by the U.S. Government. An outbreak of FMD would have catastrophic consequences to domestic agriculture. Why should the U.S. agree to the TPP when it requires the U.S. to allow imports from foreign countries if their safety standards are deemed “equivalent” to U.S. standards?

In a series of briefs published on the Roosevelt Institute’s website, former senior vice president and chief economist of the World Bank, Joseph E. Stiglitz, points out that “the most economically significant provisions are not cuts to trade barriers. Instead, the key element is TPP’s investment chapter, which gives foreign investors the right to sue governments in private international arbitration when they feel their newly created property rights are violated (a process known as investor–state dispute settlement, or ISDS). Two arbitrators can, in effect, undermine decisions of Congress and the president, ordering billions of dollars in payments for their lost investment value and guesstimated lost profits.” The New York Times reported similar concerns, that “Companies and investors would be

empowered to challenge regulations, rules, government actions and court rulings — federal, state or local — before tribunals organized under the World Bank or the United Nations.” Member nations would be forbidden from favoring “goods produced in its territory”. State promoting programs like the Colorado Proud with the slogan, “Better for you.

Better for Colorado.”, could be considered a threat to other national or multinational corporations’ profits.

Conventional economic theory in unbalanced trade markets has never worked and the cattle industry will be the next victim if the TPP is passed. Why champion the TPP for the purpose of lowering tariffs into Japan’s market to increase our exports, while turning a blind eye to the dangers to American cattle producers? Increased competition from from less regulated imports will put smaller beef producers in the U.S. out of business and American consumers at risk.

Trade agreements aren’t necessarily bad, but in the words of Stiglizt, “who benefits from such efforts depends entirely upon the specific rules included in the agreements.” The CICA advocates for American ranchers and agrees with Stiglitz that President Obama “should be fighting for a trade agreement that creates jobs and growth—a quite different agreement from the TPP, which will most likely create more economic pain and hardship for America’s working families and small businesses.”

The Colorado Independent CattleGrowers Association’s

mission is to actively promote policy that will beneficially affect the live cattle industry at the local, state and national level, securing and preserving a viable livelihood for present and future generations. The Association shall serve to support the financial, environmental, cultural and historical interests of independent cattle producers throughout Colorado and across America. Learn more online at www. coloica.com or find us on Facebook.

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Livestock Market Digest

November 15, 2016

Lawsuit claims Homeland Security fails to assess environmental impact of immigration policies

BY STEVE BITTENBENDER EDITOR, GOVERNMENT SECURITY NEWS

A

group of nine organizations and individuals filed suit in federal court Monday claiming the Department of Homeland Security has failed to study the effects of immigration on the country’s environment.

According to the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in San Diego against DHS and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, federal agencies are required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to conduct assessments before establishing policies or regulations in order to understand the impact the proposed action may have on the environment. DHS, which was created in 2003, took over responsibilities for managing immigration and border control issues after the Immigration and Naturalization Service was dissolved that same year.

Homeland Security officials finalized its NEPA compliance procedures two years ago, but the plaintiffs claim the agency is choosing to implement those procedures on an arbitrary basis.

As a result, there have been at least 33 actions tied to the entry and settlement of immigrants where the agency’s NEPA compliance procedures have not been implemented.

Like INS, “DHS has turned a blind eye regarding the environmental impacts, including the cumulative impacts, of its actions concerning foreign nationals who enter and settle into the

United States pursuant to the agency’s discretionary actions,” the complaint stated.

The plaintiffs are being represented by the Immigration Reform Law Institute, a Washington-based advocacy law firm that supports the Federation for American Immigration Reform. The Institute seeks to defend citizens’ and communities’ rights from what it claims are the harmful effects of both legal and illegal immigration.

In a 20-year span through 2010, the IRLI said the country’s population swelled by more than 60 million people because of the federal government’s approach to handling immigration. The population growth has harmed the environment, the Institute said in a statement on its Website, by increasing water consumption, making traffic worse, decreasing air quality and reducing farmlands and forests.

“The immigration policies implemented by DHS have had an enormous impact on the environment by causing explosive population growth,” said Dale L. Wilcox, IRLI’s executive director. “Yet DHS has ignored NEPA, the bedrock of the nation’s environmental statutory framework, for decades.”

The impact on the environment has been far greater in the southwest corner of the country, institute leaders claim, because illegal immigrants are able to easily to cross into the country from the Mexican border. Several of the plaintiffs

involved in the case are based in the southwestern corner of the country, including both the Whitewater Draw and Hereford natural conservation districts in Arizona, the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association and Californians for Population Stabilization.

New Mexico rancher Ralph Pope, a former worker with the U.S. Forest Service and a plaintiff in the case, is a Southwestern U.S. native who co-owns 160 acres of lands near the Arizona-New Mexico border.

He said he’s seen firsthand the damages, including wildfires, caused by immigrants traversing the remote lands.

“This undeniable presence of many hundreds of thousands of humans who are traveling on foot through, on many occasions very rugged and remote areas of Southeast Arizona and Southwest New Mexico, has caused obvious and undeniable damage to the unique native ecosystems located on hundreds of thousands of acres of once pristine and unspoiled lands, most of which is federally owned,” said Pope in his affidavit.

The plaintiffs seek a judgement compelling the agency to adhere fully to federal law and conduct the assessments.

Homeland Security officials did not respond to an email after business hours seeking comment. However, most government agencies have a policy of not commenting on pending litigation.

Oregon Wolf Killed by Poacher, $15,000 Reward Offered

BY ZACH URNESS / STATESMAN JOURNAL

A

For advertising information contact RANDY SUMMERS at 505/243-9515

reward totaling $15,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest of a poacher responsible for killing a federally protected gray wolf in south-central Oregon.

OR-28, a 3-year-old female wolf that recently had her first pup, was found dead October 6 in Fremont-Winema National Forest near Summer Lake, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS).

It’s a violation of the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) to kill a gray wolf in the western two-thirds of Oregon, punishable by a fine up to $100,000, one year in jail or both.

The incident is being investigated by the Oregon State Police and FWS. The wolf’s carcass is at the National Forensics Laboratory for a necropsy.

OR-28 had recently paired with OR-3, an 8-year-old male originally from the Imnaha pack. The two are believed to have produced at least one pup in 2016, according to the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife.

“The illegal killing of wolf OR-28 is heartbreaking,” said Amaroq Weiss, west coast wolf organizer for the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD). “She was a pioneering animal that was one of the first wolves to make it from northeastern to western Oregon as wolves reestablish territory in lands these ma-

jestic animals historically called home.

“OR-28 was also a first-time mother, who leaves behind her mate and single pup to fend for themselves.”

The reward, for information leading to the capture of the poacher, comprises $5,000 from FWS and $10,00 from the CBD. At least five wolves were poached or died under mysterious circumstances in Oregon in 2015 — including OR-22, OR-34, OR-31 and two wolves known as the Sled Springs pair.

Around 10 known wolves have been poached in Oregon since 2007.

“We only knew about most of them because the animals had radio collars,” said Steve Pedery, conservation director for the environmental group Oregon Wild. “The reward is nice, but the state’s track record of actually prosecuting wolf poaching cases is pretty abysmal. I have some hope that FWS’ involvement will mean the prosecution is taken more seriously.”

Anyone with information about this case can call the FWS at (503) 682-6131 or Oregon State Police Tip Line at (800) 452-7888.

Callers may remain anonymous.

Wolves are protected under the federal ESA in the western two-thirds of Oregon, but were delisted in the eastern third of Oregon.

All wolves were removed from the Oregon Endangered Species Act last November.

November 15, 2016

Livestock Market Digest

Page 7

Canadian ranches quarantined for bovine TB

BY RITA JANE GABBETT MEATINGPLACE.COM

T

he Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has quarantined about 30 ranches in southeast Alberta after a case of bovine tuberculosis was detected in a Canadian cow slaughtered in the United States.

In late September, the USDA notified the CFIA that a case of Bovine TB had been detected in a cow from Alberta when it was slaughtered in the United States.

The CFIA has initiated an investigation and is working with provincial agriculture and health authorities. CFIA veterinarians and inspectors are contacting cattle producers in the area near

Pew Faults the FDA Antibiotic Label Changes

BY MEATINGPLACE EDITORS

T

he Pew Charitable Trusts said nearly one-third of labels for medically important antibiotics for food animals will not meet the Food and Drug Administration’s standards for judicious use even after the agency’s new guidelines are adopted.

The organization said its analysis found that more than 140 of 389 labels for medically important antibiotics are potentially problematic, while the remainder defines conditions for use in a manner consistent with judicious use standards.

About three-quarters of the potentially problematic labels are for brand name or patented drugs.

FDA should announce a concrete plan and timeline for making all necessary label revision changes as quickly as possible, the organization said in its report.

“The focus should be not only on duration limits but also on all aspects of judicious use, including specifying clear dosages and revising questionable indications,” Pew said.

FDA’s new guidelines were published in December 2013 and will take effect Jan. 1, 2017. The guidance asks animal drug companies to make two changes for antibiotics shared by humans and animals: remove indications for promoting growth from the labels of antibiotic products and require veterinarians to oversee the addition of these drugs to feed and water for any reason.

Although the guidance is voluntary, animal drug companies already have agreed to comply.

that cow’s origin. Tracing work is underway to identify animals that may have been exposed to Bovine TB at individual premises and/or the Buffalo-Atlee and Suffield Block community pastures, according to a statement on the CFIA website.

Canadian media reports said 30 ranches had been quarantined.

Cattle movement In a note to Canadian ranchers, CFIA stated that only premises that have been placed under quarantine are prevented from moving animals without permission. Producers in the general investigation area that have not been contacted by the CFIA are allowed to move an-

imals (including sending cattle to auction markets and feed lots) but must comply with livestock identification requirements. Premises that are under quarantine must not move any animals without permission from the CFIA. As the disease investigation proceeds, additional premises may need to be quarantined while cattle are tested for Bovine TB, CFIA warned ranchers.

Bovine TB is a reportable disease in Canada and has been subject to a mandatory national eradication program since 1923.

While Canada is considered to be officially free of Bovine TB today, isolated cases may occur. This finding does not affect

Canada’s current status with all provinces considered to be Bovine TB-free as per the criteria established in the Health of Animals Regulations, according to CFIA.

Contagion Bovine TB is a contagious disease. Animals usually acquire the disease by inhaling or ingesting the organism. While Bovine TB primarily affects ruminants (cattle, bison, elk, deer, goats, and sheep); it can affect all types of mammals, including humans.

Generally, findings of Bovine TB do not pose a threat to public health in Canada. This is due to the extremely low prevalence of the disease in Canada.

However, individuals who have extended, close contact with an infected animal while it is alive are at risk of contracting the disease. Anyone who was in close contact with animals confirmed to have the disease is advised to contact their physician and/or local health authority.

Bovine TB affects wildlife mammals, which may transmit the disease to back to livestock.

Although the CFIA does not have a program specifically designed to control disease in wildlife populations, the CFIA collaborates with other involved agencies (e.g. Provincial authorities, Parks Canada) to conduct wildlife surveillance in the vicinity of an infected livestock herd.

Page 8

Livestock Market Digest

Baxter BLACK O N T H E E D G E O F C O M M O N S E N S E www.baxterblack.com

Part Indian

C

utter said to me, “I’m part Indian.”

I’ve heard that statement so many times from gringos that I’ve concluded I’m probably the only white man in North America who can’t claim to be part Indian!

But when you think about it, that’s a pretty positive comment on the improving race relations in our country. White men in the early part of this century did not brag about being part Indian. It also appears that Indians are having a renewed sense of ethnic pride. That’s a good thing.

I can understand the indignation regarding Columbus Day, although I’m not in favor of changing it. The battle’s over. Columbus won. And I question their objection to professional sport teams names like the Cleveland Indians, the Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Redlegs. Personally, I think it’s silly. But, I guess there’s a pen rider somewhere who takes offense at the naming of the Dallas Cowboys. I do believe Indians are entitled to the extras they receive in their reservation treaties, like fishing rights and tax breaks.

Most of the Indians that I know personally are cowboys. Just regular people with families and horse trailers, jobs and a little cow

savvy. They live in places like Farmington, Winner, Ft. Belknap or Pawhuska. They go to rodeos, haul hay, attend high school basketball games, vote, go to church, shop at WalMart and saw Dances with Wolves.

Yet many urban citizens have no contact with reservation Indians. Therefore they depend on childhood Hollywood memories and the stereotypes created. Sometimes we embarrass ourselves.

Flint is a Scottsdale Comanche. He looks like ‘heads’ on a buffalo nickel! He dresses regularly in elaborate Indian regalia. His job, he says, is to look good. And he sure does!

So he attracts attention like a peacock in a patch of sandhill cranes! He tells the story of a tourist who spotted him in a restaurant and asked him to pose for a photograph with his wife and kids. Flint obliged. The man took the picture then left without introducing himself or asking Flint’s name. Flint caught him and asked if he could take a picture of him and his family. The tourist was suspicious. “You don’t even know me,” he said.

“Why do you want my picture?”

Flint said, “Well, you don’t know me. Why did you want a photo of me?”

“You’re an Indian,” replied the tourist as if that explained everything.

Flint told the baffled tourist that in his house he had pictures of family and friends hangin’ all over, but they’re all Indians! He wanted a picture of at least one white man hangin’ on the wall!

By the way, I asked Bill, who is half and half, if Indians bragged about bein’ part white. Not really, he said. www.baxterblack.com

November 15, 2016

Flesh-Eating Screwworms are Back in Florida

BY MONIVETTE CORDEIRO, ORLANDOWEEKLY.COM

J

ust when you thought you’d figured out all the ways Florida could kill you, our creepy state decides to add another!

The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed earlier in October the presence of New World screwworms in Key deer living at the National Key Deer Refuge in the Florida Keys, which doesn’t sound that terrifying until you learn why they’re called screwworms. Adult screwworms, which look like regular flies, lay their eggs in the open wounds of warm-blooded creatures (including humans, though cases are rare).

When the eggs hatch, the larvae burrow and corkscrew their way into the host’s flesh, eating it as they go.

The screwworm infestation in the Key deer is the first local infestation in the U.S. in more than 30 years. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam declared an agricultural state of emergency because of the infestation in Key deer and a few pets in the Big Pine Key and No Name Key area. The Miami Herald reported earlier in October that more than 40 of the nearly 1,000 endangered Key deer have been euthanized due to screwworms.

“The screwworm is a potentially devastating animal disease that sends shivers down every rancher’s spine,” Putnam says in a statement. “It’s been more than five decades since the screwworm last infested Florida, and I’ve grown up hearing the horror stories from the last occurrence.

This foreign animal disease poses a grave threat to wildlife, livestock and domestic pets in Florida.”

State and federal officials are working to address the issue through fly trapping to determine how bad the current infestation is and by releasing sterile male flies to eliminate the population. Florida agriculture officials also established an animal health-check zone in the Florida Keys that screens all animals traveling north of Mile Marker 106.

“We’ve eradicated this from Florida before, and we’ll do it again,” Putnam says. “We will work with our partners on the federal, state and local level to protect our residents, animals and wildlife by eliminating the screwworm from Florida. The public’s assistance is crucial to the success of this eradication program.”

Livestock Market Digest

REAL ESTATE GUIDE Fallon-Cortese Land

NEW MEXICO

521 West Second St. • Portales, NM 88130

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

Buena Vista Realty

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

P.O. Box 447 Fort Sumner, NM 88119 575.355.2855 office 575.355.7611 fax 575.760.3818 cell nick@ranchseller.com www.ranchseller.com

Bar M Real Estate

SCOTT MCNALLY

www.ranchesnm.com 575/622-5867 575/420-1237 bakercityrealty__1x2.5 4/6/15 11:45 AM Page 1 Ranch Sales & Appraisals

Socorro Plaza Realty Qualifying Broker

505-507-2915 cell 505-838-0095 fax

#5 Plaza PO Box 1903 Socorro, NM 87801 www.socorroplazarealty.com dbrown@socorroplazarealty.com

Coletta Ray 575-799-9600

Exit Clovis Realty

205 E Llano Estacado Blvd, Suite B Clovis, NM. 88101 575-762-4200 (office) 575-762-4999 (fax) www.ClovisRealEstateSales.com

Bottari Realty Paul Bottari, Broker

775/752-3040 Nevada Farms & raNch PrOPerTY

Filling Your Real Estate Needs in Oregon Andrew Bryan, Principal/Broker Office 541-523-5871 Cell 208-484-5835 andrew@bakercityrealty.com www.bakercityrealty.com

Missouri Land Sales NEW LISTING! - 80 ACRES - 60 ACRES HAYABLE, LIVE WATER, LOCATION, LOCATION. Only 8 miles west of Norwood, 3 miles east of Mansfield, 1/4 mile off Hwy 60. Well maintained 3 bed, 1 1/2 bath, 1432 sq. ft. brick/vinyl home, nestled under the trees. Full basement (partially finished), John Deere Room. This is your farm! MLS#60059808 139 Acres - 7 AC stocked lake; hunting retreat. Beautiful 2 BR, 1 BA log cabin. Only 35+ miles northeast of Springfield. MLS# 60031816.

See all my listings at: paulmcgilliard.murney.com

PAUL McGILLIARD

Cell: 417/839-5096 1-800/743-0336 MURNEY ASSOC., REALTORS SPRINGFIELD, MO 65804

SOLD

174 acres M/L. MAJOR PRICE REDUCTION! Now only $1200 per acre. Cattle, horses, hunting retreat. Live water year round spring-crawdad creek. 30+ ac open, more land could be opened with brush hogging. Good fencing, 2 miles from S&H fish pay fishing ponds. 8 miles east of Ava on Hwy. 76. MLS# 60029427 MAJOR PRICE REDUCTION: GREAT INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY CLOSE TO SPRINGFIELD. El Rancho Truck Plaza. MLS #11402704; Midwest Truck Stop MLS #11402703; Owner retiring. Go to murney.com, enter MLS #, CHECK THEM OUT!!!

Jack Horton 208.830.9210

www.bottarirealty.com Rae H. Anderson 208.761.9553

Terrell Land and Livestock Co.

On the Plaza

Donald Brown

Land for sale 320 Acres Several Small Acreages Several Country Homes with Small Acreages

To place your Real Estate ads, contact RANDY SUMMERS at 505/243-9515 or by email randy@aaalivestock.com

575-447-6041

Tye Terrell, selling ranches since 1972

We know New Mexico and New Mexico needs.

tyecterrell@yahoo.com Los Lunas, NM

SX RANCH: Approximately 665 deeded acres – 300 irrigated/sub-irrigated hay & pasture – great starter, hobby or retirement opportunity – 12 miles to town & schools $1,250,000 – adjacent 1,700 deeded acres, native range, available @ $1,050,000 – would make one of the most aesthetically pleasing smaller ranches in the Northwest.

For complete brochures:

agrilandsrealestate.com

November 15, 2016

Livestock Market Digest

HeAdquArters West Ltd.

Southeastern Arizona Cochise County

ST. JOHN’S OFFICE: TRAEGEN KNIGHT

P.O. Box 1980 St. John’s, AZ 85936 www.headquarterswest.com 928/524-3740 Fax 928/563-7004 Cell 602/228-3494 info@headquarterswest.com

Filling your real estate needs in Arizona

Bottari Realty Paul Bottari, Broker

775/752-3040 • 775/752-0952 • www.bottarirealty.com

Nevada Farms and Ranches

Diamond Valley Farm: 250 acres with 2 center pivots old water rights. 213 acres permitted. Two homes, just off paved, in valley known for high quality hay. Eureka, Nevada approx. 7 miles to South.

Price: $895,000.

TEXAS & OKLA. FARMS & RANCHES • 100 acres, Kaufman County TX, Long County Rd frontage, city water, excellent grass. $3750 per acre.

• 240 acres, Recreation, hunting and fishing. Nice apartment, 25 miles from Dallas Court House. $3250 per acre.

Sulphur Springs Realty Sam Place P.O. Box 2, Elfrida, Arizona 85610 ssr@theriver.com

We have other farms, ranches and land for sale. Give us a call!

Serving Willcox, Cochise & Pearce Arizona

521 West Second St. Portales, NM 88130 575-226-0671 www.buenavista-nm.com

Attention Developers and Investors

We have approximately 67.8 acres in Portales, NM that is absolutely PRIME property just ready for your ideas to be initiated. Directly across the street from Walmart store, very near the intersection of U.S. 70 & NM 467 just 11 miles south of Cannon Air Force Base and home to many Military personnel. Very high traffic count, good elevation with no flood or drainage problems, very good access, lends itself well to a total planned community or combination of many lifestyles to cater to. Seller is receptive to a workable deal, currently priced at $1,100,000 – you come look and make your offer, we can negotiate. This is PRIME.

• 40 acre, 2 homes, nice barn, corral, 30 miles out of Dallas. $415,000.

We also have several rural properties in the listing process including 140 acres grass with nice home and corrals, 160 acres irrigated with pivot, one or more farm homes with good barns small acreage, some with considerable grain storage capacity and 2 homes

1-800/671-4548

1356+/- deeded Acres, 139 +/- BLM grazing acres, 3858 +/- Arizona State Grazing Lease; 6 irrigation wells, 476 +/- irrigation water rights, fenced and cross-fenced $2,160,000

Call: Paul Bottari, Broker ALC Bottari & Associated Realty, Inc. 775-752-3040 or 752-0952

• 270 acre, Mitchell County, Texas ranch. Investors dream; excellent cash flow.

Rock formation being crushed and sold; wind turbans, some minerals. Irrigation water developed, crop & cattle, modest improvements. Just off I-20.

Price reduced to $1.6 Million.

Joe Priest Real Estate

Page 9

Call Buena Vista Realty at 575-226-0671 or the listing agent Lori Bohm 575-760-9847, or Melody Sandberg 575-825-1291.

Many good pictures on MLS or www.buenavista-nm.com

joepriestre.net • joepriestre@earthlink.com

LLC

Arizona Ranch For Sale Seven Lazy E Ranch

30 miles SE of Willcox. Elevation 4300 ‘ MSL. 1335 Acres Deeded, 2197 State Lease 80 Acres BLM Lease. 3 wells, electric, gas.

8 pastures have water Includes nearby custom Sante Fe Style house $1,995,885.00 MLS 21608523 Rick Frank, Designated Broker

520-403-3903

Scott Land co.

Ranch & Farm Real Estate

GATO MOUNTAIN RANCH – High desert recreation hunting ranch with excellent improve-

GATO MOUNTAIN RANCH – High desert deer, recreation ranchWell with excellent improvements. includes ments.

Wildlife includes elk, mule bearhunting and lion. suited as a corporateWildlife retreat with elk, mule deer, bear and Well suited as a corporate retreat with accommodations for at least 34 lease people.acres 389 accommodations forlion. at least 34 people.

389 deeded acres along with 2,602 BLM deeded acres along with 2,602 BLM lease acres with a grazing permit for 33 AU’s.

Numerous horseback and with a grazing permit for 33 AU’s. Numerous horseback and ATV trails. Owners willing to ATV split the deeded acreage. to information www.ranchesnm.com. trails.

Owners willing to splitFor the more deededinformation acreage. Forgo more go to www.ranchesnm.com.

Price:$2,800,000.00 $2,800,000.00 Price: FUSON RANCH – 280 acres located under the face of the Capitan Mountains southwest of Ar-

FUSON – 280 acres locatedCounty. under theAccess face of the Capitanand Mountains of Arabela, NMresidence, in historic abela, RANCH NM in historic Lincoln is gated locked.southwest Improved with one Lincoln County. Access gated and barn. locked.Water Improved with one residence, shop and small barn. Waterat maintenance shop isand small is provided by one maintenance well. View additional information iswww.ranchesnm.com. provided by one well. View additional information at www.ranchesnm.com.

Price:$400,000.00 $400,000.00 $349,500.00 $349,500.00 Price: FLORES CANYON RANCH 3,290 acres located of Mountains. the Sacramento FLORES CANYON RANCH – 3,290–total acrestotal located in the foothillsinofthe the foothills Sacramento Access is gatMountains. Access is gated and locked from U.S. Highway 70 between San Patricio and Glened and locked from U.S. Highway 70 between San Patricio and Glencoe. The Rio Ruidoso River traverses a portion coe. The Rio Ruidoso River traverses a portion of the property. Excellent wildlife habitat, fantasoftictheviews property.

ExcellentBlanca wildlifePeak habitat,and fantastic views of Sierra Blancarange.

Peak and the Capitan Mountain range. of Sierra the Capitan Mountain Improvements all constructed Improvements all constructed since 2008.

Watered by two wells and pipelines.

Price: $3,000,000.00 to include since 2008. Watered by two wells and pipelines. Price: $3,000,000.00 to include livestock and livestock and equipment. more information to www.ranchesnm.com. equipment.

For moreFor information go togowww.ranchesnm.com.

Scott McNally, Qualifying Broker Bar M Real Estate, LLC P.O. Box 428, Roswell, NM 88202 Office: 575-622-5867 Cell: 575-420-1237

“We will go the extra mile for you”.

1301 Front Street, Dimmitt, TX 79027 Ben G. Scott – Broker Krystal M. Nelson, CO/NM Qualifying Broker 800-933-9698 day/eve. www.scottlandcompany.com • www.texascrp.com

SOUTHERN NM (Chaves/Otero Co.) – 25,665 +/- ac., 1,320 +/- deeded, 4,024 +/- State, 15,000 +/- BLM, 5,321 +/- Forest, permitted for 580 au’s year-round, well watered, good headquarters, very nice updated home, excellent pens & out buildings.

CASTRO CO., TX - NAZRETH, TX. – 102 +/- acre dairy w/home, east of Nazareth on Hwy. 86.

COTTLE CO., TX – Pease River, 1,357 ac. +/-, numerous springs flowing into two creeks, excellent hunting, highway frontage.

SANCHEZ CANYON RANCH – Union CO., NM – 677 ac. +/- of very rugged, scenic country w/excellent hunting/recreation & good home for livestock, White Tail & Mule Deer, Elk, Turkey & many other varmints.

MINERALS/STRONG WATER/PERRYTON, TX. – 830 ac. +/- just out-of-town & adjacent to a city owned property, on all-weather road, beautiful home, tremendous potential for irrigation or residential development.

CASTRO, CO., TX – 661 ac. +/- w/464 ac. +/- of CRP just expired, 121.6 ac. +/- in CRP until 2020, bal. native grass, on pvmt., great home for a cow or developing for farming.

LIPSCOMB CO., TX – 320 ac. developed for irrigation w/2 pivot points in a strong water area!

FOR SALE OR LEASE - 30,000 HD. FEED YARD – Southeast Texas Panhandle, close to Texas & Kansas Packers. Call or email for details!!!!

NM STATE LEASE – Union Co. – buy the improvements & irr. equip. on the property & lease a NM State Leased section, 640 ac. +/-, w/nice home, landscaped yard w/matured trees, nice shop, cattle pens & pivot sprinklers.

SOUTH CONCHOS RANCH – San Miguel Co., NM – 9,135 total ac.+/-, 2,106 ac. +/- “FREE USE”, 6,670 ac. +- deeded, 320 ac. +/- BLM, 40 ac. +/State, well improved, homes, barns, pens, watered by subs & mills at shallow depth just off pvmt., on co. road, addtl. ranch land available adj. property.

NEW LISTING – Quay Co. 1,600 ac. +/- of grassland in the Grady, NM area – information being processed!

MELROSE, NM - easy access just off of Hwy. 60 1,840 ac. +/- well located, watered w/windmills & dirt tanks, easy drive out of Clovis, NM. ARGENTINA….PLEASE CALL FOR DETAILS on 176,000 ac. +/- (WE CAN OFFER tracts of 1,500 acres or more) of choice land which can be cleared for soybeans & corn, some cleared & seeded to improved grasses for grazing of thousands of mother cows, some still in the brush waiting to be cleared.

DONLEY CO., TX. – 160 ac. +/- CRP. Good hunting. Irrigation potential.

KING CO., TX. – 330 acres +/- with excellent quail & whitetail hunting. Hunting cabin. CRP until 2019.

PRICE REDUCED! SELLER VERY MOTIVATED to buy or trade for ranch or farmland properties between Dallas & Houston, TX. For sale Pontotoc/Coal Co., OK – three good, solid ranches just out of Ada in close proximity, one to the other (one owner -779 ac. +/-, 1,370 ac. +/-, 974 ac. +/-), good, useable improvements, on pvmt. or good all-weather roads.

Please view our websites for details on these properties, choice TX, NM & CO ranches (large & small), choice ranches in the high rainfall areas of OK, irr./dryland/CRP & commercial properties. We need your listings on any types of ag properties in TX., NM, OK & CO.

Page 10

Livestock Market Digest

BRANGUS

R.L. Robbs 520/384-3654

g•u•i•d•e

angus

Bradley 3 Ranch Ltd. www.bradley3ranch.com

Annual Bull Sale: February 11, 2017

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

4995 Arzberger Rd. Willcox, Arizona 85643 Willcox, AZ

HEREFORD

Registered Polled Herefords Bulls & Heifers

Cañones Route P.O. Abiquiu, N.M. 87510

FOR SALE AT THE FARM

MANUEL SALAZAR P.O. Box 867 Española, N.M. 87532

575/638-5434

RED ANGUS

A SOURCE FOR PROVEN SUPERIOR RED ANGUS GENETICS

BEEFMASTER

14298 N. Atkins Rd., Lodi, CA 95240

209/727-3335

Phillips

RED ANGUS

Spring & Yearlings For Sale CECIL FELKINS • 209/274-4338 Email: CWCOWBOY@ATT.NET 5500 BUENA VISTA RD. IONE, CA 95640

CLASSIFIEDS

Bulls, Cows, Pairs, Bred Heifers and Replacement Heifers for Sale www.RanchWorldAds.com

To place a classified ad, contact RANDY SUMMERS at 505/243-9515 or by email randy@ aaalivestock.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

Wanted: Ranch to lease in south central New Mexico.

200 to 400 cow capacity year around with good improvements and good water.

Three to five year lease with the option to buy.

Wanting to relocate from southern Colorado.

Stroh Ranch/Dave Stroh 719-738-3111 719-568-5570 cell

November 15, 2016

Ranch Series by Heather Smith Thomas Horse Tales: True Stories from an Idaho Ranch (the original book in this series) is a collection of 22 stories about the horses that helped define the author’s life in Idaho ranch country. Press release stated: “Horse Tales is a unique memoir infused with the brand of wisdom that can be acquired only through an existence built around livestock and the land. Thomas centers each story around a specific animal, along the way sharing lessons on life, family and stockmanship.”

282 pages, paperback. $24.95 Cow Tales: More True Stories from an Idaho Ranch (325 pages; $24.95) was published in July 2015. The press release from the publisher states: “Following the success of her acclaimed

nonfiction collection Horse Tales…Cow Tales is an entertaining and compelling line-up of autobiographical essays detailing her family’s adventures raising cattle in the challenging ranch country outside Salmon, Idaho. In the tradition of James Herriot (All Creatures Great and Small), each story centers on a particular animal or aspect of animal husbandry, offering insight into the resourcefulness required to manage a cattle herd, and a heart-warming look at human-animal bonding.”

Ranch Tales: Stories of Dogs, Cats and Other Crazy Critters, the third book in this series, was published December, 2015 (273 pages, $24.95) and consists of stories about memorable ranch

animals and wildlife. “Each humorous, heartwarming and insightful tale is centered on the unique bond that forms between people and the animals— livestock, pets and wildlife— that populate a working ranch.”

Order any of these books from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or from the publisher: The Frontier Project Inc. (phone: 719/237-0243) thefrontierproject@gmail.com Signed copies are available from Heather Thomas, Box 215, Salmon, Idaho 83467 (208/756-2841) hsmiththomas@centurytel.net [price: $24.95 plus $3 postage – Idaho residents add 6% sales tax. For all three books - $70 plus $7 shipping]

Proposal Would Hold Livestock Haulers Accountable for Animal Abuse

BY MARK SCHREMMER, LAND LINE STAFF WRITER

A

proposal by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service would hold transporters responsible for the mistreatment of livestock.

An advanced copy of the notice was posted on the FSIS website on Friday, Oct. 7, and was expected to be published in the Federal Register in the coming days. The advanced copy could be subject to minor changes.

“The Food Safety and Inspection Service is announcing its intent to hold livestock owners, transporters, haulers and other persons not employed by an official establishment responsible if they commit acts involving inhumane handling of livestock in connection with slaughter when on the premises of an official establishment,” the notice states.

“FSIS believes these actions will further improve the welfare of livestock handled in connection with slaughter by ensuring that all persons that inhumanely han-

dle livestock in connection with slaughter are held accountable.”

Currently, the operators of farms and slaughterhouses are the ones held accountable for mistreatment of livestock on their property.

“Livestock transporters or haulers transport animals to slaughter establishments,” the notice states. “Many of these individuals are not employed by the establishment and thus are not required to follow instructions from the establishment on the handling of livestock in connection with slaughter.”

In January 2015, the Food Safety and Inspection Service received a petition from the attorney of a swine slaughter establishment requesting that the agency review its humane handling enforcement policy. The petition stated that official establishments should not be held accountable when non-employees inhumanely handle livestock on the official establishment premises.

According to the notice, the Food Safety and Inspection Service will initiate action solely

against the non-employee if it is determined that the non-employee is solely responsible.

“For example, if Office of Field Operations personnel observe a non-employee driving animals too fast and causing a few to slip and fall, and establishment employees are not involved in the event, FSIS will initiate action against the non-employee and will not take an administrative enforcement action against the establishment,” the notice states.

If employees and non-employees are involved in abuse, the Food Safety and Inspection Service would take action against the non-employee and take a regulatory control action or administration enforcement action against the establishment.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service is requesting comments on this notice. The agency plans to begin implementing the policy 90 days after its publication in the Federal Register unless it receives comments that demonstrate a need to revise the policy.

Talon Internship Applications Due Dec. 1 College students interested in gaining firsthand experience encouraged to apply.

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new internship opportunity through the Angus Foundation and the Angus/Talon Youth Education Learning Program will pair a motivated youth with the Maher Angus Ranch in South Dakota to give a valuable hands-on educational experience for an eightto 10-week term during summer 2017.

Applications are available online and due back to the education and events department Dec. 1. College sophomores, juniors, seniors, graduate students and recent college graduates who do not exceed the age of 25 on date of application, and who are majoring in an agriculture-related field of study will be eligible to apply for this internship position.

Applications from a Talon Scholarship recipient, past or present, or a National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) or Association member in good standing will be given first

preference for this internship.

Cam Cooper of Talon Ranch, who was a staunch supporter of agriculture’s youth, set up the Angus/Talon Youth Educational Learning Program Endowment Fund.

“Cam’s vision for the Talon Youth Educational Learning Program was for it to be a holistic experience for students. They could come into the program as an undergraduate scholarship recipient — with the opportunity to continue through graduate school — and get real-world experience through this internship. She was a true champion for our Angus youth,” says Milford Jenkins, Angus Foundation president.

The partnership will benefit both the ranch and the intern by providing an educational experience and enthusiastic fresh perspective for both parties.

For more information or to apply for the internship, visit www.angusfoundation.org or www.angus.org/njaa.

November 15, 2016

Livestock Market Digest

Page 11

Fact Check Website in Response to GMO Disinformation Campaign Biotech claims of GMO safety undercut by widespread contamination, unforeseen mutations and independent research

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he Alliance for Natural Health USA (ANH-USA) is pushing back against the biotech industry’s disinformation campaign about the safety of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) by releasing its expanded GMO Fact Check informational website.

GMO Fact Check refutes common fallacies propagated by the biotech industry. For example, the industry claims that GMO crops can coexist with naturally raised crops, but there is evidence to suggest that GMO crops can, and already have, cross-contaminate with conventional and organic crops. The site also debunks the common myth that current GMO products are not substan-

tially different from traditional crossbreeding techniques used by farmers for generations.

“Industry giants like Monsanto and Bayer are essentially buying scientists, and are spending untold sums in propaganda and advertising trying to convince the public that GMOs are necessary and safe,” explained ANH-USA Executive and Legal Director Gretchen DuBeau.

“However, the scientific literature simply does not support their contentions.

GMOs are unnecessary, unsafe, virtually unregulated, and have the potential to destroy our entire agricultural system.

Our GMO Fact Check campaign combats the exaggerations, misrepresentations, and outright falsehoods of biotech’s public relations blitz.”

Earlier this year, the biotechnology industry—concerned that state laws would require complete disclosure of ge-

Miners’ “Waters of the United States” Challenge to U.S. Supreme Court

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n mid-October a 120-yearold nonprofit, non-partisan mining trade association with thousands of members joined with other litigants in urging the Supreme Court of the United States to review its lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and their top officials over final rules that purport to define “waters of the United States” in the Clean Water Act (CWA) after odd rulings from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

The American Exploration & Mining Association (AEMA) (once Northwest Mining Association), Spokane, Washington asserts that the rules published on June 29, 2015, violate both the Regulatory Flexibility Act and the Administrative Procedure Act. AEMA is represented by Mountain States Legal Foundation (MSLF), which commented on the draft rules by arguing that they illegally: extend to all waters (not just wetlands) and all waters adjacent to non-navigable interstate waters; create a new jurisdictional concept “similarly situated waters” by misquoting the Supreme Court; and ignore the Court’s demand regarding alleged wetlands adjacent to non-navigable tributaries.

“We ask the Court to answer a question of great national importance, that is, whether Congress intended a definitional rule delineating the scope of the Clean Water Act to be reviewed exclusively in the court of appeals, or, as the plain text of the law provides, in the federal district courts,” said William Perry Pendley, MSLF’s president.

Over the years, landowners challenging federal wetland rulings reached the Su-

preme Court of the United States. In 1985, deciding at which point “water ends and land begins,” the Supreme Court upheld a definition that included wetlands that “actually abut[] on” traditional navigable waters. In 2001, the Court held that “non-navigable, isolated, intrastate waters,” even those used by migratory birds, were not within the CWA. In 2006, ruling on whether the CWA included intrastate wetlands adjacent to non-navigable tributaries of navigable waters, the Court vacated the Corps’ rules. For a four judge plurality, Justice Scalia required a “continuous surface connection to bodies that are ‘waters of the United States’ in their own right,” but Justice Kennedy, while concurring in striking down the rules, demanded “a ‘significant nexus’ to waters that are or were navigable in fact or that could reasonably be so made.”

In 2007, the EPA and the Corps responded to the Court’s rulings and in late 2008, after the receipt of 66,000 comments, issued new guidance on identifying “waters of the United States.” Then, in 2011, the two agencies proposed new guidance that expanded significantly the reach of the CWA, including over vernal pools, prairie potholes, natural ponds, and playa lakes.

In response to 230,000 comments, many of which demanded a formal rule-making, the agencies issued that proposal in April of 2014.

The three separate judgments of the Sixth Circuit panel denying all motions to dismiss the petitions for review for lack of subject matter jurisdiction was entered on February 22, 2016, and the Sixth Circuit denied a petition for rehearing en banc on April 21, 2016.

netically engineered (GE) ingredients or genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the food we eat—was able to push a toothless and profoundly deceptive “labeling” bill into law.

The new national GMO “labeling” law effectively allows food manufacturers to create their own definition of what constitutes a GE ingredient, and then choose their preferred method of communicating this information to the consumer. “Given that this technology has the potential to contaminate non-GMO crops,” DuBeau said, “we are nearing a point of no return in dealing with GMOs in the food supply. Consumers must have access to accurate information about this technology which, contrary to industry claims, has not been shown to be safe. In fact, animal studies show that GMO crops are causing endocrine system disruptions, birth defects, and even

sterility.

“Biotech companies want to convince people that GMOs will save the world,” DuBeau continued, “but this simply isn’t the case—and we have the proof. ANHUSA believes that informed consumers should have the choice to avoid GMOs if they wish, but the new ‘labeling’ law, coupled with Monsanto’s vast disinformation campaign, makes that increasingly difficult. Our GMO Fact Check campaign aims to bring balance to this discussion,” DuBeau concluded.

October was Non-GMO Month, and this is the perfect time for consumers to educate themselves and push back against the forced acceptance of an unproven and potentially disastrous technology. To learn more please visit www.

GMOFactCheck.com, and watch our video (below) on the five biggest lies related to GMO foods.

Page 12

Livestock Market Digest

November 15, 2016

World Beef Markets & Trade Expected to Grow in 2017 BY: DERRELL S. PEEL, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION LIVESTOCK MARKETING SPECIALIST

Fire preventers start a forest fire and no Constitution or Scripture allowed in Bundy trial Dog Head Fire The Forest Service recently published their official report on the 17,912-acre Dog Head Fire in the Cibola National Forest.

The fire was initially reported on June 14 of this year, declared contained on July 13, controlled on August 10 and out on September 12. Along the way, 12 single residences and 44 other structures were destroyed along with habitat for the Goshawk and the Spotted Owl. The official cause of the fire, says the report, was human-caused and originated from a masticator, “a machine that shreds brush and trees into mulch to reduce forest fuels.” It was all part of the Isleta Collaborative Landscape Restoration Project to reduce the threat of wildfire.

So we have poor management, caused by a myriad of environmental laws which hamstring the agencies and drastically increase the chances of wildfire. Given the current political environment all the feds can do is fund these piddling little projects which, in this case, actually started the fire. We should be allowing commercial harvests, which are effective and provide for little or no cost to the taxpayer. When will Congress take action? Until they do, fires like this will continue to occur across the West, multiplying the loss of lives, resources and property, and the consumption of taxpayer dinero.

Bundy Trial Ammon and Ryan Bundy and five co-defendants are charged with conspiring to impede U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or Bureau of Land Management employees from doing their work at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge during the 41-day occupation.

So far, the judge has been ruling consistently for the feds. She has denied Ryan Bundy’s motion to ditch his standby counsel, and sided with the U.S. Marshall to deny Ammon Bundy’s request to wear his cowboy boots in court.

The judge has denied Ryan Bundy’s (who is representing himself) request to hand each juror a pocket-sized version of the Constitution. She has ruled the ownership of the Wildlife Refuge and the circumstances surrounding the shooting of Robert LaVoy Finicum by FBI agents are not to be mentioned and has threatened to fine Ammon Bundy’s attorney for referring

to those issues. She has ruled for the U.S. Marshall to end the ability of Ammon to meet with his attorney and his brother Ryan, and that Ammon can only meet with his attorney through a screened window. Why? Because Ammon sent a message to his wife on his attorney’s computer and then showed “disrespect” when ordered to stop.

When Ammon Bundy took the stand, he testified his plan was to stake claim to the refuge property through the adverse possession principle because he didn’t believe the federal government had authority to control it, citing the enclave clause of the U.S. Constitution. If anything, he expected federal officials to cite occupiers for trespass or issue an eviction, and send the matter to a civil court to address who has control over the land.

“This is the issue,’’ he testified.

“This is the reason why we went into the refuge and did what we did.” He was also adamant that what they had done was “completely legal.’’

The prosecutor objected to Bundy stating his view of the law. The judge agreed, instructing the jury that what they heard was Bundy’s opinion of the law and not to regard it as factual.

The judge also instructed Bundy that he was not to read from the Constitution in his shirt pocket.

In explaining his actions, Bundy read from The Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, telling the jurors that among the church teachings is the following: “It is our duty to go to the judge. It is our duty to go to the representative. It is our duty to go to the president and plead with them to stand up for what is wrong,’’ he said. “It’s our duty to give each of the officials the opportunity to do what’s right.” “We are not to act until that has been done,’’ he said.

The prosecutor objected to the relevancy of the testimony.

The judge agreed and warned Bundy not to read scriptural passages to jurors.

No Constitution, no Scripture.

And now you see the power of the U.S. Attorney’s office.

They pick what the charges are, which then determines which issues can be discussed in court.

No wonder they have a conviction rate of 93 percent. The trial also disclosed the FBI had 15 informants, including Mark McConnell, who was driving the vehicle in which Ammon Bundy

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he latest global meat trade estimates from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service indicate that beef production and consumption among major beef countries is growing in 2016 and is projected to grow additionally in 2017. Aside from the U.S., the world’s largest beef producing and consuming country where both production and consumption are increasing, beef production is expanding in several major beef producing countries. Brazil, which saw decreased beef production in 2015 and 2016, is projected to increase production in 2017. Beef production is also expected to increase in China, India and Argentina with the European Union (EU) holding about steady. Australia is an exception, with drought forced liquidation in 2014 and 2015 leading to a projected 19 percent beef production decrease in 2016 and continued smaller production in 2017.

In addition to the U.S., beef consumption among major beef consuming nations is projected to expand in 2017 in China and Brazil, with a mod-

was arrested.

There were a few light-hearted moments.

While cross-examining an FBI agent, defendant Ryan Bundy asked if pocket Constitutions depicted in a photo of one of the rooms in the refuge bunkhouse were seized as evidence. The agent said he didn’t take them.

“So you did not find anything of value in there?’’ Bundy queried.

Things turned tumultuous though, when after closing arguments had been given and the jury had convened for three days, the jurors sent two hand-written questions to the judge. One of the questions was, ““Can a juror, a former employee of the Bureau of Land Management, who opens their remarks in deliberations by stating ‘I am very biased …’ be considered an impartial judge in this case?”

The defendants’ attorneys argued a biased juror would violate the defendants’ Sixth Amendment right to an impartial jury and thus a fair trial.

Judge Brown interviewed the juror in question and initially ruled the juror would stay. The next day, however, she reversed her opinion and removed the juror. An alternate juror has been selected, but that means the jury deliberations must start over.

“You need to start over with that alternate juror,’’ the judge told the remaining jurors. The judge said they must “set aside the conclusions’’ they’ve drawn and destroy any verdict forms

est year over year decrease in the EU. In the remaining top ten beef consuming nations, beef consumption in 2017 is projected to expand in Argentina, India, Mexico, Pakistan and Turkey. Russia is expected to post another decrease following reduced beef consumption in 2015 and 2016. Beef consumption in Japan, which is currently the number eleven beef consuming nation, is projected to hold steady in 2017.

Beef exports among major exporting countries are projected to increase year over year in 2017. In 2016, sharply lower beef exports from Australia and New Zealand are projected to more than offset increased exports from Brazil, India and the U.S. resulting is a slight year over year decrease in total exports from 2015 levels.

Australia and New Zealand are expected see continued reductions in beef exports in 2017 with growth continuing in the three other largest beef exporting countries. Beef exports also expected to continue growing in other top ten exporting countries in 2016 and 2017 including increased exports projected for Canada, Paraguay, Uruguay (steady in 2017), the EU and Mexico along with Argentina, currently the number eleven beef exporting country. they were given. “It’s a new jury, a new day, a new start,” she said.

As it turned out - in spite of the feds having 15 informants, a friendly judge and such a high conviction rate - the jury found the Bundy brothers and the other five defendants not guilty. It was Ammon Bundy’s 10 hours of testimony that likely won over jurors according to Lewis & Clark law professor Tung Yin. “It gave Ammon a chance to explain his side,” Yin said. “And apparently the jury seemed to agree. I think it’s really hard to see this as anything other than jury nullification.”

During his three days on the stand Ammon Bundy explained his views on the federal government and the Constitution. He said their occupation of the refuge was a protest against federal control of millions of acres in the West and of their grievance against how the Hammonds were unfairly treated in their arson case. “This is much bigger than the Hammonds,” Ammon Bundy told the court. “Everything comes from the Earth and if [the government] can get control of the resources, they can get control of the people,” he said. Bundy also described federal government officials as modern day Roman emperors attempting to rule over their subjects by restricting access to resource-rich territories.

Speaking of the jurors, Professor Yin said, “The fact that they acquitted on everything

Despite sharply lower U.S. beef imports in 2016 and additional reductions projected for 2017, total beef imports among major importing countries are expected to increase year over year in 2016 and 2017. Rapid growth in beef imports in China is the most dramatic change in global beef markets. China, which was not a global beef market player at all just a few years ago, has risen to be the second largest beef importing country in 2016 with additional growth projected in 2017. At the current pace of growth, China could surpass the U.S. as the largest beef importing country in the next two or three years. Beef imports in South Korea have also increased sharply in 2015 and 2016 with modest increases projected to continue in 2017. Japan is also projected to continue modest year over year increases in beef imports in 2017. Russia, which has seen beef imports fall by more than half since 2013, is projected to stabilize beef imports in 2016 and 2017 at the lowest level in more than 15 years. Beef imports in most other significant beef importing countries are projected to be steady to higher in 2017.

These countries include the EU, Hong Kong, Egypt, Canada, Chile and Malaysia. must be representative of some kind of mistrust of the government or a symbolic protest, or anger at the government.”

Till next time, be a nuisance to the devil and don’t forget to check that cinch.

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

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November 15, 2016

Livestock Market Digest

Billion, with a “B” Certified Angus Beef ® sales hit 1.015 billion pounds

BY LAURA CONAWAY

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ngus producers knew they could create a brand of beef that would sell millions of pounds in a year. But more than a billion? Let’s not get carried away, the organizers would have said. Yet upon reflection, some might have wondered.

That year has come and gone now.

The Certified Angus Beef ® (CAB®) brand’s 38th fiscal year (FY) ending Sept. 30 carved a spot in history as the first time global sales surpassed 1 billion lb.

For the 18,000 partners joined by a common mission, CAB President John Stika said the milestone brings a reason to celebrate. More than that, it brings appreciation for thousands of individual successes that led to that historic mark.

“This number is significant, not because of what it is, but for what it represents,” Stika said of the actual 1.015 billion lb. sold, up 119 million lb. and 13.3 percent more than last year.

The average growth over the previous five years has been 3 percent, but it’s nearly 75 percent in the last decade of sequential annual records and 12 straight years of sales growth.

The market moves After several years of record-high beef prices brought on by tight supplies, the last fiscal year began with the pendulum swinging back to favor beef marketers. Retailers made it through six years of relatively flat to declining sales to arrive at a year of explosive growth, setting an all-time record with sales of 435 million lb., an 18.5

percent jump. Of the top 100 retail chains carrying CAB, 70 percent saw a rise in beef sales.

Not to get lost in the that boom, foodservice continued its consistent growth, up 21 million lb. from last year. More than 75 percentof the brand’s 143 domestic distributors saw their businesses grow in FY 16, selling 10 percent more beef to licensed restaurants than last year.

Seasons bring tradition and drive sales of particular cuts consumers want. The chuck and round owned holiday sales in every category, buoyed by a new smart phone “roasting app” to net an increase of 87 million lb. Summer’s middle meats and ground beef sales carried on, up 11.4 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively. Value-added products, including smoked brisket, fresh corned beef and marinated fajita meat, were up 8.9 percent. Showcasing a taste for exceptional quality, sales of CAB brand Prime soared 26.4 percent higher for the year.

Capitalizing on its larger reach, the International Division set a record of 138 million lb. sold, a growth of 15 percent.

Leading the charge was Japan, historically important and up by 111 percent after opening CAB’s Tokyo office in August of FY 2015. Canada continued near the top, as did Mexico with 16 percent more sales for the year.

As sales grew in the United states and 49 other countries, for the first time since 2000, CAB expanded production to another country. Four years of close dialogue with people in Russia’s Miratorg company culminated in February with licensing its packing facility southwest of Moscow. The company, which

had invested heavily in U.S. Angus genetics, now breeds, grows, feeds and harvests the cattle as a member of the American Angus Association, all geared toward the CAB endpoint.

“The first pound of Certified Angus Beef there was produced under stringent brand-assurance protocols involving the same objective camera grading technology used in North America, along with a live video feed to our office,” Stika said.

Herd expansion here featured the use of more high-quality Angus genetics. After years of a declining supply, the brand’s 32 licensed packing plants saw an increase in Angus-type cattle identified to 13.6 million, up 6.9 percent, though short of the 15 million head eligible in 2010.

Higher acceptance rates allowed graders to certify a record of more than 75,000 carcasses per week, totaling 12.6 percent higher, or 3.92 million for the year to set an annual CAB acceptance rate of 28.9 percent.

That record is more than double the rate of 10 years ago when it was barely above 14 percent.

The best to offer As the impact of drought subsided and replacement heifers entered herds, “Cattlemen didn’t just add more numbers,” Stika said. “They assembled the highest-quality, most Angus-influenced cow herd North America has ever seen.”

Consumers benefited from the greater supply of high-quality beef at a lower price, but herd growth helps producers as well.

Despite four straight years with fewer brand-eligible cattle prior to FY16, the number of those accepted kept trending higher. Fine-tuned genetics and management tactics through those years set the stage to en-

Texans for Property Rights Initiative Launched

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ifteen Texas-based organizations announced in late October the formation of the Texans for Property Rights coalition, which will lead a grassroots initiative for meaningful reform to state eminent domain laws.

As the state population continues to grow at a rapid pace, there is an increasing need for more property to build infrastructure for utilization of natural resources and to address transportation needs. While property owners recognize these demands, they also realize that their property rights must be better protected.

In Texas, about 95 percent of the land is privately owned, which puts the needs of the public in direct conflict with the rights of Texas property owners. These conflicts are not willing buyer-willing seller transactions and often play out in expensive, time-consuming, stressful and unfair situations, resulting in bad outcomes for property owners.

The Texans for Property Rights coalition is hosting meetings across the state allowing property owners to learn how they can get involved and share their concerns on eminent domain. An overview of current laws and possible improvements will also be presented by an eminent domain legal expert at these meetings.

For a list of meeting dates and locations and more information regarding the Texans for Property Rights initiative, visit the website at www. texansforpropertyrights.com. The site includes information on the legislative efforts and serves as a place for property owners to share their eminent domain stories and sign a petition to support the effort. Property owners are encouraged to visit this site to get involved and make their voices heard.

Property rights are the cornerstone of Texas’ freedom, and they are worth the fight. It is for this reason these grassroots organizations have formed the Texans for Property Rights coalition.

The growing coalition is currently comprised of Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, Texas Farm Bureau, Texas Wildlife Association, Texas Forestry Association, South Texans’ Property Rights Association, Texas Poultry Association, Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association, Independent Cattlemen’s Association, Texas Grain Sorghum Association, Plains Cotton Growers, Inc., Corn Producers Association of Texas, Riverside & Landowners Protection Coalition, Texas Land & Mineral Owners Association, Texas Association of Dairymen and Texas Cattle Feeders Association.

Page 13 sure that outcome and launched the drive past the billion-pound CAB sales mark once expansion began.

This is perhaps the most purpose-driven expansion ever for the North American beef community.

“A lot is said about herd rebuilding,” said CAB Vice President of Production Mark McCully, “but I think record acceptance rates are a reflection of cattlemen rebuilding with a purpose and quality in mind.”

That intentionality will position the brand for continued growth – even in a market that’s undergone a dramatic shift, he said.

“The consumer isn’t going to go backwards,” McCully said.

“No doubt, some leverage has moved away from the cattle producer, but we are still operating in a market that rewards value and quality.”

Those who produce top quality and market in a way that captures that value will stay economically viable.

“As we meet global consumer demand and expose even more people to great-tasting beef, the future for quality-minded cattlemen gets exciting,” he said.

The beef market is a seesaw

of sorts: for cattlemen today, for retailers then who struggled to sell high-priced beef.

Stika said the key for all is to stay the course through their lows and prepare for the future in the highs of the cycle.

The long-term outlook reveals a high-quality cowherd that puts producers in position to the meet the demands of a global beef market.

“From start to finish in this process, it’s important for everyone to stay connected with each other’s realities,” Stika said. “Doing so allows us to make sure we never lose sight of the fact that we are all in this together. The model for Certified Angus Beef is not just about short-term gain; rather it’s about creating an overall pull-through demand for the product that allows everyone to benefit over the long haul.”

While all may not be simultaneously successful at a given moment in time, Stika said the system will work as end users base future business decisions on demand growth.

“Cattle prices may be down currently, but quality is still the road for future sustainability of our individual businesses, because consumers demand it.”

Page 14

Livestock Market Digest

November 15, 2016

By JIM OLSON

Ruth Roach Beauties & Broncs

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rior to the late 1920s, ladies competed in rodeo right alongside the male competitors. Several tough ladies were well-known for excelling in rodeo during this time. One of the least likely ladies (because of her small stature and good looks) who became legendary for this, was none other than Ruth Roach.

Born, Ruth Scantlin, circa 1896, she grew up in Missouri. It has been reported that young Ruth rode her uncle’s ponies tirelessly and taught herself to do trick riding—just for fun. However, she left home at about eighteen years of age to join a Wild West show. About the same time, she got married to fellow Wild West performer and cowboy bronc rider, Brian Roach.

Ruth, who was a petite five-feet, two-inches tall and said to be a good looking gal for the time period, joined up with the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West Show. She was hired on as a trick rider.

Along with her new husband, they toured the United States and Europe. The newlyweds performed in France, England, Ireland and Belgium during the European tour. However, World War I broke out and the show was canceled. Then, the rodeo horses were confiscated by the British for the war effort. The horseless troupe returned to the United States.

Over the next few years, the Roach couple performed in shows all over the country, not only for the 101 Ranch, but also for the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show, the Tex Austin Wild West Show and

the Hagenback-Wallace Circus. Along the way, Ruth added Bronc riding to her repertoire, making her debut in this event at Fort Worth in 1917. Although there were no “official” World Champions recognized until 1929, during her storied career, she was recognized as the World’s Champion Trick Rider, World’s Champion Girl Bronc Rider and the World’s Champion All Around Cowgirl.

Ruth performed in Madison Square Garden (New York City) every season from the rodeo’s inception in 1922 through 1936 (the last year women were allowed to perform there). She also took a second trip to Europe with the Tex Austin Wild West Show in 1924. While in Europe this time, Tommy Kirnan formed a separate Wild West Show, which Ruth and Bryan joined. They continued to perform in London and Paris for several more months. During her twenty-four-year-long career, Ruth Roach wowed audiences around the globe, She was often touted as, “The Soft-Spoken, Rough-Riding Golden Girl of the West.” She was also billed as, “The World’s Most Beautiful Cowgirl,” and said to be one of the most photogenic cowgirls of the era. Ruth had a flair for showmanship and often wore giant hair bows and boots with hand-tooled hearts. She is fondly remembered for a 1922 publicity stunt where she rode a horse up the steps, across the lobby and through the dining room of Fort Worth’s, Texas Hotel, to promote the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. According to rodeo historian, Foghorn Clancy, “This was accom-

plished by putting rubber shoes on the horse and sprinkling the floor with resin.”

Ruth, like many rodeo competitors from this time period, even performed horseback stunts for Western movies while traveling to and from shows in California. Fellow Wild West performer, turned actor, Tom Mix, was said to have had a hand in getting her into the movies.

Although her long Wild West and Rodeo career was legendary, her personal life may have not always been and endured several hardships. Besides being married to (and divorced from) Brian Roach, she also married (and divorced) fellow bronc rider, Ambrose Richardson, and then Fred Alvord, a rodeo promoter and cowboy. Her final marriage was to a Texas rancher, Fred Salmon in 1938. This marriage lasted the rest of her life. She retained the name of Roach through it all for publicity reasons, as that is how she was known to the world.

With the marriage to Salmon, she retired from rodeo and became a full-time rancher’s wife. A role she was reported to enjoy thoroughly. She was posthumously inducted in the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame (1989) and the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum Hall of Fame (also 1989).

In 2015, she was honored with a star on the, Texas Trail of Fame (in the Fort Worth Stockyards).

The legendary Ruth Roach Salmon, a lady whose ability to perform in rodeo events along side the men (back when that was still allowed), died June 26, 1986. She was ninety.

Red Angus Association of America Selects Leaders for Coming Year

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full two days of presentations, discussions and elections filled the agenda for the Red Angus Association of America’s National Red Angus Convention held in Oklahoma City.

Members elected Bob Morton, Three Forks, Montana, to serve as the next president of RAAA. He follows Kim Ford, Cozad, Nebraska, who concluded her two years of service during the Convention.

In addition to Morton, Chuck Feddes, Manhattan, Montana, was elected to represent Region A. Stuart Gilbert, Stockport, Iowa, was elected to the position of Director of Area 9 – Midwest. Other board members who were re-elected to their post include Kyley DeVoe, Justin, Texas, Director of Area 4 – Southwest and John Langdon, Benson,North Carolina, Director Area 7 – Southeast.

The remaining Board of Di-

rectors includes Kevin Miller, Briggsdale, Colorado, vice president; Steve Koester, Steele, North Dakota, Board secretary; Johnny Rogers, Roxboro, North Carolina, treasurer; Bruce Ketchum, Plevna, Montana; Newley Hutchison, Canton, Oklahoma; Raymond Prescott, Gray Court, South Carolina; Connie Mushrush, Strong City, Kansas; Sam Lorenzen, Bend, Oregon and Tom Brink, RAAA CEO. Junior Red Angus Association of America elected leaders earlier in the year during the 2016 Round-Up held in Virginia. Kacey Koester, Steele, North Dakota, is serving as the president of JRA. New members to the JRA Board include Royce McPhee-Bayha, Lodi, California, representing Region A,

and Savannah Howard, Shelby, North Carolina, representing Region C. Returning members include Koester, Joseph Groce, Lexington, North Carolina and Genna VanWye, Atlanta, Illinois.

The JRA Board will lead the Association in the coming year, including planning regional meetings and providing leadership for junior Red Angus member activities throughout the country.

The JRA annual meeting is held each year during RoundUp, the summer conference focusing on enriching members’ knowledge of the beef industry and personal leadership development. The event also provides member connections with other juniors from around the country.

The 2016 Round-Up, held

in Virginia, June 29 - July 2, 2016, provided a diverse educational experience for the next generation of Red Angus producers. The conference schedule included visits to Virginia Tech, meat-processing facilities and area farm visits. The event would not have been possible without the financial support of generous sponsors. Special thanks go out to the following JRA sponsors Zoetis, Bachman Cattle Farms, ADM, Accelerated Genetics; DATAMARS, Inc., Northwest Farm Credit, Majestic Meadows, Southern States Cooperatives, Inc., Performance Livestock & Feed Co., VitaFerm of North Dakota, Innovacyn, Tlach Red Angus, Heart River Ranch, ST Genetics, Lazy J Bar Ranch and Rich Red Angus.

Clift Land Auctions Expands Into Online Auctions

O

nline land auctions are the wave of the future, and Clift Land Auctions is excited to announce their expansion into this new venue.

“This is a new area for us, but we believe a needed move to better serve all of our clients. We will still hold live multi-parcel auctions, because the online platform does not fit every property,” commented George Clift, owner of Clift Land Auctions.

Clift Land Auctions has a new mobile app, Clift Land, you can download from Google Play

and the Apple App Store for your mobile devices.

The app is also available for use on the CliftLandAuctions.com website. “We encourage everyone to go ahead and register for each auction. If you do not want to bid on the particular property, you can still watch the results and stay on top of land values in our area,” added Mr. Clift.

Their first online land auction was held in late October. This auction was for a 622 +/- Acre Irrigated Farm in Texas County, Oklahoma.

November 15, 2016

Livestock Market Digest

The View FROM THE BACK SIDE

Free College?

BY BARRY DENTON

I

always figured growing up on a ranch was synonymous with free college. I think one of the first things you learn on a ranch is sex education. From the time you are a kid you have seen animals mating and birthing.

You may not have any idea that your parents do the same thing, but you are familiar with the entire process. Pretty soon you figure out which livestock are good breeders and which ones need to be culled.

You learn about eggs, embryos, good sperm, bad sperm, the best time of the month to breed, zygotes, etc. Beyond that you learn why cows have milk and when they do not.

Sometimes you are caught off guard and it is necessary that you become a midwife, nurse, and doctor all in one. You have all the tools to deliver a baby and if you are missing some-

thing you are clever enough to improvise.

You also know that when the barometric pressure drops, you may be called to duty. Full moons are also signs that you had better pay attention to your livestock. Consider that the moon affects the tides. Living animals are composed of 90 percent water so why wouldn’t they be affected by the moon?

This is where astrology comes in. You know where the little dipper is in the sky no matter what season it is. If you happen to run cattle on vast ranges you may use the North Star at the end of the handle of the little dipper to help plot your best course home to the home ranch.

If there is a horse thief or full moon the cattle will probably be restless that night and may require more attention. Cattle and horses tend to be like humans in that all the crazies

are brought to life during a full moon.

We know that police departments and emergency rooms are busier on full moons and so are ranchers. Not only do you have to keep your cattle calm, but your cowboys as well. I think we may as well call this psychological evaluation or brain studies.

Everyone knows that when you are moving cattle you have to watch them every step so they stay on your chosen path.

You also know that when you let your attention drift the cattle will take advantage of it. You learn to always watch the cow’s eye and try to anticipate their next move before they actually do it.

Therefore since you are in the great outdoors you have to learn to apply your full attention to one thing, but at the same time you have to multi task. That means while you are closely watching your cattle, you still have to ride your horse, make sure the calves keep up, and stay on the best course. I think that little exercise covers, study habits, navigation, equine science, and bovine intuition.

While you are living on a ranch you involuntarily become an architect, engineer, and mechanic because there is always something that needs to be rebuilt, repaired, or replaced. It may involve grading, water distribution, building, plumbing,

Page 15 welding, masonry, electrical, roofing, fencing, etc.

If you are going to accomplish any of these tasks, look at all the tools you will have to know how to use. Can you imagine if you had to learn all of these tasks in a classroom? How many years of school would that take?

On a ranch you normally learn from someone who does it or you learn by trial and error with an enormous amount of error.

Since you realize that you will never accomplish anything without persistence and determination you become a very stubborn individual, because it is necessary to survive. As you conquer more tasks you gain confidence and independence as a result.

Therefore, when it is your time to go to an institution of higher learning, look at the knowledge and life skills you have already acquired. This will put you ahead of many of your town associates that may have had very little chance to acquire what you have had to learn.

Growing up on a ranch prepares you very well for life and gives you the advantage, in about any endeavor you wish to accomplish. When you endure and achieve things on your own you tend to be a more independent and free thinking person.

This brings me to the aston-

ishing cry for free college during the recent presidential campaign. While the word “free” may sound good to many, we all know that there is nothing for “free.”

What it boils down to is that everything has to be paid for eventually. If you go to college for free you will owe every working person in the country that is contributing to it.

If you earn your way through college and have to pay for your education you will appreciate it more as it will be your accomplishment. If someone else pays for your education, it will lose its value.

If we have a nationalized curriculum like we presently have in American schools then your education will be controlled by the government in power. They will be able to influence all the students to think like them.

This will stifle “free thinking.”

Everyone will tend to think the same as they are all taught the same. This type of thinking will be detrimental to a free society as most will think in the same manner and you will probably be ostracized if you do not.

Not only will the value of a diploma go down, but the value of life will diminish as well.

America was founded on freedom, which needs to remain the primary tenet of American life. Don’t let them buy your loyalty.

Texas Tech Law School & Mountain States Legal Foundation Ink Fellowship Deal

A

West Texas university that serves as the major institution of higher education in a region larger than 46 of the nation’s 50 States, and a western organization that operates as a foremost nonprofit, public-interest legal foundation over nearly half of the country today announced their joint effort to train future defenders of constitutional liberties and the rule of law.

Texas Tech University School of Law in Lubbock, Texas and Mountain States Legal Foundation (MSLF), Denver, Colorado, created a fellowship to permit a superior law student to serve as a legal intern with

MSLF during the summer after the student’s second year, to further study and learn the law and to assist in nationally significant litigation. The scholarship is funded by the generous support of oil legend Jim Henry of Henry Resources LLC, one of the “Fathers of the Wolfberry play,” in Midland, Texas.

“I am thrilled for Mountain States Legal Foundation to have the opportunity to work with highly motivated law students from Texas Tech who understand and appreciate the wisdom of the Founding Fathers in constructing a constitutional Republic to protect our liberty and the need to work hard tire-

NFL Player Spends Signing Bonus to Buy Cattle

BY AMANDA RADKE / BEEF DAILY

Texas farm boy and professional football player Cobi Hamilton may have achieved fame and fortune when he secured his spot on the Pittsburgh Steelers team as a wide receiver.

However, the country boy hasn’t forgotten his roots in agriculture.

Hamilton revealed in a recent interview that he used his entire $94,000 signing bonus from the Cincinnati Bengals following the 2013 NFL draft to purchase cattle for his parents.

When Hamilton was in college and short on cash, his parents would sell a cow to fund his tuition.

According to an article written by Ryan Wilson for CBS Sports, Hamilton grew up on the family farm and spent 2015 back on the home place, before he was signed to play for the Steelers.

lessly to keep it that way,” said William Perry Pendley, MSLF president. “If some of those students decide, after a summer with us, that public-interest litigation in defense of the rule of law and constitutional liberties is for them, all the better.”

“Mountain States Legal Foundation offers a very special opportunity for a Texas Tech Law student to observe and par-

ticipate in significant litigation,” said Darby Dickerson, Texas Tech Dean and W. Frank Newton Professor of Law. “This Fellowship naturally fits with Texas Tech Law’s mission and vision, ‘to educate and train individuals for the ethical practice of law in the 21st Century’ and we are pleased to be associated with an outstanding organization that has drawn the generous support

of Texas leaders and philanthropists.”

In 1965, the Texas State Legislature authorized the Texas Tech University School of Law, which accepted students in 1967, was approved by the American Bar Association in 1970, and was accredited by the Supreme Court of Texas in 1968, and the Association of American Law Schools in 1969.

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Livestock Market Digest

November 15, 2016