LMD Nov 2021

Riding Herd Saying things that need to be said.

November 15, 2021 • www.aaalivestock.com

Volume 63 • No. 11

Fact Or Fiction?

LEE PITTS

P

lease consider this little tidbit from the Organization for Competitive Markets: “Between 1980 and 2020, the retail sector’s share of the beef dollar has grown by about 65 percent, while the packer’s share increased by more than 70 percent. Over the same period, ranchers’ share of the beef dollar dropped by about 40 percent.”

We’ve been sermonizing for 35 years that meatpackers were gaining too much pricing power through the use of contract production, just like they did with hogs and poultry. And we all know what happened to them; the pork industry lost 90 percent of its producers. While cattlemen were so engrossed in a game of checkers, the multinational monopolistic meatpackers and their packer-backers, the NCA/NCBA, were check-mating them in a more serious game of chess.

In other words...cattlemen brought a pocket knife to a gun fight.

Too Little, Too Late

NEWSPAPER PRIORITY HANDLING

It was always theorized the meatpackers couldn’t use the same game plan with beef as they did with pork and poultry because cattle were different and had to spend the majority of their lives on the range. Whereas pork and poultry could be raised in virtual hothouses “from the cradle to the grave.”

Now 35 years later cattlemen groups are wringing their hands over how to fix this mess, begging the packers to show us the contracts they’re using to control their captive supply and trying to force them into the open where they’d have to bid

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong. for cattle in a transparent marketplace.

During a period in American history when global supply chains are crippled and shortages are showing themselves on grocery store shelves, it seems obvious now that perhaps food was the one thing we should not have outsourced to foreign countries. Allowing the Chinese to buy our biggest pork packer and Brazilian firm JBS to buy their way into a commanding position in the American beef market were not exactly Phi Beta Kappa moves. And handing over millions of dollars in checkoff cash to a group that has become just another mouthpiece for the packers has to be dumber than the reporter who thought a “cattle guard” was a night watchman at a feedlot.

So now everyone is trying to come up with some magic formula that will fix this hot mess.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it could be too little,

too late.

Shame On Them I used to have so much respect for Texas A & M. I told people that if I had a son or daughter who wanted to study animal science I’d advise them they couldn’t do any better than Texas A & M. Now it looks like that august institution has joined the fraternity of teachers who haven’t been educating our kids but rather indoctrinating them. At far too many institutions of higher learning the universities have become nothing more than training programs for monopolistic packers and their contract feedlots. One of the reasons the BIG Four packers have so easily gained a strong advantage over ranchers is because the packers are using public money to pay for their research, promotion and training of future employees. Animal science departments across the country are turning out clones

Trifecta of “Ag Gag” Opinions

BY TIFFANY LASHMET, TEXAS AGRICULTURE LAW BLOG

R

ecently, there have been three appellate court opinions related to “ag gag” statutes in states around the country. Although they differ in detail, “ag gag” statutes essentially make it illegal to gain access to agricultural operations in order to photograph or record agricultural operations without consent. They target both unauthorized access such as trespass, but also frequently prohibit providing false information, such as on an employment application, to gain access to the facility.

Here is a brief summary of those recent decisions. For a more detailed explanation of each, be sure to read the opinions linked below.

Also, keep in mind, there may be petitions for certiorari filed with the United States Supreme Court in any of these cases.

Kansas Kansas has the oldest “ag gag” statute in the country. The “Farm Animal and Field Crop and Research Facilities Protection Act” states that entering an animal facility and taking photos or recording videos of the animal facility “without the effective consent of the owner and with the intent to damage the enterprise” is a criminal offense. Further, if the consent is obtained continued on page 2

to be plugged into the JBS, Cargill, Marfrig, and Tyson systems.

The reason I’ve soured on Texas A & M is because after the House Ag Committee asked A & M to research our dysfunctional cattle market the professors there came up with a whitewash job that said the government should butt out and that proposals increasing government intervention will cost livestock producers billions of dollars. A & M issued a 180-page document titled “The U.S. Beef Supply Chain: Issues and Challenges,” that is now referred to as “The Book,” as if it is the holy bible on the beef business. According to the North American Meat Institute (a packer organization) these were some of the conclusions of the Texas A & M Study.

Regarding Concentration: “While not necessarily a popular position, most economic research confirms that the benefits to cattle producers due to economies of size in packing largely offset the costs associated with any market power exerted by packers. Research indicates that there is market power, but its effect has been small.”

On Fed Cattle Pricing: “Innovation via alternative marcontinued on page 2

People Who Eat Meat Report Lower Levels of Depression & Anxiety Than Vegans Do, A Recent Analysis Suggests INSIDER, BY AYLIN WOODWARD AND GABBY LANDSVERK

A

meat-free diet is linked to higher levels of depression and anxiety than omnivorous eating, according to a recent analysis in the journal Food Science and Nutrition.

That analysis examined 20 studies on meat consumption and mental health, and found an association between vegetarianism or veganism and poorer mental-health outcomes.

“How many people have you met that are both happy and diet all the time?” Urska Dobersek, a psychologist at the University of Southern Indiana who co-authored the analysis, told Insider. “Probably very few — and there is a strong, scientific reason for that — restrictive diets make people unhealthy and unhappy in the long term.” continued on page 4

by LEE PITTS

Vote Early, Vote Often

A

fter last year’s election I just don’t trust the process anymore. I first got suspicious when a network reporter said, “With 150 percent of the vote counted we can now project a winner.”

I think we need a voting system that is more transparent and honest and instead of copying Venezuela’s election process I think we ought to adopt the arrangement employed in the wonderful northern California town of Burney. This community is famous for its fishing, the fact that one of their citizens once appeared on the Price Is Right, and part of the movie “Stand By Me” was filmed in its environs. I keep up on the local news because for decades the Northern California Traveler carried my column and when they ceased publishing, The Intermountain News picked up my column. I have also been to the area countless times and the skies were always blue, the air fresh, the water pure and the fish were biting.

I always thought it would be a great place to live. Unfortunately for me when I looked in the classifieds the only jobs available seemed to be for “strip and chain pullers” and I have no idea what they are, let alone how to do it.

Years ago, I saved a clipping from the paper that detailed how Burney elected their honorary mayor and I thought enough of it to save it for several years. In Burney’s honorary mayoral election you can vote as many times and as often as you want. The catch is that every vote costs a dollar. Simply put, the election is more like an auction with the prize going to whoever collects the most cash. If we’re being honest, it’s very much like the way we run our elections now only Burney gets rid of the middleman...the lobbyists.

The election is sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and the money raised goes to charity. The winner gets to designate 50 percent of what they collect to their favorite charity like Boy Scout Troop #38, the local 4-H club, Make A Wish, an effort to “Bring Back the Swings” to the park or to paint a mural on the wall of a local building. The person placing second gets to do-

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Livestock Market Digest

HERD

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nate 40 percent of their take to their cause, third place 30 percent, 4th place 20 percent and the remaining candidates get to donate 10 percent to their favorite charity. The rest of the money goes to the Chamber of Commerce to improve the community.

The candidates put up polling places wherever they want and collect the ballots, in this case in the form of cold hard cash. See how much more transparent Burney’s elections are? There is a candidates’ forum, usually at a park or Gepeto’s Pizza, where the locals can meet and greet the candidates, and ask them piercing and probing questions like, “If you were on American Idol which song would you sing?”

Or, “What super hero would you like to be?”

Citizens can also hear the the Burney Raiders athletic candidate’s platform. For ex- department. Katie, a waitress, ample, one candidate wanted promised, “If elected I will bring to, “Stop the Crime” but as far a fashion mall to downtown as I know the only potential for Burney.” Brooke, a bank teller crime in the wonderful place said, “I would promise to put an would be to steal an election by end to all the gossip, drama and pilfering some ballot boxes. We rumors that spread through the know this happens in Chica- intermountain area on a daily go but as far as I know, no one basis.”

Good luck with that. has yet been caught stealing an Corey, a pastor, promised, election in Burney.

Many of the candidates “I would coordinate a strategy come up with catchy slogans team that would work with exlike “Don’t be a schmuck vote isting businesses, government for Luck.” They put up signs and non-profit agencies to dearound town and some even velop a long-range plan to inhave campaigns managers. The crease and diversify the income news clipping I saved intro- stream coming into Burney.”

No offense pastor, but you duced the candidates and their promises. For example, Dusty sound like the kind of politician vowed to get Nike to move their we already have too many of. international headquarters to Burney and then fully support wwwLeePittsbooks.com

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TRIFECTA

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through deception, such as ly- only applies to people who in- terprise. What is prohibited is ing about a person’s identity, it tend to damage the facility. It any false speech, whether pro or is not effective consent. is not equally applicable, for ex- con towards the ag facility itself.

In 2018, several groups, led ample, to someone who wanted This, he reasons, makes the statby the Animal Legal Defense to record with some other in- ute content neutral.

Fund, filed suit challenging the tention. Because of this viewconstitutionality of the statute, point discriminatory approach, Iowa claiming that the law violated the state would be required to Iowa’s Agricultural producthe First Amendment. [Read meet strict scrutiny in order for tion facility fraud statute, passed Complaint https://www.court- the statute to be constitutional. in 2012, made it a criminal ofhousenews.com/wp-content/ This means Kansas would have fense to access an agricultural uploads/2018/12/KS-Ag-Gag. to show that the statute was production facility by false prepdf] The trial court sided narrowly written to address a tenses (“the access provision”) with the plaintiffs, finding that compelling state interest. The and criminalized making false three portions of the statute court found that the state did statements in an employment unconstitutional and issuing a not attempt to do so. Therefore, application to an agricultural permanent injunction against the statute is unconstitutional. production facility with the inenforcement of these sections.

Judge Hartz issued a dis- tent to commit an unauthorized [Read Order https://28xeuf2o- senting opinion. He believes act (“the employment applicatxva18q7lx1uemec-wpengine. the statute is constitutional, tion provision”). A number of netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/up- because the authority of an groups, again led by the Animal loads/2021/08/ks-district.pdf] owner to control who can be on Legal Defense Fund, filed suit Kansas appealed to the United his property is a fundamental challenging the constitutionaliStates Court of Appeals for the property right, and this statute ty of the statute. The US DisTenth Circuit. merely prohibits a person from trict Court for the Southern On August 19, 2021, the lying to gain access to property. District of Iowa found the statTenth Circuit affirmed. The This would result in a cogniza- ute unconstitutional in 2019. court found that the prohibit- ble harm–invasion of privacy–to [Read Order https://scholar. ed acts did constitute “speech,” the owner. Further, he believes google.com/scholar_case?case= rejecting Kansas’ argument that the statute is actually viewpoint 10879967710307923566&q=3 the law applied only to conduct. neutral because the statute pro- 53+F.Supp.3d+812&hl=en&as_ Additionally, they found it to be hibits lying to gain access with sdt=1003] In particular, the viewpoint discriminatory as it the intent to damage the encontinued on page 4

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November 15, 2021

FACT OR FICTION

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keting arrangements, (contracts) originated with feeders who were attempting to capture value associated with improved quality. Reliance on formula pricing significantly reduced transaction costs associated with negotiation and induced predictability in the supply chain.”

Regarding Price Discovery: “Among the cattle market economists consulted, there was general agreement that price discovery in fed cattle markets is still robust despite the fact that less than 30 percent of the transactions are negotiated (or cash).”

On Requiring Minimum Cash Transactions: “While some argue that imposing mandatory minimums on negotiated (or cash) transactions would improve price discovery in the fed cattle markets – accruing benefits to the cow/calf producer in the process – authors in this book argue it could have the opposite effect, potentially imposing huge costs that are passed down to cattle producers in the form of lower prices.”

Regarding Capacity: “The experts consulted in this study repeatedly stressed the cyclical nature of the cattle business. While cattle supplies have outpaced available packing capacity, that will not always be the case. As a result, anyone who decides to build additional capacity must understand those market dynamics and be aware that packer margins can plummet with that cycle. The decline in packing capacity has occurred over several decades; it is not just a recent event.”

So, the best thing we can do to fix the problem, according to the professors at Texas A & M, is to do nothing. Or, as “The Book” said, “We would urge extreme caution in making changes to a system that has grown organically over time to reward high-quality beef production in a way that acknowledges regional differences throughout the country. In the wake of unprecedented turmoil within the U.S. cattle and beef supply chains marked by record-high consumer beef prices, beef shortages, record beef packer profits while prices paid to America’s cattle farmers and ranchers remain depressed, numerous antitrust lawsuits against the largest beef packers, and an ongoing investigation by the U.S.D.A. and U.S. Department of Justice, the Texas A & M book urges Congress to be cautious before taking steps to change the current structure of the nation’s cattle and beef markets, a structure “The Book” asserts has “resulted in cattle producers capturing significant value over the last three decades.”

Are the A & M professors living in some alternate universe? Go back and read the first paragraph of this story and try to square that with, “cattle producers capturing significant value over the last three decades.” Was “The Book” co-written by the packers and the NCBA? Why would Texas A & M risk their sterling reputation by issuing such a slanted report? Could it be that the university has been repeatedly rewarded by the system by continuing to receive checkoff dollars for studies like the 2015/16 National Beef Tenderness survey and numerous others. Would this university, or any university, issue a report that in anyway deviated from the status quo thereby endangering further grants and contributions from the checkoff?

The sad fact is, just like most everything else in America today, the beef production system in this country has become just as corrupt as the medical Mafia, Congress and the White House.

The Gospel According to A & M Even though the highest prices cattleman have received in history occurred during the brief period we had mandatory COOL, the “The Book” shot COOL down as a way to improve the competitive structure of the nation’s cattle and beef markets. “The Book” claimed that mandatory COOL for beef would be a “detrimental policy” that could cost billions of dollars in losses.

As for other solutions being pushed today “The Book” suggests that if Congress enacted the Grassley/Tester cattle market protection bill which would force the packers to buy more cattle in the open market, “Cattle producers would largely bear the brunt of a $2.5 billion short-term and a $16 billion cumulative long-term negative impact if the largest beef packers were required to purchase at least 50 percent of their cattle needs from the cash market.”

R-CALF for one, isn’t buying the load of bull shoveled out by Texas A & M.R-CALF says that, “Rather than evaluate actual cattle market conditions prevalent during the past decade, Texas A & M chose instead to manipulate outdated and non-representative cattle market data to arrive at what the group characterizes as an outrageously baseless claim.”

“While the Texas A&M book admits the underlying data for its claim is over 15 years old, the outdated data itself was acknowledged by previous researchers to be collected during an ‘unusual time for the cattle and beef industries,’ rendering that data non-representative of past and present U.S. cattle market conditions,” said R-CALF CEO Bill Bullard.

Bullard continued, “The underlying data came from the U.S.D.A.’s 2007 Livestock and Meat Marketing Study and was collected between Oct. 2002 and March 2005. During this period, beginning in May 2003 and continuing through the March 2005 data collection endpoint, the U.S. border was unprecedently closed to imports of live Canadian cattle because of outbreaks of BSE in Canada.”

“Domestic cattle prices and returns to cow/calf producers reached then record highs during this early 2000s data collection period, the volume of cattle purchased through formula contracts was significantly reduced, the cattle industry was transitioning from the end of its liquidation phase and beginning its expansion phase, and the percentage of fed cattle purchased in the cash market averaged about 60 percent. This is arguably the U.S. cattle industry’s most non-representative period for which to collect data during anytime in the past 40 years, if not longer,” concluded Bullard.

“Today’s marketplace is opposite – cattle prices and returns to cow/calf producers have been depressed for going on seven years, the volume of cattle purchased through formula contracts is historically high, the cattle industry is well into a liquidation phase, and continued on page 3

November 15, 2021

FACT OR FICTION the percentage of cash market sales is well less than half what it was over 15 years ago,” said Bullard. “We’ve witnessed this scenario several times during the past two decades. Each time cattle producers have offered meaningful marketplace reforms; a cadre of experts are enlisted to defend the status quo. It is disappointing that a land grant university would lobby Congress with conclusory assertions attained by conveniently using outdated and non-representative data in an effort to derail what is perhaps the most important reform for correcting the ills of the current marketplace.”

A Library Without Books Currently there are all sorts of ideas and bills being presented to fix what ails us. They range from the unexciting to something that might actually help. One of these ideas to fix the cattle market is the ‘‘Cattle Contract Library Act of 2021.”

If passed the bill would require packers to provide details of the types of forward contracts they use for purchasing fed cattle that are not purchased in the negotiated cash market.

But as Iowa cattle feeder and R-CALF Director Eric Nelson says, “The problem with our broken market is not that we don’t know the details of the contracts that confer market leverage to the packers, the problem is there are too many contracts.

Putting a contract library ahead of taking action to preserve our price discovery market sends a signal that more contracts are good and more producers should try to access them. This is not what is needed.”

There are two bills that hold some promise. The first is a proposal called The OFF Act which is sponsored by a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators and House members.

R-CALF Checkoff Committee Chair Vaughn Meyer said, “The OFF Act will provide the necessary enforcements to prevent producers’ hard-earned

Livestock Market Digest

Baxter

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checkoff dollars from being used against them. The legislation is aimed at creating accountability and transparency in the USDA’s various commodity checkoff programs, including the Beef Checkoff program.

We at R-CALF believe passage of The OFF Act will instill accountability and transparency through prevention of the misuse of checkoff funds.”

The other thing that could change the status quo would be the passage of the “American Beef Labeling Act of 2021” that reinstates mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef.

This too is a bipartisan effort that would require consumers be informed of the country-of-origin of beef just as they are with fresh fruits and raw vegetables, fish, shellfish, lamb, chicken, goat meat, venison, peanuts, pecans, ginseng, and macadamia nuts.

According to R-CALF, “The mandatory COOL legislation specifically directs the U.S. Trade Representative and Secretary of Agriculture to determine the means of reinstating beef in the current mandatory COOL law in a manner that complies with WTO rules. If such means are not implemented within 12 months of the legislation’s enactment, the legislation will take effect on the 1-year anniversary date.”

The academics at Texas A & M basically said in “The Book” that the cattleman’s time is coming when they will gain the upper hand in the cyclical battle because of too few cattle. But will they really? As long as beef packers can just bring in more beef from foreign competitors when the American supply is low and pass it off as being “Produced in the United States,” nothing will change and packers and retailers in the future will get even more of the 40 percent of the beef dollar ranchers are now receiving.

To this reader “The Book” authored by Texas A & M academics reads more like a work of fiction than it does fact.

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Editor’s Comment

BLACK

ON THE EDGE OF COMMON SENSE

Cat Laws

www.baxterblack.com

I

was reading the paper to the cat last week. She tries to keep up on current events, particularly stories about politics and alien landings. We got to a story where a few obscure animal rights groups have called for the nation’s 66 million pet cats to be kept indoors for life.

“Why?” asked Miss Kitty.

“Well,” I answered, “This says that free roaming cats kill from 8 million to 217 million birds a year in Wisconsin alone.”

“My, I had no idea there were that many birds in Wisconsin.”

“Yes, and one person was quoted as saying ‘We don’t want our house companions going out and killing other animals.”

“What about mice?” asked Miss Kitty scratching behind her ear.

“They don’t say, but they are also worried about you being eaten by coyotes.”

“Then why don’t they keep all the coyotes indoors for life?

It’s like making people bolt and bar their homes and stay inside during prime shopping hours. Why don’t they just keep all the criminals indoors for life?”

“Good question, but they say cats are domesticated animals and coyotes are wild animals and they don’t want to appear anti-wildlife.”

“Mice are wildlife, and so are birds. It’s all part of the food chain.”

“They apparently want to remove cats from the food chain.

For your own protection, of course.”

“I thought it was to protect the birds,” said Miss Kitty, ever vigilant to flaws in my logic, “And besides, do they really enjoy that odiferous cat box in the laundry room. It’s bad enough to walk around in a Tupperware Toilet if you’re a cat. I’ve always envied camels. Sand as far as you can see. Go anytime you please.”

“They suggested humans who want their cats to spend time outdoors need to invest in an outdoor enclosure or walk their cats on a harness.”

Miss Kitty got indignant, “You ever tried to walk a cat in a harness! We’re not dogs, you know! I’ve spent a lifetime keepin’ your place free of rodents and vermin and this is the thanks I get. So I eat a bird now and then. And another thing, I’ve lost more friends to car tires than coyotes. Why don’t they have speed limits slow enough to let cats get out of the way?”

“Wait a minute,” I protested, “It isn’t me, it’s just a story in the paper.”

“Sure,” she huffed, “But some self-appointed cat lover will weasel or badger you into makin’ me a house cat. You’ll fall for it and take me prisoner. Next thing I know you’ll be takin’ me for walks in a cat harness. Not for me, buckaroo, I’m leavin’.”

“Wait,” I pleaded, “Where will you go...”

“Well,” she said, “I’ve always wanted to see Wisconsin.” www.baxterblack.com

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Last month’s “Save Us From Our Rescuers” story resulted in an interesting comment regarding what the law governing the Beef Checkoff requires. It is a wellknown fact that the Beef Checkoff is mandated by law.

It is equally wellknown that salaries paid by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association clearly are not mandated by law.

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Livestock Market Digest

TRIFECTA

November 15, 2021

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NIAA Introduces New Leadership Program to

court found the statute to be statutory provisions passed in investigator who would apply a content-based law and found Iowa that have been separately for a job, gather information that it met neither intermediate challenged that are beyond the in nonpublic areas, and that nor strict scrutiny. scope of this overview. information would then be disADVANCE ANIMAL AGRICULTURE Iowa appealed to the Unitseminated to others by ALDF. ed States Court of Appeals Arkansas Thus, they allege an intention articipant Applications for First Advanced Trainfor the Eighth Circuit. On The Arkansas statute is to engage in conduct arguably ing for Animal Agriculture Leaders Cohort due August 10, 2021, the Eighth written differently than those prohibited by the statute.

Jan.15 Circuit affirmed in part and re- in Kansas and Iowa. Under Third, the complaint alleges Emerging leaders in agriculture now have a versed in part. [Read Opinion AR Code Section 16-118-113, “a credible threat of enforcenew opportunity to gain next-level leadership and professionhttps://28xeuf2otxva18q7lx1ue- passed in 2019, there is a civ- ment.” The owners claimed al development training specifically focused on the animal mec-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/ il cause of action available if a there was no credible threat that agriculture segment of the industry. Advanced Training for wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ person knowingly gains access they would enforce the statute Animal Agriculture Leaders, a new leadership development ia.pdf] Specifically, the court without permission to nonpub- because the investigator would program created and sponsored by the United Soybean held that the access provision lic areas of a business, agricul- not find it worthwhile to inspect Board and National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA), did not violate the First Amend- tural operation, or residential their facilities because there is will empower professionals in the early or middle part of their ment, but found that the em- property used for business. The no improper activity occurring. careers to build on previous leadership development experiployment application provision owners may bring suit and seek However, the complaint alleged ences and collaborate with peers across the industry. did. damages including monetary that given the number of hogs “Advanced Training for Animal Agriculture Leaders is a In considering the access damage, injunctions, and attor- and the size of the farm, it is win for program participants and a win the animal agriculprovision, the court found that ney’s fees. likely pigs are confined in unture industry. Developed as a 2.0 leadership experience, the this statute prohibited only lies When several groups, again movable quarters, the fact that program will not only give participants world-class hands-on with associated with legally cog- led by the Animal Legal De- one of the owners was also the training, but also put their training into practice, while creatnizable harm. Thus, the First fense Fund, sought to investi- sponsor of the bill raises quesing meaningful connections with one another. In the end, the Amendment did not protect this gate a sow operation owned by a tions about his desire to congroup will advance real solutions to real animal agriculture type of speech. Although the state Representative who spon- ceal activity, and the existence challenges,” said J.J. Jones, NIAA executive director. statute did not require property sored this bill and a slaughter of slaughter lines using a live The 16-month program combines five in-person meetdamage, there was damage to plant, they sought that the own- hang method led to an interest ings with additional virtual working sessions and focuses on an owner’s right to privacy and ers waive their rights to sue un- in the public knowing how the four areas of development: critical thinking, leadership deright to exclude when a person der 16-118-113. The owners re- businesses operate. If true, the velopment, connecting and relating skills, and operational lied in order to access the prop- fused to do so. Because of that, court reasoned, this showed an excellence. Members of the program will work together on erty. the plaintiffs sought a declar- intent to record the conditions applied-learning and small-group capstone projects, which The court then turned to the atory judgment that the statue and disseminate the results. will focus on topics identified by supporting NIAA sponsors. employment application provi- violates their First Amendment Next, the court rejected the Project outcomes will be shared at the NIAA annual confersion. The court found that this rights. In February 2020, a fed- defendants’ argument that they ence. language proscribes speech that eral trial court dismissed the had made no credible threat of Participants in the program will represent a range of agriis protected by the First Amend- lawsuit without reaching the filing suit under the statute. A cultural sectors but focus together on advancing animal agriment and does not withstand merits, finding instead that the formal threat is not required, culture’s role in today’s food system. Because of the program’s strict scrutiny. Even if the state plaintiffs lacked standing to however, only an “objectively advanced leadership focus, candidates will bring to the table did have a compelling interest bring the suit. [Read Opinion reasonable fear” of legal action past leadership experience from their place of employment or in preventing false statements https://28xeuf2otxva18q7lx1ue- is necessary. This standard was through local, regional, or national organizations. in employment applications, a mec-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/ met, the court ruled, because The United Soybean Board serves as the founding sponprohibition on all falsehoods, wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ the parties would not waive sor of the Advanced Training for Animal Agriculture Leaders including those that are imma- ar-district-ct.pdf] The Plaintiffs their rights to sue. Thus, the Program, with additional financial support provided by NIAA terial, is not necessary to satisfy appealed to the United States case was remanded back to the and its members and partners. Sponsorship funding allows the interest. Instead, there was Court of Appeals for the Eighth trial court to proceed to the participants pay a fee of $1,000, while receiving an estimated a less restrictive means available Circuit. merits. $10,000 in training and resources. The enrollment fee also –prohibiting only false stateJudge Shepherd dissented.

On August 9, 2021, the includes one year of NIAA membership. ments that are material to the Eighth Circuit issued an opin- He would have sided with the NIAA is accepting applications for the program’s first hiring decision. ion reversing the trial court, owners because the plaintiffs 20-member cohort now through January 15. The application Judge Grasz issued a concur- finding that the plaintiffs did, in “are not yet, and may never be, process begins with a nomination from a sponsoring organiring opinion. The judge joined fact, have standing to challenge in a position to engage in the zation. More information about how to nominate an individthe opinion, but said that he the statute. [Read Opinion course of conduct actually proual for the program or become an applicant is available at did so “hesitantly as to the Ac- https://28xeuf2otxva18q7lx1ue- scribed” by the statute. He www.animalagriculture.com/leadership. cess Provision” because it was mec-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/ wrote that the plaintiffs’ fears the first time any federal court wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ “are currently nothing more upheld this type of provision. ar.pdf] The court addressed than the product of their own He then noted, “ultimately, the the three requirements to show imagination and thus are insufSupreme Court will have to standing: (1) injury in fact; (2) ficient to constitute an injury in determine whether such laws causal relationship between the fact.” can be sustained, or whether injury and challenged conduct; they infringe on the ‘breathing and (3) a favorable decision room’ necessary to effectuate would likely redress the injury. continued from page 1 the promise of the First AmendFirst, but for the statute, PEOPLE WHO EAT MEAT REPORT ... ment.”

ALDF would send an investigaAny potential causal link, a person’s sex, though the re“We cannot say that meat-free Judge Gruender concurred in tor to obtain information, phopart and dissented in part. He tos, and videos of the farm to however, is still debated. Al- searchers weren’t able to see diets cause mental illness. What agreed that the access provision disseminate. The court found though some studies suggest whether other factors influence we did find is that the research did not violate the First Amend- this to be “arguably affected that nutritional deficiencies as- the correlation — such as a per- doesn’t support the idea that ment. However, he disagreed with a constitutional interest” sociated with vegan diets can be son’s age, the particular types eliminating meat can improve that the employment applica- because the creation and dis- linked to depression, it’s possi- of meat they eat, their socio- mental health,” Edward Archer, tion provision was unconstitu- semination of information are ble that depression and anxiety economic status, their history who co-authored the 2020 pational. Thus, he would have up- considered speech under the may precede someone’s deci- of mental illness, or how long per with Dobersek, previously sion to go meat-free. they’ve abstained from meat. told Insider. held both provisions. Do note First Amendment.

“Meat avoidance may be both Still, the finding builds on Although several studies that there have been additional Second, ALDF retained an the ‘chicken’ and the ‘egg’ when previous research demonstrat- have found that vegetarians are it comes to mental illness,” Do- ing similar trends, so Dobersek more depressed than meat-eatbersek said. said she wasn’t surprised. Her ers, other research has shown own team, in fact, published an the opposite. There’s also the Cutting meat from your analysis last year that suggested question of chronology: Do diet isn’t likely to improve abstaining from meat is asso- people stop eating meat first, mental health ciated with a higher risk of de- then develop a higher risk of The research included in the pression, anxiety, and self-harm. depression? Or do more peoAn August analysis from a ple who are already depressed new analysis spans the years from 2001 to mid-2020, and team in Germany, meanwhile, chose to become vegan or vegincludes nearly 172,000 partici- also found that vegetarians were etarian? Very few studies offer pants across four continents. Of more depressed than meat eat- answers, though research from 2012 suggested that depression that group, about 158,000 peo- ers.

“The idea that we can become may precede a switch to vegeple ate meat and 13,000 did not.

All but two of the studies healthier, or happier, by elim- tarianism.

Other possible explanations relied on questionnaires in inating foods and beverages is which respondents self-report- simplistic, unscientific, and not for the link, according to Doed whether they ate meat or not, supported by valid evidence,” bersek and Archer, could be that people try meat-free dithen answered prompts about Dobersek said. ets to address existing mental whether they experienced anxiDoes veganism precede health issues, or people with ety and depression. depression?

Or the other depression may be more likely The analysis concluded that to empathize with animals and “meat abstention is clearly as- way around?

However, there’s no evidence make nutritional choices based sociated with poorer mental a meat-free diet directly leads on personal ethics. health.”

“Individuals struggling with That was true regardless of mental health to decline.

P

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continued on page 5

November 15, 2021

Livestock Market Digest

Fink Genetics Sale Report Fink Beef Genetics Angus and Charolais Bull Sale

October 16, 2021 Randolph, Kansas Matt Lowery, Nebraska, served as auctioneer

■■

99 head of fall 2020 born yearling Angus bulls averaged $5,772.

■■

111 head of fall 2020 born yearling Charolais bulls averaged $6,067.

■■

20 head of fall 2020 born yearling Charred angus bulls averaged $6,800.

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PEOPLE WHO EAT MEAT REPORT ...

continued from page 4

mental illness often alter their diets as a form of self-treatment,” Dobersek said. “And it appears that many people choose veganism as an ethical response to the cruelty inherent in ‘nature’ and human societies.”

It’s possible, too, that individuals who are depressed or anxious about climate change are more likely to make dietary choices that lower carbon emissions. Globally, the livestock industry is responsible for about 15 percent of annual emissions.

Dobersek noted, though, that strict vegan diets can sometimes lead to nutrient deficiencies, especially in pregnant women. That, in turn, can increase the risk of physical and mental illness. For example, vitamin B-12, folate, and Omega-3 fatty acids are only in animal products, and a deficit of those nutrients is linked to depression, low energy, and poor metabolism.

When Dobersek’s 2020 analysis came out, some who read it thought it demonstrated that meat-eating improves mental health, but Archer said “that’s patently false.”

Additionally, critics of those same findings pointed out that Dobersek had received more than $10,000 in grant money from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association “to conduct a systematic review on ‘Beef for a Happier and Healthier Life.’”

The new analysis, too, was funded in part by a grant through the beef association.

The authors noted, however, that the sponsor did not influence the research design, data collection, or study conclusions.

Dobersek said she thinks the results could still have implications for how dietary guidelines are created and communicated.

“With each edition, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans became more restrictive,” she said. (In 2020, for instance, federal recommendations suggested Americans limit their intake of red meat, whereas no such recommendation was in the 2005 version.)

“Yet the US population has become more diabetic, more anxious, and more depressed,” Dobersek continued. “I do not think this is a coincidence.”

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Page 5

AICA Announces Clint Rusk as New Executive Vice President

T

he American-International Charolais Association Board of Directors has selected Clint Rusk, current Department Head of the Animal & Food Sciences Department at Oklahoma State University, as its new Executive Vice President. Clint will be replacing J. Neil Orth, who is retiring at the end of 2021 after two decades of leading the organization.

Clint grew up on his family’s Hereford and Angus ranch near Sun City, Kansas. After graduating as valedictorian of his high school class, Clint attended Colby Community College, where he was a Presidential Scholar and a member of

Dr. Clint Rusk the National Champion Livestock Judging Team. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Kansas State University with his B.S. degree in 1980. After graduation, Clint returned to his family’s ranch for five years.

In 1985, Clint and his family moved to Fort Collins, Colorado, to manage the purebred cattle unit at Colorado State University. In 1987, he also accepted the duty of coaching CSU’s livestock judging team.

Clint coached 10 livestock

judging teams at Colorado State University. His teams were Reserve National Champions in 1987, 1991, 1993 and 1995. Clint was named “Coach of the Year” by the Intercollegiate Coaches’ Association, in 1991 and 1992. For the past 24 years, Dr. Rusk has helped coordinate livestock judging contests for collegiate, 4-H and FFA contestants at contests across the country.

Clint completed his M.S. degree in 1992 and his Ph.D. in male reproductive physiology in 1997 at Colorado State University. After completing his doctorate, Dr. Rusk joined Purdue University as its Youth Livestock Specialist. Clint enjoyed conducting educational programming for 4-H members and their parents for 13 years.

In 2009, Dr. Rusk was selected to lead the Animal and Range Sciences Department at South Dakota State University.

Over a three-year period, Dr. Rusk gained valuable administrative experience working with industry leaders, university professors, successful alumni, and an outstanding group of dedicated students.

As executive Vice Presi-

dent, Clint will work closely with AICA staff and Board of Directors to serve the Association’s members. He will be in attendance at the November board meetings in Louisville, Kentucky. Clint’s employment will commence November 1st at the AICA Headquarters.

He and his wife, Madeleine will make their home in Kansas City. The Rusks have two children: Shane and his wife Julie and a daughter Ashley.

Dr. Rusk said, “I am thrilled to join the American-International Charolais Association as Executive Vice President. I look forward to meeting Charolais breeders at the American Royal in Kansas City and the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville in the coming weeks.

▫

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Page 6

Livestock Market Digest

Vaccine Mandate Takes Effect Jan. 4, Each Violation Could Cost Companies Almost $14K

BY ZOE STROZEWSKI

T

he COVID-19 vaccine mandate for U.S. workers at companies with 100 or more employees will take effect January 4, the federal government announced on November 4.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said any companies that don’t abide by the rules could be hit with nearly $14,000 in fines per violation, the Associated Press reported.

The rules, first announced by President Joe Biden in September, will apply to about 84 million workers at eligible businesses. Workers can alternatively get tested at least once weekly for the virus and must wear a mask in the workplace, the AP said.

The approximately 17 million people who work in nursing homes, hospitals and other medical facilities that receive funding from Medicare or Medicaid will not have the option of getting tested in lieu of vaccination. Workers can request religious or medical exemptions, although it is unclear how frequently those will be granted.

▫

November 15, 2021

OSHA COVID-19 Vaccine Rule May Be Expanded to Small Businesses: Labor Department

BY ZACHARY STIEBER / THE EPOCH TIMES

T

he Biden administration’s emergency COVID-19 vaccination requirement released on November 4 could be expanded in the future to employers who have fewer than 100 workers.

The emergency temporary standard, issued by the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and scheduled to go into effect on November 5 is presented as only applying to firms that have 100 or more employees.

But OSHA is seeking public comments on that aspect of the standard, and it may be ultimately expanded to include smaller businesses, the agency said in the 490-page document.

OSHA said it is “soliciting stakeholder comment and additional information to determine

whether to adjust the scope of the ETS,” or emergency standard, “to address smaller employers in the future.”

The agency is seeking perspectives from employers, it indicated at www.osha.gov/ sites/default/files/publications/ OSHA4155.pdf “OSHA seeks information about the ability of employers with fewer than 100 employees to implement COVID-19 vaccination and/or testing programs,” it said.

“Have you instituted vaccination mandates (with or without alternatives), or requirements for regular COVID-19 testing or face covering use? What have been the benefits of your approach? What challenges have you had or could you foresee in implementing such programs?

Is there anything specific to your industry, or the size of your

R-CALF USA Participates in Circulating Joint M-COOL Letter; Three U.S. Senators Explain Its Importance

A

letter seeking signatures from a wide-range of organizations supporting the recently introduced American Beef Labeling Act of 2021 (S.2716) is now being circulated among organizations representing farm, ranch, rural, faith, environmental, farm/food worker, manufacturing, and cattle/farm industry support businesses. R-CALF USA is among the participating groups circulating the letter in an effort to secure swift passage of S.2716.

Senate Bill 2716 would reinstate mandatory country-of-origin labeling (M-COOL) for beef within 12 months of enactment.

The bill was introduced on September 13 and is gaining bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate. Senators John Thune (R-S.D.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) are the bill’s original cosponsors and Senators John Hoeven (R-N.Dak.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.Mex.) joined as cosponsors last week.

“South Dakota cattle producers work tirelessly to produce some of the highest quality beef in the world,” said Thune. “The pandemic has only highlighted their important role in our domestic food supply and the urgent need to strengthen it. To ensure the viability of cattle ranching in this country, the system in which producers operate must be fair and transparent. Unfortunately, the current beef labeling system in this country allows imported beef that is neither born nor raised in the United States,

but simply finished here, to be labeled as a product of the USA. This process is unfair to cattle producers and misleading for consumers. As a longtime supporter of M-COOL, I’m proud to see such a strong bipartisan push to ensure consumers know where their beef comes from.”

“Montana ranchers raise the best cattle in the world, and it’s time American families are guaranteed the right to know whether their beef is from Broadus or Brazil,” said Tester. “With health questions being raised about foreign beef, it’s more important than ever that consumers know when they’re buying American beef at the supermarket.

This bipartisan legislation will level the playing field for Montana’s family farmers and ranchers and protect the health and safety of American families.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic proved how important it is to have a strong, reliable, local food supply, and consumers deserve to know where their food comes from,” said Luján, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “That is why I am a proud cosponsor of The American Beef Labeling Act, which would support New Mexico farmers and ranchers and allow consumers to know with certainty where their food comes from.”

To demonstrate the widespread support S.2716 enjoys among diverse economic sectors, national groups representing cattle, farm, consumer, labor, and manufacturing penned a supportive M-COOL sign-on letter for other organizations to sign that will be delivered to the

business, that poses particular obstacles in implementing the requirements in this standard?

How much time would it take, what types of costs would you incur, and how much would it cost for you to implement such requirements?”

The standard took effect on November 5 but also serves as a proposal under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. That means OSHA is seeking feedback and may adjust the finalized version based on the comments.

The standard forces many private employers to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination from workers or submit to COVID-19 testing on a regular basis, at least once a week.

Workers who refuse to provide proof must be compelled to wear masks.

The deadline to comply is January 4, 2022.

Administration officials assert OSHA has the authority to promulgate such a rule because the COVID-19 pandemic presents an emergency and the agency is bestowed powers through the OSH Act.

▫

U.S. Senate before December. The letter can be read and signed at www.labelourbeef.com.

The sign-on letter itself explains why such a diverse cross-section of the U.S. economy supports M-COOL. It states S.2716 “would promote a safe and affordable supply of wholesome beef for America’s consumers; a fairer, more competitive market for America’s cattle farmers and ranchers; and quality family-sustaining jobs for meat processing workers.”

The letter further explains that many consumer goods, including many food items, are already subject to mandatory country-of-origin labeling requirements and that there is no reason to exclude beef. It also states that “current rules, which allow meatpackers to label as ‘Product of the USA’ beef that is imported and repackaged at a U.S. processing facility, are indefensible.”

The letter concludes: “American consumers deserve the right to choose, American cattle farmers and ranchers deserve the right to compete for the consumers’ favor in their domestic market, and meat processing workers deserve quality jobs.”

▫

November 15, 2021

www.scottlandcompany.com

Ben G. Scott – Broker Krystal M. Nelson – NM QB 800-933-9698 5:00 a.m./10:00 p.m.

RANCH & FARM REAL ESTATE

We need listings on all types of ag properties large or small!

■ TUCUMCARI, NM – 451 ac., +/-, w/a very nice large home, an unattached 3 car garage, 8 stall horse barn, metal barn, steel pens w/covered working area, two ¼ mile late model sprinklers, w/one Livestock new sprinkler toMarket be added,Digest ditch water provided by the Arch Hurley Water District. Seller is a NM Associate Broker.

■ SIGNIFICANT PRICE REDUCTION! RIMROCK RANCH - BUEYEROS, NM – 14,993.49 total acres +/- (12,157.49 deeded acres +/-, 2,836 +/- New Mexico State Lease). Live water with five miles of scenic Ute Creek. Elk, deer and antelope to go along with a good cattle ranch!

■ ALAMOSA CREEK RANCH – Roosevelt Co., NM – 14,982 +/- acres (10,982 ac. +/- deeded, 4,000 ac. +/- State Lease). Good cow ranch in Eastern NM excellent access via US 60 frontage between Clovis and Fort Sumner. Alamosa creek crosses through the heart of the gently rolling grassland.

■ SARGENT CANYON RANCH (Chaves/Otero Co.) – 18,460 +/- ac. - 200 +/- deeded, 2,580 +/- State, 11,200 +/- BLM, 4,480 +/- Forest permitted for 380 AUs year-round, well watered, good headquarters, very nice updated home, excellent pens & out buildings. Scenic ranch!

■ PRICE REDUCED! DRY CIMARRON RANCH – Union Co., NM – 1,571 ac.+/- of grassland on the dry Cimarron River, located on pvmt. near Kenton, OK just under the Black Mesa.

521 West Second • Portales, NM(5,152 88130 ■ CEDARVALE, NM –St. 7,113 acre ranch ac. +/Deeded – 1,961or ac.575-226-0672 +/- State Lease) well 575-226-0671 fax fenced & watered w/good pens, new barn.

Buena Vista Realty look at this ■ TEXAS PANHANDLE – Let’s 6,000 hd. permitted feedyardBroker: w/953 ac. +/-, a Qualifying recently remodeled owner’s home, 2 residences A.H.housing, (Jack) Merrick 575-760-7521 for employee addtl. home on 6 ac., 5 pivot sprinkler www.buenavista-nm.com irr. circles, truck scale, cattle scale, excellent perimeter fencing, located on pavement & all weather road, currently in full operation.

■ SUPER OPPORTUNITY! One of the best steak houses in the nation just out of Amarillo & Canyon at Umbarger, TX., state-of-the- art bldg., turn-key w/ complete facilities. acre home with ■ EAST• 83 EDGE OF wood FT. SUMNER, NM –barns, a 900 hd. grow yard w/immaculate 7.32 ac.Fronts +/-, a beautiful meadows and woods.

State home, & other improvements w/a long line of equipment included, on pvmt.

Rd. $545,000 ■ DALLAM CO, TX – 1,216.63 ac. +/- of CRP/ ranchland w/irrigation, re-development potential, wells & pipelines already in place.

• 160 acre Ranger Eastland Co, ■ QUAY CO, NM. – 142 ac. +/-, 120.5 ac. +/CRP, very nice site-built home & barn, located on $560,000 all weather road.

■ CASTRO CO, TX. – some of the strongest

40

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mitt, TX 79027 Scott - Broker lifying Broker am/10:00pm company.com

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Selling residential, farm, ranch, commercial and relocating properties.

Selling residential, farm, COLETTA RAY ranch, commercial and Pioneer Realty relocating properties.

1304 Pile Street, Clovis, NM 88101

COLETTA RAY 575-799-9600 Direct Pioneer Realty 575.935.9680 Office 1304 Pile Street, Clovis, NM 88101 575.935.9680 Fax 575-799-9600 Direct coletta@plateautel.net 575.935.9680 Office www.clovisrealestatesales.com 575.935.9680 Fax coletta@plateautel.net www.clovisrealestatesales.com

230 SOCORRO ACRE GAME & RETREAT PLAZA REALTY that is a dream.

Lakes, woods,

SOLD

the Plaza meadows,Ongame galore, 35 miles Donald Brown out ofQualifying Dallas, Kaufman Broker County.

505-507-2915 cell @10,000 PA 505-838-0095 fax 116–Plaza 133 ACRES 24 Miles out of PO Box 1903 Socorro, NM 87801 $13,000 Dallas, ready to develop. www.socorroplazarealty.com dbrown@socorroplazarealty.com per acre 313 ACRES NORTH OF DALLAS AG LAND LOANS AGMAJOR LAND LOANS ON HIGHWAYS 121 & AsLow LowAsAs 3% As 4.5% 2.9% 69 – OPWKCAP Nice horse barn with living OPWKCAP 2.9% INTEREST RATESAS AS LOW AS 3% INTEREST RATES LOW 4.5% quarters. Scheduled $11,500 onon25AS Payments Scheduled 25 Years Payments Years 234 SHOW RANCH – 8,000.

Imaculate home, cattle show barn, Joe Stubblefield & Associates 2313830 milesWestern from Dallas $2.8MTX St., Amarillo,

SOLD

UNDERCT CONTRA

806/622-3482 • cell 806/674-2062 joes3@suddenlink.net Michael Perez Associates Nara Visa, NM • 575/403-7970

Paul Bottari, Broker

775/752-3040

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Rural Properties around Portales, NM 1242 NM 480 - Nice home on 59.7 acres, grass 427 S Rrd P 1/2 - Large nice home, lots of barns 24+ ac 694.9 ACRE ROOSEVELT CO NM 1931pens, S Rrdlocation B has total new 5 1694 RANCH S Rrd 4,IN Great home, barns, cattle 2344 S pipe Rrd corners K eastetc, of pipe Dora, NM, POND, great -nice Near wind farms wire, steel post, corrals, ranch house with 2 good water wells, some CRP time remainshomes $665,000& can have horses, etc.

All properties excellent FARM LAND IN and ROOSEVELT CO atNM 2550 S. Rrd 6 159.8 ac some See these other properties www.buenavista-nm.com CRP remains, eligible to re-inroll if new program $120,000 — See details on www.buenavista-nm.com See these Properties with details at www.buenavista-nm.com or call agent for info

Chaves County, New Mexico approximately 20 miles northwest of the small community of Elida.

Configured in two tracts of a total of 7,200 deeded acres and 640 acres of state lease. Watered by NORTHERN CALIFORNIA RANCH PROPERTY and other Some Grazing capacity three wellsimprovements. and pipelines. is estimated to be- 130 AUYL. Priced forreduced to $345.00 31 years in the ranch business see www.ranch-lands.com videos & brochures minerals, game galore.

All for $1.35 per deeded acre. This place has hadDUANE some good summer rains and has not been stocked since last & DIXIE McGARVA RANCH: approx. 985 acres Likely, CA. with about 600+ acre gravity flood million. privatea542 AU BLM acres so of the irrigated level to flood year. This ranch has an abundance ofirrigated feed,pastures comePLUStake look orpermit. callAbout for 425 a brochure.

Price:are$2,484,000 excellent pastures with balance good flood irrigated pastures. NO PUMPING COST! Dryland is perfect for expansion to pivot irrigated alfalfa if desired. Plus BLM permit for 540 AU is fenced into 4 fields on about 18,000 acres only 7 miles away. REDUCED ASKING PRICE - $3,125,000

COWBOY DRAW Joe Priest Real Estate RANCH

Excellent small cattle ranch located in southeastern New BEAVER CREEK RANCH: about 82,000 acres - with 2,700 deeded acres plus contiguous USFS & BLM Mexico approximately 50 miles northwest of pair; Roswell onirrigated thealfalfa, Chaves/Lincoln 7,455 total permits for 450 580+- acres pasture, and meadow county from Beaver line.

Creek water rights and one irrigation well. 3 homes, 2 hay barns, 4 feedlots each w/ 250 ton barns, 2 large reservoirs, can run up to acres with 2,600 deeded with the balance BLM leaseASKING acres.

500-600 cowsfederal YEAR ROUND. REDUCED PRICEPermitted - $5,400,000. for 151 animal units joepriestre.net • joepriestre@earthlink.com yearlong with an additional 30 animal on a Approx. temporary with two BEARunits CREEK RANCH: 1,278 acresnonrenewable winter range ground and basis. recreationalWatered property. Located on Bear Creek and accessed from South Cow Creek Valley Road. Should be great hunting for deer, wild turkey, wild wells and several miles of water pipeline. draws run Deeded through ranch that ranches. provide pigs, quail &Two owner larger states goodopen trout fishing in Bear Creek. accessthe easement thru neighbor No improvements & very private inside the ranch. overflow areas to enhance grazing. The terrain and rolling with good turf. The ranch has had Now only $700 per is acreopen - $894,600 good summer rains with no cattle sinceBILL last spring.

The ranch is inLAND excellent condition.INC. Call for a WRIGHT, SHASTA SERVICES,

1-800/671-4548

530-941-8100 • brochure and come take a look. Price: $1,350,000

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Scott McNally, Qualifying Broker ch that has been owned and operated s southeast of Corona, NM in Lincoln Bar M Real Estate, LLC M Lease Acres and 2,240 NM State Box 145, Cimarron, NM 8771488202 • 575/376-2341 • Fax: 575/376-2347 P.O. Box 428,P.O.Roswell, NM land@swranches.com • www.swranches.com UYL. Water provided by five wells and corrals. The ranch had a good summerOffice: 575-622-5867 CHICO CREEK RANCH, Colfax Cell: County, NM. 575-420-1237 NEW LISTING. CIMARRON ON THE RIVER, Colfax County, NM. 7.338 +/6,404.26 +/- Total Acres, Located approximately 10 miles east of deeded acres with 4.040 acre-feet per annum out of the for a brochure or view on my website. Website: www.ranchesnm.com Springer New Mexico. 3,692.60 +/- deeded acres with balance Maxwell-Clutton Ditch. Custom country-chic 2,094 +/- sq ft

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CALDWELL RANCH First time offering of a quality ranch property located in northeastern

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TEXAS & OKLA. FARMS & RANCHES

the area, ac. +/w/twoTexas half-mile • 270 acre1,280 Mitchell County, 980 ac. +/- water in sprinklers & six irrigation wells, on pvmt., prime past, land lays farming country. ranch. Investors dream; excellent e of Hwy. 54. cash flow. Rock formation being on Co., NM – and w/statecrushed and sold; wind turbans, y remodeled some minerals. Irrigation water in very good n pvmt. developed, crop & cattle, modest . +/- heavily improvements. Just off I-20. Price listing r livestockagent w/ 75-825-1291. ences etc., on reduced to $1.25 million. ta-nm.com e front gate. ic ac. +/- on • 840 Immaculate, Hunt Co, TX. d by Lincoln in Pines & Ranch. Pastures, 40 tanks, and ed meadow Penasco. This lakes. Beautiful home, barns, uild a legacy

4 ac. irr., on exico, adjoins l.

POTENTIAL xline Special,

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TEXAS & OKLA. FARMS & RANCHES

O’NEILL LAND, llc

in state lease. Excellent grass and water. Two plus miles of the Chico Creek meandering through the center of the property.

Additional wells and dirt tanks. Nice historic head quarters privately located with shade trees and excellent views of the property. Shipping pens in central portion of property. $2,837,318

home. Owns both sides of river in places. Horse/cow/chicken/ vegetable garden/greenhouse/orchard set up. Country living at it’s finest, in town, but in a world of your own. Very special on river. Appointment only. $650,000.

RATON MILLION DOLLAR VIEW, Colfax County, NM. 97.68

Buena Vista Realty

Qualifying Broker: A.H. (Jack) Merrick 575-760-7521 Call Buena Vista Realty at 575-226-0671 or the listing agent www.buenavista-nm.com Lori Bohm 575-760-9847, or Melody Sandberg 575-825-1291.

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

521 West Second St. • Portales, NM 88130

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

UNIQUE COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITY IN MT. GROVE! Three addresses including large retail building (105 W., 9600 SF built in 1995) (107 W. 11th, 13000 SG built in 2000); single family home (1103 N Main, 874 SF with 378 SQ unfinished basement built in 1940s) This is the last commercial corner of this size in the city and on MO95 (1.45 acres) so it is perfect for a bigger user who needs access and visibility. Nearby national/regional businesses including Dollar Tree, Legacy Bank, Taco Bell, McDonalds, Fresenius Dialysis. It is also suitable for any retail business who wants additional income from warehouse and house. The warehouse has a drive-in garage door; and the big building has a dock for second story loading. This has been part of a family-owned business for decades and is currently operating as an antique/collectible store with high quality items. Owner’s inventory if for sale separately in private negotiations. Shown by appointment only after business hours. Owner’s inventory is for sale. MLS#60199328

Buena Vista Realty

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

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

CIMARRON PASTURE, 6.26 +/Deeded Acres, $139,000 plus 2.5 +/- Acre Feet water on Cimarron $37,500. Water meter, older well.

3 phase power.

SOLD

MIAMI 55.89 ACRES, Colfax County, NM. Remodeled adobe, awesome shop, out buildings, long road frontage, private fishing in Miami Lake. Amazing porch view. $400,000.

RATON MILLION DOLLAR VIEW, Colfax County, NM. 97.68 +/- deeded acres in 2 parcels with excellent home, big shop, wildlife, a true million dollar view at the end of a private road. $489,000 MAXWELL ESCAPE, Nice 2 story home plus park model home, horse barn, many other buildings,

shade trees, private, 34.2 irrigable acres, 45 +/- Total Deeded Acres. $575,000 UTE PARK RIVER PLACE 6.83 +/- ACRES, 450 +/- feet of the Cimarron River and more than that of Ute Creek are the south and east boundaries of this unique one of a kind water property. 2 bedroom 1 bathroom cabin, year round access off Hwy 64. $599,000 WAGON MOUND VIEW, 774.83 +/- deeded acres, one 1992 singlewide, one older home, off blacktop, adjoining Wagon Mound Salt Lake Refuge and I25.

Fenced and cross fenced, three drinkers, one producing well, out buildings, pens, some antelope and elk. Back pasture has spring. $650,000

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Livestock Market Digest

The View FROM THE BACK SIDE

LET’S GO BRANDIN’

BY BARRY DENTON

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’m sure that you have heard it by now, thanks NASCAR! Of course, I had to put a western spin on it.

While I realize that many of you are having your fall works and starting to ship cattle I just could not resist. (if you have not heard ... search Let’s Go Brandon) Isn’t it funny how that sounds just like F@#K JOE BIDEN? The stupid NBC sports reporter Kelli Stavast that came up with that line ought to be fired but will probably be rewarded for lying by getting a job in the Biden Administration.

Alright ranchers, farmers, and cowboys it’s time to “woke” up the rest of the country and get them back on the right track!

For those of you that are not quite sure what wokeism is: This is a Marxist inspired cult that wants to silence all of us who disagree with them. The tactics of woke groups such as Antifa or Black Lives Matter have been violent riots and the destruction of property in cities such as Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis, Washington DC, Baltimore, etc.

When I first heard the term Black Lives Matter I thought it was a beautiful phrase used as an advertising ploy by the Angus Association. Boy, was I wrong. Granted, you probably don’t live in a big city, so you don’t see the violence caused by “woke” groups, but I bet you know someone who is affected, and you feel compelled to help out.

Start by teaching your own children what terrible cults these are and to stay clear of them. Teach your children about “free speech” and show them courage by not backing down to these or any other subversive groups.

Number one, quit sending your children to public school or state-run colleges. If you truly care about your children and the future of this country, then start home schooling.

The other alternative is that a group of you can get together and start your own private school in your area. One of the most dangerous entities in the United States presently is the National Education Association otherwise known as the “teachers union.”

Isn’t it interesting that a group so subversive would be receiving taxpayer money and then using it against you by becoming the democrat party’s largest donor? Do you realize that we paid the normal salaries of its members when they weren’t working during the Covid crisis? How sick is that? Former President Jimmy Carter’s actions in creating the NEA are now having dire consequences.

Most of us are lucky as we get up in the morning and either crawl on the back of a horse or a tractor. We are not involved in the day-to-day city life. However, I notice the price of things increasing every time I go to buy anything we might need here on the ranch. For instance, the price of diesel jumped twenty-five cents in the last two weeks. It is up over a dollar a gallon in just ten months. We all know this will continue to drive up the costs of all other items that we need to purchase.

Think about it the Biden Administration’s ploy here, control fuel, control the people. It’s a very simple concept that works.

Why are you sitting around putting up with this nonsense?

Let’s Go Brandin!

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November 15, 2021

Tomlinson: Fighting Climate Change Requires Changing Texas Beef & Oil Culture CHRIS TOMLINSON, STAFF WRITER / HOUSTON CHRONICLE

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n industry that emits far more greenhouse gases per unit of energy produced than oil or natural gas happens to be another Texas mainstay: cattle raising.

No wonder so many Texans refuse to acknowledge climate change; the planet’s fate relies on transforming not only our economy but our culture.

Raising, slaughtering and delivering a pound of ground beef to a customer’s home releases 13 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Onshore oil producers on average release 26 pounds of carbon when producing a 42-gallon barrel of oil.

People who eat beef do 10 times more damage to the climate than vegetarians, according to peer-reviewed studies published in Nature Food. Eating pork is six times as destructive while limiting yourself to chicken is only twice as bad as going vegetarian.

Food production accounts for a third of the world’s greenhouse emissions, double those released by the United States.

It’s not much of an exaggeration to say that climate change might come to a screeching halt if all humans switched to electric transportation and a vegetarian diet by 2030.

Of course, change that radical will never happen. A lot of Texans consider an affordable steak dinner and a big pickup truck God-given rights. But as world leaders gather in Glasgow, Scotland, next week to discuss the next steps in preserving the climate for future generations, they will examine a plethora of ideas, including food systems.

Populations are declining in wealthy countries, but low-in-

Letter to The Editor: Enough With The War On Beef

BY KELLEY SULLIVAN GEORGIADES

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n his October 25th article, “Fighting Climate Change Requires Changing Texas Beef and Oil Culture,” Chris Tomlinson completely misses the mark. The cherry-picked and over-simplified statistics used in the article ignore the fact that the EPA itself places greenhouse gas emissions from cattle at only about 2.25 percent of total U.S. emissions.

In reality, the ag and timber system absorbs more carbon than it releases. There is not enough cultivated land in existence to feed our country and without the nutrient-dense source of protein that comes from beef. By reducing the cattle inventory, this will drive more deforestation to create more cropland. Unfortunately, that means Tomlinson’s as-

come nations are still growing.

Food security is worsening where weather patterns are disrupting agriculture and triggering an economic collapse.

Global communications have also raised lifestyle expectations. Every person with a screen knows what Texas barbecue looks like, and they are not going to stay home and starve when they know a better life is available elsewhere.

Much of the migration from Central America is driven by climate-driven agricultural collapse. A 2019 report by the non-partisan think tank American Security Project predicted waves of migrants would soon arrive at our southern border due to long-term, climate-induced drought and crop failures. Well, they’re here.

We need a global approach that balances demand for more and better food sources with the need to plant more trees to capture carbon, all the while improving standards of living.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is critical.

In my travels to more than 60 countries, I’ve found that farmers know the climate is changing. They are struggling to adapt with new seeds, different planting techniques or completely new crops. The more challenging proposition is convincing North Americans they must do their part.

Despite powerful hurricanes or polar vortexes that have destroyed our property and killed our neighbors, many Texans will never accept that 200 years of massive population growth and industrialization in the United States has taken a toll on the atmosphere.

Too many people cannot acknowledge that their life’s work providing affordable protein and energy that Americans desertion that “climate change might come to a screeching halt if all humans switched to electric transportation and a vegetarian diet by 2030” is woefully inaccurate.

Tomlinson proclaims that “Texans consider an affordable steak dinner and a big pickup truck a God-given right.”

Food prices are rising. Many Texans are struggling to feed their families. How tone-deaf to criticize affordable food.

Food insecurity is not a joke.

This type of sarcasm and radical vegetarianism also does not help in the quest to find real solutions to climate change concerns. When using data from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization from 1975 to 2017, the U.S. beef industry has reduced carbon returned to the atmosphere from beef cattle by about 30 percent. All while producing more beef for a hungry public.

It’s time for real, practical solutions. Enough with the war on beef.

Sullivan, a member of the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Board, submitted the forgoing letter to the editor to the Houston Chronicle in response to Chris Tomlinson’s Oct. 25 opinion article, titled “Fighting Climate Change Requires Changing Texas Beef and Oil Culture”

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manded will ultimately degrade their grandchildren’s quality of life.

Even more Texans argue that limiting greenhouse gas emissions is too disruptive to our present-day lives and economies. Therefore, we should accept a hotter, drier and stormier world. Better to let future generations cope with climate change tomorrow than risk making people less comfortable today.

I have a book recommendation for those who think changing our food and energy systems is too much to ask. It’s less than 100 pages, does not include a single word on climate change and no equations. The $10 paperback is a 1998 motivational business fable by Spencer Johnson called “Who Moved My Cheese?”

The story follows two mice and two people in a maze where they live off cheese. When the supply runs low at one location, the mice and men react differently. It’s a metaphor for the tyranny of change.

For four generations, humans have believed they are masters of the universe. Thanks to technology and industrialization, animal protein is more available and affordable than at any point in human history. We’ve made energy equally cheap and abundant.

Texas’s culture and economy celebrate these accomplishments. Confronting the myth that we can consume all the beef and fossil fuels we desire directly contradicts our anything-is-possible attitude. But everything has a price.

We will pay for our profligacy one way or another, either by changing our sources of protein and energy or dooming future generations to worsening weather and natural disasters.

Business people and economists talk incessantly about how transforming our culture offers enormous potential for wealth creation. But humans are not always rational, especially when it comes to their way of life.

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Chris Tomlinson writes commentary about business, economics and politics.

Gelbvieh Association to Celebrate 50th Anniversary in Oklahoma City

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he American Gelbvieh Association (AGA) will host the 2021 AGA National Convention and 50th Anniversary Celebration December 8-10, 2021, in Oklahoma City at the Sheraton Oklahoma City Downtown Hotel.

Gelbvieh enthusiasts will gather in Oklahoma to celebrate the AGA’s golden anniversary and reflect on the Association’s past 50 years. The AGA was formed on June 28, 1971, in Oklahoma, when the AGA founders filed the articles of incorporation. From its beginnings in 1971, spurred by the potential impact found in importing Gelbvieh semen from Germany, the AGA has grown into a progressive beef cattle breed association whose members produce genetics suited for today’s beef industry.

Convention events will incontinued on page 9

November 15, 2021

Livestock Market Digest

The Use of Dogs in AnimalBased Research The Rest of the Story — Sandflies and Lying Eyes

BY PATTI STRAND, NAIA PRESIDENT

I

f you’re a member of NAIA, you know that NAIA supports humane and responsible animal-based research when conducted according to the Animal Welfare Act regulations and other authoritative guidelines. Our position is well-documented in NAIA position statements, the NAIA values statement,[iii] in Cindy Buckmaster’s GetReal! podcast on our website (which is dedicated to having honest conversations about animal research), and finally through NAIA’s program, Homes for Animal Heroes,[v] an initiative that rehomes research dogs (mostly Beagles) when their studies are complete.

With that in mind, you’d be right if you guessed that NAIA’s phone started ringing off the hook when the new White Coat Waste (WCW) campaign hit the media with its photos of lifeless-appearing Beagles and a voice-over describing a research study where they said sandflies were eating dogs alive. The takeaway from WCW’s campaign is that the point of research is torture, not scientific discovery… and that Dr. Fauci is to blame and should resign. They didn’t mention the debilitating harm to people and dogs caused by the disease being studied or that dogs would be major beneficiaries of the research.

People from all sides of the animal research debate called to get our point of view. “What’s the story?” “Are you guys for torture?” “Is White Coat Waste a legitimate organization or just a right-wing version of PETA and HSUS?” We spent several days gathering information we could share with our readers to enable them to understand a little more about a very complex subject.

One of the most informative documents we were able to locate and provide is the research study at the heart of this campaign. The study looked at the transmission of leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease that infects 700,000 to a million people worldwide annually and kills about 50,000.

Regardless of your views on animal research, reading the study will give you more understanding of the topic and contribute to your decisions about the value of the study.

Leishmaniasis is endemic in Tunisia where the Beagle research was conducted.[viii] Up

GELBVIEH clude committee meetings, annual meeting, educational workshops, and industry tour of the Stockyards City including the Oklahoma National Stockyards, Shorty’s Caboy Hattery, and Boxcar Woody. The convention will also host the annual Cattlemen’s Profit Roundup educational symposium where industry-leading speakers will discuss the topic of sustainability.

In addition, evening events such as the kick-off reception and the bull pen session will be a great opportunity to mingle with Gelbvieh enthusiasts, share stories, and celebrate this great milestone. Convention rounds out with the awards ban-

to 50 percent of the dogs in some regions of Tunisia are infected with leishmaniasis. Six of the 12 dogs chosen for the study targeted by WCW were already naturally infected in the field.

Leishmaniasis is found in 90 countries located primarily in India, Africa, the Middle East, in South and Central America, and it is spreading. The sandfly that transmits it has been identified as far north as Texas and Oklahoma.

A huge international effort is underway to help developing countries reduce the harm associated with the disease.

Leishmania has multiple strains and symptoms that present in varying ways. Some strains target the skin and mucous membranes, causing pain and scarring. Affected people are often so disfigured, they are shunned by their communities and become outcasts.[xi] In other cases, it infects internal organs and can become fatal. Like malaria, it causes suffering and prevents infected people from being able to attend school or go to work.

Leishmaniasis fuels the cycle of poverty in the regions where it is endemic and hinders countries from becoming part of the developed world.

The numerous strains of leishmaniasis complicate efforts to develop effective vaccines and treatments. Dogs are the leading reservoir and hosts of the disease worldwide and play a key role in helping scientists understand the disease. They will benefit from any vaccines, treatments and/or preventatives that are developed from current research. Studies aimed at understanding and curbing the transmission of the disease, like the one under review here, as well as studies to develop vaccines against the fatal strains are underway now.

National Geographic published two articles focusing on the subject of leishmaniasis that are worth reading. They chronicle the struggles of American Scientists who were infected with leishmaniasis while in Hondurasand describe the challenges they faced when seeking treatment upon their return to the US. Dog breeders should be aware of the transmission and symptoms of leishmaniasis.

Foxhounds and Neapolitan Mastiffs are particularly vulnerable. The Italian Spinone Club of America is requesting continued from page 8

quet to celebrate the recipients of the commercial producer of the year and breeder of the year awards as well as honor individuals who have made a lasting impact on the Gelbvieh breed through the AGA Hall of Fame induction.

Oklahoma City, The Modern Frontier™, is known for its combination of Native American history and Western Culture.

The convention site, Sheraton Oklahoma City Downtown Hotel, is a short walk from Bricktown’s wealth of dining and entertainment opportunities, which makes it the perfect site to host AGA’s golden anniversary celebration!

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its members to screen for it and provide samples. According to the article cited in figure 3, 150 positive tests have been received. The same article asserts that as early as 1940, 40% of the dogs in Rome were determined to be positive.

The discovery of leishmaniasis in a pack of Foxhounds in the US in the mid-1990s set off alarms because a number of the affected dogs had never visited areas where the infective sandfly is found. Questions led to studies that revealed that the strain of leishmania found in these dogs, L. infantum (one of the strains present in Tunisia) could be transmitted via the placenta to a female’s offspring.[xiv] Subsequent studies have shown that in some cases leishmaniasis can be passed through multiple generations and establish the disease in regions where the sandfly is not present.[xv] This finding may be why Australia requires shippers sending dogs to Australia to provide blood titers for rabies, canine brucellosis and leishmaniasis.

Australia’s dog import laws stand in sharp contrast to those found in the United States, where dog import laws have not kept up with globalization. Due to the widespread presence of lethal and life-altering pathogens in many countries that export dogs to the US – more than one million annually according to the CDC[xvi] – the National Animal Interest Alliance in partnership with the American Kennel Club and the American Veterinary Medical Association, introduced bi-partisan federal legislation this summer to impose vaccination and health screening requirements on dogs entering the US. Until researchers are able to develop treatments, vaccinations, and cures for leishmaniasis and other lethal pathogens that infect people, pets, livestock and wildlife, such legislation will remain critically important.

After weighing the information in this summary, readers will reach their own conclusions about whether the animal-based

Page 9 research in Tunisia represents a horrific misuse of government funds as WCW asserts or if it is justified. For me, it isn’t even close. The international scientific community, (including US funding agencies) have a moral responsibility to support the animal-based research necessary to alleviate the suffering and death of millions of human beings caused by leishmaniasis. Additionally, US agencies charged with the responsibility to protect the health and welfare of American citizens, and the domestic animals and wildlife that live in North America

must continue to support the scientific studies necessary to fulfill their mission.

White Coat Waste Project is not a credible organization.

Although it positions itself as being concerned with government waste, White Coat Waste is – first and foremost – a radical animal rights group led by a seasoned Republican strategist.

Sensationalism, false claims, and the omission of key facts reveal their fundamental dishonesty and put them squarely in league with groups like PETA and HSUS.

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US House Ag Committee Releases Fact Sheet on Build Back Better Act Provisions

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he House Agriculture Committee today released the following fact sheet on the agriculture and forestry provisions included in the Build Back Better Act. The agricultural provisions in the Build Back Better plan include billions of dollars for critical investments in agriculture and our rural communities. Included in this package are multiple bipartisan proposals that House Agriculture Committee Members have fought to include. These timely investments will provide resources to mitigate climate change, improve quality of life in rural communities, and commit millions of dollars to agricultural education across the country.

Strategic investments include: $2 billion in investments in agricultural research and infrastructure; other countries like China are outspending the US on research investments and this money will help close the gap. $18 billion in rural job-promoting investments to ensure those living in rural America, on tribal lands, and our insular areas have access to clean water and reliable and efficient renewable energy. This funding will also support investment in renewable biofuels infrastructure important to farmers and our fight against climate change, and flexible funding for rural community growth. $27.15 billion in investments in forestry programs to help combat forest fires and contribute to healthy, resilient forests. $12 billion in critical debt relief for farmers in need and for USDA to tailor its programs to support new and existing farmers through outreach, education, and technical assistance.

This is offset by $6 billion in funding that was included in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). $28.29 billion in historic investments in vital conservation programs and support for farmers and producers.

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I AM NOT A COW.

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Learn more at your local retailer or go to purinamills.com/ImASheep

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Livestock Market Digest

Hiking, Cycling, or Spiking?

T

he United States Senate has confirmed Tracy Stone-Manning as the Director of the Bureau of Land Management. The nomination was highly controversial,

and it took two votes for confirmation: one to invoke cloture (end debate) and the other to approve the appointment. Let’s take a peek at what occurred in the Senate chambers.

Leading the opposition was

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November 15, 2021

Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo) who spoke on the Senate floor and laid out his reasons for opposing Stone-Manning.

Barrasso began with the statement that the Democrats were bringing forward, “a nominee who collaborated with ecoterrorists, lied to the U.S. Senate, wrote in favor of population control as a problem related to the climate, and promoted the idea that homes built in the forest should be left to burn.”

Barrasso continued: “Ms. Stone-Manning lied to the Senate…this year about her past association with an ecoterrorist cell that hammered hundreds and hundreds of metal spikes–about 500 pounds of metal spikes–into trees in Idaho’s Clearwater National Forest.

If these metal spikes are struck by a logger’s saw, the injuries to the logger can be fatal.

And it is not just loggers who use saws; it is firefighters as well…

Ms. Stone-Manning anonymously sent a threatening letter to the U.S. Forest Service on behalf of the ecoterrorists, of which she was one of the ring leaders, and then spent years covering up their crimes, as well as her own.”

Barrasso also said; “And 1 year ago–not when she was a graduate student a number of decades ago, but 1 year ago–she tweeted an article that her husband had written, calling for homes built in the forest, allowing them to burn during fires. She called the article a ‘clarion call.’ That is not part of the responsibilities and is the exact opposite of what we should expect from the head of the Bureau of Land Management.”

Barrasso concluded by saying she was “a dangerous choice” and urging the Senate to reject the nomination.

Coming to Stone-Manning’s defense was Senator Manchin, a moderate Democrat from West Virginia. This was key to the eventual majority vote in favor of her nomination. Manchin is not always in lock-step with Biden’s agenda and has opposed some of his other nominations.

Add that he is chair of the Senate Committee with jurisdiction, and his support turned the tide in favor of Stone-Manning.

Manchin began by saying he supported Stone-Manning, “after giving very, very, very careful consideration to this serious– and I mean serious–allegations that many of our colleagues have leveled against her.

If there were any truth–a shred of truth–or evidence to support the charges, I wouldn’t be standing here; I couldn’t

support her. But I have found no such evidence, and I have looked.”

Manchin continued: “A jury heard the evidence in the tree-spiking case. They weighed its credibility and reached a unanimous verdict that four men spiked the trees.

I repeat: Four help spiked the trees in the Clearwater National Forest.

All four of them admitted that they spiked trees. All four of them admitted they spiked these trees. And each identified the other three as their accomplice. Each one identified the other.

And you know what. Ms. Stone-Manning was not one of them. None of the four said she was.”

Concerning lying to the Committee, Manchin said that after reviewing the record, he found that Stone-Manning “was not a target of the investigation in 1993.”

Manchin concluded by saying: “In sum, I am unable to find any credible evidence in the exhaustive trial record of the tree-spiking case that supports the allegations levied against Ms. Stone-Manning. What I find instead in the committee’s hearing record on her nomination is compelling evidence that Ms. Stone-Manning has built a solid reputation over the past three decades as a dedicated public servant…”

Probably the best line in all of the statements that day came from, believe it or not, Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah).

After discussing Stone-Manning’s “history of aiding ecoterrorism” and her “blatant dishonesty” about being investigated, Romney said her heading the BLM, “would be like nominating Bernie Madoff to serve as Treasury Secretary.”

In my book, though, the best overall statement came from Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah).

He made the tree-spiking personal, when he said: “…back in 1987, a 23-yearold mill worker named George Alexander struck a tree spike–a tree spike like this one–in the log that he was processing.

His sawblade shattered, and it caused a wound stretching from his eye all the way down to his chin. His teeth were smashed, and his jaw was brutally dashed in half…

Just 2 years later, Tracy Stone-Manning rented a typewriter to disguise her identity.

She then typed and sent a letter to the U.S. Forest Service on behalf of an ecoterrorist group. She conspired to spike trees with spikes just like this one–hundreds and hundreds of

pounds of spikes just like this one. In so doing, endangered the lives of foresters, of loggers, and of firefighters. She ended the letter with the following words: You bastards go in there anyway and a lot of people could get hurt.”

Senator Lee continued: “Now, beyond her involvement with the ecoterrorist group, since her hearing, we learned of public statements she made just months ago calling for homes to burn in forest fires. We learned of statements she made saying grazing is destroying the West and calling for population control measures and even labeling children as environmental hazards.”

Senator Lee concluded his remarks by saying: “Her past actions, her positions, her statements, and her goals would each, individually, disqualify her from service.

But combined, they make her a, frankly, offensive candidate to the countless people in Utah and throughout the West and beyond who rely on Bureau of Land Management cooperation for their livelihoods and for their way of life.”

What was Senator Lee referring to on livestock grazing? It was her master’s thesis where she wrote that livestock grazing is “destroying the west.”

Further, she wrote: “It is overgrazed. Most likely, the grasses won’t grow back, because the topsoil took flight.

Worse still, the government encourages this destruction.

It charges ranchers under $2 a month to graze each cow and its calf on public land — your land.”

The opposition’s efforts were to no avail, as the Senate voted to invoke cloture 50-48 and to confirm the nomination 50-45.

Did you enjoy your peek into one day’s actions in the U.S. Senate? Me neither.

Recall that Trump nominated a Sagebrush Rebel for the BLM position, but eventually backed down and withdrew the nomination. Biden nominated a supporter of tree-spiking, stuck by her and she was confirmed.

A Sagebrush Rebel is unacceptable to the powers that be, but a tree-spiker? That, apparently, is okay.

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

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

The Real Culprit in our SupplyChain Crisis

mand patterns. Complex production and logistics networks rely on these patterns functioning properly, but now businesses are faced with a lack of available workers and raw materials, while also dealing with clogged ports and high production costs.

The Biden Administration and lawmakers on Capitol Hill say they have things under control, but continue enacting harmful policies that cause more distress. As CEI vice president for strategy Iain Murray points out this week at National Review Online, these harmful actions include advancing infrastructure and a reconciliation bill that minimally cost close to $3 trillion while pushing more

money into the economy.

Too much money chasing too few goods is the very definition of inflation. Normally, the response to all of this would be to source more production offshore. But as Murray notes, “the president’s trade policies, essentially a continuation of Trump policies with green or pro-labor dressing, make that more difficult.”

Tariffs have contributed to a microchip shortage and harmed the nation’s ability to deliver certain goods by cutting off truck-trailer imports from China at the worst time possible.

As my friend from CATO, Scott Lincicome, recently highlight-

BY KENT LASSMAN, PRESIDENT & CEO COMPETITIVE ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE

A

s a rule, going to my local Target on the weekend is a bad idea. Too many people. This past weekend it was double trouble: Too many people and not enough goods.

COVID-19 snarled what used to be predictable, flexible, and efficient supply-and-de-

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continued on page 11

November 15, 2021

U.S. Farmers Report Concerns of Shortages, Crippling Prices Due to Tariffs on Fertilizers

Livestock Market Digest

Page 11

U.S. In fact, Mosaic’s share price has quadrupled since a March 2020 low.

“Farmers pay the price when input companies monopolize a market,” said Edgington. To get our job done and keep prices reasonable, we need quick access to fertilizers from multiple companies, including those outside the U.S.” One of the arguments in the brief centers on a decision by Mosaic in 2017 to shutter two facilities, which caused a short-

unexpected weather patterns, such as abnormally high precipitation, can negatively impact demand for fertilizers, causing a mismatch between projected demand and actual purchases. “…farmers can only apply fertilizers during a finite window NCGA & Other Ag Groups Tell U.S. Court of Int’l Trade of the planting season,” the brief explains. If supply is not availhe National Corn department seeking the levies. able during that window, fertilGrowers Associ- The ITC voted in March to izer application must be delayed ation joined four impose the tariffs while adding until some future window of other agricultural similar levies on Russian imopportunity. This places a pregroups on Friday in encourag- ports. mium on reliability of supply, ing the U.S. Court of InternaAs a result, critical sources leading tional Trade to suppliers overturn an eardiversilier decision by Farmers can only apply fertilizers during a finite window of the planting season,” to fy sourcthe International ing.”

Trade Commisthe brief explains. If supply is not available during that window, fertilizer Agrision, which imcultural posed tariffs on application must be delayed until some future window of opportunity. This places a Retailers imported phosAssociphate fertilizers premium on reliability of supply, leading suppliers to diversify sourcing.” ation, from Morocco.

American “Farmers are feeling the pain of imported supply have been from these tariffs,” said Iowa shut out of the U.S. market, age of fertilizers for U.S. farm- Soybean Association, the Nafarmer and NCGA President and the costs for fertilizers ers in the 2018 planting season. tional Cotton Council and the Chris Edgington. “We’re facing have increased for farmers. In As a result, farmers sought sup- National Sorghum Producers severe cost hikes on our fertil- the meantime, Mosaic, whose plies from companies outside also signed the brief. The Iowa Corn Growers also weighed in izers, and we are worried about control of the phosphate mar- the U.S. Fertilizer supply typically with the ITC and Department of fertilizer shortages next year. ket has grown from 74 percent We desperately need the U.S. to over 80 percent, is gaining a takes several months to work its Commerce on this issue in late Court of International Trade to near-monopoly over the phos- way through the supply chain, summer. A decision from the remedy this situation.” phate fertilizer supply in the the brief notes. In addition, court could come in 2022.

The U.S. Department of Commerce recommended in February 2021 that the ITC implement tariffs over 19 percent on imported fertilizers from Morocco after the Mosaic Company, which manufactures fertilizers used in the U.S. and abroad, filed a petition with the

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CULPRIT

cont. from page 11

ed, the irony is that the laws authorizing these tariffs prevent the administration from reversing them, even if it wanted to, without an Act of Congress.

What has made supply chains brittle are stifling government regulations. Government policy is what stands in the way of rapid adjustments for these supply chain problems. Did you know the supply chain for an Apple iPhone crosses an international border more than 600 times? This process allows consumers the ability to afford what would otherwise be exorbitantly priced goods. Yet globalization is somehow the scapegoat. As CEI senior fellow Mario Loyola explains the crisis has led to a renewed “Made in America” push.

“Like the problem of jobs going offshore, the supply-chain crisis is not caused by globalization. The culprit is an uncompetitive level of regulation and taxation, and protectionism only makes that problem infinitely worse. Globalization entails efficient allocations of labor and capital, with effects that can be painful for particular communities even if the nation is much better off in the aggregate.”

Supply chains are the practical application of the theoretical observations made by Adam Smith about an economy working as if guided by an invisible hand. Each of us pursuing our varied interests, informed by the special knowledge we have about time, place, and our own preferences, are able to advance the interests of society.

The answer to every social problem is not simply to get government out of the way.

However, when it comes to the twin challenges of supply chain disruption and inflation, reducing government intervention is exactly what we need to do.

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Page 12

Livestock Market Digest

November 15, 2021

Annual Production Sale December 6, 2021

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