LMD October 2010 by Livestock Publishers

Livestock “The greatest homage we can pay to truth is to use it.” – JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL OCTOBER 15, 2010 •

MARKET

Digest D Volume 52 • No. 11

Who Done It? by Lee Pitts

“Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.” ton, D.C. and it may be far more important to the future of the beef business than the one in Fort Collins. That’s when the retail sector will be put on the hot seat. If you really want to see who has brought you the industrialization and chickenization of the meat industry you need look no further than in the faces of the businessmen in attendance from Bentonville, Arkansas.

Winners And Losers The evidence that something

is terribly wrong is irrefutable. Since 1980, this country has lost 32 percent of its’ sheep producers, 41 percent of the beef producers, 81 percent of the dairy producers, and 91 percent of the swine producers. And as the ranks of farmers and ranchers were rapidly thinning it was no coincidence that Main Street rural America was having a “going out of business sale” of its own. And so, for those who want to revive rural America and save what is left of the beef business

the question becomes, who is mostly responsible? Are JBS, Tyson Foods, Cargill and National Beef Packing the cause of our considerable discomfort or are they merely a symptom? Although it’s easier just to lay all the blame on the Big Four, the numbers reveal another villain. One of the best ways to quantify what has happened to the livestock industry is to examine what share of the dollar spent on meat at the retail level makes its way back into the pockets of the producer. The numbers may surprise you. In 1990 the rancher received 59 cents of the beef dollar, the packer and packinghouse worker eight cents, and 33 cents went to the retailer. After two decades of increasing concentration both at the wholesale and retail levels, those numbers changed drastically. The rancher’s share dropped from 59 cents to 42 cents, the packer/packinghouse worker’s share went up a penny to nine cents, and the retailer’s share jumped from 33 continued on page two

PCRM TV ad takes aim at McDonald’s

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he Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is set to unveil a local television ad campaign in Washington, D.C., that links the city’s relatively high rate of deaths from heart disease to its local concentration of McDonald’s and other QSR stores. The ad, which can be seen on the organization’s website, shows a woman weeping over the body of a man in a morgue. In the man’s hand is a half-eaten hamburger. Near the end of the commercial, the McDonald’s logo appears over his feet, along with the line “I was lovin’ it,” a play on the QSR’s current advertising tagline. The commercial ends with the line, “Tonight, make it vegetarian.” PCRM says in a press release on its Web site that Washington, D.C. has more McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC outlets per square mile than eight other cities with similar population sizes. The group also quotes the Centers

by LEE PITTS

Uneducated

www. aaalivestock . com

t’s estimated over 2,000 people went to Fort Collins, Colorado, to beg the government to fix what ails our industry. Mostly the folks came to complain about the increasing concentration of the four largest meat packers and their use of captive supplies to lower fat cattle prices. For decades independent livestock producers have called on both the Justice Department and the Packers and Stockyards division of USDA to rein in the packers by enforcing already existing antitrust laws. R-CALF and other farm groups said we might never have another opportunity like this one to save the independent rancher. But even if the government does act to stop the packers from taking the rest of the beef industry captive, it may already be too late. It is certainly already too late for the 40 percent of the ranchers in this country who have left the business since 1980. But in trying to find out exactly who was responsible for the cowboy’s disappearance there is a growing body of evidence that the meatpackers may have only been an accomplice, not the primary perpetrator. The Ag Secretary and the Attorney General have one more listening session planned, this one on December 8 in Washing-

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for Disease Control and Prevention as saying that the age-adjusted death rate from heart disease in Washington is the second-highest in the country, above high-obesity states like Alabama, Kentucky, Oklahoma and West Virginia. A PCRM representative explained to Meatingplace that the group also relied on other scientific research that has made a direct connection between incidence of heart disease and the density of fast-food outlets in a geographic area. “Our city’s addiction to Big Macs and other high-fat fast food is literally breaking our hearts,” says Susan Levin, M.S., R.D., PCRM’s nutrition education director. “It’s time to tackle the district’s heart disease problem head-on. A moratorium on new fast-food restaurants could be a critically important step toward fighting this epidemic.” McDonald’s menu offers “almost no healthcontinued on page four

id you see where two Princeton sociologists conducted a study at eight “elite” universities and found that while most extracurricular activities increased a prospective student’s chances of admission, it actually worked against them if they were leaders, and or, won awards in 4H, the FFA and ROTC? I can only assume that these “elite” colleges were Ivy League schools where professors and grad students hold teas to discuss Plato and Aristotle and eat food they’d have no idea how to grow. In our society there is a stigma attached to anyone who gets their hands dirty or is a vocational student. When I was a vo ag student 40 years ago our ag classrooms were separated far from the main campus and most of the teachers likewise felt that vo-ag kids dwelled on the outskirts of civilization. We were second class citizens and I was expected to go to law school or to follow my brother to West Point. While I had the grades to go to an Ivy League school I had neither the money nor the desire. Instead I went to a college whose motto was “Learn By Doing” and it has served me well. I have a chip on my shoulder about your average white-collar worker looking down their nose at vocational education and then complaining when there is no one to work on their Mercedes. That chip on my shoulder flared up again when I offered to help a lost soul who was stranded by the road with his hood up and his engine sputtering. He was staring at the motor but it might as well have been the trunk for all he knew. “Hi, got a problem?” I asked, trying to be friendly. “Whoa, first thing I’d suggest, is that you back away from the engine or else take off your jacket and that necktie.” “Why do you say that?” asked the uppity Mr. Smarty Pants. “Because your tie could continued on page six

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Livestock Market Digest

Page 2

October 15, 2010

Who Done It? cents to 49 cents. In other words, of the 17 cents the rancher lost, the retailer picked up 16 cents of it. And although the packer’s share actually went up a penny, or 11 percent, it was actually below 1980’s levels. An almost identical scenario played out in the pork business as it lost 90 percent of its producers. In 1990, the pork producer and the retailer received the same share of the pork dol-

continued from page one

than a 30 percent share in 44 percent of major grocery markets. (The Federal Trade Commission says that a market share as low as 20 percent is enough for a retailer to “call the shots” when it came to their suppliers.) ■ The growth of WalMart’s share of U.S. grocery sales has been stratospheric: almost quadrupling since 1998 and showing no signs of slowing. ■ WalMart is the world’s

Since 1980, this country has lost 32 percent of its’ sheep producers, 41 percent of the beef producers, 81 percent of the dairy producers, and 91 percent of the swine producers. lar: 45 cents each, with the packer taking ten cents. By 2009, the retailer had gone from 45 cents to 61 cents, an increase of 35 percent, while the pork producer’s share fell to 25 cents, or a loss of 44 percent. It’s almost unbelievable to fathom but the pork producers who bred and fed, their animals for months received just a quarter of the worth of the pig while the retailer was getting 61 percent for owning that pig carcass for just days. Obviously the real winners were the retailers, the producers the clear cut losers. We understand how you make your living, because

Broken Agricultural Economy and Broke Farmers

it’s how we make our living. And tougher times call for smarter, careful thinking. That’s why, since 1916,

Average return on equity before tax (ROE);

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Retail grocery: ROE = 21% (last 6 years)

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Meat packing: ROE = 17% (last 6 years) C A L L 1 - 8 0 0 - 4 5 1 - 5 9 9 7 o r v i s i t W W W. F A R M C R E D I T N M . C O M ALBUQUERQUE

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largest retailer and has 4,000 stores in 14 markets outside the US. The increasing concentration of the meat packing business is a direct result of the increasing concentration of the big retailers and their power to dictate prices to suppliers. To deal with the big boys, you have to be one yourself. While the four-firm concentration of the beef packing business more than doubled, from 36 percent in 1980, to 80 percent by 2007, the top five food retailers were also doubling their concentration from 24 percent in 1997, to 48 percent by 2006. WalMart was the driver of that concentration.

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All Farming & ranching: ROE = negative 0.54% (last 13 years) Make no mistake, the packer does not come off as an innocent bystander in this exercise. In fact, a scary trend was revealed in the pork numbers. As the pork industry was concentrating and consolidating the packer’s share of the pork dollar went up 40 percent, from ten cents to 14 cents. It’s probably a trend that beef producers have to look forward to as our industry continues to concentrate.

Every Day Low Prices Let’s face it, when we talk about retailers we are mostly talking about WalMart. The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union recently completed a study that reveals just how dominant the Arkansas-based retailer has become: ■ WalMart’s 2009 U.S. grocery sales alone were $150 billion, almost twice the sales of its closest competitor, Kroger, and greater than the combined sales of its three closest competitors, Kroger, Safeway, and Supervalu. ■ In 29 U.S. markets, WalMart controls more than half of the grocery market. ■ WalMart controls more

In 1990 the rancher received 59 cents of the beef dollar, the packer and packinghouse worker eight cents, and 33 cents went to the retailer. The UFCW says that WalMart has used its size to enforce unprecedented influence over the meatpacking industry and to drive down prices to the producer. “WalMart’s increasing leverage over its suppliers allows it to intrude further into the food supply chain, dictating terms that increase WalMart’s bottom line at the expense not of only the company’s suppliers, but also of its retail competitors. WalMart’s relentless quest for lower costs has unfairly squeezed income from meatpacking workers, farmers and ranchers, resulting in WalMart receiving a grossly disproportionate share of the retail food dollar at the expense of other stakeholders in the food supply chain.”

Above The Market Barry Lynn, New America Foundation says, “The problem is that WalMart does not particicontinued on page three

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October 15, 2010

Who Done It?

continued from page two

pate in the market so much as use its power to micromanage the market, carefully coordinating the actions of thousands of firms from a position above the market.” In other words, WalMart doesn’t set the market, it is

the other supermarket chains in their drive to remain competitive by cutting costs, pressure the meat companies who in turn force ranchers and farmers to sell their livestock at lower prices. “The processors and the packers

The UFCW says that WalMart has used its size to enforce unprecedented influence over the meatpacking industry and to drive down prices to the producer. the market. According to the UFCW report, “WalMart squeezes suppliers financially by shifting every imaginable cost, risk and penalty onto their books. They virtually dictate the terms of its contract on price, volume, delivery schedule, packaging and quality.” One large WalMart supplier, who wished to remain anonymous, told the UFCW, “Large retailers are ruthless in their attitude to their suppliers, manufacturers and growers, demanding cheaper prices, large discounts and rebates, forcing them to supply at very near cost prices. These suppliers then need to demand higher prices to meet the shortfall in profit. Added to this many [large retailers] demand large cash contributions from their suppliers to buy shelf space for their products.” Bill Heffernan, professor emeritus of the University of Missouri says that WalMart and

still have enough power in the whole system to keep their revenues, so they push it all the way back to the farmer and the worker. The buck stops there,” says Heffernan. Naturally the meatpackers are reluctant to talk about WalMart’s tactics for fear of making them mad. And we have seen what happens when WalMart drops a company as a supplier. Bankruptcy frequently follows. But there have been slips of the tongue. When an angry farmer asked John Tyson why he drove such a hard bargain in trying to pay contract poultry producers less and less, Tyson replied, “WalMart’s the problem. They dictate the price to us, and we have no choice but to pay you less.” Larry Pope, CEO of Smithfield, said that meatpackers have trouble raising the prices they charge retailers even if costs increase because of WalMart’s intense pressure. Tom Johnston

of Meating Place, a meat industry journal, described an increasing consensus in the industry about WalMart’s influence stretching beyond just prices: “WalMart is exerting even more leverage by demanding more information about how suppliers make their products and asking them to implement sustainable practices that don’t financially correlate with low-cost production.” Raoul Baxter, a former Sara Lee and Smithfield executive acknowledged the tough spot the meatpackers find themselves in because of WalMart’s pressure. “Meat is really tough. You have such unbelievable, never-ending capital requirements, product uncertainties . . . and then how much cheaper is it possible to go? Just to have the honor of saying, ‘I’m selling to WalMart but not making any money.’ WalMart is smart; they know they have to allow suppliers to live as long as their competitors are choking. And people wonder why packers have shrunk.”

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double their production in order to feed the nine billion people expected to habitat this planet of ours in 2050. But the looming question is, under what type of business model will this food be brought to market? Under the so called “chickenization” model where contract production is the norm, the chicken and pork industries have already become so concentrated that only four percent of the hogs in this country were sold in an open market in 2009, down from 62 percent in 1994. First they came for the chickens, then the hogs. Cattle appear to be next. If you doubt WalMart’s power to transform an industry like ours, you need only look at other commodities. Consider, for example, the way you used to buy lettuce. WalMart wanted a product that was easier to bar code, keep track of and assure consistent quality, so now lettuce is sold by the bag and just two companies grow and bag 76 percent of all of it. And we’ve seen the same WalMart effect with grapefruit, apples, tomatoes, oranges, fresh grapes, and tomatoes. WalMart keeps extending its grip further back into the supply chain and the UFCW asks the all important question, “could this also be the future for America’s meat-producing farmers and ranchers.” What we’ve seen in the produce industry is that the processors and shippers thought they had to get as big as WalMart in order to be able to deal successfully with them. It’s the same in

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the dairy industry. The Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), a cooperative created from four smaller coops, was created primarily just to give it more clout in dealing with WalMart and the other big retailers. This need to control more product to deal with WalMart is one of the primary factors driving the consolidation trend. And there is seemingly no end in sight. “Consolidation at the supplier level is promoted because even very large suppliers are not able to bargain as equals with WalMart so the strongest try to bulk up to create countervailing power while the weaker see a bleak future and conclude they must exit the market for the maximum current value by selling out before it is too late,” concluded the UFCW report.

The Race To The Bottom What’s really scary is that the chicken model is being replaced with a newer WalMart model so that even if you would be content becoming a contract grower even that will not be enough. That’s because in their search for the bottom, their quest to find the absolute lowest prices, WalMart is roaming the globe. The effect, is that for every head of cattle we exported over the past three years, we imported more than two. It doesn’t matter whether you’re talking heads of lettuce or cattle, WalMart wants to make the rules, and if you change them they’ll take their game elsewhere. That is why the UFCW is

pushing hard for The Obama Administration to include WalMart and other retailer’s tight choke hold on our food production and distribution systems in any discussions about the meat business. “We fear that antitrust initiatives pursued against meatpackers and other food processors,” says the UFCW, “will fail if the Obama administration doesn’t broaden its antitrust inquiry into meat, dairy and seed businesses to include the retailer. “If WalMart’s actions are not addressed,” says the UFCW, “if the downward pressure they put on workers, businesses, growers and farmers is not vigorously challenged, we will continue to see a destructive race to the bottom that will destroy rural communities and wipe out good jobs that are the backbone of our nation.”

PCRM TV Ad continued from page one

ful choices,” according to an analysis by PCRM dietitians. “Even many McDonald’s items that consumers may believe are healthful — salads, for example — are generally high in calories, fat, and sodium,” the group says on its website. In response, McDonald’s posted a statement on its website: “This commercial is outrageous, misleading and unfair to all consumers. McDonald’s trusts our customers to put such outlandish propaganda in perspective, and to make food and lifestyle choices that are right for them.”

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A Cheap Food Policy: Good Or Bad? by STU ELLIS, The Farm Gate (University of Illinois)

pponents of modern agriculture, who express concerns about the sustainability of improved seeds and fertilizers, call for food that is organic, local, and slow. That is the type of food found in rural Africa, where impoverished farmers do not have the capacity to buy crop inputs, attend school, create infrastructure, and fund research. And with that beginning, a noted economist answers the rhetorical question, “Is there a high cost of cheap food policies?” Luther Tweeten is the Emeritus Chair of the Ohio State University Department of Agriculturand Environmental, al, Development Economics, and does not mince any words in response to those who criticize US agriculture and today’s food production practices. Tweeten labels his adversaries as the AAA or the alternative agriculture advocates, who are “pessimistic regarding the nation’s food supply and environment.” While they are raising the question about “the high cost of cheap food,” Tweeten’s essay addresses the impact of today’s agriculture on society’s health and well being, and asks the AAA for an attractive alternative. The OSU economist begins with a response to the criticism about agricultural subsidies, which the critics say are responsi-

ble for unhealthy foods. One of those is Michael Pollan, whose attacks on “a plague of cheap corn” target former Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz, and, according to Pollan, “induced a plague of factory mega farms, fast

grams.” He notes that while ethanol utilizes 30 percent of the corn crop, it only uses four percent of total farm output, which he says is enough diversion of output to offset the three percent added by commodity programs. And he adds that shows government policy had a minor impact on food prices and incentives for overeating. Tweeten says there has been so much negative publicity about food production, it appeared in a recent study, funded by the corn, soybean, pork,

. . . since farmers only receive 25 percent of a consumer food dollar, commodity programs only affected food prices by one percent and cheap food, and obese consumers.” Tweeten says commodity programs account for only two percent of consumer expenditures on food and are not large enough to have much influence on consumer purchases. He estimates that farm policy increased output by three percent from 1998 to 2000, and decreased farm prices by six percent. He is quick to add that since farmers only receive 25 percent of a consumer food dollar, commodity programs only affected food prices by one percent and not enough to have an impact on either consumption or obesity. When biofuels enter the discussion picture with agriculture policy opponents, Tweeten says the blenders’ credit that benefits ethanol totals $6 billion, “but biofuels use was sufficient to entirely offset the three percent increase in output due to commodity pro-

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and beef associations and Farm Bureau in Illinois, that indicated consumers question modern farming methods and have a diminished perspective of the image of farmers. The Ohio State economist says the US and other nations have pursued a low price food policy, helped by increased public investments in agricultural research to go along with private investments. He says that policy has had a positive payoff since private investment in farm inputs has increased only slightly in the past 60 years; the volume of outputs has increased three-fold. And he says farm-level food prices have declined about three percent per year since 1948, and that has resulted in an annual one percent reduction in consumer food continued on page six

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Cheap Food Policy prices. With food price elasticity, the economist says consumers are not consuming more food as the price falls, but are benefitting from the lower costs. He says that savings represents $615 per person due to the $188 billion saved on farm input expenses since 1948, and he adds that the “cheap food policy” has raised consumer living standards.

continued from page five

So are farmers to blame for overeating? No, says Tweeten, because that is a result of societal changes. He says low cost foods have been made tastier with the help of salt, fats, and sugars, which are cheap ingredients in our society, and with more women in the workforce, their food preparation at home has to be quick and easy, and that hap-

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October 15, 2010 pens with the heavier reliance on processed and prepared foods. So he says that public programs have not had a decisive impact on America’s chronic overeating pro-

markets, such numbers indicate that organic foods require more than twice as much resources as conventional foods per unit, a massive loss of resource produc-

. . . the organic market may continue to grow, but remain small because of their higher expense, and the fact that it takes twice as many acres to produce an organic crop compared to the same volume from a conventional crop. gram. Additionally, he says the Centers for Disease Control have not pointed to higher food prices as a means of reducing chronic overeating. With that collection of arguments, Tweeten inquires about the viability of the low cost food alternatives of the AAA or his alternative agriculture advocates, which he says is a food system of “small, organic, local farms producing organic crops and livestock, grass fed cattle, and freerange hogs and chickens delivered to nearby farmers’ markets serving local vegetarian and vegan consumers.” He says that kind of food is very expensive, and since people consume more animal products as income rises, it would be a poor example for developing countries. Tweeten believes the organic market may continue to grow, but remain small because of their higher expense, and the fact that it takes twice as many acres to produce an organic crop compared to the same volume from a conventional crop. Citing an article friendly to organic farming, Tweeten says it, “published the annual cost of a representative organic ($1,732) and a conventional market basket ($825) of a typical food consumer. Assuming no glitches in

Riding Herd get tangled in a belt or fan and could snap your neck.” He jumped back as if a firecracker went off in his shorts. “What do you do?” he said in a way that implied I was inferior because I had calluses instead of a cum laude. “Mostly I make my living as a writer,” I replied. “You must have had a very good liberal arts education then.” “Nope. I was a vocational agriculture student. What do you do?” “After graduating from Yale,” he made a point of telling me, “I taught art appreciation at the local university. Needless to say, vocational students didn’t enroll in my classes. I often wonder how people like you can fully appreciate art, literature and music if you have not been “enlightened” on these subjects.” “Oh, we muddle along in the dark the best we can, I suppose.” “I can’t understand why students would waste their education on learning how to feed a cow or turn a wrench. These skills can be learned on the most menial of jobs.” “You should take better care of your car,” I said, growing more irritable.

tivity compared to conventional foods.” And he says food policy critic Michael Pollan justifies $8 per dozen organic eggs by saying you only eat two at a time and that would be only $1.50. Another AAA viewpoint is to promote local food production and save energy by not importing it from a distant point. But Tweeten says the cost per pound of food transportation is much higher in a family car compared to a transport truck. Calling them “locavores,” Tweeten says farmers markets are promoted for freshness and tastes of local foods. With wealthy urbanites frequenting such local markets, he says that does not cure the problem for those with food insecurity, who cannot afford to pay such premium prices.

Summary: The current US food policy has benefited both producers and consumers by providing abundant foods of a vast diversity, and at the same time keeping farmers profitable by helping reduce production costs. While critics of the US agriculture policy want to see more localized food production and sales, such foods are higher in costs, and do not serve those needing food assistance. CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE

“Oh, I’ll have a mechanic take care of all that. Can you see what’s wrong?” “Well, I’m just a vocational student but I’d say that frayed wire that is arcing to that piece of metal and throwing off sparks might be a clue.” (Mr. Smarty Pants reminded me of the old saying about a fellow who was so smart he could name a cow in nine different languages, but so stupid that he bought a cow to ride on.) “Can you fix it?” the Ivy Leaguer begged the vocational student. “I already did but you’d better get your old wiring harness replaced.” “Yes, yes. How much do I owe you?” the condescending Yale man asked. I should have just disconnected a spark plug wire or two, so that down the road the Yale grad might come to more fully appreciate the complexities of the “infernal” combustion engine and the many benefits of a vocational education. Instead I merely “enlightened” him of twenty bucks. I considered it his downpayment on a tuition in hopes that one day he, too, might become truly educated.

October 15, 2010

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

Trace Mineral Supplements Enhance Calf Health and Cow Reproductive Performance by HEATHER SMITH THOMAS

eproductive performance in cattle, skeletal development in young animals, optimum health, and strong immunity all depend on adequate nutrition — which includes important trace minerals. Some soils and plants, however, are short on various minerals, leaving feeds deficient. Ever since the 1950’s, for instance, cow-calf producers have been

quate amounts of zinc. Manganese, another important trace mineral, is important for proper bone and cartilage formation — which directly affects bone growth in young animals. It is also crucial for optimum fertility in cows. Signs of deficiency in calves include skeletal deformities, swollen joints and stiffness. During the past two decades,

calving. “After launching our new product, I had a lot of questions from veterinarians and producers, asking how it actually works. For instance, after injection how quickly is it absorbed, how quickly does it go into the liver, how quickly do we see the differ-

Page 7

ent enzymes (that rely on these minerals) start showing response. So I contacted researchers at Iowa State University to do some studies,” says Havenga. “I met with Stephanie Hansen, PhD, who has done a lot of trace mineral research and she agreed to do the research on these questions. So we sponsored this research at Iowa State and she provided us with an elaborate and detailed trial report, and presented her research findings at the Animal Science meeting in Denver Colcontinued on page eight

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During the past two decades, USDA studies of blood levels for trace minerals in cattle herds around the country found numerous animals deficient in these four important minerals. aware of problems caused by selenium deficiencies (white muscle disease in young calves, retained placenta and infertility in cows, abortions, premature or weak newborn calves). In most geographic areas of the U.S., soils are deficient in selenium. Later, researchers found that copper deficiencies were also widespread, resulting in poor hair pigmentation, fragile bones, impaired reproductive performance, poor growth rates and reduced immunity. Copper supplementation has improved conception rates and immune responses to vaccinations. The most recent forage and cattle studies have indicated that zinc may be the most widely deficient trace mineral. Zinc is important in many body systems including production of certain enzymes (particularly for synthe-

The most recent forage and cattle studies have indicated that zinc may be the most widely deficient trace mineral.

sis of DNA, and proteins), carbohydrate metabolism, hoof structure and soundness, and male fertility (deficient animals have smaller testicles and reduced semen quality). Zincdeficient calves may have swollen feet, scaly skin with open lesions, wounds that take longer to heal, loss of hair, excessive salivation, reduced appetite, reduced feed efficiency and growth rates, and impaired immune systems. Moderate deficiencies are not so readily recognized, but take an economic toll through decreased growth rate and impaired immunity and fertility. Calves born to zinc-deficient dams have lower levels of immunity even when fed ade-

USDA studies of blood levels for trace minerals in cattle herds around the country found numerous animals deficient in these four important minerals. Many livestock producers use supplemental minerals to augment cattle diets. These are often supplied in salt/mineral mixes, provided free choice. Consumption is varied however, with some animals consuming too much while others eat inadequate amounts or none at all. Also, other aspects of diet (including certain minerals that may negatively interact with the supplement during digestion) may hinder absorption by the body. Because of this variability, some stockmen resort to individually dosing their animals by drench, bolus or injection — to make sure the cattle directly receive the necessary minerals. In recent years, the value of injected trace minerals has been recognized as a reliable way to ensure that cattle receive them. Dr. Lourens Havenga, Chief Executive Officer of Multimin USA, Inc. (an injectable trace mineral product), says the USDA ran three surveys during the 1990’s — on selenium, copper and zinc blood levels in cattle. “When they did their most recent survey they found there was actually a higher number of individual animals and herds deficient in zinc than either copper or selenium,” says Havenga. “When we created our injectable mineral product for the US, we based it on the 2001 NRC requirements and actual absorption of minerals, recognizing proper ratios of copper, zinc, manganese and selenium.” Havenga points to several university studies that have shown the benefits of injected trace mineral products — looking at how rapidly the minerals are absorbed and how long they are stored in the liver. Other studies have evaluated the effects on calf health and reproductive performance when injecting cows before and after

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Mineral Supplements orado in mid-July 2010.” Dr. Hansen found that the injected product is absorbed rapidly. “Once you’ve injected the animal, mineral levels in the bloodstream increase and reach a peak within eight to 10 hours. Most of the mineral that the animal doesn’t utilize is stored in the liver, while some is excreted by the kidneys. The high blood level is maintained for about 24 hours and then drops. Then the

continued from page seven

body stores the excess in the liver, or gets rid of it in the urine or feces,” says Havenga. “We only ran this study for 15 days, and found that the storage levels were high for the full 15 days. We later had other studies done at Texas A&M that showed the product actually lasts (stored in the liver) for about two to three months, depending on mineral status prior to injection,” he says.

“The third part of the research project at Iowa State looked at enzyme responses. It starts immediately, but by 14 days after injection significant changes were confirmed. This is why we recommend that producers use this product a little bit in advance of stresses, calving or breeding, especially for enhancing reproductive performance. It’s best if you can inject cows about a month before they’d be breeding, or about a month before calving (at a minimum) for optimum benefit. You can

October 15, 2010 use it earlier than that, such as at preg checking, but shouldn’t use it much closer to these events because cattle might not get full benefit,” he explains. A Texas A&M study in beef cattle came up with additional data regarding differences in cattle performance when injected with trace minerals. An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of providing pre-calving and pre-breeding injections of Multimin and vitamin E on reproductive performance of beef cows and on health

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and survival of their calves. In this study, 67 crossbred cows were randomly assigned to control or Multimin/vitamin E treatments. Treated cows were given injections 30 days prior to the start of calving and again 21 days prior to start of breeding. The trace mineral injections effectively improved copper levels (liver) and selenium (blood levels), compared to the non-treated cows. The treated cows had significantly higher liver concentrations of copper than the controls, remaining higher for 161 days after the last injection. Previous research had shown that cattle have improved performance and/or immune function with trace mineral supplementation when they are marginal to deficient in copper, zinc and selenium, but differences may not be seen when cattle have adequate levels to begin with. In the Texas study, more cows became pregnant in the treated group; cows in the control group were 2.4 times more likely to be open.

The trace mineral injections effectively improved copper levels (liver) and selenium (blood levels), “Researchers injected the product before the cows calved, and again before they bred the cows. This showed that if you use the product strategically, these two injections can keep liver levels elevated in the cow for almost a full year (one production cycle). We stopped that trial at 256 days just before the cows started calving again the next season,” says Havenga. “The producer benefit in the Texas A&M study was that we increased calving percentage, and those cows also calved earlier. The Multimin-treated cows bred back quicker and calved six days earlier, on average, than the untreated cows. This gives us a better understanding about how this product works,” he says. Making sure cows have adequate levels of trace minerals during pregnancy also ensures normal bone formation and immune system development in the growing fetus, and also enables the fetus to have adequate stores of these important minerals in its liver. Deficiencies in the calf cannot be made up through supplementing the dam after calving, since these minerals do not transfer very well through the milk. Some stockmen cover their bases by giving young calves injections during the first days or weeks of life, or at branding time. Ideally, you need to make sure the calf has peak levels (and is not deficient) at the time of vaccinations, in order to be able to mount strong immunities. Unless a calf has adequate trace mineral status, vaccination may not be able to protect him against disease.

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

October 15, 2010

Getting paid to go away . . . while the taxpayer and consumer get to pay . . . again by KAREN BUDD-FALEN, Cheyenne, Wyoming

t is no surprise that there is a big difference between legal requirements, radical opinion, political power, private extortion . . . and then there is the rest of the story. With regard to the payment of attorneys’ fees to radical environmental groups, radical opinion and political power seem to often win and legal requirements are ignored. In fact, political power supporting radical opinions forced payment of at least $4,697,978 in taxpayer dollars to 14 environmental groups in 19 states and the District of Columbia. Political power payments for radical opinions happens 21 percent of the time when attorneys’ fees are paid. And then there are the cases where these same radical environmental groups are extorting millions from major corporations and local governments as payment to

and other fee shifting statutes whose funds come out of the Judgment Fund, attorneys’ fees are only supposed to be paid if the attorney achieved some success in the litigation for the plaintiff. Thus, the plaintiffs had to achieve some benefit from the litigation through the courts. Radical Opinion: All too often however, radical environmental groups, WWP for example, sue the federal government because they claim the government failed to consider the cumulative impacts of all livestock grazing everywhere in the western United States on a species that is not even listed as a threatened or endangered species. NEPA is the procedural statute that requires impacts of federally permitted decisions be considered — the Act does not require a particular outcome,

radical environmental groups are directly extorting money from businesses as well while more costs are passed on to the American consumer. Recently WWP and ONDA announced that it has extorted $22 million from El Paso Corporation in exchange for dropping their protests to the federal government’s permits allowing El Paso to build the 680 mile

drop appeals and protests. For example, recently Western Watersheds Project (“WWP”) and Oregon Natural Desert Association (“ONDA”) extorted $22 million from El Paso Corporation to drop their protests of the Ruby Pipeline project. In another case, the Center for Biological Diversity (“CBD”) extorted almost $1 million from Alameda County, California to drop its protests to a City’s approval of a residential and commercial development project. The general theme is that money changes hands, development moves forward and the taxpayers and consumers get stuck with the bill.

In 21 percent of the cases — more than $4.6 million dollars worth — there is no court decision and no determination that the WWP was “prevailing”. The story goes like this: Attorney Fees Legal Requirements: ■ Under the Equal Access to Justice Act (“EAJA”), attorneys are only supposed to be paid if they represent the prevailing parties in a lawsuit against the federal government. According to EAJA, a prevailing party must achieve a court-sanctioned change in the position of the federal agency through litigation. ■ Under the Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act

Political Power: The federal government, however, gets a copy of the WWP suit and instead of defending its NEPA documentation and decision and protecting the ranchers’ rights to continue grazing, the government pays WWP our tax dollars just to make the litigation go away. In 21 percent of the cases — more than $4.6 million dollars worth — there is no court decision and no determination that the WWP was “prevailing,” just a request to please withdraw the litigation and more taxpayer money is paid to radical groups who use their political power to assert minority radical opinions. Private Extortion: Getting paid to go away is not just about taking American tax dollars for attorneys’ fees; now

long natural gas Ruby Pipeline. As part of the deal, El Paso did not change the route or any other aspect of the pipeline, it just paid ONDA and WWP to go away. In the California case, CBD extorted almost $1 million from Alameda County for “habitat acquisition” in exchange for dropping its protest to the development of a residential area. This is just more American taxpayer money going to radical environmental groups.

And the rest of the story. . . And the rest of the story is that American taxpayers across the country are paying more money to a minority of radical

causes. Even harder to take is that the ranchers whose cattle grazing were drawn into the

It is our dollars that are paying for the destruction. WWP litigation because they happened to graze where WWP wanted them eliminated (everywhere) have to now go back to the government to assist with preparing more paperwork, the government has to spend more continued on page ten

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This is not about the environment . . . it is about eliminating land use and ownership just that the government consider all the impacts of its decision. Quite frankly, I do not believe that the WWP or other radical groups care at all about the NEPA process or wildlife because these groups do not spend any of their money on projects that benefit the land or the animals on it. Rather, the goals of WWP and others are to eliminate livestock grazing under all circumstances in all locations. They even claim that cattle contribute to global warming by “belching carbon,” like the internal gas emissions of livestock are any different from the internal emissions of cats, dogs or other wildlife. This is not about the environment . . . it is about eliminating land use and ownership starting with ranchers and moving to other groups once the ranchers are gone.

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time writing documents, and there is more pressure to just walk away from another American small business. And the big corporations and counties who are paying extortion dollars are just passing their losses along to the American consumers. It is our dollars that are paying for the destruction. This is not a phenomenon that just happens to western ranchers, but “getting paid to go away” occurs when roads are widened, bridges are built, water supplies are updated, timber is cut, fishermen are out in their boats,

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pipelines are built and in all other businesses across this country. With regard to the attorneys’ fees payments, in more than 21 percent of its cases, the federal government does not even defend its decisions; it spent more than $4.6 million to make cases filed by radical environmental groups go away. There is no way to measure the additional money that is being directly extorted from businesses and governments so that radical groups will withdraw appeals and protests. That is a sad story with a very bad ending.

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Saint Temple he Vatican has proclaimed Sister Theresa a saint. It was one of those wonderful recognitions that allow Christians in particular, and humanitarians in general, to put aside our differences and appreciate humans who have made the world a better place. As time passes and the erosion of years smooth our memories we can look back at others in a historical sense. Those who rose above the often contentious or apathetic daily grind to make us a better class of men like Martin Luther King, for one, Helen Keller, Cpl. Pat Tillman, Billy Graham, Winston Churchill and Ghandi. Their lasting impact, personal integrity, and inspiration have lifted us all to a higher plane. A familiar figure has risen from our own small world of animal husbandry, who, to me, may be our own “saint”; Temple Grandin. Autistic, curious, insightful and innocent of guile, she has carved a trail to the top of the science of animal behavior, particularly livestock. Earlier this year an HBO movie of her life story received seven Emmy awards. She is being feted as a celebrity worldwide, but she is one of us. She represents all of us who spend our lives in animal agriculture. Because of her honest, uncomplicated, logical explanations and lack of bias, she leaves the animal rights loonies at a loss on how to attack or ridicule her. She is also one of the most visible forces that is changing how we in the cattle business treat and handle our critters. We ARE changing. Many programs have come into use over the last ten to twenty years that are designed to increase the value of the beef we sell. Programs that reduce stress,

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bruising, sickness, and mortality, many offered with third party verification for marketing advantage. Today it is not uncommon to invite professionals, be they Temple Grandin, county agents, drug company reps or experienced cowboys to elaborate on or demonstrate techniques and advantages available to make us better stockmen. They include pre-conditioning, proper vaccination, better designed handling equipment, traceability for disease containment, and kindergentler methods like less chousing, less yelling, paddles not hot-shots, quieter facilities and stockmen, and patience. Temple Grandin is our ‘saint’, maybe our ‘poster girl’, that stands in the public eye assuring consumers that we know what we are doing and we are trying to do it better. On a personal note, I wish there was some way she could draw us cattlemen together. I think that within the cattle business today there is more bickering, distrust and lack of meaningful discourse than I have ever seen. Temple Grandin stands head and shoulders above us in the public eye. She gives us all a big dose of pride. Her personal story, what she means to us in so many ways, her ability to overcome huge odds and turn her affliction into a discovery that us “neuro-normal” people overlook. We need to pause, rethink our differences, and appreciate what we could become if we could look through her eyes. “Saint Temple” . . . maybe her statue could ride on the dashboard of every truck with fencing pliers in the glove box and cow manure on the tires. www.baxterblack.com

“America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

October 15, 2010

Court Favors Wolves, Endangers Elk, Moose and Humans by WILLIAM F. JASPER

nited States District Judge Donald Molloy’s August 5 decision to restore full endangered species protection to the Canadian gray wolf in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming virtually guarantees that more people will fall victim to the proliferating and increasingly brazen predators. In addition, elk populations as well as populations of other wild ungulates (moose, deer, goats, sheep, bison) may be driven to near extinction levels in many parts of the Rocky Mountain Northwest due to wolf predation. Ranchers also have experienced a sharp increase in wolf killings of cattle and sheep, enough so that some cattlemen and sheepmen have been driven into bankruptcy. In March, Candice Berner, a 32-year-old schoolteacher, was killed by wolves near Chignik Lake, Alaska. In mid-August, members of Berner’s family from Pennsylvania gathered on Three Star, a mountain near Perryville, Alaska for a memorial service for Candice. An AP story of the memorial gives the following brief account of the young teacher’s last day alive: Ms. Berner, a petite, accomplished athlete, who studied education at Slippery Rock University, was a special education teacher. She had just finished her day teaching at Chignik Lake, another of the small communities dotting the Alaska Peninsula, back on March 8 when she decided to go running on the road to the village airstrip. Unbeknownst to Candice Berner, a pair of wolves was stalking that same road and, as the AP story recounts, “Ms. Berner, alone, unarmed, with headphones blocking all cues, became their instant prey. Area residents on a snowmachine who came down the road shortly thereafter saw blood on the road and found her body.” Wolf attacks on humans have been relatively rare over the past century in comparison, for example, to bear attacks. However, claims by environmental activists and their sympathizers in the major media that wolves never attack humans (and historically never, or very rarely, ever attacked humans) have been proven false by Candice Berner’s fate. And the Berner case is not unique, as the following stories show: Ontario man killed in wolf attack, coroner’s jury finds; Six injured in rare wolf attack; Wolf Attacks on Humans (an historical survey); The Danger of Wolves to Humans. Only days before Candice Berner’s memorial, Judge Donald Molloy of the United States District Court in Missoula,

Montana, ruled in favor of a coalition of extreme environmentalist and animal rights groups that had challenged a wolf control program approved by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the states of Idaho and Montana. That program allowed hunters to take 220 wolves in Idaho and 75 in Montana. Those numbers were established by the state and federal wildlife officials as a modest attempt to trim the burgeoning wolf populations that are devastating wild elk herds, as well as other wild ungulates.

The decline in the Greater Yellowstone’s elk population since the reintroduction of wolves in 1995 has been greater than was originally predicted. According to the Idaho Department of Fish & Game (IDFG) only 188 wolves were taken by hunters against the statewide harvest limit of 220 wolves in 2009. In Montana, 72 wolves were taken by hunters in 2009, out of the total permitted quota of 75. The wolf hunt, predictably, set the enviro/animal rights litigants howling, notwithstanding the fact that the wolf population in Idaho alone is at least 1,000, which is ten times the total agreed upon by the same litigants and federal and state officials in 1994 of 10 breeding pairs and 100 wolves in each of the three states. In an August 16, 2010 statement, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission noted: In 1995 and 1996, 66 wolves were captured in southwestern Canada, with 35 released in central Idaho and 31 released in Yellowstone National Park. By 2000, the northern Rocky Mountain wolf population had expanded to include more than 30 breeding pairs and 300 wolves.

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The Commission went on to report: In 1995 and 1996, 66 wolves were captured in southwestern Canada, with 35 released in central Idaho and 31 released in Yellowstone National Park. By 2000, the northern Rocky Mountain wolf population had expanded to include more than 30 breeding pairs and 300 wolves. The Commission further noted that in 2008 it had adopted a Wolf Population Management Plan “intending to manage wolf populations at the 2005 level (518 wolves), being in excess of five times the 10 breeding pairs and 100 wolves required for Idaho under the federal recovery goals.”

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El Paso, Santa Teresa, Presidio, Columbus, Del Rio P.O. Box 9705, El Paso, TX 79995 • 3922 Delta Dr. 915/542-1742 • FAX: 915/542-0701 • EMAIL: paraujo@abacochb.com OFFICES IN:

MAILING ADDRESS:

Deceit, Fraud, and Federal Felons However, even after exceeding by five times the originally agreed-upon goal, federal and state officials, together with the powerful environmental lobby, pressed on for more. Officials now give a minimum estimate of 1,700 wolves in the three-state recovery area. But as we have previously reported, (NatGeo’s “Wolf Wars” Flacks for Radical Greens and Wolves Will Thrive Despite Recent Hunts) many experts believe those statistics are suspect, and reputable wildlife biologists estimate the real wolf totals are much higher, perhaps as high as 3,000 — or more. Even so, Defenders of Wildlife and their colleagues have upped the ante and are now saying that a wolf population of 5,000, or even 6,000 is now needed in the three-state area that they initially said would continued on page twelve

P.O. Box 99 Quemado, NM 87829

ANGUS

PLUS Enough Ear, But Not Too Much.

40-45 Bred Heif e for Fall Deliveryrs

Bred to low birth weight AngusPlus Bulls. Will weigh approx. 10 50 lbs. To begin calving 3/1/2011. Will sell in small bunches.

HIGH-DURABILITY TUB GRINDERS “Often Imitated” INNOVATION BEGINS WITH JONES MFG. We Were the First Hydraulic Tub . . . Since 1929

402/528-3861

www.mightygiant.com 1486 12th Rd. • P.O. Box 38 Beemer, NE 68716-0038

60-80 Heifer Ca lves for December deliver y. Weaned with all shots. Will weigh approx. 600 lbs.

Angus Plus & Brangus Cat tle Rick & Maggie Hubbell 575/773-4770 Mark Hubbell 575/773-4567 Email us at: hubbell@wildbue.net

Livestock Market Digest

Page 12

— Home of — MASTER OF LEGANDS

Evans

Beefmasters

Warrior 111 X Lady of Legands

REAL DEAL Painted Tiger X Elegance (Warrier 111 X Southern Princess)

MR. THP Infinity X Dee Dee (Ranger’s Pride X Tiger Lilly)

Quality Beefmasters Affordably Priced

PHENOM Phantom X Dee (Ranger’s Pride X Tiger Lilly)

Brazos Valley

Beefmasters Ms. Jolene Broach • 979/589-2068 3973 Fme 2776, Bryan, TX 77809 Ranch Manager: Herman Lange 979/268-1290

Legends of the Breed Legacy Award BEEFMASTERS SINCE 1953 GAYLE EVANS 435/ 878-2355 MARK EVANS 435/ 878-2655 P.O. Box 177 Enterprise, UT 84725

October 15, 2010

Court Favors only be allowed to reach a total 300 wolves. Critics of the ever-escalating wolf population proposals charge that government officials and green activists are colluding in a deceptive campaign of “keepmoving-the-goal-line” politics. But it is even more serious than that say others, including Jim Beers, a former USFWS wildlife biologist with more than three decades of experience in federal and state agencies. Among the many charges Mr. Beers levels against federal employees in his May, 2010 study, “Criminal Activities by Federal Bureaucrats and Others Involved in the Introduction, Protection and Spread of Wolves in the Lower 48 States,” are these: ■ Theft (misappropriation, diversion) and misuse by

continued from page eleven

USFWS Administrators of at least $60 Million; ■ Introducing wolves from Canada into Yellowstone National Park after the U.S. Congress had refused to Appropriate funds for or to Authorize such action; ■ Failure to file Wildlife Importation Forms (Form 3177) upon importing wolves from Canada into the United States for release soon thereafter in Yellowstone National Park; ■ Using tax money to bribe a witness aware of government theft of funds to keep quiet.

Survival of Elk, Other Big Game Ungulates at Stake The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) is calling for immediate congressional review and reform of the Endan-

SALERS WADE

Jacobsen

g•u•i•d•e

& FAMILY SUN RIVER, MT

SALERS

Annual Production Sale in December. Private Treaty • Semen See my ad in the 2010 Fall Marketing Edition with Production Sale Information

To list your herd here, contact Debbie Cisneros: 505/974-6834, 505/243-9515, x30 or debbie@aaalivestock.com

All Breeds

BRANGUS

LIMOUSIN

DEES BROTHERS BRANGUS Yuma, Arizona

Running Creek Ranch

High-Quality Brangus Breeding Stock Available ALEX DEES • 760/572-5261 • Cell. 928/920-3800 www.deesbrothersbrangus.com

WE SELL OVER 250 HEAD ANNUALLY.

PerformanceTested Bulls •

509/488-2158

Dennis Boehlke 208/467-2747 Cell. 208/989-1612

A few Choice Bulls Available at Private Treaty. NAMPA, IDAHO BEEFMASTER

LASATER

“THE PEDIGREE IS IN THE NAME”

BEEFMASTERS

Foundation Herd of the Beefmaster Breed

The Lasater Ranch, Matheson, CO 80830 719/541-BULL (2855) • (F) 719/541-2888 lasater@rmi.net • www.lasaterranch.com

JOEY FREUND 303/841-7901

Dan Wendt

PAT KELLEY 303/840-1848

E LI Z ABE TH , COLOR ADO 80107

R.L. Robbs 520/384-3654

Seven Mile

4995 Arzberger Rd. Willcox, Arizona 85643

LIMOUSIN

angus

Bell Key Angus

SANTA GERTRUDIS

HEREFORD

• RED, BLACK POLLED LIMOUSIN • LIM-FLEX • LIMOUSIN PRIVATE TREATY ERIC HERR 208/365-8583 ericph1@frontiernet.net KEVIN NESBITT 208/365-8069 SWEET, IDAHO 83670

39TH Annual Sale

Oct. 25, 2010

ART

FAMILY

“SINCE 1938” Selling Range Bulls in Volume (Top Replacement Heifers)

CLAY SCHUSTER 509/773-5089 Home 541/980-7464 Cell

GOLDENDALE, WA 99620

Call: 979/245-5100 • Fax 979/244-4383 5473 FM 457, Bay City, Texas 77414 dwendt@1skyconnect.net

Santa Gertrudis Breeders International Red & Tender By Design

4438 FM 3212 Dalhart, TX 79022 Telephone: 806/384-2110 Cell: 806/333-5910

SCHUSTER

HERD ESTABLISHED 1953

RED ANGUS

JOHNNY SUMMEROUR

Washington’s Oldest Source of Herefords

Santa Gertrudis Cattle Polled and Horned

Jeff Schmidt

JOE FREUND 303/840-1850 (H) 303/341-9311

To list your herd here, contact Debbie Cisneros: 505/974-6834, 505/243-9515, x30 or debbie@aaalivestock.com

SPRING AND FALL

2-year-old Bulls Proven Genetics, Range Ready

406/264-5889 or 406/799-5889 wadej@3riversdbs.net

P.O. Box 1257 Kingsville, Texas 78364 361/592-9357 361/592-8572 fax

www.santagertrudis.ws Shorthorn A SOURCE FOR PROVEN SUPERIOR RED ANGUS GENETICS 14298 N. Atkins Rd., Lodi, CA 95240

209/727-3335

AMERICAN SHORTHORN ASSOCIATION 877/274-0686 8288 HASKELL ST., OMAHA, NE 68124 W W W. SHORTHORN. ORG I NFO@ SHORTHORN. ORG

gered Species Act following Judge Molloy’s decision to reinstate full federal protection for gray wolves. The ruling means, says the Foundation, that state wildlife agencies no longer have authority to manage skyrocketing wolf populations — even in areas where wolf predation is driving cow elk, moose and elk calf survival rates below thresholds needed to sustain herds for the future. RMEF says Judge Molloy “has opened a door for perhaps the greatest wildlife management disaster in America since the wanton destruction of bison herds over a century ago.” “When federal statutes and judges actually endorse the annihilation of big game herds, livestock, rural and sporting lifestyles — and possibly even compromise human safety — then clearly the Endangered Species Act as currently written has major flaws,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO. The decline in the Greater Yellowstone’s elk population since the reintroduction of wolves in 1995 has been greater than was originally predicted. In the three winters prior to the reintroduction of wolves, elk on Yellowstone’s northern range numbered roughly between 17,000 and 19,000. In the three winters prior to 2008, annual elk counts had declined to between 6,738 and 6,279. Other areas have been similarly devastated by wolf predation. Perhaps the worst-hit areas have been the Lolo Wildlife Management Zones 10 and 12 in the Clearwater River watershed in Idaho. Citing herd data from the Idaho Department of Fish & Game, SaveElk.com has noted that in Zone 10 the number of cow elk has declined from 7,692 in 1989 to 824 in 2010, or 89 percent. In Zone 12 the number of cows has declined from 3,059 in 1986 to 534 in 2010, or 83 percent. Equally calamitous, in Zone 10 the number of elk calves has declined from 2,298 in 1989 to 144 in 2010, or 94 percent. In Zone 12 the number of calves has declined from 856 in 1985 to 38 in 2010, or 96 percent. “Clearly, the elk populations have crashed in these zones,” says SaveElk.com, and, clearly, “the reason for the elk population crash is not hunting.” SaveElk.com points out that all the elk taken by hunters in Zones 10 and 12 are bulls, and “that does not affect population dynamics as explained above. Furthermore, Lolo zone elk harvest [by hunters] has also declined precipitously, from over 1,500 in 1989 to less than 150 in 2008 in Zone 10 and from nearly 600 in 1992 to less than 100 in 2008 in Zone 12.” “The principal reason for the crashing elk populations,” says SaveElk.com “is undoubtedly the introduction of wolves in 1995, and the subsequent explosion of the wolf population.” http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/ usnews/politics/4545-court-decision-favorswolves-endangers-elk-moose-and-humans

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Favorite Livestock Newspaperâ&#x20AC;?

October 15, 2010

Digest

Page 13

THE LIVESTOCK MARKET DIGEST

Classifieds Real Estate GUIDE Auction Schools

To place your ad here, contact DEBBIE CISNEROS at 505/974-6834, 505/243-9515 ext. 30, or by email at m debbie@aaalivestock.co

Artists n New Mexico, Sueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s poetry and art products are available in Pleasanton at the Running Horse Gallery on Highway 180. They are open 10 to 5 on Fri-Sat-Sun. You can preview some of Sueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s poetry at CowboyPoetry.com or contact her via email or telephone. She will have a website soon with additional paintings offering a choice of framed/unframed prints, note cards, framed/unframed poetry prints, mouse pads, coffee cups with picture/verse, and, of course, CDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and books.

SUE JONES COWBOY COMPANY CREATIONS P.O. Box 593, Camp Verde, AZ 86322 928/567-3785 cowboycompany@gilanet.com

COME TRAIN WITH THE CHAMPIONS. Join the financially rewarding world of auctioneering. World Wide College of Auctioneering. Free catalog. 1-800/423-5242, www.worldwidecollegeofauctioneering.com. BE AN AUCTIONEER â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Missouri Auction School, worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest since 1905. Free CD and catalog. Call toll-free 1-800/8351955, ext. 5. www.auctionschool.com. LEARN AUCTIONEERING for the 2000s! Nashville Auction School â&#x20AC;&#x153;Free Catalogâ&#x20AC;? 800/543-7061, learntoauction.com, 112 W. Lauderdale St., Tullahoma, TN 37388.

Equipment Kaddatz Auctioneering & Farm Equipment Sales

www.kaddatzequipment.com â&#x20AC;˘ 254/582-3000

Sales

Company

- Mist Sprayers -

Low Maintenance High Performance

Motor Models available

We offer a complete line of low volume mist blowers. Excellent for spraying, cattle, livestock, vegetables, vineyards, orchards, nurseries, mosquitoes, etc. For free brochure contact:

Swihart Sales Co.

References available in your area

American Made

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D; TEXAS AND NEW MEXICO â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D; This ad is just a small sample of the properties that we currently have for sale. Please check our website: scottlandcompany.com and give us a call! We need your listings both large and small, all types of ag properties (ESPECIALLY CRP).

HARTLEY/MOORE COUNTY LINE â&#x20AC;&#x201C; corn, wheat, cotton, cattle with all the perks, 992 acres, sprinkler irrigated with some improved pasture, large brick home, large set of state-of-the-art steel working pens with concrete feed bunks and covered working area, on pavement. READY TO RANCH and DEVELOP (wind energy, comm., res.) Potter Co., TX â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4,872.8 acres of beautiful ranch country four miles north of loop 335, Amarillo, TX., pvmt. on four sides. Well watered by pumps powered by solar energy (state-of-the-art). Deer, quail and dove. 50% MINERALS!

THANK YOU, SCOTT LAND CO.!

The Livestock Market Digest in conjunction with the New Mexico Stockman magazine are two very well known publications throughout the industry. We advertise in both of these publications expecting to reach not only individuals and companies in the agriculture sector but also in business circles throughout the nation. Both publications are well respected and we have enjoyed a long-term relationship with both. Thanks and regards! Ben G. Scott

TEXAS & OKLA. FARMS & RANCHES â&#x20AC;˘ Magnificent 90 Hunting â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Cattle/Horse Ranch 50 miles E. of Dallas, 35 miles W. of Tyler, White pipe fence along FM Hwy. 3,700 sq. ft. elaborate home, flowing waterway, lake. Has it all. â&#x20AC;˘ 532-acre CATTLE & HUNTING, NE TX ranch, elaborate home, one-mile highway frontage. OWNER FINANCE at $2,150/ac. â&#x20AC;˘ 274 acres in the shadow of Dallas. Secluded lakes, trees, excellent grass. Hunting & fishing, dream home sites. $3,850/ac. â&#x20AC;˘ 1,700-acre classic NE TX cattle & hunting ranch. $2,750/ac. Some mineral production. â&#x20AC;˘ Texas Jewel, 7,000 ac. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1,000 per ac., run cow to 10 ac. â&#x20AC;˘ 256 Acre Texas Jewel â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Deep sandy soil, highrolling hills, scattered good quality trees, & excellent improved grasses. Water line on 2 sides rd., frontage on 2 sides, fenced into 5 pastures, 5 spring fed tanks and lakes, deer, hogs & ducks. Near Tyler & Athens. Price $1,920,000. â&#x20AC;˘ 146 horse, hunting cattle ranch N. of Clarksville, TX. Red River Co. nice brick home, 2 barns, pipe fences, good deer, hogs, ducks, hunting priced at $395,000. â&#x20AC;˘ 535 ac. Limestone, Fallas, & Robertson counties, fronts on Hwy. 14 and has rail frontage water line, to ranch, fenced into 5 pastures, 2 sets, cattle pens, loamy soil, good quality trees, hogs, & deer hunting. Priced at $2,300 per ac.

Joe Priest Real Estate 1205 N. Hwy 175, Seagoville, TX 75159

972/287-4548 â&#x20AC;˘ 214/676-6973 1-800/671-4548 www.joepriest.com joepriestre@earthlink.com

800-864-4595 or 785-754-3513 www.swihart-sales.com

POWDER RIVER LIVESTOCK EQUIPMENT. Best prices with delivery available. CONLIN SUPPLY CO. INC., Oakdale, CA. 209/847-8977. NEW HOLLAND pull type bale wagons: 1033, 104 bales, $5,100; 1034, 104 bales, unloads both ways, $4,400; 1044, 120 bales, $3,700; 1063, 160 bales, $10,800; 1010, 56 bales, $1,200. Also have self propelled wagons. Delivery available. 785/ 336-6103, www.roederimp.com.

Livestock Haulers

TimCox.com 505/632-8080

RANCH & FARM REAL ESTATE

New and used tractors, equipment, parts and salvage yard.

7240 County Road AA, Quinter, KS 67752

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Summer Breezesâ&#x20AC;?

Ben G. Scott, Krystal M. Nelson, Brokers 1301 Front St., Dimmitt, TX 79027 â&#x20AC;˘ 1-800/933-9698 day/night www.scottlandcompany.com

DANE STUHAAN (CA) 559/688-7695 â&#x20AC;˘ Cell (NE): 559/731-7695

LIVESTOCK HAULING California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho & Nebraska

BIG WEST RANCH - POWDER RIVER, WY

LAND AUCTION 92,312Âą Acres in 14 Tracts Natrona Co., Wyoming - Northwest of Casper For the Outdoorsman â&#x20AC;˘ Investor â&#x20AC;˘ Rancher/Farmer

thursday, november 4 - 10am At the Parkway Plaza Hotel - Casper, WY 92,312Âą Total Acres

Big West Ranch is situated in one contiguous block, 20 miles east-to-west and 11,240Âą Deeded 10 miles north-to-south at the southern tip of the Bighorn Mountains. The ranch 18,154Âą State Leased has a variety of topography from mountain foothills and grass covered plateaus 1,960Âą Private Lease to canyons, buttes and breaks - providing year-round grazing and outstanding 60,958Âą BLM Leased natural protection. Cottonwood Creek, Three Buttes Creek, and Indian Creek provide intermittent water flow. Several natural flowing springs, strategic wells, BLM reservoirs and the ranchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own seasonal 20-acre Lester Lake provide additional water resources throughout the ranch. Big West Ranch is a very efficient operating ranch due to the grazing allotment having no on/off dates, allowing cattle movement and pasture rotation year-round at the ownerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s discretion. Costs associated with the grazing allotment and leases are approximately thirty thousand dollars per year.

Bradley 3 Ranch Ltd. www.bradley3ranch.com Phone: 940/585-6471

Musser Bros. Inc. 1131 13th St., Suite 101 Cody, WY 82414 307-587-2131

Westchester Group, Inc. PO Box 235 Eaton, CO 80615 800-607-6888

Ranch Marketing Associates PO Box 160 Johnstown, CO 80534 970-535-0881

For more information, visit: www.westchester-auctions.com

CALL FOR A DETAILED AUCTION CATALOG: 800.607.6888

Livestock Market Digest

Page 14

October 15, 2010

T HE L I V E S T O C K M A R K E T D I G E S T

KEVIN C. REED Ranchers Serving Ranchers Texas and New Mexico

LEE, LEE & PUCKITT ASSOCIATES INC.

RANCH SALES & APPRAISALS Office: 325/655-6989 Cell: 915/491-9053

1002 Koenigheim, San Angelo, TX 76903 • www.llptexasranchland.com • llp@wcc.net

R.G. DAVIS, BROKER Cell: 530/949-1985

Properties

and Equities

19855 S. Main St., P.O. Box 1020 Cottonwood, CA 96022 Ofc.: 530/347-9455 • F: 530/347-4640 homeranchr@sbcglobal.net

——— CALIFORNIA RANCHES ——— Lassen County: 11,725 acres, all deeded. 970 acres irrigated, flood and 4 pivots. Alfalfa, grain, grass. BLM permits, 500 cows, organic hay. Lots of potential for more farm ground. Priced at $5,375,000. Tehama County, Cottonwood, Calif.: 1,850 acres, winter range. Large barn, 1 bdrm. apt., horse stalls, tie stalls, tack room, shop. Deluxe 400x200 ft. roping arena. All new fences and steel corrals. Hunting and fishing. Priced at $2,200,000. Tehama County, Cottonwood, Calif.: 556 acres, winter range, two small houses, corrals, chute, small barn. Good hunting and fishing. Price reduced — $775,000. Tehama County, Cottonwood, Calif.: 80 acres, winter range and a custom built appx. 3,000 sq. ft. beautiful home. Large barn, tack room, shop roping arena, round-pen — a real crown jewel. Many amenities. A roper’s dream. Priced at $1,400,000.

Real Estate GUIDE To place your Real Estate listings here, contact DEBBIE CISNEROS at 505/974-6834, 505/243-9515 ext. 30, or by email at debbie@aaalivestock.com

NEVADA RANCHES and FARMS

INTEREST RATES AS LOW AS 3%. PAYMENTS SCHEDULED ON 25 YEARS

JOE STUBBLEFIELD & ASSOCIATES 13830 Western St., Amarillo, TX 806/622-3482 • cell 806/674-2062 Drew Perez Assocs. Nara Visa, NM • 806/392-1788

MASON MOUNTAIN RANCH Nothern Elko County ranch with 3700 deeded acres and a small BLM permit. Great summer pasture with free water from springs, creeks and seeps. No power but land line phone. The ranch received 1 landowner Elk Tag this year. The irrigation reservior on Mason Creek is stocked with Red Band trout. Several useful buildings including home with gravity flow water and propane lights, water heater and refrigerator. The ranch should run 300 pair for the season. Price: $1,575,000.

Idaho-Oregon

Bottari Realty

RANCHES FARMS COMMERCIAL

Out West Realty Network Affiliate

“EAGER SELLERS”

PAUL D. BOTTARI, BROKER www.bottarirealty.com • paul@bottarirealty.com

Call 208/345-3163 for catalog.

KNIPE LAND CO.

Established 1944

Ofc.: 775/752-3040 Res: 775/752-3809 • Fax: 775/752-3021

225 – 250 AU’S - 850 DEEDED (650 IRRIGATED) – 1-1/2 MILE RIVER - NICE MEADOWS – MODEST IMPROVEMENTS WITH GREAT WORKING FACILITIES – CLOSE TO TOWN AND SCHOOLS - $1,800,000 – WANT OFFER – CAN ADD CUSTOM HOME AND 80 ACRES – GREAT STOCKER OPERATION – LYMAN – RAE, 208/761-9553 LIFESTYLE RANCH 55 MILES TO BOISE – 2,213 DEEDED ACRES PLUS STATE AND BLM – DROP DEAD PRIVATE – 2 MILES MAJOR STREAM – BEHIND LOCKED GATE – COMFORTABLE IMPROVEMENTS – ELK, DEER, TURKEY, CHUKAR, HUNS, QUAIL, WATERFOWL - BEAR, LION AND VARMINT – TROUT AND BASS PONDS $1,400,000 – WANT OFFER – TURKEY CREEK LIFESTYLE – 320 DEEDED ACRES (105 IRRIGATED) - COMFORTABLE IMPROVEMENTS – SPECTACULAR VIEWS – BORDERS FEDERAL LANDS – ELK, DEER, TURKEY – ONLY MINUTES TO SOME OF THE FINEST YEAR LONG FISHING IN THE NORTHWEST – STEELHEAD, STURGEN, TROUT, BASS, CRAPPY AND MORE $690,000 – WANT OFFER – POSY – RAE, 208/761-9553 LIFESTYLE/INCOME – POSSIBLY THE FINEST WILDLIFE VARIETY/QUANITY AVAILABLE – 1,160 DEEDED ACRES (180 IRRIGATED) – 2-1/2 MILES RIVER – 2 BASS PONDS – PLENTIFUL QUAIL, CHUKAR, DOVE, PHEASANT, WATERFOWL, DEER AND AND VARMINTS - EXCELLENT IMPROVEMENTS – COW/CALF AND/OR STOCKER OPERATION FOR INCOME /TAX ADVANTAGE - $1,900,000 – LANDRETH LINSON CREEK RANCH: WASHINGTON/PAYETTE COUNTIES, ID. 1,938 DEEDED ACRES PLUS 892 AUMS, BLM — PRESENTLY WINTERING 400 MOTHER COWS 11/5 – 5/1 — SUPPLEMENTING WITH ABOUT ½ TON ALFALFA; MODEST IMPROVEMENTS; EXCELLENT UPLAND GAME BIRDS, CHUKAR, QUAIL, PHEASANT; BLUE GILL, MULE DEER, ELK, BASS AND TROUT. $1,475,000 – TERMS. — EASY TRUCKING TO — LYMAN RANCH: BAKER COUNTY, OR. 933 DEEDED ACRES WITH 748 IRRIGATED. 1½ MILES POWDER RIVER THROUGH MEADOWS — VERY IMPRESSIVE FOR ANYONE LOOKING FOR AN INSIDE (NO GOVT.) OPERATION. RATES AT 250 HD. YEAR-LONG. 400/450 PAIRS AND/OR 800/900 STOCKER CATTLE FOR GRAZING SEASON. ASKING $1,930,000. CAN SPLIT: CALL AND LET US EXPLAIN. RAE ANDERSON 208/761-9553. — 400/450 HD BY COMBINING THE ABOVE TWO RANCHES — QUARTER CIRCLE DIAMOND: GILLIAM COUNTY, OR. 6,148 DEEDED ACRES WITH 1,078 DRY FARM, PLUS RUNNING 125 MOTHER COWS YEAR-LONG. POTENTIAL FOR 17 WIND TURBINES. MULE DEER, ELK, CHUKAR, QUAIL. RAE 208/761-9553 OR JACK 541/473-3100. $1,750,000

WAHOO RANCH – Approximately 40,976 acres: +/- 11,600 deeded, 6,984 BLM, 912 state, 40 uncontrolled and 21,440 forest. Beautiful cattle ranch located on the east slope of the Black Range Mountains north of Winston, NM, on State Road 52. Three hours from either Albuquerque or El Paso.The ranch is bounded on the east by the Alamosa Creek Valley and on the west by the Wahoo Mountains ranging in elevation from 6,000' to 8,796'. There are 3 houses/cabins, 2 sets of working corrals (1 with scales) and numerous shops and outbuildings. It is very well watered with many wells, springs, dirt tanks and pipelines. The topography and vegetation is a combination of grass covered hills (primarily gramma grasses), with many cedar, piñon and live oak covered canyons as well as the forested Wahoo Mountains. There are plentiful elk and deer as well as antelope, turkey, bear, mountain lion and javelina (46 elk tags in 2009). Absolutely one of the nicest combination cattle/hunting ranches to be found in the SW. Price reduced to $6,000,000.

SAN JUAN RANCH – Located 10 miles south of Deming off Hwy. 11 (Columbus Hwy) approximately 26,484 total acres consisting of +/- 3484 deeded, +/- 3800 state lease, +/- 14,360 BLM and +/4840 Uncontrolled. The allotment is for 216 head (AUYL). 9 solar-powered stock wells and metal storage tanks and approx. 6½ miles pipeline. The ranch begins on the north end at the beautiful Mahoney Park high up in the Florida mountains and runs 5½ miles down the mountains to their south end. It continues another 7½ miles south across their foothills and onto the flats. The ranch has a very diverse landscape with plentiful wildlife including quail, dove, rabbits, deer and ibex. Lots of potential & a good buy at $1,000,000. 46 ACRE FARM

LOCATED IN SAN MIGUEL – Full EBID irrigation and supplemental well. Bounded by Highway 28 on the east, County Road B-041 on the south and County Road B-010 on the west. Priced at $14,000/acre – $644,000.

212 ACRE FARM BETWEEN LAS CRUCES, NM AND EL PASO, TX – Hwy. 28 frontage with 132 acres irrigated, 80 acres sandhills, full EBID (surface water) plus a supplemental irrigation well, cement ditches and large equipment warehouse. Priced at $1,868,000. 50.47 ACRE FARM - Located on Afton Road south of La Mesa, NM. Paved road frontage, full EBID (surface water) plus a supplemental irrigation well with cement ditches. Priced at $13,000/acre ($660,400).

P BAR: MALHEUR COUNTY, OR. 11,750 DEEDED ACRES WITH 300 IRRIGATED PLUS BLM AND STATE LEASE; RATES AT 1,300-1,400 HD. YEAR-LONG OR A COMBINATION STOCKER COWS. WINTER RANGE, GOOD IMPROVEMENTS. $6,000,000

+/-37 ACRE FARM - WEST OF ANTHONY, NM. Located 20 minutes from Sunland Park Race Track on Haasville Road (paved) just north of Gadsden High School and west of Highway 28. EBID, irrigation well and cement ditches. Beautiful farm with many possibilities. Call for aerial and location maps. Sign on property. Priced at $13,900/acre ($514,300).

POSEY VALLEY: HALFWAY, OR. 320 ACRES WITH 105 IRRIGATED — GATEWAY TO HELLS CANYON AND EAGLE CAP WILDERNESS — OVERLOOKING PINE VALLEY. SEVEN DEVILS AND A SOME OF MOTHER NATURE’S BEST. MODEST IMPROVEMENTS, CLOSE TO TOWN AND SCHOOLS. SUBMIT ALL OFFERS – POSSIBLE TERMS. RAE ANDERSON 208/761-9553.

OTHER FARMS FOR SALE – In Doña Ana County. All located near Las Cruces, NM. 8, 11, & 27.5 acres. $15,000/acre to $17,000/acre. All have EBID (surface water rights from the Rio Grande River) and several have supplemental irrigation wells. If you are interested in farm land in Doña Ana County, give me a call.

FARM/FEEDLOT: VALE, OR. 500 DEEDED ACRES WITH 280 IRRIGATED. CAFO @ 8501,000 HEAD. GOOD IMPROVEMENTS. GREAT FOR STOCKERS AND/OR DAIRY HEIFERS. $1,580,000

AGRILANDS Real Estate www.agrilandsrealestate.com Vale, Oregon • 541/473-3100 • jack@fmtcblue.com

DAN DELANEY R E A L E S TAT E , L L C www.zianet.com/nmlandman

318 W. Amador Ave. Las Cruces, N.M. 88005 (O) 575/647-5041 (C) 575/644-0776 nmlandman@zianet.com

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Favorite Livestock Newspaperâ&#x20AC;?

October 15, 2010

Canada and Mexico kick off case against U.S. COOL by TOM JOHNSTON

anada and Mexico have begun arguments against U.S. country-of-origin-labeling (COOL) regulations on beef and pork in front of the World Trade Organization, which is expected to rule on the matter sometime next summer, according to the Canadian Cattlemenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Association and the North American Meat Processors Association. The bordering nationsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; beef and pork producers argued in a hearing last week that COOL has slashed their exports to the United States, and that the law violates WTO rules governing bilateral trade. COOL has caused a $40- to $60-per-head drop in Mexican cattle prices, for example, imported into the United States, according to Alejandro Gomez, an attorney for Mexican cattlemen, as quoted by NAMP. The United States didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t challenge such economic evidence, but claimed the impacts resulted from choices made by market participants rather than from the U.S. law itself. Washington also argued COOL was intended to inform consumers about the origins of their food and it hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t negatively impacted Canadian cattle. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We correctly anticipated the

arguments the U.S. would use to defend (country-of-origin labeling), and while there were no surprises, it is clear that the U.S. intends to defend this trade barrier vigorously,â&#x20AC;? CCA President Travis Toews said in a statement. Canada and Mexico received support at the WTO hearing from 13 other countries, according to NAMP, quoting another attorney for Mexican cattlemen. Donald E. deKeiffer said only Australia had â&#x20AC;&#x153;real worldâ&#x20AC;? problems with the COOL regulations, but all were concerned about the negative precedent the U.S. policy is setting. Long road According to CCA, there is well over another year left in the process. Over the next five weeks, written answers will respond to numerous questions posed by the panel. There will then be an opportunity to provide written rebuttals by late October. A second oral hearing is set for December, followed by further written submissions through February. A final panel report is scheduled for July 2011, most likely followed by an appeal taking another year, CCA projected. Source: http://www.meatingplace.com/MembersOnly/webNews/details.aspx?item=18639

KANSAS LAND AUCTION FINNEY, GRAY, GREELEY & SCOTT COUNTIES 3523(57,(6 /2&$7(' 1($5 *$5'(1 &,7< .$16$6

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3552 ACRES 22 LAND TRACTS 8 mineral tracts

â&#x20AC;˘ Irrigated Farmland â&#x20AC;˘ Productive Dryland â&#x20AC;˘ Excellent Native Pasture Land â&#x20AC;˘ Mineral & Wind Rights â&#x20AC;˘ Property Has Been in the Nelle M. Beach Trust Since 1968

INFORMATION/INSPECTION DATES: Wed., Sept. 22 â&#x20AC;˘ 10-11am â&#x20AC;˘ Thurs., Oct. 7 â&#x20AC;˘ 10-11am Held at the Clarion Inn, Garden City, Kansas. We invite you to meet a Westchester representative to view the property and pick up additional information. TRACTS 1-3: are located approx. 20 miles north of Garden City, KS along the west side of US Hwy 83. Watch for signs! The soil type on these tracts is predominantly Ulysses silt loam and real estate taxes are approximately $2.50 per acre. There is a lease currently in place on these tracts. Mineral and wind rights are included. Tracts 4 & 5: are located approximately 14 miles north of US Hwy 50 on Big Lowe Rd and four miles west on Gano Rd. Watch for signs! Soil type is primarily Richfield silt loam and real estate taxes are approximately $2.50 per acre. These tracts are leased through November 1, 2014. Minerals are not included but wind rights will transfer with the property. TRACTS 6-22: are located approximately 15 miles southeast of Garden City, KS just south of Pierceville on S Pierceville Rd. Each auction tract is marked with signs. The primary soil types are Valent-Vona loamy fine sand and Las Animas sandy loam. Real estate taxes range from $1.44 to $2.39 per acre in Finney County and are approximately $4.15 per acre in Gray County. Non-producing minerals, if any, are included on all tracts. Any producing minerals will be sold separately. All wind rights will be transferred with auction tracts.

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Page 15 ################## # # # ATTENTION! # # New Type Sucker # # Rod For Windmills # # # Available in 7/16", 5/8" and # # 3/4" OD sizes â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 20 ft. long # Virden Perma-Bilt Windmill Manufac- # # turing of Amarillo now has revolution- # ary new URETHANE SUCKER ROD # # COUPLERS for fiberglass and wood # sucker rod! These male and female # # screw-together urethane couplers do # # double duty as rod guides also! No # corrosion on coupler! No more # # more flop in pipe or pipe wear! Special Intro# ductory Price, $3.87 per ft. for sucker # # rod with Virdenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Urethane Coupler # # Guide! Call or send for our free catalog. # # Serving Farm and Ranch since 1950. # # VIRDEN PERMA-BILT CO. # # 2821 Mays, Amarillo, TX 79114 # # # 806/352-2761 # www.virdenproducts.com # # # ##################

5-acre Horse Set-up: Location-location, only 2+ miles north of Mountain Grove on Girlstown Rd. New fencing, 20x40 new 3-stall horse barn/shop/1-car garage, 1,300 sq. ft. , 3-br., 2ba. manufactured home, wrap around deck ( 2 sides), nestled down your private drive. MLS #1010102 675 Acres Grass Runway, Land your own plane: Major Price Reduction. 3 BR, 2 BA home down 1 mile private land. New 40x42 shop, 40x60 livestock barn, over 450 acres in grass. (Owner runs over 150 cow/calves, 2 springs, 20 ponds, 2 lakes, consisting of 3.5 & 2 acres. Both stocked with fish. Excellent fencing. A must farm to see. MLS #1010371 483 Acres, Hunter Mania: Nature at her best. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss out on this one. Live water (two creeks). 70+ acres open in bottom hayfields and upland grazing. Lots of timber (marketable and young) for the best hunting and fishing (Table Rock, Taney Como and Bull Shoals Lake) Really cute 3-bd., 1ba stone home. Secluded yes, but easy access to Forsyth-Branson, Ozark and Springfield. Property joins Natâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;l. Forest. MLS#908571 See all my listings at: paulmcgilliard.murney.com

PAUL McGILLIARD Cell: 417/839-5096 â&#x20AC;˘ 1-800/743-0336

MURNEY ASSOC., REALTORS SPRINGFIELD, MO 65804

THE RANCH FINDER presents . . .

Escondida Land & Cattle Co. A great ranch located in the foothills of the Capitan Mountain of Lincoln County, N.M., near Arabela, just eight miles above the Hondo Valley from Tinnie. 45 miles west of Roswell, and 25 miles east of Ruidoso, Escondida Ranch consists of 9931 deeded acres plus 6,551 U.S. Forest Service Lease w/an additional 490 New Mexico State Lease acres, 27 being sections of rolling foothills and open valleys of grama grass pastures at an altitude of 5,000 ft. A four-season cattle ranch w/an established grazing capacity of 500 animal units or 750 yearlings on a six-month grazing rotation system. This grazing program is also tied in with 130 acres of water rights applied to sprinkler irrigated grass pastures, w/irrigation wells capable of pumping up to a 900 gallon-per-minute at less than a 100' depth. Escondida Ranch is improved with a full service modern headquarters complex w/new barns, corrals and shipping pens w/scales. This area of Lincoln County is noted for its big game habitat and the ranch is annually issued eleven elk permits along w/topline mule-deer, black bear, mountain lion and barbary sheep hunting, and lots of turkey. A turn-key offering â&#x20AC;&#x201D; everything goes.

Bailey Family Ranch, LLC. A year long cow/calf grazing unit located six miles north of Cuero in Guadalupe County, N.M., just off I-40, and 20 miles east of Santa Rosa â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a trade center for this area and east 45 miles to Tucumcari, the Hub City for this quadrant in New Mexico. The Bailey Ranch consists of 7,587 deeded acres along with 1,160 New Mexico State Lease for a total of 8,747 grazing acres. This 14-section cow/calf or yearling ranch is located in some of the better grazing country in eastern New Mexico. Under normal range conditions this area receives 1416 inches of moisture a year and can support up to a 200-day growing season, at an elevation of around 4,300 ft. This ranch has an ideal habitat for deer, antelope and game birds. The design of the ranch is divided into six pastures and one trap 160+ acres of free grazing on vacant land, supported by six windmills and five surface tanks. In a fenced design seven miles long and two wide, north to south, Walker Road is an all weather county road running north along the west boundary. A basic headquarter complex with full services, a good tenant house, two-car garage and livestock working and shipping pens.

The Ranch Finder â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Ronald H. Mayer P. O. Box 2391, Roswell, NM 88202 575/623-5658 â&#x20AC;˘ www.ranchfinder.com

Livestock Market Digest

Page 16

College Students — Let Your Voices Be Heard he American National CattleWomen (ANCW) are excited to announce the relaunch of College Aggies Online, a program developed by the Animal Agriculture Alliance in partnership with ANCW to help today’s college students become confident advocates for the agriculture industry. “Last year, 350 students representing 50 universities shared their stories on the College Aggies Online network,” said Alliance Executive Vice President Kay Johnson Smith. “Students who participate in the program do more than just build their resume — they help ensure the future of American agriculture.” “Three Collegiate CattleWomen were in the top ten of those who posted the most often last year,” according Lana Slaten, president of the American National CattleWomen. “We are so proud of the beef promotion

efforts the Collegiate CattleWomen across the nation. We will continue to support their efforts with Aggies On-Line.” Students with a passion for agriculture are encouraged to sign up at http://aggiesonline. ning.com. Once they create a profile on the network, members will gain access to a private forum where they can discuss current and emerging issues facing farmers and ranchers with other young agriculturists from across the country. Students will then use social media tools such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter to share agriculture’s story with the public. As of September 1, members of College Aggies Online will begin competing for prizes for the school organization that they represent. Participants will earn points for each agriculture-related blog, photo and video that they post to the forum and by

participating in online outreach activities. After final point counts are tallied in April 2011, the winning club will receive a $750 scholarship, national recognition and a trip for one representative to Washington, D.C. for the Alliance’s annual Stakeholders

October 15, 2010 Summit. Additional recognition and scholarships will be awarded to the runner-up in the club competition and to the two topplacing individual competitors. Interested collegiate clubs or departments should contact Krissa Thom at KThom@animalagalliance.org or 703/5621410 for more information. Moly Manufacturing of Lorraine, KS, maker of Silencer and

As supply shrinks, ex-UN climate chief says water should be expensive — like carbon emissions by ARTHUR MAX

he former United Nations (U.N.) climate chief who has advocated putting a price on carbon emissions says water also should carry an appropriate cost. In a world of shrinking fresh water supplies, nations, companies and individuals should be aware of the value of water, Yvo

de Boer told a water seminar recently. Accounting for the entire supply chain, it takes 75 liters (20 gallons) to make a glass of beer; 2,700 liters (713 gallons) to manufacture a T-shirt; and 16,000 liters to produce a kilogram of beef (1,920 gallons per pound). At the same time, U.N. figures say about 2.5 billion people, nearly half the Earth’s popula-

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WE HAVE BREEDING STOCK AVAILABLE AT THE RANCH

tion, have no access to sanitation. “Part of the reason we are seeing so much wastage of water in a number of countries is because water is inadequately priced,” De Boer said. Few countries have economic incentives to use water sensibly, he said. Water supplies are growing less reliable in many places around the world at a time when the global population and food demands are growing. As local climates change, scientists say water shortages will become more severe in some of the poorest countries, which could lead to mass migrations and international conflict. De Boer, who resigned as head of the U.N. climate change secretariat in July, is now a consultant for KPMG, advising companies on making their operations more sustainable. Calculating the input of water in the production process — a product’s water footprint — should become standard practice. “There are parts of the world where perhaps water footprinting will be more important than carbon footprinting,” he said. De Boer did not say how the price of water should be set, although it should be determined according to local conditions. He recalled seeing a sign over a toilet in a Middle Eastern country that said, “When you flush, remember a liter of water costs more than a liter of petrol.”

CALL DEBBIE AT 505/505-974-6834 or AT 505/243-9515, ext. 30 TO PLACE YOUR AD!

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See you in Las Vegas in October at South Point Hotel & Resort for Beefmaster Convention! Contact us for more information.

HITCHINGS RANCH Jerry Hitchings 708-980 Center Road, Susanville, CA 96130 Phone: 530/251-5471 • Fax: 530/251-5476 hitchingsranch.com • beef@hitchingsranch.com

################## # # # THIS IS NO BULL # # Virden Perma-Bilt Engineering # # Department is now offering 1-7/8” # x 24” windmill cylinder barrels, with # caps, at 1/4 the price they are # # selling for now! These barrels and # # caps are made from thick, heavy # PVC and then lined with 1/4” # # wall of urethane. These barrels are as # good as any on the market! The # # urethane lining assures long life # # and true-check strokes. Our 1-7/8” # 24” barrel sells for $48.80 plus # # x$6.75 postage. It connects right to # your 2” pipe (steel or PVC). These # # urethane lined barrels are doing a # # wonderful job right now. Send for # # # information. # “Serving Farm & Ranch since 1950.” # # VIRDEN PERMA-BILT CO. # # 2821 Mays, Amarillo, TX 79114 # # # 806/352-2761 # www.virdenproducts.com # # # ##################