Riding Herd
“The greatest homage we can pay to truth is to use it.”
by LEE PITTS
– JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL
October 15, 2018 • www.aaalivestock.com
Volume 60 • No. 10
Nice Little Doggy BY LEE PITTS
B
NEWSPAPER PRIORITY HANDLING
y the time you read this we ought to be right in the middle of celebrating Wolf Awareness Week. I don’t know about you but I’m about as excited about the big celebration as a week-old calf being torn limb from limb by a pack of the killing machines. According to the Defenders of Wildlife, Wolf Awareness Week, (the third week in October) “is a time we set aside in particular to celebrate these important animals, highlight the threats to their survival, and spread the word about what you can do to help wolves stay protected and help humans learn to live alongside them.” I’m sure condo-dwelling New Yorkers, Congresspersons in DC and actors and rock singers on the beach in Malibu are all excited about Wolf Awareness Week because, well, let’s face it, it’s much easier “to live alongside wolves” when the only ones are on the pages of National Geographic. Naturally, the celebration of Wolf Awareness Week is somewhat more muted in Idaho where a mother worries her kids might get attacked by a pack of wolves while waiting for the school bus, or in Washington state where it would be a lot easier for a rancher I know to learn to live alongside wolves if only they’d quit killing a fifth of his baby calves. Just in case you haven’t purchased your gifts yet to give to
The best way to describe a cowboy Is mud, blood, guts, and glory.
your loved ones in celebration of Wolf Awareness Week might we suggest a hoodie with a wolf on it from the Shadowland Foundation who receives 30% of each zip hoodie sold. All the proceeds, of course, “help care for the Shadowland Foundation wolf pack.” Or for only $50 you could receive from the Defenders of Wildlife your very own wolf adoption kit which includes the cutest little cuddly wolf plush toy that any child would love. It looks very much like the family dog. Ah, and therein lies the problem.
One Big Happy Family Until recently scientists thought that dogs descended from gray wolves. Now, the prevalent theory is that while dogs and wolves once shared a common ancestor, the dog did not directly descend from gray wolves. The dog/wolf common ancestor was definitely not the prehistoric wolf that went extinct at the same time mammoths and saber-toothed tigers did, and no one really knows what kind of animal gave rise to all dozens of dog breeds we have today. What we do know is
that dogs have been man’s best friend for the last 10,000 years and these “friends” looked very much like wolves. This phenotype commonality between wolves and dogs easily explains why dog-crazy urban dwellers feel such an affinity for wolves and want them “saved” at all costs. No matter how many calves get eaten. There is probably no other resident of the animal kingdom that brings forth such emotion as the wolf and any writer who dares say anything negative about wolves is subject to anonymous death threats. Believe me, I know firsthand. America is a nation of dog lovers who look upon wolves as only one friendly pat and a Milk Bone removed from the poodle or the pomeranian at the end of their leash. Dog lovers think they’re all part of the same big happy family and there’s nothing ranchers can do that will continued on page two
Texas Beef Checkoff Facing Legal Challenge BY TIFFANY DOWELL
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n addition to an ongoing legal challenge in Montana, state beef checkoff programs in 13 more states are now facing legal challenge. Ranchers-Cattleman Action Legal Fund (“R-CALF”) seeks to expand the injunction it obtained in Montana to also include checkoff programs in Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, and Wisconsin. The current beef checkoff litigation began in Montana where R-Calf filed suit against the United States Department of Agriculture in 2016. In summary, the plaintiffs argued that because the USDA required them to pay money to the Montana Beef Council to support speech contrary to their beliefs, this violated their right to free speech under the First Amendment. In particular, plaintiffs are upset that the Montana Beef Council promotions and advertisements do not distinguish between US and foreign beef. During this litigation, the plaintiffs obtained an injunction from a Montana federal judge, requiring that all of the $1 per head collected when cattle are sold be sent to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Board, rather than
the prior practice of $.50 going to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Board and the other $.50 going to the Montana Beef Council. Pursuant to the injunction, which is in place throughout the pendency of the litigation, if producers wish to have $.50 of their assessment send to the Montana Beef Council, they must complete a form requesting for that to be done. The injunction was upheld on appeal by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In August, plaintiffs filed a motion to expand this injunction far beyond the state of Montana, seeking similar injunctions be imposed on beef checkoff programs in thirteen additional states. [Read Motion here.] R-CALF claims that the checkoff program “has weakened the US cattle industry” and that this litigation seeks to prevent producers in the additional thirteen states from funding private speech with which they disagree and they believe harms their financial interests. A critical issue in this case will be whether the promotions funded by the qualified state beef councils, like the Montana Beef Council, constitute private speech. This is an issue that the United States Supreme Court has addressed several times, reaching differing continued on page four
Signs Of A Stroke
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ne of the signs you’re getting old is the AARP and the American Heart Association will send you pamphlets warning about the signs of a heart attack or stroke. Trust me, it’s not junk mail. Nor is it anything to laugh at, although I’m often seen rolling on the floor these days it’s not from laughter but because I fell and can’t get up. Here are some signs I had: • I can’t remember words. That might not be a problem for a hot house hog janitor but I’m a writer and words are my meal ticket. Sometimes it’s simple words like when I called to my wife, “What’s that color that’s real dark?” She correctly replied, “Black.” • I couldn’t walk. After breakfast on Thanksgiving morning I got up, or at least I tried to. I took one step and did a face plant on the floor. My entire left side went to sleep and wouldn’t wake up. I now walk with a cane or walker, bounce off walls and do things contortionists in Vegas can’t duplicate. To the untrained eye it looks like I’ve had waaaaay too much to drink. I wish. • I’m grounded. My wife won’t let me drive or go anywhere. Now I know what those turtles on top of fence posts in Nebraska feel like. I think I could drive but my wife is afraid I’ll kill someone or harm our reputation if any of the townspeople see me trying to walk a white line. • I’m suddenly stupid. I always took pride in my smarts. I was a straight A student and finished college in three years. My wife insists that my intelligence was the main reason she married me. (It couldn’t have been my looks or my last name.) Now I can’t even remember yesterday and a column that used to take me three hours to write now takes three days. I feel dumber than a Southdown sheep and suspect my IQ is a negative number. • I shake worse than a cat trying to pass a peach pit and jerk so hard I give myself whiplash. Once at the supper table my arm involuntarily
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Livestock Market Digest
October 15, 2018
DOGGIES convince them otherwise. It’s a battle ranchers cannot win.
You Should Have Heard Them Howl The wolf was one of the keystone species The Endangered Species Act was written for in 1973. At a time when there were thousands of gray wolves in Canada and Alaska those supporting the Endangered Species Act would have you believe that wolves were rescued from the brink of extinction by the legislation. Twenty three years ago the USFWS reintroduced endangered gray wolves in Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho. They bred like rabbits and with other relocations gray wolves could soon be found in 25 states. After much fighting
Devin Kanapilly
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continued from page one
backs on one of the best wildlife conservation stories in U.S. history before it’s finished.” We’ll grant that wolves aren’t established in every area they were thought to once roam but the Endangered Species Act never required that. According to USFWS, “The Act does not require us to restore the gray wolf (or any other species) to all of its historical range or even to a majority of the currently suitable habitat. Instead, the Act requires that we recover listed species such that they no longer meet the definitions of “threatened species” or “endangered species, i.e., are no longer in danger of extinction now or in the foreseeable future.” And their future does look bright because wolves “are es-
There are now at least 6,100 gray wolves prowling around nationwide and according to biological standards they are “recovered,” at least mathematically. in the courts and over the objections of the wolf-lovers, in 2011 Congress delisted wolves in Montana, Idaho and parts of Washington, Oregon and Utah. In 2013 USFWS proposed delisting the species nationwide. That never happened because of the uproar from wolf lovers and a “scientific” peer review that said science did not support the delisting. Defenders of Wildlife sent members to every place there was a hearing after providing advanced training on how to testify so that when the hearings were held, pro-wolf voices would be heard the loudest. And oh, you should have heard them howl! Now USFWS is once again proposing to remove ESA protection for gray wolves in the lower 48 states. The agency is supposed to publish a proposal by the end of the year and if they move forward the care and feeding of the wolves will be handed off to the states.
A Grand Slam There are several reasons why USFWS wants to delist the gray wolf. There are now at least 6,100 gray wolves prowling around nationwide and according to biological standards they are “recovered,” at least mathematically. But not according to the Defenders of Wildlife who contend, “Gray wolf recovery in the U.S. is not complete. These wolves face rabid anti-wolf politics, aggressive lethal control, unsustainable hunting, intolerance and other threats across the entire country, and haven’t yet returned to suitable habitat in many parts of their historic range. By delisting them now, USFWS would be turning their
tablished in areas with enough prey, good habitat and minimum road and human-density.” Of course, the prey they’re referring to include your calves and lambs and the habitat they talk about is your backyard!
A Feather In Their Cap The USFWS would also like to remove the gray wolf from the roles of endangered species because it would be a huge feather in their cap. The agency takes a lot of heat because of all the billions spent on saving so few species. If they could add the wolf to the bald eagle, gray whale and peregrine falcon it would complete an ESA “Grand Slam” and give the impression to most Americans that the Endangered Species Act has been an overwhelming success. When in reality less than 1% to 3% of the species that have been listed have actually been “saved”. It’s impossible to pinpoint the number exactly because many of the species that the USFWS says were endangered in the first place never were in danger. Another reason the USFWS wants to delist the wolf is there is a lot of pressure on Congress to change, get rid of, or improve the ESA. If they could delist wolves it would buttress their argument that the act is working and nothing needs to be done to amend or repeal it. One of the main reasons USFWS wants to delist the wolf is it has become a huge headache for them, swallowing up resources that could be better spent on saving other species the wolves are dining on. Now that they have “saved wolves from extinccontinued on page four
October 15, 2018
Livestock Market Digest
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Livestock Market Digest
October 15, 2018
DOGGIES tion” they are more than willing to let the states try to deal with the mess the feds created. The USFWS isn’t getting out of the wolf business completely however. There will still be ESA protection for the Mexican wolf and they have already turned about 75 of them loose in Arizona and New Mexico. They are also not proposing to delist red wolves in the Southeast, which is another subspecies. Although the ESA was never supposed to be about saving subspecies it does pose an interesting question: one day will they also ask for ESA protection for subspecies like wolfdogs, coywolves, (coyotes crossed with wolves), wolf hybrids or coywolfdogs? The latter being a royal trifecta of biology consisting of genes from the coyote, wolf and dog. Just imagine the possibilities!
“STAY!” One of the first things the states have done after being given control over their own wolves is to open hunting season on
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them. You can imagine the distress this is causing wolf lovers. The placards and signs they hold at demonstrations cry out, “Did We Only Bring Wolves Back So We Can Kill Them Again?” One of the biggest battlegrounds currently is in Wisconsin. In 2012 President Barack Obama removed Great Lakes wolves from the endangered species list. In 2017 there were 42 wolf attacks on cattle, hunting dogs, pets and sheep in Wisconsin after 76 such attacks in 2016 and the reason the number went down is because after Obama delisted them Wisconsin promptly held three wolf hunting seasons before a wolf-loving federal judge put the wolves back on the endangered species list. According to The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources there are now between 925 and 952 Great Lakes wolves roaming Wisconsin’s backwoods and backyards with absolutely no way to control their exponential growth. States aren’t having any better luck herding marauding wolf packs than the feds did. Take Washington state, for example. State wildlife managers there split the state into three sub regions. In the western two-thirds of Washington there aren’t enough wolves to delist them and so they are still listed as endangered, but in the eastern sub-region wolves, dead cattle and dead deer are piling up. Ranchers in northeastern Washington know all about wolf recovery. The problem is the wolves just won’t stay where they’re supposed to. After all, they aren’t like dogs where you
can just command them to “stay.” Wolves don’t recognize state lines either. Many Californians were fine with wolves being released elsewhere but when a member of an Oregon pack
The USFWS wants to delist the wolf is there is a lot of pressure on Congress to change, get rid of, or improve the ESA. If they could delist wolves it would buttress their argument that the act is working and nothing needs to be done to amend or repeal it. started raiding south of the border California ranchers suddenly understood how ranchers in Montana, Idaho, New Mexico and elsewhere felt.
A Basset Hound Bred By A Poodle Jim Beers is a retired US Fish & Wildlife Service Wildlife Biologist and a wolf expert if there ever was one. Beers raises other issues states will have to deal with. “After about 50 years on the Endangered Species list experts still cannot agree if there are one, three or more species of wolves in the lower 48 States.
Someone shooting a 65 lb. “coyote” must wait weeks to have a bureaucrat tell him if he shot an endangered wolf (thereby incurring severe federal prosecution); or a coyote (thereby set free under state laws); or a dog (either under local jurisdiction or owned by someone that may sue you for shooting his dog). Since dogs, coyotes and wolves mate freely given the opportunity and their puppies are just as viable to reproduce and explicable as a pup out of a basset hound bred by a poodle; what then is this wolf?” Beers says the states will face other issues as well. “More wolves mean less hunting and excise taxes that support state agencies. Hunting is threatened by lack of game from wolf depredations; human and dog safety concerns where wolves are present, disease problems for people and dogs where wolves are present, sporting dog breeders disappearing as dogs are no longer in demand (one of many animal right’s goals), and diminishing license revenue (a self-fulfilling prophecy). Who will pay for state wildlife programs when these things are gone? What will be done other than growing government control and ownership of more rural land and more elimination of any animal use or management as hunting and animal husbandry disappear and rural communities wither?”
Calculating The Carnage My good friend, John Coote of Oregon, recently sent me a letter he wrote to his local newspaper warning Oregon cattlemen what they’ll need to
BEEF conclusions based on the precise facts of the various cases. For example, promotions that were part of a broader regulatory scheme included in a marketing order were found not to violate the First Amendment, but assessments for generic promotion of mushrooms were unconstitutional when certain producers did not support the
provide to maintain a recommended pack of 1,450 wolves. “According to the International Wolf Center, a wolf needs 7 pounds of food per day to flourish and reproduce. 1,450 wolves would need over 10,000 pounds per day, or over three million pounds per year. If their average prey weighed 150 pounds that would be over 24,000 kills per year. According to the ODF&W Survey total deer population is already 33% below the management objective at 226,000 deer according to the 2017 survey. If the wolves only preyed on deer they could easily decimate the deer population in a few years.” “But” as John writes, “we all know that deer are not their only prey.” Oh, we almost forgot, there’s another reason the USFWS wants to delist the wolf. They’re soon about to have their hands full saving another deadly species. As if ranchers in the great northwest didn’t already have enough trouble, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke wants to dump 200 man-eating grizzly bears from helicopters into Washington national parks as part of the Trump administration’s effort to restart grizzly bear recovery in the Northern Cascades. So in the future when ranchers in the great northwest are out counting their wolf kills they’ll have to worry about getting mauled by grizzly bears. And, no doubt, coming soon from the Defenders of Wildlife... a plush teddy bear toy for every $50 check you write to adopt a grizzly bear.
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messages. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Board stated that this “attack by R-CALF and its activist partners on 13 additional state beef councils is nothing more than an attempt to broaden the damage they have caused in Montana.” The NCBB went on to say that this litigation “has already weakened produc-
er-directed programs that support beef demand and divided neighbors in a manner that undermines the best interests of the entire beef community.” The Montana Beef Council claims that the injunction has caused a significant reduction on its funding this year. Executive Director Chaley Harney reports that the Montana Beef
RIDING HERD jerked straight up like it did in the fifth grade when Mr. Foss, my history teacher, would ask a question and throw some candy to whoever answered it the fastest. I learned a lot of history that year but gained ten pounds and had three cavities. My wife won’t let me go to any auctions now because she’s afraid I’ll accidentally buy a load of steers or a Louis the XIV fainting couch. My neurologist said he wouldn’t worry about the jerking and seizures and I wouldn’t either if I were him. • I ‘m taking two dozen pills daily and the pharmacist and I are on a first name basis. I have so many reward points built up at Rite Aid I think I could probably buy the company.
Council anticipated collecting about $850,000 this year, but since the injunction was issued in January, they have collected less than $200,000. This litigation is being closely watched not only by the beef industry, but by numerous other agricultural commodities that also utilize checkoff programs. continued from page one
• Two side effects of a stroke are you start meeting lots of kooky people and feel lighter in the wallet. The kooks are the doctors! I had one female neurologist who carried her tools of the trade with her in a purse like she only had her office rented until noon. Another insisted I have an MRI even though they already knew it was a stroke. The MRI concluded, “Sure enough dummy, you had a stroke. That will be $3,500, thank you very much.” • I get dizzy and see four of everything. That might be fun if I was looking at Miss January but not if I’m sorting cattle. I suspect the dizziness is caused by all the drugs I’m taking which raises an interesting
question. Do I want to die by an overdose, or by getting run over by a 2,000 pound bull in the sorting alley? • I got little red spots around my mouth. I thought it was a rash but it turned out to be stab marks where I missed my mouth with my fork. I didn’t write this to make light of having a stroke. On the contrary, I’m suggesting you pay attention to the warnings because if you get to a hospital soon enough they can give you a shot that will lessen the damage. I also wrote this as a reminder for you to appreciate all the little things in life you take for granted. I know I did. wwwLeePittsbooks.com
October 15, 2018
Livestock Market Digest
Caballeros GraceNotes: This Stripe is Earned
BY STEPHEN L. WILMETH
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esterday’s scripture from the eastern plains was from First Peter. Therefore, putting aside all malice and all guile and envy and all slander, like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, it you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. Yes, the past president of the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association, Pat Boone, has created a ministry that touches a growing swath of Westerners who are united by a strong and powerful hand. I must admit that I have come to welcome the ding of the arrival of his text message each morning. In all the chaos that surrounds us, his selected biblical passages spread a simplistic reminder that our being does not exist in a vacuum. We exist solely because of His plan. In reminder of that, each of us is granted sources of strength and hope. They may be many, or they may be few, but, from around us, friends, family and loved ones emerge to provide support and some degree of encouragement. As they appear, they become precious gifts of life. Without a better word for it, they become our GraceNotes.
Caballeros My email distribution list is actually pretty small. It is that mix of questionable characters and comrades that are on the receiving end of the news and smoke signals that affect our daily lives. I have described such missives and alerts as arriving by pack saddle from Mogollon Creek, pouch from the dead end of a Redrock Road, afterthought from the front porch of the house of some repute, and recorded messages from the mists of the outside world. Each is a person who has emerged as a trusted friend. Yes, we often attempt to out score each other in the outrageous or extreme, but, when issues of the heart emerge, there is resolve to
be openly honest and to trust and to listen to the responses. It is within our GraceNote exchange. I knew the Mogollon Creek reference before I knew the Mogollon Creek reference. As he sat nearby in a chair recently, his appearance was different than the day he came walking up the road, just he and his hound dog, with the hound dog decked out in leather gaiters on all four legs up to his knees. “Why does he need those things?” was the greeting. “Because he needs them,” was the emphatic and final point of discussion on the matter. The Redrock road reference was a gift in later life that has heritage ties. One each of our parents had grown up in the Depression within two miles of each other. There was a childhood story of tragedy that would be repeated many times before the descendent of the victim was even known. A lesson in unwavering beliefs and actions is the only outcome in this relationship. Steadfast is the byline. The porch of the house of some repute chains from mixed CC’s. Horses or long friendships are the connectors, and the outcome, as in the case of each and every horse experience, is mixed with hope and despair. “Why do we do this to ourselves?” must be the exclamation to nobody in particular as sounds from the near hind gut are sought. “Respiration is pretty normal and there is no real visible stress, but something (as in life) is just not right!” The mists from the outside are the various close loyalists, mere mortals, and comrades that connect this life. They range from Louden County on the edge of DC, through Overland Park, Ft. Collins, and down into Oklahoma, over to Albuquerque, across Otero Mesa to Iraan on the Pecos, up along the banks of the Rio Grande,
on the sides of the Potrillos and Alamo Huecos, down the Mangus to the Gila, and on out to Kings and Fresno Counties, California. They are all special and trusted folks. We are family, true Caballeros, and … GraceNotes.
This Stripe is Earned There is light showing on the eastern horizon, so I’ve got to hustle. There is a problem pump awaiting. It is not working, and a solution must be found. There will be speculation and there will be suggestions and resistance, but there will be a solution and, ultimately, resolution. That is just the way life is. I’d prefer to be horseback today, but that won’t happen. So many things are made better by being horseback. As I think about it, that is the common thread in this reflection of GraceNotes. From Pat’s ongoing gift of scripture, through the daily experiences we witness on this land, to those who might find weekly words of a western way of life interesting, there is a connection. There is nothing perfect in our lives or our way of life, but there is that connection. If we have made what we have touched better, it is only through Him and His plan. Along the way, we have found inordinate preferences for the sounds of clattering rocks and rolling thunder, the sight of green grass, the taste of corral dust, and the sweet smell of leather and our livestock. Father, forgive us if we have placed too much attachment on these earthly partialities! But, that is who we are, and that is how our lives have been blessed. There are several ways to close this. What I’ll say is that each of you has become special, and today is set aside for that proclamation. Now, I’m going to go get in the pickup and head to the ranch. I’ll leave the windows down and welcome the morning air. I will likely think about many things, but if a ding gains my attention, bets are it could be Pat and his morning scripture. If it is, I will read it, and, pray that each of you will feel its impact from afar. Stephen L. Wilmeth is a rancher from southern New Mexico.
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WSU Faces Animal Rights complaints BY ERIC BARKER / LMTRIBUNE.COM
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n animal rights organization has filed another complaint against Washington State University for issues related to the deaths of three bats and the castration of two cows. According to a news release from Stop Animal Exploitation Now, it uncovered information through the Freedom of Information Act that three juvenile bats that were part of an experiment died in the University’s care, and two calves were castrated without being given the sedative Xylazine. The Ohio-based group that describes itself as a national research watchdog group, and has filed several complaints against WSU in recent years, is asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate the incidents and take appropriate enforcement actions pending the outcome. Charlie Powell, a spokesman for the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine, said the incident involving the cow castrations happened more than a year ago, was self-reported to the USDA by the University, and the person involved was disciplined. Adrian Aumen, a spokeswoman for the university’s College of Arts and Sciences, said the bats that died were between four and six weeks old, flying on their own and not attached to their mothers, indicating they were weaned. “Researchers had no reason to expect an adverse outcome,” she said. The incident was also reported to the USDA by university officials and procedures were changed to avoid a repeat in the future. “It’s regrettable anytime an animal dies. We hate that,” she said. “We feel confident this is an isolated incident that won’t be repeated.“
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Livestock Market Digest
October 15, 2018
What Happened in Tulare, Can Happen Anywhere. SOURCE: PROTECT THE HARVEST
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ow familiar are you with your political representatives? Do they share your same views about the agricultural industry, or do they attack your livelihood? The stance your local and state politicians make can be detrimental to your business and hobbies. Knowing who represents your community is crucial in the battle between you and the extremist groups looking to put an end to farming, ranching, land use, and
animal ownership. A California Ag town recently learned this lesson.
Mayor’s Anti-Agriculture Opinions Earlier this year, now ousted Tulare Mayor, Carlton Jones, slandered the farmers and ranchers he represented with anti-agriculture statements he made in an argument on Facebook. The comments were “cut and paste,” anti-agriculture rhetoric that seemed as though they came straight from one of the many new activist backed
anti-agriculture documentaries. His comments were then posted to the “My Job Depends On Ag” Facebook group, where his negative outlook on the agricultural industry caught backlash from the Ag community across the Nation. He went as far as saying, “Jobs don’t always depend on Ag. My job as Mayor depends on taxpayers. My job as a firefighter depends on accidents.” He said this while representing a community where 1 in 5 jobs are directly involved in agriculture.
Community Rallies The community rallied to remove Jones from office. Due to his comments, there were multiple city council meetings that included the promises from various companies and individuals to remove their business from the city. When asked to step down he declined, stating, “I’m not quitting.” He made other statements such as, “There’s no quit in me. If your happiness is based on my quitting, you’re going to be waiting a while.” He also showed no willingness to change his viewpoint during
his argument on Facebook with comments like, “You can’t educate me. You’re trained. You can share with me what you’ve been trained to think. We can debate the difference between what you think and what I think.” On June 19th, a second council meeting was held where he was voted out and replaced by David Macedo. Despite his ultimate willingness to step down, Jones left without showing much change in his opinions stating, “None of them, not one person, said we disagree with anything you said, we disagree with the way you delivered it. And I apologized for that. I apologize for allowing myself… to engage in an argument online. I’m not going to apologize for the things that I said.”
Community Caught Off Guard The fact that the 3rd top agricultural community in America didn’t know their own Mayor’s perspective drives home the need to be aware of who represents your community. In Tulare, this particular position is appointed by the City Council, rather than voted in by the community. Many Tulare residents weren’t aware of this either; nor did many know who Jones was previous to his comments on Facebook. The sad fact is that he had been in office since 2016. Luckily, with the power of social media, the good people of the Facebook group, “My Job Depends on Ag,” as well as the strength of the Ag community in Tulare and surrounding areas, his disparaging viewpoints about agriculture received National attention. A fire was sparked in the community, ultimately leading to his removal from office.
It Can Happen Anywhere Please do not have a false sense of security as a result of the relatively swift and positive resolution of the Mayoral situation in Tulare. Despite his disparaging viewpoint of agriculture, the ousted Mayor still had plenty of support from outside the AG community, and this incident isn’t isolated. We will continue to see many positions in office held by those who don’t approve of agriculture or understand livestock or other types of animal endeavors. They hold these views in spite of the fact that they have no actual agricultural or animal experience and are totally uneducated about it. They push for further regulations due to misinformation from extremist influences.
Sounding the Alarm Protect The Harvest has been sounding the alarm about these types of trends that allow anti-agriculture and anti-animal ownership ideologies to get a foothold in unsuspecting communities. Tulare is not the only community in which this type of thing has happened. There are countless situations where officontinued on page seven
October 15, 2018
Why 13 is such an unlucky number for us plus the problem of oppressive ice cream
Ocean’s 13
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hy is the number 13 considered so unlucky? Some believe it refers to the Last Supper, where there were thirteen at the table and Judas of Iscariot, the betrayer of Christ, was the 13th person to arrive. Others says it was because of the traditional thirteen steps leading up to the gallows. One historian said there were thirteen steps to the gallows, “12 up and 1 down.” Thursday September 13 was a Bad Day at Black Rock for those who believe in such quaint things as private property and limited government, as we have been led to the gallows and are almost sure to hang. That’s the day the House Committee on Natural Resources approved two bills, Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act and legislation to Permanently Fund the Land & Water Conservation Fund. The first bill would take the remaining fifty percent of the revenues from oil and gas leasing and devote it to funding the $16 billion in deferred maintenance on Department of Interior lands. The feds can’t manage the 640 million acres it owns, so they will raid the federal treasury to spend more on mismanagement. Instead of addressing the amount of lands under their control and setting priorities, they will just pour money into the existing mess. If you had a business with many items in disrepair, wouldn’t you take an inventory and determine which assets should be repaired and which should just be done away with? That is why I have previously suggested the feds take a page from the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) and form a
Livestock Market Digest
Park Realignment and Closure Commission (PRAC) to perform the same mission for our parks. Then decide how and where money should be spent on maintenance. Sorry, but nothing like that will be entertained by Congress. And make no mistake; these are monies that were going directly to our Department of Treasury. By diverting these funds they are increasing our national debt as these funds will no longer be on the plus side of the ledger, and instead will appear as expenditures. The same week the Committee passed this bill I found the following newspaper headlines: “National debt jumps $500 billion in less than six months” “US National Debt at $21 Trillion” “Government borrowing – and the deficit – soars despite robust economy” “National debt is spending problem much more than a revenue problem” The DC Deep Thinkers know, though, that repairing the toilets at our National Parks should have the highest priority. What could be worse? That same day the Committee passed a bill to permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Congress established the LWCF in 1964 to to “assist in preserving, developing, and assuring accessibility to… outdoor recreation resources.” The feds use the LWCF to purchase private land and turn it into public parks and other recreation areas. The LWCF is the primary vehicle for land purchases by the four major federal land management agencies. Congress authorized the LWCF for two 25-year periods; the program expired for the first time in September 2015. In 2016 Congress extended the LWCF for three years in an appropriations bill, and it will expire again on September 30, 2018 Rob Bishop, Chairman of the Natural Resources Committee had originally been pushing a
BEEF cials are elected that do not have their constituents’ best interests at heart. For example, in North Dakota, the animal rights group, the Humane Society of the United States, backed Measure 5. This legislation allows for an actionable claim, to be made by any out of state caller. It also allows for animals to be seized and sold without notice or hearing. Even though it was voted down, similar legislation was later pushed through. This was done despite the will of the people of North Dakota. Many residents were unaware that this legislation was made into law until a rancher experienced its impact. Fortunately, with the support of Protect The Harvest and others, he had the resources and know-how to fight back.
Stay Informed, Get Involved You can no longer take for granted that a com-
replacement bill that would have greatly limited the amounts to be spent for land acquisition and instead would use the funds for other purposes. It would have also limited the amount of lands the feds could acquire in the West. Instead, Bishop reached a compromise with the Ranking Democrat, Raul Grijalva, to throw all that out and permanently fund the program with the proviso that states get 40 percent, the feds get 40 percent, and the other 20 percent will be spent based on the needs at that time. Apparently, the disappearance of private property is now okay with Republicans, as long as the states get their fair share. Some Republicans on the Committee remained concerned about the continuing federal acquisition of land at a time when the maintenance backlog is in the billions of dollars. If the government cannot maintain the land it has now, they reasoned, it shouldn’t be buying more. “When we hit the $1 billion and $10 billion in deferred maintenance, it seemed clear that we should not be buying land until we get this backlog down,” said Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas. Gohmert offered an amendment that would have required spending down the backlog before acquiring any more land. The Republican-controlled Committee rejected his amendment. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Prescott, concerned about the burgeoning size of the federal estate, offered an amendment that would have required the federal government to sell an acre of land for every acre it bought. The Republican-controlled Committee voted down his amendment. Notice I said this bill would permanently fund the program. There is no cutoff date as in the past. That means the feds are authorized to continue acquiring private property in perpetuity. It will never stop. 640 million acres is just not enough. They have poorly managed that 640 million acres, they have allowed much of it to fall into disrepair, but they just must have more. Sept. 13 was a very bad day and I’m betting this bill will pass before the September 30 deadline.
Zinke exposes settlements Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has issued an executive order to increase transparency when continued from page one
munity is represented by people who understand your challenges or needs. You can’t take for granted that the people who seek public office will be the right voice for their constituents. To protect your animals, your livelihood and way of life, we urge you to be proactive in your decisions when voting for representatives. Know who you are voting for and what organizations and individuals are contributing to their political campaigns. Not only do we encourage you to be knowledgeable about who is representing you, but to thoroughly investigate proposed legislation, administrative rule or ordinances as well. As we continue to stand up for agriculture and fight for our way of life, we all need to pull together and make sure people are well informed. We can no longer afford to be complacent. “Not having enough time”, is going to bite us all.
Page 7 the Interior Department enters into consent decrees and settlement agreements. Ethan Lane, executive director of the Public Lands Council said, “Ranchers operating on public land are subjected to relentless, coordinated litigation designed to force settlements with the Department of the Interior.” Interior alone paid out more than $4.4 billion in monetary awards under terms of 460 settlement agreements and consent decrees between Jan. 1, 2012, and Jan. 19, 2017. In other words, Interior paid out an average of more than $800 million a year while keeping key aspects of litigation secret. It’s easy to see why so many outside observers fear an unaccountable bureaucracy cutting deals with activists. “The Department of Interior is shining light on a corner of government most people don’t even know exists,” American Farm Bureau Federation General Counsel Ellen Steen said. “When activists sue, they can tie up the government with dozens of frivolous claims but still recover attorneys’ fees if a judge upholds even one, solitary claim.”
I guess if we can’t stop it, we can at least expose it.
Oppressive Ice Cream Since some flavors of ice cream contain beef gelatin, a group of students at the University of Wisconsin are crafting an “Ice Cream for All” resolution that would force the University-owned Babcock Dairy to produce ice cream with more “inclusive” ingredients that do not discriminate against or “marginalize” Muslim, vegetarian and vegan students. Clearly, this is a battle against Neapolitan Nazis! Butter Pecan Bullies! Rocky Road Right wingers! Chocolate Caesars! French Vanilla Fuhrers! Tutti Frutti Tyrants! One commenter on my blog suggested I hold an Ice Cream Social for Socialists. But I don’t think Sweet Sharon would let them on the place. Until next time, be a nuisance to the devil and don’t forget to check that cinch. Frank DuBois was the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003, is the author of a blog: The Westerner (www.thewesterner.blogspot.com) and is the founder of The DuBois Rodeo Scholarship and The DuBois Western Heritage Foundation
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Livestock Market Digest
Baxter BLACK ON THE EDGE OF COMMON SENSE www.baxterblack.com
Hung Up In The Fence
S
he was a pretty cow. A big polled Hereford but she was only half bagged up. So they sorted her off. These were pretty rangy cows
and when they got separated from the big bunch they got nervous. Rex and Clair dropped her over into the “questionable” pen to run her though the chute. Rex wanted to check her bag. The big cow had fire in her eyes when she saw Rex. She charged him! He raced to the fence. Clair stepped in front
of the one-cow stampede and swung at her with a broken plastic whip. She changed directions, missed him by a hare’s breath and cleared the fence herself! I say ‘cleared the fence’. I mean ‘almost cleared the fence’. Rex was proud of his new fence. He built it of Red Brand welded wire 4 x 6 foot panels and cedar posts. He ran a line of treated 2 x 8’s around the top. The cow in question drove a hind foot through one of the squares in the welded wire panel. She hung up and straddled the fence like a limp cheese stick crawlin’ outta the bowl. “Lemme run and get the bolt cutter, Rex. We can weld
October 15, 2018
it back later.” “No. I wanna check her bag first,” he said. The way the cow was draped over the 2 x 8, her bag was at eye level. Clair could see the look on Rex’s face. “Don’t do it,” she said. Rex reached out, grabbed the proffered tit and squeezed. A foul smelling clump of cottage cheese hit him square in the face! At the same time he pulled, she made a tremendous effort to escape. She fell back down inside the pen, ripping off the welded wire panel in a shower of staples! She rose with the panel still around her foot. Wearing her giant snow-
shoe, she stomped, shuffled and cha-cha’d her way back through the cows in the questionable pen. They spooked and scattered to the four points of the compass, but all unerringly, managed to find the new gap in the fence and join the rest of the herd. All escaped except the cow with the fly swatter foot. Clair roped her and held her down long enough for Rex to cut the panel off with the bolt cutters. They let’er up and she followed the other cows. Rex wiped a clod of curd off the bill of his cap. “Well,” he said philosophically. “At least we know.” www.baxterblack.com
We Must All Sacrifice for the Environment (But I Meant You – Not Me!) BY GREG WALCHER A VERSION OF THIS COLUMN FIRST APPEARED IN THE GRAND JUNCTION DAILY SENTINEL SEPTEMBER 7, 2018.
H
ave we become a society of people who want to regulate others, but not ourselves? We laugh at those who object
to some policy that seemed perfectly OK, when they thought it only applied to others. We make fun of Al Gore proposing the end of fossil fuels, while jetting around the world in his private plane. We chortle about politicians advocating gun control while surrounded by heavily
NOVEMBER 14 • REAL ESTATE
LAZY J2 RANCH
SAN RAFAEL VALLEY (PATAGONIA), ARIZONA 6,000 Acre Working Grass-Fed Cattle Ranch (200 Head Capacity) 952 Deeded Acres · 5,112 Acre USAF Grazing Allotment Offered in Two Parcels: 520 Acres & 432 Acres Including 5,112 Grazing Allotment One of the Last Intact Short Grass Prairies in the US San Rafael Valley is a little-known, sequestered valley in southern Arizona. Its unique setting, extraordinary beauty and extreme privacy create a priceless, one-of-a-kind environment. Lazy J2 is located at 5,000 feet in the valley’s magnificent grasslands, contiguous to the Coronado National Forest. Here you will escape from the world and enjoy 17 – 25 inches of annual rainfall, and temperatures typically 15-20 degrees cooler than Tucson. Just minutes to the quaint town of Patagonia, and 1.5 hours to the Tucson International Airport.
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armed bodyguards. In truth, such hypocrisy is common, because the desire to control other people’s behavior is human nature. Yet our attempts frequently come back to haunt us. In Hamlet’s most famous speech, he predicted that a would-be assassin might end up being “hoist with his own petard.” A “petard” is a bomb, so it simply means that the bomb maker might be blown up (“hoisted” off the ground) by his own bomb. Today that Shakespearean phrase is a common proverb describing poetic justice, another way of saying “caught in his own trap,” or “what goes around comes around.” San Francisco officials are once again learning the meaning of the word “petard,” as they struggle with water shortages. Several times, endangered species issues have come back to haunt some of the nation’s most unyielding environmental campaigners (San Francisco is the birthplace and headquarters of the Sierra Club) and their elected officials. Yet the City has never moderated its in-your-face, holier-than-thou environmentalism. When President Trump announced the U.S. exit from the Paris climate deal, for example,
San Francisco announced that it would comply with the intent anyway, limiting the local use of fossil fuels. The City has banned plastic straws, grocery bags, and Styrofoam, and even required solar panels on private buildings. If it is on the environmental industry wish list, San Francisco is leading the way. Even so, when activists there insist on leaving more water in the rivers, to protect salmon, they mean water from Central Valley farmers – not their own water. State regulators have obliged, and water restrictions have been imposed on farms to the south for 25 years. Hundreds of billions of gallons of water previously used for irrigation have been flushed to the ocean every year, rather than sent through the California Aqueduct to the Central Valley. Nevertheless, salmon remain endangered. So now, the California Water Resources Control Board proposes further restrictions, this time including water that is part of the municipal supply of San Francisco. Public hearings are generating lots of angry responses. The plan would double the flow of water in the Tuolumne, Stanislaus and Merced Rivers, leaving more water for salmon, but less
for the City – a lot less. It could mean a reduction of 300,000 to 675,000 acre feet of water for the Bay Area. San Francisco’s water supply has been mired in controversy for a century, but today it has some of the purest water in the nation. That’s because its water comes from the Hetch Hetchy reservoir in Yosemite National Park. The losing battle against building that dam and reservoir was a defining battle cry of Sierra Club founder John Muir. It was built anyway, and since the 1920s has delivered Tuolumne River water to San Francisco, and to farms near Modesto. But San Francisco’s water rights are junior to the agricultural rights, so the City could actually face the largest reductions. Leaders of the Golden Gate City are outraged. They never intended for the water reductions they support to have any effect on themselves. A local group called “Restore Hetch Hetchy” advocates tearing down the dam, and got an initiative on the local ballot in 2012 for that purpose. But San Francisco voters voted it down – they support tearing down other people’s reservoirs, not theirs. The opponents then went to court, and have been there ever since. Ironically, they’re fighting the City itself, which argues that the legality of Hetch Hetchy is “settled,” and that its water supply is now indispensable. The reservoir generates significant hydroelectric power, and supplies water to 2.7 million residents and businesses in more a dozen Bay Area communities. The salmon seem somehow less important to City leaders. Their alternative is for the State to spend vastly more on river restoration, including killing competing fish. But even if that helps the salmon, it won’t satisfy the environmental industry, which still wants more water restrictions. Perhaps water leaders across the West can be forgiven for thinking, “welcome to our world,” if San Francisco is being hoist with its own petard. It is a world that City helped create.
October 15, 2018
Livestock Market Digest
Page 9
REAL ESTATE GUIDE SOCORRO PLAZA REALTY
521 West Second St. • Portales, NM 88130
575-226-0671 or 575-226-0672 fax
Bar M Real Estate
BAKER CITY, OREGON Andrew Bryan, Owner/Broker Office 541-523-5871 Cell 208-484-5835
For Real Estate and Classified Advertising Please Call 505/243-9515
andrew@bakercityrealty.com www.bakercityrealty.com
SCOTT MCNALLY www.ranchesnm.com 575/622-5867 575/420-1237
Buena Vista Realty
Qualifying Broker: A.H. (Jack) Merrick 575-760-7521 www.buenavista-nm.com
521 West Second St., Portales, NM 88130
575-226-0671 www.buenavista-nm.com
Ranch Sales & Appraisals
Rural Listings with Homes & Barns in Eastern New Mexico 2638 S Rrd G, 160 ac very nice ranch setting near Causey, NM 361 S Rrd W, 38 ac w/ 3bdrm, 2 bth home 7 mi west Portales, NM 1866 NM 236, 10 ac w/4 bdrm 2 bth, barns, storage – 2 miles from town 1509 Davis Rd, very nice home, lots garage – barn space – 3 miles out 1242 NM 480, fantastic ranch home on 58 ac overlooking Portales
SOLD
AG LOANS AGLAND LAND LOANS AsLow LowAsAs 3% As 4.5% OPWKCAP 2.9% OPWKCAP 2.9%
INTEREST RATESAS AS LOW 3% INTEREST RATES LOW ASAS 4.5% Payments Scheduledon on2525 Years Payments Scheduled Years
See these and other properties at www.buenavista-nm.com
O’NEILL LAND, llc
Joe Stubblefield & Associates 13830 Western St., Amarillo, TX 806/622-3482 • cell 806/674-2062 joes3@suddenlink.net Michael Perez Associates Nara Visa, NM • 575/403-7970
P.O. Box 145, Cimarron, NM 87714 • 575/376-2341 • Fax: 575/376-2347 land@swranches.com • www.swranches.com
Bottari Realty
Paul Bottari, Broker Vista Realty at 575-226-0671 or the listing agent 775/752-3040 5-760-9847, or Melody Sandberg 575-825-1291. d pictures on MLS or www.buenavista-nm.com
Nevada Farms & raNch PrOPerTY
www.bottarirealty.com
Selling residential, farm, ranch, commercial and relocating properties. COLETTA RAY
Pioneer Realty 1304 Pile Street, Clovis, NM 88101
575-799-9600 Direct 575.935.9680 Office 575.935.9680 Fax coletta@plateautel.net www.clovisrealestatesales.com
Missouri Land Sales
See all my listings at: paulmcgilliard.murney.com
Paul McGilliard • 564 ACRE GASCONADE RIVER FARM. 360 Acres of lush Cell: 417/839-5096 grass/hay/tillable bottom ground make up this highly productive 1-800/743-0336 livestock/hunting property.Well maintained older 4 Bed, 3 Ba Murney Assoc., Realtors home. Only 45 miles east of Springfield, Mo. MLS#60115449 Springfield, MO 65804 • 11.2 ACRES GREAT RETREAT IN THE WOODS, or permanent residence if you love seclusion! Winter view of the North Fork River. Would be a great corporate retreat, or a large family, could sleep 15+. Property sells fully furnished. MLS#60109625 • 80 ACRES - 60 Acres hayable, live water only 50 miles east of Springfield, 1/4 mile off of Hwy 60. 3 Bed, 1 1/2 Ba, 1432 sq. ft. home, nestled under the trees. Full basement (partially finished), John Deer Room. MLS#60059808.
Scott Land co. Ranch & Farm Real Estate
1301 Front Street, Dimmitt, TX 79027 Ben G. Scott - Broker Krystal M. Nelson - NM Qualifying Broker 800-933-9698 • 5:00am/10:00pm www.scottlandcompany.com
WE NEED LISTINGS ON ALL TYPES OF AG PROPERTIES LARGE OR SMALL! ■ WEST CLOVIS HWY. 60 – 1,536.92 ac. +/- of +/- ac. (1,629 Deeded +/-, 5,839 +/- State, grassland w/two mi. of hwy. frontage on Hwy. 3,400 +/- BLM, 2,700 +/- Forest Leases) well 60, ½ mi. of frontage on Hwy. 224, 3 mi. of improved w/home, shop, hay barn, pens & frontage on south side of Curry Rd. 12, watered livestock scale, watered by wells, pipelines & by one well at the pens piped to both pastures. earthen dams. ■ GREAT STARTER RANCH – Quay Co., NM – ■ SOUTH CONCHAS RANCH – San Miguel well improved & watered, 2,400 ac. +/-deeded, Co., NM - 9,135 ac. +/- (6,670 +/- deeded, 320 80 ac. +/- State Lease, excellent access from +/- BLM, 40 +/- State Lease, 2,106 +/- “FREE I-40. USE”) well improved, just off pvmt, on co. ■ SE OF HEREFORD, TX. – 658.3 ac. +/- w/498 road, two neighboring ranches may be added ac. +/- of CRP, balance in native grass, virtually for additional acreage! new 5 strand barbed wire fence around pe■ SAN MIGUEL CO., NM – 3,000 +/- ac., mostly rimeter, nice set of steel pens. NM Associate deeded, virtually new mobile home w/metal Broker owned. hay barn, metal shop bldg., good pens, open ■ UTE LAKE SUBDIVISION – beautiful, new country to deep canyons. custom built home, over 5,000 sq. ft. on 3.230 ■ MALPAIS OF NM - Lincoln/Socorro Counac. +/-, 4 bdrm., 3 ½ bath, 3 fireplaces immacuties, 37.65 sections +/- (13,322 ac. +/- Deeded, late w/view from every room. 8,457 ac. +/- BLM Lease, 2,320 ac. +/- State Please view our website for details on these properties, Lease) good, useable improvements & water, choice TX, NM, CO ranches (large & small), choice ranches in the high rainfall areas of OK, irr./dryland/ some irrigation w/2 pivot sprinklers, on pvmt., CRP & commercial properties. We need your listings all-weather road. ■ RED ROCK RANCH – Grant Co., NM – 13,568
on any types of ag properties in TX, NM, OK & CO.
WAGONMOUND RANCH, Mora/Harding Counties, NM. 4,927 +/- deeded acres, 1,336.80 +/- state lease acres, 2,617 +/- Kiowa National Grassland Lease Acres. 8,880.80 +/- Total Acres. Substantial holding with good mix of grazing land and broken country off rim onto Canadian River. Fenced into four main pastures with shipping and headquarter pasture and additional four pastures in the Kiowa lease. Modern well, storage tank and piped water system supplementing existing dirt tanks located on deeded. Located approximately 17 miles east of Wagon Mound on pavement then county road. Nice headquarters and good access to above rim. Wildlife include antelope, mule deer and some elk. $2,710,000
RATON MILLION DOLLAR VIEW, Colfax County, NM. 97.68 +/- deeded acres, 2 parcels, excellent home, big shop, wildlife, a true million dollar view at end of private road. $489,000. House & 1 parcel $375,000
SOLD
MIAMI 80 ACRES, Colfax County, NM. 80 +/- deeded acres, 80 water shares, expansive views, house, shop, roping arena, barns and outbuildings. Reduced $485,000
COLD BEER VIEW, Colfax County, NM 83.22 +/- deeded acre, 3,174 sq ft, 5 bedroom, 3 ½ bathrm, 2 car garage home situated on top of the hill with amazing 360 degree views. MIAMI HORSE HEAVEN, Colfax County, NM. Very Reduced $398,000 $349,000 private approx. 4,800 sq ft double walled adobe MIAMI 20 ACRES, Colfax County, NM. 20 +/- deed4 bedroom, 3 bathroom home with many custom ed acres, 20 water shares, quality 2,715 sq ft adobe features, 77.50 +/- deeded acres with water rights home, barn, grounds and trees. Private setting. This is and large 7 stall barn, insulated metal shop with own a must see. Reduced to $265,000 septic. Would suit indoor growing operation, large hay FRENCH TRACT 80, Irrigated farm with gated pipe, barn/equipment shed. $1,375,000. house, stone shop, many out buildings privacy. MAXWELL FARM IMPROVED, Colfax County, Reduced to $292,000 $282,000 NM. 280 +/- deeded acres, 160 Class A irrigation shares, 2 center pivots, nice sale barn, 100 hd feed- MAXWELL SMALL HOLDING, home with horse lot. Depredation Elk Tags available. Owner financing improvements, fenced, water rights and 19+/available to qualified buyer. Significantly reduced to deeded acres. Handy to I25 on quiet country road. $232,000. $550,000
CONTRACT P E N D IN G
On the Plaza
Donald Brown
Qualifying Broker
505-507-2915 cell 505-838-0095 fax
116 Plaza PO Box 1903 Socorro, NM 87801 www.socorroplazarealty.com dbrown@socorroplazarealty.com
TEXAS & OKLA. FARMS & RANCHES • 80 acre wood home with barns, meadows and woods. Fronts State Rd. $650,000 • 14 acre Van Zandt County TX, Canton. 2 homes, 2 shops. Fronts State Rd. Excellent buy at $400,000 • 160 acre Ranger Eastland Co, $560,000 • 270 acre Mitchell County, Texas ranch. Investors dream; excellent cash flow. Rock formation being crushed and sold; wind turbans, some minerals. Irrigation water developed, crop & cattle, modest improvements. Just off I-20. Price reduced to $1.6 million.
Joe Priest Real Estate
1-800/671-4548
joepriestre.net • joepriestre@earthlink.com
DOUBLE L RANCH – Central NM, 10 miles west of Carrizozo, NM. 12,000 total acres; 175 AUYL, BLM Section 3 grazing permit; Water provided by 3 wells and buried pipeline. Improvements include house and pens. Price Reduced: $1,150,000 X T RANCH – Southeastern NM cattle ranch 40 miles northwest of Roswell, NM on the Chaves/Lincoln County line. Good grass ranch with gently rolling grass covered hills. 8,000 total acres, 200 AUYL grazing capacity. Partitioned into four pastures watered by 2 wells with pipelines. Call for brochure. Price: $1,750,000 SOUTH BROWN LAKE RANCH – Nicely improved cattle ranch located northwest of Roswell, NM. 5,735 total acres to include 960 acres deeded. 164 A.U. yearlong grazing capacity. Modern residence, bunkhouse, shop and feed barn. Three wells and buried pipeline. Excellent grass country. Price: $1,300,000 L-X RANCH – Southeastern NM just ten minutes from Roswell, NM with paved gated and locked access. 3,761 total acres divided into several pastures and traps. Nice improvements to include a site built adobe residence. One well with extensive pipeline system. Well suited for a registered cattle operation. Price: $900,000
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Livestock Market Digest
CLASSIFIEDS KADDATZ
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October 15, 2018
The View FROM THE BACK SIDE
Rifting in Arizona BY BARRY DENTON
The views in this column are strictly those of the author and not this publication.
g•u•i•d•e angus
Bradley 3 Ranch Ltd. www.bradley3ranch.com
Annual Bull Sale: February 10, 2018
at the Ranch NE of Estelline, TX Ranch-Raised ANGUS Bulls for Ranchers Since 1955
HEREFORD
M.L. Bradley 806/888-1062 Fax: 806/888-1010 • Cell: 940/585-6471
BEEFMASTER
Registered Polled Herefords Bulls & Heifers
FOR SALE AT THE FARM
Cañones Route P.O. Abiquiu, N.M. 87510 MANUEL SALAZAR P.O. Box 867 Española, N.M. 87532
575/638-5434 RED ANGUS
A SOURCE FOR PROVEN SUPERIOR RED ANGUS GENETICS 14298 N. Atkins Rd., Lodi, CA 95240
209/727-3335
BRANGUS
CORRIENTE
B
oy, I hate to see it, but it seems the cow stuff has been hitting the fan in our happy little ranching community here in Arizona. You seem to have a number of factions disagreeing with each other and trying to make power plays. The trouble is, there are good folks on all sides of this issue. I don’t know if I should call it “growing pains” or “lack of growing pains.” On one hand you have a new leader that wants to lead and on the other hand you have an executive committee that is appalled that the new leader is not following their direction. It looks to me like both sides are each a little bit right and maybe they ought to meet in the middle for the good of its’ members. I’m not taking sides in this altercation because I see good and bad on both sides. Our ranch has been an off and on member of the Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association for many years. It pretty much boils down to a few things for us. It seems to me that associations are great for shooting themselves in the foot. About the time an association starts doing good things for its members; it will come up with some hair brained scheme that just does not fit. I think one of the worst things an association can do is to let an executive committee run the entire show. Why not have a balance between executive committees and membership? The US government is creat-
ed with a system of checks and balances. Why can’t your local association be run the same way, instead of one group making all the decisions? The members get only what is handed down to them. It looks to me like a political party where elitism rules and no one wants to hear from the regular folks. The thing that has frosted me the most about cattlemen’s associations was the creation of the Beef Promotion and Research Act passed in the United States Congress in 1985. Producers then made the “Beef Checkoff Program” mandatory in 1988. It consisted of taking $1 away from each animal sold in the US to go to the Cattleman’s Beef Board, and then fifty cents of each dollar would be invested through each state’s Beef Council. For those of you that like big government and feel safe with big brother watching over you this probably makes sense. To people who are independent enough to think for themselves, it is offensive and is another intrusion of government into your lives. It looks like a very communistic program to me. In order to sell your bovine through a sale barn you have to give the government your dollar. Who are these nuts that think government control is better than the freedom to decide on your own, where that dollar should go? Another thing that I have experienced is the only time that you ever hear from an association’s executive committee is when they think they have a crisis big enough to where they need money from you. Then they call you up and say old buddy, we need some money to fight this or that, because it will
help you if we do. Now, we do not need your opinion or possible solutions to said crisis, just send a check. Our local cattle growers association consists of about 300 members and one of the best things they do each year is hold their annual calf sale and barbeque. Now, my family has been attending this sale and barbeque since the 1940’s. Normally we donate a calf to the sale for the benefit of the association. A few years back we did not have a calf to bring to the sale, so we had decided to donate the amount of money a calf would bring. Just as I was about to hand a check to the head honcho of the association, he speaks up and says, “How come you did not bring a calf to the sale this year?” I answered, “I don’t think it is any of your business.” He continued, “Well Fred, Bill, and Sam, did not have a calf to bring either. They each ponied up “x” dollars in the form of a check, so you can just give us one of those.” Funny thing, but about the time you tell me I have to do something, that’s about the time I leave and our friendship ends. I have met others who feel the same way, believe it or not. I was tempted to send him a copy of Dale Carnegie’s book, but figured he would never be able to comprehend it. Yes, there has been a rift over here between factions in our cattle associations. No association I ever belonged to was perfect, but many are too prideful to compromise. One of the biggest mistakes I see with associations is that executive committees seem to remain the same and they do not rotate members on a regular basis. When a new guy comes in as association president, everyone needs to get behind him whether you agree or not. Give him a chance, you just might be surprised. Past presidents should be kept for advice and not votes. Make certain that all offices, whether paid or volunteer never have the same people year after year. Remember to show respect to your regular dues paying members. Rifts can always be settled by each side swallowing a little pride.
Raising vs. Buying Replacement Heifers BY JASON BRADLEY, AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS CONSULTANT, NOBLE INSTITUTE
R.L. Robbs
W
520/384-3654 4995 Arzberger Rd. Willcox, Arizona 85643 Willcox, AZ
hen it comes to getting replacement females for your cattle herd, multiple options are available. One would be to use your own cow herd and keep the heifers you need. Or you could outsource and purchase virgin heifers from a different operation and breed them to the bull(s) of your choice. Another option is to buy heifers bred to a bull that would roll straight into your program. Which one is the best? Like so many things in agriculture, the method that works for one operation may not be the best option for another. That’s why it’s so important to know what the costs are for a particular method while understanding what benefits you’ll get in return.
Pros and Cons The pros and cons of any method should be considered before making a decision. With
home-raised replacements, you should know exactly what you’re getting. You’ll also be able to sell any extra bred heifers at a higher price than feeder heifers that are not bred. The downside is it requires a much higher level of management in order to have a well-functioning breeding program, which means you need to take into account the costs and timelines for general management of your operation. It also means you’re going to have an animal that’s utilizing the available forage while not producing a calf, and you’ll need a plan to prevent inbreeding. On the other hand, if you purchase your replacements, there will not be any missed animal production because those heifers will be calving that year. This option also allows for new genetics to be brought into the herd. However, there’s not always a guarantee of what kind of calf you will get if you purchase bred heifers. Unfortunately, with this option you cannot guarantee continued on page eleven
Livestock Market Digest
Page 11
Grid Marketing, Ranch View BY JERA PIPKIN
H
itting a target takes practice, careful calibrations, attempts and recalibrations over time. Cow-calf producers make decisions every day, but how many of those relate to the calves’ ability to realize their potential and hit a high-quality beef target? At the Certified Angus Beef ® (CAB®) brand’s Feeding Quality Forum this summer in Sioux City, Iowa, the brand’s own beef cattle specialist, Paul Dykstra, summarized the rancher’s dilemma. “You and I as cow-calf producers unhook ourselves from our product very early in the life cycle of that animal,” he said. “It’s not that we don’t care about what happens to our calves as they go on, or that they don’t have value to the next owner. It’s the fact that we don’t ever learn about that.” Except for the 18% of herd operators who retain ownership through finishing and harvest. The rest naturally move on to the next production season, the next calf crop. But in the last 10 to 15 years, the average calf sold has carried increasingly greater potential to hit the Choice, CAB and Prime targets. That’s partly because the market incentivized such genetic potential through grid marketing, Dykstra said. That type of marketing greatly increased in those years, too,
he said, reviewing the basics. Carcasses with more marbling and a lower yield grade earn the highest premium, while those with the least marbling and most external fat (higher yield grade) stand the greatest discounts. “The landscape has changed in marketing cattle,” Dykstra said. “The fact, and how short of a timeframe and how dramatically it has occurred is important for us to recognize.” It suggests that calves capable of topping a market should fit that later grid market. Technology has affected the calf and cattle markets at every level. From DNA testing on the ranch to feeding distiller’s grains for better feedlot performance to camera grading in packing plants, improvements have driven an increase in carcass quality. Carcasses accepted for CAB grew from 2.5 million to 4.5 million in a decade, with new supply records toppling every few weeks and nearly every months. Rapid increases in supply typically mean lower premiums, but the Choice-Select spread has run steady to higher, even as the supply of Select fell dramatically. “If we’re going to get paid for CAB, we first get paid on the Choice-Select spread above plant average, and then we add on top the CAB premium,” Dykstra said. Showing the trends that go against expectations, he added, “The price only gets stronger as we moved into more
supply—it doesn’t get weaker.” He showed examples of steers that may look very similar but by virtue of feed efficiency, carcass quality and other performance factors, command a value difference of $131 per head. “We need to figure out a way to get those dollars and cents back into the system,” Dykstra said, suggesting a need for more documentation and perhaps more attention to “terminal” trait selection in the cow herd. “Even in herds that keep replacement heifers, 80% to 85% of the calves are terminal,” he pointed out. Studies show more than 92% of eligible cattle that failed to qualify for CAB fell out for lack of marbling, while balanced selection to include that trait has almost no impact on other traits. Looking at the bigger picture, he noted the effect of seasonality in markets, showing predictable spikes in the Choice-Select spread, especially in late spring. “These last two springs, we saw a $20 Choice-Select spread there in April and May,” he said. “if we deliver a 500-pound calf in October to the feedyard, it’s probably not coming out in April, May or June. It’s probably coming out in July when the carcass quality price spreads are seasonally narrower.” You can’t always change to better fit a market, but “but if we want to capture the value we’re breeding into our cattle, we need to think about it.”
Ten New Mexico Breeders Who Registered the Most Angus
T
he 10 producers who registered the most Angus beef cattle in the state of New Mexico recorded a total of 2019 Angus with the American Angus Association® during fiscal year 2018, which ended September 30, according to Allen Moczygemba, Association chief executive officer. The 10 top recorders in New Mexico are: Bill Gardner, Es-
HEIFERS the genetics of the calf that will come from the purchased bred heifer. In order to purchase replacements that increase your chances of getting what you want, you will face a higher purchase price.
What’s Feasible Before making your decision, take a step back and decide what is feasible from your
tancia; Diamond Seven Angus Ranch, Newkirk; Flying W Diamond Ranch, Capitan; U Bar Ranch, Gila; High Valley Angus, Moriarty; Heartstone Angus, Silver City; Mc Call Land & Cattle Co, Albuquerque; Robert and Mitzi Miller, Floyd; H-V Ranch, Tatum; Richardson Cattle Co, Carlsbad. Angus breeders across the nation in 2018 registered 327,067 head of Angus cattle. “Our growth this fiscal year continues to demonstrate strong demand for Angus genetics and solidifies our long-held position as a leader in the beef cattle industry,” Moczygemba says. “These
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operational standpoint and management abilities. Are you able to spend more time developing the replacement type you want or would your time be better spent managing purchased replacements that don’t require that commitment or resources? The options outlined here are just some of the many ways to obtain replacement heifers for your herd.
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Livestock Market Digest
October 15, 2018
EU is About to Set a Dangerous Precedent for Food Imports BY BRENDAN MCGIVERN , OPINION CONTRIBUTOR
The views expressed by contributors are their own & not the view of this publication.
T
he world appears to be hellbent on a protracted trade war, making this a turbulent but delicate moment for the global economy. And the EU is about to open the door to yet more escalating conflict over exports and imports — one that also puts animal welfare and food security
on the line. The European Parliament is widely expected to pass a bill in October that will require all for-
eign livestock producers to follow the same rules as EU farmers when it comes to animal medicines or be barred from
exporting to the bloc. This means, for example, that meat, milk and egg exporters in countries including the U.S., Brazil or Australia must use veterinary medicines and treatments in the same manner as European farmers, despite facing different disease threats and environmental circumstances. Not only does this create a dilemma for veterinarians and producers wanting to treat animals in line with their own country’s legislation, it is incompatible with the rules of the World
Trade Organization (WTO). This new provision, made under the guise of protecting antibiotics from overuse or misuse, is not supported by scientific evidence, as required by the WTO. Like other WTO member governments, the EU has both the right and the responsibility to protect the health of its citizens. However, it must do so within the agreed framework of WTO rules. The EU cannot apply a blanket presumption prohibiting the importation of animals or animal products from countries where antibiotics are permitted under conditions different from those of the EU. Under the WTO treaty, food safety rules must be based on science rather than presumptions. The bill is also problematic for at least three other reasons. First, this kind of “reciprocity” requirement could work both ways — and pave the way for new tariffs or other trade rows. Other countries could equally apply restrictions on products from EU countries to meet their own national criteria. This could wreak havoc with international agribusiness and, potentially, food security. Second, it sets a legal and trade precedent. Similar restrictions could be introduced for other sectors or by other countries, which could impact regulated industries that also support human health, such as pharmaceuticals. Finally, this bill opens up the EU to the possibility of legal challenge in the WTO, which is the last thing anyone would want, least of all the EU. Every case brought to the WTO to challenge food safety regulations has established a violation, including with respect to the EU’s ban on imports of beef treated with growth-promoting hormones. In other words, where food safety regulations do not have a valid scientific basis, they fail to withstand scrutiny by the WTO. It’s clear that other countries are concerned about what the EU is about to do, not least because it is inconsistent with what was agreed when the WTO was established over 20 years ago. To date, the European Commission has not offered a satisfactory response to these concerns, creating anxiety among big exporters like the U.S., Brazil and Australia. In the name of free and fair international commerce the EU should consider carefully before joining the global trade war. Brendan McGivern is an international trade lawyer and Partner of Counsel at White and Case LLP, a firm that advises clients from a range of industries, including pharmaceuticals, in trade matters. He is the former head of dispute settlement at the Canadian Mission to the World Trade Organization.