On the Edge of Common Sense

THE EDGE OF COMMON SENSE

by Baxter Black, BaxterBlack.com

Mr. Washington

Lee Trevino has a street named after him in El Paso. Abraham Lincoln has a town named after him in Nebraska. Monty Montana has his namesake state and I’ve even got some hills named in my honor in South Dakota. But there is one feller who left his mark all over these United States. He’s got more towns and cities and counties and streets and states named after him than anyone else. An ex-president. No, not Jimmy Carter. It’s ol’ George Washington.

I’ve noticed in most every town of any size there’s a Washington Street or Washington Avenue. I dug out my Rand McNally and looked. Thirty-one states have Washington counties. I found nineteen states that have cities called Washington, not counting Washington, D.C. Of course, we have Washington state.

From what I recall from my dusty history books, ol’ George was a modest man. They wanted to make him a king but he refused. They wound up making him first in a long line of presidents. I’m sure there’s a Fidel Castro Boulevard in Havana. They probably had to twist Fidel’s arm to let ‘em name it after him. We have a whole raft of politicians who get dams, buildings, airports and other pork barrel projects named after them. They might have even insisted on it. But we’ve named our hometowns and counties after George because we admired him, not because he suggested it.

It’s not regional either. There’s plenty of states in the northeast with his moniker; NY,

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PA, RI, VT, MD and MA. You’d expect it there. But the south is covered with ‘em. Too; Al, AR, KY, LA, MS, MO, NC, FL, GA, TN, TX and VA.

In the Midwest, which was still a wilderness when our young fought the battle and ran the British back to London, you can find lots of Washington’s. They’re in IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, NE, OH, OK, and WS.

And as if that wasn’t enough, just to show you his stayin’ power he’s represented in CO, ID, OR, UT and the folks in Seattle named their state after him.

Yes sir, he left his mark. But what if his name had been Bumgarner or Svenson or Alvarez. We’d probably have still used it. Or what if his opponent in the election primary had won. Every April we’d have to send our checks to our nation’s capital on the banks of the Potomac, Dewey, D.C. ▫

IBBA Board of Directors Seated

The International Brangus Breeders Association (IBBA) announced its new slate of board members during the IBBA Annual Meeting in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on Tuesday, January 12. Newly elected to the Board of Directors, serving three-year terms, included:

At-Large: Dr. Randy Schmidt, Texas

East: Trey Cuevas, Mississippi

Texas: Allen Goode, Texas

West: Greg Romans, Oregon

The four members join existing board members: Lee Alford (Texas), Mary Douglas (Texas), Troy Floyd (New Mexico), Shiloh Hall, (Oklahoma), Chris Heptinstall (Georgia), Jeremy Jackson (Arkansas), Rob Singleton (Florida), Vern Suhn (Kansas), and Mike Weathers (Texas).

Officer elections from the IBBA Annual Meeting for the 2021-2022 seating are as follows:

President: Allen Goode, Texas 1st Vice President: Vern Suhn, KS 2nd Vice President: Jeremy Jackson, AK

Secretary/Treasurer:

Mike Weathers, TX ▫

BQA

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Ї Processing, treatment, and record-keeping. Ї Injectable animal health products.

How can I get BQA certified or re-certified?

There are two methods by which a producer can become BQA certified. One is accessible at https://www.bqa. org/ where one can complete the certification entirely online. The on-line certification process consists of viewing several modules, followed by short quizzes. In-person certification also is an option. The in-person certification consists of a presentation and review of the BQA program followed by a short quiz. Due to COVID-19, the most available option currently is the online method. If you are interested in an in-person certification program, contact the OSU Extension office, to be notified when an in-person certification option is available in the area.

BQA certification is valid for three years from the date of completion. To maintain their status, producers must re-certify. The re-certification process is essentially the same as the initial certification. It can be accomplished through the online process or an in-person program.

The bottom line is good production practices and good animal husbandry make sense for all segments of the industry: the cow/calf producer that sells at weaning, the stocker operator and the feedlot. Incorporation and utilization of management practices that will result in better beef eating experiences for consumers should mean a higher level of consumer confidence and satisfaction, leading to a higher beef demand. ▫

A New Environment for Ag Policy

science,” shared Chuck Conner, president and CEO of National Council of Farmer Cooperatives and former USDA Deputy Secretary. “That’s key in this climate debate.”

by Clinton Griffiths, Ag Web

Vilsack’s Priorities and Action Items

A Second Act Pandemic Recovery: “One of our first charges will be to contribute all we can as a department to aid in the pandemic response,” says U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “That means reviving rural communities and economies, addressing dire food shortages and getting workers and producers the relief they need to hang on and to come back stronger.” A s President Joe Biden unveils his picks for his leadership positions, a sense of déjà vu is setting in as Barack Obama administration officials are tapped for new positions in a Biden government. The first is Tom Vilsack who was picked to return as US Department of “Following a turbulent 2020, which included a global pandemic, hardfought presidential race and Agriculture Secretary. The numerous congressional Rural Revitalannouncement was a surprise to analysts changeovers, the path of U.S. ization: Vilsack wants to make landwho speculated Vilsack would not ag policy is likely headed for mark investments in rural America to want to give up his nearly million-dollar an adjustment. The “Sonny” create new opportunities. One annual income at the U.S. Dairy Export sided leadership of USDA and strategy will be to adopt the 10-20-30 Council to return to U S D A ’ s its motto to “Do Right and rule from Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C. $210,700 salary. Representative Feed Everyone” will see the “That sets aside 10 percent of federal Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, had lobbied return of the long-tenure funding to communities where 20 hard to be the first Black woman to of Tom Vilsack. Add in new percent of people have been caught head USDA, but she was tapped to head and retiring ag committee beneath the poverty line for 30 the Department of Housing and Urban members in Congress, and years or more,” Vilsack explains. Development. Ag leaders welthe future of ag policy feels Fighting comed Vilsack’s return to USDA. He poised for a reset at the start Inequality: Vilsack says his job is to worked with ag groups in the past of this new decade.” ~By root out inequities and systemic racism and lobbied behind the scenes on behalf Clinton Griffiths, John Herath in all USDA systems and programs. of the Renewable Fuels Standard and and Tyne Morgan.” Climate Leaderagainst provisions of ship: U.S. EPA’s Waters of the U.S. rule. agriculture should lead the nation and the

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, tweeted world on climate issues, Vilsack says: “Amerhis approval for Vilsack: “He understands ican ag will reap the new good paying jobs the importance of preserving the family and farm income that will come from that farm, and the significance of the biofuels industry.” leadership.” ▫

“Tom Vilsack believed in government actions based upon the best available

Biden Order Seeks Ag Sector Input to Fight Climate Change

by Susan Kelly, meatingplace.com

President Joe Biden signed an executive order that prioritizes addressing the challenge of climate change and directs the secretary of agriculture to collect input from farmers, ranchers and other stakeholders on how to use federal programs to encourage adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices.

The effort aims to produce verifiable carbon reductions and sequestrations and create new sources of income and jobs for rural Americans, according to the White House.

The order commits to the goal of conserving at least 30 percent of U.S. lands and oceans by 2030 and launches a process for stakeholder engagement to identify strategies that will result in broad participation.

The action also calls for the establishment of a Civilian Climate Corps that would create jobs in conserving and restoring public lands and waters, increasing reforestation, increasing carbon sequestration in the agricultural sector, protecting biodiversity, improving access to recreation, and addressing the changing climate.

“America’s farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners have an important role to play in combating the climate crisis and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, by sequestering carbon in soils, grasses, trees, and other vegetation and sourcing sustainable bioproducts and fuels,” the order states.

Efforts also will include moving to rejoin the Paris Agreement and building on its objectives of safe global temperature, increased climate resilience and a pathway toward low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development, the order said. “Responding to the climate crisis will require both significant short-term global reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and net-zero global emissions by mid-century or before,” the order states. ▫