Petty Differences or the Canary in the Coal Mine?

There was a time before carbon monoxide monitors when coal miners kept a canary in the mines with them to serve as carbon monoxide detectors. Unfortunately, the canary’s death signaled dangerous levels of carbon monoxide.

Recently, certain leaders in the agriculture industry have referred to ongoing battles surrounding Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (MCOOL) and Beef Checkoff as “petty differences” which drive the industry apart.

It was suggested we should instead focus on issues they deemed important such as “fake meat” and government overreach via the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Forest Service interference.

Unfortunately, if these so-called petty differences are not remedied, the American family rancher will go the way of the canary.

MCOOL

Branding is a critical

By Dr. Taylor Haynes

element of marketing any product. Some examples are Ford, Cheverolet, Wyoming Livestock Roundup, The Wall Street Journal, etc. Brands are used by consumers as they make their purchasing decisions.

Unfortunately, the Product of the USA branding label on meat products is now fraudulent.

These days country of origin labeling is critical to food security, availability and safety. Principals at one of the foreign-owned Big Four meatpackers were temporarily jailed in their home country for shipping contaminated meat treated with acid to mask the smell.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture was the last sanctioning body on this planet to ban the import of this product. Accurate labeling would provide a measure of protection for the American consumer and producer.

Foreign animal diseases such as foot and mouth disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy and tuberculosis – to highlight a few –are still active in major trading countries like Canada, Mexico and Brazil.

The objections raised by Canada and Mexico in their World Trade Association lawsuit have been met and mitigated.

The risk to cattle/beef exports has been used as an excuse to not reimplement MCOOL at great cost to consumers. Domestic beef production supplies make up approximately 80 percent of the beef consumed in the U.S.

There is no surplus for export. Beef exported under the Product of the USA label is imported beef which has been repackaged. This is plagiarizing the U.S. producers’ reputation at some risk to us all.

There are livestock groups opposing MCOOL.

The Beef Checkoff

A “petty difference” advertised as promoting beef and cattle sales has resulted in the contraction of free market competition in the beef supply chain.

This is the $1.50 per head sold and paid by livestock producers. Packers and retailers don’t pay it. The largest recipient of checkoff dollars has, by subterfuge, used the checkoff dollar to lobby against MCOOL.

The checkoff was passed in the 1985 Farm Bill, which was instituted in 1988. There have been more than 82,964 small- to medium-sized, family-owned feedlots that have gone out of business since this time.

This proportionately reduces the competition for our cattle at sale barns, and this decreased competition resulted in depressed prices for producers while consumers face record-high grocery prices.

In 1988, the domestic annual per-capita beef consumption was 97 pounds, it decreased to 88 pounds by 2020.

CANDICE PEDERSON, Production Coordinator • candice@wylr.net

JODY MICHELENA, Advertising Director • jodym@wylr.net

DENISE OLSON, Classified Sales Manager

• 307-685-8213

• denise@wylr.net

ANDREA ZINK, General Manager • andrea@wylr.net

CURT COX, Director of Livestock Field Services • 307-630-4604

• curt@wylr.net

CALLI WILLIAMS, Livestock Field Services Rep. • 605-695-1990 • calli@wylr.net

7L Diamond’s Hi Altitude Bulls

Leah and Peter Clark Bulls sell April 6, 2023 at Valley Livestock in Monte Vista • 719-849-8223

Altenburg Super Baldy Ranch - Triangle J 120 bulls - Fort Collins, CO

Saturday, March 18, 2023

Willie Altenburg, 970-481-2570

Baty Livestock Spring and Fall Heifer Sales batylivestock@gmail.com facebook/batylivestock

Bridle Bit Simmentals

All-Terrain Bull & Female Sale

Monday, March 20, 2023 at Walsh, CO

Chad Cook, 719-529-0564

Campbell Simmental

Part of High-Altitude Bull Sale

Saturday, March 25, 2023 at LaGarita, CO Robert, 970-749-9708

Dilka Cattle Yearling and 18-mo-old bulls, PT Briggsdale, CO • 970-396-8791 thedilkas@aol.com

Far Out Cattle Ranch

Jerrid Brisendine, 719-353-1747

All-Terrain Bull & Female Sale

Monday, March 20, 2023 at Walsh, CO

Hill Brothers Livestock Females always available. Paul, 417-849-6851 facebook.com/hillbrotherslivestock

Jay Hill Family Simmental & SimAngus bulls Private treaty • 970-520-1555 jaywhill@kci.net

Mari Simmental Breeders

Ron Mari • Holyoke, CO

Selling black % & PB ET bulls 970-520-7333 for EPDs & data

Phoenix Cattle Co.

Fleckvieh Simmentals & Fleckvieh/Angus seedstock Roger Schager • 303-550-5592

Cody Pitt Family Black & Red bulls private treaty Hotchkiss, CO • 970-778-9267 cmp5792@aol.com

Rains Simmental Bulls of the Prairie sale

Saturday, March 11, 2023, Oakley, KS Mike Rains, 785-672-7129

Russell’s Reflected R Ranch

SimAngus bulls sell private treaty Call Curt, 719-469-2857 for data or go to www.ReflectedRRanch.com

T-Heart Ranch High-Altitude Bull Sale March 25, 2023 shane@t-heartranch.com 719-850-3082 or 719-850-3083

For sale dates, show details and event highlights, go to: www.ColoradoSimmental.com, e-mail colosimmental@gmail.com or follow us on facebook