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September 2021 Volume 62, No. 9

(ISSN 0024-5208)

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POSTMASTER, send change of address to: LIVESTOCK MARKET DIGEST P.O. Box 7458, Albuquerque, NM 87194

Taking the Initiative BY LEE PITTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 A Tax Plan to Destroy Farms and Ranches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

For advertising, subscription and editorial inquiries, write or call: LIVESTOCK MARKET DIGEST P.O. Box 7458, Albuquerque, NM 87194 505/243-9515 • fax 505/998-6236

BY FORMER SENATOR MAX BAUCUS, WALL STREET JOURNAL

Maguire Rohr Awarded Inaugural Trade School Scholarship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

BY JESSIA WESSON, ANGUS BEEF BULLETIN

FIRE! Part 1 Devestation by Fire BY HEATHER SMITH THOMAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Ivermectin Wins in Court Ageain: For Human Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Subscription price: 1 year - $25 / 2 years $35 Single issue price $10 Subscriptions are Non-Refundable

BY JUSTUS R. HOPE MD, THEDESERTREVEIW.COM

JBS Settles Pork Price-Fixing Case for $20 Million . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Deadline for Advertising & Editorial copy changes and cancellations is the last day of the month prior to publication.

BY PETER THOMAS RICCI, MEATINGPLACE.COM

Federalist: Here's Why Nobody's Kids Need to be Scared About Climate Change SOURCE: LIFE POWERED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 30x30 Starts Marching SOURCE: AMERICAN THE BEAUTIFUL NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

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Riding Herd BY LEE PITTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Legislation Introduced to Try To Remedy Market Monopoly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

PUBLISHER:....... Caren Cowan PUBLISHER EMERITUS:....... Chuck Stocks

EXECUTIVE EDITOR:....... Lee Pitts LIVESTOCK MARKET DIGEST SALES REPRESENTATIVE:....... Randy Summers

BY HEATHER SMITH THOMAS

Is Your Local Government a Champion for its Citizens? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

BY KAREN BUDD FALEN, BUDD FALEN LAW OFFICES, LLC

Aid to Local Meat Processing Facilities BY HEATHER SMITH THOMAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 IPCC Report Shows Desperation, Not Climate Catastrophe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Production Staff PRODUCTION COORDINATOR:....... Carol Pendleton A DVERTISING & EDITORIAL DESIGN:.. Kristy Hinds

BY H. STERLING BURNETT

The U.S. Commits to Tripling its Protected Lands: Here's How it Could Happen BY SARAH GIBBENS, WWW.NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 On the Edge of Common Sense BY BAXTER BLACK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Study Links Excess COVID-19 Cases to Deaths & Wildfire Smoke . . . . . . . . . . . 33 USDA Give Cattlemen More Time in Fight Against Beef Checkoff . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

BY TOM JOHNSTON, MEATINGPLACE.COM

FIRE! Part 2 What Can We do to Diminish Ever-Escalating Fire Seasons? . . . . . 34

BY HEATHER SMITH THOMAS

Senators Announce Bill to Reinstate Cool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

On the Cover

BY TYLER DURDEN, ZERO HEDGE, FIRST PUBLISHED THE EPOCH TIMES BY TIM OZIMEK

(USPS NO. 712320)

is published monthly by Rainy Day, Inc. P.O. Box 7458, Albuquerque NM 87194

BY TOM JOHNSTON, MEATINGPLACE.COM

King Ranch Institute Hybrid Symposium to Discuss Sustainable Ranching . . . . 38 Lamb, Exotic Meats Up, Alt-Meats Down in July Retail Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

BY MEATINGPLACE EDITORS, CONTRIBUTED BY ANNE-MARIE ROERINK, 210 ANALYTICS BASED ON HER RESEARCH

Lloyd DeBruycker Obituary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 200 Organizations Ask Gates Foundation to Stop Funding "Failed" Green Revolution BY STACY MALKAN, CHILDRENSHEALTHDEFENSE.ORG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Auction Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Real Estate Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Ad Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

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2021 Fall Marketing Edition

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Taking the Initiative

by Lee Pitts

A

s Californians are about to find out, there are repercussions for being gullible and ignorant.

On January 1st residents of the golden state may wonder why there are no bacon and eggs in the grocery store. We’re betting they won’t even realize that this is not some COVID-bottleneck. No, this will be 100 percent their fault.

PROPOSITIONING YOU

One of the reasons that California has gone off the rails so dramatically is that it’s relatively easy to get a proposition on the ballot for residents to then vote on. In this case we’re talking about Proposition 12, otherwise known as the Farm Animal Confinement Proposition. Back in 2018 Prop 12 was passed with two thirds of California’s voters overwhelmingly supporting it. The Proposition increased the minimum confinement area allowed for sows, egg-laying hens and veal calves: sows must be given at least 24-square-feet of space in their farrowing crates, veal calves a minimum of 43-squarefeet, and egg-laying hens must be cage-free by 2022.

Four years ago the year 2022 probably seemed like a long way away, and in the meantime voters on the left-coast patted themselves on the back for being caring souls who equated the sows, hens and veal calves with the dog that sleeps in their bed and eats off their table. Now it’s almost 2022 when the Proposition they passed will go into effect.

Here’s the bad news for Californians who like bacon and eggs. Besides giving farm animals more room, Prop 12 bans the sale of products from ANY farm, dairy or ranch that fails to meet those new standards no matter where in the United States they are.

Currently California is a substantial net

importer of eggs, producing six percent of the So, in the New Year California consumnational total of table eggs and consuming ers will wail and complain about the price 12 percent. It wasn’t always this way. Once and availability of pork, eggs, and veal and upon a time California exported eggs to other demand that something be done, never realstates but due to increasing regulations egg izing that they created this mess. production there has declined substantially KILL A VOLE...GO TO JAIL since 1971.

It’s been said that trends and fads start in The situation with pork is even more dire.

Only 4 percent of hog operations in the entire California and then spread to other states. In country would be in compliance with the this case we can only hope that accepted wisnew California regulations but Californians dom is wrong but the evidence is not hopeful. consume about 15 percent of all the pork pro- Since Californians passed Proposition 12 duced nationwide. California currently pro- back in 2018 twelve other states have passed duces 45 million pounds of pork per month laws that restrict farm animal confinement.

Two of California’s closest neighbors have while they consume 225 million pounds followed California’s lead and the Arizona monthly.

Farm Animal Confinement Initiative could The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals appear on the 2022 ballot. It too would upheld Proposition 12 after several lawestablish minimum space requirements for suits by the National Pork Producers, Farm veal calves, sows and hens. It would also Bureau and others. The North American ban non-compliant product from other states.

Meat Institute, the national organization for packers, filed its lawsuit in October 2019 If animal rightists gather up 237,645 valid and argued that the Proposition violated the signatures by July 8, 2022, the Initiative will Constitution’s Commerce Clause because it appear on Arizona ballots.

California’s liberal neighbor to the north essentially imposes restrictions on ranchers and farmers across the United States. The is also trying to qualify an initiative that goes Commerce Clause supposedly protects free even further than California’s Proposition.

Oregon’s Initiative 13 would make criminals trade among the states.

Needless to say, animal rights groups out of hunters, veterinarians, AI technicians, were positively giddy about the court’s deci- pest control workers and any rancher who sion. Animal Legal Defense Fund’s Executive pulls a calf or a lamb.

According to Tim Gruver writing for the Director Stephen Wells said after the victory, Washington Post, Oregon’s proposed initia“Courts have affirmed time and again that tive would restrict fishing, trapping and punstate laws to ban cruel products are constitutional and enforceable, paving the way for ish the “intentional injury” of an animal that would bring undue suffering. Research labs similar measures in new jurisdictions.”

So unless the Supreme Court intervenes, would be prohibited from experimenting on which most experts think won’t happen, or “nonhuman mammals” like birds, fish, reptiles the state temporarily allows non-compliant and amphibians. If a vet put his hand inside pork and eggs to be sold on an emergency a cow to assist a difficult birth he would have basis, California will lose almost all of its to be labeled a sex offender. Ditto a rancher, pork supply, and a goodly portion of its eggs. AI technician or technician collecting embryDespite the inclination to believe that the os from a cow or semen from a bull.

Gruver wrote that, “IP 13 organizers will pork and egg industries simply can’t afford have until July 2022 to gather the 112,020 to ignore the market demand from the fifth signatures needed to get the initiative onto largest economy in the world, we see no the November 2022 ballot.” David Andrew signs in Iowa that pork producers are paying to rearrange their farrowing barns. They’ll Michelson, the Portland animal rights activist probably just sell California’s share of pork behind the Initiative told reporters that the to the Chinese. If there is pork to be found state’s $5.7 billion farming industry would in the meat case after the first of the year it’s adjust to the laws. “Crop production,” the going to cost a ham and a soup bone. (An animal rightists said, “would likely rise to make up for falling meat supplies.” But lest arm and a leg.) you think the farmers come out smelling like According to the Associated Press, costs a rose at the rancher’s expense, if a farmer could increase as much as 60 percent which traps or kills voles, beaver or other animals would make a package of bacon that cost he or she would also be made a criminal. $6 on December 31, 2021, cost $9.60 the very next day. This despite the fact that A BRIEF PAUSE FOR PAUSE California officials have readily admitted that It seems states are engaged in a nasty Proposition 12’s arbitrary animal housing game of trying to outdo each other in who standards are NOT based on any science.

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can write the most idiotic animal rights of animal protein products for consumers at proposition or initiative. So far we’d have to the retail and food service levels.” say that Colorado wins the prize. According YOU THINK? to Jaclyn Krymowski writing for Protect According to Terry Fankhauser, executive the Harvest, Colorado’s Proposition 16 also vice president of the Colorado Cattlemen’s known as the PAUSE Act, (Protect Animals Association, “This would ultimately result in from Unnecessary Suffering and Exploitation), “would ban artificial insemination, pregnancy greatly increased prices at the meat counter, checks, semen collection, and would change potential limits on food availability, and the meaning of the phrase ‘sexual act with an would make feeding Colorado families much animal’ so that it would include any intrusion more difficult in already challenging times.

“Increasing the production cycle by three or penetration, however slight, with an object or part of a person’s body into an animal’s years and trying to maintain the same beef supply on a shrinking land resource would anus or genitals.” be impossible. Logistically the beef supply According to Krymowski, “Prop 16 would would be reduced by 60 percent and would have labeled every rancher, veterinarian and likely translate to beef prices that would pet and livestock breeder who uses proven more than double at the consumer level and accepted practices in caring for animals and the same time driving producers out of as felony sex offenders.” production.”

Colorado Farm Bureau said the proposal And cattlemen wouldn’t even be the ones would have ended animal agriculture, rodeos and dog shows. It also barred pets and farm to suffer the most under PAUSE. Its passage would’ve equated to an 11-fold increase in animals from being spayed or neutered.

If you noticed we are talking in the past time on feed for poultry. tense when referring to the PAUSE Act. Its NOT SO FAST sponsors received a hard blow when the Doug Friednash writing for the Denver Colorado Supreme Court ruled in a 7-0 Post quoted Bill Hammerich, CEO of the decision that the State Title Board incorrectly Colorado Livestock Association, who called gave a green light to Initiative 16. According Initiative 16 the “Absolute worst agricultural to the Colorado Livestock Association, “The bill or initiative I’ve ever seen. The measure Title Board must decide if a proposed iniis so extreme that even in Colorado’s liberal tiative consists of just one subject and, if it atmosphere, it would never see the light of does, set a fair and accurate ballot title. The day in the legislature. I can’t see how the Court held that Initiative 16 contained multiindustry complies or survives. We couldn’t be ple subjects and, given its complexity, could competitive with other states.” mislead voters when they cast their ballots.”

Colorado is home to 34,000 farms and The association called the Proposition, “One ranches covering 33 million acres of land, of the most radical ballot initiatives this state which is nearly half of the state’s total land. has ever seen.”

Had PAUSE become law ranchers in the Even though PAUSE is taking a time-out it state couldn’t manage or produce cattle that could be a brief one. So it’s interesting to see would be suitable for today’s consumer. Such what it would have done if passed. Perhaps a proposal would also hinder Colorado’s its most outrageous part was that it would ability to export beef to countries like Japan, have required farm animals to have been who will not accept beef from cattle over 30 allowed to live at least a quarter of their normonths of age. mal lifespan before they could be slaughtered.

Travis Traylor of Colorado State University And it defined the “natural lifespan” as 20 said, “Colorado would realistically lose $5 years for a cow, eight for a chicken, 10 for a billion dollars in livestock sales, as well turkey, 6 years for ducks and rabbits and 15 as eliminating multiple thousands of jobs, years for pigs and sheep. And even then the destroying rural communities and schools, animal had to be slaughtered “in such a way and lay vacant hundreds of thousands of that the animal does not needlessly suffer.” acres of regenerative but non-tillable natural I don’t know about you but I have never resources that right now are being utilized to owned a 20-year-old cow or 15-year-old ewe feed an ever-increasing population.” and even as a writer I can’t come up with According to the Denver Post the initiative words to define, “needlessly suffer.” was actually a campaign to end meat, poultry Do the math and you’ll find that under and dairy production in Colorado.

PAUSE a beef animal would have to live five It’s not just Colorado ranchers who would years before it could be turned into some very have been BIG losers. Farmers there would tough meat. Needless to say, as Krymowski have been upended as well as 70 percent of writes, “This would greatly increase the cost

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Livestock Market Digest

Colorado’s corn is used for livestock feed.

Unfortunately, the court’s action does not necessarily mean we’ve seen the last of PAUSE. If the animal rights groups want to have another shot at it all they have to do is redraft their measure to address the concerns of the Colorado Supreme Court and gather the signatures. Meanwhile, Colorado ranchers shouldn’t get too cocky about the legal victory because if the past is prologue, this is just a bump in the road for the animal rightists.

NO HAM AND EGGS The proposition, initiative and referendum process is not something new in the way of getting a liberal agenda to become law.

But previous animal rights propositions and initiatives dealt with things like vivisection, rodeo, and trapping. One reason it hasn’t been greatly used until now is that those attempts were seldom successful.

From 1940 through 1988 state legislatures had near complete control over policies related to the use of animals by agricultural, hunting, and other industries. But in 1988 it was California once again that gave life to the proposition process when animal rightists gathered up 600,000 signatures to ban the hunting of mountain lions. In June 1990, voters approved the measure, and its passage sparked renewed interest in the initiative process by animal protection advocates.

Since 1990, there has been a proliferation of animal protection initiatives. Between 1990 and 2018, animal protection advocates squared off against factory farming corporations, trophy hunters, and other animal-use industries and of the 58 statewide ballot measure campaigns, the animal rightists engaged in 40 of them. They won 69 percent of the time! Some of the wealthier animal rights groups who can afford better lawyers have a 73 percent win rate! This is exactly why special interests now prefer the proposition, referendum and initiative route because they can make a bad bill become a law and bypass state legislatures and Congress.

We’ll get a good indication after January 1, 2022, when California goes on a ham and egg-free diet if the rest of the states really want to go down the same path.

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A Tax Plan to Destroy Farms and Ranches When owners die, their heirs depend on the step-up basis for capital gains.

by Max Baucus, Wall Street Journal

D

uring my service as a U.S. senator and ambassador to China, I was honored to represent the interests of America’s family farmers and ranchers.

As part of a four-generation ranch family myself, I understand how these businesses help feed America and the unique challenges they face.

The global pandemic has added to those challenges. Despite our best efforts, the doors to 31 percent of America’s small businesses were closed as of May 2021 and our family-run farm and ranch operations struggled to find employees in the current labor market. Drought is causing many to cull their herds because of inadequate

Maguire Rohr Awarded Inaugural Trade School Scholarship John R. Mrotek Family Technical Education Scholarship awarded at 2021 NJAS.

by Jessica Wesson, Angus Beef Bulletin

J

ohn Mrotek, Fredericksburg, Virgina, founded the John R. Mrotek Family Technical Education Scholarship Endowment Fund in 2020 to provide academic scholarships for students pursing education in career and technical programs.

This scholarship is the first of its kind for the Angus Foundation, as it specifically targets youth in trade schools and supports vocational careers. For the first time the John R. Mrotek Family Technical Education Scholarship was awarded to Maguire Rohr of Elbert, Colorado.

“The student should be pursuing a degree that is terminal in nature,” said

forage. Although Congress has passed relief bills, family-owned businesses are struggling to stay open and now are at risk of more financial hardship—this time at the hands of lawmakers.

To pay for Covid-19 recovery and rebuilding efforts, Congress is considering a provision that would hit family businesses with taxes they can’t pay. This proposal would eliminate the step-up in basis at death on capital gains of more than $1 million and $2.5 million for couples. That means family businesses would have to pay taxes on their appreciated value even if that value is still locked up in the business.

Eliminating the step-up would force family businesses and ranchers to liquidate when an owner dies and to lay off employees while bringing in little revenue for Uncle Sam. Lawmakers should know this is a mistake. In 1976 and again in 2010, Congress passed legislation eliminating the step-up in basis. Both times it had to be reinstated because of the devastating effects on family-owned businesses. Proponents try to

Thomas Marten, Executive Director of the Angus Foundation. “Their degrees equip them with life skills that they will be able to immediately apply in their career field.”

Maguire Rohr, a rising sophomore at Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas, is the first student to receive this new scholarship. It was presented to him by the Mrotek family at the 2021 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS) in Grand Island, Nebraska.

“It’s been really neat to be the first person ever to get this scholarship,” Rohr said.

“I know there will be more people who receive this scholarship down the road, so it’s been really cool to be the first.”

Rohr’s degree in farm and ranch management is a prime example of a typical career and technical education program.

“My program allows me to get all kinds of certifications and skills that will help me back on the farm,” Rohr said. “I can get an AI (Artificial Insemination) certification, a pesticide application certification and a CDL. There are also more specific classes that teach farming and ranching skills.”

The classroom knowledge and skills are

temper criticism by suggesting carve-outs, but we’ve learned from experience that they are ineffective. Congress tried that in 1997 for inherited family-held businesses but the exceptions were too narrow to benefit anyone, and widening them would have been tantamount to repealing the estate tax altogether.

I’m not the only Democrat who feels this way. More than a dozen Democratic representatives from farm districts, led by Rep. Cindy Axne (D., Iowa), sent a letter in May to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal urging them to reconsider any plans to eliminate the stepup in basis because it will hurt family businesses.

Eliminating the step-up would devastate family-owned businesses, ranches and farms. That’s why I call on Democrats to preserve the step-up as it is.

Mr. Baucus, a Democrat, served as a U.S. senator from Montana (1978-2014) and ambassador to China (2014-17).

▫

not the only reason Rohr values his technical education.

“I get to meet a lot of people that are in the same industry doing the same things I am,” Rohr said. “I have those friendships now, and when I come back to the farm, I know I’ll have those connections if I ever need them.”

One of the appeals of pursuing a trade school degree for Rohr was time efficiency.

“It gets kids through school faster,” Rohr said. “I think it’s nice for kids to get through school in two years, get what they need and go start building their career.”

The John R. Mrotek Family Technical Education Scholarship made a significant difference in Rohr’s educational situation.

“It has been nice to not have the financial responsibility for myself or my parents,” Rohr said. “My twin sister is a student at Kansas State, so this scholarship has made it easier for my parents.”

For more information on this scholarship visit AngusFoundation.org.

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2021 Fall Marketing Edition

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FIRE Part 1

Devastation by Fire

by Heather Smith Thomas

D

evastating wildfires began early again this year, covering the West with smoke and destroying millions of acres of forests and grasslands, along with ranchers’ livestock and livelihoods—and wiping out entire towns.

Numbers and statistics don’t begin to tell the story of human heartbreak, however. The people who have lost their homes (many have lost everything except their lives), the ranchers who have watched in frustration and grief as their livestock die in the flames—with nothing they can do to save them—can’t find the words to fully express the depth of tragedy. But their stories pull at our hearts.

RANCHERS

Billie and Wally Roney graze their cattle on private and federal land in northern California, where Wally is the fifth generation of his family to run cattle on the rolling grasslands near the tiny town of Vina—in the foothills beneath Mount Lassen and Mount Shasta. Currently the Dixie fire is raging through their area, engulfing much of their grazing land and their neighbors’ ranches.

They hope their nearly 100-year-old cabin and private timber might be spared.

Billie is devastated by what is happening to their land and cattle, but her concern extends to friends and neighbors in the area.

When asked about the fire (as she was recuperating from surgery on August 18), she said, “I am so worried about my dear friends whose herd could again be in peril; not to mention their home ranch which may be destroyed by this fire. Only two weeks ago, they managed to pull off a near impossible feat of gathering their cattle and shipping them out from land that is now laid barren to the fire. Now this?”

After moving their own cattle out of harm’s way from the original Dixie Fire to a safe location, a new fire on Morgan Summit grew to merge with the Dixie and has now burned where those cattle had been just a few days earlier. The winds have whipped this new area of fire and it now has the potential to threaten a larger region.

Billie was also trying to provide moral support to others who are going through hell because of this fire. “I spent a long time on the phone tonight listening to a forester friend who is on the brink of losing it. I didn’t know how to help, but knew I had to try. It is heart-wrenching trying to pull someone from the edge. I can’t count how many places [ranches] I am keeping track of the fire for, and then ranch life happens… SO

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Livestock Market Digest

much went wrong today, and Wally finally Lunder’s detailed work (https://the-lookfound the courage to tell me that our cattle out.org/2021/08/19/dixie-fire-8-19-2021/) that are still up there might not have made it, allowed me and others to better understand and there was another fire in our meadow at what might happen (and when) by distilling Clover. I feel broken – but I also feel God’s the huge avalanche of material and his intigrace.” mate knowledge of the landscape,” she said.

She said that the Dixie Fire has now “There are many selfless people out there expanded well up into Lassen National Park working on the fires, and they are all heroes and is heading toward Mineral, an historic to me. These heroes include our Farm old community that once had a small sawmill Advisor Tracy Schohr who made sure ranchand now is headquarters for the Park. The ers could get through closed roads to save Dixie fire started July 13, just north of the their livestock in at least four counties, and Cresta Dam, which is not far from where the brilliant minds who made use of technolthe 2018 Camp Fire northeast of Paradise ogy to track fire in almost real time. Also, the claimed the lives of more than 80 people. men and women in our small communities The Dixie fire had already leveled more who help each other 24/7 and especially my than a dozen houses and other structures husband who literally rode through that fire in mid-July when it combined with the Fly for weeks (mostly alone) every day to get out Fire and roared through the tiny community as many of our ‘girls’ as he could when the of Indian Falls in late July. More than 100 winds changed and put the cattle at risk.” homes in the Indian Falls and surrounding One of their friends spent a couple days areas were destroyed. Then on August 4, the helping Wally move cattle. “He attempted fire nearly obliterated the town of Greenville. to chronicle a lot of it, and wanted to add People are frustrated by devastation that context and he did a great job of doing that. could have been prevented. “It is interesting Wally sent him home after two days, however, that the Forest Service and Park Service’s ‘Let not wanting to put him at risk. We love him, it Burn’ policy was first protested as a result but Wally spent too much time trying to track of the 1998 Huffer Fire,” Billie said. “After him when he needed to focus on the cattle,” over a week of letting one lightning-struck Billie said. snag burn, that fire eventually burned 2,200 FIRE BY THE NUMBERS acres and cost $2.2 million to extinguish,” These frantic efforts to save livestock, Billie said. pastures and homes are now commonplace “Wally and I went back to Washington, DC in many regions as fires burn out of control. in the late 1980s to deliver a message to the undersecretary of Agriculture at the time – As of August 23, 2021, a total of 6,685 fires when environmentalists were shutting down had been recorded in California, burning logging as we knew it. Wally told them that 1,570,151 acres (more than 2,300 square their practices would result in catastrophic miles) acres across the state. At least 1,998 wildfire unless they changed course. Of buildings had been destroyed, and at least seven firefighters and two civilians were course they didn’t, and here we are.” injured battling the fires.

LEARNING HOW TO PREDICT & PLAN In January 2021 alone, 297 fires burned Now the fires have been threatening their 1,171 acres on nonfederal land according to ranch and cattle. “After going through the the California Department of Forestry and angst of following two fires last year in an Fire Protection, which was almost triple the attempt to help Wally get our cattle out of number of fires and more than 20 times the harm’s way, I learned how to use various acreage of the five-year average for January. resources to try to anticipate the fire’s behav- The 2021 fires were exacerbated by unseaior as much as possible. It didn’t take long sonably strong Santa Ana winds, and some to realize that waiting for agency and news of them burned in the same areas as previous reports, orders, (let alone a wall of flames fires like the CZU Lightning Complex. or another ‘firenado’) would leave us behind In terms of total number of fires, the the eight ball when trying to move our cattle,” 2021 season has so far outpaced the 2020 Billie said. season, which itself was the largest season In the effort to use the incredible fire in California’s recorded history. As of July 11, cameras (http://beta.alertwildfire.org/) to 2021 more than three times as many acres triangulate the proximity of the fires, online had burned, compared to the previous year scanners, wildfire forums consisting mostly through that date, with drought, extreme of fire professionals with up-to-the-minute heat, and reduced snowpack contributing to intel (forums.wildfireintel.org) plus fire maps the severity of the fires. California also faces and wind maps galore, she eventually found increased risk of post-wildfire landslides, due a dedicated and selfless fire mapper. “Zeke to loss of vegetation to hold the soil when the

next rains come.

As of August 18th, 2021, the state was facing what some people were calling unprecedented fire conditions, as multiple fires including the Dixie Fire, McFarland Fire, Caldor Fire, and multiple other fires raged on. The Dixie fire had become the largest among more than 100 large wildfires burning in more than a dozen states in the West— engulfing tinder-dry vegetation seared by drought and hot weather.

The U.S. Forest Service stated that it was operating in crisis mode, deploying firefighters and maxing out its support system. The roughly 21,000 federal firefighters working on the ground at that time was more than double the number of firefighters sent out to contain forest fires at that time a year ago, according to a deputy forester for the agency’s Pacific Southwest region.

More than 6,000 firefighters were battling the Dixie Fire, which had ravaged nearly 845 square miles at that time (now more than 940 square miles, and threatening more towns, including Susanville and Janesville) and sending smoke across the entire country—reaching as far away as the East Coast.

Thousands of homes are still under threat in many communities that are surrounded by forests or brush, and tens of thousands of people are still under evacuation orders.

These severe fire conditions were similar across much of the west. In Montana there were 25 large fire incidents by mid-August.

The Northern Rockies region is currently one of the top priority regions in the nation for wildfire issues. Since January 1, Montana fires had collectively burned about 792,000 acres by mid-August.

The largest fire in Montana at that time

was the Richard Spring Fire southeast of Billings; it had burned about 170,000 acres, with only 65 percent containment. The top priority fire in Montana in mid-August was the West Lolo Complex-Thorne Fire, at 32,121 acres and 15 percent containment.

A recent wildfire in north-central Montana is the Pine Grove Fire burning on the Fort Belknap Reservation. It was discovered on Monday, August 16, and by the next evening, it had burned about 17,325 acres and was only 7 percent contained. Several small communities near some of the fires were evacuated and more than 50 residences burned.

Idaho, Washington and Oregon were also battling large numbers of fires, and other western states had multiple large fires. As of August 19 there were 99 large fires actively burning across the West, in what seems to be becoming a year-long fire season in several states.

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13

Ivermectin Wins in Court Again: For Human Rights

by Justus R. Hope, MD / thedesertreview.com

O

ne dose of Ivermectin was all it took to get 81-year-old John Swanson off the ventilator. John’s wife Sandra could not believe it. His story is remarkably similar to other cases of patients who were on their way out with advanced COVID-19 but saved when Ivermectin was added.

Ralph Lorigo is the lawyer who now has won three court orders forcing New York hospitals to administer Ivermectin to dying patients. Incredibly, these three hospitals and their lawyers fought against the patients, arguing they did not have the right to receive the drug despite a valid prescription written by their doctors. In essence, the argument was that they did not have the right to try a potentially life-saving medication.

In each of the three cases, the New York State Supreme Court Justices sided with the patient, and in each of the three cases, the patients made near-miraculous recoveries after the Ivermectin was given. In each case, these patients were in the Intensive Care Unit on ventilators, unable to breathe on their own, and universally, after the drug was given, they rapidly improved and were able to breathe on their own.

Judith Smentkiewicz made national news in January when her family hired Lorigo after the hospital refused a fourth dose of Ivermectin. Smentkiewicz’s son and daughter called Ivermectin a “miracle drug” in court papers. Attorney Lorigo and his associate Jon F. Minear reported, “This lady was on a ventilator, literally on her deathbed, before she was given this drug. As far as we’re concerned, the judge’s order saved this woman’s life.”

The family of Glenna “Sue” Dickinson happened to see a newspaper article of Judith’s remarkable story, and they decided to try Ivermectin as well.

Sue Dickinson, 65, contracted COVID-19 on January 7, 2021. She suffered progressive worsening and was admitted to Rochester General Hospital on January 12. She continued to worsen and was placed on a ventilator on January 17. The hospital staff advised that her chances of survival were about 40 percent.

With nothing to lose, Natalie Kingdollar, Dickinson’s daughter, reached out to their family doctor, Tom Madejski, who wrote the prescription. The hospital refused to give Sue

14

Livestock Market Digest

the Ivermectin. The legal team of Lorigo and as well as those who publish factual accounts Minear drafted an affidavit from Dr. Madejski of Ivermectin-based recovery stories. A and sought an injunction. State Supreme recent article exposed the link between large Court Justice Frank Caruso ordered the hos- pharmaceutical corporations and government pital to provide the Ivermectin. regulatory agencies who have financial entanDickinson, like Swanson, and glements and massive conflicts of interest.

Smentkiewicz, came off the ventilator and The disinformation campaign is evident improved as well. The family reported on with the publication of articles attempting Facebook that, “She’s making progress each to cast Ivermectin in a false light, referring day, and it’s Ivermectin and God making this to it as an “animal dewormer” that might happen.” She has since been released from be a “bad idea” for humans to use. In reality, the hospital. many drugs are common to both humans and Ivermectin is widely used by physicians, animals for treatment, including antibiotics, as there are now 51 studies from around the antifungals, and antiparasitic agents. world, with 50 showing clear benefit and one Ampicillin, a form of penicillin, has been showing neutral. However, the lone study widely used to treat infections in children like showing a neutral effect was roundly criti- whooping cough, salmonella, and meningitis. cized as flawed in an open letter signed by a It has been routinely used to treat adults for group of 120 physicians. bronchitis, pneumonia, and rheumatic heart Experts worldwide have called for the disease. It is also consistently employed in global and systematic use of Ivermectin to veterinary applications to treat calves, cattle, prevent and treat COVID-19. Physicians dogs, and cats. have recently written about a profit motive by You would never see an article attempting regulatory agencies and Big Pharma to block to smear Ampicillin as an animal drug and cheap, safe, and effective treatments like warn people against taking it. However, we Ivermectin and HCQ in favor of experimental see this propaganda daily trying to influand perhaps more dangerous and arguably ence the general public against Ivermectin, less effective vaccines and medicines like a life-saving drug that has been prescribed Remdesivir. With Remdesivir costing $3,100 safely and in billions of doses over the past per dose and not reducing deaths, the choice 40 years for parasitic disease. of Ivermectin is a no-brainer say many docDr. Satoshi Omura won the 2015 Nobel tors.

Prize in Medicine for his discoveries leading Ivermectin costs about $2 per dose. It is to the development of Ivermectin. In his safer than Tylenol or most vitamins, says Dr. praise for Ivermectin and its potential to Pierre Kory of the FLCCC Alliance, a group help in the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Omura of expert physicians promoting access and recently compared Ivermectin to Penicillin, information through a nonprofit organization. “one of the greatest discoveries of the twenDr. Kory and Mr. Lorigo have teamed up to tieth century.” help other hospitalized patients gain access to Currently, Ivermectin has already been the life-saving drug. adopted by 25 percent of the world’s countries Dr. Fred Wagshul, a Yale-educated phy- to prevent and treat COVID-19. Bangladesh, sician, is a pulmonary specialist and directs where Ivermectin is broadly used in almost the Lung Center of America. He is also a every home, enjoys a 99 percent lower per founding member of the FLCCC Alliance. Dr. capita death rate from COVID-19 than the Wagshul notes that the typical dose for hos- US. Bangladesh, with 160 million inhabitants, pitalized patients is 0.3 mg of Ivermectin per has half the US population. However, it has kg of body weight for four days which works merely 10,000 COVID-19 deaths. Contrast out to nine 3 mg tablets daily for four days in that with nearly 580,000 US deaths in our a typical 200-pound patient. country of 327 million.

Dr. George Fareed, former Harvard proHowever, censorship, corruption, hospital fessor, advocates combination therapy of lawyers, and disinformation campaigns have Ivermectin with HCQ in outpatient cases. continued to stand in the way of its wideThe big problem is that information spread acceptance in the United States. Many promoting Ivermectin is often censored have never even heard of it. or silenced as quickly as it is provided.

Ivermectin recently won in court in South Facebook, Reddit, Change.org, YouTube, and Africa after a protracted legal battle. Ralph others have recently taken down posts on Lorigo has now won his third State Supreme Ivermectin citing violation of “community Court Injunction in New York. Will legal standards.” strategies also be required in the US to Physicians who employ good judgment gain FDA approval for Ivermectin to treat and scientific studies are considered violators, COVID-19?

Dr. Tess Lawrie has entered this David v. Goliath battle. She is an independent research consultant to the WHO, and her work has consistently been used to underpin International Clinic Practice Guidelines. In other words, she has been one of the go-to scientists on which the WHO bases their recommendations.

She has established a non-profit organization to promote the worldwide approval and adoption of Ivermectin for COVID-19.

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JBS Settles Pork Price-Fixing Case for $20 Million

by Peter Thomas Ricci, meatingplace.com

J

BS USA and its related affiliates have agreed to a $20 million settlement with indirect buyers in a pork price-fixing case, according to a news release.

Settled in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, the case covers all persons and entities who indirectly purchased pork (restaurants, delis, etc.) from JBS USA from Jan. 1, 2009 through April 2, 2021. The case alleges that defendants and co-conspirators conspired to fix, raise, maintain and stabilize the price of pork since Jan. 1, 2009 in violation of federal and state consumer/antitrust law. JBS has denied wrongdoing.

In addition to the $20 million — which resolves all settlement class claims against JBS — the processor has agreed to provide specific cooperation in the indirect purchasers’ continued prosecution of other defendants, which include Clemens Food Group, Hormel Foods, Smithfield Foods, Tyson Foods, Triumph Foods and Agri Stats.

The same companies also are being sued by direct purchasers, such distributors and grocers.

Smithfield also has reached an $83 million settlement with direct purchasers.

JBS already has reached settlements with both direct and indirect purchasers.

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2021 Fall Marketing Edition

15

Federalist: Here’s Why Nobody's Kids Need To Be Scared About Climate Change

for so many reasons, especially when even a is rife with uncertainties and confounding cursory review of the history of the human variables. But a clear-headed review of the condition shows there’s cause not just for data we do understand shows that our clipressing onward, but for outright celebration. mate is likely to remain mild and manageable My son and his generation are fortunate while our resiliency to all manner of challengindeed to be born in the 21st century. Infant es will continue to improve. mortality is at its lowest rate in recorded Even if this doesn’t occur, even the most history, and life expectancy it’s highest, even in the Source: LifePowered poorest of countries. The Chronic fear of environmental doom.” proportion of people livWhat a burden for our children to bear hile there’s always work to be ing in extreme poverty has done, by essentially every mea- plummeted from nearly — especially when the future of humanity surement, the condition of half the global population is looking brighter than ever." humanity is strong and our future is brighter in 1980 to less than 10 perthan ever. cent today. Education and My eight-month-old son has the cutest literacy, equality of the sexes, and economic stringent anti-fossil fuel policies wouldn’t gummy grin. I know I’m biased — I’m sure freedom are better than ever. make a lick of difference. Eliminating all your kids are cute, too — but it fills me with In the Western world, we are far more like- American fossil fuel consumption by 2030 a joy I never imagined before becoming a ly to die from overconsumption and laziness would only reduce average temperatures at mom. Like most moms, I’m fiercely pro- than from war, natural disasters, or even the the end of the century by less than two-tenths tective. I take my maternal responsibilities most vicious infectious diseases. Indeed, it’s of a degree. seriously, balancing new experiences and hard to find a meaningful statistic that hasn’t The good news is that 96 percent fewer challenges with guarddramatically improved people die from climate-related disasters ing his health and safety. in recent decades. Yes, now than a century ago. Floods, droughts, Today’s children I want him to have the there’s plenty of work storms, wildfires, and extreme temperatures best chance at a healthy, still to be done, especially killed nearly 500,000 people globally in 1920. face an emotional fruitful, and joyful life. in developing countries, Today, that number is less than 50,000 and threat few have dealt Unfortunately, my but by essentially every falling. son and his generawith before: joy-sapping measurement, the condiWe are becoming more resilient to these tion face an emotional tion of humanity is strong natural disasters at a much faster rate than environmental alarmism." and our future is brighter to non-climate disasters like earthquakes and threat few have dealt with before: joy-sapthan ever. volcanoes. If climate change is really going to ping environmental alarmism permeating the On the climate, the news is similarly be catastrophic, why not become more adaptnews media, pop culture, and even our good. Although sensationalized reports about able as temperatures gradually rise? schools. In the end, however, climate cata- global warming usually present a stark future While pundits and politicians wring their strophists won’t succeed at wiping that ador- — “12 years left to live!” — and scary imag- hands about average temperatures rising by able grin off my son’s face. Here’s why. es of burning forests, these attention-grab- fractions of a degree, they’re missing the real In 2017, the American Psychological bing headlines aren’t lives being transAssociation published a report on “eco-anx- based on sound science. formed here and While pundits and iety,” defined as a “chronic fear of environ- Former Obama energy now by a level of politicians wring mental doom.” A recent article in the Lancet official Steven Koonin prosperity never medical journal recognizes the gravity of the describes the media and before seen in their hands about average problem, especially for children, and says it activist groups’ underhuman history, temperatures rising by will likely increase “stress-related problems standing of climate as thanks in large such as substance use disorders, anxiety dis- “drifting so far out of part to improved fractions of a degree, they’re orders, and depression.” touch with the actual access to affordmissing the real lives being A recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll science as to be absurdable, reliable shows less than one-third of American teen- ly, demonstrably false.” energy from fossil transformed here and now agers are optimistic about the planet’s future.

Fundamentally fuels. by a level of prosperity never Children skip school for climate change pro- flawed data models proAs my son tests with cardboard signs bearing such bleak moted by climate activbefore seen in human history." grows and learns slogans as “Why should I study for a future I ism groups, including more about the won’t have?” and “We won’t die from old age. the United nations, significantly overestimate world, I won’t let alarmist hysteria smother We’ll die from climate change.” future warming because they’re skewed by his dimply grin and goofy giggle. Armed with How sad — and irresponsible — that their the unrealistic predictions used to design the real facts about the world, my family will parents, teachers, and the corporate media them — like a near-total global switch from go boldly with optimism and confidence into we depend on for information have forced natural gas to coal — that do not align with society and strive to leave it a better — not such misery on impressionable young minds. real-world energy trends. In simplistic terms, scarier — place.

Saddling our next generation of leaders with they are “garbage in, garbage out.” the burden of fatalistic pessimism is wrong Like every scientific field, climate science This commentary originally appeared in The Federalist on May 3, 2021

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Livestock Market Digest

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30x30 Starts Marching

Spotlighting the Work to Conserve 30 percent of Lands and Waters by 2030 EXPANSION OF PUBLIC ACCESS TO HUNTING AND FISHING

In May, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a proposal for new or expanded hunting and sport fishing opportunities for game species across 2.1 million acres at 90 national wildlife refuges and on the lands of one national fish hatchery.

The expansion proposed in this rule is the largest in recent history. Hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities contributed more than $156 billion in economic activity in communities across the United States in 2016, according to the Service’s National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and WildlifeAssociated Recreation, published every five years. More than 101 million Americans — 40 percent of the U.S. population age 16 and older — pursue wildlife-related recreation, including hunting and fishing.

and enhance community restoration projects, and increase tree canopy cover in Boise to 30 percent — all by 2030.

SABINOSO WILDERNESS EXPANSION On July 19, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced that the Department of the Interior has accepted a land donation that will increase the Sabinoso Wilderness in New Mexico by nearly 50 percent — the largest wilderness donation in the agency’s history.

Secretary Haaland celebrated the public lands expansion at an event with Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján, former Senator Tom Udall, Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández, Tribal leaders, and representatives from the Trust for Public Land.

The donation of 9,617 acres of the Cañon Ciruela property from the Trust for Public Land to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will help unlock public access for current and future generations to enjoy the area and will stimulate local economies through increased hunting, hiking, horseback riding and other recreational opportunities.

ASSOCIATED PRESS: NEW JERSEY GETS FEDERAL GRANTS TO MAKE URBAN AREAS GREENER

getting $2 million in federal grants to help make urban areas greener.

The money comes from the outdoor recreation legacy partnership program, which helps target projects in “historically marginalized communities,” the state’s Sierra Club chapter said.

“The Biden White House supercharged this program earlier this year as part of their America the Beautiful initiative to protect 30% of lands and waters in the U.S. by 2030, ” the chapter said.

Trenton will receive $1 million to develop a soccer and fitness complex at a former industrial site along the Assunpink Creek.

“New amenities include a regulation sized-soccer field and two open air pavilions, one outfitted with exercise equipment and the other left open as a multipurpose space,” the Sierra Club said.

Camden County will get $1 million to improve Whitman Park as well as to expand the park into an adjacent industrial site. The result will be a 10-acre park.

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Source: American the Beautiful News

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey is

LAGUNA ATASCOSA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE ADDITION On July 7, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the addition of 4,800 acres to Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. This acquisition from The Conservation Fund helps connect critical migration corridors for the endangered ocelot, in addition to coastal habitat for other wildlife, climate resiliency, and recreational and economic opportunities.

BOISE, IDAHO The City of Boise, Idaho has committed to creating a set of unique America the Beautiful goals to directly protect native habitat in its open spaces, manage park properties to promote pollinators, increase the city’s tree canopy and promote healthy soils — all while protecting the Boise River for generations to come.

The city has charted a course to manage 30 percent of open space and native habitat areas to build resilient ecosystems in the Boise Foothills and along the Boise River, increase actively managed native habitat areas in improved park sites in the city by 30 percent, raise $30 million to protect more open space and clean water resources 2021 Fall Marketing Edition

17

RIDING HERD

by Lee Pitts

I’m So Sorry

I

’m so ashamed. According to today’s media I’m the worst kind of person in the world; I’m white, straight and male.

Could I possibly be more deplorable?

I like Clint Eastwood and Denzel Washington movies, didn’t cry when Princess Di died, and I love pickup trucks. I leave the toilet seat up, watch March Madness the Indy 500 and the Kentucky Derby, hate shopping, and scratch when and where it itches. In other words, I’m a man, but men are NOT very popular right now, especially white straight ones.

We aren’t an endangered species yet but I think we’re headed in that direction. In 1900 in the Wild West men outnumbered women 54 to 46 and the national average was 51 men

to 49 women. Now there are more women than men. And many of the males that are left can hardly be called real men.

Did you know that in the past 30 years the sperm count of the average male in this country has dropped 30 percent? I think it’s because guys are watching The Housewives of Beverley Hills, the Kardashians and HGTV. So many young men are so embarrassed about their maleness that they’re putting their hair up in buns or wearing ponytails and earrings, using fanny packs, getting tongue studs, moving back in with mother, crying because they lost a Facebook friend and wearing capri pants. But they can’t fool me. Deep down they’re still guys unless, of course, they get their plumbing rearranged. In that case they can join with their sisters to condemn us ‘ovum deprived people of sex’, as we’re referred to now.

Then there’s the fact that I’m white and everyone knows whites are oppressors of the disadvantaged and rapists of the earth. These days Black Lives Matter but white lives don’t.

And how come white people can get fired for using the “N” word 30 years ago but black rap singers use it in nearly every other song?

It’s a terrible word and no one should use it ever again!

I AM NOT A COW.

I went to a new doctor the other day and had to fill out the requisite reams of paperwork. Under the question about race practically every race was listed except mine.

Apparently I’m now an ‘other’. But I brought this on myself because 400 years ago the first documented enslaved Africans arrived in America after being rounded up by BLACK slave traders in Angola, Senegal, Gambia and Nigeria who “sold them down the river” to European slave traders on the coast. So, now I need to pay reparations?

Hey, as long as we’re responsible for the actions of our great-great-grandfathers, if you’re handing out free money don’t forget me. I had relatives fight and die in America’s Civil War where 364,511 Union soldiers died, 324,511 of them white. Those white men died so that enslaved black people could be free and I’d fight the same fight today. So, personally, I don’t feel all that responsible for something that happened 300 years ago. I’ve never owned a slave, nor have I ever met one.

The black and white civil rights protesters who hate white people like to point out that Hitler was white and male, but then so too was Jesus Christ. So were Henry Ford, Thomas Alva Edison, Abraham Lincoln and the majority of those soldiers who stormed the beaches at Normandy to get rid of the Nazi maniacal murderers.

There’s good white folks and bad, but white men like me are like barb wire, we do have a few good points. I can go to the bathroom all by myself without a support group, the thought of sex doesn’t give me a headache, I’ve never watched Ellen or The View, and I don’t talk like ‘Valley Girls’. Like, you know?

The leaders and police force in Portland let Black Lives Matter and others take over parts of that city for months on end and rioters vandalized and destroyed hundreds of businesses but I didn’t hear of our government killing any of those protesters. Yet LaVoy Finicum, a white man, was shot and killed with his hands held high by an Oregon State Trooper for his very minor role in the occupation of a wildlife refuge in Oregon.

George Floyd should never have been killed by that police officer but neither should’ve LaVoy. Don’t white men have civil rights too?

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19

Legislation Introduced To Try To Remedy Market Monopoly

The testimony submitted in the latest for more than a year. hearings re-stated the long-held arguments Schaben said, “We’d be remiss to not between cattle producers and packers. The recognize the value of legislation as a pathproducers claim that the market power of way forward to address the aforementioned four beef packers and the marketing arrange- issues, however, we cannot solely count on ments they have with cattlemen amount to Congress to legislate their way out of this a captive supply that results in unfair cattle mess. Thorough oversight of antitrust law

by Heather Smith Thomas pricing. The Packers contend that the market and competition policy by the Department is working according to supply and demand, of Justice must accompany any legislative attle producers have become increas- and that the current system has resulted proposal.”

In response, the packers pointed to econingly frustrated with shrinking markets in improved beef quality that consumers (ever-increasing consolidation of pack- want. The hearing discussions also included omists’ warnings against government intering plants, and some packing companies now academics, economists and other market vention. “Discussions of cattle prices and packing capacity can give the impression that owned by foreign interests) and packers’ con- stakeholders.

Jon Schaban (a cattle producer submitting beef and cattle markets represent a zero-sum trol of market prices. The sudden shortages of meat in grocery stores during the COVID testimony to the Senate, on behalf of the game,” Jayson Lusk, head of agricultural ecopandemic in 2020 (in spite of ample supplies Iowa Cattlemen’s Association) said that the nomics at Purdue University, told the House. and market-ready animals that could not chief concern for independent cattlemen is “But, one party’s gain does not have to come be processed) brought this problem to the that ample captive supply allows meatpackers at the expense of another. What policies attention of the American public. When gro- to meet their needed supply of beef animals increase the size of the pie available to all parcery shelves were bare, it became everyone’s without participating in the cash market. “As ticipants: cow-calf producers, backgrounders, a result, independent feedlots, packers, retailers, and ultimately, problem.

Several cattle feeders find consumers?” bills were introduced ... the chief concern for themselves as residuIn attempts to remedy an obviously flawed in Congress to try al suppliers for meatsystem, legislators have proposed a number to remedy the situaindependent cattlemen packers.

Despite of solutions. tion, but with a new is that ample captive supply raising some of the THE FAIR ACT administration these efforts had to begin allows meatpackers to meet highest-quality cattle Several bills have been introduced to try in the nation, they again. their needed supply of beef to remedy the current situation. One of them are on the ‘short end Hearings in the is S. 2558: the FAIR (FEED AMERICA U.S. Senate and animals without participating of the stick’ because BY INCENTIVIZING RURAL) MEAT of their operating House in late July, in the cash market.”

PACKING ACT. This bill was introduced July capacity. This preda2021 explored anew 30, 2021 by U.S. Senators Roger Marshall, tory practice is widethe beef industry’s M.D. (KS), and Mike Rounds (SD), along ly utilized by four main meatpackers, justified shaky structure, prompted by increasing diswith Representatives Jason Smith (MO) and by ‘efficiency,’” Schaban said. content of many cattle producers who blame Dusty Johnson (SD).

This proposed legislaThe packers’ side once again stated their market concentration and anticompetitive practices for the disparity of high packer contention that the beef industry’s struc- tion’s goal is to ensure a level playing field for ture and economies of scale is due to sup- our nation’s cattlemen, and to return to fair profits and low cattle prices.

This conflict between producers and pack- ply-and-demand fundamentals, and is not the prices for both the cattlemen and consumers. ers is decades old, but the supply chain dis- cause of the extreme events that happened The FAIR Meat Packing Act creates two tax ruptions in the past last two years resulting over the last two years. In its testimony, the incentives to facilitate formation of small and from the fire at Tyson Foods’ Holcomb, North American Meat Institute said, “… the mid-sized meat processing facilities, allowing Kansas plant, the COVID-19 pandemic, and price is determined by supply of cattle to sell cattle producers to compete for better prices a cybersecurity attack on JBS-USA triggered from one segment and the demand for buying in the marketplace.

“The success of the Kansas economy relies heightened public scrutiny. With the recent cattle by the next segment. That explains heavily on the cattle industry at every step labor and slaughter capacity squeeze, and why each segment can experience different from pasture to plate,” said Senator Marshall. margins …

When any of those segments many animals unable to be harvested, it “We must ensure robust competition at the are out of balance, prices move, and the became obvious that there is something seripacking level by providing butcher shops and moves can be dramatic, as witnessed by the ously wrong with the system.

Hearings were held by the Senate’s COVID-spurred retail beef demand … and medium sized packers more opportunity for Committee on the Judiciary and the House the COVID-imposed imbalance within vari- success. With USDA providing substantial funding to expand small and medium-sized Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign ous segments of the cattle sector.”

Currently there is proposed legislation to packing capacity, it’s simply logical to help Agriculture in July, and similar discussions had been held in the Senate in June. Legislators try to resolve this issue, including legislation reduce the construction and operational costs have also been busy proposing bills that aim that would require packers to buy some cattle so the formation and expansion of small and to help independent producers get more on the cash market and improve price trans- medium-sized meat processing facilities is money for their cattle by requiring more cash parency. Cattle producers again called for the feasible for more folks in the industry.”

“Our cattle producers are some of the trade; to improve price transparency; and to Department of Justice to provide an update hardest-working men and women in the empower USDA to enforce the 1921 Packers on an antitrust probe of Cargill, JBS, National country,” said Representative Smith. “They Beef and Tyson Foods that has been going on & Stockyards Act.

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“

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Livestock Market Digest

deserve access to fair markets. Unfortunately, if the mega meat packers continue their strangle-hold on the market, our hardworking producers don’t stand a chance. This legislation creates choice and competition in the meatpacking industry so that our hardworking cattle producers don’t have to be reliant on the big packers, helping them get better value for their cattle. Ultimately, better meatpacking options will also bring down prices for consumers at the meat counter.”

“

The packers’ side once again stated their contention that the beef industry’s structure and economies of scale is due to supply-anddemand fundamentals.”

ers because it will add more competition. “If you have competition in the marketplace, I believe this will be much better for the consumer than we have right now. Why? Because you have competition, you have folks bidding on the product based on what it’s worth, rather than what they want to pay and what they want to get for it at the retail end,” Senator Tester said.

The Meat Packing Special Investigator Act was announced by Senators Jon Tester (D-MT), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Mike Rounds (R-SD) after the ransomware attacks on JBS-USA, one of the country’s largest

meat suppliers, resulting in a shutdown of that plant.

“For years, unfair, anti-competitive practices in the meatpacking industry have hit Montana ranchers where it hurts the most–in the wallet–and put our rural communities and family agriculture way of life at risk,” Tester said. “On top of that, corporate consolidation is a direct threat to our national security, because a single cyber-attack that threatens the very food we eat is proof that something must be done, and fast. That’s why this bill is so important; it devotes the needed tools to USDA to shore up our national secu-

Representative Dusty Johnson said, “In our hearing this week, we heard from witness testimony that said there is opportunity for new capacity but Congress needs to provide a variety of tools to ensure long-term viability.

I’m proud to join Rep. Smith in introducing the Feed America by Incentivizing Rural (FAIR) Meat Packing Act to provide modest tax incentives to small processors looking to compete with the big four. There’s no silver bullet but a number of reforms continue to move us in the right direction, and the FAIR Meat Packing Act is one of those reforms,” he said.

MEAT PACKING SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR ACT A month and a half earlier, S. 2036: the Meat Packing Special Investigator Act, was introduced by Senator Jon Tester (Democrat, Montana), who says his new legislation is meant to prevent and address the anticompetitive practices in the meat industry that threaten the nation’s food supply and national security. This bill would create a team of investigators within the packers and stockyard division of the USDA. Senator Tester says the team will have the power to subpoena, allowing them to obtain the information they need, to keep meat packers accountable. “We’re not making any accusations. All we’re saying is, we want to make sure that that’s the case.” The meat packers must be accountable.

The senator says this bill will also help to reduce the rising prices of meat for consum2021 Fall Marketing Edition

21

rity and address anti-competitive practices in H.R. 4973 - PRODUCT OF USA LABEL the industry that threaten Montana ranchers In early August, 2021 a bipartisan group and consumers.” of senators introduced the USA Beef Act The bill would create the Office of the to address the issue of “Product of USA” Special Investigator for Competition Matters labeling on foreign beef products. This bill’s within the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s goal is to amend the Federal Meat Inspection Packers and Stockyards Division and will Act to modify requirements for a meat food include the special investigator, along with a product of cattle to bear a “Product of U.S.A.” team of fellow investigators with subpoena label, and for other purposes. power, dedicated to preventing and addressAccording to a press release from co-sponing anti-competitive practices in the meat and sor Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota), the legispoultry industries and enforcing our nation’s lation would limit the use of “Product of USA” antitrust laws. The new office will act as a labels only to beef products from cattle born, liaison between the USDA, Department of raised and slaughtered in the U.S. Currently, Homeland Security, Department of Justice, USDA rules allow foreign beef raised in other and the Federal Trade Commission to protect countries to receive that label. continuation of the food supply and increase “Consumers deserve to know where their our national security. beef comes from, and accurate, transparThe bill has gained support from USDA ent labeling supports American farmers and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, who ranchers,” Round stated. “It’s long past time stated that “it’s a good proposal, I think it’s we fix this once and for all.” part of what needs to be done.” The Act The bill’s co-sponsors include John gives the USDA power in terms of meat and Barrasso (R-Wyoming), Cory Booker (D-New poultry that it has not previously had. Jess Jersey.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tennessee), John Peterson from the United States Cattlemen’s Thune (R-South Dakota.), Cindy HydeAssociation stated, “This beefs up the sys- Smith (R-Mississippi), Cynthia Lummis tem. It gives the Department of Ag the ‘S’ (R-Wyoming) and Steve Daines (R-Montana.). word – a subpoena. More than that, it truly Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Montana.) is intromodernizes it.” ducing companion legislation in the House of The senators state that the act will also Representatives. reduce the price of meat for consumers These legislative initiatives come in the due to new competition. “Congress knew in wake of President Biden’s executive orders 1921 what we know today – anti-competitive promoting competition in the U.S. economy. behavior in the meatpacking industry hurts In July, the president promised new rules for both consumers and producers,” Rounds when meat can have the “Product of USA” stated. “Unfortunately, packer concentration label. in the beef industry is more consolidated The proposed bill outlaws the current today than it was when the Packers and practice of allowing foreign beef to be labeled Stockyards Act was first signed into law 100 “Product of USA” and restores integrity to a years ago. South Dakota cattle producers are currently misleading, but valuable tool for going broke, while consumers are paying an consumers and cattle producers. over-inflated premium for beef at the grocery “It’s pretty simple – only beef born, raised store. It’s long past time to address this and slaughtered in the United States should problem. Our legislation strengthens USDA’s receive the ‘Product of USA’ label,” said ability to investigate harmful anti-competitive Rounds. “As I continue to work with my colbehavior to apply the Packers and Stockyards leagues on re-establishing mandatory country Act as intended.” of origin labeling, we must fix the current Earlier, Senator Rounds led a group labels to protect consumers and producers. of 26 colleagues with Senator Tina Smith For far too long, South Dakota producers (D-Minnesota) in calling on the attorney have suffered as their high-quality, Americangeneral to investigate the meatpacking indus- raised beef has lost value as it’s mixed with try to determine if antitrust violations exist. foreign beef, raised and processed under He also addressed cattle producers during different standards. This is wrong.” a virtual town hall focused on meatpacker Thune said, “South Dakota cattle ranchers concentration in the cattle industry, and intro- work hard to produce some of the highest duced bipartisan legislation to foster more quality beef in the world, and they deserve to competitive cattle markets by requiring that proudly showcase their products with accua minimum of 50 percent of a meatpacker’s rate labeling. This straightforward legislation weekly volume of cattle purchases take place will ensure that consumers know they are on the open or spot market. getting their beef from cattle that were born

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Livestock Market Digest

right here in the U.S.A.” This legislation is endorsed by US Cattlemen’s Association, R-CALF, South Dakota Farmers Union and the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association. At the urging of Senator Rounds and hundreds of ranchers in South Dakota and around the country, USDA announced in July a full-scale review of the “Product of USA” label. In conjunction with USDA’s announcement, the Federal Trade Commission finalized a rule tightening the use of the “Made in the USA” label, but the rule does not require specific actions be taken regarding beef labeling.

The debate on all of this is far from over, however; the NCBA wants to eliminate “Product of USA” labels for beef. Senator Rounds recently submitted a comment in opposition to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s petition to eliminate “Product of USA” labels for beef.

“If FSIS adopts NCBA’s proposal, consumers would have to sacrifice knowing where their beef comes from–only to merely know where their beef is processed,” Rounds said in a press release. “Consumers deserve greater transparency. FSIS should strive to apply a more accurate definition to the current ‘Product of USA’ label. The most accurate way to describe ‘Product of USA’ would be to allow its use only if the product is born, raised and processed in the United States.”

The battle over how beef is labeled has been ongoing for years. It’s become even more contentious since the World Trade Organization in 2015 struck down country-of-origin labeling, a move that was echoed by the U.S. courts in 2018. The issue is one that pits beef producers against processors– who benefit from the economics of importing cheap cattle or boxed meat to fill their needs.

▫

Is Your Local Government a Champion for its Citizens?

rather than providing environmental groups a way to sandbag agency decision-making with lawsuits. For example, the notice of intent to complete an environmental impact statement (EIS) must be much more detailed than required under prior regulations and must also include a request for comments. An by: Karen Budd Falen, extra comment period was also added at the Budd Falen Law Office, LLC end of the process that mandates inclusion of local governments.

Another recognition of the importance ne of the greatest dangers to our rural way of life is allowing people on the of local government participation was the coasts (people who often have never revamping of the requirement to write an visited, much less lived in, our communities) EIS’s environmental consequences section make decisions in an ideological “vacuum” to include a discussion of possible conflicts regarding our local natural resources, econ- (consistency review) between the proposed omies, customs and culture, and proper- action and its alternatives with the objectives ty rights. The Trump Administration fully of local governments’ land use plans, policies understood that local governments have the and controls.

The NEPA regulations additionally clariexpertise to advocate for our economic, environmental and social well-being because we fied what constitutes a “major federal action elect those officials from our communities significantly affecting the human environand counties. Local governments can and ment.” Following the commands of the U.S. should be a champion for their local citizens. Supreme Court, an environmental impact While federal statutes have long recog- must be “proximately caused” by the pronized that local governments should have posed federal decision. If there is an envia voice in federal decisions impacting their ronmental impact (either positively or negaconstituents through consistency review with tively), economic impacts must be considered.

The regulations included a two-year local land use plans, cooperating agency status or coordination, President Trump championed that notion. For example, Trump’s regulatory reform addressed long overdue updates to the regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

The intent of NEPA was to create a process for the federal government and the public to consider potential effects of major federal actions on the human environment. However, before the Trump reform, NEPA had been abused by radical groups to advance their agenda often to the detriment of the citizens who live with the impact of these federal decisions. To many, NEPA had become a tool to manipulate the federal government to bow to their whims or face years of lawsuits.

In an attempt to de-weaponize NEPA, the Trump regulations clarify that NEPA is not only supposed to analyze the effects that a decision may have on the environment, but also must analyze how it will affect a local community’s economy, customs, and culture. Additionally, the Trump rules gave local governments the ability to participate in the federal decision-making process, not only when state law allows, but also by defining “special expertise” in areas within the local government’s mission or experience. For local governments that are not “home rule,” this change gives you a voice.

The updated regulations mandate greater up-front participation in NEPA’s process

O

time period to complete an EIS. NEPA is a process-not a substantive mandate. The public and agency decision makers should understand the environmental and economic impacts of decisions and make informed choices within this two-year timeframe.

NEPA was not enacted by Congress to simply create reams of paper with no end in sight.

Now, the Biden Administration seeks to revise the Trump NEPA rules. Although Biden cannot just simply undo these changes with the stroke of a pen, the current rhetoric is concerning. So called “fly-over country” can’t afford to go back to NEPA documents that take 5 or 10 years to complete and never consider local impacts. We don’t know when these Biden changes will be proposed, but we will have the ability to analyze and combat them if necessary. In the meantime, local governments have the regulatory authority to be involved in decisions that impact our rural way of life. Are your local governments ready and willing to take on this responsibility?

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2021 Fall Marketing Edition

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Aid to Local Meat Processing Facilities

by Heather Smith Thomas

A

merica’s meat supply was seriously compromised during the COVID pandemic when the nation’s largest meat processing plants slowed their flow or shut down. Consumer meat prices spiked as a result—even though cattle producers were getting low prices for their animals, and feedlots couldn’t send their finished animals to slaughter. The nation’s small and mid-sized farms and ranches could help prevent these inadequacies if ranchers and farmers had better access to small-scale slaughtering and processing facilities and to local and regional markets.

One of the reasons there is a huge disconnect between producers and consumers (and a shortage of state and local processing facilities) is the fact that ranchers can’t sell meat directly to customers unless it is federally inspected. The Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) requires that all meat sold commercially be inspected and passed by federal inspectors to ensure that it is safe, wholesome, and properly labeled. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is responsible for providing this inspection.

The USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) is required by law to provide inspection for all federally-regulated processing facilities. Without the inspector present, the establishment cannot process cattle, hogs, or poultry.

The Federal Meat Inspection Act requires USDA inspectors to provide inspection of all live animals before they enter the slaughter establishment. The inspector evaluates the animals to ensure they are healthy and fit for slaughter. If animals are sick or have an injury the USDA inspector deems those animal as unfit for human consumption, and they do not enter the food supply.

After an animal is slaughtered, a USDA inspector performs additional inspections to ensure the safety of the carcass. Once approved, the carcass is stamped with a non-toxic ink stamp to show it has passed USDA inspections. If a carcass does not pass the USDA inspections it is condemned, stamped as such, and does not enter the food supply. All meat products are inspected by USDA inspectors before they leave the federally-regulated establishment.

Under federal law, inspection standards

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Livestock Market Digest

in a state facility must be “equal to” those of federally inspected operations. The main difference between state and federal plants is that, by law, state inspected meats can only be sold within the state—even though the inspection standards are the same. In other words, meat products processed at state plants cannot enter commerce across state lines, which includes online sales, mail orders and other methods by which meats are shipped out of state. States may go through additional regulatory processing to be able to sell across state lines, but only a handful have taken the extra steps to do so. Meat products processed at federal plants, on the other hand, may be sold across state lines, on the Internet and via mail order.

However there are additional procedures that states can go through to be able to ship meat across states lines. So far, only a few states have taken the extra steps.

Farmers and ranchers cannot sell meat that they’ve harvested themselves or had processed at local “custom” butcher facilities.

That meat can only be used by the farmer or rancher’s own family. Under current law, any meat from a ranch that uses a custom facility—even though these facilities are subject to a host of federal and state regulations (but do not have an on-site government inspector)— cannot be sold to the public.

There are many small processing plants that can’t afford to have federal inspectors, even though the USDA does pay for inspectors for eight hours on weekdays. One of the reasons people are seeking more state inspection is that there are not enough federal inspectors to go around and rural meat plants cannot afford to pay the overtime demanded by the USDA system.

Over the past several decades the number of state and local processing plants has dwindled, due to the requirement for federal inspection. And many states have given up their state inspection of meat or poultry, or both, and depend entirely on the limited services of federal inspectors. Only 27 states have kept their meat inspection programs, and the rest gave up their state programs at some point during the past 50 years. So now we are extremely short on state and local processing plants. This became hugely apparent during the past year with closures of several major packing plants and the bottleneck in meat supplies.

Currently there are a number of bills proposed, to help remedy the situation. There were several bills proposed last year after the pandemic revealed flaws in the food supply chain, but with the new administration and a new Congress, all the bills from 2018-2019

and early 2020 had to be re-introduced.

Currently there are several meat-processing reform bills before Congress, but they are very different, and have different supporters--and different benefits and drawbacks, depending on who you talk to.

THE NEW MARKETS FOR STATEINSPECTED MEAT AND POULTRY ACT (S. 107) This bill was introduced in January 2021 and would encourage the establishment of additional regional food systems by lifting the ban on interstate sale of state-inspected meat.

Under current federal law, meat produced and inspected by authorities in 20 states cannot be sold elsewhere simply because those states use their own inspectors, rather than USDA employees, to enforce food-safety regulations. That approach makes so little sense that even the USDA embraces the aims of the proposed bill.

What the New Markets Act doesn’t address, however, is the lack of overall slaughter capacity and the supply shortfalls that caused the present meat crisis. That inadequacy is addressed better by another bill—the PRIME Act—which would create and strengthen local food systems by allowing the intrastate (within-state) sale of uninspected meat and meat products.

THE PRIME ACT (S.2001) On June 11, 2021 Representative Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Representative Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) re-introduced the PRIME (Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption) Act to make it easier for small farms and ranches to serve consumers. Companion legislation was introduced in the Senate by Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Rand Paul (R-Kentucky).

The PRIME Act would give individual states freedom to permit intrastate distribution of custom-slaughtered meat such as beef, pork, or lamb to consumers, restaurants, hotels, boarding houses, and grocery stores. It would allow ranchers to sell their own meat within their home states directly to consumers and through local grocers, butchers, and restaurants. By allowing the local sale of meat from these operations, the PRIME Act would encourage the rapid increase in number of small-scale processors, adding diversity, resilience, and badly needed additional capacity to our national meat-processing system. This bill would also allow states to adapt or adopt their own inspection requirements for custom facilities.

“The pandemic exposed serious problems in our supply chain—from toilet paper to

cars to the meat in our grocery stores,” said Congresswoman Pingree. “Coupled with the recent ransomware attack on the world’s largest meat company, it’s clear that relying solely on industrial-scale meat processing is a liability,” she said.

“Congress must act to make it easier for local farms to compete with these big meat companies and make locally-raised livestock processing more widely available. A farmer in Maine shouldn’t have to drive hours to get to a USDA-inspected processing facility when other safe options are available.” She said that the bipartisan PRIME Act would change federal regulations to help make local meat processing easier.

“Consumers want to know where their food comes from, what it contains, and how it’s processed. Yet, federal inspection requirements make it difficult to purchase food from trusted, local farmers,” said Rep. Massie. “It is time to open our markets to give producers the freedom to succeed and consumers the freedom to choose.”

Current law exempts custom slaughter of animals from federal inspection regulations, but only if the meat is slaughtered for personal, household, guest, and employee use. This means that in order to sell individual cuts of locally-raised meats to consumers, farmers and ranchers must first send their animals to one of a limited number of USDA-inspected slaughterhouses. These slaughterhouses are often hundreds of miles away, which adds substantial transportation costs and increases the chance that the meat raised locally will be mixed with industrially-produced meat. The PRIME Act would expand the current custom exemption and allow small farms, ranches, and small slaughterhouses to thrive.

STRENGTHENING LOCAL PROCESSING ACT This bill was also reintroduced in both the House and the Senate in February 2021.

It would provide funding for small slaughter and processing operations to expand. It was sponsored by Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-Nebraska) and Senators John Thune (R- South Dakota) and Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon).

This legislation provides many of the critical things necessary to help small processors improve and grow their businesses.

The events of 2020 and the response of small processors highlighted the need to increase processing capacity in the beef industry and to provide help to processors who are vital to local communities.

Section 2 of the bill (Scale Appropriate Guidance and Assistance from FSIS) requires

USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) to establish a searchable database of all the peer-reviewed, publicly available validation studies for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans for small and very small plants, and to create and make available to small and very small plants models of HACCP plans for multiple types of small plants, including but not limited to HACCP plans for slaughter plants and processing-only plants, and based on the different types of products processed by plants; and create and publish guidance for public comment and input on how to get their HACCP plan approved.

Section 3 (Expanding State Inspection) increases the amount of cost share USDA will pay for a state Meat and Poultry Inspection Program from 50 percent to 65 percent of the total program costs.

Section 4 (Expanding Cooperative Interstate Shipment) requires FSIS to conduct outreach to states with state inspection programs that are not part of the Cooperative Interstate Shipment (CIS) program and requires FSIS to submit a report to the House and Senate Agriculture Committees each year detailing the activities and results of the out-

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reach conducted. It also increases the amount of cost share USDA will pay for—from 60 percent to 80 percent of the total program costs—and changes the small-plant eligibility size from plants with more than 25 employees to plants with more than 50 employees.

Section 5 (Small Plant Grant Program) creates a new grant program to provide reimbursement grants to help federally inspected, state inspected, and exempt small and very small plants expand infrastructure to increase harvest and processing capacity, including support for existing plants and new smallscale meat slaughter and processing plants, and adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic and future market needs beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. It limits grants to not more than $100,000 for 90 percent of eligible costs and up to $500,000 for 75 percent eligible costs.

Cost-share requirements will be waived for Fiscal Year 2021 grants. It provides $10 million a year in mandatory funding and $15 million in discretionary funding.

Section 6 (Small Processor Training, Education, and Technical Assistance Grants) creates Meat Processing Training Program Grants for experts and small and very small plants to assist and train small plant operators, small plant employees, and the next generation of meat processors and butchers, and provides $10 million a year in discretionary funding.

Organizations endorsing the Strengthening Local Processing Act include The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, The American Association of Meat Processors, The Niche Meat Processors Assistance Network, The National Farmers Union, American Grassfed Association, United States Cattlemen’s Association, The National Bison Association, The Center for Rural Affairs, American Pastured Poultry Producers Association, and Family Farm Action.

RAMP-UP ACT – This bill, the Requiring Assistance to Meat Processors for Upgrading Plants (RAMP-UP) Act was introduced in July 2020 but was not voted upon and died in that Congress. The goal was legislation to establish a program to make facility upgrade and planning grants to existing meat and poultry processors to help them move to Federal Inspection and be able to sell their products across state lines—and require USDA to work with States and report on ways to improve the existing Cooperative Interstate Shipment program.

Supporters of the bill stated that it would give small processors the tools to become federally inspected facilities, widening their customer base while maintaining strong inspection standards. The RAMP-UP Act 2021 Fall Marketing Edition

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aimed to help defray the costs of attaining is critical to our ability to thrive in a quickly federal inspection. changing environment,” said American Sheep “Over the past several decades, we have Industry Association President Benny Cox. come to rely on fewer and larger facilities “This legislation is tremendously welcome to to process all of our meat,” said National help break down barriers for smaller proFarmers Union President Rob Larew. “This cessors to compete nationwide. These grants system, though efficient, is particularly will ensure our local establishments can meet vulnerable to disruptions—a fact that has our stringent food safety inspection system become impossible to ignore as coronavirus requirements and open a world of opportunioutbreaks at just a handful of plants have ty for sheep producers.” backed up the entire supply chain,” he said.

Not everyone was enthusiastic about this Having more small and medium sized plants bill, however. Some people felt that if would ensure greater resilience and food the RAMP-UP Act were to succeed at its security in times of crisis, as well as flexibility stated goal—to bring still more facilities in marketing for farmers and ranchers. under USDA inspection—it would require “By helping meat processing plants cover the USDA to hire many more Food Safety the often prohibitive cost of federal inspec- and Inspection Service (FSIS) inspectors. tions, the RAMP UP Act will bolster a strong That might not be an improvement, since and reliable meat supply chain for farmers the FSIS has long suffered from a shortage and consumers alike,” said Larew. of inspectors.

“Previous COVID-related harvest facility Many supporters of the RAMP-UP Act disruptions created a lasting bottleneck on (including many of the large processors farms where millions of hogs remain backed- that had thousands of workers sidelined by up,” said National Pork Producers Council COVID-19) are also steadfast opponents of President Howard A.V. Roth. “As a result, we the PRIME Act. They have concerns about face mounting financial losses and a severe allowing uninspected meat on the intraemotional strain.” state market, but those fears are unfounded.

“For America’s sheep producers, finding A USDA exemption already allows many new markets and meeting demand for lamb poultry farmers to slaughter thousands of

their own chickens on their farms without continuous federal or state inspection and to sell those chickens to grocers. Zero cases of foodborne illness have been tied to this uninspected poultry. This is in sharp contrast to the poorer track record of the nation’s largest processors, which have faced numerous meat recalls and foodborne illness cases.

The National Pork Producers Council, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and North American Meat Institute have argued that the PRIME Act would compromise food safety by allowing commercial sale of meat that hasn’t been inspected by federal inspectors. But the PRIME Act does not propose that there be no inspection of meat at these facilities but, rather, to put regulatory control in the hands of individual states.

Farmers who support the bill don’t see food safety as an issue. If the custom-exempt facility is clean and professional enough for their family and friends to consume, why is it not safe enough to sell?

According to the USDA, there are more than 1,900 non-USDA-inspected slaughterhouses in the country. This includes state-inspected facilities and those that fall into the “other” category, including custom-excontinued on page 39 >>

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M&G 65 BII$ 473

MCE 2.7

MCE -2.9 CHB$ 113

MCW 106

CE 8.2 MCW 66

UDDR 0.80

BW 2.1 UDDR 1.10

TEAT 0.90

CW 75

FAT -0.014

REA 0.31

MARB 0.22

BMI$ 290

BH CURRENCY 6128 {DLF,HYF,IEF,MSUDF} WW 53 TEAT 1.30

YW 81 CW 62

DMI 0.2 FAT 0.046

SC 1.4 REA 0.50

SCF 17.8 MARB 0.13

MM 23 BMI$ 361

BII$ 368

M&G 49 BII$ 433

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Livestock Market Digest

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Livestock Market Digest

2021 Fall Marketing Edition

27

IPCC Report Shows Desperation, Not Climate Catastrophe

by H. Sterling Burnett

T

he U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its highly anticipated Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) on August 9, to much doomsaying and alarm. Though its findings had been previewed for weeks, to say it dominated headlines is to understate the case. It sucked the air out of the entire atmosphere.

Had Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York not resigned amid allegations of sexual abuse, the IPCC report might have been the only story to receive significant coverage in almost every international, national, regional, and local media outlet.

The headlines from The Atlantic (“It’s Grim”), BBC (“Climate Change: IPCC Report Is ‘Code Red for Humanity’”), and the Guardian (“Climate crisis ‘unequivocally’ caused by human activities, says IPCC report”), capture the tenor of the coverage, to wit: “The World Is Ending, and You Are to Blame!”

That this report is sparking so much dire, uncritical coverage would shock the conscience if any scientific or journalistic standards remained, but they don’t. The report offers very little that is different from past reports. Any new, “shocking” findings it

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Livestock Market Digest

does offer are based on an incomplete assessment of the myriad factors that drive climate change and admittedly flawed climate models.

Headlines shout AR6 declares humans have unequivocally caused dangerous climate change. That’s not news. The IPCC made the same declaration in its AR5 report in 2014, and earlier reports said it was virtually certain humans had caused global warming. You can’t get more unequivocal than unequivocal, so AR6’s core headline-stoking conclusion, that humans are causing dangerous climate change, is not news but merely reiterates what previous IPCC reports incorrectly claimed.

To their credit, previous AR reports acknowledged that natural factors—the Sun, clouds, ocean currents, etc.—play at least some, albeit poorly understood, role in climate change. AR6 jettisons almost all natural factors as having any but the most marginal of effects on the climate. If you read

“

AR6 virtually ignores any effect the Sun has on climate change”

only AR6’s summary for policymakers, you wouldn’t know clouds existed unless humans caused them by creating aerosols. Yet water vapor is by far the dominant greenhouse gas, accounting for more than 97 percent of all the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and clouds have huge long-term and shortterm effects on surface temperatures. The

IPCC acknowledged as much in previous AR reports, admitting climate models only poorly account for the role changes in cloud cover play in climate change.

AR6 virtually ignores any effect the Sun has on climate change. The report barely acknowledges solar irradiance as having any role at all in climate change, in a graphic on page SPM-8 (Summary for Policy Makers).

No mention of solar cycles, which we know from history correlate with climate changes. Nor does the report even mention that increases and decreases in cosmic rays resulting from solar fluctuations affect cloud cover and thus temperatures. Except for volcanoes, all other factors, such as large-scale decadal ocean circulation patterns, are lumped into a category called “Internal Variability,” to which AR6 attributes almost no effect on climate change.

This is truly atrocious nonsense. Even AR6 admits temperatures, sea level rise, droughts, tropical storm numbers and intensities, wildfires, etc., have all been as high and severe at other times in the past 200, 2,000, 6,000, 12,000, or 125,000 years—pick your time period for the claimed effect—as they are at present. If natural factors caused equivalent or even more rapid and severe climate effects in the past, with no human help, there is no logical reason to think nature is playing no role in current climate change. The IPCC authors don’t understand well the natural factors that caused past climate changes and they can’t model them, so they simply assign natural factors no role in current climate change. Once the IPCC arbitrarily rules out all factors other than the ones it can model and thus has decided to study, of course humans are going to appear to be to blame for climate change.

Speaking of modelling, at the foundation of AR6’s claims about human-caused climate change is the newest generation of climate models. Page one of the AR6 technical summary states: This report assesses results from climate models participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) of the World Climate Research Programme.

These models include new and better representation of physical, chemical and biological processes, as well as higher resolution, compared to climate models considered in previous IPCC assessment reports. This has improved the simulation of the recent mean state of most large-scale indicators of climate change and many other aspects across the climate system.

The fact that AR6’s climate projections are based on CMIP6 models is a defect,

not a virtue. As I reported in CCW 407, the scientists and modelers who constructed the CMIP6 models were forced to admit they grossly overestimate past and projected warming, doing even worse than previous generations of models. “[T]he climate models that help [climate scientists] project the future have grown a little too alarmist,” reported Science. “Many of the world’s leading models are now projecting warming rates that most scientists, including the model-makers themselves, believe are implausibly fast.”

“In advance of the U.N. report, scientists have scrambled to understand what went wrong and how to turn the models … into useful guidance for policymakers,” writes Science. “‘It’s become clear over the last year or so that we can’t avoid this,’ says Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

If the models must be fixed before they can deliver “useful guidance for policymakers,” why did IPCC use them?

The most fundamental prediction climate models make is temperature changes, which are supposed to be driving all the other supposedly catastrophic climate changes. Yet for decades climate models have proven unable to get temperatures right. Previous generations of models overstated warming, and the newest generation is making even hotter projections, yet the IPCC claims these models are better? Not in any normal sense of the word “better.”

Worse still for anyone hoping to derive knowledge about climate change from the IPCC, every new generation of climate models seems to do at least as poorly as the previous generation of models, as displayed quite clearly in Table 1.2 in AR6 Chapter 1, pg.

47. The earliest, less complex climate models (pre-IPCC), not hampered by unverified assumptions about various asserted feedback mechanisms assumed by scientists and modelers to amplify warming, estimated a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide would result in between 2.0 and 3.5oC of warming.

Measured temperatures have shown these earliest models were too sensitive to carbon dioxide changes, but their temperature projections have come closer to tracking actual temperature changes measured on land, by weather balloons, and by satellites than their later counterparts.

In 1990 the IPCC’s first model simulations estimated a doubling of carbon dioxide would result in between 1.9 and 5.0oC of warming.

In the fifth generation of models, the range narrowed, with the CMIP5 models estimating a warming of between 2.1 and 4.7oC. The

estimated temperatures were still too hot, but at least the range of estimated temperatures seemed to be narrowing, indicating a modicum of progress. Whatever progress was made by CMIP5 has apparently been squandered in the CMIP6 models, which now project between 1.8 and 5.6oC warming. Hot and hotter.

Being charitable, one might be tempted to say, “It’s not the IPCC’s authors’ fault. The problems with the CMIP6 models only came to light last week, and it was too late to derail the release of AR6,” a document that had already been delayed by a year because of the pandemic. This charitable interpretation, however, is unwarranted. Climate realists such as I have been warning for more than two years that the CMIP6 models were performing worse than the CMIP5 versions.

Science, not a journal thought to be staffed by climate skeptics, warned in April 2019 there was a problem with the CMIP6 models: they were “showing a puzzling but undeniable trend. They are running hotter than they have in the past.”

In July of 2020, Yale Climate Connections warned about flawed temperature projections being delivered by CMIP6 model temperature simulations: “For the past year, some of the most up-to-date computer models from the world’s top climate modeling groups have been ‘running hot’—projecting that global warming may be even more extreme than earlier thought. Data from some of the

model runs has been confounding scientists because it challenges decades of consistent projections.”

Over time, scientists’ understanding of the equilibrium climate sensitivity to a doubling of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere should have improved, leading to better model inputs and outputs. The very opposite has occurred.

The truth is, the IPCC knew its earlier models were projecting too much warming, and as the results came in showing the CMIP6 models were even farther away from reality, the IPCC had plenty of time to change course. It didn’t.

Why? Because the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is, as the name implies, a government body, not a scientific endeavor. Never once has the IPCC undertaken an honest assessment of either all the factors, both natural and anthropogenic, that may drive climate changes, or an honest weighing of the positive and negative consequences possibly flowing from a modest warming, or of the relative merits of a world with or without fossil fuels. Governments didn’t want uncertainty, and certainly not honesty.

They wanted a mandate to control the world’s economy, and the IPCC has proven once again more than willing to give it to them.

SOURCES: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; American Thinker; Newsbusters.

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2021 Fall Marketing Edition

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The U.S. Commits to Tripling its Protected Lands: Here’s How It Could Happen In a new executive order, the president promised to protect 30 percent of U.S. land and 30 percent of U.S. oceans by 2030.

by Sarah Gibbens, www.nationalgeographic.com

I

n an executive order issued on January 27 to address the climate crisis, President Joe Biden ordered a pause on new oil and gas leases on public lands and created a White House office of environmental justice. He also quietly committed his administration to an ambitious conservation goal—to protect 30 percent of U.S. land and coastal seas by 2030.

That target, referred to as “30 by 30” by the conservation (aka environmental) community, is backed by scientists who argue that reaching it is critical both to fighting climate change and to protecting the estimated one million species at risk of going extinct.

The U.S. is currently conserving around 26 percent of its coastal waters but only about 12 percent of its land in a largely natural state, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

To reach the 30 by 30 target will require conserving an additional area twice the size of Texas, more than 440 million acres, within the next 10 years. The White House has yet to specify who will oversee the initiative at the federal level and which lands and waterways might be prioritized.

Biden’s commitment to conserve 30 percent of U.S. land by 2030 will require a huge increase in protected areas.

Link for maps: h t t p s : / / w w w. n a t i o n a l g e o g r a p h i c . com/environment/article/biden-commits-to-30-by-2030-conservation-executive-orders Only 12 percent of total U.S. area has sufficient protections to meet the 30 by 30 conservation goal.

Protecting 30 percent of the U.S. by 2030 would require 440 million more acres to be set aside.

Conservation scientists who have been advocating the idea for years, however, say the secret to pulling it off will be making decisions based on sound science, avoiding shortcuts, and ensuring voices from those most

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Livestock Market Digest

impacted, like rural voters and American Indian tribes, are heard. Biden’s order promises to engage a broad range of stakeholders, including local governments, in the process.

“The conservation crisis is as important as the climate crisis,” says Tom Cors, government relations director for land at the Nature Conservancy. He describes the decision to tackle 30 by 30 as both “daunting and heartening.”

WHAT IS IT EXACTLY? International bodies have been setting conservation targets for decades, but scientists have long debated how much nature is enough.

In a book published in 2016, the renowned biologist E.O. Wilson introduced his idea of “half Earth,” arguing that protecting half the planet would save as many as 90 percent of imperiled species.

The movement was energized by Swiss philanthropist Hansjörg Wyss, who donated a billion dollars to launch the Wyss Campaign for Nature, an initiative devoted to achieving 30 by 30. In late 2018, several large conservation organizations, including the nonprofit National Geographic Society, published a statement calling for 30 percent of the planet to be sustainably managed by 2030 and 50 percent to be sustainably managed by 2050.

The 2030 target outlined by nonprofit groups then had three core objectives: to conserve species threatened by development, to protect ecosystems that offer services like storing carbon, and to restore degraded habitats.

In his campaign platform, Biden pledged to commit to 30 by 30 for similar reasons: “protecting biodiversity, slowing extinction rates, and helping leverage natural climate solutions.”

SO HOW DO WE GET THERE? Currently, the federal government owns about 640 million acres of land, about 28 percent of all the land in the U.S. But most of it isn’t managed in a way that meets the 30 by 30 standard, in part because resources are regularly extracted from a lot of it. Fossil fuels extracted from federal lands and U.S. waters contribute nearly a quarter of the country’s carbon dioxide emissions.

Biden’s executive order also places a moratorium on all new federal oil and gas leases; existing leases are not expected to be impacted. But a drilling ban alone is not enough to convert land into a biodiversity haven, advocates say.

“If the federal government says ‘we banned oil and gas, now it’s conserved,’ a lot of the

conservation community will be unsatisfied,” says Justin Brashares, a wildlife ecologist at the University of California, Berkeley.

To understand why, says Brashares’s colleague Arthur Middleton, also a Berkeley wildlife ecologist, consider the Europeans who first colonized the U.S. “They favored places that were productive and had good soil, forests, healthy grasslands, and so forth, and that weight of historical preference for areas that are richer means by and large our public lands have not ended up being where most of the biodiversity is in our country,” he says.

Meeting the 30 by 30 target will require improving conservation on land that’s now in private hands. Around 70 percent of land in the U.S. is owned by individuals or companies.

“We need private landowners, livestock producers, and tribes,” says Brashares. “Let’s identify a geography and let that lead us to the table and see what levers we can pull.”

As far as federal land goes, however, one of the quickest levers the Biden Administration can pull is creating and restoring national monuments. The Antiquities Act grants the president the authority to designate monuments on land or sea, and unlike national parks, they don’t have to be approved by Congress.

Former President Barack Obama established the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off New England and dramatically expanded two huge marine monuments in the Pacific. He also established the 1.35-million-acre Bears Ears National Monument in Utah.

Former President Donald Trump, however, withdrew some two million acres from Bears Ears and a nearby monument, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and opened the New England marine monument to fishing.

Restoring those monuments is one of the first actions toward 30 by 30 that President Biden can take. He began the 60-day review process to restore the two Utah monuments on his first day in office.

“Certainly [restoring] Bears Ears and Grand Staircase are at the top of the list,” says Aaron Weiss, the deputy director at the Center for Western Priorities. “Those are low-hanging fruit.”

Conservationists still hope he’ll restore fishing restrictions in the New England monument. There are active campaigns underway to get more monuments designated as well.

Additionally, the National Park Service has long identified more than 11,000 tracts continued on page 32 >>

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Livestock Market Digest

2021 Fall Marketing Edition

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TRIPLING

<< continued from page 30

of land it would like to purchase near park boundaries, comprising a total of 1.6 million acres. That backlog would cost an estimated $2 billion.

Even if the park service acquired all of it, though, it would barely put a dent in the more than 400 million additional acres required to conserve 30 percent of U.S. lands.

TAKING CONSERVATION LOCAL About two-thirds of species listed on the U.S. endangered species list are found on privately owned lands, and around half of the country’s forests considered usable for carbon storage sit on private property.

While experts hope for a White House point person, such as National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, to oversee the initiative across federal agencies, successfully executing it will require giving local stakeholders seats at the table early on.

In a study published in February 2020, researchers looked at how rural U.S. voters influence conservation. While many voters understood the need for environmental regulations, they hesitated to offer their full support when they felt regulations were being done “to” them and not with them, says Emily Diamond, one of the study’s authors.

For 30 by 30 to work, “the more local, the better,” Diamond says. “Rural communities have the most trust for state and local governments.”

Incentives like conservation easements would allow landowners to keep their property and receive tax breaks or payments in exchange for giving up development rights.

Tribal governments also “need to be in the driver’s seat when it comes to this initiative,” says Raina Thiele, an alumna of the Obama White House who facilitates conversations among tribes.

Currently, there are about 56 million acres of tribal lands held in trust by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Most of that land, says Thiele, would not be counted in the 12 percent of U.S. land that is considered protected.

Historically, she says, conservation groups have equated human-free wilderness with protection, leading to tribes being pushed out of large parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite.

Now, she says, “they need to be the stewards of the land, as they have for thousands of years. In the indigenous lifeway, the environment and people are one.”

“I think 30 by 30 is exciting for many tribal leaders,” says Thiele. “It offers an opportunity to refrain from the traditional conservation model and favor one that’s more respectful

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and better for diversity.”

IN THE WEEDS For now, it remains mostly unclear where the extra two Texas’ worth of well-conserved land needed to meet the 30 by 30 target will come from—and how it will be paid for.

“There is no secret plan here. There is no list,” says Tracy Stone-Manning, associate vice president for public lands at the National Wildlife Federation.

A comprehensive estimate of what the initiative will cost has yet to be circulated. In addition to the two billion-dollar land acquisition backlog, the National Park Service, Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management already have a combined backlog of maintenance projects estimated to cost over $19 billion.

The Great American Outdoors Act, passed last year, fully funded the Land and Water Conservation Fund to the tune of $900 million a year—considered progress but not nearly enough to satisfy some conservationists.

“The number we celebrated last year, $900 million, is a 1978 number,” says the Nature Conservancy’s Cors. Adjusted for inflation, he says, “We should have been going for $3.4 billion.”

Conservation experts are hopeful that 30 by 30 will be a bipartisan effort, as the Great American Outdoors Act was. That remains to be seen—along with all the details.

Editor’s Note: This article was published in January 2021. Since then there has been a report issued from the U.S. Department of the Interior.

This article is by far the most explanatory we have seen from the supportive prospective.

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THE EDGE OF COMMON SENSE

by Baxter Black, BaxterBlack.com

Hints for the Hired Man 1. If the new boss’s hat isn’t sweat stained, you can pretty much figger whose will be.

2. Phrases like, “My dad never paid me a dime till I was twenty-five,” or “I haven’t had a day off since dad’s funeral in 2017,” should put you on guard.

3. Expensive equipment doesn’t guarantee you’ll be paid well. That might be where the money’s all gone.

4. This should send up a warning flag, “My son is all-state in every sport in school, president of the senior class, engaged to the banker’s daughter, building a hot rod and learning to fly an airplane. He’ll be helping you with the chores.”

5. If the words “day off” or “insurance” bring a quizzical look to the boss’s face, you better think it through.

6. You may want to reconsider when the new boss says, “I never had any use for dang new fangled gadgets like milking machines, PTO post hole diggers or a round baler. They just breed sloth.”

7. It should be a tip off if the prospective employer complains that he can’t keep a hired man on the place.

8. Be suspicious if the boss’s own dogs run for cover at the sound of his voice.

9. If the boss himself lives in a 1999 New Moon single-wide, don’t expect much from his offer of “housing furnished.”

10. And if the term “retirement plan” is mentioned, you can rest assured it’s not yours he’s talking about.

But the best hired man learns that critical skill for gettin’ along with a good boss – when to listen to him and when not to.

The most successful arrangement I’ve seen, that lasted for years, was between a couple ol’ compadres of mine named George and Jake. George summed up their perfect relationship this way, “Wouldn’t nobody else work for Jake and nobody else would hire me. I’ve got a job for life.”

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Study Links Excess COVID-19 Cases & Deaths To Wildfire Smoke

By Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times

N

ew research indicates that exposure to pollutants in wildfire smoke may have led to thousands more COVID19 cases and deaths.

The new study, published in the journal Science Advances, links fine particle pollution known as PM2.5, which measures 2.5 micrometers across and is produced by wildfires, among other sources, to a significant increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths in California, Oregon, and Washington state.

“The wildfires exacerbated the pandemic substantially,” said Francesca Dominici, a Harvard biostatistician and author of the study, in remarks to National Geographic.

The study sought to gauge the impact of last year’s wildfires in the three states on excess COVID-19 cases and deaths by evaluating their correlation with data on short-term PM2.5 exposure, while seeking to account for a number of confounding factors, including weather, seasonality, long-term trends, mobility, and population size.

Evaluating data from 92 counties affected by fires, the study’s authors “found strong evidence that wildfires amplified the effect of short-term exposure to PM2.5 on COVID-19 cases and deaths, although with substantial heterogeneity across counties.”

Heterogeneity refers to clinical, statistical, or methodological variability among studies in a systematic review.

For COVID-19 cases, the study found that 52 of 92 counties had “strong evidence” of a positive association between PM2.5 and heightened risk of contracting the respiratory illness, which is caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, also known as the SARS-CoV-2 or the novel coronavirus.

While there were sharp differences across counties, when pooled across multiple counties, the results indicated that a daily increase of 10 micrograms per cubic meter in PM2.5 for 28 subsequent days was associated with an 11.7 percent increase in COVID19 cases. In two counties with the highest impact—Sonoma, California, and Whitman, Washington—the researchers concluded that the same level of PM2.5 over the same time horizon was associated with a 65.3 per-

USDA Gives Cattlemen More Time in Fight Against Beef Checkoff

cent and 71.6 percent increase in infections, respectively.

There was also significant variability among counties in terms of COVID-19 deaths, with 17 of 92 counties reflecting “strong evidence of a positive association” between PM2.5 and fatalities. Under the same PM2.5 exposure parameters as above, the researchers found an 8.4 percent overall by Tom Johnston, meatingplace.com increase in deaths, with two California counties—Calaveras and San Bernardino—coming SDA recently set an October 3 deadin at 52.8 percent and 65.9 percent, respecline for cattlemen to collect the necestively. sary signatures on a petition calling for Overall, the study concluded that the a vote on termination of the National Beef PM2.5 in wildfire smoke likely accounted for Checkoff Program.

19,742 more COVID-19 cases and 748 more The agency’s move comes as a federal deaths than would have been the case absent appeals court affirmed a lower court ruling the fine pollutant. deeming the program constitutional, putting “We found strong evidence of a positive an end to a six-year legal battle brought by associations [sic] between daily increases independent producer group R-CALF. The in PM2.5 and increased risks of COVID19 cases and deaths, cumulatively up to 4 group argued that funds collected from beef producers and distributed to the checkoff weeks,” the researchers wrote. and state beef councils amounted to funding While scientists continue to learn more “private speech,” in violation of the First about how wildfires impact human health, an Amendment. expert told National Geographic that PM2.5 The 35-year-old National Beef Checkoff could make it easier for the CCP virus to Program assesses cattle producers $1 for enter the body by compromising certain cells every head of cattle they sell for the purpose that help expel various pathogens. of promoting beef consumption in general.

Some cattle producers have complained that they have no role in how those funds are spent, even though the assessment is not voluntary.

On July 2, 2020, independent cattlemen took a new angle, notifying USDA of their intent to petition Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack requesting a referendum on termination of the Beef Promotion and Research Order, which governs the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board.

USDA first set a 12-month window for the collection of the nearly 90,000 signatures, Producers of but producers have asked for more time quality foundation since COVID-19 put a kink in collection efforts. (The signature count currently is BARZONA cattle closer to 19,000, according to a posting on since 1975 R-CALF’s website.)

In May of this year, organizers of the drive formally requested that Vilsack give them a COMING one-year extension. The secretary’s response TWO-YEAR-OLD on Aug. 3 denied that request, but granted a PUREBRED BULLS 60-day extension.

Also in May, more 130 legislators repreAVAILABLE senting 11 states wrote letters asking Vilsack himself to call for a producer referendum.

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U

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F&F CATTLE CO.

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2021 Fall Marketing Edition

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FIRE Part 2

What Can We do to Diminish EverEscalating Fire Seasons?

agement of federal land, the malfeasance of CAL-Fire and Forest Service’s on-the-ground fire ‘management’ that has replaced ‘firefighting’ has changed the once-positive attitude of people who have lost family members’ lives, communities, cattle, federal grazing allotments, recreation values to rural areas, and

by Heather Smith Thomas have seen the devaluation of their homes. All of this, combined with the required COVID here is growing awareness that the “fire masks to impose darkness, has changed our management” policies of our federal community cultures of hope for better days,” and state land management agencies he said. Hope has turned to despair.

“Those who have been evacuated more are failing. The ever-increasing number and than once during the Dixie fire are shaking size of devastating fires has been blamed on their heads and writing to elected officials for “climate change” and dry conditions, but these excuses are becoming a thin cover-up for help. They have dropped their hand-written signs that say ‘Thank you First Responders!’ mismanagement.

Bill Dennison, who has been a logger – not in disrespect for those brave individuals, and forester, working directly for and/or on but for the fact that neither the thousands behalf of the forest products industry for 49 of men and women in yellow fire gear, nor years (now retired) has had an opportunity to the hundreds of Red CAL-Fire and green FS observe many positive and negative changes trucks and other equipment have been able to that have taken place during that time. He stop this huge black area across the northern says the Dixie Fire tragedy has been duplicat- part of our state,” he said.

“Other reasons that the whispers of sused over the northern part of California for the picion have turned to tears (of fear and outpast 10 years, and the devastation continues. rage) are also based on miscommunications “The stories and observations of misman-

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[to the public], including fire agency daily announcements that are [themselves] a lot of smoke with no clarification. We keep hearing statements like ‘Our crews continue to make headway’… ‘Our crews are in very good spirits’… that are followed by statistics that ‘the fire grew by 5,800 acres last night, but we are still maintaining a 31 percent containment.’”

He went on to say that “Fire agencies have lost the support of those who are paying the hundreds of millions of dollars for the shiny new trucks, which too often are seen returning from the end of their shift sparkling clean.

There is no longer the ‘Badge of Honor’ of a dirty truck that has actually been used on the fire line.”

Dennison added, “There are mounting reasons to believe that a) the universal Incident Command System is failing; and b) Fire has become a Money Making Machine, and arsonists are a far greater fire hazard than admitted.”

Many experienced people know the reasons that mismanaged federal forests have become torches. Dennison says these people have attempted to discuss the fact that replacing fueled automobiles with electric cars and shutting down businesses in the name of Climate Change is not going to stop tomorrow’s wildfires.

“Most everyone can agree that legislation such as the Westerman Resilient Federal Forest Act should have been passed 25 years ago. It failed its third attempt to gain support, but deserves everyone’s support today.”

FEDERAL LEGISLATION APPRECIATED BUT LATE [note: U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Arkansas.) introduced The Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2019 as a solution to the growing economic and environmental threats of catastrophic wildfire. He said, “Forests going up in flames and releasing tons of carbon into the atmosphere is not true conservation; proactive, sound forest management is. Years of mismanagement have led to insect infestation, overstocked stands, dead and decaying trees. It’s time to allow the Forest Service to use proven, scientific methods when managing our forests. Arkansas has seen drought conditions and environmental stress, but at the same time, we haven’t seen an increase in the number or intensity of forest fires. If changing climate was the only thing that increased wildfires, surely we would see an increase in the number and intensity in my state. However, because we actively manage our public and private forests, the state has a thriving and expanding forest economy. Sound forest management

makes a drastic difference in the health of a and growing every day. I sat in on a U.S. forest, which is why I believe The Resilient Forest Service/CAL-Fire webinar meeting Federal Forests Act of 2019 is so important.” August 17 and they said ‘Fires will do what One of the bill’s co-sponsors, Paul Gosar they will do.’ They are using a strategy of (Arizona) said, “2017 was one of the worst ‘long-term planning’ on the Dixie Fire. I will wildfire seasons in history with 71,499 fires not be surprised if the Dixie exceeds 800,000 burning approximately 10 million acres. The acres. It will eventually be contained, but Forest Service spent more than $2.5 bil- only by having no fuel left (including homes, lion on suppression costs in the 2017 fiscal pasture, etc.) or when there is a significant year alone--a new record. 2018 was another increase in weather humidity—maybe snow terrible fire season with 58,083 wildfires in October—and not by fire agencies or legisburning approximately 8.8 million acres. The lation,” said Dennison.

Camp Fire was the costliest disaster in the SOLVING “CLIMATE CHANGE” IS NO world… costing more than $12.5 billion in ANSWER insured losses, claiming 88 lives and destroy“So what can we do to stop tomorrow’s ing nearly 19,000 structures, roughly 14,000 fires?

We need an initial attack on any fire, of which were homes. Mismanagement by every fire—just like you’d do with a fire in federal agencies has left our forests vulneryour kitchen at home.

You simply put it out able to insects and disease and ripe for cataimmediately.

You don’t blame anyone or strophic wildfires. The system is broken, and anything for it or wait around until after you has resulted in the loss of life and significant have a meeting to decide how you are going harm to our communities.”

The Resilient Federal Forests Act com- to approach it. That’s what’s been happening bines targeted forest management reforms with Incident Commands, and everything with needed regulatory streamlining to dra- that’s gone haywire for the past 25 years,” matically improve the health and resiliency he said.

“We also have to stop arguing about cliof forests and rangelands. The goal is to mitmate change. It doesn’t matter. We also have igate insect and disease infestation, prevent to stop arguing about socialists who say damage to municipal watersheds and critical forest management doesn’t matter. We are infrastructure, quickly harvest wildfire-killed trees to pay for reforestation, and improve the health of forests and grasslands to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire.] “Yet, if the Westerman Resilient Federal Forest Act was passed tomorrow, the positive impact of such proposals as amendments to ESA/ NEPA, and consequential improvement in forest structure would not be helpful in our attempt to put out tomorrow’s fires – for the next five to ten years,” Dennison said. “We lost that positive impact today by not passing such legislation 25 years ago. In five to ten years, we may not have the same urgency to STOP the Fire NOW! We may have very little public or private land left to protect. We have evidence that we cannot extinguish today’s fires [with today’s management]. If we are going to stop the catastrophic fires of tomorrow, a fool-proof Initial Attack plan must be implemented today.”

The fires this year, especially in California, have been the worst ever, and have been getting worse over the past 40 years. Dennison says the only way to halt this problem—to reduce the devastation to the environment/ wildlife habitat, timber and range resources, private property, homes, livestock losses, etc.—is to stop the fires as they start, rather than waiting until they are bigger and harder to control.

“The Dixie fire is currently 700,000 acres

now at the point that we just need to figure out what we can do today to stop this from happening tomorrow,” he said.

“People have watched the tragic errors with the Dixie fire, by CAL-Fire and the Forest Service. These resulted in the destruction of Greenville and Indian Falls. We need to get the attention of everyone regarding how we can stop fires with an initial attack, and we need a campaign to help stop these fires.”

Dennison says many people have been thrust into a mental and physical trauma that began long before the Dixie Fire. This situation simply “accentuates the negative in almost every man, woman and child from Eureka, California to Bangor, Maine— through burning homes, evacuations and lack of information that has led to continuing mistrust of many federal, state and county levels of government, and every fire agency. There are many real and perceived reasons for this hysteria that we are witnessing through their words and their teared-filled eyes—from anger, fear and smoke,” he said.

“This tension of disbelief is increasing while they look for help, [but looking] less now from firefighters who follow after the sheriff’s office has called for evacuation, with

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2021 Fall Marketing Edition

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torches to ‘Back Burn’ areas which have been policies of the U.S. Forest Service and other biomass and fuel loads that must be removed their homes, cattle grazing and livelihood federal and cooperating state agencies (such but do not think the policy to let them be put for many generations. They have now been as CAL-Fire) have resulted in loss of life and in harm’s way makes any sense,” she said. thrust into another year of tragic fires based livelihoods for many people across the U.S. “People mention the commonsense policy on many past and current factors which but especially in the West, leaving vast areas called Initial Fire Attack that was put in place substantiate their reasons for mistrusting so of scorched land behind. after the Dixie Fire blew up into a mega-fire. many of the people from the government who “In these times of virtual meetings, it’s Newly appointed Forest Service Chief Randy ‘are here to help.’” Dennison believes that important to be able to have conversations Moore put the Initial Fire Attack policy in there is much more behind these catastrophic about how we relate in our daily lives to our place after being asked by Governor Newsom fires than most people are willing to state environment. Our number one concern is and members of the California Congressional and/or pursue publicly. that humans are being distanced from the Delegation to do so.” These requests were Nancy O. Geehan is mounting a campaign reality of the need for their involvement in initiated due to a nonpolitical outcry in the to keep an open dialogue regarding fires. A public policymaking,” said Geehan. wake of the horror and deeply personal loss graduate of the University of Wyoming with “We were never asked for public input— of such a large and destructive fire. a degree in interdisciplinary science, she has because it was never put through the fedWe can no longer afford to let politics a long history of working in natural resources eral rulemaking process or the National drive management policies of our lands and and management. Her background includes Environmental Policy Act assessment of the must embrace the unifying aspects of discusfarming and ranching, though she also served environmental impacts of letting fires get sion and citizen involvement in developing in staff and line officer positions in the Forest started and so hot and large that they ravage policies and analyzing their effects. “I am proService. Most of her career has been in the entire towns.” She said policies should not moting citizens who want non-political poliprivate sector as a consultant, focused on be made this way, not allowing the American cy-making in natural resources and the envinon-political relationships between people people to make comments and help find man- ronment, because they don’t see us making and their non-political relationships with nat- agement directions that won’t create more any progress with divisive political agendas.” ural resources and the environment. In 2020, negative effects on the environment.

By listening to one another’s stories, we she launched Sweetgrass LLC, to provide “Many attempts to talk sensibly with the can learn about natural resources and the natural resources and environmental policy leadership of these departments and agencies environment and about people we would not analysis and develop non-political input for of our Government have been made in the have learned from without such discussions. citizens to submit in public input to policy- past 50 years, but the system and the policies “There is a void in America when the distance makers. continue to be driven politically, ignoring the between our government and us is silence.

Sweetgrass provides communications con- people that these departments and agencies We hope we can bring back civil citizen input sulting and group workshops, and is currently should be accountable to—the U.S. citizens. and have it welcomed. What we are doing is working with iaintjac[DH1] k Productions, The ‘Let it Burn’ policy has caused loss of life, new—citizens taking back their voice, but a video company in Wyoming to produce livelihood, and has thwarted the will of the not in a political way. No ‘group think.’ Clean a podcast series featuring people who have people to try to make comments or feel that air and water and well-managed lands and direct relationship with natural resources and there is any hope that this kind of behavior resources should be valued by all, regardless the environment. will cease,” said Geehan. of one’s political affiliations.”

Geehan is mounting a campaign to try to She is writing testimony for U.S. Senate The public has misconceptions about keep an open dialogue with citizens regarding Energy and Resources Committee Chair Joe private industry’s stewardship of resources. fires. “Our objective is to take politics out Manchin and ranking member John Barrasso. Many of the “environmental” accusations are of natural resources management. I am a “This testimony will be signed by citizens, not not true anymore. “And what we see in the business owner and grew up as part of a dairy organizations or associations. By having citi- new infrastructure bill, and what we know is farming family. I am a strong proponent of zens sign it, we get away from the hyperbole coming, as Agenda 21 and 30 by 30—claimprivate land ownership, stewardship of pro- and unrealistic exaggerations from our many ing that all these fires are due to climate ductive and healthy forests and rangelands, different associations and interest groups and change—we realize we only have a short time great relationships with federal and state can effectively address common sense and to prove otherwise,” said Geehan. lands and multiple uses of public lands,” she the actual conditions on the ground—with “The Dixie Fire in California is an incredisaid. Her family lost a home and barn to fire, civility,” she explains. ble case study. We are forming a group of peoso she has firsthand knowledge and experi“We get back to individual citizens and get ple who understand the importance of staying ence with this issue. politics out of our natural resources and envi- away from political comments. Everything “We want to focus on non-political rela- ronmental issues. We can no longer afford we are writing is as if the person is right tionships regarding natural resources. I’m to let politics drive the management of our there watching their cows die on the hoof in starting a nationwide podcast to give citizens lands because it’s obvious that this has failed front of them—which is what people have a non-political voice about their relationships miserably,” she said. “I don’t see us making witnessed in these fires. No more soft-shoeing with natural resources and the environment, any progress as Republicans or Democrats.” (to not bring attention to ourselves) or going and what is happening with out-of-control It has been very hard on people to be through a Congressman,” she says. federal and (in many cases) state govern- isolated and not involved—in part due to By doing a grassroots movement, driven ments. Our number one issue has become the the pandemic, and then to face a fire season by individual citizens, there’s a chance to fact that the Forest Service has an unofficial with a mega fire like the Dixie fire. People change some things. “A movement called policy of ‘Let it Burn,’” she said. are devastated and frustrated with a wildland ‘Stop the Burn’ is growing in the U.S. and is She is putting together a testimonial called fire policy that does not make sense to any- nationwide. The arrogance, lack of responStop the Burn, stating that fire suppression one. “People understand the need to address sibility and politicization and agenda-driven

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Livestock Market Digest

policy must be questioned and stopped immediately,” she said.

“This has gone on so long that our livelihoods are at stake, along with the stewardship of the American landowner.” It’s time for responsible government and governance, and to take stock on the cost to Americans across the U.S. of the loss of this level of private and public lands, private and public resources, etc. not to mention the public disappointment that this destruction could be allowed to happen.

“It takes such a short time for a fire to grow out of control, but it takes years to recover, and many families will never recover.

A movement for people to get involved again in governance is growing nationwide. The inclusion of nonpolitical public involvement in federal policymaking today will reap policies that produce results in the quality and health of our forests, rangelands and other resources. A legacy of citizen involvement in governance can endure through adaptation of new information and result in changes in government management policies that reflect the need to address conditions on the ground and not political agendas,” Geehan said.

A TALE OF TWO CLIMATES… Bill Pekny, author of the book A Tale of Two Climates: One Real, One Imaginary (published in July, 2020) offers advice on things we can do to minimize fires and their impacts. He holds physics degrees from Georgia Tech and DePaul University, did his graduate study in physical meteorology and numerical analysis at Florida State University and University of Utah, plus a visiting scholar appointment at the Ginzton Laboratory of Applied Physics at Stanford University. His career in science spans more than 50 years in the U.S. Armed Forces and aerospace industry. Career highlights include Project Stormfury with the U.S. Navy Hurricane Hunters; applied atmospheric physics and meteorology research; LASER RADAR development; new product testing in various atmospheric environments; aviation optics and electronics; and global climate research.

In his books and talks, Pekny shares interesting facts about causes of wildfires. He says we need to become better educated on what causes disasters because that’s the only way we’ll be able to reduce their devastation.

“There are many misconceptions around wildfires. One of the biggest is that they are 100 percent preventable. They aren’t... Still, we can and should do certain things to lessen their frequency and severity.”

He says we can take the following steps: “Use smart, strategic logging. Trees leave the

forest in two ways: as smoke or lumber. With judicious logging practices, we will also create much-needed firebreaks and access roads in the process,” he explains. ❚❚“Build more dams and reservoirs, especially in drought and fire-prone areas. Find ways to trap seasonal floodwater for drought and fire mitigation, and hydropower, rather than simply wasting water by allowing it to flow unchecked into the oceans.

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❚❚“Relax regulations that stymie dam and reservoir construction, forest thinning, and removal of brush that fuel wildfires.

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❚❚“Insist that forest policy decisions be based on life-cycle cost-benefit analyses, in order to make the best use of our nation’s money.

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❚❚“Last but not least, keep learning. Teach ourselves and our children about forest safety and security.

Pekny says that in order to make these changes happen, we need to brush up on our understanding of wildfires. Humans cause most of them. “Yes, lightning and high winds that blow down power lines sometimes play a role. But, humans—not weather or climate—actually ignite the majority of wildfires, whether set intentionally (arson or prescribed burns), or accidentally (bad camping habits, vehicle fires, etc.).

Major contributing causes that ramp up intensity of wildfires include drought conditions that happen naturally and cyclically; periodic, natural, downslope winds, such as Santa Ana winds of Southern California and the Diablo winds in Northern California; maintenance issues that result in downed power lines and the fires they ignite; and environmental and/or forest management policies that prevent or discourage thinning or clearing of underbrush that fuel wildfires.

That being said, he suggests that we focus on what we can reasonably and affordably do to mitigate the devastation and pollution caused by any wildfire. “And we need to do a better job of educating people on the causes of wildfires. The more we learn, the more likely we’ll be able to make needed changes.”

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2021 Fall Marketing Edition

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Hybrid Symposium to Discuss Sustainable Ranching

Senators Announce Bill to Reinstate COOL

by Tom Johnston, meatingplace.com

U

.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.) & Cory Booker (D-N.J.) announced on September 8, 2019 a bipartisan bill that would reinstate mandatory country of origin labeling for beef.

To be formally introduced by mid-September, the American Beef Labeling Act would compel the U.S. Trade Representative to develop a World Trade Organization-compliant version of COOL within six months, followed by a sixmonth window to implement it.

In December 2015, Congress repealed COOL for beef and pork after the WTO ruled that the law violated U.S. trade obligations and discriminated against Canadian and Mexican animals shipped to the U.S. for feeding and processing. WTO had approved those nations’ proposal to impose over $1B in tariffs against the U.S. COOL proponents, including independent cattlemen, contend major packers’ purchases of foreign animals to fill out their plants has contributed to decreased pricing for domestic animals, and that beef products carrying a “Product of the USA” should be born, raised and processed in the U.S. Current regulations allow U.S. packers to use such labels for product derived from foreign-born animals, so long as those animals are processed in the U.S. Several measures are underway to revise the current regulations. In July, USDA said it would review the standard, and the White House announced plans to issue an executive order directing USDA to enact a new rule so consumers can “know where their food comes from and to choose to support American farmers and ranchers.” In early August, Sen. Rounds and another bipartisan group of legislators introduced the USA Beef Act to address the issue. And in July 2020, the Federal Trade Commission proposed a rule that would more strictly enforce “Made in USA” claims.

The meat industry has long fought COOL, arguing it is a protectionist measure that adds cost but doesn’t increase consumer demand for meat products.

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Presentations will also address metrics for measuring environmental soundness and influencing social acceptance. Attendees will also learn about measuring economic viability at the ranch level and how to find opportunity in marketing sustainability. A ranch perspective on a sustainable success story will wrap up symposium shared by Cherie Copithorne-Barnes, CEO of CL Ranches, Ltd. of Canada. All presentations in Kingsville, Texas, will be simultaneously delivered to the virtual audience via a Zoom webinar.

“We hope this symposium will shed light on the ever-changing landscape of sustainable ranching and offer the latest information on the subject in a way that producers will feel confident in making impactful decision back home on the ranch,” said Mathis. “We are excited to offer the integrated virtual attendance option so that ranchers, landowners, and professionals can take advantage of this learning opportunity without the need to travel.”

The symposium will also include an industry trade show that will be open during the two-day event. Attendees can enjoy an evening social and dinner on October 14 as the 2021 Texas Farm Credit Certificate in Advanced Ranch Management recipients are recognized. The symposium concludes on October 15 with a tour of the historic King Ranch, which will focus on King Ranch’s unwavering dedication and rich history of sustainable ranching.

he King Ranch® Institute for Ranch Management (KRIRM) will offer a hybrid symposium Oct. 14 and 15, 2021, titled Sustainable Ranching: Navigating Challenges and Embracing Opportunities.

The 18th Annual HOLT CAT® Symposium on Excellence in Ranch Management will be delivered simultaneously in Kingsville, Texas, and online.

In the past, “sustainability” was a relatively simple concept within the ranching industry. It was passing on the ranch to sustain the next generation by taking care of livestock and wildlife and maintaining or improving the natural resources for generations to come.

As social interest in food production and environmental health has grown, the traditional definition of sustainability expanded.

Today, sustainability is a focal point of discussion for our society as a whole. The Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) defines sustainable beef as “a socially responsible, environmentally sound and economically viable product that prioritizes planet, people, animals, and progress.” The definition of sustainability is broad, and thus it is very difficult to measure. The ranching industry can benefit from a deeper understanding of current sustainability-related efforts in ranching and food production, as well as perspec- The registration fee is $150. To view more details and to register, visit krirm.tamuk.edu/ tives of producers and consumers.

“This topic is, and will continue to be, a symposium or call 361/593-5401. Stay in touch with symposium updates by signing up for very important part of ranch management,” the KRIRM e-newsletter online and following explained KRIRM Director and Endowed KRIRM social media accounts.

Chair Clay Mathis. “We’ve designed a forward looking symposium to offer an overview of sustainability, the challenges in front of us, and most importantly insight on how to navigate through those challenges to find opportunities.”

The overview of sustainability mentioned Backgrounding can add value, flexibility to

by Mathis will be presented from a sys- feeder calves. tems perspective that examines the topic by Morgan Boecker, Certified Angus Beef LLC through a big-picture lens so the ranching industry can find leverage to shape etting maximum value when marketing the future. Representatives from the U.S. cattle is a constantly evolving process Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, Golden that takes careful planning.

State Foods, KRIRM, National Cattlemen’s Data reported in 2017 by the USDA Beef Association (NCBA), Texas Agricultural National Agricultural Statistics Service Land Trust, and the Noble Research Institute (NASS) indicate 70 percent or more of beef will also deliver presentations on the first day calves are born in the spring. Come fall, this of the symposium. These presentations will leaves the glut of 550 pound calves at a price touch on animal welfare, carbon and meth- disadvantage compared to contemporaries ane, ecosystems services of ranching, and an retained and sold after the first of the year. introduction to regenerative agriculture.

Backgrounding calves can open gates to

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Boost Value with Backgrounding

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new revenue paths, though not without risk.

When more cattle are sent to the grazing fields or grow yards, there’s a shift in the seasonal pattern of the market and more opportunity to take advantage of better prices.

WEIGHT ADDS DOLLARS Even for just a couple months, backgrounding can add weight and gross income without using limited grazing resources yearround to stock more cows.

Adding weight may boost income, but it requires strategy, says Dan Loy, director of the Iowa Beef Center at Iowa State University.

He suggests backgrounding the lighter half of steers to reach heavier average sale weights.

“If you market the heavier ones direct from weaning, and have done that for years, you’ll have a more uniform group,” he says. “That in itself may help the price on those heavier calves.”

If it seems overwhelming to add a backgrounding enterprise, don’t be afraid to hire expertise, says Chad Cargill, of Cargill Ranch LLC, Medicine Lodge, Kansas. He provides services for larger cattle feeders at his custom yard, with help from a nutritionist, veterinarian and environmental consultant, plus pharmaceutical representatives.

Every producer has different needs, but the staples are the same. Bunk space with some kind of concrete apron or a grass trap on which feed can be delivered with a mixer wagon are necessities, as are a chute and working facilities to vaccinate or treat sick calves.

“These resources are a substantial investment, but necessary for successful backgrounding,” advises Dale Blasi, extension beef specialist at Kansas State University.

TIME BOOSTS HEALTH Calf health is often the greatest concern for feedyards, so this also gives calves’ immune systems time to get through the most stressful event in their lives.

“To me, backgrounding should include preconditioning,” Loy says. “That verifies health and lets the vaccines kick in, plus getting calves eating out of a bunk and drinking from new waterers.”

The dollar advantage of weaning is clear.

According to the 2020 Iowa Precondition Sales data, Loy says preconditioned calves vaccinated for respiratory and clostridial disease, treated for parasites and weaned for 45 days brought at least $50 per head more than unweaned contemporaries.

“One issue is easy to handle, but those things together add up to bigger issues,” Cargill says.

As calves mature, their immunity improves. That’s important as natural beef labels and other process-verified programs (PVPs) become popular. The biggest challenge for those kinds of programs is ensuring calves’ health so they aren’t disqualified due to antibiotics.

Yesterday’s most valuable feeder calf may only be average moving forward. That’s because buyers still look for groups with uniform weight and hide color, but verification is gaining importance. The market may soon require certified pre-weaned and vaccinated; age-, source- and genetics-verified; and records for performance and carcass history, along with animal welfare claims.

When it’s time to head down a new road of marketing, learn from others who have made the trip before you, Blasi suggests.

Those are the lessons from peers and mentors, he adds. Participate in a marketing network or attend local and state beef association meetings to learn from fellow producers.

Editor’s note: Morgan Boecker is the producer communications manager for Certified Angus Beef LLC. Photos courtesy CAB.

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AID TO LOCAL << cont from page 26 empt. Only 27 states have state inspection programs. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service found no reports of foodborne illnesses at custom slaughterhouses from 2012 to June of 2020, according to the response to a Freedom of Information Act request by Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance last June.

The PRIME Act would allow states to set their own regulations for retail sale of meat by expanding the exemption status of custom-exempt processing facilities. Under current regulations, meat processed at these facilities can only be for personal, guest or employee use. That means farmers must find a USDA-certified facility to process any meat they want to sell. If Congress passes the PRIME Act, meat processed at these often smaller facilities could be sold to consumers, restaurants and grocers within the state, and would give farmers more options and cost savings to pass on to consumers. They could have the meat processed locally rather than having to haul animals (sometimes hundreds of miles) to a federally-inspected facility, adding more cost and more stress to the animals.

Most farmers and ranchers are in favor of the PRIME Act but they’re not holding their breath, since the bill has already been introduced 5 times in the House, without success.

The PRIME Act is solid legislation, however, and the New Markets Act is also a sensible bill. The RAMP-UP Act would not have changed the rules of the game for farmers and ranchers and would have little or no immediate impact on the meat supply.

It might have even concealed the intentions of large agricultural firms and other special interests that want to suppress competition and supplant actual reform.

There is a growing movement to push for reforms. Recent campaigns for state bills regarding interstate meat commerce have been introduced in South Dakota and Montana. In Texas, the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance is looking into a law at the state level that would create more flexibility in the sale of meats in Texas, similar to one passed in Wyoming last year. Ranchers in Northern California recently formed the Bay Area Ranchers Co-op, and put a down-payment on a USDA-inspected mobile processing unit, to serve a region currently without access to meat processing.

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Lamb, Exotic Meats Up, Alt-Meats Down in July Retail Sales

by Meatingplace Editors This item is contributed by Anne-Marie Roerink of 210 Analytics LLC, based on her research.

T

he normalization of shopping patterns seen in the first six months of 2021 continued in July. Even more trips shifted back to in-store that now account for 87 percent of all trips. Shopping trips also averaged 32.3 minutes, the longest since March 2020.

The share of home-prepared meals dropped to 76.6 percent of all meal occasions in July 2021, which is down from 82.0 percent in July 2020.

At the same time, more consumers ate on premise at restaurants (50 percent), while restaurant takeout (53 percent) and delivery (21 percent) remained high. This ever-changing grocery and restaurant landscape is prompting continued changes for meat sales also. IRI and 210 Analytics analyzed the retail meat department performance in the first seven months of the year along with a July performance deep dive. The report is made possible by Marriner Marketing.

INFLATION Meat prices, along with food inflation across the store, remained a big topic of discussion in July. IRI-measured price inflation shows that prices continued to rise 3 percent-4 percent over and above their elevated 2020 levels for total food and beverages in recent weeks. Meat prices (dollars divided by volume average at retail) were favorable

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Livestock Market Digest

than those last year throughout all of May and June, but prices did rise year-over-year come July. The last three weeks of July shows year-over-year inflation of about 3 percent-4 percent, in line with total food and beverages.

The July numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) are scheduled to be released on August 11.

PRICE PER VOLUME Across all measured meat and poultry items in the IRI retail universe, both fixed and random weight, the average price per pound volume stood at $3.89 in the first quarter of 2021 and rose to $4.08 in the second quarter.

The average increased to $4.26 in July 2021.

Price increases have affected fresh meat more than processed meat. Year-over-year, the average price per pound increased +6.0 percent for fresh meat and only +2.7 percent for processed meat in July 2021.

Meat sales in the first seven months of 2021 Few departments are able to keep pace with their record 2020 sales and meat is no exception. During the first seven months of 2021, sales fell 4.5 percent when compared to the same time period in 2020. Fresh meat sales accounted for slightly more of that loss, at -5.2 percent. However, meat department sales are trending well ahead of the first seven months of 2019, at +17.1 percent, driven by the average number of at-home meals, which is still higher than the pre-pandemic period when food service was more evenly mixed in the household routine.

“Shoppers are more accustomed to cooking now, so even as restaurants and mobility renews, eating at home is still seen as a cost savings,” said Jonna Parker, team lead for IRI Fresh.

The pattern is very similar for year-to-date volume (pound) sales. The total meat department sold 7.8 percent fewer pounds in the

first months of 2021 than in 2020. However, meat pound sales are tracking 4.7 percent ahead of the first seven months of 2019.

WEEK-BY-WEEK JULY SALES Independence Day week was the biggest of the four July weeks, at $1.8 billion in sales.

Despite more Americans celebrating with gatherings for the holiday, this was down about 5 percent from last year.

The subsequent July weeks averaged $1.5 billion to $1.6 billion in sales and came closer to the everyday July sales levels seen in 2020.

All July weeks came in double digits ahead of the 2019 sales results.

Source: IRI, Integrated Fresh, Total US, MULO, $ sales June However, the drop of home-prepared meals and the return to on-premise restaurant dining did result in the lowest volume gains versus the 2019 normal, at +1.3 percent. This is down nearly one percentage point from June.

ASSORTMENT The meat department has yet to fully recover from the deep drop in assortment that took place in the early months of the pandemic. While the average items per store have recovered beyond the 2020 level come July 2021 (+4.6 percent), they are still tracking 4.5 percent behind the 2019 pre-pandemic normal.

FRESH MEAT BY PROTEIN: LAMB AND EXOTIC MEATS GAIN The trend of down year-over-year results but continued elevated demand versus 2019 holds true for most individual proteins as well. There are two exceptions being lamb and exotic meats, which includes bison. Both managed to grow year-over-year sales, at +2.1 percent and +0.8 percent, respectively. This is despite a strong 2020 performance for these

smaller sellers, as is attested by huge gains versus 2019, at +41.5 percent and +32.3 percent, respectively.

PROCESSED MEAT: GROWTH IN THREE AREAS, INCLUDING POWERHOUSE BACON Processed meat grew over and above the 2020 and 2019 sales levels, driven by robust bacon, packaged lunchmeat and processed

chicken sales. Bacon and packaged lunchmeat are the two biggest sellers within processed meat and their gains easily offset the declines seen in dinner sausage, hot dogs and breakfast sausage.

GRINDS: GROWTH FOR GROUND CHICKEN Now lapping the big spikes of 2020, only ground chicken and ground pork were able to grow sales versus year ago levels in July 2021. Ground beef, which was a top three performer all of 2020, fell 6.8 percent short of the July 2021 sales, but still sits 15.1 percent above 2019 levels.

Ground plant-based meat alternatives declined for the first time, at -4.3 percent, not able to keep up with their very fast rise in sales in 2020. Last year, sales were boosted by increased distribution.

PLANT-BASED MEAT ALTERNATIVES IN THE MEAT DEPT. (EXCLUDING FROZEN OFFERINGS) July marks the second month in which refrigerated plant-based meat alternatives showed sales declines versus prior year as dollars dropped 3.6 percent versus 2020.

Unlike meat, plant-based substitutes saw a small decline in the price per volume where the July average price paid per pound by shoppers dropped 0.3 percent versus year ago to $7.99. At the same time, more was

sold on promotion. The percentage of all July dollar sales sold on promotion increased from 30.3 percent in July 2020 to 37.3 percent in July 2021, indicating a marketing effort to further drive trial.

July volume also dropped, at -3.3 percent.

Much like the share of dollars sold on promotion, the share of volume sold while on sale also increased. In July 2020, 31.8 percent of plant-based meat alternative pounds were

dining — has been driven by vaccinated Americans. The August sales and survey results relative to retail and foodservice sales will interesting to watch as we close out the summer.

As of yet, most school districts are planning to resume in-person education. Consumers are expecting back-to-school spending to be big this year. The July IRI survey found that 51 percent of parents expect they will spend

sold on promotion. In July 2021, this ratio stands at 40.4 percent.

The performance by substitute format is mixed. Meatball substitutes are still gaining, but sausage, patty and ground replacements are down.

more this year than they did last year in addition to 38 percent believing they will spend about the same.

Of parents shopping for back-to-school items, 47 percent believe they will do most or all in-store and 38 percent expect they will spend equally in-store and online. That provides grocery retailers with an important opportunity to draw people to the store as they prepare for the upcoming school year.

The next performance report in the IRI, 210 Analytics and Marriner Marketing series will be released mid-September to cover the August sales trends. Please thank the entire meat and poultry industry, from farm to store, for all they do.

WHAT’S NEXT? August will be an interesting test case relative to the normalization of the marketplace thus far in 2021 as the delta variant of the COVID-19 virus is prompting an increase of new COVID cases across the country. In the past few months, the normalization of shopping patterns — including a return to in-store shopping, spending more time in-store, as well as a return to on-premise restaurant

U.S. Extends Hoursof-Service Exemption for Livestock Haulers

by Chris Scott, meatingplace.com

T

he Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has approved an extension of the exemption from hours-of-service (HOS) requirements for livestock haulers through the end of

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November.

Current HOS rules allow for 11 hours of drive time for livestock haulers and 14 hours of on-duty time, followed by 10 hours of rest. Congressional leaders and industry organizations have been calling for adjustments to the HOS rules so that ag haulers will continue to have the flexibility that helped keep beef on grocery store shelves during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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2021 Fall Marketing Edition

41

Lloyd DeBruycker...

R

etired farmer, rancher and agricultural trailblazer Lloyd Henry DeBruycker, 87, of Dutton, who with his wife established DeBruycker Charolais, died Sept.

1, 2021, at Benefis Teton Medical Center in Choteau of natural causes.

Members of the American International Charolais Association, Lloyd and his wife Jane were honored by the industry in 2003, when they were inducted into the AICA Hall of Fame in recognition of their influence on the Charolais cattle breed and their contributions to the beef cattle industry.

“Lloyd’s impact on the breed is significant,” said David Hobbs, the director of activities for the AICA and manager of the Charolais Journal, the breed publication.

Hobbs said that DeBruycker Charolais bulls and cows are found worldwide, and the ranch’s LHD Cigar E46 bull has more than 4,000 progeny in the AICA system. “The LHD brand, in my mind, is a household name not only in the Charolais beef industry, but also in the commercial beef cattle industry across the country and North America,” Hobbs said.

Lloyd truly understood what the beef cattle industry was about and certainly put his bull customers first in wanting them to be successful, Hobbs said.

Lloyd was born on Dec. 1, 1933, in Great Falls to immigrant parents, Achiel and Rose DeBruycker, who came from Belgium and Italy, respectively, to find their fortune in the American West. They operated a small grain farm and cattle ranch in rural Teton County south of Collins and west of Dutton. Lloyd was born with a heart murmur, and his parents were told he likely would not live past age 12, but he turned out to be heartier than predicted.

Lloyd was one of four brothers who grew up on the farm, learning to coax crops out of the dryland fields, to ride horses and to raise cattle. Lloyd attended the Collins Grade School, where his teacher skipped him from sixth grade to eighth grade. He liked to say he graduated second in his class, and then would laughingly note, there were only two of them. Not fond of school, Lloyd didn’t go to Dutton High School until his sophomore year.

He then graduated in 1950 as the salutatorian of his class.

His Catholic parents sent him to Carroll College in Helena at 16 years old to become

42

Livestock Market Digest

a priest. He, however, had other plans, and customers’ calves each year. He was manager as he told it, he went in one door and out the of the 8,500 head feedlot from 1979 to 2003, other. While he didn’t earn a degree, he liked and while he was active, between North to tell people that he “completed college” as Montana Feeders and the other feedlots the a 16-year-old. family used, they fed close to 30,000 head of Lloyd returned to Dutton, where he cattle each year. worked on the farm with his father and Lloyd lived by the mantra of thinking brothers and did odd jobs, putting together big and acting decisively. In 1974, he and machinery, working on other area farms, Jane took one of their bulls, Bamark, to the doing carpentry and sending out roots in the Denver Stock Show. They brought him up the Dutton community as he and his brothers elevator of the Hilton hotel for the event. The purchased farmland. sales manager asked Lloyd, “What’s Bamark’s At a Dutton High School ball game, show record.” Lloyd (knowing the bull had Lloyd met a pretty little Minnesota girl, Jane never been shown before), said truthfully, Clemenson, who came to school there in her “He’s undefeated.” That response got Bamark sophomore year. While there were lots of into the sale, and it turned out that Lloyd and boys vying for her attention, Lloyd jumped to Jane’s one-quarter interest of semen in that the front of the line, and the two were mar- bull grossed more revenue at $50,000 than ried on July 2, 1954, in the Dutton Lutheran the rest of the entire sale.

Church, starting a grand partnership that Through the 1970s into the 2000s, Lloyd would span 67 years, seven children and the focused on building DeBruycker Charolais building of a nationally and internationally into a world-respected registered cattle operrespected Charolais cattle operation. ation. Working with his wife and their chilThey made their home initially in a small dren, he sold cattle to producers from Canada house in Dutton as Lloyd worked at local to Japan and from Mexico to South Korea. elevators and continued to farm and ranch In 1983, he loaded a 747 jet with 441 head with his brother Roger. In 1963, as drought of Charolais-cross calves that were flown to wreaked havoc on area farms, they had the Korea from Holman Aviation at the Great opportunity to purchase a 600-acre farm Falls International Airport. He was one of the from Dave McClellan. They moved into a big founding members of the Herd Improvement house on the farm in July of 1963, and began Test at Stanford, focusing his efforts at selectraising grain, pigs, cattle and kids. ing bulls with the best breeding traits.

An agricultural innovator his whole life, During this time, Lloyd developed a brandLloyd wasn’t satisfied with the Hereford ed beef program called “Char-Pak,” whereby cattle his dad raised. In 1958, he purchased Charolais beef was packaged and sold using his first Charolais bull and used it to cross- the Charolais name. Although no longer in breed their commercial cows. Lloyd saw the operation, the program demonstrates Lloyd’s tremendous gain in red meat production and knack for promotion, innovative thinking and the incredible enhancement in the quality of for driving initiatives which are now being the beef with the Charolais bull. harnessed for other agricultural products and In 1963 they purchased 12 registered breeds.

Charolais heifers and in 1964 they added On April 1, 1985, Lloyd a purebred Charolais bull, Amigos Pride. oversaw the first DeBruycker Charolais was officially born.

DeBruycker In the 1960s and 1970s, Lloyd was Charolais bull instrumental in importing different breeds sale, selling into the United States. He along with many other cattlemen at that time experimented with many different breeds such as Chiania, Maine Anjou and Simmental. During this time, though, Lloyd and Jane never strayed too far from Charolais as they could tell this 224 head was the breed for them because of the eco- of registered nomic benefits commercial cattlemen would bulls at the receive from this breed. ranch of his In 1972, Lloyd became one of seven main daughter and producers who formed a new feedlot opera- son-in-law, tion north of Choteau called North Montana Cathy Feeders, giving local producers a place to and Joe finish calves and a place for DeBruycker Campbell, Charolais to feed thousands of their bull north of

Choteau. Today the annual auction sells 700 bulls and another 300 bulls are sold via private treaty. DeBruycker Charolais bulls can be found throughout the world.

Lloyd was one of the first, if not the first, to develop a lease bull program. The initiative enabled people to use Charolais bulls in an affordable manner which, in turn, created many new customers for the Charolais breed.

Under Lloyd and Jane’s leadership, DeBruycker Charolais has raised some of the finest Charolais bulls in the breed: Ali Mark, Mr. Perfect, Cigar, Trademark, Zen and Zeus are names which North American cattle producers know as solid breeding stock. In many gain and carcass contests and in “birth to plate” evaluations, DeBruycker Charolais animals have ranked at or near the top.

Today, the DeBruycker Charolais operation, including the home place and the ranches of Lloyd’s children, encompasses 25,000 deeded acres, some 50,000 leased acres and raises 2,200 mother cows and 1,000 bulls a year, making the family conglomeration the largest registered Charolais herd in the world.

Lloyd was known for being a great judge of cattle and horses. He said he had “the shepherd’s eye” for evaluating livestock conformity, and he was a valued judge for many 4-H and cattle shows. He was also a consummate farmer, who loved running the combine at harvest time.

While Lloyd was a dedicated cattle breeder, he had many other interests during his long and full life. He and Jane traveled to every state in the union and visited Japan, Mexico, Canada, Europe and Taiwan.

He was an avid gambler, who “was known to bet on anything, including the ‘R’ in Rolaids.” He loved playing poker, rolling the dice, betting on horses and hitting the craps tables in Las Vegas. One time, in a dice game, he won and was paid off in diamonds. He gave those diamonds away through the years so his wife, his daughters, his daughters-inlaw and his granddaughters and the brides of grandsons each had diamonds to put in their wedding rings.

He loved Thoroughbred horses and greatly enjoyed going to horse races and placing his wagers. This love led him to invest in several race horses in the U.S. and Canada.

In 2005, Lloyd won a $1,000,000 race in Florida with a horse that went off at 70 to one odds.

He also enjoyed bowling and was active in local leagues for many years.

He was an involved community supporter.

He served on the Dutton School Board, the Teton County search and rescue, and on the boards of the Farmers Elevator and North

Montana Feeders.

He was a past member of the Montana Cattlemen’s Association, Montana Stock Growers Association, United States Cattlemen’s Association, R-CALF USA and the National Cattlemen’s Association.

In 2014, when he was 80, the Montana Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association recognized Lloyd and Jane for having a ranch that has contributed to the Montana western lifestyle.

At that time, Lloyd said of all their accomplishments, the proudest was that their sons and daughters still work together for the home ranch and the individual ranches that many of them now own and operate.

“I would say that [our most significant accomplishment] is that my kids have followed what we started,” Lloyd said. “We all work together and that makes me feel awfully good.”

He was known for his generosity and was always willing to help out friends and neighbors who had fallen upon tough times and to help new farmers and ranchers just getting started. He supported many causes including rodeo, Dutton High School and 4-H. When he and Jane were raising their kids, Lloyd worked with them on ranch every day, sandwiching their school and sports events in among haying, harvesting, calving and shipping. He taught them to think big, to work hard, to never quit, not to fear failure and to set their sights high.

In his later years, he greatly enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, attending their school and sporting events and helping them learn the ropes of ranching and farming.

Like most farmers and ranchers, he loved dogs too. He had many over the years, including Charlie Brown, a terrier; Buford, a St. Bernard, and even once a Dalmatian. He kept the ranch populated with llamas, goats, bum lambs and pigs too.

Music was also one of Lloyd’s interests.

His family says he had a “great country-music voice” and was always singing along with the radio or a cappella as he drove down the road in one of his red pickups. Later in his life, Lloyd wrote and played his own songs, recording seven CDs of original and cover works. His granddaughter, Cassidy DeBruycker, sings with him on one of the CDs. While he wasn’t into school learning, Lloyd had a flair for numbers and was known for his ability to do complex mathematical calculations in his head. He never stopped learning his entire life as he was constantly looking at trends and exploring new ventures.

He was interested in ethanol and biofuels in

the 1970s and worked on farm-to-restaurant marketing of DeBruycker Charolais beef in the 1980s. While he didn’t have a college education, he encouraged his children and grandchildren to pursue their goals in higher education.

Lloyd lived most of his life on the farm with Jane and never really retired. As his health began a gradual decline, he stayed on the farm for as long as he could. About two years ago, however, his need for care increased to the point that he moved into long-term care at Benefis Teton Medical Center. His family is very grateful for the terrific care he received at BTMC. Lloyd was a larger-than-life person. His love for life and his passion for always moving forward have been passed on for generations, and for that his family is eternally grateful.

Lloyd is survived by his wife, Jane of Dutton; his children, Tammy (Chris) Wend of Sparwood, British Columbia, Mark (Belva) DeBruycker of Bynum, Cathy (Joe) Campbell of Choteau, Jacque Jacobsen of Fairfield, Kelly (Bruce) Martin of Conrad, Brett (Kay) DeBruycker of Dutton and Jody Dahl of Roundup; his brothers, Roger (Myrl) DeBruycker of Floweree and Rudy DeBruycker of Nebraska; 25 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his brother, Raymond DeBruycker, and his sisterin-law Janet DeBruycker; an infant son, Stephen Lloyd DeBruycker; his grandson, Jeffrey Wend; and his sister-in-law, Rosemary DeBruycker.

The celebration of life will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 21, at 11 a.m. outside on the lawn at the Dutton American Legion Hall with burial to follow in the Dutton Cemetery.

A fellowship gathering on the Legion Hall lawn will be held after the burial. The family asks those attending adhere to COVID-19 safety guidelines.

Those planning to attend from out of town can book rooms by Sept. 16 at the Stage Stop Inn in Choteau at 406-466-5900. Rooms are held under the Lloyd DeBruycker Memorial block.

Memorials are suggested to the Teton County 4-H program for beef education, P.O. Box 130, Choteau, MT 59422; the Teton County Special Olympics in care of Steve Lettengarver, P.O. Box 102, Fairfield, MT 59436; the Dutton American Legion Hall, Freeborn Post #64, P.O. Box 291, Dutton, MT 59433, or the Bethany Lutheran Church, P.O. Box 145, Dutton, MT 59433, or the donor’s choice..

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2021 Fall Marketing Edition

43

200 Organizations Ask Gates Foundation to Stop Funding ‘Failed’ Green Revolution The billion-dollar Alliance for a Green Revolution has “unequivocally failed in its mission” and “harmed broader efforts to support African farmers,” said 200 groups in a letter to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the U.S. Agency for International Development and other donors.

by Stacy Malkan, ChildrensHealthDefense.org

B

illions of dollars in aid and subsidies for industrial agriculture in Africa are harming food security in one of the world’s hungriest regions, according to a network of African groups asking donors to switch their funding to African-led efforts and agroecology.

In a letter delivered September 7,2021, 200 organizations led by the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa asked the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the U.S. Agency for International Development and other donors to stop financing the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). The billion-dollar effort has “unequivocally failed in its mission” and “harmed broader efforts to support African farmers,” the groups said.

The groups delivered their letter as donors gathered for the African Green Revolution Forum this week in Nairobi, Kenya. The annual fundraising event established by Yara International fertilizer company says it is “designed to energize the political will” for policies and investments in sustainable agricultural transformation. The Forum, funded by chemical companies, private donors and other partners, said it will “elevate the single coordinated African voice” to the United Nations Food Systems Summit later this month.

That claim rankled African groups and many others who have been calling on UN leaders for two years to champion human rights, food sovereignty and ecology at the 2021 Food Summit, and say their concerns have been ignored.

“No, no, no. We are here to state clearly and categorically that the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa does not speak for Africans,” said Anne Maina, director of the Biodiversity and Biosafety Association of Kenya. Her group and hundreds of others are boycotting the UN Summit because, they

44

Livestock Market Digest

say, it has been captured by corporations and donors who are pushing technological solutions for hunger while ignoring systemic changes necessary to address hunger and poverty.

That AGRA’s president, Agnes Kalibata, is leading the UN food summit is a conflict of interest, critics said, because AGRA is also fundraising for its own programs.

FAILING ‘GREEN REVOLUTION’?

Hunger has worsened considerably since the Gates and Rockefeller foundations led a high-profile effort to bring the “green revolution” to Africa in 2006. AGRA’s main focus is transitioning farmers away from traditional seeds and crops to commercial seeds, synthetic fertilizer and other inputs to grow commodity crops for the global market. Bill Gates predicted that increasing inputs would boost agricultural productivity, alleviate hunger and lift small-scale farmers out of poverty.

AGRA has raised more than $1 billion, mostly from the Gates Foundation, on promises it would double yields and incomes for 30 million African farmers and cut food insecurity in half by 2020. Instead, the number of severely undernourished people in sub-Saharan Africa has increased by nearly 50 percent since 2006, according to the latest UN hunger report. The report paints an alarming picture of the ongoing food crisis in Africa worsened by the pandemic.

In their letter to donors, AGRA critics said a decade of research has exposed the failures of the green revolution model. AGRA uses its leverage to encourage African governments to focus on boosting agricultural yields rather than more systemic solutions, they said, noting that African governments in AGRA target countries spend about $1 billion a year on input subsidies.

Academic research suggests AGRA and the larger green revolution effort has had little if any positive impact on Africa’s small-scale farmers. Reports published in 2020 by the Tufts Global Development and Environment Institute and African and German groups found slow productivity growth for staple crops and no evidence of rising incomes for small-scale farmers. The evidence also suggests that farmers are abandoning more nutritious, climate-resilient crops, such as millet, to grow maize.

The Gates Foundation has not responded to the letter and AGRA disagrees with the 200 groups.

For more information on this story visit: childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/gatesfoundation-stop-funding-failed-green-agrevolution

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Vet College Common Application Service Deadline Extended

by Natural Disasters

T

he American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) has extended the 2022 Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS) deadline about two weeks because of the impact of natural disasters on the process. The new VMCAS 2022 application deadline is Wednesday, September 29, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time for all applicants.

The decision to extend the deadline was made because the destruction and flooding caused by Hurricane Ida in the south and the northeast has posed significant obstacles for some VMCAS applicants, according to AAVMC Director for Admissions and Recruitment Affairs Ms. Diana Dabdub.

Many applicants have been forced to evacuate their homes and may still be without electricity, she said, and some colleges and universities were closed and are just returning to normal operations.

“We hope that all applicants and their families are safe and that those who are facing natural disaster-related issues can recover quickly,” said Dabdub.

Because the deadline extension shortens the amount of time schools will have to review applications, applicants in non-affected areas are encouraged to complete and submit their VMCAS applications as soon as possible, despite the deadline extension.

There will be no additional deadline extensions this cycle.

Dabdub said applicants should submit their VMCAS applications as soon as they are completed regardless of whether VMCAS has received academic transcripts or electronic letters of reference (eLOR).

Other provisions and caveats associated with the deadline extension include: ❚❚ There is no extension related to GRE scores, which must be received by 9/15/21. ❚❚ Applicants must reach out directly to schools that require the Casper test for deadline clarification. ❚❚ WES evaluations must be received by the extended application deadline of 9/29/21. ❚❚ All academic transcripts must be received (or postmarked) by the extended application deadline of 9/29/21.

For questions about the deadline extension contact the Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS) at 617/612-2884 or email: vmcasinfo@vmcas.org.

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45

USDA Modernizes the Thrifty Food Plan, Updates SNAP Benefits First Update in More Than 45 Years Reflects Current Cost Realities

T

he U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released a re-evaluation of the Thrifty Food Plan, used to calculate Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. As a result, the average SNAP benefit – excluding additional funds provided as part of pandemic relief – will increase for Fiscal Year 2022 beginning on October 1, 2021.

As directed by Congress in the 2018 Farm Bill – and with the expressed support of President Biden’s January 22 Executive Order – USDA conducted a data-driven review of the Thrifty Food Plan. The resulting cost adjustment is the first time the purchasing power of the plan has changed since it was first introduced in 1975, reflecting notable shifts in the food marketplace and consumers’ circumstances over the past 45 years.

“A modernized Thrifty Food Plan is more than a commitment to good nutrition – it’s an investment in our nation’s health, economy, and security,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Ensuring low-income families have access to a healthy diet helps prevent disease, supports children in the classroom, reduces health care costs, and more. And the additional money families will spend on groceries helps grow the food economy, creating thousands of new jobs along the way.”

In its re-evaluation, USDA was driven by the latest available data on the four key factors identified in the 2018 Farm Bill: current food prices, what Americans typically eat, dietary guidance, and the nutrients in food items.

For example, the revised plan includes more fish and red and orange vegetables to align with recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025.

Additionally, the plan was calculated using updated purchasing data – collected from stores versus self-reported by households – to reflect the current price of foods in today’s marketplace. The revised Thrifty Food Plan also includes a modest increase in calories to reflect the latest data and support an active lifestyle.

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The 2021 Thrifty Food Plan puts healthy food in reach for SNAP families. Recent evidence consistently shows that benefit levels are too low to provide for a realistic, healthy diet, even with households contributing their own funds toward groceries. A USDA study published earlier this summer found that nearly nine out of 10 SNAP participants reported facing barriers to achieving a healthy diet, with the most common barrier being the cost of healthy foods. These findings were echoed in listening sessions USDA held with a broad range of Thrifty Food Plan stakeholders.

The reevaluation concluded that the cost of a nutritious, practical, cost effective diet is 21 percent higher than the current Thrifty Food Plan. As a result, the average SNAP benefit – excluding additional funds provided as part of pandemic relief – will increase by $36.24 per person, per month, or $1.19 per day, for Fiscal Year 2022 beginning on October 1, 2021.

CHANGES IN BENEFITS BY STATE “To set SNAP families up for success, we need a Thrifty Food Plan that supports current dietary guidance on a budget,” said Stacy Dean, deputy undersecretary for food, nutrition, and consumer services. “Too many of our fellow Americans struggle to afford healthy meals. The revised plan is one step toward getting them the support they need to feed their families.”

In good times and tough times, SNAP is the most far-reaching, powerful tool available to ensure that all Americans, regardless of background, can afford healthy food. The program helps to feed more than 42 million Americans – 1 in 8 – each month. Evidence is clear that SNAP increases food security, including among households with children who have been disproportionately impacted by hunger during COVID. For questions about your SNAP benefits, please contact your SNAP state agency

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521 West Second St. • Portales, NM 88130

• 270 acre Mitchell County, Texas ac. +/and lays Box 145, Cimarron, NM 87714 • 575/376-2341 • Fax: 575/376-2347 ranch.P.O.Investors dream; excellent land@swranches.com • www.swranches.com Hwy. 54. cash flow.

Rock formation being ., NM – RATON MILLION DOLLAR VIEW, Suit cattle operation, with some wildw/statecrushed and sold; wind turbans, Colfax County, NM. 97.68 +/- deed- life drawn to water holes in creek. modeled some water$617,000 ry good ed acres minerals. in 2 parcelsIrrigation with excellent mt. developed, & cattle, modest home, big shop,crop wildlife, a true milheavily UTE PARK RIVER PLACE 6.83 +/lion dollar view at the end of a private improvements.

Just off I-20.

Price ng agent na Vista agent stock w/ Realty at 575-226-0671 or the listing ACRES, 450 +/- feet of the Cimarron m825-1291.

575-760-9847, or$489,000.

Melody Sandberg 575-825-1291. road. etc., on reduced to $1.25 million. m.com ood pictures on MLS or www.buenavista-nm.com River and more than that of Ute Creek nt gate.

MIAMI 40 ACRES, Colfax County, are the south and east boundaries +/- on of this unique one of a kind water • 840 Immaculate, Huntwith Co, TX. Lincoln NM. Private 2 bedroom getaway Pines & property. 2 bedroom 1 bathroom elevated fantastic view, 40 nicetanks, porch, and Ranch.

Pastures, meadow little casita, irrigation and pole barn. co. This lakes. Beautiful home, barns, cabin, year round access off Hwy 64.

Extremely private setting. $450,000. $645,000. a legacy NORTHERN irr., on adjoins

116 Plaza PO Box 1903 Socorro, NM 87801 Coletta Ray — Pioneer Realty www.socorroplazarealty.com dbrown@socorroplazarealty.com 1304 Pile Street

INTEREST RATES AS LOW 3% INTEREST RATES AS LOW ASAS 4.5% coletta@plateautel.net INTEREST RATE Payment s Scheduled Scheduledon on Years Payments 2525 Years

775/752-3040

TY

Donal

Qualify

505-507-2915 cell 505-838-0095 fax

575.935.9680 Office AsLow Low As 3% As As 4.5% OPWKCAP 2.9% 575.935.9680 Fax OPWKCAP 2.9%

Paul Bottari, Broker

s

On th

Donald Brown

Qualifying Broker

New Mexico /West Texas Ranches

Campo Bonito, LLC RANCH SALES

P.O. Box 1077 • Ft. Davis, Texas 79734

CALIFORNIA RANCH PROPERTY and other improvements. Some 31 years in the ranch businessNEED - see www.ranch-lands.com videos & brochures RANCHforLEASES minerals, gameACRES, galore.Colfax All for EAGLE $1.35 NEST ESCAPE, Colfax MIAMI 55.89 deeded acresMcGARVA RANCH: approx. 985 acres Likely, CA. with about 600+ acre gravity flood & DIXIE County, million.NM. Remodeled adobe, awe- County, NM. 78.42±DUANE PASTURE 2021-2022 irrigated pastures PLUS private 542& AU BLM permit. About 425 acresFOR so of the irrigated are level to flood

CONTRACT PENDING Joe Priest Real Estate ONTRACT C1-800/671-4548 PENDING

SOLD

Eagle Nest some shop, out buildings, long road in off HWY 64 overlooking excellent pastures with balance good flood irrigated pastures. NO PUMPING COST! Dryland is perfect for two elk tags, 3 irrigated alfalfa if desired. Plus BLM permit for 540 AU is fenced into 4 fields on about to pivot frontage, private fishing in Miami Lake, private pond,expansion 18,000 acres only 7 miles away. REDUCED ASKING PRICE - $3,125,000 Lake. Amazing porch view. $400,000. bedroom home with and large shop garage able to store your RV and RANCH: about 82,000 acres - with 2,700 deeded acres plus contiguous USFS & BLM BEAVER CREEK Ranch: 432/426-3779 • Mob: 432/634-0441 permits for 450 COLMOR-OCATE CREEK, Colfax big toys. Improvements almost halfpair; 580+- acres irrigated alfalfa, pasture, and meadow from Beaver Creek water rights and one irrigation well. 3 homes, 2 hay barns, 4 feedlots each w/ 250 ton barns, 2 large reservoirs, can run up to and Mora County, NM 853 +/- deed- a mile off highway.500-600 Truly ancows escape. w wASKING w. aPRICE v a i- l$5,400,000. ableranches.com YEAR ROUND. REDUCED joepriestre.net • joepriestre@earthlink.com ed acres split by I25 and Ocate Creek. $795,000

DAVID P. DEAN

BEAR CREEK RANCH: Approx. 1,278 acres winter range ground and recreational property. Located on Bear Creek and accessed from South Cow Creek Valley Road. Should be great hunting for deer, wild turkey, wild pigs, quail & owner states good trout fishing in Bear Creek. Deeded access easement thru neighbor ranches.

2021 Fall Marketing Edition No improvements & very private inside the ranch.

Now only $700 per acre - $894,600 TO SACRAMENTO

47

INGTON

ty

SOCORRO SOC PLAZA REALTYPLAZA On the Plaza

AG LAND LOANS As Low As 3.5% OPWKCAP 3.5%

INTEREST RATES AS LOW AS 3.5% Payments Scheduled on 25 Years

Chip Cole

Ken Ahler-GRI, E-Pro, RSPS

Ken Ahler Real Estate Co., Inc

rAnch Broker

— Petroleum Building — 14 e. Beauregard Ave., Suite 201 San Angelo, texas 76903-5831 ofc.: 325/655-3555

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

300 Paseo Peralta SOCORRO Suite 211 PLAZA Santa REALTY Fe, NM 87501 On the Plaza

Office: 505-989-7573 Brown Cell: Donald 505-490-0220 Qualifying Broker Toll Free: 877-988-7573 505-507-2915 Fax: 505-986-6103 cell

505-838-0095 fax www.

SantaFeLand.com 116 Plaza Kahler@newmexico.com

email:

PO Box 1903 Socorro, NM 87801 www.socorroplazarealty.com dbrown@socorroplazarealty.com

AG LAND LOANS

y

As Low As 3% OPWKCAP 2.9%

INTEREST RATES AS LOW AS 3%

521 West Second St. • Portales, NM 88130

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

Buena Vista Realty

Y

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

m

TEXAS & OKLA. FARMS & RANCHES CALDWELL RANCH PRICE REDUCED First time offering of the Caldwell Ranch comprised of a

two noncontiguous tracts of native grass rangeland separated by lands belonging to other ownership. Located A SOURCE FOR approximately 20 miles northwest of the small community of Elida, New Mexico in northeast Chaves County.

PROVEN SUPERIOR The two tracts are approximately 2.5 miles apart as the crow flies. Access to both tracts is good by maintained RED ANGUS Chaves County Roadways. The north tract, referred to as the Cothern Place, is comprised of approximately GENETICS 2,500 ± deeded acres that is partially fenced with one well. The south tract, referred to as the Rippee Place, is 14298 N. Atkins Rd., Lodi, 95240 comprised of approximately 4,700CAdeeded acres and 640 State Lease fenced into three pastures, watered by two wells and209/727-3335 pipelines. The two tracts are approximately 2.5 miles apart. Excellent year around cow country.

Grazing capacity is estimated to be 130 AUYL. Priced at $370 $345 per deeded acre; $2,484,000.

COWBOY DRAW RANCH

agent 5-1291. .com

48

Excellent cattle ranch located in southeastern NM approximately 50 miles northwest of Roswell on the Chaves/Lincoln County line. 7,455 total acres with 2,600 deeded. 150 AU capacity. Livestock water is provided two wells; one electric submersible, one solar well with considerable water pipeline scattered throughout the ranch. Fenced into three larger pastures and two smaller holding traps.

Several large, open draws run through the ranch providing excellent overflow areas. Terrain is open and rolling.

Good turf cover. Had a good rain recently, all draws ran big. Come take a look. Not many like this on today’s market.

Scott McNally, Qualifying Broker Bar M Real Estate, LLC P.O. Box 428, Roswell, NM 88202 Office: 575-622-5867 Cell: 575-420-1237 Website: www.ranchesnm.com

Livestock Market Digest

230 ACRE GAME & RETREAT that is a dream. Lakes, woods, meadows, game galore, 35 miles out of Dallas, Kaufman County. @10,000 PA 133 ACRES – 24 Miles out of Dallas, ready to develop. $13,000 per acre 313 ACRES NORTH OF DALLAS ON MAJOR HIGHWAYS 121 & 69 – Nice horse barn with living quarters. $11,500 234 SHOW RANCH – 8,000.

Imaculate home, cattle show barn, 23 miles from Dallas $2.8M

SOLD SOLD

Joe Priest Real Estate

1-800/671-4548

joepriestre.net • joepriestre@earthlink.com

Laurie Gosney, Associate (480) 323-0639 • laurie@aglandssw.com Ty Kelly, Associate (928) 308-6505 • ty@aglandsww.com Stevie Fletcher, Associate (928) 231-9410 • stevie@aglandssw.com Angela Liest, Associate (928) 551-0330 • angela@aglandssw.com

Tamra S. Kelly, Broker (928) 830-9127 • tamra@aglandssw.com Tad M. Bryant, Associate (928) 642-0317 • tad@aglandssw.com Brian Murray, Associate (520) 954-8940 • brian@aglandssw.com

WE NEED LISTINGS, WE HAVE BUYERS

NEW LISTING! Stud Horse Ranch – The Horse Stud Ranch located just west of Ash Fork, Arizona is a working cattle ranch consisting of a total of 44 acres of deeded acres and 7 sections of deeded grazing rights and mineral rights on adverse private properties. With a grazing capacity of 56 cattle year long the Stud Horse Ranch makes for a great starter ranch, bull pasture or weaning pasture. Its gentle topography, good feed, plentiful water and easy access to I-40 make it the ideal small ranch. Improvements include a 1,600 sq. ft. manufactured home, corrals, fencing and dirt tanks. Cattle are available through private treaty. Offered at $650,000 Heller Horse Property – Congress, AZ This property is large enough to accomodate two families. Just 30 minutes from Wickenburg, Arizona “the Roping Capital of the World”.

Sitting on 13+ acres adjacent to State Land, is a main home, a guest casita, two barns, two bunkhouses, a 15’ x 225’ roping arena, a cutting pen (or turn out) and 61’ round pen.

Additional income options are never ending in this property. Offered at $795,000 NEW LISTING! Witch Well Ranch – St. John’s, AZ The Witch Well Ranch is a working cattle ranch consisting of a total of +/- 23,985 acres of deeded, state lease, and private lands with a grazing capacity of 266 CYL. Its gentle topography, good feed, plentiful water and easy access make it the ideal cattleman’s ranch. The Witch Well Ranch is located north of St. John’s, Arizona. Access is provided by Highway 191. Many small dirt roads provide excellent access to the interior of the ranch. Cattle are included in the sale.The ranch is perimeter fenced with two main pastures and two traps. There are five main wells equipped with Grundfos pumps. Three pumps are solar and one is run by a generator. Additional seasonal catchments provide additional water sources. The improvements include perimeter fencing, dirt tanks, water storage tanks, livestock drinkers, and working corrals. Topography is tree covered gentle, rolling hills, ridges and open valleys. Offered at $2,150,000.

REDUCED! Sierra Azul Ranch – Hatch, NM The Sierra Azul Ranch is located in Dona Ana County, New Mexico. This nice little ranch has been in the same family for over 50 years. The ranch runs 52 CYL and 2 horses on two sections of state land with over four sections of BLM and 520 deeded acres. The deeded land includes a beautiful 160 acre inholding with water and solitude. Good little ranch with good water, great feed throughout the rolling hills and canyons. With locked access and land-owner hunt permits, the ranch presents an excellent Mule Deer hunting opportunity. Offered at $875,000 !Pineveta Ranch – Ash Fork, AZ The Pineveta Ranch is a working cattle ranch consisting of a total of +/- 23,680 acres of deeded, state lease, and private lands with a grazing capacity of 300+ cattle. The acreage includes +/- 483.64 deeded acres; 5,640.27 acres of ASLD Lease; and 17,556 acres of deeded grazing and mineral rights on adverse private properties. Gentle country, good feed, good water and excellent access to this one pencils out. Cattle are available through private treaty. Offered at $1,800,000

IN D N E P

G

!Bottle Ranch – Dewey, AZ The Bottle Ranch comprises 26, 300 acres of the Bottle Allotment in the Prescott National Forest. The carrying capacity is 220 CYL with 100 head of cross-bred cattle conveyed with the sale. Offered for the first time in over 40 years, the Bottle Ranch is a great addition to an ongoing operation or the perfect starter ranch.

Offered at $760,000

SOLD

!Middle Prong Ranch – SECLUSION, PRIVACY, SECURITY and SELF-SUSTAINING, this turnkey homestead/ranch is located in a remote area of Eastern Arizona. The 40+/- acre deeded inholding is in the heart of the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest. The headquarters includes a three bedroom, two bath house, 10’x12’ greenhouse, carport/machine shed, shop, walk-in box/cooler, 20’ cargo container for storage, and barn with a tack room. Ten acres can be cultivated as well as 3 potential helicopter pads for quick access by air. A gravel airstrip is nearby. Middle Prong Creek is seasonal and runs approximately 100 feet from the house where it then flows into Eagle Creek. The property contains 3 wells with registered water rights. This ranch is located in the popular Arizona game management hunt unit 27. This remote property offers an excellent opportunity to base a hunting operation. Elk, deer (mule deer & white-tail), turkey, bear, lions, javelina and small game are plentiful. Record-book

49

Livestock Market Digest

animals were recently taken on the surrounding USFS land making this hunt unit increasingly popular. Offered at $625,000 !Heartz Ranch – Winslow, AZ Northern Arizona working cattle ranch with gentle terrain, good grass and easy access. This ranch runs 300 plus CYL with weaned calves at heavy weights. There is +/- 1,897.35 deeded acres, a two bedroom home, corrals, scales, numerous wells, windmills and dirt tanks this one is priced right.

Offered at $2,300,000

SOLD

Baker Property – Deming, NM The historic Baker Property is located seven miles west of Deming, New Mexico north of I-10 and south of the prominent Black Mountain. This property consists of 2,666 +/- deeded acres. Full private access to every part of the ranch is made with ease due to its gentle terrain. This unique property lends itself to multiple uses with a unique setting for farming, an equine facility, and solar energy production. Close to the comforts of town, but secluded from town life. Offered at $1,999,500

!

NEW LISTING! Deep Creek Homestead – Glenwood, NM The Deep Creek Homestead is nestled in the beautiful Gila Forest with a live year-round creek running through the property. With 60 deeded acres surrounded by the Gila National Forest this would make the perfect gentleman’s ranch or base for an outfitter’s operation. Located in hunting unit 16A known for its incredible elk hunting. With corrals, a barn and a shallow well and 3 acres of certificated water rights on property and wildlife in abundance - this ranch would be perfect for an outfitter operation. Offered at $675,000 !Judd Ranch – Alpine, AZ The historic Judd Ranch located in the beautiful mountain community of Alpine, Arizona consists of 208 +/- gorgeous acres bordering the ApacheSitgreaves National Forest Alpine, Arizona is full of clean mountain air and abundant wildlife. There are six cabins nestled into the pines along the historic Coronado Trail. The property includes the unique feature of Judd Lake on the San Francisco River. With 150 acre feet irrigation rights and open meadows surrounded by tall Ponderosa Pines, this property has abundant investment possibilities or just a beautiful mountain home. The ranch has been used by the Judd family since the 1800s and has historically run 100 head seasonally from May to October. Offered at $3,850,000

!

SOLD

Bar S Ranch – Wikeup, AZ The Bar S Ranch is located in west-central Arizona. With over 3,300 deeded acres and 152,655 total BLM and State Grazing this ranch runs 445 CYL plus large ephemeral increases. Three homes, barn, corrals and equipment make this ranch a large outfit that is well watered and maintained. Offered at $5,950,000

!

REDUCED! F Bar Farm, Taylor, AZ. The F Bar Farm is a 330+/- acre parcel located on the outskirts of Taylor, Arizona in Navajo County. The parcel contains 2 irrigation wells and 3 stock water wells which have serviced 150 acres of irrigated land. Three phase electric power is at the well heads. With shallow water and good soil, this farm sitting at 5,700 feet in elevation provides a cost-effective opportunity for growing hemp, pasture grass, alfalfa, corn or other cash crops. Alternatively, its excellent building sites and proximity to town also make this the perfect opportunity for a beautiful gentleman’s ranch with irrigated pastures and great views. Offered at $1,440,000 !Elk Springs Ranch – Northern Arizona Operating cattle ranch including 222 head adult cattle located in Central Arizona. The Elk Springs Ranch combines mild winter grazing in the Paulden/Chino Valley area with summer grazing in the plentiful mountain grass meadows north of Parks, Arizona. Deeded acreage securing the permits is located in Paulden and Valle, Arizona. A combination of USFS grazing permits on the Prescott and Kaibab National Forests, authorize the grazing of 262 CYL on the Elk Springs Ranch. The USFS Forest grazing permits exist on two separate National Forests. The Spitz Hill, Elk Springs and Dog Knobs Allotments are the summer pastures in the Kaibab National Forest. Sale includes 211 mother cows and 11 bulls currently located on the ranch. Offered at $1,350,000

SOLD

www.aglandssw.com

2021 Fall Marketing Edition

49

www.scottlandcompany.com Brad DeSpain 520-429-2806 Tom Wade 480-789-9145

RANCHES/FARMS *NEW* 200-300 Head Cattle Ranch, Marana, AZ – Abundant year-round no cost water makes this ranch a true oasis in the desert, situated along the Santa Cruz River just 20 minutes north of Tucson. 129+/Deeded ac; 150+/- ac of permanent pasture, 3,700+/- ac of desert sub-lease, 30 +/- ac of farm fields, and well improved headquarters with excellent access off a paved road situated on State land with 342+/- ac of lease. Second manufactured home on deeded. Two sets of good steel pipe corrals under covered work areas with squeeze chute, and tub. $3.5M *REDUCED* 2,373+/- Acre Farm, Animas, NM – Custom 2560 +/s.f. home built in 2008. 20-Acre pivot, 40’ x 60’ shop, 40’ x 50’ hay barn, fruit trees, chicken coop, garden area. Pivot produced 9.5 tons/ ac of alfalfa in 2020. 300 gpm well.

5 pastures with water piped to 2 storage tanks and drinkers in all pastures.

Historically has run 40 head of cattle yearlong. $1.3M *NEW* 240+/- Acre Farm, McNeal, AZ – 76 Ac cultivated farm ground irrigated by two pivots and flood irrigation. Currently planted in permanent pasture and runs 80 head of cattle. Nice 3 BR home, garage, workshop, green house, guest house, large barns, large run-in shed for horses, hay barn, gardens, 3 wells. $1.1M *NEW* 1,578 Acres of Land, McNeal, AZ – Currently used as grazing land for an adjacent ranch. Fenced with 2 wells. Seller will split. $500 per acre for all or $650 to $700 per acre for smaller parcels. located near the McNeal Farm we have listed above, and could be used as

an additional pasture; purchase for investment or build your own little ranchette. *SOLD* 68+/- Head Three Brothers Ranch, Tombstone, AZ – Good starter or retirement ranch in the San Pedro River valley with sweeping views, good access, grass, browse and water. 320+/- ac. deeded, 5,403+/- ac. State lease, 2,961+/ac. BLM permit. Easy terrain with access from Hwy 82 and Tombstone.

3 wells, 2 storage tanks with drinkers, 2 dirt tanks, set of wood & wire corrals. Adjoins Orduno Draw Ranch also offered by Stockmen’s Realty, LLC. $600,000

SOLD

*SOLD* 36+/- Head Chico Ranch, Duncan, AZ – Small scenic desert ranch in the Gila Valley in Greenlee County, AZ. 953+/- acres of deeded and 3,110+/- Acres of AZ State Grazing Lease. One well with a pipeline to 3 steel storage tanks and 6 drinkers. Railroad tie corrals located with easy access to Highway 70. $450,000

SOLD

*NEW* 120 +/- Acres of Farm Ground, Willcox, AZ – Located NW of Willcox in a good groundwater area. Center pivot. $390,000 Call Harry Owens *SOLD* 30+/- Head Orduno Draw Ranch,Tombstone, AZ – An excellent value! Small desert ranch in the San Pedro Valley of Cochise County, Arizona. 320+/- ac. deeded, 2,780+/ac. State lease, and 560+/- ac. BLM Allotment. $240,000

SOLD

HORSE PROPERTIES/LAND *SOLD* 40+/- Acre Last Stand B&B Guest Ranch, Sonoita, AZ – An exceptional property in the grasslands of Sonoita, presently operating as a successful wedding & equestrian event

SOLD

venue. The Territorial, two-story 4 BR, 4.5 BA main home has 4,110 s.f., & custom features throughout. A true destination property. $1,675,000 *NEW* 5.45+/- Acre Equestrian Oasis, Tucson, AZ – Lush landscaped horse facilities in Northwest Tucson 3,200 sqft home, 130’ x 150’ arena, 5 - 16’ x 16’ barn stalls, 7 outdoor stalls, 5 paddocks, round pen, 2 tack rooms, tool room, 24’ x 40’ hay barn, private well + septic, equipment available by private treaty. $1.1M *REDUCED* 90+/- Acre HP Bar Ranch, Benson, AZ – Perfect gentlemen’s ranch or private get-away.

Backs up to USFS for endless riding possibilities. Fully fenced for cattle.

2 BR, 1 BA home; garage; steel barn w/two horse stalls, tack room and large hay storage; corrals; workshop. Expansive views. $775,000 $675,000 *PENDING* 20+/- Acre Equestrian Property, Sonoita, AZ – Established horse training and boarding facility on +/-20-acres adjoining BLM land, panoramic mountain v iews. Two mfg homes, 36’ x 160’ horse barn, barn/shop, equipment shed, hay shed, 10 shades/loafing sheds with corrals, +/-70’ x 90’ dressage and 160’ x 170’ fenced arena. There are also RV spaces with septic, a fire pit and a well. $650,000

PENDING

*SOLD* +/- 32.43 Acres Horse Property, Lordsburg, NM – Custom 4 BR, 3 BA ranch style home with large family room, living room, full sized kitchen and a partial basement.

Shop, tack/hay barn, horse corrals, roping arena, fruit trees, 3 wells, irrigation rights, portable irrigation system. $295,000

SOLD

Riding for the brand … is our time-honored tradition StockmensRealty.com I UCstockmensrealty.com *Each United Country Franchise office is independently owned and operated.

50

Livestock Market Digest

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

RANCH & FARM REAL ESTATE

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

■ CEDARVALE, NM – 6,961 acre ranch (5,000 ac. +/- Deeded – 1,961 ac. +/- State Lease) well fenced & watered w/good pens, new barn.

■ TEXAS PANHANDLE – Let’s look at this 6,000 hd. permitted feedyard w/953 ac. +/-, a recently remodeled owner’s home, 2 residences for employee housing, addtl. home on 6 ac., 5 pivot sprinkler irr. circles, truck scale, cattle scale, excellent perimeter fencing, located on pavement & all weather road, currently in full operation.

■ SIGNIFICANT PRICE REDUCTION! RIMROCK RANCH - BUEYEROS, NM – 14,993.49 total acres +/- (12,157.49 deeded acres +/-, 2,836 +/- New Mexico State Lease).

Live water with five miles of scenic Ute Creek.

Elk, deer and antelope to go along with a good cattle ranch!

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

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

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

■ SUPER OPPORTUNITY! One of the best steak houses in the nation just out of Amarillo & Canyon at Umbarger, TX., state-of-the-art bldg., turn-key w/ complete facilities in full operation at this time.

■ STRONG WATER! Baca Co., CO – 640 ac. +/w/three pivot sprinklers & three irrigation well all tied together w/underground pipe, fourth quarter in native grass permitted for irrigation according to owner.

■ EAST EDGE OF FT. SUMNER, NM – a 900 hd. grow yard w/immaculate 7.32 ac. +/-, a beautiful home, & other improvements w/a long line of equipment included, on pvmt.

■ CASTRO CO, TX. – some of the strongest water in the area, 1,280 ac. +/- w/two half-mile sprinklers & six irrigation wells, on pvmt., prime farming country.

Senators Seek New JBS Purchase Reviews in Light of Bribery Charges

by Chris Scott, meatingplace.com

F

or the second time in two years, two U.S. senators are asking the Treasury Department to review all of the U.S. acquisitions by JBS S.A. in light of bribery charges concerning the owners of the Brazilian meatpacking conglomerate.

In a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Sens. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) expressed concern about the company’s “habitual use of criminal practices” to generate cash to buy U.S. companies. The letter cites a $280-million fine JBS paid the U.S. Justice Department last October to settle foreign bribery charges.

It also notes a 2017 admission by Joesley and Wesley Batista — executives of J&F Holding, the parent firm of meat processor JBS S.A. — that they spent more than $150 million

in bribes to a Brazilian bank to generate funds to buy U.S. companies as part of the company’s expansion plans, according to a statement by Brazil’s highest appeals court.

Menendez and Rubio made a similar request in 2019 accusing JBS of engaging in “illicit financial activities” and “criminal conduct” in its business practices regarding financial and business relationships linked to acquisitions.

The latest review request arrives in the same week JBS announced plans to buy the remaining shares of Pilgrim’s Pride it doesn’t already own after buying 80.21 percent of Pilgrim’s shares since 2009. The letter from Menendez and Rubio also calls for a review of

JBS acquisitions by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).

The two lawmakers also want the agency to study the national security implications of the U.S. purchases by the owners of the company’s wholly owned subsidiary, Greeley, Colo.-based JBS USA.

▫

TABLE ROCK GEM!

Elegant, quality, meticulously maintained, attention to detail - words do not do justice to this home. The finish work in this home down to the marble floors in each bathroom and hardwoods is spectacular. Walk into the living room with soaring ceilings (check the crown molding) and a wall of windows to view the beautiful lake. The gas fireplace (one of three) warms, warms a chilly morning. The chefs kitchen features custom cabinets, granite countertops, center island, pantry, wine fridge and lots of built in features. The formal dining and casual dining areas offer a serene view of the lake. The main floor large master also has a lakeview (and fireplace) with ensuite bath and walk-in shower, and separate jetted tub. Upstairs are two full bedrooms with beautiful lakeview. Also upstairs a non-conforming third dorm bedroom which accommodates multiple beds or serves as a separate living area. Downstairs features another living area, gas fireplace with a built in bar (second wine fridge), another bedroom with lakeview, and a large storage room with a safe/tornado shelter.

There is also a separate pool table/workout room, 3 car garage, central vacuum, three HVAC systems, on a corner lot with beautiful landscaping. Both covered decks with large outdoor fans face the lake. You won’t find a better home on Table Rock Lake. MLS#60189891

See the valuable difference!

Crossbreed with Cobb Charolais Bulls.

Linebred performance testing since 1956.

All one brand and home raised.

50 Bulls Sell

nd Tuesday, November 2Remember 2021 to vote!

Internet Bidding Available *** Bulls Guaranteed *** Free Trucking 1st 500 miles

Western Livestock Auction, Great Falls Montana

Uniform muscular Cobb bull sired cross feeder calves. • Pocha Ranches, Helmville, MT

COBB CHAROLAIS RANCH John & Cheryl: 406-562-3670 cobbchar@3riversdbs.net

Mike & Sarah: 406-562-3694 cobbcow1@3riversdbs.net

www.cobbcharolais.com | Box 348, Augusta MT 59410 2021 Fall Marketing Edition

51

PROTECT AMERICANS NOW Join Now

P.O. Box 1708 Elephant Butte, NM 87935

www.protect americansnow.org

Protect Americans Now was conceived with one sole mission: To educate Americans on the government overreach that impacts our everyday lives.

Using government regulations, the often-abused Endangered Species Act, the government is attacking private property and land use rights.

Freedom lies in being bold.

—Robert Frost

ARE THERE WOLVES AT YOUR DOOR? We need your help:

› Protecting Americans from

an open border

› Protecting ranching families

from Mexican wolves

› Insuring that beef is

available at an affordable price for Americans ASK US ABOUT THE ONGOING WOLF LITIGATION.

These photos are what ranchers are seeing daily across the land.

www.protectamericansnow.org • (505) 263-2015 • protectamericansnowcc@gmail.com • P.O. Box 1708, Elephant Butte, NM 87935 Protect Americans Now is a non-profit organization dedicated to affecting and changing government policy. Through careful research of better solutions designed for a brighter future for Livestock Market Digestof Americans to come, we actively educate the public on a broad range of issues that affect them daily, either directly 2021 orFall Marketing Edition 52 generations indirectly.

52

Excellence starts with Legendary genetics DeBruycker Charolais beef ...

The best Montana has to offer!

Grass Fed. Grain Finished. Dry Aged.

Legendary Family Box (and more) from our ranch to your table.

35% Off Coupon: LIVESTOCKD — Free Shipping: LSFREESHIP When you care enough to feed your family the best with love.

The same quality our family has enjoyed for generations.

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Livestock Market Digest

Enjoy! — shop.debruyckercharolais.com

2021 Fall Marketing Edition

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Advertiser’s

INDEX ABC

DEFGHIJKL

PQRS

Ag Lands Southwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 American Angus Association . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 American Gelbvieh Assn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 American Salers Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Animal Health Express . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 B & H Herefords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Bar G Feedyard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Bar M Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47, 48 Beefmaster Breeders United . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Bottari & Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Bradley 3 Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Breckenridge Partnership LTD . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Brinks Westall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27, 34 Buena Vista Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48, 51 Callicrate Banders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Campo Bonito . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Chip Cole Ranch Brokers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Chisholm Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Circle D. Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Clovis Livestock Auction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Cobb Charolais . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Denton Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Depot Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Dexter Livestock Commission . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Eagle Creek Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 F & F Cattle Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Fallon-Cortese Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Farmers Livestock Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Fink Angus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Innovative Solar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Joe Priest Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Joe Stubblefield & Associates . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Kaddatz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Ken Ahler Real Estate Company . . . . . . . . . 48 L & H Branding Irons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Phillips Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Pioneer Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Prescott Livestock Auction . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 R-CALF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Robbs Brangus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Roswell Livestock Auction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Scott Land Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Siler Santa Gertrudis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Southwest Livestock Auction . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Stockmans Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Sun Valley Livestock Auction . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Suther Feeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

MNO Murney & Associates Realtors . . . . . . . . . . .

New Mexico Purina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Newman Stockyards LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

O’Neill Land/Agriculture LLC . . . . . . . . . . . .

Oxtown Feeders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

48 18 45 47 29

TUVW Tom Robb & Sons Polled Hereford . . . . . . . 37 U.S. Cattlemen’s Association . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 United Fiberglass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Virden Perma Bilt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Weaver Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 White Barn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Willcox Livestock Auction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Winfield Livestock Auction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

T X E R E D LIVESTOCK COMMISSION 274 East Darby Road, Dexter, NM

Now Selling *** *** Packer Beef Cows & Bulls • Dairy Cows

Accepting All Classes of Beef Cows & Bulls, Calves & Yearlings Cattle Received Sunday, Monday, & Tuesday — Call for Permits No feed charges for cattle delivered on Tuesday

SALE EVERY TUESDAY — 11:00 a.m.

Will Be Open Through the Holidays For load lots of 40,000 lbs or more, commission charge is $21/head plus fee • Commission 3% plus Insurance & Beef Checkoff • Trich Testing Available — $70 / Head

575.624.COWS www.dexterlivestockcommission.com/

www.dexterlivestockcommission.com

Ted Nelson – 575.840.6351

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Livestock Market Digest

Jerrod Harral – 575.910.3570

Dickie McIntosh — 575.626.5459

Experience the West...

“Let ‘em Run” Series There is a freedom on the back of a horse that can only be fully experienced when you “let ‘em run”. Look closely. You can feel the thunder of the hooves and the wind on your face. Immerse yourself daily in those amazing moments as you Experience the West with Tim.

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18” X 27” Limited Edition Print $250 Artist Proof Print $325 Canvas Transfer $370 AP Canvas Transfer $400

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Free Shipping in Continental U.S.A.

Come see us at www.TimCox.com or Call (505) 632-8080 * BOGO Bargains are subject to change based on the season. Please check our website for the latest deals.

PASTURE, RANGELAND, FORAGE

INSURANCE IS A BIG INVESTMENT ...

Chisholm can assist you in making informed decisions about your investment.

Connie Cowan 602.944.0044 cowan@chisholmco.com NPN 1800930 AZ/NM/TX

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Livestock Market Digest

2021 Fall Marketing Edition

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