Riding Herd

“The greatest homage we can pay to truth is to use it.”

by LEE PITTS

– JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL

June 15, 2018 • www.aaalivestock.com

Volume 60 • No. 6

No Feet, No Bull

BY LEE PITTS

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NEWSPAPER PRIORITY HANDLING

he first time I got an inkling we were headed for a wreck was when a rancher called me several years ago and asked me to buy some bulls for him at an upcoming sale. He gave me a list of bulls to buy and his decisions were based solely on birthweight, weaning and yearling weight EPD’s. I asked, “You want me to look at the bulls for structural correctness and report back?” “Not necessary,” he said. Over the next few years I met many more ranchers like him who were taking the lazy way out by not bothering to look at the bulls they were buying over the Internet, sight unseen or by merely looking at a video screen or still shot without seeing the bulls in person. I knew from my collegiate livestock judging team experience that any evaluation of cattle should begin with their structure because a dead animal doesn’t grow very fast or sire many offspring. I especially enjoyed judging horses and felt it took a more talent than merely assessing which bull or heifer was the tallest, longest or fattest. With horses we had look at hoof size, if they were cow-cocked or sickle hocked, their way of going, and if they had the right slope to their pasterns and shoulders. I’ll never forget the old adage,

When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor. “No feet, no horse.” You could say the same thing about cattle.

Is Your Cookie Crumbling? Structural correctness has turned into a big problem. One of the reasons why is we’ve added 55 pounds of weaning weight to the average Angus calf in a relatively short time, and in many cases 200 to 300 pounds to the slaughter weight and we’ve put all that weight on the same infrastructure. Muscle development has simply outpaced bone and carti-

lage development. The industry knows of the problem and at 2017’s Cattlemen’s College during the NCBA convention the subject of lameness in cattle was addressed. But it remained under the radar of most commercial cattlemen and was one of our dirty little secrets in the cattle business until the subject exploded in April when a two page, full color ad for Herbster Angus Farms of Falls City, Nebraska, appeared in several cattle publications nationwide. In the colorful ad there was a big picture of a sugar cook-

ie in the shape of an Angus. It was the kind of cookie your mom used to bake, only this cookie was broken off at the knees. The heading read, “Is this the way your cookie crumbles?” And then the bombshell: “At Herbster Angus Farms we believe there is a growing problem in the cattle business that continues to be overlooked - the physical structure of the most basic part of a bovine... the feet! The American Angus Association is hoping to develop a foot score EPD. Unless every breeder measures exactly the shape, length and slope of every foot, giving a constant score, the EPD will never be accurate. DON’T RELY ON THE NEW EPD. Look at the foundation of your herd and make your own deductions on foot structure. Herbster Angus Farms strives every day to provide customers with the best-footed and soundest continued on page two

The Government Relies on Flawed Data to Determine Endangered Species BY KEVIN MOONEY / DAILY SIGNAL

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mericans who live in or near a community built around a lake should be careful about stepping outside to mow the lawn if the temperature isn’t just right and the grass isn’t a certain height. They should keep pets indoors. They should forget about using weed killer. And they should be prepared to pony up a steep home owners’ association fee. That’s because there may be snakes in the area protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), which imposes stiff penalties and fines for violating its rules and restrictions. Rob Gordon, a senior research fellow with The Heritage Foundation, discovered the situation while researching the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) 1999 decision to list the Lake Erie water snake as a “threatened” species. The FWS estimated the population of that particular water snake to be somewhere between 1,530 and 2,030 at the time. But just a few years later, the agency revised it to 5,690. The government either made a “substantial underestimation” with the initial listing or the water snake had “a truly miraculous population growth rate” in a short time, Gordon observes in a recently published research paper that finds the listing process under the Endangered Species Act to be riddled with “erroneous data.” Gordon concludes that “essentially half of

the species” identified by FWS officials as “recovered” never should have been listed in the first place. The regulatory fallout for developers, home owners, and business owners who run up against the endangered species law is the same regardless of whether federal officials used sound science or flawed methodology, Gordon told The Daily Signal in an interview. “Once a species is listed, it is regulated and the way it’s regulated doesn’t vary dependent upon the quality of the data the agency used,” Gordon said. “If one listing is legitimate and another listing is illegitimate based on erroneous data, the practical consequences are the same to the property owner or the business owner. He or she still faces the same restrictions whether or not these restrictions are legitimately based on science.” After reviewing the FWS’s documentation in the case of the Lake Erie water snake, Gordon found the agency worked to impose “surreal regulatory hurdles” against a developer who sought to build seven houses on 15 acres. The FWS called for easements to be placed on over five acres of lakefront property that would be donated to a nonprofit organization. The agency also sought a $50,000 “contribution” from the developer to cover construction of a hibernation habitat for the snakes, and continued on page four

You May Be A Dude If...

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n the sorting alley it’s easy to separate the dudes from the real cowboys. You may be a dude if... There are sheets on your bed in the bunkhouse. The camp cookie is a three star Michelin chef. When you set out for the day’s work you are provided a sack lunch and a wine cooler. The ratio of riders to cows exceeds two to one and the “trail boss” sends you and three others to go retrieve one old wayward arthritic cow. You have to pay for the privilege of getting baked past well done by the sun, bucked off, gored, or losing your finger in a dally or a squeeze chute. Your horse has one speed: slow. And there’s a seatbelt on your saddle. Instead of waking up the rooster, the rooster wakes you up. You must sign a stack of waivers before working cattle absolving the owner of all responsibility in case of your death. In the evening you sit around a campfire and roast your wienies, burn your marshmallows, toast your buns and sing old cowboy songs like “Happy trails to you, until we meet again.” There’s more than one course for supper and one of the courses is pheasant under glass; you’re given a full setting of silverware to work with; and the chef lights your dessert on fire. The ranch where you “hired on” has a gift shop. After a long day of riding you “get your kinks worked out” by a gorgeous Scandanavian massage-babe who doesn’t speak English. Instead of playing poker for matchsticks in the evening you sip wine while playing chess or backgammon. You and your fellow hands are all wearing matching “scarves”. There is heat in the bunkhouse that doesn’t originate from someone chopping wood. One of the afternoon activities includes a seminar titled “Living with the wonderful wolf.” You spend all day push-

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Page 2

Livestock Market Digest

June 15, 2018

NO BULL structured genetics in the business. Don’t let your foundation crumble with sub-par genetics.” So much for solving this problem quietly. The ad wouldn’t have meant much if Charles Herbster wasn’t the most visible Angus breeder in the country. He’s a highly successful businessman, good friend and early supporter of Donald Trump, and a man who has pumped millions into the pockets of other Angus breeders and contributed a million dollars to the Angus Association Foundation. Needless to say, Charles Herbster carries a big stick. Depending on your perspective, he either just used that stick to take a big swipe at his fellow registered Angus breeders, or he did the Angus business, and the beef business in general, a big favor by bringing this subject to the forefront where it belongs.

You Didn’t Hear It From Me When I was working ring at cattle auctions all over the west I heard complaints from commercial cattlemen about bad feet and legs. And it wasn’t just Angus, but all breeds. But with the overwhelming prevalence of Angus in today’s commercial cattle population, one tended to hear more about Angus cattle. Ranchers complained about hooked or overgrown toes, bulls that could no longer travel due to their postleggedness, or were unable to mount a cow because they had a couple bad rear wheels. Mostly I heard about problems with longevity in rancher’s herds because some animals were so cripple by the age of five they could barely walk up the ramp to the truck hauling them to the sales yard. I also heard opinions about which bulls or sire lines would clean up feet and leg problems. I heard that Rito cattle and descendants of the Angus bull Net Worth would clean up structural problems. I also heard about individual sires who excelled in passing on good feet and legs like CRA Bextor, Conneally Counselor, Conneally Thunder,

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Nichols Extra K205, Werner War Party, etc. I also heard that Simm-Angus bulls would clean up problems because the Simmental breed has a bigger foot than Angus do. At least that was the rumor. But for every good bull or bloodline, I heard ten stories that didn’t end well. One friend told me that one A.I. bull’s offspring ruined the feet and legs in his fabulous commercial herd cow herd in one generation and he was having a difficult time cleaning up the mess. But if you think I’m going to subject myself to lawsuits by naming bulls that are deemed bad by a subjective measuring stick, you just don’t know the depth of my aversion to lawyers. But ask around and you’ll get an earful. For example, I was a friend of a man named Lou who trimmed most of the bull’s feet that sold in California for decades and he wasn’t shy about telling me who had the bad feet and who didn’t. (It’s always been my belief that you shouldn’t need the services of a hoof trimmer if you were using the right genetics and the bulls you sold were being raised right.) I used to think that the show ring was like a structurally incorrect bull in that it was on its last legs. The public perception was that EPD’s had made the show ring irrelevant. Now it looks like the show ring could have an important roll to fill if judges will be courageous enough to roll the bad walkers, or cattle with hock, stifle or hip joint issues to the bottom of every class, no matter their weight per day of age, or clout of the breeder.

No Where To Hide One of the reasons the Angus breed has enjoyed such phenomenal success is due to their association’s foresight, courage and persistence. After all, we are talking about a breed association that gave us Certified Angus Beef, Angus Source and led the EPD revolution. As you’d expect, they are not hiding from this issue either. continued on page four

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June 15, 2018

Livestock Market Digest

Page 3

NO BULL They are well aware that the Angus breed does have some issues with feet. So do Red Angus, Herefords and every other popular breed. As the Herbster ad said, the Angus Association is trying to develop EPD’s for feet. As Charles Herbster noted, It will not have quite the accuracy of other Angus EPD’s because it’s based on a subjective measuring stick. But CAB wasn’t perfect when it started either. Something is definitely needed because if you get caught in a circle of Angus purebred breeders today, who generally only know how to talk about one thing (Angus cattle), even their opinions will differ on which cattle are okay and which ones to avoid. You may have seen a copy of the relatively new Angus Foot Score Guide in a magazine or catalog lately that is an excellent source in learning more about structural correctness and how purebred breeders should be scoring their animals. The Angus Association accepts foot scores from its breeders who score their cattle’s feet in two categories: foot angle and claw set. The Angus guidelines stress that animals must be scored prior to hoof trimming, score the worst foot, and score yearling bulls and heifers between 320 and 440 days. A breeder can also send photos of feet and legs to the Association. Which brings up another important issue.

Touched Up In 2015 Temple Grandin and a graduate student, Marcy Franks, of Colorado State University released a report that I found fascinating. (As I do all

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of Temple’s work.) Temple has been front and center on the structural correctness issue for years and she believes “there has been an increase in leg conformation problems in beef cattle.” The duo wrote, “Included in the conformation issues are animals that are post-legged, have weak pasterns, or are pigeon-toed or splay footed. To select for sound feet and legs, ranchers need to be able to see the feet and legs of the animals they are considering for use in breeding. This is especially important when selecting breeding bulls from semen catalogs, where visual appraisal is based on the picture supplied by the bull breeder. “Websites from four major semen companies in the U.S. were surveyed to determine the percentage of beef bull photos where the feet and legs were clearly visible. Five different breeds were represented: Angus, Red Angus, Hereford (polled and horned), Simmental and Charolais. A total of 1,379 bull pictures were evaluated for this survey.” They found, “Only 19% of the bulls were pictured with their feet and legs fully visible.” Statistical analysis showed that there was a correlation between the bull’s age and visibility of the hooves. In recent years, pictures of younger bulls have more of their feet and legs hidden. This doesn’t allow purchasers of genetics to view an animal’s leg conformation.” Also, more and more photos are being “Photoshopped” or doctored on a computer. Want a straighter back? No problem. Legs too postlegged? Here let’s cover the bulls’ legs with grass. Is the bull going downhill?

Let’s raise the front end. There, that’s better. Get the picture?

Bred Or Fed? Another problem is we’re having trouble separating the structural correctness problems that are caused by bad genes, from environmental factors. Anyone who reads this newspaper knows I’ve been on a mission for years to rid the world of beta agonists and it’s my opinion that a lot of the problems we might be attributing to bad genetics and bad feet and legs in fat cattle are being caused by beta agonists. Another issue is how fast the young bulls are being pushed on test to show their genetic potential. In the process, breeders may be destroying the structural integrity of their animal’s feet due to the “hotness” of the feed. It’s no different than your horse finding a feed door open and helping herself to a bag of sweet feed and then foundering. Bulls can founder too and need to be managed so that the amount and type of feed does show their their genetic quality without putting at risk their structural correctness. It’s a delicate battle and it doesn’t help that your average bull buyer’s favorite color of a bull is FAT. Another dilemma is the damage to the feet may not show up for a few years. The environment plays a big role too. It doesn’t take much genetic input to ruin the claws on a cow’s foot that has to stand around in mud all winter. Nor will a white, soft foot hold up as well in the rocks of Arizona as it does in a permanent pasture somewhere in Virginia.

So before you rush to judgement, consider that your cattle’s foot problems may also be caused by dietary excesses or deficiencies, restricted exercise, and other conditions associated with the environment. It’s not always the DNA.

Serious About Structure There is hope on the horizon. We used to believe that the heritability factor of feet and legs was 15%. That’s low and it means it’s a hard and slow slog to change anything. But thanks to work done in Australia we now know the 15% number is wrong. For years in the land down under their Angus organization (Angus Australia) has used a numerical scoring system to evaluate toes or claws and the angle or slope of pastern for each limb. Side and rear views of the hind legs are also scored by an “accredited assessor.” Still, it’s a subjective evaluation and potentially vulnerable to inconsistent scoring, but it’s better than nothing. Instead of EPD’s, Angus Australia has EBV’s (estimated breeding values) for five foot and leg traits and they’ve found heritability factors of 40% and higher. This means we can clean up our act much faster than previously thought. In the meantime, commercial cattlemen can send a message to bull producers that they’re serious about structure. One reason the structural correctness issue has become an issue is because of the way commercial cattlemen are buying their range bulls. Whether it be on video, on the Internet or over the phone, more and more bulls are being sold with-

out being seen. I’ve seen bulls sold that were cow-hocked, sickle hocked, post legged to the extreme and swaybacked. I’ve noticed sale bull’s hooves with cracks, corns and curly claws. It’s more visible in light muscled and narrow chested animals but structural correctness plays no favorites. There’s semen being sold today from six figure valuation bulls that are terribly structurally incorrect. In the words of one rancher, if we are to correct things “such cattle need to have their hooves trimmed right behind the ears.”

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Livestock Market Digest

June 15, 2018

Bipartisan Bill Seeks to Expand Meat Movement Across State Lines BY CHRIS SCOTT / MEATINGPLACE.COM

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hree U.S. senators have launched a legislative effort designed to allow meat and poultry products already inspected by state programs to be sold across state lines, which currently is prohibited. The bill introduced by U.S. Senators. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Angus King (I-Maine) would open the

door for products that are processed in 27 states to be sold in other nearby states and open up new markets to producers. Those states with regional Meat and Poultry Inspection (MPI) programs that also are certified by USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) often meet or exceed federal inspection standards, but the proteins currently cannot be sold in other states. The legislators – along with Sen. John Thune

(R-S.D.) – contend that the New Markets for State-Inspected Meat Act of 2018 brings a commonsense approach that removes limits for meat and poultry producers after their goods pass inspections. Several major industry associations, including the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, South Dakota Pork Producers and the South Dakota and Maine Farm Bureaus, are supporting the legislation, lawmakers said.

DATA creation of a homeowners association that would impose additional restrictions.

‘Federally Funded Fiction’ The case of the Lake Erie water snake “is a small example of the heavy-handed regulatory process for just one of the nearly 1,700 listed species to which landowners and businesses are repeatedly subject across the nation,” Gordon writes in his paper. Although the government delisted the snake in 2011, numerous restrictions popped up in the meantime. Home owners’ association restrictions stipulated that residents make sure no snake was within 20 feet when applying weed killer to poison ivy, that they not allow cats outside, and that they abide by seasonal height and temperature guidelines for mowing lawns. Collectively, residents also had to provide up to $18,750 for snake research, and allow researchers to have access to their properties. “This seems really over the top, doesn’t it?” Gordon asked in the interview with The Daily Signal. “And keep in mind that the snake’s actual population numbers were probably undercounted in the first place.” Gordon describes the recovery figures that FWS officials cite as “federally funded fiction” that dramatically inflate the number of species that genuinely were endangered and subsequently preserved. “With all the ESA’s costs and burdens, it should perhaps come as no surprise that the FWS is fabricating success stories to cover up this unsustainable mess and substituting fluff for statutorily required reporting regarding

continued from page one

the recovery program,” he writes of the law in his paper. The errors that result in listing species that are not genuinely endangered stem in large part from the “low bar for scientific data” set by the agency, Gordon concluded. The ESA calls for the “best available scientific and commercial data” to be used in the listing process. But here’s the problem, from Gordon’s point of view: FWS officials interpreted this directive to mean the information underpinning a listing doesn’t need to be complete or accurate. “The agency has not set a high enough bar and sometimes they are using scant or even nonexistent data to list species,” Gordon told The Daily Signal. “They are using speculation and surmise as opposed to verifiable data, and in some instances they won’t even share the data. It’s no wonder that consequently all sorts of species are erroneously listed. That’s what happens when you have weak data standards.” How bad is the problem? Of 1,662 plants and animals listed by the FWS as either “endangered” or “threatened” in the past 45 years, the government had removed 68 before Gordon published his paper in April. Of those 68, 11 were removed from the list because they had gone extinct and 19 were removed because of errors in the original data. That leaves 38 species delisted because they were “recovered.”

Taxpayers on Hook for ‘Deceitful Practices’ Under the ESA, the conservation process involves “the use of all methods and procedures which are necessary to bring any

endangered species or threatened species to the point at which the measures provided … are no longer necessary.” Endangered species are considered to be at the brink of extinction, while threatened species are considered likely to be so in the near future. Gordon initially determined that “almost half” of the 38 species listed as “recovered” were actually “false recoveries” because they were based upon original data error. However, since his paper was published three more species have been delisted and he has concluded that two—the lesser long-nosed bat and the blackcapped vireo—were listed based on erroneous data. For this reason, he now says “essentially half” of the species the FWS identified as recovered are not genuine recoveries. Gordon says he also found other examples of “recovered” species that are really “mixed bags,” meaning the number of recoveries resting on erroneous data could be much higher. (The full list of delisted species is available at https://ecos. fws.gov/ecp0/reports/delisting-report.) The Daily Signal sought comment from the Interior Department and the FWS on Gordon’s findings and whether Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke might consider his recommended reforms. Officials had not responded as of publication. Unfortunately, U.S. taxpayers are footing the bill for “deceitful practices that portray mistakes as successes,” Gordon told The Daily Signal. That’s because each listing sets in motion mandatory actions and government expenditures under federal law, he said. For instance, according to Gordon’s paper, the FWS reported in 2014 that the “median cost for preparing and publishing a 90-day finding is $39,276; for a 12-month finding, $100,690; for a proposed rule with critical habitat, $345,000; and for a final listing rule with critical habitat, $305,000.” “These are just the paperwork costs and the bureaucratic costs of listing species whether they were legitimately listed or if they were listed based on erroneous data,” he told The Daily Signal. “But they are a drop in the bucket compared to the costs borne by private parties such as companies, farmers, and ranchers who have to comply with all kinds of mandates and have to absorb the loss in the value of their land because of their inability to use it and other significant opportunity costs.”

Special Interest Groups Drive Litigation Gordon points to restrictions the FWS officials sought to impose to protect the Lake Erie water snake as an example of excessively burdensome costs. Gordon’s paper was the subject of a panel discussion in April at The Heritage Foundation where he was joined by Rob Roy Ramey, a wildlife biologist based in Denver, and Jonathan Wood, a lawyer with the Pacific Legal Foundation who specializes in environmental and constitutional law. Ramey called for greater openness and transparency on the part of federal officials and suggested that all the data Fish and Wildlife officials use in their decisions to list species should be made public. “That way we have a common currency of accountability available to the entire nation,” Ramey said at the Heritage event. Without access to the data, he said, “there’s no opportunity for reproducibility,” which means listing and delisting decisions may not be based on the best scientific information. Ramey cited several examples of responses from government officials who resisted information requests. His personal favorite came from a “rogue recovery team member” who said: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service data was deliberately provided in a format that would not facilitate detailed analysis by those unfamiliar with the manner in which the data was collected. Other examples included “the data you requested are proprietary,” “we are still using this data,” and “those data may no longer exist.” Ramey warned that FWS officials who have “cherry-picked” and “fabricated” data to list species as endangered or threatened drew resources away from creatures in genuine need of protection, such as blue whales, California condors, rhinoceroses, and gorillas. Wood, the lawyer with the Pacific Legal Foundation, a nonprofit headquartered in Sacramento, California, credited Gordon with research that shows how often examples of species recovery touted as successes for the Endangered Species Act “are little more than fake news.” Special interest groups play a role in the listing process, Wood said at the Heritage event. “What really drives the Endangered Species Act is litigation,” he said. “The reality is that the listing process is fundamentally broken, it is completely litigation driven, and it is a problem for administrations regardless of party.”

The Obama administration sought to develop a work plan to “seize some control back” over the listing process, Wood told the audience, so that key factors such as a species’ actual vulnerability would be considered and a listing would not be the result of “which special interest group is yelling the loudest.”

Potential Reforms for Interior Department In his research, Gordon highlighted examples of listings where the initial count of a species population was dramatically off based on flawed methodology. He cited the Monito gecko during his talk at Heritage. This lizard resides on Monito Island off the coast of Puerto Rico, which spans about 40 acres surrounded by 217-foot cliffs. The initial search Fish and Wildlife officials used as the basis to list the species in 1982 was organized during the day, when 18 lizards were found. “The problem here is that the lizard is nocturnal,” Gordon told The Daily Signal. “So, if you are walking around during the middle of the day, you are not going to find it. The creature burrows down into rocks. In 2016, they finally did a proper survey during the evening and they came up with an estimate of about 5,000 to 10,000 geckos. That’s what you call a big difference.” Gordon spelled out several potential reforms that the Trump administration’s Interior Department could embrace under Zinke’s leadership. For starters, Zinke could issue an order directing the Fish and Wildlife Service “to accurately identify the data that forms the bases for removing or downlisting species,” Gordon writes in his report. He also recommends that the agency correct the record and acknowledge instances where a species was wrongly declared to have “recovered.” “Right now, the Fish and Wildlife Service asserts that the listings are driven by science, but in truth the listings are often driven by litigation and the scientific standards are so weak that they are often listing species as endangered when they should never have been listed,” Gordon said, adding: The first step in correcting the problem is to admit that it exists. What needs to be done now is to go back and look at species that were claimed as recovered and to put your foot down and acknowledge that many of them were not really recoveries and they were based on erroneous data. Then, going forward, they need to make sure future listings are not based on speculation.

June 15, 2018

Livestock Market Digest

Environmental Groups Ask Feds to Protect Threatened West Texas/New Mexico Lizard

Two environmental groups asked the federal government to list the dunes sagebrush lizard as threatened or endangered. BY KIAH COLLIER, THE TEXAS TRIBUNE, TEXASTRIBUNE.ORG

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ver the objections of the oil and gas industry, two environmental groups are asking the federal government to protect a tiny West Texas reptile amid the failure of a state-crafted plan to conserve it. The Center for Biological Diversity and Defenders of Wildlife petitioned the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) in early May to list the dunes sagebrush lizard as threatened or endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act. The agency proposed listing the sand-colored critter as an endangered species back in 2010 primarily due to loss of habitat from oil and gas drilling and ranching operations in the Permian Basin — an oil-rich region that spans West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. But industry groups complained that an official listing, which would have severely restricted development in areas inhabited by the species, would hinder oil and gas production at a time when new drilling technologies were bringing new life to old oilfields. After that, then-Comptroller Susan Combs — wielding a newfound oversight of endangered species — worked closely with the oil industry and others on a plan to protect the threatened lizard, recruiting a variety of energy companies as participants. But the comptroller’s office — now led by Glenn Hegar — has had to go back to the drawing board as industry participation hasn’t been as extensive as expected. The success of the so-called Texas Conservation Plan also has been undermined by some of industry’s most important suppliers. Last August, Robert Gulley — the head of the comptroller’s Division of Economic Growth and Endangered Species Management — warned the

FWS that the companies that mine the finegrained sand that oil and gas producers use for hydraulic fracturing posed a direct threat to the plan. Gulley, a renowned expert on environmental law and endangered species whom Hegar hired to oversee the office’s endangered species division in 2015, said that more than a dozen “frac-sand” companies were planning mining operations in four West Texas counties that are home to prime dunes sagebrush lizard habitat. “The plan, which Combs oversaw through 2015, has failed to conserve the lizard,” the Center for Biological Diversity and Defenders of Wildlife said in a news release Tuesday. “Dunes sagebrush lizards have waited too long for the federal protection they desperately need to survive,” said Chris Nagano, a senior scientist for the center. “The only reason these rare lizards aren’t already protected is political interference by Susan Combs and the oil and gas industry, which is rapidly destroying the animals’ habitat.” Combs is now acting assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks for the U.S. Department of the Interior. The comptroller’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But the powerful Texas Oil & Gas Association swiftly released a statement condemning the petition and accusing the groups of an ulterior motive — shutting down oil and gas activity. “Like previous attempts to list the dunes sagebrush lizard, this filing has nothing to do with the lizard’s habitat,” said Todd Staples, the association’s president, in a statement. “These groups routinely use the federal government to raise money to fund an anti-oil and gas agenda, wasting tax dollars and eroding our national energy and economic security.” Disclosure: The Texas Oil & Gas Association has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism.

RIDING HERD ing the same pathetic, trail broke set of reject misfit cattle right back to where you started that morning. The resident cow dog is a hairless chihuahua, miniature toy poodle or bichon frise. There is a bidet in the bunkhouse. There is a bookshelf in the bunkhouse with titles by Danielle Steele or Nora Roberts and at least one copy of “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” You don’t have to shoe your own horse or roll your own smokes. Your remuda consists of one

Page 5

Is It More Efficient to Move the Cows Or Move the Feed? COM

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n areas of long-term drought, forage might have to come from areas far away from the affected area, out of state or multiple states away. Cost of transportation, type of forage and quality of forage all need to be considered in this decision. If that is not economical, producers can consider limit feeding a high concentrate diet to cows in a drylot environment. In this case, an energy-dense ration based on grain or byproduct feeds such as distillers’ grains would be fed in limited quantity so that the cows receive adequate nutrition to maintain BCS, but not enough to get fat. Because the diet is essentially a finishing diet for feedlot cattle, careful management is needed to avoid nutritional disorders such as acidosis. A calculator from the South

Stinky Pete, Lupe Rellano, Bowlegs, Skeeter, Lippy, Horse Face, Post Hole, Coyote, Booger, Eatumup, Tex, Lying Jim, Thunder Butt, Gloomy, or Dirty Shirt Smith. You are invited to eat up at the Big House on more than one occasion. There doesn’t appear to be a haystack anywhere on the ranch. You look around and everyone is wearing gloves and it’s not even below zero. On your last night everyone goes around the fire and says how their stay has affected “their inner cowperson.” wwwLeePittsbooks.com

Evaluating Feed Options There are many feedstuffs producers can use in their cowcalf operation during drought or feed shortages. Producers should compare the new options based on price per unit of the feedstuffs, the milage and cost of delivery, as well as feed values. To compare the options, SDSU’s Feed Nutrient Calculator can evaluate feedstuff costs, on a nutrient basis, to identify the least-cost rations for their livestock enterprises.

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or more of the following: a paso fino, miniature horse or BLM reject. There is no place to hang your twine on your saddle which is okay because there’s no horn either where you could take a dally. If you knew how. Before you arrive you are reminded to bring lip gloss, swimsuit and sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30. There is time during your day set aside for either a nap, meditation, or an hour in the kitchen learning how to cook French pastry. There is no one in the bunkhouse named One Thumb,

Dakota State University can help producers make the comparison. http://igrow.org/livestock/beef/move-the-cows-ormove-the-feed/ The tool will help calculate the total tonnage of feed needed, estimate shipping costs of both feed stuffs and cattle and determine the yardage at a feedlot versus on the ranch.

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Livestock Market Digest

Baxter BLACK ON THE EDGE OF COMMON SENSE www.baxterblack.com

A Day To Remember

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t’s funny how the world goes around. Francisco and I were checking cows, making a big circle early in the morning to beat the heat. It’s peaceful out there. We’ve got grazing rights for 200 cows in 18 sections of Lowell, love grass, twenty-foot high mesquite and assorted cacti, canyons, arroyos and rattlesnakes, 40 miles north of the

Mexican border in Arizona. We were deep in the monte, ‘scrub land’, when Francisco asked if I’d like to see where my son found the dead man. Eight years ago when my son was 16, he and Francisco were making a “juelta,” a big circle (as in “dar la juelta” – take a dally). I didn’t speak English to my son until he was 10 years old, so

he and Francisco communicated in Spanish. On that fateful day, Cindy Lou and I were visiting our friends in northern Idaho in the Whitebird Hill area. The cell phone rang…it was my son…he was stuttering…he was looking at a dead man…he wasn’t sure the man was dead… he had wheeled his horse to go find Francisco! I stopped him and ordered him to retrace his tracks to make certain he could find his way back to the corpse after he found Francisco. They both had cell phones. Francisco phoned the local deputy sheriff who knew the country, and went to meet them. My son posted guard over the body. That was June 20, 2010. So when Francisco asked if I’d like to see the spot where it all happened, I said, “Si.”

June 15, 2018

I had no doubt he could locate the exact area eight years later because I’ve come to realize that many cowboys have an unbelievable ability to remember terrain, cows, horses, tracks, holes in fences, lock combinations, landmarks and incidents. They are like fish in their own aquarium, only their aquarium is 12 thousand acres full! He crossed a couple of arroyos and bottoms, rock slides, 40foot mesquite trees, tangles in the unforgiving scrub and then pointed. I dismounted, worked around and tried to picture how the scene was when my son first arrived in this exact spot eight years ago. The victim was obviously an illegal alien, probably Mexican, traveling with a group. His compadres had taken his shirt, shoes and personal

belongings. He had been dead a couple of days. Did he die quickly, assuming they stripped the body after he died? Did they say a few words over him? Did his family ever find out his ending? Who knows? Francisco made a tight circle and found the remnants of a faded blue baseball cap snarled in the brush. I pulled it loose, walked back to the spot and buried it. We took off our hats. I said a prayer in Spanish. The coincidence that we’d ever cross paths on that same date 8 years later allowed us to pay due respect to another fellow traveler who was just lookin’ for a home. Vaya con Dios, Amigo. Which means, “Go with God.” www.baxterblack.com

Trump Should Pardon Oregon Ranchers -- They Aren’t Terrorists BY WILLIAM PERRY PENDLEY / MOUNTAIN STATES LEGAL FOUNDATION

I

n April, President Trump pardoned I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby Jr., top aide to former Vice President Dick Cheney, who was convicted in an abuse of prosecutorial discretion. Now the president should do the same thing for Dwight L. Hammond, Jr., 76, and his son Steven Dwight Hammond, 49, long-suffering ranchers in rural Oregon. The Hammonds were charged with terrorism and sentenced in 2015 to five years in prison, despite the outraged protests of ranchers and other citizens. The Oregonian, the state’s left-leaning newspaper, said in a January 2016 editorial: “The Hammonds broke the law and deserve to be punished” but said their sentence was excessive and that the president (then Barack Obama) “should consider” granting them clemency. The Hammonds are the victims of one of the most egregious, indefensible and intolerable instances of prosecutorial misconduct in history. Their situ-

ation cries out for justice that can come only from President Trump. The Hammonds’ crime? They set a legally permissible fire on their own property, which accidentally burned out of control onto neighboring federal land. Normally, that is an infraction covered by laws governing trespassing, and the guilty party is subject to paying for damages caused by the fire – if the neighboring land belongs to an ordinary citizen. But not when a vindictive federal government is involved. The Hammonds are cattle ranchers in southeastern Oregon’s Harney County, the state’s largest, but home to fewer than 8,000 people who eke out a living. The federal government owns 75 percent of the land in the county. Congress passed the 1996 law in response to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing to “deter terrorism.” Lawmakers did not have in mind a rancher’s efforts to eradicate noxious weeds or to prevent the spread of a lightning fire onto valuable crops. The Hammond Ranch

is near the unincorporated community of Diamond, with fewer than 100 residents. Located on Steens Mountain since it was established in 1964, the ranch is made up of 12,872 acres of deeded private land. Dwight Hammond began running the ranch in his early 20s; for his son, it is the only life he knows. Like most Western ranches in federally dominated counties, the Hammond Ranch holds grazing rights on nearby federal land. In this case, that is 26,421 acres managed by the Bureau of Land Management of the U.S. Department of the Interior. In the “high desert” environment of Harney County – and throughout the West – federal, state and private landowners use controlled or prescribed burns for prairie restoration, forest management and to reduce the buildup of underbrush that could fuel much bigger fires. But sometimes the controlled fires get out of control and sweep onto neighbors’ land. That is legally deemed a trespass, and the landowner who set the fire is liable for any damages. Only the federal government has the power to cite the trespasser criminally for his or her actions. That is what happened to the Hammonds. It did not happen in a vacuum. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has long coveted the Hammond Ranch for inclusion in its surrounding Malheur Wildlife Refuge. The federal agency pressured members of the Hammond family for decades to follow all of their neighbors in selling their property to the federal govern-

ment. For their part, Bureau of Land Management officials, agents and armed rangers too often have had an adversarial and thorny relationship with ranchers and grazing permittees, which worsened during the Obama administration. In 2001, after alerting the Bureau of Land Management, the Hammonds set a legal fire to eradicate noxious weeds. It spread onto 139 acres of vacant federal land. According to a government witness, the fire actually improved the federal land, as natural fires often do. In 2006, Steven Hammond started another prescribed fire in response to several blazes ignited by a lightning storm near his family’s field of winter feed. The counter-blaze burned a single acre of federal land. According to Steven Hammond’s mother, “the backfire worked perfectly, it put out the fire, saved the range and possibly our home.” “We thought we lived in America where you have one trial and you have one sentencing.” She said that federal officials “just keep playing political, legal mind games with people and people’s lives.” The Bureau of Land Management took a different view. It filed a report with Harney County officials alleging several violations of Oregon law. However, after a review of the evidence, the Harney County district attorney dropped all charges in 2006. The Bureau of Land Management did not give up. In 2011, federal prosecutors – referencing both the 2001 and 2006 fires – charged the Hammonds with violating the ‘‘Antiterrorism and Effec-

tive Death Penalty Act of 1996,” which carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of five years. Mugshots of the father and his son accompanied headlines calling them “arsonists.” Their wife and mother said: “I would walk down the street or go in a store, people I had known for years would take extreme measures to avoid me.” In 2012, the Hammonds went to trial. As the jury was deliberating, they agreed not to appeal the jury verdicts in exchange for the government dismissal of a slew of ancillary charges, including “conspiracy” to commit the offense. The jury found both Hammonds guilty of the 2001 fire and Steven Hammond guilty of the 2006 blaze; he was acquitted on charges the 2006 fire did more than $1,000 in damages. At sentencing, U.S. District Judge Michael Hogan concluded the fires did not endanger people or property. He declared that the law the Hammonds were convicted of violating was aimed at more serious conduct than their case involved. Hogan added that the Hammonds had “tremendous” character, and stated that the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution – barring “cruel and unusual punishment” – justified a sentence below the statutory minimum sentence. Consequently, Judge Hogan sentenced Dwight Hammond to three months in prison and his son to a year and a day. Both served their sentences and then returned home. But the federal government was not finished. Federal prosecutors, con-

tending the agreement did not bar them from further action, appealed to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which, without oral arguments, quickly issued a terse ruling reversing the Oregon federal district court. “Given the seriousness of arson,” the appellate court ruled, “a five-year sentence is not grossly disproportionate to the offense.” The Hammonds are both still in prison today. Congress passed the 1996 law under which the Hammonds were convicted in response to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing in New York City and the 1995 federal building bombing in Oklahoma City in order to “deter terrorism.” Lawmakers did not have in mind a rancher’s efforts to eradicate noxious weeds or to prevent the spread of a lightning fire onto valuable crops. That apparently did not matter to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Oregon, the Bureau of Land Management, the Fish and Wildlife Service and officials who are supposed to provide adult supervision to prevent personal animus, agency vendettas and prosecutorial abuse. “We didn’t think it could happen,” said Susie Hammond, the family matriarch. She is still trying to hold onto the ranch, upon which four local families other than the Hammonds rely. Now it’s up to President Trump to deliver justice to the Hammonds – something the federal government has long denied them. William Perry Pendley is president of Mountain States Legal Foundation in Denver and author of “Sagebrush Rebel: Reagan’s Battle With Environmental Extremists and Why It Matters Today” (Regnery, 2013).

June 15, 2018

Livestock Market Digest

HOME

SPUN

By Jim Olson

Run or Face the Music

S

even of us jumped on (and all over) a little ford tractor with a brush hog attachment. We headed for the bar. That is just what twenty-oneyear-olds tend to do. The tractor chosen happened to be the most convenient mode of transportation available for so many party-goers to arrive, en masse, at the desired establishment. A quick stop at a Circle K on the way to get plenty of refreshments—and we were off! The tractor belonged to my friend Tod’s boss. Tod had borrowed it to do some work around his place. Because his vehicle was on the fritz, he was also driving it around for local transportation. At closing time, we loaded back up (on and all over) the little tractor and brush hog attachment and headed back towards home. Needless to say, we were feeling “no pain.” I can only imagine what a sight we were, seven drunks hanging all over that thing. On the earlier trip over, experimenting taught us that if about four guys got on the brush hog and only two were on the hood of the tractor (riding it like a bull), the guys on the back could bounce up and down and give the guys on the hood a pretty good ride! That front end would come plumb off the ground with so much weight bouncing on the back! So on the way home, we decided to have a bull (tractor hood) riding contest. We took turns riding the hood in tandem while the guys on the back tried to make the little tractor bounce as crazy as they could! The only problem with this mode of fun, was that as the tractor front end bounced in the air, Tod could not steer the thing. The front tires were plumb off the ground! We were driving back roads home, obviously to avoid the law. On one narrow stretch, there happened to be a large dirt irrigation ditch to one side and a fenced pasture on the other. In a crazy moment of, “elevated tractor front end,” the guys on back all threw their weight to one side, causing the tractor to lean heavily that way. Tod could not steer and we went right through that fellow’s barbed wire fence, taking out several posts and a bunch of wire. The tractor then swerved out of control and somehow wound up on the other side of the little road—in the bot-

tom of that ditch (it was about eight-foot deep). Luckily, the water was only running about a quarter full. Needless to say, we were all soaked. Somehow everyone escaped serious injury and we were pretty lucky nobody ended up pinned beneath the tractor under water! About that time, the guy who owns the fence comes trotting out of his house, which was a couple hundred yards distant. It was around 2 AM and this guy was mad! Most everyone took off running into the darkness to avoid the trouble. I’ll have to admit, that was my first inclination as well. As I watched my friends take off running, I turned to see Tod standing there, waiting for the guy to come over. I decided to wait with my friend. When the mad farmer reached us, I’ll never forget what happened: My friend Tod stuck his hand out and said in a strong, clear voice, “Sir, I am

Tod, I live in the area, and I am very sorry about tearing up your fence. If you will let me repair it tonight, just enough so your stock does not escape, I promise you I will be back first thing after daylight and fix it so good so that you will not be able to tell we were ever here.” It must have impressed the man. It sure impressed me. Even though we were probably not very believable looking at that moment, and a drunk will say just about anything, Tod had looked that man right in the eye and was sincere about it. Even a fool could see he would do just exactly what he said. The man calmed down, agreed to the terms, and stood there while we patched that fence back together, just good enough so the animals would stay inside. We then walked the remaining few miles home. Once there, we had not slept more than about an hour when I heard Tod rustling in the oth-

Page 7 er room. Even though we were terribly hung over and did not feel well, he was headed back to do exactly what he promised that man he would do. I jumped up to give a hand. We grabbed some supplies, borrowed another neighbors four wheel drive truck and headed out. It was hot. It was humid. I felt like I wanted to lay down and die that muggy morning, but we fixed that fence like it should be. When we were finished, the man came out of his house and thanked us for keeping our word. He said others had hit his fence in the past, but very few had came back to fix it and make it right. We then pulled the little tractor out of the ditch and got it running once again. After so much hard work, we decided to treat ourselves to lunch at the auction barn cafe. While there, we saw a few of our party buddies from the night before. They could not

believe we had hung around when they scattered like quail. Then we went back and did all of that hard work on this hot and muggy morning. What were we thinking!? One of them said, “You should have just reported the tractor stolen! Nobody would have ever known the difference.” My friend Tod simply said, “I would know.” That little incident made a lasting impression on me however. On one hand, you could be like most everybody else and escape trouble with a little evasion and cunning—a little false story. On the other hand, you could be like my friend Tod. Stand up like a man. Own up to your mistakes. Look the world in the eye and do what is right—even if you do not feel like it. I am glad I stuck with Tod that night. Jim Olson ©2018 www.WesternTradingPost. com

N I E U L A V G N I S I T R E V D A ! Y T S R E T S B U E D H N T I K C O T S E V I L N R E T WES

Call Lynn Marie “LM” Rusaw for information at 505.243.9515 or email

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Page 8

Livestock Market Digest

The View

The Indelible West BY BARRY DENTON

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have heard people say that those pioneers that came west must have been a tough bunch. Then I have heard others say that pioneers were just folks that wanted something for nothing. Actually, I think there is some truth to both statements. Stop and think of the hardships that folks had to endure to get something for nothing. I would say that most that came west in the early days were gamblers. I wonder what the odds were for your survival if you came from New York to California in 1849 for the gold rush. You would spend most of the year getting to a place that you know nothing about. Think of the vast miles of wilderness that you had to cross to get there and the many pitfalls of travel in those days. One thing about it, you had to get tough or die. As time went on, life and conditions did improve in a comparative manner, but presently we have a completely new set of problems. Whoever thought that the descendants of the people that the pioneers wanted to get away from, would be coming after the descendants of those that got away. Two hundred years later the eastern elite are still angry that those pioneers came west. I mean anytime you break the mold, and prove that your life is better, the people that were afraid to break the mold, want to take that good life away from you any way they can. We as westerners that live with livestock and wildlife are constantly under attack from far left organizations that are headquartered in the east. Those folks that live over 2500 miles away want to run our lives for us. No wonder we ranchers and farmers dig our heels in when some outsider from the other side of the country wants to tell us how to live. Many of you think I am talking about Washington, D.C. They are the biggest problem we have, but there are many others that jump on the bandwagon with

them. How many of you have heard of a group called the “Friends Of Animals?” They certainly sound like a nice group now don’t they? I mean who doesn’t want to be friends with animals? I guess it just depends on which animal that you want to be friendly with. My horse and my dog think they are my friends, but this outfit goes deeper than that and their pockets are even deeper yet. This organization was started back in 1957 by Alice Herrington and its international headquarters are located in Darien, Connecticut. Let me tell you a little about Darien. It is the wealthiest municipality in the United States. The average household income there is $208,125 per year. It is 37 miles from Manhattan where most of its residents commute to work by train. Needless to say, it’s a good place to headquarter such an emotional cause as “Friends of Animals (FOA).” This organization has the funds, and is now suing the federal government over allowing Americans to go elephant hunting in Zimbabwe. Their position on hunting is that it is a crime against nature and they seek to end all of it. Their position on rodeo for instance: “The rodeo: it’s mistreatment of animals and not a valued American tradition. Rodeos are shows of dominance that often result in serious injuries to the animals, without the protection of cruelty laws.” They also have taken negative positions on circuses, bull riding, wild horses, cattle grazing and so on. My point is, that this is not the only organization of its type that is out to destroy our western way of life which encompasses all of those subjects. Believe me; people that have already destroyed their wildlife habitat in their areas are determined to dictate what you do with yours that hasn’t been destroyed in over 240 years. If you listen to their position humans only destroy other animals, they never help them unless you belong to their organization. So they have their

June 15, 2018

dinner parties and convince these other city dwellers of bad things that have happened to animals. By sheer ignorance the city dwellers donate tons of money to “right” these misrepresented “wrongs.” None of these folks ever make an effort to go and visit a western cow ranch for a month and figure out what the real problems are. For instance in an article by Nicole Rivard for FOA she states “It doesn’t matter how often I see a deer in my backyard, while hiking or simply in a meadow that I might be driving by, each time feels like the first time. I feel more alive when we lock eyes—my heart beats a little faster, and I hold my breath, not wanting to exhale the moment away.” What would she think if those same deer were overpopulated because of no hunting and they were eating her grass and flowers? Would she still be

holding her breath while chasing them away with her broom? Right now in my part of Arizona we are in a drought. Because we have several water tanks the deer here visit here regularly. When we go to the horse barn every night to do a final check on the horses you are lucky that you don’t trip over a deer on the way. In our country, if ranchers did not provide water, there would not be any deer here or left alive. I doubt Miss Rivard has ever lived among deer, knows their habits, or studies how a deer society works. There is not a day in my life when I do not see deer. I am glad to see hunters come once a year and cull the herds, but when the deer are not your nuisance, you have no clue about how it really is. Bambi is beautiful to look at, but not so easy to live with. As ranchers and westerners we have to be obdurate to put up with Mother Nature, the US

government, liberal animal organizations, and a host of others that try their best to destroy our western lifestyle. Why is it that they come after us only after they have destroyed theirs? If you know nothing positive about a rodeo how can you claim only the negative with any authority? The pioneers endured many hardships no doubt, but does life really get any easier when you have to constantly fight an outside force to maintain your lifestyle? The great Kentucky Senator Rand Paul stated recently “Our founders never intended for Americans to trust their government. Our entire constitution was predicated on the notion that government was a necessary evil to be restrained and minimized as much as possible.” Don’t ever forget that statement and you may want to think of the Weaver’s and the Bundy’s when you hear it.

REAL ESTATE GUIDE Selling residential, farm, ranch, commercial and relocating properties. COLETTA RAY

Pioneer Realty 1304 Pile Street, Clovis, NM 88101

575-799-9600 Direct 575.935.9680 Office 575.935.9680 Fax coletta@plateautel.net www.clovisrealestatesales.com

O’NEILL LAND, llc P.O. Box 145, Cimarron, NM 87714 • 575/376-2341 • Fax: 575/376-2347 land@swranches.com • www.swranches.com

WAGONMOUND RANCH, Mora/Harding Counties, NM. 4,927 +/- deeded acres, 1,336.80 +/- state lease acres, 2,617 +/- Kiowa National Grassland Lease Acres. 8,880.80 +/- Total Acres. Substantial holding with good mix of grazing land and broken country off rim onto Canadian River. Fenced into four main pastures with shipping and headquarter pasture and additional four pastures in the Kiowa lease. Modern well, storage tank and piped water system supplementing existing dirt tanks located on deeded. Located approximately 17 miles east of Wagon Mound on pavement then county road. Nice headquarters and good access to above rim. Wildlife include antelope, mule deer and some elk. $2,710,000 MIAMI HORSE HEAVEN, Colfax County, NM. Very private approx. 4,800 sq ft double walled adobe 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom home with many custom features, 77.50 +/- deeded acres with water rights and large 7 stall barn, insulated metal shop with own septic. Would suit indoor growing operation, large hay barn/equipment shed. $1,375,000.

UNDER CONTRACT

MAXWELL FARM IMPROVED, Colfax County, NM. 280 +/- deeded acres, 160 Class A irrigation shares, 2 center pivots, nice sale barn, 100 hd feedlot. Depredation Elk Tags available. Owner financing available to qualified buyer. Significantly reduced to $550,000

RATON MILLION DOLLAR VIEW, Colfax County, NM. 97.68 +/- deeded acres, 2 parcels, excellent home, big shop, wildlife, a true million dollar view at end of private road. $489,000. House & 1 parcel $375,000

SOLD

MIAMI 80 ACRES, Colfax County, NM. 80 +/- deeded acres, 80 water shares, expansive views, house, shop, roping arena, barns and outbuildings. Reduced $485,000 COLD BEER VIEW, Colfax County, NM 83.22 +/- deeded acre, 3,174 sq ft, 5 bedroom, 3 ½ bathrm, 2 car garage home situated on top of the hill with amazing 360 degree views. Reduced $398,000 MIAMI 20 ACRES, Colfax County, NM. 20 +/- deeded acres, 20 water shares, quality 2,715 sq ft adobe home, barn, grounds and trees. Private setting. This is a must see. Reduced to $375,000 FRENCH TRACT 80, Colfax County, NM irrigated farm w/ home & good outbuildings, $350,000 MAXWELL SMALL HOLDING, home with horse improvements, fenced, water rights and 19+/- deeded acres. Handy to I25 on quiet country road. $232,000.

521 West Second St., Portales, NM 88130

575-226-0671 www.buenavista-nm.com

Rural Listings with Homes & Barns in Eastern New Mexico 2638 S Rrd G, 160 ac very nice ranch setting near Causey, NM 361 S Rrd W, 38 ac w/ 3bdrm, 2 bth home 7 mi west Portales, NM 1866 NM 236, 10 ac w/4 bdrm 2 bth, barns, storage – 2 miles from town 1509 Davis Rd, very nice home, lots garage – barn space – 3 miles out 1242 NM 480, fantastic ranch home on 58 ac overlooking Portales See these and other properties at www.buenavista-nm.com

SOCORRO PLAZA REALTY On the Plaza

Donald Brown

Qualifying Broker

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

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

TEXAS & OKLA. FARMS & RANCHES • New 40 acre Nice older brick home, 3/3/2, 4 barns, excellent grass. Kaufman Co., Texas. 35 miles from Dallas Court House. $350,000.

D L O S

• 165 acres Nice spanish style house, nice barn, 3 tanks, city water. Sold at $750,000. • 270 acre Mitchell County, Texas ranch. Investors dream; excellent cash flow. Rock formation being crushed and sold; wind turbans, some minerals. Irrigation water developed, crop & cattle, modest improvements. Just off I-20. Price reduced to $1.6 million.

D L O S

• 40 acre, 2 homes, nice barn, corral, 30 miles out of Dallas. $415,000.

Joe Priest Real Estate

1-800/671-4548

joepriestre.net • joepriestre@earthlink.com

June 15, 2018

Livestock Market Digest

Page 9

Ranch Horse Questions to be Addressed at Ranch Management Symposium

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he 15th Annual Holt Cat® Symposium on Excellence in Ranch Management will bring together ranch owners, managers, and veterinarians from the most successful ranching operations to discuss the symposium topic, Horse Program Success on Working Ranches: Strategic and Operational Decision Making. Hosted by the King Ranch® Institute for Ranch Management (KRIRM), the symposium will be held in Kingsville, Texas, Oct. 18-19, 2018. A variety of topics on managing horses on a working ranch will be presented by ranch owners and managers, ranch management consultants, practicing veterinarians, and professionals in the ranching industry. These speakers will offer their expertise on how they strategically use and manage horses to support cattle operations. “The ranch horse is a mainstay of ranching operations. While at the same time, they can be expensive to manage, a challenge to keep sound, and a source of inherent safety risk,” explains KRIRM Director Clay Mathis, Ph.D. “This sym-

BAKER CITY, OREGON Andrew Bryan, Owner/Broker Office 541-523-5871 Cell 208-484-5835

andrew@bakercityrealty.com www.bakercityrealty.com

posium has been designed to address the most pressing issues regarding ranch horses for today’s ranch managers. From managing brood mares to purchasing replacement saddle horses, you will learn from the most experienced managers and industry experts on nutrition, reproduction, health, ranch economics, employee safety, and legal risks.” The event will begin with a keynote address by John Welch of Welch Cattle Company in Wolfforth, Texas. Welch, who is among the most respected ranchers in our industry, will describe the characteristics of a successful ranch horse program. Bob Kilmer of Matador Cattle Company will offer a perspective on big decisions about ranch horse safety, which will lead into a presentation by agriculture attorney James Decker about the legal risks of horseback guests, dayworkers, and children. After a break in the industry trade show, a manger panel featuring representatives from Parker Ranch in Hawaii, Singleton Ranches in New Mexico, and Sooner Cattle Company in Oklahoma will delve into horse

Bar M Real Estate

SCOTT MCNALLY www.ranchesnm.com 575/622-5867 575/420-1237 Ranch Sales & Appraisals

strategies and policies on the respective ranches. The second day of symposium will focus on nutrition, health, reproduction, and economics. Equine nutritionist Dennis Sigler, Ph.D. will present guidelines for keeping a string in working condition, and Glen Blodgett, DVM of 6666 Ranch will discuss preventive health care guidelines for mares and saddle horses. Ranch Management Consultant and Economist Stan Bevers will explain the financial implication of raising versus purchasing replacement saddle horses. King Ranch, Inc., equine veterinarian and private practitioner Ben Espy will discuss mare reproduction and the application of reproductive technology in ranch horse management. A King Ranch Demonstration and Equine Tour will conclude the symposium on the afternoon of Friday, October 19th. Attendees will travel to King Ranch (transportation provided by KRIRM) to participate in two sessions. During the first session, attendees will learn about the rich history behind the King Ranch

HeAdquArters West Ltd. ST. JOHN’S OFFICE: TRAEGEN KNIGHT

P.O. Box 1980 St. John’s, AZ 85936 www.headquarterswest.com 928/524-3740 Fax 928/563-7004 Cell 602/228-3494 info@headquarterswest.com

Filling your real estate needs in Arizona

See all my listings at: • NEW LISTING! 161 Acres, Cattle/Horses/Hunting Estate 5000 sq ft paulmcgilliard.murney.com inspired Frank Lloyd Wright designed home. 3 bed, 2 1/2 baths, full w/o Paul McGilliard finished basement, John Deere room, bonus room. This estate is set Cell: 417/839-5096 up for intensive grazing, 3 wells, 3 springs, 4 ponds, automatic waters. 1-800/743-0336 Secluded, but easy access, only 22 miles east of Springfield, off Hwy Murney Assoc., Realtors 60. MLS# 60081327 Springfield, MO 65804 • 1+ ACRE CORNER LOT IN MOUNTAIN GROVE, MISSOURI sits this charming, one owner, custom built, 3200 sq ft home, 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, formal living and dining room, gourmet kitchen, sun room, 2 fireplaces, w/o finished basement, too many amenities to list. $359,900 MLS#60102756. • NEW LISTING! 80 Acres - 60 Acres Hayable, Live Water, Location, Location! Only 8 miles west of Norwood, 3 miles east of Mansfield, 1/4 mile off Hwy 60. Well maintained 3 bed, 1 1/2 bath, 1432 sq. ft. brick/vinyl home, nestled under the trees. Full basement (partially finished), John Deere Room. This is your farm! MLS#60059808

Scott Land co.

Paul Bottari, Broker

521 West Second St. • Portales, NM 88130

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

Buena Vista Realty

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

Nevada Farms & raNch PrOPerTY www.bottarirealty.com

TURKEY TRACK RANCH – First time offering of one of the largest ranches in the southwest, comprised of over 253,000 acres to include 37,000 deeded acres. Some mineral included. PRICE REDUCED: $17,500,000 BLACK DOG RANCH – Central NM, near Corona in Lincoln County. Comprised of 314 deeded acres with nice new of remodeled improvements. Good elk, mule deer and turkey hunting. Comes with elk tags. PRICE: $565,000 PRICE: $525,000 DOUBLE L RANCH – Central NM, 10 miles west of Carrizozo, NM. 12,000 total acres; 175 AUYL, BLM Section 3 grazing permit; Water provided by 3 wells and buried pipeline. Improvements include house and pens. Price Reduced: $1,150,000 X T RANCH – Southeastern NM cattle ranch 40 miles northwest of Roswell, NM on the Chaves/Lincoln County line. Good grass ranch with gently rolling grass covered hills. 8,000 total acres, 200 AUYL grazing capacity. Partitioned into four pastures watered by 2 wells with pipelines. Call for brochure. PRICE: $1,750,000 SOUTH BROWN LAKE RANCH – Nicely improved cattle ranch located northwest of Roswell, NM. 5,735 total acres to include 960 acres deeded. 164 A.U. yearlong grazing capacity. Modern residence, bunkhouse, shop and feed barn. Three wells and buried pipeline. Excellent grass country. PRICE: $1,300,000 L-X RANCH – Southeastern NM just ten minutes from Roswell, NM with paved gated and locked access. 3,761 total acres divided into several pastures and traps. Nice improvements to include a site built adobe residence. One well with extensive pipeline system. Well suited for a registered cattle operation. Price: $900,000

About KRIRM: Formed in 2003, KRIRM is a ranch management master’s program at Texas A&M University-Kingsville created in honor of the 150th Anniversary of the legendary King Ranch. As the only ranch management master’s program in the world, KRIRM teaches graduate students using a multi-disciplinary, systems approach to ranch management, and provides the highest quality lectureships and symposia to stakeholders in the ranching

Missouri Land Sales

Bottari Realty 775/752-3040

horse program, where it stands today, and its outlook for the future. The second session will include a demonstration on lameness diagnosis and treatment by ambulatory equine veterinarians Ben Espy and Kurt Heite. Registration is $150, which includes admission to the industry trade show during symposium and a steak dinner on Thursday, October 18th during which the Texas Farm Credit Certificate in Advanced Ranch Management awards are presented. A special address will be made by American Quarter Horse Association President Jim Heird, Ph.D. For more information about symposium, to download the agenda, and to register, visit krirm.tamuk.edu/symposium or call 361-5935401. Space for this event is limited.

Ranch & Farm Real Estate

1301 Front Street, Dimmitt, TX 79027 Ben G. Scott - Broker Krystal M. Nelson - NM Qualifying Broker 800-933-9698 • 5:00am/10:00pm www.scottlandcompany.com

WE NEED LISTINGS ON ALL TYPES OF ■ OPPORTUNITY TO OWN A PIECE OF AN AG PROPERTIES LARGE OR SMALL! OLD WEST RANCH – Guadalupe Co., NM - There

■

UNION CO., NM – 800 ac. of choice grassland – no cattle in 3 yrs., on pvmt., please call for details! ■ GRASSLAND W/STRONG WATER POTENTIAL – Union Co., NM - approx. 927.45 ac. +/-, on pvmt., organic poss. ■ ARROYO LARGO – 22,850 ac. +/- located in Lincoln, Chaves & DeBaca Counties, NM, well improved w/two homes, working pens & fences, well-watered by wells & pipelines, open rolling country w/numerous draws & arroyos provide for year-round cow/calf operation or seasonal yearling operation. ■ MALPAIS OF NM – Lincoln/Socorro Counties, 37.65 sections +/- (13,322 ac. +/- Deeded, 8,457 ac. +/- BLM Lease, 2,320 ac. +/- state Lease) good, useable improvements & water, some irrigation w/2 pivot sprinklers, on pvmt., all-weather road. ■ WEST CLOVIS HWY. 60 – 1,536.92 ac. +/- of grassland w/two mi. of hwy. frontage on Hwy. 60, ½ mi. of frontage on Hwy. 224, 3 mi. of frontage on south side of Curry Rd. 12, watered by one well at the pens piped to both pastures. ■ SOUTH CONCHAS RANCH – San Miguel Co., NM - 9,135 ac. +/- (6,670 +/- deeded, 320 +/BLM, 40 +/- State Lease, 2,106 +/-“FREE USE”) well improved, just off pvmt. on co. road., two neighboring ranches may be added for additional acreage! ■ OTERO CO., NM – 120 scenic ac. +/- on the Rio Penasco is surrounded by Lincoln National Forest lands covered in Pines & opening up to a grass covered meadow along 3,300 feet +/- of the Rio Penasco. This property is an ideal location to build a legacy mountain getaway home. ■ GREAT STARTER RANCH – Quay Co., NM – well improved & watered, 2,400 ac. +/-deeded, 80 ac. +/- State Lease, excellent access from I-40.

are multiple owners of the Frontier Ranch consisting of their individual, undivided ownership of 6,423.45 ac. +/- w/undivided ownership ranging from 38 ac. +/- & greater. You may buy undivided interest in this ranch at your discretion, improvements are average for the area, this is good country suitable for a year-round cow/calf or summer yearling grazing, located in close proximity to the Grey Fox Ranch for addtl. acreage. ■ GREY FOX RANCH – Guadalupe Co., NM – 2,919.85 ac. +/- of deeded land, all native grass, located in close proximity to the Frontier Ranch for addtl. grazing. ■ ALFALFA & LIVESTOCK – Tucumcari, NM 255.474 ac. +/-, state-of-the-art huge hay barn & shop (immaculate), steel pens, Arch Hurley Water Rights, two nearly new sprinklers, alfalfa established. ■ QUAIL HAVEN – along w/deer, turkey, antelope & other wildlife – Borden Co., TX., 1,672.8 +/- ac., well located near Gail/Snyder, Texas on pvmt. & allweather road, well improved. ■ DEER, QUAIL & OTHER WILDLIFE – 779 ac. +/- – Borden Co., TX. – adjoins the Quail Haven ranch on the north for addtl. acres or can be bought separately, well fenced & watered w/a good set of pens, on large, all-weather, caliche road. ■ HALL CO., TX – 445 ac. +/- dryland farm, excellent hunting! ■ SPRING CREEK & LAKE – Hall Co,. TX. – 290 ac. +/-, improved grass, year-round live water, 8 ac. +/- lake, excellent hunting w/Mule & Whitetail deer, quail, turkey, migratory birds, varmints, good fences. ■ EASTERN CASTRO CO., TX – 2,085 +/- ac., Prime property for stocker or cow/calf operation w/irrigated, dryland & native grass. Improvements: good cattle pens, nice two-story home, etc.

Please view our website for details on these properties, choice TX, NM, CO ranches (large & small), choice ranches in the high rainfall areas of OK, irr./dryland/CRP & commercial properties. We need your listings on any types of ag properties in TX, NM, OK & CO.

For Real Estate and Classified Advertising Please Call 505/243-9515

Page 10

Livestock Market Digest

CLASSIFIEDS

In Memoriam Diane Adele Shaw Knipe

KADDATZ

Auctioneering and Farm Equipment Sales

January 5, 1936 - May 15, 2018

New and used tractors, equipment, and parts. Salvage yard, combines, tractors, hay equipment and all types of equipment parts. ORDER PARTS ONLINE.

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Bradley 3 Ranch Ltd. www.bradley3ranch.com

Annual Bull Sale: February 10, 2018

at the Ranch NE of Estelline, TX Ranch-Raised ANGUS Bulls for Ranchers Since 1955

M.L. Bradley 806/888-1062 Fax: 806/888-1010 • Cell: 940/585-6471

BEEFMASTER

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Registered Polled Herefords Bulls & Heifers

FOR SALE AT THE FARM

Cañones Route P.O. Abiquiu, N.M. 87510 MANUEL SALAZAR P.O. Box 867 Española, N.M. 87532

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RED ANGUS

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

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CORRIENTE

BRANGUS For Advertising Contact:

Lynn Marie Rusaw

R.L. Robbs 520/384-3654

Office: 505-243-9515 Email:

4995 Arzberger Rd. Willcox, Arizona 85643 Willcox, AZ

June 15, 2018

AAALivestockMarket Digest@gmail.com

ur beautiful mother, sister, partner, grandmother and friend passed away on May 15th at the age of 82. She was born at the original St. Alphonsus Hospital on January 5, 1936, to Dr. Manley Bradford Shaw and Lexola Paine Shaw. She was proud mother to Bradford (Amanda), Quentin (Catherine) and John (Janey) Knipe, and loving stepmother to Karen (Bill) Eccles, Kathleen (Jim) Shrosbree, Kelly (Tim) Walton, Trey Knipe and Curtis A. Knipe. She was surrounded by her family throughout her life. As a young child, she and the Shaw family lived within a block of both hospitals in order to meet the demands of her father’s orthopedic practice. Growing up in the east end, she was just as likely to be found in a tree as playing with dolls. As it was the early years of WWII, her main after-school activities were “commandos,” and ball sports of any kind, usually on the coat-tails of her main companion, her older brother, Bradford Shaw. Following Dr. Shaw’s return to Boise after the war, Diane cherished the summers the family spent on the Payette Lakes and at the family cabin in McCall. While attending Boise High School, she developed a passion for skiing and skied competitively for the Bogus Basin Ski Team. During high school she served as an ROTC sponsor. Diane graduated from Boise High School in 1953, and in 1957, obtained her B.A. in Education at the University of Colorado, Boulder. While completing her first year of teaching in Stratford, Connecticut, she received a scholarship to study at the University of California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco, where she later received a BFA Degree in 1960. Diane married Dr. William B. Knipe, Jr., in November 1960. To this union were born three sons: Bradford Taylor, 1961, Quentin Manley, 1964, and John Patrick, 1968. After marriage, Diane, Bill and her father formed Knipe-Shaw Ranches, an agricultural partnership, and purchased a 20,000 acre ranching operation in the Jerusalem Valley above Gardena, Idaho, north of Boise. After returning to Boise in 1970, Diane taught at Lowell Elementary before joining her husband in the real estate field. The historic farm and ranch real estate firm they purchased evolved into what is now Knipe Land Company. The farm and ranch real estate firm first opened its doors in Idaho in 1944 and grew to over 13 Western States with over 200 residential, ranch and farm associates developing, marketing and selling some of the largest

properties in Idaho and in the West, including the largest contiguous cattle ranch in the United States. Diane Knipe’s youngest son, John Knipe, serves as President, and continues the operation today, marketing an available inventory of over 100 ranches and farms over 5 states across the Northwest. In 1990, Diane returned to school, and earned her MS degree in Performance Technology from Boise State University College of Engineering. During this period, she was employed by the Idaho State Legislature. Following her husband’s death in 1996, Knipe Land Co. remains family owned, but she personally specialized in commercial real estate and property management. At the University of Colorado, Diane was a member of Delta Gamma sorority. Through her later memberships in the Boise Junior League and St. Alphonsus Auxiliary, she devoted many volunteer hours to the Boise community. She enjoyed all sports, and, in mid-life, took up the game of tennis. She was stubbornly dedicated to improving her tennis, though it frequently tested her sense of humor. Diane discovered a new passion with the arrival of her grandchildren: Gracey, Abigail, Mia, Taylor, Ella and Lexie. The arrival of the twins, Abby and Mia, spawned her retirement in 2006. Nothing gave her more pleasure than her time with the grandchildren. She felt it was they who gave life its greatest meaning. Diane is survived by her three sons, her four surviving stepchildren, six grandchildren, nine step-grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her beloved brother Bradford Paine Shaw (Camille), her long-time companion, Dar Walters, nephew, Christopher Shaw, and three nieces: Brooke (Randy) Cooley, Elke Shaw (Geoff) Tulloch, and Erin McCarter. She was pre-deceased by her parents, her husband, William B. Knipe, Jr., and her stepson William B. (Trey) Knipe, III. In lieu of flowers, donations to St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital or the Downtown Boise YMCA in her memory would be appreciated. The family would like to thank the teams at St. Luke’s Health System, as well as the caregivers at The Terraces, for their kind and professional support of the family and Diane’s health and dignity. The family invites her friends, coworkers, schoolmates or any who may wish to attend or share a story about Diane to a celebration of her life. The event will be held Saturday, June 9th from 2pm – 5pm at the Stonehouse on the Boise River in Boise, Idaho.

Millennials Drive Rise in Fresh-Meat Buying: Study BY SUSAN KELLY / MEATINGPLACE.COM

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hoppers are buying more fresh meat compared with a year ago, led by Millennials, who are purchasing more than all other generations combined, according to astudy by Acosta, a sales and marketing firm in the consumer packaged goods industry. Overall, 18 percent of shoppers are buying more fresh meat versus last year, while 12 percent are buying less, mainly due to price and striving to eat healthier, the report said. Beef and chicken dominate, making up

70 percent of all fresh meat sold. The study also found sales of natural/organic meat are outpacing conventional options. Among Millennials, purchases of fresh meat surged, up 41 percent from a year ago. Eighty-one percent of Millennials, 74 percent of Gen X and 66 percent of Boomers said protein content is extremely or very influential when making grocery store purchases. The study showed the generations view protein differently, with older consumers more concerned with the health benefits of protein, and younger generations caring about exercise recovery and feel-

ing full. “Our research shows that protein continues to be a mainstay in shopping baskets, but the kind of proteins shoppers are buying is evolving,” Colin Stewart, senior vice president for insights at Acosta, said in a press release. “Plant-based meat alternative sales are booming and popular with vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. Another trend we’re seeing with protein is that shoppers are paying more attention to labels and product claims, but are overwhelmed and confused about what they mean.” continued on page eleven

June 15, 2018

Livestock Market Digest

Page 11

Enviro Activitsts: Prosecute Addicental Harm to Endangered Species Two convicts are in a prison common room, and one asks the other, “Watcha in for?” “Driving over a frog.”

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uch a seemingly innocent activity, along with building a house or hiking up a trail, could result in jail time if a lawsuit by the environmental group WildEarth Guardians succeeds, according to an opposition brief filed with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. WildEarth contends someone doesn’t have to be aware of the Endangered Species Act or intend to violate it to be convicted, fined and jailed under the law. In the brief, the Pacific Legal Foundation attorney Jonathan Wood warns that WildEarth’s interpretation of the law could lead to extreme outcomes. “Approximately 1,500 species are listed under the statute, including dozens of birds, rodents, and insects. It is likely that no single person could correctly identify all of them, and a certainty that most people would struggle to identify more than a handful,” the brief points out. “Many may recognize the polar bear or manatee but would be hard pressed to know what distinguishes the Delhi sands flower-loving fly from any other fly, the bone cave harvestman from any other spider, or the dusky gopher frog from any other frog,” Wood writes.

“Yet WildEarth Guardians’ interpretation would mean that people could be imprisoned for their understandable ignorance of the differences between these obscure species, if they should accidentally take one of them.” One could, for example, unknowingly disturb a protected spider through a home construction project, come too close to a protected bird while hiking down a trail or unknowingly drive over a protected frog or some other species while driving down a road at night. Wood says WildEarth Guardians “apparently dreams of a world in which people can be thrown in federal prison if they accidentally hit the wrong rodent scurrying across a dark highway, disturb the wrong insect while building a tree house, or even get too close to the wrong bird while hiking.” The Justice Department’s interpretation of the federal law is that a defendant must know the identity of the species their actions affect “before they can be criminally punished.” But the Guardians “argue this interpretation is too protective of criminal defendants and would require federal prosecutors to bring criminal charges when someone accidentally runs afoul of the Endangered Species Act’s take prohibition, regardless of whether they knew their actions affect a particular species,” Wood writes. Wood recently explained in

a report for the Property and Environment Research Center the impact of prosecuting every “take” offense. “When you hear the term ‘take,’ you probably think of activities that kill or harm wildlife. But the statute defines it far more broadly. Catching a protected species without a federal

“A Defendant must know the identity of the species their actions affect before they can be criminally punished.” permit or getting too close to one is considered take. The statute has also been interpreted by the Fish and Wildlife Service to include ‘incidental take’ – actions that unintentionally affect species – including land use activities that adversely modify habitat, such as building homes, farming, or harvesting timber. Take is defined so broadly that it can even include activities intended to help species.” That’s why the government requires “knowledge” before a prosecution. “Without it, almost anything you do could land you in jail, if done at the wrong place at the

wrong time. That’s particularly true in light of the long list of obscure species covered by the act,” he explained. The federal statute includes the specific requirement “knowingly” for an action to be deemed an offense. “As sympathetic as WildEarth Guardians’ policy concerns are, they don’t justify eliminating key protections against the abuse of the criminal law,” he wrote. In his court brief, he writes that by “expressly limiting criminal prosecutions under the Endangered Species Act to ‘knowing’ violations, Congress removed all doubt about the required mental state.” “The statute requires prosecutors prove knowledge of each fact constituting the offense, just as the Department of Justice has interpreted it for decades,” he says. “WildEarth Guardians fail to identify any indication that Congress intended a different result.” WildEarth Guardians has gone to court dozens of times against widely differing uses of public land, from grazing leases to hiking. The current dispute is over incidents in which a hunter kills a protected species, such as the Mexican wolf, without knowing it was a Mexican wolf. Judge David Bury of the Arizona District Court ruled for WildEarth Guardians in the case that arose in 2015. That

decision essentially struck down the federal government’s McKittrick Policy, which counsels the Department of Justice not to prosecute unless it can prove an offender “knowingly” killed a protected species. Bury claimed the law doesn’t require demonstrating that a suspect knew that killing a frog, fly or lizard was illegal. The brief warns that if such a precedent is affirmed, hunters, builders, hikers and others would be required to identify the approximately 1,500 species protected by the ESA. “Under the Endangered Species Act, it is a crime to ‘knowingly violate’ the statute’s prohibition against the ‘take’ of any endangered species … this prohibition applies to a wide range of apparently innocent conduct, including jogging, driving, fishing, hunting and a host of common land-use activities, if performed in the wrong place at the wrong time.” The question in the case, the brief says, is “whether a person can be criminally punished – with imprisonment, a six-figure criminal fine, and other penalties – if she did not know that her seemingly innocent actions would result in take, or did not know the identity of the species that would be taken.” “Under Supreme Court precedent, the answer is a resounding ‘no.’” Source: www.wnd.com

12 Year Sentence Handed Down in 2016 Cattle Theft

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eremie Del Ral Ford, 30, was sentenced in late May following his conviction earlier in May on charges of theft of livestock. The charges were the result of an investigation led by Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) Special Ranger Larry Hand. Hand was assisted in the investigation by TSCRA Special Ranger Jimmy Dickson as well as the Smith County Sheriff’s Office. The saga began in October 2016, when three cows were reported stolen from a ranch in eastern Smith County. TSCRA Special Rangers quickly located two of the stolen animals, which had been sold at a local livestock auction. The seller was identified as Ford. Hand also recovered a feed sack at the crime scene that he traced to an Arp, Texas feed store. The feed store was able to provide an invoice that further linked Ford to the

crime. It was also noted that Ford had only purchased equine feed and supplies from the store prior to purchasing the one unique bag of cattle feed shortly before the theft. It is believed he used the feed to entice the cattle and facilitate their removal from the pasture. With substantial evidence connecting Ford to the theft, a felony arrest warrant was issued by a Smith County judge. Ford was arrested by the Kilgore Police Department on Feb. 24, 2017 and later transferred to the Smith County Jail where he was arraigned on March 2, 2017. Ford was subsequently convicted of theft of livestock less than $150,000 by a Smith County jury on May 3, 2018. He remained in custody on a $300,000 bond until today’s sentencing. Today, Judge Kerry L. Russell handed down a sentence of 12 years in prison and more

STUDY Among the findings: Plantbased meat alternatives grew 11 percent in units year over year, and 71 percent of shoppers who purchase plant-based meat alternatives also eat meat. Meat eaters, especially Mil-

than $4,000 in restitution to the victims. The punishment was enhanced to a second-degree felony due to Ford’s prior felony convictions. Ford was remanded to the custody of the Texas Department of Corrections and will receive credit for time served. “I am extremely grateful for the commitment and dedication of local law enforcement, the skillful presentation of evidence by the felony prosecutors and all those responsible for bringing this case to a close, including the state’s witnesses and jurors,” said Hand. “The sentence handed down today sends a clear message to the bad guys that cattle theft will not be tolerated by this community.” Hand added that one or two additional suspects are believed to be involved with theft, but authorities have not yet obtained enough evidence to bring charges. Anyone with informacontinued from page ten

lennials, are interested in alternative diets that are either less focused on meats or do not contain meat all together. Twenty-six percent of Millennials are already vegetarian/vegan, and 34 percent of meat-eating Millenni-

als eat four or more vegetarian dinners each week. Millennials ranked the highest for label confusion, with 58 percent having some level of confusion. Gen X is the most informed generation of shoppers.

tion that could aid in further convictions is urged to call the TSCRA Operation Cow Thief hotline at (888) 830-2333 or Special Ranger Larry Hand at (903) 592-5252. All information is kept confidential and tips may be provided anonymously. On behalf of all cattle raisers, TSCRA would like to thank Special Ranger Larry Hand,

Special Ranger Jimmy Dickson, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, Kilgore Police Department, Smith County District Attorney’s Office, especially prosecutors Richard Vance and Heath Chamness, Judge Kerry L. Russell and all those in the community that came forward to provide valuable evidence.

Page 12

Zinke pivots, but in what direction? Heinrich runs roughshod over two counties, and ESA data is terribly flawed

Zinke’s pivot(s)

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n May 16, Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke met with 25 different environmental and sportsmen’s group at the Department of Interior. The subject was reorganization of the Department of Interior. According to E&E news, Zinke announced several times during the meeting that he was going to make a “grand pivot” towards conservation. An official with Trout Unlimited, Steve Moyer, said Zinke used the term “grand pivot” several times to indicate a change of focus away from energy development and toward conservation is planned at Interior over the next few years. Moyer added, “I was glad to hear of a change of direction from Mr. Zinke.” Please note Zinke’s choice of words. This is not just a change, or even a plain old pivot, but a “grand” pivot. I’m afraid many of us will not find this to be so grand.

Livestock Market Digest

Several days later, Zinke was in Fort Peck, Montana to meet with farmers and ranchers. MTN News reports that Zinke told the group, “This next year, we’re going to do a grand pivot. And the pivot is, the energy sector is fine. The grand pivot is reorganization.” So which is it: A grand pivot towards conservation, or a grand pivot towards reorganization? Perhaps they are one and the same. Environmental groups have been pushing ecosystem management for years, ignoring state and county jurisdictions. Unfortunately, that appears to be the direction Zinke is headed with his reorganization. About that pivot: If this was basketball, I would blow the whistle and call “walking” on Zinke. And if he keeps committing this infraction, the coach should pull him out of game. Heinrich vs. Otero County Senator Martin Heinrich has introduced legislation to change the status of the White Sands National Monument to that of a national park. “This is a place that, between its geologic features, the unique biology that exists here, the enormous cultural history that goes back well over 10,000 years, really deserves recognition as a national park.”, said Heinrich, This is being pursued in spite of the opposition of the Otero County Commission who finds

the status change unnecessary and about which they have many unanswered questions. In addition, the Dona Ana County Commission has rescinded their previous support for the proposal. In a letter to Heinrich the Otero County Commission wrote, “We do not support changing White Sands National Monument into a national park. The chief argument in favor of the change is that it will increase the number of visitors. Yet the White Sands are already the most visited of the twelve National Park Service sites in New Mexico, more visitors than Carlsbad Caverns National Park.” In other words, why change the status to national park when the White Sands National Monument already receives more visitors than any national park in New Mexico? The letter goes on to cite figures showing the change in status “is no guarantee of popularity.” Supporters of the proposal refer to a study by Headwaters Economics that claims a change in status will bring more visitors, cause up to $7.5 million in new spending and create over a hundred jobs. Anyone who follows this issue knows Headwaters Economics has never found a piece of federal land that wasn’t a positive benefit to the community, and the more restrictive the federal designation the more they like it. The Otero County Commission is having none of this. Their letter states: “Besides its distance from and unfamiliarity with Otero County and its people, funding for Headquarters comes almost exclusively from federal agencies and environmental organizations whose goals are anything but nonpartisan. In fact, the first sources of funding listed on the Headwaters website are the Bu-

June 15, 2018 reau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service. There is something amiss when federal tax dollars are routed through a charity to produce a report that is used to lobby that same federal government.” The Commission’s letter thoroughly and in detail attacks the methodology utilized by Headwaters and says, “There are serious questions about the methodology and biases of the Headwaters report and we think it has little value in evaluating future visitation to White Sands.” What a pleasure it is to see someone expose the reality of these federally funded “studies”. The Commission also has concerns about how a change in status may affect the management of White Sands. One example is the film industry. After listing the many movies that have been filmed at White Sands, the Commission says, “We are concerned that the change in status will affect filmmaking here either from higher fees or increased regulation.” The Commission also expresses disappointment in how Senator Heinrich has made “end-runs” around the two County Commissions who oppose the bill and how the Senator announced the introduction of the bill in Las Cruces, instead of Alamogordo, and no members of the “democratically elected representatives of Otero County” were invited to this “meeting of community leaders.” Flawed ESA data If you lived in a community around Lake Erie, you were told to not mow your lawn unless the temperature was right and your grass was a certain height. Your pets should be kept indoors and forget about using weed killer. Why? Because there might be snakes in the area protected by

the Endangered Species Act. Rob Gordon, a senior research fellow with The Heritage Foundation, discovered the situation while researching the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 1999 decision to list the Lake Erie water snake. According to Gordon, the Fish and Wildlife Service estimated the population of that particular water snake to be somewhere between 1,530 and 2,030 at the time. But just a few years later, the agency revised it to 5,690. Gordon says the federal agency either made a “substantial underestimation” of the species or the snake underwent “a truly miraculous population growth rate”. In his research paper, Correcting Falsely “Recovered” and Wrongly Listed Species and Increasing Accountability and Transparency in the Endangered Species Program, Gordon found that half of those species that were listed as recovered, should never have been listed in the first place. If you think the cost of all this is born solely by the landowners, you should think again. The general taxpayer is also on the hook. According to Gordon’s paper, the Fish and Wildlife Service reported in 2014 that the “median cost for preparing and publishing a 90-day finding is $39,276; for a 12-month finding, $100,690; for a proposed rule with critical habitat, $345,000; and for a final listing rule with critical habitat, $305,000.” How’s that for federally funded fiction. And, oh yes, the feds delisted that snake in 2011. Until next time, be a nuisance to the devil and don’t forget to check that cinch. Frank DuBois was the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003, is the author of a blog: The Westerner (www.thewesterner.blogspot. com) and is the founder of The DuBois Rodeo Scholarship and The DuBois Western Heritage Foundation

Mental Health & Agriculture: The Bigger Picture BY CHRIS BAYLOR WWW.AGDAILY.COM

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ay was mental health awareness month, and it’s something that hits close to home. I’ve consistently struggled with anxiety and depression as a direct result of uncontrollable fear and stress. My heart continually goes out to the men and women of the farming industry who share this obstacle. Farming has one of the highest suicide rates of any professional industry. I’ve interacted with many farmers over the past six years, some I am more closely than others. I love agriculture, primarily because it has some of the most genuine people I have ever met. I have so much respect for the men, women, and children who put blood, sweat, and tears day in and day out to help feed the world. They are a rare breed. However ru-

ral America and farmers are often not exposed to mental health services. It’s also a profession that mixes home, life, and work together often. Isolation has also become more common as machines and technology have adapted and improved. They are spending more and more time alone in their machines, which lets the mind run wild. Farmers also are often the type of people who like to keep to themselves — over time you can get to be your own worst enemy. While no one I have been exposed to has passed away, I remember recently reading an article about a farmer who decided to end his life. My heart broke for this man and his family. However, I immediately thought about how he must have felt. Production agriculture is a tough, tough business. So many things are out of your control. Weather, market prices, equipment breakdowns,

animal illness, wild fires … the list goes on. Farmers also have a sense of pride and identity in their communities, and farm can seem to be the only possible way of life. This is something I know affects people with high anxiety and/or depression in a negative way. Some of the common symptoms of anxiety and depression, two of the biggest mental health illnesses out there today, are: uncontrollable thoughts, stress that is out of proportion to the event, fear, sense of impending doom, racing heartbeat, hopelessness, guilt, loss of interest or pleasure in activities, and social isolation, among many others. Can you imagine dealing with all of this on top of trying to maintain your farm on a daily basis? The pain and struggle has to be unimaginable for these people, but the amazing thing is there is hope and healthy ways to manage your mental health and get back to a normal life,

even in rural America. A lot of people see mental health as an illness, not a form of health maintenance just like working out. While the stigma surrounding it has indeed improved, it is still difficult for many people to admit they can’t shake it on their own. For me, that was without a doubt the hardest thing I ever had to do. Asking for help as a young male just didn’t seem right. It took me a long time to realize my ego was my biggest enemy. Once I asked for help my life improved. Whether you tell a friend, a loved one, or a doctor, you are not weak. You are simply asking to improve your quality of life. For rural America it can be harder to reach out, but it is possible. Find a relationship with something bigger than yourself — for me it has been God. Any time I have an issue out of my control, I simply try and turn it over to him. That effort has helped immensely.

I have found things I am passionate for outside of working and have immersed myself in them whenever I have free time, these hobbies have allowed me to get out of my own head. It just so happens that one of those hobbies is writing. There are several states that have implemented a service for their farmers — whether it involves seeing a traveling therapist, getting some help on a defaulted loan, or even getting some support for the business, the times are slowly changing for rural Americans and mental health. One thing is for certain: as long as I breathe, I will always be there for anyone who needs it. So, if you are struggling with mental health and don’t see a way out, you are, without a doubt, not alone. Don’t give up, don’t ever give up. You have a purpose in life, whether it is hard to see or not. It is OK to not be OK. Realizing that saved my life.

June 15, 2018

Livestock Market Digest

Page 13

NSIP Launches Certification Program

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n 1986, the National Sheep Improvement Program, secure in the knowledge that quantitative genetic selection works, began its efforts to collect pedigree and performance data and create a database of Estimated Breeding Values. Other segments of the livestock industry, such as beef and swine, had proven the theory and approach. Yet, only a small number of early adopter seedstock producers subscribed to the program. Others relied on their own in-house systems of genetic tracking. Others, still, resorted to visual assessment of desired breeding stock. That changed in 2013 when the Sheep Industry Roadmap identified quantitative genetic selection as a priority and the push to bring the entire industry on board began. With funding from ASI, the American Lamb Board and the Let’s Grow Initiative, NSIP began in earnest to spread its message and method, and producers – both seedstock and commercial - began to see results. “The main breeds that have used the technology effectively have made considerable commercially relevant progress,” says NSIP Program Director Rusty Burgett, citing 10 years of data from NSIP-adopting breeds to prove the point. Over the last decade, the Polypay breed has increased total weight of lambs weaned per ewe by 10 pounds. The Suffolk breed has increased market weight by five pounds, while increasing loin eye area and decreasing fat. The Targhee breed has increased total weight of lamb and wool produced per ewe by 10 pounds, while maintaining wool quality. And the Katahdin breed has increased total weight of lambs weaned per ewe by more than six pounds, while increasing internal parasite resistance.

To easily identify sheep qualifying for the Certification Program, NSIP is working to develop logos like this prototype for maternal sires. In addition, a 2016 study conducted in Utah by the Leading Edge Sheep Production Group, proved NSIP-sired lambs weighed an average of 3 lbs. per lamb more at market than those in the non-NSIP control group. “Enhancing the genetic potential of an animal is the foundation for improvement in productivity,” says Burgett. “We want to help create market demand by improving lamb and wool consistency, quality and quantity.” That includes using terminal sires selected for carcass merit to produce lambs with specific product characteristics like lean meat at an accelerated rate of gain and maternal sires to raise those lambs and shear a premium wool clip. “It also means improving industry collaboration by aligning seedstock providers with the needs of commercial producers and lamb feeders to assure all lambs entering the production chain have the genetic potential to produce a high-quality product, thus helping all segments

achieve a common goal,” he adds. To facilitate that goal, Burgett says NSIP is ready for the next step – a certification program that will allow all segments of the industry, up and down the line, to have increased confidence when purchasing feeder and market animals bred based on NSIP Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs). The Certified NSIP Lamb Sires, Certified NSIP Maternal Sires, and Certified NSIP Fine Wool Sires programs are the result of a needs assessment study conducted by Demeter Communications, also funded by the American Lamb Board. The certification program’s main focus is to improve utilization of EBVs in the commercial sector, and then pass those benefits onto feeders and packers. “The designation offers commercial producers an additional marketing strategy for their feeder lambs, as well as added confidence when purchasing breeding stock with the ability to increase their productivity,” says Burgett. This first of its kind initiative for NSIP includes a logo to help producers readily identify animals bred with EBVs. “This logo will tell seedstock, market lamb, and wool buyers that these animals were bred with performance in mind,” says Burgett. “It’s a quick, visual credential that helps all segments of the industry know this animal meets the certification quality criteria.” NSIP’s plan also includes an educational component. Information will be presented to commercial producers, followed with heavy educational emphasis to feeders and packers. Burgett says based on previous participation in workshops and training sessions, NSIP plans to reach around 400 commercially oriented producers with the message. Members of the Fine Wool Consor-

Missouri Legislature Passes Bill Defining Meat BY SUSAN KELLY MEATINGPLACE.COM

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issouri state senators in mid-May passed legislation that prohibits a product not derived from harvested livestock to be marketed as meat. The state will become the first to enact a rule addressing the issue, if the bill, sponsored by Missouri Senator Brian Munzlinger, is signed into law. The state’s House has already passed a version of the bill. Missouri Cattlemen’s Association (MCA) Executive Vice President Mike Deering said he expects other states to follow with similar legislation. “This isn’t a Missouri issue. This is about protecting the integrity of the products that farm and ranch families throughout the country work hard to raise each and every day,” Deering said in a statement. “I never imagined we would be fighting over what is and isn’t meat. It seems silly. However, this is very real and I cannot stress enough the importance of this issue. We are beyond pleased to see this priority legislation cross the finish line.” Missouri’s state-level action

comes as the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the National Farmers Union (NFU) call on USDA to establish labeling requirements that better inform consumers about the difference between products that come from food animals and those that were created in a laboratory. Earlier this year, the United States Cattlemen’s Association

1-866-838-3647

(USCA) petitioned USDA on the issue relative to beef. “This legislation does not stifle technology, but it does ensure the integrity of our meat supply and reduces consumer confusion. We must ensure that those products do not mislead consumers into thinking those products are actually meat produced by farm and ranch families,” said Deering.

Our turn to serve

tium and the Leading Edge Production Group will also be trained in program details to help spread the information to their customers and others throughout the industry. “Our goal with this, as with all our efforts, is to increase productivity and profitability throughout the sheep industry,” says Burgett. “Reaching that goal starts with using the best genetics possible. This will help producers identify those genetics and utilize them in their operations for maximum results.”

NSIP Certification Levels Certified NSIP- Lamb Sires Terminal sires ranking in the top 50% for Carcass Plus index --Top 30% for WWT and PWWT Certified NSIP-Maternal Sires Range breeds ranking in the top 50% for US Range or US Maternal index --Top 60% for wool traits --Top 30% for NLB and MWWT Certified NSIP- Fine Wool Sires Sires ranking in the top 50% for US Range --Top 30% for at least one of YGFW, YFD and YSL Certified NSIP- Stud Genetics Animals designated as stud prospects Rank in top 15% for respective index Rank in top 10% for at least 1 trait

STEPHENVILLE HORSE SALE DATES Friday of Every Month * First * Tack Sale Begins at 6:00 P.M. - Horses Follow

SALE DATES July 6 August 3 September 7 October 5 November 2 December 7

Day of Sale Unloading Opens @ 8:30 A.M. Thursday Night Unloading from 6:00-9:00 P.M., Prior to Sale

Troy: 254/967-1950 Barn: 254/968-4844 Stephenville Cattle Co. Highway 281 North, Stephenville, TX

2018 SALE DATES January 4 February 1 March 1

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Livestock Market Digest

June 15, 2018

Follow the Money – Who Should Contribute the Most to Beef Promotion? BY MACK GRAVES MEATINGPLACE.COM

(The views and opinions expressed in this article are strictly those of the author.)

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he disparity among the various beef profit centers’ margins belies an essential truth—those who make the most money don’t always contribute their fair share to beef’s promotion. To support this, let’s review some basic facts (Source: USDA, ERS, Meat Price Spreads): The spread between various sectors in the beef industry: • From 1989 to 2017, the ranch to wholesale gross margin increased 75.2 percent; the wholesale to retail gross margin increased 85.2 percent; and the average retail value increased 115.4 percent.

• The farm percentage of the retail value in 1989 was 9.1 percent and 8.8 percent in 2017. • The Beef checkoff begun in 1989, mandates that every time a live animal changes hands, $1.00 is paid and goes into a fund that is used for promotion and research among other things to help sell more beef. With little to no beef promotion other than that which was check off funded, it could be argued that this beef marketing burden has been borne inordinately by the contributors to the checkoff—cattle producers. The retailer promotes beef with their weekly specials and other spot promotion activities. However, with little processor/ wholesaler/retailer beef branding, beef promotion, like the former checkoff-funded advertising campaign, is purely ge-

neric in nature. There is little product differentiation. So I ask you, shouldn’t those who reap the greatest reward, contribute the most in helping to increase the sales of that item? On its surface, that would seem to be a logical conclusion. Or better yet, shouldn’t they all work together to spur beef sales? Well, maybe that was the purpose of the beef checkoff. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite work out that way. There is no question that the costs associated with each of the beef selling entities, i.e. rancher/farmer, wholesaler or retailer, are different. The difference boils down to the cost of the inputs—labor, land, raw material, infrastructure, etc. The problem with this comparison is the time value of money. You put a bull with a cow and you get a steak

23 months later. That’s a long time to have your capital tied up. The processor has large investments in plant and equipment that must be amortized and paid off. The retailer has a large investment in labor just to keep the doors of the store open. However, I would argue that with retail meat case margins approaching 35 percent to 40 percent, compared to the rancher/farmer margins of less than 20 percent, there is room for more marketing spending on those closest to the consumer—the retailer. And the facts seem to bear this out. But these increases don’t really matter if the selling price for any of the participants doesn’t result in a profit. And it seldom does for each of the “island” beef production value

chain entities, each year. The facts remain that the rancher/farmer makes the smallest margins and the retailer makes the most. The rancher is forced to contribute to a promotion fund that is mandated by the USDA. The retailer is forced by the need to move the meat and that may not always translate into the most efficacious marketing program. If we want more beef sales, we are going to have to appeal to the consumer more directly and more often. And, that is going to take money. Lots of it. But, who is going to pay for it? Can we improve beef promotion and sales by having those closest to the consumer contribute more to the effort or do we accept the continuing downward trend in beef consumption and level beef demand?

EHM Confirmed in Montgomery County Horse biosecurity measures. Prior to confirmation, the positive horse attended barrel racing events at the Oklahoma City Fair Grounds on April 28-30 and Williamson County Expo Center in Taylor, Texas, on May 5. TAHC staff has been in contact with event management and veterinarians to ensure enhanced biosecurity measures are taken on the premises and event participants are notified. While the risk of exposure to the virus was likely low at these events, owners of horses potentially exposed are encouraged to take precautions. Ex-

ELM

posed horses should be isolated and have their temperatures monitored twice daily for at least 14 days after last known exposure. If an exposed horse develops a fever or other signs consistent with EHM, diagnostic tests may be performed. Owners should work with their veterinary practitioners to establish appropriate monitoring and diagnostic plans for any potentially exposed horse(s). For more information on biosecurity measures you can take to keep your horses healthy, visit http://www.tahc.texas.gov/ news/brochures/TAHCBrochure_BiosecurityEquine.pdf.

TO SACRAMENTO

STOCKTON

HWY 4

FARMINGTON

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he Texas Health Commission (TAHC) confirmed Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM), the neurologic disease linked to Equine Herpes Virus (EHV1), in a Montgomery County barrel racing horse on May 9, 2018. The horse showed signs of ataxia and other neurologic signs consistent with EHM when evaluated by a veterinarian. The premises is under movement restrictions and TAHC staff is working closely with the owner and veterinarian to monitor potentially exposed horses and implement

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MIGUEL A. MACHADO President Office: 209/838-7011 Mobile: 209/595-2014

pesMyeloencephalopathy.pdf. It is important to remember these signs are not specific to EHM and diagnostic testing is required to confirm EHV-1 infection. Many horses exposed to EHV-1 never develop clinical signs. If you suspect your horse has been exposed to EHV-1, contact your local veterinarian. The equine industry is encouraged to obtain the latest information on this outbreak and other disease events across the country by visit the Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) website at http:// w w w. e q u i n e d i s e a s e c c . o r g / alerts/outbreaks.

Administration-Announced Plan to Improve the H2-A Program Appreciated

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ESCALON LIVESTOCK MARKET, INC.

NTS IGNME CONS OME! WELC r more

One of the most common clinical signs of EHV-1 is fever, which often precedes the development of other signs. Respiratory signs include coughing and nasal discharge. Neurologic signs associated with EHM are highly variable, but often the hindquarters are most severely affected. Horses with EHM may appear weak and uncoordinated, urine dribbling and loss of tail tone may also be seen. Severely affected horses may become unable to rise. For more information on EHM please visit http://www. tahc.texas.gov/news/brochures/ TAHCBrochure_EquineHer-

JOE VIEIRA Representative Mobile: 209/531-4156 THOMAS BERT 209/605-3866

CJ BRANTLEY Field Representative 209/596-0139

www.escalonlivestockmarket.com • escalonlivestockmarket@yahoo.com

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nitedAg is pleased to see the announcement in late may that the Trump Administration plans to undertake a rule making process to help streamline the admission of H2-A workers and ease the burdens on our growers who use this program. United Ag applauds Secretary Perdue for his leadership on this critical issue. UnitedAg has been active on behalf of its members highlighting the challenges of the current H2A program to Administration officials and has been asked to participate in the dialogue and development of revised regulations. The organization strongly supports improvements to the H2-A process and believes these initiatives will benefit the agricultural industry and provide access to a legal workforce. As beneficial as these regulatory changes could be to the agricultural employer, UnitedAg continues to believe that more permanent solutions to the agricultural labor challenges can only be achieved through legislation. United Ag encourages Congress to pass legislation addressing our labor issues and reiterates that any legislation that includes mandatory e-verify provisions must also include a viable solution for both agriculture’s current and future workforce needs. United Ag appreciates Chairman Goodlatte’s recognition of that and continues to work to improve the viability of his bill’s provisions. “At the end of the day it’s about protecting our employees and their families. UnitedAg is thankful for the support this announcement indicates and looks forward to continuing to work with the Administration and Congress to achieve a solution together,” said UnitedAg President & CEO Kirti Mutatkar.

June 15, 2018

Livestock Market Digest

Page 15

American Agriwomen Fly-In • 2018

L-R Yvette Berry, Reno, Nevada; Linda Swiercinsky, Las Vegas, NV; Congressman Steve Pearce, recipient of Champion of Agriculture award 2018; Jeanette Lombardo, Ventura, CA, president of American Agri-Women; and Congressman Collin Peterson, (D-MN) winner of first Champion of Agriculture award in 2010.

Three kids from New Mexico: L-R Jeremy Witte, Las Cruces; Sage Peterson, Silver City, who presented Congressman Pearce his award representing New Mexico CowBelles, New Mexico Wool Growers, Inc. Protect Americans Now, and New Mexico Farm & Livestock Bureau Women; and Austin Vincent, Des Moines. These outstanding young leaders work on Capital Hill.

Colleen Richter, Texas Agri-Women; Kristen Anderson, Texas Agri-Women; Natalina Sents, Iowa Agri-Women; Lisa Campion, Vermont; and Yvette Berry, Nevada

L-R Steve Pearce, Jeanette Lombardo, Colin Peterson

Sage Peterson (l), assisting in presenting Congressman Steve Pearce the 2018 American AgriWomen Champion of Agriculture Award, along with AAW President Jeanette Lombardo. L-R Yvette Berry and Jacquie Compston

L-R Steve Pearce and Collin Peterson (D-Minnesota)

Yvette is on left, Linda on right

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Livestock Market Digest

June 15, 2018

Scholars Join Noble Research Institute for Summer of Learning

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ach summer, the Noble Research Institute provides more than a dozen college students with a life-changing experience, not just an internship. The Lloyd Noble Scholars in Agriculture and Plant Science programs provide elite college students from across the United States with an opportunity to work side-by-side with Noble Research Institute staff in Ardmore, Oklahoma. The Lloyd Noble Scholars in Agriculture program offers students the opportunity to work alongside agricultural professionals in six core areas of expertise: animal science and livestock management, agricultural economics, horticulture, range and pasture management, soils and crops, and wildlife and fisheries. The Lloyd Noble Scholars in Plant Science program provides students the chance to conduct plant science research with mentor scientists in the Noble Research Institute laboratories and greenhouse facilities. “These scholar programs offer a tremendous learning experience,” said Bill Buckner, Noble Research Institute president and CEO. “The students are given the rare opportunity to work in a real-world setting; learn from some of the best minds in their selected fields; and make contributions that can actually impact the scientific community, agricultural producers and consumers.” Students selected for either program must demonstrate academic merit, and they must complete a rigorous application and interview process. “When you see these students on our campus, you know they are some of the best this generation has to offer,” Buckner said. The 2018 Lloyd Noble Scholars in Agriculture are: • McKenzie Carvalho, Oklahoma State University, agribusiness and agricultural communications • Cole Fagen, Angelo State University, natural resource management • Natalie Graff, Texas A&M University, animal science • Kelly Kowis, Eastern Oklahoma State College, agriculture economics and farm management • Carissa Pickard, Colorado State University, animal science • Nicole Sederstrom, University of Wyoming, animal science • Chali Simpson, New Mexico State University, range and soil science • Cresten Sledge, Texas Tech University, wildlife biology • Brent Weiss, Delaware Valley University, livestock science The 2018 Lloyd Noble Scholars in Plant Science are: • Kaylynn Ashby, Utah State University, plant science re-

search • Caroline Brightbill, College of William and Mary, biology • Charlotte Burns, William Jewell College, biology • Matthew Cullen, Clemson University, biochemistry • Grace Florjancic, Virginia Tech, microbiology • Cameron Reed, Southern Illinois University, plant biology • Brandon Tidwell, Oklahoma State University, plant and

soil science • Syed Uddin, University at Buffalo, biotechnology • Kwan Yoon, University of Massachusetts, chemical engineering • Eric Shyu, University of

North Carolina, computer science Funding for the agriculture scholar program is provided by the Noble Research Institute. Funding for the plant science scholar program is provided by

the Noble Research Institute and the National Science Foundation. For more information about the Lloyd Noble Scholar programs, please visit www.noble.org/education/scholar-program.