lmd apr 2014

LivestockDigest

Livestock“The greatest homage we

can pay to truth is to use it.”– JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL

NEWSPAPERPR

IORITY HANDLING

by LEE PITTS

MARKET

DigestRiding Herd

by Lee Pitts

By now I probably soundlike the boy who cried wolfwith my warnings ofimpending doom thanks

to the big, bad meatpackers.You’ve been reading about thedangers of captive supply andindustry concentration fordecades now in this paper andyet we are enjoying the greatestprices in the history of the cowbusiness. Which begs the ques-tion: if our industry is so con-trolled by packers how come cat-tleman are getting $1,000 fortheir calves? The Livestock Mar-ket Information Center predictsthat rancher’s returns for 2014-2015 per cow-calf unit will be$350 . Does that sound like anindustry controlled by a fewgreedy packers? Is our industryreally destined to look like thepork and poultry industries asI’ve been saying for years now? These are all fair questions,

don’t you think?

Their Last Hurrah Before I attempt to defend

my position I’d like to congratu-late anyone who might be read-ing this. If you are still left in thecow business you are a survivorand deserve every beef dollar youcan stuff in your Wrangler®pockets in these heady days. Butplease be advised, this is exactlywhat some other animal indus-tries looked like just before 91

be analyzed using the old rules ordefined by such archaic parame-ters as the “cattle cycle”.R-CALF’s CEO Bill Bullard

understands the beef businessbetter than anyone I know and ifyou don’t think so, get yourhands on a copy of the paper hewrote for the South Dakota LawReview titled “Under Siege: TheU.S. Live Cattle Industry.” Inthat paper he quotes the USDA:“The last normal liquidationphase of the U.S. cattle cyclebegan in 1975 and ended in

1979, lasting the typical fouryears. The next liquidation phasebegan in 1982 and ended in1990, lasting an unprecedentedeight years. The liquidation phasethat began in 1996 is ongoingtoday and has lasted an unprece-dented 16 years.”Says Bullard, “In late 2007,

the USDA began cautioning theindustry that “some analysts sug-gest the cattle cycle has gone theway of the hog and dairy cowcycles. The historical cattle cycleis now disrupted, and the obvioustrend since 1975 is an ever-shrinking cattle herd. The com-petition-induced demand/supplysignals that once led to expecta-tions about changes in cattleprices are no longer functioningproperly.”One reason the cattle cycle

isn’t working is that some ranch-ers don’t believe the good timeswill last. Chris Hurt, a Purdueeconomist, says “Some see the

percent of hog producers and 82percent of dairymen exited thoseindustries due to less price dis-covery and increasing use of con-tractual agreements.Missouri economist Scott

Brown has predicted that a beefcow will produce a $250 profit in2014 compared to $100 per cowin the highs of the last cattlecycle. Please note that Browntalks about the cattle cycle, towhich we reply, “What cattlecycle?” We are living in new anddifferent times that can no longer

The New RulesA bumble bee is

faster than a JohnDeere tractor.

continued on page three

www.LeePittsbooks.com

Out Of Order

The accused entered thecourt room wearing onorange jump suit, withhis arms shackled to

his waist. He looked for hiswife’s friendly face amongstthe angry crowd while out-side the courthouse thepolice and the NationalGuard kept an angry crowdat bay. They carried signsthat read, “Free Food” and“Down With Ag”.“Hear Ye, Hear Ye, the

court of public opinion isnow in session, The Honor-able Liberal Wingnut presid-ing. The court will now hearthe case of the U.S. Govern-ment versus Mr. FodderFeeder who is accused ofbeing both a farmer and arancher.”The government lawyer

rose from his seat andapproached the defendant.“Mr. Feeder, would you tellthe court what you do for aliving?”“I farm, have a small feed-

lot and run some cows.”“In other words, you use a

greenhouse gas spewing trac-tor to grow crops that youthen feed to water-wastingcattle to produce unhealthybeef. Am I missing any otherheinous act you engage in,Mr. Feeder?”“But I feed people,” said

Fodder in self defense.“Objection your honor.

That is not relevant to thiscase and I’d ask that thedefendant’s answer be strick-en from the record.”“So ruled,” said the angry

judge as he hammered hisgavel and gave Fodder a dirtyglance, and a $10,000 fine.“Mr. Feeder, have you

ever used pesticides, herbi-cides, or GMO seeds?” askedthe prosecutor.“Yes, admitted the defen-

dant,” as the crowd gasped inhorror. “Mr. Feeder, do your cat-

tle belch and emit gas aftereating the corn you grow?”“I suppose so. Don’t we

all?” replied Fodder as thosein the court tried to suppresstheir giggles and guffaws.“You’re out of order,”

roared the Judge, “and I holdyou in contempt of thiscourt!”The prosecutor then gave

Fodder a photo and said,“Do you recognize this per-son?”

continued on page two

BY CALLIE GNATKOWSKI GIBSON

What has multiple tentacles, smiles a lotand says it is here to save you fromcertain doom? Certainly the correctanswer is the government. In this par-

ticular instance the monster in the closet isnamed Landscape Conservation Cooperatives(LCCs).LCCs were created by the signing of Secre-

tarial Order 3289, Amendment 1 on February22, 2010, with full-blown government supportand funding (http://www.fws.gov/home/climate-change/pdf/SecOrder3289.pdf). The authoriz-ing language reads, in part, “The ClimateChange Response Council will implement Depart-ment-specific climate change activities through thefollowing mechanisms: . . .

(c) Landscape Conservation Cooperatives. Giv-en the broad impacts of climate change, manage-ment responses to such impacts must be coordinatedon a landscape-level basis. For example, wildlifemigration and related needs for new wildlife corri-dors, the spread of invasive species and wildfirerisks, typically will extend beyond the borders ofNational Wildlife Refuges, BLM lands, or Nation-al Parks. Additionally, some bureau responsibilities(e.g., Fish and Wildlife Service migratory bird andthreatened and endangered species responsibilities)extend nationally and globally. Because of theunprecedented scope of affected landscapes, Interior

The Monster Hiding in the Closetbureaus and agencies must work together, andwith other federal, state, tribal and local govern-ments, and private landowner partners, to developlandscape-level strategies for understanding andresponding to climate change impacts. Interiorbureaus and agencies, guided by the ClimateResponse Council, will work to stimulate thedevelopment of a network of collaborative “Land-scape Conservation Cooperatives.” These cooper-atives, which already have been formed in someregions, will work interactively with the relevantDOI Regional Climate Change Response Cen-ter(s) and help coordinate adaptation efforts inthe region.The concept has grown steadily since then,

and today there are 22 LCCs across thecountry with some extending into Canadaand Mexico. These are governed by steeringcommittees comprised of the full alphabetstew of federal and state agencies along withdisguised and not so disguised non-govern-mental organizations (NGOs). The idea behind these LCCs is to bring

together agencies, governments, scientists,and others to collect data climate change willaffect a landscape, and to develop manage-ment strategies on a landscape level. Thissounds all right, until you consider that land-scapes include a multitude of landowners and

APRIL 15, 2014 • www. aaalivestock . com Volume 56 • No. 4

continued on page five

higher prices as a great opportu-nity to get out of business.” Forthem this is their last hurrah.“In February 2008,” says

Bullard, “the USDA attributed asimilar disruption that was occur-ring in the U.S. hog cycle to thehog industry’s “new structure”.The USDA declared this dramat-ically changed structure includesthe consolidation of the industry,where fewer and larger opera-tions account for an increasingshare of total output. Moreimportantly, the USDA said thata normal functioning cattle cycleitself could be used an indicatorof a competitive market. TheUSDA came to the conclusionthat, “the disrupted cattle cycle isclear evidence of market failurecaused by abusive monopsonypower.”With the cattle cycle broken

and a “new structure” thatBullard mentions, it’s clear weare playing with a new set ofrules, the main one being . . .there are no rules.

Riding BarebackEven though ranching ranks

have almost been cut in halfsince 1980, we still have 700,000cattle ranchers left. And thepackers have painted a big bulls-eye on them. According to BillBullard, “in many respects, the livecattle supply chain is the meat-packers’ ‘Last Frontier.’” SaysBullard, “From the 1980 onset ofmerger mania and through 2010,the number of U.S. beef packingplants declined by 81 percent, leav-ing the entire U.S. live cattle indus-try with only 138 marketing outletsfor its 33.6 million slaughter-readycattle. In 2011 approximately 22.3million of those 33.6 million cattlewere slaughtered in just 26 beefpacking plants owned by the BigFour.” It wasn’t only the market for

fed cattle either. The four-firmconcentration level for slaughtercows and bulls increased fromjust over 30 percent in 2000 tojust over 50 percent in 2010. Andgrowing. Oklahoma State Uni-versity Economist Clement E.Ward has stated that concentra-tion levels in the U.S. meatpack-ing industry are among the high-est of any industry in the UnitedStates “and well above levels gen-erally considered to elicit non-competitive behavior and resultin adverse economic perform-ance.”What this translates to is that

during one year in the Texas,Oklahoma and New Mexico fatcattle markets there were 18weeks in which there was onlyone buyer in the market. Fourweeks there were none. Thismeans that small feeders withouta captive supply agreement inplace with one of the Big Fourwere left without any competitivebids for their cattle. Small feederswere riding bareback, workingwithout a safety net as the bigboys tightened their grip. Andplease save me from NCBA’sconstant refrain that we’re all inthis together and need to speakwith one voice. Clearly our goalsare NOT the same. Ranchers

want to sell their cattle for themost money while packers wantto buy them as cheap as possible.Now, not only do ranchers findthemselves competing against,packers, chicken and imports,they are also competing with oth-er ranchers to see who survives asour industry shrinks. This doesnot mean that prices for steersand heifer will necessarily crash,after all, the packers have to buycattle from someone if they wantto keep their U.S. packing plantsbusy. The pork industry has lost90 percent of its producers andyet they, too, are now enjoyingthe highest prices in history. Theproblem for ranchers is that therewill be far fewer ranchers leftstanding to enjoy the periodicgood markets.

Formula For A FallWhile we were enjoying good

prices we were losing for good acrucial segment of the cattleindustry that kept the big boyssemi honest: the small cattlefeeder. They could not withstandthe big losses and most of themsimply quit. You can see the evi-dence all over the Midwest in theform of falling down pens andempty lots. Just how bad was it?According to Bullard, over36,000 feedlots have exited theindustry, nearly all of them werefarmer-feeders with capacities ofless than 1,000 head, and with-out deals in place to provide cap-tive cattle to the Big Four. At thesame time, according to theUSDA, the volume of cattle pro-cured in the cash market has fall-en from over 52 percent in 2005to only 26 percent in 2012, whileformula volumes increased dur-ing this period from less than 34percent to nearly 55 percent. “The marked reduction in

competitive marketing optionsfor feedlots and the decline in thenumber of feedlots themselves,”says Bullard, “resulted in fewercompetitive marketing optionsfor persons that raise and selllighter weight cattle to feedlots.Indeed, independent live cattleproducers lost more than 36,000buyers for their lighter weightfeeder cattle. Not surprisingly,more than four of every ten U.S.beef cattle operations in businessin 1980 are gone today.”If you are looking for an

answer as to why we are sellingour cattle for record prices thereit is. We are clearly on the pathblazed by the poultry, dairy andpork industries who have lost 80to 90 percent of their independ-ent producers since 1980. If youdon’t think so consider this: wehave been losing an average of17,000 ranchers per year for thepast 31 years! “That’s the equiva-lent of losing more beef cattleranches per year than there are ineach of the entire states of Ari-zona, California, Colorado, Ida-ho, Minnesota, Montana, NorthDakota, South Dakota,Wyoming, and many other statesconsidered to be “cattle” states,”says Bullard. At that rate there won’t be any

Livestock Market Digest April 15, 2014

New Rules continued from page one

continued on page three

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and buy more of the relativelyless expensive chicken. A 1 per-cent decrease in poultry pricesresults in a 0.13 percent decreasein beef consumption.

Losing The Home Field AdvantageAs good as cattle prices are

today, an argument can be madethat they would be even higher ifnot for another trick up thesleeve of the Big Four. There isyet another way multi-protein,multinational producing meatpackers can affect the price ofbeef. Bullard says that “from2004 through 2007, the U.S. cat-tle industry experienced thelargest shortfall in its historybetween its domestic beef pro-duction and the nation’s beefconsumption.” Bullard says thatshortfall “is being satisfied withimported beef and beef derivedfrom imported cattle slaughteredin the United States. Thus, agrowing shortfall in domesticproduction means the U.S. cattleindustry is losing market share inits own market.” According to researchers at

the University of Nebraska–Lin-coln for every 1 percent increasein fed cattle supplies, fed cattleprices can be reduced by 2.5 per-cent. “Because of this extremeprice sensitivity to increased sup-plies,” says Bullard, “domesticcattle prices are susceptible tomanipulation from the meat-packer’s strategic importation oflive cattle from foreign sources,which are substitute productsthat compete directly withdomestic cattle for the meatpack-er’s weekly available shacklespace.”If you don’t believe packers

can control price throughimports just think back to theprevious highest level of pricesever received by cowmen. Itcame after the importation of livecattle into the U.S. from Canadaceased. As R-CALF CEO, BillBullard was largely responsiblefor that spike in prices as it washis organization that was respon-sible for getting the border closeddue to mad cow’s in Canada.Bullard says the subsequent risein prices “represented anunprecedented per head increaseof $325 for an average NebraskaDirect Choice steer weighing1,250 pounds.” While the good times roll our

industry is undergoing a meta-morphosis that means when wecome out on the other side ofthis boom, the industry will lookmuch different. Another intelli-gent observer of our business isRandy Blach, CEO of CattleFax. At this years much-antici-pated outlook conference at theNCBA convention he warned,“The cow herd must expandwhile we have all the stars linedup for the next two, three or fouryears. If it doesn’t, don’t kidyourself, this industry won’t lookthe same five or ten years downthe road. We’ll have a smallerindustry, and we’ll move from thecenter of the plate to more of aspecialty market if that doesn’thappen.”

April 15, 2014 “America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

ranchers left in just 40 years! I’msure that will make PETA andthe Sierra Club happy but it’s notso good for rural America.

Where’s The Moo Moo?While the small feeders have

all but disappeared, the big meat-packers are doing very well,thank you. Tyson reported a 41percent increase in fourth-quar-ter profit, bolstered by strongdemand for chicken. The big beefproducer projects receipts of $36billion this year as it ramps upchicken production in China andsaid strong U.S. consumerdemand for chicken has carriedover into its new fiscal year,spurred in part by poultry's lowerprice compared with beef andpork. “We like the way that thechicken supply and demand fun-damentals are setting up,” saidTyson CEO Donnie Smith.Tyson expects U.S. chicken pro-duction to rise 3 percent to 4 per-cent in its current fiscal year.Looking forward, Tyson projectsgrowth mainly would come fromdomestic chicken sales, preparedfoods and greater internationalchicken production.In 2013 Cargill, owner of

Excel, nearly doubled its profitfrom 2012 earning $2.31 billion!Revenues were $136.7 billion!JBS, the Brazilian meatpacker

and owner of the huge FiveRivers feeding company, said itsnet profit also jumped in thefourth quarter of 2013 to $60million. JBS growth has comethrough acquisitions and last yearthey bought poultry producer Pil-grim’s Corporation and Brazilianpork and poultry producer Seara.Notice a familiar theme here?

I’ll give you a hint: Pluck, pluck,oink, oink.

On The Biological ClockAll three of those meatpackers

produce competing meats to beefand according to Bullard, beef isat a strong disadvantage. “Due tothe long biological cycle of cattle,the cattle industry is particularlysusceptible to exploitation byfirms that control the productionand output of other competingprotein sources, such as hogs andpoultry. Those animals havemuch shorter biological cyclesthat enable their respectiveindustries to respond much morequickly to changes in price byadjusting production and output.In addition, because the meatsfrom these competing proteinsources are a market substitutefor beef, multiple-protein firmscan control the output and priceof the competing proteins tomanipulate both the demand andprice for cattle while the cattleindustry remains constrainedfrom responding due to cattle’sprolonged biological cycle.” The USDA has found that

beef is particularly susceptible toincreased poultry supplies, suchas poultry broilers at relativelylower prices. The USDA calcu-lates that if the price of beef goesup while the price of chickenremains lower than beef, con-sumers will likely buy less of therelatively more expensive beef

New Rules continued from page two

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2014 DEBRUYCKER CHAROLAIS BULL SALE RESULTSHIGH SELLING BULLS

Lot Sire561 $60,250.00 Reese Cattle Co. Didsbury, AB CAN LT Ledger 0332 P536 $16,000.00 Sullivan Charolais Paris, KY DS Ocean Y2209131 $14,000.00 Schurrtop Charolais Maywood, NE BHD Zeus X304146 $13,000.00 Silver Spur Ranches Encampment, WY JDJ Comark W39390 $10,250.00 Vandenbos Charolais Valier, MT SM Mikhail X0166 P167 $10,250.00 Utopia Genetics Grovesprings, MO BHD Zeus X3041390 $10,000.00 Utopia Genetics Grovesprings, MO DS Mr Big Cigar W20

VOLUME BUYERS40 Bulls UC Cattle Co Nevada24 Bulls Crawford Cattle Nevada23 Bulls Barry Farms Iowa20 Bulls Ensign Ranch Utah19 Bulls Wellman Ranch Montana19 Bulls Dragging Y Cattle Montana

“I better, it’s my wife,” jokedFodder.“Isn’t it true Mr. Feeder that

you work your wife 12 hours aday feeding hay, doctoringcalves and running to town forparts without any rest and thenexpect her to raise the kids andkeep the house? Isn’t it alsotrue that you waste preciouswater by making her irrigatewhile people in cities can’t evenwater their lawns or fill theirhot tubs? And then you havethe nerve to take a showerevery day!”“Well, it is a dirty job but

someone has to do it,” repliedthe befuddled Fodder.“I assure you Mr. Feeder

that has no bearing on thiscase.” He then handed Fodderanother photo and asked, “Doyou know what this ghastlydevice is?”

“Yes, it’s a squeeze chuteand I use one to confine cattleso that I may administer vacci-nations in a safe manner.” Justthen a PETA protester in thecourtroom threw a head of let-tuce at Fodder but she missedwide right and the leafy projec-tile walloped the court reporterinstead.“Where were you on the

night of March 11?” the prose-cutor bored on.“I was at a Farm Bureau

meeting?” said Fodder.“Ah hah! You admit then

that you are a member of arural terrorist organizationwhose mission is to do awaywith the Environmental Protec-tion Agency!”It went on like this for two

days until, finally, JudgeWingnut left Fodder’s future inthe hands of 12 people who

weren’t smart enough to getout of jury duty. They were amicrocosm of today’s society:three jurors were unemployed,three were federal employees,three were students and onepoor sap was a working stiff.Needless to say, they voted fora guilty verdict in an 11 to 1vote.Judge Wingnut then pro-

nounced the sentence. “If itwere left up to me Mr. Feeder Iwould give you the death penal-ty. Instead, I am bound by thelaw to sentence you to lifedoing hard labor without pay,where your every move will bewatched by governmentguards.”“No offense your Honor,”

said Fodder as he was led fromthe courtroom, “but I fail to seehow that is any different thanwhat I do now.”

Riding Herd continued from page one

160 BULLS TO 46 MONTANA BUYERS48 Long Yearling Bulls @ $5,859.38503 Yearling Bulls @ $4,780.32Overall @ 551 Bulls @ $4,874.32

BULLS SOLD TO 22 STATES, & CANADAAR, CO, FL, IA, ID, KY, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV,

NY, OK, OR, SD, TN, TX, UT, WA, WY, & CANADA

Agriculture’s Exemptionsand Exclusions from CleanWater Act Expanded byProposal

SOURCE: US ENVIRONMENTAL

PROTECTION AGENCY

The U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency(EPA) and U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers

(Army Corps) jointly releaseda proposed rule in late March2014 to clarify protectionunder the Clean Water Act(CWA) for streams and wet-lands that form the founda-tion of the nation’s waterresources. The proposed rulewill benefit businesses byincreasing efficiency in deter-

mining coverage of the CWA.The agencies are launching arobust outreach effort overthe next 90 days, holding dis-cussions around the countryand gathering input needed toshape a final rule.Determining CWA protec-

tion for streams and wetlandsbecame confusing and com-plex following Supreme Courtdecisions in 2001 and 2006. The proposed rule clarifies

protection for streams andwetlands. The proposed defi-nitions of waters will apply toall CWAt programs. It doesnot protect any new types ofwaters that have not histori-cally been covered under theCWA and is consistent withthe Supreme Court’s more

narrow reading of CWA juris-diction.“We are clarifying protec-

tion for the upstream watersthat are absolutely vital todownstream communities,”said EPA Administrator GinaMcCarthy. “Clean water isessential to every single Amer-ican, from families who relyon safe places to swim andhealthy fish to eat, to farmerswho need abundant and reli-able sources of water to growtheir crops, to hunters andfishermen who depend onhealthy waters for recreationand their work, and to busi-nesses that need a steady sup-ply of water for operations.”“America’s waters and wet-

lands are valuable resourcesthat must be protected todayand for future generations,”said Assistant Secretary of theArmy (Civil Works) Jo-EllenDarcy. “Today’s rulemakingwill better protect our aquaticresources, by strengtheningthe consistency, predictabili-ty, and transparency of ourjurisdictional determinations.The rule's clarifications willresult in a better public serv-ice nationwide.”The health of rivers, lakes,

bays, and coastal watersdepend on the streams andwetlands where they begin.Streams and wetlands providemany benefits to communities– they trap floodwaters,recharge groundwater sup-plies, remove pollution, andprovide habitat for fish andwildlife. They are also eco-nomic drivers because of theirrole in fishing, hunting, agri-culture, recreation, energy,and manufacturing.About 60 percent of stream

miles in the U.S only flow sea-sonally or after rain, but havea considerable impact on thedownstream waters. Andapproximately 117 millionpeople – one in three Ameri-

cans – get drinking water frompublic systems that rely inpart on these streams. Theseare important waterways forwhich EPA and the ArmyCorps is clarifying protection.Specifically, the proposed

rule clarifies that under theClean Water Act and basedon the science:

n Most seasonal and raindependent streams are pro-tected.

n Wetlands near rivers andstreams are protected.

n Other types of watersmay have more uncertain con-nections with downstreamwater and protection will beevaluated through a case spe-cific analysis of whether theconnection is or is not pro-tecting similarly situatedwaters in certain geographicareas or adding to the cate-gories of waters protectedwithout case specific analysis. The proposed rule pre-

serves the CWA exemptionsand exclusions for agriculture.Additionally, EPA and theArmy Corps have coordinatedwith the U.S. Department ofAgriculture (USDA) to devel-op an interpretive rule toensure that 53 specific conser-vation practices that protector improve water quality willnot be subject to Section 404dredged or fill permittingrequirements. The agencieswill work together to imple-ment these new exemptionsand periodically review, andupdate USDA’s NaturalResources Conservation Serv-ice conservation practice stan-dards and activities thatwould qualify under theexemption. Any agricultureactivity that does not result inthe discharge of a pollutant towaters of the U.S. still doesnot require a permit.The proposed rule also

In a unanimous decision, athree judge panel of the U.S.Court of Appeals for theDistrict of Columbia Circuit

has denied plaintiffs’ request fora preliminary injunction in alawsuit seeking to halt the U.S.country of origin labeling(COOL) program. The UnitedStates Cattlemen's Association

(USCA) praised the AppellateCourt ruling, which affirms theSeptember 11, 2013 decision bya lower court denying plaintiffs'motion for an injunction. TheAppellate Court ruling washanded down on March 28. USCA, National Farmers

Union, the American SheepIndustry Association and theConsumer Federation of Amer-ica are joint defendant-inter-venors in the lawsuit originallyfiled by the National Cattle-men’s Beef Association(NCBA), American Meat Insti-tute, Canadian Cattlemen'sAssociation and six other plain-tiffs on July 8, 2013 in U.S. Dis-trict Court for the District ofColumbia. The plaintiffs havebeen seeking to prevent imple-mentation of USDA’s revisedCOOL regulations.

USCA President Jon Woost-er, San Lucas, California saidhis group is pleased with, butnot surprised by, the AppellateCourt’s decision. “From thevery start of this legal challengeUSCA has mustered a vigorousdefense of COOL and we willcontinue to do so if needed. Werecognized from the beginningthat it was critical for the courtto hear directly from the U.S.cattle industry and USCA isproud to provide that voice as adefendant-intervenor. Theplaintiffs in this case, who seekto deny U.S. cattle producersthe right to label their productand to deny consumers theirright to enhanced labelinginformation, now have theopportunity to ask that theirappeal be heard by the fullCourt of Appeals. If plaintiffs

do seek rehearing by the fullcourt, USCA will continue todefend the revised regulationsbefore the Court. DefendingCOOL is USCA’s highest pri-ority and we are prepared forany eventuality.”USCA Director Emeritus

Leo McDonnell, a Montanarancher, said support forCOOL and support for thedefendant-intervenors in thelawsuit has been remarkable.“U.S. ranchers will not bedenied the right to differentiatetheir product for consumers asthere can be nothing more basicto a competitive market systemthan the ability to differentiateone’s product. This lawsuit hasunified the cattle industry at agrassroots level where there isan undeniable groundswell ofsupport for COOL. U.S. ranch-

ers have supported the COOLDefense Fund financially andthey engaged with lawmakerswhen an attack on COOL wasattempted during the farm billdebate earlier this year. Timeafter time they’ve stepped tothe plate to defend their rightto label their product. I’mproud to be a U.S. rancher, I’mproud of my industry and I’mproud of the way ranchers haveresponded to protect and pre-serve COOL. It’s inspiring tosee this level of passion. We arewinning this battle one step at atime. No doubt, there are somechallenges yet to come andthose may be both in the legalarena and at the Congressionallevel, but I am absolutely com-mitted to a successful outcomeand I know the majority of cat-tle producers are as well.”


COOL: U.S. Appeals Court Rejects Preliminary Injunction Request

EPA and Army Corps of Engineers Clarify Protectionfor Nation’s Streams and Wetlands

continued on page five

managers, all with their ownplans and uses for their property– including vacation property,developing, mining, logging,ranching, and farming – and nodesire to be included in or man-aged by the LCC.Closer to home here in the

Southwest is the Desert Land-scape Conservation Coopera-tive, which includes parts of Cal-ifornia, Nevada, Arizona, NewMexico, and Texas, as well as asubstantial portion of northernMexico. (http://www.usbr.gov/dlcc/) The U.S. Fish andWildlife Service and Bureau ofReclamation are the lead agen-cies. The focus of the DLCC isto determine what plant and ani-mal species will be impacted byclimate change. How will thesespecies adapt? Where will theymove to escape the increasingheat if they can’t adapt? Whatlands need to be set aside forrefuge and corridors to getthere?Then there are the pesky

questions. What if the lands thatare needed for refuge and corri-dors are private property, state,local government or Triballands? And what if the waterrights belong to someone?Eastern New Mexico, along

with parts of Texas, Oklahoma,Kansas, Nebraska, Wyomingand Colorado, is part of theGreat Plains LCC.The similarities between the

LCC effort and the WildlandsProject, now called the Wild-lands Network, are hard to miss.The goal of the Wildlands Proj-ect, brainchild of Earth FirstersDave Forman and Dr. ReedNoss, is “a science-based solu-tion is the creation of four Con-tinental Wildways (http://www.twp.org/wildways), large protect-ed corridors of land runningcoast to coast, and north tosouth throughout Canada, theU.S. and Mexico — providingenough Room to Roam© to pro-tect wildlife and people for thelong-term. Our current areas offocus are the Western and East-ern Wildways.”The ultimate goal is the re-

wilding of Northern Westernhemisphere with fifty percent ofthe land area in wilderness sur-rounded by core buffer areas oflimited human activity and con-nected via the above Wildways.Within this maze of regulatedlands there will be allowedislands of human occupation.Dr. Paul Ehrlich, Bing Pro-

fessor of Population Studies,Stanford University states onthe Wildlands Network web site,“Although the Wildlands Pro-ject's (now Wildlands Network)call for restoring keystonespecies and connectivity wasmet, at first, with amusement,these goals have now beenembraced broadly as the onlyrealistic strategy for ending theextinction crisis.”This is the monster in the

closet. This is the Wildands Proj-ect on steroids. Already severalmillion dollars have been grant-ed to universities, researchersand NGOs to examine and mapclimate change impacts on

species and ecoregions. Thesheer number of governmentalagencies and NGOs involvedand the millions of dollars thathave been spent on this task todate are big concerns to peoplewho have learned from experi-ence that when this amount ofmoney is spent, the end goal isnot just to collect information,it’s regulatory . . . or worse.Some of the dots may be con-

necting for the reader at thispoint. This process has beenongoing, in obscurity, for sometime. But now the answer towhy our government is closingdown logging, mining, and oiland gas development, ranchingand farming across the countrycan be brought into focus. Bitby bit, through litigation byNGOs and federal regulation,

rural economies are losing theirstability, and therefore theirpopulations.The revolving door between

the radical environmental organ-izations and federal and stateagencies is facilitating the imple-mentation of Dave Forman’scall, “Back to the Pleistocene.”into a new dark age for humans.Few in Congress and at the

state and Tribal government lev-els realize that the monster inthe closet is not there for benev-olent purposes. Anyone con-cerned about LCCs and theirpotential impacts to land use,especially landowners whose pri-vate property rights could beaffected, should contact theircongressional delegation andrequest that they work to defundthe program.


Monster continued from page one

EPA continued from page four

helps states and tribes –according to a study by theEnvironmental Law Insti-tute, 36 states have legallimitations on their abilityto fully protect waters thataren’t covered by the CWA.The proposed rule is

supported by the latestpeer-reviewed science,including a draft scientificassessment by EPA, whichpresents a review and syn-thesis of more than 1,000pieces of scientific litera-ture. The rule will not befinalized until the final ver-sion of this scientific

assessment is complete.Forty years ago, two-

thirds of America’s lakes,rivers and coastal waterswere unsafe for fishing andswimming. Because of theCWA, that number hasbeen cut in half. However,one-third of the nation’swaters still do not meetstandards.The proposed rule will

be open for public com-ment for 90 days from pub-lication in the Federal Reg-ister. The interpretive rulefor agricultural activities iseffective immediately.

Cooperative Extension collaborates with partners to provide information for coping with loomingdrought

With the 2014 droughtlooming, University ofNevada CooperativeExtension has part-

nered with other agencies tohelp Nevadans prepare for andcope with the drought. Coopera-

tive Extension has launched itsLiving With Drought website, aone-stop shop where homeown-ers, gardeners, farmers, ranchers,natural resource managers andothers can find information tohelp them respond to their vari-ous drought-related challenges.The website is athttp://www.unce.unr.edu/pro-grams/sites/drought/.“We want to be proactive,”

Mark Walker, dean of Universityof Nevada Cooperative Exten-sion, said. “We know that ouroffices in every county are goingto be getting questions – every-thing from how to maintainlawns, to how to irrigate cropsmost efficiently during thedrought. So, we have compiledinformation and links for variousgroups, and tried to make it easyfor them to find.”Cooperative Extension chose

to take the lead in helpingNevadans cope with the droughtbecause many of its six educa-tional program areas, includingagriculture, horticulture, naturalresources and community devel-opment, will be directly affectedby the drought.“We saw there was informa-

tion and websites that containinformation about the currentdrought conditions, and muchinformation about how torespond to drought conditions.But, the information is spreadamong a wide range of sources,which makes it difficult forNevadans to know how toanswer very specific questions,”Walker said. “We have a lot ofthat expertise in Extension. And,what we don’t have, many of ourcolleagues on campus and ourother partners have. It was logi-

cal for us to develop a websitethat makes a wide range ofresources available in one spot.It’s what Extension does; werespond to community needs.”Walker chose the “Living

With Drought” model partlybecause Cooperative Extension’s“Living With Fire” program hasbeen so effective. That programprovides education to helpNevadans live more safely withthe threat of wildfire. About 20other states now also use thesuccessful Nevada program.“Wildfires and drought are

both facts of life in Nevada. It’snot a question of if they willoccur; it’s a question of whenthey will occur,” Walker said.“These programs are aimed atminimizing their detrimentaleffects and the danger they canpose.”As part of the Living With

Drought effort, CooperativeExtension is also offering work-shops across the state nextmonth to give Nevada agricul-tural producers information tohelp them prepare for thedrought. Topics will includewater availability, recommendedirrigation practices, insuranceoptions and an outlook onprices. Workshops will be onApril 1 in Eureka, April 14 inSchurz and Yerington, and April29 in Minden.In addition, Cooperative

Extension will offer Living WithDrought workshops for Nevadaranchers, including topics suchas insurance options, how best todownsize herds, infrastructurerecommendations, animal nutri-tion recommendations, availabil-


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The Arizona NationalLivestock Show heldtheir annual BoardMeeting on March 21

where they officiallyapproved the newly electedBoard of Directors. Eachyear, approximately one-third of the Arizona NationalLivestock Show board iselected to a three year term.The newly elected board

members are Heidi Beljean,Jerry Black, DVM, JaroldCallahan, Gary Childs, SteveChucri, Jack Doughty, PeggyFiandaca, Brian Hanger,Steve Le Valley, Ron Pint,Robert Shuler, Steve Todd,Dr. Shane Burgess and JimWilliams.The new board members

will join current board mem-bers Bill Brake, Patrick Bray,Don Butler, Marilyn Harris,Ken Johnson, Lance Knight,Dave Schafer, Hal Vinson,Mary Williams, Kelly Wright,Janice Bryson, David Feen-stra, Galyn Knight, DavidKennedy, Kathy McCraine,Jim O’Haco, Kevin Rogers,Cliff Saylor, Terry VanHilsen and Linda Vensel.

The Executive Committeemembers are President, JimLoughead; President-Elect,Dean Fish; Vice President ofLivestock, Tim Cooley; VicePresident Special Events,Scott Loughead;Secretary/Treasurer, CindyTidwell Shelton; Member-At-Large, Galyn Knight andMember-At-Large, RobertShuler.Michael Bradley, Execu-

tive Director shared “Theleadership of the ArizonaNational is dedicated to ourmembership and volunteersas they continue to activelysupport the organizationsimportant efforts. We arefurther encouraged by theactive and recently engagedinterest demonstrated by theBoard of Directors in thedevelopment of our StrategicPlan as we establish carefullyoutlined goals in Growingthe Future. The importantwork that will be accom-plished by the Board’sStrategic Planning TaskForce will be available pre-view on our Web Site in thefall of 2014”.

BY WILLIAM JAMES, REUTERS

Energy independence andthe adoption of technolo-gies like shale gas frackingshould top Europe’s politi-

cal agenda, British Prime Minis-ter David Cameron said recent-

ly, calling the Crimea crisis a“wake-up call” for states relianton Russian gas.Escalating East-West tensions

over Russia’s seizure of Crimeafrom Ukraine have endangeredthe energy security of someEuropean states, including Ger-

Arizona National ElectsBoard of Directors

UK wants more fracking after Crimea ‘wake-up call’many, who are heavily depend-ent on Russian gas supplies.“Some countries are almost

100 percent reliant on Russiangas, so I think it is something ofa wake-up call,” Cameron toldreporters on the sidelines of anuclear security summit.A hastily-convened meeting of

the G7 major industrializednations agreed that ministerswould work together to reducedependence on Russian oil andgas.During the security summit,

Cameron pointed to reserves ofshale gas, which can be extractedby a process known as fracking,in south-eastern Europe, Polandand England as a means ofboosting energy independencefor the whole region.“I think it’s a good opportuni-

ty,” he said. “Energy independ-ence, using all these differentsources of energy, should be atier one political issue from nowon, rather than tier five.”In Britain, fracking has been

held up by public protests overthe environmental impact of thetechnique, which involves blast-

ing underground rock with highpressure liquid to release trappedgas. It has been banned outrightin France and Bulgaria.Although Britain only buys a

small amount of gas fromMoscow, Russia provides aroundone third of the EU’s oil and gasand some 40 percent of the gasis shipped throughUkraine.European Union leaders last

week agreed to accelerate theirquest for more secure energysupplies by looking to import gasfrom the United States and pool-ing their purchasing power toempower the bloc in negotia-tions with Moscow.

Fracking FocusIn the United States, a frack-

ing revolution has – as well asspawning its own protest move-ment – helped energy prices tum-ble and spurred a manufacturingrenaissance, something Cameronand his finance minister GeorgeOsborne have been keen to repli-cate.But a hoped-for rise in gas pro-

duction across Europe has beenslow to develop, with estimates

for Poland’s reserves having beenslashed along with the hiatus onfracking.Cameron said during the sum-

mit that it was Britain’s duty toget behind fracking, and that hewas confident of winning the pub-lic around once the first drillingoperations started to benefit thesurrounding communities.He said most of voters’ con-

cerns stemmed from a misunder-standing of the way that wells aretapped.“When I look at a lot of the

concerns expressed . . . I thinkthere’s a really good answer to allthe questions. So I’m confidentwe’ll win the argument,” he said.Environmental group Green-

peace criticized Cameron, callinghis comments a cynical attemptto exploit the Ukraine crisis. Cit-ing industry estimates, they saidfracking would take at least adecade to reach a useful scale,and that even at that point it waslikely to displace other gassources rather than Russianimports.

(Additional reporting by Karolin Schaps, Edit-ing by John Stonestreet)

University of Nevada, Reno launches LivingWith Drought website and education

continued on page eight


PHIL TAYLOR, E&E REPORTER GREENWIRE

Partisanship in Congresshas stalled locally sup-ported conservation billsfor decades, stifling the

protection of treasured land-scapes and thwarting potentialeconomic development, accord-ing to a report released today byconservation groups and toutedby a bipartisan duo of formerlawmakers.The report http://wes te rn -

p r i o r i t i e s . o r g / w p - c o n -tent /up loads /2014/03/Lan-guishing-Lands-.pdf by theDenver-based Equal Groundcampaign highlights 10 conserva-tion bills that been introducedinto Congress a combined 52times over the past 30 years – buthave yet to be signed into law.The campaign includes the

Center for Western Priorities,Center for American Progress,

Wilderness Society and Conser-vation Lands Foundation.“Every conservation bill that’s

stuck represents a missed oppor-tunity,” said former Interior Sec-retary and Democratic ColoradoSen. Ken Salazar, who was joinedby former Rep. Steve LaTourette(R-Ohio) in a conference call thismorning urging congressionalaction.The report includes bills to

designate wilderness in Idaho’sBoulder-White Clouds moun-tains, Nevada’s Pine Forest, NewMexico’s Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks and Washingtonstate's Alpine Lakes, among otherplaces.“In addition to the 10 pieces

of legislation that we highlight,there are dozens of other publicland protection bills sitting beforeCongress that have broad publicsupport,” the report said. “Intoday’s political climate, however,even the most nonpartisan issues

are overwhelmed by Congres-sional dysfunction and partisan-ship – land conservation includ-ed.”While Congress recently did

pass its first conservation bill infive years – designating morethan 30,000 acres of wilderness atMichigan’s Sleeping Bear DunesNational Lakeshore – movementof other bills has been slow, par-ticularly in the House NaturalResources Committee and aselection season approaches.In some cases – including Rep.

Mike Simpson’s (R-Idaho) Boul-der-White Clouds bill and NewMexico’s Democratic senators’Organ Mountains proposal – notall of the state’s delegation is onboard, which can hamper pas-sage.“A small group . . . seems to be

standing in the way,” Salazar said.There are issues on which

Republicans and Democratsought to disagree, said

Conservation: Report highlights 10 bills that have ‘languished’ in Congress

House Natural Resources CommitteeChairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) issuedthe following statement regarding the fed-eral court ruling upholding the Obama

Administration’s closed-door EndangeredSpecies Act (ESA) settlement agreement withthe Center for Biological Diversity andWildEarth Guardians:“I’m disappointed with today’s court ruling

that upholds the Administration’s mega-settle-ment with litigious environmental groups tomake listing decisions for hundreds of speciesbehind closed-doors and in a rushed, arbitrarytime-frame. Over 160 new species have alreadybeen added to the list just since these settle-ments. In many cases, such as the White BluffsBladderpod in my district, or in the Lesser

Prairie Chicken listed just last week, legitimateconcerns have been raised about the science orthe lack of state or local government involve-ment. The potential listings of even morespecies, including the Greater Sage Grouse,could have devastating job and economicimpacts across the entire country. Listing deci-sions should be made in an open, transparentmanner and based on the best available scienceand data. This decision today proves even morewhy common sense legislation to curb these law-suits and closed-door settlement agreements willdo more to aid endangered species than lawyersand courtrooms. That’s why I and other col-leagues will work to advance targeted legislationto improve and update the ESA by focusing ontransparency and species recovery.”

Court Misses the Mark on ESA Settlement Ruling

Farm Credit of New Mexico stockholders to sharein Association’s success with distribution of $6.8

LaTourette, who was an outlier inhis party in supporting the Landand Water Conservation Fund,“but I never saw the preservationof public lands and protection ofresources as one of them.”LaTourette said the Western

caucus is particularly influentialin the House but has becomemore “radicalized” over the pasthandful of years.While Natural Resources

Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) is retiring at the end ofthe year and likely will bereplaced by Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah), “you’re really getting DocHastings Jr.,” LaTourette said.“For reasons I'm sure are valid

in their minds, those membershave stood in the way of progressbeing made,” he said.But there are ways to address

Western Republicans’ concernsover the acquisition of federallands and the National Park Ser-vice’s maintenance backlog, hesaid, adding that there needs tobe a political will.“There’s no willingness to

have a dialogue,” he said.Bishop has moved conserva-

tion bills and is seen by some asslightly more amenable to con-servation than Hastings; howev-er, he's insisted on adding lan-guage that he argues isnecessary to promote local ener-gy development and loosenrestrictions to ensure lands areproperly stewarded.He’s also tried to move a

Nevada national monument billbut has run into technical obsta-cles with the House’s earmarkban.

Farm Credit of New Mexi-co, ACA, is pleased toannounce the distributionof nearly $6.8 million dol-

lars in cash to be paid to Stock-holders by March 31, 2014, aspart of the Farm Credit of NewMexico’s Patronage Distribu-tion Program. The patronagepayment is based on each Stock-holder’s average loan balanceduring 2013. This cash distribu-tion reduces member interestrates by approximately 0.50 per-cent.Farm Credit of New Mexico

is a $1.35 billion organization byasset size and since the incep-tion of the Patronage Programin 2005, has distributed $61 mil-lion dollars back to its Stock-

holders. Al Porter, Farm Creditof New Mexico’sPresident/CEO stated, “As acooperative we are proud to beable to share profits with ourStockholders. Our Board ofDirectors and Staff thank ourStockholders for their loyaltyand business. The success of theAssociation is a direct result oftheir support.”Farm Credit of New Mexico

had a strong year in 2013 as netincome exceeded $26 millionand average outstanding loanvolume increased by $38 mil-lion. The Association ended theyear with capital of over 20 per-cent showing the strength andstability of the agriculturallender.


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PAUL McGILLIARDCell: 417/839-50961-800/743-0336

MURNEY ASSOC., REALTORSSPRINGFIELD, MO 65804

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ity of water for animals, and how droughtaffects plants and grazing options. These work-shops will begin in May. As details becomeavailable, they will be posted on the LivingWith Drought website. Farmers and ranchersseeking more information on drought-relatedworkshops can also call Cooperative Extensionat 775/945-3444, ext. 12, for more informa-tion.

Walker said homeowners, gardeners, land-scapers and others should also check the LivingWith Drought website regularly, as Coopera-tive Extension’s various horticulture programs,such as its Master Gardener Program and itsGrow Your Own, Nevada! Program, will alsobe offering workshops and presentations withdrought-specific information throughout thespring and summer.

Living with Drought continued from page six

HILL COUNTRY RANCHHairston Creek Ranch being 150+ fee acres located fourmiles east on County Road #330. From Burnet, Texas justa short drive to Austin, San Antonio or Fredericksburgand only nineteen miles to Marble Falls. A four seasonrecreational ranch with outstanding improvements, gooddeer and turkey hunting in a native habitat with four hay

fields for haying or grazing. Hairston Creek runs the length of the ranch northand south. Will consider 1031 exchange for proven minerals or production.

THE MACHO CREEK RANCHA four season cattle grazing unit located 45 miles north and west of Roswellin Chaves and Lincoln Counties, New Mexico. The Macho Creek runs throughthe ranch west to east and offers extra grazing during the summer run off pe-riods. Acreage - 7271 deeded, 5781 NM state lease, 1344 BLM lease (non-controlled) acres and 80 uncontrolled acres for a total of 14,476 acres, 23sections. The asking price is based on a $280 a deeded acre - all lease valuesincluded.

Contact The Ranch Finder:Ronald H. Mayer Real Estate

P.O. Box 2391 - Roswell, NM 88202505/623-5658

[email protected]

THE RANCH FINDER presents...

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Fallon-Cortese LandNEW MEXICO

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In the Rio Grande Valley.Custom-built home with 100

acres of irrigated land. House hasapproximately 3,700 sq. ft., 4

bedrooms, and 2 baths. One hourfrom Albuquerque Int’l Airport.Close to 5 racetracks: Sunland,Ruidoso, Albuquerque, Santa Fe

and Farmington.

1100 ACRE RANCHin San Antonio, NM

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BY RON ARNOLD,

WASHINGTONEXAMINER.COM

Wyoming welder AndrewJohnson had a state per-mit, so he thought hewas building a perfectly

legal stock water pond for his live-stock where Six Mile Creek runsthrough his private farm in UintaCounty.But U.S. Environmental Pro-

tection Agency enforcers saidJohnson was actually building adam in violation of the CleanWater Act.Johnson’s permit from the

Wyoming State Engineer’s officeto build a “stock reservoir” is datedJune 28, 2010, reflecting years ofhis careful preparations for thepond, including visits by EPA andArmy Corps of Engineers agentsto see the work, followed by a cor-dial multi-agency conference call inmid-2013 in which everythingseemed fine.Then, on Jan. 28, without

notice and without due process,EPA regional bureaucrat AndrewM. Graydosh issued a complianceorder requiring Johnson to returnthe creek to its original condition

in 60 days.Graydosh threatened Johnson

with fines of $75,000 per day perviolation – which could reach$187,500 per day, or over $5.5 mil-lion in a month – if he didn’t com-ply. Johnson had 10 days to reply.Graydosh’s foaming-at-the-

mouth, sentence-without-trialdemand, reeking of disgraced EPAofficial Al Armendariz’s “crucifythem” attitude, crushed a citizen’sconstitutional right to face hisaccusers.Some of Johnson’s fellow

Wyoming residents contend ultra-greenies, including one federalemployee in particular, com-plained to Graydosh and helpednullify a lawful state permit.The attack also infuriated

Wyoming’s two U.S. senators, whorequested the EPA to “immediate-ly withdraw the compliance order.”In a March 12 letter to EPA

water boss Nancy Stoner, threeSenate Environment and PublicWorks committee Republicans –Ranking Member Sen. David Vit-ter of Louisiana, and Wyoming’sMike Enzi and John Barrasso –characterized EPA’s vile treatmentof Johnson as “a draconian edict of

a heavy-handed bureaucracy.”They also called it “an ominous

signal of EPA’s intentions for itscurrent ‘waters of the UnitedStates’ rulemaking.”Ominous indeed, for this

vicious government surprise attackagainst a private citizen representsa potential threat against every-body.The “rulemaking” the senators

referred to is Big Green’s years-long campaign to remove the word“navigable” from the Clean WaterAct, so that all water, not just navi-gable water, falls under its regula-tory authority.EPA justified its demand to

Johnson by claiming that “Six MileCreek is a perennial tributary ofthe Black Fork River, which is aperennial tributary of the GreenRiver. The Green River is, and wasat all relevant times, a navigable,interstate water of the U.S.”Neither Six Mile Creek nor the

Black Fork River are navigable.With such connect-the-dots logic,EPA could declare kitchen sinksare navigable U.S. waters. Is theEPA planning to unilaterallydeclare municipal water supplies tobe tributaries of tributaries of trib-

utaries?How long before private water

wells become subject to the EPAregulating every American’s“PDWR” – “personal daily waterration”?The senators saw that specter

looming on the EPA’s horizon andwrote that if the compliance order“stands as an example of how EPAintends to operate after complet-ing its current ‘waters of the Unit-ed States’ rulemaking, it shouldgive pause to each and everylandowner throughout the coun-try.”Johnson’s lawyer, Daniel B.

Frank of Cheyenne, said “we fileda Freedom of Information Actrequest for EPA’s documents relat-ed to their claim of jurisdictionover Mr. Johnson’s stock waterpond, and we’re still waiting for areply.”That reply will determine how

they proceed. It’s possible that,even if the EPA shows its claim ofjurisdiction to be valid, Johnsoncan obtain an after-the-factexemption under existing law.There’s more behind this EPA

assault on Johnson. When BigGreen’s water-grabbing Clean

Water Restoration Act of 2010failed inCongress, the Obamaadministration simply proposed a“guidance” – a document stating apolicy position – that attempted toseize all state waters without anylegal authority.On May 14, 2013, Barrasso

proposed an amendment to theWater Resources DevelopmentAct to nullify that guidance. Hisamendment won 52 Senate votes,with eight Democrats voting withthe Republicans.But Senate Majority Leader

Harry Reid set an arbitrary thresh-old of 60 votes for the amend-ment’s passage as a pre-conditionfor even allowing a vote on themeasure. So the amendmentdidn’t become law. The guidancelacks legal authority but EPA stillacts as if it does.All but eight Senate Democrats

voted for the federal governmentto seize all waters, and did so withthe 2014 mid-term election justmonths away. The Senate couldsure use some climate change.

Ron Arnold, a Washington Examinercolumnist, is executive vice president ofthe Center for the Defense of Free Enter-prise.

Senators John Barrasso, David Vitter and Mike Enzi warn of EPA moves to control all water


In 2012, the ultimate fly con-trol system for cattle called“The Terminator” wasreleased for sale by its inven-

tor, Roger Larson of L&S FarmSupply. Larson has been raisingcattle and farming for 45 years

and he still runs a successful 400acre beef operation. Roger also has five (5) other

patents relating to products usedin storing tires, bicycles, gar-ments, boats, wheelchairs, plantsand a variety of merchandise

“The Terminator” – The Latest in Cattle Fly Control

AgriFuture to be hosted in Albuquerque, May 12-14

Agricultural organizationsand agencies in NewMexico are looking toexpand upon an exciting

new trend: more young people aretaking up farming, ranching, andother careers in agricultural pro-duction in the Land of Enchant-ment.New Mexico Department of

Agriculture (NMDA) and adozen other agencies and organi-zations involved in New Mexicoagriculture are coordinating andhosting the 2014 AgriFuture Edu-cational Institute forbeginning/future farmers andranchers, as well as those aimingfor other careers in agriculture.The institute will be hosted May12-14 in Albuquerque.“The goal of the AgriFuture

Educational Institute is to inform,inspire, and connect the peoplewho will produce our food andfiber going forward,” said NewMexico Secretary of AgricultureJeff Witte. “And how the Instituteaims to achieve that lofty goal isby bringing together future agproducers and current ag produc-ers, and really facilitating a con-versation among that diversegroup.”According to the 2012 Census

of Agriculture released by USDArecently, New Mexico saw anincrease in the number of peopleage 34 and younger who are agri-cultural producers, from 818 in2007 to 1,200 in 2012. At thesame time, the census showed aslight uptick in the average age offarmers in New Mexico from 59.6years old in 2007 to 60.5 years old

in 2012.“Taken together, what those

two statistics tell us is that we’reheaded in the right direction interms of getting more young peo-ple into agriculture, but that westill have work to do,” Witte said.Access to land and capital are

often said to be the major road-blocks for young people who wantto join the ranks of today’s farmersand ranchers. Witte said that topicwill be one of many addressed inthe breakout session piece of theinstitute. Then attendees willboard several buses to take privatetours of a wide variety of agricul-tural businesses in and aroundAlbuquerque. “New Mexico depends on agri-

culture, and thus we depend onfuture generations gettinginvolved with the entire spectrumof agriculture from farming andranching to banking to teaching tocommunications and much, muchmore,” said Caren Cowan, execu-tive director of the New MexicoCattle Growers’ Association, oneof the institute’s organizers andsponsors. “[AgriFuture] hopes toexpose young people to the widerange of possibilities.”The institute is open to future

agricultural producers age 40 andunder; veterans are encouraged toattend. It is also open to currentagricultural producers of all agesin hopes that they will serve asmentors going forward. Witte saidthe idea of community is criticalin agriculture, because peopleoften develop their best practiceson the farm or ranch by talkingwith others rather than by, say,reading a handbook.The registration fee for future

agriculture producers is only $50

for the Institute, while the fee forcurrent agriculture producers(those who can potentially mentorbeginning farmers and ranchers)is only $100. Institute activitiesare also being funded in part bysuch sponsors as Farm Credit ofNew Mexico, which is also help-ing organize the institute. “Farm Credit of New Mexico

is passionate about youth andtheir development in agriculture,”said Al Porter, president andCEO of Farm Credit of NewMexico. “This conference is agreat way for us to all worktogether to make sure future agri-culturists are prepared to enhancerural New Mexico.”In addition to NMDA, Cattle

Growers’, and Farm Credit,institute organizers include AgNew Mexico Farm Credit; NewMexico Farm & LivestockBureau; New Mexico BeefCouncil; Dairy Producers ofNew Mexico; New Mexico WoolGrowers, Inc.; New Mexico Soiland Water Conservation Dis-tricts; New Mexico State Univer-sity-Cooperative Extension Serv-ice; USDA-Farm ServiceAgency’s New Mexico office;USDA-Natural Resources Con-servation Service’s New Mexicooffice; and USDA-Rural Devel-opment’s New Mexico office.The institute agenda and regis-

tration are available atwww.nmda.nmsu.edu. People canalso join the Facebook event page(via www.facebook.com/NMDe-partmentofAg) to stay tuned forinstitute updates and connectwith other attendees. If you wishto help sponsor the institute inany amount, you are asked to callNMDA at 575/646-3702.

that major retailers like Target,Macy’s, Wal-Mart and REI areusing. He is extremely proud ofthe fact that all of the productshis companies sell are totallyproduced in the U.S.A.This innovative piece of

equipment was field-tested forthree years on a cattle operationin east central Minnesota withtruly remarkable results. Thestudy consisted of 100 head ofAngus cattle and yielded resultsthat astounded the designers andthe farmer beyond anticipatedexpectations. The weaningweights averaged 55 poundsheavier over the previous fallweights when the bull calveswere sold off. Bymostly eliminat-ing the fly and pest problems thecattle faced on a daily basis, theyexpended significantly less ener-gy maintaining comfort levelsadding dollars to their mar-ketable weight. These weightswere significant enough thatthey elicited curiosity from thelocal stockyard, as they weresome of the best spring calvesthat had been through that year!In addition, dairy herds will pro-duce more milk and cows willbreed back better because theyare in better condition (not

fighting flies and ticks, etc.).A farmer or rancher with a

100 cow herd will save thou-sands of dollars compared tousing the usually methods –insecticide blocks, spraying fromthe back of a pick-up truck ordust bags, etc. One unit willeffectively handle up to 100 –150 head of cattle.This patented design is the

perfect solution for any farm orranch. The Terminator’s heavy-duty construction and powder-coat finish will withstand rub-bing, kicking and leaning and thethick rubber tray will resist dete-rioration from exposure to theelements. Forklift openingsdesigned right into the bodyallow a tractor or skid-loader tomove the equipment to any pas-ture. The Terminator is solar-powered so it never needs anelectrical outlet. The Terminatoris built with heavy gauge steeland durable powder coating foryears of trouble-free service.The on-board electronics will

sense each cow as it visits themineral tray. The motion of theanimal triggers a light misting ofinsecticide which is appliedevenly across the back and neckof the animal. The Terminator is

also fitted with 3 outriggerswhich allow the misting of othercattle in the immediate vicinitythat may be congregating to usethe mineral tray.The Terminator is complete

with a comprehensive assemblyand operations manual, and twopeople with minimal tools canassemble the unit in less thanone hour. Each Terminatorcomes with a single bottle ofconcentrated insecticide thatmixes with water to yield hun-dreds of gallons of effective con-trol. A farm or ranch with 100head of cattle can expect to con-trol flies and other pest insectsfor approximately $60 each graz-ing season.The Terminator is an absolute

must for any cattle rancher orfarmer. It will eliminate flies andticks PERIOD! Start reducingyour overhead costs, increaseyour profits today. Multiple unitdiscounts are available. For more information and a

price quote, please contact theManufacturer’s Representative,John Vrabec, who coverstheNew Mexico and Arizona mar-kets. Telephone: 505/301-2102.E-Mail: [email protected].

New Mexico creates agricultural instituteto preparefuture farmers, ranchers, agribusiness leaders

The legalization of marijua-na in Colorado hasbrought to a head a com-mon point of contention

that has happened in stateafter state. It is a generationalchange, a population shift thatis the result of the inevitableroll of civilization.It also marks a shift from

rural to urban.Over the years I have

watched certain western townsand cities evolve into mini-met-ros that no longer belong tothe state that bore them; SantaFe, Aspen, Missoula, Sedona,Monterey and Deer Valley.They become baby Berkeleysor Austins or Madisons. Theygrow and metastasize. Theystart changing the laws, the val-ues and the livelihoods of theinvaded towns and states, intothose from the cities they leftbehind.It is often referred to as

“Californication.” The newwave of settlers leave the stateof their upbringing because it’stoo crowded, crime isomnipresent, politics are cor-rupt, freeways are snarled andit’s no place to raise a family.One day, on vacation, they

drive through a western citywith spectacular views, openspace, friendly folk, and notmuch crime, so they buy apiece of property. They build asecond home and commuteback and forth, it’s so quaint,they stay.They bring with them the

conveniences and expectationsthey took for granted their

metroplex. The locals originallylook at it as a blessing, a tax-able addition. The more theycater to new money, the deep-er they fall into the trap ofdependency.Then the newcomers begin

to miss the attitudes andmodernity that made big cityliving bearable. “This is the21st century! Let’s get with it!”They have no historical senseof intrinsic value or the hard-ship of generations, or theworkin’ man culture. They arethe Princess Di trying to fit inwith the Duck Dynasty!The newbies don’t enjoy

having a hog farm down theroad, kids getting out of schoolfor hunting season, or for ski-ing on Fridays. They despisezoning laws that allow salebarns, dairies, timber mills,mining claims, or gas wells toprosper.The new settlers gain influ-

ence and numbers primarilybecause of their financialadvantage. Over a period ofyears a tipping point isreached. The town is nowbeing run by money made else-where. Eventually the localsare relegated to serving theirconquerors. In a communitythat 25 years ago would havebeen appalled, now welcomestopless bars, a resort tax, gatedneighborhoods, private securi-ty guards, license tags for yourdog or a Pot Hole that nowsells marijuana to users.Oh, well, I better go look at

Princess Di’s horse. She alwayspays her bill.

The Western Migration Invasion

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that worked at the track. Many ofthe other farriers I worked withwere very colorful . I remember I went to Chicago

to work on a horse and met a mostinteresting African American farri-er. His name was Lightning and Inever did know his real name.Maybe he didn’t have one, whichwasn’t uncommon in those days. Lightning was in his forties and

probably six foot tall and abouteighteen inches wide. He was trulythe narrowest individual I have seento this day. He was a little tall to bea farrier and probably weighedabout 130 pounds. When I first sawhim I thought he was malnourishedor had a tape worm. Lightning wasactually very healthy and had alarge client base. People liked him as he had a

very easy going manner with horsesand people alike. However, themost amazing thing about him wasthat when he walked somewhere healways had a horse rasp in his hand.As he walked along he would flipthe rasp back over his shoulder andbounce it off his boot heel. The raspwould flip back over the shoulderand land in his hand every time. Ihave never seen anyone else dothis. Of course, all of us horseshoers

would try it and incur a multitudeof bruises. Lightning did this with-out thinking about it as he walkedalong. I didn’t go to Chicago often,but every time I was there I alwaysmarveled at Lightning and hisantics.

Andre Delonpres was a French-man through and through. Hespoke with a thick accent and hadcome to America as a boy of abouteight years. He had thick curly hairthat stuck out below his fedora. Hewore thick soled Brogans and youcould always hear him comingbefore you could see him. If youheard a series of “galumps” youknew it was Frenchy on his way.“Frenchy” as everyone called himhad a special knack with horses. All his regular horses that he

shod just loved him and if you hada colt you couldn’t get shoes on youbrought it to Frenchy. He wasknown far and wide for being thefractious horse panacea. Many peo-ple don’t realize that race horses aretrained to “peak” at a certain timefor a big race. Often times thetraining regimen leading up to amajor race will put these horses in anervous frame of mind. It’s quitethe same as a human athlete get-ting ready for the big game. Nervestend to get on edge. Because ofthis, Frenchy would get many hors-es to shoe just before the big race.One day Frenchy was working

on this big beautiful chestnut coltbefore his first stakes race. Thehorse had broken its maiden inhigh fashion and then won threeraces in a row. There was lots ofpromise in this youngster. Howev-er, this horse was being pretty

tough to shoe. Frenchy always remained calm

even if there were hind hooves nar-rowly missing his head. The horse’sgroom was holding him and doingthe best job he could, but that coltwas having none of it. Most thor-oughbred race horses can be shodwith a lip chain when things gettesty. This was not the case today. Finally the groom opted to

replace the lip chain with a longhandled rope twitch. That was agood idea and Frenchy got onemore foot completed. Pretty soonthe colt started rearing with thetwitch so it needed to come off.Keep in mind that Frenchy wasshoeing this horse just a day beforethe race so tranquillizers were notan option. The next thing thegroom did was grab a fistful of skinbetween the horse’s neck andshoulder. This allowed Frenchy to get the

last hoof trimmed and the shoeshaped. However, when he went tonail it on that rear hoof caughtFrenchy in the back of the thighand lifted him down the barn aisleabout 15 feet. Frenchy never didsay a thing, but went to the cab ofhis truck and got out a magazine.He opened up the magazine andthrew it down in front of the horse.The horse never moved and letFrenchy finish his job. Now that’s a horse whisperer!


RacetrackersBY BARRY DENTON

Some of my fondest memoriesof the race track are the castof characters I met. Many ofthem had been in the race

horse business all of their life andothers were just passing through.You met people from all back-grounds and ethnicities. If I stopand think about it I guess my clien-tele was a miniature UnitedNations. One day I started making a list

of where many of them had comefrom and it was quite fascinating.There were the usual doctors,lawyers, and businessmen. Then ifyou add some Arabian sheiks,

Russian oilmen, heads of state,politicians, a railroad magnate, alarge retailer, Hollywood folks, anda few New York Jews you had apretty interesting mix. Can youimagine having them all at thesame party? Thankfully you deal with the

trainer most of the time, but manytimes the owners love to check outwho they are sending checks to ona regular basis. Many of the ownersI got to know very well over theyears and I learned so much bytalking with them. You have to bebright to be successful and thesefolks were special. I always appreci-ated my owners and went the extramile for them. As interesting as the owners

were I was always even more fasci-nated by the everyday guy or gal

Undersecretary for USDA’sMarketing & RegulatoryPrograms Edward Avalos hasannounced that USDA is

kicking off a national effort toreduce the devastating damagecaused by feral, or free ranging,swine. The $20 million programaims to help states deal with a rapid-ly expanding population of invasivewild swine that causes $1.5 billion inannual damage and control costs.“Feral swine are one of the most

destructive invaders a state canhave,” said Undersecretary Avalos.“They have expanded their rangefrom 17 to 39 states in the last 30years and cause damage to crops,kill young livestock, destroy proper-ty, harm natural resources, and car-ry diseases that threaten other ani-mals as well as people and watersupplies. It’s critical that we act nowto begin appropriate managementof this costly problem.”The Wildlife Services (WS) pro-

gram of USDA’s Animal and PlantHealth Inspection Service (APHIS)will lead the effort, tailoring activi-ties to each state’s circumstance andworking closely with other Federal,State, Tribal, and local entities. WSwill work directly with states to con-trol populations, test animals for dis-eases, and research better methodsof managing feral swine damage. Akey part of the national program willinclude surveillance and diseasemonitoring to protect the health ofour domestic swine.Feral swine have become a seri-

ous problem in 78 percent of all

states in the country, carrying dis-eases that can affect people, domes-tic animals, livestock and wildlife, aswell as local water supplies. Theyalso cause damage to field and high-value crops of all kinds from Mid-western corn and soybeans to sugarcane, peanuts, spinach and pump-kins. They kill young animals andtheir characteristic rooting and wal-lowing damages natural resources,including resources used by nativewaterfowl, as well as archeologicaland recreational lands. Feral swinecompete for food with nativewildlife, such as deer, and consumethe eggs of ground-nesting birdsand endangered species, such as seaturtles.“In addition to the costly damage

to agricultural and naturalresources, the diseases these ani-mals carry present a real threat toour swine populations,” said Avalos.“Feral swine are able to carry andtransmit up to 30 diseases and 37different parasites to livestock, peo-ple, pets and wildlife, so surveillanceand disease monitoring is anotherkeystone to this program.” As part of the national program,

APHIS will test feral swine for dis-eases of concern for U.S. pork pro-ducers, such as classical swine fever,which does not exist in the UnitedStates, as well as swine brucellosis,porcine reproductive and respiratorysyndrome, swine influenza, andpseudorabies. Ensuring thatdomestic swine are not threatenedby disease from feral swine helpsensure that U.S. export markets

remain open. APHIS aims to have the pro-

gram operating within 6 monthsand funding for the comprehensiveproject includes, among otherthings:

n $9.5 million for state projectsn $1.4 million for establishing

procedures for disease monitoring,including the development of newsurveillance and vaccination meth-ods

n $1.5 million for WS’ NationalWildlife Research Center to con-duct research and economic analy-ses to improve control practices

n $1.6 million for the centraliza-tion of control operations, and formaking them safer and more cost-effectiveInitial state funding levels will be

based on current feral swine popula-tions and associated damage toresources. Because feral swine pop-ulations, like most wildlife, crossinternational borders, APHIS willalso coordinate with Canada andMexico on feral swine damage man-agement. “We’ve already begun this type of

work through a pilot program inNew Mexico,” said Avalos.“Through this pilot program, wehave successfully removed feralswine from 1.4 million acres of land.By applying the techniques such astrap monitors and surveillance cam-eras we have developed through thispilot project, we aim to eliminateferal swine from two States everythree to five years and stabilize feralswine damage within 10 years.”

USDA announces $20 million effort toreduce damage caused by feral swine

sus. Hydatid disease in humansis difficult to diagnose and mayrequire surgery to remove them.“It can be fatal,” Acker said.Humans can be exposed to

the eggs from canine feces or fur.From there the cysts take up res-idence in the human’s lungs orliver.“It is a silent killer,” Acker

said. Humans can unknowinglycarry the cysts for 20 years untilit becomes critical. When cystsrupture, the person enters ana-phylactic shock and dies within10 minutes, Acker said.“Right now it’s rare for

humans because it’s just emerg-ing,” Acker said.In Alaska, there have been

300 reported cases of hydatiddisease in people since 1950.That is a result of canines, prima-rily wolves, contaminating thelandscape with billions of E.granulosus eggs in their feces.The invisible eggs are ingested bywild and domestic grazing ani-mals and occasionally by humanswho release clouds of the eggsinto the air by kicking the scat orexamining the feces to see whatthe wolf had been eating,according to a December 2009article in The Outdoorsman.“This is not limited to wolves,

and quite honestly we as anagency always stress safety pre-cautions when dealing with wildgame and/or fur bearers as itrelated to ectoparasites and oth-er potential parasites,” Thomp-son said. “This topic seems toflare up every now and then, butit is still important that we(Wyoming Game & FishDepartment) make sure peoplehave the facts and are safelyenjoying our outdoors. Long sto-

ry short, the health risk is verylow.”In the last four or five

months, it has been found inwild ungulates, but not domesticungulates in Wyoming. It is not aproblem for humans, but thepossibility does exist, said StateVeterinarian Jim Logan.“It’s pretty rare as far as we

know,” Logan said.“In northwest Wyoming,

hydatid cysts have been found inthe lungs of a few moose andelk,” according to a 2010Echinococcus granulosus inWyoming fact sheet from theGame & Fish. “Where the para-site is found in wolves and wildungulates, most public healthagencies consider the publichealth risk to be very low.”There have been no cases of

E. granulosus in the Big HornMountains, but there are nowolves there, Acker said.The definitive host for E.

granulosus where they reachmaturity and reproduce arecanines and wild carnivores.Wild or domesticated ungu-

lates, such as elk or sheep andhumans, serve as intermediatehosts where the parasite transi-tions between life stages. The lar-val stage results in the formationof hydatid cysts in intermediatehosts.The eggs form inside the pri-

mary host. The eggs hatch intolarva and migrate to the liver andlungs to form cysts. The preda-tor, such as a canine, feeds onintermediate host prey andbecome the definitive or primaryhosts, Acker said.Stock on a national forest

grazing allotment could pick upthe cysts while grazing. Then theanimals are brought back fromthe mountains to their pastureshere. If the stock has the cysts inits lungs, they won’t gain weight.Or, if the stock dies, predators

or dogs eat the carcass andspread the disease. If numerousstock are infected it could have asignificant financial impact onproducers, Acker said.

Hunters should bewareIn January a friend of Acker’s

killed an elk in a Meeteetse huntarea. When the hunter field-dressed the elk, the lungs wereloaded with cysts. Somethingattracted the dogs to the elk’slungs, perhaps an odor from thecysts, and the dogs consumedthe elk’s organs. He has wormedthe dogs twice with praziquantelthat kills E. granulosus incanines, Acker said.Game & Fish sent the elk

lung tissue samples to the Game& Fish lab in Laramie and thelab verified it as E. granulosus,Acker said.“Do not feed uncooked meat

or organs of deer, elk, moose orsheep to dogs,” said the factsheet.If a hunter notes hydatid cysts

in their elk, they should not pan-ic because the tapeworms mustpass through a primary host likea dog first, Acker said.Wolf hunters should be cau-

tious handling their kill. Wearrubber gloves and take care han-dling feces and intestines, Acker

said.“Those hunting or trapping

canids (mammals of the dogfamily) in Wyoming are encour-aged to wear latex or rubbergloves when field dressing andskinning their animals. Addition-ally, wild game meat shouldalways be cooked thoroughly,”said the fact sheet.Taking the wolf pelt to a car

wash and using the high-pressurehose to blow eggs off the fur is ahandy precaution. Taxidermistsshould also use care, Acker said.Watch for white segments

around the rectums and in thedog’s stool. Initially the one-quarter by one-eighth inch seg-ments will move slightly. Wormyour dogs, Acker said.Eggs can survive in excrement

for up to one year. “I think theydo well in the cold,” Acker said.Dogs, with a propensity to roll

in feces can collect the eggs ontheir coat and pass it on to theirmasters, Acker said.Deworm dogs regularly. The

best methods to prevent infec-tion in humans are practicinggood hygiene like wearing rubberor latex gloves and washinghands after handling dog excre-ment, said the fact sheet.People should take precau-

tions handling any wildlife. Forexample, people can contractbubonic plague from handlingprairie dogs, Logan said.Acker believes the disease has

just reared its head amongwildlife in this area. “We didn’thave it down here until theyintroduced these wolves,” hesaid.In 1995/96 wolves from

Alberta and British Columbiawere re-introduced with 31wolves in Yellowstone NationalPark and 35 in central Idaho.They were treated for parasitesincluding, E. granulosus and itwas well documented, Jimenezsaid.“All wolves captured in Cana-

da for relocation to YellowstoneNational Park and central Idahowere treated for lice, round-worms and tapeworms beforebeing released in Wyoming,” saidthe fact sheet.Some people who dislike

wolves returning to the regioncite E. granulosus as another fac-tor for their disdain for thecanines. Acker admits to beinganti-wolf, but he said if there area lot of rabid skunks in the areathey are eliminated in the inter-est of public safety.“I’m anti-wolf here,” Acker

said. “I think they belong wherethey came from.”“People who are not real crazy

about wolves see it as anotherreason to not be crazy aboutwolves,” said Mike Jimenez, U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service graywolf recovery coordinator inJackson. When Acker was a graduate

student at Kansas State in Man-hattan, he dissected two humanlivers from cadavers brimmingwith cysts. Action should be tak-en now, he said.“Are we going to wait till

somebody dies or try to keepsomebody from dying?” Ackersaid.


BY GIB MATHERS,

POWELLTRIBUNE.COM

Powell veterinarian warnsof problems that may bespread by wolves

Anasty tapeworm found inAlaskan wolves has turnedup in Park County andhas infected multiple elk

and four dogs, according to aPowell veterinarian.State and federal officials say

the risk of infecting humans islow, but veterinarian Ray Acker,who owns and operates BigHorn Animal Care Center inPowell, said it behooves huntersand dog owners to take precau-tions to protect themselves andtheir pets from the parasite.Echinococcosis granulosus

(E. granulosus) can infect andkill humans, but there have beenno reported cases of humanfatalities in Wyoming.Acker said he fears it is only a

matter of time before the tape-worm’s cysts invade humans andpotentially kill them.E. granulosus tapeworm can

infect all carnivores, but wolvesand other canines are the pri-mary host. “You could call it thewolf tapeworm,” Acker said.“We always take any type of

situation related to human safetyand wildlife very seriously,” DanThompson, statewide supervisorof the large carnivore manage-ment section in Lander said inan email.Hank Edwards, Wyoming

Game & Fish Department labo-ratory supervisor in Laramie,said don’t panic, just be aware ofthe risk.“I don’t know the prevalence

in wolves, but certainly somecarry it,” Edwards added. “It’svery, very rare that it infects peo-ple.”Humans contract the

hydatids (cysts) from E. granulo-

‘The wolf tapeworm’


The Mexican Wolf/Livestock Coexis-tence Council (Coexistence Coun-cil), an 11-member volunteer groupof livestock producers, tribes, envi-

ronmental groups, and county coalitions,has developed an innovative StrategicCoexistence Plan (Coexistence Plan), toreduce wolf/livestock conflicts and theneed for management removals of depre-dating or nuisance wolves. The goals ofthe Coexistence Plan are to sustain viableranching, protect healthy western land-scapes, and advance a wild, self-sustainingMexican gray wolf population.In April 2011, the Southwest Regional

Director of the U.S. Fish and WildlifeService appointed the Coexistence Coun-cil to direct disbursement of the MexicanWolf/Livestock Interdiction Trust Fund(Trust Fund) to qualified applicants. TheTrust Fund is administered by the non-profit National Fish and Wildlife Founda-tion.The Coexistence Council has now

completed the Coexistence Plan, whichprovides the basis for the disbursement of

these funds. The Coexistence Plan iscomprised of three core strategies: pay-ments for wolf presence, funding for con-flict avoidance measures, and funding fordepredation compensation.Payments to livestock producers for

wolf presence will be based on a formulathat considers a variety of factors to deter-mine allocation of the annual funding foreach applicant, including whether theapplicant’s land or grazing lease overlapsa wolf territory or core area (e.g., den orrendezvous area) and the number of wolfpups annually surviving to December 31in the territory, recognizing that survivalof wolf pups is not dependent upon thelivestock producer. The formula also con-siders the number of livestock exposed towolves and the applicant’s participation inproactive conflict avoidance measures.Up to 50 percent of the yearly budget-

ed funds will be available to support thevoluntary implementation of wolf/live-stock proactive conflict avoidance meas-ures by livestock producers. Adaptivemanagement techniques are available to

Colorado State University studyannounces top agribusiness-friendlystates in the nation

BY JENNIFER DIMAS, COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY

South Dakota, Wyoming, Col-orado, New Hampshire andNorth Dakota are the top fiveagribusiness-friendly states in

America, according to a new reportissued by Colorado State University(CSU) agricultural economists.CSU professors Greg Perry and

James Pritchett developed theAgribusiness Friendliness Index todescribe the economic climate foragriculture, which is impacted by cli-mate, local and state government poli-cies, geography and other factorsmore than other business sectors.The index is based on 38 variables,

representing regulatory policy, tax pol-icy, government efficiency, impact ofkey government services, and the over-all state business climate. It followsthe methodology of other key indexeslike the State Business Tax ClimateIndex.Perry and Pritchett believe this is

the first study of its kind focusingexclusively on the agricultural sector.“The Agribusiness Friendliness

Index illustrates the different waysgovernment influences the economicclimate of agriculture and its alliedbusinesses,” Perry said. “State governments play a particu-

lar role in fostering agribusinessopportunities and influencing coststructures with policies that includeregulation, taxes and government serv-ices.”Pritchett agreed.“Businesses are acutely aware of

the role that state government plays intheir success — a business-friendlyenvironment will encourage theseenterprises to locate or expand opera-tions while unfriendly polices shrinkbusiness and may even cause reloca-tion,” he said.Perry and Pritchett divided agricul-

tural activities into four separate cate-gories and then examined specificvariables in each of those areas. Theteam evaluated how each state faredin those categories and used thatinformation to calculate an overallscore.The four categories are:n Agricultural inputs (e.g., fertiliz-

er, chemical, equipment, seed dealers)n Crop, fruit and vegetable produc-

tionnMeat and livestock productsn First-level agricultural processingStates fared differently across all

four categories depending on theirbase agricultural industry. For exam-ple, states in the upper Great Plainsscored higher in the meats and live-stock products category. States withthe highest scores for agricultural pro-cessing were split between the GreatPlains and New England.

EDITORIAL BY U.S. REPRESENTATIVE SCOTT TIPTON, PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

The U.S. House of Representativeshas passed an important and rea-sonable bill that prohibits the trans-fer of private water rights to the

federal government as a condition of per-

mits it issues.But the bill’s future is in doubt,

according to sponsor U.S. Rep. Scott Tip-ton, R-Colo., because a majority in theU.S. Senate and President Barack Oba-ma appear opposed to the legislation.The Water Rights Protection Act

(HR3189) is designed to protect Col-

Mexican Wolf/Livestock Coexistence CouncilUnveils Innovative Strategic Plan

Agribusiness-friendly States

reduce wolf/livestock conflicts, at the dis-cretion of the livestock producer.Direct compensation will continue for

confirmed livestock deaths or injuriescaused by Mexican wolves to livestockproducers who are not otherwise receivingpayments for wolf presence funding underthe Coexistence Plan, unless they requireimmediate reimbursement. In such cases,the reimbursement amount will be sub-tracted from the payment for wolf pres-ence allocation to that livestock producer.The intent of the Coexistence Plan is

to recognize that there are real economicconsequences to livestock producers coex-isting with wolves in Arizona and NewMexico. In addition to losses from live-stock depredations, livestock producersincur costs from undetected depredationsand changes in livestock behavior inresponse to wolf presence, which result ina reduction of livestock weight gain,reproductive rates, and meat quality, aswell as increased costs tied to managingwolf/livestock interactions. The Coexis-tence Plan creates incentives for ranchingin ways that promote self-sustaining Mex-ican wolf populations, viable ranchingoperations, and healthy western land-scapes.“Recovering the Mexican wolf must be

accomplished on a working landscape,”

said Benjamin Tuggle, the U.S. Fish &Wildlife Service’s Southwest RegionalDirector. “Working collaboratively withstakeholders, we can achieve a balance ofactivities that sustain economically viableranching operations and a self-sustainingpopulation of wild wolves. This plan is asignificant step in that direction.”The Coexistence Council will work

with the National Fish and Wildlife Foun-dation to disburse available funds toaffected livestock producers based on theplan’s funding formula and a yearly appli-cation process. Livestock producers withprivate lands, Tribal lands, or grazingallot¬ments in the Blue Range WolfRecovery Area (BRWRA), the FortApache Indian Reservation, or the SanCarlos Apache Reservation, and privatelands adjacent to the BRWRA are eligibleto apply for funding. The CoexistencePlan budget projection for year 1 is$634,000.The amount of money available each

year through the Coexistence Council’splan will depend on private and publicfunding directed to support the TrustFund, with available Fund balances beingdivided among eligible livestock producerswho have applied to participate in theprogram. Applications to participate aredue by May 1 of each year.

Water right battle

continued on page sixteen


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BY HEATHER SMITH THOMAS

The increasing wolf popu-lation in the West is hav-ing a significant impacton ranchers and live-

stock, but the extent of thisimpact has not been very welldocumented until recently.Cattlemen in Oregon a fewyears ago decided to try todetermine what affect thewolves are actually having inareas where wolf packs roamthe same pastures with cattle.Casey Anderson, manager

of the OX Ranch near Coun-cil, Idaho says the study wasstarted with money put up bythe Oregon Beef Council. Dr.Doug Johnson, in the AgResearch department at Ore-gon State University becameinvolved, as well as Neil Rim-bey (Range Economist) fromthe University of Idaho andPat Clark with the AgricultureResearch Service(USDA/APHIS) in Boise, Ida-ho. “Pat Clark is the one who

designed the GPS collars forthe cows and the wolves. He’s

had experience in Africa andother countries with variousanimals including reindeer. Hedid a pilot study with wolvesup in Copper Basin (nearMackey) in eastern Idaho. Thisis where he first collaredwolves and cows with this GPSsystem. USDA’s APHIS part-nered with us because they arethe ones doing depredationreports. Any wolf sightings orcontrol measure are recordedand put into this study aswell,” says Anderson.The initial goal of this study

was to try to get an idea aboutwhat to expect would happenin Oregon, judging by whathad already happened in Ida-ho. “The Oregon Beef Councilwanted to collect data in ahigh wolf population area inIdaho and compare it withdata from an Oregon area withthe same type of terrain. Theypaired several ranch sites inIdaho with similar ranch sitesin Oregon that did not havewolves yet,” explains Ander-son.The study started in 2008.

“Not long after that, however,

Wolf Activities Affect Cattle Behaviora wolf pack in the Wallowaarea (near Enterprise, Ore-gon) showed up and thatregion was impacted bywolves. So the program took ashift from comparing highwolf pressure with no wolfpressure to comparing highwolf pressure with low wolfpressure. There was no longeran area with no wolf pressure,”he says.“They collared 10 cows on

each paired ranch—one inIdaho and one in Oregon.There are a number of ranchesinvolved, and ours was onethat started collecting data in2008. We wanted to get abaseline on how the cattle usethe country and terrain, and ifthey use it differently orchange their behavior patternswhen there are wolves,” hesays.Anderson is sure the OX

Ranch was experiencing wolfdepredation before the studystarted, but didn’t have docu-mentation of those kills, or theknowledge needed to interpretthe losses. “We saw some loss-es, but assumed they are dueto things we’ve already hadexperience with, such ascougars, coyotes, bears, etc.But we did start having someconfirmed wolf depredationsin 2008,” he says.Then in 2009 the govern-

ment trapper from APHIS sawa pack of 12 wolves on theirrange. “There were otherpacks that also worked thisarea. In 2009 we had a lotmore confirmed depredations,with 18 animals killed,” saysAnderson. There are alwayssome additional losses that arenever confirmed.“We were also missing 5

cows, 2 yearlings and a bull,and between 65 and 70 calvesthat were unaccounted for.We were also weighing andassessing the cows when wecollared them and again whenthey came off the range andwe removed the collars andtransported the cattle down toour winter country. What wewere seeing across the boardin our herd was that the cowswere coming home a full bodyscore less than they had beenin the past. With a maturecow, each score is 100 pounds,as a general rule of thumb,” heexplains.“We were also seeing our

conception rate plummet.With our herd health program,mineral and protein supple-ment, there was no real reasonfor this other than the wolves.What normally would be 90 to95% conception rate in ourherd went down to as low as82%,” says Anderson.Some of the wolf impact

wasn’t actual kills; additionalanimals were severely maimed.“You spend a lot of time doc-toring these and trying to savethem, and end up with abunch you can’t sell because

they are crippled,” he says.Anderson spoke at a sympo-

sium in 2009 and was askedhow many wolves he thoughtwere in his area. “We figuredthere were at least 28 wolvesthat we knew of that ran inour allotment that year,” hesays. “In 2009 we were able to

collar a young male wolf theend of May. He wore thatGPS collar all summer and weretrieved it the end of Novem-ber or early December. Thedata we collected from his col-lar was unbelievable. The cowcollars collected data on 5minute intervals and the wolfcollar was collecting data on15 minute intervals. Criticswho look at the study don’tthink we can show the actualdistribution of the cattlebecause we are only collaring10 cows; they thought thosecows would probably all be inone group. But the data wegathered, showing the spreadon the cattle, was phenome-nal,” says Anderson.“That one wolf came into

contact with all 10 of thosecows and we didn’t have a cluethat this would happen untilwe retrieved the data from hiscollar. He came into closecontact 783 times—within 500yards. If the cow is beingtracked on 5 minute intervalsand the wolf is tracked on 15minute intervals, there couldbe a spread of 20 minutes; thewolf could move a long waysin that period of time. This isjust one wolf, and he was justone member of a 12-wolfpack. The 10 collared cowswere in a herd of 450 head.”You can envision a herd of

450 cows with 12 wolves mov-ing amongst them (just thatone pack) and multiply 783 by12 wolves and multiply that by450—and that’s how manyencounters those cattle hadwith the wolves that summer.Those cows were constantlybeing affected by the presenceof wolves.“This was very interesting to

see. And because of the GPStracking we can identify eachpoint where that wolf or cowwas. It becomes a spot on themap where the wolf came intodirect contact with the cow.We were trying to go throughall of this the next spring, andground-prove the informationwe collected. We went to all ofthose spots, and at the thirdspot we found cow bones fromthe year before—a cow we’dlost but didn’t confirm as awolf kill. There’s a goodchance that the pack killedthat cow,” says Anderson.“Of the 10 collared cows

that year, 2 of them lost theircalves to wolves. When peopleargue that wolf kills are no bigdeal because ranchers can getcompensated for their losses,this is just a small part of thepicture. At the very best, the

wolf authorities tell us thatmaybe 7% of our actual losseswill be confirmed. Even if itwere 10%, this wouldn’t helpus very much,” he explains.“I spoke at the Washington

Cattlemen’s Association in2009 and they were workingon a reimbursement programthat would pay twice the valueof the killed animal, and werehappy about that, for compen-sation. I told them that they’dbe lucky to get 10% of thoselosses confirmed, and eventhough they’d get paid twicefor those, they would still begiving away 80% of their losseswith no compensation,” saysAnderson. And this doesn’ttake into consideration othernegatives like lower concep-tion rates and lost weight onthe animals.“My point is that the small-

est loss to producers is theactual kill loss. When you fig-ure in conception rate, theloss of body score conditionand having to add extra feedto those cows to get themback up to an acceptable con-dition to go through winter,and lower calf weights in thefall, these losses are muchmore extensive,” he explains.“We removed 15 wolves

from the ranch in 2009 and in2010 we had fewer depreda-tions—even though we stillhad some confirmed kills andcattle harassed. Then in 2011the kill numbers were rightback up again. If the statemanagement plan could havestayed with the original num-bers, to get up to 15 breedingpairs and 150 wolves in Idahoand then start controlling theirnumbers, we wouldn’t be hav-ing so many problems. Butwhen you let wolves increaseto 150 breeding pairs and anexpanding wolf population,they are harder to control,”says Anderson.“We moved a group of cat-

tle through the ranch this pastsummer and within one weekwe had 9 calves with wolfbites. They may live, but youhave to doctor them. Thealpha females are using thecalves to teach their pups howto hunt,” he says.In addition, 4 young cows

in the first-calf heifer had bigabscesses behind the shoulderand/or above the flank area,due to infected wolf bites. “Wehad a neighbor’s cow here theother day that had an abscessin the same place. The wolvesare just playing with these ani-mals,” he says.“Several things came out of

the study. In our area therewas a grad student from LeGrande who looked at thedata from the cows. His fieldwas fishery and water issuesbut he did his masters thesison this study. The data heprocessed showed that on our

continued on page fifteen


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Wolf Activities Affect Cattle Behaviorranch those 10 collared cowswere only using the riparianareas less than 1% of theirtime. In a 24-hour periodthat’s basically 14.4 minutes.The cows were only coming inlong enough to get a drink andleave. The interesting thing isthat for many years the landmanagement agencies havebeen forcing us to managethese riparian areas, but thedata shows the cattle are notspending time there,” saysAnderson.“We are also seeing changes

in the way cattle are using therange. They are bunching upmore against fences, and thewolves are using the fences tocorner them. We’ve also beenable to put together a videoshowing what happens when acow comes into contact withthe collared wolf, and theirinteraction and the velocity ofthe cow leaving,” he says. The collared wolf’s area was

210 square miles with a 55mile perimeter. The least dis-tance he traveled was just a lit-tle over 6 miles per day andthe most he traveled was closeto 29 miles per day. “We wereable to break down each dayindividually and see the direc-tion the wolf was going andtrack him. Then when we werehaving depredation, the day ofthe confirmed depredation wecould look back to the dataand see that the wolf was inthe immediate area at thatsame time,” he says. This shows a vivid picture,

especially when you keep inmind that this wolf is just onemember of a pack of 12. Theremay be as many as 3 differentpacks in that area whoseboundaries bump up againstthe OX Ranch. The amount ofwolf interaction with the cattleis tremendous.The cattle are being upset

and harassed most of the time.“Earlier, these cattle were alldog-broke and easy to workwith dogs. The cow boss, whohas been here for more than25 years, has had extremelygood dogs and the cattlerespected them. Now the cat-tle chase the dogs and youcan’t use dogs anymore toherd them. In this steep,rugged country, dogs havealways been a good tool. Nowit is extremely difficult tomove cattle,” explains Ander-son.The OX Ranch herd calves

in late May through June. Thecalves are branded when thecattle are gathered in the fall.“By that time the calves are350 to 400 pounds, and whenthey come into the corral theywill look at a person and sizeyou up, and then take you,” hesays. They are totally focusedon defending themselves,attacking a dog or a person.“This is not normal behav-

ior. These cattle were all niceto handle before the wolvescame in. Now they attackanything that comes close to

them. Another interestingthing we’ve noticed, with thewolves we’ve trapped, collaredor removed, is that at least 4of them had broken hind legsin which the bones have grownback together—not end-to-endbut side-to-side. That hind legis short, and won’t touch theground; they travel on 3 legs.If you watch raunchy cowsworking on dogs, they can hurta dog. So this may be whathappened to those wolves,”says Anderson.“It’s hard to blame the

wolves for all this; they are justdoing what wolves do. Theenvironmental groups and wolfadvocates have pushed thiswolf program to where the bal-ance is out of whack and thereare too many wolves and theyare no longer just killingwildlife but working on live-stock,” he says.“It’s easy to say we don’t

need any wolves, but the truthis we don’t need this many. Ifthey are kept at bay and arecontrolled, they have a tenden-cy to stay more out of the wayand farther back in the highcountry. But when they areprotected they lose their fearof humans and keep infringingon our lives.”Anderson’s wife was home

alone one day when there wassnow on the ground, andfound wolf tracks just past thewood pile, less than 50 feetfrom the house. “We’ve hadwolves lie on the county roadin the snow, watching cattlethat were under a light at theend of the barn. You couldsee where the wolves hadcome down next to the corrals,in by the gas pump, and werelying in the snow watching thecattle,” he says.A woman who raises and

trains border collies rides forsome of their neighbors, andlost one of her dogs to wolveswhen she was gathering cattle.“It was suddenly gone, andwhen they found it the dogwas all chewed up,” he says.Last winter the OX Ranch

had 20-plus horses in a 600-acre pasture. “One day 5wolves came down when therewas a little bit of snow on theground and got those horsesup against the fence. Theychased my wife’s horsethrough the fence. We gath-ered the horses that day andtook them to the lower ranch.One of them had fang marksthrough his shoulder and lowerforearm. It is so frustratingbecause we had a pretty openwinter last year and some extragrass—and a good place towinter those horses—andcouldn’t even use our ownproperty because of thewolves,” says Anderson.“We had another horse that

was run through the fence andback into the fence by wolves.Even though he healed up, weended up having to sell thehorse. He was fine with dogsbefore that, but afterward you

could not have a dog near him.He’d be striking and kicking.This literally ruined the horse.”Some of the information

from the wolf study hasn’tbeen processed or publicizedyet. “We haven’t had anycooperation from Idaho Fishand Game or the US Fish andWildlife Service. The onlygovernment agency thathelped us is APHIS, and theirtrapper,” he says. The study group has only

been able to collar 3 wolves.“The first one in 2009 is theone we collected data on. Theone we did last year, 2011, wehave not yet been able toretrieve that collar. The infor-mation is stored on it and weare hoping to get it back,” saysAnderson.The data collection and

publication has been slowbecause of lack of cooperationfrom the agencies, and it alsohas to be approved by theadvisory board. “We are justscratching the surface on this

whole issue. We have thepaper published on the ripari-an area usage, and are comingout with another documentsoon. Hopefully we will alsoget more data on the wolfmovements. This is what weare short on. Right now if wewere to release these findingsusing data from just one wolf,it wouldn’t be enough to con-firm what’s happening,” hesays.“We were also trying to

show how close these wolvesare coming to houses andhuman activity. We have sev-eral houses here on the ranchand used one of them as a cen-tral point. The one collaredwolf came within 500 yards ofthat house 307 times. Thepeople living there actuallysaw him a few times,” saysAnderson.The pack of 12 came within

300 yards of the ranch lodgeand spent all day there. “Thepeople that take care of thelodge have 3 little boys. The

wolves were there all day, rightabove the county road in a lit-tle clump of timber, andwatched the lodge. We hadproof because the collaredwolf was there with them, inwhat we call a rendezvous site.This is what’s helpful about

the data collected; the wolfmovements can be tracked,the rendezvous sites can beidentified, along with thepack’s boundary in their par-ticular territory they travel,etc. The data and observa-tions from this study also helpdispel some of the mythsabout wolves. “We’ve had 2 different

females within this pack thatraised pups, contrary to thebelief that only the Alphafemale breeds in any givenpack,” he says. How close thewolves are coming to housesand people is another eye-opener because many peoplethink wolves won’t come that

Behavior continued from page fourteen

continued on page sixteen

close to human activity orbecome a danger to people.“They always think wolves

stay in the wilderness area. Welive in a remote area, but weare raising cattle and childrenand the wolves have moved inhere. In the late 1800s whenpeople moved in, the wolvesretreated. But when thesewolves were introduced 16years ago, with all the rulesand regulations that protectedthem, these wolves had nofear. If we don’t control themand get them pushed back,they will push us out. We cannot financially support them,”explains Anderson. The wolveshave already decimated gameherds in some areas and arenow working on livestock.Ranchers are supplying an

easy, artificial food supply forthem, and they aren’t going tostop killing our animals. Eventhough ranchers have manyphotos showing the gorywounds inflicted on cattle, andanimals being eaten alive, thisdoesn’t have much impact onthe average American whenwe try to tell people aboutwhat the wolves are doing toour livelihood. “From an animal husbandry

standpoint, we try our verybest to take care of our cattleand it’s devastating and heart-breaking when we find them

mauled, injured and dying.But what we really need aremore photos of killed horsesand dogs—the animals thatmost people feel more emo-tionally attached to,” he says.

ANALYZING THE DATA –Some of the data collected wasdiscussed at the Oregon BeefCouncil’s Board of Directors’meeting on November 2,2012. “It was interesting look-ing at the patterns of cattlewhen there was moderate wolfpressure, for instance, com-pared with high wolf pres-sure,” says Anderson. “We just had a draft paper

written that will be submittedto the Oregon Beef Council,since they put in the seedmoney for much of the study.This paper summarizes a lot ofthe progress in the study.After that we may be able torelease more information fromthis study,” he says.Another paper is being pub-

lished, put together by DougJohnson and Pat Clark. “Therewill be a couple more papersreleased by the first of theyear, on different aspects ofthe study. One of the studentinterns working with Pat Clarkwrote a masters thesis that willalso be published. It discussesthe model that a researcherdid in Montana, for potentialwolf rendezvous sites, showing

how a person can take thismodel and use it for about anyarea—to show where thewolves might congregate, ifthey were there. He’s beenanalyzing our data and usingthat researcher’s model toshow these correlations,” saysAnderson.“If they can show how pre-

dictable this might be, withour cow data, using the poten-tial from that model on thisarea, we can use our cow datato verify how accurate it mightbe. Then we could use this in aregion like central Oregonwhere there aren’t manywolves yet, and show thepotential impact they couldhave,” he explains.“We are also trying to see

some actual range manage-ment uses, utilizing a lot ofthe data we got back from thecow collaring. This could ben-efit resource management,which should be important toanyone, to see if good rangemanagement practices arebeing done. This can be a pos-itive for wildlife, the ecosys-tem, etc. The potential isgreat, with the development ofthese collars, if we get them toa point where they are rela-tively inexpensive. We are nowworking through different gen-erations of the trackingdevices and fine-tuning the

technology,” he says. The col-lars could eventually become astandard range managementtool, to know the cattle move-ments for resource manage-ment.Originally the goal was to

see the interaction betweenwolves and cattle to see ifthere was any way to mitigatedepredation, but many addi-tional benefits are coming outof this study—looking at rangemanagement and cattle distri-bution, how much time thecattle are actually spending inthe riparian areas, and wherethey actually graze.“There are many miscon-

ceptions that this data has dis-pelled, which could change theway people look at some ofthese issues. There are manyspin-off benefits from thestudy, but the fact remainsthat we are looking at a large

predator that kills to survive,and does not kill selectively.It gives us a better idea aboutthe number of wolves that wecan actually tolerate in theseareas where they have conflictwith cattle operations. Peoplehave their own agendas, but ifour country still wants to havea protein source they need torealize we have to managethese factors,” says Anderson.“We are now discussing

some of the spin-off from thisresearch and trying to addressthe various questions thathave come up. A lot of itcomes down to funding andlogistics to try to keep thisstudy alive, but some amazingdata has come out of this.Once you start scratching thesurface, it is impressive, withmore data and potential thanwe envisioned in the begin-ning.”


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Behavior continued from page fifteen

Water Right continued from page thirteen

orado water rights from feder-al encroachment. The propos-al was developed in responseto U.S. Forest Service con-tracts with Colorado ski areasthat require the transfer ofwater rights as a condition ofpermit approval.Most ski areas in the state

operate on federally ownedland, which requires them tosecure permits and pay anannual fee. To make snow,however, the ski areas mustsecure water leases or rightsthrough the state.Federal authorities claim

the management of waterresources used by ski areas isimportant so that rivers andlakes can be protected fortheir recreational and environ-mental value. Bill backers sug-gest that the federal govern-ment’s attempt to collectwater rights is a serious threatto long-standing water lawthat puts states in charge ofregulating their own availableresources.The concern about making

water right transfers a condi-

tion of federal permits goeswell beyond ski areas. Grazersand other agricultural produc-ers who lease federal land areworried that the surrender ofwater rights might apply tothem as well.That’s why passage of

HR3189 makes sense. Col-orado water law has workedwell for more than a centuryand we don’t need the federalgovernment to get involved.We urge our U.S. senators

— Mark Udall, D-Colo., andMike Bennet, D-Colo. — tojump on board and help guidethe bill through the Senate. Itwill take a bit of work to edu-cate congressional membersfrom other parts of the coun-try about the importance ofstate water laws and about theimpact of having large tractsof federal land in your state.But if given the opportunity

to debate the matter on thefloor of the Senate, we’re con-fident that a majority of thoseelected officials will recognizethe need to approve this sim-ple measure.

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