lmd october 2010

LivestockDigest

LivestockOCTOBER 15, 2010 • www. aaalivestock . com Volume 52 • No. 11

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

– JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL

continued on page two

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DigestRiding Herd

by Lee Pitts

It’s estimated over 2,000 peo-ple went to Fort Collins, Col-orado, to beg the governmentto fix what ails our industry.

Mostly the folks came to com-plain about the increasing con-centration of the four largestmeat packers and their use ofcaptive supplies to lower fat cat-tle prices. For decades independ-ent livestock producers havecalled on both the JusticeDepartment and the Packers andStockyards division of USDA torein in the packers by enforcingalready existing antitrust laws.R-CALF and other farm

groups said we might never haveanother opportunity like this oneto save the independent rancher.But even if the government doesact to stop the packers from tak-ing the rest of the beef industrycaptive, it may already be toolate. It is certainly already toolate for the 40 percent of theranchers in this country whohave left the business since 1980.But in trying to find out exactlywho was responsible for the cow-boy’s disappearance there is agrowing body of evidence thatthe meatpackers may have onlybeen an accomplice, not the pri-mary perpetrator. The Ag Secretary and the

Attorney General have one morelistening session planned, thisone on December 8 in Washing-

is terribly wrong is irrefutable.Since 1980, this country has lost32 percent of its’ sheep produc-ers, 41 percent of the beef pro-ducers, 81 percent of the dairyproducers, and 91 percent of theswine producers. And as theranks of farmers and rancherswere rapidly thinning it was nocoincidence that Main Streetrural America was having a“going out of business sale” of itsown. And so, for those who wantto revive rural America and savewhat is left of the beef business

the question becomes, who ismostly responsible? Are JBS,Tyson Foods, Cargill andNational Beef Packing the causeof our considerable discomfortor are they merely a symptom?Although it’s easier just to lay

all the blame on the Big Four,the numbers reveal another vil-lain. One of the best ways toquantify what has happened tothe livestock industry is to exam-ine what share of the dollar spenton meat at the retail level makesits way back into the pockets ofthe producer. The numbers maysurprise you. In 1990 the rancherreceived 59 cents of the beef dol-lar, the packer and packinghouseworker eight cents, and 33 centswent to the retailer. After twodecades of increasing concentra-tion both at the wholesale andretail levels, those numberschanged drastically. The ranch-er’s share dropped from 59 centsto 42 cents, the packer/packing-house worker’s share went up apenny to nine cents, and theretailer’s share jumped from 33

ton, D.C. and it may be far moreimportant to the future of thebeef business than the one inFort Collins. That’s when theretail sector will be put on thehot seat. If you really want to seewho has brought you the indus-trialization and chickenization ofthe meat industry you need lookno further than in the faces ofthe businessmen in attendancefrom Bentonville, Arkansas.

Winners And LosersThe evidence that something

Who Done It?

by LISA M. KEEFE

The Physicians Committee for ResponsibleMedicine is set to unveil a local televisionad campaign in Washington, D.C., thatlinks the city’s relatively high rate of

deaths from heart disease to its local concen-tration of McDonald’s and other QSR stores.The ad, which can be seen on the organiza-

tion’s website, shows a woman weeping overthe body of a man in a morgue. In the man’shand is a half-eaten hamburger. Near the endof the commercial, the McDonald’s logoappears over his feet, along with the line “I waslovin’ it,” a play on the QSR’s current advertis-ing tagline.The commercial ends with the line,

“Tonight, make it vegetarian.”PCRM says in a press release on its Web

site that Washington, D.C. has more McDon-ald’s, Burger King and KFC outlets per squaremile than eight other cities with similar popula-tion sizes. The group also quotes the Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention as sayingthat the age-adjusted death rate from heart dis-ease in Washington is the second-highest in thecountry, above high-obesity states like Ala-bama, Kentucky, Oklahoma and West Virginia.A PCRM representative explained to Meat-

ingplace that the group also relied on other sci-entific research that has made a direct connec-tion between incidence of heart disease and thedensity of fast-food outlets in a geographicarea.“Our city’s addiction to Big Macs and other

high-fat fast food is literally breaking ourhearts,” says Susan Levin, M.S., R.D., PCRM’snutrition education director. “It’s time to tacklethe district’s heart disease problem head-on. Amoratorium on new fast-food restaurants couldbe a critically important step toward fightingthis epidemic.”McDonald’s menu offers “almost no health-

“Lettin' the cat outtathe bag is a whole

lot easier thanputtin' it back in.”

continued on page six

continued on page four

PCRM TV ad takes aim at McDonald’s

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Uneducated

Did you see where twoPrinceton sociologistsconducted a study ateight “elite” universi-

ties and found that whilemost extracurricular activi-ties increased a prospectivestudent’s chances of admis-sion, it actually workedagainst them if they wereleaders, and or, won awardsin 4H, the FFA and ROTC?I can only assume that these“elite” colleges were IvyLeague schools where pro-fessors and grad studentshold teas to discuss Platoand Aristotle and eat foodthey’d have no idea how togrow.In our society there is a

stigma attached to anyonewho gets their hands dirty oris a vocational student.When I was a vo ag student40 years ago our ag class-rooms were separated farfrom the main campus andmost of the teachers likewisefelt that vo-ag kids dwelledon the outskirts of civiliza-tion. We were second classcitizens and I was expectedto go to law school or to fol-low my brother to WestPoint. While I had thegrades to go to an IvyLeague school I had neitherthe money nor the desire.Instead I went to a collegewhose motto was “Learn ByDoing” and it has served mewell.I have a chip on my

shoulder about your averagewhite-collar worker lookingdown their nose at vocation-al education and then com-plaining when there is noone to work on their Mer-cedes. That chip on myshoulder flared up againwhen I offered to help a lostsoul who was stranded bythe road with his hood upand his engine sputtering.He was staring at the motorbut it might as well havebeen the trunk for all heknew.“Hi, got a problem?” I

asked, trying to be friendly.“Whoa, first thing I’d sug-gest, is that you back awayfrom the engine or else takeoff your jacket and thatnecktie.”“Why do you say that?”

asked the uppity Mr. SmartyPants.“Because your tie could

Livestock Market Digest October 15, 2010

cents to 49 cents. In otherwords, of the 17 cents the ranch-er lost, the retailer picked up 16cents of it. And although thepacker’s share actually went up apenny, or 11 percent, it wasactually below 1980’s levels.An almost identical scenario

played out in the pork businessas it lost 90 percent of its pro-ducers. In 1990, the pork pro-ducer and the retailer receivedthe same share of the pork dol-

lar: 45 cents each, with the pack-er taking ten cents. By 2009, theretailer had gone from 45 centsto 61 cents, an increase of 35percent, while the pork produc-er’s share fell to 25 cents, or aloss of 44 percent. It’s almostunbelievable to fathom but thepork producers who bred andfed, their animals for monthsreceived just a quarter of theworth of the pig while the retail-er was getting 61 percent forowning that pig carcass for justdays. Obviously the real winnerswere the retailers, the producersthe clear cut losers.

Broken AgriculturalEconomy and Broke FarmersAverage return on equity before tax (ROE);

Retail grocery: ROE = 21% (last 6 years)

Meat packing: ROE = 17% (last 6 years)

All Farming & ranching: ROE = negative 0.54% (last 13 years)

Make no mistake, the packerdoes not come off as an innocentbystander in this exercise. Infact, a scary trend was revealedin the pork numbers. As the porkindustry was concentrating andconsolidating the packer’s shareof the pork dollar went up 40percent, from ten cents to 14cents. It’s probably a trend thatbeef producers have to look for-ward to as our industry contin-ues to concentrate.

Every Day Low PricesLet’s face it, when we talk

about retailers we are mostlytalking about WalMart. TheUnited Food and CommercialWorkers International Unionrecently completed a study thatreveals just how dominant theArkansas-based retailer hasbecome:

� WalMart’s 2009 U.S. gro-cery sales alone were $150 bil-lion, almost twice the sales of itsclosest competitor, Kroger, andgreater than the combined salesof its three closest competitors,Kroger, Safeway, and Supervalu.

� In 29 U.S. markets, Wal-Mart controls more than half ofthe grocery market.

� WalMart controls more

than a 30 percent share in 44percent of major grocery mar-kets. (The Federal Trade Com-mission says that a market shareas low as 20 percent is enoughfor a retailer to “call the shots”when it came to their suppliers.)

� The growth of WalMart’sshare of U.S. grocery sales hasbeen stratospheric: almost quad-rupling since 1998 and showingno signs of slowing.

� WalMart is the world’s

largest retailer and has 4,000stores in 14 markets outside theUS.The increasing concentration

of the meat packing business is adirect result of the increasingconcentration of the big retailersand their power to dictate pricesto suppliers. To deal with the bigboys, you have to be one your-self. While the four-firm concen-tration of the beef packing busi-ness more than doubled, from 36percent in 1980, to 80 percentby 2007, the top five food retail-ers were also doubling their con-centration from 24 percent in1997, to 48 percent by 2006.WalMart was the driver of thatconcentration.

The UFCW says that Wal-Mart has used its size to enforceunprecedented influence overthe meatpacking industry and todrive down prices to the produc-er. “WalMart’s increasing lever-age over its suppliers allows it tointrude further into the foodsupply chain, dictating termsthat increase WalMart’s bottomline at the expense not of onlythe company’s suppliers, but alsoof its retail competitors. Wal-Mart’s relentless quest for lowercosts has unfairly squeezedincome from meatpacking work-ers, farmers and ranchers, result-ing in WalMart receiving a gross-ly disproportionate share of theretail food dollar at the expenseof other stakeholders in the foodsupply chain.”

Above The MarketBarry Lynn, New America

Foundation says, “The problemis that WalMart does not partici-

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Who Done It? continued from page one

continued on page three

Since 1980, this country has lost 32 percent of its’ sheep producers, 41 percent of the beef producers,

81 percent of the dairy producers, and 91 percent of the swine producers.

In 1990 the rancher received

59 cents of the beef dollar, the packer and packinghouse

worker eight cents,and 33 cents went to the retailer.

October 15, 2010 “America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

pate in the market so much asuse its power to micromanagethe market, carefully coordinat-ing the actions of thousands offirms from a position above themarket.” In other words, Wal-Mart doesn’t set the market, it is

the market.According to the UFCW

report, “WalMart squeezes sup-pliers financially by shifting everyimaginable cost, risk and penaltyonto their books. They virtuallydictate the terms of its contracton price, volume, delivery sched-ule, packaging and quality.”One large WalMart supplier,

who wished to remain anony-mous, told the UFCW, “Largeretailers are ruthless in their atti-tude to their suppliers, manufac-turers and growers, demandingcheaper prices, large discountsand rebates, forcing them to sup-ply at very near cost prices.These suppliers then need todemand higher prices to meetthe shortfall in profit. Added tothis many [large retailers]demand large cash contributionsfrom their suppliers to buy shelfspace for their products.”Bill Heffernan, professor

emeritus of the University ofMissouri says that WalMart and

the other supermarket chains intheir drive to remain competitiveby cutting costs, pressure themeat companies who in turnforce ranchers and farmers to selltheir livestock at lower prices.“The processors and the packers

still have enough power in thewhole system to keep their rev-enues, so they push it all the wayback to the farmer and the work-er. The buck stops there,” saysHeffernan.Naturally the meatpackers are

reluctant to talk about WalMart’stactics for fear of making themmad. And we have seen whathappens when WalMart drops acompany as a supplier. Bankrupt-cy frequently follows. But therehave been slips of the tongue.When an angry farmer askedJohn Tyson why he drove such ahard bargain in trying to pay con-tract poultry producers less andless, Tyson replied, “WalMart’sthe problem. They dictate theprice to us, and we have nochoice but to pay you less.” Larry Pope, CEO of Smith-

field, said that meatpackers havetrouble raising the prices theycharge retailers even if costsincrease because of WalMart’sintense pressure. Tom Johnston

of Meating Place, a meat industryjournal, described an increasingconsensus in the industry aboutWalMart’s influence stretchingbeyond just prices: “WalMart isexerting even more leverage bydemanding more informationabout how suppliers make theirproducts and asking them toimplement sustainable practicesthat don’t financially correlatewith low-cost production.”Raoul Baxter, a former Sara

Lee and Smithfield executiveacknowledged the tough spot themeatpackers find themselves inbecause of WalMart’s pressure.“Meat is really tough. You havesuch unbelievable, never-endingcapital requirements, productuncertainties . . . and then howmuch cheaper is it possible togo? Just to have the honor of say-ing, ‘I’m selling to WalMart butnot making any money.’ Wal-Mart is smart; they know theyhave to allow suppliers to live aslong as their competitors arechoking. And people wonderwhy packers have shrunk.”

Heads of Lettuce, Heads of CattleIt’s hard to convince ranchers

that there futures may be shortwhen they are making a profitestimated at $51.53 per cow thisyear, but the current good pricesare not the result of their marketclout or increased beef demand.They are due more to the factthat the cattle inventory is one ofthe smallest since 1959, accord-ing to Randy Blach of CattleFax. The future should be bright,after all, it’s estimated that in 40years farmers and ranchers must

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Who Done It? continued from page two

continued on page four

The UFCW says that WalMart has used its size to enforce

unprecedented influence over the meatpacking industry and to drive

down prices to the producer.


double their production in orderto feed the nine billion peopleexpected to habitat this planet ofours in 2050. But the loomingquestion is, under what type ofbusiness model will this food bebrought to market?Under the so called “chick-

enization” model where contractproduction is the norm, thechicken and pork industries havealready become so concentratedthat only four percent of the hogsin this country were sold in anopen market in 2009, down from62 percent in 1994. First theycame for the chickens, then thehogs. Cattle appear to be next.If you doubt WalMart’s power

to transform an industry likeours, you need only look at othercommodities. Consider, forexample, the way you used tobuy lettuce. WalMart wanted aproduct that was easier to barcode, keep track of and assureconsistent quality, so now lettuceis sold by the bag and just twocompanies grow and bag 76 per-cent of all of it. And we’ve seenthe same WalMart effect withgrapefruit, apples, tomatoes,oranges, fresh grapes, and toma-toes. WalMart keeps extendingits grip further back into the sup-ply chain and the UFCW asksthe all important question,“could this also be the future forAmerica’s meat-producing farm-ers and ranchers.”What we’ve seen in the pro-

duce industry is that the proces-sors and shippers thought theyhad to get as big as WalMart inorder to be able to deal success-fully with them. It’s the same in

the dairy industry. The DairyFarmers of America (DFA), acooperative created from foursmaller coops, was created pri-marily just to give it more cloutin dealing with WalMart and theother big retailers. This need tocontrol more product to dealwith WalMart is one of the pri-mary factors driving the consoli-dation trend. And there is seem-ingly no end in sight.“Consolidation at the supplierlevel is promoted because evenvery large suppliers are not ableto bargain as equals with Wal-Mart so the strongest try to bulkup to create countervailing pow-er while the weaker see a bleakfuture and conclude they mustexit the market for the maximumcurrent value by selling outbefore it is too late,” concludedthe UFCW report.

The Race To The BottomWhat’s really scary is that the

chicken model is being replacedwith a newer WalMart model sothat even if you would be con-tent becoming a contract growereven that will not be enough.That’s because in their search forthe bottom, their quest to findthe absolute lowest prices, Wal-Mart is roaming the globe. Theeffect, is that for every head ofcattle we exported over the pastthree years, we imported morethan two. It doesn’t matterwhether you’re talking heads oflettuce or cattle, WalMart wantsto make the rules, and if youchange them they’ll take theirgame elsewhere.That is why the UFCW is

pushing hard for The ObamaAdministration to include Wal-Mart and other retailer’s tightchoke hold on our food produc-tion and distribution systems inany discussions about the meatbusiness. “We fear that antitrustinitiatives pursued against meat-packers and other food proces-sors,” says the UFCW, “will failif the Obama administrationdoesn’t broaden its antitrustinquiry into meat, dairy and seedbusinesses to include the retailer.“If WalMart’s actions are not

addressed,” says the UFCW, “ifthe downward pressure they puton workers, businesses, growersand farmers is not vigorouslychallenged, we will continue tosee a destructive race to the bot-tom that will destroy rural com-munities and wipe out good jobsthat are the backbone of ournation.”

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ful choices,” according to ananalysis by PCRM dietitians.“Even many McDonald’s itemsthat consumers may believe arehealthful — salads, for example— are generally high in calories,fat, and sodium,” the group sayson its website.In response, McDonald’s

posted a statement on its web-site: “This commercial is outra-geous, misleading and unfair toall consumers. McDonald’strusts our customers to put suchoutlandish propaganda in per-spective, and to make food andlifestyle choices that are right forthem.”

Who Done It? continued from page three

PCRM TV Adcontinued from page one


Opponents of modern agri-culture, who express con-cerns about the sustain-ability of improved seeds

and fertilizers, call for food that isorganic, local, and slow. That isthe type of food found in ruralAfrica, where impoverished farm-ers do not have the capacity tobuy crop inputs, attend school,create infrastructure, and fundresearch. And with that begin-ning, a noted economist answersthe rhetorical question, “Is therea high cost of cheap food poli-cies?”Luther Tweeten is the Emeri-

tus Chair of the Ohio State Uni-versity Department of Agricultur-al, Environmental, andDevelopment Economics, anddoes not mince any words inresponse to those who criticizeUS agriculture and today’s foodproduction practices. Tweetenlabels his adversaries as the AAAor the alternative agricultureadvocates, who are “pessimisticregarding the nation’s food sup-ply and environment.” While theyare raising the question about“the high cost of cheap food,”Tweeten’s essay addresses theimpact of today’s agriculture onsociety’s health and well being,and asks the AAA for an attrac-tive alternative.The OSU economist begins

with a response to the criticismabout agricultural subsidies,which the critics say are responsi-

ble for unhealthy foods. One ofthose is Michael Pollan, whoseattacks on “a plague of cheapcorn” target former Secretary ofAgriculture Earl Butz, and,according to Pollan, “induced aplague of factory mega farms, fast

and cheap food, and obese con-sumers.” Tweeten says commodi-ty programs account for only twopercent of consumer expendi-tures on food and are not largeenough to have much influenceon consumer purchases. He esti-mates that farm policy increasedoutput by three percent from1998 to 2000, and decreasedfarm prices by six percent. He isquick to add that since farmersonly receive 25 percent of a con-sumer food dollar, commodityprograms only affected foodprices by one percent and notenough to have an impact oneither consumption or obesity.When biofuels enter the dis-

cussion picture with agriculturepolicy opponents, Tweeten saysthe blenders’ credit that benefitsethanol totals $6 billion, “but bio-fuels use was sufficient to entirelyoffset the three percent increasein output due to commodity pro-

grams.” He notes that whileethanol utilizes 30 percent of thecorn crop, it only uses four per-cent of total farm output, whichhe says is enough diversion ofoutput to offset the three percentadded by commodity programs.And he adds that shows govern-ment policy had a minor impacton food prices and incentives forovereating. Tweeten says therehas been so much negative pub-licity about food production, itappeared in a recent study, fund-ed by the corn, soybean, pork,

and beef associations and FarmBureau in Illinois, that indicatedconsumers question modernfarming methods and have adiminished perspective of theimage of farmers.The Ohio State economist says

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A Cheap Food Policy:Good Or Bad?by STU ELLIS, The Farm Gate (University of Illinois)

. . . since farmers only receive 25 percent of aconsumer food dollar, commodity programs only

affected food prices by one percent


prices. With food price elasticity,the economist says consumers arenot consuming more food as theprice falls, but are benefittingfrom the lower costs. He saysthat savings represents $615 perperson due to the $188 billionsaved on farm input expensessince 1948, and he adds that the“cheap food policy” has raisedconsumer living standards.

So are farmers to blame forovereating? No, says Tweeten,because that is a result of societalchanges. He says low cost foodshave been made tastier with thehelp of salt, fats, and sugars,which are cheap ingredients inour society, and with morewomen in the workforce, theirfood preparation at home has tobe quick and easy, and that hap-

pens with the heavier reliance onprocessed and prepared foods. Sohe says that public programs havenot had a decisive impact onAmerica’s chronic overeating pro-

gram. Additionally, he says theCenters for Disease Control havenot pointed to higher food pricesas a means of reducing chronicovereating.With that collection of argu-

ments, Tweeten inquires aboutthe viability of the low cost foodalternatives of the AAA or hisalternative agriculture advocates,which he says is a food system of“small, organic, local farms pro-ducing organic crops and live-stock, grass fed cattle, and free-range hogs and chickens deliveredto nearby farmers’ markets serv-ing local vegetarian and veganconsumers.” He says that kind offood is very expensive, and sincepeople consume more animalproducts as income rises, it wouldbe a poor example for developingcountries. Tweeten believes theorganic market may continue togrow, but remain small because oftheir higher expense, and the factthat it takes twice as many acresto produce an organic crop com-pared to the same volume from aconventional crop.Citing an article friendly to

organic farming, Tweeten says it,“published the annual cost of arepresentative organic ($1,732)and a conventional market basket($825) of a typical food con-sumer. Assuming no glitches in

markets, such numbers indicatethat organic foods require morethan twice as much resources asconventional foods per unit, amassive loss of resource produc-

tivity compared to conventionalfoods.” And he says food policycritic Michael Pollan justifies $8per dozen organic eggs by sayingyou only eat two at a time andthat would be only $1.50. Anoth-er AAA viewpoint is to promotelocal food production and saveenergy by not importing it from adistant point. But Tweeten saysthe cost per pound of food trans-portation is much higher in afamily car compared to a trans-port truck. Calling them “loca-vores,” Tweeten says farmers mar-kets are promoted for freshnessand tastes of local foods. Withwealthy urbanites frequentingsuch local markets, he says thatdoes not cure the problem forthose with food insecurity, whocannot afford to pay such premi-um prices.

Summary:The current US food policy

has benefited both producers andconsumers by providing abun-dant foods of a vast diversity, andat the same time keeping farmersprofitable by helping reduce pro-duction costs. While critics of theUS agriculture policy want to seemore localized food productionand sales, such foods are higherin costs, and do not serve thoseneeding food assistance.

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get tangled in a belt or fan andcould snap your neck.”He jumped back as if a fire-

cracker went off in his shorts.“What do you do?” he said in away that implied I was inferiorbecause I had calluses instead of acum laude.“Mostly I make my living as a

writer,” I replied.“You must have had a very

good liberal arts education then.”“Nope. I was a vocational agri-

culture student. What do you do?”“After graduating from Yale,”

he made a point of telling me, “Itaught art appreciation at thelocal university. Needless to say,vocational students didn’t enrollin my classes. I often wonder howpeople like you can fully appreci-ate art, literature and music if youhave not been “enlightened” onthese subjects.”“Oh, we muddle along in the

dark the best we can, I suppose.”“I can’t understand why stu-

dents would waste their educationon learning how to feed a cow orturn a wrench. These skills can belearned on the most menial ofjobs.”“You should take better care of

your car,” I said, growing moreirritable.

“Oh, I’ll have a mechanic takecare of all that. Can you seewhat’s wrong?” “Well, I’m just avocational student but I’d say thatfrayed wire that is arcing to thatpiece of metal and throwing offsparks might be a clue.” (Mr.Smarty Pants reminded me of theold saying about a fellow who wasso smart he could name a cow innine different languages, but sostupid that he bought a cow toride on.)“Can you fix it?” the Ivy Lea-

guer begged the vocational stu-dent.“I already did but you’d better

get your old wiring harnessreplaced.”“Yes, yes. How much do I owe

you?” the condescending Yaleman asked.I should have just disconnect-

ed a spark plug wire or two, sothat down the road the Yale gradmight come to more fully appreci-ate the complexities of the “infer-nal” combustion engine and themany benefits of a vocationaleducation. Instead I merely“enlightened” him of twentybucks. I considered it his down-payment on a tuition in hopesthat one day he, too, mightbecome truly educated.

Riding Herd CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE

Cheap Food Policy continued from page five

. . . the organic market may continue to grow, but remain small because of their higher expense,and the fact that it takes twice as many acres to produce an organic crop compared to the same volume from a conventional crop.


Reproductive performancein cattle, skeletal develop-ment in young animals,optimum health, and

strong immunity all depend onadequate nutrition — whichincludes important trace miner-als. Some soils and plants, how-ever, are short on various miner-als, leaving feeds deficient. Eversince the 1950’s, for instance,cow-calf producers have been

aware of problems caused byselenium deficiencies (whitemuscle disease in young calves,retained placenta and infertilityin cows, abortions, premature orweak newborn calves). In mostgeographic areas of the U.S.,soils are deficient in selenium.Later, researchers found that

copper deficiencies were alsowidespread, resulting in poorhair pigmentation, fragile bones,impaired reproductive perform-ance, poor growth rates andreduced immunity. Copper sup-plementation has improved con-ception rates and immuneresponses to vaccinations.The most recent forage and

cattle studies have indicated thatzinc may be the most widelydeficient trace mineral. Zinc isimportant in many body systemsincluding production of certainenzymes (particularly for synthe-

sis of DNA, and proteins), car-bohydrate metabolism, hoofstructure and soundness, andmale fertility (deficient animalshave smaller testicles andreduced semen quality). Zinc-deficient calves may haveswollen feet, scaly skin with openlesions, wounds that take longerto heal, loss of hair, excessivesalivation, reduced appetite,reduced feed efficiency andgrowth rates, and impairedimmune systems. Moderate defi-ciencies are not so readily recog-nized, but take an economic tollthrough decreased growth rateand impaired immunity and fer-tility. Calves born to zinc-defi-cient dams have lower levels ofimmunity even when fed ade-

quate amounts of zinc.Manganese, another impor-

tant trace mineral, is importantfor proper bone and cartilageformation — which directlyaffects bone growth in younganimals. It is also crucial for opti-mum fertility in cows. Signs ofdeficiency in calves includeskeletal deformities, swollenjoints and stiffness.During the past two decades,

USDA studies of blood levels fortrace minerals in cattle herdsaround the country foundnumerous animals deficient inthese four important minerals.Many livestock producers usesupplemental minerals to aug-ment cattle diets. These areoften supplied in salt/mineralmixes, provided free choice.Consumption is varied however,with some animals consumingtoo much while others eat inade-quate amounts or none at all.Also, other aspects of diet(including certain minerals thatmay negatively interact with thesupplement during digestion)may hinder absorption by thebody. Because of this variability,some stockmen resort to individ-ually dosing their animals bydrench, bolus or injection — tomake sure the cattle directlyreceive the necessary minerals.In recent years, the value ofinjected trace minerals has beenrecognized as a reliable way toensure that cattle receive them.Dr. Lourens Havenga, Chief

Executive Officer of MultiminUSA, Inc. (an injectable tracemineral product), says theUSDA ran three surveys duringthe 1990’s — on selenium, cop-per and zinc blood levels in cat-tle. “When they did their mostrecent survey they found therewas actually a higher number ofindividual animals and herdsdeficient in zinc than either cop-per or selenium,” says Havenga.“When we created our

injectable mineral product forthe US, we based it on the 2001NRC requirements and actualabsorption of minerals, recogniz-ing proper ratios of copper, zinc,manganese and selenium.” Havenga points to several

university studies that haveshown the benefits of injectedtrace mineral products — look-ing at how rapidly the mineralsare absorbed and how long theyare stored in the liver. Otherstudies have evaluated theeffects on calf health and repro-ductive performance wheninjecting cows before and after

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product, I had a lot of questionsfrom veterinarians and produc-ers, asking how it actually works.For instance, after injection howquickly is it absorbed, howquickly does it go into the liver,how quickly do we see the differ-

ent enzymes (that rely on theseminerals) start showingresponse. So I contactedresearchers at Iowa State Uni-versity to do some studies,” saysHavenga.“I met with Stephanie

Hansen, PhD, who has done alot of trace mineral research andshe agreed to do the research onthese questions. So we spon-sored this research at Iowa Stateand she provided us with anelaborate and detailed trialreport, and presented herresearch findings at the AnimalScience meeting in Denver Col-

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continued on page eight

Trace Mineral Supplements Enhance Calf Health and Cow Reproductive Performanceby HEATHER SMITH THOMAS

During the past two decades, USDA studies ofblood levels for trace minerals in cattle herdsaround the country found numerous animals deficient in these four important minerals.

The most recent forage and cattle

studies have indicatedthat zinc may be themost widely deficient

trace mineral.


orado in mid-July 2010.”Dr. Hansen found that the

injected product is absorbed rap-idly. “Once you’ve injected theanimal, mineral levels in thebloodstream increase and reacha peak within eight to 10 hours.Most of the mineral that the ani-mal doesn’t utilize is stored inthe liver, while some is excretedby the kidneys. The high bloodlevel is maintained for about 24hours and then drops. Then the

body stores the excess in the liv-er, or gets rid of it in the urine orfeces,” says Havenga.“We only ran this study for 15

days, and found that the storagelevels were high for the full 15days. We later had other studiesdone at Texas A&M that showedthe product actually lasts (storedin the liver) for about two tothree months, depending onmineral status prior to injection,”he says.

“The third part of the researchproject at Iowa State looked atenzyme responses. It startsimmediately, but by 14 daysafter injection significantchanges were confirmed. This iswhy we recommend that produc-ers use this product a little bit inadvance of stresses, calving orbreeding, especially for enhanc-ing reproductive performance.It’s best if you can inject cowsabout a month before they’d bebreeding, or about a monthbefore calving (at a minimum)for optimum benefit. You can

use it earlier than that, such as atpreg checking, but shouldn’t useit much closer to these eventsbecause cattle might not get fullbenefit,” he explains.A Texas A&M study in beef

cattle came up with additionaldata regarding differences in cat-tle performance when injectedwith trace minerals. An experi-ment was conducted to deter-mine the effects of providingpre-calving and pre-breedinginjections of Multimin and vita-min E on reproductive perform-ance of beef cows and on health

and survival of their calves. Inthis study, 67 crossbred cowswere randomly assigned to con-trol or Multimin/vitamin E treat-ments. Treated cows were giveninjections 30 days prior to thestart of calving and again 21 daysprior to start of breeding. Thetrace mineral injections effective-ly improved copper levels (liver)and selenium (blood levels),compared to the non-treatedcows. The treated cows had sig-nificantly higher liver concentra-tions of copper than the controls,remaining higher for 161 daysafter the last injection.Previous research had shown

that cattle have improved per-formance and/or immune func-tion with trace mineral supple-mentation when they aremarginal to deficient in copper,zinc and selenium, but differ-ences may not be seen when cat-tle have adequate levels to beginwith. In the Texas study, morecows became pregnant in thetreated group; cows in the con-trol group were 2.4 times morelikely to be open.

“Researchers injected theproduct before the cows calved,and again before they bred thecows. This showed that if youuse the product strategically,these two injections can keep liv-er levels elevated in the cow foralmost a full year (one produc-tion cycle). We stopped that trialat 256 days just before the cowsstarted calving again the nextseason,” says Havenga.“The producer benefit in the

Texas A&M study was that weincreased calving percentage,and those cows also calved earli-er. The Multimin-treated cowsbred back quicker and calved sixdays earlier, on average, than theuntreated cows. This gives us abetter understanding about howthis product works,” he says.Making sure cows have ade-

quate levels of trace mineralsduring pregnancy also ensuresnormal bone formation andimmune system development inthe growing fetus, and alsoenables the fetus to have ade-quate stores of these importantminerals in its liver. Deficienciesin the calf cannot be made upthrough supplementing the damafter calving, since these miner-als do not transfer very wellthrough the milk. Some stock-men cover their bases by givingyoung calves injections duringthe first days or weeks of life, orat branding time. Ideally, youneed to make sure the calf haspeak levels (and is not deficient)at the time of vaccinations, inorder to be able to mount strongimmunities. Unless a calf hasadequate trace mineral status,vaccination may not be able toprotect him against disease.

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Mineral Supplements continued from page seven

The trace mineralinjections effectivelyimproved copper levels(liver) and selenium

(blood levels),


It is no surprise that there is abig difference between legalrequirements, radical opin-ion, political power, private

extortion . . . and then there isthe rest of the story.With regard to the payment of

attorneys’ fees to radical environ-mental groups, radical opinionand political power seem to oftenwin and legal requirements areignored. In fact, political powersupporting radical opinions forcedpayment of at least $4,697,978 intaxpayer dollars to 14 environ-mental groups in 19 states andthe District of Columbia.Political power payments for

radical opinions happens 21 per-cent of the time when attorneys’fees are paid.And then there are the cases

where these same radical environ-mental groups are extorting mil-lions from major corporations andlocal governments as payment to

drop appeals and protests. Forexample, recently Western Water-sheds Project (“WWP”) and Ore-gon Natural Desert Association(“ONDA”) extorted $22 millionfrom El Paso Corporation to droptheir protests of the RubyPipeline project. In another case,the Center for Biological Diversi-ty (“CBD”) extorted almost $1million from Alameda County,California to drop its protests to aCity’s approval of a residentialand commercial developmentproject. The general theme is thatmoney changes hands, develop-ment moves forward and the tax-payers and consumers get stuckwith the bill.

The story goes like this:

Attorney Fees Legal Requirements:

� Under the Equal Access toJustice Act (“EAJA”), attorneysare only supposed to be paid ifthey represent the prevailing par-ties in a lawsuit against the fed-eral government. According toEAJA, a prevailing party mustachieve a court-sanctionedchange in the position of the fed-eral agency through litigation.

� Under the EndangeredSpecies Act, Clean Water Act

and other fee shifting statuteswhose funds come out of theJudgment Fund, attorneys’ feesare only supposed to be paid ifthe attorney achieved some suc-cess in the litigation for theplaintiff. Thus, the plaintiffs hadto achieve some benefit from thelitigation through the courts.

Radical Opinion:All too often however, radical

environmental groups, WWP forexample, sue the federal govern-ment because they claim thegovernment failed to considerthe cumulative impacts of alllivestock grazing everywhere inthe western United States on aspecies that is not even listed asa threatened or endangeredspecies. NEPA is the proceduralstatute that requires impacts offederally permitted decisions beconsidered — the Act does notrequire a particular outcome,

just that the government consid-er all the impacts of its decision.Quite frankly, I do not believe

that the WWP or other radicalgroups care at all about theNEPA process or wildlifebecause these groups do notspend any of their money onprojects that benefit the land orthe animals on it. Rather, thegoals of WWP and others are toeliminate livestock grazing underall circumstances in all locations.They even claim that cattle

contribute to global warming by“belching carbon,” like the inter-nal gas emissions of livestock areany different from the internalemissions of cats, dogs or otherwildlife. This is not about theenvironment . . . it is about elim-inating land use and ownershipstarting with ranchers and mov-ing to other groups once theranchers are gone.

Political Power:The federal government, how-

ever, gets a copy of the WWPsuit and instead of defending itsNEPA documentation and deci-sion and protecting the ranchers’rights to continue grazing, thegovernment pays WWP our taxdollars just to make the litigationgo away. In 21 percent of thecases — more than $4.6 milliondollars worth — there is no courtdecision and no determinationthat the WWP was “prevailing,”just a request to please withdrawthe litigation and more taxpayermoney is paid to radical groupswho use their political power toassert minority radical opinions.

Private Extortion:Getting paid to go away is not

just about taking American taxdollars for attorneys’ fees; now

radical environmental groups aredirectly extorting money frombusinesses as well while morecosts are passed on to the Ameri-can consumer. Recently WWPand ONDA announced that ithas extorted $22 million from ElPaso Corporation in exchange fordropping their protests to the fed-eral government’s permits allow-ing El Paso to build the 680 mile

long natural gas Ruby Pipeline.As part of the deal, El Paso didnot change the route or any otheraspect of the pipeline, it just paidONDA and WWP to go away.In the California case, CBD

extorted almost $1 million fromAlameda County for “habitatacquisition” in exchange fordropping its protest to the devel-opment of a residential area.This is just more American tax-payer money going to radicalenvironmental groups.

And the rest of the story. . .And the rest of the story is

that American taxpayers acrossthe country are paying moremoney to a minority of radical

causes. Even harder to take isthat the ranchers whose cattlegrazing were drawn into the

WWP litigation because theyhappened to graze where WWPwanted them eliminated (every-where) have to now go back tothe government to assist withpreparing more paperwork, thegovernment has to spend more

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Getting paid to go away . . . while the taxpayer and consumer get to pay . . . againby KAREN BUDD-FALEN, Cheyenne, Wyoming

This is not about the environment . . . it is about eliminating land use and ownership

It is our dollars that are paying for the destruction.

In 21 percent of the cases — more than $4.6 million dollars worth — there is no court decision and no determination

that the WWP was “prevailing”.


The Vatican has proclaimedSister Theresa a saint. Itwas one of those wonderfulrecognitions that allow

Christians in particular, andhumanitarians in general, to putaside our differences and appre-ciate humans who have madethe world a better place.As time passes and the ero-

sion of years smooth our memo-ries we can look back at others ina historical sense. Those whorose above the often contentiousor apathetic daily grind to makeus a better class of men like Mar-tin Luther King, for one, HelenKeller, Cpl. Pat Tillman, BillyGraham, Winston Churchill andGhandi. Their lasting impact,personal integrity, and inspira-tion have lifted us all to a higherplane.A familiar figure has risen

from our own small world of ani-mal husbandry, who, to me, maybe our own “saint”; TempleGrandin. Autistic, curious,insightful and innocent of guile,she has carved a trail to the topof the science of animal behav-ior, particularly livestock.Earlier this year an HBO

movie of her life story receivedseven Emmy awards. She isbeing feted as a celebrity world-wide, but she is one of us. Sherepresents all of us who spendour lives in animal agriculture.Because of her honest, uncom-plicated, logical explanations andlack of bias, she leaves the ani-mal rights loonies at a loss onhow to attack or ridicule her. Sheis also one of the most visibleforces that is changing how we inthe cattle business treat and han-dle our critters. We ARE chang-ing. Many programs have comeinto use over the last ten totwenty years that are designed toincrease the value of the beef wesell. Programs that reduce stress,

bruising, sickness, and mortality,many offered with third partyverification for marketing advan-tage.Today it is not uncommon to

invite professionals, be theyTemple Grandin, county agents,drug company reps or experi-enced cowboys to elaborate onor demonstrate techniques andadvantages available to make usbetter stockmen. They includepre-conditioning, proper vacci-nation, better designed handlingequipment, traceability for dis-ease containment, and kinder-gentler methods like less chous-ing, less yelling, paddles nothot-shots, quieter facilities andstockmen, and patience.Temple Grandin is our ‘saint’,

maybe our ‘poster girl’, thatstands in the public eye assuringconsumers that we know whatwe are doing and we are trying todo it better.On a personal note, I wish

there was some way she coulddraw us cattlemen together. Ithink that within the cattle busi-ness today there is more bicker-ing, distrust and lack of mean-ingful discourse than I have everseen. Temple Grandin standshead and shoulders above us inthe public eye. She gives us all abig dose of pride. Her personalstory, what she means to us in somany ways, her ability to over-come huge odds and turn heraffliction into a discovery that us“neuro-normal” people overlook.We need to pause, rethink ourdifferences, and appreciate whatwe could become if we couldlook through her eyes.“Saint Temple” . . . maybe her

statue could ride on the dash-board of every truck with fencingpliers in the glove box and cowmanure on the tires.

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time writing documents, andthere is more pressure to justwalk away from another Ameri-can small business. And the bigcorporations and counties whoare paying extortion dollars arejust passing their losses along tothe American consumers.It is our dollars that are pay-

ing for the destruction. This isnot a phenomenon that just hap-pens to western ranchers, but“getting paid to go away” occurswhen roads are widened, bridgesare built, water supplies areupdated, timber is cut, fisher-men are out in their boats,

pipelines are built and in all oth-er businesses across this country.With regard to the attorneys’

fees payments, in more than 21percent of its cases, the federalgovernment does not evendefend its decisions; it spentmore than $4.6 million to makecases filed by radical environ-mental groups go away. There isno way to measure the additionalmoney that is being directlyextorted from businesses andgovernments so that radicalgroups will withdraw appeals andprotests. That is a sad story witha very bad ending.

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United States DistrictJudge Donald Molloy’sAugust 5 decision torestore full endangered

species protection to the Cana-dian gray wolf in Idaho, Mon-tana, and Wyoming virtuallyguarantees that more people willfall victim to the proliferatingand increasingly brazen preda-tors. In addition, elk populationsas well as populations of otherwild ungulates (moose, deer,goats, sheep, bison) may be driv-en to near extinction levels inmany parts of the Rocky Moun-tain Northwest due to wolf pre-dation. Ranchers also have expe-rienced a sharp increase in wolfkillings of cattle and sheep,enough so that some cattlemenand sheepmen have been driveninto bankruptcy.In March, Candice Berner, a

32-year-old schoolteacher, waskilled by wolves near ChignikLake, Alaska. In mid-August,members of Berner’s family fromPennsylvania gathered on ThreeStar, a mountain near Perryville,Alaska for a memorial service forCandice. An AP story of thememorial gives the followingbrief account of the youngteacher’s last day alive:Ms. Berner, a petite, accom-

plished athlete, who studied edu-cation at Slippery Rock Universi-ty, was a special educationteacher. She had just finishedher day teaching at ChignikLake, another of the small com-munities dotting the AlaskaPeninsula, back on March 8when she decided to go runningon the road to the village airstrip.Unbeknownst to Candice

Berner, a pair of wolves wasstalking that same road and, asthe AP story recounts, “Ms.Berner, alone, unarmed, withheadphones blocking all cues,became their instant prey. Arearesidents on a snowmachine whocame down the road shortlythereafter saw blood on the roadand found her body.”Wolf attacks on humans have

been relatively rare over the pastcentury in comparison, for exam-ple, to bear attacks. However,claims by environmental activistsand their sympathizers in themajor media that wolves� neverattack humans (and historicallynever, or very rarely, everattacked humans) have beenproven false by Candice Berner’sfate. And the Berner case is notunique, as the following storiesshow: Ontario man killed in wolfattack, coroner’s jury finds; Sixinjured in rare wolf attack; WolfAttacks on Humans (an histori-cal survey); The Danger ofWolves to Humans.Only days before Candice

Berner’s memorial, Judge Don-ald Molloy of the United StatesDistrict Court in Missoula,

Montana, ruled in favor of acoalition of extreme environmen-talist and animal rights groupsthat had challenged a wolf con-trol program approved by theU.S. Fish & Wildlife Service(USFWS) and the states of Ida-ho and Montana. That programallowed hunters to take 220wolves in Idaho and 75 in Mon-tana. Those numbers were estab-lished by the state and federalwildlife officials as a modestattempt to trim the burgeoningwolf populations that are devas-tating wild elk herds, as well asother wild ungulates.

According to the IdahoDepartment of Fish & Game(IDFG) only 188 wolves weretaken by hunters against thestatewide harvest limit of 220wolves in 2009. In Montana, 72wolves were taken by hunters in2009, out of the total permittedquota of 75.The wolf hunt, predictably,

set the enviro/animal rights liti-gants howling, notwithstandingthe fact that the wolf populationin Idaho alone is at least 1,000,which is ten times the totalagreed upon by the same liti-gants and federal and state offi-cials in 1994 of 10 breeding pairsand 100 wolves in each of thethree states.In an August 16, 2010 state-

ment, the Idaho Fish and GameCommission noted:In 1995 and 1996, 66 wolves

were captured in southwesternCanada, with 35 released in cen-tral Idaho and 31 released in Yel-lowstone National Park. By2000, the northern Rocky Moun-tain wolf population had expand-ed to include more than 30breeding pairs and 300 wolves.

The Commission went on toreport:In 1995 and 1996, 66 wolves

were captured in southwesternCanada, with 35 released in cen-tral Idaho and 31 released in Yel-lowstone National Park. By2000, the northern Rocky Moun-tain wolf population had expand-ed to include more than 30breeding pairs and 300 wolves.The Commission further not-

ed that in 2008 it had adopted aWolf Population ManagementPlan “intending to manage wolfpopulations at the 2005 level(518 wolves), being in excess offive times the 10 breeding pairsand 100 wolves required for Ida-ho under the federal recoverygoals.”

Deceit, Fraud, and Federal FelonsHowever, even after exceed-

ing by five times the originallyagreed-upon goal, federal andstate officials, together with thepowerful environmental lobby,pressed on for more. Officialsnow give a minimum estimate of1,700 wolves in the three-staterecovery area. But as we havepreviously reported, (NatGeo’s“Wolf Wars” Flacks for RadicalGreens and Wolves Will ThriveDespite Recent Hunts) manyexperts believe those statisticsare suspect, and reputablewildlife biologists estimate thereal wolf totals are much higher,perhaps as high as 3,000 — ormore.Even so, Defenders of

Wildlife and their colleagueshave upped the ante and arenow� saying that a wolf popula-tion of 5,000, or even 6,000 isnow needed in the three-statearea that they initially said would

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continued on page twelve

Court Favors Wolves, Endangers Elk,

Moose and Humansby WILLIAM F. JASPER

The decline in the Greater

Yellowstone’s elk population since

the reintroduction ofwolves in 1995 has been greater than was originally predicted.


only be allowed to reach a total300 wolves.Critics of the ever-escalating

wolf population proposals chargethat government officials andgreen activists are colluding in adeceptive campaign of “keep-moving-the-goal-line” politics.But it is even more serious thanthat say others, including JimBeers, a former USFWS wildlifebiologist with more than threedecades of experience in federaland state agencies. Among themany charges Mr. Beers levelsagainst federal employees in hisMay, 2010 study, “CriminalActivities by Federal Bureaucratsand Others Involved in the Intro-duction, Protection and Spreadof Wolves in the Lower 48States,” are these:

� Theft (misappropriation,diversion) and misuse by

USFWS Administrators of atleast $60 Million;

� Introducing wolves fromCanada into YellowstoneNational Park after the U.S.Congress had refused to Appro-priate funds for or to Authorizesuch action;

� Failure to file WildlifeImportation Forms (Form 3-177) upon importing wolvesfrom Canada into the UnitedStates for release soon thereafterin Yellowstone National Park;

� Using tax money to bribe awitness aware of governmenttheft of funds to keep quiet.

Survival of Elk, Other BigGame Ungulates at StakeThe Rocky Mountain Elk

Foundation (RMEF) is callingfor immediate congressionalreview and reform of the Endan-

gered Species Act followingJudge Molloy’s decision to rein-state full federal protection forgray wolves. The ruling means,says the Foundation, that statewildlife agencies no longer haveauthority to manage skyrocket-ing wolf populations — even inareas where wolf predation isdriving cow elk, moose and elkcalf survival rates below thresh-olds needed to sustain herds forthe future. RMEF says JudgeMolloy “has opened a door forperhaps the greatest wildlifemanagement disaster in Americasince the wanton destruction ofbison herds over a century ago.”“When federal statutes and

judges actually endorse the anni-hilation of big game herds, live-stock, rural and sportinglifestyles — and possibly evencompromise human safety —then clearly the EndangeredSpecies Act as currently writtenhas major flaws,” said DavidAllen, RMEF president andCEO.The decline in the Greater

Yellowstone’s elk populationsince the reintroduction ofwolves in 1995 has been greaterthan was originally predicted. Inthe three winters prior to thereintroduction of wolves, elk onYellowstone’s northern rangenumbered roughly between17,000 and 19,000. In the threewinters prior to 2008, annual elkcounts had declined to between6,738 and 6,279.Other areas have been simi-

larly devastated by wolf preda-tion. Perhaps the worst-hit areashave been the Lolo WildlifeManagement Zones 10 and 12in the Clearwater River water-shed in Idaho. Citing herd datafrom the Idaho Department ofFish & Game, SaveElk.com hasnoted that in Zone 10 the num-ber of cow elk has declined from7,692 in 1989 to 824 in 2010, or89 percent. In Zone 12 the num-ber of cows has declined from3,059 in 1986 to 534 in 2010, or83 percent.Equally calamitous, in Zone

10 the number of elk calves hasdeclined from 2,298 in 1989 to144 in 2010, or 94 percent. InZone 12 the number of� calveshas declined from 856 in 1985 to38 in 2010, or 96 percent.“Clearly, the elk populations

have crashed in these zones,”says SaveElk.com, and, clearly,“the reason for the elk popula-tion crash is not hunting.”SaveElk.com points out that

all the elk taken by hunters inZones 10 and 12 are bulls, and“that does not affect populationdynamics as explained above.Furthermore, Lolo zone elk har-vest [by hunters] has alsodeclined precipitously, from over1,500 in 1989 to less than 150 in2008 in Zone 10 and from nearly600 in 1992 to less than 100 in2008 in Zone 12.”“The principal reason for the

crashing elk populations,” saysSaveElk.com “is undoubtedly theintroduction of wolves in 1995,and the subsequent explosion ofthe wolf population.”

http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/4545-court-decision-favors-wolves-endangers-elk-moose-and-humans

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Court Favors continued from page eleven


TEXAS & OKLA. FARMS & RANCHES

Joe Priest Real Estate1205 N. Hwy 175, Seagoville, TX 75159

972/287-4548 • 214/676-69731-800/671-4548www.joepriest.com

[email protected]

• Magnificent 90 Hunting – Cattle/Horse Ranch50 miles E. of Dallas, 35 miles W. of Tyler, Whitepipe fence along FM Hwy. 3,700 sq. ft. elabo-rate home, flowing waterway, l ake. Has it all.• 532-acre CATTLE & HUNTING, NE TX ranch,elaborate home, one-mile highway frontage.OWNER FINANCE at $2,150/ac.• 274 acres in the shadow of Dallas. Secludedlakes, trees, excellent grass. Hunting & fishing,dream home sites. $3,850/ac. • 1,700-acre classic NE TX cattle & huntingranch. $2,750/ac. Some mineral production.• Texas Jewel, 7,000 ac. – 1,000 per ac., runcow to 10 ac.• 256 Acre Texas Jewel – Deep sandy soil, high-rolling hills, scattered good quality trees, & ex-cellent improved grasses. Water line on 2 sidesrd., frontage on 2 sides, fenced into 5 pastures,5 spring fed tanks and lakes, deer, hogs &ducks. Near Tyler & Athens. Price $1,920,000.• 146 horse, hunting cattle ranch N. ofClarksville, TX. Red River Co. nice brick home,2 barns, pipe fences, good deer, hogs, ducks,hunting priced at $395,000.• 535 ac. Limestone, Fallas, & Robertson coun-ties, fronts on Hwy. 14 and has rail frontagewater line, to ranch, fenced into 5 pastures, 2sets, cattle pens, loamy soil, good quality trees,hogs, & deer hunting. Priced at $2,300 per ac.

To place your ad here, contact

DEBBIE CISNEROS at

505/974-6834,

505/243-9515 ext. 30,

or by email at

[email protected]

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—— TEXAS AND NEW MEXICO ——This ad is just a small sample of the properties that we currently have for sale.

Please check our website: scottlandcompany.com and give us a call! We need your listingsboth large and small, all types of ag properties (ESPECIALLY CRP).

HARTLEY/MOORE COUNTY LINE – corn, wheat, cotton, cattle with all theperks, 992 acres, sprinkler irrigated with some improved pasture, large brickhome, large set of state-of-the-art steel working pens with concrete feed bunksand covered working area, on pavement.

READY TO RANCH and DEVELOP (wind energy, comm., res.) Potter Co., TX– 4,872.8 acres of beautiful ranch country four miles north of loop 335, Amarillo,TX., pvmt. on four sides. Well watered by pumps powered by solar energy(state-of-the-art). Deer, quail and dove. 50% MINERALS!

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BIG WEST RANCH - POWDER RIVER, WY

LAND AUCTIONFor the Outdoorsman • Investor • Rancher/FarmerNatrona Co., Wyoming - Northwest of Casper 92,312± Acres in 14 Tracts

At the Parkway Plaza Hotel - Casper, WY

For more information, visit: www.westchester-auctions.com

Musser Bros. Inc.1131 13th St., Suite 101

Cody, WY 82414307-587-2131

Ranch Marketing AssociatesPO Box 160

Johnstown, CO 80534970-535-0881

Big West Ranch is situated in one contiguous block, 20 miles east-to-west and 10 miles north-to-south at the southern tip of the Bighorn Mountains. The ranch has a variety of topography from mountain foothills and grass covered plateaus to canyons, buttes and breaks - providing year-round grazing and outstanding natural protection. Cottonwood Creek, Three Buttes Creek, and Indian Creek pro-vide intermittent water �ow. Several natural �owing springs, strategic wells, BLM reservoirs and the ranch’s own seasonal 20-acre Lester Lake provide additional water resources throughout the ranch. Big West Ranch is a very e�cient operating ranch due to the grazing allotment having no on/o� dates, allowing cattle move-ment and pasture rotation year-round at the owner’s discretion. Costs associated with the grazing allotment and leases are approximately thirty thousand dollars per year.

CALL FOR A DETAILED AUCTION CATALOG: 800.607.6888

92,312± Total Acres11,240± Deeded18,154± State Leased 1,960± Private Lease60,958± BLM Leased

Westchester Group, Inc.PO Box 235

Eaton, CO 80615800-607-6888

THE LIVESTOCK MARKET DIGEST

Real Estate GUIDE


225 – 250 AU’S - 850 DEEDED (650 IRRIGATED) – 1-1/2 MILE RIVER - NICE MEAD-OWS – MODEST IMPROVEMENTS WITH GREAT WORKING FACILITIES – CLOSE TO

TOWN AND SCHOOLS - $1,800,000 – WANT OFFER – CAN ADD CUSTOM HOME AND80 ACRES – GREAT STOCKER OPERATION – LYMAN – RAE, 208/761-9553

LIFESTYLE RANCH 55 MILES TO BOISE – 2,213 DEEDED ACRES PLUS STATE ANDBLM – DROP DEAD PRIVATE – 2 MILES MAJOR STREAM – BEHIND LOCKED GATE –COMFORTABLE IMPROVEMENTS – ELK, DEER, TURKEY, CHUKAR, HUNS, QUAIL,

WATERFOWL - BEAR, LION AND VARMINT – TROUT AND BASS PONDS - $1,400,000 – WANT OFFER – TURKEY CREEK

LIFESTYLE – 320 DEEDED ACRES (105 IRRIGATED) - COMFORTABLE IMPROVEMENTS– SPECTACULAR VIEWS – BORDERS FEDERAL LANDS – ELK, DEER, TURKEY –

ONLY MINUTES TO SOME OF THE FINEST YEAR LONG FISHING IN THE NORTHWEST – STEELHEAD, STURGEN, TROUT, BASS, CRAPPY AND MORE -

$690,000 – WANT OFFER – POSY – RAE, 208/761-9553LIFESTYLE/INCOME – POSSIBLY THE FINEST WILDLIFE VARIETY/QUANITY AVAIL-ABLE – 1,160 DEEDED ACRES (180 IRRIGATED) – 2-1/2 MILES RIVER – 2 BASS

PONDS – PLENTIFUL QUAIL, CHUKAR, DOVE, PHEASANT, WATERFOWL, DEER ANDAND VARMINTS - EXCELLENT IMPROVEMENTS – COW/CALF AND/OR STOCKER OP-

ERATION FOR INCOME /TAX ADVANTAGE - $1,900,000 – LANDRETHLINSON CREEK RANCH: WASHINGTON/PAYETTE COUNTIES, ID. 1,938 DEEDED

ACRES PLUS 892 AUMS, BLM — PRESENTLY WINTERING 400 MOTHER COWS 11/5– 5/1 — SUPPLEMENTING WITH ABOUT ½ TON ALFALFA; MODEST IMPROVEMENTS;

EXCELLENT UPLAND GAME BIRDS, CHUKAR, QUAIL, PHEASANT; BLUE GILL, MULE DEER, ELK, BASS AND TROUT. $1,475,000 – TERMS.

— EASY TRUCKING TO —LYMAN RANCH: BAKER COUNTY, OR. 933 DEEDED ACRES WITH 748 IRRIGATED. 1½MILES POWDER RIVER THROUGH MEADOWS — VERY IMPRESSIVE FOR ANYONELOOKING FOR AN INSIDE (NO GOVT.) OPERATION. RATES AT 250 HD. YEAR-LONG.400/450 PAIRS AND/OR 800/900 STOCKER CATTLE FOR GRAZING SEASON. ASKING$1,930,000. CAN SPLIT: CALL AND LET US EXPLAIN. RAE ANDERSON 208/761-9553.

— 400/450 HD BY COMBINING THE ABOVE TWO RANCHES —QUARTER CIRCLE DIAMOND: GILLIAM COUNTY, OR. 6,148 DEEDED ACRES WITH1,078 DRY FARM, PLUS RUNNING 125 MOTHER COWS YEAR-LONG. POTENTIAL FOR 17 WIND TURBINES. MULE DEER, ELK, CHUKAR, QUAIL. RAE 208/761-9553

OR JACK 541/473-3100. $1,750,000P BAR: MALHEUR COUNTY, OR. 11,750 DEEDED ACRES WITH 300 IRRIGATED PLUSBLM AND STATE LEASE; RATES AT 1,300-1,400 HD. YEAR-LONG OR A COMBINATION

STOCKER COWS. WINTER RANGE, GOOD IMPROVEMENTS. $6,000,000POSEY VALLEY: HALFWAY, OR. 320 ACRES WITH 105 IRRIGATED — GATEWAY TOHELLS CANYON AND EAGLE CAP WILDERNESS — OVERLOOKING PINE VALLEY.

SEVEN DEVILS AND A SOME OF MOTHER NATURE’S BEST. MODEST IMPROVEMENTS,CLOSE TO TOWN AND SCHOOLS. SUBMIT ALL OFFERS – POSSIBLE TERMS. RAE

ANDERSON 208/761-9553.FARM/FEEDLOT: VALE, OR. 500 DEEDED ACRES WITH 280 IRRIGATED. CAFO @ 850-

1,000 HEAD. GOOD IMPROVEMENTS. GREAT FOR STOCKERS AND/OR DAIRYHEIFERS. $1,580,000

AGRILANDS Real Estatewww.agrilandsrealestate.com

Vale, Oregon • 541/473-3100 • [email protected]

“EAGER SELLERS”

NEVADA RANCHES and FARMS

Bottari RealtyPAUL D. BOTTARI, BROKER

www.bottarirealty.com • [email protected]

Ofc.: 775/752-3040Res: 775/752-3809 • Fax: 775/752-3021

Out West Realty Network Affiliate

MASON MOUNTAINRANCH

Nothern Elko County ranch with 3700 deededacres and a small BLM permit. Great summer pasture with free water from springs, creeks and seeps. No power but land line phone.

The ranch received 1 landowner Elk Tag this year.The irrigation reservior on Mason Creek is stockedwith Red Band trout. Several useful buildings including home with gravity flow water andpropane lights, water heater and refrigerator. The ranch should run 300 pair for the season.

Price: $1,575,000.

D A N D E L A N E YR E A L E S T A T E , L L C

318 W. Amador Ave.Las Cruces, N.M. 88005(O) 575/647-5041(C) 575/[email protected]

WAHOO RANCH – Approximately 40,976 acres: +/- 11,600 deeded, 6,984 BLM, 912 state, 40uncontrolled and 21,440 forest. Beautiful cattle ranch located on the east slope of the Black RangeMountains north of Winston, NM, on State Road 52. Three hours from either Albuquerque or ElPaso.The ranch is bounded on the east by the Alamosa Creek Valley and on the west by the WahooMountains ranging in elevation from 6,000' to 8,796'. There are 3 houses/cabins, 2 sets of workingcorrals (1 with scales) and numerous shops and outbuildings. It is very well watered with many wells,springs, dirt tanks and pipelines. The topography and vegetation is a combination of grass coveredhills (primarily gramma grasses), with many cedar, piñon and live oak covered canyons as well asthe forested Wahoo Mountains. There are plentiful elk and deer as well as antelope, turkey, bear,mountain lion and javelina (46 elk tags in 2009). Absolutely one of the nicest combination cattle/hunt-ing ranches to be found in the SW. Price reduced to $6,000,000.

SAN JUAN RANCH – Located 10 miles south of Deming off Hwy. 11 (Columbus Hwy) approxi-mately 26,484 total acres consisting of +/- 3484 deeded, +/- 3800 state lease, +/- 14,360 BLM and +/-4840 Uncontrolled. The allotment is for 216 head (AUYL). 9 solar-powered stock wells and metalstorage tanks and approx. 6½ miles pipeline. The ranch begins on the north end at the beautiful Ma-honey Park high up in the Florida mountains and runs 5½ miles down the mountains to their southend. It continues another 7½ miles south across their foothills and onto the flats. The ranch has a verydiverse landscape with plentiful wildlife including quail, dove, rabbits, deer and ibex. Lots of poten-tial & a good buy at $1,000,000.

46 ACRE FARM LOCATED IN SAN MIGUEL – Full EBID irrigation and supplemental well.Bounded by Highway 28 on the east, County Road B-041 on the south and County Road B-010 on thewest. Priced at $14,000/acre – $644,000.

212 ACRE FARM BETWEEN LAS CRUCES, NM AND EL PASO, TX –Hwy. 28 frontage with132 acres irrigated, 80 acres sandhills, full EBID (surface water) plus a supplemental irrigation well,cement ditches and large equipment warehouse. Priced at $1,868,000.

50.47 ACRE FARM - Located on Afton Road south of La Mesa, NM. Paved road frontage, full EBID(surface water) plus a supplemental irrigation well with cement ditches. Priced at $13,000/acre($660,400).

+/-37 ACRE FARM - WEST OF ANTHONY, NM. Located 20 minutes from Sunland Park RaceTrack on Haasville Road (paved) just north of Gadsden High School and west of Highway 28. EBID,irrigation well and cement ditches. Beautiful farm with many possibilities. Call for aerial and locationmaps. Sign on property. Priced at $13,900/acre ($514,300).

OTHER FARMS FOR SALE – In Doña Ana County. All located near Las Cruces, NM. 8, 11, & 27.5acres. $15,000/acre to $17,000/acre. All have EBID (surface water rights from the Rio Grande River)and several have supplemental irrigation wells. If you are interested in farm land in Doña Ana County,give me a call.

www.zianet.com/nmlandman

Lassen County: 11,725 acres, all deeded. 970 acres irrigated, flood and 4 pivots. Alfalfa, grain, grass. BLM permits, 500 cows, organic hay. Lots of potential for more farm ground. Priced at $5,375,000.

Tehama County, Cottonwood, Calif.: 1,850 acres, winter range. Large barn, 1 bdrm. apt., horse stalls, tie stalls, tack room, shop. Deluxe 400x200 ft. roping arena. All new fences and steel corrals. Hunting and fishing. Priced at $2,200,000.

Tehama County, Cottonwood, Calif.: 556 acres, winter range, two small houses, corrals, chute, small barn. Good hunting and fishing. Price reduced — $775,000.

Tehama County, Cottonwood, Calif.: 80 acres, winter range and a custom built appx. 3,000 sq. ft. beautiful home. Large barn, tack room, shop roping arena, round-pen — a real crown jewel. Many amenities. A roper’s dream. Priced at $1,400,000.

——— CALIFORNIA RANCHES ———

Properties and Equities

R.G. DAVIS, BROKERCell: 530/949-1985

19855 S. Main St., P.O. Box 1020Cottonwood, CA 96022

Ofc.: 530/347-9455 • F: 530/[email protected]

INTEREST RATES AS LOW AS 3%. PAYMENTS

SCHEDULED ON 25 YEARS

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JOE STUBBLEFIELD & ASSOCIATES13830 Western St., Amarillo, TX

806/622-3482 • cell 806/674-2062Drew Perez Assocs.

Nara Visa, NM • 806/392-1788

Idaho-OregonCall 208/345-3163

for catalog.

KNIPE

LAND CO.RANCHES

FARMSCOMMERCIAL

Established 1944

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1002 Koenigheim, San Angelo, TX 76903 • www.llptexasranchland.com • [email protected]

LEE, LEE & PUCKITTASSOCIATES INC.

KEVIN C. REED

Office: 325/655-6989Cell: 915/491-9053

RanchersServing

Ranchers

Texas andNew Mexico

RANCHSALES &APPRAISALS

T H E L I V E S T O C K M A R K E T D I G E S T

Real Estate GUIDETo place your Real Estate listings here, contact

DEBBIE CISNEROS at 505/974-6834, 505/243-9515 ext. 30, or by email at [email protected]


by TOM JOHNSTON

Canada and Mexico have begunarguments against U.S. coun-try-of-origin-labeling (COOL)regulations on beef and pork in

front of the World Trade Organiza-tion, which is expected to rule onthe matter sometime next summer,according to the Canadian Cattle-men’s Association and the NorthAmerican Meat Processors Associa-tion. The bordering nations’ beef and

pork producers argued in a hearinglast week that COOL has slashedtheir exports to the United States,and that the law violates WTO rulesgoverning bilateral trade. COOL hascaused a $40- to $60-per-head dropin Mexican cattle prices, for exam-ple, imported into the UnitedStates, according to AlejandroGomez, an attorney for Mexicancattlemen, as quoted by NAMP.The United States didn’t chal-

lenge such economic evidence, butclaimed the impacts resulted fromchoices made by market partici-pants rather than from the U.S. lawitself. Washington also arguedCOOL was intended to inform con-sumers about the origins of theirfood and it hasn’t negatively impact-ed Canadian cattle.“We correctly anticipated the

arguments the U.S. would use todefend (country-of-origin labeling),and while there were no surprises, itis clear that the U.S. intends todefend this trade barrier vigorously,”CCA President Travis Toews said ina statement.Canada and Mexico received

support at the WTO hearing from13 other countries, according toNAMP, quoting another attorneyfor Mexican cattlemen. Donald E.deKeiffer said only Australia had“real world” problems with theCOOL regulations, but all were con-cerned about the negative precedentthe U.S. policy is setting.Long roadAccording to CCA, there is well

over another year left in the process.Over the next five weeks, written

answers will respond to numerousquestions posed by the panel. Therewill then be an opportunity to pro-vide written rebuttals by late Octo-ber.A second oral hearing is set for

December, followed by further writ-ten submissions through February.A final panel report is scheduled forJuly 2011, most likely followed by anappeal taking another year, CCAprojected.

Source: http://www.meatingplace.com/Member-sOnly/webNews/details.aspx?item=18639

PAUL McGILLIARDCell: 417/839-5096 • 1-800/743-0336

MURNEY ASSOC., REALTORSSPRINGFIELD, MO 65804

� 5-acre Horse Set-up: Location-location, only2+ miles north of Mountain Grove on GirlstownRd. New fencing, 20x40 new 3-stall horsebarn/shop/1-car garage, 1,300 sq. ft. , 3-br., 2-ba. manufactured home, wrap around deck ( 2sides), nestled down your private drive. MLS#1010102� 675 Acres Grass Runway, Land your ownplane: Major Price Reduction. 3 BR, 2 BA homedown 1 mile private land. New 40x42 shop,40x60 livestock barn, over 450 acres in grass.(Owner runs over 150 cow/calves, 2 springs, 20ponds, 2 lakes, consisting of 3.5 & 2 acres. Bothstocked with fish. Excellent fencing. A must farmto see. MLS #1010371� 483 Acres, Hunter Mania: Nature at her best.Don’t miss out on this one. Live water (two creeks).70+ acres open in bottom hayfields and uplandgrazing. Lots of timber (marketable and young) forthe best hunting and fishing (Table Rock, TaneyComo and Bull Shoals Lake) Really cute 3-bd., 1-ba stone home. Secluded yes, but easy access toForsyth-Branson, Ozark and Springfield. Propertyjoins Nat’l. Forest. MLS#908571See all my listings at: paulmcgilliard.murney.com

The Ranch Finder – Ronald H. Mayer P. O. Box 2391, Roswell, NM 88202 575/623-5658 • www.ranchfinder.com

THE RANCH FINDER presents . . .

Escondida Land & Cattle Co.A great ranch located in the foothills of the Capitan Mountainof Lincoln County, N.M., near Arabela, just eight milesabove the Hondo Valley from Tinnie. 45 miles west of

Roswell, and 25 miles east of Ruidoso, Escondida Ranch consists of 9931deeded acres plus 6,551 U.S. Forest Service Lease w/an additional 490 NewMexico State Lease acres, 27 being sections of rolling foothills and open val-leys of grama grass pastures at an altitude of 5,000 ft. A four-season cattleranch w/an established grazing capacity of 500 animal units or 750 yearlingson a six-month grazing rotation system. This grazing program is also tied inwith 130 acres of water rights applied to sprinkler irrigated grass pastures,w/irrigation wells capable of pumping up to a 900 gallon-per-minute at lessthan a 100' depth. Escondida Ranch is improved with a full service modernheadquarters complex w/new barns, corrals and shipping pens w/scales. Thisarea of Lincoln County is noted for its big game habitat and the ranch is annu-ally issued eleven elk permits along w/topline mule-deer, black bear, mountainlion and barbary sheep hunting, and lots of turkey. A turn-key offering — every-thing goes.

Bailey Family Ranch, LLC.A year long cow/calf grazing unit located six miles north of Cuero in GuadalupeCounty, N.M., just off I-40, and 20 miles east of Santa Rosa — a trade centerfor this area and east 45 miles to Tucumcari, the Hub City for this quadrant inNew Mexico. The Bailey Ranch consists of 7,587 deeded acres along with1,160 New Mexico State Lease for a total of 8,747 grazing acres. This 14-sec-tion cow/calf or yearling ranch is located in some of the better grazing countryin eastern New Mexico. Under normal range conditions this area receives 14-16 inches of moisture a year and can support up to a 200-day growing season,at an elevation of around 4,300 ft. This ranch has an ideal habitat for deer,antelope and game birds. The design of the ranch is divided into six pasturesand one trap 160+ acres of free grazing on vacant land, supported by six wind-mills and five surface tanks. In a fenced design seven miles long and two wide,north to south, Walker Road is an all weather county road running north alongthe west boundary. A basic headquarter complex with full services, a good ten-ant house, two-car garage and livestock working and shipping pens.

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Virden Perma-Bilt Windmill Manufac-turing of Amarillo now has revolution-ary new URETHANE SUCKER RODCOUPLERS for fiberglass and woodsucker rod! These male and femalescrew-together urethane couplers dodouble duty as rod guides also! Nomore corrosion on coupler! No moreflop in pipe or pipe wear! Special Intro-ductory Price, $3.87 per ft. for suckerrod with Virden’s Urethane CouplerGuide! Call or send for our free catalog.Serving Farm and Ranch since 1950.



3552ACRES

22 LAND TRACTS

KANSAS LAND AUCTIONFINNEY, GRAY, GREELEY & SCOTT COUNTIES

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20 • 10Am

• Irrigated Farmland• Productive Dryland• Excellent Native Pasture Land• Mineral & Wind Rights• Property Has Been in the Nelle M. Beach Trust Since 1968

8 mineral tracts

INFORMATION/INSPECTION DATES:Wed., Sept. 22 • 10-11am • Thurs., Oct. 7 • 10-11am

Held at the Clarion Inn, Garden City, Kansas. We invite you to meet a Westchester representative to view the property and pick up additional information.

TRACTS 1-3: are located approx. 20 miles north of Garden City, KS along the west side of US Hwy 83. Watch for signs! � e soil type on these tracts is predominantly Ulysses silt loam and real estate taxes are approximately $2.50 per acre. � ere is a lease currently in place on these tracts. Mineral and wind rights are included.Tracts 4 & 5: are located approximately 14 miles north of US Hwy 50 on Big Lowe Rd and four miles west on Gano Rd. Watch for signs! Soil type is primarily Rich� eld silt loam and real estate taxes are approximately $2.50 per acre. � ese tracts are leased through November 1, 2014. Minerals are not included but wind rights will transfer with the property.TRACTS 6-22: are located approximately 15 miles southeast of Garden City, KS just south of Pierceville on S Pierceville Rd. Each auction tract is marked with signs. � e primary soil types are Valent-Vona loamy � ne sand and Las Animas sandy loam. Real estate taxes range from $1.44 to $2.39 per acre in Finney County and are approximately $4.15 per acre in Gray County. Non-producing minerals, if any, are included on all tracts. Any producing minerals will be sold separately. All wind rights will be transferred with auction tracts.

Canada and Mexico kick off case against

U.S. COOL


The American National Cat-tleWomen (ANCW) areexcited to announce the re-launch of College Aggies

Online, a program developed bythe Animal Agriculture Alliancein partnership with ANCW tohelp today’s college studentsbecome confident advocates forthe agriculture industry.“Last year, 350 students rep-

resenting 50 universities sharedtheir stories on the CollegeAggies Online network,” saidAlliance Executive Vice Presi-dent Kay Johnson Smith. “Stu-dents who participate in the pro-gram do more than just buildtheir resume — they help ensurethe future of American agricul-ture.” “Three Collegiate Cattle-Women were in the top ten ofthose who posted the most oftenlast year,” according Lana Slat-en, president of the AmericanNational CattleWomen. “We areso proud of the beef promotion

efforts the Collegiate Cattle-Women across the nation. Wewill continue to support theirefforts with Aggies On-Line.”Students with a passion for agri-culture are encouraged to signup at http://aggiesonline.ning.com. Once they create aprofile on the network, memberswill gain access to a privateforum where they can discusscurrent and emerging issues fac-ing farmers and ranchers withother young agriculturists fromacross the country.Students will then use social

media tools such as YouTube,Facebook and Twitter to shareagriculture’s story with the pub-lic. As of September 1, membersof College Aggies Online willbegin competing for prizes forthe school organization that theyrepresent. Participants will earnpoints for each agriculture-relat-ed blog, photo and video thatthey post to the forum and by

participating in online outreachactivities.After final point counts are

tallied in April 2011, the winningclub will receive a $750 scholar-ship, national recognition and atrip for one representative toWashington, D.C. for theAlliance’s annual Stakeholders

Summit. Additional recognitionand scholarships will be awardedto the runner-up in the clubcompetition and to the two top-placing individual competitors.Interested collegiate clubs ordepartments should contactKrissa Thom at [email protected] or 703/562-1410 for more information.Moly Manufacturing of Lor-

raine, KS, maker of Silencer and

TurretGate livestock handlingequipment, is helping ANCWsupport this program. Industrystakeholders interested in pro-gram sponsorship opportunitiesshould visit the Alliance’s websitefor more information or contactthe American National Cattle-Women. Agriculture advocatescan also follow the Alliance onFacebook and Twitter for addi-tional social media tips.

HITCHINGS RANCHJerry Hitchings

708-980 Center Road, Susanville, CA 96130Phone: 530/251-5471 • Fax: 530/251-5476

hitchingsranch.com • [email protected]

See you in Las Vegas in October atSouth Point Hotel & Resort for

Beefmaster Convention!Contact us for more information.

HITCHINGS RANCHPremier West Coast Beefmaster Genetics

Bulls and females that concentrate

performancegenetics like no other program.

WE HAVE BREEDING

STOCK AVAILABLE

AT THERANCH

Bulls for sale at the BBU CONVENTION, contact me for tickets! We need sponsers for lot space and booth for trade show.

www.SweetPro.com

SWEETPRO NON-MOLASSES BLOCKS CONTAIN:• Fermentation Feed

Ingredients rich in Yeast

• Prebiotic Oligosaccharides

• Digestive Enzymes

• Protein Isolates

• Chelated Trace Minerals

• 25% Increased Feed Efficiency

Kaf Kandi450 to 650 lbs.

SweetPro 16650-1,000 lbs. First calf

heifers, stockers on grassand purebred operations.

FiberMate 18900 to 1,400 lbs. Cow block

for average conditions.

FiberMate 201,000 to 1,450 lbs.

Low consumption and tough conditions

MagnumSlows consumption in

harsh conditions.

Fresh StartPerfect for Backgrounding!

Sci-Agra, Inc.Gary Wilson • Arizona & New Mexico602/319-2538 • Fax: 928/422-4172

“Profit Blocks” For Every Stage of Growth

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LABOR SAVINGS AND INCREASED ANIMAL HEALTH!

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THIS IS NO BULLVirden Perma-Bilt EngineeringDepartment is now offering 1-7/8”x 24” windmill cylinder barrels, withcaps, at 1/4 the price they are selling for now! These barrels andcaps are made from thick, heavywall PVC and then lined with 1/4”of urethane. These barrels are asgood as any on the market! Theurethane lining assures long lifeand true-check strokes. Our 1-7/8”x 24” barrel sells for $48.80 plus$6.75 postage. It connects right toyour 2” pipe (steel or PVC). Theseurethane lined barrels are doing awonderful job right now. Send forinformation.“Serving Farm & Ranch since 1950.”



by ARTHUR MAX

The former United Nations(U.N.) climate chief whohas advocated putting aprice on carbon emissions

says water also should carry anappropriate cost.In a world of shrinking fresh

water supplies, nations, compa-nies and individuals should beaware of the value of water, Yvo

de Boer told a water seminarrecently.Accounting for the entire sup-

ply chain, it takes 75 liters (20gallons) to make a glass of beer;2,700 liters (713 gallons) to man-ufacture a T-shirt; and 16,000liters to produce a kilogram ofbeef (1,920 gallons per pound).At the same time, U.N. fig-

ures say about 2.5 billion people,nearly half the Earth’s popula-

tion, have no access to sanita-tion.“Part of the reason we are see-

ing so much wastage of water ina number of countries is becausewater is inadequately priced,” DeBoer said. Few countries haveeconomic incentives to use watersensibly, he said.Water supplies are growing

less reliable in many placesaround the world at a time whenthe global population and fooddemands are growing. As localclimates change, scientists saywater shortages will becomemore severe in some of the poor-est countries, which could leadto mass migrations and interna-tional conflict.De Boer, who resigned as

head of the U.N. climate changesecretariat in July, is now a con-sultant for KPMG, advisingcompanies on making their oper-ations more sustainable.Calculating the input of water

in the production process — aproduct’s water footprint —should become standard prac-tice. “There are parts of theworld where perhaps water foot-printing will be more importantthan carbon footprinting,” hesaid.De Boer did not say how the

price of water should be set,although it should be deter-mined according to local condi-tions. He recalled seeing a signover a toilet in a Middle Easterncountry that said, “When youflush, remember a liter of watercosts more than a liter of petrol.”

As supply shrinks, ex-UN climate chief says water should be expensive — like carbon emissions

College Students — Let Your Voices Be Heard

CALL DEBBIE AT 505/505-974-6834 or AT505/243-9515, ext. 30 TO PLACE YOUR AD!

lmd october 2010

Documents

beef industrycaptive

lost32 percent

percent of theranchers

percent of theswine

largestmeat packers

theretailers share

cargill andnational

beef dollar