LivestockDigest

Livestock“The greatest homage we

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

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DigestHurray For The Hamburger

NEWSPAPER

PRIO

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by LEE PITTS

Riding Herd

You’re trying to do the rightthing, using EPD’s, DNA,$5,000 range bulls, and allthe tools at your disposal

to produce the best beefsteaksmoney can buy. But what theconsumer really wants is a goodold fashioned hamburger,which, by the way, can be madewith any old dairy cow, Mexi-can Corriente, Australian fat, orany combination thereof.The American rancher has

made great strides since the1970s when they were experi-menting with a bevy of breedsin a rush to produce quantity,not quality. We paid for our sinsby watching beef consumptionin this country go from 90pounds per person to barelyover 50 pounds. I can vividlyremember a great speech deliv-ered by Hop Dickenson, theHereford Association ExecutiveVice President back in the1970s in which he said goingout to dinner and ordering asteak was like playing RussianRoulette in that you had a onein six chance of getting a goodsteak. But now, thanks to a biginfusion of Angus genetics andthe conscientious job purebredand commercial cattlemen aredoing, nearly two thirds oftoday’s feedlot fat cattle willgrade USDA Choice. The onlyproblem is, 62 percent of thebeef Americans will consumethis year will be in the form ofhamburger. And you don’t need

tonnage, least cost, leaner cat-tle to grind up for hamburger.

Our Hamburger HabitTo satisfy the big, and get-

ting bigger, demand for ham-burger we face a huge obstacle:the cattle that are finished infeedlots are simply too fat tomeet our growing hamburgerhabit. Or, at least, the meat leftover after all the steaks androasts are cut out, is too fat.And a surprisingly high amountof any carcass ultimately endsup as ground meat. This is trueof all species. After all the prici-er cuts are removed, 26 percentof a hog, 38 percent of a beefcow, 41 percent of a Holsteinand 46 percent of of a lamb isground up. The trim from fin-

ished feedlot cattle is known as“50s,” meaning it’s 50 percentfat and 50 percent lean beef.This fat ratio is too high to sellas hamburger without mixing inleaner products from grass-fedimports or older, leaner domes-tic cows which, currently, therearen’t enough of.To solve that problem we

import billions of pounds oflean beef from grass-fed cattlefrom over 30 countries aroundthe world. Just like a carton ofapple juice, orange juice ormilk, the product that the con-sumer buys as ground beefcould be a mixture of hundredsof cattle.Ground beef is probably the

most utilitarian food known toman; it can be used in a varietyof products from Big Macs totacos to spaghetti. The groundbeef used in such meals is typi-cally 80 percent beef and 20percent fat, or 90 percent beefand 10 percent fat. This is thetype of trim found in dairy cowsand cattle from Australia andNew Zealand. As long as wecontinue to shoot for an idealanimal that is mid-choice toprime, we will always have this

a Prime or high choice, yieldgrade one steer to producethat.We are a nation of burger

eaters. And as hard as this maybe to believe, many of the mil-lennial generation, which isslowly displacing the babyboomers as the largest segmentof consumers, would rather eata good hamburger than theywould a great steak.We are told constantly by

industry big shots that what theconsumer demands can only beproduced by well-marbledChoice and Prime quality cat-tle. I know this will sound likeheresy, but if we really are try-ing to produce what the con-sumer wants, perhaps weshould also be producing high-

Don’t worry about biting offmore than you can chew. Your mouth is probably a

lot bigger than you think.

continued on page seven

www.LeePittsbooks.com

continued on page two

BY DAN DAGGET,DANDAGGET.COM, FROM ECORADICAL TO CONSERVATIVE ENVIRONMENTALIST

Most likely you’ve sus-pected that the currentflap over “climatechange” isn’t the first

time our society has been tornapart by a controversy over theweather and our alleged effecton it.And, of course, you’re right.But I’ll bet you didn’t know

that one of the previous incar-nations of this issue was one ofthe most infamous and shame-ful episodes in human history…That’s right, the infamous

“witch hunts,” that wrackedEurope from 1430 to 1650 and

even extended into the NewWorld in Salem, in what is nowMassachusetts, were, to a sig-nificant degree, about climatechange. One of the main“crimes” for which a number ofhumans estimated from 60,000to more than a million (mostlywomen but a significant num-ber of men, also) were hanged,burned at the stake, and tor-tured by a variety of othermeans (mostly in Europe) was“global cooling.”In a (London) Telegraph arti-

cle dated February 7th, 2012,“Big Issue” columnist BrendanO’Neill wrote, “One of the keymad beliefs behind witch-hunt-ing in Europe between the fif-teenth and seventeenth cen-turies was the idea that thesepeculiar creatures had warped

the weather, that they hadcaused “climate change.”Christian Pfister, Director of

Business, Social, and Environ-mental History at the Universi-ty of Bern, Switzerland, added,in an interview quoted in the 22June 2013 Swiss newspaperBasler Zeitung, “Today we esti-mate that from 1430 to 1650 inEurope 60,000 women wereexecuted as witches, not onlybecause of, but most oftenbecause of weather-sorcery.”Historian Emily Oster, in

Witchcraft, Weather and Econom-ic Growth in Renaissance Europe,writes that, “The most activeperiod of the witchcraft trials(in sixteenth and seventeenthcentury Europe) coincides witha period of lower than average

MARCH 15, 2015 • www. aaalivestock . com Volume 57 • No. 3

by Lee Pitts

Climate Change, Witch Hunts,Zombies, and more . . .

continued on page four

FamousCows

When I grow up Iwant to be curatorof the Cow Hall ofFame. The only

problem is I don’t thinkthere is one. There’s a Hallof Fame for roadkill, rollerderby, croquet, fish, bowl-ing, robots, polka, hot dogs,candy, mascots, dogs, eveninsurance, for gosh sakes.Yet no Hall of Fame forcows! Sure, there’s fantasticHall of Fame for cowboysbut there’d be no cowboys ifthere were no cows. Sowhere is the cow’s Hall?This is a pet project of

mine I’ve thought about foryears. It’s not right that formost Americans their onlyinteraction with a bovine iswhen they eat a Whopper. ACow Hall of Fame wouldchange that. And when I sayCow Hall of Fame it’s justbecause it sounds catchierthan Bovine Hall of Fame.My Hall would be for all cat-tle regardless of sex. Heck,I’ll even take Holsteins.I’m thinking lots of hides

on the wall, a gift shop thatsells cow mugs and plenty ofinteractive displays that singthe praises of the commoncow. Or uncommon, in thiscase. There’d be an exhibitof things found in cow stom-achs, weird cattle tools likeburdizzos, and one on theevolution of the squeezechute. (I’d donate mine asthe oldest known.) I’dinclude a petting zoo of theAmerican breeds and a dis-play of all the things thatcome from a cow, from oleoto prophylactics. There’d bephotos of the 800 breeds ofcattle in the world, a liveLonghorn with huge hornsand a team of oxen pullingtourists around the groundsin a Conestoga wagon. Forhumor there’d be great cowcartoons from Ace Reid, Jer-ry Palen, Mad Jack, Earl,Rubes and the Far Side.For the kids there’d be a

collection of cow mascotsincluding Benny, the mascotfor the Chicago Bulls, andBevo of Texas Longhornfame. Oil paintings wouldline the walls, only instead ofpeople like you see at theSaddle and Sirloin Club,these paintings would be of

problem of having to importleaner cattle. It becomes espe-cially pronounced now whenthe dairy industry in the U.S. isflat, and we will be killing fewerbeef cows in the upcomingexpansion phase of the cattlecycle.Kevin Good told listeners at

this year’s Cattle Fax programat the NCBA convention,“From a percentage perspec-

tive, total beef cow slaughter in2014 was down 18 percent.”He said, “total cow slaughterwas down 2.25 million head ornine million head a day. Thislargely explains why three pack-ing plants, two on the non-fedand one on the fed side, wereshut down last year.” Dairyslaughter in 2014 was down 10percent, which raises the ques-tion...where will Americansturn to satisfy their hamburgerhabit? Sadly, the answer isCanada, Mexico, Australia,New Zealand, Nicaragua,Brazil and Uruguay. The good news is that ham-

burger rebounded nicely fromnumerous recalls and the pinkslime controversy and remainswildly popular. The bad news isthe biggest beneficiaries mightjust be our foreign competitors.

We Love Our BurgersHamburger is definitely on a

big roll...and on a bun andinside a tortilla. While con-sumption of beef has been in asteep decline, hamburger itselfhas a much better story to tell.You could say, we are in themidst of a regular burger boom.According to the market

research company, NDPGroup, “Americans ordered 9billion burgers last year, up 3percent from 2013. Thisincrease is especially high atbetter burger, or fast-casualrestaurants, that are known forserving up premium ingredientsat quick speeds. Sales of burg-ers at fast-casual establish-ments rose 9 percent last year. Instead of the names you’ve

come to expect like Wendy’s,Burger King, Carl’s Jr., Jack InThe Box and McDonalds, we’retalking about exciting chainsthat don’t sell hamburgersmade with frozen patties. Thenew names are The HabitBurger Grill, Smashburger, Inand Out Burger, Fatburger andthe Shake Shack. The latter is aNew York based chain that wasstarted in 2001 as a hot dogcart in a public park and wentpublic on the New York StockExchange for one billion dol-

lars. Not bad considering theyonly have 63 restaurants!These newer outfits, and

others like them, are serving avariety of burgers made fromwhole muscle cuts. They can doit because their gourmet burg-ers are selling at prices that areclosing in on what used to besteak prices. Ten years ago,average retail steak prices wereabout 2.5 times that of ground

beef. Today, that price relation-ship has shrunk to 1.7.Despite the poor economic

news we’ve heard fromMcDonalds, that their sales inthe U.S. were off slightly, NPDGroup says, “Fast-food burgerjoints servings rose 3 percenteven as visits to these restau-rants dropped 3 percent. Help-ing to prop up that number hasbeen the fast casual segment,which is a subset of fast food.”One of the reasons ham-

burger has done so well recent-ly is that some families can nolonger afford steak. RandyBlach of Cattle Fax told ranch-ers attending the Cattle Faxseminar that from the fourthquarter of 2013 through 2014beef prices increased 22-23percent. That’s a big shock tothe shrinking wallets of mostAmericans. Steaks are the bigloser while those still wantingtheir beef fix are turning moreand more to hamburgers.This situation created what

the NPD Group called a “ban-ner year for beef” in 2014.“Bulk ground beef unit ship-ments to total foodservice out-lets increased by 2 percent.Bulk ground beef case ship-

ments to quick service restau-rants increased by 3 percent,and by 4 percent to quick serv-ice hamburger restaurants,which drive 70 percent of bulkground beef sales, and 1 per-cent to full service restaurants.”For once, beef even kicked

poultry’s tail. The NPD Groupsaid, “The burger category’sgain is the sandwich category’sloss. Sandwich servings overalldeclined by 2 percent in 2014compared to 2013, a servingsvolume loss of 201 million.”Even though Cattle Fax saysthat hamburger is twice theprice of a chicken breast, NPDsays that “Grilled chicken sand-wiches, which tend to be burg-ers’ chief competitor, had aservings decline of 9 percent, aloss of 129 million servings.Visits to quick service ham-burger restaurants, at which

Page 2 Livestock Market Digest March 15, 2015

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Hurray for the Hamburger continued from page one

continued on page three

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MARKET

The only problem is, 62 percent of the beefAmericans will consume this year will be in the

form of hamburger.

The bad news is the biggest beneficiaries might justbe our foreign competitors.

March 15, 2015 “America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper” Page 3

Hurray for the Hamburger continued from page two

burgers were included in 51percent of orders, were down 3percent, though hamburgerservings were up 3 percent.”“The success of burgers in

2014 was a combination offactors,” says Bonnie Riggs ofthe NDP Group. “Quick serv-ice restaurant chains launchednew burger items, casual din-ing restaurants added moreburger items to the menu tooffset higher beef costs, andAmericans simply love theirburgers.”

The Better BurgerThis past January Fortune

Magazine weighed in on theburger bonanza as writer PhilWahba wrote, “Burgerscrushed grilled chicken in 2014sandwich wars.” He also statedthat “the American hamburgeris enjoying a golden era, partlyas a result of smaller chainslike Shake Shack, In-N-OutBurger, Five Guys,Whataburger, and Bobby’sBurger Palace, a chain startedby Food Network star BobbyFlay.”The burger boom is not

happening for chains thatpump up their burgers withcost-saving fillers. Instead, saidFortune, “fast growing fastcasual chains have taken thelead on the fresh perception ofcustomization, which is closerto today’s customers’ defini-tion of quality.” According toFortune it all has led to therise of the better burger oftenmade with whole muscle cutsof USDA Prime Angus beef,USDA Choice Angus beef, ablend of both Prime andChoice Angus beef, and blendsof whole muscle briskets andchucks.”The foodies of the millenni-

al generation won’t settle forBig Macs and Whoppers whenthey can eat burgers likeWendy’s bacon and bluecheese burger on brioche, itspretzel bacon cheeseburger,Carl’s Jr. all-natural burger andother offerings that includefresh bacon, avocados,jalapeño and even peanut but-ter.Fresh ingredients, quality

food that is good-tasting andaffordable...that’s what Ameri-cans are demanding and theburger fits the bill.

Ground Beef NationLast year cattle economist

Don Close issued a report forRabobank that was very per-ceptive. The report was called“Ground Beef Nation” and init Close said, “Changing con-sumer preferences and a pro-duction model tailored to theproduction of top-shelf steakshas put the U.S. cattle indus-try in a position of losing mar-ket share to competitive pro-teins. The industry needs tochange the way beef is pro-duced in order to remain com-petitive in the protein market.”Close continued, “Under

the existing business model theU.S. cattle industry manages

all fed beef as if it were des-tined for the center of the plateat a white table cloth restau-rant. The industry is, essential-ly, producing an extraordinarilyhigh-grade product for con-sumers who desire to purchasea commodity. If the U.S. cattleindustry continues to produceground beef in a structure bet-ter suited to high-end cuts, theresult will be continued erosionof market share.”Close also said that the beef

industry “is pricing itself off thedinner menu of most families.Average chicken price increaseshave been about 2 percent ayear, while beef has typicallyincreased 5 percent to 6 per-cent annually.”

Rabobank’s cattle economisthad some good advice. “Theindustry must change to a pro-duction model that determinesthe best end use of an animalas early as possible, in order tocompete in a “Ground BeefNation”. A new system for end-use categorization that influ-ences calf selection, cattle man-agement, production costs andfeeding regimen throughoutthe life of the animal is vital tokeeping beef competitive withother choices at the meatcounter.”It has been suggested that

America is turning into a twoclass society...the rich and thepoor, with no middle class. It isthis middle class that previous-

ly made beef the king of meats.But as the middle class disap-peared so too did beef’s domi-nance. Not only has chickensurpassed beef in consumption,some are predicting that porkwill pass beef this year. To sat-isfy this new dual market per-haps the beef industry wouldbe better served by a two-tierstructure, one tier producingthe CAB type superior productfor the high end restauranttrade, the gourmets and thefoodies. While another tierwould emphasize maximumtonnage, grass-fed beef, lowcost inputs, running cattle onincreasingly marginal ground,and producing an animal that isleaner with less fat. If we fail to

do so, our loss could be ourcompetitors gain and we mayawake from this dreamlike cat-tle market wondering how welost another 10 percent or 20percent of our market to for-eign competitors.

Green BurgersThere are other reasons to

quit treating ground beef likean inferior stepchild. Environ-mentalists like to say that beefis the most energy-and-resource-intensive ingredient inour diet. But this is based onfeeding grain to cattle. Manygreenies feel far differentlyabout grass-fed burgers and are

continued on page five

Page 4 Livestock Market Digest March 15, 2015

temperature known to climatolo-gists as the ‘little ice age’.”“Witches” were targeted forblame, Oster argues, because…the culture at that time bothallowed their persecution and“suggested that they could con-trol the weather.”So, are there any similarities

between those ancient climatechange witch-hunts and the oneswe’re conducting today?You bet!The most obvious similarity is

they both embody the assump-tion that the way to solve a prob-lem is via blame and vilification.The 15th century version didn’thave Republicans or Tea Partiersto blame so they settled onwitches. Today, we do haveRepublicans and Tea Partiers toblame not only for weatherchange, but also for racism,poverty, income and wealthinequality, endangered species,Radical Islam and their behead-ings, overpopulation, the War onWomen, Occupy Wall Street,etc., etc, etc…How well is that working?

About as well as it did the first

time — in the 1500s. For confir-mation check The War on Pover-ty and the War on Racism. Asyou check the War on Racismand encounter those photos ofpeople standing in front of theburning buildings in Ferguson,think about how much thoseimages resemble the paintings ofpeople holding their torches andpitchforks backlit by burning (Idon’t even want to say what)during those earlier witch hunts.Has anyone suggested climate

change “deniers” be burned atthe stake? Well…recently, therehas been a huge flap on the webabout an article about “climatechange” “deniers” published inThe Guardian that, according toBreitbart News, was illustratedwith a photo of a severed head.The Guardian article, elicited anumber of comments includingone which was traced to anotherGuardian author and Green-peace activist using the name“Bluecloud” that includednumerous references to behead-ing so-called “deniers” includingthe subject of the article — UKHouse of Lords member Matt

Ridley (who describes himself asa Climate Change “Luke-warmer).”When I went to the Guardian

website I didn’t find the severedhead photo, nor could I find thecomment from Bluecloud.Instead I found a photo of peoplecostumed as “zombies” and a ref-erence comparing debunking cli-mate change myths to killingzombie and complaining abouthow tiring it becomes having tokill and re-kill myths that neverstay dead.Further web research revealed

that the Guardian had removedBluecloud’s comment as well asinfo revealing his identity.In various other articles writ-

ers have suggested that: “ClimateChange Deniers” be subjected toNuremberg-style trials, that fire-men let deniers’ houses burndown (because those who denyclimate change are willing to letour planet burn up); That deniersbeexecuted. (Strangling them intheir beds is one suggestedmethod.) A New York Times car-toon even suggested stabbingdeniers in the heart with iciclesas justice for the deniers” claim-ing that the severe winter of2013-2014 (which formed plentyof icicles) served as proof GlobalWarming was a hoax: A 2010 cli-mate campaign video even showsa teacher blowing up studentswho didn’t sign on to cut theircarbon footprints.On a milder note, well-known

environmental activist RobertKennedy, Jr., in his article “Jail-ing Climate Deniers,” argues thatcorporations and think tanks,which do not enjoy free speechprotections reserved for individu-als, “should be given the deathpenalty” (charter revocation) ifthey “deliberately, purposefully,maliciously and systematically

sponsor climate lies.”In a time when people being

beheaded and burned alive hasbecome de rigueur on the dailynews, advocating beheading peo-ple or burning them at the stake,even if it is alleged to be “mererhetoric,” makes me wonderwhere this is all headed.This brings to mind another

point of identity between thoseearlier witch-hunts and our con-temporary versions — the factthat deniers attract the most ven-om from the blamers, more ven-om even than the alleged perpe-trators of said crises. If yourmodus operandi is never waste aserious crisis (as it is for modernliberals — thanks, RahmEmanuel), the last thing youwant is for someone to debunkyour crisis. During the 15th and16 th century, confessing guilt asa witch and admitting that witch-craft was responsible for alteringthe weather could get you areprieve and forgiveness. Deny-ing it could get you burned at thestake.And we wonder why Republi-

cans are so reluctant to mount anopen opposition to these cam-paigns.How can conservatives count-

er this…? Not very well, appar-ently. It isn’t the business of freemarket solutions to countercrises that are trumped up, imag-ined, or manufactured in order toprovide a leg-up to political pow-er. For example, the fact that noone can prove the Earth is actual-ly warming aids Climate Chang-ers more than deniers. If theEarth was truly getting warmer,oceans would be rising, citieswould be flooding, crops wouldbe failing, and, well, everyoneknows that the best way to dealwith any real problem is withcapitalism, private enterprise,

and the free market. If the globeactually were warming, quite like-ly most of us (including ClimateChange Crusaders) would haveto turn to a conservative, freemarket approach to actually solvethe problems thus created, andthe Crusaders would be put outof business, at least temporarily.But not for long.While free enterprise estab-

lishes its legitimacy by solvingconcrete problems, liberalismcampaigns itself into positions ofpower by using problems thatcan’t be solved because they aretrumped up, manufactured, ordistorted to be immune to pre-emption by the free market andconservatives. Take the issue ofrace. Republicans are currentlycast as villains in this issue andare even blamed for trying torecreate slavery in spite of thefact that a Republican (Lincoln)ended slavery in the U.S. andmore Republicans than Democ-rats voted for the Civil RightsBill. Also, Republicans, ratherthan Democrats, are the mostfunctional supporters of MartinLuther King Jr’s dream that peo-ple should be judged by the con-tent of their character rather thanthe color of their skin. The freemarket judges people by whatthey do, what they are able toachieve, how hard they work, inother words, by the content oftheir character. These days thatwill get you classified as a racist.Another example from the list

of crises manipulated by liberalsto serve as an excuse for a witchhunt is poverty. Democrats/ lib-erals tell us that poverty andincome inequality are created bycapitalism and the producerswithin our economy, even thoughit is capitalism and free enter-prise that has made us thewealthiest nation the world hasever known. The free market isthus ruled out as a source of solu-tions to poverty except to be par-asitized and the wealth it createsconfiscated and redistributed. Ifinitiative and inventiveness areapplied to solve the problem ofpoverty — to solve any problem— they must be applied in serv-ice to liberal prescriptions —renewable energy, wealth redis-tribution, reducing humanimpact. Otherwise they will beblamed for increasing humanimpact, climate change, causingthe sky to fall.In the meantime, blacks, poor

and others who are willing to giveup their right to realize the con-tent of their character and rise totheir full potential via their owninitiative, creativity, and enter-prise are indentured to the doleand required only to vote Demo-crat, raise a little hell, and con-duct some witch hunts (to keepRepublicans intimidated) to stayon the plantation.The best way to counter cli-

mate change as far as I can see isto stop trying to debunk it withdueling thermometers and cli-mate studies and reveal it forwhat it is, a Trojan Horse dressedup in a Chicken Little outfit andfilled with an endless supply ofwitch hunters.

Zombies continued from page one

March 15, 2015 “America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper” Page 5

CALLIE GNATKOWSKI GIBSON

For Santa Gertrudis producersin need of quality seedstock,or any cattle producer lookingto incorporate Santa

Gertrudis genetics into their oper-ation, the Rocky Mountain SantaGertrudis Association’s (RMS-GA’s) First Annual Spring RunoffReplacement Female Sale – set forApril 11, 2015 in Bosque, NM – isthe place to be. Between 35 and 40 females,

both purebred Santa Gertrudisand Star Five - Santa Gertrudiscross cattle that are registeredthrough the Santa GertrudisBreeders International – will beavailable at the sale, held in con-junction with Red Doc Farm’s RedHot Bull Sale. Heifers, females,open females and show prospectswill be offered by nine producersincluding: Cherokee Ranch, Dia-mond J Bar Ranch, Moon ValleyRanch, Red Doc Farms, RoybalCattle, O/X Ranch and WineGlass Ranch.You don’t often find large num-

bers of Santa Gertrudis cattle avail-able for sale in one location in theSouthwest. “We hope everythingcomes together for a good sale. It

will be a way to supply the needs ofpeople interested in the breed, andthere will be some really outstand-ing genetics available,” said StacyMontano, RMSGA Vice Presidentand Sale Chairman. “It will be achance for people to enjoy the daylooking at some good quality cat-tle.”At one time, the RMSGA held

a fall sale, and the members andproducers hope this sale and thosein upcoming years will help rebuildthat tradition, said Roland SanchezII of Red Doc Farms. In the nearfuture, at least, the two sales will beheld together. At last year’s sale, Sanchez not-

ed, Red Doc sold bulls to 14 statesand four countries. This year’s salewill be a big one, with Red DocFarms offering 75 bulls, plus thefemales. “We are really looking for-ward to the event, showcasing ourcattle and keeping alive the hospi-tality that the RMSGA and RedDoc Farms have always had,” hesaid.Cattle will be sold via video auc-

tion, allowing both long-distanceand on-site bidders to participate.Data, including gain test, growthindex and ultrasound informationwill be available on all animals in

the sale. “The females will be soldwith the same confidence as thebulls,” Sanchez explained.Santa Gertrudis producers are

looking towards the future as pro-ducers rebuild their herds.“Drought has changed the face ofthe cattle business. People arefocused on hardy cattle, somethingthey can stay in business with, andGerts meet that criteria,” Sancheznoted.The RMSGA was founded in

1968 by Colorado rancher TweetKimball, who, in addition to beingthe association’s first president,was the first woman to serve on theNational Western Stock Show’sBoard of Directors. Kimball’s deci-sion to stock Cherokee Ranch,which she purchased in 1954, withSanta Gertrudis cattle was initiallycriticized by other area ranchers,because the cattle were accus-tomed to the warmer climate andlower altitude of southern Texas.By following her instincts, andselecting for gentleness, fertility,bone and scale in her cattle, sheproved them wrong and gave thebreed a strong start in the RockyMountain region. After Kimball’s death, Dr.

Roland Sanchez, Sr. took over as

RMSGA President. Sanchez, hiswife Elia, who also serves as RMS-GA Secretary, and their six grownchildren operate Red Doc Farmsin Bosque, south of Belen. Today,the Association includes 19 states,from New Mexico north throughColorado and Nebraska and west.The association has continuedKimball’s focus on raising and mar-keting hardy cattle that are func-tional in the West. They also hold afall event, usually in September, atthe La Cascada Hotel in Albu-

querque.The RMSGA, like the SGBI

nationally, also emphasizes pro-grams to help interest and involveyouth in the cattle business andculture. “We really try to focus ongetting and keeping kids involvedwith cattle and agriculture throughthings like scholarship programs,field days and showing cattle,”Sanchez said. “It is a way of lifethat I was fortunate enough to beraised in, and we want to pass thaton.”

Upcoming Sale to Showcase Santa Gertrudis Females

Hurray for the Hamburger continued from page three

enthusiastically buying them at local farmer’smarkets to help local ranchers. They perceiveground beef as a great value and a far more eco-logically wise choice than steak. They love thefact that grass-fed beef animals are producedsolely on grass, with no grain, antibiotics or hor-mones. Celebrity chefs are grinding up entireanimals to produce better burgers, high endrestaurants are starting to put hamburgers ontheir menus for the first time, and some green

foodies have even adopted ground beef as themost sustainable, economical, gastronomicallyflexible and morally responsible cut of meatthere is. When was the last time you heard any of those

words associated with beef?Even more importantly, today’s hassled and

harried consumer loves the taste and flexibilitythat ground beef brings to the dinner table.Hurray for hamburger!

Page 6 Livestock Market Digest March 15, 2015

BY TAMAR HASPEL, WASHINGTON POST

Grass-fed beef is the meat ofthe moment. The image ofcattle dotting green hill-sides is an appealing coun-

terpoint to the thought of herdscorralled in crowded, grass-freefeedlots. Advocates claim a tri-fecta of advantages: Grass-fedbeef is better for you, for the ani-mal and for the planet.Is it?First, let’s establish what we’re

talking about. All U.S. beef cattleare started on grass, so “grass-fed” actually means “grass-fin-ished,” or fed grass their wholelives. The USDA specifies that,to qualify as “grass-fed,” the ani-mal has to eat “grass and forage”exclusively (after weaning) andmust have “continuous access topasture during the growing sea-son.” It does not specify howmuch feed has to be from thatpasture; hay and other harvestedforage is allowed. (There are alsothird-party certification programswith varying criteria.)Now, on to the questions.

Is grass-fed beef better for you?It usually has higher concentra-

tions of some nutrients: antioxi-dants, some vitamins, a kind of fatcalled conjugated linoleic acid(CLA) and the long-chain omega-3 fats mostly found in fish. It alsohas less fat overall.Most health claims focus on the

omega-3 fats, which are generallyregarded as healthful. The othernutrients are less relevant, saysAlice H. Lichtenstein, a professorat Tufts University’s FriedmanSchool of Nutrition Science andPolicy: Either their amounts aretoo small to be significant or evi-dence of their value is equivocal.(Read the research on CLA, forexample, and you find that a lot of“further research is warranted” and“findings are inconsistent.”)As to the omega-3s, we need to

look at amounts. Omega-3 levels ingrass-fed beef generally are about50 percent higher than in regularbeef. But because the levels in reg-ular beef are so low, that’s notmuch of an advantage. Concentra-tions can vary widely, but accord-

Is grass-fed beef really better for you, theanimal and the planet?

ing to the USDA, a 100-gram serv-ing (a little under four ounces) ofgrass-fed top sirloin contains 65milligrams of omega-3 fats, loin has40 and rib-eye has 37. So even that65-milligram amount is only about22 milligrams more than that forregular beef and still far below lev-els in low-fat fishes such as tilapia(134 milligrams) and haddock(136). The omega-3 powerhouseking salmon has 1,270 milligrams.(The same logic applies to milkfrom grass-fed cows. It’s higher inlong-chain omega-3 fats than milkfrom grain-fed cows, but a cup stillhas only 18 milligrams.) Recom-mendations on how much of thesefats we need vary; most are in therange of 300 to 1,000 milligramsper day.“Grass-fed beef is fine” says

Lichtenstein, “but it’s not a goodsource of omega-3 fats.” Althoughit certainly has a better fat profilethan standard beef, she says she’sconcerned that a reputation forhealthfulness will make peoplebelieve that it’s better for them thanit is, which will lead to overcon-sumption.The bottom line is that grass-fed

beef is probably better for you, butonly a little. Don’t hang your hat onit. If you like it (and not everyonedoes), by all means, eat it.

Is grass-fed beef better for theanimal?

nThe answer is a resounding “itdepends.”I’m drawn to the idea of cattle

grazing freely in fields. I’ve seen thepictures of the green hillsides, andI’ve seen the pictures of the muddyfeedlots. I asked Temple Grandin,one of our foremost experts on ani-mal welfare, whose work informslivestock systems across the coun-try, whether grazing cattle are hap-pier than feedlot cattle.The first thing she said was,

“grain is like cake and ice cream tocows,” and I can’t help thinkingthat eating something they finddelicious contributes to the ani-mals’ happiness. It certainly does tomine. But, just as it’s unadvisablefor us to make cake and ice creamour sole ration, cattle shouldn’t beeating only grain.“Grain is fine as long as there’s

plenty of roughage,” says Grandin.Otherwise, the pH in the animal’ssystem can become too acidic, andthat leads to all kinds of healthproblems. The idea that feedinggrain to a ruminant, whose diges-tive system is fine-tuned for grass,leads to suffering is both right andwrong.“The problem comes when you

push too hard,” says Grandin. Ani-mals grow faster on grain, shepoints out, so there’s a financialincentive for the rancher to up thegrain ration. Like anything connect-ed with the care of animals, feedingcattle grain can be done well orpoorly.Grandin talked about other

issues as well. If the feedlot is dry,roomy and shaded, cattle are per-fectly content. If it’s muddy, crowd-

ed or hot, they’re not. One of thekeys to cattle happiness, it turnsout, is drainage. “The feed yardshould have a 2 to 3 percent slopeto keep it dry,” says Grandin. Pas-tures can pose problems, too. “Cat-tle also really like to graze,” shesays, “but that hillside when youhave a blizzard is not so nice.”The key to cattle’s well-being

isn’t in the venue. It’s in the man-agement. What’s maddening isthat, when you’re standing in frontof your market’s meat case, youusually can’t know which feedlot, orwhich pasture, the beef came from,let alone how it’s managed.

Is grass-fed beef better for theplanet?Here’s where things get really

complicated. In general, beef is notplanet-friendly. Cattle producemethane, a potent greenhouse gas,and beef routinely tops the chartsof foods you should eat less of tocurb climate change.Grass-fed advocates maintain

that well-managed grazing can off-set or even completely compensatefor methane and other greenhousegases associated with beef cattle bylocking carbon in the soil. The veg-etation soaks up and stores, orsequesters, carbon, preventing car-bon dioxide — another greenhousegas — from being released into theatmosphere.The operative phrase is “well-

managed.” When poorly managed,grazing can degrade pasture, andscientists and ranchers are experi-menting with various densities andgrazing patterns to try to figure outwhich ones lead to more effectivecarbon sequestration.According to Jason Rowntree,

an assistant professor at MichiganState University who specializes ingrass-eating cattle, someresearchers have managed tosequester three metric tons of car-bon per hectare, about 2.5 acres,per year. (Sequestering a ton of car-bon is the equivalent of lockingaway 3.7 tons of carbon dioxide.)But Rattan Lal, director of the

Carbon Management and Seques-tration Center at Ohio State Uni-versity, sets expectations lower. Hesays one metric ton per hectare is areasonable estimate of the maxi-mum that grazing can sequester ina place like Ohio, where growingconditions generally are favorable,and a half-ton would be more real-istic in drier areas. He supportsgrass-fed beef but says carbonsequestration “can’t completelycompensate for the greenhousegases in beef production.”Weighing carbon sequestration

against methane production is adicey business, and I’ve read manydifferent estimates. To get a back-of-the-envelope sense of how thetwo compare, I did the math. Themethane produced yearly by a beefsteer is approximately equivalent tothe carbon sequestered in an acreand a half (at Lal’s one-ton-per-hectare rate). The steer’s methaneisn’t the only issue, of course: Theclimate cost of each steer has to

include a whole year’s worth of itsmom’s methane, since cows haveonly one calf annually. Then thereare all the other inputs, includingwhat goes into growing and har-vesting the hay the steer eats whenpasture is unavailable. As always,it’s complicated.I found little agreement on how

much carbon well-managed grazingcan sequester, but across-the-boardagreement that it can certainlysequester some. But, diabolically,so can well-managed grain farming:Systems that use crop rotation, cov-er crops, composting and no-tillalso sequester carbon. If we’re com-paring grass-fed with grain-fed, it’sonly fair to assume excellent man-agement in both systems.There are a few other confound-

ing issues. Cattle fed grain emit lessmethane and grow faster, whichmeans they’re not alive — emittingmethane — as long. Confining cat-tle in feedlots allows manure to becollected and fed to a digester,which converts it to energy — or, ofcourse, it can leak out of badlymanaged facilities to pollute ourwater. In winter, bringing in har-vested hay requires more energythan bringing in grain, because youneed more of it. But grass-fed cattleturn a plant that humans can’t eatinto high-quality people food,which is important in places wheremarginal land will grow grass butnot crops. It’s a very mixed bag.Some grass-fed cattle are better

for the planet than some grain-fed,and vice versa.

The upshotWhere does that leave us?Well, it’s left me a little less doc-

trinaire. Almost always, when I talkto scientists and farmers about foodsupply issues — whether it’s farmsize, organic methods, animal wel-fare, GMOs, climate impact — theanswer is complicated. When itcomes to feeding people, there isnever one right answer. It dependson the farm, the area, the animal,the crop, the weather, the marketand a bazillion other things. BothRowntree, who has spent years fig-uring out how best to graze cattle,and Lal, who has devoted a careerto climate-change mitigation, arequick to tell me that grass-fed isn’tthe only way.“No matter what strategy you

choose,” says Lal, “there are alwaystrade-offs.”What the grass-fed vs. grain-fed

debate really tells us is how inade-quate labels are to differentiategood from bad in our food supply.Yet those labels are regularlyembroidered on flags and hoistedover intractable positions. Grass-fed beef is better! Buy organic!Only GMOs can feed the world!What I wouldn’t give for a cer-

tificate of prudence, attesting tosound management, humane stan-dards and responsible stewardshipon any kind of farm. It’s worthworking toward, and lowering theflags would be a good start.

Tamar Haspel, a freelance writer, farms oysters onCape Cod and writes about food and science.

March 15, 2015 “America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper” Page 7

cows. There’d be a section formake-believe cows like Ferdi-nand the Bull, the Cow thatJumped Over the Moon, theWall Street Bull, the LaughingCow found on cheese, Babe theBlue Ox, Clarabell (MinnieMouse’s best friend) and Elsie,the Jersey spokescow for Bor-den whose real name was You’llDo Lobelia. By the way, I metElsie one time, or at least a cowpretending to be Elsie. But theexperience left me cold. If you’veseen one Jersey you’ve seenthem all.My first class of Hall of

Fame cows would include Mrs.O’Leary’s cow who DID NOTstart the Chicago fire as we’vebeen led to believe. (That ideawas popularized in a movie.)Daisy the Limousin who gavebirth to live quadruplets wouldbe in the Hall as would LittleWitch who holds the world’srecord for fastest time in themile in the World Wide CowRacing Association’s UdderRace. (A race for guys who geta kick out of big swingingudders.)There would be cow royalty

including Maudine Ormsby, acow elected HomecomingQueen of Ohio State in 1926,

and Pauline, the last cow to liveat the White House. Ella FarmOllie, the first cow to fly in anairplane would be hanging fromthe ceiling and we’d have fivecopies of Amy, the first clonedcow. There’d be a counterfeitpainting of the “Angus” steerthat won Denver who turnedout to be a Charolais when thedye faded. I think one of themost popular features would beHolsteins with interesting colorpatterns including “Hi” Cow, sonamed because that’s what itsays in black and white on oneside of her hide. Our Hollywood section

would feature Norman the steerwho starred in City Slickers.The only problem I see in

getting my idea off the groundis where the Hall should belocated. When the CowboyHall of Fame was built the con-test boiled down to ColoradoSprings, Dodge City and Okla-homa City, and some sore los-ers complained that Oklahomaoil millionaires paid a ransom tohijack the Hall. I see nothingwrong with that. In fact, I’mwilling to sell my Cow Hall ofFame concept to the city whowill pay me the most cash. Letthe auction begin.

Riding Herd continued from page oneWard Named AHA Interim Executive Vice President

Jack Ward has beennamed interim ExecutiveVice President of theAmerican Hereford Asso-

ciation (AHA). Eric Walker,AHA president, announcedthe appointment followingthe resignation of CraigHuffhines. “As a Board we agree that

naming Jack as interim Exec-utive Vice President is what isbest for the Association dur-ing this time of transition,”Walker says. “We are confi-dent that Jack will continuebusiness in a seamless andeffective manner.”As interim, Ward will lead,

direct, manage or support allfunctions of the Association,including serving as the Asso-ciation secretary.Ward has served as AHA

chief operating officer anddirector of breed improve-ment since he joined theAHA team in 2003. His lead-ership has created increasedinterest and participation inthe Association’s NationalReference Sire Program(NRSP) and testing Herefordgenetics in real-world com-mercial settings. He was alsoinstrumental in AHA’s devel-opment of genomic-enhancedexpected progeny differences(GE-EPDs) and other breedimprovement strategies suchas the newly release udderEPDs.“It will be a pleasure to

serve as the interim ExecutiveVice President and Secretaryas the AHA Board of Direc-tors works through this transi-tion,” Ward says. “The AHAhas an incredible staff and wewill work together to continuethe service and the develop-ment of tools to enhance thedemand for Hereford cattle.”Along with his solid back-

ground in Association work,he also has real world seed-stock experience spending 16years managing several pre-dominant seedstock opera-tions and most recently wasmanaging partner of MapleLane Angus.Ward is recognized

throughout the industry forhis ability to effectively com-municate and educate. Hehas traveled across the U.S.and overseas to lead educa-tional forums. Ward is cur-rently serving on the BeefImprovement Federation(BIF) board of directors andthe Ultrasound GuidelinesCouncil (UGC).He graduated from Purdue

University with a bachelor’sdegree in agriculture econom-ics and also has an associateof science degree from BlackHawk East College.Jack and his wife, Mary

Ann, have two college-agesons — Cameron and Carter.The family resides in Platts-burg, Mo.

Craig Huffhines is selectedto assume the executive vicepresident leadership role forAQHA

The American Quarter HorseAssociation is pleased toannounce that CraigHuffhines has been selected

to assume the executive vice pres-ident leadership role for AQHA.Huffhines will begin his newduties shortly after AQHA’s con-vention in March. Following a five-month, exten-

sive search effort, the six membersof the search committee coupledwith the AQHA Executive Com-mittee are confident Huffhines,with more than 17 years experi-ence leading the Hereford Associ-ation, possesses the strong leader-ship skills and experience to moveAQHA forward. After receiving applications

from more than 40 interestedindividuals, Huffhines was tappedas the leading candidate forAQHA’s leadership role. AQHA President Johnny Trot-

ter stated, “The goal of the searchcommittee was how to take thecurrent, accomplished manage-ment team here at AQHA to the

next level. With the help ofWitt/Kieffer, we were able tolocate a seasoned, experiencedleader as our next executive vicepresident, who has already provenhis ability to lead a major associa-tion in the livestock industry.” President Trotter further not-

ed, “I couldn’t be more pleasedwith how the process worked,which resulted in finding such asuccessful leader in Craig.”Huffhines brings not only his

years of experience in the agricul-ture industry, but recorded suc-cess in areas such as turningaround a 30-year decline in regis-tration and breed popularity, bal-ancing budgets during lean indus-try years, developing a newbranded-beef enterprise, execut-ing a revised governance structureto meet the demands of the 21stcentury and reinvigorating inter-est among youth, also while man-aging the American HerefordAssociation staff and growing theHereford Research and Youthfoundations. Huffhines’ enthusiasm is con-

tagious and his knowledge andpassion for the agriculture andlivestock industries is quickly rec-ognizable.

AQHA Executive VicePresident Named

Page 8 Livestock Market Digest March 15, 2015

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BY SHAR PORIER, HERALD/REVIEW

Cochise County has joined with a number ofother counties in Arizona and in New Mex-ico in a lawsuit to

stop the expansion of the exploratory recoveryarea of the Mexican Gray Wolf.In an executive session recently, Supervisors

Ann English, Richard Searle and Pat Call agreedto be part of the effort of the coalition to stopthe expansion.The basis of the complaint filed by a number

of public and private organizations is that theMexican Wolf Recovery Plan, as suggested bythe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of the Depart-ment of the Interior, covers too much territory.It is four times as much as was afforded in the1998 rule, states the Petition for Review to theU.S. District Court in New Mexico.“The 2015 rule provides a four-fold increase in

the land area where Mexican wolves primarilyare expected to occur and provides a 10-foldincrease in the land area where Mexican wolvescan be released from captivity,” states the com-plaint of New Mexico Attorney Andrea R. Buz-zard, who represents the field of complainants.The complaint also includes the increase in

number of Mexican wolves to be released, rais-ing the population by at least three-fold.The new rule also denies the right of a live-

stock owner to “take” a Mexican wolf that hasharmed stock unless a designated federal agencyhas engaged in removal action, Buzzard contin-ues. Under the old law, provisions allowed thetaking of a Mexican wolf if there were “six wolfbreeding pairs and the wolves were wounding orbiting livestock” on public lands, under grazingallotment.Buzzard represents the interests of farmers,

ranchers and landowners who live, work andgraze livestock within the expanded MexicanWolf Expanded Protection Area (MWEPA).Some of them have already suffered losses fromthe 1998 rule. They believe that they will losemore stock as these new Mexican wolves arereleased into this enormous area covering partsof New Mexico and Arizona, including CochiseCounty. The affected landowners and leasers arealso wary of injury that may occur from wolfattacks to themselves and their families. Sixteencounties comprise the local government mem-bership in the Arizona- New Mexico Coalitionincluding the Arizona counties Apache, Cochise,Gila, Graham and Navajo. The local WhitewaterDraw and the Willcox-San Simon Resource Con-servation Distr cts also oppose the measure,according to Buzzard’s filing.These petitioners did file substantive com-

ments related to the MWEPA and agreed thatthe U.S. Forest Service should have performed anew study of the release areas and should nothave relied on the one done 17 years ago.Additionally, Buzzard claims that the USFWS

“deliberately chose to exclude highly relevantinformation pertaining to the future plan for therecovery effort and states that it did not havetime to prepare and include this information.”Such information is critical, she said, because

the action can cause adverse effects on people,their domestic animals and pets and livestock,which may end up in harm’s way by the releaseof the wolves in unstudied areas.She requested the court take action against

the USFWS and declare that the agency violatedrules related to the Mexican wolf reintroduction.The petition was filed on February 12. The

supervisors agreed to pay $5,000 toward the costof the legal act on, said Supervisor Pat Call.So far, there has not been any word on the

action by the court, Call added.

County joins suitagainst wolf expansion

BY BONNER R. COHEN, NATIONAL CENTER FOR PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCH

Throughout 2014 the U.S.Environmental ProtectionAgency made significantlymoves to expand its juris-

diction over previously unregu-lated bodies of water across theUnited States.As a justification for its con-

troversial initiative, on Jan. 15the EPA released its scientificanalysis of its regulatory plan toinclude isolated and intermittentbodies of water under EPA’sauthority.The much-antici-

pated 408-pagereport is expectedto pave the way forEPA to issue a finalrule later this year, amove almost guar-anteed to set up ac o n f r o n t a t i o nbetween Congressand the ObamaWhite House.The agency,

working in conjunc-tion with the U.S.Army Corps ofEngineers, now proposes to reg-ulate all “waters of the UnitedStates,” or WOTUS, extendingfederal regulatory authoritybeyond “”navigable” waters ofthe United States,” as laid out inthe Clean Water Act (CWA).

Expanding Land ControlIf the rule survives expected

legislative and legal challenges,the EPA will become a signifi-cant player in land-use decisionson millions of acres of privateproperty in the rural UnitedStates, affecting farms, ranches,and orchards as well as the min-ing and timber industries.EPA says its report draws on

1,200 peer-reviewed scientificstudies examining the connec-tions between streams and wet-lands and larger downstreambodies of water.According to the report, “The

scientific literature clearly showsthat wetlands and open watersin riparian areas in floodplainsare physically, chemically andbiologically integrated withrivers via functions that improvedownstream water quality.”EPA contends its proposed

WOTUS regulation is necessaryto clarify uncertainties arisingfrom two Supreme Court deci-sions from 2001 (SWANCC v.U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)and 2006 (Rapanos v. UnitedStates). Those decisions restrict-ed EPA’s and the Corps’ regula-tory authority over wetlandsunder the CWA but did so inambiguous language leavingmany questions unanswered.

All-Inclusive DefinitionBut by attempting to extend

federal jurisdiction from “naviga-ble” waters of the United

States—rivers, bays, shippingchannels, etc.—to all thenation’s “waters,” EPA has givenrise to fears it will regulate ditch-es, stock ponds, prairie pot holes(common in the Plains States),and other depressions that areonly intermittingly wet as aresult of rainfall of snowmelt.Environmental groups have

supported the EPA’s initiativeand welcomed the latest report.“Today’s release of the finalreport on the chemical, physicaland biological connectionsbetween water bodies is animportant step in the nearly 15-

year-long effort toresolve the confusionover which watersare—and are not—covered in the CleanWater Act,” JimmyHague, director ofthe Theodore Roo-sevelt ConservationPartnership’s Centerfor Water Resources,said in a statement.However, the plan

has drawn the ire ofsuch groups as theAmerican FarmBureau, National

Home Builders Association, andthe National Mining Associa-tion.

‘Federal Zoning’Craig Rucker, executive

director of Committee for aConstructive Tomorrow, callsthe EPA move a huge powergrab. “Under the pretext of ‘pro-tecting’ bodies of water, EPA istransforming itself into a nation-al land-use agency.” he said.“EPA is establishing a system offederal zoning, under whichrural landowners and businesseswill have to get permits fromEPA if they want to carry outwhat are now routine operationson their property. It is anunprecedented power grab.”WOTUS already faces hur-

dles in Congress. In 2014, theHouse of Representativespassed the Waters of the UnitedStates Regulatory OverreachProtection Act of 2014, aimed atpreventing the EPA’s reinterpre-tation of its authority overwaters in the United States. Thebill’s sponsors promise to bringit up again this year, with an up-or-down vote likely in the newRepublican-controlled Senate.In addition, there have been

off-the-record hints the newCongress could try to preventthe rule by attaching a rider tomust-pass spending bills with-holding funding for the imple-mentation of WOTUS.

INTERNET INFO Environmental ProtectionAgency, Connectivity of Streams & Wetlandsto Downstream Waters: A Review & Synthesisof the Scientific Evidence. January 15, 2015.http://heartland.org/policy-documents/con-nectivity-streams-wetlands-downstream-waters-review-synthesis-scientific-evidenc

Bonner R. Cohen is a senior fellow with theNational Center for Public Policy Research

EPA Presses Forwardwith ControversialWOTUS Rulemaking

EPA releasedits scientificanalysis of itsregulatory planto include iso-lated and inter-mittent bodiesof water underEPA’s authority

With calving underway,next year’s calf cropmay be the last thingcattle producers are

thinking about, but according toRobin Salverson, SDSU Exten-sion Cow/Calf Field Specialist,it’s never too late.“With bull sales underway and

2015 AI beef sire directoriesavailable, it is time to think aboutbreeding season – especially ifyou will be using synchroniza-tion,” Salverson said. “Depend-ing on which protocol is selected,it could be more than 39 daysfrom start of the program to arti-ficial insemination. This means,if you begin breeding May 13 fora February 10 calving date, youwill need to start synchronizingheifers April 3.”

Beef Reproduction Task ForceBased on research data and

field use the Beef ReproductionTask Force composed of repre-sentatives of AI and pharmaceu-tical companies, veterinarians,and reproductive specialists,have developed a list of synchro-nization protocols recommend-ed for heifers.“There are some great apps

available to cattle producers thatprovide synchronization andbreeding calendars for bothheifers and cows,” Salversonsaid. “Take note that not all pro-tocols are for both cows andheifers. There is a difference inphysiological response betweenheifers and cows. It is importantthat you do not use a cow proto-col on heifers.”Likewise, Salverson said pro-

ducers need to follow the proto-col, give the proper hormoneinjection or insert at the righttime and don’t expect to jumpstart all heifers that are notcycling.She encourages producers to

follow Beef Quality Assuranceguidelines when giving injectable

hormones. “Giving the injectionin the rump because it is admin-istered ‘closer to the ovary’ ofthe heifer does not increase theefficacy or speed of the hor-mone,” Salverson explained. “Alldrugs must enter the blood sys-tem and travel to the heart andlungs before reaching the targetorgan (i.e. ovaries).”She reminded cattle produc-

ers that the adage more is alwaysbetter does not work withmelengestrol acetate (MGA).“First, it is illegal to use MGAoff label. Secondly MGA isabsorbed in the fat and will takelonger to clear from the heifer’ssystem when fed at a rate higherthan 0.5 mg per head per daycreating problems with estrus(heat) responses and subsequenttiming of prostaglandin injec-tion,” she said.

Proper handling techniquesWhen handling all hormones,

including CIDR, Salverson saidcattle producers need to wearlatex or non-latex gloves regard-less of gender. “It doesn’t matterif you are a male or female, youneed to protect yourself fromthese hormones,” she said. “Forexample, prostaglandin is asmooth muscle contractor, ourintestines are the largest smoothmuscle in the human body. Ifprostaglandin is absorbedthrough the skin it can “tie up”the digestive system.”She added that hormones

function in the human body likethey do in a heifer therefore,extreme care should be takenwhen handling all synchroniza-tion hormones.

ProtocolsBecause there are several pro-

tocols for heifers, Salverson saideach protocol has been put intoone of three categories: 1) HeatDetection Protocol; 2) HeatDetection and Time AI Protocoland 3) Fixed Time AI Protocol.

March 15, 2015 “America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper” Page 9

EPA Presses Forwardwith ControversialWOTUS Rulemaking

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2015 Heifer Synchronization Protocols

Jauer Dependable Genetics had another suc-cessful production sale on January 31st inHinton, Iowa.The weather was a little nasty this year, but

we were able to get through the sale before theheavy snow started falling.Buyers came from 12 states and one Canadi-

an province to purchase cattle.Sale Results:157 head, gross - $645,00028 spring bred cows, avg. - $4,1005 commercial cows, avg. - $3,30014 fall cows w/calves, avg. - $4,50072 commercial heifers, avg. - $3,00038 two year old bulls, avg. - $6,200Volume Buyers:11 bred cows - Amana Farms - Amana, Iowa15 commercial heifers - Stan Lindgren - Kings-

ley, Iowa14 bulls - Robert Ellsworth, South DakotaHigh sellers:Spring bred cow – lot 1, Jauer Mitchell303 736, $9,500, sold to Enneberg AngusRanch in MontanaFall cow w/calf – lot 21, Jauer 1020 Honesty564 8110, $6,500 sold to Allen Miller inWyomingCommercial heifer – lot 88 $3,500, sold toRoger Oetken in IowaTwo year old bull – Jauer Unconventional0131 3070, $20,000, sold to ABS Global, Inc.in WisconsinCattle sold into 12 states - IA, IL, KS, MN,MO, MT, NE, OK, SD, VA, WI, WY, & ABCanada.

Jauer Dependable Genetics38th Annual Angus BredFemale & Bull Sale Results

Heat Detection Protocols:Heifers in these protocolsshould be inseminated 6 to 12hours after the first observationof standing heat. Heat detectionshould occur during peak heatactivity (48 to 72 hours afterprostaglandin injection), 3 timesper day for at least 1 hour percheck period. This results in atotal of 3 hours minimum with 5to 6 hours of heat detectionbeing better. Recommendedheat detection protocols forheifers include:* 1 Shot PG (Prostaglandin)* 7 Day CIDR® - PG* MGA® - PGHeat Detect and Time AI

(TAI) Protocols: These protocolsinclude a combination of bothheat detection and timed insem-

ination. Heifers observed in heatshould be inseminated 6 to 12hours after standing heat. Heatdetection should be done forapproximately 3 days after PGinjection, all heifers not showingheat will be given an injection ofGnRH and inseminated (i.e.timed insemination). Theamount of time spent on heatdetection is reduced with earlyresponders having a betterchance of conceiving comparedto a single fixed-timed AI. Therecommended Heat Detect andTime AI protocols include:* Select Synch + CIDR® & TAI* MGA® - PG & TAI* 14-day CIDR® - PG & TAIFixed-Time AI (TAI) Proto-

cols: With a fixed-time protocol,all heifers are inseminated at a

pre-determined time and noheat detection has to occur. Ingeneral heifer pregnancy ratesfor fixed-time AI protocols tendto be 5 to 10 percent lower thanheat detection alone. When con-sidering these protocols, syn-chronize no more females thancan be inseminated in a 3 to 4hour period of time. Recom-mended Fixed-Time AI proto-cols include:* 7-day CO-Synch + CIDR®* 5-day CO-Synch+ CIDR®* MGA® - PG* 14-day CIDR® - PGFor more information related to

estrous synchronization, contactRobin Salverson, SDSU ExtensionCow / Calf Field Specialist atrobin.salverson@sdstate.edu

Source: South Dakota State University

BY BARRY DENTON

After President Obama’sremarks at the NationalPrayer Breakfast you beginto wonder just who this

guy is. He espoused that theIslamic Jihad was no differentthan the Crusades and the Inqui-sition that happened over onethousand years ago. It is quiteapparent that the President hasnever read Dale Carnegie’s mas-terpiece How To Win Friends AndInfluence People.The President may want to

check a few historical facts beforehe drives the 86 percent of thepopulation that are Christians inthis country crazy. First of all

more folks were killed in the 9/11attack than during the 400-yearInquisition.Where does a leader that is

supposed to be quite intelligentcome up with these sublime theo-ries? Even if you had thesethoughts in your head why wouldyou spill them in that setting?Certainly common decency andcourtesy have never meant muchto this juvenile rebel.I guess his theory is that if the

Christians could do it 1000 yearsago the jihadists have a right todo it now. Forgive me, but I’mstill shocked at the words thatcame out of this leader’s mouth.This just seems to be his corrupt

Page 10 Livestock Market Digest March 15, 2015

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Lawmakers from cattle pro-ducing states are seeing redfollowing a 571-page feder-al report that that encour-

ages Americans to go green.A panel of nutrition experts

recruited by the Obama admin-istration to craft the newestdietary guidelines suggested lastweek that the governmentshould consider the environmentwhen deciding what peopleshould eat.The report, which was pre-

sented to the U.S. Departmentof Agriculture (USDA), billsitself as a way to “transform thefood system” and that’s got a lotof people in the heartland andthose elected to represent themin Washington fuming.“Generations of cattle farm-

ers and ranchers have been andcontinue to be conscientiousabout conserving limited naturalresources,” Senator ChuckGrassley (R-Iowa), toldFoxNews.com. “They rely on theland and the environment fortheir livelihood. Those facts getlost in Washington and in argu-ments that eating red meat hurtsthe environment.”The report, which is open for

public comment for 45 days, willbe used by the government notonly to mold dietary guidelinesbut also used as the basis forgovernment food assistance pro-grams as well as school lunchprograms, worth an estimated

$16 billion annually.The North American Meat

Institute slammed the report,calling it “flawed” and “nonsensi-cal.” Members of the meatindustry as well as those fromsoda makers, say the panel hasgone “beyond its scope.”Dr. Richard Thorpe, a Texas

physician and rancher, toldFoxNews.com that he is disap-pointed in the panel’s recom-mendations and said “it’s absurdthe committee would suggestthe reduction of meat, or redmeat, in the American diet.”Thorpe says nutritional sci-

ence is “constantly evolving” andthat reports like the one releasedlast week “can absolutely kill anindustry” and called the reportan “insult.”The federal guidelines, which

are updated every five years,have advised Americans abouthealthy eating choices. But crit-ics say the newest report over-steps its boundaries and catersto a campaign aimed at drivingout red meat producers.Part of the problem, Thorpe

says, is that the government istelling Americans they shouldalso consider the sustainabilityof their food. That, for some,translates to eating less meatand loading up on vegetablesand plants.“Legumes should be a main-

stay of an American diet?” Thor-pe said, adding that it would

Beef producers say Obama Administration is trying to kill their industry

Damn Christians

take a wheelbarrow full ofspinach to meet the sameamount of iron in a serving ofbeef. He added that iron foundin beef is not equal to iron inspinach, and that beef’s iron ismore absorbable.According to a June 2014

study in the journal ClimaticChange, the average meat-eaterin the United States is responsi-ble for almost twice as muchglobal warming as the averagevegetarian and almost tripledthat of the average vegan.The Oxford University study

dissected the diets of 60,000individuals – 2,000 vegans,15,000 vegetarians, 8,000 fish-eaters and close to 30,000 meat-eaters – and found the differencein diet-driven carbon footprintswas significant. The Oxford studyfound that cutting a person’smeat intake could cut a person’scarbon footprint by 35 percent.Go vegan and slash your carbonfootprint by 60 percent.But some say that shouldn’t

matter. Others, like Thorpe, saythere are big benefits to eatingbeef. “We feel the beef industry

owns protein,” he said, addingthat the Obama administrationis promoting a type of diet thatcould be harmful to some peo-ple. Thorpe says over the pastthree decades, the industry has“done nothing but reduce theamount of fat in our animals.”Still, the science of consump-

tion seems conflicted.Tufts University professor

Miriam Nelson says the panelisn’t telling all Americans tobecome vegan but adds, “We aresaying that people need to eatless meat. We need to startthinking about what’s sustain-able. Other countries have start-ed doing this – including sustain-ability in their recommendations.We should be doing it, too.”

Source: FoxNews.com

way of looking at things. BlamingChristians for the Muslim Jihad isreally a stretch, especially whenhe condones the behavior.Thank God, this guy does not

attend rodeos on a regular basis,nor does he show up in smallagricultural towns. I bet hewould be the one guy in thestands at a rodeo, besides thestock contractor, hoping thebulls would win.In my estimation he would

probably make fun of thoseChristian cowboys that say a lit-tle prayer after a bull or broncride. All I can say is you need tobe praying before and after youride those things.The last thing those boys

need is a heckler in the grand-stand. One thing about it, hewould not be heckling there verylong. The way I see it the Presi-dent has kicked most God fear-ing, law abiding, good Americancitizens right in the teeth. Howdo you like it?Does he think that Americans

should be killed by the jihadists

to make up for the Crusades?Another thing he does not seemto know about the Crusades isthat folks like the Moors were afactor because of their superbhorsemanship.In other words the plow

reined English horses were nomatch in combat for the triggerreined horses of the Moors.Also, the heavy war horses thatwere used did not fair well in thewarmer climates and deserts.The English had more moneyand numbers to fight with, butthe Muslims made up for it withtough Arabian desert horses anda superior way of training themfor combat. Now you know partof the reason the Crusades drugon so long. However, I do notsee what ancient history has todo with current events.Behavior like this raises some

questions in my mind. Why doesa guy named Barry Sortero wantto change to his Muslim name ofBarack Hussein Obama? Per-haps he is honoring his father bydoing that, I don’t know, but I

have never heard a newsman askhim that question. It looks to melike this is part of his anti Ameri-can and anti Christian agenda.America’s Toughest Sheriff,

Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County,AZ launched an investigationinto the legitimacy of his birthcertificate. The Sheriff conclud-ed that it was a false document. Ido not know where that will leadeventually. The other thing thatstrikes me as odd is that no onein the opposition parties ever callhim out on blunders like hisstatement at the National PrayerBreakfast.I think America has been

electing many cowards to theUnited States Congress.Frankly, I am very tired of theconstant attack on Christians inthis country that was founded byChristians and brought to great-ness with Christian principles. Ifyou readers have any answers toall this let me know. Be honest,work hard, be successful, and goto church on Sunday if you wantto tick off the President.

March 15, 2015 “America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper” Page 11

Beef producers say Obama Administration is trying to kill their industry

BY JOHN FORD, EXECUTIVEDIRECTOR, SANTA GERTRUDISBREEDERS INTERNATIONAL

Santa Gertrudis females havelong been known for their versa-tility and outstanding maternaltraits. The Santa Gertrudis F1

female is highly prized among com-mercial cattlemen and demand forthese productive females often out-paces supply. Santa Gertrudis influ-enced females are quickly becomingthe commercial females of choiceacross the United States. The versatil-ity of the Santa Gertrudis breedinsures that it is a compatible andprofitable cross with a wide variety ofbreeds and the results are anextremely valuable F1 replacementfemale and a highly marketable feed-er calf. Commercial cattlemen under-stand today’s volatile business envi-ronment demands females that areproductive for an extended period,females that wean a heavy healthycalf in the most challenging of envi-ronmental conditions, and femalesflexible enough to fit into a wide vari-ety of breeding schemes from theCarolina Coastal Plains to the ruggedand arid Southwest. Santa Gertrudisinfluenced females fit the bill and cat-tlemen that infuse Santa Gertrudisgenetics into their programs quicklyfind that they have made a profitableand sound business decision. Thebreed’s efficiency as feeders and out-standing carcass traits highlight thefact that Santa Gertrudis cattle arecompetitive and profitable in everysector of the industry.The level of predictability offered

by Santa Gertrudis is second to none,capable of providing cattlemen theinformation needed to make prof-itable selection decisions. SantaGertrudis is the only American Breedoffering the reliability of GenomicEnhanced EPDs (DNA verified)enabling cattlemen to make soundprofitable selection decisions, identi-fying animals that will perform in themost challenging of environmentalconditions. Santa Gertrudis’ geneticevaluation utilizes genotypes collect-ed from the breed’s leading sires andthousands of phenotypes and scanrecords collected over a 25 year peri-od resulting in one of the industry’smost predicable genetic evaluations.Profitable-Predicable-Productive,Santa Gertrudis genetics give cattle-men more than meets the eye.

PredictableProfitability

BY LARRY CORAH, CONSULTANTFOR CERTIFIED ANGUS BEEF LLC

The War on Fat wasdeclared in the 1980s –against marbling andexternal fat alike, because

consumers were being told tosimply watch their daily con-sumption of fat grams. Beefproducers responded by focus-ing on red meat yield.Today we process beef and

serve steaks in a totally differentway. Whatever external fat cov-er that once came with a steakis gone now, and most steaksare sold at retail or on the din-ner plate denuded of fat.

That course correction withinthe beef industry started in thelate 1990s, but it would takeanother decade to reach dietand health advisers, and beginaffecting consumer demand.Two recent books started to

change how the world viewsdietary fat. In 2007, sciencewriter Gary Taubes’ “GoodCalories, Bad Calories” suggest-ed carbohydrates cause obesity,not dietary fat.In 2014, investigative jour-

nalist Nina Teicholz authored“The Big Fat Surprise: WhyButter, Meat and CheeseBelong in a Healthy Diet.” She

walks us through the history ofhow and why fat got its bad rap,again concluding foods rich incarbohydrates are the cause ofproblems. She stresses, “Meat isa health food.”Yet we still see daily limits on

dietary fat, as though all fat isthe same. What is the truth?Well, the answer and what youdid not know about fat grams isbest addressed by Dr. StephenSmith, Texas A&M Universitymeat biologist, who has spentmost of his career studying thesubject.Smith starts by emphasizing

that there is good fat and bad

fat, so we need to start lookingat specific fatty acid profiles. Hepoints out the kind of fat inmarbling is a primary influenceof beef flavor. But most impor-tant, marbling is a “soft” fat witha low melting point because itcontains so much oleic acid.That’s a healthy fatty acid, goodfor us, and especially found inbeef from grain-fed cattle.His research revealing cer-

tain beef cuts, like brisket, areespecially high in oleic acid, ledto stories in the press thatbrisket is a “health food.” Smitheven goes so far as to suggestoleic acid supplements: in stud-

ies, they have been shown todecrease low-density lipoprotein(LDL cholesterol).Even though marbling has a

good fatty acid profile, Smithsays the external or outside fataround a steak is not as healthyBut that’s not such a concernwith today’s style of fabricationat beef processing plants.Moreover, Smith concludes,

the kind of fat in marblingbrings added value to beef car-casses because quality grade isimproved. And since this is afairly heritable trait, producerscan easily select for a “healthier”fatty acid profile.

The War on Fat reconsidered

11:00 am

Page 12 Livestock Market Digest March 15, 2015

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The LivesTock MarkeT DigesT

The National Association ofConservation Districts(NACD) honored conserva-tion leaders at an awards

banquet last night during the2015 NACD Annual Meeting inNew Orleans. Also at the ban-quet, the 2015-2016 NACD offi-cer team and members of theExecutive Board were sworn intooffice. The NACD/NRCS Olin Sims

Conservation Leadership Awardwas presented to Mike Thralls ofBillings, Oklahoma. Thralls is alifetime farmer who has served asExecutive Director of the Oklaho-ma Conservation Commission forthe past 17 years. “Mike is a pioneer of voluntary

conservation in Oklahoma, bothin his service to the OklahomaConservation Commission andon his farm,” said Jason Weller,Chief of USDA’s NaturalResources Conservation Service.“I am grateful for his leadership inprotecting our nation’s naturalresources and encouraging fellowfarmers to use conservation prac-tices that boost soil health, pro-mote clean water and air, andenhance wildlife habitat. Mike hascultivated a strong relationshipbetween the conservation districtsand NRCS, which has broadenedthe footprint of sustainable agri-culture across Oklahoma.”The NACD President’s Award

was presented to Tim Palmer,NACD executive board memberand farmer from Iowa.“Tim Palmer is an individual

with the ability to provide leader-ship on the national level in sup-port of our conservation efforts inAmerica and it territories,” saidNACD President Earl Garber.“Even as he works hard to main-tain his family farming operationat home, he always finds time toprovide conservation leadership tohis local neighbors, Iowa stateproducers and nationally with histireless work as part of NACDleadership team.” The NACD Friend of Conser-

vation Award was presented toCharlie Schafer, President of AgriDrain Corporation, Adair, Iowa.Charlie has been a longtime sup-porter of soil and water conserva-tion in Iowa and across the Unit-ed States. His company, AgriDrain, has developed andimproved innovative products andsupported conservation contrac-tors and landowners in their con-servation work. Over the years,Charlie has supported NACD asan exhibitor at the ConservationExpo, as a sponsor of the NACDAnnual Meeting, and by servingas the CTIC representative on theNACD Executive Board. The NACD Distinguished

Service Award was presented toDon and Mary Jane Spickler of

NACD Honors Conservation Leaders, Elects New Officer TeamWashington County Soil Conser-vation District, Williamsport,Maryland. Don and Mary JaneSpickler have been activelyinvolved with conservation dis-tricts at the local, state andnational level for over 42 years.While Don advanced from servingon his local district board to stateand national positions, Mary Janeadvanced in her position of

involvement alongside himthrough the Auxiliary, supportingthe soil and water stewardshipprogram and the NACD postercontest. During the banquet, the new

NACD Officer team was sworninto office. NACD President-elect Lee McDaniel of Darling-ton, Maryland was officially swornin as President, taking over for

2013-2014 President Earl Garberupon the completion of his term.Former Second Vice PresidentBrent Van Dyke of New Mexicowas elected as First Vice Presi-dent; former Secretary/TreasurerDick Went of Rhode Island waselected as Second Vice President;and John McDonald, ExecutiveBoard member from Oregon, waselected as Secretary/Treasurer.

AChillicothe, Texas manwas sentenced with restitu-tion Tues., Feb. 17 afterpleading guilty to third

degree theft of livestock and twocounts of hindering a securedcreditor. Texas and SouthwesternCattle Raisers Association Spe-cial Ranger Scott Williamson ledthe investigation. The WilbargerCounty District Attorney StaleyHeatly prosecuted the case. The suspect, Chance John-

ston, 31, of Chillicothe, Texaswas employed by the victim, arancher from Wichita Falls,Texas. The victim owns a cowand calf operation and he hadhired Johnston several years agoto take care of his herd.In late 2013, the victim was at

his property in Wilbarger Countyand he counted his calves, notic-ing a larger unbranded calf.Approximately a week later, hereturned to the property to checkon the cattle and he noticed hewas missing three calves, includ-ing the larger unbranded calf.The victim asked Johnston whathappened to the calves, andJohnston stated they had died onthe back side of the pasture. Thismade the victim suspicious.It was also revealed that John-

ston had sold mortgaged proper-ty without permission from banksin the area and he knowinglygave false information to banksto gain loan proceeds. He usedthe money to buy drugs and payhis bills. Johnston hindered atotal of approximately $35,000.After looking for the calves

and hearing that Johnston had adrug addiction and was in troublewith several banks in the area,the victim decided to report hismissing calves as stolen toTSCRA.Sales records revealed that

Johnston had sold three head ofcalves at the Wichita Falls Live-stock Auction in November2013. The calves sold matchedthe description of the ones thevictim was missing. Two of thecalves weighed approximately200-260 pounds and the otherwas a larger calf weighing about655 pounds. Additionally, noneof the calves were branded. Theywere worth a total of $2,110.80.Williamson met with Johnston

at the Wilbarger County Sheriff’sDepartment where the suspectconfessed to stealing the threecalves from the victim, sellingmortgaged property and givingfalse information to banks to gainloan proceeds. He confessed thathe committed the crimes becausehe needed money.Johnston received three five

year sentences of deferred adjudi-cation and he was ordered to paya total of $39,634.11 in restitu-tion to the victims.“It is extremely important for

cattle ranchers to keep an accu-rate count on their livestock,practice branding and report sus-picious activity to authorities,”said Williamson. "If you do notfollow these precautions, itmakes it difficult for us to recoverstolen livestock and return cattleback to the rightful owners.”

Hardeman County Man Sentencedafter Convicted of Theft of Livestock

March 15, 2015 “America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper” Page 13

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To place your real estate ad herecontact RANDY SUMMERS at 505/243-9515

or RON ARCHER at 505/865-6011

Agriculture Secretary TomVilsack announced in lateFebruary that USDA’sNatural Resources Con-

servation Service will invest anadditional $84 million throughthe Emergency Watershed Pro-tection Program (EWP) to helpdisaster recovery efforts throughmore than 150 projects in 13states.“This program helps communi-

ties carry out much needed recov-ery projects to address the dam-age to watersheds that is causedby floods, hurricanes and othernatural disasters,” Vilsack said.“USDA is committed to helpingrepair and rebuild the rural com-munities that anchor rural Ameri-ca and are a key part of ournation’s economy.”EWP provides critical

resources to local sponsors to helpcommunities eliminate imminenthazards to life and propertycaused by floods, fires, wind -storms and other natural occur-rences. EWP is an emergencyrecovery program.The funds support a variety of

recovery projects, including clear-ing debris-clogged waterways, sta-bilizing stream banks, fixing jeop-ardized water control structuresand stabilizing soils after wildfires.Projects include:n Stabilizing Ground

around Florida Homes andRoads: A 2014 storm unleashedmore than 20 inches of rain inone day in Florida, causing severeerosion that threatened the safetyof homes and roads. Eighteensites in Escambia, Okaloosa, Cal-houn and Jackson counties havebeen approved for $5.9 million tohelp the counties recover fromthe damages and remove thethreat to homes and roads. Thiswork will include removal ofdebris and installation of struc-tures that will stabilize the landand prevent future erosion.

n Rebuilding after HeavyRains and Tornados in Ala-bama: Torrential rains and a

series of tornadoes in 2014 led tomillions of dollars in damage toseveral Alabama communities.These natural disasters erodedstream banks, created gullies andincreased runoff of nutrients andsediment into waterways. NRCSis investing $2.9 million in proj-ects for 32 sites, working with sixcities and five counties to helprestore stream corridors, removedebris, curb erosion problemsand prevent future flooding.

n Conservation WorkHelps Colorado CommunitiesRebound from MassiveFlood: A 2013 flood caused $3billion in damages in 18 countiesin Colorado. NRCS is investing$56.9 million in the secondphase of a project to help restorestream corridors, remove debrisand prevent future flooding.Work will target about 500 sitesin the area. These projects bringtogether state agencies, 20 localgovernments, watershed plan-ning coalitions and other groups.This second phase of work buildson a $12.9 million investment in2013.NRCS will also fund projects

in Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Mis-sissippi, Missouri, New Mexico,New York, Oklahoma, Ten-nessee andVermont. Click hereto see funding amounts anddescriptions by state.EWP work must be sponsored

by a public agency of the state,tribal, county or city government.NRCS provides 75 percent ofthe funds for the project; thepublic organization pays theremaining 25 percent. EWPallows NRCS to put its engineer-ing expertise to work in a varietyof places – both rural and urban.

USDA to Invest $84 Million toHelp Communities in 13 StatesRecover from Natural Disasters

Page 14 Livestock Market Digest March 15, 2015

By Frank DuBois

President Obama has proved,once again, that the pen ismightier than the entire U.S.Congress.

We have three new NationalMonuments, one of which – TheBrowns Canyon National Monu-ment – is of special interest. This isthe area where, as I’ve writtenbefore, the stakeholders reachedagreement on the designation andthe grazing language to accompa-ny the designation. Senator MarkUdall (D-Colo.) introduced legis-lation including the excellent graz-ing language which had beendeveloped by the Colorado Cattle-men’s Association (CCA). Thelegislation had not passed when onFeb. 19 of this year PresidentObama issued a Proclamation cre-ating the 21,586 acre monument.Prior to the Proclamation being

issued the CCA released a state-ment saying that certain points“are intended to be part of the dec-laration.” Let’s take a look at thosepoints and what Obama actuallydid.CCA – “Motorized access

must continue to be allowed forpermit administration, rangeimprovements, and water mainte-nance.”Obama – “Except for emer-

gency or authorized administrativepurposes, motorized and mecha-nized vehicle use in the monumentshall be allowed only on roads andtrails designated for such use, con-sistent with the care and manage-ment of the objects identified

above.”No mention is made of range

improvements or water mainte-nance. It would appear such accessis left solely to the discretion of theland management agencies (BLM& Forest Service).CCA – “Explicit language must

be written into the designationthat allows sheep and cattle pro-ducers to trail their livestock to andfrom federal grazing allotmentsthrough portions of the designatedarea.”Obama – There is no language

guaranteeing livestock trails.CCA – “Language must be

included in the designation imple-mentation to ensure that changesin the numbers of authorized live-stock are based on facts, and notthe whim of individual land man-agers.”Obama – “Laws, regulations,

and policies followed by the BLMor the USFS in issuing and admin-istering grazing permits or leaseson lands under their jurisdictionshall continue to apply with regardto the lands in the monument,consistent with the care and man-agement of the objects identifiedabove.”This is the standard grazing lan-

guage, with the relatively new“consistency” requirement. Andwhether or not a permit, rangeimprovement or standard ranchingpractice is consistent with “thecare and management of theobjects” will be determined by thelocal land managers.

CCA – “Language that wouldexplicitly ensure permits will betransferable to new permittee/own-ers in the exact same manner aswas the case prior to the designa-tion of the national monument isalso required.”Obama – There is no such lan-

guage in the Proclamation.There were several other items

but I think you should get thepoint on the administration’sreceptivity to protecting livestockgrazing in Proclamations designat-ing National Monuments.CCA Executive Vice President

Terry R. Fankhauser tells me theassociation will be working to getthese concerns addressed in themanagement plan and points tothe language about “maximizing”input from the state. Fankhausersays the association has reachedout to Senator Bennet and Gover-nor Hickenlooper both of whomagreed to work on ensuring thatgrazing would continue withoutchanges or restrictions.Colorado rancher Tim Canter-

bury, Chair of the Public LandsCouncil, says, “…all we can do isask for a seat at the table, and hopethat the voices of ranchers will beheard and respected.” “We standby the fact that a presidential dec-laration is not in the best interestof the agricultural community” saidCanterbury and emphasized theCCA and PLC will keep pushingfor legislation that will “clarify graz-ing permit rights for this and anyfuture designation.”In Utah, problems continue

with livestock grazing on theGrand Staircase-Escalante Nation-al Monument. During the recentdebate on the Keystone PipelineSenator Hatch (R-Ore.) intro-duced an amendment which readlivestock grazing should be allowedto continue in the monument“subject to such reasonable regula-tions, policies and practices as theSecretary of Interior considers tobe necessary, on the condition thatthe Secretary shall allow the graz-ing levels to continue at currentlevels to the maximum extent prac-

ticable.”While I’m not overly fond of

that language, it does demonstratethere are problems with the graz-ing of livestock in National Monu-ments and it is finally getting someattention in Congress. However,are we going to address this onemonument at a time? Seems to mewe need some standard languagethat would be applicable to allmonuments. Otherwise we’ll endup with a hodgepodge of differentgrazing regs for each monument.

More wolvesThe USFWS has completed

their annual survey and for 2014they found 109 Mexican wolves, ascompared to 83 counted at the endof 2013 and 50 in 2010. The sur-vey confirmed there are a total of19 packs, with a minimum of 53wolves in New Mexico and 56wolves in Arizona. “In 1982, the Mexican wolf

recovery team recommended apopulation of at least 100 animalsin the wild as a hedge againstextinction; until we initiated thefirst releases in 1998, there had

been no Mexican wolves in thewild in the United States since the1970s,” said Southwest RegionalDirector Benjamin Tuggle.“Although there is still much to bedone, reaching this milestone ismonumental!” I’m beginning to really dislike

anything with the word monumentin it.Meanwhile, state senator Jeff

Steinborn has introduced legisla-tion to create the Rio Grande Trail,a 500-mile, statewide recreationtrail that stretches from Coloradoto Texas. Steinborn says this couldbe equivalent to the AppalachianTrail or the Continental DivideTrail.I doubt it but I do have a pre-

diction. They’ll be back in a fewyears to rename it the MexicanWolf Trail.

Dietary guidelinesAre you ready to be “trans-

formed”? The Dietary GuidelinesAdvisory Committee (DGAC) hasreleased its 571 page nutrition

In an effort to foster anunderstanding betweencowboys and vegetarians, itis crucial to debunk certain

myths.MYTH #1) Vegetarians are

all left wing, liberal Democratswho were hippies in the 60sNot so. The average age of

a 1991 vegetarian is 35. So in1964 they would have beeneight years old. They werebeing forced to clean theirplate (“But Mom, I don’t likebroccoli!”) before they couldhave dessert. It was not untilPresident Bush came out ofthe closet and announced hisdislike for broccoli, that hefound a cause some vegetari-ans could rally behind! Threeregistered as Republicans!MYTH #2) Vegetarians

have no sense of humorThis myth is still under

study. It appears that vegetari-ans see very little humor incows being accused of belch-ing huge quantities of methaneinto the atmosphere. But theyget a chuckle when someonethrows ketchup on a minkcoat. It just goes to show thatwhat is funny depends onwhose ox (or kumquat) isbeing gored.MYTH #3) Vegetarians are

a vanishing breedAn interesting myth. They

are holding their own, approxi-mately 3 percent of the U.S.population. But the turnover ishigh. The percentage is alsoaffected by immigrants, ethnicminorities and the poor. Asthey improve their lifestyle

they feed their family moremeat. In a constant effort tomaintain their ranks, vegetari-ans align themselves with like-minded groups who might helpthem vegetate; New Wavetrade shows, Psychic conven-tions and the Hare Krishna.MYTH #4) Most vegetari-

ans became vegetariansbecause their mother said liverwas good for themAs good a reason as any,

but not necessarily so. Snoopy,Garfield and Mickey had moreinfluence than mom. Thesewere animals who ate choco-late chip cookies and lasagna.They could sing and knewAnnette Funicello. They couldspeak and go to heaven. It fol-lowed that Porky Pig andFoghorn Leghorn had humanfeelings too and didn’t relishbeing eaten. Vegetarians feelsorry for drumsticks and BacoBits.MYTH #5) All vegetarians

are alikeWrong again! Some vegetar-

ians eat fish and chicken (thereasoning here escapes me.Maybe their cuddle-factor istoo low?) Others will eat onlyeggs and milk. That’s a practi-cal decision, I suspect. Onecan pass up a Spam sandwichor a bowl of menudo but it’snot so easy to turn downchocolate mint ice cream. Andthere is a small group of believ-ers who eschew even the wear-ing of wool or leather. They areeasily identified wearing petro-chemical derivatives and aplastic shower cap!

Cowboy’s Guide to Vegetarians

More wolves, more monuments and more Michelle…

Obama ignores CCA

continued on page sixteen

March 15, 2015 “America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper” Page 15

Major cattle producerDeBruycker Charolaissigns on as sponsor forDiscover Outdoor Life’s

on-line travel series, DiscoverRanches.DeBruycker Charolais is

known for being the single largestproducers of purebred Charolaiscattle. Now they can add “travelseries sponsor” to their list.It wasn’t just a marketing deci-

sion. After seeing the team’s pas-sion to preserving and promotingranch culture and heritage, theranch decided they wanted to bea part of their mission.

Discover Ranches goes beyond

mere entertainment; the series’underlying goal is to bring aware-ness to the vital ranch destinationsthat help protect and preserve theenvironment. Each episode takesthe viewer to the heart of ranchesand ranch vacations, exploring thestories behind the guardians oftimeless landscapes, supporters oflocal communities, creators ofonce-in-a-lifetime experiences,producers of cattle, and cultiva-tors of award-winning food.

About DeBruycker Charolais DeBruycker cattle and bulls

are efficient and grow fast, creat-ing profitability. Through

DeBruycker Charolais, breederscan purchase quality bulls, semen,females, and embryos to increaseherd performance.DeBruycker genetics receive

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DeBruycker CharolaisCommercialDiscover RanchesThe ranches profiled for the

first season are The Ranch atRock Creek, The Hideout Lodgeand Guest Ranch, Brush CreekRanch, Rowse’s 1+1 Ranch, DeepCanyon Guest Ranch, Red HorseMountain Ranch, Averill’s Flat-head Lake Lodge, Devil’s ThumbResort and Spa, Chico BasinRanch, and Texas Ranch Life.Discover Outdoor Life is an

on-line network dedicated to theoutdoor enthusiast. It includesinformative articles, user reviews,

videos, and pictures, and ofcourse its own series, DiscoverRanches. Both efforts were createdby long-time rancher and Top50Ranches Business owner JodyDahl, and television producerKerry Lambert (Food Network,Discovery Channel, The CookingChannel, PBS).Additional sponsors include

Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort,Top50 Ranches, Back in the Sad-dle, Ameripride, Ranch & Reatamagazine, and Ubiquitas Design.For more information:

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DeBruycker Charolais Sponsors 1st Ever Ranch Travel Series: Discover Ranches

Arizona National Livestock Show 2015 Scholarship Deadline Approaching

The Arizona National Live-stock Show is investing inthe future of agricultureand awarding over $40,000

annually in scholarships to stu-dents who have participated inthe livestock show or horse show.The Scholarship Program hasawarded over $800,000.Scholarships are available to

students attending an accrediteduniversity or college for the cur-rent academic year. Otherrequirements include: HighSchool graduation; completion ofat least 12 semester hours beforeapplying after high school gradu-ation; currently taking at least 12credit hours; a minimum gradepoint average of 2.5 (A = 4); andprior participation in the ArizonaNational Livestock Show as anexhibitor, volunteer, or employ-ee.Annual Scholarships are fund-

ed through donations to theshow with help from the ArizonaHorse Lovers Foundation. Appli-cation deadline is March 15.Applications are available onlineat www.anls.org.

For advertising, subscription and editorial inquiries write or call:

Livestock Market Digest P.O. Box 7458, Albuquerque, N.M. 87194Telephone: 505/243-9515

Page 16 Livestock Market Digest March 15, 2015

guidelines report detailing plansto “transform the food system.”“Align nutritional and agricul-tural policies with DietaryGuidelines recommendationsand make broad policy changesto transform the food system soas to promote populationhealth, including the use of eco-nomic and taxing policies toencourage the production andconsumption of healthy foodsand to reduce unhealthy foods,”says the report. As we warnedyou, they are pushing a “plant-based” diet for health reasonsand saying their recommenda-tion to eat less meat will also“maximize environmental sus-tainability.” No wonder the First Lady

recently said her efforts werebringing about a food “culturechange.” Remember, theseguidelines, if adopted, will affectall government food assistanceprograms, including the militaryand the school lunch program.Lest we forget, the school lunchprogram now serves breakfast,lunch and after school meals(the D.C School System recent-ly bragged they had over 10,000kids in their after school foodprogram).The report says, “New well-

coordinated policies thatinclude, but are not limited to,agriculture, economics, trans-portation, energy, water use,and dietary guidance need to bedeveloped.” The report evenincludes having “trained inter-ventionists” in your communityand “electronic tracking andmonitoring of the use of screen-based technologies” i.e., com-puter and tv time.That’s culture change alright,

being rammed, literally, downour throats.Till next time, be a nuisance

to the devil and don’t forget tocheck your, uh, diet.

Frank DuBois was the NM Secretary of Agri-culture from 1988 to 2003, is the author of ablog: The Westerner (www.thewesterner.blogspot.com) and is the founder of TheDuBois Rodeo Scholarship.

Westernercontinued from page fourteen

University of Nevada, Reno pro-fessors and researchers participate inthe annual Great Basin ConsortiumConference

The Great Basin Desert is thelargest U.S. desert spanning200,000 square miles. Uni-versity of Nevada, Reno

researchers and professors attend-ed the annual Great Basin Con-sortium Conference being heldFeb. 17-19, at Boise State Univer-sity. They spoke on topics such asdry land restoration, water in theGreat Basin and climate.“University of Nevada, Reno

faculty and students had an excel-lent opportunity to network withcolleagues from other universities,federal agencies, private organiza-tions and tribal partners at thisyear’s event,” Maureen McCarthy,director of the Great Basin Coop-erative Ecosystem Studies Union

and executive director of theAcademy for the Environment,said. “This meeting is an outstand-ing venue for researchers andecosystem managers to create newopportunities for science to informthe management of critical ecosys-tems of the Great Basin in achanging climate.” The Great Basin Desert is one-

of-four U.S, deserts that spans themajority of Nevada and extendsinto the states of California, Ore-gon, Utah and Idaho. The missionof the Great Basin Consortium isto increase communication andcoordination among the six part-ner organizations that make upthe consortium in order toenhance the effectiveness of theirresearch, management, outreachand funding activities.The Great Basin Consortium

works to achieve a sustainable and

resilient ecosystem in the GreatBasin. The consortium is com-prised of the Great Basin Cooper-ative Ecosystem Studies Union,the Great Basin EnvironmentalProgram, the Great Basin Land-scape Conservation Cooperation,the Great Basin Restoration Initia-tive, the Great Basin Research andManagement Partnership and theGreat Basin Fire ScienceExchange.“This year’s Great Basin Coop-

erative Ecosystem Studies Unionmeeting focused on working withall Cooperative Ecosystem StudiesUnion partners to expand theawareness of the organizationamong university researchers andto enhance our ability to make sci-ence more accessible to our feder-al partners to enhance ecosystemmanagement,” McCarthy said.The restoration of dry sites is an

important issue that will be dis-cussed at the conference. Associ-ate Professor in the College ofAgriculture, Biotechnology andNatural Resources, Elizabeth Leg-er, will be speaking about usingfield experiments to identify themost success strategies for estab-lishing native grass seedlings in thedriest sites. Oral Presentation ses-sions such these will better informthe conference attendees aboutthe hazards to the environmentand the action being taken to pro-tect the Great Basin.The Great Basin Fire Science

Exchange works to provide GreatBasin land managers with accessto fire science information as wellas a forum where land managerscan identify technical needs inregards to fire, fuels and post firevegetation management. EugenieMontBlanc, the Great Basin Fire

Conference held to protect largest U.S. Desert Science Exchange Coordinator atthe University, will present theupdate for the Fire ScienceExchange Project at the confer-ence. “There were around 200 people

at the conference mainly environ-mentalists from around the GreatBasin,” Stan Johnson, the directorof the Great Basin EnvironmentalProgram, said. The Great Basin Environmen-

tal Program’s role is to developfunding for projects, relatedresearch and outreach educationto improve the Great Basin envi-ronment. According to Johnson,the organization focuses on agri-culture in the Great Basin particu-larly late season cattle grazing inregards to cheat grass and piñonand juniper pine in the lowerlands. Johnson will give the orga-nizational update for the GreatBasin Environmental Program atthe conference.