LivestockDigest

LivestockSEPTEMBER 15, 2010 • www. aaalivestock . com Volume 52 • No. 10

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

– JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL

continued on page two

NEWSPAPER

PRIO

RIT

Y H

AN

DLI

NG

b y L E E P I T T S

MARKET

DigestRiding Herd

by Lee Pitts

When I first heard of thefollowing events I wasreminded of the storyabout the old and ugly

philosopher who asked a beauti-ful socialite at a cocktail party ifshe would sleep with him for fivemillion dollars. She said shewould. “Would she sleep withhim for one million dollars?” hethen asked. Again the socialitesaid she would, albeit with hereyes closed. Then the old manasked if she would sleep withhim for five dollars. The socialitewas outraged and asked, “Whatdo you think I am, a whore?”To which the philosopher

replied, “We’ve already estab-lished that fact. Now I’m just try-ing to establish your price.”Some readers may find the

socialite and the philosopher sto-ry a little disgusting but, I assureyou, it is not nearly as disgustingas what you are about to read.

Doing A Deal With The DevilThe El Paso Corporation

owns North America’s largestinterstate natural gas pipelinesystem. Their 42,000 miles ofpipe transport more than a quar-ter of the natural gas consumedin the country each day. They arealso amongst the top ten inde-pendent domestic producers ofnatural gas, with over a trillioncubic feet of proven reserves.

of ways they gave El Paso on fed-eral land. Rather than duke it outin court, El Paso negotiated asecret deal in which they’d giveWestern Watersheds $15 millionand the Oregon Natural DesertAssociation $7 million if theywould drop their lawsuits. Mob-sters call such payments hushmoney, payola, or extortion. Bigbusiness these days call it “thecost of doing business.”Here’s the bad news: the pri-

mary goal of both WesternWatersheds and the OregonNatural Desert Association is

the elimination of the publiclands rancher in this country.Western Watersheds in the pasthas appealed the renewal ofthousands of grazing permitsacross the West, has challengedthe current grazing fee in federalcourt and has petitioned theObama administration to elimi-nate the grazing programbecause of their “concern” overthe deficit. And the El Paso Cor-poration jumped feet first rightinto bed with them.We don’t even know the

extent of the damage because ElPaso and the green groups won’tlet anyone see the agreement.Jim Cleary, President of the ElPaso Western Pipeline Groupsaid, he would work with the twogreen groups and “seek with rea-sonable diligence” a release fromthe confidentiality clause in theagreement that prohibits eitherparty from disclosing detailsabout the dirty deal.He also said, “We are com-

mitted to working with all parties— ranchers, environmental

They are big business personi-fied. El Paso had been trying forsome time to get approval fromthe Federal Energy RegulatoryCommission (FERC) to buildtheir Ruby Pipeline, a 675-mileconveyance of 42-inch pipe thatone day will transport natural gasfrom Wyoming to Oregon.As is customary these days,

two environmental groups, West-ern Watersheds Project (WWP)and Oregon Natural DesertAssociation (ONDA), filed law-suits challenging the federal gov-ernment’s approval of the right

Pipeline Payola

by STEVE SUTHER, Director, Industry Information Certified Angus Beef LLC

Editor’s Note: Of all the press that has come out onthis issue, pro and con, this is perhaps the bestoverview of the situation. Livestock producers haveuntil November 22, 2010 to review the regulationsand submit comments. The regulations can befound at http://www.gipsa.usda.gov/GIPSA/

Stakeholders in the U.S. livestock industrygathered in late August in Fort Collins,Colorado, to debate market access at aU.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-

Justice Department workshop on competition.Afterward, as many questions as answersremained.Was anything settled? Do all problems boil

down to people leaving rural America becauseof corporate concentration? Does the ObamaAdministration have a mandate to “fix thatproblem” through government intervention?A crowd of more than 1,500 seemed divided

about whether new rules from the USDAGrain Inspection, Packers & StockyardsAdministration (GIPSA) should be put in place— rules which aim to “enhance fairness” andmay affect value-based marketing of cattle.Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) President

John Stika testified because the non-profit sub-sidiary of the American Angus Association®has in interest in seeing that markets rewardproducers for quality as defined by consumers.Contracts paid on carcass merit are called“alternative marketing agreements” (AMAs)because they are outside of the cash market forcommodity cattle. Such contracts were criti-cized by some as unfair, but they simply paypremiums and discounts for actual beef valuerather than estimates from live appearances.The market has been moving in that direc-

tion since the Certified Angus Beef ® (CAB®)brand was born in 1978, and an estimated halfof all finished cattle now sell on AMAs. In sup-

“Life is simplerwhen you plow

around thestump.”

continued on page six

continued on page four

Branded beef company urges GIPSA caution

www.LeePittsbooks.com

Caught In A Crack(Best Of)

Some misinformed peo-ple think that anythingthat wears hair, hornsor hooves is stupid.

Hence the sayings, “he’sdumb as an ox,” or “silly asa filly.” Cows are thought ofas being especially stupid.“Ain’t nothing dumber thana cow, except the man thatowns them,” is an oftenheard expression. But Ithink cows are a lot smarterthan people give them cred-it for, as the story of Stuckywill illustrate.Notice I said that cows

weren’t stupid. That doesn’tmean they aren’t creaturesof habit. Often they use thesame place on a ranch forthe same purpose year afteryear, such as a birthing spotor as a sort of nursery areafor calves. Old timers calledthese places where the cowscongregate at calving “cowstomps.” Our cow stomp ison the side of a hill thatprovides a sheltered andprotected hiding place fornewborn babies.I had never thought of

our nursery as a particularlydangerous place but thatwas before the “drouthcracks” started opening. Forseven long years the groundunfolded and left gapingholes as if the earth was try-ing to catch the rain thatnever fell. It was the drouthwithout end. A verydepressing time. Thesedrouth cracks were a couplefeet deep and several yardslong and they subdividedthe nursery where the cowscalved.I don’t know what pos-

sessed me to check out thenursery that afternoon.After all, I had already rid-den through the cows oncethat day on my wonderhorse Gentleman. Perhapsit was the buzzards circlingoverhead. I figured either acow had given birth, or diedtrying.The nursery was on the

side of the hill tucked awaywhere I couldn’t see it fromthe road, so I got out of thetruck and hiked down thesteep hill to the cow stomp.Upon seeing me the rest ofthe cows gathered up their

Page 2 Livestock Market Digest September 15, 2010

groups, legislators, communityleaders, and other stakeholders— to ensure the Ruby Pipeline isa benchmark for the industryand future energy infrastructuredevelopment.”We can only hope not!

Who Needs Enemies?Whether they knew it or not,

El Paso was stepping in a bigpublic relations cow pie becausethe money given to the greengroups could one day be used toretire cattle grazing permits onpublic land. So, here we have anEl Paso Corporation, what thegreenies would call a “naturalresources extractor,” giving mil-lions to one of rancher’s worstenemies. It wasn’t supposed tobe this way. Remember, we weresupposed to ban together withour fellow natural resourceextractors to fight off the radicalgreenies. If these folks are ourfriends, who needs enemies?Make no mistake, the West-

ern Watershed project is therancher’s worst nightmare. It isheaded by none other than JonMarvel, otherwise known as “TheGreenfather.” Which seemsappropriate since we are talkingabout payola. There are variousstories as to why Jon Marvelhates cows so much, one has itthat some cows pooped on hisproperty once. Oh my! Butinstead of just cleaning his shoesMarvel filed several lawsuits withreligious zeal to rid this countryof cows.Interesting don’t you think

that this “environmentalist” whohates ranchers because of the“damage they do to the environ-ment, like fertilizing the land, iswilling to do business with an oiland gas company at the samethat a huge oil spill was ruiningdestroying our southern coast-line? According to the Western

Legacy Alliance, the $22 millioncan be used to lobby Congress tochange federal law to allow forthe elimination of BLM grazingpermits. Currently, the SupremeCourt has agreed that BLMlands are to be used for grazingand that the permanent elimina-tion of livestock is prohibited byfederal statutes. In the pastanother green group, The GrandCanyon Trust, purchased federalgrazing permits with the idea ofcurtailing grazing only to findout later it was illegal. According to the Western

Legacy Alliance, “the $22 millionin the first five years can be usedto “purchase” permits and allot-ments on lands connected to thepipeline corridor; in the secondfive years, the money can beused to purchase any lands with-in the “sagebrush steppe” habi-tat.” Western Legacy Allianceasks, “How can buying grazingpermits in New Mexico or Ari-zona, be used as environmentalmitigation for a pipeline inWyoming, Utah northernNevada and Oregon? Eventhough the Western WatershedsFERC appeal was based on analleged harm to the environ-ment, Ruby Pipeline’s settlement

with WWP did not change a sin-gle thing in terms of on-the-ground mitigation and none ofthe $22 million will be spent onimprovements on-the-ground tomitigation for the ground distur-bance from the pipeline. The ElPaso funded demise of the West-ern federal lands ranchers willcertainly hasten the death ofmultiple use of public lands.”Regarding the agreement,

Richard Wheatley, a spokesmanfor the El Paso Corporation said,“It’s something we didn’t have todo. We chose to do it. The bot-tom line is we think it’s a prefer-able approach than beinginvolved in litigation.”May we suggest, Mr. Wheat-

ley, the bottom line is that youwere more concerned with ElPaso’s bottom line than you werewith standards of ethical ormoral conduct. And Wall Street wonders why

the general public holds big busi-ness in such low esteem thesedays?

Greenwash You can’t argue with success

because El Paso’s payola got thetwo green groups off their backand the pipeline behemoth hasalready started construction onthe $3 billion Ruby Pipeline.You will hear from El Paso and

others denying that the moneythey gave the green groups will beused to retire public lands fromgrazing but that kind of talk isreferred to as “greenwash.” Weprefer to call it by its real name . .. little white lies.Or in this case, little green

lies.Jim Cleary, President of El

Paso Western Pipeline Groupsaid the purpose of the $22 mil-lion “is not to put ranchers out ofbusiness.” But El Paso shouldhave gotten together with theirnew friends and got their storystraight. Both green groups havesaid that they intend to use thecash to lobby Congress tochange the Taylor Grazing Actto allow retirement of grazingpermits and then to use some ofthe money to do exactly that.Jon Marvel was simply ecstat-

ic over the deal. He said, “Themoney can also be used to pur-chase private property or conser-vation easements, but our priori-ty is grazing permits. It’s time toend public lands grazing.” TheElko Daily of Elko, Nevada,quoted him as saying, “It’sunprecedented to have the sup-port of industry to work for theretirement of public grazing per-mits.”Western Watersheds issued a

press release that called the deal“historic,” in supporting the elim-ination of “disastrous” publiclands grazing.This extortion attempt

worked so well we can envisionWestern Watersheds and othergreen groups rolling in payolawith which to retire grazing per-mits. At the same time this dealwas going down a group ofdozens of multibillionaires, many

Subscribe Today

NAME

ADDRESS

CITY STATE ZIP

My check is enclosed for:

� One Year: $19.95 � Two Years $29.95

Clip & mail to: Livestock Market Digest, P.O. Box 7458, Albuquerque, N.M. 87194

LivestockMarket

Digest

Subscription Rates: $19.95 per year

Livestock Market Digest (ISSN 0024-5208) (USPS NO. 712320) is published monthly except semi-monthly in September by

Rainy Day, Inc. at 2231 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104. Periodicals Postage Paid at Albuquerque, N.M.

POSTMASTER – Send change of address to: Livestock Market Digest, P.O. Box 7458, Albuquerque, N.M. 87194

For advertising, subscription and editorial inquiries write or call: Livestock Market Digest, P.O. Box 7458Albuquerque, N.M. 87194Telephone: 505/243-9515Fax: 505/998-6236www.aaalivestock.com

EDITORIAL and ADVERTISING STAFF:

CAREN COWAN, PublisherLEE PITTS, Executive EditorCHUCK STOCKS, Publisher Emeritus

COMMERCIAL ADVERTISING:DEBBIE CISNEROS, 505/332-3675debbie@aaalivestock.com

FIELD EDITOR: DELVIN HELDERMON580/622-5754, 1094 Koller Rd.Sulphur, OK 73086

ADMINISTRATIVE and PRODUCTION STAFF:

MARGURITE VENSEL,Office Manager

CAROL PENDLETON,Special Assistance

CAMILLE PANSEWICZ,Graphic Artist

Since 1916, we’ve been here to help New Mexico’s farmers and ranchers with � nancial tools and services they can rely on. We know that every

business is a family business, built on the hopes and hard work of those caring for a legacy. Let us show

you how we can help protect what matters most.

C A L L 1 - 8 0 0 - 4 5 1 - 5 9 9 7 o r v i s i t W W W. F A R M C R E D I T N M . C O M

A L B U Q U E R Q U E • R O S W E L L • L A S C R U C E S • T U C U M C A R I • C L O V I S

Pipeline Payola continued from page one

continued on page three

September 15, 2010 “America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper” Page 3

of the world’s richest men in theworld, got together andannounced they’d be giving theirhundreds of billions to charitywhen they die. If just a portionof that cash ends up in the handsof green groups, which it will,they could easily pay to retiregrazing from all the public landsin these United States.

If You Can’t Beat ‘Em . . .If you aren’t repulsed and irri-

tated by now, we are about tounleash the real stink bomb ofthis whole pipeline payola fiasco.It’s one thing for a gas corpora-tion to make a deal with greeniesintent on ridding the world ofcattlemen, but quite anotherwhen your own kind make thesame type of deal with the devil.Instead of fighting the agree-

ment or exposing it for what itreally is, the Public Lands Coun-cil felt they might as well get intothe extortion business, too, andso they entered into an agree-ment with El Paso Corporationin which they’ll get $15 millionto look the other way while thegreen groups attack public landsranchers. Keep in mind that thestated mission of the PublicLands Council (PLC) is to serveand protect ranchers who oper-ate on 120 million acres of pub-lic lands. It was formed in 1968as an outgrowth of the old NCAand still has NCBA involvement.According to the Public Lands

Council, “The PLC, the NationalCattlemen’s Beef Associationand Ruby Pipeline, reached anagreement in principle whichseeks to ensure that the nearly100-year relationship betweenthe livestock industry and ElPaso Corp. continues far into the

future. While details of the agree-ment are still being finalized, itestablishes a significant endow-ment with the mission to “pro-tect, enhance and preserve thepublic lands grazing industry.”The concept was formally adopt-ed earlier today after a unani-mous vote by the board of direc-tors of the Public Lands Council,whose board members represent13 western states, NCBA, theAmerican Sheep Industry Associ-ation, and the Association ofNational Grasslands.”Is there nothing so low that

the NCBA won’t stoop to gettheir hands on money?Said Skye Krebs, President of

the Public Lands Council,“While we are concerned aboutthe potential impacts of Ruby’srecent settlement agreementwith the Western WatershedsProject and the Oregon NaturalDesert Association (ONDA), weare satisfied that this endowmentprovides us a tool with which tomitigate many of our concerns.As the organization which hasrepresented public lands ranch-ers in the West for over fourdecades, we are confident thatour industry will benefit fromthis endowment for many yearsto come.”Krebs continued, “The $15

million endowment, $7.5 millionto be contributed later this yearand $750,000 to be added intothe endowment annually for thefollowing 10 years, will be gov-erned by one representative fromthe PLC and one representativefrom El Paso Corp. While theprincipal amount will not be used,the endowment’s earnings will gotoward meeting PLC’s mission toserve the public lands livestock

industry. Specific projects mayinclude scientific research, educa-tion, range monitoring, firerestoration, media, and communi-ty outreach for the benefit of thepublic lands grazing industry. It isimportant to note that funds fromthe endowment will not be usedfor litigation.”In other words, El Paso wants

anyone they pay off to staybought off. I suppose that iswhat qualifies as business ethicsthese days.The obvious question is

what’s to stop other groups fromextorting companies like ElPaso? In fact, that’s exactly whathas happened. The Center forBiological Diversity has filed alawsuit in a federal court in SanFrancisco to block the projectbecause it says the Ruby Pipelinewill cross more than 1,000 riversand streams, harming speciessuch as the Lahontan cutthroattrout, Warner Creek sucker, LostRiver sucker and Colorado pikeminnow. And after the El Pasodeal was announced the SierraClub filed an appeal with theInterior Board of Land Appealsover the pipeline.We don’t know how much

either group is holding out for.Let the bargaining begin. Whymake an honest buck when pay-ola and extortion is so easy? Andevidently legal, too!After they did the deal PLC’s

President Krebs said in a state-ment that could be interpreted acouple different ways, “We feelgrazing has been taken care of.”We don’t know if grazing has

been taken care of as much as thePLC has been taken care of. It isbecoming a recurring theme late-ly (with the exposure of the

NCBA misusing checkoff funds)that certain groups seem to bemore concerned about their ownsurvival than they do about theranchers they are supposed torepresent. Conceivably one daywe could have a national cattle-men’s organization without anycattlemen. The group could thriveon checkoff funds from foreignbeef and payola from deals likethis one. One day ex-rancherswho sit on such boards may lookback and say, “The patient diedbut the Doctor is doing very well,thank you very much.”

Reaction to El Paso’s Payola

� “Winston Churchill oncesaid there are people that willfeed a crocodile, hoping to beeaten last. Now we know thereare mineral companies thatwould knowingly give money toradical groups to harm ranchers,as long as their project isn’tdelayed.” — Doug Cooper,Natrona, Wyo. rancher and writer,in the Wyoming Livestock Roundup

� Regarding PLC’s deal, Sen-ator Dean Rhoads, R-Tuscarorasaid, “There was a lot of criticismand some praise,” Rhoads toldthe Elko Daily Free Press. “Theleadership thought they got allthey could get.”

� “El Paso didn’t make a dealwith a conservation group. Theymade a deal with the devil.” — Dave Eliason, of Tremonton,President of the Utah Cattlemen’sAssociation

� Regarding the confidentiali-ty of the agreement between ElPaso and the two green groups:“What’s in the agreement thatyou don’t want us to see?” — Cache County Commissioner,

Custom Cattle Feeding at its

Finest!Bar-G

FEEDYARDJohnny Trotter,

President / General Mgr.Res: 806/364-1172 • Mob.: 806/346-2508

Email: jtrotter@bar-g.comKevin Bunch, Assistant Manager

Mike Blair, ComptrollerMike Anthony, Shipping/Receiving

PO BOX 1797HEREFORD, TX 79045

806/357-2241

125,000-Head Capacity

8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF HEREFORD, TEXASFINANCING AVAILABLE

Lynn Lemon� “We want the pipeline. It is

the right thing to do, but thecounties do not support it if ElPaso caves in to extortion. Whathappens here will be precedentsetting.” — Grant Gerber, attorneyfrom Elko, Nevada

� Jeff Williams, a member ofElko County’s Natural ResourcesManagement Advisory Commis-sion, said Elko County has showna great amount of “western hospi-tality” to El Paso Corp., butshould have also taught them“country ethics. I want the gasline to go through, but wouldn’twant to put up with someone whois a friend one day and stabs youin the back the next day,” he said.

� “We feel very slapped in theface,” said Elko County Planner,Randy Brown. “I want to knowwhat’s going on.”

� “You guys went into bedwith the worst there is.” — Com-missioner John Ellison told El PasoCorp. representatives

� “Western Watersheds wantsto change the West back intosagebrush. Getting a secretagreement with El Paso is notupfront and has a serious socioe-conomic impact on our county.”Kent Connelly, a commissionerfrom Lincoln County, Wyo.

� “When everybody is not atthe table . . . the public processhas been violated. This agree-ment could be the fall of theWestern U.S. economy.” — ElkoCounty Commissioner SherieEklund-Brown

� “This is exactly why theNew Mexico Federal LandsCouncil is not a member of thePublic Lands Council.” — BeboLee, President, New Mexico Feder-al Lands Council

Page 4 Livestock Market Digest September 15, 2010

conventional, natural, grass-fed,organic or even breed-specific.What I do want to promote isthis new resource for fact-basedinformation on beef productionthat uses safe, scientificallysound technology to produce anefficient food source. The most important facts are

that U.S. beef — no matter thetype — is safe and wholesomeand that all types of cattle pro-ducers care about the environ-ment, their cattle and the sus-tainability of providing a foodsource for generations to come.

� Worldwide, we have a limit-ed land area on which to pro-duce food, feed and fiber.

� It is critical that we contin-ue to conserve natural and biodi-verse natural habitats.I am in no way bashing “arti-

san” beef or beef produced insmaller, more niche-markets. Weare absolutely blessed in thiscountry to be able to have thenumerous choices that are cur-rently available, whether they

ESCALONHWY 120

HWY 99

SALEHEADQUARTERS

STOCKTONHWY 4

TOSACRAMENTO

FARM

ING

TON

MANTECA

SALE SITE

TO FRESNO

MODESTO

OAKDALE

VALLEY HOME

J17 MARIPOSA RD

EELLMMThe Market of Markets . . .

EELLMMESCALON LIVESTOCK MARKET, INC.

25525 E. LONE TREE RD.ESCALON, CA 95320

MIGUEL A. MACHADO, President

Office: 209/838-7011Fax: 209/838-1535

Mobile 209/595-2014

JOE VIEIRA, RepresentativeMobile 209/531-4156

Bill Harvey, Representative209/543-2820

Facility located at:Escalon Livestock Market, Inc.25525 E. Lone Tree Rd.

MONDAYS

9:30 am . . Slaughter Cattle 12:00 pm . . Baby Calves 1:00 pm . . Light Feeders

300 lbs. and less followed by Beef Pairs, BredCows, Stocker and Feeder Cattle

WEDNESDAYS

11:00 am . . Baby Calves 11:30 am . . Light Holstein

Feeders 1:00 pm . . Holstein Fresh Cows

and Springers followed by Bredand Open Heifersand Breeding Bulls

3:30 pm . . Slaughter Cattle

FRIDAYS

9:45 am . . Pigs 11:00 am . . Butcher Cows 12:00 pm . . Baby Calves 12:30 pm . . Goats followed

by sheep, horses and second round of butcher cows

ESCALON LIVESTOCK MARKET, INC.25525 E. LONE TREE RD. • ESCALON, CA 95320

W E E K L Y A U C T I O N S C H E D U L E

CALL FOR OCTOBER

FEEDER SALE DATES!

Monday, September 13

SPECIAL FEEDER CATTLE SA

LE

Over 1,000 Yearlings or Calv

es

Saturday, September 11

Start: 12:30 pm • Ray-Mar Ranches

BULL & FEMALE SALE

www.escalonlivestockmarkets.com

Branded Beef continued from page one

port of that evolution, Stika suggested theAdministration continue oversight to “see thatany persons who have been excluded from val-ue-based marketing opportunities may soontake advantage of that ability to be paid for cat-tle according to consumer desires.”However, he warned that the good inten-

tions in seeking greater fairness can backfire.“We urge that great care be given to ensure thatno one who has worked to add value to theirherd in an effort to meet consumer demandsfind fewer marketing opportunities — even ifthat development is unintended,” Stika said.Pull-through demand from consumers has

functioned successfully because of increasinglyavailable value-based marketing opportunities,he said, noting Cattle-Fax research that quanti-fies current consumer support of premiumbrands at $500 million per year. Angus produc-ers “planned ahead for the value-based futurewe have today, by investing in genetic evalua-tion and establishing this brand more than 30years ago,” Stika said.Since then, value-based opportunities have

only expanded, and CAB licensees will sellmore than three-quarter of a billion pounds of

branded product this year worldwide, returningat least $25 million to cattlemen throughAMAs such as grids. “We recognize a statedintent in the proposed [GIPSA] rules to levelthe playing field,” Stika said. “We urge that anylow spots be raised to enhance access to con-sumer-focused marketing, rather than knockdown the high spots of opportunity currentlyavailable to any enterprising beef producer.”Granting that the new rules would not dic-

tate a reduction in value-based marketing, Stikasaid that still could be the end result. “Unintended consequences of rule changes

could actually harm the interest of fairness inthe beef market,” he said. “If a proliferation ofnewly required paperwork makes it less prof-itable for packers to offer AMAs, then produc-ers will not be paid premiums based on true val-ue. Anything that diminishes today’s value edgefor quality could diminish what Angus and oth-er quality-focused producers have accom-plished, and reduce the value-added edge theircattle have earned in the marketplace.”Cautioning that “it does little good to

enhance fairness on one hand while potentiallyrestricting it on the other,” Stika called for“greater consensus on both the direct effectsand potential side-effects resulting from effortsto comply with any change.”

Conventional Beef Is Sustainable Beefby GENI WREN, Editor,Bovine Veterinarian Magazine

For the last 10 to 15 years itseems the world hasjumped on the “sustain-able” bandwagon, but you

seldom hear how different peo-ple define sustainable. For thebeef industry, some consumerswould say sustainable means asmall family farm raising grass-fed cattle with no inputs. Theymight say a large feedlot usingtechnologies such as implants isnot sustainable. But does sustainable mean

small, organic or grass-fed? Notnecessarily. A new website,www.sustainablebeef.org, exploreswhat the word “sustainable” canmean in all types of cattle opera-tions, large or small. It also dis-cusses the eco-friendliness of beefproduction using technology vs.

using none. These technologiesinclude products such as implantsto promote efficient growth. For example, the site says a

recently completed economicanalysis of the impact of thesetechnologies on U.S. beef pro-duction using 2007 cattle pricesand input costs showed that ifthe use of growth-enhancingtechnologies were discontinued,there would be:

� 18 percent less beef pro-duced

� 11 percent increase in retailbeef prices

� 8.5 percent decrease in per-capita consumption of beefAn Iowa State University study

shows that beef animals finishedin a conventional feedyard usinggrain-based rations and growth-enhancing technologies are threetimes more land efficient thanorganic or grass-fed beef animals.

Conventional feedyard-produc-tion technologies make the mostefficient use of total farmlandresources. This is particularlyimportant as we consider:

� The world population isestimated to reach 9 billion bythe middle of the 21st century.

� The global demand for foodwill double by 2050 and therewill continue to be increased per-capita demand for beef and oth-er high-quality animal protein.

������������������������������

Bradley 3Ranch Ltd.www.bradley3ranch.com

Phone: 940/585-6471

������������������������ �������� ��������������� ��������

September 15, 2010 “America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper” Page 5

by DUSTIN TILL

On July 27, 2010, the West-ern Climate Initiative(WCI) released the FinalDesign for its regional

cap-and-trade program. Formedin 2007, the WCI is a partnershipbetween seven states and fourCanadian provinces aimed atreducing regional greenhouse gasemissions. The WCI and otherregional greenhouse gas reduc-tion programs have recently tak-en on renewed prominence inlight of Congress’ stalled effortsto establish a comprehensive fed-eral emission trading program.However, the sustained econom-ic downturn has withered state-level support for the WCI andcast doubt over the extent towhich the program will be imple-mented by WCI’s January 2012deadline. Some member stateshave expressly withdrawn sup-port for the program, while oth-ers have indicated that they willnot have regulations in place nec-essary to meet the January 1,2012, implementation deadline.Nonetheless, the Final Designrepresents the clearest and mostdetailed articulation of an alter-native to comprehensive federalclimate change regulation.The Final Design calls for a

program that will apply to allmajor economic sectors in theparticipating states, includingelectrical generation, manufac-turing, and transportation, begin-ning on January 1, 2012. The

Final Design coalesces a series ofWCI design recommendationspublished in over the past twoyears, and is intended to guideparticipating state and provincialgovernments as they develop theregulations necessary to imple-ment the program.

I. Background on the Regional Greenhouse Gas Trading ProgramsThe lack of a comprehensive

federal program addressing green-house gas emissions has spurredthe development of regional alter-natives. Currently, 23 states andfour Canadian providences areparticipating in some capacity inthe three regional programs — theWCI, the Regional GreenhouseGas Initiative (RGGI), and theMidwest Greenhouse Gas Reduc-tion Accord (MGGRA). Theseprograms currently account forover half of the United States’GDP and over 37 percent of theUnited States’ greenhouse gasemissions. As the prospects of acomprehensive federal climatelegislation appear increasinglyunlikely, the WCI, RGGI, andMGGRA are actively exploringoptions for linking the regionalprograms and establishing anexpansive emissions trading mar-ket.The WCI was formed in 2007

with the goal of reducing regionalgreenhouse gas emissions 15 per-cent below 2005 levels by 2020.Currently, seven states and four

Canadian provinces are partici-pating members of the WCI,while a number of other jurisdic-tions in the United States, Cana-da, and Mexico have joined asobservers. The WCI’s cap-and-trade program is scheduled totake effect on January 1, 2012.The cap-and-trade program willapply to all economic sectors,including emissions from elec-tricity generation, industrialsources, transportation, and resi-dential and industrial fuel com-bustion.RGGI, which caps emissions

from coal- and gas-fired powerplants in ten Eastern and Mid-Atlantic states, is currently theonly greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program operating in theUnited States. RGGI has beenconducting emission allowanceauctions since 2008. MGGRA isin the nascent stages of develop-ment, having released draft pro-gram design recommendationslast year.

II. WCI’s Final Program DesignThe Final Design does not

establish an enforceable cap-and-trade program. Instead, it isintended to guide member juris-dictions as they develop the regu-lations needed to implement theregional program. The FinalDesign sets minimum require-ments for participating in the

BLEVINSNEW! ALL-METAL STIRRUP BUCKLES

~ AT YOUR DEALERS, OR YOU MAY WRITE ~

BLEVINS MFG. CO., INC.615 Ferguson Rd., Wheatland, WY 82201

$1070per pair

plus $2.50 shipping

Blevins new all metal stirrup buckle in 3" and 2-1/2" widths. The 3" and 2-1/2" widths have the posts set horizontally and

fit standard holes while the 2" width has the posts set vertically. Made of stainless steel and heat-treated aluminum, the same as our leather-covered buckles.

New four-post tongue for 3" buckle. Makes buckle stronger and sturdier.

One-piece tongue is also off-set to let the stirrup leather go through more smoothly. The 2-1/2" width has one-piece off-set tongue with only two posts.

$750per pair

plus $2.50 shipping

Easy to change stirrup lengths quickly and easy to install —won’t slip or stick. Made of stainless steel and heat-treated

aluminum. Sleeves covered with leather. Order either improved,regular or four-post buckles. Also, new all-metal buckle in 3", 2-1/2" and 2" widths.

Blevins Stirrup Buckles 4-post

THE ONLY SOLUTIONAll else is just another problem

(307) 322-3373 www.otecomfg.com

OTECO Wheel Track Fillers• Fills ruts properly and with the correct material

• Completely fills ruts with a single pass

• 10 cu. yard (28,000 lb.) total capacity

• One-man operation• Off season uses include filling rutsin roads and transporting grain

WEDNESDAY: Cattle Sale at 12:30 p.m.

SATURDAY: Horse Tack, Pigs, Goats, Cattle at 11:00 a.m.

Pacific Livestock Auction • 5025 W. Pecos Rd., Chandler, AZ 85226Owners: STEVE & FRED LUECK • 480/839-2938

Auctioneers: DAN KNUTH, PAUL RAMIREZ, GARY DALE

PACIFIC LIVESTOCKAUCTION

Picking Up the Pieces —WESTERN CLIMATE INITIATIVE RELEASES

CAP-AND-TRADE PROGRAM DESIGN

continued on page six

Page 6 Livestock Market Digest September 15, 2010

WCI market, but member juris-dictions are permitted to adoptmore stringent standards. TheFinal Design covers seven princi-pal topics, detailed below.A. Program Coverage: The

WCI cap-and-trade program willcover the six major greenhousegases (carbon dioxide, methane,nitrous oxide, nitrogen trifluo-ride, sulfur hexafluoride, hydro-fluorocarbons, and perfluorocar-bons). Sources in theparticipating states that emitmore than 25,000 metric tons ofcarbon dioxide equivalents annu-ally will be subject to regulationbeginning in 2012, or the firstyear its emissions exceed thatthreshold. Electricity sourcessubject to the cap will includefacilities located within a mem-ber state or province, or the firstpurchaser or recipient of powerproduced outside the WCI’sjurisdiction. Fuel suppliers will beincorporated into the programbeginning in 2015.

B. Requirements for CoveredSources: The Final Design out-lines the compliance require-ments for sources that are subjectto regulation under the program.Covered sources will be requiredto turn in emission allowance cer-tificates for each metric ton ofgreenhouse gases that they emitat least once every three years. Toensure compliance, coveredsources will be required to quanti-fy, monitor, and verify their emis-sions, and comply with stringentrecord keeping requirements. Theprograms greenhouse gas report-ing program is detailed in theWCI’s Final Essential Require-ments for Mandatory Reporting(July 2009).

C. Compliance Instruments:Beginning in 2012, each partnerjurisdiction will establish a capequal to anticipated 2012 emis-sions, so emissions reductions willnot be required during the pro-gram’s first year. WCI previouslypublished guidance on how eachpartner jurisdiction’s annualallowance budget will be estab-lished. Annual allowance budgetswill be calculated based on a lineardecline based on the 2020 emis-sion reduction goals. The FinalDesign sets out a number ofapproaches for recognizing andincentivizing early emission reduc-tions (reductions between 2008and 2011). In general, all earlyreduction allowances must be vol-untary, additional, real, verifiable,

babies and headed for otherhills. One solitary red cowstayed put. The grass had beenground into the dirt from herfurious pacing and at first Icould not see the problem. Itwas obvious she had calved butthere was no sign of a little one.On closer inspection I saw fourtiny feet sticking up out of adrouth crack. The newborn babywas lying on its back in a crackand all its mother could do wasbawl.The calf was wedged so tight

in the crack I had a hard timesetting her free. I had no ideahow long the calf had been lyingthere but she’d been licked offand had milk foam around hermouth so it couldn’t have beentoo long. I could just imaginethe newborn getting up to suckon wobbly feet, losing her bal-ance and rolling into the crevice.I have always been of the

opinion that you never namesomething you might eat, but inthis special case we decided toname the calf that almostbecame a drouth victim. I want-ed to name her Lucky but mywife suggested we call her

Stucky.Surprisingly, Stucky showed

no signs of aberrant behavior. . .such as sleeping on her back.But the cows showed they werecapable of rational thought.During the duration of thedrouth the cows never cameback to the nursery as long asthey were nursing their calves.Once the calves were weanedand shipped the cows wouldreturn to munch on the grassbetween the cracks. But, sensingthe danger, they wouldn’t calvethere. Finally, after seven longyears the drouth broke withthree inches of rain in a singlenight. Miraculously, the earthwent back together again.That next autumn when it

came time for the cows to calvethey returned to the nursery as ifthey had never left. It was goodto see the newborn calves froliconce more in the nursery with-out the worry of falling into adrouth crack.Oh, by the way, we don’t call

it the “nursery” anymore.“Stucky’s Landing” seems muchmore appropriate, don’t youthink?

“Service Is OurMost Important Product”

Licensed Customs Broker

General Offices in El Paso 15,000 Sq. ft. WarehouseTwin Plant Specialist International Air Freight Cleared

CUSTOMHOUSE BROKERS, INC.ABI Certified

OFFICES IN: El Paso, Santa Teresa, Presidio, Columbus, Del RioMAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 9705, El Paso, TX 79995 • 3922 Delta Dr.

915/542-1742 • FAX: 915/542-0701 • EMAIL: paraujo@abacochb.com

ABACO

“Servicio Es Nuestro Producto Mas Importante”Agente Aduanal Autorizado

Oficinas Generales en El Paso con 15,000 Pies Cuadrados de BorgasEspecialista en Maquiladoras • FLETE INTERNATIONAL AEREO DESPACHIADO

San Angelo Packing Co., Inc.

1809 NORTH BELL ST., SAN ANGELO, TX 76903

P.O. BOX 1469, SAN ANGELO, TX 76902

800/588-6328 • 800/LUV-MEAT

A DIRECT MARKET FOR THE PRODUCER

A BUYER OF QUALITY SLAUGHTER COWS & BULLS

To place your ad, call Debbie, 505/332-3675 or emaildebbie@aaalivestock.com

Riding Herd CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE

continued on page seven

Climatecontinued from page five

“The sustained economic downturn has withered state-level support for the

WCI and cast doubt overthe extent to which the

program will be implemented by WCI’sJanuary 2012 deadline.”

September 15, 2010 “America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper” Page 7

permanent, and enforceable.D. Distributing Allowances:

The Final Design largely leavesthe issue of allowance distributionto the discretion of member juris-dictions. Member jurisdictionscan choose to allocate emissionallowances for free or via an auc-tion, or a combination of both.However, all emission allowanceauctions must be conducted on acommon auction platform.

E. Program Administration:Participating jurisdictions willretain primary responsibility forimplementing the cap-and-tradeprogram, including establishingemission and compliance track-ing systems, complianceaccounts for covered sources,and enforceable certificationrequirements. State and provin-cial regulations will also includeenforcement mechanisms,including provisions for penaliz-ing facilities that exceed theiremission budget.F. Offsets: The WCI includes

a fairly robust offset program.Offsets may account for up to 49percent of emission reductions(not 49 percent of emissions).Each member jurisdiction will berequired to establish regulationsgoverning the registration, valida-tion, monitoring, quantification,reporting, verification, certifica-tion, and issuance of offset cred-its. The WCI’s detailed recom-mendations for the design ofoffset programs were publishedin July 2010. The WCI, alongwith RGGI and MGGRA, alsorecently published a white paperrecommending standardized con-cepts that would allow for linkingthe regional programs’ offset pro-grams. G. Linkage to Other

Programs: Finally, the FinalDesign provides recommenda-tions on the issue of how partici-pating jurisdictions can link theircap-and-trade programs withother participating jurisdictions,as well as jurisdictions outsidethe WCI including RGGI andMGGRA states.

III. The Question ofImplementationWhile the Final Design repre-

sents a significant step towardsthe WCI’s January 1, 2012, startdate, significant hurdles remainat the state level. Indeed, a num-ber of states have either with-drawn their support for the pro-gram, or anticipate delayedimplementation. In February2010, Arizona governor JanBrewer issued an executive orderproviding that the state wouldnot implement the WCI’s cap-and-trade program and clarifyingthat any state-level rules regulat-ing greenhouse gas emissionswould require clear statutoryauthority. Governor Brewer sub-sequently signed legislation(H.B. 2442) which prohibitsstate agencies from adopting or

enforcing a state or regional pro-gram to regulate greenhouse gasemissions without express legisla-tive authorization.In May, Utah officials

announced the state would notbe in a position to implement acap-and-trade program in 2012.Dianne Nielson, the energy advi-sor to Governor Gary Herbert,indicated that Utah wouldremain a WCI member, but

would shift its focus to “comple-mentary policies” including ener-gy efficiency and renewable ener-gy. Washington, Oregon, andMontana have not yet passed thelegislation needed to fully imple-ment the WCI’s cap-and-tradeprogram. See New Oregon Cli-mate Change Laws ExpandEmission Performance Stan-dards, Renewable Portfolio Stan-dards, GHG Reporting, andEnergy Efficiency, Marten LawEnvironmental News (Aug. 26,2009). Washington GovernorChristine Gregoire, however, hasissued an executive orderinstructing state agencies to con-tinue to participate in developingthe WCI. Presently, California and New

Mexico are the only states thatappear to be on track to meet theWCI’s January 1, 2012, startdate. The California AirResource Board (CARB) is cur-rently developing the regulationsneeded to establish an emissiontrading program pursuant to Cal-ifornia’s bellwether climatechange legislation — A.B. 32.CARB released its draft cap-and-trade regulations last fall. UnderA.B. 32, CARB must adopt itsfinal regulations by January 1,2011. However, contentiousgubernatorial election politicsthreaten to derail California’sefforts. Meg Whitman, theRepublican candidate for gover-nor, has indicated that her firstact as governor would be to sus-pend work under A.B. 32. Fur-thermore, a public referendumwill appear on the November bal-lot asking voters to suspendimplementation of A.B. 32 untilCalifornia’s unemployment ratehas sunk below 5.5 percent forfour consecutive quarters. Thestate’s unemployment rate is cur-rently hovering at 12 percent.In May, New Mexico pub-

lished draft rules for implement-ing a greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program. The programwould initially apply to sourcesthat emit over 25,000 metric tonsof carbon dioxide equivalents peryear. The draft rules conditionthe state’s implementation of theprogram on having sufficientemission allowances availablewithin the WCI to make the pro-gram efficient and cost effective.

For additional information concerning WCI’scap-and-trade final design or other climatechange matters, please contact Dustin Till orany other member of Marten Law’s ClimateChange practice.

September 201010-11. . 61st Annual Field Day &

Sale, Lasater Ranch, Matheson CO

15 . . . . . Annual Bull’s Eye Breeders Sale, Oakdale ProducersLivestock Market, CA

26 . . . . . 13th Annual Cattlemen’s Select Range Bull Sale, Visalia Livestock Market, CA

October 20102 . . . . . 21st Tri-County

Breeders’ Choice Bull Sale,Templeton LivestockMarket, CA

2 . . . . . . ISA Cattle Co., Inc. Sale, San Angelo TX

25 . . . . . Summerour Ranch Fall Sale, Dalhart, TX

26 . . . . . 31st Annual StrangHerefords andBlack Angus Sale, Meeker, CO

November 201018 . . . . . Largent & Sons, Desert

Mart Sale, Kaycee, WY21 . . . . . 12th Annual Ft. Robinson

Bison & Reg. LonghornSale, Crawford LivestockMarket, NE

December 20106 . . . . . . Jacobsen Ranch Salers

Production Sale, Western LivestockAuction, Great Falls, MT

January 201125-29. . Red Bluff All Breeds Bull &

Gelding Sale, CA

February 201112 . . . . . Bradley 3 Ranch Bull Sale,

Estelline TX25 . . . . . 20th Annual Pot of Gold

Bull Sale, Olathe, CO21 . . . . . Weaver Ranch Annual

Sale, Ft. Collins, CO

March 201116 . . . . . Wagonhammer Ranches

Production Sale, Albion, NE18-19. . Cattlemen’s Weekend,

Prescott LivestockAuction, Prescott, AZ

20 . . . . . 16th Annual Bull & HeiferSale, Hales Angus Farm,Canyon, TX

April 20112 . . . . . . 27th Annual DeBruycker

Charolais Sale, Dutton, MT10 . . . . . Redd Ranches High

Altitude Bull Sale,Paradox, CO

Digest EventsTo advertise your upcoming events here, please call: 505/243-8342

“Some member states have expressly withdrawn support for the program, while others have indicated that they will not have

regulations in place necessary to meet the implementation deadline.”

Page 8 Livestock Market Digest September 15, 2010

by KINDRA GORDON, HerefordWorld, www.hereford.org, August 2010

The key to successful market-ing is often rememberingthe basics — and capitaliz-ing on the details to earn

extra value for calves.That said, for beef producers

to earn a higher price for calves in2010, Jason Ahola, an animal sci-ence professor with ColoradoState University, offers the fol-lowing list of managementoptions to consider.

For starters Ahola says thesimple ways to improve the mar-ketability of calves should not beoverlooked. Calves should be: 1)dehorned or polled; 2) castratedat a young age; 3) uniform in age,color and type; and 4) healthy.“Each of these options have

been separately documented toreturn a premium from $1-5-plusper hundredweight (cwt.),” he says.Additionally, Ahola says the

feedlot industry wants a few keytraits that can be easily accom-plished and may result in a higher

selling price.He says, “Certain pieces of

information related to probablecalf performance (growth, healthand/or carcass) are of great valueto feedlots since the odds thatcalves will perform better thanaverage are recognized at thetime of purchase. Ultimately, thisinformation can help increase thechances that a feeder will make aprofit on your calves and ideallygetting them to pay more forthem up-front.”Consider these 12 options to

add to your marketing efforts:

1Provide historical per-formance data — Informa-tion about feedlot gain,

feed efficiency, sickness rate andcarcass performance of previousyears’ calves can yield substantialpremiums.

2 Use BVD PI testing —Calf crops tested for theabsence of any calves per-

sistently infected (PI) withBovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD) canhelp reduce losses due to sicknessor death, and feeders are startingto show interest in paying premi-ums for such calves.

3 Wean and backgroundcalves — Calves weanedfor 30 to 45 days and

trained to feed bunks and water-ers are desirable to feedlots,because health problems will like-ly be decreased and feed intake

will be strong at arrival. Premi-ums of $2-5-plus/cwt. are oftenavailable.

4 Sell heavier calves —Because of increased cost-of-gain in the feedlot, the

market wants calves ready for thefeedlot to be heavier than in thepast, Ahola says. Cow-calf pro-ducers might consider modifyingtheir operations so that they canwean and grow their calves onhighforage diets prior to sellingthem to a feedlot.

5 Offer truckload lots —Nearly everyone involvedin the U.S. beef industry

(feedlots, buyers, truckers, etc.)would rather deal with truckloadlots (50,000-60,000 lb. of cattle)instead of small groups. Premi-ums of $2-10/cwt. can beacquired if several small calfcrops from similar genetic andmanagement backgrounds can becombined and sold together, pos-sibly even via video or privatetreaty, says Ahola.

6 Participate in precondi-tioning programs — Sev-eral private- and state-

sponsored programs enable thedocumentation of vaccinationsgiven, and possible premiums of$1-6-plus/cwt. are available.

7 Age and source verifica-tion — Recording birthdates of the first and last

calves born during a calving sea-son and verifying the dates via athird party make the calves eligi-ble for export to Japan if harvest-ed at 20 months or younger. Pre-miums of $1-3/ cwt. are available($5-15/head), suggests Ahola.

8 Natural verification —Third-party documenta-tion stating no antibiotics

or growth promotants wereadministered can result in a$1.50-2-plus/cwt. premium ($8-11/head), he adds.

9 Organic verification —Third-party documenta-tion that organic rules

have been followed (“natural”plus use of organic feeds, no pes-ticides/ herbicides, etc.) can alsogarner premiums in specific mar-kets.

10 Non-Hormone TreatedCattle (NHTC) program— Documentation that

cattle have not been implantedcan make them eligible for exportto the European Union (EU)and, again, can qualify for premi-ums with the right program.

11Breed-based brandedprograms — Cattlethat fit live animal

specifications (either hide coloror documentation of geneticbackground) can be eligible tosupply numerous product lines.Hide color premiums of $1-3-plus/cwt. have been documentedin calves, as well, says Ahola.

12Contract calves — Inthe future Ahola alsosuggests looking at

contracting your calves. He saysduring almost every summer forthe past five years, prices forcalves to be delivered in the fallhave been much higher if theywere offered for sale during thesummer (e.g. August) versus fall(e.g. October/ November).

This super cold brander, when applied to an animal,

turns the hair white or colorless in the design of the brand, making it easily read from any distance.

Numbers available in 1" thru 6" size.

Most custom designs available.

Madeof SolidBrass

For more information on ourelectric dehorners and other livestock branding equipment,please write, call or visit ourwebsite listed below.

FREEZEBRANDERSL H-

L-H BRANDING IRONSP.O. Box 639 • Mandan, ND 58554 • 800/437-8068

www.lhbrandingirons.com

FROM THE PHOTO of his hand-tooled cover to the very last story, Lee’s newest book, A Handmade Life, is pure Pitts. In the tradition of Dirt Roads and God’s Country, Lee’s latest will entertain and inspire. Destined to be a classic.

4-BOOK SPECIAL! Choose any four

of Lee’s boks and pay only $49.95.

And that includes Priority Postage!

It all ads up to a potential

saving of over $20!

QUANTITY PRICE TOTAL

Four Book Special $49.95

These Things I Wish $14.95

A Collection of Characters $12.95

Essays from God’s Country $12.95

Back Door People $11.95

People Who Live at the End of Dirt Roads $12.95

Shipping & Handling (Per Item if ordered separately) $3.00

Tax (If California resident only) TOTAL x 8.25%

GRAND TOTAL

Name__________________________________________________________________________________

Mailing Address ________________________________________________________________________

City _________________________________________________ State _________ Zip________________

A Handmade Life $14.95

BOOKS ORDERED SEPARATELY

MAKE CHECKSPAYABLE TO:

LEE PITTS, AND MAIL TO: P.O. BOX 616, MORRO BAY, CALIFORNIA

93443

O R D E R F O R M

The Best of the Bunch

FOR BOOKS ORDERED

SEPARATELY PLEASE PAY $3.00 EACH

FOR POSTAGE AND HANDLING.

ht tp : / /www.aaa l i ves tock .com/con ten t .php? I=38

Age and source verificationare quickly becoming“essential” in today’s cattlemarket. Travis Chrisman,

who works as a representative forABS in southwest Nebraska, hasseen that demand firsthand. Hesays, “Buyers want age andsource verification, and produc-ers recognize that is essential tobe eligible for premiums.”To help facilitate that market

demand, ABS has placed empha-sis on helping its customers tapmarket opportunities, including1) providing age and source veri-fication documentation to quali-fy for export eligibility, 2) assist-ing with promotion of calvesthrough private listings to feed-lots, 3) aligning with Big BlueSale Barn, an Internet-basedvideo auction, and 4) offeringheifer marketing outlets.ABS is USDA-approved to

provide age and source verifica-tion services for cow-calf produc-ers, grow yards and feedlots. Theprocess must begin at the farmor ranch of origin and includesan on-site audit where a short listof questions must be answeredto determine if the calves are eli-gible for age and source verifica-tion. If the calves qualify, theywill receive a program complianttag and paperwork with docu-mentation that will remain with

them to the packing plant.When producers are ready to

market their calves, ABS can pro-mote them through a private list-ing to a network of more than120 feedlots. Or, ABS marketingspecialists are also available tovideo the cattle, consign them toInternet-based Big Blue SaleBarn and manage the weigh-upand shipping process. Big BlueSale Barn holds an Internet videoauction every other week andspecializes in age- and source-verified cattle suitable for brand-ed beef and export programs.Chrisman says the marketing

aid offered by ABS has beenespecially helpful to smaller pro-ducers in his territory. “We arefocused on helping producersadd value through genetics, tap-ping the natural market or quali-fying for export markets.So, for producers who sell

calves off the cow at weaning ormay background, this offersadditional opportunities forthem to connect with buyers andgarner a profit.”ABS also assists customers in

marketing high-quality, ABS-bred commercial replacementfemales through private treatysales and special ABS heifer salesconducted through Big Blue SaleBarn or in cooperation with pro-gressive auction markets.

ABS, Big Blue Sale Barn team up to assistwith age- and source-verified marketing

A Dozen Marketing TipsMANAGEMENT AND INFORMATION CAN ADD VALUE TO

YOUR 2010 CALF CROP. HERE’S A CHECKLIST TO CONSIDER.

continued on page nine

September 15, 2010 “America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper” Page 9

Located in theHeart of Cattle FeedingCountry – 10 miles South

of Friona on Hwy. 214

Paco Feed yard has been providing cattlemen high quality custom feeding since1969. As a result of expert management skills, an excellent track record, and aggressive mar-

keting of fed cattle, Paco Feed Yard gives you the highest earning potential for your investment.An on-site mill keeps your feed costs low and quality high. Paco Feed Yard uses the most

modern and cost efficient equipment. Computerized steam flaking, monitored by our consultantnutritionist, ensures higher feed efficiency. Cattle get on feed quickly and produce maximumgains at a lower cost. Paco Feed Yard also does a superior job of timely feeding. We have anexcellent ratio of feed trucks to number of cattle, so your cattle aren’t left standing, waiting forfeed. The bunks are monitored closely and management reviews consumption records daily.

�2!#((#*/�� !'('/3����##"'*%��-+%- )FEEDER CATTLE PROCUREMENT / FEED FINANCINGRETAINED OWNERSHIP PLANNING / PARTNERINGBACKGROUNDING / MARKET CONSULTATIONGROWER RATION / CATTLE FINANCING

OWNED BY FRIONA-AREA CATTLEMEN

�����������������������������������

������������������� ����4������������� !+��##"�� -"���/"��4��#((#-��0%&.���%-��+2�������-'+* ���#2 .� ���111�, !+$##"3 -"(/"�!+)

PACOFEED YARD, LTD.

Commercial Cattle Feeders

IDEAL GROWING CONDITIONS: Attention to yourcattle’s health by our consulting veterinarian protects yourinvestment and provides optimum gains. With the assistanceof a computerized health system, our highly-qualified cow-boy staff provides each pen of cattle with the best care possi-ble. Paco provides clean pens with ample space to keep stressat a minimum. Excellent water, abundance of local feedgrains and a mild, dry climate provide the most economicallyfavorable conditions for your cattle to reach their potential.

CUSTOMIZED SERVICE: Cattlemen have control of theirinvestment at Paco. We work closely with retained ownershipcustomers, coordinating our animal health programs toenhance theirs. Our monthly computer billing system givesyou a comprehensive summary of expenses, so you alwaysknow where your money is going.

"Reluctant Company" and "A Well Earned

Drink" Limited Edition

Prints - $125 each.

��������������Go to our website

and register onlineto enter our

quarterly FREE artdrawing!

(505)632-8080

N E W M E X I C O

C A

T T

L E

G R O W E R S ' A S S O

C I A

T I O

N

MAKING YOUR VOICE HEARD;PROTECTING YOUR RIGHTS;

ENSURING THE FUTURE

PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS · STATE AND FEDERAL LEGISLATIONANIMAL HEALTH · WILDLIFE · WATER · LAND MANAGEMENT AND USE

REGULATORY ISSUES · TAXES · INTERNATIONAL CONCERNS

The New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association has been here representing you

—SINCE 1914—

NEW MEXICO CATTLE GROWERS’ ASSOCIATIONP.O. Box 7517, Albuquerque, NM 87194

2231 Rio Grande Blvd. NWPhone: 505/247-0584 • Fax: 505/842-1766

nmcga@nmagriculture.org • www.nmagriculture.org

Call, email or fax

us, or join on the webBECOME A

MEMBER TODAY!

The U.S. Chamber of Com-merce’s “Golden StateAction Plan,” highlightsCalifornia’s spiraling deficit,

rising taxes and growing regula-tions, and offers a state economicgrowth plan. The report calls for the

removal of roadblocks to privateinvestments in California’s trans-portation, energy, water andbroadband infrastructure, and isasking that the state’s failingpublic schools be overhauled.

Public employee pension reformis urgently needed to prevent thestate’s slide into insolvency. And,the expansion of exports througha vigorous trade policy wouldespecially benefit California giv-en the state’s position as a gate-way to the world’s fastest grow-ing economies. It highlights that 12.3 percent

of the state’s workers are unem-ployed and that small businessesare suffocating under excessiveregulations, high taxes and law-suit abuse. To address this, theChamber’s plan outlines steps tomake the Golden State’s econo-my more competitive and fiscallysound. These include:

� Controlling soaring taxesand fees, since California alreadyhas the highest state sales tax inthe nation, the fourth-highestpersonal income tax rate and theninth-highest corporate rate.

�Weeding out excessive regu-lations, including not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) roadblocksthat even stand in the way of“green” energy projects.

� Reforming the legal systemso that it punishes actual wrong-doing, without punishing busi-nesses that are playing by therules; a recent survey by the U.S.Chamber Institute for LegalReform ranks California the fifth-worst legal system in the country.

� Make Sacramento live with-in its means by controlling run-away spending, which has led to aprojected $19.1 billion deficit thisyear alone; mandatory spendingprograms, mandatory budgetallocations, public employee pen-sion systems, and a steeply pro-gressive tax system must all bereexamined and reformed. To spur job creation, the state

needs a new direction. Federal

and state policies must be dra-matically changed in order to revi-talize California’s economy beforeother states and other nationssteal away more businesses,investors and jobs, says Chamberpresident Tom Donohue.

Source: J.P. Fielder, ‘A Golden State Action Plan,”U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Aug. 24, 2010.

A Golden State Action Plan

YouTube ‘protecting’ our youthBy DENNY BANISTER / Missouri Farm Bureau Federation

When I heard one of our Farm Bureaumembers created a video for YouTubeshowing their hog operation, I hurriedonline to watch it. In spite of the

‘secretly taped videos of livestock abuse’ we seeon television, I know the vast majority of farmersdo not abuse their animals and I was anxious tosee a positive story on livestock production.So I went to YouTube and entered the title of

the video, “Truth about Modern Pork Produc-tion,” and bingo — there it was ready to beclicked on to watch, but when I clicked on itinstead of opening the video it made me verify Iwas 18 years old or older — if I were younger Icould not watch it.I thought it strange the video could contain

anything objectionable for young viewers, so Iverified I was over 18 (in spades) and started thevideo. Just as I thought, there was no reason thevideo could not be viewed by all ages — it wouldreceive a G rating in movie theaters, so why theage verification?There were links to other videos alongside the

selection I viewed, and several of them were notonly detrimental to farmers, but showed unspeak-able violence and cruelty — and guess what?When I clicked on them, they opened without

making me verify I was 18 or older. I could watchall the animal abuse and brutality I wanted with-out any age requirement.Reading the comments section on the farmer’s

YouTube page, she responded to the strangerequirement of age verification for viewing hervideo. She said she contacted YouTube to seewhy her video was flagged as offensive, but wasonly told that “. . . members of the YouTube com-munity deemed my video as having inappropriatecontent.” Hmmm, a positive, truthful story depicting

how animals are treated in a modern hog opera-tion is considered inappropriate, but videos show-ing cruel mistreatment of animals are consideredappropriate. Something’s rotten in Denmark —and it’s not much better on YouTube.One other thing I noticed — the links along-

side the positive story about livestock productionincluded some that were very negative to theindustry. The links alongside the stories negativeto livestock production, however, were all nega-tive to livestock production — there were no linksat the time to “Truth about Modern Pork Pro-duction” or any other positive stories about live-stock production.Doesn’t it make you feel good to know our

youth are being protected from hearing bothsides of the story?

Marketing Tipscontinued from page eight

Because of severe volatilityin several commodity mar-kets (grains, fuel, beef,etc.), feedlots want to “lockin” calf prices in advance ofreceiving the cattle. “This isa great opportunity to getupwards of $10/cwt. morefor your calves ($50/head)by selling them during thesummer on a video sale,”Ahola suggests.Be creative with your

marketing “Few of the pro-grams or options listedabove will generate a pre-mium unless your calves areoffered for sale to buyerswilling to pay premiums forhaving these beneficialtraits,” Ahola emphasizes.He says the bottom line

during 2010 is taking timeto plan ahead, implementvalueadded managementchoices and then find themarket outlets willing topay a premium.

Page 10 Livestock Market Digest September 15, 2010

The First Commandment isto select only for the SIXESSENTIALS; Disposition, Fer-tility, Weight, Conformation,Milk Production and Hardiness.The Second Commandment

is to strive for reproductive effi-ciency. The Third Command-ment is to performance test in aconstant environment.The Fourth Commandment is

to employ direct selection, whichmeans selecting for the specifictraits sought and not for a com-bination the breeder hopes willproduce the desired results.The Fifth Commandment is

to utilize the adaptive powers of

nature. Tom Lasater’s policy wasto ask the impossible of nature.Beginning in the early 1930s,

Lasater, developed Beefmastersfrom a systematic crossing ofHereford, Shorthorn and Brah-man cattle. His purpose was todevelop cattle that were moreproductive than existing breeds;cattle that would produce andmake money during economical-ly hard times in the harsh envi-ronment of South Texas.While brownish-red is the

most common color, the breedhas no color standards. Beefmas-ters were recognized by the U.S.Department of Agriculture as a

pure breed in 1954.Since the early 1970s, when

the breed began rapid expansionfrom its South Texas birthplace,Beefmasters have survived sever-al wrecks in the cattle marketwithout adversely affecting theirgrowth and demand. From 1974to 1998, membership in Beef-master Breeders United (BBU)grew from 300 to nearly 7,000.BBU, which was founded in1961, is the fifth largest beefbreed registry in the UnitedStates in membership and sixthin registrations.Responding to change and

tough challenges are part of theBeefmaster heritage. Today, likeyesterday, Beefmasters and thecattlemen and cattlewomen whoraise them are ready.

The Six Essentials:Disposition: Selecting for

disposition is simple. At weaningtime, any difference in individu-als is readily apparent in cattleraised under identical condi-tions. The bulk of animals withpoor dispositions can be spottedat that time and culled. There-after, disposition is judged con-tinually with any noticeablyexcitable or high-strung animalsbeing periodically eliminated

from the herd.Fertility: The importance of

fertility in the cattle business isobvious, and yet today’s ranch-men have failed to produce cat-tle that are fertile. Selection forreproductive efficiency consistsof a short breeding season; malesand females bred at 12 1/2months to 14 1/2 months and acalf from every cow every year -regardless. Reproductive effi-ciency also involves accomplish-ing the foregoing while keeping80 - 90 percent of each heifercrop in order to intensify cullingof the cow herd.

Weight: The vast majority ofcattle are marketed on a weighedbasis. The importance of weightis universally recognized. Inselecting bulls for weight two fac-tors are involved: (1) weaningweight and (2) post-weaninggain. The weaning weight reflectsthe milking ability of the mother;the post-weaning gain indicatesthe individual's own capability.

Conformation: In selectingfor conformation, what is reallyunder consideration is carcassconformation. As Tom Lasatersaid, “the ideal conformation isexemplified by that animalwhose carcass will yield the mostpounds of tender, lean beef perpound of live weight.” Fortunate-ly, selection for this characteris-tic is not difficult because, giventhe chance, nature correlates

many of the desirable traits inbeef cattle such as body length,weaning weight, fertility, feedlotperformance and cutability.

Hardiness: “Hardiness isexemplified by those individualswhich carry on their relentlessproduction assignment year afteryear with minimum assistance.”Every environment tests cattle insome fashion whether it is thecold, heat, drought, too muchrain, parasites, rough terrain,predators, low quality feed orany other of the many problemsthat affect the rancher. Cattleshould be raised in the environ-ment in which they are to beused. Given that prerequisite,they should be able to adapt tothe particular disadvantages oftheir geographic location. If theydo not, obviously they will beunable to breed at 13 months orto wean a heavy, long-age calfnine months old or older everyyear.

Milk Production: Selectionfor milk production is a simplematter of evaluating the cow’smilking abilities as reflected inher calf’s weaning weight. In thecase of bulls, herd sires areselected from bulls with topweaning weights thereby perpet-uating the blood from heavy-milking females. Heifers areculled on weight at weaning;cows weaning light-weight calvesare also eliminated.

The prospects for goldenopportunities at the 2010Golden Anniversary BBUConvention are shining

brightly! All that glitters may begold October 28 through Octo-ber 30, 2010 at Michael Gaugh-gan’s South Point Hotel — Casi-no — Spa where the WesternStates Beefmaster BreedersAssociation (WSBBA) will behosting this year’s conventionalong with the 2010 President’sCouncil Sale. The slogan goes“What Happens in Vegas stays inVegas”, but we’re planning onproving that wrong by offeringeducational information, newfriendships, and memories ofgreat food and fun to take awaywith you at the conclusion of thisevent.Don’t wait! Book your rooms.

Visit our website at http://www.beefmasters.org/ to makeyour reservations at South Point.This will take you directly to theBeefmaster group site for room

reservations. Rooms will be avail-able to us at the rate of $60 pernight Sunday through Thursday,and $115 per night Friday andSaturday. You can also call theSouth Point reservation line at866/791-7626 and use the Beef-master group code BEE1027. Thecut-off date for the rates listedabove is October 7, 2010.South Point has donated a

number of “free stays” that willbe given away at random duringthe convention events to regis-trants who have booked theirrooms either through the BBUweb site, or by using the groupcode when calling for their reser-vations, and who have paid theirconvention registration early.Watch for more details aboutthese “free stays”.

Commanding Excellence:

BeefmastersT

om Lasater, founder of the Beefmaster breed, was one ofthose rare individuals who knew from childhood what profes-sion he was going to pursue. He was fond of saying that ranch-ing is his avocation as well as his vocation. Tom Lasater’s

philosophies of cattle raising encompasses all aspects of the businessfrom range ecology to merchandising. Perhaps his philosophy can belabeled ‘creative radicalism.’ “A good manager must be in love withresults. A sound breeding program, oriented toward results, shouldbe based on the Five Commandments of Livestock Breeding.”

We’re Golden — 2010 BBU Convention

MARKET

Don’t Miss a Single Issue!

If you’re moving or changing your mailing address, please send your name, old address, AND new address to: LIVESTOCK MARKET DIGEST, P.O. Box 7458, Albuquerque, NM 87194, or fax to: 505/998-6236

Change of AddressInstructions

September 15, 2010 “America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper” Page 11

DROVERS NEWS SOURCE

Cow slaughter continues at ahigh rate, keeping U.S.beef production fromexpanding, while 2010 beef

exports are up 13 percent overlast year, according to theUSDA’s August Livestock, Dairyand Poultry Outlook report.The July 1, 2010 Cattle report

indicates that feeder cattle pricesand the current series of prof-itable months of feeding cattlehave not been enough to moti-vate beef cow herd expansion.As a result, cow slaughter contin-ues at a high rate, setting thestage for further declines in cowinventories.While cattle cycles can be

defined as total inventories ofcattle and calves from trough totrough — as used here — orfrom peak to peak, the cattlecycle behavior that persists islargely due to dynamics in thebeef cattle sector, since dairycows have not exhibited cyclicalbehavior since about 1947. Oth-er ways to look at cattle cyclesare by cow inventories or by beefcow inventories. Each cycle con-sists of an expansion phase, aconsolidation phase, and a liqui-dation phase.Historically, and prior to the

current cycle, the shortest expan-sion phase, of three years,occurred from 1980 to 1982when inventories increased byfour percent from their lowpoint. This expansion was fol-lowed by a liquidation that lastedeight years from 1983 to 1990,during which, inventoriesdeclined by 17 percent. The nextcattle cycle peaked in 1996,increasing eight percent from its

1990 low — a 6-year expansion.This was followed by an 8-year,drought-extended liquidationthat saw inventories decline byeight percent and left a 2004 cat-tle inventory about a millionhead lower than the January 1,1990 trough. The shortest liqui-dation phase in historical termsoccurred during the cattle cyclethat began in 1959, peaked in1965, and bottomed in 1967 — a2-year liquidation.The expansion phase of the

current cattle cycle began in2005 and peaked in 2007, due inpart to a short-lived upturn indairy cow inventories. With theJuly 1, 2010 inventory report,U.S. inventories of cattle andcalves are four years into liquida-tion. If one looks solely at Janu-ary 1 beef cow inventories, thedecline that began in 1996 hasbeen continuous except during2005 and 2006. Declines in bothJuly 1, 2010 beef cow inventories(down 1 percent) and beef heiferinventories (down 2 percent)suggest that a further decline islikely in store for January 1, 2011beef cow inventories.A number of factors drive

inventory dynamics. Weatherpatterns, especially drought, canshift inventories into or extendliquidation of the cow herd.Profit margins can also affectretention or liquidation deci-sions. Current cow prices appearto be sending significant num-bers of cows to slaughter, reduc-ing the total cow inventory fromits already low levels.Increased demand for corn

and other grains in internationalmarkets will also continue to playa role in feed grain price dynam-ics. Prices for energy and other

inputs will likely increase, raisingbreakeven costs at all levels of thecattle and beef industries. Thesefactors, combined with the muchlonger production cycle for beefcattle compared with other live-stock species, enables producersof other species to more quicklyrespond to changes in demandfor final meat and poultry prod-ucts. With current Cattle reportestimates of the calf crop in 2010below 2009 by more than400,000 head, or one percent,competition for feeder cattle in2011 is expected to be severe.

This competition could intensifyif heifers are retained for replace-ments, further reducing feedercattle supplies. Under such a sce-nario, feeder cattle prices wouldbe well-positioned for significantsupport at higher levels.July 1, 2010 dairy replace-

ment heifer inventories were upby three percent. Given that thenumber of heifers for dairyreplacement as a share of thecow herd was record high forJuly, can be anticipated contin-ued dairy cow slaughter at rela-tively high levels.

• Sale bulls average 205-day weaning weights exceed 660 lbs.!• Total Performance Evaluations.• Delivery: 30 consignors will be offering hauling to their respective areas. Call about delivery to out-of-state areas.

• GUARANTEE: All bulls Fertility, TB, Bangs Tested and BVD Free. Fully Guaranteed for 180 days.

• All bulls enrolled in BBU’s Performance Program –Whole Herd Reporting.

Brenham Hotels:Best Western 979/251-7791Days Inn 979/830-1110Holiday Inn 979/836-4590

For information, a catalog or video contactGary Frenzel 254/721-2214

gary@frenzelbeefmasters.com

Auctioneer: Anthony Mihalski

“I’ve never seen a set of Beefmaster bulls this thickand clean.”

– Rusty Helms, Marshville, NC

w w w. b e e f m a s t e r b u l l s a l e . c o m

“All the bulls have been evaluated as a group– a true performance test.”

– Dick Davis, Oklahoma City, OK

Mission Statement: Promoting Beefmaster cattle by identifying superior genetics through performance testing on forage, while breeding with strict

adherence to the founding Six Essentials.

See you at the 50th AnnualBeefmaster

convention in Las Vegas!

PerformanceTestedon Forage

SELLING: 100 BIG, STOUT, PERFORMANCE-TESTED BULLS

Headed to

Brenham

Oct. 16!

Central Texas Beefmaster Breeders 24th Annual

BEEF “ON” FORAGEPERFORMANCE BULL SALE

Saturday, October 16, 2010 • 1:00 p.m.WASHINGTON COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS, BRENHAM, TEXAS

��������������������������������������������������������

������������������������

ATTENTION!New Type SuckerRod For WindmillsAvailable in 7/16", 5/8" and 3/4" OD sizes — 20 ft. long

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

VIRDEN PERMA-BILT CO.2821 Mays Ave. • Box 7160 LMDAmarillo, Texas 79114-7160

806/352-2761www.virdenproducts.com

America’s municipal debt racket

New Jersey officials recentlycelebrated the selection ofthe new stadium in theMeadowlands sports com-

plex as the site of the 2014 SuperBowl. Absent from the festivitieswas any sense of the burden thecomplex has become for taxpay-ers, says Steven Malanga, a seniorfellow at the Manhattan Institute.Nearly 40 years ago the Gar-

den State borrowed $302 millionto begin constructing the Mead-owlands. The goal was to pay off the

bonds in 25 years. Although theproject initially went according toplan, politicians couldn’t resistcontinually refinancing the bonds,siphoning revenues from the com-plex into the state budget, andusing the good credit rating of theNew Jersey Sports and Expositionauthority to borrow for other,unsuccessful building schemes,says Malanga: Today, the authority that runs

the Meadowlands is in hock for$830 million, which it can’t payback.The state, facing its own cav-

ernous budget deficits, has had toassume interest payments —about $100 million this year onbonds that still stretch for

decades. This tale of woe has become

familiar in the world of municipalfinance. Governments haveloaded up on debt, stretched outrepayment times, and used slickmaneuvers to avoid constitutionalborrowing limits. While the coun-try’s economic troubles havehelped expose some of these prac-tices, a sharp decline in tax rev-enues has prompted more abuseas politicians use long-term debtto kick short-term fiscal problemsdown the road, says Malanga. Taxpayers are only slowly real-

izing that their states and munici-palities face long-term obligationsthat will be increasingly hard tomeet. Rick Bookstaber, a seniorpolicy adviser to the Securitiesand Exchange Commission,recently warned that the munimarket has all the characteristicsof a crisis that might unfold with“a widespread cascade indefaults.” If that painful scenariomaterializes, it will be because wehave too long ignored how somepoliticians have become addictedto debt, says Malanga.

Source: Steven Malanga, “The authority thatruns the new Meadowlands stadium in NewJersey is $830 million in hock,” Wall StreetJournal, June 14, 2010.

Beef exports grow amid herd contraction

Page 12 Livestock Market Digest September 15, 2010

nearly 300,000 cattle and pigs.Throw international trade fric-tions into the mix, and theJapanese beef scene leaves plen-ty to digest.Historically speaking, the

biggest impact on meat con-sumption in Japan came with theintroduction of Buddhism in the6th century. Emperor Tenmu(631-686), in line with Buddhistteachings, outlawed the eating offour-legged animals in 675.Backed by legislation, this prac-tice became widespread over thenext few centuries, and exceptfor a few foreign enclaves,remained in place until the fall ofthe Tokugawa Shogunate in1868.While the newly installed

Emperor Meiji was known toregularly dine on beef and mut-ton, most people still wouldn’teat cattle, as the beasts wereused primarily as draft animalsfor rice production — makingthem sacred cows of a sort.Mechanized rice harvesting

took root in the 1950s, leavingcattle out of work and, perhaps

inevitably, fattened up for eating.At the same time, stringentimport restrictions on agricultur-al products, including beef, keptmuch foreign meat out of thecountry and helped maintain rel-atively low consumption levels.The average Japanese ate just 4.2kg of beef per year between 1962and 1991, compared with 32.39kg of fish.That all changed when the

market was liberalized in themid-1980s. In June 1988, Aus-tralia, the U.S. and Japan signedthe Japanese Beef MarketAccess Agreement, whichreplaced quotas with tariffs andled to a huge rise in importedbeef. According to finance min-

istry statistics, imports jumpedfrom 11,864 metric tons in 1976to 106,556 tons in 1988 and348,299 tons in 2000. Per capitaconsumption, meanwhile, sky-rocketed to a peak of 10.2 kg in2002.

Australia is dominantmarket playerBy 2001, Australia and the

U.S. had an identical share ofthe Japanese market — bothcountries imported 285,000 tonsof beef during the fiscal year. Yetsince the ban on U.S. beef tookeffect in 2003, the Australianshave become the world’s domi-

— Home of —

MASTER OF LEGANDSWarrior 111 X Lady of Legands

REAL DEAL Painted Tiger X Elegance

(Warrier 111 X Southern Princess)

MR. THPInfinity X Dee Dee

(Ranger’s Pride X Tiger Lilly)

PHENOMPhantom X Dee

(Ranger’s Pride X Tiger Lilly)

Brazos Valley

BeefmastersMs. Jolene Broach • 979/589-20683973 Fme 2776, Bryan, TX 77809

Ranch Manager:Herman Lange 979/268-1290

CASEYBeefmasters

www.CaseyBeefmasters.com

Semen Available

Raised On Grass Not A Feed Bucket

Virgin 2-Year-Old Bulls and Herd Sires Available

61+ YEARS

Watt, Jr. 325/668-1373Watt: 325/762-2605

Watt50@sbcglobal.net

HITCHINGS RANCHJerry Hitchings

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

hitchingsranch.com • beef@hitchingsranch.com

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

Beefmaster Convention!Contact us for more information.

HITCHINGS RANCHPremier West Coast Beefmaster Genetics

Bulls and females that concentrate

performancegenetics like no other program.

WE HAVE BREEDING

STOCK AVAILABLE

AT THERANCH

������������������������������������������������

����������������

Lifetime Tank CoatingsStop all leaks in steel and concrete– Prevent rust forever. Roof coat-ings for tar paper, compositionshingles and metal buildings. Anyone can apply all coatings.Fix it once and forget it. ServingFarm & Ranch Since 1950. Let ussend you complete information.

VIRDEN PERMA-BILT CO.Box 7160LMD • 806/352-2761

Amarillo, Texas 79114www.virdenproducts.com

ANDY SHARP, Japan Today

“Any of us would kill a cow, rather than not have beef.”

While it’s unlikely thattoo many people nowa-days would put SamuelJohnson’s words into

practice, steak lovers around theworld can relate to the 18th cen-tury author’s passion for beef.You certainly won’t be left

chewing your cud on the streetsof Tokyo. In a nation known forits voracious appetite for fish,

meat eaters have forced a seachange: in 2006, for the firsttime ever, the Japanese con-sumed more meat than seafood.As any Tokyo resident knows,every neighborhood is filled withjoints offering gyudon, yakiniku,sukiyaki, beef stew, hamburgers(or the bunless “hambagu”),kebabs and steak — both West-ern and the much-reveredwagyu.In addition to domestic pro-

ducers and massive beef-export-ing nations like Australia and theU.S., smaller exporters such asCanada, Mexico, New Zealandand Vanuatu are staking theirclaim to the multi-billion dollarJapanese beef market.Yet look beyond the red-meat

frenzy, and you see signs of trou-ble. In 2003, the discovery ofU.S. beef infected with BSE (akamad cow disease) led Japan toplace a blanket ban on Americanimports. Domestically, an out-break of foot-and-mouth diseasein Miyazaki in April forced localofficials to declare a state ofemergency, and led to a cull of

by JOHN MADAY, Managing Editor,Drovers Journal

Women still account forabout 93 percent offood purchases in theUnited States, Mary

Lou Quinlan says. And the goodnews is they feel a strong emo-tional connection to beef thatjust needs to be reinforced withsome positive messages.Quinlan is CEO of a New

York City market-research firmcalled “Just Ask a Woman,” thatspecializes in measuringwomen’s attitudes. Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Healthrecently contracted with the firmto conduct a study into the per-ceptions and attitudes of womentoward beef and the beef-pro-duction system, and to developpositive communications mes-sages. Toward those goals, JustAsk a Woman conducted in-depth interviews with over 100women from the East Coast andMidwest and uncovered someinteresting trends. Quinlan andTracy Chapman, co-director ofbrand insights for the firm, pre-sented some of their findings atIntervet/Schering-Plough’s Cat-tle Feeders Summit in July. Quinlan says women feel con-

fused and frustrated by themixed messages they receiveabout food, and they don’t likeothers trying to make them feelguilty about what they serve totheir families. “Women want tofeel in control of their family’sdinner table,” she says. “Theydon’t like feeling it is beinghijacked.” They just want thefacts and don’t want to feelforced to anyone else’s agenda.Women value having the free-dom to choose from a variety ofmeat products in various priceranges, and select the productsthat work for them and theirfamilies. Many women, Quinlan says,

are confused about terms suchas “organic” or “sustainable” asthey apply to beef. They areunclear about the differencesbetween these products andskeptical over whether theirhigher prices relate to value. A message that resonates with

women, she says, is that most ofour beef comes from familyfarms, many of which have been

in the same families for genera-tions. These family farmers haveimproved their practices over theyears and care about their ani-mals and the beef they produce,which they feed to their ownchildren. “There is a tradition tobeef that they would like to havereinforced,” she says.

Words matterQuinlan says the study

revealed opportunities to protectbeef’s image with Americanwomen by changing some of theterminology we use — to “tellthe story on her terms.”The term “feed additive,” for

example, raises doubts, while theterm “feed supplement” is moreacceptable, especially whenbacked by assurances that feedsupplements are extensively test-ed and regulated to protect ani-mal health and food safety.Women prefer the term

“farmer” over “cattle feeder” or“rancher,” she says. “Womenwant to marry a rancher, but buytheir food from a farmer.”Rather than portray “organic”

or “natural” beef as the enemy,or promote the price advantageof “conventional” beef, weshould focus on freedom ofchoice, stressing that shopperscan select from a variety of lean,healthy and safe beef productswith different attributes andprice points.Finally, Quinlan says, we

could benefit by dropping theterm “conventional beef” indescribing products from main-stream production systems.Instead, she suggests the term“traditional beef,” which commu-nicates the idea that the beefresults from established produc-tion practices proven over timeto provide animal health, foodsafety, wholesomeness and value.Quinlan goes on to identify

three “emotional pillars” of tradi-tional beef.

� Trust — Farm families careabout their animals and beefquality.

� Safety — Oversight fromthe USDA and FDA assures thattoday’s beef is safer than ever.

� Freedom of choice — Shop-pers want control over theirfood-purchase decisions.These pillars, she says, add up

to beef you can count on.

What Women Want

BSE and foot-and-mouth disease give beef producers plenty to chew on Japan

continued on page thirteen

September 15, 2010 “America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper” Page 13

nant player.The U.S., however, is fighting

back. In an attempt to restoreconsumer confidence in Ameri-can meat, Tokyo and Washing-ton implemented a Beef ExportVerification program in 2006 tocertify that U.S. exports meetJapan’s BSE-related require-ments. The program restrictsimports to certain cuts of beef,but more importantly, it onlypermits the U.S. to export beeffrom cows aged 20 months orless — young cattle being consid-ered less susceptible to BSE.“Although the ban has been

lifted, current restrictions arehaving a significant effect ontrade,” a U.S. Embassy officialtells Metropolis. “U.S. beefexports to Japan prior to thesemeasures were over four timesthe current level . . . The agerestriction poses the single great-est hurdle facing U.S. beefexports to Japan. However, thereis a very strong demand for U.S.beef in Japan, so we maintain apositive outlook with theassumption that Japan willaddress these restrictions.”And, indeed, there are signs

that the curbs may soon berelaxed. According to recentreports, Japan and the U.S. willlikely resume talks on the issueas early as September. Washing-ton will almost certainly push fora softening of the age rule, andgovernment sources point to apossible increase of the mini-mum age to 30 months.When the mad cow scare took

a big bite out of US beefimports, many restaurants andsupermarkets embraced theAussie alternative.“We only use Australian beef,”

says Satoshi Ueda, operatingpartner of the Outback Steak-house chain in Japan. “We usedto use U.S. beef, but switched toAustralian after the BSE out-break because consumers wereconcerned.”Ueda hints, however, that this

policy is not permanent: “We areconsidering using U.S. beefagain in the future. U.S. beef hasmore marbling and tenderness,whereas Australian beef is a red-der meat that is a little tougher.Some customers prefer U.S.beef, and some prefer Aus-tralian.”

Atsushi Kugue, PR managerof the Japanese arm of Meat &Livestock Australia, sees beeffrom Down Under playing a vitalrole in Japan.“Australia was already a major

supplier of imported beef to theJapanese market when BSE wasdiscovered in the U.S.,” he says.“Australia helped fill the gap leftby the United States’ absence.Japan needed safe beef, andAustralia did its best to meetdemand.”Australia supplies beef to all

segments of the Japanese mar-ket, including retail shops,restaurants and schools. In fact,a majority of beef served atgyudon and other fast foodchains is Australian, and perhapsmost significantly, more than 90percent of the beef used at thatquintessential American icon —McDonald’s — comes fromDown Under.So, does the recent foot-and-

mouth crisis offer the sameopportunity for growth as BSEdid a decade earlier?“Any disease outbreak such as

FMD is of concern to the wholebeef industry — whether it bedomestic or imported,” Kuguesays. “Aussie beef is not a directsubstitute for Japanese domestic

beef. Consumers regard Aus-tralian and Japanese domesticbeef as two very different prod-ucts, and business has continuedas usual.”To many Japanese, the rise of

imported beef is a moot issue,because nothing but the fameddomestic product will do. Manyrestaurants, like Sazanka at theHotel Okura Tokyo, refuse toserve any meat from overseas.“We decided to use Japanese

beef because of customerdemands, as we were the firstteppanyaki restaurant to open ina hotel [in Japan],” saysKazuhiko Kobayashi, Okura’sfood and beverage manager.“Wagyu has intense marblingand is incredibly juicy.”Despite being significantly

more expensive than importedmeat, Japanese beef is a must formany foodies in Japan, and theword “wagyu” itself has enteredthe English lexicon. But con-sumption of Japanese beef hasremained flat over the lastdecade, with annual production

hovering around the 350,000-tonmark.“Beef consumption is affected

more by economic circumstancesthan meats such as pork or chick-en,” says Yuichi Imasaki of theMeat and Egg Division at theMinistry of Agriculture, Forestryand Fisheries. “While domesticproduction may have droppedbecause of the foot-and-mouthoutbreak in Miyazaki, consump-tion of beef as a whole has fallendue to the downturn.”To be sure, the epidemic has

devastated beef farmers inKyushu. But Imasaki prefers tolook at the bigger picture.“The foot-and-mouth out-

break was only in Miyazaki andhasn’t spread across the coun-try,” he says. “Not so many cattlehave been culled — only about68,000 head. That’s only twopercent of the national popula-tion. There hasn’t been a directimpact.”

This story originally appeared in Metropolismagazine (www.metropolis.co.jp).

www.SweetPro.com

SWEETPRO NON-MOLASSES BLOCKS CONTAIN:• Fermentation Feed

Ingredients rich in Yeast

• Prebiotic Oligosaccharides

• Digestive Enzymes

• Protein Isolates

• Chelated Trace Minerals

• 25% Increased Feed Efficiency

Kaf Kandi450 to 650 lbs.

SweetPro 16650-1,000 lbs. First calf

heifers, stockers on grassand purebred operations.

FiberMate 18900 to 1,400 lbs. Cow block

for average conditions.

FiberMate 201,000 to 1,450 lbs.

Low consumption and tough conditions

MagnumSlows consumption in

harsh conditions.

Fresh StartPerfect for Backgrounding!

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

“Profit Blocks” For Every Stage of Growth

No Molasses!

LABOR SAVINGS AND INCREASED ANIMAL HEALTH!

We offer a complete line of low volume mist blowers.Excellent for spraying: LIVESTOCK, tall trees,

orchards, vegetables, vineyards, nurseries,mosquitoes, chicken houses, etc.

For free brochure contact: Swihart Sales Co.

7240 County Road AA, Quinter, KS 67752

785-754-3513 or 800-864-4595www.swihart-sales.com

Low MaintenanceHigh Performance

Motor Models available

Sales Company– Mist Sprayers –

References available in your area

AmericanMade

BSE and foot-and-mouth continued from page twelve

Page 14 Livestock Market Digest September 15, 2010

by CHRISTINA PHELEY

Recent research conductedat New Mexico State Uni-versity’s (NMSU) Chi-huahuan Desert Rangeland

Research Center (CDRRC) ishelping scientists tease apart thenature versus nurture puzzle byshowing that a cow’s geographicexperience affects its grazingbehavior and diet choices in theharsh desert rangeland pasturesof southern New Mexico.The study will also help live-

stock producers make manage-ment decisions that are bothprofitable and sustainable indesert rangelands.Using GPS technology to

track and monitor the animals,Derek Bailey and Milt Thomas,professors in the College of Agri-cultural, Consumer & Environ-mental Sciences’ (ACES) Animaland Range Sciences department,compared the grazing distribu-tion patterns and quality of for-age selected by three groups ofBrangus cows at the CDRRC:

� “native” — those living theirentire lives in the ChihuahuanDesert;

� “tourist” — cows born andraised in the desert, moved to thesubtropical environment ofLeona, Texas, for the previousthree years and then returned tothe CDRRC; and

� “naive” — cows born andraised in Leona, Texas, with nodesert experience before comingto the CDRRC.

“In the extensive rangelandpastures of New Mexico and theWest, there are many areas farfrom water, up steep slopes or athigher elevations that are grazedlightly or not at all, while otherareas near water or on gentleslopes are often overgrazed,” saidBailey, who is also director of theCDRRC, which is operated byNMSU’s Agricultural Experi-ment Station.“If we can find animals that

are more willing to walk fartherfrom water and use pastures onsteeper slopes and at higher ele-vations, we can make grazing inthose areas more sustainable, andranchers will be able to grazemore livestock in them. Thisapproach is cheaper than addingwater or building fences toextend grazing areas,” Bailey said.“CDRRC pastures are very

large, some over 9,000 acres. TheGPS collars allow us to watchwhere the cattle go and see howwell they forage, how far they canwalk for water and how well theycan cover the landscape. We candetermine their adaptability andhow sustainable the grazing fromthese particular animals is,” hesaid.“We know from the CDRRC’s

multigenerational Brangus breed-ing program that, in general,Brangus cattle, which are three-eighths Brahman and five-eighthsAngus, are well adapted to harshdesert rangelands,” Bailey said.“But this study documented

that native Brangus cows, thoseliving their entire lives in thedesert, had advantages over theother two groups.“Native cows spent more time

away from water, periods rangingfrom 24 to 48 hours, while naiveand tourist cows spent 24 hoursor less away from water. Also,native cows grazed and usedareas farther away from waterthan either naive cows or touristcows.“On the other hand, naive

cows, with no prior desert experi-ence, used less area and stayedcloser to water than tourist andnative cows,” Bailey said.The researchers found that

cows with extensive desert experi-ence — both native and tourist —chose a more nutritious diet dur-ing drought conditions than naivecows, which had no previousdesert experience.These results show that a

cow’s experience does affect itsability to adapt to and thrive inthe extensive rangeland pasturesof the desert Southwest and thatspending time away from thedesert can affect an animal'sbehavior and adaptability when itis returned to the desert range-land.And that information can be

important for livestock producersmaking herd-stocking choicesand decisions about sustainablerangeland management.“We can recommend that

ranchers using desert rangelandsstock at levels allowing them to

keep a core herd of cows adaptedto this environment in droughtconditions so those cows can pro-duce their own replacements. Ifranchers purchase new animals,we suggest they choose animalsdeveloped with forages and envi-ronments similar to a rancher’slocation,” Bailey said.Thomas, who is professor of

animal science and the ACES’2010-2011 Gerald R. Thomaschair, focuses on moleculargenetics and breeding. Since1997, he has headed the CDR-RC’s multigenerational Brangusbreeding program, which beganin the 1960s.“Today, because we can ana-

lyze DNA, we can tell if an allele(one part of a gene pair) comesfrom the Brahman parent or fromthe Angus parent; therefore wecan know that the phenotype (atrait or characteristic) of an indi-vidual brangus is a certain waybecause of what it inherited fromeither the Angus or the Brah-man,” Thomas said.“Teasing apart the nature ver-

sus nurture puzzle is a challeng-ing part of science and one of theareas that Derek and I work atalmost every day,” Thomas said.“When we look at traits like graz-ing distribution and diet selec-tion, we really want to know howmuch of each trait is due togenetics and how much is due tolearning. When we know the dif-ference between the two, we canmake better recommendations toproducers.”“It’s very important in range-

land management to understandhow the animals can adapt orproduce in certain environ-ments,” Thomas said. “The cat-tle’s ability to understand therange itself is a part of the long-term selection process. Sincewe’ve been selecting the multi-generational Brangus cattle formany years over many genera-tions now, the cows have figuredout what’s good to eat in thedesert in different seasons.“It’s really amazing. In some

seasons when the grass is dead,you would think there’s nothinggood to eat, but the Branguscows just seem to know how togo out and find what’s good toeat, and they eat a lot of stuffother than grass: forbs, likeclover, sunflowers and milkweed;leaves off of shrubs; beans off ofmesquite plants. They really havehoned their foraging skills waybeyond just eating grass,” he said.“Our studies moving cattle

from one environment to anotherare documenting that animalsfrom an environment, that havebeen there for a long time, aregoing to have a knowledge advan-tage over animals that aren’t fromthere. It’s kind of like home-courtadvantage,” Thomas said.“And that’s key information

for livestock producers in theChihuahuan Desert who are rais-ing cattle here: Now we knowthere is great value in animalsthat are from this environment.”

�6+'8��'97+�� � �6+'8��6/<+7��� � �6+'8��4967+��� � �'68;�"/2+�

�49/+�'3*�8.+��90+��1'77/)7������4:���������'3*� �=��'7'��6'3*+���&

"+'2� 45/3-��World Series of TeamRoping Qualifier Plus other

Specialty Ropings; Rodeo Grounds, Friday the 5th through Sunday

the 7th at 9:00 am daily

�41,��Enjoy the Louie and the Duke Classics Golf Tournament;

Francisco Grande Golf Resort: 4-Man Scramble – Nov 4th – Tee off at Noon

�38+68'/32+38��DINNER AND AUCTION, Nov 5th

RODEO DANCE, Nov 6th, 8:00 pm till?

KIDS DUMMY ROPING, Nov 6th and 7th

��"!�"�����"� �#���#"�"�����%������ ��"�

��"� "������"��"�����"�

�+15��4.3�$';3+�'3*�./7�143-�8/2+�,6/+3*�'3*�5'683+6��49/7��4.3743�>1/)0�8.+��/-��?���+8�

564)++*7�(+3+,/8��4.3�$';3+��'3)+6��493*'8/43���46�246+�/3,462'8/43�)'11���������

John Wayne Cancer Foundation and logo used with permission of John Wayne Cancer Foundation. John Wayne name/image and “The Duke” nickname used with permission of John Wayne Enterprises, llc.

19424 HWY. 96 • ORDWAY, COLO. 81063LUKE LARSON, Manager • phone 719/267-3551

OrdwayCattle Feeders LLC

COMMERCIAL FEEDLOTCapacity 55,000

Cattle & Feed Financing Available

We advertise with the Livestock

Market Digest because we know how

many stockmen the Digest reaches.

• 10' & 12' Stationary Tubs• 18' Adjustable Alleys• Continuous Fence• Heavy-Duty Feed Bunks• Complete Line of Heavy-DutyLivestock Equipment

SCOTT SIDEROLL IRRIGATION SYSTEMS.www.scottmanufacturers.com

SSSSCCCCOOOOTTTTTTTTMANUFACTURERS

GORDON, NEBRASKA1-800/435-0532

Scott 8' Portable Tubswith 18' Alley

Ready for Transportin Minutes

To place your ad, call Debbie, 505/332-3675 or emaildebbie@aaalivestock.com

Nature Or Nurture?Desert-born Brangus cattle choose better diet, grazing patterns, NMSU study shows

September 15, 2010 “America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper” Page 15

Farm women are making adifference from coast tocoast. RFD-TV will air a tvshow produced by Ameri-

can Agri-Women (AAW) forfarm women on Tuesdays at 9:30p.m. EST, beginning August 31.The show will repeat each weekon Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m.The American Agri-Women

Show is a series by, for, andabout farm and ranch women. Inthis half-hour series, AAW bringsa weekly topic of concern tofarm, ranch and agribusinesswomen and shares informationabout how to manage risk inagricultural operations. Eachshow features expert advice onthat week’s topic and includes avisit with a farm woman who isaddressing that issue in her farm-

ing operation. Farm womenfrom Oregon to North Carolinaare featured on the show.AAW President Chris Wilson

said, “It’s been our goal to bringprogramming to farm and ranchwomen throughout the country.We are very grateful to RFD-TVPresident Patrick Gottsch formaking this dream a reality, andwe are excited to be part of thisgreat network.”Topics include marketing your

commodities; evaluating newenterprises, such as agritourism;promoting agriculture; agricul-tural labor issues; educating stu-dents and policymakers aboutagriculture; managing riskthrough crop insurance; businessplanning; accessing farm credit;and resources for women in agri-

culture. The series is sponsoredby the Risk Management Agencyof the U.S. Department of Agri-culture. The host is award win-ning farm broadcaster and AAWmember Kathy Patton Strunk.Launched in December of

2000 and now beginning its 10thyear of broadcasting, RFD-TV isthe nation’s first 24-hour televi-sion channel dedicated to servingthe needs and interests of ruralAmerica with programmingfocused on agriculture, equineand rural lifestyle, along with tra-ditional country music andentertainment. The channel isnow distributed into more than40 million homes worldwide byDBS and cable systems includ-ing DISH Network (231),DIRECTV (345), Comcast, Ver-

izon FiOS TV (247), Mediacom,Charter, Bresnan, Brighthouse,Time Warner, Cox, SKY, Freesatand more than 600 independentrural cable systems.American Agri-Women

(AAW) is the national coalitionof farm, ranch and agribusinesswomen, with 59 affiliate stateand commodity organizationsnationwide. Visit us on the webat americanagriwomen.org. Weare @Women4Ag on twitter.

Box 266,Clayton,

NM 88415

SALE BARN:505/374-2505

Kenny Dellinger, Manager,

575/207-7761

Watts Line:1-800/438-5764

WE APPRECIATE YOUR BUSINESS!

Active buyers on all classes of cattle. Stocker demand within excellent wheat pasture and grass demand.

Supporters of vaccination program of your choice.

Four active packer buyers, supported by area feedlots on

these feeder cattle. Receiving station available.

Sheep Sale 2nd to last Wednesday every month!

FIVE STATE LIVESTOCKAUCTION

We have ultra sounded, DNA gene tested and slaugh-tered hundreds of 1/2 blood and 3/4 blood calvessired by our purebred bulls. We ultrasound a combi-

nation of 200 young bulls and heifers each year. The results onthe 200 head in 2007 was IDENTICAL to the 200 head in 2006.The average was 11 1/2 months with the bulls averaging 942pounds. It is important to note that the 400 head were sired bySEVEN different herd sires.

The ultra sound index for excellence in carcass quality genetraits are: Back fat of .25 inches is rated excellent. Our 400head averaged .16 of an inch! The REA (rib eye area) shouldscore 1.1 square inches per 100 pounds of body weight.Example = a 1,000 pound animal would score 11 square inchesof REA to rate superior. Our 400 head (2 year period) averaged1.37 for 13.7 square inches of REA! That much-sought mar-bling score that every beef breed is trying to reach is 3.5.Again, our 400 head averaged 3.87! Here again it is importantto note the importance of transmitting the gene traits for CON-SISTENCY. The variation between the high score and the lowscore for each of these essential gene traits was only 1% to2%, which can be classified as a rarity in today’s beef cattlebreeding programs. Transmitting superior CONSISTENCY is thedirect result of the genetic power of a dominant small highlyconcentrated gene pool.

Our consistent early maturity gene trait is placing Irish Blacksired calves on the market two to four months earlier than thebulk of the calves sired by bulls of other beef breeds. This is asubstantial savings on feed and labor costs.

Irish BlacksEarly Maturity & Consistency

at the Highest Level

For further information view(www.irishblacks.com)

Phone: Maurice W. Boney • 970/587-2252

or Guy Gould • 970/483-5148

������������������������������������������������

����������������

DID YOU KNOW?That old stock tanks, water reservoirs, etc. coated withVirden Tank Coat, are betterthan new ones? Fix it andforget it! Let us send youcomplete information.

Serving Farm & Ranch Since 1950.

VIRDEN PERMA-BILT CO.2821 Mays • Box 7160LMD

806/352-2761Amarillo, Texas 79114

www.virdenproducts.com

The cattle feeding industry’s bright future wasevident as youth from throughout CattleFeeding Country came to Canyon for the2010 Texas Cattle Feeders Association

(TCFA) Junior Fed Beef Challenge.In the Senior Division, Dana Schumacher,

Gainesville won Overall Champion honors and a$2,000 college scholarship. Levi Trubenbach ofMuenster was named Overall Reserve Championand will receive a $1,500 college scholarship.Trubenbach was also named Top Rookie in theSenior Division. Khaki Scrivner, Turkey took homeFirst Runner-Up honors and will receive a $1,000college scholarship. In the Junior Division, Clayton Schumacher,

Dalhart took top honors as the Overall Championand was also named Top Rookie of the Junior Divi-sion.The Team Challenge Contest was won by Jack

Odom and Zachary Odom, Collingsworth County4-H. The Odoms will split a $1,000 college scholar-ship. The TCFA Junior Fed Beef Challenge allows

FFA and 4-H students to gain practical, real indus-try knowledge and experience in commercial cattlefeeding. Students from throughout Cattle FeedingCountry compete in cattle performance, writtenexam, record book and presentation before a panelof judges. Students compete for approximately$13,000 in scholarships, cash and prizes.

Sometimes you have tochoose between personalprinciples and sympatheticunderstanding. For exam-

ple, as a public personality, Ihave deliberately chosen todecline invitations to do politicalfund raisers. Although I havestrong opinions, I leave thosenational issues to pundits withthicker skin.Once I had a request to make

a commercial for a lady runningfor office. I explained politely forthe reasons stated, that I wasn’tcomfortable doing politics.“Fine,” she said, “Here’s what Iwant you to say. . .” It was mymother-in-law. Of course I madethe commercial!I have had occasion to decline

paying jobs to be on programswhere I would have had to be inthe company of individualswhose amblings, behavior, orwritings, I find obnoxious. Whyput myself through the stress.Last month I received a pack-

age in the mail from a publishingcompany. They had sent me achildren’s book to look over,maybe to write a blurb or men-tion in my column, web site orradio program. As a rule I don’toften have the time to read all

the books or listen to all the CDsI receive. I may skim themquickly but I rarely get a blurb ora forward written.I thought I recognized the

author’s name or the book idea. Ivaguely remembered a phonecall, but it was a nice kid’s bookthat was well illustrated. Theshort story was about a younggirl finding an abandoned horsebecoming concerned, and even-tually getting it in a horse-rescuefacility. It was well done, an hon-est heart-felt story that didn’t getmushy and was realistic aboutthe problem of abandoned hors-es. It was better than I expected.Then I looked at the last page. Itlisted organizations to contactfor more information abouthorse neglect, rescue and thera-py. Staring up at me like anobscene gesture in a passing carwindow was listed the HumaneSociety of the United States.I wrote back to the publisher

expressing my regret that Iwould not be able to pass alongor recommend the book becauseof their association with HSUS.A group that has such a poi-soned reputation in the horseworld among so many veterinari-ans, horse raisers, trainers, cow-

boys, auction operators, trail rid-ers, packers, breeders, perform-ance and show people, not tomention many horse-relatedassociations. In large partbecause they bear a chunk of theresponsibility for the tragedy ofanimal suffering and abandon-ment that has befallen the mag-nificent equine. They were at thefront of the ill-fated closure ofhorse slaughter plants whichseverely diminished the value ofall horses.HSUS is the Rod Blagojevich

of the horse world.I admit I didn’t ponder long

on my decision, because of myfamiliarity with HSUS. I do feelsympathy for the author andartist. They mean well and aregenuine in their concern for theproblem. But they are simplyinnocent of the HSUS that con-tinues to be exposed for its less-than-honest portrayal of itself asa benign fundraiser that cares forabandoned or abused horses.The publisher fell in with badcompanions and will be judgedthereby.For info on the underside

of HSUS find consumerfreedom.com.

www.baxterblack.com

PrinciplesBaxterBLACKO N T H E E D G E O F C O M M O N S E N S E

Junior fed beef challenge winners

American Agri-Women show begins airing

Page 16 Livestock Market Digest September 15, 2010

The average American work-er had to toil through thefirst 231 days of 2010 —more than 63 percent of

the year — to pay off the costs oftheir state, local and federal gov-ernments. This leaves just under

four and half months for Ameri-cans to provide for themselvesand their families before thegrowing tab of the cost of gov-ernment comes due again, saysMattie Corrao, governmentaffairs manager for Americans

for Tax Reform. Every year, the Americans for

Tax Reform Foundation and itsCenter for Fiscal Accountabilitycalculate the day on which aver-age Americans have paid offtheir share of the costs of feder-

al, state and local spending andregulations. This year the day fellon August 19, a full eight dayslater than last year’s date. It isthe latest Cost of GovernmentDay ever recorded, says Corrao. “The fact that Cost of Gov-

ernment Day falls in the laterpart of August is alarmingenough. It is even more harrow-ing that the 2010 Cost of Gov-ernment Day constitutes a 34-day jump from Cost ofGovernment Day just two shortyears ago, when it fell on July16,” said Grover Norquist, presi-dent of Americans for TaxReform. “This illustrates the bal-looning growth of government,and should be of serious concern

to taxpayers who are footing theever-expanding bill.” Federal spending, always the

largest component of the cost ofgovernment, consumed 104 daysof the average American’s lifethis year.The cost of sustaining state

and local governments has like-wise grown — taxpayers mustwork 52 days to pay off this bur-den, four days longer than in2009. The growing insolvency of

state budgets, coupled withexploding wages and benefits forgovernment workers, continuesto push the costs of state and

Shorthorn

RED ANGUS

SANTA GERTRUDIS

angus

All Breeds

GOLDENDALE, WA 99620

Washington’sOldest Source of Herefords

“SINCE 1938”Selling Range Bulls

in Volume (Top Replacement Heifers)

ARTSCHUSTERFAMILY

CLAY SCHUSTER509/773-5089 Home541/980-7464 Cell

Bell KeyAngusDennis Boehlke 208/467-2747

Cell. 208/989-1612

A few ChoiceBulls Availableat PrivateTreaty.

NAMPA, IDAHO

WWW.SHORTHORN.ORGINFO@SHORTHORN.ORG

AMERICAN SHORTHORNASSOCIATION 877/274-06868288 HASKELL ST., OMAHA, NE 68124

DEES BROTHERSBRANGUS Yuma, ArizonaHigh-Quality BrangusBreeding Stock AvailableALEX DEES • 760/572-5261 • Cell. 928/920-3800

www.deesbrothersbrangus.com

LASATERBEEFMASTERS

“THE PEDIGREE IS IN THE NAME”

Foundation Herd ofthe Beefmaster Breed

The Lasater Ranch, Matheson, CO 80830719/541-BULL (2855) • (F) 719/541-2888lasater@rmi.net • www.lasaterranch.com

BEEFMASTER

A SOURCE FOR PROVEN SUPERIOR

RED ANGUS GENETICS

14298 N. Atkins Rd., Lodi, CA 95240

209/727-3335

Call: 979/245-5100 • Fax 979/244-43835473 FM 457, Bay City, Texas 77414

dwendt@1skyconnect.net

DanWendt

S

S Santa Gertrudis CattlePolled and Horned

HERD ESTABLISHED 1953 S

S

Santa GertrudisBreeders

InternationalP.O. Box 1257

Kingsville, Texas 78364361/592-9357

361/592-8572 faxRed & Tender By Design

www.santagertrudis.ws

2-year-old BullsProven Genetics,Range Ready

WE SELL OVER 250 HEAD

ANNUALLY.

JOE FREUND303/840-1850 (H)303/341-9311

JOEY FREUND303/841-7901

PAT KELLEY303/840-1848

RunningCreek Ranch

EL IZABETH , COLORADO 80107

LIMOUSIN

Seven MileL I M O U S I N

ERIC HERR 208/365-8583ericph1@frontiernet.net

KEVIN NESBITT 208/365-8069SWEET, IDAHO 83670

• RED, BLACK POLLED LIMOUSIN

• LIM-FLEX • LIMOUSINPRIVATE TREATY

BRANGUS

g•u•i•d•e

Performance-Tested Bulls

SPRING AND FALL

Jeff Schmidt • 509/488-2158

39TH Annual SaleOct. 25,2010JOHNNY SUMMEROUR

4438 FM 3212Dalhart, TX 79022

Telephone: 806/384-2110Cell: 806/333-5910

HEREFORD

Sell More Bulls!To list your herd here, please contact Debbie Cisneros:

505/332-3675, or email: debbie@aaalivestock.com

BRANGUS

Willcox, AZ

R.L. Robbs520/384-3654

4995 Arzberger Rd.Willcox, Arizona 85643

��������������������������������������������������������

������������������������

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

VIRDEN PERMA-BILT CO.2821 Mays • Box 7160 LMD Amarillo, Texas 79114-7160

806/352-2761www.virdenproducts.com

Advances in productivityover the past 30 years havereduced the carbon foot-print and overall environ-

mental impact of U.S. beef pro-duction, according to a newstudy presented in July 2010 by aWashington State University(WSU) researcher.In “Comparing the environ-

mental impact of the US beefindustry in 1977 to 2007,” assis-tant professor of animal scienceJude L. Capper revealed thatimprovements in nutrition, man-agement, growth rate and slaugh-ter weights, have significantlyreduced the environmental impactof modern beef production andimproved its sustainability.

Challenging misconceptions“These findings challenge the

common misconception that his-torical methods of livestock pro-duction are more environmental-ly sustainable than modern beefproduction,” said Capper in herpresentation today at the Ameri-can Society of Animal Sciencemeeting in Denver.“It’s important to note that all

food production has an environ-mental impact, but significantimprovements in efficiency haveclearly reduced the greenhousegas emissions and overall envi-ronmental impact of beef pro-duction,” said Capper. “Contraryto the negative image often asso-ciated with modern farming, ful-filling the U.S. population’srequirement for high-quality,

nutrient-rich protein whileimproving environmental stew-ardship can only be achieved byusing contemporary agriculturaltechnologies and practices.”

Fewer animals slaughteredIn 2007, there were 13 per-

cent fewer animals slaughteredthan in 1977 (33.8 million vs.38.7 million), but those animalsproduced 13 percent more beef(26.3 billion lbs. of beef versus23.3 billion lbs. in 1977). By pro-ducing more beef with fewerresources, Capper found that thetotal carbon footprint for beefproduction was reduced by 18percent from 1977 to 2007.“As the global and national

population increases, consumerdemand for beef is going to con-tinue to increase,” Capper says.“The vital role of improved pro-ductivity and efficiency in reduc-ing environmental impact mustbe conveyed to government,food retailers and consumers.”When compared to beef pro-

duction in 1977, each pound ofbeef produced in modern sys-tems used:

� 10 percent less feed energy� 20 percent less feedstuffs� 30 percent less land� 14 percent less water� 9 percent less fossil fuel

energy� 18 percent decrease in total

carbon emissions (methane,nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide)The study used a whole-sys-

tem environmental model thatintegrated all resource inputsand waste outputs within thebeef production system, fromcrop production to beef arrivingat the slaughterhouse.This project was supported by

the Beef Checkoff Programthrough a research grant fromstate beef councils in Iowa,Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakotaand Washington. Advances in productivity over

the past 30 years have reducedthe carbon footprint and overallenvironmental impact of U.S.beef production.

Environmental Sustainability of Beef Production Has Improved

A summary of the study can be found at:http://www.explorebeef.org/CMDocs/Explore-Beef/Environmental%20Sustainability%20of%20Beef%20Production%20Has%20Improved%20Considerably%20Over%20Last%2030%20Years.pdf

2010 Sets Record For Cost Of Government

continued on page seventeen

September 15, 2010 “America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper” Page 17

by RICHARD RAYMONDwww.meatingplace.com

(The views and opinions expressedin this blog are strictly those of theauthor.)

Or at least that is the con-clusion reached byresearchers who conduct-ed a study of retail beef

products comparing the levels ofbacterial contamination in grass-fed and conventionally raisedbeef. That really is not a big newsstory to me, but some of the testresults are perplexing, to say theleast.The researchers had their

study reported in “Foodborne

beef is safer. What may be sur-prising to most is that two-thirdsof the samples were from solidcuts of beef, such as intactsteaks, and only one-third werefrom ground beef and that therewas no difference in coliform lev-els between the two products.For E coli, the contamination

rates were 44 percent for bothsample sets. The ground beefsamples that were from grass-fedcattle actually had a higher levelof E coli than the conventionallyraised product. Enterococcusspecies were isolated from 62percent of the conventional sam-ples and 44 percent of the grassfed samples, a difference theauthors say did not reach signifi-cance (P=.07) No E coli0157:H7 was found in any prod-ucts.Outlets where the samples

were obtained included retailstores, farm stores and farmers’markets. Samples were washedaccording to standard protocols,and the rinsate was then testedfor pathogens. None of the prod-ucts were labeled as beingOrganic.The samples were small, only

50 apiece for grass-fed and con-ventionally raised, but the per-centages sure seem high to me.

Pathogens and Disease.” Areview of the study was justrecently reported on July 20,2010, in CIDRAP News (Centerfor Infectious Disease Researchand Policy) at the University ofMinnesota. Investigators participating in

the study were from Purdue Uni-versity in Indiana and ZhejiangUniversity in Hangzhou, China.The report says the researchersfound no significant differencesin total coliform bacteria,Escherichia coli or Enterococcusspecies in grass-fed vs. conven-tionally raised beef products.That will not be surprising to

many despite the marketingclaims often made that grass-fed

And even though no 0157 wasfound, the amount of evidenceof contamination occurringsomewhere along the process isproblematic. And the fact that itwas so high in solid cuts is espe-cially bothersome to a guy wholikes his steaks on the rare sideand his prime rib penetratedwith garlic cloves.Grass fed steers may be more

likely to be slaughtered in small-er facilities, with slower line

Call Debbie at

505/332-3675, or email

debbie@aaalivestock.com

to place your ad here!

SMITHFIELDLivestock Auction

Lane or Dean Parker 435/757-4643SALE BARN 435/563-3259

P.O. Box 155, Smithfield, UT 84321

• REGULAR CATTLE SALES EVERY THURSDAY

• DAIRY 1st and 3rd FRIDAYS

Auctions

Equipment

Livestock Haulers

www.kaddatzequipment.com • 254/582-3000

New and used tractors, equipment, parts and salvage yard.

Kaddatz Auctioneering & Farm Equipment Sales

Auction SchoolsCOME TRAIN WITH THE CHAMPIONS.Join the financially rewarding world of auctioneering. World Wide College ofAuction eering. Free catalog. 1-800/423-5242, www.worldwidecollegeofauction-eering.com.

BE AN AUCTIONEER – Missouri AuctionSchool, world’s largest since 1905. FreeCD and catalog. Call toll-free 1-800/835-1955, ext. 5. www.auctionschool.com.

LEARN AUCTIONEERING for the 2000s!Nashville Auction School “Free Catalog”800/543-7061, learntoauction.com, 112W. Lauderdale St., Tullahoma, TN 37388.

ClassifiedsDigest

EquipmentPOWDER RIVER LIVESTOCK EQUIP MENT.Best prices with delivery available. CONLINSUPPLY CO. INC., Oakdale, CA. 209/847-8977.

NEW HOLLAND pull type bale wagons:1033, 104 bales, $5,100; 1034, 104 bales,unloads both ways, $4,400; 1044, 120bales, $3,700; 1063, 160 bales, $10,800;1010, 56 bales, $1,200. Also have self pro-pelled wagons. Delivery available. 785/336-6103, www.roederimp.com.

Artists

LIVESTOCKHAULING

DANE STUHAAN(CA) 559/688-7695 • Cell (NE): 559/731-7695

California, Arizona,Nevada, Oregon, Idaho & Nebraska

In New Mexico, Sue’s poetry andart products are available inPleasanton at the Running Horse

Gallery on Highway 180. They areopen 10 to 5 on Fri-Sat-Sun.

You can preview some of Sue’spoetry at CowboyPoetry.com or con-tact her via email or telephone.

She will have a website soonwith additional paintings offering achoice of framed/unframed prints,note cards, framed/unframed poetryprints, mouse pads, coffee cups withpicture/verse, and, of course,CD’s and books.

SUE JONESCOWBOY COMPANY CREATIONSP.O. Box 593, Camp Verde, AZ 86322

928/567-3785cowboycompany@gilanet.com

“SummerBreezes”TimCox.com505/632-8080

BERRY LUCAS • 575/361-7980berry lucas@yahoo. com

AFFORDABLE RANCHESIN SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO

Call Me For All Your Farm and Ranch Listings

������������ $����������!���!������! ��!�������

�����������"������ �����% ������� ���������#$�����

������ � ����������� �������������� ������#� ������� ����������#�� �����������

��!����������������������������� ����� �����

���������������

&���#������ ���&����#��%�! ���&���%�#�#! %�&������#��#!"�#%��$

����������������'����������##�$! �!#!"��!���$�%������������ ���

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

Real EstateGUIDE

speeds, but that is not alwaysgoing to be the case. And crosscontamination can occur in thetransportation process, in theprocessing facility or in the retailshops.My conclusion is that grass-

fed, and sold in the local farmers’markets, does not infer that I donot need to safely handle andappropriately cook my beef, solidcut or fresh raw ground.What is yours?

local governments higher. These costs are supported by increas-ingly onerous tax regimes as state lawmakers refuse to cutspending to ease the burden of government, says Corrao: Across the nation, state taxes were raised by a net of $23.9

billion in FY2010.In addition, although excise taxes on cigarettes and other

less visible products were popular last year, states became bold-er this year, with 12 states increasing income taxes by morethan $10.7 billion in total.

Source: Mattie Corrao, “2010 Sets Record for Cost of Government,” Heartland Institute,August 17, 2010.

Cost of Government continued from page sixteen

Food (Safety) Fight

TO PLACE YOUR LISTINGS HERE, PLEASE CALL DEBBIE CISNEROS AT 505/332-3675,

OR EMAIL DEBBIE@AAALIVESTOCK.COM

Page 18 Livestock Market Digest September 15, 2010

1,350 -1,400 AU’s YEAR ROUND – WINTER RANGE – 11,750DEEDED PLUS BLM and STATE LEASES - ONE CONTIGUOUSBLOCK - LOW OVERHEAD – GOOD IMPROVEMENTS – 10 MINUTES TO TOWN and SCHOOLS -$6,000,000 – CAN CUT TO 1,000 HD AND REDUCE PRICE! – P BAR

225 – 250 AU’s - 850 DEEDED (650 irrigated) – 1-1/2 MILERIVER - NICE MEADOWS – MODEST IMPROVEMENTS WITHGREAT WORKING FACILITIES – CLOSE TO TOWN andSCHOOLS - $1,800,000 – WANT OFFER – CAN ADD CUSTOM HOME AND 80 ACRES – GREAT STOCKER OPERATION – LYMAN – RAE @ 208/761-9553

LIFESTYLE RANCH 55 MILES TO BOISE – 2,213 DEEDEDACRES PLUS STATE AND BLM – DROP DEAD PRIVATE – 2 MILES MAJOR STREAM – BEHIND LOCKED GATE – COMFORTABLE IMPROVEMENTS – ELK, DEER, TURKEY,CHUKAR, HUNS, QUAIL, WATERFOWL - BEAR, LION

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

LIFESTYLE – 320 DEEDED ACRES (105 irrigated) - COMFORTABLE IMPROVEMENTS – SPECTACULAR VIEWS –

BORDERS FEDERAL LANDS – ELK, DEER, TURKEY – ONLY MINUTES TO SOME OF THE FINEST YEAR LONG FISHING IN THE NORTHWEST – STEELHEAD, STURGEN,TROUT, BASS, CRAPPY AND MORE - $690,000 – WANT OFFER – POSY – RAE @ 208/761-9553

LIFESTYLE/INCOME – POSSIBLY THE FINEST WILDLIFE VARIETY/QUANITY AVAILABLE – 1,160 DEEDED ACRES (180 irrigated) – 2-1/2 MILES RIVER – 2 BASS PONDS –PLENTIFUL QUAIL, CHUKAR, DOVE, PHEASANT, WATER-FOWL, DEER and AND VARMINTS - EXCELLENT IMPROVE-MENTS – COW/CALF AND/OR STOCKER OPERATION FORINCOME /TAX ADVANTAGE - $1,900,000 – LANDRETH

AGRILANDS Real Estatewww.agrilandsrealestate.com

Vale, Oregon • 541/473-3100 • jack@fmtcblue.com

“EAGER SELLERS”

PREMIER RANCH FOR SALE12,000 acres, Terrell County, Texas.

Southwest of Sheffield, southeast of FortStockton. Excellent hunting ranch, mainly deer(whitetail and mule) and turkey. New hunter’slodge and walk-in freezer. Surface rights only;no minerals. Principals only. $400/acre, cash.

billkalil@juno.com • 432/683-0990 • 432/349-8448

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

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

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

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

CALIFORNIA RANCHES

Properties and Equities

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

19855 S. Main St., P.O. Box 1020Cottonwood, CA 96022Office: 530/347-9455Fax: 530/347-4640

homeranchr@sbcglobal.net

INTEREST RATES AS LOW AS 3%. PAYMENTS

SCHEDULED ON 25 YEARS

�������������

JOE STUBBLEFIELD & ASSOCIATES13830 Western St., Amarillo, TX

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

Nara Visa, NM • 806/392-1788

Idaho-OregonCall 208/345-3163

for catalog.

KNIPE

LAND CO.RANCHES

FARMSCOMMERCIAL

Established 1944

��������������

1002 Koenigheim, San Angelo, TX 76903 • www.llptexasranchland.com • llp@wcc.net

LEE, LEE & PUCKITTASSOCIATES INC.

KEVIN C. REED

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

RanchersServing

Ranchers

Texas andNew Mexico

RANCHSALES &APPRAISALS

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

MURNEY ASSOC., REALTORSSPRINGFIELD, MO 65804

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

“Advertising with Livestock Market Digest and New Mexico Stockman for the past couple years has been a very positive experience. We have worked directly with Debbie Cisneros and she goes above and beyond! Both publications offer a great circulation and a great

website presence which helps us market more effectively for our clients. By advertising with them we get the results we desire.”

(800) 772-7284 * (541) 772-0000 * www.orop.com

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

THE RANCH FINDER presents . . .

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

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

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

THE LIVESTOCK MARKET DIGEST

RealEstateGuide

TO PLACE YOUR LISTINGSHERE, CONTACT DEBBIE

AT 505/332-3675 OR DEBBIE@AAALIVESTOCK.COM

Associated Professionals, Inc.1205 West Pierce Street

Carlsbad, NM 88220Business 575/885-9722Cellular: 575/706-4533

Fax: 575/885-1358marbachhay@live.com

Jake Marbach, BrokerFarm, Ranch, ResidentialEACH AGENCY IS INDIVIDUALLY OWNED AND OPERATED

September 15, 2010 “America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper” Page 19

NEVADA RANCHES and FARMS

Bottari RealtyPAUL D. BOTTARI, BROKER

www.bottarirealty.com • paul@bottarirealty.com

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

Out West Realty Network Affiliate

MASON MOUNTAINRANCH

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

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

Price: $1,575,000.

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

318 W. Amador Ave.Las Cruces, N.M. 88005(O) 575/647-5041(C) 575/644-0776nmlandman@zianet.com

WAHOO RANCH – Approx. 41,376 acres: 12,000 deeded, 6,984 BLM, 912 state, 40uncontrolled and 21,440 forest. Beautiful cattle ranch located on the east slope ofthe Black Range Mountains north of Winston, N.M., on State Road 52 — threehours from either Albuquerque or El Paso.The ranch is bounded on the east by theAlamosa Creek Valley and on the west by the Wahoo Mountains ranging in elevation from 6,000' to 8,796'.There are 3 houses/cabins, 2 sets of working corrals (one with scales) and numerous shops and outbuild-ings. It is very well watered with many wells, springs, dirt tanks and pipelines. The topography and veg-etation is a combination of grass covered hills (primarily gramma grasses), with many cedar, piñon andlive oak covered canyons as well as the forested Wahoo Mtns. There are plentiful elk and deer as well asantelope, turkey, bear, mountain lion and javelina (46 elk tags in 2009). Absolutely one of the nicest com-bination cattle/hunting ranches to be found in the Southwest. Price reduced to $6,000,000.SAN JUAN RANCH – Located 10 miles south of Deming off Hwy. 11 (Columbus Hwy) approximately26,484 total acres consisting of 3,484± deeded, 3,800± state lease, 14,360± BLM and 4,840± Uncontrolled.The allotment is for 216 head (AUYL). Nine solar powered stock wells and metal storage tanks and ap-prox. 6½ miles pipeline. The ranch begins on the north end at the beautiful Mahoney Park high up inthe Florida mountains and runs 5½ miles down the mountains to their south end. It continues another7½ miles south across their foothills and onto the flats. The ranch has a very diverse landscape withplentiful wildlife including quail, dove, rabbits, deer and ibex. Lots of potential and a good buy at$1,000,000.46 ACRE FARM LOCATED IN SAN MIGUEL – Full EBID irrigation and supplemental well. Bounded byHighway 28 on the east, County Road B-041 on the south and County Road B-010 on the west. Pricedat $14,000/acre – $644,000. 212 ACRE FARM BETWEEN LAS CRUCES, NM AND EL PASO, TX – Hwy. 28 frontage with 132 acres irri-gated, 80 acres sandhills, full EBID (surface water) plus a supplemental irrigation well, cement ditchesand large equipment warehouse. Reasonably priced at $1,868,000. 50.47-AC. FARM - Located on Afton Road south of La Mesa, N.M. Paved road frontage, full EBID (sur-face water) plus a supplemental irrigation well with cement ditches. Priced at $13,000/acre – $660,400.BEAUTIFUL 143.81 ACRE NORTH VALLEY FARM located in Las Cruces, N.M. next to the Rio GrandeRiver. Great views of the Organ Mountains. Cement ditches, 2 irrigation wells & EBID. 2 older housesand shed sold “as is”. Priced at $13,212/acre - $1,900,000. Will consider dividing.OTHER FARMS FOR SALE – In Doña Ana County. All located near Las Cruces, N.M. 8, 11, and 27.5 acres.$15,000/acre to $17,000/acre. All have EBID (surface water rights from the Rio Grande River) and severalhave supplemental irrigation wells. If you are interested in farm land in Doña Ana County, give me a call.±37-ACRE FARM –west of Anthony, NM. Located 20 minutes from Sunland Park Race Track on HaasvilleRoad (paved) just north of Gadsden High School and west of Highway 28. EBID, irrigation well and ce-ment ditches. Beautiful farm with many possibilities. Call for aerial and location maps. Sign on property.Priced at $13,900/acre ($514,300).

UnderAgreement

www.zianet.com/nmlandman

GREAT NEVADA RANCH!GREAT PRICE!

10,000 acres deeded, including 4,000 ac. irrigated grass meadow, alfalfa production.

Numerous water rights to surface and underground water, USFS permit in excellent mountain country for

976 head in summer months, 7298 AUM’sBLM for spring and fall. Can run

1,000 head during drought conditions and an additional 2,000 on wet years.

Priced to sell at 3.5 million.

DON BOWMAN, LLCDon Bowman, Broker 775/745-1734

Joe Dahl Sales 775/427-6287

����TEXAS & OKLA. FARMS & RANCHES

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

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

joepriestre@earthlink.com

• 503 Ac. So. Navarro Co., Texas. It’s got it all. $1,950/ac.

• 532-acre CATTLE and HUNTING, N.E.Texas ranch, elaborate home, one-mile highway frontage. OWNER FINANCE at $2,150/ac.

• 274 ac. in the shadow of Dallas. Secludedlakes, trees, excellent grass. Hunting andfishing, dream home sites. $3,850/ac.

• 535-ac. Limestone, Fallas and RobertsonCo., fronts on Hwy. 14 and has rail frontage,water line, to ranch, fenced into 5 pastures,2 sets, cattle pens, loamy soil, good qualitytrees, hogs and deer, hunting. Priced at$2,300/ac.

• 1,700-acre classic N.E. Texas cattle andhunting ranch. $2,750/ac. Some mineral production.

• 146 ac. – Horse, hunting are cattle ranch N. of Clarksville, TX. Red River Co. Nice brickhouse, 2 barns, pipe fences, good deer, hogs,ducks, hunting. Price at $395,000.

• 256 ac. – E. Texas jewel. Deep, sandy soil,high, rolling hills, scattered good-quality trees.Excellent improved grasses, water line on 2 sides. Road frontage on 2 sides, fenced into 5 pastures. Five spring-fed tanks andlakes, deer, hogs, ducks. Near Tyler andAthens. Price $1,920,000.

����� ��� ��5 miles west of Dora. 1365 NM 114. Unique,

beautiful grassland. 640 acres, 97 acres in CRP. Paved frontage. 3/2/2 brick home. $395,000.

������������ �����Home and 10 acres. Could be a great horse boarding operation. Additional acreage available. $193,500.

��� ������������ �� ��� ������BARBARA IRWIN, Assoc. Broker • 575/356-6607 • 575/760-8491

300 N. Chicago, Portales, NM 88130

Ben G. Scott, Krystal M. Nelson, Brokers1301 Front St., Dimmitt, TX 79027 • 1-800/933-9698 day/night

www.scottlandcompany.com

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

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

SUNSHINE BELT OF N.M. – Approx. 30 sections mostly deeded some BLM and State, employee housing and two sets of steel pens, county maintained, allweather road. Mild climate year round.TOM GREEN CO., TX DAIRY – capable of milking 1,500 in a parallel double 16 rapid exit parlor, nice home, 171 acres, additional adj. land available,pavement & all weather road, near San Angelo.

QUAY CO., NM – 880 acres, 3 pivots, alfalfa, homes, barns and pens, pavement.

REEVES COUNTY – 3,177 acres, strong water, 750 acres organic alfalfa,20,000 head feedyard, feedmill.

RANCH & FARM REAL ESTATE

THE LIVESTOCK MARKET DIGEST

Real Estate GUIDETO PLACE YOUR LISTINGS HERE, CONTACT DEBBIE CISNEROS AT 505/332-3675 OR DEBBIE@AAALIVESTOCK.COM

Page 20 Livestock Market Digest September 15, 2010

R aising the right kind of Herefords

for the commercial man. Summerour Ranch cattle have been on the top or in the top three at the Ft. Worth commercialsale and the San Antonio range bull sale for years.

Herefords Since 1929SELLING SERVICEABLE AGE BULLS & BRED HEIFERS

39th ANNUAL FALL SALEOCTOBER 30 • AT THE RANCH

Visitors AlwaysWelcome

Cattle for Sale

K&B ADVANCER 7791 Owned with Heard RanchSire: HH Advance 438D • Dam: K&B starlet 013 1ET [DOD]

4438 F.M. 3212 • Dalhart, TX 79022Johnny Summerour • 806/384-2110 • 806/333-5910 mobile

CROSSROADS OF COW COUNTRY

by CHRIS CLAYTON,DTN (AG POLICY BLOG)

“Today, Sept. 2, 2010,this order is handeddown, in the U.S.Court of Public Opin-

ion, that the National Cattle-men’s Beef Association (NCBA)and the Ranchers-CattlemenAction Legal Fund (R-CALF),and all officers, board members,volunteers and paid staff, shallcease and desist the nonsense ofcross-country e-mailed salvos.”And no casting stones on thejudge at this point. Time to cut itout and play nice boys.

Statement of fact Apparently there was a “Kum-

baya” moment at the end of theUSDA-Department of Justicemeeting recently in Fort Collins,Colo. Since then, NCBA and R-CALF have each attacked theother for, well, being who theyare. Given the body of work thatcame out of the day-long USDA-DOJ event, each party couldhave taken some time to analyzestatements made and raise somefact-based counter arguments to

bolster their perspectives. Or,and this is really crazy, eachgroup could have even pointedout that someone not specificallyaligned with their ideology actu-ally offered some valid views.Instead, R-CALF issues a

statement criticizing a letterfrom five Republican senators toUSDA a week earlier, calling thesenators’ opinions “unbecomingof Congress.” Granted, there aremany things that occur in Wash-ington that are unbecoming ofCongress, but five senior sena-tors on the Senate AgricultureCommittee expressing theiropinions about potential bias toUSDA doesn’t qualify. R-CALFthen issued a letter wantingsome of the journalists frombeef-oriented publications firedfrom their positions. It should benoted that since this opinion hasbeen handed down after R-CALF’s original attack on thetrade publications that R-CALFofficials cannot go back and addnames to that original list.NCBA then counter attacked

R-CALF by authoring the “You’vegot friends in low places letter” tothe industry by noting R-CALFmembership attended a meetinglast Thursday that also includedthe participation of Food & WaterWatch. Here it should be notedthat Food & Water Watch hasbeen at every USDA-DOJ eventdiscussing the role and scope overthe size of agriculture. Yes, Food& Water Watch uses the term“factory farms” and is a strongcritic of large, centralized agricul-ture. That’s what they do, so itwould not seem out of the realmof possibility that a consumergroup opposed to the largestfarms and packer consolidationwould team up with a ranchingorganization opposed to packerconcentration. There were severalother organizations represented atthe evening event, including theWestern Organization ofResource Councils, the NationalFarmers Union and the MissouriRural Crisis Center, none ofwhich champion good tidings andfriendship to large meatpackers.Well, NCBA’s return fire

brought even more return firefrom R-CALF. The release stat-ed NCBA’s attack was merely to“deflect attention away from thefact that (NCBA) standsaccused of cheating and misus-ing government-mandated BeefCheckoff Program dollars.”And so if the Court of Public

Opinion has missed some attackor counter-attack along the wayit would neither be shocking norsurprising.

Order So it is hereby ordered that the

rest of us would like to see thesetwo organizations stick to state-ments of fact and offering legiti-mate points-of-view on competi-tion and the proposed USDAGIPSA livestock rule and avoidingspending their separate hard-earned membership dollars con-centrating on complaining aboutthe allegations from the other side.

Time For NCBA And R-CALF To Cease And Desist

RANCHES FOR SALE We continue to specialize in large working cattle ranches priced to sell based on today’s economicconditions. These ranches are poised to have substantial appreciation when the market turns.

NEW MEXICO RANCHES FOR SALE

SOUTHEAST N.M. RANCH: 13,397 deeded acres plus7,393 acres of New Mexico State Lease. The terrainis fairly level to gently sloping and sometimes undu-lating. Soils range from sandy loam to sandy, withsome sand hill country. Over the years, the ownershave continued to improve this property with manymiles of new fencing, additional water facilities andsubstantial brush clearing. The headquarterimprovements are well maintained and the propertyshows pride of ownership. Improvements consist ofan attractive owner’s home, guest house, barns,shop, horse pens, shipping pens, roping arena andother outbuildings. This working cattle ranch is setup and ready to operate. The property is priced at$2,500,000, or approximately $186 per deeded acre.

LINCOLN COUNTY, N.M. RANCH: 50,300 deeded ac. Theterrain is a combination of productive spring fedmeadows, low mountains/foothills and gentlyrolling plains country. The rougher portions of theranch have good protection with mixed canopies ofoak, juniper, piñon and scattered ponderosa pine.The gently rolling country has an open appearance.The ranch is improved by two sets of headquarters,outbuildings and several large sets of working/ship-ping pens. This outstanding ranch is well wateredby live spring/creek water, earthen ponds, numer-ous wells and an extensive waterline network. Thisscenic property is realistically priced at $340 per ac.

EAST-CENTRAL NEW MEXICO CATTLE RANCH: 60,400deeded acres with approximately 6,000 acres ofleased and free use land. The ranch is located nearSanta Rosa and historical stocking rates indicate acarrying capacity of 1,200–1,300 animal units. Theranch has a rolling to hilly terrain with a smallamount of canyon country. The property is wateredby natural lakes, submersible wells, windmills andan extensive waterline network. Improvementsinclude a nearly new Spanish style hacienda, twocamps and several good sets of livestock pens. Theprice on this ranch has just been reduced from $285to $240 per acre. The seller is motivated to get thisproperty marketed in the near future.

NORTHEAST NEW MEXICO RIVER RANCH: 10,005 deededacres along with 1,320 acres of leased land. Thisunique, highly improved ranch features approxi-mately 6-7 miles of Canadian River CanyonCountry. Numerous structural improvementsinclude over 30 miles of high game fence, landingstrip, 15,000 square foot office/airplane hanger,along with numerous other structural improve-ments. The structural improvements offer a hugedepreciation schedule, and everything is in place forthe sportsman. $495 per deeded acre.

TEXAS RANCHES FOR SALE

BORDEN COUNTY, TEXAS: 15,920.5± acres located westof Gail. Approximately 7 miles of Colorado Riverthrough the center of the ranch and spring fed GoldCreek heads on the property. Predominately rollingto sloping mesquite flats extending to rougher por-tions of the property on top of the Caprock. Wellwatered by the river, spring fed creek and othersprings, windmills and electric wells. 1,400± acres incultivation. Substantial highway frontage. Goodcattle ranch in good condition. Whitetail deer, blueand bobwhite quail. Considerable oil productionthrough much of the ranch and no minerals offered.All owned wind rights included. Long-term owner-ship — first time on market. Priced to sell. $495/ac.

GARZA COUNTY, TEXAS: 960-acre ranch locatedapproximately 50 miles east of Lubbock. Very scenicranch with lots of water. McDonald Creek essential-ly runs through the center of the property. Thiscreek has a history of running year around. LakeCreek also meanders through the west-half of theranch. Terrain ranges from level to rough and bro-ken. Lots of large mesquite and hackberry trees.Also, areas of scattered shinnery oak. Excellent deer,quail and turkey hunting. $850/ac.

KENT COUNTY, TEXAS: 7,146.32± acres located south ofSpur. Rolling to broken topography with good mixof mesquite cover and hackberry trees. Very wellwatered by electric wells, windmills and several niceponds. Good fences and pipe pens and electricity is

on the property. This is an excellent ranch in a high-ly desirable location. Excellent cattle country, quailhabitat and big whitetail deer. Access by maintainedcounty roads a short distance from paved highway.Some CRP. MINERALS AND 100% WINDRIGHTS! Can be sold in two tracts. Long-termownership — first time on market. Priced to sell.$775/ac.

KENT COUNTY, TEXAS: 3,650.57± acre ranch southwestof Spur on Hwy. 1081. Very scenic cattle ranchw/excellent hunting opportunities located on theSalt Fork of the Brazos River. This ranch has adiverse terrain ranging from rough breaks to levelmesquite flats. The Salt Fork of the Brazos, Red MudCreek and Little Red Mud Creek all cross throughthis ranch. The Brazos River will typically run orstand water year around. Grass turf is good. Underthe same family ownership for over 50 years.$795/ac.

STONEWALL COUNTY, TEXAS: 7,435.87± acres locatednortheast of Aspermont. Approximately seven milesof year-round live water through the ranch inCroton Creek. Two other nice seasonal creeks runthrough the ranch draining to Croton Creek.Additional water by springs and several nice ponds.Varied topography ranging from rough, brokencedar breaks and canyons, mesquite flats, produc-tive creek bottoms and two cleared fields. This ranchis well off the beaten path and access is by over 10miles of dirt county roads. Some scattered oil pro-duction on the ranch and no minerals offered.Long-term ownership — first time on market.Priced to sell. $695/ac.

Chas. S. Middleton and Son • www.chassmiddleton.com • 1507 13th Street, Lubbock, Texas 79401 • 806/763-5331

DESCRIPTIVEBROCHURES

AVAILABLE ON ALL RANCHES.

Chas. S. Middleton and Son —— O F F E R E D E X C L U S I V E L Y B Y ——