LMD April 2010

LivestockDigest

LivestockAPRIL 15, 2010 • www. aaalivestock . com Volume 52 • No. 4

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

– JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL

continued on page two

NEWSPAPER

PRIO

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b y L E E P I T T S

MARKET

DigestRiding Herd

by Lee Pitts

When the respectedag journalist AlanGuebert and theDigest broke thestory about theCattlemen’s Beef

Board’s letters of displeasure tothe National Cattlemen’s BeefAssociation (NCBA) regardingtheir reorganization, and subse-quent heist of even more check-off dollars, we were under-whelmed by the response. Itseemed like there was none. Zip,zero, nada, nothing. Heck, I’vewritten stories about snails inBruneau, Idaho, that got morerise out of readers than this storydid. This caused me to wonder:Where is the outrage? When the NCBA was formed

in the merger, cattlemen fromacross the country were angry.Enough so that 40 ranchers goton a plane in California and paidtheir own way to San Antonio totry to stop it. At that time wewere only talking about the pos-sibility of the NCBA gettingcontrol of your beef bucks. Inthis case we have years of coldhard evidence, and recent pos-turings show the group’s lust foreven more. Do ranchers notcare? Is the whole process justtoo complicated to understand?Or have ranchers resigned them-selves to the fact that the NCBAwill eventually get their hands on

shouldn’t just roll over and playdead while the NCBA robs thecheckoff bank in plain daylight.

A Little HistoryAt NCBA’s annual conven-

tion this past January their Boardvoted 94 percent to develop anew governance structure. Weconstantly hear this 94 percentfigure, supposedly showing wide-spread industry support for thereorganization. But it was like abunch of panhandlers seeingsomeone drop a wad of hundreddollar bills on the floor and thenvoting amongst themselves

whether or not they should pock-et the money! Of course theNCBA would vote to give them-selves more power and money!When have they done otherwise?And, quite frankly, they coulduse the cash.On March 18, the USDA was

sent a letter that indicates noteveryone is fond of NCBA’ssneaky plan. The American FarmBureau Federation, LivestockMarketing Association (LMA),National Farmers Union,National Livestock ProducersAssociation, National Milk Pro-ducers Federation, and the USCattleman’s Association jointlysigned a letter addressed to TheHonorable Tom Vilsack, USDASecretary, in which they dis-played the disgust that all ranch-ers should be feeling right now.After pronouncing their propersupport for the checkoff, thegroups lashed into the NCBAand asked the checkoff Sheriff,the USDA, to step in and stopthis heist.“Our organizations, said the

letter, “have grave concerns thatthe ongoing governance changesbeing considered by the NCBAwill further erode the separationbetween the checkoff side (theFederation of State Beef Coun-cils) and the policy side (NCBA)of the organization. We alsobelieve the new governance

the money anyway? The answersto those questions are yes, yesand yes.Ranchers already have

enough to worry about, like sur-vival. And according to theNCBA, a poll in 2006 found thatonly about 2 percent of produc-ers were concerned aboutNCBA’s involvement with thecheckoff. And yes, the process iscomplicated . . . probably onpurpose. Finally, a lot of steamwent out of the opposition whenthe Supreme Court ruled thatthe checkoff was a governmentprogram. Still, it seems like we

Dear Tom

by CAREN COWAN

The brutal murder of Rob Krentz, 58, Dou-glas, Arizona, on March 27, 2010, hasfinally brought strong light to the fact thatthere is, and has been, a guerilla war going

on along the Mexican border of the UnitedStates for years.Krentz, father of three and grandfather of

two, was doing routine ranch work the morninghe apparently spotted an illegal alien in need ofaid. He radioed family on the band used byranchers in the area, asking for someone to callthe Border Patrol for assistance. His body,slumped in his still-running Polaris ATV, alongwith his mortally injured dog, was finally locatedover 12 hours later. Many authorities, includingthe Arizona Attorney General’s office, agree thatthe murder was by a member of a drug cartelwho was tracked back to the Mexican border.While some have speculated that this was a

tragic, but isolated incident or that it was a mil-lion-to-one chance encounter that led to thekilling, both are far from the truth. Krentz, his

family and his neighbors across southern Cali-fornia, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas havefaced this risk every moment of their lives forthe past several years.In better times, illegal immigrants would walk

through border ranches in seek of work. If therewasn’t work available, ranchers usually providedfood and water to the traveler before he went onhis way. Over the past 20 years that has changed.Illegal aliens from around the world have

streamed across the porous border in droves, lit-tering the landscape; damaging or destroyingprivate property, including water; threateningthe lives of locals; and often feeding this nation’sinsatiable need for illegal drugs. Leaders ofthese groups return to Mexico with money andguns that result from the drug transactions onlyto start the cycle over.The past several years there has been

increased attention paid to the problem, withGovernor Bill Richardson declaring a state ofemergency and sending National Guard troops

“Don't judgefolks by

their relatives.”

continued on page thirteen

continued on page fifteen

Rancher’s Murder Brings Focus To Border War

www.LeePittsbooks.com

Not-So-GreatMoments In History

Can you imagine howAmerica’s past wouldhave been alteredhad all the rules, reg-ulations and political

correctness that exist todaybeen present throughoutour nation’s history? HenryFord never would have massproduced a single car if hehad to meet CAFE emissionstandards, Johnny Apple-seed would have beenarrested and forced to pay aheavy fine for spreading aninvasive species, and JohnAudubon might never havepainted all those pretty birdpictures if, as an avidhunter, he had not beenallowed to shoot an endan-gered species now and then.What? You thought he wasable to get such detail in hispictures just by watchingthem fly by?We wouldn’t even be the

good old US of A if ourfounders had to put up withall the nonsense that dead-locks our country today. Thepatriots dumping tea intoBoston Harbor would havebeen arrested for pollutingand I’m quite sure they didnot have a permit to meet ina public place. Paul Reverewould have been thrown injail for disturbing the peaceand PETA would haveprotested that he mistreatedhis horse.The Declaration of Inde-

pendence would have beenheld up in committee byCongress and the NationalOrganization for Womenwould have howled like alovelorn coyote because nota single woman was asked tosign the document. GeorgeWashington would neverhave been a General, or ourfirst President, because he’dhave been in the hoosegowfor chopping down thatcherry tree without a permit.Instead of becoming theFather of our Country he’dhave rotted away in a federalpenitentiary, being turnedinto a hardened criminal attaxpayer’s expense.Alaska and Hawaii would

not be part of us, as in U.S.,Louisiana would be ownedby France today, heaven for-bid, and the Saints would

Livestock Market Digest April 15, 2010

structure will move the checkofftowards more exclusivity ratherthan inclusively.”In the first part of their letter

the groups explained how thecheckoff came into being andhow it works. At first glance thisseems ridiculous because the AgSecretary, of all people, shouldknow this stuff. At least we’dhope so. But this part of the let-ter wasn’t written for the sake ofthe Honorable Secretary. Thegroups knew their letter wouldbe circulated widely and theyalso know that the process bywhich your checkoff dollars arespent is highly complicated.Their explanation was for you.So, a little background. The

Beef Promotion and ResearchAct was authorized in the 1985Farm Bill and became effectivein 1986. Of the approximate $76million collected annually, statebeef councils expend approxi-mately $35 million of that total. “The checkoff program,” read

the letter, “is administered by the106-member Cattlemen’s BeefPromotion and Research Board.The Beef Board members arenominated by a group of mem-bership organizations who repre-sent various segments and politi-cal viewpoints within the cattleand beef industry such as cattleproducers, dairy farmers,importers and veal producers. Infact, beef checkoff assessmentscollected from dairy breeds areapproximately 20 percent oftotal domestic assessments.Importer assessments representapproximately 9 percent of totalassessments.”“As constructed currently,

The Beef Board administers theOrder, approves budgets andelects 10 members to a Beef Pro-motion Operating Committee.The other 10 members are elect-ed by the state beef councils.This committee of 20 membersis responsible for developingbudgets, awarding contracts andapproving projects for beef pro-motion and research activitiesthat are funded by the BeefBoard.”“The Federation of State Beef

Councils board members arecomprised largely of beef pro-ducers who represent the 45state beef councils. The Councilscollect the $1 beef checkoff andsend 50 cents of each dollar tothe Beef Board.”Okay, enough with the

details. The important thing toremember is that the law thatcreated the checkoff only allowsfor the allocation of checkofffunds to the Beef Board and tothe Federation of State BeefCouncils. If you only rememberone thing from this story remem-ber this: “The proposed structureof allowing NCBA to play a rolein the distribution seems beyondthe spirit of the Act and Order.”In other words, what the NCBAis attempting to pull off is illegaland Vilsack should know it.

Firewall Flames OutThere is supposedly a firewall

between groups that lobby Con-

gressmen and groups thatadminister the checkoff and thereason is clear. You shouldn’t usetaxes, (checkoff dollars) to lobbyCongressmen. If such commin-gling of funds were allowedthere’d be all sorts of shenani-gans. Okay, let’s just say evenmore than there are now. Con-gress would pass a slew of taxesif they knew they’d be the even-tual beneficiaries.When the merger took place

that created the NCBA wewarned that the strength of thefirewall was being weakened con-siderably. And groups that sentthe letter agreed. “This firewall isalready mistrusted by many pro-ducers because checkoff pro-grams are often managed byNCBA staff, in the same officesas, staff who manage a majorbeef policy’s trade association. Infact, of the 45 state beef coun-cils, 18 share some level of staffwith the NCBA affiliate.”The new governing body that

the NCBA hopes to establish,NCBA’s House of Delegates,will be made up of folks fromboth the policy/membershiporganizations and the Federationof state beef councils. If this isn’tmixing politics with checkoff dol-lars we don’t know what is. Nowhere’s the crux of the matter:The Federation members willhave about 42 percent of thevotes in the House of Delegates(106 of the 250 total votes) com-pared to about 58 percent of thevotes being controlled by policyand allied industry members. Seehow easy that was for the NCBAto just take control of yourcheckoff dollars?If the governance structure is

approved by the USDA, Federa-tion members (checkoff people)will be allowed to participate ful-ly in discussing and voting onpolicy issues. And vice versa. Pol-icy members (NCBA’ers) will beable to vote on Federation mat-ters, and remember, under thenew structure they will have 58percent of the vote. “This meanspolicy members,” read the letter,“will determine where Federationfunds will be spent and appearsto undermine any firewallbetween policy and checkofffinances. While some argue thatthe new governance will continueto provide an “accounting fire-wall”, we believe the firewallshould also include a separationof the decision-making betweenpolicy and checkoff.” That sound you hear is the

firewall being breached.

Reading The Small PrintIf the NCBA gets their way

the checkoff you finally voted for(after three tries) will not lookanything like the structure youapproved in 1985. For example:

� An all new 29-memberNCBA Board of Directors willbe elected by the House of Dele-gates, a body controlled by poli-cy members of NCBA.

� The nominating committee,under the new structure, will becomprised of members who willbe selected by groups within

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Dear Tom continued from page one

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

NCBA. As a result, the nine-member Nominating Commit-tee will be comprised of at leastfive members who are current orformer policy representatives onNCBA’s Board of Directors orHouse of Delegates. The policymembers of NCBA will dictatewho is nominated to serve on theBeef Promotion OperatingCommittee. “NCBA’s control ofthis important nominationprocess will result in a significantconflict of interest given theOperating Committee’s impor-tant role in determining whichcontractors receive Beef Boardprogram funding.”The NCBA countered in a

letter of their own to Vilsack thatthe leaders would not necessarilybe those who were nominated bythe committee, that peoplecould be nominated from thefloor. Let’s get real here. I’vewatched groups like this nomi-nate slates of officers for yearsand I’ve NEVER seen someonenominated from the floor be suc-cessful in gaining an office. Haveyou? The NCBA knows this

� Talk about mixing businesswith pleasure . . . Federationmembers, whose travel expensesare paid for with checkoff funds,will be involved in developingpolicies for the NCBA, a groupthat lobbies. In the words of the

letter writers, “This appears toviolate the Beef Promotion andResearch Act and Order sincecheckoff dollars will be used todevelop policy positions of oneindustry association and many ofthose policies will then be usedfor lobbying purposes.” In theory, and probably in

practice, the directors of the newgoverning body “will not berequired to ensure the Federa-tion budget provides funding forprograms which will help theentire beef industry and the pro-ducers who pay the checkoff.This will result in a significantconflict of interest since the Fed-eration is required to fund pro-grams which benefit all produc-ers, but the NCBA Board is onlyrequired to ensure the financialwell-being of NCBA. This built-in conflict of interest causes trep-idation among producers whopay the checkoff, but choose notto belong to NCBA. This willlikely result in producer dissatis-faction with the beef checkoff.”

� The opposition group is alsoconcerned that a change in thegovernance could set a prece-dent for all the other checkoffprograms. “There are currently18 active research and promo-tion programs for agriculturalproducts. These programs areoverseen by the Ag Marketing

American Gelbvieh JuniorAssociation (AGJA) mem-bers will have the opportu-nity to participate in three

AGJA shows this summer. Tworegional shows and the annualAGJA Classic-the National Jun-ior Gelbvieh Show, will providethe opportunity for AGJA mem-bers to exhibit some of the bestGelbvieh and Balancer animalsin the breed while building youthdevelopment and leadershipskills. The AGJA Western Regional

show, hosted by the MinnesotaGelbvieh Junior Association, willbe held June 11-13 at the Free-born County Fairgrounds inAlbert Lea, Minn.The Heart of America Gelb-

vieh Junior Association will hostthe AGJA Eastern Regional showJune 18-20 at the Warren Coun-ty Fairgrounds, Warrenton, Mo.Both regional shows will fea-

ture Gelbvieh and Balancerfemale and bred and owned bullshows. Each show will alsoinclude leadership and skill-building contests such as show-manship, photography, posterdesign, Gelbvieh quiz bowl, andteam fitting.Finally, Gelbvieh enthusiasts

will gather in Bryan-College Sta-tion, Texas for the 2010 AGJALone Star Classic July 5-10. TheAGJA Classic is the largestnational junior Gelbvieh show inthe United States. The week-long event, hosted by the TexasGelbvieh Junior Association, willfeature shows for owned as well

as bred and owned Gelbvieh andBalancer females, bred andowned Gelbvieh and Balancerbulls, and Gelbvieh-influencedmarket steers. Additionally, sev-eral contests including sales talk,carcass evaluation, showman-ship, impromptu speaking, quizbowl, creative writing, livestockjudging, herdsmanship, andmore, will be offered.“Participating in regional and

national level shows provides anexcellent opportunity for youngGelbvieh breeders to enhancetheir breeding programs throughexposure in competitive showsand contests. Just as importantly,the networking opportunitiesprovided at these events createlasting connections not only inthe Gelbvieh breed, but withinthe beef industry as well,” saysDana Stewart, American Gelb-vieh Association Director ofMember Services and AGJAAdvisor. “I would encourage any-one who has an interest inexhibiting cattle or in the Gelb-vieh breed to attend any of ourshows.”For more about these shows,

information on joining theAmerican Gelbvieh Junior Asso-ciation, or to request a free copyof the AGJA’s “Showing Cattle:What you need to know to besuccessful” brochure, please con-tact Dana Stewart, AGJA Advi-sor, at 303/465-2333 or [email protected]. Showschedules and details will beavailable in the coming weeks atwww.gelbvieh.org.

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Dear Tom continued from page two

Gelbvieh Juniors Announce2010 Summer Shows

Service of USDA. In every pro-gram EXCEPT the beef check-off, the checkoff boards thatUSDA appoints have completecontrol over the expenditure ofthe funds. In the case of the beefcheckoff, NCBA currently con-trols the budgeting and spendingof a large portion of checkofffunds. That control will becomestronger if USDA allowsNCBA’s new governance struc-ture to be implemented. We urgeyou to look into NCBA’s newgovernance structure and workwith us to ensure the beef check-off program is accountable to theall producers who invest in it.”

The Four Percent SolutionWhat really galls us is that the

NCBA goes around acting likethey are the only organizationrepresenting beef producers inthis country and that they speakfor every one of them. They areconstantly stating that we needto speak with one voice:THEIRS! While NCBA claimsabout 30,000 members, thereare about 750,000 producers inthe United States who pay intothe checkoff. If my math is rightthis means that just 4 percent ofthose involved in ranching willnot only be lobbying for theirown political persuasion, butthey will also be developing andspending your checkoff dollars.If you had known this would youhave voted for the checkoff tobegin with?We don’t know how many of

NCBA’s 30,000 members madea conscious decision to join theNCBA, or how many wereforced to join when they fed apen of cattle or became a mem-ber of their state association. But

let’s say that they have 30,000members and every one of themsupports the new takeover ofyour checkoff dollars (highlyunlikely). That 4 percent willcontrol the promotion and poli-tics of the entire beef business.The National Milk ProducersFederation, on the other hand,using the same logic as theNCBA, represents dairy andthey contribute 20 percent of allcheckoff dollars. That’s five timesas much as the NCBA repre-sents! And we haven’t eventalked about the number ofFarm Bureau members whoraise beef. The LMA representsfolks who market a majority ofthe cattle in this country and col-lect most of the checkoff dollars,but they have never tried to grabthe checkoff for themselves. Andwe haven’t even mentioned R CALF yet.The NCBA says they are

changing their governance struc-ture to better serve all the cattleranchers, farmers, and feeders ofAmerica. (How do you expandrepresentation by making theirBoard smaller?) They also con-tend they have the interests ofthe checkoff at heart. But ifUSDA doesn’t squash this idea,and NCBA goes forward, theyhave to know that the changedcheckoff they’d control wouldonce again be challenged. Onlythis time, after all the monkeyingthe NCBA did with it, they’dstand a good chance of not onlylosing the checkoff in the courtof public opinion, but also in thebig one in Washington, D.C.where they wear robes andwhose word is final.You can bet your last beef

buck on it.


This is part of a multi-part series ofresearch regarding the attorney feeslitigation gravy train discovered byradical environmental groups usingtaxpayer dollars.

Radical environmentalgroups have hit privateproperty owners, busi-nesses and public landsusers in the pocketbook

for years; it is time to level theplaying field.Radical environmental groups

freely admit that they are usingfederal court litigation as a ham-mer and sword to force their per-sonal agendas on the Americantaxpayers, private property own-ers, and public land users, byeliminating businesses and landuses. This litigation of whichthey so proudly boast is beingfunded by American taxpayersusing loopholes and friendly set-tlement agreements, in just 19states and D.C. for over $42 mil-lion and counting in taxpayerfunding. This has to stop!According to Kieran Suckling

director of the Center for Biolog-ical Diversity (“CBD”) in a High

Country News article in 2009:“They [law suits] are one tool

in a larger campaign, but we uselawsuits to help shift the balanceof power from industry and gov-ernment agencies, toward pro-tecting endangered species. Thatplays out on many levels. At thesimplest, by obtaining an injunc-tion to shut down logging or pre-vent the filling of a dam. TheForest Service needs our agree-ment to get back to work, andwe are in the position of beingable to powerfully negotiate theterms or releasing the injunction.New injunctions, new species

listings and new bad press take aterrible toll on agency morale.When we stop the same timbersale three or four times running,the timber planners want to teartheir hair out. They feel like theircareers are being mocked anddestroyed — and they are.So they become more willing

to play by our rules and at leastget something done. Psychologi-cal warfare is a very underappre-ciated aspect of environmentalcampaigning.”Destroying peoples’ morale?

Making up their own radicalrules? Not once does the CBDdirector mention that they arespending any money or time onenvironmental health and pro-tection! Is funding psychologicalwarfare where America’s alreadydeficit spending should go?And what about the latest

campaign from WildEarthGuardians (“WEG”)? They havelaunched a “BioBlitz” and are fil-ing lawsuits/formal petitionsagainst the United States tomark the 36th year anniversaryof the Endangered Species Act.In their words, “Given the disap-pointment of Copenhagen, we’repressing the federal governmentto recognize a variety of speciesthat will go extinct if we contin-ue to procrastinate on climatechange action . . . The Endan-gered Species Act [ESA] is animportant approach to forcingcuts to greenhouse gas emissionswhen our political leaders lackthe will to do so.”Using an unrelated federal law

as a covert tool to enforce theirpersonal agenda because theycannot prove their “scientific”allegations? Using the courtswhen the question is really onefor Congress? And just like theCBD, there is not one mentionof the WEG doing any workthemselves on species conserva-tion or environmental protection.The magazine Chicago just

printed an article called “TrueGrit” about Jon Marvel (who isproud to be a Vietnam draftdodger) — and Western Water-sheds Project. Unlike the moviestarring John Wayne, Mr. Marveland Western Watersheds Projectis no friend of the West or cow-boys, ranchers or farmers. OnWestern Watersheds’ Projectwebsite their policy memoran-

dums state:

Policy Memo #1:“To Do: Get all cows off public lands ASAP”.

Policy Memo #2:“To Do: Get all cows andsheep off public lands ASAP”.

Just in the federal court inIdaho, this “to do” list has costthe American taxpayer$1,150,528 in funding paid toWWP and its lawyers between2001 and July 17, 2009.Since then, who knows how

much more has been paid?This abuse of American tax-

payer dollars, the federal laws andthe courts cannot continue. Injust nine years, ten environmentalgroups filed at least 3000 courtcases, the vast majority of whichdealt with allegations that thefederal government did not followthe proper procedure. Litigationsuch as this does not challengewhether there is scientific meritor reality to their environmentalagenda, but whether proceduraltime frames were met.For example, with regard to

the ESA, this litigation does notchallenge whether a plant, insector animal is, in reality, decliningin numbers and needs humanintervention to survive. Rather,the litigation is based upon dead-lines imposed by Congress thatthe federal government cannotpractically meet. These suitsinclude every type of speciesimaginable from worms toinsects, cave bugs to inverte-brates. If a radical-enviro grouprequests something be listed andthe federal government fails torespond in 90 days, the groupfiles litigation and gets attorneysfees — even if it ultimately turns

out that the species is not beingharmed.At present, there are 1,967

species on the threatened andendangered species list; 98species on proposed endan-gered/proposed threatened; and249 more candidate species forlisting. Those do not count theones now being included on theCBD’s or WEG’s petitions.Although the ESA was originallypassed with the idea that impor-tant species would be listed, arecovery plan developed, thenthe species would be taken offthe list, only 21 species havebeen removed from the list. Andnow WEG, CBD and other radi-cal groups have pledged to peti-tion to add more species to thelist and reap millions of attorneysfees for their efforts. Again, thereis no indication that one singledollar of American taxpayer dol-lars given to these environmentalgroups have gone to on-the-ground activities; the money justfunds more litigation against thetaxpayers. If these groups werereally worried about thesespecies, wouldn’t the “BioBlitz”be about the on the ground proj-ects to help plants and animals?Wouldn’t CBD be using scienceand facts to come up with solu-tions rather than mocking anddestroying American workers?Forty-two million dollars and

counting in taxpayer moneygoing to radical groups. Maybeinstead of calling it “BioBlitz,”we should call it “EnviroCash.”Please contact Western Lega-

cy Alliance today to add yoursupport and put an end to thisabuse.

Western Legacy Alliance (“WLA”) is commit-ted to the fight to reform this system to stoptaxpayer money from funding the eliminationof property rights, the lock up of public lands,the loss of jobs and the destruction of the envi-ronment. Please join the Western LegacyAlliance in demanding reform.

Western Legacy Alliance can be reachedat P.O. Box 162, Moreland, ID 83256,www.westernlegacyalliance.org; [email protected]; or at: 208/206-7309.

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Western Legacy Alliance Research SpursCongressional Action on ExposingTaxpayer Funded Lawsuit Racket of Radical Environmentalists

YOU CAN HELP —JOIN TODAY!

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I am/our organization is committed to protecting the open spaces, private property, private businesses and ensuring the responsible use of public lands. Please list me/my organization as a member of the Western Legacy Alliance.

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Forty-two million tax dollars and counting . . .WE HAVE TO STOP THE MILLIONS OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS FUNDING OUR OWN DEMISE!


I suggest the last time youhung up your shower towel atthe Holiday Inn instead of drop-ping it on the floor (this is codefor don’t waste precious water onproviding me with another freshtowel since theoretically I wasclean when I dried off anyway)resulted in a more genuineinvestment for the environmentthan the check you wrote to BigGreen.Your donation to one of the

big corporate environmentalgroups Sierra Club, The NatureConservancy, or NaturalResource Defense Council toname a few � most likely went topay for litigation or buying land,but what was the on-the-groundresult for conserving anything?How did the cactus ferruginouspygmy owl benefit from yourgenerous donation? How wasyour dollar used to stop erosionalong Arizona’s river ways, orimprove water quality along theColorado River?In 2008, $758 million was

donated to The Nature Conser-vancy, $43 million to the SierraClub, and $108 million to theNatural Resources DefenseCouncil (NRDC). The NRDC

prides itself on “defeating, block-ing, and freezing” through litiga-tion any action that it deemsharmful to the earth. But I wasunable to find any on-the-groundwork that they are doing toactively conserve naturalresources. Apparently this organ-ization is the self-appointed legalrepresentation for MotherNature and that’s it.The self-appointed realtor

happens to be The Nature Con-servancy (TNC). Unfortunately,Mother Nature is hard to pindown, so not only does the salescommission go to TNC, but sodoes all the profit. For exampleTNC currently has land for salealong the San Pedro River insoutheast Arizona acquired as2,156 acres of contiguous farmland and now subdivided byTNC into five parcels with theoption of splitting further into10. This land could haveremained unfragmented andseeded with native grasses, butinstead has been left to a hostiletakeover by invasive woodyplants that use significantly morewater than farm land.Other large expanses of land

have either been donated to the

organization to take advantageof tax credits or sold to TNC forless than appraised value andthen in turn flipped to the feder-al government for more thanappraised value. This organiza-tion is in the business of nation-alizing private land for a profit,while shrinking the tax base forour schools and communityinfrastructures.Purchasing agricultural land,

beautiful landscapes, and water-ways facing no eminent threat ofdestruction should not exactlyqualify for saving anything. Toother environmental groups thisis considered to be focusing on“sub-national targets.” These tar-gets generate revenue directly forthe non-profit and would be veryvaluable on a carbon offset mar-ket. This is the same carbon mar-ket that would be created follow-ing passage of a cap and tradetaxation system fiercely lobbiedfor by these same groups.This type of focus results in

what is called “leakage” in envi-ronmental language. A specificaction stopped in one area onlyshifts or leaks the same actioninto other areas, but is in no waydiminished. It does not result inany on the ground conservationwork. I know of a few old minereclamation sites that could sureuse some of Nature Conservan-cy’s $758 million annual revenuefor re-seeding and erosion con-trol. Of course those pieces ofland are neither profitable forflipping nor for carbon credits.It’s no wonder that the spec-

trum of environmental groupsranging from land baron organi-zations like TNC to small potatoradical organizations like theCenter for Biological Diversity(CBD) are eating their own.CBD is trying to change policyon a national level to send usback to the 17th century, whileTNC is subdividing farm land,

and the Sierra Club in return forcorporate cash is providing itsstamp of approval on cleaningproducts sold as “green” chemi-cals to flush down your toilet.Where are your conservation dol-lars in all of this? Despite theirdifferences, all of them are suc-cessfully using your donationsfor systematically dismantlingroads, dams, logging, mining,ranching, farming, fishing, andmanufacturing throughout theUnited States �forcing industryto move across internationalboundaries and oceans unregu-lated; All the while increasingthe costs of agriculture produc-tion by those few left in thiscountry.Remember that shrinking tax

base I mentioned before? Maybeyour donation would be betterspent going toward your localeducation tax credit to make upfor the loss in property tax baseto the school.

For those agricultural produc-ers that continue to raise foodand fiber despite the constantonslaught of Big Green’s envi-ronmental activism there are sev-eral valuable institutions andorganizations that work to fur-ther the research and develop-ment of conservation practicesapplied on the land. Contribu-tions to the natural resource andagriculture research arm of theUniversity of Arizona for pro-grams that develop low water usecrops, irrigation management,

rangeland management, and oth-er conservation technologiesoffers clear and direct results forconservation minded citizens.Arizona Farm Bureau’s Educa-tional Farming Company edu-cates our next generation of citi-zens about how their food isgrown using wise managementof our water and soil resources.Contact your local NaturalResource Conservation Districtand find out how you can furtherresource conservation in yourarea. That gives your charitabledonation real sustainability!Editor’s Note: Stefanie Small-

house is married to a fifth-gener-ation farmer and rancher inSouthern Arizona. She previous-ly worked for a federal land man-agement agency as a wildlifebiologist, and is currently work-ing to further conservation ofArizona’s natural resourcesthrough the locally led efforts ofArizona landowners.

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Corporate Environmentalism is Generating Big GreenWANT TO KNOW HOW YOUR CHARITABLE DONATIONS REALLY WORK?

by STEFANIE SMALLHOUSE, Arizona Farm Bureau Second Vice President

This is the time of year when the dining room table is buried inpaper. We pore over receipts, notes scribbled on the checkbook,cancelled checks, deposit records, and of course our charitabledonations. According to Giving USA, Americans contributed a

total of $307.7 billion to charity in 2008. For those donations goingto environmental organizations to save anything and everything, haveyou ever wondered what you get for your donated dollar?

Maybe your donation would be better spent going toward your local education tax credit to make up for the loss in property tax base to the school.


by LEWIS PAGE / The Register–UK

Yet more United Nationsanalysis of the measuresnecessary to combat cli-mate change has come

under fire from scientists.This time, rather than the

(in)famous 2007 assessmentreport from the UN’s Interna-tional Panel on Climate Change(IPCC), the criticism is levelledat a 2006 report called Livestock’sLong Shadow issued by the UNFood and Agriculture Organiza-tion. This document states thatthe widespread eating of meatand dairy products is a seriousthreat to the environment.According to the UN, in fact,

livestock actually results in theemission of more greenhousegases than transport does. Theexecutive summary of Livestock’sLong Shadow states that:The livestock sector is a major

player, responsible for 18 percentof greenhouse gas emissionsmeasured in CO² equivalent. Thisis a higher share than transport.

This analysis has been a bigfactor in persuading concernedcitizens around the world thatgoing veggie is important inorder to save the planet. No lessan ecological expert than SirPaul McCartney, in alliance withDr Rajendra Pachauri of theIPCC and the European Parlia-ment, has lately exhorted the cit-izens of the world to veg it upunder the slogan “Less Meat =Less Heat.”Eating less meat is “as obvi-

ous as recycling or hybrid cars,”McCartney told the EU parlia-ment last December. He urgedEuropean lawmakers to “encour-age, guide, inform and help peo-ple in making a relatively easydecision,” and hoped that peoplewould think of the children.“It can be done and it should

be done for our children who willinherit this planet,” said Sir Paul.But there’s a big problem

here, according to Californianagricultural air-quality boffinFrank Mitloehner. The UNreport is based on dodgy num-

bers. He says that the authors ofLivestock’s Long Shadow calculat-ed the livestock emissionsincluding everything they couldthink of — those resulting fromgrowing feeds, from animals’burping and farting, from thevarious industrial processesinvolved in producing and deliv-ering meat and dairy products.By contrast, when assessing

transport they included only thegreenhouse emissions from fossilfuels burned while driving, mak-ing no allowance for the hugecarbon-equivalences involved inbuilding and maintaining roads,railways, cars, trains, and planes.It’s a classic apples-and-

beefsteaks comparison“This lopsided analysis is a

classical apples-and-oranges*analogy that truly confused theissue,” says Mitloehner, who pre-sented a report countering Live-stock’s Long Shadow at a chem-istry conference in San Franciscorecently.The prof says that in the U.S.,

the true picture is that trans-portation accounts for 26 percent of greenhouse emissions

and cattle and pig farming justthree per cent. It makes littlesense therefore for wealthy west-erners to become vegans, vege-tarians or partial vegetarians as ameans of countering climatechange, as the emissions reduc-tions would be minimal at best.In poor nations without much

in the way of transport, farmingaccounts for a larger percentageof emissions, but this is a largerpercentage of a low overall total.Many people in the developingworld are beginning to eat moremeat and dairy, a trend deploredby green activists. Mitloehner,however, argues that the popula-tions concerned are often severe-ly malnourished under their pres-ent diet and it would be unfair totell them they have to stay most-ly vegetarian. A better plan, heargues, would be to encouragemore efficient animal farmingtechniques as developed in therich world.In summary, ecologically it

makes a lot more sense to worryabout poor folk getting cars andtrucks and buses and trains (andfactories to make them and

roads and rails to drive them on)than it does to fret over themeating some meat. And stoppingthem having meat is even moreunfair than cutting off theiraccess to transport.Likewise in the case of

wealthy westerners, our meateating is not a significant factorin our carbon emissions (muchlike our flying and our IT, infact). It is things much less sim-ple to do without — washing,health care, ordinary transportand industry — which are actual-ly the main sources of CO².“Producing less meat and milk

will only mean more hunger inpoor countries,” Mitloehner says.“The developed world shouldfocus on increasing efficientmeat production in developingcountries where growing popula-tions need more nutritious food.In developing countries, weshould adopt more efficient,Western-style farming practicesto make more food with lessgreenhouse gas production.”

Bootnote: *Or in this case presumably anapples-and-steaks or oranges-and-cheesecomparison.

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‘Go veggie to save the planet’ UN, EU plans debunked

Net value of U.S. beef trade positive in ‘09DROVERS NEWS SOURCE

Every so often it is helpful to take a ratherbroad view of the value of imported andexported products to gain a better under-standing of the international trade relation-

ships of the U.S. cattle/beef industry. The total val-ue of imports and exports, say analysts at theLivestock Marketing Information Center, can beestimated from the summation of the dollar valuesof key trade categories, including 1) live animals(feeder, slaughter and breeding cattle); 2) meat(beef and veal); 3) hides; 4) beef tallow and greas-es; and 5) variety meats.As expected, the slowdown in the global econo-

my and unfavorable trade conditions during 2009impacted the dollar value of U.S. beef industryexports, which declined some from 2008. In 2009, the combined value of beef, cattle and

beef product exports totaled $4.43 billion versus$5.67 billion in 2008 and $2.60 billion in 2004.Compared to 2008, export values for 2009 werenearly 22 percent or $1.24 million lower, but stillrather impressive when compared to prior BSE-impacted years. Export values posted yearly lossesin every category as economic conditions weightedheavily on export demand. The export value forhides and skins at $797.8 million in 2009 was 40percent or $502 million lower than in 2008, whilethe value of variety meats at $494.3 million was$318 million less in 2009 than in 2008. Of note,

the export value for beef and veal was only abouteight percent less than in 2008, but nearly 29 per-cent higher than 2007’s.In 2009, the combined value of U.S. beef, cattle,

etc., imports declined rather significantly from 2008’smostly due to a decline in the value of imported livecattle and calves. The total value of beef, beef prod-uct and cattle imports was $3.93 billion in 2009,about $820 million or nearly 17 percent less than2008’s and the smallest annual import value since2003. The value of beef and veal at $2.47 billion was11 percent or $297 million smaller than 2008’s, whilethe value of live cattle and calves declined in 2009 to$1.32 billion versus $1.79 billion in 2008.On a value basis, the U.S. maintained its status

as a cattle/beef product net exporter in 2009, a sit-uation that was regained finally in 2008 followingBSE related trade problems that began in late2003. In other words, the U.S. exported morebeef/veal, beef products, and live cattle on a valuebasis than it imported in 2009. In 2009, when allcategories are accounted for, after posting a netexport value of positive $2.3 billion in 2003, and anegative net export value of nearly $200 million in2007; net export value was positive by over $500million in 2009. Although the net export value for2009 was less than in 2008, the ability to remain anet exporter on a dollar value despite the globaleconomic situation in 2009 reflects rather well onthe position of U.S. beef industry products withinthe world marketplace.

Cabela’s Targeted by National Animal Rights Group

One of the nation’s largestanti-hunting groups,Defenders of Wildlife,have taken aim at Cabela’s

Inc. with a misguided and mis-leading public relations campaigndesigned to raise money to fundits efforts against outdoor sports.According to an action alert

posted by Defenders, the groupaccused Cabela’s of sponsoringthree so-called “wolf-killing com-petitions” in Idaho. The groupalso attacked Cabela’s for thedecision by the local paper inSidney, Nebraska to not run aninflammatory ad againstCabela’s that Defenders hadproduced. It then went on tosolicit funds to run the ad in oth-er papers throughout the state.

The charges by Defenders aregrossly misleading. Cabela’s didnot sponsor any “wolf-killing”events. Rather, it provided $150worth of products as a donationto the Sportsmen for Fish andWildlife-Idaho organization. Thatgroup organized and conductedthree local predator hunts in2009. The hunts complied withall state and federal laws. Addi-tionally, all available informationindicates that no wolves werekilled during the hunts.Cabela’s has been a long-time

supporter of legal hunting andfishing and has worked closelywith state and federal wildlifeagencies to conserve wildlife pop-ulations. They are renowned inthe business world as a leader in

conservation programs and ethic.By contrast, Defenders has beenone of the leaders in an effort tokeep the Northern Rocky Moun-tain wolf population on theEndangered Species List despitethe recovery of their populationand reasonable managementplans designed by state officials.“Defenders of Wildlife is

attempting to tarnish the reputa-tion of one of the most wildlifeconscious companies in theworld,” said Bud Pidgeon, U.S.Sportsmen’s Alliance presidentand CEO. “Sportsmen shouldshow their support by visiting alocal Cabela’s and let them knowthat you appreciate their effortsand are not fooled by the antis’propaganda.”


Selecting the correct stock-ing rate for a pasture maybe the most difficult, butalso the most important,

decision a manager can make.The problem would be greatlysimplified if forage yields frompastures were the same yearafter year or fluctuated onlybetween narrow limits. It is thisunpredictability of forage yieldthat causes the difficulty. Hittingthe magic 50 percent use ofannual forage production is thegoal, but what happens when thedegree of use is consistentlyabove 50 percent for 3-5 years?We know that plant responses tograzing are conditioned by pasthistory, as well as environmentalconditions; however, at the endof the season, it is stocking ratethat will ultimately determinethe potential forage productionfor several years into the future.This year’s stocking rate, thechoice of the manager, willdirectly affect next year’s forageproduction, plant community,livestock production, and eco-nomic return from the pasture.

How much can the stockingrate affect forage production?A number of research studiesacross the country have beenconducted to measure the effectsof stocking rate on forage pro-duction. Several of these studieshave been conducted in theKansas Flint Hills, wheredrought is not much of a con-cern, and near Hays, where pre-cipitation is more variable. Theresults from these studies,regardless of where or when theywere conducted, are remarkablysimilar. After 3-5 years, heavygrazing (the annual removal of60 percent or more of the pro-duction of the primary foragespecies) resulted in less forageproduction in the pasture the fol-lowing year compared to a mod-erately grazed pasture (the annu-al removal of 40-50 percent ofthe production of the primaryforage species).

Over a 25-year period, repeat-ed heavy grazing resulted in a 20percent decline in forage produc-tion while moderate grazing hadno effect on forage productionpotential. It is important to notethe difference between heavygrazing and moderate grazing is amere 10 percent greater degree ofuse of the primary forage plantswithin the plant community. Aswould be expected due to selec-tivity of cattle, the most impor-tant productive and preferred for-age species are the first to declinein production and number.

Why does this reduction in theprimary forage species occur?Heavy grazing affects more thanjust the defoliation of the pri-mary forage plants. The effectsof heavy grazing manifest them-selves over time, reducing theamount of mulch and increasingthe amount of bare groundexposed to direct sunlight.Ground cover, or mulch, has amoderating effect on soil mois-ture and temperature. Soilorganisms are most active andefficient when the soil is moistand the temperature is between86°–95°F. Soil exposed to directsunlight is hotter than ambientair temperature and can reachlevels lethal to these organisms.As the number of soil organismsis depleted or their activity slows,so does the availability of nutri-ents, the second most importantlimiting factor to forage produc-tion on rangelands.Soil moisture, which is the

most important limiting factor toforage production, is also affect-ed by grazing intensity. Adequatemulch levels increase the rate ofrainfall infiltration. One studyconducted at Hays, Kansas, byJ.L. Launchbaugh, showed infil-tration rates of 0.73 and 1.19inches per hour for heavy andmoderate grazing systems,respectively. Run-off also increas-es as the amount of bare groundincreases. The impact of a rain-drop on bare soil looks like a

micro-bomb, dislodging fine soilparticles that seal the surface ofthe soil, resulting in less infiltra-tion and moisture available toplants for forage production dur-ing the growing season. Mulch isa critical component in minimiz-ing evaporation, moderating soiltemperatures, and getting precip-itation through the soil surfaceand into the soil profile where itis available for plant growth.Removing more than 50 percentof the annual production of theprimary forage species reducesthe amount of mulch available toprotect the soil surface.

How does a reduction inforage quantity affect animalperformance and the potentialfor economic return?Both forage quality and quantityare factors in individual and peracre animal performance. Aver-age individual animal gains ofsteers over a 7-year study atHays, Kansas, by Launchbaugh,using high, moderate, and lightstocking rates was 122, 188, and217 pounds of gain per steer,respectively, during the summergrazing period. As would beexpected, animal gain per acrewas highest under the highstocking rate at 61 pounds ofgain per acre while moderatestocking showed gains of 55pounds per acre and light stock-ing produced 43 pounds of gainper acre. The bigger point to bemade was the rate of gain wasnot sustainable: within 3-5 yearsthere were significant changes inthe plant community and theamount of bare ground increasedresulting in less forage produc-tion and forage availability in theheavy stocked pastures. Theheavily grazed pastures also hadhigher annual fluctuations in for-age production during the study. Another study, conducted by

Jim Gerrish in Missouri, meas-ured the nutrient quality of theavailable forage at heavy, moder-ate, and light stocking rates.Nutrient density per pound offorage consumed was highest inthe heavily stocked pastures due

to young plant material having ahigher nutrient density than old-er plant material. However, thegains per individual animal wereonce again lowest in the heavilystocked pastures and highest inthe lightly stocked pastures. Ger-rish attributed the poor individ-ual animal performance of theheavily stocked pastures to thelack of forage quantity ratherthan quality. The amount of for-age available to the grazing ani-mal was inadequate to meettheir requirements for bodymaintenance and growth. Con-versely, forage quantity was notlimited in the lightly stocked pas-tures, and the animals throughselective grazing could meettheir requirements for mainte-nance and optimum gain. Themoderately stocked pastures pro-duced individual animal gainshigher than the high stockingrate pastures and had highergains per acre than the lowstocking rate pastures. Gerrishconcluded that moderate stock-ing rates produced the best com-bination of forage quality andquantity for individual animalperformance and gains per acre,making the moderate stockingrate the best for sustained eco-nomic returns to the manager.

How do we know whenpastures are being moderately grazed?What gets measured gets man-aged, so begin by measuring howmuch is grown, how much isgrazed, and how much is left.Stocking rates are unique to eachindividual pasture so there is not astandard average for a particularcounty or area. A couple of well-placed grazing exclusion cages, ayard stick, and a camera are allthat are needed to determine thedegree of use within a pasture.Designing and implementing anannual monitoring plan to meas-ure and record forage productionand degree of utilization within aspecific pasture is crucial to main-taining adequate mulch levels,healthy belowground root systemsand microbial populations, forageproduction, and animal perform-ance. With measured information,managers can make timely adjust-ments in stocking rate decisionsthat will maintain productivenative rangelands well into thefuture. If you would like assis-tance in monitoring your pas-tures, contact your local NRCSoffice. Source: R. Dwayne Rice, Rangeland Manage-ment Specialist, Natural Resources Conserva-tion Service (NRCS), Lincoln, KS.

Lane Grau575/760-6336

Wesley Grau575/760-7304

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NMSU hosts Southwest Indian Livestock Days May 11-12

The Southwest Indian Livestock Days is anopportunity for the 6,611 Native Americanagricultural operators in the state to learn thelatest regarding care of their livestock.

For the second year in a row, the two-day eventwill be held at the Route 66 Casino & Hotel on I-40at Exit 140 west of Albuquerque. A full slate of pro-grams will be presented on Tuesday and Wednes-day, May 11-12, beginning at 8 a.m. each day.The event is coordinated by New Mexico State

University’s College of Agricultural, Consumer &Environmental Sciences’ Cooperative ExtensionService, the University of Arizona, and the live-stock days planning committee, with representa-tives from NMSU’s Tribal Extension and RuralAgricultural Improvement and Public Affairs Proj-ect (RAIPAP), Laguna Pueblo Natural Resources,Montano Cattle Association, and Sedillo CattleAssociation.“Over the years, several Laguna livestock pro-

ducers indicated they wanted to host the IndianLivestock Days. Historically the event is held everyother year at different locations in northwesternNew Mexico. Because of the success of last year’sNew Mexico Indian Livestock Days, we decided tobring the Southwest conference to the Route 66Casino and Hotel,” said Kathy Landers, McKinley

County Extension agriculture agent, who has coor-dinated the event with the help of other extensionagents for the past 17 years.“The Laguna livestock producers have a lot of

information and experience to share with otherNative American livestock producers. I’m excitedabout the program as a whole because there werenumerous producers on the planning committeeand they were very active in helping plan anddevelop this event.”Current issues in livestock production will be

presented by Ron Parker of the New Mexico Live-stock Board and Caren Cowan, executive directorof the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association.John M. Romero of the Sedillo Cattle Associa-

tion will discuss how to put a livestock associationtogether. Phillip Bravo of the Hualapai Nation willdiscuss feral horse management.David Melton, president of Sacred Power Corpo-

ration, will discuss solar power, and Maggie Porterof the Southwest Indian Poly-technical Institute, willdiscuss geospatial information technologies.The registration fee is $50 for two days, or $30 for

one day. The deadline for program registration isApril 25. To register, contact the McKinley CountyExtension office at 505/863-3432 or from outside theGallup area call toll free at 866/863-3443.

Is stocking rate so important?


The breed has been a good fitfor the Cundiff family, whoraise commercial Santa Gertrud-is cattle near Lindrith on theAnd So Forth Ranch and the XPBar Cattle Company. “Somepeople prefer a shorter ear ontheir cattle, some markets aredifficult, but we’ve stayed withthe Santa Gertrudis over theyears and I’m not sorry,” saidJohnny Cundiff, who runs theranch with his son, Johnny Jr.They were first exposed to the

cattle at the Colorado State Fairin Pueblo, he said. “We werevery impressed with the cattle.We liked the Brahman / Short-horn cross, the Shorthorn bringsmilk production and the Brah-man helps them get out and hus-tle for feed.”Johnny and his wife, Jo, talked

to Dr. Roland Sanchez of RedDoc Farms in Belen about thecattle. In 1996, the Cundiffsbought two bulls and five heifersfrom the Sanchezes, and havegrown from there.Johnny and Jo got into the

cattle business when they tookover her father’s ranch near Lin-

drith. “He was always trying toincrease the milk production inhis Hereford herd,” Johnny said.“When I learned about the SantaGertrudis, I said, they havealready discovered the wheel,there’s no reason for us to rein-vent it.”Hardiness is one of the

breed’s biggest strengths, Johnnysaid. “When we first started out,we heard that Santa Gertrudisweren’t mountain cattle andwouldn’t succeed. Our cattle runat a 7,300 foot elevation, andhave adapted well. They wintergood, and even in dry weather doreally well. The last several yearshave been pretty droughty, andthey’re doing just fine.”He also cites their calving

ease. “We use a bull with a 69- to70-pound birthweight, andhaven’t had to pull a calf in fouror five years,” he explained. “ByNovember, the calves will weigh550-600 pounds. Because of thestrength and quantity of themothers’ milk, the calves growquickly.”“A lot of ranchers use bigger

bulls, and are constantly checking

on and worrying about their cowsduring calving season,” he contin-ued. “The snow is belly high onmy cows right now. We start calv-ing the first of March, and I don’tworry. They have their calves, andthey bring them in.”A gentle disposition is anoth-

er breed strength. “They aregood cows, easy to work withand mild tempered. They aregood mothers and take goodcare of their calves,” heexplained. “When they get out,we’ve never had to chase themdown. Usually, they come homeor go to other cows. We buy abull every three years, and havenever had any problems. Theyhave all been very gentle.”Johnny also likes the cattle’s

disease resistance. “They are notdisease prone, the only thing wegive them is the 7-way vaccina-tion. We don’t have to worryabout pinkeye or a lot of the dis-eases other ranchers have to dealwith.”Johnny has been marketing

some cattle as beef, and hasfound a growing market. “Therehas been a lot of talk that alonger ear makes the meettough, but that’s a bunch ofhooey,” he said. “The cattle arenot fat producers, and the meetis lean, good and tender.”Originally, he said, the Cun-

by ALICIA SANCHEZ

In 1996 Horacio Lopez retired from Kirtland Air Forcebase. He and his wife, Sandra, decided to devote all oftheir time to the cattle. They purchased heifers from RedDoc Farm and bull from the late Tweet Kimball — and

the Lopez’ were in the purebred business. They were a littlehesitant when they found out that Samson, the bull theybought from Tweet, weighed 2,300 pounds. They were nerv-ous that their heifers would not be able to survive breedingseason. Tweet and Dr. Roland Sanchez assured them thatthe weight would not be a problem so off they went with redcattle in their trailer. Once they arrived in Puerto de Luna they caused quite a

stir. Neighbors came by and told them that they were goingto have huge calves off those red cattle and that they weregoing to have to pull every one of them. Horacio assuredthem not to worry that these “red cows” would not have anytrouble calving. His neighbors left laughing and asked San-dra to keep their number and to call them if Horacio neededany help during calving season. The Lopez’s had the lastlaugh in that one. The cows had no problem calving. In fact

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

The Right Mixby CALLIE GNATKOWSKI-GIBSON

Commercial and purebred producers alike have found successwith Santa Gertrudis cattle, which combine the strengths ofthe Shorthorn and Brahman breeds. Developed in southTexas on the King Ranch, the breed brings the hardiness anddisease resistance of Brahman cattle together with the milkproduction and carcass traits of the Shorthorn breed to pro-

duce healthy, fast growing cattle that do well wherever they go.

continued on page ninecontinued on page eleven

SantaGertrudis:

2009 Rocky Mountain Santa Gertrudis Family of the Year

HORACIO & SANDRA LOPEZMoon Valley

RanchPuerto de Luna, N.M.


diffs just got the meat processedat San Juan Meats in Kirkland,for themselves. “As people triedit, they liked it and started askingfor it,” Johnny said. “The wordspread, and now we have quite afew people wanting beef. I canmake as much money processingcattle and selling them as beef asI can selling cattle at the salebarn, and we haven’t had anytrouble getting rid of it.”Johnny uses Cool Fuel, a feed

made of ground coconut, inplace of corn to fatten his cattle.Produced in Australia, the feedkind of sweetens the meat, andbuilds muscle, not fat, he said.“When I was feeding grain, it justwent in one end of the cattle andout the other, the yard was full of

ravens and crows. Cool Fuel is98 percent usable by the animal.It is cheaper per pound to feed,and we get more out of it.”He has also had success mar-

keting heifers to neighboringranchers. “They’re nice, big,good-looking cows and heifers. Ihave gotten lots of compliments,and a lot of people who havebought heifers have come backwanting more.”The Cundiffs run their cattle

on a seven-section U.S. ForestService (USFS) grazing permit inthe summer. “We have to rotatepastures fairly often in the sum-mer, and the cows get in thathabit,” he continued. “They’realways standing at the gate readyto move when it’s time, and I’venever had any trouble getting mycows off of the forest. They’re notdumb cattle.”“For us, up here, Santa

Gertrudis work very well,” Johnnyconcluded. “I grew up aroundcattle, but was always cussingthem because I was always havingto put them out of somewhere.Since I started with this breed, Ihave learned a lot about cattle.”

A Family AffairDarrell and Shana Pitch-

ford, of Pitchford Cattle Com-pany and Pitchford Cattle Serv-ice in Athens, Texas, both grewup participating in the juniorprograms of the Santa GertrudisBreeders International (SGBI)and have a long history with thebreed. Today, the Pitchfordsraise purebred Santa Gertrudiscattle on their operation east ofDallas, near Tyler, Texas.Darrell has owned and

showed Santa Gertrudis cattlefor 31 years, since he was nineyears old. He said he saw thecattle at a show, really liked theway they looked, and wanted toshow some of his own. He got

his start from Creasy Farms inTennessee, who were right downthe road from his family’s place.“We bought a few, and havegrown from there,” Darrell said.The Pitchfords market their

purebred Santa Gertrudis toboth purebred and commercialproducers in a variety of ways.They sell heifers, cow/calf pairs,bull calves and bulls to breeders.“Whatever people are lookingfor, we try to meet that need,” henoted. “We sell some cattle pri-vate treaty here at the ranch,hold a production sale in May,and go to five or six other saleswith our cattle throughout theyear.”Embryo transfer and artificial

insemination are important toolsthe Pitchfords use on their oper-ation. Semen sales are also a bigpart of the business. “We sell alot of semen into Mexico andacross the United States, and

recently sent a shipment to Aus-tralia,” Darrell said.Santa Gertrudis cattle are

easy to maintain, according to

��

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• Cowherd efficiency• Feedlot efficiency• Industry efficiency

1) How does the commercial cowman introduce efficiency into his cowherd?

2) How does the feedlot manager increase feed efficiency in his yard?

3) How does the beef industry address the efficiency issue in an effective and practical way?

Actually it’s pretty simple . . .

� Add Santa Gertrudis influence.

� It’s true – adding Santa Gertrudis geneticsis the best way to simply and effectivelyincrease your efficiency.

� Feedlot performance, carcass data andDNA research confirm it.

The Right Mix continued from page eight

continued on page eleven

Cool Fuel is 98 percent usable by the animal. It is cheaper per pound to feed.

Now is the time forreplacement heifers

Dan Wendt979/245-5100 Home/Ofc.979/244-6774 Cell Phone

979/244-4383 Fax

5473 FM 457Bay City, Texas [email protected]

SGBI Herd 621www.wendtranch.com

“Where Performance is Happening”

S

S

S

S

We are proud to be part of the Official SGBI NuGen program with

the Burton McDaniel family, MC RANCH, and look forward to adding these pure,

new genetics to the breed and our ranch.

The recent drought and severe winter has been brutal and devastated lots of good herds, both commercial and purebred. If you are ready to restock,

now is the time to add uniformity and top quality to your herd. Our Santa Gertrudis registered herd has been built on performance, no pets allowed. Females are fertile, good milkers with sound udders, and top quality. Our heifers will make an excellent foundation for your purebred or Star 5 herd.

These virgin heifers are for sale private treaty at our ranch, give us a call.

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the cattle carried themselves.When it came to weaning time,they were excited with their sizeof their cattle. Any fears of longears not being able to survive inthe harsh winter conditions wentout the window. The Lopez’s knew that they

found a breed of cattle thatwould work for them. Theyknew that they needed to createsome type of market for theirbull calves if they ever expectedto stay in the cattle business. Sothey decided to breed for traitsthat they knew commercialbreeders in their area wouldwant. Ease of calving, low birthweights, moderate frame, andgreat conversion rates is whattheir buyers wanted. It startedout slow but they created theirmarket and over time Moon Val-ley Ranch was the place wherecommercial breeders went tobuy bulls in Santa Rosa Area. It seems simple, raise bulls

and sell them; but talk to anycattleman, raising bulls is easy,selling them consistently yearafter year is the hard part. TheLopez’s were able to do this.They sold commercial breedersbulls and replacement heifers.What seems like an easy task tosomeone from outside of the cat-tle industry, insiders know howhard it is to actually accomplish.

Darrell. “They are real easy keep-ers, and disease resistant. Theirfertility is good, they will calveevery eleven months.”Another strength of the breed

is their performance in cross-breeding programs. “Their hybridvigor is very good,” he explained.“Producers who start using SantaGertrudis genetics will weancalves that weigh 100 to150pounds over their previousweights. Their gainability is alsovery good, they will gain overfour pounds a day in the feedlot.”He also cites their disposition.

“Santa Gertrudis are gentle, andthe best mother breed. They takegood care of their babies andprotect them. Every breed’s dis-position depends on how youtreat them, our cattle have good,gentle disposition. We don’t keepany that cause any problems.”Calving ease is another

strength of the breed, Darrellpointed out. “You always haveone that comes backwards orturned around, but overall theydo really well.”It’s a family operation, includ-

ing Darrell and Shana and theirkids, Casey, 11, who also showsthrough the SGBI junior pro-grams, and Gracey, 7, who isready to get started. The Pitchfords show 20 to 30

of their own cattle at 18 to19

shows a year including the NewMexico State Fair. They recentlyshowed the Reserve NationalChampion Bull and ChampionFemale at the SGBI NationalShow in Fort Worth. In addition,they run Pitchford Cattle Serv-ice, where they break, train andshow cattle for other producers.They handle Santa Gertrudis andAngus cattle. “We do most ofour advertising at shows, we tryto promote and sell what wehave back home,” he noted.The family is very active in the

SGBI. Casey is involved in Jun-ior programs, and Darrell serveson the Board of Directors and asBreed Standards Chairman. Healso serves as First Vice Presi-dent of the Premier Association,a state affiliate of the SGBI.The Pitchfords cattle run on

coastal Bermuda grass, whereyou can run one cow to everythree or four acres as long as youget some rain, he said. The areahas gotten good moisture,including about a foot of snow inmid-February — definitely not atypical occurrence. “It should bea great spring,” Darrell conclud-ed. “It has been really dry thelast couple of years, and we needa break. If we don’t have grass,we can’t have these cows. Itmakes life a whole lot easierwhen we get a little moisture.”�

Not only did they sell bulls,the Lopez’s were the leaders inthe area for local kids in provid-ing show heifers to compete intheir county fair. Sandra is thefamily’s official cattle breaker,feeder, and washer. She reallyloves working with the show cat-tle and teaches the kids how toshow their animals. She spendstime grooming and talking to theheifers. Horacio drives the cattleto the show, but Sandra is theremaking sure the paperwork isdone and that the heifers areready. Not only do they helpyoung kids who would not haveotherwise had the opportunity toshow cattle, but they found away to bring in buyers to thelocal county fair. Most importantly throughout

all of their numerous accom-plishments Horacio and Sandranever forgot where they came

from and their family. There aretwelve Lopez siblings and Hora-cio happens to be number twoout of the bunch. Even thesmallest of family dinners is anevent where a good time is hadby all. It seems like you cannottalk about Horacio and Sandrawithout mentioning their fourdaughters, Denise, Catharine,Angela, and Terese. Horacio said that he wanted a

herd where he could have greatcattle that were functional, ableto survive the winters in Puertode Luna, and where he could sitat window and count his cattle.Sandra and Horacio haveaccomplished that and muchmore. Together they have foundways to take an unknown breedand prove to commercial breed-ers that their cattle make sense.This is why the Moon ValleyRanch, Horacio and SandraLopez and Family are the 2009Rocky Mountain Santa Gertrud-is Family of the Year.

Custom Cattle Feeding at its finest

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Large Animal Vet Med; a Global View

Typically smaller, more rural communities haveno veterinarian, or at least none that will take acalving call or a horse colic emergency.Veterinary schools, veterinary associations, con-

cerned farmers and isolated ranchers continuetheir search for new veterinarians interested inpracticing Food Animal and Equine medicine.While we are searching in our front yard it is possi-ble that the answer is sneaking up behind us.If we look to our fellow professionals in human

medicine, it is not uncommon to find yourselfbeing examined and treated by a foreign-bornphysician. They may have graduated in their nativecountry and/or received a degree in the U.S. Of the22,500 doctorates in the natural sciences and engi-neering awarded by the U.S. universities in 2007,more than half were foreign-born! According tostatistics, 60 percent remain in the U.S. to work.The majority come from Asian lineage. Are theysmarter than us? Better spellers? Genetically moreable to understand Physics, Calculus, Pathology orthe Krebs Cycle? Probably not. I would just saythey are more motivated.To our own social credit, Americans have real-

ized money isn’t everything. Family time, sharing,enjoying life, and dependence on government, cor-porations or unions as a security blanket, have nowbecome our Nirvana. Unfortunately, even if wegraduated twice as many veterinarians in the U.S.and Canada, it would still not reduce our spiralinginability to attract new homegrown DVMs to LargeAnimal practice. As is oft repeated by veterinary

students as to why large animal practice is to beavoided, “The work is too hard and the pay is notenough.” And, we cannot blame them for wantingto “have a life!” So we have to look elsewhere.How about organizing a group of selected

national universities to teach and graduate veteri-narians licensed to practice Large Animal Only(equine and food animal). We actively recruit glob-ally using the same strict scholastic prerequisitesbut with no out-of-state or out-of-country financialpenalties or restrictions. We would also legislatethat no LADVM from this program would beallowed to pursue a further graduate degree withinfive years of graduation.You may ask why I think foreign graduates

would even be interested? Because they know thaton a level playing field they have a 50 percentchance of being accepted . . . and they like compe-tition and they WILL graduate. Is it too soon to beconsidering such an “almost un-American” con-cept? The Irish and Chinese came and built ourrailroads. The Germans built our bomb. The Mexi-cans are building our skyscrapers. The Japanesecame here and made our cars better. Dr. SudesnaBose was Grandpa Tommy’s Parkinson’s doctor.They did not think that the work was too hard andthe pay too little.I can’t say if it’s too soon, but the next time

you’ve got a wounded horse or a C-section in themiddle of the night, and the nearest capable LargeAnimal Veterinarian is two hours away, you mightgive it some thought.

Baxter BLACKO N T H E E D G E O F C O M M O N S E N S E

Family of the Year continued from page nineThe Right Mix continued from page nine


by NICOLA BERKOVIC / The Australian

The U.S. and the EuropeanUnion have reacted withconcern and surprise to theRudd government’s (Aus-

tralian) decision to delay for atleast two years the importationof beef from countries exposedto mad cow disease.Officials from the two major

trading partners respondedstrongly yesterday to AgricultureMinister Tony Burke’s decisionto order a full risk analysis ofbeef imports from countrieswhere bovine spongiformencephalopathy, or mad cow dis-ease, has been reported.The review is aimed at calm-

ing community fears over thelifting last week of a blanket banon beef imports from countriesthat have had the disease.US embassy agricultural

counsellor Grant Pettrie said hisnation was both “surprised andconcerned” about the decision,declaring that US beef was rigor-ously tested and completely safe.Mr. Pettrie said US ambassa-

dor Jeff Bleich would raise theissue in a meeting with Mr.Burke.“US beef is safe,” Mr. Pettrie

said. “Our testing regime is veryrigorous.”He said the US had only had

three cases of BSE, the most

recent being four years ago.European Union delegation

spokesman Roger Camilleri saidAustralia’s decision sent the“wrong signals” on protectionismas world trade ministers tried toconclude the Doha Round offree trade talks. “We’re very sur-prised at the decision and it doesgive us some areas for concern,”he said.Mr. Camilleri said the EU

was surprised because the sci-ence was “very clear” that its beefposed no health risk to Australia.Both EU and US officials

could not comment on the

prospect of a complaint to theWorld Trade Organisation aboutthe two-year review. Mr. Burkesaid recently that the reviewwould not put Australia inbreach of its trade obligations.The initial decision to lift the

ban on beef imports from BSEcountries followed a threat bymeat exporters, including Cana-da, to go to the WTO over unfairtrade barriers.The diplomatic tension came

as Parliamentary Secretary forHealth Mark Butler vowed tointroduce new labelling laws toensure consumers were informed

about the origins of beef andbeef products.He ordered a Food Standards

Australia New Zealand review of

labelling standards and said hewould seek an agreement fromindustry about a new labellingsystem for beef products, includ-ing meat pies.Liberal MP Bill Heffernan

said a Senate inquiry would lookat processed and canned beef

products, which will not be cov-ered by the two-year review.Importation of these products

from countries exposed to BSE

will be able to resume, subject toapproval from FSANZ.Independent senator Nick

Xenophon said the government’stwo-year risk analysis should alsocover processed and canned beefproducts such as Bovril andoxtail soup.

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The initial decision to lift the ban on beef imports from BSE countries followed a threat by meat exporters, including Canada, to go to the WTO over unfair trade barriers.

Adding value to Your calvesby CLAY WRIGHT

Pick up any livestock-relatedpublication these days andyou’ll probably find an arti-cle on adding value to your

calf crop. Subjects might includeselecting bulls to optimize desir-able characteristics in your calves,preconditioning for 30-45 days,implementing age and source ver-ification, managing shrink, pres-entation at marketing, targetingniche markets, etc. These andmany other management prac-tices have the potential to add toyour bottom line. Considerspending some time evaluatingchanges you might make to youroperation in the coming year.Not all enhancements involve

cutting edge technology or newmarket development. Sometimesjust “taking care of business” canbe an enhancement all by itself.For instance, one of the sim-plest, low-tech and often over-looked practices is getting morecalves born earlier in the calvingseason. During the sucklingphase, a calf typically gainsabout two pounds per day; so,for each additional day of age, acalf will weigh about two poundsmore at weaning. How signifi-cant can this be?For ease of figuring, assume an

84-day calving season, with 100calves equally distributed in four21-day periods. What if you wereable to move your calving distri-bution from 25 percent in eachperiod to 40-20-20-10? You areactually shifting 45 calves into anearlier period, making them anaverage of 21 days older at wean-ing. This means an additional1,890 pounds of calf in the wean-

ing pen. Most people would agreean increased saleable weight ofnearly a ton is very significant!Of course, the reality of

change in your operationdepends on how your calving dis-tribution looks now. Assumingthat there is room for improve-ment, how do you begin to shift?This is where the “taking care ofbusiness” factor comes in. Youmust focus on the primaryaspects of management thatmost affect the timing of concep-tion in your herd.

Nutrition:� To minimize the time to

first estrus, the cows should havea body condition score of at least5.5 at calving.

� Maintain a body conditionscore 5 or better through thebreeding season to minimize thenumber of services required forconception.

� Make sure the bulls are inat least a body condition score 6at turn-out.

Health:� Work with your veterinarian

to plan and implement a preven-tative health program for cowsand bulls, especially againstreproductive diseases.

� Have a veterinarian conducta breeding soundness examina-tion of your bulls before thebreeding season.

� Observe bulls during thebreeding season to ensure thatthey remain willing and able toservice the cows.

� Rotate in fresh bulls asneeded and address physicalproblems that may arise.

Program Brings Veterans, Ranchers Together

Horses for Heroes —Cowboy UP!, a SantaFe, N.M. based pro-gram that uses horsesand horseback riding to

help treat soldiers returning fromduty in Iraq and Afghanistan,started working with its firstgroup of soldiers March 20.“We are proud to support the

Horses for Heroes Program, andlook forward to playing a biggerrole as the program grows,” saidBert Ancell, New Mexico CattleGrowers Association (NMCGA)President, Bell Ranch. The NMC-GA voted to support the programat its recent annual meeting. Program founder and former

Green Beret Rick Iannucci start-ed out with a pilot program lastyear. “I saw a big need — sol-diers with post-traumatic stressdisorder (PTSD) are cominghome in droves, and there arefew outlets to help them,” hesaid. “We take regular people,send them over to Iraq andAfghanistan and train them howto fight. Then, we bring themhome, sometimes without even athank you, and expect them to

turn it off and reintegrate auto-matically. It’s not happening.”Today’s veterans see an aver-

age of 1,500 days of combat, andgo directly into combat when theyland on the ground. In World WarII, soldiers saw an average of 120days of combat, and Vietnam Vet-erans saw an average of 240–260days of combat.Horses for Heroes — Cow-

boy UP! is staffed and operatedby volunteers, many who are vet-erans themselves. Participantswill learn to work with, care for,train and ride horses, work cat-tle, and experience the cama-raderie of working with otherveterans and ranchers. “Our pro-gram provides the veterans withthe opportunity to recuperate,recreate and reintegrate intosociety and into our ranchingcommunity and cowboy culture,”Iannucci said.Currently, ranchers including

Mike Hobbs, Express UU BarRanch, Cimarron; Steve Price,Bonanza Creek Ranch, SantaFe; Henry McKinley, StapleCross Ranch, Santa Fe; Christi-na Savitsky, Pecos Bar X Ranch,

Pecos; and Bob Frost, CaprockCreek Ranch, San Jon areinvolved in the program.“Those serving in the armed

forces are making enormous sac-rifices, every day, to keep ourfamilies and country safe,”Ancell said. “As an organizationand as individuals, we are glad todo all we can to help soldierswhen they return home.”The Horses for Heroes —

Cowboy UP! program is the onlyprogram of this type nationallythat is endorsed by the Military

Order of the Purple Heart,according to Iannucci. “We wantto show people what is possible,not what is probable,” he said. Anyone interested in becoming

a program partner can contactHorses For Heroes — CowboyUP! through the website atwww.horsesforheroes.org or www.horsesforheroes.blogspot.org. Theprogram depends on donations,and hay, saddles and good work-ing ranch horses are always need-ed. Online contributions can alsobe made through the websites.

Anger at beef import delay


Caren Cowan, NMCGA Execu-tive Director, Albuquerque. “Thepetition that was provided to thepublic on the NMED websitestated that there were 700 milesof perennial streams. However,one WQCC commissioner whoquestioned the basis of the peti-tion stated that his material cov-ered 900 miles of these streams.When we asked for clarificationon that point, we were complete-ly ignored.”The WQCC also ignored a

Memorial carried by Representa-tive Debbie Rodella, Espanolaand passed by the 2009 NewMexico Legislature and signedby Governor Richardson “to can-cel or suspend the outstandingnational resource waters designa-tion process. . . ,” pointed outDon L. (Bebo) Lee, NMFLCPresident, Alamogordo.“This sweeping designation in

an attempt to control water inNew Mexico has been the sub-ject of numerous legislative hear-ings,” Lee said. “But the Legisla-ture continues to be ignored bythe state agencies involved, andapparently the WQCC.”The WQCC is made up of the

heads (or their designees) of sev-eral state agencies, including theNMED, NMDGF and NMEM-NRD, all of whom are appointedby the Governor. The publicmembers on the Commissionare also appointed by the Gover-nor, which certainly appears tobe a conflict of interest and dueprocess testified Mike Nivison, aformer Otero County Commis-sioner and mayor of Cloudcroft.Ernest Torres, La Jara, requestedthat the petitioning agencyheads recuse themselves fromthe vote on the petition. OnlyTod Stevenson, NMDGF Direc-tor, heeded the request.An ONRW is a designation

under the federal Clean WaterAct aimed at protecting the

statement by the acting Chair-man of the Commission,NMED employee CarlosRomero, that the only duty ofthe Commission in regard to thispetition was to set a date forhearing rather than criticallyreview and ensure that the inter-ests of all New Mexicans arebeing protected.”

Vigorous objection, completewith substantial documentationilluminating the fact the petitionwas deficient in scientific basis,was provided by a wide variety ofrural and agricultural groupsincluding the New Mexico Cat-tle Growers’ Association (NMC-GA); the New Mexico WoolGrowers, Inc. (NMWGI); theNew Mexico Federal LandsCouncil (NMFLC), the North-ern New Mexico Stockmen’sAssociation (NNMSA), the NewMexico Farm & LivestockBureau (NMFLB), and the NewMexico Acequia Association andCommission as well as represen-tatives of Rio Arriba County,Otero County, and a SandovalCounty ditch association andprivate citizens.A basic question regarding

how many miles of perennialstreams are covered by the peti-tion went unanswered, noted

This was the third rendition ofthe petition by the New MexicoEnvironment Dept. (NMED),the New Mexico Game & FishDepartment (NMDGF) and theNew Mexico Energy, Minerals &Natural Resources Department(NMEMNRD) since the Wild -Earth Guardians, the New Mexi-co Wildlife Federation, the New

Mexico Wilderness Alliance andthe Sierra Club, first petitionedthe WQCC for ONRW designa-tion in late 2006 — then trying todesignate all waters within road-less areas within U.S. ForestService lands in New Mexico.That action was followed by a2008 Earth Day proclamation byGovernor Bill Richardson claim-ing that more than 5,000 miles ofstreams should receive theONRW designation, accordingto Bert Ancell, New Mexico Cat-tle Growers’ Association Presi-dent, Bell Ranch.“The petition and the fact that

it was accepted by the WQCC istroubling on many levels,” Ancellsaid. “Most disturbing is that theCommission didn’t follow its’own guidance in determiningwhether or not the petition metthe prescribed scientific criteriafor such designation.“Equally troubling was a

nation’s most pristine surfacewaters by prohibiting any reduc-tion of water quality from thetime the designation is approved.“The WildEarth Guardians

make no bones on their websitethat their goal is to permanently

curtail or eliminate activities likeroad-building, logging, off-roadvehicle use and livestock graz-ing,” said Jim Cooper, NMWGIPresident, Arabella. “Once thiscampaign succeeds in New Mex-ico they clearly state that theyintend to implement the samestrategy in other western states.”Another interesting aspect to

the petition is that under theWilderness Act of 1964, congres-sionally delegated WildernessAreas are “. . . untrammeled byman, where man himself is a vis-itor who does not remain . . .”

and all of the activities men-tioned by the WildEarthGuardians, with the exception oflivestock grazing, are alreadyprohibited, Cooper continued.The WQCC set a hearing on

the petition in mid-September,

anticipating that the hearing willlast several days. At the hearing,sponsoring agencies will put ontheir case for the designation, allfunded by New Mexican taxpay-ers, while citizens and their rep-resentative groups will be forcedto raise tens of thousands of dol-lars to hire attorneys and expertwitnesses in an attempt to per-suade the Commission that thestate environmental and wildlifeagencies have no basis for theirpetition.

For more info. on this issue, please visit www.nmagriculture.org .

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State Agents Accept EnvironmentalistPetition To Control Waters

In a potentially devastating move for rural New Mexico and theagriculture industry in particular, at their March 2010 meetingthe New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission (WQCC)accepted a petition that could lead to the blanket designation ofsome 1,450 miles of running streams and dry creek beds as well

as lakes and wetlands within Wilderness Areas as OutstandingNational Resource Waters (ONRW). The vote was solidly splitbetween urban and rural representatives, with the rural contingentopposed to accepting the petition.

not have won the Super Bowl because we’d stillbe waiting for United Nations approval toinvade a foreign country: The Midwest. TheWilderness Society would never have stood forour scouting the wilderness.Had NAFTA been in place America would,

along with neighbors to the North and South,been just a part of the United Provinces ofMexico. Our soccer and curling teams might bebetter but can you imagine our cuisine or ourlanguage? Cod tacos, eh?Thomas Jefferson wouldn’t have sent Lewis

and Clark on their epic journey without a PortaPotty every 100 yards and can you imagine thereaction of the Sierra Club and Defenders ofWildlife when they heard that Lewis and Clarkhad picked wildflowers and shot wolves? Animalrightists would never have stood for the moun-tain men, who were so instrumental in discover-ing unknown parts of this continent, to trapbeavers. PETA would have thrown paint on Jer-emiah Johnson for wearing fur.California would still be speaking Spanish,

(even more than they already do) if those

migrating to the Golden State had not beenallowed to cut firewood in a forest, shoot wolvesand bears, or go to the bathroom on publicland. Westward Ho! would have been WesternHalt! because the US Humane Society and theHollywood community would have stopped theimmigrants in their tracks for abusing the oxen,horses and mules that pulled their wagons ontheir way west. The 49’ers would have beenthrown in jail for creating a Superfund site,even though the money from the gold in Cali-fornia and the silver in Nevada helped pay forthe Civil War which ended slavery. We’d all behomebodies today, still living in the originalcolonies, because railroads would never havebeen allowed to chop down forests for railroadties, or to hire nonunion Chinese and immi-grant Irishmen without OSHA breathing downtheir necks.Remember that glorious moment when

astronaut Armstrong stepped out from hisspacecraft, taking one giant leap for mankind?Well, that was before global warming. Al Gorewould have said Armstrong’s historic leapwould create a huge carbon footprint and ourspace program never would have got off theground.

Riding Herd continued from page one

“This sweeping designation in an attempt to control water in New Mexico has been the subject of numerous legislative hearings.”

The WildEarth Guardians make no bones on theirwebsite that their goal is to permanently curtail or eliminate activities like road-building, logging,

off-road vehicle use and livestock grazing.


by MIRANDA REIMAN / Black Ink

“Too much fun — what’s thatmean?

It’s like too much money; there’s nosuch thing.

It’s like a girl too pretty, with toomuch class;

Being too lucky, or a car too fast.No matter what they say I’ve done,

well I ain’t never had too much fun.”

Country music fans knowthat comes from a songpopular in the mid-1990s,but it seems the lyrics could

be altered to fit today’s beefbusiness:

“Too much quality — what’s thatmean?

It’s like too much money; there’s nosuch thing.

It’s like a bull too good, or toomuch hay;

Neighbors too friendly, calvesbringing too much pay.

No matter what the other cattlemade, well I ain’t never seen toomuch grade.”

It was just three years agowhen industry experts were point-ing to a 30-year decline in beefquality. Barely more than half ofthe cattle were grading USDAChoice, but today the picture ismuch different. Improvements ingenetics, ration changes and bet-ter feeding conditions all led to a

rise in quality to where Choicecattle made up 60 percent of thetotal last spring. Recent weeksfind that nationwide numbercloser to 65 percent.That seems like happy news

for an industry that seemed to bespinning its wheels, actually los-ing ground in the consumeracceptance arena. But now thatthe quality surge appears steadyand strong, rather than just ananomaly in the data or a seasonalspike, some wonder if it’s toomuch of a good thing.Don’t be fooled. Few other

businesses can get by with thementality that mostly Choice isgood enough. At the implementdealer, getting an acceptableproduct just over half the timewouldn’t sit well with you. Whatif your coveralls or rubber bootsmet your expectations 6 out of 10times you bought them? Youwouldn’t choose that brand again.That’s no different than pick-

ing beef as your protein source.You may feel an allegiance, aduty, to have a steak or burgerwhen you dine out, but millions ofconsumers only connect to theflavor, juiciness and tenderness.Surely 65 percent Choice isn’t toomuch of good thing in their eyes.Evaluating the economics

might leave you puzzled then.The Choice/Select spread hasslipped from its record levels of a

Many beef herds are toosmall to implementstandard crossbreedingsystems. Using compos-

ite cattle might be an advantageto smaller-scale producers whohave single-sire herds because itcan simplify for them the use ofbreed combinations for theirproduction environments.A composite is a hybrid breed

made up of at least two compo-nent breeds, explained BrettBarham, Ph.D., an Extensionlivestock specialist for the Uni-versity of Arkansas. Its designretains heterosis in future gener-ations without a complicatedcrossbreeding program, and pro-ducers can maintain the geneticcomposition as they would witha pure breed.Employing composite seed-

stock provides a dependablestrategy to maintaining uniformi-ty without sacrificing productionpotential as you do with theinbreeding and linebreeding nec-essary to produce purebred ani-mals.“Once producers establish a

composite, and random (closed-herd) mating occurs among cat-tle with a similar breed makeup,the resulting heterosis should beconstant,” Barham said. “Themain disadvantage of using com-posite breeds is the lack of exten-sive performance data to com-pare individuals.”The seedstock sector rapidly

is mitigating that drawback, saidBob Hough, Ph.D., executive

vice president for the NorthAmerican Limousin Foundation(NALF). For example, NALFmaintains pedigree and perform-ance records for its Lim�Flex®(Limousin and Angus or RedAngus) hybrid seedstock just asit does for its fullblood and pure-bred animals.In fact, NALF conducts its

semiannual International Limou-sin Genetic Evaluation in coop-eration with Angus Genetics Inc.(AGI) to help overcome anyshortfall in performance data forthe Lim�Flex population.“The improved hereditary ties

to Angus seedstock make geneticpredictions for Lim�Flex animalsthe most timely and reliable ofany for Angus-influenced com-posite seedstock,” she stated.“No other multibreed geneticevaluation in the world morethoroughly incorporates per-formance information from twopopulations of animals as doesAGI’s work for NALF.”Accurately described seed-

stock resources are paramount tothe success of a crossbreedingprogram, Hough added.“Our more accurate account-

ing for past and present-dayAngus genetics not onlyenhances predictions forLim�Flex animals but also for ourpurebreds and fullbloods,” hesaid, “so our hybrid seedstockoffer the advantages of accurategenetic predictions, heterosisand breed complementarity inone package.”

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• Grass Seed Available• Distributor of Teff Seeds

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few years ago, and producersselling on a grid might get dis-couraged.Take a closer look and you’ll

find the reason for a lower pricespread between Choice andSelect: That ratio typically justincludes low Choice, perhapsonly a couple of marbling flecksbetter than Select. That’sbecause nearly all of the premi-um Choice beef has gone intobranded products.There’s a larger and more sta-

ble premium out there for higherChoice and Prime brands. Andstudy after study has proven thatit doesn’t cost any more to aimfor quality.Plus, market signals need

time to adjust. Cow numbers areshrinking and all of these con-sumers that have developed ataste for Choice and better beefare going to continue craving it.The result? An increased premi-um, especially if your neighbordecides he’s put too much quali-ty in his herd.As the economy continues to

recover, pent-up consumerdemand should drive up theincentive for hitting qualitymarks.Some years you might actual-

ly get too much rain. Althoughthe green pastures are appreciat-ed, if you can’t get hay put up orthe wet weather causes problemswith mud and sickness youmight think, “Enough isenough.” When you’re trying tobuild your herd numbers, toomany male calves can be a chal-lenge, or too much “attitude” ina cow. But too much grade?That’s just a myth.

Managing Weak Calvesby DR. CHARLES L. STOLTENOW,North Dakota State University Extension Veterinarian

Weak born calves can be caused by anumber of different infectious andnon-infectious conditions. This springthe most probable cause of weak

calves will be related to physical condition ofthe cow. The thinner the cow or heifer, themore likely the occurrence of weak calves.That’s only the first hurdle. The second will

be the immune status of the calf during the ear-ly days of its life.Neonatal calves depend on the cow for all

physical and mental development prior to calv-ing. All muscle tissue, nerve fibers, and energyreserves present in the calf are dependent onthe nutritional status of the cow. Cold weatherand snow have significantly increased the pro-tein and energy requirements of the cow.The best cure for weak calves is prevention.

Cows and heifers in good condition (body con-dition score of 5 or 6) have stronger calves thancows and heifers in thin condition (body condi-tion score of 3 or 4).These calves stand quicker and nurse sooner.

Cows and heifers in good condition also pro-duce more colostrum than cows and heifers inthin condition. For adequate production ofmuscle, nervous tissue, and energy reserves inthe calves, cows and heifers need adequate pro-tein and energy in their diet.Whether or not a calf is born weak, all calves

require colostrum soon after calving to have afighting chance of survival. Colostrum, the firstmilk from the dam, is high in immunoglobulinsor antibodies.Calves are born with a limited immune sys-

tem and are dependant on their mothers tosupply antibodies needed during the first sixweeks of life.A calf needs to consume about 5-6 percent

of its body weight within the first six hours oflife and again before 12 hours of life. For an 80-pound calf this is approximately 2 quarts ofcolostrum per feeding. Why is this important?Because the calf’s digestive tract undergoes“intestinal closure.” Specialized absorptive cellsin the calf’s gut are sloughed and the transportof antibodies from inside the gut to the circula-tory system inside the calf is no longer possible.Since the calf cannot produce its own antibod-ies until about four to six weeks of age, it istotally dependant on antibodies derived fromthe colostrum for protection in its early life.What do you do if there is no source of

colostrum for the calf, such as the cow or heiferdies, or the colostrum leaked out of the udderbefore the calf was born? Cow-calf producersshould have a source of colostrum identifiedbefore going into the calving season. Colostrumcan be stored by freezing. Colostrum can beobtained from late-term cows or heifers whichhave a stillborn calf, from heavy producing cows(but make sure its calf receives adequatecolostrum before taking any), from some dairyfarms, and colostrum supplements which canprovide substantial doses of antibodies to new-born calves are available from veterinarians andveterinary outlets.Whatever the colostrum source, the same

time constraints are in effect. The colostrumshould be consumed within the first 6-12 hoursof life of the calf. The key to assuring adequatecolostrum for your calf crop is being prepared.

Too much grade? Composite seedstock cansimplify crossbreeding


Qualified Broker: A.H. (Jack) MerrickSales Agents: Charles May, Koletta Hays, Kercida Merrick

GIVE US A CALL OR STOP BY. LET US WORK FOR YOU!

What a Place! Only 320 acres but really improved. 2 brickhomes, several large barns, well-watered with 2 wells. Excellentturf, very accessible. Horse friendly.

Very Nice Smaller Ranch – Has brick 3 bedroom, 2 bath homeplus a smaller hand house, shop building, hay barn, livestockscales, large steel pens with some feed bunks, working chutes,overhead bulk feed storage, outside fencing (mostly new 5-wiresteel post), 1141 acres of excellent turf, and 2 pastures cross-fencedwith drinkers. In all, this is a great opportunity for someone.

CPR LAND AVAILABLE

Buena VistaREALTY521 W. 2nd, Portales, NM 88130 • 575/226-0671 • Fax 575/226-0672

VIEW THE WEBSITE FOR FULL PICTURESAND DETAILS ON THESE AND OTHER

LISTINGS: WWW.BUENAVISTA-NM.COM

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.

[email protected] • 432/683-0990 • 432/349-8448

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!

Scottand co.Ranch & Farm Real Estate

Ben G. Scott, Krystal M. Nelson–Brokers • 800/933-9698 day/night • www.scottlandcompany.com

L1301 Front St.Dimmitt, TX79027

We need your listings both large and small, all types of ag properties (ESPECIALLY CRP).

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

EASTERN N.M.: Approx. 30 sections mostly deeded some BLM and State, employeehousing and two sets of steel pens, county maintained, all weather road. Your cows willthink they are in Florida!

to the New Mexico border in2005. Work on a highly contro-versial fence has started acrossthe more than 2,000 miles of theborder. Unfortunately there hasbeen no uniform and consistenteffort over the expanse of theborder. As more attention is paidto one area, the traffic simplymoves down the border to a lesssecure portion.

Those who don’t live with theproblem day in and day out haveattempted to minimize the prob-lem calling for human rights con-siderations for the illegals andopen corridors for sometimesnon-existent wildlife.

Sadly enough, it was Krentz’wife, Sue, who was the voice forwhat is now clearly a nationalproblem. Unfortunately it is sheand her family who are sufferingthe consequences of her pleasfalling on deaf ears.

The problems with control ofthe border are staggering andsimply unbelievable in this age of

technology and instant gratifica-tion. There are those who lay theblame on the shoulders of theBorder Patrol. Yet the men andwomen who have taken up thisduty don’t even have the most ofbasic of equipment, like mapsand binoculars.

Instead of patrolling the bor-der that is the width of a fence,they are stationed tens of milesfrom the border, heading back tohome-bases on routine shifts.Not only are there no cell towersor sometimes even land lines tostations in the border region,there is no radio communicationbetween Border Patrol sectors.

This must change immediate-ly. Properly trained and equippedindividuals representing lawenforcement agencies at everylevel must be communicatingwith the solid mission of securingthe border.

The New Mexico Congres-sional delegation including Sena-tors Tom Udall and Jeff Binga-

Rancher’s Murder continued from page oneman, as well as CongressmanHarry Teague, led the battle forsanity on the border by calling forforward operating bases at theborder to offer protection. Mem-bers of the news media havecalled the border situation themost under-reported story in thecountry.

Rob Krentz was a kind andquiet man who wanted nothingmore from life than the ability tolive on and care for the land, rais-ing a family and livestock just ashis forefathers did. He would notnecessarily be pleased with theattention he is getting in death.But those who knew and lovedhim are determined that his losswill not be in vain.

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

[email protected]

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


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 and

SCHOOLS - $1,800,000 – WANT OFFER -CAN ADD CUSTOMHOME 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 • [email protected]

“EAGER SELLERS”

Cattle Ranch For Sale

Located in Southeastern New Mexico approximately25 miles west of Jal, N.M. along and on both sides

of N.M. State Hwy. 128 situated in both Eddy and LeaCounties. 28,666 total acres with 2,250 deeded. BLMgrazing permit for 370 AUYL. Eleven pastures andtraps. No cattle since March, excellent grass. Headquar-ters with residence, shop, hay barn and shipping penswith scales. Price: $985,000

Contact: Scott McNally, Qualifying Broker, 575/622-5867www.ranchesnm.com

Bar MREAL ESTATE

P.O. BOX 428 • ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO 88202

FARM PORTIONUNDER AGREEMENT

D A N D E L A N E YR E A L E S T A T E , L L C318 W. Amador Ave. • Las Cruces, N.M. 88005(O) 575/647-5041 • (C) 575/[email protected] • www.zianet.com/nmlandman

WAHOO RANCH:– Approximately 41,376 acres: 12,000 deeded, 6,984 BLM, 912state, 40 uncontrolled and 21,440 forest. Beautiful cattle ranch located on theeast slope of the Black Range Mountains north of Winston, N.M., on StateRoad 52. Three hours from either Albuquerque or El Paso.The ranch isbounded on the east by the Alamosa Creek Valley and on the west by theWahoo Mountains ranging in elevation from 6,000' to 8,796'. There are 5houses/cabins, 3 sets of working corrals (2 with scales) and numerous shopsand outbuildings. It is very well watered with many wells, springs, dirt tanksand pipelines. The topography and vegetation is a combination of grass cov-ered hills (primarily gramma grasses), with many cedar, piñon and live oakcovered canyons as well as the forested Wahoo Mountains. There are plentifulelk and deer as well as antelope, turkey, bear, mountain lion and javelina (49elk tags in 2008). Absolutely one of the nicest combination cattle/huntingranches to be found in the SW. Price reduced to $7,500,000.

SAN JUAN RANCH: Located 10 miles south of Deming off Hwy. 11 (ColumbusHwy) approximately 26,964 total acres consisting of 3,964± deeded, 3,800±state lease, 14,360± BLM and 4,840± Uncontrolled. The allotment is for 216head (AUYL). There are 278± acres of ground water irrigation rights (not cur-rently being farmed) as well as 9 solar powered stock wells and metal storagetanks and approx. 6½ miles pipeline. The ranch begins on the north end at thebeautiful Mahoney Park high up in the Florida mountains and runs 5½ milesdown the mountains to their south end. It continues another 7½ miles southacross their foothills and onto the flats. The ranch has a very diverse landscapewith plentiful wildlife including quail, dove, rabbits, deer and ibex. Lots ofpotential and a good buy at $1,200,000.

46-ACRE FARM located in San Miguel. Full EBID irrigation and supplementalwell. Bounded by Highway 28 on the east, County Road B-041 on the southand County Road B-010 on the west. Priced at $14,000/acre – $644,000.

212 ACRE FARM BETWEEN LAS CRUCES, N.M. AND EL PASO, TEXAS:Hwy. 28frontage with 132 acres irrigated, 80 acres sandhills, full EBID (surface water)plus a supplemental irrigation well, cement ditches and large equipmentwarehouse. Reasonably priced at $2,000,000.

50.47-ACRE FARM: Located on Afton Road south of La Mesa, N.M. Pavedroad frontage, full EBID (surface water) plus a supplemental irrigation wellwith cement ditches. Priced at $14,500/acre — $731,815.

BEAUTIFUL 143.81-ACRE NORTH VALLEY FARM located in Las Cruces, N.M.next to the Rio Grande River. Great views of the Organ Mountains. Cementditches, 2 irrigation wells and EBID. Two older houses and 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 (sur-face water rights from the Rio Grande River) and several have supplementalirrigation wells. If you are interested in farm land in Doña Ana County, giveme a call.

Crane Creek Ranch: Tehama County, 556 acres. Two smallhomes, winter range. West of Red Bluff.Priced at $975,000.Wilson Ranch: Modoc County, 487 acres, house, barn, summer range. Surprise Valley, Calif. Priced at$950,000.Willow Springs Ranch: Shasta County, 1,470 acres, barn, two homes, Cottonwood Creek frontage. Make offer.Pasture Ranch: Modoc County, 427 acres, nice home, 400 acres irrigated.2.5 miles Pit River frontage, priced at$1,600,000.Fisher Ranch: Modoc County, 2,808 acres, 465 irrigated, USFS andBLM permits, older nice home, 200 cowsincluded. Priced at 2,999,000.Hooker Creek Ranch: TehamaCounty, 1,023 acres, winter range, largeponds, recreation, electric, well, septic,telephone. Priced at $1,095,000.

Rubicon Ranch: Tehama County,2,082 acres, Hunting Ranch, pigs, deer,quail dove. Ponds and creek. Priced at$1,350,000.Spring Meadow Ranch: ShastaCounty, 160 acres, water rights, 50 acresirrigated, large home, swimming pool,barn, shop. Priced at $699,000.Trinity River Ranch: TrinityCounty, 117 acres, 5,000 ft. Trinity River frontage, excellent trout fishing.Priced at $665,000.Kelley Ranch: Modoc County, 658 acres, 156 acres irrigated, threehouses, barn, shop. Priced at $900,000Paskenta Ranch: Tehama County,487 acres, house, corrals, barns. Approx.200 acres, class one soil. New well, nursery-orchard. Priced at $1,795,000Horse Ranch: Tehama County. 26+acres, 14 acres irrigated, house, corrals,120x200 covered arena. 140 ft. cuttingarena, 16-stall barn, Cottonwood Creek frontage. Priced at $1,350,000

CALIFORNIA RANCHES FOR SALE R.G. DAVIS, BROKER

Properties and Equities

19855 S. Main St.P.O. Box 1020

Cottonwood, CA 96022Office: 530/347-9455

Fax: 530/[email protected]

THANKS! to these progressive ranch realtors

who have a super selection of properties available in their “Sunday suits”after the wet winter.Please call on these

folks for all your real estate needs.

THE LIVESTOCK MARKET DIGEST

Real EstateGUIDE


Idaho-OregonCall 208/345-3163 for catalog.

KNIPE

LAND CO.

RANCHESFARMSCOM’L.

Established1944

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

MURNEY ASSOC., REALTORSSPRINGFIELD, MO 65804

5 Acres – Log home. Price Decrease: 3,800 sq. ft. loghome, 6 br, 4 BA on 6 acres m/l. 35 x 68 bunkhouse/class-room heated and 1 BA. 1/2 mile from Gasconade Riverand Wetstone Creek. Many possibilities for this property. Mountain Grove schools. Asking $170,000. MLS#814022

483 Acres, Hunter Mania: Nature at his best. Dont missout on this one. Live water (two creeks). 70+ acres open inbottom hayfields and upland grazing. Lots of timber (mar-ketable and young) for the best hunting and fishing (TableRock, Taney Como and Bull Shoals Lake) Really cute 3-bd.,1-ba stone home. Secluded yes, but easy access to Forsyth-Branson, Ozark and Springfield. Property joins National For-est. MLS#908571

90 Acres: Just north of Phillipsburg off I-44. 80 percentopen, pond and a well. Build your dream home and enjoy.MLS#910997

See all my listings at: pmcgilliard.murney.com

I have been advertising

with the Livestock

Market Digest for over

20 years. I continue

because I get return calls,

and a great investment

on my advertising

dollars. Prices are

reasonable.

Debbie Cisneros is

very personable. She

goes out of her way to

help me with my

advertising needs —

more than any other ad rep.

— Thank you —

PAUL McGILLIARD

SOLD

Wild West Properties, L.L.C.

THE GOLDEN RULE ISN’T JUST A RULE; IT’S A WAY OF LIFE.

Give me a call or see our website for the following properties:

RANDY J. WOOD, Qualifiying Broker • O: 505/980-8019 • F: 505/823-2262Email: [email protected] • www.wildwestproperties.com

Extraordinary 39,000Deeded Acre HuntingRanch 474-Acre Hunting Paradise near Luna, NM (under contract)66-Acre MRGCD irrigated farm south of Veguita, NM145-Head Cattle Ranch near Magdalena, NM2,800-Acre Cattle Ranchnear Quemado, NM(pending offer)

9,400-Acre Ranch next to Capitan, NM 14-Acre MRGCD irrigated farm near Las Nutrias, NM 190-Acre Irrigated Horse Ranch near Ruidoso, NM 500-Head Cattle Ranch near Trinidad, CO. 3,200-Acre Ranch near Marquez, New Mexico

7400 Gila Rd. NEAlbuquerque, NM 87109

PALMILLODRAW24 SECTIONS, NEW MEXICO STATE LEASE

GOOD WATER SYSTEM

GOOD FACILITIES AND FENCES

NICE HEADQUARTERS

READY FOR YOUR CATTLE

$665,000Affordable Ranches In Southeast New Mexico

Call: BErry Lucas575/361-7980

For the best selection of Ranches and Farms in the Southwest checkout our website!

W W W . A Z R A N C H R E A L E S T A T E . C O M

WE HAVE AGENTS SCATTERED OUT ALL ACROSS TWO STATES TO SERVE YOU!We have one-acre

horse properties right on up to

high-production, high-yield

Ranches and Farms!

MAIN OFFICE: 40070 W. Hwy 84P.O. Box 1, Stanfield, AZ 85172

Toll-Free: 866/424-9173 • F: 520/424-3843

JIM OLSON Designated Broker – ArizonaQualifying Broker – New Mexico

www.azranchrealestate.comwww.nmranchrealestate.com

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Listing and selling for ranchers the past 33 years .Licensed in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, and Oklahoma

MYRL GOODWIN(C) 806/570-7171 • (O) 806/655-71716101 W. Country Club Rd., Canyon, TX 79015

Live on a beautiful scenic small ranch, minutes from Raton, NM, nearTinaja Peak and close to I-25. It’s one hour from Angel Fire Ski Resort,and only 15 miles from the NRA Whittington Center Headquarters andthe Raton Airport, which can handle private jets. New race track andcasino to open this year in Raton. Mountain views and privacy, 702acres, large historic 4,800 sq. ft. home with all the amenities (must seeto believe). New barn, shop with 2 bedroom guest apartment, workingarena, round pen, etc. Good grass for horses and livestock, and huntingfor antelope. Rugged canyons offer additional hunting for elk, deer andbear. Brochure available. Asking price: $1,950,000.

Co-exclusive listing with Charles S. Middleton and Son.

W.I.N. REALTY Thanks our Sellers & Buyers for your Listings & Closings of these New Mexico Ranches in 2009-2010:

• /P Ranch – Quay Co., approx. 10.000 ac. • Walking 5 – DeBaca Co., approx.12,000 ac.• West Camp – DeBaca Co., approx. 10,000

FEATURED LISTING: TINAJA RANCH – NEW MEXICO DREAM RANCH

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NEVADA RANCHES and FARMS

Bottari Realtywww.bottarirealty.com • [email protected]

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

Out West Realty Network Affiliate

Spring Sheep Range: This should be a Great Investment property,ideal for a 1031 Exchange! Deeded Sheep Base in Elko, Co.:10,716 deeded acres plus a 29% public BLM permit in themountains just northeast of Elko. Fifty percent of the mineralrights included. Good spring and summer range for sheepand cattle. Annual lease income, plus inexpensive Ag taxes.Price: $1,393,080.

Dawley Creek Ranch: Located in one of the most beautifulranching valleys of the West “Ruby Valley”. Set at the foot of theMajestic Ruby Mountains with approx. 1,100 acres of lush mead-ows and good private pasture. This ranch has approx. 6,000deeded acres. Approx. 700 acres are currently being cut formeadow hay plus 200 acres under pivots with Alfalfa/OrchardGrass hay. This ranch runs approx. 500 pair plus heifers and bullsyear long, and around 30 head of horses. No water fights in thiscase as the water doesn’t run off the ranch, but rather fills a SnowWater lake called Franklin Lake. This ranch has been a target forConservation easements. Contingent upon being able to com-plete a 1031 exchange into another acceptable property.

Waddy Creek Ranch: Located in a remote Nevada Ranching Val-ley called Charleston which sits at the foot of the Jarbridge Wilder-ness which is part of the Humboldt National Forest. The ranch isbounded on two sides by Forest. There is no power in the Valley,but there is land line phone. Two creeks provide irrigation water forapprox .138 acres of historic meadow. This property has quakingaspen groves and is quite beautiful. Access is on a County Road.There is a BLM grazing permit attached to the ranch for 71 head.Price: Reduced to $450,000.

Indian Creek Ranch: White Pine County, Nevada. This is a greatproperty for a hunter as it is surrounded by Public Lands and hasplentiful mule deer, antelope and elk. There is a large spring arisingon high ground that could provide pressure for hydro power, or grav-ity flow domestic or irrigation water. This is an old historic ranch baseand can provide summer pasture for cattle or horses and includesapprox. 200 acres in three separate parcels. Piñon pine and Utahjuniper plus some cottonwood, willows and quaking aspen. Very sce-nic. Approx. 1/2 mile off county-maintained road. Price $425,000.

Lamoile Ranch at the foot of the Rubies. 138+ acres with two gravityflow pivots for irrigation; modern manufactured home; second manu-factured home, cabin, large shop and separate barn. A 25% ownershipin larger adjoining parcel on the mountain. Truly a unique property!

Home Ranch in O’Neil Basin: Beautiful ranch with two creeks andadjoining BLM permits in northeastern Elko Co. This ranch consistsof approx. 887 deeded acres with around 500 acres irrigated. Goodimprovements with larger two-story ranch house, a cookhouse withtwo bedrooms and a bunkhouse with three bedrooms. Nice horsebarn, a calving barn, corrals and scales. Price: $1,675,000.

Blois Ranch: South of Wells. This 160 acre has a two-story homewith 3 bedrooms and two baths and a large barn. Power. Could bemade into nice small ranch property. Priced to sell at $225,000.

Mason Mountain Ranch: Great summer ranch with 3,700 deededacres plus small BLM permit. Located approx. 75 miles north ofElko. Runs approx. 300 pair for the summer. Approx. 89 acres ofmeadows irrigated with water stored in reservoir/fishing hole whichalso acts as Red Band Trout hatchery. Home and outbuildings fora good cow camp. Phone, but no power. Price: $1,575,000.

PAUL D. BOTTARI, BROKER

LOOKING TO SELL YOUR FARM, RANCH, OR RURAL HOME?Call me today. As a fellow farm owner and operator, I understand the unique challenges faced by agriculture and am here to help you in meeting your goals,

whether buying or selling.

PAUL STOUT, QUALIFYING BROKER 3352 State Road 209, Broadview, NM 88112

O: 575/357-2060 • C: 575/760-5461F: 575/357-2050 • [email protected]

www.firstalternativerealty.com

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

LEE, LEE & PUCKITTASSOCIATES INC.

KEVIN C. REED

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

RanchersServing

Ranchers

Texas andNew Mexico

RANCHSALES &APPRAISALS

TEXAS and OKLAHOMA FARMS and RANCHES

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

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

[email protected]

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

• 632-acre CATTLE and HUNTING,N.E. Texas ranch, elaboratehome, one-mile highway frontage.OWNER FINANCE at $2,200/ac.

• 274 acres in the shadow of Dallas.Secluded lakes, trees, excellentgrass. Hunting and fishing, dreamhome sites. $3,850/ac.

• 126 ac. jewel on Red River, Tex. –Nice river frontage, irrigation well,excellent soils for crops, nurserystock, cattle grazing, you name it!$3,250/ac.

• 1,700-acre classic N.E. Texascattle and hunting ranch. $2,750/ac.Some mineral production.

• Texas Jewel, 7,000 ac. –1,000 per ac., run cow to 10 ac.

• 126 ac. – Red River Co., Tex.Home, barns, pipe fence. $225,000.

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

New Mexico HomeRanch RealtyJoe Cox, Qualifying Broker • 130 Cougar Rd., Carlsbad, NM 88220

O: 575/981-2427 • www.nmhomeranch.com • [email protected]

NEW LISTING: Approx. 60 ac farm located close to Carlsbad, N.M. Lazer-levelled in ’08 and planted in alfalfa. 55ac of CID water rights. Cement ditch-es with metal head gates. Approximately 5-6 cuttings yearly. La Paloma Ranch: 10 miles SW of Carlsbad, N.M. 604-head BLM ranch hasa mixture of flats and hills. Good road access but still a horseback ranch. 54sections of state, BLM and private. Projected water sales for next year of$100K+. Priced at an affordable $3,150 au. Good headquarters, scales andcovered working chute. Crooked Creek Ranch: Well maintained 585 BLM permitted SE NewMexico ranch. A working ranch with good headquarters, improvements.Located 25 miles SW of Hope, N.M. Well watered with lots of storage. Goodimprovements. Four-BR home, roping arena, and large barns. Part of ranchhas controlled access for hunting and could be developed as another sourceof income. Affordably priced at $3,168 a cow unit. Co-listed with Dave Kern,Kern Land, Inc., Clovis NM.

NATIONAL 4-H COUNCIL KICKSOFF 4-H GIVE2VOTE CHALLENGEDuring the month of April YOU can join theChallenge by texting CLOVER to 50555 togive $10 to support 4-H in your state or you

can make a secure, online donation at www.4-H.org

Priced at $3,000,000 for this turnkey operation. If serious, call for terms. Would like to do a 1031 exchange. Motivated Seller BWP.

970/878-4331 evenings or leave message

HAY RANCH FOR SALEIN EASTERN UTAH

• 1,139 acres total• 715 acres under pivots or wheel lines

• Produces 3,000-ton alfalfa hay/year• Nice house + 3-bedroom trailer house + 2-bedroom bunk house

• Excellent set of corrals• Excellent water rights

• Cuts 3-4 crops of high-quality alfalfa hay per year

• Heated shop + Large machine shed + Storage and outbuildings

• 30,000 bushel grain storage• Complete set of good farming equipment except baler

• Some goose hunting in the winter

To list your properties here, please contact Debbie Cisneros

at 505/332-3675 or [email protected]

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

Southeast New Mexico Ranch: 13,397 deeded acresplus 7,393 acres of New Mexico State Lease. The ter-rain is fairly level to gently sloping and sometimesundulating. Soils range from sandy loam to sandy,with some sand hill country. Over the years, the own-ers have continued to improve this property withmany miles of new fencing, additional water facilitiesand substantial brush clearing. The headquarter im-provements are well maintained and the propertyshows pride of ownership. Improvements consists ofan attractive owner’s home, guest house, barns, shop,horse pens, shipping pens, roping arena and otheroutbuildings. This working cattle ranch is set up andready to operate. The property is priced at$2,500,000, or approximately $186 per deeded acre.

Eastern New Mexico Ranch: This is a low overheadoperating cattle ranch comprised of approximately70,000 deeded acres and 9,000 acres of leased andfree use land. The property is northeast of Roswell,New Mexico and has historically been stocked witharound 1,600 animal units. The terrain is rolling andsloping hills draining to huge flats. The ranch is prin-cipally watered by large dirt tanks, but several waterwells are available. Don’t expect to see stylish im-provements or scenic views, but if you are in the mar-ket for a no frills working cattle ranch, you will haveto look long and hard to match this deal at an askingprice of $110 per deeded acre.

Texas Panhandle Ranch: 71,059 acres locatednorthwest of Amarillo, Texas. The centerpiece of theranch is approximately 29 miles of the scenic Cana-dian River, which essentially runs through the centerof the property. The terrain varies dramatically fromelevated mesas descending to deep canyons and widefertile creek bottoms. The property is extremely wellimproved and very well watered by the river, springs,creeks, and many water wells. Major improvementsinclude a 7,000 square foot owner’s home, 4,500 footpaved landing strip, hand houses, dog kennels, andmany extras. The ranch offers some of the best muledeer, whitetail, turkey and quail hunting to be found.Two state record deer have been harvested in recentyears, and elk are now coming down the river out ofNew Mexico. This property has a colorful history anda carefully planned Conservation Easement is inplace. This ranch has it all. $475 per acre.

Eastern Plains of Colorado: 37,140 deeded acreswith four sections of Colorado State Lease. Thisranch has been owned by the same family for almost60 years. The ranch is approximately 90 miles eastof Colorado Springs. The terrain is open rolling, wellsodded, native prairie country. The ranch has ade-quate headquarter improvements and is watered bylive creek water, wells, an extensive waterline net-work and earthen ponds. This is a rancher’s ranch,priced to fit a rancher’s pocketbook at $245 perdeeded acre. The property is rated at 1,000+ A.U. TheColorado State Lease will be assigned subject to ap-proval of the CSLB.

Northeast New Mexico River Ranch: 10,005deeded acres along with 1,320 acres of leased land.This unique, highly improved ranch features approx-imately 6-7 miles of Canadian River Canyon Coun-try. Numerous structural improvements include over30 miles of high game fence, landing strip, 15,000square foot office/airplane hanger, along with numer-ous other structural improvements. The structural im-provements offer a huge depreciation schedule, andeverything is in place for the sportsman. $495 perdeeded acre.

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 and anextensive waterline network. Improvements includea nearly new Spanish style hacienda, two camps andseveral good sets of livestock pens. This ranch is re-alistically priced at $285 per deeded acre.

RanchesFORSale

DESCRIPTIVEBROCHURES

AVAILABLE ON ALL RANCHES.

—— O F F E R E D E X C L U S I V E L Y B Y ——

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by MANNY ENCINIAS, ExtensionLivestock Specialist, NMSU-ClaytonLivestock Research Center, Clayton, N.M.

On the down side of thecattle market, the U.S.cattle industry is wit-nessing the impactproven genetics have on

the value of commercial and reg-istered cattle. For most cow-calfoperations in the Southwest, bullselection provides the greatestopportunity to make positivegenetic improvements in a cow-herd and improve long-termprofitability of the ranch. Bullselection decisions have multi-ple, long-term impacts to anoperation, making it one of themost important producer deci-sions made. Effective selectionof new sires requires thoughtfulplanning and preparation as bull

buying opportunities near. Neverin the history of the beef indus-try have producers had as manyselection tools to aid in them inthese decisions. The crux of thesituation is to gain an under-standing on how to appropriatelyuse the available tools to makegenetic improvements to meetan individual ranch’s goals.

Expected Progeny DifferencesFor years, producers have had

expected progeny differences(EPD) at their disposal to aid inmaking selection decisions.Expected progeny differencesare genetic prediction tools thatcan be used to estimate andcompare the genetic merit offuture progeny (calves) for a giv-en trait. Readily available on reg-istered cattle, EPD are comput-ed with actual individual animaldata submitted to respectivebreed associations and provide acurrent representation of thepedigree for a given trait.

To use EPD correctly, pro-ducers should remember the fol-lowing key words (rules) whenusing EPD: estimate, compare,future, and within breed. Thesevalues are not absolute, butrather a deviation from a basevalue determined within a specif-ic breed. An EPD is not a staticvalue, as more data from proge-ny are recorded by a breed asso-ciation the value will change, andthe accuracy of the EPD esti-mate will increase. An EPD val-ue for an individual animal hasno meaning until it is used tocompare to another animal(s)EPD of the same trait. The dif-ference between the two EPDvalues is a prediction of the per-formance difference between thefuture progeny of the animals inquestion. Most EPD areexpressed in the same units as

the trait being compared. Forexample birth weight, weaningweight, and yearling weight areexpressed in pounds, where car-cass traits such as back fat andribeye area are expressed in inch-es and inches square, respective-ly. It is critical that EPD be usedto make only within breed com-parisons. The only way to com-pare EPD of bulls from differentbreeds is to use the across-breedEPD adjustments publishedannually in by the Beef Improve-ment Federation (BIF).Initially EPD were calculated

for birth weight, weaning weight,and yearling weight. Today, asmore performance data on amultitude of traits are being rou-tinely submitted to breed associ-ations, EPD are calculated for anever-expanding list of growth,maternal, carcass, and ultra-sound traits. At first glance, thevast amount of information issimply overwhelming. However,the expanded list of EPD allowsa producer the opportunity tosimultaneously select for multi-ple traits.

Dollar Value IndexesIn an effort to simplify multi-

trait selection and translate indi-vidual EPD values into economi-cally relevant traits (ERT),numerous breed associationshave developed dollar value($Value) indexes targeting pro-duction systems with maternal,terminal, and pre-identified end-point goals. Dollar values foreach index are expressed in dol-lars per head and their use andapplication follows the samerules as EPD. Currently, $Valueindexes are calculated withinindividual breed associations forAngus, Hereford, Gelbvieh,Limousin, and Simmental. The following are examples of

common $Value Indexes (andrespective definitions) availableto aid producers in multi-traitselection (Sources: AmericanAngus Association and Ameri-can Hereford Association/Here-ford World).

Maternal

� AngusCow Energy Value ($EN)

assesses the differences in cowenergy requirements (mainte-nance and lactation) as anexpected annual dollar savingsdifference in daughters of sires.A larger value is more favorablewhen comparing two animals(more dollars saved on feed ener-gy expenses).

Weaned Calf Value ($W) isthe expected average differencein future progeny for pre-wean-ing growth. This value includesboth revenue and cost adjust-ments associated with differ-ences in birth weight, weaningdirect growth, maternal milk,

and mature cow size.

� HerefordBaldie Maternal Index

(BMI$) is a maternally focusedindex that is geared to serviceany commercial program withBritish-cross cows with a proge-ny harvest endpoint directedtoward Certified Hereford Beef(CHB). The index is placesemphasis on calving ease, fertili-ty, weaning weight, and intra-muscular fat (IMF).

Calving Ease Index(CEZ$) is a general purposeindex that focuses on bulls thatcan be used on heifers andfuture progeny marketedthrough CHB. This index placessignificant emphasis on calvingease and maternal calving easeand minimal emphasis on growthand carcass traits.

Terminal

� AngusFeedlot Value ($F) is the

expected average difference infuture progeny performance forpost-weaning performance com-pared to progeny of other sires.This value accounts for not onlythe estimated difference in thedollar value of weight gain, but isadjusted for the cost of achievingthat gain.

Grid Value ($G) is theexpected average difference infuture progeny performance forcarcass grid merit compared toprogeny of other sires. This valuecombines quality grade and yieldgrade attributes, and is calculat-ed with carcass EPD, ultrasoundEPD or both.

Beef Value ($B) is theexpected average difference infuture progeny performance forpostweaning and carcass valuecompared to the progeny of oth-er sires. This value combines thecontributions of $F and $G andis not designed to be driven byone factor such as quality, redmeat yield, or weight. Instead, itis a result of the application ofindustry-relevant market value toAngus genetics for both feedlotperformance and carcass merit.

� HerefordCertified Hereford Beef

Index (CHB$) is a terminal sireindex for Hereford sired progenydirected toward the CHB pro-gram. The index emphasizesincreased calving ease, weaningweight, and yearling weight, rib-eye area, intramuscular fat. Thisis the only (Hereford) $Valueindex that does not place anyemphasis on fertility.

Pre-Identified Endpoint

� AngusQuality Grade ($QG) rep-

resents the quality grade seg-ment of the economic advantagefound in $G, and is intended forthe specialized user wanting toplace more emphasis on improv-ing quality grade. The carcassmarbling EPD and ultrasoundderived percent intramuscular fatEPD contribute to this value.

Yield Grade ($YG) repre-sents the yield grade segment ofthe economic advantage found

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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.

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Santa Gertrudis Five-Star

RegisteredPrivate TreatyAlfalfa For Sale

TOO BOXattlemen’s

Genetic Tools: DNA Assisted Selection and Dollar Value Indexes

continued on page twenty-one


in $G and is intended for thespecialized user wanting to placemore emphasis on improvingyield grade. It provides a multi-trait approach to encompass rib-eye, fat thickness, and weightinto an economic value for redmeat yield. In the process of identifying

the appropriateness of using$Value Indexes as a selectiontool it is critical to define thecurrent genetic and productionlevel of a producer’s herd, fol-lowed by identifying ERT specif-ic to the genetic improvementgoals of a specific operation.Once these factors have beendefined, the selection of anappropriate $Value index thatencompasses the indentifiedERT can be selected. Dollar Val-ue Indexes should be used inaddition to other selection toolsand compliment the criteria pre-established and defined for anindividual operation. Producersare encouraged not to use $Val-ues as the sole selection tool.

DNA Assisted SelectionThe adoption of new tech-

nologies and selection tools hasincreased the rate of geneticimprovement throughout thehistorical course of the beefindustry. In recent years, theadvent of DNA-based technolo-gy has given beef producers arevolutionary selection tool withevolving capabilities. Conceptu-ally, having a selection tool withthe ability to evaluate the geneticmakeup of cattle at the gene lev-el within DNA will improve therate of selection accuracy fordesired traits. Though the tech-nology is rapidly evolving, cur-rently available commercializedDNA-based tools have limita-tions. The limitations of thesetools are hampered by currenttechnology and the nature of thetraits of importance to cattleproducers.Traits of importance to cattle

producers are commonly classi-fied as simple or complex. Sim-ple traits are usually affected byone gene, which is responsiblefor the exhibited appearance orperformance (i.e. hide color).Furthermore, simple traits aretypically either/or scenarios (i.e.horned or polled, carriers or non-carriers, etc.), and the environ-ment (i.e. nutrition, climate,implants, etc.) has little to noeffect on the expression of thetrait. On the contrary, complextraits (i.e. birth weight, weaningweight, milk ability, marbling,tenderness, etc.) are controlledby multiple genes and form intri-cate interactions with othergenes and the environment,which ultimately impact theexpression of the trait. Unfortu-nately, almost all ERT in thebeef industry are complex.Current technologies used to

build relationships betweengenes and traits of importance tocattle producers utilize DNAmarker assisted selection. ADNA marker is simply asequence of nucleotides (whichare the building blocks of DNA)

that uniquely identifies a specificlocation on a genome. This loca-tion can be within a gene or neara gene and can be used to identi-fy a specific allele. An allele canbe thought of as a functionalpossibility (i.e. hide color hastwo possible alleles: red andblack). The DNA marker is sim-ply a “tag” that identifies a spe-cific individual sequence ofDNA which describes a func-tional possibility (trait). This“tag” allows the inheritance ofthe specific sequence of DNA tobe tracked from parent to proge-ny. The most commonly usedDNA markers used today aresingle nucleotide polymorphism(SNP; pronounced snip), whichare the simplest form of DNAmarkers (describing a singlenucleotide or base pair change).Single nucleotide polymorphismtechniques accurately determinethe functional possibility for sim-ple traits, like hide color, hornstatus, parentage and simple dis-ease traits (i.e. AthrogryposisMultiplex (AM), NeuropathicHydrocephalus (NH), TibialHemimelia (TH), etc.), becauseof the previously noted facts thatthese types of traits are con-trolled by a single gene and haveno environmental influence. Thesame technology is used for com-plex traits. However, moreobstacles and challenges areexperienced due to the geneticcomplexity (i.e. multiple genesand associated interactionsbetween genes and the environ-ment) of these traits.While the DNA marker pro-

files explain more of the geneticvariation for a variety of traitsthan ever before, current markerprofiles still do not account forthe largest percentage of geneticvariation within any one traitbecause they explain only thegenetic variation for the specificmarker(s). This scenario hasbeen a point of contention inpractical settings when compar-ing EPD and marker profiles forindividual animals. It has been acommon occurrence for currentmarker profiles to contradictEPD data. What data is correct?In fact both are correct, but eachis the result of a different evalua-tion. Recall an EPD describesthe net effect for all genes ananimal has for a trait, whereas, amarker profile describes a subsetof genes for a trait. Optimistical-ly, as the technology evolves todefine a larger array of markers(tags) for traits linked to ERTthe net result should yieldimprovements.Today’s beef producer is faced

with many of the same chal-lenges as decades past. It isapparent however, that withimprovements to traditional andemerging selection tools today’sproducer has greater opportuni-ties to more accurately elicitgenetic improvements in theircowherd. Recognizing theintended uses and limitations ofthese selection tools is critical ifthey are to be effectively incor-porated into selection schemesfor bulls and females.

Shorthorn

RED ANGUS

SANTA GERTRUDIS

angus

BRANGUS LIMOUSIN

All Breeds

HEREFORD

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Washington’sOldest Source of Herefords

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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

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Jeff Schmidt509/488-2158

[email protected]

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

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

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LASATERBEEFMASTERS

“THE PEDIGREE IS IN THE NAME”

Foundation Herd ofthe Beefmaster Breed

The Lasater Ranch, Matheson, CO 80830719/541-BULL (2855) • (F) 719/[email protected] • www.lasaterranch.com

BEEFMASTER

To list your herd here, please contact Debbie Cisneros:505/332-3675, or email: [email protected]

A SOURCE FOR PROVEN SUPERIOR

RED ANGUS GENETICS

14298 N. Atkins Rd., Lodi, CA 95240

209/727-3335

Come by anytimeand see our herd.

Willcox, AZ

R.L. Robbs520/384-36544995 Arzberger Rd.Willcox, AZ 85643

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

[email protected]

DanWendt

S

S Santa Gertrudis CattlePolled and Horned

HERD ESTABLISHED 1953 S

S

Paradox, Colorado

200 BULLS — LARGEST HIGH-ALTITUDE BULL TEST

SALE:APRIL 10,2010FREE DELIVERY • Fertility & PAP Tested

1-800/442-8557www.reddranches.com

Annual Production SaleAPRIL 8, 2010

Belle Fourche Livestock Exchange

REICHCharolais Ranch

TIM & REE REICH605/892-4366 • CELL: 605/580-2393

Belle Fourche, South Dakota

PRIVATE TREATY ANYTIME

BAR W RANCH, INC.Ranching Since 1869

� Red Angus X Gelbvieh

� Black AngusHerd & Heifer Bulls

Private TreatySTIRLING SPENCER • [email protected]

575/648-2814 • Cell: 575/973-0341

Seven MileL I M O U S I N

ERIC HERR 208/[email protected]

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Cattlemen’s Toolbox continued from page twenty


by MIKKEL PATE

Stacy and Troy Hadrick ofVale, S.D., take the stageas quintessential youngDakota ranchers —except they’re talkers.

They say young farmer-ranch-er types like them have been tootrusting of others to use theInternet and social media tofight back against groups theyconsider anti-animal agriculture.They urge farmers to tell theirown stories, rather than havetheir industry twisted by journal-ists with hidden agendas.

The Hadricks spoke to NorthDakota State University Ag Daystudents in March in a programtitled “The Real Enemies of Agri-culture.”In their talk, the Hadricks

take aim at groups like Peoplefor the Ethical Treatment of Ani-mals (PETA), and the HumaneSociety of the United States(HSUS), but also at farmers andranchers themselves for failing totell their own story.The Hadricks’ biography is

probably a lot like the NDSUstudents who attended the pro-gram — perhaps a decade

removed from the classroom.Both are from ranches in

western South Dakota. Bothwent to South Dakota State Uni-versity.After graduating from college

in 1999 — she in ag economicsand ag business, he in animal sci-ence — the couple returned tothe family Angus ranch operatedby Stacy’s father and uncle — Edand Rich Blair — in westernSouth Dakota. Troy worked onthe ranch. Stacy became aMeade County, S.D., extensioneducator. They live about fourmiles north of Bear Butte, abowl-shaped solitary mountaineast of Sturgis, S.D., a sacredsite to Plains tribes and a north-east gateway to the Black Hills.

Meet the mediaThe Hadricks say their mind-

set changed about storytelling inMarch 2002, when the BlairRanch hosted a nationally knownwriter named Michael Pollan.Pollan told the family he

wanted to write the story of asteer from “birth to steak.” Troysays Pollan ate meals with thefamily and “told me how hewanted to write this article,about the great things we do inthe beef industry, and teach peo-ple how a steak gets on a plate.”Pollan’s “Power Steer” story

was published March 31, 2002,in the New York Times, but it wasfar from what the Hadricksexpected. The story emphasizedhow “we abuse our livestock,that we’re polluting the air and

that we pollute the water,” Troysays, and that “the food that Igrow and that you people grow ismaking people sick.” “Other thancalling me a ‘muscular post of aman,’ most of it was garbage,”Troy says.The problem was one of

emphasis.For example, the Blairs and

Hadricks had told Pollan howthey sometimes struggle duringcalving season to keep calvesalive, bringing them into thekitchen or even the bathtub.“He wrote that calving season

was ‘a succession of sub-zeronights, yanking breeched babiesfrom their bellowing mothers.’ Itwas like we lined them all up andjust started jerking calves fromthem for fun,” Troy says.Pollan focused on the growth

implants, how the cattle are“standing in their own filth” andof the overwhelming odors. Pol-lan telephoned the family afterthe story was published, saying,“I suppose you’re mad at me” —making contact, but not apolo-gizing. Troy says Pollan acknowl-edged to one of the Blairs that“sometimes you have to sensa-tionalize to write a good story.”The Hadricks wrote a protest

letter to the editor of the NewYork Times and got about “aboutthree sentences” of it published.Reaction to the story was sur-

prising.Troy says the Monday after

the story appeared there was adrop in cash and futures prices.The family got a call from

someone wanting to buy thesteer in the story — now onlythree weeks away from being fin-ished, to take them to a refuge inupstate New York to “live outtheir natural life.” Another per-son called tell the family they’d“rot in hell” for their work.The Hadricks say they spent

about two years reeling from thePollan experience. Then theystarted talking about their indus-try. After giving a speech in2006, the Hadricks decided toform “Advocates for Agriculture”and went on the public speakingcircuit. Traveling and talking hasbecome a bigger part of theirlives.

And the worst is . . .Last year, they spoke about

20 times in more than a dozenstates. This year, they’d alreadydone 10 speeches by the end ofMarch. They had just returnedfrom the California FarmBureau convention.In their standard talk, the

Hadricks offer a litany of horrorstories about “anti-agriculture”groups, including:

� People for the EthicalTreatment of Animals. Thegroup has an online museum,”which draws comparisonsbetween lynching of blacks inthe 1930s with techniques in acattle slaughter. PETA targetschildren on its Web site to posthow they “saved animals and

how they became vegetarian.”PETA posts statistics, includingthat vegetarians consume some3,000 gallons of water a year,while meat eaters consumeabout 4,000 gallons.

� The Sierra Club. Thegroup would restrict how thegovernment would accept bidson federal lands and would“force the government to accept”a competing bid “if it’s used foranything other than grazing.”They say the Sierra Club doesn’tconsider a farm or ranch “sus-tainable” unless you “buy and selleverything as local as possible”and avoid risk management andforward-contracting, or fail topay even part-time workers forvacation time and full benefits.

� Humane Society of theUnited States. HSUS has a$100 million annual budget andis intent on eliminating value foranimals and ultimately replacingmeat and animal-based foods inthe diet with plant-based foods.“This is their roadmap,” Troy

says. “Don’t tell me they’re not a‘vegan’ organization,” he says,referring to those who don’t con-sume animal flesh, animal prod-ucts, and often honey, in theirdiets and, in some cases, yeastproducts.

� Animal Liberation Front.This group uses intimidation andthat states the use of animals as“a source of food, clothing,entertainment or scientificknowledge is immoral andshould be prevented by anymeans necessary.”

� I-29ers for Quality ofLife. This group is based inMoody County, S.D., andopposes development of large-scale dairies. The group falselyclaimed that two, 7,000-cowdairies would produce “morewaste each day than the entirecity of Sioux Falls, S.D.,” a cityof 125,000 people.But those aren’t the worst.

Partly for dramatic effect, Troyand Stacy say the “worst enemy”of agriculture is the farmers andranchers who stand idly by, notresponding and simply dismiss-ing critics as “a bunch of kooks.”Thanks to the Internet, speak-

ing up is getting easier, theHadricks say.Early this year, Troy discov-

ered that the Casella family thatowns the Yellow Tail brand hadgiven a $100,000 donation to theHSUS organization.On Feb. 3, Troy posted a 54-

second YouTube video, titled:“Yellow Tail is now Yellow Fail.It shows himself, standing in apen of Angus bulls, pouring outa bottle of Yellow Tail wine intothe ground to protest the Aus-tralian winemaker’s support ofwhat he and others consider ananti-animal agriculture organiza-tion. He linked the video to theYellow Tail page.The first day, there were more

than 500 comments. Two dayslater, there were 4,000 com-ments. Farmers, pet owners,hunters, fishermen and the gen-eral public weighed in.Troy says the Casella family

saw the video. By Feb. 18, the

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Young SD ranch couple use social media to urgefarmer-ranchers to speak up (against HSUS & PETA)


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AVMA Briefs Congress On Importance Of Antibiotics

from THECATTLESITE NEWS DESK

The nation’s largest veteri-nary association briefedCongress on late March onthe uses of antibiotics and

how they help protect animalhealth, providing in-depth scien-tific information on the necessityof antibiotic use for preventingand treating disease in compan-ion animals and livestock.Two educational sessions

were held by the American Vet-erinary Medical Association(AVMA) with honorary hostsRepresentative Kurt Schrader,DVM, (Oregon) and SenatorJohn Ensign, DVM, (Nevada),the only veterinarians serving inCongress. The discussionsallowed congressional staffers tolearn about when and how vet-erinarians utilise antibiotics tokeep both food supply animalsand household pets disease-free. Speaking at the briefings as an

expert in livestock medicine, Dr.Lloyd Keck, a worldwide animalhealth consultant to the poultryindustry and former AVMA Con-gressional Science Fellow, dis-pelled arguments related tohuman antibiotic-resistance risks. Dr. Keck said: “Antibiotics

are necessary for veterinarians to

protect the health and well-beingof animals. Benefits to animalsand people outweigh the currentrisk associated with bacterialresistance. Going forward, weneed to let good sense and goodscience guide this issue.” Dr. Rene Carlson, former

Wisconsin Veterinarian of theYear and past-vice president ofthe AVMA, explained the indis-pensable role that antibioticsplay in treating various ailmentsthat affect household pets andthe process that veterinariansuse to determine whether or notto use antibiotics. He said: “Whenever I consid-

er using an antibiotic in any ofmy patients, I always look at fouroutcomes. First, will it success-fully treat a diagnosed medicalcondition? The second outcomeis prevention of an infection in ahigh-risk patient because of aparticular injury or procedure.Third, I look at a decreased like-lihood for development of aresistant infection or organism.And finally, I am concerned withthe protection of the health ofthe animal and its owners whocome in contact with it. “The principles of antimicrobial

use are the same whether for com-panion animals or food animals.

The difficulty comes when ownersof the animals don’t consult with aveterinarian or comply with theveterinarian’s instructions.” The briefings were part of the

AVMA’s continued efforts toeducate Congress about the com-plex and crucial nature of treatingAmerica’s animals — and howthe health of those animalsimpacts human health, whetherthrough the food supply orthrough direct contact with pets. The AVMA is strongly

opposed to H.R. 1549 and S. 619,the Preservation of Antibiotics forMedical Treatment Act (PAM-TA). The AVMA’s scientificexperts have twice testified beforeCongress that broad-based antibi-otic bans, such as PAMTA, wouldhave adverse effects on animaland public health. The AVMA continues to

emphasise the importance ofjudicious use of antibiotics. Dr Ashley Shelton, assistant

director of the AVMA’s Govern-mental Relations Division, said:“Antibiotics are a vital part of theveterinarian’s toolkit. There arevery few drugs available for treat-ing animal disease, and theAVMA believes that antibioticsshould be used judiciously and inthe best interest of animal healthand public health.” Speaking last week, Rep.

Schrader reaffirmed the role ofveterinary medicine in protectingpublic health and the safety ofAmerica’s food supply. He said: “America has the

safest food in the world.Advanced animal husbandry,21st century technology, sanita-tion, appropriate veterinary andmedicinal therapy allow us tocompete on a global scale whileassuring the health of our live-stock and poultry.”

from NEWS REPORTS / WWW. CATTLEBUSINESSWEEKLY.COM

Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) introduced a billlast week calling for amajor revamp in the

USDA’s protocol for tracingcontaminated meat back tothe source to protect publichealth and hold “the right peo-ple accountable when some-thing goes wrong.”Roughly 73,000 Americans

are sickened annually by E.coli, 2,000 are hospitalizedand 60 are killed, according tothe Centers for Disease Con-trol and Prevention. Medicalcosts associated with E. coliexceed $405 million a year.Currently when USDA’s

Food Safety and InspectionService (FSIS) finds a harmfulpathogen, such as Salmonellaor E. coli O157:H7, in groundbeef, they are not required tolook up the supply chain tosee where the contaminatedbeef may have originated, fail-ing to find who is producingunclean meat.Tester’s bill, the Meat Safe-

ty and Accountability Act,would require the FSIS to“design and implement —using its existing budget — aninitiative to trace tainted meat

back to the original source ofcontamination.”John Munsell, a former

Miles City butcher and advo-cate for reforming food safetylaws Helped write Tester’sMeat Safety and Accountabili-ty Act.Eight years ago, a USDA

inspector found E. coli in beefat Munsell’s family meat pro-cessing plant, Montana Quali-ty Foods. Munsell told theUSDA the contaminated beefcame from the slaughtererConAgra Beef Co., but underexisting food safety laws, thegovernment's investigationstopped at Munsell’s plant.Federal regulators said theycouldn’t positively trace thebacteria back to ConAgradespite records offered byMunsell.Munsell recalled 270

pounds of hamburger. Monthslater, ConAgra Beef wascaught in an 18 million poundmeat recall, one of the nation’slargest.“This bill puts more com-

mon sense and fairness intothe equation as our food trav-els through the supply chain tothe kitchen table,” Sen. Testersaid in a statement. “This billwill make our food safer to eatby ramping up accountability.”

Meat traceback billintroduced

Legislation calls for following the production line

family had issued a statementthat in the future they wouldn’tdonate to HSUS again, or anyother animal rights organization.The company also got its nametaken off the HSUS Web site.More recently, the Pilot Trav-

el Centers, L.L.C. got a backlashwhen that company made amore modest donation toHSUS. Similar pressure fromInternet messages prevailed, andthe company announced itwould not repeat the donation.“In the last month, HSUS has

lost five corporate sponsors,”Troy says. “How long does ittake you to put up a Facebookcomment?”Stacy says that if the children

of farmers and ranchers are tohave “the same opportunities aswe have,” farmers need to bemore vocal and active. And farm-ers need to stick together as“team agriculture” and not bashcompeting commodity groups oranimal species, Stacy says.

Speak Up!continued from page twenty-two

by TOM PHILPOTT, www.GRIST.org

As a food politics com-menter, I get paid tohave strong opinions onthe issues of the day.

But this one’s got me flum-moxed. First, fast-food giantWendy’s rolls outits new “pastureon a bun” burger,made with “100percent grass-fedbeef.” That sort ofthing alwaysleaves me cold.Of course, I wantmega-corpora -tions like Wendy’sto make more responsible buy-ing decisions. But what I reallywant to see are new foodeconomies that retain fooddollars within communities,and don’t siphon them to dis-tant shareholders.Do we really want thirty

years of food-system activismto amount to just another

profit opportunity forWendy’s? On the other hand,how can I lash out at a mas-sive buyer for making a sourc-ing choice that could spark astampede of cattle from feed-lots to farm fields?Then this news really gave

me whiplash: EricSchlosser andMichael Pollan,the movement’sleading thinkers,have inked a dealto promote the“pasture on abun.” They’ll befilming a series ofcommercials for

Wendy’s — and appearing at astring of events nationwide.The authors of Fast Food

Nation and The Omnivore’sDilemma want us to hop in ourcars and head to the nearestWendy’s drive-through? Doesnot compute! I’m stuck on thisone, and seeking reader guid-ance.

What to make of the Pollan/Schlosseragreement with Wendy’s?

How can I lash out at a massive buyer for making asourcing choice that

could spark a stampede of cattle from feedlots to farm fields?


While there is evidence thatground water has been impactedby nitrates discharged fromdairies, the ground water impactstypically are localized to shallowground water around the dairysites and have not been shown toimpact drinking water wells.Dairymen rely upon aquifersunderlying their dairies to supplydrinking water for their familiesand their livestock, and wouldnot jeopardize their own healthor livelihood. Dairy dischargeshave not adversely impacted anypublic drinking water systems inNew Mexico. While NMEDwarns of the risks of “blue babysyndrome” associated with highnitrate levels in drinking water,the New Mexico Health Depart-ment reports there have been noreported deaths due to blue babysyndrome in New Mexico sinceat least 1979, well before expan-sion of the dairy industry in NewMexico.NMED has done no study on

the economic impact of the pro-posed regulations on the NewMexico dairy industry, nor has iteven estimated the cost for NewMexico dairies to comply withthe new rules. Data compiled bya New Mexico State Universityresearcher shows that New Mex-ico dairies on average alreadyspend over $250,000 per year onenvironmental compliance costs.These costs could increase dra-matically under NMED’s pro-posed rules. Testimony filed byNMED on March 8 in supportof its proposed rule emphasizethat many of the rules are neededto save agency staff time andresources. Nevertheless, NMEDclaims that permit applicationsunder the new rules will take atleast one year to process, ratherthan the 120 days now provided.Faced with the current low

milk prices and unable to obtainnew bank financing as a result ofthe ongoing economic crisis, thenew requirements proposed byNMED could be a death knellfor many dairies. If these regula-tions are adopted as proposed,they could result in closure of upto half of New Mexico’s existingdairies who cannot afford tomeet all of the new requirements.New Mexico’s economy

already is struggling, as evi-denced by state and local govern-ment budget cuts. The NewMexico Water Quality ControlCommission will start its hear-ings on NMED’s rules proposalson April 13 in Santa Fe. If youare concerned with the potential-ly devastating impacts NMED’sproposed rules could have, now isthe time to make your voiceheard. Public testimony will betaken during the hearing in SantaFe, or letters of concern andcomments can be addressed to:Water Quality Control Com-

mission, c/o Joyce Medina,WQCC Administrator, 1190 St.Francis Drive, P.O. Box 5469,Santa Fe, New Mexico 87502In addition you can call Gover-

nor Richardson at 505/476-2200and tell him “Don’t regulate ourdairy industry out of the state!”

Additional information on NMED’s rule pro-posal is available at: www.nmenv.state.nm.us.

The New Mexico Environ-ment Department (NMED)has proposed new regula-tions for New Mexico’s

dairies that could deal a cripplingblow to dairies across the state,according to Alva Carter Jr., Por-tales, Dairy Industry Group for aClean Environment (DIGCE)Chairman . Dairies already are struggling

with low milk prices resulting infinancial losses and dairy clo-sures. NMED’s proposed regula-tions would substantially increaseenvironmental compliance costsfor New Mexico’s dairies, yetNMED’s proposal does notreflect the best science availablefor environmental protectionwithin the dairy industry.The dairy industry has advo-

cated for dairy rules to addresswhat dairy farmers have seen asarbitrary permit requirementsimposed in the past. In 2007, theDIGCE was formed to discussclarifications to the regulations.DIGCE’s objective is a set ofregulations that establish pre-dictable requirements to protectground water that allow dairies toplan for the future. Ultimately,the dairy industry achieved pas-

sage of legislation in 2009, Sen-ate Bill 206, which amended theWater Quality Act to requireNMED to adopt new regulationsfor dairies.While DIGCE recognizes that

ground water protection is vital,the methods required for groundwater protection under new regu-lations must be proven, usingsound science, to be effectiveand achievable within the indus-try. The legislation established anadvisory committee of experts toadvise NMED on the science ofground water protection fordairies and the best reasonableand proven methods feasible forthe dairy industry. NMED, how-ever, developed its own set ofdraft of regulations and conduct-ed a series of public meetings onthat draft before the advisorycommittee was formed. NMEDthen rejected most of the advicegiven by the industry experts onthe advisory committee. Conse-quently, the regulations recentlyproposed by NMED havechanged very little, in substance,from its very first draft.NMED’s proposed regula-

tions would impose strict newrequirements for new dairies that

are more stringent than regula-tions adopted by any other statewithout establishing the neces-sary scientific foundation. Manydairies would be required toinstall expensive double-liner sys-tems for wastewater impound-ments similar to those requiredfor hazardous wastes, eventhough no state has ever requiredthem for dairies. Clay liners,allowed under recent regulationsadopted in neighboring states,would be banned in New Mexi-co. The rules would impose one-size-fits-all requirements such asexpensive water meters anddevices on irrigation wells thatare not compatible with center-pivot sprinklers. NMED propos-es that dairies employ stormwater control requirementsadopted by the City of Albu-querque for its residential areas.While many of NMED’s pro-

posed requirements have neverbefore been required even fornew dairies, NMED also propos-es to require existing dairies toupgrade to meet the require-ments for new dairies if anyground water quality standardsare exceeded in monitoring wellslocated at the dairies. No evi-

dence that any drinking waterwell could be impacted isrequired before the new require-ments are imposed. Most dairiesare located in agricultural areaswhere shallow ground water hasbeen impacted by severaldecades of human activity,including farming, and whereonly deeper, clean aquifers areused for drinking water. Indeed,NMED has identified septic sys-tems as the largest polluter ofground water in New Mexico,with dairies responsible for lessthan 3 percent of ground waterimpacts. NMED estimates that57 percent of existing dairies arelocated in areas where monitor-ing wells shallow ground waterhas been impacted by nitrates.Under NMED’s proposal, thesedairies would be required toupgrade to the same require-ments as new dairies on a strictschedule. NMED’s proposalwould not even allow a dairyoperator to demonstrate thatother sources are responsible forground water contamination thatwould force costly upgrades,many of which would not be nec-essary and would not improveground water quality.

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LMD April 2010

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