LMD August 2011

LivestockDigest

LivestockAUGUST 15, 2011 • www. aaalivestock . com Volume 53 • No. 8

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

– JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL

NEWSPAPER

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DigestRiding Herd

by Lee Pitts

First we had the “serviceeconomy” where wewere all supposed tomake a living providingservices to each other.So we exported our good

jobs overseas and imported ourcars, toys, food, manufacturedgoods and the laborers whowould actually do the changingof the motel bed sheets. And thisour great leaders called “global-ization.”Anyone with half a brain

could see how well that ideaworked out. (Admittedly, thatwould still leave our “leaders” inthe dark.) The economists plot-ting our globalized future forgotone thing: that the people need-ing to be waited on would needjobs to make enough money torequire those services.So, it’s back to the drawing

board. Now we are told that we’llall prosper and create jobs bytransitioning from a serviceeconomy to a tourist economy.The Department of Interior(DOI) will create jobs providingmeals, lodging and entertain-ment to all the tourists who willflock to the wild west to seeroaming bands of wild horses,packs of wolves and redheadedsalamanders. Or whatever.That’s the plan anyway, as

outlined in a report released thissummer called The Departmentof Interior’s Economic Contribu-

government getting in our way.If the feds follow through youcan expect fewer cows and moretour buses in our future.

Something’s MissingThis report reads like a Gree-

nie’s dream, an Environmental-ist’s Manifesto, if you will. It willprovide powerful ammunition forthe greenies to get rid of thepublic lands rancher once andfor all. The only problem is that

the bullets the folks at DOI areshooting at rural folks are allblanks. It’s a contrived reportdesigned to do one thing andthat is to increase the power andscope of the federal government.According to the Interior

Department, they produce theoil and gas, the beef and lamband the timber harvested onpublic lands. And we thoughtthey only got in our way! Here’sa sampling lifted directly fromthe executive summary of thereport:“The Department of the Inte-

rior plays a substantial role in theU.S. economy, supporting overtwo million jobs and $363 billionin economic activity for 2010.”Geez, I thought Exxon, cow-

boys and rugged guys and galswith chainsaws produced the oil,gas, beef and timber, little did Iknow that it was actually pro-duced by the professionalbureaucrats in Washington in

tions. Personally I don’t thinkthe “tourist economy” is going towork out any better than the“service economy” did, and forthe same reason. Unless youthink our salvation is going to bethe importation of more Japan-ese tourists with cameras hang-ing around their necks.The rest of us are going to

have to earn a living before wecan take vacations, and that’sgetting harder everyday with the

A Greenie’s Manifesto

On July 12, 2011, the Justice Depart-ment and the U.S. Fish and WildlifeService (“FWS”) announced “an his-toric agreement” which will require theAmerican taxpayers to pay

$206,098,920 to just process the paperworkdeciding whether to include over 1,000 plants,bugs, worms, and other assorted creatures onthe Endangered Species list. None of this mon-ey goes to on-the-ground conservation; this tax-payer funding is just to process petitions filedby only two, out of dozens, of radical environ-mental groups who think newts and moths aremore important than the elderly or our chil-dren. The average social security beneficiarymakes $21,600 a year and a basic militaryrecruit makes a little over $15,000 per year.Our elected officials contemplated not payingthese Americans while the Justice Departmentis readily agreeing to spend an average of

“Timing has a lot to do with the

outcome of a rain dance.”

continued on page six

The $206,098,920 Endangered Species Act Settlement Agreements — Is all that paperwork worth it?

The headlines question whether Congress and the President can make an agreement on raising the debt ceiling or will America stop paying military

servicemen and social security recipients. I have a solution to the dilemma . . .

www.LeePittsbooks.com

Dating Myself

The world is changingso fast these days thatit’s leaving many oldcoots like me in the

past, and I seem to be hav-ing problems communicat-ing with the younger gener-ation. I am ONLY 59 yearsold but I have to write care-fully because I continuallydate myself by using refer-ences that young peoplecan’t relate to. This waspointed out to me by a classof third graders recentlywho wrote me wonderfulindividual letters after theirteacher had read to themone of my essays. Besidestheir kind words the littlenippers asked questionslike, “What’s a beatnik?”And “What is carbonpaper?” They also remindedme that kids today playvideo games, not marbles. Now I know what my

grandparents felt like when,as a child, I asked them whythey went outside to theouthouse when a bathroomwould have been muchcloser? It’s like I speak a differ-

ent language than youngerfolks today whose readingconsists primarily of textmessages. I realize I’meither going to have toenter the 21st century andacquaint myself withtoday’s culture, or findanother line of work. Butthere’s nothing I’m stillqualified to do, as the oilpatch now runs on comput-ers instead of roustabouts,and cowboys ride fourwheelers instead of horses.But just like Hopalong,Tonto, Hoss, and the LoneRanger, I’ve never evenbeen on an ATV. They’ve taken the word

“farmer” out of the FFA andthe Colonel out of KentuckyFried Chicken. Now it’s just“KFC” to anyone under theage of 30. I feel like I amoutliving my audience asyoung readers today mayknow who Darth Vader isbut they’ve never heard ofDeputy Dawg, Dick Tracy,Elliot Ness, The Duke ofEarl, Broadway Joe, Bosley,Buckwheat, Bozo, Bogart,Bullwinkle or Bo Diddley. Intheir frame of referenceCher never had Sonny, Daledidn’t have to compete for

$100,690 per individual species listing and$345,000 per individual proposed critical habi-tat designation for over 1,053 creatures. And toadd insult to injury, the Justice Department hasagreed that these two groups “prevailed” in thelitigation and will pay their attorney fees in anamount that has not been disclosed. HasAmerica lost its collective mind?These two settlement agreements are the

culmination of what is known as the Endan-gered Species Act (“ESA”) multi-district litiga-tion. This case was formed in 2010 by combin-ing 13 federal court cases filed by either theWildEarth Guardians (“WEG”) or the Centerfor Biological Diversity (“CBD”) regarding 113species. On May 10, 2011, the FWS announcedits settlement agreement with the WEG withthe promise that the agreement would help the

continued on page four

continued on page two

by KAREN BUDD-FALEN

Livestock Market Digest August 15, 2011

their white shirts and ties. Or theForest Service employees I seeregularly spending the morningdriving from one ranger stationto another and in the afternoondriving back home. And the ParkRangers in pickups without anylogs or timber of any kind in thebed of their late model pickups.Tourism was mentioned first

in the highlights section of all thegreat things DOI has done forus. “Americans and foreign visi-tors made some 439 million vis-its to Interior-managed lands.These visits supported over388,000 jobs and contributedover $47 billion in economicactivity.”Oil and gas was by far the

biggest source of income to theDOI but you can tell they don’tlike it. Listen to how the DOIgrudgingly admits their exis-tence: “Exploitation of oil, gas,coal, hydropower and other min-erals on Federal lands supported1.3 million jobs and $246 billionin economic activity.” Exploita-tion, did you catch that?Here are the other sources of

income listed in the highlightssection:

� The use of water, timberand other resources producedfrom federal lands supportedabout 370,000 jobs and $48 bil-lion in economic activity.

� Grants and payments thatthe DOI administers totaled$4.7 billion and supported about114,000 jobs and $10.2 billionworth of economic contribu-tions.

� Interior’s support for tribalgovernments totaled $1.2 billionin economic output and support-ed about 13,000 jobs in 2010.

� Youth employment at Inte-rior totaled 21,874 in 2010.

� Work on the physical infra-structure managed by Interiortotaled about $2 billion and con-tributed about $5.5 billion ineconomic activity, supporting41,000 jobs.

� The $214 million spent onland acquisitions in FY 2010 isestimated to contribute about$440 million in economic activityand support about 3,000 jobs.(Even if land acquisition creates3,000 jobs, how many does itdestroy?)Then there were the “valuable

services” produced under Interi-or’s management such as: habi-tat for a wide variety of species,drinking water, energy security,flood and disease control, scien-tific information, carbon seques-tration, recreation, and cultureand enhancing our treasuredlandscapes.Whew! Who knew the

Department of Interior was sucha job creator and economicengine? But did you notice theone thing they left out?The DOI’s economic summa-

ry failed to mention income fromgrazing or its many benefits intheir “highlights”, which is weirdwhen you consider that the BLMoversees 245 million acres of fed-eral lands with livestock grazingoccurring on about 160 millionacres of that. But you have tolook extremely hard to find any

mention of cattle or grazing at allin the report. It’s clear fromreading it that cattle, and thefolks who run them don’t figureinto the future of our nation’slandlord.

The Americanus cowboyAccording to the DOI the

18,000 grazing permits on21,000 allotments in the U.S.only created 2,507 direct jobsand each permit only generates atenth of a worker each! Whenyou add in some related jobs,grazing accounted for one fifthof one percent of all jobs and .64billion in economic impact.To say that the models and

formulas used to come up withthese numbers are suspect is agross understatement. Here’sjust one example: According tothe DOI report, OFFSHOREminerals create more direct jobsin New Mexico (5,531) than theissuing of grazing permits (486).But the last time we looked at anatlas New Mexico was a land-locked state with no offshore oilwells off its nonexistent coast!When the DOI counted jobs

created by tourism they includedeveryone from the motel maid tothe fellow on Main Street whosold film, but when they countedthe jobs created by grazing theyforgot to include those folks whosell and provide services toranchers. They also failed tocount anyone who worked on adude ranch or the fact that thewildlife on DOI lands were prob-ably drinking water provided byranchers. It’s clear that the DOIstarted with a conclusion theywanted and then fiddled withformulas to support that conclu-sion. The DOI spends a lot oftime in the report talking aboutinvasive species but it’s obviousthey think the biggest invasivespecies of all on the lands theyadminister is the Americanuscowboy.

The Tourist TrapThe biggest beneficiaries of

this report will be green groupsand the biggest losers will belocal communities that exist pri-marily because of public landsranching. Environmental groupsare already attempting to use thereport as a mandate to shutdown public lands ranching onBLM’s public lands that makeup about 13 percent of the totalland surface of the United Statesand more than 40 percent of allland managed by the Federalgovernment. It’s also clear whatthe DOI wants to do with what’sleft of the West after their ruralcleansing: they’d turn it into aNature Disneyland.It’s also clear that the DOI

despises anyone who makes a liv-ing in what they call a “consump-tive use.” Consumptive use beingdefined by them as “those activi-ties that consume naturalresources (e.g., logging, fishing),”versus non-consumptive usedoes not deplete the resources(e.g., recreation, tourism).”

Since 1916, we’ve been here for New Mexico’s ranchers and farmers. We don’t just o� er � nancial services, we also get where you’re coming from. � at’s why we can help you with loans, insurance and other

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CAMILLE PANSEWICZ,Graphic Artist continued on page four

A Greenie’s Manifesto continued from page one

August 15, 2011 “America’s Favorite Livestock Newspaper”

BY CAREN COWAN

One of life’s proverbialquestions has been whichcame first, the chicken orthe egg? In the modern

day tale, most definitely the eggcame first.Anyone who has followed ani-

mal agriculture, agriculture ingeneral, or was a regular watcherof Oprah should be tuned intothe Humane Society of the Unit-ed States’ (HSUS) attacks onanimal food production and inparticular the efforts to destroythe chicken and egg industries. Itis well known that the group gota ballot initiative passed in Cali-fornia that has the potential toeliminate poultry production inthat state.True, this was a scary turn of

events, but come on folks, we aretalking CALIFORNIA (with alldue respect to my friends in thatstate) and we are talking ballotinitiatives. Thankfully New Mexi-co does not permit ballot initia-tives so one might question myability to speak on them. Howev-er, I was reared in Arizona and dohave some experience in the field.The problem with ballot ini-

tiatives is the same one we havewith everything in the nation.Nobody really understands whatthey say or what their impact is.I will fess up to voting to legalizemarijuana . . . when I thought Iwas voting to reduce sentencingfor simple drug possession withno intent to sell. My vote was inhopes that we could reduce cost-ly prison population.At any rate, after the Califor-

nia win, HSUS has been busilyterrorizing the rest of the countrywith their threats, appearing tomake some headway in Ohio andplanning on initiatives in Wash-ington and Oregon. You mightimagine the pall over the live-stock industry on July 7 when thefollowing email hit our boxes:

UEP and HSUS to JointlySeek Federal Legislation: Fol-lowing a series of exhausting meet-ings and conference calls betweennegotiating teams for each, (UnitedEgg Producers’) UEP’s Board ofDirectors and the Humane Societyof the United States (HSUS)reached an agreement on July 6,2011 to jointly petition the federalgovernment for federal legislationfor the purpose of transitioning theindustry from primarily a conven-tional cage egg production businessto enriched colony cage housingover a period of years. UEP andHSUS will work with the Congresswith the goal of having the law inplace by June 30, 2012 and thetransition being fully implementedby December 31, 2029.That shocking language was

followed by about a page-and-a-half of excuses for the sell out andassertions that this agreementwould not affect the rest of thelivestock industry. In a pig’s eye.The beef industry chatter on

animal welfare and the animalrights war went strangely silent.There wasn’t any blogging; thereweren’t any posts on Facebook,

no Twitters, no outcry about thistremendous “fowl-up.” TheNational Animal Interest Alliance(NAIA), a group that startedwith pet owners and now bridgesacross several animal basedgroups including livestock andcircuses, was all over it via email.Their messages were mixed withsome trying to make lemonadeout of the situation and otherscalling a spade a spade.There still has been nothing

public out on the subject fromthe beef industry, but theNational Pork Producers Coun-cil (NPPC) have stepped up tothe plate issuing a statement thatsuch legislation “would set a dan-gerous precedent for allowingthe federal government to dic-tate how livestock and poultryproducers raise and care for theiranimals. It would inject the fed-eral government into the market-place with no measureable bene-fit to public or animal health andwelfare.”“NPPC is gravely concerned

that such a one-size-fits-allapproach will take away produc-ers’ freedom to operate in a way

that’s best for their animals,make it difficult to respond toconsumer demands, raise retailmeat prices and take away con-sumer choice, devastate nicheproducers and, at a time of con-strained budgets for agriculture,redirect valuable resources fromenhancing food safety and main-taining the competitiveness ofU.S. agriculture to regulating on-farm production practices forreasons other than public healthand welfare,” the statement said.Predictably those who would

see an end to meat consumptiontook a different perspective. Com-passion in World Farming ChiefExecutive Philip Lymbery said“This new development, whilst notgoing far enough, is a significantstep in the right direction.”The Farm Sanctuary was

much more expansive, callingthe agreement “an historic com-promise between HSUS andUEP” and saying, “The UEPagreement is particularly impor-tant in that it calls for federal leg-islation. This will be the firstnationwide law to address thewelfare of animals on farms, and

it could lead to other federal leg-islation addressing farmed ani-mal welfare in the future, a pos-sibility that has other industrygroups concerned.”“Change occurs through the

adoption of new laws and poli-cies, like the HSUS/UEP agree-ment . . . we are beginning to seepositive signs. Still, there is anawful long way to go, and it isabsolutely crucial that we keeppushing for improvements. Staytuned to help enact theHSUS/UEP measure in Wash-ington, DC, in the near future.In the meantime, you can votewith your dollars every day bychoosing to eat plant foodsinstead of animal foods.”I realize that this is a free

country and it is UEP’s right tomake such a decision . . . but it isequally the right of the rest of usto disagree with it. Thosedefending UEP’s unholy allianceclaim that it was a well-thoughtout decision . . . that it wouldkeep there from being moreattacks and ballot initiatives. Atleast from the outside looking in,it appears that UEP could havedone what they must feel theyneed to in Congress withoutHSUS’s participation. It seems to me that this deal

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The Chicken & The Egg…

continued on page four

with the devil would make itnearly impossible for UEP towork with the rest of the industryon anything. When you sleepwith the enemy, your friendsdon’t generally want climb intobed too. That brings focus to another

rub. Over the past few monthsyou may have seen media aboutthe U.S. Farmers & RanchersAlliance (USFRA). This is a newgroup that has come together toput the face of the rancher andfarmer back on food production.According to their website at

http://usfraonline.org , their mis-sion is to:

� Enhance consumer trust inthe U.S. food production system.We want consumers to knowthat America’s farmers andranchers share their values. Weare committed to answeringAmericans’ questions about howwe raise our food — while beingstewards of the environment,responsibly caring for our ani-mals and maintaining strongbusinesses and communities.·

� Maintain and enhance thefreedom of U.S. farmers andranchers to operate in a respon-sible manner. In particular, the


They fail to consider that youhave to clean up after touristswho despoil our national parksand treasures. And that theyoften set forests ablaze.The Interior Department

praises and celebrates what theycall the “birth” of “ecosystemservices and their economic val-ue.” According to them the DOI“uses ecosystem service conceptsto integrate conservation withhuman well-being, with conser-vation being at the core of Interi-or’s mission to protect America’snatural resources and heritage,honor cultures and tribal com-munities, and supply energy topower the future.” Again, nomention of cattle and grazingdespite the fact that grazing isadministered on two thirds ofBLM lands. Clearly the DOIfavors motel maids, park rangersand environmentalists over cat-tlemen.

Cows Or Curators?Like a team of hazmat

employees cleaning up a chemi-cal spill, the DOI plans to makeus all rich by cleaning up themess made by consumptive usersand resource extractors. “It hasbeen estimated,” reads thereport, “that for each $1 millionspent on ecosystem recovery upto about 30 jobs could be sup-ported. Ecosystem recovery will

improve the natural capital thatdraws people to Federal lands.”Better yet, in the eyes of the

DOI, “These jobs can be catego-rized as “green jobs”, and includepositions that work directly inthe field, such as physical scien-tists (geology, biology, forestry,etc.), park rangers, and fire fight-ers, as well as positions that com-municate the importance ofenvironmental conservation tothe public, such as naturalresource educators, museumcurators, and positions that cre-ate interpretation material, suchas maps and environmental edu-cation curriculum.“With over 44 percent of Inte-

rior’s workforce estimated to beengaged in green jobs, as com-pared to 1.5 percent to 2 percentof private sector jobs, theDepartment offers expertise forthe burgeoning green economy.”I’m not casting aspersions at

the thousands of small townsthat exist in the West’s outback,but I fail to envision busloads oftourists visiting Pie Town, NewMexico, or Deeth, Nevada.(Unless it’s for the chicken friedsteak.) But the DOI seestourism as being the salvation tosmall towns that dot the westernlandscape. They brag, “Morethan 4,000 communities with acombined population of 22 mil-lion are just a half hour drive

from BLM managed publiclands. Almost 58 million visitordays were estimated for FY2010, including almost 30 mil-lion camping and picnicking vis-its, over two million non-motor-ized boating trips, over sixmillion interpretation and edu-cation visits.” They continue,“The National Park Service andU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’sland and wildlife protectionmandates create substantialrecreation and tourism opportu-nities, which in turn support jobsfor hundreds of thousands ofAmericans.”It’s also clear that the DOI

sees those of you who live in thesticks as hicks who need upgrad-ing. They claim that in theserural areas that “40 percent of allworkers have no formal educa-tion beyond high school.” As ifthat’s going to be helped by atourist economy that relies onillegal aliens to wash dishes andclean toilets.

At Taxpayer’s ExpenseNowhere in the report do

they mention ranching familieswho are making significant con-tributions to our western state’sbudgets and welfare, providingboth a cultural foundation, aswell as an economic one, that noother industry can match. Often,revenues generated by the BLMand Forest Service from ranchersgo back to support local andstate economies. Aside from amonetary benefit, cattle grazingalso helps sustain a healthierenvironment and provides ameasure of security and steward-ship that the agencies cannotperform due to limited staffing.Get rid of the ranchers who arepaying for the privilege of care-taking our public lands and you’llhave to pay people to do whatthey were doing. But you wouldcreate jobs, having 10 federal

employees do the job of onerancher. All at taxpayer’sexpense, of course.It is estimated in the state of

New Mexico that a single bredcow will pay between $35-$50 intaxes annually. According to theAmerican Farmland Trust, forevery tax dollar from agricultureland collected, the owner willreceive 37 cents back. Contrastthat to the $1.19 that urban resi-dents receive for every tax dollarthey pay.Lest private lands ranchers

think this is not their battle, we’ddraw your attention to one littleline in the DOI report: “The vastmajority of fish and wildlife habi-tat is on nonfederal lands.” Doyou really think they are going toallow you to exist if your ranch issmack dab in the middle of oneof their “ecosystems.” The DOIdoesn’t want tourists stepping inANY cowpies, and that includesprivate cowpies too.There are countless examples

of what happens to the land-scape when ranchers areremoved. Borderlands becomedirt turnpikes for drug runnersand illegal aliens. Wildlife has noplace to water, and thrivingplant communities die. At whatcost do we rid the world of pub-lic lands ranchers? They’ll haveto be replaced by armies of gov-ernment employees in brandnew pickups working on taxpay-ers money. And what of thetourists? Who will pull them outof ditches or help them fix a flatwhen the public lands ranchersare all gone? And what of theranchers and their families?I suppose, with the way the

Department of Interior is mis-managing our national forests,and the way they create jobs, thepublic lands ranchers can allmake a living fighting forest fires.But isn’t that the biggest

“consumptive” use of all?

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A Greenie’s Manifesto continued from page two

Endangered Species Act Settlement continued from page one

FWS “prioritize its workload.” That settlementagreement was opposed by the CBD who want-ed other species added to the list. The JusticeDepartment obliged the requests of the CBDand on July 12, 2011 filed the second agree-ment, now pending before the District ofColumbia Federal District Court, that wouldrequire the FWS to make 1,201 decisions onproposed listing and critical habitat designationsfor 1,053 species. The reason that these twonumbers are different is because for some of thespecies, the FWS is committed to make morethan one decision. The total cost to the Ameri-can public for the FWS completing all thispaperwork is $206,098,920, all by FY 2016. These settlement agreements are being tout-

ed by the FWS as a “catalyst to move past grid-lock and acrimony” to enable the FWS to “bemore effective in both getting species on the[endangered species] list and working with ourpartners to recover those species.” Really? Howcan that be, considering the requirements ofthe agreements and the state of the Americanbudget? For example: The settlement agreements only include two

of the numerous radical environmental groupsthat have sued over the Endangered SpeciesAct to force more species listings and criticalhabitat designations. This agreement doesnothing to stop the National Wildlife Federa-

tion from filing more federal court litigationover species such as the Northern grey wolf;nor does it include Western Watersheds Pro-ject’s litigation related to the sage grouse. TheSierra Club is not bound by this settlementagreement and neither is the Natural ResourcesDefense Council nor the EnvironmentalDefense Fund. Between 2000 and 2010, 455lawsuits were filed by environmental groupsagainst the FWS alone. It is hard to move past“gridlock” when only two of the numerousgroups causing the gridlock are willing to moveout of the way (sort of).The settlement agreements require the FWS

to work on a very strict time schedule. At least 94decisions have to be made by FY 2011 and 61decisions are to be completed by the end of FY2012. The entire list of 1,205 decisions have tobe made by FY 2016. According to a FWS Fed-eral Register notice published November 10,2010, it costs the agency and the taxpayer amedian of $39,276 per species just to make a “90day finding” regarding whether the FWS shouldeven continue with a scientific review; $100,690per species for the FWS to make a listing deci-sion; $345,000 for each proposed critical habitatdesignation and an additional $305,000 for theFWS to make a final critical habitat designation.

The Chicken & The Egg

continued from page three

campaign will emphasize farm-ers’ and ranchers’ dedication tocontinuous improvement of howour food is raised to meet grow-ing demands.

� Strengthen collaborationwithin the food production, pro-cessing and distribution systemsto lead the discussion and toshare information about ourfood supply and industry moreeffectively with Americans.I guess I should say this is

your mission. The beef industryhas committed $350,000, with$300,000 coming directly frombeef checkoff dollars.The Alliance has outlined six

steps they intend to take toaccomplish their mission. Thefirst is to engage farmers andranchers and they are encour-aged to go on line to learn moreabout the effort including partic-ipating in a survey. The Allianceis made up of numerous organi-zations including the Cattle-men’s Beef Board, the NationalCattlemen’s Beef Association,and American Farm BureauFederation. The hope is thatover time the companies that aresupported by agriculture and theindustries that use our productswill contribute to make the cam-paign work. The current budgetis about $10 million with thehope of a $20 million budget inthe near future.All of this sounds peachy and I

hope that it is, but the skeptic inme sees that hovering black heli-copter. The premise of the groupis “to put aside the things that wemight disagree about and focuson what we agree upon.” Giventhat UEP is involved in theUSFRA, what does that mean?

continued on page twelve


The most commonly usedproducts today include Draxxin(Pfizer), Nuflor (Schering-Plough), Excede (Pfizer), Baytril(Bayer), Micotil (Elanco), LA-200 (Pfizer), Tetradure 300(Merial), Naxcel (Pfizer) andvarious brands of penicillin andsulfa. A few stockman also usetylosin or erythromycin (whichare both macrolide antibiotics).

Draxxin (tulathromyicin,which is also one of themacrolides) is one of the newerproducts and is a long-actingdrug that has been very useful forcombating respiratory disease. Itis labeled for use both as a thera-py and as a control (to preventdisease). “We can legally adminis-ter this product to cattle that weas veterinarians believe are at riskof developing disease,” explainsLechtenberg. For instance, it canbe given to stressed animals aftera long transport, upon arrival attheir destination.

“Draxxin carries a bovine res-piratory disease label and couldbe used at weaning if calves arestressed, especially in large cow-calf operations where eventhough it’s a closed herd largegroups of calves may be co-min-gling — not from differentsources but from different ranch-es in their own operation. Theremight be significant trucking and

stress moves,” he says.“The duration of effectiveness

for this drug is at least 10 days.People ask, ‘How long after Iadminister Draxxin can I becomfortable that we still havetherapeutic levels in the lung, orwhen should I have to re-dose?’ Itypically don’t think of Draxxinas a product you’d want to re-dose with. If the animal has notresponded adequately in thatlength of time and you feel itneeds additional treatment, it isprobably better to switch drugsand go to a different class of

antibiotics. This is not a univer-sally held opinion; this is my ownopinion,” he says.“In the same drug class

(macrolides) we also haveMicotil (tilmicosin). It’s beenaround longer, is also a long-duration therapy product (atleast 3 or 4 days) and has aslightly different spectrum thanDraxxin, but they are generallyused for treating the same typesof condition. One cautionarynote with Micotil is human safe-ty considerations,” he says.Micotil can be fatal to humans ifaccidentally injected.Both Draxxin and Micotil are

prescription products (you needa prescription to get them), andthe producer must be workingwith a veterinarian for properdiagnosis and treatment recom-mendations, so a veterinarianwill be giving the drug orinstructing the client in its prop-er use. This is especially impor-tant for the cow-calf operation,where the stockman may be put-ting a syringe in a saddle bag ortaking the drug to treat one calf— often grabbed in the pastureor crowded into a gate corner orwherever you can get hands onthe animal — without ideal

drugs — the same classas chloramphenicol,which is no longerallowed for use in foodanimals. It’s a differentclass of drugs, veryeffective and broadspectrum. “All of thesedrugs we’ve talked aboutso far are injectable, tobe administered subcu-taneously (except forerythromycin), in keep-ing with NCBA’s guide-

lines for beef quality,” he says.Nuflor’s effective duration of

activity is probably at least 4days. “It’s slightly shorter thanDraxxin. The main questionstockmen or feedlot cowboys ask,for any of these drugs, is howmany days should they watch theanimal (for response/improve-ment) before they switch drugs.I’d give Draxxin at least a week(up to 10 days), Micotil 3 daysand Nuflor 4 days,” explainsLechtenberg. If the calf is slip-ping backward — not makingprogress in recovery, you need tore-evaluate the diagnosis. Is thisin fact respiratory disease or doesthe calf have other issues? “It may be a primary viral

infection, and the antibiotic isgood to have (to keep bacterialload down) but the real problemis viremia. In that instance,

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Antibiotics for Beef Cattle – Use them Wiselyby HEATHER SMITH THOMAS

PART ONE: The Newer Drugs and Their Uses

The primary reason antimicrobial drugs are given to beef cattle is to treat or control respiratory dis-ease, though other conditions (such as foot rot, pinkeye, wooden tongue, diphtheria, etc.) are alsotreated, to help the animal fight off bacterial infection. Kelly Lechtenberg, DVM, PhD (consultingveterinarian at Midwest Veterinary Services in Oakland, Nebraska) specializes in bovine medicineand has worked with many issues regarding use of antibiotics. “The BRD (bovine respiratory dis-

ease) complex is a syndrome that is usually a bacterial infection combined with viral infection and variousstress factors,” he says. Viruses are not affected by antimicrobial products, but antibiotics are usually giv-en to the sick animal to control or prevent secondary bacterial infection.

Boluses (orcapsules)can beadministeredby using aballing gun.

restraint conditions. A feedlotoperator, by contrast, will beputting the animal in a treatmentfacility where there’s less risk forstruggle and accidental injectionof a human. “If I were to pokemyself accidentally with a drugof the macrolide class, I wouldrather poke myself withDraxxin,” says Lechtenberg. “Itdoes not have human healthimplications.”Another macrolide is erythro-

mycin, but it isn’t used as oftenbecause it is very irritating tomuscle tissue. “The only label wayit can be used is intramuscular. Isit on the Beef Quality Assurancetask force for the NCBA, and inmy opinion there is no place forinjectable erythromycin in mod-ern therapy,” he says.Another drug that has

approval for use in respiratorydisease is Nuflor (florfenicol)which is in a different class of

There are many choices of antibiotics today, to give producer more options

to best fit a particular situation.


changing antibiotics won’t domuch good. Or, you may have achronic condition in the lung(especially in feedlot cattle) andthe antibiotic isn’t effective,” hesays. In the cow-calf operationthis is generally not the problem,since the stockman will usuallybe dealing with a calf that’s sickfor the first time. In thatinstance, you generally expectthe response to be pretty good.The cephalosporins are anoth-

er class of drugs, introducedabout 20 years ago. Theseinclude Naxcel, Exenel andExcede. “Naxcel is very shortacting (about one day) but awonderful product in respect toresidues. There’s either zero orvery short withdrawal time withthese drugs. They are in thesame general class with peni-cillin, but are much more potentand much more broad spectrumthan the base compound of peni-cillin. They are very good for res-piratory disease and foot rot.Treating foot rot is one of the biguses for cephalosporins becausethis keeps your slaughter optionsopen for adult cows,” he says. Ifan older animal gets foot rot andyou want to try therapy, but real-ize that you might have to butch-er or sell the animal, you won’thave to wait so long on with-drawal time.“The products that are labeled

for foot rot include LA-200,Nuflor and several others butmany of these have significantwithdrawal time. If they don’tget the job done and you have tohang onto the animal longer

than you want to, thecephalosporins are a betterchoice,” explains Lechtenberg.The cephalosporins all consist

of the same chemical entity —ceftiofur. “These drugs includeNaxcel, Exenel, (effective dura-tion about 2 days) and thenewest one Excede. The latter isa different formulation, in a dif-ferent carrier, so it has a longerduration of effectiveness thanthe others. The mechanism bywhich that happens is differentthan in Draxxin or Micotil whichare absorbed rapidly and thenconcentrate in the white cells ofthe body. Excede is absorbedmore slowly, so it’s like giving acontinuous slow-release dose. Itis effective for about 10 days,very similar to Draxxin and isalso a good drug to give cattleupon arrival at a feedlot, forinstance,” he says. Naxcel wouldbe the drug of choice when treat-ing an adult cow (if it’s an animalyou could put in the chute againfor retreatment if necessary, andto take advantage of the shortwithdrawal time if you decide tosell or butcher her afterward),whereas Excede might be whatyou’d choose when receivingcalves into a feedlot — whereyou want to bring them in,process them and let them getused to the feeding program andnot have to handle them again.There are many choices ofantibiotics today, to give a pro-ducer more options to best fit aparticular situation.“When setting up a program

and deciding whether to use

Draxxin or Excede as your long-action drug — in my experienceone thing to consider is thatDraxxin is pretty good in opera-tions that are having problemswith Micoplasma bovis. Somefarms and herds have had a seri-ous problem with this, while oth-ers have never heard of it. Westarted seeing M. bovis in the late1980’s, primarily in northern andwestern ranch cattle, and nowwe’re seeing it more commonly insome of the highly put togethersoutheastern cattle. Draxxin ispretty effective against thispathogen. Excede has a similarduration of efficacy, but becauseit is a cephalosporin (drugs thatwork by inhibiting the formationof bacterial cell walls) it doesn’twork at all for M. bovis becausemicoplasmas do not have a cellwall,” explains Lechtenberg. Thus your choice of antibiotic

would depend on the history ofdisease on your ranch. If youstruggled last year at weaningtime with Micoplasma bovis, andyou decide to dose the calves atweaning this year to head it off,you’d want to use Nuflor,Draxxin, LA-200 or one of theother drugs that have efficacyagainst this type of bacterium.“You might have the luxury ofsusceptibility data from last year(if your veterinarian cultured theorganism), or you might not andare just playing a hunch. There’sno guarantee that you’llencounter the same bug, butthese decisions should be madewith the producer and veterinari-an working together and plan-ning a strategy — such as maybebackgrounding the calves insmaller groups before co-min-gling them. There are many stepsthat should happen before youdecide to just give every calfantibiotics,” he says.Another class of antibiotics is

the floroquinalones, whichincludes Baytril (enrofloxacin)and A180 (danafloxacin). “Theseare different variations of thisclass, and both are very effectiveand very potent. The parentcompound is ciprofloxacin, ahuman antimicrobial that is very

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Most shotsshould be putinto the neck,to avoidinjecting intoparts of thebody thatwill eventual-ly becomeimportantcuts of meat.

Properplacement

for an injection

in the ear.

popular.” This is a broad spec-trum antibiotic effective againstsome strains of bacteria thathave developed resistance topenicillins and cephalosporins.“Baytril and A180 have some

restrictions, which producersneed to remember. They carrywarnings on the label, saying it isillegal to use them in any extra-label fashion, such as for babycalf diarrhea. These drugs arelow volume injections and veryeffective against E. coli and sal-monella, but the reason they areillegal for this use because thereis concern about development ofantibiotic resistant gut bugs(enteric pathogens) that caninfect people. These drugs canbe used for baby calf pneumonia

(they are labeled for treatingpneumonia in beef cattle) butnot for scours,” he points out.All of these newer drugs

require a prescription from yourveterinarian. You should not beusing them without advise fromand consultation with your vet.The only drugs you can legallypurchase over the counter with-out a prescription (from a feedstore, catalog supply company,etc.) are penicillin, sulfa and thetetracyclines. “There is some talkthat this will change, but at thispoint in time they can be pur-chased over the counter,” he says.

Stay tuned for part two: “Antibiotics for beef cattle,

the old reliables.”

Riding Herd continued from page one

Roy’s affections with a horse named Trigger, andCar 54 was never lost. The drive-in theater isnow a swap meet and hotel keys and house callsare a thing of the past. Every day there are fewerof us left who remember the milkman, or thatwhen you went to the gas station two peopleemerged to fill your tank, wash your windows,check your tires and your oil. I guess I’ll justhave to adapt to the new “service” economy inwhich we live. I’ve spent my life accumulating a pretty darn

impressive nail collection, if I do say so myself,and my friend John, who is a young builder,took one look at all the nails in my shop andsaid, “Thank goodness we don’t use them any-more. We just use a nail gun.” With that onesimple remark he discredited my life’s work.We baby boomers have spent our lives accu-

mulating what we thought were valuable collec-tions of lunch boxes, Buddy L trucks andRoseville pottery and our kids take one look,emit a collective yawn and the first chance they

get they sell them on eBay. They could care lessabout our Gunsmoke cap pistols, 45 RPMrecords and motel ash tray collections. Theworst part is, just like leisure suits, I don’t thinkI’ll be coming back into fashion any time sooneither. I’ve thought about giving this column acomplete makeover, but it’s not something Icould fake. Even if I did use a pseudonym andwrote a new column where every other wordwas “awesome”, I’d be exposed faster than astreaker, if anyone still remembers them. My audience is getting older and they find

my writing harder to read due to failing eye-sight. Even if they do read and like one of mycolumns 20 minutes later they can’t rememberwho wrote it, or what it was about. As we’regetting older we’re losing our sense of humor,too, finding less and less to laugh at in thisweird world in which we live. Our only satisfac-tion comes from knowing that one day the cur-rent crop of youngsters will have to explain totheir grandkids why they liked rap music, whoParis Hilton was, and why in the world they tat-tooed and pierced their bodies. For, as we alldiscover sooner or later, time has a way of mak-ing us all irrelevant.


When you get the call tohost a Certified AngusBeef® Chef tour thereis a certain excitement

that is quickly followed by panic!But for the folks at Bradley 3Ranch, their twenty plus years inthe meat business lent to aneffective plan and a skillfullyhosted ranch visit and meal . . .even in the current Texasdrought.On June 20, noted Chefs

from across the U.S and Certi-fied Angus Beef® staff were atBradley 3 Ranch for a tour andwonderful meal prepared byCertified Angus Beef® ScottPopvic. The Chefs on the tourwere among some of the mostinnovative and rising culinarystars. Chef Govind Armstrong is

one of the nation’s brightestcooking stars, noted for his com-mitment to market-driven Cali-fornia-style cuisine. Creator ofthe Table 8 brand of restaurants,Armstrong is currently the exec-utive chef and owner of 8 OzBurger Bars in Los Angeles andSouth Beach. He plans expan-sion to California, Arizona andNevada.Undoubtedly one of the

South’s most talented youngchefs, Craig Deihl delights din-ers with his global fusion style ofcooking at Cypress inCharleston, S.C. In 2010, Deihlreceived a prestigious JamesBeard Foundation nominationfor Best Chef-Southeast. He wasalso named Chef of the Year bythe Charleston chapter of theAmerican Culinary Foundation. Also on the tour was husband

and wife duo, Cindy Hutson andDelius Shirley. They ownOrtanique restaurants in Miamiand the Grand Caymans. Cindyis a major influence on theCaribbean food scene and SouthFlorida market place. Togetherthey operate Norma’s on theBeach, which has beenacclaimed as the best Caribbeanrestaurant in South Florida byUSA Today, New York Times, Lon-don Times, Chicago Tribune andOcean Drive magazines.Adam Perry Lang is a beef

and barbecue expert who hasworked his way through top rat-ed kitchens of France and NewYork City. He is a consultingpartner in Mario Batali’sCarnevino in Las Vegas, wherehe sources all the beef and trainsthe staff on cooking techniques.His latest restaurant project tookhim to London to open Barbe-coa with celebrity chef JamieOliver. He is a cookbook authorand frequent guest on all themajor news and foodie shows.Anne Quatrano and Clifford

Harrison have been inseparablesince meeting as students at theCalifornia Culinary Academy inSan Francisco. Their three ventures — Bac-

chanalia, Floataway Café andStar Provisions — provide theperfect outlet for their creativityand home-raised organic pro-duce. They have received numer-

ous kudos from Food and WineMagazine, the James BeardFoundation and NationalRestaurant Association, to namea few. They have also appearedon CNN, GPTV, The Food Net-work and Discovery Channel.The chefs flew into Amarillo

and arrived at Bradley 3 Ranchon a “breezy” 105-degree day.Since the ranch had seen virtual-ly no rain for almost a year, thechefs saw first hand how harshMother Nature can be in theranching business. In an effort to help the chefs

understand their production sys-tem, James Henderson andMary Lou Bradley-Hendersonguided the group on a tourshowing them cows grazing ondry forage, a set of corrals andweaned calves. The next stopwas a visit to the herd bulls.Ranch staff, Phil Sandelin andRobert Hodge, explained theirnormal day — not a 9 to 5 job! In the mean time, Certified

Angus Beef® Chef, ScottPopvic, was back at the ranchheadquarters preparing an out-standing meal. While he had

never been to Bradley 3 Ranch,he commandeered the grill andkitchen masterfully. His menuincluded an aged, bone-in Rib-eye (deemed the CertifiedAngus Beef ® Cowboy steak),green bean and fennel salad,smoked brisket chili “in bone”,jalapeño potato salad, cornspoon bread and an incredible

peach cobbler. Over dinner, the discussion

was lively and the chefs had theopportunity to visit with both theranch and Certified AngusBeef® staff. According to MaryLou, “I do think the Chefs leftthe ranch having a better under-standing of the process to getfood to their restaurants. The

Certified Angus Beef® staff dida masterful job of creating alearning opportunity in a ranchsetting. For us at the ranch, thisprovided a rare treat for us tolearn about our end point con-sumers’ preferences and needs.We enjoyed the culinary conver-sation and the “left-overs” wereawesome!”

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out. I left that speaker in thegrasp of that disrespectful mobwhile he attempted to offer somelogic of the fallacy of such arestrictive land management des-ignation. Two historic events took place

after that meeting. The AldoLeopold Wilderness was desig-nated and the environmentalmovement blossomed. The voiceof reason was symbolized by thatlone rancher. The voices of ideal-ism were symbolized by that pro-gressive mob. Today, some 40years later, there remain isolated,but no longer lone voices in themidst of even greater mobs.

The MovementThe passion pitch for restric-

tive land designations was alwayspredicated on idealistic fervor ofan undefined goal. If there was acorollary, it was the image wehad of ourselves as students fin-ishing college at Western NewMexico University without acomprehensive educational skillto do anything except continuegoing to school. We wereengrained with an elevated senseof self importance that had nobasis for immediate real worldapplication.The Nazi Germans actually

had a word for our predicament.“Selbstgleichschaltung” or “self-coordination” was the approachprewar German leadership usedto bring academia, governmentministries, the youth, and cultur-al institutions in line with theirnationalistic beliefs. Germanleaders were amazed how effec-tive such “coordination” was. Ithas been equally effective in theenvironmental movement.

The UptickThe Wilderness Act of 1964

was the organic progenitor of thegreat passion laws. It was thedefining legislation that gave riseto the “Gleichschaltung” — coor-dination — of the environmentallaws and the methodology of get-ting them passed. There were two exceptions

conceded for those hallowedlands “untrammeled by man” asenvisioned in the WildernessAct. One was for the Presidentto have certain authorities in theevent of war. The second was toallow grazing to continue whereit existed at the time of the sign-ing.The grazing issue was a com-

promise. The conservation advo-cates of the bill never wanted cat-tle grazing. Grazing was allowedonly through compromise ema-nating from lingering anger overan event that occurred in theGila National Forest. It was in there that the ‘First

Family of Wilderness’, was evict-ed from their historic range. Thatland had caught the fancy of sev-eral influential administratorsincluding Aldo Leopold. Itbecame the nation’s first wilder-ness. The designation was with-out Congressional approval.Rather, it was an administrativeaction taken by a RegionalOffice in 1924. It set the stagefor things to come.In 1944, the Shelley family

was evicted without recoursefrom what is now a large part ofthe Gila Wilderness. They hadbeen forced to destock that por-tion of their ranch because ofseveral catastrophic events notthe least of which was the GreatDepression. When the sugges-tion of restocking was imminentduring World War II, the ForestService notified the family that“the (Wilderness) has been elim-inated from the Mogollon CreekAllotment.” The Forest Servicewas not going to alter what theDepression had accomplishedregardless of needs of the nation.The Shelley travesty was

known among certain partici-pants in the hearings prior to1964, and it was an issue. Inorder to assure passage, a com-promise was struck. Grazingwould be allowed where it was inplace “at the time of the signing”,but, as for the egregious, unde-fended Gila taking . . . leave thatsleeping dog alone!

The ArbitrageBy the time the Federal

Lands Policy and ManagementAct (FLPMA) came along in1976, the environmental influ-ences were expansive. Conflict-ing missions, interagency jeal-ousies, the confusion of laws,and the escalating environmentalinfluences were all part of thedriving forces behind FLPMA.The pacifying words were thepurported “values” for which thefederal lands would be managed.Those promised quality valueswere scientific, scenic, historical,ecological, environmental, airand atmospheric, waterresources, and archeological.Everybody agreed and the billwas signed by the PresidentOctober 21, 1976 and becamePublic Law 94-579, 90 Stat.2743.

The Corruption of ValuesIn the years since 1976, any

objective observer is hardpressed to identify any substan-tive values management exceptecological and environmental infederal actions. Those valueshave been elevated above all oth-ers in the management of exist-ing federal lands and the acquisi-tion of new holdings. The federallands along the Arizona borderare the best examples. Between 1978 and the early

‘90s, over a million acres of des-ignated federal Wilderness wasestablished on the Mexican bor-der in Arizona. In the manage-ment of those areas, it is obviousthere was a differentiated atti-tude about FLPMA values. Theliterature is full of references tosensitivity of habitat, plans forexpansion of restrictive land des-ignations and even mitigation ofBorder Patrol activities.Acquisitions of the Slaughter

and Buenos Aires ranches imme-diately adjacent to the borderadded to the federal presence.Both ranches were acquired forendemic wildlife habitat preser-vation and restoration. Theybecame part of the dominion offederal lands that included theCoronado National Forest, theCoronado National Monument,Tohono O’odon Reservation, the

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by STEPHEN L. WILMETH

During a wilderness hearingyears ago, a lone rancherapproached the podium atthe Fine Arts Center on

the campus of Western NewMexico University. It was appar-ent he was not a public speaker.

He spoke of the pitfalls of thedesignation. As he spoke, thefledgling environmental crowdjeered and ridiculed his mannerof speech and his message. Oneof the professors of that institu-tion’s biology department ranout the front door calling thecrowd to come in and “listen tothis fool!”As a student in that depart-

ment, I listened along with theothers who were now hootingand hollering. After a fewmoments, I turned and walked

The Corruption of Values —Promises Made . . . Values Differentiated . . . Promises Ignored . . . National Security . . . the Cardinal Value

The Four States Ag Expo has announced lowerrates and more attractive terms for the March17, 2012 Bull and Heifer Sale, which will beheld in conjunction with the Ag Expo’s 30th

anniversary show running March 15-18.The updated sale structure includes a lower

nomination fee of $100 and a pen fee of $25/ani-mal. Also new for 2012, 100 percent of the nomi-nation fee will be credited toward the sale commis-sion or no-sale fee. Ag Expo president Dusty Bealscommented, “With these terms, we’re creating away for the buyer to get excellent breeding stockwhile giving the consignor full exposure throughAg Expo media as well as a reasonably priced wayto sell. This is the sale to hold back your bulls for.Everyone wins.”In addition to favorable terms, every consigning

ranch will:

� Be mentioned in sale-specific advertising and publicity

� Given a live link to their ranch from the Ag Expo website

� Receive immediate placement in the online sale catalog Benefits begin upon payment of full nomination

and pen fees, so consignors are urged to registerearly to begin enjoying the advertising advantages. The nomination and catalog entry deadline is

March 1. The Ag Expo Bull & Heifer Sale will behandled by Southern Colorado Livestock Auction,but consignments should be registered through theAg Expo. The catalog will be online in download-able pdf format at www.FourStatesAgExpo.com; itwill be updated as entries arrive.For more information on the sale, contact Radi-

ance Beals at 970/749-7560 or [email protected].

Four States Ag Expo Lowers Fees for Bull & Heifer Sale

continued on page ten


In these hotly political times,even the poor hot dog can’tkeep from getting caught inthe cultural crossfire.The Physicians Committee for

Responsible Medicine has put upa billboard near the IndianapolisMotor Speedway in Indianalikening hot dogs to cigarettesand declaring that eating one hotdog a day would increase theeater’s risk of cancer.“A hot dog a day could send

you to an early grave,” saidSusan Levin, nutrition educationdirector for the Physicians Com-mittee, which advocates a plant-based diet.She likens the assault on hot

dogs and other red meat to thelong battle against cigarettes,which beginning in the mid-1960s gradually eliminated ciga-rette advertising and then smok-ing in most public buildings.That kind of thinking doesn't

go down easily in Iowa, home ofthe nation’s largest hog popula-tion at 19 million. Corn has longbeen the preferred feed for live-stock, and Iowa’s cattle and hogproducers generate about $10

billion a year in cash receipts.Among Iowa fresh meat pro-

cessing plants, Tyson Foodsmakes hot dogs at its plant inCherokee and the SmithfieldFoods-owned John Morrell plantmakes hot dogs in Mason City.Hog producer Wayne Sheets

of Ionia, president of the IowaPork Producers Association,observed laconically “there arepeople who just don’t want otherfolks to eat meat.”The Indianapolis billboard

plays on a perception, disputed bythe meat industry, that eating redmeat increases the risk of cancer.Sheets and meat groups take

issue with the cancer accusation.“If meat causes cancer, would

the government allow it to besold?” said Sheets.American Meat Institute Pres-

ident J. Patrick Boyle defendedthe hot dog, saying “hot dogs arepart of a healthy, balanced diet.They come in a variety of nutri-tion and taste formulas and theyare an excellent source of pro-tein, vitamins and minerals.”Boyle said “one of the largest

studies ever done on red meat

and colon cancer — a 2004 Har-vard School of Public Healthanalysis involving over 725,000men and women and presentedat the 2004 American Associa-tion for Cancer Research Confer-ence — showed no relationshipbetween meat and colon cancer.”The arguments about connec-

tions between red meat and vari-ous diseases, including obesity,have been around a while.What is new is the cultural

divide between vegetarians andmeat lovers, played out in politi-cal arguments over farm subsi-dies, school lunch menus andundercover videos shot by animalrights activists — often acknowl-edged vegetarians — at Iowa egg

and hog production facilities.Even farmers markets, a

favorite of “buy fresh, buy local”advocates, are seen as somethingof a cultural battleground.Justin Wilson, researcher for

the food industry-supported Cen-ter for Consumer Freedom inWashington, D.C., said “a lot ofpeople who go to farmers marketscan best be described as foodieelitists with a latent anti-corporatementality, who advocate andpractice vegetarianism so they canfeel superior to other people.”Wilson cites the precedent of

cigarettes as the blueprint forwhat anti-meat groups haveplanned, and said “the compari-son of meat and cigarettes isfalse. Cigarettes are known tocause cancer. No such cause hasbeen specifically connected tored meat.”

Levin said she doesn’t objectto being called a food elitist, butthat “my job is to provide infor-mation to the public. Our adviceis to switch to a plant-based diet.”Wilson said he is watching the

first steps in what some fear willbe government control of diets.“I’ve heard (U.S. Sec. of Agricul-

ture) Tom Vilsack talk about ‘meat-less Mondays,’ and all the cam-paigns about ‘local produce,’ and‘know your farmer,’ said Wilson.He said that “so far, the calo-

rie information on menus and onfood packaging has had no effecton the nation’s weight problem.And there is evidence that eatingwhat is supposed to be diet food,like a veggie sandwich at Sub-way, just creates a ‘halo effect’that leaves the consumer think-ing he or she is free to gorge lat-er on something else.”

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WE SELL OVER 250 HEAD ANNUALLY.

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

JOEY FREUND, 303/841-7901

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RunningCreek Ranch

EL IZABETH , COLORADO 80107

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Summer food fight: Hot dogs caught in cultural crossfireby DAN PILLER, www.desmoinesregister.com

Organ Pipe Cactus NationalMonument, the Cabeza PrietaNational Wildlife Preserve, andexpansive BLM administeredlands that include National Con-servation Area designations. It is nearly impossible to find

examples of support for othervalues promised in FLPMA,and, particularly, the historicalvalue. A most bizarre examplewas when Organ Pipe’s resourcestaff indicated in a study theyhad prevailed against cattle graz-ing in the monument and theywould also prevail against theBorder Patrol! Indeed, the Park Service had

succeeded in removing theranching Gray family who hadbeen on the border for years,established domiciles on what isnow monument land, and creat-ed water infrastructure that sup-ported not only their cattle herdbut wildlife populations. The Park Service worked dili-

gently in their stated intention toovercome the Border Patrol. Ifthere is a metric to gauge theirsuccess, their managed lands arenow ground zero within the mostdangerous drug smuggling corri-dors where half of all illegal traf-fic enters the United States.

Values Intervention and the FutureThe values “bundle” that was

set forth in FLPMA remainsintact. Federal agency disregardfor the sanctity of the historicvalue and the elevation of theenvironmental and ecologicalvalues is unacceptable. It is alsodangerous and it has put theentire nation at risk.Data suggests that if the fed-

eral agencies had administeredthe promised values without biasand prejudice, the United Stateswould be a much safer place. Forexample, where the ranchingindustry has been removed fromthe border, illegal trespass hasnot increased in a linear fashion. . . the increase is exponential.

The illegal trespass impact onthe border must be seen to bebelieved. If the federal agenciescharged with management of thenatural resources in those areaswere private companies, theirservices would not only be termi-nated . . . they would be sued forbreach of contract and derelic-tion of duty. Their performancein differentiating managementfor only the environmental valueis a national disgrace.Congress must start making

amends to the eleven Westernstates that agreed to allow themanagement of their lands to bealtered from a matter of disposalto a matter of retention on thebasis of upholding the eightguiding values. The citizens of

those states have been deceived,mislead, and under-represented. Congress must also add to the

values bundle the single definingvalue that has been missing fromthe onset. The cardinal value . . .national security is missing. Itmust be added to a refined FLP-MA or the American peoplemust accelerate their search forleaders who represent the Amer-ican society for whom all valueswere intended . . . and promised.

Stephen L. Wilmeth is a rancher from southernNew Mexico. “In the last 20 years, 550 federallands ranchers in New Mexico have been lost.That represents 550 individual familytragedies. Complicit in that reduction is theovert disregard for the historic value. The silentannihilation of this historic segment of oursociety is no longer an acceptable goal of theenvironmental movement. It must bestopped.”


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Texas Panhandle Ranch: 12,408 acres southeast of Amarillo in the heart of the rugged Palo Duro Canyon. Thisranch has excellent access with paved highway frontage. The property has been under the same family ownershipsince 1929. This scenic ranch has over 3 miles of the Prairie Dog Fork of the Red River. The south portion of theproperty is located on the elevated plains, with dramatic views of the colorful canyon country. The ranch iswatered by windmills, electric wells, waterlines with drinking troughs and the river. If you are in the market for arugged Palo Duro Canyon Ranch, loaded with game, with excellent access and unbelievable scenery, this propertydeserves your immediate attention. Priced at $675 per acre with some minerals.

Texas Panhandle Ranch: 71,059 acres located northwest of Amarillo, Texas. The centerpiece of the ranch isapproximately 29 miles of the scenic Canadian River, which essentially runs through the center of the property.The terrain varies dramatically from elevated mesas descending to deep canyons and wide fertile creek bottoms.The property is extremely well improved and very well watered by the river, springs, creeks, and many water wells.Major improvements include a 7,000 square foot owner’s home, 4,500 foot paved landing strip, hand houses, dogkennels, and many extras. The ranch offers some of the best mule deer, whitetail, turkey and quail hunting to befound. Two state record deer have been harvested in recent years, and elk are now coming down the river out ofNew Mexico. This property has a colorful history and a carefully planned Conservation Easement is in place. Thisranch has it all. $475 per acre.

Southeast Colorado Cattle Ranch: 12,383 deeded acres together with 640 acres of Colorado State Lease and aComanche National Grasslands Permit to graze an additional 183 animal units for five months. The terrain variesfrom gently rolling open plains country to high elevated mesas and rugged mesa side slopes. Elevations vary from5,800 feet to over 6,700 feet. As the country transitions from the open plains to the mesa tops the ranch has a fairlydense canopy of juniper, piñon, oak, and scattered ponderosa pine, which offers excellent habitat for turkey, muledeer and elk. Water quality is good and the ranch is exceptionally well watered and adequately improved withfunctional headquarter improvements including housing, barns and pens. This operating ranch is realisticallypriced at $425 per deeded acre with the lease and permit being transferred to an approved buyer.

East-Central New Mexico Cattle Ranch: 60,400 deeded acres with approximately 6,000 acres of leased and freeuse land. The ranch is located near Santa Rosa and historical stocking rates indicate a carrying capacity of 1,200 –1,300 animal units. The ranch has a rolling to hilly terrain with a small amount of canyon country. The property iswatered by natural lakes, submersible wells, windmills and an extensive waterline network. Improvements includea nearly new Spanish style hacienda, two camps and several good sets of livestock pens. $240 per deeded acre.

TEXAS & OKLA. FARMS & RANCHES

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

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

[email protected]

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

INTEREST RATES AS LOW AS 3%. PAYMENTS

SCHEDULED ON 25 YEARS

��

JOE STUBBLEFIELD & ASSOCIATES13830 Western St., Amarillo, TX • 806/622-3482

Cell 806/674-2062 • [email protected] Perez Assocs

Nara Visa, NM • 575/403-7970

The Corruption of Values continued from page eight

THE LIVESTOCK MARKET DIGEST

Real Estate GUIDETo place your listings here, please call MICHAEL WRIGHT

at 505/243-9515, ext. 30, or email [email protected]


� JACKSON CREEK: Approximately 2,398 deeded acres – 490± irrigated meadows – plusBLM & USFS leases – rated at 430 MOTHER COWS plus replacements and bulls – 15 HD.HORSE PERMIT – Harney County, OR – 3 year long creeks through ranch, large spring andpotable artesian well – LANDOWNER HUNTING TAGS, 4 deer and 4 elk – comfortableimprovements, private HQ’s, last year long ranch in upper Otis Valley – back dropping againstrugged BLM and USFS lands – owner/agent – $2,450,000� LANDRETH: Approximately 797 deeded acres – 35 irrigated crop – 135 irrigated pasture –balance, dry grazing – livestock/recreation property – rates at approximately 100 – 125 animalunits year long or great stocker unit on seasonal basis – approximately 1/2-MILE MALHEURRIVER thru ranch – upland game birds, waterfowl, mule deer and bass ponds – LANDOWNERHUNTING TAGS, 2 deer – quality, clean improvements – Malheur County, OR – $990,000 –priced below appraisal� P BAR: Approximately 11,750 deeded acres – 300 irrigated – plus BLM & State leases –rated at 1,300 AU’s – WINTER PERMIT for 900 hd. – one contiguous unit for easy drift – 1,000hd. feedlot to wean and/or back ground calves – 3 homes – numerous outbuildings and livestockfacilities – Malheur County, OR – possibly the lowest $$ operating ranch on the NW real estatemarket – $6,000,000 � LINSON CREEK: 1,938 deeded acres plus 892 AUM’s BLM – WINTER PASTURE forapproximately 300 hd. – 11/1 – 5/10 – will generally feed about 1/2-ton hay – CHUKAR, QUAIL,PHEASANT, MULE DEER, ELK – FISHING FOR BLUE GILL, BASS AND TROUT – modestimprovements – Washington County, ID – $1,475,000 – Terms� JUNIPER: 155 deeded acres – 74 irrigated – offering a premier close in wildlife/huntingproperty – PHEASANT, QUAIL, TURKEY, MULE DEER, VARMINTS, BLUE GILL AND BASS –recently remodeled 3 BR, 2BA, 1,645 sq. ft. home – outbuildings – neat, clean and well cared for– Malheur County, OR – $545,000� REATA RIDGE: 560 deeded acres accessing several thousand acres federal lands – 3,000'executive home with lots of extras – horse barn, office, gym, shop, machine shed, covered horseruns, roping/riding arena – LANDOWNER HUNTING TAGS, 2 mule deer – Malheur County, OR– $995,000 – owner agent� FARM/FEEDLOT: 500 deeded acres with about 280 irrigated – CAFO at 850-1,000 head –good improvements – great for stockers and/or dairy heifers – Malheur County, OR – $1,580,000

AGRILANDS Real Estatewww.agrilandsrealestate.com

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

SOLD

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

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

WAHOO RANCH: Approximately 40,976 acres: ± 11,600 deeded, 6,984 BLM, 912 state, 40 uncontrolled and 21,440 for-est. Beautiful cattle ranch located on the east slope of the Black Range Mountains north of Winston, N.M., on StateRoad 52. Three hours from either Albuquerque or El Paso.The ranch is bounded on the east by the Alamosa CreekValley and on the west by the Wahoo Mountains ranging in elevation from 6,000' to 8,796'. There are 3 houses/2cabins, 2 sets of working corrals (1 with scales) and numerous shops and outbuildings. It is very well watered withmany wells, springs, dirt tanks and pipelines. The topography and vegetation is a combination of grass coveredhills (primarily gramma grasses), with many cedar, piñon and live oak covered canyons as well as the forestedWahoo Mountains. There are plentiful elk and deer as well as antelope, turkey, bear, mountain lion and javelina (47elk tags in 2010). Absolutely one of the nicest combination cattle/hunting ranches to be found in the Southwest.Price reduced to $5,500,000.MAHONEY PARK: Just 10 miles southeast of Deming, N.M. The property consists of approx. 800 acres Deeded, 560acres State Lease, and 900 acres BLM. This historic property is located high up in the Florida Mountains and featuresa park like setting, covered in deep grasses with plentiful oak and juniper covered canyons. The cattle allotmentwould be approx. 30 head (AUYL). Wildlife includes deer, ibex, javalina, quail and dove. This rare jewel wouldmake a great little ranch with views and a home site second to none. Price reduced to $550,000.SAN JUAN RANCH: Located 15 miles south of Deming, N.M. east of Highway 11 (Columbus Highway) on CR-11.Approximately 24,064 acres consisting of approximately 2684 acres Deeded, 3240 State Lease, 13,460 BLM, and 4,680uncontrolled. The cattle allotment would be approx. 183 head (AUYL). There are 6 solar powered stock wells withmetal storage tanks and approximately 6-1/2 miles pipeline. The ranch has a very diverse landscape consisting ofhigh mountain peaks, deep juniper & oak covered canyons, mountain foothills and desert grasslands. There is plen-tiful wildlife including deer, ibex, javalina, quail and dove. A truly great buy! Price reduced to $550,000. 26.47-ACRE FARM for sale off Shalem Colony Road. Borders the Rio Grande river. 13.55 acres EBID water rights/26acres water rights. $380,000. 212 ACRE FARM BETWEEN LAS CRUCES, N.M. AND EL PASO, TEXAS: Hwy. 28 frontage with 132 acres irrigated, 45acres sandhills, full EBID (surface water) plus a supplemental irrigation well, cement ditches and large equipmentwarehouse. Priced at $1,629,000. 50.8-ACRE FARM: Located on Afton Road south of La Mesa, NM. Paved road frontage, full EBID (surface water)plus a supplemental irrigation well with cement ditches. Priced at $12,000/acre.OTHER FARMS FOR SALE: In Doña Ana County. All located near Las Cruces, N.M. 8, 11, 26, 27 and 63 acres. Startingat $12,000/acre. All have EBID (surface water rights from the Rio Grande River) and several have supplemental ir-rigation wells. If you are interested in farm land in Doña Ana County, or ranches in Southwest N.M., give me a call.

www.zianet.com/nmlandman

Southwest New Mexico Farms and Ranches

Missouri Land Sales� Horse Training / Boarding Facility: New, state-of-the-art, 220x60horse facility with 20 stalls, back to back, offset with bull pen at end ofthe barn. Two large pipe outside paddocks. 3-4 BR, 3 BA, 2,000+ sq. ft.home. All on 18+ acres. Just 5 miles north of I-44 Bois D’Arc exit. MLS#1017424. Call Paul for your private showing.� 838± Acre Ranch: Never been offered for sale before. Exceptional,highly improved, all continuous ranch, 1/2 mile off Hwy. 13 at Bollvar.Lovely ranch home and mobile home and guest entertainment house. Bigshoe, hay barn and possible 8-stall horse barn. 250/cow/calf graze the 700 acre m/l lush pastures serviced by3.5 miles of water lines and 23 frost-free waterers. 3+ acres m/l spring-fed stocked lake. This ranch has it all.MLS#1109960� 483 Ac., Hunter Mania: Nature at her best. Don’t miss out on this one. Live water (two creeks). 70+ acresopen in bottom hayfields and upland grazing. Lots of timber (marketable and young) for the best hunting and fishing(Table Rock, Taney Como and Bull Shoals Lake) Really cute 3-bd., 1-ba stone home. Secluded yes, but easy accessto Forsyth-Branson, Ozark and Springfield. Property joins Nat’l. Forest. MLS#908571

See all my listings at: paulmcgilliard.murney.com

PAUL McGILLIARDCell: 417/839-5096

1-800/743-0336MURNEY ASSOC., REALTORSSPRINGFIELD, MO 65804 M

icrosoft Corp. (Nasdaq“MSFT”) has donatednearly $1.9 million ofsoftware, training and

support to the National FFAOrganization for the creation ofa new online network to helpstudents track educational suc-cesses, pursue awards and schol-arships and ultimately obtaincareers in the agriculture indus-try.The Agricultural Career Net-

work will be an online portal thatstudents can use starting in mid-dle school, through college andbeyond to track their educationalaccomplishments, activities andawards. It will also allow studentsto build resumes and online port-folios, apply for awards andscholarships, prepare for college,pursue internships, connect withpotential employers and pursueemployment opportunities.Agriculture teachers will also

be able to manage FFA memberinformation in the network,which will provide key data forPerkins plans and reports, pro-duce local impact reports foradvocacy efforts, compile infor-mation about available grant andscholarship applications and cre-ate tools that teachers can use togauge the relevance and success-es of their individual agriculturaleducation curricula.Microsoft’s donation to FFA

includes SharePoint 2010, SQLServer 2008 R2 and additionalproducts.“Microsoft’s generosity and

support gives us the utmost con-

fidence that the AgriculturalCareer Network will deliverworld-class service to FFA mem-bers, their teachers and FFAalumni to help them efficientlyand professionally documenttheir educational and careerprogress and achievements,” saidMark Cavell, chief technical offi-cer at the National FFA Organi-zation. “We envision the networkwill be a powerful resource thatstudents can use now and wellinto their futures as agriculture-industry leaders.”The initial focus of the Agri-

cultural Career Network will beto improve the quality, serviceand impact of FFA. Data col-lected through the network willhelp document the impact andrelevance of FFA and agriculturecurricula, drive FFA program-ming and build a growing base of

support for agricultural educa-tion.“We applaud FFA for its

launch of the Agricultural CareerNetwork” said Staci TrackeyMeagher, general manager forMicrosoft’s Midwest District.“Microsoft has long believed thatinside each and every personthere is great potential. To con-tinue increasing digital inclusion,we are committed to providingtechnology, tools and resourcesto these organizations and arehonored we can assist the FFAwith this key initiative.”The Agriculture Career Net-

work will roll out in phases, withthe first phase being made avail-able to FFA members and agri-culture teachers this fall. Overthe next two years, the networkwill expand, featuring additionaltools and features.

At a time when self-right-eous environmentalgroups are trying to blocksolar power, and self-

described green politicians arepreventing “Not in my Backyard”wind power, our much malignedreal power utilities continue tosearch for greener fuel options.It is not unusual that the blus-

ter of the often government-sub-sidized non-profit ANTI’simpede progress through frivo-lous litigation. Yet the workers inthe trenches who furnish us withlight, fuel, heat and electricity,soldier on with these parasiticenvirosites clinging to them liketicks under a donkey’s tail.For 20 years coal burning

plants have been experimentingwith Biomass as a fuel or co-fuelwith coal. Biomass, by definitionis also a fossil fuel, only much“fresher”, geologically speaking.In most cases it is wood-waste,the byproduct of lumber mills.After Hurricane Hugo in

South Carolina, one of theirNational Parks was devastated.All the trees were down. TheForest Service chipped the treesand the local power plantsburned the product with coal, upto 15 percent. Today the envi-rosites would stop them in theirtracks!Feedlots and dairies have

always been interested in ways torecycle cow manure as energy oras cud-pleasing condiments.Though it might sound queasy tothe squeamish, even humansdevelop a taste for Brie cheese,goose liver and fungi!I’m thinking if southern pow-

er plants really wanted to recy-cle, how ‘bout kudzu! My gosh,it’s hangin’ on every power polefrom Macon to Memphis! Theycould compost it, ensile it, or layit out on Interstates 10 and 20 tobe dried and flattened. They cutit in chunks like peat and burn italong with the loblolly stumpsand chitlins. If you’re looking for abundant

biomass trash, think aboutChristmas trees in January, flow-ers after Mother’s Day, Eastereggs in May and punkin headsafter Halloween! Consider thewaste in discarded Popsiclesticks, toothpicks, woodenmatches, and even give-awayyardsticks! And speaking of flam-mable; paper of all kinds includ-ing Charmin, well, maybe notCharmin, but Kleenex, losinglotto tickets, receipts fromWendy’s Square meal and CircleK 16 oz cups of coffee. Howmany of those receipts do youwad up every year and toss?Newspapers could be classed asorganic biomass, especially if youhave been using it to train thepuppy!We all should remain vigilant

to the items in life that could beconsidered recyclable. Therecould come a day when everyhome, apartment complex,restaurant and chicken farm willhave its own self-producing pow-er source. Which means as longas I keep writing this column onmy Big Chief tablet, I shouldgenerate enough paper to heatmy home. So keep on subscrib-ing, friends, it gets cold here inArizona in January.

National FFA Organization receivesnearly $1.9 million from Microsoft

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Biomass


Multiplying the FWS’s own num-bers by the actions for eachspecies in the settlement agree-ments brings the cost of the set-tlement agreements to the Ameri-can taxpayer to a grand total of$206,098,920 — just to processthe paperwork, that figureexcludes the payment of attorneyfees to the CBD and WEG. Theamount of those payments hasnot been publically released. What is even more distressing

is that the settlement agree-ments go far outside the boundsof the original multi-district liti-gation. The original litigationdealt with 133 species for whichthe Justice Department agreedthat the FWS had failed to fol-low the procedural ESA require-ments. In contrast, the settle-ment agreements expanded thatnumber to include 1,053 species;940 of which were not part of afederal court complaint. How

can the FWS with any con-science agree to this expansion?Even more unconscionable is

the way the FWS press releasedescribes the settlement agree-ments. According to the FWSannouncement, the settlementagreements and work plan “willenable the agency [FWS] to sys-tematically, over a period of sixyears, review and address theneeds of more than 250 candi-date species to determine if they

should be added” to the ESA list.But look at the list attached tothe settlement agreements andread the settlement agreementsthemselves. The official specieslist that has to be considered con-tains 1,053 species, which is 76percent more than admitted bythe FWS. While technically 1,053species is “more than” 250 candi-date species, my children wouldnot get away with that kind ofcreative factual accounting.The bottom line analysis of

the multi-district settlementagreements is this — the JusticeDepartment and FWS agreed totwo settlement agreements thatrepresent an 89 percent increaseover the number of speciesincluded in the original litigation;

that commits the FWS to spendover $206,000,000 over the nextsix years to do the paperwork on1,053 bugs, worms and grassesthat two radical groups think aremore important than humans inall 50 states; to add to an ESAlist that already includes over2,000 species when only 10 havebeen removed from the list sinceit was passed in 1969; and theJustice Department has agreedto pay the attorney fees to thetwo groups for suing in the firstplace. I would argue that$206,098,920 plus added attor-ney fees payments would pay alot of benefits to deservingAmericans including those whoare serving this Country. That iswhere my tax dollars should go.

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Endangered Species Act Settlement continued from page one

Tucson: the environmental litigation factory capitol of Americaby HUGH HOLUB, Inside Tucson Business

For years Tucson has tried tocreate a positive image ofitself to attract new busi-ness.

Tucson wants to be thebiotech center of America. Tuc-son wants to be the solar capitalof America.But Tucson already has a well-

established identity in America.Tucson is the environmental

litigation factory capitol ofAmerica. Tucson is home to theCenter for Biological Diversitywhich has been spewing out law-suits over alleged violations ofthe Endangered Species Act.And the CBD has been raking inmillions in legal fees for theselawsuits under the Equal Accessto Justice Act (EAJA).Nationally the CBD has

become the poster child of a liti-gious environmental group . . .prompting Congress to actuallytry and reform the Equal Accessto Justice Act and cut off thepipeline of taxpayer money tothe CBD and other similar envi-ronmental litigation factoriessuch as Western Watershed Proj-ect and WildEarth Guardians.CBD engages in what some

call the “EAJA racket”.Here is how it works according

to Ted Williams who had a com-mentary in the Tucson Weekly.By harassing the feds to make

a profit, the Center for Biologi-cal Diversity makes environmen-talists look bad.“The Interior Department

must respond within 90 days topetitions to list species under theEndangered Species Act. Other-wise, petitioners like the Centerfor Biological Diversity (CBD)get to sue and collect attorneyfees from the Justice Department.“For 2009, the CBD reported

income of $1,173,517 in ‘legalsettlement.’ The center alsoshakes down taxpayers directlyfrom Interior Department fundsunder the Equal Access to Jus-tice Act, and for missed dead-lines when the agency can’t keepup with the broadside of Free-dom of Information Actrequests. The Center for Biologi-cal Diversity has two imitators:WildEarth Guardians and West-

ern Watersheds Project.”What the CBD does is file

hundreds of petitions to listspecies and subspecies as beingendangered. The US Fish &Wildlife folks have 90 days torespond . . . which they can’trealistically. Then CBD sues toforce the listing and get legalfees. Then CBD demands ahabitat protection plan for hun-dreds of species . . . which USFish and Wildlife can’t process intime . . . and another lawsuit andlegal fees results.CBD claims it was “won”

when in fact they are exploiting astructural problem with theEndangered Species Act thatsets arbitrary timetables for thefeds to respond, and CBD over-whelms the US Fish and WildlifeService with its petitions anddemands.If you have any doubts about

the magnitude of CBD’s litigiousactivity nationally, go to GoogleNews and create an alert for“endangered species act” and for“center for biological diversity”and see what turns up on yourcomputer screen every day.One goal of creating an iden-

tity is this will attract even moresimilar businesses. And thisworks . . . because Tucson is theacknowledged environmental lit-igation factory in the country, asecond “elf” arrived in town in2007: Western Watersheds ProjectArizona Office http://www.western-watersheds.org/arizona.Instead of gaining the reputa-

tion of making things, Tucson isknown for its radical environ-mental obstructionism.But interestingly, while there

is a national debate going onabout how the Center for Bio-logical Diversity, Western Water-sheds Project and WildEarthGuardians are sucking up tax-payer money and blocking eco-nomic development in the nameof protecting endangeredspecies. . . you sure do not readabout any of this in the ArizonaDaily Star.Tucson is the Vatican for envi-

ronmental litigation factories.And you know what happens toanyone who dares challenge theauthority of the high priests ofany religion in their capitol.

LMD August 2011

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