Sortin` Pen - Johnson & Associates, Inc.

Transcription

The Only Weekly A Busy Rancher Needs To Read.
Billings, Montana
Thursday, April 9, 2015
by the publisher
Pat Goggins
As I See It
Competition everywhere!
With the airways being
filled with basketball competitions across America,
my gosh, you’d wonder if
there was anything else on
people’s mind, wouldn’t
you?
Competition is a big
word for me. I like it. I’ve
lived by it all my life, and
I’ve seen businesses that
don’t have much competition also don’t have much
business or success either!
I was watching in the
big hall in Minneapolis
the warm-up of those ball
teams with men and women all milling around, and
at one end of that great hall,
there was a demonstration
going on about Easter
and morality and religion
and how important those
things were to the every
day life of a family. At the
same time, down at the far
end of the hall, there was a
demonstration going on by
what looked like a group
of terrorists. I don’t know
what they were trying to
prove, but it made me
wonder how far are we
going to go with these terrorists, giving them equal
time, it appears, because
they want it.
As I listen to people here
and other places and as I
read all the publications, I
feel a real need, an urgent
need on the part of people
in America, for more morality and more family.
They aren’t as interested in
the kind of entertainment
and programming they are
being offered. They want
more morality, and they are
demanding more common
sense in the political movement. I think probably they
are going to get it in 2016.
I’ll bet you there’s going to
be both people to vote for
…Cont. on pg 4
Food for Thought:
Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you
want to test a man’s character, give him power.
Abe Lincoln
Sortin’ Pen
By Leesa Zalesky
Elizabeth Warren to
Wall Street: “Bring It On!”
Reuters News reported last week that Goldman Sachs
and Bank of America participated in a meeting that included discussion of the increasing “anti-bank rhetoric”
and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren’s negative
portrayal of Wall Street. According to Reuters, the banking
industry may punish Warren’s fellow Senate Democrats
by withholding political donations because of her very
public advocacy for Wall Street accountability and greater
oversight and regulation of financial services institutions.
A few days after the news report appeared, Warren told
a packed room at a Barnes & Noble store in New York
City’s Union Square, just a few miles north of Wall Street,
“You bet I believe it’s a serious threat. It is so brazen. If
they think they can say in public, ‘I don’t like your tone;
I don’t like the way you talk about financial regulation’...
I got news for them: ‘Bring it on!’” the Democrat said.
Warren says the financial market system is broken and
stressed that she only wants two things from Wall Street:
banks shouldn’t be able to cheat people, and no financial
institution should be able to risk destroying the economy
because it’s too big to fail. “If they want to fight on either
one of those, I’m ready,” she said.
Warren was elected to the U.S. Senate for the first time
in November 2012 and is serving her first term. In a new
afterword for the paperback version of her book “A Fighting Chance,” Warren recalls the tenor of a conversation
Volume 7
No. 28
MT DOL Board publicly evaluates Mackay
By Lisa Schmidt
For the first time since at
least 2007, the Montana
Board of Livestock (BOL)
followed state law and completed a performance review
for their executive officer.
Four of the board members
consistently gave Department of Livestock (DOL)
executive officer Christian
Mackay poor marks while
two generally offered higher
scores within each evalua-
tion category.
The newest board member
to be appointed, Nina Baucus, was excused from the
evaluation process because
this March meeting was her
first as a board member. Jan
French did not attend the
meeting, but she asked board
chair John Lehfeldt to read
her scores and comments at
the meeting. The terms of
both Brett DeBruycker and
Jan French ended on March
1, but Montana law allows
them to comment on issues
Free-trade lemmings
are perilously close
to the cliff
By Roger Johnson
Our elected officials in
Washington D.C. - both
Republicans and Democrats
- are wandering the halls of
Congress like lemmings in
a sort of “free trade trance,”
and if they don’t come to
their senses soon, we’ll all
pay the price. These free
trade lemmings are convinced that their unbridled,
free market view of trade
- the notion that we should
sign every agreement possible because more trade in
and of itself is necessarily
better - is good for the nation in the long term . To
achieve this, they hand the
President the authority to
negotiate these deals in secret - widely known as Fast
Track -- with our potential
…Cont. on pg 9
and vote until Gov. Steve
Bullock appoints replacements.
Mackay’s original employment agreement declared
that he is exempt from any
grievance procedure because
he is the head of a state agency. However, that portion of
Mackay’s contract is voidable because it violates state
law, according to Marjorie
Thomas, a human resources
attorney for the Department
of Administration. Supervisors must show cause if
they decide to terminate an
employee, who has the right
to challenge that termination.
Board members had been
wary of that exemption from
grievance procedures in
Mackay’s contract so they
have been working under
the assumption that Mackay
could challenge a termination if the board ever decided
to take that action. By the
end of Mackay’s evaluation,
several of the board members
…Cont. on pg 10
California imposes
first mandatory water
restrictions to deal with
drought
California Gov. Jerry
Brown on April 1 ordered
mandatory water use reductions for the first time in
California’s history, saying
the state’s four-year drought
had reached near-crisis
proportions after a winter
of record-low snowfalls.
Brown, in an executive order, directed the State Water
Resources Control Board to
impose a 25% reduction on
the state’s 400 local water
supply agencies, which
serve 90% of California
residents, over the coming
year. The agencies will be
responsible for coming up
with restrictions to cut back
on water use and for monitoring compliance. State
…Cont. on pg 6
Heads up! Glanders found in Texas...
By Leesa Zalesky
The Texas Animal Health
Commission (TAHC) has
confirmed that a stray Mexican donkey rounded up
near Presidio, Texas, has
tested positive for glanders,
a highly infectious and
deadly disease that largely
affects equines, but humans
and other animals are also
susceptible. Due to the disease’s high mortality rate
in infected humans and the
small number of organisms
required to establish infection, glanders is classified as
a CDC Category B bioterrorism agent.
Glanders is caused by the
bacterium Burkholderia
mallei and manifests itself
by the development of
ulcerating growths most
commonly found in the upper respiratory tract, lungs,
and skin. Infections are typically fatal. The organism can
survive in a contaminated
area for more than one year,
particularly under humid,
wet conditions. There is no
vaccine for glanders. Prevention and control depend
on early detection, complete
…Cont. on pg 10
INDEX
quarantine, and the elimination of infected animals.
TAHC officials say that
a group of five Mexican
donkeys were rounded
up on the U.S. side of the
Mexican-American border
near Presidio by a mounted
Department of Agriculture
quarantine enforcement in…Cont. on pg 5
Ah, how cute is this! Here are Grady (2) & Maycee (4) Moser at the Ralph Miller
Ranch at White Sulphur Springs, Montana. Thanks to Dennis Ginkens for
sharing the photo.
Agri-kids............................. 8
Comments.......................... 9
Letters............................. 2-5
Ramblings........................ 11
Bill’s Warbag.................... 13
Cooking in the West........ 17
Markets............................. 15
Sale Reports............... 17-28
Classified......................... 26
Farm & Food.................... 12
2
Letters
We are delighted to print letters from
our readers on ag and livestock
issues. However, the letters are
subject to editing for length, grammar,
libel, and pertinence to the industry
and/or subject at hand.
Editor
to the
Moline kids update...
Linda, it’s been a while! I’ve been meaning to get hold
of you and catch up! Life is extremely busy for me (as a
student at MSU-Northern in Havre, Montana), but I’m
happy to say that I’m enjoying it! I am doing great in my
classes... taking 17 credits: Soils, Feeds & Nutrition, Farm
Management, etc., and learning lots!
The kids are all doing well and growing like weeds. Jake
is great. He’s working lots at the dairy and getting certified to AI. He is really enjoying it and is highly valued at
work. Victoria is on her way to graduating valedictorian.
She recently got back from D.C. for a school trip and won
Prom Queen! Josie has been doing great, as well, and has
been getting really involved with the horses. She’s working with two of our yearlings this spring. She shows a lot
of talent! Ian and Colter are wild as always and are doing
great with school and sports but can’t wait for summer. I
signed up for fall classes today and am excited to be here
at Northern. I’m very happy.
I want to thank you for everything you do with the trust fund.
I can’t tell you how much it has helped me out! I recently
received a $1,000 scholarship from the school, and I am just
tickled pink and humbled. I also applied and interviewed
for a Student Ambassador position here at Northern, and I
got it! It also provides a scholarship of $1,500, I believe!
Life is good! I have been working almost full-time at the
MSU Research Center. I’m working in the lab and night
calving during the weekends and when they need me to fill
in. So I’M very busy there, too. Over spring break, I got
to go to Boise, Idaho, for PAS Club (Post-Secondary Ag
Students), which is like FFA. It was a national competition,
and we all did very good there representing the Great State
of Montana! Everyone loves Montana!
I’m currently thinking about summer and looking for a
job that would relate to agriculture. The AOT degree I’m
enrolled in requires co-op credits, and I was hoping to get a
start on some of them this summer. I was wondering if you
had any advice or leads on any opportunities for a young and
eager gal like myself! Something that came to my mind that
I am interested in is a possible job with Northern Livestock
Auction. I know Ryann and Lynn Perry from Great Falls
with Western Livestock, and I am planning to contact them
as well. I am hoping to find an opportunity here in Havre
since I have made some amazing contacts, friends, and sense
of community. I also have my own place, and it is close to
home... which is not to say I wouldn’t be interested in an
opportunity somewhere else, but it’s just preferable to be
close to home. But i would gladly welcome any opportunity
that would pertain to production agriculture in any way!
Another subject I’d like to mention is a club that I have
high hopes for and that I see a lot of potential in. It’s the
Collegiate Stockgrowers at MSU-Northern in Havre. I was
elected its President and am so honored. I’m doing my best
to establish it. It opens up a lot of opportunity for not only
myself but also kids here at Northern for years to come!
We are putting on a Meet & Greet on April 17 at 6 p.m.
here at the college. The idea came from the fact that we
are a new club and the community does not know about
us and we would like to become more involved as well as
create opportunities for ourselves. It has stemmed from a
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WESTERN AG REPORTER
I’ve always felt the writer’s great weapon
is the truth and integrity of his voice.
And as long as what you’re saying
is what you truly, honestly believe to be the case,
then, whatever the consequences, that’s fine.
That’s an honorable position.
Salman Rushdie
small idea and has grown into something bigger than what
I anticipated... in a good way! I know it is coming up soon,
and I apologize for the short notice, but I would like to extend my welcome and an open invitation to you! It is open
and free to everyone. We are providing dinner, music, and
speakers, who will discuss interesting topics concerned with
the ag community, the Montana Stockgrowers, Collegiate
Stockgrowers etc. If folks are interested in attending this
date or helping to sponsor it, they can contact me (Nicole
Moline) at 406-399-4106 or Wyatt Ullery at 406-850-1512.
Linda, if you have any advice, suggestions, or tips, please
let me know! I’m new at this and am open to any advice.
I hope that you are doing well, and like i said before:
Thank You so much for everything that you do for me and
my family! I hope to see you in the near future!
Colie Moline
Havre, MT
Editor’s note to Colie: I am THRILLED with your letter and your
progress! Thanks so much for the report on your five siblings... it
sounds like they are doing great, as well! Your college experience
is doing for you EXACTLY what all of us hoped it would when
we organized the Ranch Kids Cookbook project to raise college
funds for you and your siblings! Hurray! And I am confident
that an appropriate job opportunity will present itself for the
summer. Keep me in the loop! A recent photo of you six Moline
kids would be great, although I appreciate that you are seldom
all together these days, now that you are in Havre and Jake is
in Powell, Wyoming. I’m just tickled silly about your letter. LG
Editor’s note to WAR readers: Colie is the oldest of the six Moline
siblings that we all pitched in together to help a number of years
ago. We put together and sold the Ranch Kids Cookbook and raised
$10,000 each for college tuition for Colie and her five younger
brothers and sisters. This letter is all the thanks we need! LG
Just who is driving this bus?
Linda, I just wanted to let you know that there are a whole
lot of us “newcomers” to this state that have been around
anywhere from 80 to 150-plus years and that have been not
just in the livestock or farm business but business in general
and that oppose this current CSKT compact!
Based on the facts, there are NO off-reservation water
claims, according to the Treaty of Hell Gate (1855); if granted
this off-reservation water claim, it will transfer a state-based
water right, which is meant for the use of the citizens by
the citizens of the state of Montana, to the federal government, and this water right will then become controlled by
Washington D.C. bureaucrats and special interest groups.
Another fact is that we are going to pay a federally-governed
group (sovereign nation, aka the CSKT Indian tribe ) 55
million dollars of the state of Montana’s tax-based mon-
Sales Calendar 2015
APRIL
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Northern Premier Angus Sale, Chinook, MT
Brevig Charolais Production Sale, Lewistown, MT
Regency Acres Angus Production Sale, Sidney, MT
5L Red Angus Production Sale, Sheridan, MT
Rambur Charolais Bull Sale, Sidney, MT
Ludvigson Stock Farms Red Angus Sale, Shepherd, MT
Jocko Valley Angus Production Sale, Missoula, MT
Bullis Creek Ranch Annual Bull Sale, Wood Lake, NE
Baker’s LeMar Angus Production Sale, St. Onge, SD
Treasure Bull Test Sale, Great Falls,MT
Beckton Red Angus Production Sale, Sheridan, WY
Diamond J Angus Production Sale, Mandan, ND
Hilltop Angus Production Sale, Lewistown, MT
Milk River Angus Sale, Chinook, MT
Big Dry Angus Ranch Production Sale, Glasgow, MT
Pine Creek Angus Production Sale, Faith, SD
DeGrand Angus Sale, Baker, MT
Lindskov-Thiel Charolais & Angus Bull Sale, Isabel, SD
Stuber Ranch Hereford Production Sale, Bowman, ND
Cobb Charolais Production Sale, Great Falls, MT
Justin Holt “Hybrids for Profit” Bull Sale, Aberdeen, SD
Medicine Rocks Ranch Angus Sale, Bowman, ND
Opp Angus Production Sale, Dickinson, ND
North Country Angus Sale, Glasgow, MT
Herring Cattle Co. ‘High Country’ Bull Sale, Encampment,
WY
ND Angus Assn. Bull Test Sale, Dickinson, ND
McDonnell Angus Beef Country Genetics Sale, Bowman,
ND
MAY
4
6
23
29
Spickler Ranch Angus Production Sale, Glenfield, ND
Hoyt Angus Ranch Annual Production Sale, McHenry, ND
Shaw Cattle Co. Female Sale, Caldwell, ID
Duppong’s Willow Creek Farm Production Sale, Glen
Ullin, ND
JUNE
6
13
Diamond McNabb Horse Sale, Douglas, WY
Full House Elite Horse Sale, Newcastle, WY
AUGUST
8
22
Spruce Mountain Ranch Angus Female Sale, Larkspur,
CO
Lazy U Quarter Horse Sale, Hershey, NE
ies... shouldn’t this money be spent on the infrastructure
of Montana, like on our school systems, which seem to be
struggling; or how about on our healthcare system, which
also seem to be struggling; or maybe we can use some of
this money to defend state-based water rights and the users
of those from, if it happens, the 10,000 claims that the tribe
ceded when they signed the treaty in 1855!
Another fact is that even a good number of tribal members
are not in favor of this current compact, so I think that we
need to stop and ask ourselves, “Just who is driving this bus?”
Both of my grandfathers are listed in the Progressive Men
of Montana. Paternal grandfather John R. Quigley came
to Montana in 1864, and maternal grandfather Soren R.
Beck came to Montana in 1884. Both families still live and
ranch on the same land in the Clark Fork Basin of western
Montana... Boy, just like Hertha (Lund) states, it seems just
like yesterday when we got here!
You’ve got to ask yourself, “Just what is it that my family
and many other families have done to improve the great
state of Montana that we would want to give up our water
rights to federal government control?” Once again, ask
yourself, “Just who is driving this bus?”
Brian Quigley
email
Beyond the pale...
Many Montanans are familiar with the Milk River, the
existence of the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, and the
early settlers forging homes, farms, ranches, and businesses
in and around that reservation. This is the location and birth
of a profoundly heralded and continuously implemented
U.S. Supreme Court water ruling: Winters. V. United States,
(207 U.S. 564), 1908.
The Winters’ Doctrine clearly and rightfully established
federal reserve water rights for Indian reservations with a
time appropriation related to the date of the Treaty, Congressional Act, or Executive Order that created the reservation.
Beginning with the Milk River and thereafter across the
country, this famous and very fair water ruling has been the
balancing principle between water needs of Indian tribal
lands and non-tribal lands within a state.
At the front end of the proposed CSKT Compact, implementation of the Winters’ Doctrine was all that was needed.
The CSKT would have assessed, evaluated, and identified
its federal reserve water rights - quantifiable water needs
for CSKT tribal lands and members. This same process followed by hundreds of tribes in numerous states has forged
a fair and equitable distribution of water in Montana and
many other states for all citizens, tribal and non tribal. But
the CSKT process got flipped... seriously and dangerously
“flipped.”
Why would the State of Montana, birthplace of the Winters’
Doctrine in 1908, completely up-end, ignore, and reverse the
balancing principles of the Winters’ Doctrine? Why would
the state allow a small tribal government to: 1) quantify
everyone else’s water needs but their own; 2) make bogus
aboriginal and time immemorial claims on off-reservation
streams throughout 11 counties; and 3) turn over water
management and delivery determinations to a tribal government? No one in 1908, beginning with the Supreme Court,
would have ever contemplated such complete abdication of
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WESTERN AG REPORTER
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3
WESTERN AG REPORTER
state authority surrendered to one small tribal government.
It is beyond the pale. No one in 2015 should be tolerating
such circumvention of the law either.
Secondly, Montana is home to yet another landmark Indian
law Supreme Court case, one that protects non-tribal citizens
from being governed by a tribal government without that
individual’s consent. The case is Montana v. U.S. 450 U.S.
544 (1981). This case was long and hard fought by Montana legislators, officials, and legal counsel to ensure that
the rights of Montana residents were not intruded upon by
tribal governments. But wait! The State Legislature would
remove individual consent and provide state consent to a
tribe to govern non-Indians. That battle won for the whole
country will now be lost to 350,000 Montanans.
These two Montana Supreme Court cases have figured
prominently across the country for decades and should be on
the lips of every Montana legal counsel who has contributed
to the 1,400-page reversal of the Rule of Law, memorialized in the proposed CSKT Compact. Along with excessive
Constitutional and Environmental Policy Act violations,
it would surely appear that dozens of long and well-paid
state attorneys have become skilled in circumventing the
law, rather than adhering to the Rule of Law. That state and
citizens are vulnerable to politicized legal counsels.
If the proposed CSKT Compact is passed, there are two
tragic and permanent outcomes for Montanans: 1) A state
that once protected its citizens and natural resources finds
it no longer necessary to do so; and 2) All of the water in
one fifth of the land and one third of the people of Montana
are being removed from the protections of the state. That is
a dark life- and economy-threatening “Winters’ Doctrine”
no one should have to endure.
Elaine Willman
Hobart, WI
And not a drop to drink!
São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city of 11 million, is running
out of water, and a secret recording of a top water official
says people may be forced to flee.
Here in the U.S., the Ogallala Aquifer, stretching 800
miles from South Dakota to Texas, is under threat. Terex
Energy Corporation wants to use a 30-year-old dry oil
well to dispose of 15,000 barrels per day of fracking waste
water in Sioux County, NE. The extreme salinity -- plus
benzene, toluene, surfactants, and naturally high radiation
levels -- could prove disastrous at 1,200 pounds pressure
per square inch if contamination occurred. The Ogallala
provides pure water to nearly two million people, farms,
and ranches in eight states.
Note: the “Halliburton Loophole” exempts the fracking
industry from the Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water Acts.
The silence from those organizations claiming to represent
agriculture is deafening!
Stephen Anderson
Alma, KS
Standing up for what is right...
Corvallis, MT
Montana at the Crossroads...
Linda, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you and
the Western Ag Reporter for the balanced coverage you
have provided regarding the proposed CSKT Compact. I
hope that your readers have taken the opportunity to study
each of the articles you have published and have used the
information to make up their own minds.
Even with all the articles that have been provided, however,
some very important questions remain:
- Why was the threat of filing 10,000 claims - which turns
out to be non-existent - so effective? There don’t seem to
be any decisions historically that Montanans have made,
as a state or individually, that are based on fear.
- Another question is why didn’t the Compact Commission,
and the Water Policy Interim Committee, really respond to the
public and legislator concerns with meaningful, substantive
changes to the compact that would have made it acceptable
to the public, instead of “tinkering around the edges”?
- Why did the Tribes pursue a policy of “scorched earth”
in terms of claiming ownership of all the water on and off
the reservation and insist upon taking jurisdiction over that
resource from the state of Montana for its own citizens,
“or else”?
- Why did the Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks division
agree to share ownership of state water with the federal
government?
- Why weren’t any economic studies undertaken to verify
the “promises” that the CSKT Compact would be good for the
residents of western Montana or even for Tribal members?
- Why would the Governor of Montana and his Attorney
General continue to say that a compact that takes water from
thousands of irrigators and gives up state sovereignty for its
citizens is “a fair deal”? It is truly a shame that Montana is
now faced with a “take it or leave it” proposition. The Tribes
refused to compromise, the compact commission took the
side of the Tribes against all state citizens, and the federal
government sat back enjoying the fight among Montanans.
I am inclined to “leave it” and have the United States on
behalf of the Tribes prove in court that it is entitled to all
the water in western Montana and jurisdiction over it too.
Maybe after a few years of litigation, they will come back
to the table as more reasonable negotiators.
Thank you again for your coverage of the CSKT Compact.
Catherine Vandemoer, Ph.D.
Water Rights and Management Specialist
Chair, Montana Land & Water Alliance
Wake up to some facts, people of Montana...
Do we want parks, recreation, or revenue business in
Montana? What is public
scoping? No public vote
is required? These are nice
words to lull you to sleep, but
while you are asleep, something big is going by you.
The National Park Service
and the State of Montana
are making plans to manage
the Yellowstone bison herd.
“Managing” means letting
the herd increase to 2,300 to
Standing up for what is right isn’t always easy, and with
an issue as contentious and important as water use, there
is bound to be conflict and disagreement, which is why I
think Senator Fred Thomas deserves to be thanked for his
service to Montana and for his vote in support of the CSKT
Water Compact.
By voting for the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes
cont. on pg. 4
(CSKT) Water Compact,
Senator Thomas did what
it is critical for our elected
officials to do - evaluate the
proposal on its merits and
how it will impact the people
✤ Spring Wheat ✤
of Montana. He didn’t buy
Certified Bullseye
into the fact-less arguments
WB-Rockland
• WB-9879CLP
of the opponents; he stood up
Certified
Duclair
for Montana’s hard-working
✤ Barley ✤
farmers, ranchers, irrigators,
CertifiedTrophy
and water users across the
Champion
state to ensure that our water
✤
Hay
Barley ✤
resources are available now
Hays •
Stockford
and for future generations.
✤ Oats ✤
If the Compact fails, the
Certified Otana
CSKT are required by Mon✤
Peas ✤
tana law to file legal claims
Austrian Winter Forage • Aragorn Green • 4152 Yellow • 4010
to define their federally✤ Triticale ✤
reserved water rights by
Tyndal Semi-beardless
June 30 of this year. If the
✤
Forage
Mixes ✤
Compact is allowed to fail,
✤ Pioneer Alfalfa & Corn Seed ✤
thousands of Montana water
✤ Custom Pasture & Hay Mixes ✤
users would be subject to
✤ 1st Select Alfalfa ✤
litigation.
✤
Matrix
Creeping Alfalfa ✤
Senator Thomas did his
✤ CRP Mixes ✤
part in protecting Montanans
✤ Other Items Available Upon Request ✤
from the wave of costly litigation that will follow if the
Compact is not passed. Now
that the Compact has been
passed out of the Senate and
into the House, my only hope
is that his counterparts in the
House give this proposal the
Three Forks, MT
same time and consideration
that Senator Thomas did.
John Crowley
Manager, Bitter Root
WestBred®, Improving Nature’s Grains and the Wheat Design are trademarks of Monsanto Technology, LLC
Irrigation District
Sale Report Index
A&B Cattle Co. Angus...........................................................27
Arntzen Angus.......................................................................17
Black Ranches’ Nine Irons...................................................20
BLS Horses............................................................................28
Bowles J5 Reds.....................................................................27
Coleman Limousin................................................................25
DeBruycker Charolais...........................................................25
Idaho Salers Assoc...............................................................19
Iron Mountain Cattle Co........................................................19
Kukuchka’s Bar 69 Angus....................................................21
LaGrand Angus......................................................................18
Littau Angus...........................................................................24
Midland Bull Test............................................................. 21-23
Montana Ranch Brand..........................................................18
Musgrave Angus....................................................................19
Pederson Broken Heart Ranch............................................20
Pieper Red Angus..................................................................20
R Math Farms.........................................................................18
Silver Bit Angus.....................................................................19
Spear J Red Angus................................................................19
Vertical Edge Genetics..........................................................25
WCA Bull Test........................................................................24
Wood V Bar X Ranch.............................................................25
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E-mail: wrs@wtp.net • ON LINE CATALOG: http://www.westernranchsupply.com
4
Letters to the Editor
cont. from pg. 3
5,000. Since there isn’t enough feed for the migratory bison
in Yellowstone Park, the animals will have to be placed on
implemented facilities in other regions of Montana. This
looks like raising bison is turning into a business.
When an individual operates a livestock (wildlife) business,
they are required to fence their livestock in a pasture. The
owner of the livestock is responsible for the conservation
of the pasture and needs of their livestock. In the bison
livestock business, if they migrate out of their pasture and
graze on the neighbor’s, it is to be tolerated. The bison are
wandering out of unfenced pastures because they are hungry
and have run out of food where they are presently located.
This is poor management and poor conservation practices.
It looks like the State of Montana is going into the bisonraising business. They are buying private property and
stocking it with bison. They call it “wildlife management”;
there are more and more bison herds appearing in Montana.
If the State of Montana wants to go into business, it should
be required to follow the same rules as an individual livestock owner and not try to run its business under federal
government, national parks, or any other name. Is this bison
management going to be like the deer, antelope, elk, and
other wildlife management programs, where the landowner
feeds the wildlife and the State sells tags and collects the
revenue? The public receives a ‘thanks a lot’ for free grazing.
All this and the public only gets to comment. The public
doesn’t get to vote on this proposal. The Environmental
Impact Statement is moving forward for public review, no
matter what your comment (scoping) is; it then moves on to
final release and then on to their decision by the fall of 2017.
They call this scoping. This does not seem democratic to me.
The time to make a difference is now, before June 15,
2017. The question is how many herds of bison do you
want in Montana?
Karen L. Knorr
Browning , MT
Yes, two great columns!
Linda, we enjoy your paper. We especially liked the column “Cooking” by Susan Metcalf and “It’s the Pitts” by
Lee Pitts in the March 26 issue.
Ralph and Lois Lewis
Birchdale, MN
Heaven help you if you buy that deal!
Linda, like most subscribers to WAR, I have followed the
ongoing sales pitch for the CSKT compact while farmers
and ranchers have fought to protect their water rights and,
in turn, their survival.
In the ‘70s, my family and I chose to move our cattle operation, Powerline Angus Farms, to Montana where we had a
stronger market than in Oregon and Washington. We located
an excellent outfit on the southern end of the Flathead and
were preparing to complete a purchase. Then we spent an
evening with a longtime friend, born on the reservation, a
retired educator and then rancher. His advice was to locate
off the reservation. It was his
observation that we would be
wholly dependent on tribal
personnel and tribal courts
for our water and that, if they
27th Annual Bull Sale
chose to freeze us out, there
would be no other recourse
1 P.M. Glasgow Stockyards, Glasgow, MT
for us.
When last I heard the res80 Range-Ready Yearling Angus Bulls
ervation described, it was
All Bulls Genomically Tested
and is a “NATION” separate
Our bulls are developed in a 300-acre pasture where traveling ability is a necessity. These bulls are raised to
from country, state, and
work and excel in a real world environment. The sires represented in this year’s offering have a balance of
in most respects, even the
calving-ease, performance and maternal ability coupled with carcass traits.
federal government. Tell me
Sires Include:
now who in their right mind
Connealy Capitalist 028 ★ Plattemere Weight Up K360 ★ BDAR FAt CAt Z077
would sign over their water
rights to another “NATION”
32 McRae Lane, Jordan, MT 59337
Brent & Hillari McRae
Jack & Kathy McRae
Big Dry
without right to review,
406-557-2777 Home
406-557-6266 Home
adjust, or re-negotiate at a
Angus
Seedstock Quality
406-977-2778 Cell
406-977-6121 Cell
later date?
Commercial Common Sense
bhmcrae@midrivers.com jmcrae@midrivers.com
Ranch
Heaven help you if you
Free Delivery in Montana
“Performance
Angus in
Rugged Eastern
Montana”
DeGrand Angus
S A V Final Answer 0035
Raising Registered Angus Since 1974
Selling
110 Yearling Registered
Black Angus Bulls
able
75% Suit
rs
if
e
for H e
Four Year Guarantee • No Creep
Not Overfed • Good Disposition!
— Annual Bull Sale —
Final Answer is a proven and reliable calving ease sire. His
progeny are unique, arriving with consistently modest
birth weights and performing with the best at weaning
and yearling time, while maintaining moderate frame.
TC Total 8107
Friday • April 17, 2015
Sale Time 1 p.m.
lunch served at noon
Fallon County Fairgrounds
Indoor Arena
South of town on Highway 7
Baker, Montana
DeGrand Angus
Art DeGrand
Baker, MT 59313
Toll Free 1-877-775-8861
406/ 775-8861 • 406/ 351-9423
cell 406/ 978-3550
www.degrandangus.com
TC Total is moderate framed with a lot of meat and
performance. He’s never taken a lame step and excels in
both the PAP Test and Feed Efficiency. Daughters have
picture udders.
Mytty In Focus
A A R Ten X 7008 S A
WESTERN AG REPORTER
buy that deal!
Floyd Lewis
Milton-Freewater, OR
P.S. We settled on Whitehall, Montana, and loved it, though
we moved back to Oregon when we retired.
The values of Western cow country...
Linda, Susan, and everybody at WAR, thanks for using
my recipe and story in your great magazine sometime ago.
On my many trips to Montana, I’ve noticed you folks in
the Western cow country states still hold onto the values so
many in other places have lost. May God continue to bless
the best people I’ve ever met.
Tom Ogle
Paris, IL
PS: Linda, feel free to use my version of “The Pet Squirrel
Syndrome” that my dad told people at his blacksmith shop.
Edit as you see fit.
Editor’s note: Thanks for the kind words, and watch for the Pet
Squirrel Syndrome piece to appear! LG
Vote YES for the CSKT Water Compact...
Montana’s Bitterroot Valley includes a diverse community
of businesses and a wide variety of socio-economic backgrounds. A fundamental requirement to business success
and property values alike is an assurance that core assets are
viable and reasonably reliable year after year. For those of
us involved in Bitterroot agriculture, arguably the valley’s
largest industry, we have the most to lose of anyone in this
valley if the CSKT Water Compact doesn’t pass. It is our
water rights, and thus the property values associated with
those water rights, that are at the core of our operations.
That is why we strongly support the passage of SB 262, the
CSKT Water Compact, and the greater security and predictability it brings to our water rights and property values.
We want to take this opportunity to thank Senators Fred
Thomas and Pat Connell for standing up for Bitterroot
agriculture when they voted to pass SB 262. We strongly
urge Representatives Ron Ehli, Theresa Manzella, Nancy
Ballance, and Ed Greef to also listen to their local ag constituency and vote YES on SB 262, the CSKT Water Compact.
Painted Rocks Water Users Assoc.
Woodside Irrigation District
Popham Ranch
Jack Pfau
Trexler Angus Ranch
Etna Ditch
Tiedt-Nicholsen Ditch
Kootenai Creek Ranch
Tucker Crossing Ranch
Double Fork Ranch
Bitterroot Irrigation District
Hawkinson Ranch
Valley Irrigation
Huls Dairy
McPherson Farms
Al Pernichele
Teller Refuge
Trexler Ranch
Supply Ditch
Woods-Parkhurst Ditch
It takes courage...
It takes courage to stand up and speak the TRUTH.
Have you heard the onslaught of media propaganda selling the merits of the proposed Confederated Kootenai and
Salish Tribes, aka CSKT, Compact? Maybe you heard that
it failed in the Montana Legislature in 2013? And here it
is again. And if it fails again, there is legislative action to
extend negotiations for another two years.
The truth is this: there is no negotiating! There is only spin,
trickery, threats of litigation, and promises of certainty. Have
you heard of the Golden Rule? The Golden Rule is that he
who has the gold makes the rules! So, who is it that has all
the gold? Could it be the federal government run amok? I
mean, isn’t Bonneville Power a federal agency? Isn’t the
Environmental Protection Agency a federal agency? Isn’t
the Bureau of Indian Affairs a federal agency? Who benefits
if this compact passes? Of course, the federal government,
aka United States (corporation). The U.S. is named as the
owner of ALL the water defined in the Compact.
Future uses: none.
Forever contract: oh what a dream.
The federal encroachment and overreach across America
are evident to most citizens. Please support the individual
native Americans who oppose the Compact. Please support
Montana’s sovereignty and the brave Legislators that speak
the TRUTH. Please support the Montana Land and Water
Alliance. Support sovereignty under God.
Do you remember the Golden Rule? All lies are the result of
ignorance or money. Montanans... ignorant? I don’t think so!
David Passieri
St, Ignatius, MT
Count on WAR!
Mytty In Focus is the nation’s leading calving ease to
growth sire. His females are easy fleshing and make
great mother cows.
Ten X offers calving ease, performance, carcass merit, $Values
and an outcross pedigree. He is the highest ranking $Beef sire in
the breed. He is in the top 1% for YW, Milk, CW, Marb, $F and $B.
Linda, I wanted to thank you again for your help and the
support of Western Ag Reporter. Because of your support,
Team Beef and the Montana Running Ranchers have been
able to continue the tradition of running 200-mile relay
races across the country while promoting beef as a powerful protein.
Please consider renewing your support of the Montana
Running Ranchers and Team Beef by supporting us in 2015.
We are headed to Washington for the Northwest Passage
Ragnar on July 17-18.
Thanks again.
Aeric Reilly
Email
Editor’s note: You bet! Count WAR in! And me personally! And,
you readers, I highly recommend you put your support behind
these hard-running athletic ranchers because it’s OUR cause
they are promoting! LG
A “must have” and a better place!
Linda, I’m retired from ranching now, but your paper is
still a “must have” in my house. Then I pass it on to friends
to spread the word.
I wish there were more people with Pat’s intelligence, your
and Krayton’s courage to speak up for what’s right, and Susan’s sense of humor. Wouldn’t this world be a better place?
My teenage grandson is the fifth generation on the ranch
where my kids grew up. He likes ranching, but I worry
about his future.
I’m a former landowner on the Flathead reservation. My
grandparents settled there before I was born. A major canal
crossed our property. I watched my little piece of paradise
fade when the tribe took over the irrigation. I do not want
them in control of our water.
We are bombarded with ads for the compact on TV and
the radio and in full-page newspaper ads and even flyers in
the mail. Who’s paying for this? They’ll need something
in return.
I don’t understand legal talk, and I haven’t read the CSKT
Compact. But I just get a panicky feeling when I read about
it. I picture a flock of sheep being led by a bell wether. He’s
bleating out, “We must go here to find water.”
Meanwhile, at the end of the trail, I see a pack of coyotes.
What I translate from their howls is, “Trust us, we’re from
the government, and we’re here to help.”
Darlene Rich
Winifred, MT
It’s worth it!
My husband and I own and operate an equine surgical and
medical facility in northeast Maryland. We also raise Polled
Herefords, and my husband is an accomplished “cutting”
competitor (even though he didn’t start cutting ‘til he was
65... he’s 72 now). I have been a fox hunter since childhood.
We both really enjoy your paper, especially “Bill’s Warbag.”
It takes a long time for your paper to make it all the way
here, but everyone reads from cover to cover - unlike the
piles of Wall Street Journals that we use to start fires in our
fireplace! Thanks for a great job!!
LuAnne Riddle
Port Deposit, MD
Preach it, brother!
I love the paper! There are
so many good articles!
One time a “Yellow Dog
Democrat” commented that
he thought Western Ag
Reporter was slanted. ...
There is no reasoning with
the progressive bunch; they
refuse to listen to an opposing view; an opposing view
means “it is slanted.”
That brings me to the Cow
Doctor (Krayton Kerns) and
his insight. All of his articles
Tuesday, april 14, 2015
regular CaTTle sale
regular CaTTle sale
“BaCk To grass”,
replaCemenT Heifers &
feeder speCial
CurranT Creek angus
Bull sale
Tuesday, may 5, 2015
regular CaTTle sale &
Cow/Calf pairs
5
WESTERN AG REPORTER
are exceptional, but the best one was on March 12, when
he said, “In 1965 the illegitimacy rate in the inner city was
7%, but it skyrocketed to 73% after 50 years of President
Johnson’s Great Society programs.” Amen! This is exactly
what I have thought for years while I was teaching high
school and watching this happen as the years went on.
Three or four weeks ago, I logged into the DNC newsletter just to spy. They had an article about Dr. Ben Carson
blaming the breakdown of the family on women’s lib. The
readers’ comments were vitriolic. I so wanted to chime in
and tell them I too disagreed with Dr. Carson’s analysis
and tell them the root cause of the family breakdown is
the federal government and the programs that started with
the Great Society, but after reading the comments, I could
see it would be a waste of time. Their brains are sealed.
The only thoughts they had were hateful and seasoned
with four letter words, and they gave no evidence to back
up their remarks. They had no theories or reasons for this
frightening trend; the family breakdown did not enter their
conversation, only derogatory remarks about Dr. Carson.
So, I didn’t subject myself to the unnecessary abuse that
would surely follow if I posted my thoughts.
I do have words for the Cow Doctor, though, and they are,
“Preach it, brother!” We need the facts, and we need voices
like his to counter all the lies, and misinformation that are
constantly ground into society by the “slanted” news media.
And thank you, Western Ag Reporter, for printing these
great articles.
Roberta Stanaland
Jayton, Texas
P.S. If people didn’t read “America’s Suicide” in the February 12 issue, they need to be finding a copy and reading
it. Glanders
cont. from pg. 1
spector. Presidio is located
southeast of El Paso on the
Rio Grande River. According to protocol, the animals
were quarantined and tested
for diseases foreign to the
U.S., and one of the five
tested positive for glanders.
Authorities say the early
detection and immediate
quarantine of the donkeys
will be key in protecting
against the spread of the
disease. Glanders primarily
affects horses, donkeys, and
mules, but can be naturally
contracted by other mammals including dogs and
cats. Glanders has not been
reported in the U.S. since
1945.
Glanders is transmitted
through aerosol, direct contact, fomite (tack, grooming tools, feed pans, etc.),
and oral routes. Animals
are typically infected by
consuming food or water contaminated by the
nasal discharge of carrier
animals. Carnivores may
become infected by ingesting contaminated meat. The
incubation period in animals
varies from a few days to
many weeks, but two to six
weeks is typical. In humans,
the incubation period varies
usually from a few days to
several weeks.
Symptoms in equines include loss of appetite, high
fever, labored breathing,
coughing, thick nasal discharge, and nodules of the
nasal mucosa and lungs that
become ulcers. Submaxillary lymph nodes are usually
swollen and may perforate.
Other signs include induration of lymphatics and
lymph nodes of the legs and
ventral abdomen, which can
rupture and form ulcers.
All horses from glandersaffected countries imported
into the U.S. are tested for
the disease.
Anyone suspecting an animal of showing signs of the
illness should contact their
veterinarian immediately.
Hey, kids, like to draw?
WIFE calendar art contest...
In recognition of National
Ag Day, March 18, and National Ag Week, MT WIFE
(Montana Women Involved
in Farm Economics) invites
Montana’s school children
to express their ideas on
farm life by participating in
WIFE’s 29th statewide calendar art contest. Winning
entries grades K through
8 will be awarded a cash
prize at the 1st place ($30),
2nd place ($20), and 3rd
place ($10) levels in each
grade’s division. Two Honorable Mention places in
each grade will be awarded
certificates. Only 25 pictures
can be used on the calendar. Those winners whose
pictures are used will also
receive a calendar.
All entries are to be done
horizontally on 8.5 by 11inch white paper with dark
black lead pencil or
black pen (no markers).
Any aspect of agriculture
that is of interest to the
students may be
drawn. Any depiction
of alcohol or tobacco will
not be accepted. Student’s
name, grade, school,
address, town, and zip code
should be clearly printed in
a corner on the back of their
picture.
No entries can be returned,
but WIFE may display or use
student’s artwork for various
WIFE projects
throughout the state. Entries must be postmarked on
or before April 15. Artwork
will be judged
on the basis of originality.
Send all art entries to
Gladys Walling, PO Box 55,
Winifred, MT 59489. Questions? Call 406-462-5330.
DWAYNE DIETZ
Commercial Advertising
Representative
P.O. Box 30758
Billings, MT 59107
Cell: 406-672-8500
Office: 406-259-4589
E-mail:
dwayne@westernagreporter.com
If you're wanting to advertise your
commercial business.
I'd like to help.
regular CaTTle sale
THursday, may 14, 2015
“World Famous
Bucking Horse sale”
regular CaTTle sale
regular CaTTle sale &
Cow/Calf pairs
For complete details on the market, check out our market report
and USDA report at www.milescitylivestock.com.
Field Representatives
Bart Meged
Collin Gibbs
Andy Wemmer
Charles Hellickson
406-421-5377
406-939-0645
406-853-0539
406-853-6037
406- 951-3005
Mark Zehms, Yard Foreman • 406-853-1945 ~ Amanda Kincheloe, Office Manager • 406-234-1790
Visit our website at www.milescitylivestock.com
1-800-755-5177
1-406-234-1790
SEE YOUR PIONEER REPRESENTATIVE:
Laurel, MT. . . . . . . . . Tom Robertus . . . . 406-855-8673
Three Forks, MT . . . . Circle S Seeds. . . . . 406-285-3269
Miles City, MT. . . . . . Dave Gillette . . . . . 406-853-6060
Savage, MT. . . . . . Harlan Conradsen. . . 406-776-2400
Hysham, MT. . . . . . . . Dale Icopini . . . . . 406-749-0575
Glasgow, MT. . . . . . . Glenn Rohde. . . . . 406-263-5075
Plentywood, MT Sheridan Agronomy. . 406-895-2518
Scobey, MT. . . . . . . . . Cahill Seed. . . . . . 406-783-5510
Baker, MT . . . . . . . . . Derrick Enos . . . . . 406-975-6100
Circle, MT . . . . . . . . Brett Schillinger . . . 406-974-1432
Chinook, MT. . . . . . . Randy Reed . . . . . 406-357-3468
Choteau, MT. . . . . . Hodgskiss Seed. . . . 406-466-5553
Ft. Benton, MT. . . . Taylor Aviation . . . . 406-662-5682
Stanford, MT . . . . . . . Basin Seed. . . . . . 406-566-2282
Ronan, MT . . . . . . . . . Lake Seed . . . . . . 406-676-2174
Greybull, WY . . . . . . Ken Weekes . . . . . 307-272-1098
Worland, WY . . . . . . . . Bill Haun . . . . . . 307-388-8743
Riverton, WY . . . . . . Alan Lebsack. . . . . 307-850-8544
Beach, ND. . . . . . . . . . Steve Zook. . . . . . 701-872-6265
Cartwright, ND . . . Carroll Paulson . . . . 701-744-5137
Vale, SD. . . . . . . . . . . . Jim Hansen . . . . . 605-456-2689
The DuPont Oval Logo is a registered trademark of DuPont. PIONEER® brand products are provided subject to
the terms and conditions of purchase which are part of the labeling and purchase documents. ®, TM, SM
Trademarks and service marks of Pioneer. © 2014 PHII. 14-2925
6
CA Drought
cont. from pg. 1
officials said the order would
impose varying degrees of
cutbacks on water use across
the board - affecting homeowners, farms, and other
businesses, as well as the
maintenance of cemeteries
and golf courses. While the
specifics of how this will
be accomplished are being
left to the water agencies, it
is certain that Californians
across the state will have
to cut back on watering
gardens and lawns - which
soak up a vast amount of the
water this state uses every
day - as well as washing cars
and even taking showers.
“People should realize we
are in a new era,” Brown
said at a news conference,
standing on a patch of brown
and green grass that would
normally be thick with snow
at this time of year. “The idea
of your nice little green lawn
getting watered every day...
those days are past.”
Owners of large farms,
who obtain their water from
sources outside the local
water agencies, will not fall
under the 25% guideline.
State officials noted that
many farms had already
seen a cutback in their
water allocations because
of the drought. In addition,
the owners of large farms
will be required, under the
governor’s executive order,
to offer detailed reports to
state regulators about water use, ideally as a way to
highlight incidents of water
diversion or waste. Because
of this system, state officials
said, they did not expect the
executive order to result - at
least in the immediate future
- in an increase in farm or
food prices.
State officials said that they
were prepared to enforce punitive measures, including
fines, to ensure compliance,
but that they were hopeful it
would not be necessary to do
so. That said, the state had
trouble reaching the 20%
reduction target that Brown
set in January 2014 when he
issued a voluntary reduction
order as part of declaring
a drought emergency. The
state water board has the
power to impose fines on
local water suppliers that
fail to meet the reduction
targets set by the board over
the coming weeks.
The governor announced
what amounts to a dramatic
new chapter in the state’s response to the drought while
attending the annual April
1 measuring of the snow
pack in the Sierra Nevada.
Snow packs are critical to the
state’s water system: They
store water that falls during
the wet season and release
it through the summer. In a
typical year, the measure in
Phillips is around five or six
feet, as Frank Gehrke, chief
of the California Cooperative Snow Survey Program,
indicated by displaying the
measuring stick brought
out annually. But on April,
Brown was standing on an
utterly dry field after he
and Gehrke went through
the motions of measuring
a snow pack. State officials
said they now expected
the statewide snow pack
measure to be about 6% of
normal. “We are standing
on dry grass, and we should
be standing on five feet of
snow,” Brown said. “We
are in an historic drought.”
Water has long been a precious resource in California,
the subject of battles pitting
WESTERN AG REPORTER
farmer against city-dweller
and northern communities against southern ones;
books and movies have been
made about its scarcity and
plunder. Water is central
to the state’s identity and
economy and a symbol of
how wealth and ingenuity
have tamed nature: There
are golf courses in the deserts of Palm Springs, lush
gardens and lawns in Los
Angeles, and vast expanses
of irrigated fields of farmland throughout the Central
Valley. Given that backdrop,
any effort to force reductions
in water use could be politically contentious, as Brown
himself acknowledged.
“This will be somewhat of a
burden - it’s going to be very
difficult,” he said. “People
will say, ‘What about the
farmers?’ Farmers will say,
‘What about the people who
water their lawns?’ “
Within hours of Brown’s
announcement, Representative Kevin McCarthy,
the California Republican
who is the House majority
leader, announced plans to
renew efforts in Congress to
cont. on pg. 7
EDWARDS LAW FIRM
1648 Poly Dr., Suite 206
Billings, MT 59102
http://www.edwardslawfirm.org
Phone: 406-545-5895 Toll Free: 888-706-7461
Fax: 406-256-8159
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO
ALL CORN PRODUCERS
EDWARDS LAW FIRM of Billings has joined with other major U.S. litigators
to advance a nationwide money damage case against SYNGENTA companies.
Damages exceed $1 billion. And, the case is open to each and every corn
producer, large or small, in any state, who produced corn during 2013-2014.
Edwards is pleased and proud to announce we represent the VERMILION and
the DIAMOND RING ranches in this lawsuit for money damages.
Giant global agriculture corporations have already joined the combined
Federal Court cases. We find it significant CARGILL and
ARCHERDAINELSMIDLAND both seek damages from SYNGENTA, just like the
rest of our individual and family farm clients do.
Just what is this lawsuit all about? It is simple. SYNGENTA had a patent on a
strain of GMO corn. But they refused to follow regulatory rules, for approval, of
that corn in the U.S., and importantly, CHINA.
In 2013 and 14 CHINA discovered, at their ports, GMO contamination in U.S.
shipments. CHINA bans that. So, our largest export market, CHINA shut off all
U.S. corn, GMO or not.
The Chinese ban on our corn severely impacted, negatively, the U.S. corn
market. This case against SYNGENTA is because they misled and failed to
comply with rules, and badly damaged the market for us, U.S. producers, while
they profited from seed sales.
Note that any corn producer, no matter how big or small, who planted,
harvested, fed, sold, or was otherwise involved in the U.S. corn market ’13-14
has a claim. It matters not what kind of corn was planted. It matters not
whether the corn was GMO or otherwise. All that matters is that crop was corn;
any type corn.
All inquiries about this lawsuit will be promptly discussed and answered by
the EDWARDS LAW FIRM—free of charge. If a producer joins the case and hires
the Edwards Law Firm, there is no fee if there is no recovery. If there is
recovery, the fee is 30% of the gross award, plus the recovery of the cost to
pursue the claim. We would like to help you seek damages in this important
lawsuit for Corporate Responsibility. Please feel free to give us a call to answer
any of your questions.
Toll Free: 888-706-7461
As I See It
cont. from pg. 1
and people to do the voting
who are online and more on
track. That needs to happen.
We need more morality,
and we certainly need more
common sense, If we get
it, we will see meaningful
leadership.
Across the country, the
prayers and the cries and
the hope are out: “Please,
Lord, let it rain!” We need
moisture in a substantial
way in most all of western
America. I hope that many
of these prayers will be answered and many of these
hopes and urges will come
about because, as you get
into areas of north Montana
where the winter wheat
has been seeded for quite a
while, it is six to eight inches
tall, waving in the wind. It’s
a fantastic start because they
had moisture, they had warm
weather; now of course with
the big wind some areas have
experienced, it did some
damage. There is quite a lot
of new reseeding that has
to come about because the
wind blew the plants right
out of the ground. At any
rate, if you’ve been around
long enough with a little gray
over your ears, you’ve seen
dust fields in the spring time
as it has to do with storms,
wind, the lack of rain, or
too much in the way of a
blizzard.
As we look forward into
2015, there certainly is a lot
of optimism being shown
in the livestock business.
These feeder calves going
to grass, steers and heifers,
and these killer cows and
bulls... my gosh, never in
my lifetime have I seen
those big useful utility
bulls and cows bringing
the prices they’re bringing.
Many of those bulls are in
the $2,500 to $3,000 range
when you figure them out
by the pound, and many
cows in the $2,000 to $2,500
range. It’s unreal what these
salvage cattle are bringing.
I appreciate that the breeding bulls and females have
been bringing record prices
all across the country, and
they need a good salvage
figure to offset some of that.
They’re getting it. Whether
it’s going to continue down
the road in the grinding
market for hamburger, I
don’t know, but I think
so. There is a worldwide
demand for animal protein.
They like the taste of beef,
and they like the nutrition
that is documented by the
scientists. It looks as though
we’re going to continue to
have an excellent demand
for our product.
We have a lot of folks, of
course, that seem to think
that fish is better for you, or
that vegetables are the only
way to go, or that fruits are
the ticket to good health.
Well, common sense will
prevail. I think that most
people like a little combination of all of the above. They
like a little change of palate
now and again - that’s the
way it’s been forever, but
to say that any one food,
including beef, is the only
way to go is a little bit off,
I think. You’ve got to have
a variety in your diet to hold
the stability for demand.
The biggest problem we
continue to have here in
America is Washington DC
and so many of those in Congress who don’t really have
their feet on the ground and
their head turned on right.
Common sense does not
prevail there, and spending
is prevalent, it appears, at
most all levels.
You must remember we
have an administration
and a president who very
much believe in subsidizing
products of all industries
that are experiencing a little
trouble. It’s been shown
over and over again that,
if you subsidize a problem,
I’ll guarantee you, you will
have more of that problem.
I don’t care if you’re subsidizing property, if you’re
subsidizing wheat, if you’re
subsidizing any other product where people can go to
the trough and get involved
there, thinking they can
help themselves, getting
more of that product or at
least getting more money
for that product, and on
and on it goes. It’s been
shown worldwide that the
socialistic way of running
a business or a country is
not through subsidies; it’s
through productivity and
opportunity. That’s where
you will straighten a business out. And the United
States of America is the
largest business I know of
in the world. If we continue
to follow the activities of
our president, he’ll have us
subsidizing situations that
will do nothing but get us
in more trouble.
We must attempt to get
more families, including our
own, involved with morality and the improvement of
morality in everyday life. It
isn’t any big secret that there
is the need for morality at the
family level. Now it’s up to
us to make it happen. You
know what you’ve got to do:
you put your shoulder to the
wheel and do what’s right
and demand it, and lo and
behold, you’ll get it done,
and it will get done quicker
than you ever thought could
happen.
As you’re listening to the
politicians the next few
months, see how they act,
see how they react, see if
you can read common sense
into what they’re saying.
See if you can tell whether
they know the difference
between running a country
or ruining a country. It all
has to do with how they go
about it. Decisions. I’m one
who’s going to count on you
people for common sense in
our local, state, and national
voting habits. That’s all
you’ve got to remember. The
buck starts with you, and the
change starts with you, and
the salvation of the country
could start with you as well.
I’m counting on you.
You Will
Classifieds
Be Amazed… 406-259-4589
Sortin Pen
CA Drought
between herself and the JPMorgan Chase & Co. CEO Jamie
Dimon in her Capitol Hill office in 2013. Dimon, she says,
complained about all the burdensome rules his bank had to
follow, to which Warren replied that she didn’t believe the
biggest banks were over-regulated and couldn’t believe he
was complaining about regulatory constraints less than a
year after his bank had lost billions in the infamous London
Whale high-risk trading episode.
Warren said the banks are still taking on too much risk and
seem confident that taxpayers will bail them out - again - if
something goes wrong. When challenged by Warren over
the possibility that the bank might not be in compliance
with default provisions of the Dodd-Frank law that will go
into effect if a director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is not confirmed, Dimon, she recalled, leaned
back, slowly smiled, and said, “So hit me with a fine. We
can afford it.” Dimon was correct. Though his bank was
forced to pay $20 billion in fines, he received a significant
pay raise in 2014.
pass legislation requiring the
building of two huge water
facilities in the state. The
efforts had been blocked by
Democrats concerned that
the water projects would
harm the environment and
damage endangered species
of fish. “The current drought
in California is devastating,”
McCarthy said. “Today’s
order from the governor
should not only alarm Californians, but also the entire
nation should take notice
that the most productive
ag state in the country has
entered uncharted territory.
I’m from the Central Valley,
and we know that we cannot
conserve or ration our way
out of this drought.”
The newly mandated 25%
New study says drug-resistant
bacteria are airborne in TX feedlots...
A new study by Texas Tech University researchers says
antibiotic-resistant bacteria from cattle yards are airborne
and can be spread to humans on dust particles. “We don’t
know where it is blowing,” said co-author Phil Smith, a
professor of environmental toxicology at Texas Tech. “We
can’t control the wind.” The research team collected dust
downwind from 10 commercial cattle feeding operations
in Texas and found that the samples were loaded with
antibiotic-resistant DNA sequences. This means, says
Smith, that dust is now a “viable mechanism of transport.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Preven-
S
Y
A
P
tion, at least 23,000 Americans die every year from these
superbugs, trigging the White House to recently announce a
sweeping plan to fight the increasing number of infections.
The administration’s initiative calls on cattle producers to
limit antibiotic use on animals being raised for food.
Simmental & Simm/Angus Bull Sale
April 30, 2015 • 1:00 p.m. • Glasgow Livestock
40 SOLID BLACKS
40 SOLID REDS
“Breeding Simmentals Since 1969”
NELSON RANCH
Floyd Nelson, Jr. (406)-228-2024
Cell: (406) 263-5251
PO Box 254, Glasgow, MT 59230
Don Nelson (406) 367-5261
Cell: (406) 263-5261
Tampico Route, Glasgow, MT 59230
ALL BREED
Bull Sale
250 RANGE BULLS
TUESDAY • April 28, 2015
California Governor
warns agriculture about water...
Public Auction Yards • Billings, Montana
We’ll have bulls consigned from top
breeders. Some of our top purebred
livestock growers hold their top bulls
for this sale and have for many years.
s
B
d
A ngus
in
ai
c k A ngu
Re
la
C h a rol
us
1-800-821-6447
d
oll
e d H ere
H or
ned H
Sa
M
ntal
e A njou
ler s
Catalog Deadline:
Monday,
April 13, 2015
G e l b vie
h
in
a
Si m
me
If you are looking to buy bulls with
quality in depth, you’ll want to be
at this sale.
ALL 2-year-old bulls,
MUST be Trich tested.
Consign Today
Limo
P
During an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” on April
5, California Governor Jerry Brown said California’s
farmers are “providing most of the fruits and vegetables
of America,” as well as jobs for the state’s most vulnerable
residents, but he warned many California farms that hold
“senior water rights” -- those that received their permits
before the current water regulatory system came into place
-- that the old system is “archaic” and may be examined if
the historic drought continues in the state. “Some people
have a right to more water than others,” said Brown. “That’s
historic. That’s built into the legal framework of California. If things continue at this level, that’s probably going
to be examined, but as it is, we do live with a somewhat
archaic water law situation.” According to the Public Policy
Institute of California, agriculture accounts for 2% of California’s economy, yet consumes 80% of the state’s water.
Governor Brown said the severity of his already-initiated
water conservation measures will test the state’s ability to
work together and added that his executive order should
serve as a wake-up call for Californians, especially since
voluntary water conservation measures failed last year.
had not gone far enough.
“We are in a drought unlike
one we’ve seen before, and
we have to take actions that
we haven’t taken before,”
she said. “We are not getting
the level of effort that the
situation clearly warrants.”
Mark Cowin, director of
the California Department
of Water Resources, said the
state would tightly monitor
compliance, in the hope
that would be enough to
accomplish the 25 reduction. If it is not, the order
authorizes water suppliers
to penalize offenders. “We
are looking for success, not
to be punitive,” Cowin said.
“In the end, if people and
communities don’t comply,
there will be repercussions,
including fines.”
By Adam Nagourney, NY
Times, 4/1
Grasstime
s
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says it will
allow usage of a herbicide that contains glyphosate in nine
more states, despite the fact that the United Nations World
Health Organization’s International Agency for Research
on Cancer elevated its risk assessment of glyphosate to
“probably carcinogenic in humans.” The EPA approved the
glyphosate-containing herbicide Enlist Duo for ag use in
Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and North Dakota in addition
to the six states in which it was previously approved for
use on genetically-engineered crops. The Environmental
Working Group (EWG) blasted the agency for what it
called a “poor decision” that will “likely put farmers, farm
workers, and rural residents at risk.”
“The agency simply ignored a game-changing new
finding from the world-leading cancer experts and has,
instead, decided the interests of biotech giants like Dow
and Monsanto come first,” said Scott Faber, EWG’s senior
vice president for government affairs.
Glyphosate is in more than 750 different products, including Monsanto’s weed killer Roundup.
“This executive order is done under emergency power, and
it has the force of law. It’s very unusual, and it’s requiring
action and changes in behavior from the Oregon border all
the way to the Mexican border,” he said.
for
EPA approves “Probably Carcinogenic”
pesticide in 9 more states...
ornamental turf with planting that consumes less water.
The order also instructs
water authorities to raise
rates on heavy water users.
Those pricing systems, intended to reward conservers
and punish wasters, are used
in some parts of this state
and have proved effective,
state officials said. Felicia
Marcus, chairwoman of
the State Water Resources
Control Board, said that
California would leave it
to local water providers to
decide how to enforce the
reductions on homeowners
and businesses. She said she
anticipated that most of the
restrictions would be aimed
at the outdoor use of water;
many communities have already imposed water restrictions on lawns and gardens,
but Marcus suggested they
BornandRaisedintheUSA
ere
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been
confirmed in Montana, both in a domestic chicken flock in
Judith Basin County and in a captive gyrfalcon in Flathead
County. The poultry flock was confirmed to have HPAI
strain H5N2, and the flock has been quarantined until it
can be depopulated. The H5N2 strain has recently been
confirmed in South Dakota and Minnesota, among other
states previously reported here.
Avian influenza is a highly infectious disease of birds,
and countries or regions where an outbreak occurs can see
significant impacts on the trade of poultry products. The
Montana Department of Livestock (MDOL) is conducting
an epidemiological investigation of the cases and will be,
according to officials, identifying other poultry producers
in the area to conduct disease surveillance. MDOL says all
poultry producers should immediately report any sudden
onset of illness or high death losses in domestic poultry.
rd
Bird Flu in Montana...
cut is in relation to total
water use in the state in
2013. Cuts will vary from
community to community,
reflecting that per capita
water use reduction has
been better in some areas
than others. In addition, the
state and local governments
will offer temporary rebate
programs for homeowners
who replace dishwashers
and washing machines
with water-efficient models.
Brown said the state would
impose water-use restrictions on golf courses and
cemeteries and require that
nonpotable water be used
on median dividers. Lawns
consume much of the water
used every year in California, and the executive order
calls for the state, working
with local governments, to
replace 50 million acres of
cont. from pg. 6
fo
cont. from pg. 1
7
WESTERN AG REPORTER
Every seat’s a good one! This is a
rapid fire range bull sale with
quality kind in all breeds. All bulls
are guaranteed breeders by the
consignor.
406.259.4589
(407) 245-6447 • P.O. Box 1781 • Billings, MT 59103 • www.publicauctionyards.com
8
WESTERN AG REPORTER
Agri-News 4 Kids
Hey, kids, Banjo is a three-legged ranch dog. He lives on a big ranch in Montana with his two-legged family
(Hannah & Tate) and his four-legged friends (Rascal, the pesky raccoon; Mrs. McBauck, queen of the hen house;
Cowsuela, head mother cow; & Horse Chief Ben, boss of the cavvy). This page is for you kids out there in the
rural countryside. Why not send us a picture of yourself doing something fun? Write to Agri-News 4 Kids, PO Box
30755, Billings MT 59107.
Easter by-products...
“You did what?” asked
Banjo. He had a roller
brush attached to his tail.
“I just gave him a little
Easter candy,” said Pudge.
She also had a mini-brush
attached to her tail.
“Why would you do that?”
scolded Tuff. He was the
third in line with a paint
brush also attached to
him. “We’re out here trying
to paint over his Easter
decorating on the barn wall,
and you gave Rascal... of
all varmints... some Easter
candy?”
Pudge nodded. “Yes,
I did,” she said. “I was
reminded it is a time to
forgive, so I thought I’d
share a little gift with him as
a symbol of what Easter’s
really all about.”
Tuff shook his head back
and forth in disgust. “I could
use a little extra sugar right
now to keep me going, but
no... I’m going to be stuck
all day trying to undo the
giant globs of paint polkadotted on here while the
painter gets to eat candy!”
“Move on,” said Pudge.
“It’s clear you don’t understand.”
“It was a nice gesture,”
said Banjo to Pudge. “Just
wish you could’ve shook
paws or something instead
of giving him candy. Remember the last time he
had all that candy? He got
a little wound up.”
“A little?” said Tuff sarcastically. “I thought we
were going to have to use
a tranquilizer gun on him.”
“Yeah, you make a valid
point. It was quite a problem with the copula and the
zip line he made.” Pudge
laughed. “What was he?
‘Ninja Rascal’?” she said.
Banjo and Tuff looked at
each other. “Something
like that,” said Banjo and
smiled.
It was a cool spring afternoon, so standing in
the yard wasn’t too bad.
“Crash! Thud! Bang! Ting!”
went the sound.
“What was that?” asked
Pudge, twitching her ears
up and towards the noise.
“Sounds like someone or
something is playing pin-
ball with the trash cans,”
said Banjo. “Let’s go.”
The ranch patrol members dropped their paint
brushes in the trays and
cautiously walked, listened, and smelled the
air to try and get a sense
of who it could be. “Ting!
Tang! Thud! Bam!” it
sounded again.
“Sounds smaller than
Rascal. He couldn’t bounce
around or off anything that
fast,” said Tuff. Banjo tilted
his head and listened.
“Ting! Bang!” it went.
“I think you may be right,”
said Banjo. “Go slowly.”
They crept to the corner.
The trash cans were on the
back side of the shed, only
a couple feet from them.
“Ting!” went the sound.
“Bing” it echoed.
“There are two somethings,” whispered Banjo.
“Go around to the other
side.”
Tuff nodded and backed
away to sneak to the other
side of the shed.
“Ting! Clang! Bang!”
Banjo squared the corner
and looked the noisy culprits right in the eyes. His
shoulders and chest were
puffed up in a defensive
stance, but instantly deflated once he saw them.
“Really?!” he said. Tuff
came around the opposite
corner and saw them as
well and kept walking.
“Bounce, bounce,” they
went. “Hi, Hi,” they said in
unison.
“What are you two little
ones doing?” asked Banjo.
The two identical twin
bunnies bounced from one
trash can lid to the other.
“We are hopping,” said one
very matter of factly.
“We need practice,” said
the other. “We have to learn
to jump higher and higher.”
“Ever think of a trampoline?” asked Tuff.
“Nope. What’s a trampoline?” said the bunnies as
they continued bouncing.
Banjo’s head followed
their up and down jumps
until he had to shake it
and free himself from his
momentary trance.
Pudge joined them.
“Aren’t you two a little late
for Easter?” she said.
“We’re from Easter,” said
one of the bunnies. They
April 28, 2015
kept bouncing.
“STOP!” said Tuff. “I can’t
handle listening to the lids’
‘Ting, Tang, and Clang’ any
more or watching you hopping. Just please hop, hop,
hop yourselves down here
to the lower ground so we
can figure you out.” The bunnies leapt to the
dusty ground. “Okay,” they
said.
“Good call,” said Banjo
as he looked at Tuff. “Way
to make an executive decision there.” He looked at
them. “You’re very young
little bunnies, aren’t you?”
he said. “And you look like
Lop Ears.”
“That’s because we are,”
said one of the bunnies.
“Where did you come
from?” asked Pudge.
“An Easter basket,” said
the other bunny.
They all looked at each
other and knew what had
happened.
“We may be little but we’re
fast,” said the other bunny.
“The little boy who had us
in his basket was really
friendly. He held us all the
time, and we had a nice hut,
but he left the door open.”
“And we hopped really
fast that night,” said the
other bunny. “There are
lots of scary sounds in the
dark. That’s why we have
to learn to hop-hop higher
and higher so we can see
over all the bushes and
grasses.”
“Well, there are lots of
scary things around here
some times too... like Rascal,” said Pudge. “That’s
why Banjo and Tuff are our
head ranch wranglers and
secure the premises.”
“Oh,” said the bunnies.
“Let’s get you two into
the barn, and we’ll teach
you how to hop under the
cover of a roof, and you
won’t have to worry about
varmints like Rascal or
owls,” said Banjo.
“What’s a Rascal?” asked
one of the bunnies.
“O-h-h, let me just tell you
what indeed is a Rascal!”
said Tuff. The animals
laughed and scooted the
bunnies in the direction of
the barn to be introduced
to the rest of the ranch
crew and to learn how to
hop, among ‘other need to
knows’ around the ranch.
AGRI-KID
of the Week
1:00 p.m.
Miles City Livestock Commission
Selling: 45 Fall Yearling Bulls • 55 Spring Yearling Bulls
Free Delivery– All bulls semen tested and ready to go to work for you.
The sale worth waiting for.....
CCAR 0192 Rito 3219
CCAR 1430 Common Sense 3243
CCAR 7275 Ideal 3223
“Come on now, Pocahontas, drink your milk!” seems
to be what Kinley Liles is tell her bottle calf as she
learns all about Work Ethic 101! Thanks to Tonya
Liles for sharing this great photo.
CCAR 1416 Iron Mountain 3352
CCAR Final Statement B037
CCAR 1416 Iron Mountain 3361
CCAR Sirloin B058
CCAR John Wayne 3379
CCAR Blackjack B079
CCAR 1416 Iron Mountain B203
www.westernagreporter.com
OILFIELD PIPE
SATISFACTION GUARANTEED!
BEST QUALITY
CCAR 1472 Destination B295
CCAR 9202 Roundup B363
CCAR B511
CCAR 9180 Roundup B602
View catalog and videos of cattle online at www.frontierstockyards.com.
Catalog also online at www.billpeltonlivestock.com
Gary & Phyllis Eliasson and family
Box 389 Roundup, MT 59072 Email: ccar@midrivers.com
Office: 406-323-2227 Home: 406-323-1024
Gary: 406-320-1142 Phyllis: 406-320-0097
CLEANEST
Located Across From Public Auction Yards, Billings, MT
TUBING • DRILL STEM • CASING
SUCKER ROD • FENCE CABLE • GUARD RAIL
(406) 245-5760
Agricultural Family Owned Business
Free-Trade
cont. from pg. 1
Just about the time I talk about the weather... it changes!
Winter kind of returned to some areas of my traveling area
over the Easter weekend. But, with that said, I have not
heard a single complaint about the moisture.
I was able to visit with people from all over the United
States and Canada during the three days last week that I
worked the Midland Bull Test sales. Some guys I talked
to from the Midwest told me that they had already seen
quite a number of folks planting corn in Illinois and Iowa!
A handful of folks from Nebraska and surrounding states
mentioned to me that they sure were drying up fast and
were in definite need of moisture. It also sounds like Nevada
and some of that country are in the same boat.
Moisture is always a topic of conversation for those of us
involved in agriculture. It seems like it is talked about the
most when there’s either too much moisture or not enough
moisture! None of us can control Mother Nature, and all
we can do is deal with the situations that we are given.
sometimes it just takes time. My point is that it is only the
first part of April, and we all know that moisture situations
can change in a big hurry. I was watching the news over
the weekend and saw where there is a chance for some
pretty good moisture in several of the dry areas that I was
talking about a moment ago here in the next week or so.
I have had a number of people come up to me at sales
recently and want to talk about the grass situation. I’ve
mentioned before that I receive several calls per week with
questions about if I know of any grass that is for lease.
When I mention that it is extremely hard to come by, most
folks ask me why pasture is so hard to find when we are at
record low cow numbers?
I really don’t know how to answer this... but it has definitely
been the situation around Reporter Country for the past
several years! I have also heard the comment many times
that, if they did happen to find some pasture for lease, the
price was so high that they couldn’t make things work. I
guess it all comes down to what they taught all of us in Econ
101 in college... it all comes down to supply and demand!
Again, when we are talking about demand for pasture, if
moisture turns loose in quite a number of areas, there would
be a chance for some additional pasture to come available.
Some folks that may have quite a lot of pasture are hesitant
to lease any of it out yet until the moisture situation plays
out here for awhile yet.
Another scenario around some areas may be that guys that
normally run quite a number of yearlings in the summer
leased some pasture before they even purchased cattle to
run on the grass. We all know how the market kept moving higher and higher at the end of last year. If some of
these people were not able to purchase their grass cattle
because the market just got too high for them, they might
just decide to not purchase cattle at these prices and just
lease the pasture to someone else. Again, we will have to
wait a little while yet to see if this happens.
Bull sales continue to hold strong around Reporter Country. Now that we are in April, I have been getting a lot of
comments from folks at sales that I must be about done
with sales. I continue to tell everyone that I go really steady
through the 28th day of April, meaning I pretty much have
a full month of sales left! It has been a fantastic spring,
and we will continue to try to keep things going here in
the final stretch!
Don’t miss this!
Get your boots on for Montana agriculture!
Save the date of May 19! It’s the Montana
Agri-Women’s second annual fundraiser - with
an emphasis on FUN! Mark your calendars for
May 19 at the Billings Depot, Billings, MT, for a
great night of fun and entertainment. Questions?
Call 406-281-0594 or check out the website
www.mtagriwomen.net
9
WESTERN AG REPORTER
trade partners and then, at
the ninth hour, are pressured
to either sign on the dotted
line or not, foregoing any
chance of amendments that
might protect American
jobs, American workers, or
the environment.
Congress has signed plenty
of these agreements in
the past; let’s see how
the track record looks to
date. After signing massive
trade agreements including
the North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
and the U.S.-Korea Trade
Agreement, the prosperity
and jobs that were promised
to flood our nation and lift
our middle class like the
rising tide have failed to
appear. In 2014, the trade
deficit increased to $505 billion, representing nearly 3%
of the nation’s total Gross
Domestic Product (GDP)
and acting as a drag on the
overall economy.
The U.S. has carried the
weight of a trade deficit every year for the past 41 years.
There are a number of reasons why these agreements
are not working for us, and
one of the largest is currency manipulation, which
allows governments to keep
their currencies undervalued
and boost exports, limit
imports, and create large
current-account surpluses.
Malaysia, Singapore, and
Japan, three known currency
manipulators, are involved
in the current Trans-Pacific
Partnership (TPP) negotiations, one of the massive
deals currently being considered by Congress. For
example, the U.S. deficit
with Japan reached nearly
$80 billion in 2013, and currency manipulation was the
most significant cause of the
deficit. It is estimated that
the trade deficit with Japan
alone resulted in 896,600
jobs eliminated in the nation
across nearly all congressional districts.
And then there’s the trade
deal with South Korea,
which is celebrating its
three-year anniversary.
When we signed this deal,
the American public was
promised an increase in
exports and at least 70,000
new jobs. Instead, our exports to South Korea are
down, and we’ve lost 84,000
jobs. For every new U.S.
car sold to Korea since we
signed the deal, they sell us
14 new cars, all made with
jobs that could and should
be here. Even agriculture,
which has fared fairly well
in these trade deals, lost big
on this one. U.S. exports to
Korea have taken major hits
as beef exports are down 5%,
pork is down 4%, poultry
is down 41%, and grains
are down 21%. At the same
time, Korean exports to the
U.S. increased by 28%.
Question and answers...
Many might wonder why
one of the nation’s largest
organizations representing
family farmers and ranchers is coming out against
massive trade agreements.
Trade can and has benefited
U.S. agriculture, which
represents about 10% of net
exports from the U.S. Ag
exports have been greater
than U.S. ag imports for
more than 50 years and have
been one of the only clear
winners in these deals. The
$39 billion surplus generated by farm exports helps
counter the enormous U.S.
non-ag trade deficit.
There are two answers to
that. First, we’re not only
farmers and ranchers; we’re
also Americans, and we’re
tired of seeing our great nation drawing the short straw
in every trade deal we sign.
Fairness is ingrained in the
American psyche and culcont. on pg. 10
41st Annual Performance Angus Sale
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
1 pm MT • Stockmen’s West • Dickinson, ND
Selling:
95 Yearling Bulls
40 Yearling Replacement Heifers
• Volume Discounts •
• Fertility Tested •
• 400 Miles Free Delivery •
• Many Bulls Suitable For Heifers •
• No Creep Feed •
• First Breeding Season Guarantee •
Selling Sons of:
Connealy In Focus 4925, S Summit 956, Sitz Upward 307R, PA Power
Tool 9108, Connealy Confidence 0100, Vin-Mar O’Reilly Factor,
Connealy Consensus 7229, Sitz RLS Rainmaker 11731,
Connealy Mentor 7374, Rito 6EM3 of 4L1 Emblazon,
WMR Timeless 458, CAR Efficient 534, and more!
Stop by anytime to see the cattle!
David Opp
701-878-4222 (home) • 701-471-2862 (cell)
Joel Opp
701-878-4804 (home) • 701-260-3279 (cell)
7650 43rd St. • Hebron, ND 58638
joelopp@yahoo.com
“Registered Angus Cattle since 1951”
Vollmer Angus Ranch
38th Annual Production Sale
New Sale Date
April 28th, 2015 - 4 pm
at the ranch north of Wing, ND
Selling 150 Yearling and Late Yearling Bulls
Including over 90 Three Star Calving Ease Bulls
and featuring 50 Open Purebred Heifers
all born and raised at VAR
Bull Data now available
on the website or call
and have a copy sent
to you.
Bulls fully guaranteed
with free delivery
Vollmer Angus Ranch
40103 353 ST NE
Wing, ND 58494
var@bektel.com
Featuring Large Sire
Groups By These
Industry Leaders:
Barstow Cash
SAV Hesston
SAV Field Ready
Mogck Bullseye
Coleman Regis
VAR Rocky
VAR Rockytop
VAR Equator 2151
VAR Motivation
VAR Dakota Boy
VAR Arctic 01
WK CC & 7 1247
Troy & Sara: 701.943.2431
Allen & Bev: 701.943.2691
Troy cell: 701.214.0311
troy@vollmerangus.com
Check us out on the web - Vollmer Angus.com
10
Free-Trade
cont. from pg. 9
ture, so looking at the real
economics of these deals just
rubs folks the wrong way.
The second reason is more
practical. As farmers and
ranchers, we understand
that the vast majority of the
products we grow - whether
tomatoes or cattle - are sold
domestically. And if we continue to lose good jobs and
dig ourselves into a deeper
debt hole as a nation, our
major market - our fellow
Americans - won’t have the
means to purchase the food,
fiber, and fuel we grow. So
family farmers and ranchers
lose too, big time, in the
long run.
New approach needed...
We need to take a new approach to trade that focuses
on reducing the U.S. trade
deficit as its primary goal.
We must also refuse to
enter agreements that will
subvert the jurisdiction of
our important domestic laws
protecting workers, our children, and the environment.
Finally, trade is a concept
whereby the assumption is
that both parties can benefit
by swapping goods, which is
why we need to stop thinking
of trade as a baseball bat to
single-handedly bludgeon
other nations into changing
their behavior. Just look how
well that mindset worked
with Cuba.
The easiest way to keep
the lemmings from charging over the cliff is to deny
this president, and every
president of any party that
follows, fast track authority.
- thehill.com, 4/1
Note: Roger Johnson is
president of the National
Farmers Union.
Mackay
cont. from pg. 1
commented that they think
Mackay has the knowledge
and skills to perform well
and offered their assistance
if needed. Mackay allowed
the board to discuss their
comments regarding his performance during the public
BOL meeting on March 24.
The eleven evaluation
categories include the following:
1) administers department
policy, goals, and objectives;
2) directs legislative relations;
3) represents the BOL and
DOL;
4) ensures DOL statutes,
rules, and policies are enforced;
5) manages department
personnel, programs, and
budgets;
6) manages employee performance;
7) knowledge of livestock
industry issues;
Missed applying all the nutrients my crops
at planting time, can I apply it later?
WESTERN AG REPORTER
8) skills to manage a large
organization;
9) vision and leadership;
10) interpersonal skills; and
11) impact and influence.
Each board member scored
each category on a scale of
1 to 5. On that scale, 1 is
the worst, and 5 is the best
score. The best possible score
would have been a 55; the
worst possible score, an 11.
1) Mackay’s score for the
first category -- administers
department policy, goals, and
objectives -- averaged 2.5.
2) Within the second category -- directs legislative
relations -- board members
expressed their frustration at
the lack of accurate budget
details and a recent inaccurate presentation to legislators. “I’m disappointed that,
after two legislative sessions
and a legislative audit, the
department budget is still
‘out of whack,’” said Brett
DeBruycker, BOL member
from Dutton.
3) Mackay received an
average score of 2.6 in the
third category -- represents
the DOL and BOL. Jeff
Lewis commented on a lack
of industry support, but John
Scully noted the Mackay
has reached out to industry
leaders much more during
the last two or three weeks.
4) Category four -- ensures
DOL statutes, rules, and policies are enforced -- elicited
higher scores from board
members. Although Scully
chastised Mackay for a failure to advise the BOL budget
subcommittee that changes
were necessary -- a 2005
legislative audit illustrated
the department faced the
same budget issues then and
predicted problems in 2009,
2010, and 2011 - Scully admitted that Mackay was not
executive director in 2005.
“This is the second time, at
least, with the same problems. You weren’t here then,
but George (Harris, administrator of DOL centralized
services) was present then.
You should have known,”
Scully said. In her written comments, Jan French
highlighted Mackay’s work
with Montana Fish, Wildlife
& Parks; USDA Animal
& Plant Health Inspection
Service; and other agencies. Mackay coordinates
with other state and federal
agencies to manage potential
and actual disease outbreaks,
among other issues.
5) Board members dropped
their scores for category five
-- manages department personnel, programs, and budgets. Mackay’s average score
was 2.17. BOL member Ed
Waldner of Chester summed
up the issues that other board
members brought up when
he said, “You need to control
the ship.”
6) Category six - manages
employee performance -garnered scores of mostly
ones and twos for Mackay.
No DOL official employee
performance evaluations
have been completed since
Mackay was hired by the
BOL eight years ago. French
noted that Mackay often
offers informal evaluations
to employees. “The board
shares responsibility for this
because we don’t always
follow through. We have
not supervised Christian
appropriately,” Scully said.
7) Board members recognized Mackay’s knowledge
of livestock industry issues
with an average score of 3.25
in the seventh category.
8) In the eighth category
-- skills to manage a large
organization -- the average
score was 2.58. French complimented Mackay on his
skill within the Designated
Surveillance Area for brucellosis and his implementation
of hand-held inspection
records at livestock auction
markets, but hoped he would
take a class on personnel
responsibilities.
9) During discussion of
the ninth category -- vision
and leadership -- several
board members noted the
high number of disgruntled
employees who work for
the department. “There’s no
clear vision or strategic plan
for the department. A lot of
employees feel threatened.
You don’t have good interaction with them,” Scully said
to Mackay. “Christian needs
more employee support,”
Lewis agreed.
10) The interpersonal skills
category (#10) earned Mackay an average score of 2.47,
including French’s score
of 3.8. DeBruycker said he
thinks Mackay communicates well with the Helena
staff, but not with staff in the
field. Scully said the former
public relations employee
was not managed in a way
that created a positive public
image for the department.
“There have been few proactive media relations and,
in fact, a few negative (instances),” Scully said.
11) When it came to cat-
egory number eleven -- impact and influence -- the BOL
scored Mackay at 2.67. “(The
relationship with) the legislature is a serious problem
for us,” said DeBruycker.
“Employee communication
should improve. The employee letter that you sent
was good; now you need
to follow up,” Scully said.
“We’ve lost the confidence
of the employees. That is not
all your fault, but we need to
get squared away.” French
offered a different perspective on Mackay’s impact
and influence. “The board
has been sending mixed
signals lately. (Mackay has)
handled embezzlement, trich
(trichomoniasis), brucellosis
and BVD, bison lawsuits,
and lab accreditation well,”
she said.
After board members
finished their comments,
Mackay asked for time to
develop a response and
plan. Baucus asked for a
timeline to receive Mackay’s
response and plan, but none
was established. “I have one
final comment. Christian has
every tool needed to do this
job. The areas I question
come with personal interaction - that is the biggest area
to improve,” DeBruycker
summarized.
Even though Baucus did
not offer a performance
evaluation for Mackay, she
took the opportunity to offer
a vision for the DOL. “This
department was created BY
the livestock industry FOR
the livestock industry. We
answer to the industry. The
industry is very upset. It is
paramount that we take a
serious look at ourselves and
get turned around instead of
being arrogant and trying to
control the industry,” said
Baucus.
This meeting, as well as all
DOL meetings, are recorded
and the audio is posted
on http://liv.mt.gov/public/
board.mcpx
Editor’s Note: What I want to
know is the total number of
points awarded to Christian
Mackay out of the possible total
he could have received. Lisa got
her information for this article
from a recording of the meeting.
Some of the scores were not
audible. Christian Mackay has
offered to make copies of the
board members’ score sheets
available to me. I will sum that
interesting information up and
provide it to you next week. Stay
tuned! LG
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The Blind Eye
Don’t miss this!
You are cordially invited to attend the Eighth Annual Stetsons & Stilettos Ball hosted by the
NILE Foundation on Friday, May 29 at the Northern Hotel in Billings, Montana. This function
is a benefit for NILE youth programs and scholarships; there will be an outstanding selection of
live and silent auction items. A four-course steak dinner will be followed by dancing to the Copper Mountain Band. Limited seating. Price increase after May 11. Questions? Call 0406-56-2495.
CATTLE SALES EVERY THURSDAY AT BLS
SINCE 1934
Live Stock Commission
CATTLE SALES EVERY THURSDAY AT BLS
REPRESENTATIVE SALES FOR THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2015 • 3200 Head Sold
Excellent turnout of high quality cattle with a large crowd of buyers on hand for our annual
Spring NILE cattle special.Thanks for your continued business!
BRED COWS
Reedpoint
2 Bk 3&4
Cody
65 Bk St
BRED HEIFERS
Charles Jennaway
Melstone
13 Bk
Schwenke Rnch Trust
Zortman
7 Bk
BULLS
Raymond Snell
Lovell
1 Bk
Jody Wacker
Melstone
1 Bk
Keith Rohrer
Fort Shaw
1 Bk
Wasson Ranch Inc
Whitewater
1 Bk
Thurmond Coulee Cattle Co Custer
1 Bk
Herzog Farms Inc
Rapelje
1 Charx
COWS
Jay Erfle
Rapelje
1 Bk
Terry Frost
Roundup
1 Bk
Raymond Hale
Winnett
1 Bk
Jerry Cossitt
Shepherd
1 Bk
JC Heiken
Broadview
2 Bk
Terry Frost
Roundup
1 Bk
Robert Kappel
Park City
1 Bk
Wasson Ranch Inc
Whitewater
4 Bk
McCarty Ranch LLC
Cody
7 Bk
Felton Angus Ranch Inc Springdale
2 Bk
McCarty Ranch LLC
Cody
5 Bk
Wesley Stahl
Roundup
2 Bk
Tee Bar Ranch Co
Augusta
1 Red
Mccarty Ranch LLC
Cody
31 Bk
Bradley Hodgskiss
Choteau
5 Rd/Bk
HEIFERS
Mark Fox
Worden
5 Bk
Calvin Lane
Molt
2 4 Bk
Stieber Cattle Co
Hardin
8 Bkbwf
Quentin Todd Whiteman Crow Agency
2 Bk
Calvin Lane
Molt
65 Bk
Jeffrey L. Diercks
Park City
9 Bkbwf
Clinton L Mcfarland
Molt
6 Bk
Myron Leo Lind
Hardin
3 Red
Donohoe Ranch Ltd Partner Nye
12 Bk
Eckert Ranch Co.
Red Lodge
2 4 Bkbwf
James Ballard
Lavina
20 Bk
Rodney Jabs
Hardin
10 Bkbwf
Stovall Ranches LLC
Billings
5 5 Bk
Jay Meyer
Musselshell
20 Bk
Jeffrey Diercks
Park City
18 Bkbwf
Jeff Bassett
Lovell
58 Bk
Stovall Ranches LLC
Billings
190 Bk
Cade Bare
McCarty Ranch LLC
1,416
1,409
2,600.00
2,035.00
1,058
1,157
2,525.00
2,400.00
1,901
1,646
1,931
2,416
2,161
2,011
149.00
148.00
146.50
146.00
146.00
140.50
1,186
1,456
1,171
1,386
1,281
1,291
1,241
1,221
1,287
1,408
1,382
1,276
1,276
1,452
1,242
141.00
138.00
135.00
132.00
131.00
129.50
129.00
127.50
122.50
119.50
117.00
117.00
116.00
113.75
112.00
569
520
494
561
590
503
619
591
619
640
664
653
637
653
635
668
719
276.00
275.00
270.00
269.00
266.00
263.00
248.00
248.00
245.25
243.50
239.50
239.00
238.25
237.00
235.50
232.00
223.75
J D W Farms
Thompson Cattle Co
Jay Meyer
Rodney Jabs
Fords Creek Colony
Horpestad Ranch Inc
Horpestad Ranch Inc
John Robbins
Wasson Ranch Inc
J Triangle Ranch Inc
Siewert Ranch
Craig Finley
Tee Bar Ranch Co
Nathan Reiter
Terry Frost
Thompson Cattle Co
Wesley Stahl
Reuben Busenitz
Bradley Hodgskiss
Tee Bar Ranch Co
James Johnke
Keith Rohrer
Schwenke Ranch Trust
Toby Stahl
Carl Kimmel
Higgins Brothers Inc
Robert Torczon
Fred Hopkin
S & G Livestock Inc
Jim Grewell
Fred Hopkin
Troy Pimentel
John Michael III
Fred Hopkin
John Heidema
John Michael III
Schroder Ranch
Stieber Cattle Co
Wasson Ranch Inc
John Heidema
Schroder Ranch
Billings
18 Bk
Billings
63 Bk
Musselshell
75 Bk
Hardin
61 Bkbwf
Grass Range 1 5 Bk
Lavina
12 Bk
Lavina
12 Bk
Custer
8 Red
Whitewater
38 Bk
Winnett
61 Bk
Huntley
59 Bk
Bridger
31 Bk
HEIFERETTES
Augusta
3 Red
Laurel
1 Red
Roundup
1 Bk
Billings
2 Bk
Roundup
1 Bk
Busby
3 Bk
Choteau
2 Bk
Augusta
10 Rd/Bk
Winnett
1 Bk
Fort Shaw
3 Bk
Zortman
8 Bk
Roundup
2 Bk
Roundup
1 Bk
STEERS
Ringling
1 Rd/Bk
Ringling
6 Rd/Bk
Powell
3 Bk
Powell
4 Bk
Ringling
17 Rd/Bk
Billings
4 Bkbwf
Joliet
3 Rd/Bk
Powell
20 Rd/Bk
Powell
11 Bk
Ringling
96 Bkbwf
Livingston
7 Bk
Powell
28 Blk/Char
Pryor
30 Bkbwf
Livingston
16 Bk
Harlem
1 4 Blk/Char
Hardin
7 Bk
Whitewater
3 Bk
Pryor
93 Bkbwf
Harlem
38 Bkbwf
933
747
716
778
770
774
774
661
705
704
659
752
182.00
1,785.00
1,775.00
1,760.00
1,760.00
1,750.00
1,750.00
1,710.00
1,675.00
1,675.00
1,675.00
1,675.00
876
841
936
963
961
907
971
954
1,011
1,032
1,008
1,036
1,001
205.00
205.00
205.00
203.00
197.00
196.00
195.00
192.50
191.50
190.00
190.00
190.00
189.00
331
413
467
439
513
506
534
522
568
599
635
622
668
682
645
672
709
760
755
344.00
328.00
321.00
315.00
309.00
308.50
304.00
303.00
288.00
281.50
264.00
262.00
246.00
245.00
242.50
241.50
233.00
228.50
220.00
LET ’EM ALL BID — BRING ’EM TO BLS!
Th e
LIV
THURSDAY, APRIL 16
f Northern Ca
Best o
ttle!
EST
O
TIO
CK VIDEO AUC
N
FEEDER SPECIAL
with
All Class Cattle Sale
and
Northern Internet Auction
Expecting 2000 Head
Call for information or to consign, or consign online 24 hours a day:
Bill (406) 670-0689
Ty (406) 698-4783
Dan (406) 671-7715
UPCOMING SALE SCHEDULE
Thurs, Apr. 16 Feeder Special w/All Class Cattle Sale & Northen Livestock Internet Auction
Thurs, Apr. 23 All Class Cattle Sale
Sat., & Sun, Apr. 25, 26 … April Horse Sale
Thurs, Apr. 30 Annual Grass time Cattle Special w/All Class Cattle Sale
Thurs, May 7 �Pair & Feeder Special w/All Class Cattle Sale
Thurs, May 14 All Class Cattle Sale
Thurs, May 21 All Class Cattle Sale
Sat, May 23� �May Horse Sale – Loose Horses 8:00am
Thurs, May 28 Annual Turn-Out Cattle Special w/All Class Cattle Sale &
Northern Livestock Internet Auction
✃
clip & save
While usually a Christmas tradition, on Easter Sunday I
hitched and drove my mule team. After a couple months
layoff, I expected a few shenanigans, but they actually
worked quite well. Once I unbridled the team, both mules
snorted and spooked at the wagon they had been dragging
for the previous hour, thus proving the effectiveness of the
blinders limiting their rear vision. Unable to see clearly,
my mules had dutifully strained into their collars... the
exact deception progressives perpetuate on a similarly
blind populace. The recent events at Memories Pizza in
Walkerton, Indiana, are a perfect example of the force the
ruling class will resort to when blinders alone are insufficient to advance their agenda.
In case you missed the story, a progressive news team
specializing in gotcha-journalism discovered and invaded
a little known pizzeria whose walls were adorned with
crucifixes and Bible verses. Cornering Crystal, the young
daughter of the owner, the news anchor created a fictitious
question of a gay couple seeking the catering services of
Memories Pizza for their wedding reception. Being a devout
Christian, Crystal honestly speculated that such a celebration violates her religious beliefs, so she would most likely
decline the business. Reserving the right to refuse service
is commonplace in the free-market, but this question was a
tripwire, and the trap snapped tight around Crystal’s neck.
She should have quietly walked away.
A couple months ago, I too rejected a business transaction
after a new client verbally thrashed my receptionist, me,
and my practice all before filling out the client information
sheet. Apparently accustomed to receiving the princess
treatment after abusing others, her mouth fell open when
I put her cat back in its carrier, pointed to the door, and
said we would not work for her. The staff cheered after she
left. Life is short - way too short -- to work for jerks. To
this day, I have no idea as to the sexual orientation of the
nasty lady, which could have been the pivotal question had
this incident happened in Indiana. The veterinarian /client
/patient relationship is not a covenantal one described in
the Holy Scriptures, so there was no hysterical media in
my reception room, and I quietly returned to my morning
duties. Crystal was not so lucky.
The state-run media was looking to crucify a Christian
in response to Indiana’s new Religious Freedom Act, and
young Crystal was an easy sacrifice to nail to the cross.
Using a technique taught by Pontus Pilate, ruling class
activists reflexively launched into a full-bore flogging of
Crystal. Jess Dooley, the head coach of the golf team at
nearby Concord High School, tweeted, “Who’s going to
Walkerton, IN, to burn down #memoriespizza with me?”
There was a time when such threats would not be tolerated,
but today, violence and intimidation are commonly used to
remove Christianity from the American culture. A massive,
all-knowing, -controlling, and -providing central government is the idolatrous god of the ruling class. Christians
such as Crystal and her father Kevin are merely collateral
damage in the bigger war to advance collectivism.
America’s leftists hate Christians with an intensity rational
people will never understand. Operating on the principle
that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” the ruling
class ignores the Islamic abuse of women, homosexuals,
and Jews because the terrorists also hate Christians. Just
last week, 147 college students in Kenya were executed
simply for being Christians. Across the Middle East, ISIS
terrorists are destroying century-old artifacts associated
with the early years of Christianity and Judaism. So what
does President Obama and his statist minions do? They
provide Iran with a path to a nuclear weapon, turning a
blind eye to true evil. Had enough yet? Or will you wait
until it is you the progressives nail to the cross?
11
WESTERN AG REPORTER
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12
&
Farm
Food
by Alan Guebert
Where’s the love?
While kids always choose Christmas as the best holiday
of the year, Christians everywhere celebrate Easter as the
most important because, they teach, the anniversary of
Christ’s “victory over death” on the hilltop called Calvary
proves both His divinity and the promise of salvation.
Indeed, if you are Christian, Easter is where the ultimate
sacrifice brings the ultimate gift, where death brings life,
and where earthly charity brings heavenly hope. Come to
think of it, maybe that’s why Congress leaves Washington
D.C. for two weeks each Easter: its members are in search
of charity and hope because, Lord knows, there’s little of
either on their hilltop.
Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack discovered that
again March 27, the day before Palm Sunday, in an op/ed
penned for the Wall Street Journal. In it Vilsack labeled the
plan by Congressional Republicans to “block grant” - spin
off to the states - the nation’s principle hunger-fighting
program, the Supplemental Food Assistance Program, or
SNAP, “ill-timed and ill-advised.” When posted online at
wsj.com, Vilsack’s defense of SNAP was met with screaming derision and biting sarcasm. Of the 106 reader “replies”
it generated, only one - and a lukewarm one at that - backed
the Secretary; it called SNAP “needed.” The other 105
pummeled him for even putting fingers to keyboard.
“Mr. Vilsack, your claim of a low incidence of (SNAP)
fraud & error is equine manure,” wrote someone name
Gene Hutchins. [The Journal requires online commenters
to sign their names.]
“This entire treatise is riddle(d) with total falsehoods.
The Food Stamp programs are growing not shrinking...
The program is waist deep in fraud... Food stamps are
openly traded for drugs and booze... Total baloney!” wrote
“gardener morris.”
And Raymond Klett added, “Another Obama shill supporting big and dysfunctional government. Comrade Vilsack,
WESTERN AG REPORTER
lots of useless words to promote a political agenda.”
Not one writer, however, offered one fact to support their
views, and only a handful suggested any idea on how they’d
fix what they described as a “wasteful” “lib” program
filled with “fraud”’ run by “union pukes” and “the feckless
amateurs in this lawless administration.”
So, since it’s Easter, maybe we can - charitably and with
love, of course - offer a few facts to calm our angry brothers and sisters. For example:
- The average per person monthly SNAP benefit is $125,
about $4.15 per day or $1.39 per meal.
- In 2014, 92% of the $76 billion spent on SNAP was
spent on food, 5% (or $3.8 billion) went to the states to
administer the program, and 3% was spent on block grants
to fund local programs like food banks.
- Historically, SNAP benefits have equaled about 0.3%
of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product. During the 20082011 economic crisis, however, that figure rose to 0.5%. In
2014, it fell to 0.45%, and the non-partisan Congressional
Budget Office sees it returning to its historic 0.3% by 2020.
None of these figures, mind you, dispute SNAP’s size
or inherent problems... $70 billion-plus per year, falling
though it is, remains an enormous amount of money, and
documented fraud - now pegged at a historical low of
less than 1% of the total costs - still tops $500 million per
year. Even at that, however, SNAP will add little to the
federal budget deficit because projected costs continue to
fall as GDP continues to rise. Very few federal programs
- including the 2014 Farm Bill’s expanded crop insurance
program - can make the claim.
But it’s Easter, a time of sacrifice, charity, and love. As
such, perhaps we can agree that spending just $3, and may
even $4, out of every $1,000 of GDP isn’t too much for the
richest country in the history of the world to feed its hungry.
After all, as my church-going farm friends often ask,
WWJD?
(c) 2015 ag comm
NRCS to provide
$332 million to
protect and restore...
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
(NRCS) is making available $332 million in financial and
technical assistance through the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP). ACEP applications may
be submitted at any time to NRCS; however, applications
for the current funding cycle must be submitted on or
before May 15. ACEP easements help ensure productive
farm and ranch lands remain in agriculture and protect the
critical wetlands and grasslands, home to diverse wildlife
and plant species.
The 2014 Farm Bill consolidated three previous conservation easement programs into ACEP to make it easier for
diverse ag landowners to fully benefit from conservation
initiatives. In FY 2014, NRCS used $328 million in ACEP
funding to enroll an estimated 145,000 acres of farmland,
grassland, and wetlands through 485 new easements.
ACEP’s ag land easements not only protect the long-term
viability of the nation’s food supply by preventing conversion of productive working lands to non-agricultural
uses, but they also support environmental quality, historic
preservation, wildlife habitat, and protection of open space.
American Indian tribes, state and local governments, and
non-governmental organizations that have farmland or
grassland protection programs are eligible to partner with
NRCS to purchase conservation easements.
A key change under the new ag land easement component is
the new “grasslands of special environmental significance”
that will protect high-quality grasslands that are under
threat of conversion to cropping, urban development, and
other non-grazing uses. Wetland reserve easements allow
landowners to successfully enhance and protect habitat
for wildlife on their lands, reduce impacts from flooding,
recharge groundwater, and provide outdoor recreational
and educational opportunities. NRCS provides technical
and financial assistance directly to private and tribal landowners to restore, protect, and enhance wetlands through
the purchase of these easements. Eligible landowners can
choose to enroll in a permanent or 30-year easement; tribal
landowners also have the option of enrolling in 30-year
contracts.
To learn about ACEP and other technical and financial
assistance available through NRCS conservation programs,
visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted
Jason Frey, Field Editor
North Dakota, South Dakota,
Minnesota
PO Box 155
Ipswich, SD 57451
Cell (701) 300-0845
E-mail:
jasonfrey@westernagreporter.com
If you're looking for herd bulls,
replacements, registered or
commercial females, I've been
making the rounds in my territory.
I'd like to help.
WESTERN AG REPORTER
visited. He told me of the
fight at Conway’s and said
he hated to go back to Dry
Head with the mean son of a
gun as he was getting drunk.
I told him not to go back but
to winter with me. He said
he might come back and do
that, but he felt responsible
for the St. John kid and the
load as Meddles was apt to
do anything. He was going
to wait at my place until they
came along, which he did.
They camped that night
at Pryor Creek near the old
shearing pen. This is the way
I heard the story of the killing
as it came out in court.
Meddles was taking care
of the horses, and Roy
was cooking supper on a
campfire. Meddles had a six
shooter laying in the front of
the wagon. When he took
the nosebags off the horses,
he put the nosebags in the
front of the wagon. Roy was
taking the coffee pot off the
fire with his back to him.
Meddles picked up his gun,
and shot Roy in the back; he
fell into the fire.
Meddles told the St. John
boy he’d sure kill him if he
ever told anybody. Meddles
drug Roy over to the old
shearing pen and covered his
body with some brush and
trash that was there. Then
he went on to Dry Head.
He told them he’d left Roy
in town and he thought he
could come when he wanted
to as he had his horse.
Someone riding by the
shearing pens saw a bunch or
magpies around it and went
over to see what was there.
He found Roy’s body. He
reported it to the authorities.
They traced Roy’s movements and found out about
his trip with Meddles. When
they arrested Meddles, the
St. John boy told the details
of the killing.
Justice slipped up somewhere for Meddles only got
a long prison term. I know he
didn’t even serve all his term.
They should have hung the
cold-blooded son of a gun.
Bill in his prime, about 1915.
Diggin' in…
by
Bill Huntington
One Cold-blooded Killer
There has been a lot of
gun play and killing around
Billings, Montana, in the
last 50 years. (Editor’s note:
Gramps wrote this column in
June 1952 for the Western
Livestock Reporter.) One
of the most cold-blooded
murders was the uncalled-for
killing of Roy McClaren, a
cowboy that was shot in
the back by Jim Meddles. I
knowed them both.
Roy McClaren was a very
nice man. He worked for
Nate Cooper that used to
run a spread on Blue Creek,
south of Billings. Roy used
to break horses to ride; he
was a very good hand and
never abused a horse. Roy
had the reputation of getting
along with horses and handling them in a way that they
hardly ever bucked when
he rode them. I rode with
him for several years on the
horse roundups. I never saw
him ill tempered or hard to
get along with. All the boys
liked Roy, and I never heard
of him having a quarrel or
argument with anyone.
Jim Meddles worked over
on the Dryhead (on the Crow
Reservation) for a horseman
by the name of Barry. I didn’t
know Meddles too well, but
he was altogether a different
kind of a man than Roy. He
always carried a gun and
used to drink lots of hard
liquor. When he got plastered, he was quarrelsome
and mean.
The main road to the Dry-
head went right by my ranch,
and often Barry or his men
stopped overnight with me.
One time Meddles come by
on horseback on his way
to the Dryhead carrying a
considerable jag. There was
a coal oil can full of coal oil
by the back door. He shot it
full of holes and then wanted
to stay all night as it was
evening. I was riding and
hadn’t got in yet so my wife
sent him to the bunk house.
Next morning I told him
that I didn’t like any shooting around my house and
that from then on I wanted
him to pass up my place. He
said he just done the shooting
because he was full of liquor.
At the time of the killing,
both Roy and Jim Meddles
was working for Barry. He
had sent Meddles, Roy, and
a stepson in for supplies, a
distance of about 60 miles.
They had a camp outfit. Roy
had a saddle horse with the
outfit. If I remember right,
Roy came with them as he
wanted to get some new
clothes.
They stopped at Conway’s
on the way to Billings. An
argument started. I heard two
or three of the cowboys say it
started over Meddles beating
a horse over the head. They
had a fight, and Roy licked
the hell of Meddles. They
went on into town the next
morning.
I was going into town when
I met Roy horseback on his
way out. We stopped and
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UT Governor says Utah committed
to protecting public lands
Utah Governor Gary Herbert said March 3 that
the state is committed to
protecting Utah’s pristine
public lands, while also allowing access to ranchers
and farmers and for energy
development. During the
opening of the state’s second
annual Outdoor Recreation
Summit in Salt Lake City,
the Republican governor
told more than 500 attendees
that embracing the burgeoning outdoor industry is a key
part of his plan to grow the
state’s economy.
The event is part of an ongoing effort by Herbert and
state officials to show the
lucrative industry that Utah
is an ally that shares many
of the same visions. “Our
goal is to make sure we have
that appropriate balance that
allows us to protect those
iconic vistas and venues that
we have in the state (and)
let our ranchers and farmers
have access,” Herbert said.
His comments came a day
after several hundred people
rallied at the state Capitol
against Utah’s push to take
control of 31 million acres
of federally-owned land in
the state. Holding signs that
read, “Protect Wild Utah”
and “No Utah Land Grab,”
the people called on Herbert
to retreat from the effort,
saying transferring nearly 31
million acres of public land
in Utah would limit access
for hunters and outdoorrecreation enthusiasts and
harm wildlife by splintering
habitat.
Herbert told the Associated
Press after his speech that
there are misunderstandings about the state’s push
to take control of federal
lands. He said the 2012 law
he signed that demands that
the federal government hand
over the lands was fueled
by the belief that locals
know how to run the lands
better than federal officials
thousands of miles away.
“We hear the argument that
they are going to try and
grab the lands and sell them
off. That couldn’t be farther
from the truth,” Herbert said.
“We think we should have
more to say about what’s
taking place... It’s not just
for outdoor recreation only.
There is also industry and
natural resource development and energy. All those
things need to meet together
in responsible ways.”
REI president Jerry Stritzke, who also spoke at the
summit, said he understands
the tension and arguments
on both sides of the debate,
including the state’s desire
to consider other uses of the
land to drive the economy.
Stritzke said he’s seen
enough from Utah officials
to believe officials intend to
be good stewards of the land.
Stritzke told summit attendees that Utah should be
commended for creating an
office of outdoor recreation,
holding the summit, and
recognizing the immense
potential of the outdoor industry. Stritzke said Utah is
becoming a model for how
other states should work
with the outdoor industry,
estimated to bring in an
annual economic benefit of
$40 million to Utah. That’s
one reason many companies
are moving their operations
to Utah, he said. “We see
Utah really understanding
the power of the outdoor industry and playing a leadership role in how it addresses
that,” Stritzke said. Stritzke,
who took over Seattle-based
REI in 2013 after Sally Jewell left to become secretary
of the U.S. Department of
the Interior, told summit
attendees that the industry
has the potential to be a
powerful force in political
debates but needs to modify
the narrative about outdoor
recreation companies. They
should be known not only
for the economic impact,
but also for how the industry
promotes “life-changing,
inspiring experiences that
connect people to the outside,” he said.
- By Brady McCombs,
Associated Press, 3/3
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13
14
AFBF selects
new PAL class
Jennifer Bergin, a rancher from Melstone, Montana,
is one of 10 outstanding young farm and ranch leaders
selected by the American Farm Bureau Federation as the
organization’s eighth Partners in Agricultural leadership
class. PAL is designed to help ag leaders accelerate their
leadership abilities and solidify their roles as ag advocates. “The new PAL class represents the very ‘best of the
best’ among today’s farmers, ranchers, and agri-business
professionals,” AFBF President Bob Stallman said. “We
look forward to working with them as they embark on an
exciting journey that will equip them as vital contributors
to our ag outreach efforts.”
Bergin, who serves as Montana Farm Bureau’s District
3 Director, applied for the program because she wanted to
become a better ag advocate. “There are too many places
where spokespeople for agriculture are needed, and there
aren’t enough advocates to go around. This training will
help fill some of those areas where having more ag advocacy leaders is critical.” She noted it was a tough decision
due to the extensive time commitment to the two-year
program, which includes plenty of time spent with social
media tweeting, Facebook, and blogging. That doesn’t
include the training and travel. “I talked with my husband
and sons, and we decided a time commitment now is worth
the benefits it will bring in the future to having more people
understand agriculture.”
To be eligible for the PAL program, applicants must
have previously developed leadership skills built through
participating and excelling in at least one Young Farmers
& Ranchers program. Bergin had been a Top 10 Finalist
in 2014 for the AFBF Achievement Award. PAL training
involves four learning modules designed to develop specific
leadership skills while exploring components of leadership
and its theories and philosophies. The modules build on
one another over the two years of the program and include
intense, in-person, hands-on training. AFBF created the PAL
curriculum as a high-level, executive training program that
prepares participants to represent agriculture in the media,
public speaking, congressional testimony, and other advocacy arenas. Program graduates are given opportunities to
step forward and promote awareness about issues important
to farmers and consumers. The PAL program is sponsored
by AFBF, the Farm Credit System, and Monsanto Co.
- AFBF, 3/31
Alan Sears, Field Editor
Nebraska, Colorado,
and Wyoming
61 Westward Way
Eaton, CO 80615
(970) 454-3986 Home/Office
(970) 396-7521 CO Cell
(308) 660-3866 NE Cell
E-mail: alan.sears@aksears.com
If you're looking for herd bulls,
replacements, registered or
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WESTERN AG REPORTER
The Pet Squirrel Syndrome
Here in east-central Illinois, we have lots of red
fox squirrels. God gave
squirrels and people the
natural instinct to hunt and
gather to survive. Illinois is
one of the “Garden Spots of
the World.” Thanks to God,
we have fertile soil and usually plenty of rain and warm
sunny days to grow what
we need to feed ourselves
and much of the world. We
also have abundant walnut,
hickory, and other nut trees
and berries to sustain our
thriving squirrel population.
So why do more and more
people continue to give
squirrels a handout?
Some time ago, goodhearted people started feeling sorry for them and
assumed feeding ear corn
would help the poor squirrels. Plus it makes people
feel “all warm and fuzzy”
(no pun intended) thinking
they are helping the squirrels. However, I firmly
believe subsidizing poor
squirrels only creates more
poor squirrels.
In 1950, it was estimated
that less than 2% of all
documented Illinois squirrels received a handout. As
I work my delivery route
through my hometown, I
see several generations of
squirrels who have lost the
will to work for a meal or
to even store away walnuts
or hickory nuts for a cold
winter.
Now in the January issue of The Compassionate
Food Bank for Squirrels
Newsletter, I read that over
47.2 % of our state’s nonworking squirrels received
a free handout in 2014. As
I walked through my local
farm supply store last week,
I saw a sealed, clear plastic
bag of ear corn. It read “EAR
CORN FOR SQUIRRELS”
on the bag. What’s next?
The truth is that our lawmakers are treating more and
more people like squirrels.
Neither is going to turn
away from an easy handout.
Our government seems to
believe that they can fix
poverty by throwing money
at it. Our forefathers created
a great model for the rest of
the world to follow: a free
country where God, family,
goals, dreams, hard work,
and pride will create the next
generation of God, family,
goals, dreams, pride, and
more hard work 99% of the
time. I grew up one of ten
kids. I assure you we were
very poor. Our father and
mother told us that we could
have anything we wanted
and that all we had to do
was work for it. Pride is a
great motivator. It worked
out fine. We all got jobs.
Mr. Jones, our history
teacher, once said, “Communism by definition is a
system of social organization in which goods are
held in common. It’s a great
theory. It just has never ever
worked anywhere.”
I admit that I don’t have all
the answers. I do believe that
the Obama Theory of take
from the rich and give to the
poor is not fixing poverty; it
seems to be getting worse.
The number of American
citizens on welfare has
increased by 20 million
since Obama became our
president.
In closing, I don’t know
where my dad came up with
one of his favorite quotes,
but it sure rings true today.
“Slums don’t make people;
people make slums .”
- Tom Ogle, Paris, IL
WESTERNAGREPORTER.COM
No surprise:
Feds are LOSING money managing public lands
The federal government
loses 27 cents on average for
every taxpayer dollar spent
managing hundreds of millions of acres of public lands,
according to a new study.
State land trusts, on the
other hand, actually earn a
huge return managing public
lands: about $14.51 on average for every dollar spent,
according to a study by the
free-market Property& Environment Research Center.
In contrast, PERC found
that federal lands only get a
return of 73 cents on average for every dollar spent.
The study concludes that
transferring federal lands to
the states would be a win for
taxpayers. “By nearly all accounts, our federal lands are
in trouble, both in terms of
fiscal performance and environmental stewardship,”
write PERC public lands
experts Holly Fretwell and
Shawn Regan. “On average, states generate more
revenue per dollar spent than
the federal government on
a variety of land management activities, including
timber, grazing, minerals,
and recreation.”
PERC’s study compared
U.S. Forest Service and
Bureau of Land Management stewardship to state
land trusts in Montana,
Idaho, New Mexico, and
Arizona. What they found is
that restrictive federal laws
and poor incentives for bureaucrats cost taxpayers $2
billion from 2009 to 2013.
In that time, BLM and the
Forest Service spent $7.2
billion managing lands, but
only earned about $5.3 billion in revenues - a net loss
of nearly $2 billion. All the
while, four western states
spent just $16.5 million on
management and earned
$240 million in revenues.
“The Forest Service generated just 10 cents in revenue
for every dollar it spent from
2009 to 2013,” according
to PERC’s study. “The
Bureau of Land Management, however, earned a
financial return of $3.11 for
every dollar spent, primarily from mineral leases.”
But even though the BLM
is earning a return on every
dollar spent due to mineral
leases, it still pales in comparison to state land trusts.
New Mexico generated $41
for every dollar spent on
management, mainly due
to mineral leases.
- dailycaller.com, 4/1
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the harrow, secureon the rear hook. Then, lift the
front bar of the harrow and secure with the chain. A
three point hitch lift frame is also available.
BILLINGS KUBOTA
5548 Holiday Ave. • Billings, MT • 800-775-3266 • 406/245-6702
Stockmen’s Livestock
Exchange
For instant Market News 24 hrs/day 7 days/wk
from Billings, call 406-657-6400
24 hour price information: 406-657-6400
Source for Billings Markets:
USDA Market News 406-657-6285
For Up-To-Date Market Reports visit our website www.cattleplus.com
Public Auction Yards
Billings, MT
Feeder Cattle
Weighted Average
Report for 04/01/2015
Receipts: 740
Last Week: 636
Last Year: NA
Compared to last week: Feeder
steers and heifers were too lightly
tested either this week or last week
for any market comparison. Quality
was average on most all feeders
offered today. Many offerings were
plain made and some were carrying
more fill than buyers have been
used to seeing. Flesh conditions
were mostly light, with only a few
offerings pushing moderate flesh
scores. CME Feeder cattle future
contracts finished mixed today
with April contracts up 0.50 and
May through September down
0.10-0.35. While buyers showed
willingness to pay up money for
some offerings, they were very
selective in picking cattle that were
of the caliber that they wanted
to feed. Weigh-up cows offered
average to below average weighup conditions today. Slaughter
cows sold with moderate to good
demand on mostly light offerings.
Slaughter cows sold steady to
2.00 higher on most all offerings.
Feeding cows sold with mostly
moderate demand today. Prices for
feeding cows were generally steady
with a few higher quality older
offerings selling firm. Slaughter
bulls sold 1.00-2.00 higher in a
narrow comparison. Young 2-3
year old heifers, heiferettes and
demand. Most prices this week
were steady with last week’s prices.
Feeder cattle receipts were 72
percent steers, 29 percent heifers;
66 percent weighing over 600 lbs.
Offerings were 47 percent feeder
cattle, 12 percent slaughter cows, 3
percent slaughter bulls, 30 percent
feeding cows and cows returning
to the country, balance bred cows
and heifers. Next sale will be
Wednesday April 8th, 2015.
Billings Livestock
Commission
Billings, MT
Feeder Cattle
Weighted Average
Receipts: 3216
Last Week: 822
Last Year: NA
cattle were too lightly tested
last week for an accurate market
comparison, however most sales
sold with higher undertones on a
very high quality offering. Feeder
cattle quality was outstanding today.
Most offerings were attractive to
very attractive. Flesh conditions
were mostly light to moderate,
with a few offerings in very thin
flesh. The best demand today was
seen for feeding steers and heifers
to develop on grass. Many buyers
were purchasing heavier grass
cattle offerings as flesh scores were
very light on offerings under 650
lbs. Additionally, many offerings
of replacement type heifers sold
with very good demand. The
stands were packed throughout
the day and many buyers were
forced to bid very aggressively
on replacement offerings. CME
Feeder cattle contracts edged
higher today giving even more
support for buyers. Weigh-up
demand today on mostly moderate
offerings. Weigh-up conditions
were mostly average today, with a
few offerings pushing excess fill.
Slaughter cows sold mostly 1.003.00 higher. Slaughter bulls sold
mostly 5.00 higher on very good
packer demand. Feeding cows sold
mostly steady to firm on a higher
quality offering this week. Younger
2 year olds purchased to enter a
breeding program sold firm today.
Most offerings of 2-3 year olds
were of better quality this week.
Feeder cattle receipts were 32
15
WESTERN AG REPORTER
percent steers, 68 percent heifers;
81 percent weighing over 600 lbs.
cattle, 5 percent slaughter cows,
near 1 percent bulls, 12 percent
feeding cows and cows returning to
the country balance bred cows and
heifers. Next sale will be Thursday,
April 9, 2015.
Miles City Livestock
Commission
Feeder Cattle
Weighted Average
Receipts: 1167
Last Week: 951
Last Year: NA
steers and heifers were all too lightly
tested last week for an accurate
market comparison, however
steady to higher undertones were
noticed throughout the sell on
all weight classes. Feeder cattle
quality today ranged from average
to attractive with a couple of long
strings of very attractive offerings.
Feeders were clean and in mostly
green condition. Flesh scores
were mostly light with only a few
small groups pushing moderate
flesh scores. Weighing conditions
were mostly average with a few
offerings pushing excess fill.
CME feeder cattle contracts were
lower today, however this didn’t
put a damper on bidding as many
buyers still have orders to fill
and many are searching hard for
heavier weight cattle to finish off
the August contract. Buyer demand
was moderate to good on mostly
light offerings. Weigh up cows sold
with moderate demand today on
mostly light offerings. Slaughter
cows sold mostly steady to weak
on a light test. Slaughter bulls sold
steady to 3.00 higher this week.
Feeding cows sold steady to firm
on very light offerings. Young cows
and heiferettes sold higher on very
good demand. Buyers continue
to buy these young offerings to
ship to the southern plains, where
herd rebuilding is in full swing.
cattle, 4 percent slaughter cows, 2
percent bulls, 10 percent feeding
cows and cows returning to the
country, balance bred cows and
heifers. Next sale will be Tuesday
April 7th, 2015.
Northern Livestock
Video Auction
Feeder Cattle
Weighted Average
Receipts: 1216
Last week: N/A
Year Ago: 190
Trading was active and demand
was good for all classes offered
today. Value Added lots are those
cattle that are All Natural or Non
Hormone treated cattle (NHTC).
Prices are fob with a 6-10 cent slide
on most calves, few offerings sold
with a 10-15 cent slide. Weight
conditions include a 2-3 percent
pencil shrink or equivalent. Heifer
pairs were guaranteed that all
calves would be at least one month
old at time of delivery. Supply
included 69 percent steers and 31
percent heifers. 100 percent of the
offering was from the Northcentral
Region. 100 percent of the sales
over 600 lbs.
Torrington Livestock
Commission Co.
Feeder Cattle
Weighted Average
Report for 04/03/15
Receipts: 1480
Week Ago: 550
Year Ago: 470
Compared to last Friday: Slaughter
& Feeder Cows 1.00-2.00 lower.
Slaughter Bulls 1.00-2.00 lower.
Demand moderate. Supply
included 10 percent slaughter cows
and bulls; 25 percent feeder cows;
60 percent bred cows & pairs and
5 percent feeder cattle.
Dickinson, ND
Feeder Cattle
Weighted Average
Receipts: 2499
Last Week: 3772
Year Ago: 1814
78 percent over 600 lbs. Next sale
is April 9, 2015.
130.00 - 8.00
Total – 131,229.76
Gordon Livestock
Auction
CATTLE, HFR – 1
Price per CWT
500 – 599, 165.00 - 165.00
Total – 899.25
Gordon, NE
3-31-2015
steers 500 & under lightly tested;
500-550 6.00 higher 550-600 10.00
higher; 600-650 16.00 higher;
650-700 28.00 higher; 700-750
11.00 higher; 750-800 4.00 higher;
800-850 8.00 higher; 850-900
6.00 lower. Feeder heifers 500550 18.00 higher, 550-600 7.00
lower, 650-700 7.00 higher. Good
demand today, with many load lots
of feeding type steers and heifers.
Feeder steers made up 66 percent.
Feeder heifers made up 34 percent.
CATTLE, BULL – 9
Price per CWT
500 – 599, 205.00 - 205.00; 800 –
899, 170.00 - 170.00; 1000 – 1099,
117.50 - 117.50; 1100 – 1199,
119.00 - 119.00; 1200 – 10000,
149.50 - 136.00
Total – 18,869.55
CATTLE, COW – 90 head
Price per CWT
900 – 999, 106.50 - 102.00; 1000 –
1099, 115.50 - 83.00; 1100 – 1199,
115.50 - 102.50; 1200 – 10000,
Advertising,
Subscriptions,
Other Rates
On Line:
CATTLE, HFRETT – 43 head
Price per CWT
600 – 699, 167.50 - 167.50; 700
– 799, 182.50 - 147.00; 800 –
899, 167.50 - 106.00; 900 – 999,
158.00 - 101.00; 1000 – 1099,
137.00 - 129.00; 1100 – 1199,
153.00 - 153.00
Total – 61,831.88
43
1)Gotoourwebsiteat
www.westernagreporter.com
2)Clickon“OurRates”button
3)Thenclickononeofthefollowinglinks(bluetype):
Subscriptions
Commercial Display
Livestock Display
Classified Advertising
CATTLE, BCALF – 4
Price per HEAD
0 – 99, 400.00 - 400.00
Total – 1,600.00
see us online at www.westernagreporter.com
Spring Production Sale
held at the ranch
Monday, May 4, 2015
1 p.m. s
S Axiom 4525
150 Angus Bulls
S Anchor 4544
BW -1.6
WW +59
YW +102
M +31
Marb +.38
REA +.81
BW +.9
WW +63
YW +108
M +27
Marb +.42
REA +.65
Lot 1 - BD: 3/4/14 Reg. No. 17843452
BW: 72 205 Wt: 780/115 365 Wt: 1327/113
IMF: 3.30/123 REA: 13.8/107
S Open Country 420
Lot 6 - BD: 3/7/14 Reg. No. 17843088
S Anchor 2155 x S Elevate 9165 x Mohnen Pioneer 1945
BW: 77 205 Wt: 811/120 365 Wt: 1350/115
IMF: 3.10/116 REA: 14.8/115
S Whitlock 419
BW +2.6
WW +69
YW +120
M +26
Marb +.33
REA +.61
Lot 2 - BD: 3/5/14 Reg. No. 17887826
Open Country x Summit x Chisum
BW: 88 205 Wt: 733/112 365 Wt: 1355/117
IMF: 3.69/133 REA: 14.0/108
BW +0.1
WW +58
YW +103
M +28
Marb +.52
REA +.61
SCourage
Courage498
498
S
Lot 10 - BD: 3/4/14 Reg. No. 17889906
S Whitlock 179 x Game Day x Basin Ambush
BW: 68 205 Wt: 687/105 365 Wt: 1253/108
IMF: 2.63/95 REA: 13.1/101
BW +2.2
WW +62
YW +110
M +31
Marb +.38
REA +.66
S Summit 4535
Lot 4 - BD: 3/22/14 Reg. No. 17981886
Courage x Expedition x Grid Maker
BW: 88 205 Wt: 706/ET 365 Wt: 1306/ET
IMF: 3.52/115 REA: 14.2/105
Sons selling May 4th by:
s S Summit 956 - 16 sons sell
s S Anchor 2155 - 14 sons sell
s S Chisum 255 - 14 sons sell
s S Whitlock 179 - 5 sons sell
s S McCoy 124 - 5 sons sell
s S Chinook 9445 - 5 sons sell
BW -1.1
WW +63
YW +104
M +36
Marb +.31
REA +.48
s
s Connealy Courage - 11 sons sell
s H A Open Country 2047 - 20 sons sell
s Sitz Performer 9029 - 7 sons sell
s Sitz RLS Rainmaker 6070 - 11 sons sell
s A A R Ten X 7008 SA - 5 sons sell
Lot 22 - BD: 3/6/14 Reg No. 17849694
Summit x S Rainmaker 9216 x Game Day
BW: 66 205 Wt: 747/111 365 Wt: 1246/107
IMF: 3.02/113 REA: 12.8/99
1000 mile free deliverys Bulls are semen tested and fully guaranteed
Large sire groups of ½, ¾, and ET full brothers
Sale book and videos online at www.northernlivestockvideo.com
8377 7th Pkwy NE s
s www.SpicklerRanch.com s info@spicklerranch.com
Justin (701) 674-3170 s Nathan (701) 674-3169
www.SpicklerRanch.com
16
WESTERN AG REPORTER
The case for free-range parenting...
Editor’s note: This really rang
true for me. I don’t think our
ag-raised kids suffer from
this over-the-top protection to
the extent that their in-town
counterparts do, but certainly
the children in my family as
well as their peers aren’t given
the level of unrestricted freedom
that my siblings and I were ...
or even my daughter and her
country cousins. We can’t lock
up chickens... why children? LG
On her first morning in
America last summer, my
daughter went out to explore
her new neighborhood - alone,
without even telling my wife
or me. Of course we were
worried; we had just moved
from Berlin, and she was just
8. But when she came home,
we realized we had no reason
to panic. Beaming with pride,
she told us and her older sister
how she had discovered the
little park around the corner
and had made friends with a
few local dog owners. She
had taken possession of her
new environment and was
keen to teach us things we
didn’t know.
When this story comes up in
conversations with American
friends, we are usually met
with polite disbelief. Most are
horrified by the idea that their
children might roam around
without adult supervision.
In Berlin, where we lived in
the center of town, our girls
would ride the Metro on their
own - a no-no in Washington
DC. Or they’d go alone to the
playground, or walk a mile to
a piano lesson. Here in quiet
and traffic-safe suburban
Washington, they don’t even
find other kids on the street
to play with. On Halloween,
when everybody was out to
trick or treat, we were surprised by how many children
actually lived here whom we
had never seen.
A study by the University
of California-Los Angeles
has found that American kids
spend 90% of their leisure
time at home, often in front
of the TV or playing video
games. Even when kids are
physically active, they are
watched closely by adults,
either in school, at home, at
afternoon activities, or in the
car, shuttling them from place
to place. Such narrowing of
the child’s world has hap-
Lot 1
CED +11 BW +0.2 WW +56
YW +100 MLK +38
Sire: PA Powertool 9108
Lot 24
CED +2 BW +1.9 WW +53
YW +94 MLK +24
Sire: Bovagene Sprint of Lcr
pened across the developed
world. But Germany is generally much more accepting
of letting children take some
risks. To this German parent, it seems that America’s
middle class has taken overprotective parenting to a new
level, with the government
acting as a super nanny.
Just take the case of 10-yearold Rafi and 6-year-old Dvora
Meitiv, siblings in Silver
Spring, Maryland, who were
picked up in December by the
police because their parents
had dared to allow them to
walk home from the park
alone. For trying to make
them more independent, their
parents were found guilty by
the state’s Child Protective
Services of “unsubstantiated
child neglect.” What had
been the norm a generation
ago, that kids would enjoy a
measure of autonomy after
school, is now seen as almost
a crime.
Today’s parents enjoyed a
completely different American childhood. Recently,
researchers at the University of Virginia conducted
interviews with 100 parents.
“Nearly all respondents
remember childhoods of
nearly unlimited freedom,
when they could ride bicycles
and wander through woods,
streets, parks, unmonitored
by their parents,” writes
Jeffrey Dill, one of the researchers. But when it comes
to their own children, the
same respondents were terrified by the idea of giving
them only a fraction of the
freedom they once enjoyed.
Many cited fear of abduction,
even though crime rates have
declined significantly. The
most recent in-depth study
found that, in 1999, only 115
children nationwide were
victims of a “stereotypical
kidnapping” by a stranger;
the overwhelming majority
were abducted by a family
member. That same year,
2,931 children under 15 died
as passengers in car accidents.
Driving children around is
statistically more dangerous
than letting them roam freely.
Motor development suffers
when most of a child’s leisure
time is spent sitting at home
instead of running outside.
Emotional development suf-
Lot 2
CED +8 BW +1.1 WW +52
YW +93 MLK +38
Sire: PA Powertool 9108
Lot 34
CED -2 BW +3.6 WW +60
YW +100 MLK +28
Sire: Med Rock Black Sprint 278
fers, too. “We are depriving
them of opportunities to learn
how to take control of their
own lives,” writes Peter Gray,
a research professor at Boston
College. He argues that this
increases “the chance that
they will suffer from anxiety,
depression, and various other
mental disorders,” which
have gone up dramatically
in recent decades. He sees
risky, outside play of children
among themselves without
adult supervision as a way
of learning to control strong
emotions like anger and fear.
I am no psychologist like
Professor Gray, but I know
I won’t be around forever
to protect my girls from the
challenges life holds in store
for them, so the earlier they
develop the intellectual maturity to navigate the world,
the better. And by giving
kids more control over their
lives, they learn to have more
confidence in their own capabilities.
It is hard for parents to balance the desire to protect their
children against the desire to
make them more self-reliant.
And every one of us has to
decide for himself what level
of risk he is ready to accept.
But parents who prefer to
keep their children always in
sight and under their thumbs
should consider what sort
of trade-offs are involved in
that choice. At a minimum,
parents who want to give their
children more room to roam
shouldn’t be penalized by an
overprotective state. Cases
like the Meitivs’ reinforce the
idea that children are fragile
objects to be protected at all
times and that parents who
believe otherwise are irresponsible, if not criminally
negligent.
Besides overriding our
natural protective impulses
in order to loosen the reins
of our kids, my wife and I
now also have to ponder the
possibility of running afoul
of the authorities. And we
thought we had come to the
land of the free.
- By Clemens Wergin, New
York Times, 3/20
Note: Clemens Wergin is the
Washington DC bureau chief for
the newspaper Die Welt.
Lot 21
CED +5 BW +1.2 WW +52
YW +96 MLK +25
Sire: Bovagene Sprint of Lcr
Lot 69
CED +6 BW +1.9 WW +57
YW +95 MLK +24
Sire: WK Bobcat

Sortin` Pen - Johnson & Associates, Inc.

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