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Wagon BossSeptember/October 2006 What
a busy time of year. Lots of jobs that have been accomplished and more that
need to be taken care of before winter sets in. Most of us have had some Fall
moisture and we are real thankful for it. It's good to see everyone just a
little more relaxed without the worry of fire. That is one season that is
always good to see come to an end. A
big thank you goes out to all that could attend the convention in Spearfish.
If you weren't able to attend, you missed out on a lot of great information
from the various speakers and trade show participants. After all was said and
done, I would have to say this was one of the most informative conventions of
any kind that I have ever attended. The two days were packed full of
speakers ranging from issues of trade, marketing, financial management,
check-off, animal ID, property rights, property taxes, prairie dog
management, brand fees, and the list goes on. Thank you Carrie and Mary for
doing an outstanding job of getting things done. They deserve a big THANK YOU
from all of us. I
need to give a little history of the Brand Inspection program and the
finances for this year. In order to have a program of any kind,
shape or form, it has to be funded. The SDSGA average profit (after all
brand expenses) over the past three years has
been a little over $18,000/year for a contract that exceeds
$1,000,000/year. This is under a 2% profit and like any business
there are risks and management decisions that have to be made. The SDSGA board
knew cow numbers are down because of the continuing drought and
fewer calves would be marketed this fall. We do realize that along with
this severe drought comes the movement of more of the breeding herd than
usual. Another thing that we had to take into consideration was that very few
cattle from out of state were pastured for the summer in western The
Finance Committee has projected a shortfall of over $80,000 for this
fiscal year, May 1, 2006 to April 30, 2007, so the SDSGA Board of
Directors made the decision in June to ask for a 10 cents per head increase
in inspection fees. At the June State Brand Board meeting the SDSGA requested
the inspection fee increase. Three months later, at the September
meeting, the State Brand Board voted 3-2 in favor of the increase in
brand inspection. Tom Conger, I
hate to say it, but this was just a small battle in the war over brand
inspection. Some of the people that testified against the raise were SDSGA
board members back when the SDSGA was an NCBA affiliate. Their
questions ranged from how the program is run to how the finances are
managed. The Brand Inspection Department has not had any major changes in
the last 20 years or so, nor has the contract with the state brand board
changed significantly. These people that were supposedly in charge back
then must not have been paying attention to details very well, or they
are still upset with the Stockgrowers dropping NCBA and affiliating with
R-CALF. Somehow, I get the feeling that some of the people that want to
raise the check-off from $1 to $2 are going to be these very same individuals! Another
observation is the fact that the people against the fee increase seemed
very worried about how the brand inspection fees are being used and don't
even wonder how the brand recording fees (which are collected and used by
the State Brand Board) are being spent. Brand recording fees raised 100%
in 2000, going from $25 to $50. By
the way, one of the most notable changes in the brand contract is, SDSGA
no longer funds a state employee for investigations. This decision was
made because first, we had no control over the job or information about the
job that was being done. Second, we felt that as ranchers, we pay
taxes for law enforcement like any other individual or business and should not
have to use brand inspection revenue to pay for additional law
enforcement. On
to a very sad note, as I'm writing this Wagon Boss edition, I've
received word that Helen Chenoweth Hage has been in a fatal car wreck.
What a loss to us all and my sympathy goes out to the family. Helen
was just here at the Stockgrowers convention and was planning a
return trip to work with individuals in a property rights seminar. She gave
one of the most powerful speeches I've ever heard with such a soft voice. I
think you could have heard a pin drop the entire time she was talking. Wayne
and See
ya down the road, Rick July/August 2006
Fall is around the corner and everyone that I know is ready for summer to be
over. Also with Fall comes the annual South Dakota Stockgrower's convention.
It is always easy to stand out in the corral and think what should or could be
done. I encourage you to come and voice your ideas and visit with the
speakers and other individuals in attendance. We have a great
line up of speakers with a variety of topics to cover and be sure to stop
by the trade show booths. These businesses support the Stockgrowers and I
hope you take the time to see what they have to offer for your ranch.
We were all saddened by the passing of Vince Crago. Vince exemplified what the
Stockgrowers are about. Fair, honest and up front with people;
a man of his word. Vince volunteered countless hours for the cattle
industry and it certainly did not go un-noticed, he voiced his beliefs and
made a difference. Margaret, Bruce, Ralph, Chuck and your families, thank you
for sharing his time with all of us, he will truly be missed.
There was a great turnout for the Congressional Farm Bill hearing in Wall on
July 31st. Getting our congressmen and women out in the country to hear
from cattle producers is one of the goals of the Stockgrowers. We started
back in January asking for this hearing, so you can all see how some of the
political deals takes time. We also need to thank the Rapid City Chamber
Ag committee for the letter encouraging this meeting to take place in
western South Dakota.
The Stockgrowers main comment to the congressional people was that we need a competitive CATTLE
market. There will always be hardships with mother nature in
the cattle business, but having the tools for a strong US cattle market like Mandatory
COOL, strong enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act, and FAIR (not
free) Trade Agreements we will survive. We all need to communicate with
our elected officials and this was an excellent chance to do so. One
needs to think of this like a chore, just like feeding cows in the
wintertime. It has to be done!
After the hearing, a few Stockgrower members loaded up US House
Agriculture Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and our congresswoman
Stephanie Herseth and drove to Philip Livestock Auction. We all met
with Jerry Roseth at the sale barn and then went out to the 'brand shack'
where Jim Reed and Sid Fairbanks showed representatives Goodlatte and Herseth
how brand inspection works. Jim and Sid did a great job of explaining the
whole process from inspecting to how the paperwork is completed. Having a good
brand inspection program is going to be critical for the South Dakota cattle
industry. It not only provides an ID for ownership, a hot iron brand is
one of the forms of ID in the Federal Register. I was very encouraged to
see the interest shown by both representatives in what the grassroots
producers had to say.
Most of us know this new animal ID venture will add more expense without any
evidence of a benefit to the ranchers bottom line. Right now, if a
ranchers wants to keep all the records on his cowherd, he can probably
get into some sort of program to receive a premium for his calves. If
everyone has to do the same ID, how will one will have niche
market for source verified beef?
Do to the declining cattle numbers in the brand inspection area, the
Stockgrowers have asked the State Brand Board (appointed by Governor Rounds) for
a 10 cents per head fee increase. We have no control whatsoever on the
number of head inspected in a year. Pretty much like the ranching
business, we can control our expenses to a certain degree, but we are at the
mercy of the market/auction to tell us what our income is. I feel the
Stockgrowers board of directors have kept a watchful eye on the expenses and
we would not be asking for the fee increase if it was not warranted. Please
try to attend a Brand Board meeting/hearing in the future or give Carrie, Jim,
myself, a Brand Board member or any one of the Stockgrower board of
directors a call with your concerns. Brand inspection is totally producer
funded with absolutely no state tax dollars used and I think the majority of
us would certainly like to keep it within the hands of ranchers.
See ya at the convention,
Rick
May/June 2006 I think Mother Nature got her seasons mixed up! After a
dry, warm winter, BANG, the snow started falling; and fall it did! The livestock
losses in northwestern By now, everyone’s been able to access the damage and plan ahead. If anyone can bounce back from a loss, ranchers can! There are not many businesses that could survive the kind of setbacks that livestock producers face. Most other businesses have their hands out immediately wanting the federal government to bail them out. Livestock producers can handle death loss, as long as there is a market for the ones they have left on the ground! Cattle industry issues always seem to be at a steady brew stage, but there are times when things seem to come to the boiling point. Boil we did when a salty group of ranchers traveled to Aberdeen, South Dakota last month to support the plaintiffs in the price reporting trial against the packers. It was a fast trip in more ways than one. I left home on a Monday, 12:30 AM and returned late Tuesday evening. The driver chugged a can of Red Bull for energy and must have put a can in the gas tank, because the car never slowed up for a minute! If only we could use that in place of gasoline! The trial was interesting to say the least. Here we were sitting and listening to the multi-national meat packer attorneys, when something really hit a nerve in me. One statement made was “a deal is a deal.” The example given was a cashier mistakenly giving you back the wrong amount of change in your favor. While it’s true that some people might just not say a thing, slip the extra dollar in their pocket and go about their business - HONEST people would go back and say, “I think you gave me the wrong amount of change.” Those in the meatpacking industry didn’t do that. They slipped those dollars right back into their pockets and said not a word. DISHONEST! Abraham Lincoln once walked several miles in order to return monies somebody over paid him. Shouldn’t we all be more like Honest Abe? After returning home and hearing the jury’s verdict, I couldn’t help but wonder when would the judges in the appeals process over turn the HONEST jury’s decision. The multi-national corporations have deep pockets and have too much invested to let this rest. I would like you all to think why R-CALF was formed. The
cattle industry was crumbling, honesty was not a plentiful commodity at the top
of the BEEF industry trade associations, and the LIVE part of the cattle
industry was not being represented. Everyone was told, “Hang on,” it’s the
trickle down theory of economics. Let me ask you this, if the major meat packers
make more money will they pay more for live cattle? The trial in As we all get closer to branding season, I would like you
all to think of those three good men whose courage took this case to trial. Thank-you
See you down the road. March/April 2006 It looks like spring has sprung around here and I hope that everyone is getting some moisture and having good luck with calving. Spring is a refreshing time of year to me with the hope that this is the “next year” that has been talked about forever. One thing we can say for sure is that the cattle business is never boring. Whether it is the work load at home or working on issues, to me that determines the outcome of a successful year. We’ve had some major wins on the issues over the past few years and now have a decent cattle market to show for it. There are a lot of individuals that have stepped to the plate to help out and I would just like to say thank you to all of you. Whether it is going to meetings, taking trips to DC and Pierre, calling about an issue that needs attention, or just doing the simplest thing by being a member, it’s all a way of helping the cattle industry. I’d also like to thank all of the SD legislators for taking the time to serve. I’m sure at times it must feel like a thankless job because most of the time people are silent unless something is not done to their satisfaction. One of the issues that have been put to the forefront of the cattle industry is a National Animal ID system. Some think individual ID for cattle is necessary, but most ranchers are worried about how this will affect their operation. After listening and reading what is happening in other countries that have implemented an ID program, I believe liability is close to the number one problem associated with the entire program. As a friend of mine said to me the other day, “The retail/packing industries are eliminating their risk and getting insurance for the product they are selling. The cattle producer in the end will pay the total premium.” Animal ID is being created specifically for animal health disease trace back. If the packing industry can trace back, you can bet they will keep records (voluntarily) to trace the meat forward. In turn the retail industry will do the same and when any meat recall is announced, and you guessed it, the rancher will be put on the spot as the one who is liable.
Another issue on the national level that Congress needs to address is the overwhelming disregard for the law that USDA officials can get away with. Cattle industry representatives have made countless trips to DC to tell our elected officials about wrongdoings within USDA. Now the Inspector General’s (IG) report show exactly that GIPSA’s head secretary was blocking employees from investigating anti-competitive claims made by people in the livestock industry. What is being done about it now? Nothing! We are told that there was just ‘tremendous mismanagement’. Cattle producers lost money and even their whole business because of Packers and Stockyards violations. Why isn’t this person and the ones who she answered to held accountable for their actions? We need producers to demand that Congress put an abrupt end to this so-called ‘mismanagement’. If the law is in place and no one will enforce it, then it is time for a big shake up to take place at USDA. Just hiring another packer-lackey to fill the position is not enough. Maybe GIPSA needs to be taken away from USDA and the Department of Justice needs to be in control. These are law violations that are taking place so why not have an agency with some teeth be the enforcer. There is never boredom on the issues with the cattle industry. All I can ask of everyone is NOT to get complacent with the higher cattle prices that you received in the last couple years. Now is not the time to relax. Make calls on issues that effect your operation. Tell the elected officials and agencies about your operation. Tell them how they are doing, and what is affecting your bottom line. Most of these people want to do what is right, but how will they know without suggestions from you! See ya down the road, Rick
January/February 2006
I hope everything is going well for everyone in the new year. The Stockgrowers
have been busy as ever with area meetings, legislative session, the
R-CALF convention, Black Hills Stock Show and the list goes on. A big
THANK YOU and hats off to Leo and Sam McDonnell from Columbus, MT. I doubt
that anyone could even guess the countless hours and miles these 2 people
have given of themselves for the US cattle industry. There are very few people
that have made an impact to any industry in the United States the way that
this couple has. As Leo slows down from the highway miles, I can only hope
that he and Sam can enjoy a few miles in the Baxter Badure hand made
saddles that the SD cattle producers donated to them.
The main issue that started R-CALF was the impact of trade and imports of
cattle and beef into the United States of America. Some people feel that
poultry is our biggest competition, I disagree. People enjoy eating beef and
can eat beef everyday unlike chicken and pork. The name 'steakhouse' in itself
says a lot. You can go to a steakhouse and eat chicken, but I have never
seen anyone go to a chicken house and eat steak! Imports have a lot
more effect on the cattle industries bottom line than other competing
proteins. The Canadian border closure was all the proof one needs.
Today we are seeing some export markets open up only to
see them close once again. A lot of folks still are caught up in the hopes of
prosperity in export markets. The cattle business will NEVER trade our
way to prosperity, it is just impossible. There are to many links in the chain
between pulling a calf and serving a steak to a foreigner. Everyone along the
chain needs a profit and believe me, everyone wants as much profit as they can
get, including ranchers. That is the reason trade associations like the
Stockgrowers and R-CALF exist. To represent the live cattle portion of the
beef industry. There are trade associations that strictly represent the meat
packers, some that strictly represent the retailers, some that represent
exporters, etc. There is no way one outfit can put all segments of
the beef industry under one umbrella and have each segment fairly
represented. The top dog in the fight will win and then control the
association.
At this time of resuming exports, USDA economists are predicting a $4/cwt
decrease in price for fat cattle in 2006. Why is this? Is it possibly
that opening the door to Japanese imports of beef
and cattle of any age will then allow the door to be open to Canadian cattle
and beef of any age? Is it the fact that the Mexican border has
seen huge amounts of feeder cattle coming into the US? The USDA economists
are also saying that the US cow herd is increasing with heifers being put back
into the nations cowherd. In the next breath they tell us that placements
into the feedlots is above a year ago levels. How can this happen
without imports of feeder cattle? I realize that southern feeder cattle have
entered the feedlots earlier because of drought, but they would have been
placed this spring and still been slaughtered this year either way. Repeating
the question, why should cattle prices decline when we now have an export
market and heifers are not being fed to slaughter, thus reducing the US cattle
supply? Could it be imports?
As I am writing this editions column, the news wire says that yet another
Canadian cow from Alberta has BSE. The news states that the cow is only 6
years old. The question is and always has been with the Stockgrowers is, how
prevalent is BSE in Alberta, Canada? Another question that a lot of
US cattlemen have asked is why does USDA keep making different rules for
importation from BSE infected countries? The USDA says they used
'sound science' with the BSE rules from Canada (MBM ban for 8 years) and then
changed the rules when they made rules for Japan. Japan has a MBM ban
going back to 2001, only 5 years.
Keep track of the prices over the course of the year. There are always
uncertainties with the market the same as with ranching in general. No doubt,
regaining the exports markets is a positive for cattle producers. I highly
doubt it will be the huge impact for cattle prices that some
try to lead us to believe, especially if we allow the USDA to flood our
industry with foreign cattle and beef.
See ya down the road,
Rick
November/December 2005 Seasons
greetings and I hope all is going well with everyone. The Fall run is winding
down and most of us (I hope) are ready for winter. It seems like every year goes
by a little faster than the previous and the work load never decreases. All in
all it has been a good year for the cattle industry. Cattle prices stayed strong
and one can really see the difference in the small towns across Getting into ones of the many issues facing the cattle industry that I would like to talk about is the National Beef Check-off and the SD Beef Industry Council (SDBIC). Our state beef council is made up 24 individuals. Eight organizations or councils select 3 of their members to serve for three years. These are the individuals who decide how to use the 50 cents of the check-off dollar that is kept in the state where it is collected. I would encourage you as producers, who mandatory pay for this program, to get acquainted with the SDBIC members and direct how your dollars are spent. It is an eye opener for most of us. Approximately 25 cents of the dollar is up for bid to individuals, businesses, universities, etc. They need to present a proposal to the SDBIC including the dollar amount and the project that they would like funded. These projects must meet the criteria set forth by the law which is for promotion, research and education. Now
for the interesting part, roughly 25 cents of the dollar is sent directly to the
NCBA federation division. NCBA does NOT have to come to the SDBIC with a
proposal or tell where the monies will go or how the monies they receive will
benefit the The LIVE CATTLE industry pays the one dollar per head and then we cannot use any of this money for the sole benefit of the LIVE CATTLE industry. There are numerous issues affecting a rancher’s bottom line that check-off dollars cannot be used for. Remember, it is not always how many dollars your cattle sell for, it is how many dollars did they make you. That is called Return on Investment (ROI). The ROI on check-off dollars to ranchers would be greater if the funds were to be used strictly for cattle industry issues. I believe in promotion and advertising. When I consign cattle to a sale barn, the manager/owner of the barn will advertise my cattle to prospective buyers. Research is an ongoing deal in any business. Check-off money can NOT be used to research diseases in the LIVE CATTLE industry, unless it is a human health issue like e-coli. A few years ago the SDBIC was approached for funding research of Johnnes disease. The SDBIC believed in what the party wanted to do, but Johnnes disease is a LIVE cattle disease that does not concern a human health risk so they could not give money for this research according to the law. To my way of thinking, check-off dollars are derived from the LIVE cattle sales and should be used to help the cattle industry, not just the beef industry. Yes, ranchers are in the beef industry, but live cattle are only a segment of the total beef industry. I
really believe that education about the cattle industry is crucial in the coming
years. We are so far behind in this and the overall Over
1 BILLION (with a B) dollars have been collected from the live cattle industry
since the check-off was created and the number of ranchers continue to decline
at the rate of 10 to 15 thousand
per year. Over the same period of time the meat packing and retail industry has
consolidated and used their leverage to gain more share of the total beef
dollar. Somehow I cannot call that any kind of success story for the ranchers
who pay the check-off. Think back to branding time last spring, how many young
ranch kids was at your branding compared to when you were a kid at your dad’s
branding. Who will be left raising cattle for the front end of the beef
industry? Will the R-CALF has proven that cattle producers will contribute to the industry when they know the money is being used for benefit of the cattle industry. I know of several ranchers that have put in a lot more than one dollar per head to R-CALF and have benefited from every dollar. 17 years is a long time for any program to run without any modifications. People have accused the Stockgrowers of not supporting change; well I guess we will go along with this one and support change and reform of the National Beef Check-off. With that said, don't become overwhelmed with all the issues facing ranchers today. The Stockgrowers are working on them with the help of many dedicated individuals. Thanks goes out to all of you and I wish each and everyone a Merry Christmas and say a prayer for our soldiers that are serving overseas.
See ya down the road, Rick
First, I would like to thank the membership for entrusting me with the
president's role of the Stockgrowers. Also, congratulations to Linda Gilbert
and Randy Schroth for being voted in as directors. I truly believe the
Stockgrowers have some of the best and brightest common sense people in the
nation. The amount of volunteer time that is devoted by Stockgrower members
for the betterment of the cattle industry continues to amaze me. Each and
every year more and more people want to lend a hand to help, and as Ken Knuppe
would say, " They Just Git R' Done!"
The convention went off this year without a hitch, with many hands working,
the load is lightened! Thank-you to the speakers, trade show sponsors,
participants and the SDSG members. I encourage everyone to actively
support those who support SDSGA and our industry. Hats off to Carrie and
Mary for doing an excellent job and making us all look professional!
That in itself takes a lot of work. Also congratulations to Carrie and
Jeremy on their wedding. We all look forward to seeing Jeremy at many
more SDSGA events.
A quote worth re-quoting is: "What lies behind us and what lies ahead
of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us".
We have had some great victories in the cattle industry because of what
lives within us. The membership and the leadship in the Stockgrowers is one in
the same. We have developed policy as an organization and promoted this policy
to elected and appointed officials as a group. When we stick together as a
group, good results always follow.
I feel that some of the defeats the cattle industry has seen lately are just
mere postponements. Take the CAFTA vote for instance. Cafta passed the House
of Representatives by 2 votes (217-215) and a lot of political capital was
spent, hopefully used up, by those pushing for its passage. I believe the
victory for ranchers in this is that future trade agreements will be
negociated with better protections for PRODUCTION agriculture.
As for what lies ahead, who knows. I'm sure that when Ken took the reins as
president in 2003 he would have never guessed what was lying ahead.
Probably that was a good thing or I don't know if anyone would have taken the
job! In all seriousness, being alongside of Ken as VP, all I can say is that
the SD Stockgrowers was very fortunate and smart for putting Ken in the
leadership position. We all thank you Ken.
We all know there will be lots of issues ahead. Some are already there
like COOL, captive supply, property rights, animal ID, etc. There will be
more pop up along the way, too. I'm confident that this association will rise
to the challenges because that is what lives within us.
See ya down the road,
Rick Fox
Let’s
see, the wind is blowing, calving season has started, state basketball
tournaments are underway, and the wind is blowing – it must be March! A
neighbor told me that the wind was blowing so hard at his place the other day
that he watched one of his chickens, with her back to the wind, lay the same egg
three times! Although
I don’t think it was blowing quite that hard here, the strong winds did knock
down a power line and we were out of electricity for most of the day. That
is nothing unusual for this time of year, except that there is usually snow
blowing around when it happens, and this time there was none. Most
people in the If
they get lost on a hike, not to worry, they can call 911 on their cell phone,
and a helicopter and crew will come out and rescue them, comfort them, and give
them some lemonade and cookies. After the rescue, they pack up and head
home and back to work, telling co-workers about their ‘survival story’ in
the wilderness! Other than a few minor wintertime inconveniences in
getting to work, or maybe not being able to water their lawn in the summertime,
that is about the extent of most peoples’ experiences with Mother Nature. Now
don’t get me wrong. Most of these people are good people, and they do
come out here and spend money. And there are businesses here that rely on
these ‘back to nature’ type people and that is all well and good. But
we deal with Mother Nature almost on a daily basis, and, although that is normal
for us, it is something that most people don’t understand. They don’t
understand that we live and ranch here seven days a week, 365 days a year, raise
families here, have been through blizzards and drought, hailstorms and fires,
good times and bad. That
we try to work with Mother Nature instead of fight her - that we take what she
gives us (both the good and the bad) and we deal with it the best way we know
how, is incomprehensible to most people. We
have seen Mother Nature at her finest, but have also seen her at her worst.
We’ve survived because we understand what it takes to survive here. We’ve
learned from our own mistakes, what works and what doesn’t. And we are
comfortable on the prairie, among our own kind. But in order for us to
continue to survive, we also need to become more comfortable at our State
Capitol. We need to spend more time there, learn from our mistakes, and
find out what works and what doesn’t. We need to visit with the
legislators (from both parties), and not only the ones from our area, but those
from other parts of the state as well. Most
of the legislators want to do the right thing, but nobody can expect them to be
an expert on every issue in the State. We must educate our states’
legislature on our issues. And by our members showing up in Pierre,
becoming involved in meetings and visiting with the legislators out in the
halls, sometimes we can make a connection with a legislator so that the next
time a ranching issue comes up, he or she feels confident enough to call us up
and ask us questions that will help them form the right opinion.
Most
people are good and well intentioned, and believe we are good stewards of the
land. They just need a little truth to back up their thoughts. As I
said before, most people aren’t as close to Mother Nature as we are, so they
need a little education from us on what is right. The
2005 Legislature is all but over, with the Stockgrowers winning some and losing
some. A big THANK YOU to everybody who called and wrote letters, and also
to those who showed up in Also,
I’d like to thank both Mark Devries and Carrie for the superb job they did in It
is easy for some organizations to talk tough all year and then, in Till
next time, Ken
January/February 2005 Well, another year has passed and a new one has started.
USDA gave us an unwelcome Christmas present (planning to open up the
Canadian border on March 7th) before the year’s end and then But there may be some good come out of this yet.
That being that this is getting to be so ridiculous that it is starting
to catch the attention of more and more people. There are getting to be a lot of
people, both here and in DC, who are really starting to question what is going
on with USDA and why, in the midst of these BSE findings in Such questions as, “Why wouldn’t we continue to follow
the standards set up by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)?”
Standards that we have strictly enforced with every other country that
has found BSE within their borders. “Or
what about the unanswered question of whether or not And certainly the most important question – Why in the world is the USDA even willing to take the risk (no matter how small) of allowing BSE into our country and into our food supply? That is a question that just boggles my mind. Here we have a perfect opportunity to contain this and USDA wants to flood the borders with Canadian cattle. Cattle from a country known to have BSE. I often wonder if the European cattle farmers, whose livelihoods were so devastated by this disease (and also foot and mouth), wish that they would have fought harder to keep their borders closed. If they had the knowledge of the disease that we have today, and were given the opportunity of keeping their borders closed to keep BSE out of their country, would they have fought for that? You’re darn right they would have! But, as you are well aware, that wasn’t the case. Their government officials probably told them, “Trust us, we know what’s best. There is nothing to worry about. Let us take care of you.” And they did. And look what happened. Sound familiar? Nobody is going to look out for our industry, (the cattle industry) except us. The packers aren’t, the retailers aren’t, and evidently the USDA isn’t either. It’s imperative that we, as ranchers continue to educate people about our industry and to hold these government agencies accountable for what their original purpose is. In the case of the USDA, they are supposed to be looking out for the domestic producer, which is us. So, every so often, we need to remind them of this. And sometimes that involves taking legal action. Which is exactly what R-CALF USA did on January 10th. Was it the right thing to do? I believe so, and so do many other ranchers who have donated generously to the lawsuit. It just seems to me that USDA, instead of playing referee and enforcing current rules and standards, has decided to join one of the players in this game of trade. And that player isn’t us. In fact the USDA wants to change the rules right in the middle of the game. What would happen if, halfway through a high school basketball game, the refs decided to change the rules? Would the players like it? No. The coaches? Not a chance. The parents? I’m sure there would be a riot. So why should we stand idly by while the USDA changes the rules? According to USDA, if the border opening goes forward, See what I mean? This is getting so ridiculous that it is catching peoples’ attention. Hopefully, by the time you read this, common sense will prevail and the border will remain closed at least until OIE’s original standards are met and we get our export markets back. On another note, one of the best winter stock shows in the
nation is gearing up in Till next time, Ken
Well, things sure have changed since the last Wagon Boss. For one thing, the elections are over - finally. No more being bombarded by phone calls, TV and radio ads, and flyers in the mail. I’m sure almost everyone is glad that they are done. I know I am. Congratulations to all the election winners, whether they are Republican or Democrat, east river or west river, town or country, incumbents or newly-elected. The Stockgrowers look forward to working with each and every one of you and to remind you to keep our ranching interests at heart when making those all-important decisions that will ultimately affect our daily lives. The second thing, in case you haven’t heard yet, is that we have signed a new brand inspection contract with the State Brand Board. And the surprising thing is, that it is the same contract that we have been using successfully for years, but with two changes. One, we are no longer required to remit .03 cents/head, up to $36,000 to the Brand Board. And the second is that there will be an independent fee audit committee that will monitor the income and expenses of the brand inspection system. So, basically, we saved $36,000 a year, and the independent committee idea was something that we offered to the Board, hopefully to put a stop to the rumors and misinformation about our finances. The agreement that we came to is so simple and so close to what we originally had, it is hard to believe that it took 14 months to negotiate it! Thanks to all who helped with this brand inspection issue, your support and PERSISTENCE paid off. And many thanks to our contract negotiations team, (Rick Fox, Bill Hutchinson, and Dan Holloway) for their PERSISTENCE, their knowledge, and their commitment to this issue. Your dedication is greatly appreciated, not only by those of us that were directly involved in this issue, but by everybody that has an interest in the cattle industry, especially those in the brand inspection area. The four new Brand Board members are to be commended as
well. First, for accepting their
positions on the Board amid all the controversy.
Second, for being able to see through the political smear campaign thrown
at the Stockgrowers by our very own State Secretary of Agriculture.
Third, for realizing that, although the contract that we were using might
not be perfect, it was by far the most efficient and best way to run the
program. And lastly, for their
PERSISTENCE in keeping the brand inspection program in the hands of the people
who use and understand brands the most – the ranchers in western One more thing that has come up recently is the attack on
mandatory COOL by the House leadership. They
(the House leadership) tried to kill mandatory COOL by including a voluntary
COOL bill in the Omnibus Appropriations Bill.
Kind of a sneaky way of doing it, but nevertheless, it’s legal and part
of the game. For over two years now,
Congress has been getting mixed messages from NCBA and This would have never happened 5 years ago, but today, our
voice is getting heard in Congress, and it is making a difference.
This did not happen easily or quickly, but, through PERISTENCE and
determination of the grassroots members of The strength of the Stockgrowers successes came to mind the
other day when I read this quote by Calvin Coolidge, who was considered a
common-sense President who rarely wasted a word. “Nothing in the world
can take the place of persistence. Talent
will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” I could not agree more. Here’s wishing you and yours a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR! Till next time, Ken
September/October 2004 I saw a quote by Winston Churchill the other day that caught my eye – “Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.” Sometimes that is the hardest part, to continue. It’s not that hard for us to figure out what is right and what is wrong, or whether we have succeeded in something or not, it’s the ‘continuing’ part that’s hard. And it’s hard to continue to stand up for what you believe is right, especially when sometimes it seems like it is an uphill battle - or like everybody is against you. Sure, you win some and you lose some along the way, that’s all part of the game – you can’t get lax when you are winning, and you can’t quit when you have failed, you have to CONTINUE. An example of this is the prairie dog situation in our state. The prairie dog has been taken off the ‘Warranted, But Precluded’ list, and our State GF&P has begun to control the infestation of prairie dogs from federal lands onto private lands. Also the Forest Service is talking about a buffer zone around the dog towns on Federal lands. This is a huge success for our industry (thanks in large part to Mark DeVries and Marvin Jobgen, and the rest of our Wildlife Committee) and has been an uphill battle. But now is not the time to rest on our accomplishments. Environmental groups are taking legal action to stop prairie dog control in our state, so we need to CONTINUE to stay on top of this issue. And it’s no different with the brand inspection issue, either. We have had both success and failure in the last legislative session. Success in the fact that our contract with the Brand Board had been extended until April1, 2005 (due in a large part to all of you that showed up in Pierre, not once, but twice, when we needed your help) – failure in the fact that the Governor fired some good people on the Brand Board. Through the ups and downs, we will CONTINUE to do what is right for the producer and the future of our Brand Inspection Program. Along those lines, the contract negotiations have been moving slow and were basically at a standstill. That has changed somewhat this last week. It finally looks like we will be working on a contract that will be very similar to the one we have now. Part of the problem has been that the current Brand Board hasn’t really told us what is wrong with (or what we did wrong in) the current contract. Even the brand boards’ own lawyer has stated that, according to the current contract, the Stockgrowers have done everything right. Do contracts need to be updated? Sure. But we don’t think we should drastically change something that is (and has been) working just so the Governor can pat himself on the back and say that he fixed the problem, especially when no real problem existed. We will CONTINUE to negotiate with the Brand Board on this
latest proposal, but if things don’t pan out, we might have to take it back to
the legislature in 2005. If so, we
will again need your help in In this month’s magazine, we are including the SDSGA’s five year income and expenses, which are also broken down by class (Association and the Brand Department, which is a dept. of the Stockgrowers’ Association.). We have shown this to the Brand Board, the Dept of Ag., the Auditor Generals office, the Attorney General’s office, numerous legislators and lawyers, but we seem to have forgotten to show it to the most important people, our members. And for that, I truly apologize. There are a lot of rumors floating around out there, and hopefully this will help clear up some of the confusion. Any questions on the figures or the finances of the Stockgrowers Association (or any other issue, for that matter), call me, Rick, Carrie, or Bill, and we will gladly answer your questions, and listen to your ideas. I’d like to thank everybody who participated in our
convention - from the sponsors, to the speakers, to all the members that were a
part of this year’s convention. You
all helped make this a very successful event!
I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did!
And a big ‘THANK YOU’ to G. B. Oliver and the Paragon Foundation for
their help and participation in our convention.
They played a big part in getting Judge Roy Moore and Michael Martin
Murphy to On the election issue, be sure to vote.
As for our congressional candidates, we have a good working relationship
with all four of them and their staff, and, for the most part, I believe all of
them want to do what is best for Rest assured that, whoever is elected, the Stockgrowers
will CONTINUE knocking on their doors, CONTINUE reminding them of our issues,
and CONTINUE telling them how important the cattle industry is to Till next time, Ken
The other day we were driving back from Worland, Wyoming, and, just past Ten Sleep, before you head up the canyon to go over the pass, the road follows a creek for several miles. That is nothing new, but what was so interesting about this was that it looked like the creek was flowing UPHILL! Not just ‘maybe it looked like it was running uphill’, it was quite obvious, it looked like it was flowing up hill! That is what my eyes were telling me anyway, but my brain was telling me that water flowing uphill is physically impossible! Now, before you think I’m crazy, I do realize that water can’t flow uphill. It was obviously an illusion (a very good one I might add). Now, you’re probably wondering what in the heck does this have to do with any of the issues we are working on in the Stockgrowers. Well, sometimes I think things in this business aren’t always what they seem. Take Individual Animal ID, for instance. The government (and businesses that want to sell ear tags) are telling us that, for animal health reasons and consumer safety, we need to identify individual animals. And the only way we can do this is with some kind of ear tag or computer chip. Excuse me? The only way we can keep this nation’s cattle healthy is with an ear tag? I don’t think so, but that is what people are telling us. We are hearing one thing, but our brain is telling us something different. A political illusion? Quite possibly. USDA acts as if they don’t realize that we ARE and ALWAYS have been concerned with animal health and consumer safety. They are acting like it’s up to them to ‘save’ us and the American public. A tag or chip is not going to make our herds healthier, but evidently it’s the only idea they could come up with. The problem is that they don’t consider us as professionals, and the reason they think this is that they haven’t heard from us. And that is really what the Stockgrowers job is. In this part of the US, we use a brand to identify our cattle, not necessarily for health reasons, but for proof of ownership. As someone once said, it’s our ‘return address’, in case they stray or are stolen. I would think that if a brand is good enough to prove ownership, it would work for other things as well. Is it foolproof? No. Nothing is. But it is permanent and has worked for centuries. It has withstood the test of time. And it is a tool that we need in this part of the country anyway. So, if there is going to be some kind of animal ID system, why not incorporate the brand into it? Why try to reinvent the wheel? Should we be involved in the process to try to incorporate our brand program into a national ID system or should we not get involved in a national ID system at all? This has been cussed and discussed over the last several months on how to best go forward with it. It’s a tough question. I think most of us realize that an ear tag is not going to guarantee consumer safety or keep our cattle healthy, and, also, that we will continue to use our brands. The question is, “do we try to incorporate the brand into the ID process, or do we wash our hands of the whole animal ID idea?” Do we take a ‘wait and see’ approach or do we jump in now? It’s a tough question. One that I don’t have an answer to. But a question that will need to be brought up at our Convention. A question that the membership will need to make a decision on. Remember, this is OUR (yours and mine) organization and WE (you and me) will make the decision together. We are the ones that set the policy on which direction the Stockgrowers will take. Put your hat on, bring your neighbors, pack your golf clubs, and plan on coming to this years’ Stockgrowers convention in Rapid City in September. I’ll see you there! Till next time, Ken
May/June 2004 Ahh, spring is in the air. All the signs are here (except for some badly needed rain). Meadowlarks are singing, newborn calves are running around, election campaigns are beginning, cattle are starting to be moved, brandings, election campaigns, kids are getting anxious to get out of school, election campaigns. The list goes on and on. Oh yeah, and did I mention election campaigns are starting? In the political arena, it looks to be another interesting summer! As everybody knows, there is a special election June 1st to replace our lone House seat recently vacated by Janklow. And then this November, the regular elections take place. All indications show that these elections could be as close as the Senate race was a couple of years ago. Who are the right people for the jobs?
Who will best represent the people of The only way to decide is to keep abreast of the issues
and decide which one will best represent you and your industry in Try to meet as many candidates as possible, not just the ones from your political party. Keep an open mind and look for who is strongly supporting OUR issues, who is willing to go that extra mile for us, not for who belongs to one party or the other. And above all, be sure to get out and vote! That’s where we will make the difference. I read a quote once by George J. Nathan that said, “Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.” So get out and vote and let the Stockgrowers voice be heard! Let’s face it. We
in agriculture are in a minority. Most
people don’t understand what we do or where their food comes from.
So we need good, strong people in But Our governor keeps talking about bringing in new industries to help our economy and to create new jobs. This is all well and good, but I wonder if it has ever occurred to him that there already is a major industry in this state and if he could help bring a strong, healthy, competitive market for the cattle industry (and, as far as that goes, the farming industry as well), that would in turn help out the rural communities. One thing about us, when we make money, we spend money, and we spend it in our local towns and communities. Getting good prices doesn’t happen that often in this business, so when it does, most people will spend money to update pickups, machinery, or whatever. I know several businesses around our area that have nothing to do with the cattle industry, but were sure glad to see the higher cattle prices we received last fall! Those higher prices reflected on their bottom line as well. May God bless all of us with some rain! Till next time,
March/April 2004 I’ve had a hard time writing this article. I knew the issue I wanted to talk about, but didn’t quite know what direction to go with it. This past weekend I tried writing this column twice, then thought I had the article done, and ‘boom!’, Sunday night we headed to Pierre, negotiated a deal with the Governor on the makeup of the Brand Board and extending the current brand inspection contract past the 2005 legislation, got both the Senate and House to suspend rules so we could introduce new legislation on this issue, got both houses to vote in favor of the bill(and only having 3 no votes total) and now we are back to negotiating a new contract to continue running the brand inspection program. What a difference a day makes!
Was it the right thing to do? I don’t know, but time will tell. Going into the meeting with the Governor, we were still under the impression that he wasn’t budging on his proposal of not having any producers on the Brand Board. And we were not budging on our position that all members of the board should be producers. Honestly, we didn’t think anything would change between us and the Governor’s position that night. We weren’t very optimistic about it. But things changed.
I know that not everybody was happy with our decision. And that is OK with me. Everybody is certainly entitled to their own opinion. And I respect that right. As I stated earlier, I’m not sure if it was the right decision or not, but I do believe it was the right decision under the circumstances.
I believe that the part about extending the contract is what made the difference. It bought us some time. This gives us time to work out the new contract and if we hit a wall in the process, we can bring the whole issue back before the legislature in 2005.
I also believe that, even though we were at a standstill with the governor on this issue, because we were still willing to sit down and have an open mind about things, we earned some respect among the legislatures involved. And personally, I have a lot more respect for what our legislators do in Pierre and the hard work and long hours they put in to the political process.
This has been a long battle, and it definitely isn’t over yet, but things are looking better. And it certainly wouldn’t have worked but for all the people who have sent letters, e-mails, and made phone calls to their legislatures, the governors’ office, and others. For the work and support on this, I thank-you. And a BIG thank-you to all the people who showed up in Pierre when we needed it. THAT WAS HUGE!! I know it is hard to get away, especially this last time, what with calving starting and the weather being the way it was, but it did make a difference. It made a big difference! You showed up in large numbers not once, but twice during the same legislative session. That will catch the attention of any politician.
I’ve said this before and I will say it again - we need to look out for our own industry. Nobody else is going to do it for us. We have proven that we can make a difference by getting involved. And we need to stay involved. This brand inspection issue isn’t over, so we need to stay on top of it as much as possible to ensure that we continue to have a good program that works for us.
Another surprise that happened during the last day of the session was our Secretary of Agriculture, Larry Gabriel, publicly apologized to the Stockgrowers for some of the things he had said about us early on. Thank you, Larry, and apology accepted. I hope your sincerity in that apology carries through in the work that we will be doing in the near future on negotiating a new contract.
On a different note, I would like to personally thank John Lockie for the tremendous amount of work he has done as an R-CALF representative for the US cattle industry these past several years. My hat is off to you, John. You are one of a kind and I wish you all the best as you pursue new endeavors. You will always be a big part of South Dakota and our cattle industry. Good luck to you and your family in the future! Till next time, Ken
January/February 2004 Well, there has been so much that has happened since I last wrote the Wagon Boss that I’m not sure where to begin. I guess first, our soldiers in Iraq captured Saddam Hussian. The ruler of a country who, at one time, led the fifth largest army in the world, was found hiding in a hole in the desert. Some say that when he stuck his head out of that hole, we would get six more weeks of winter, but I think that is a different story involving some other rodent. Anyways, congratulations to our people in the armed forces. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all, as you fight a very tough battle against terrorism around the world. Along with the holidays and the start of a new year, came something that had everybody in the cattle industry pretty nervous. That being a cow found within our borders that tested positive for BSE. For awhile it looked bad, what with our trading partners immediately stopping import of US cattle, cattle futures dropping the limit every day, and nobody really knowing how the American consumer would react. Too bad the USDA didn’t announce that it was an imported cow from Canada right from the get go. Maybe then Japan and other countries wouldn’t have been so quick to stop importing US beef. According to International rules, a country can maintain its BSE-free status if the cow in question was imported from another country. But so far no country has re-opened its borders. Thankfully, the initial shock has worn off some and it looks like prices are getting close to what they were before the BSE incident. Other things that have happened in the last two months are, the R-CALF USA convention has come and gone (Congratulations to Leo, John, and the crew for holding a very successful convention), the Pickett vs., IBP case is on trial (finally), and, disappointingly, COOL implementation has been delayed for two years (although there are some things in the works in Washington to speed this process up). I continue to be disappointed by the confusing stance taken by NCBA on COOL. In a recent news release, Eric Davis, President of NCBA, takes credit for the idea of COOL. But later in the very same article, he makes the statement "Mandating an American label seems very un-American to me." WHAT??? Putting a red, white and blue flag and/or a "MADE IN THE USA" stamp on something that is exclusively raised in the US is un-American? I realize that NCBA and R-CALF have their differences, but to call COOL un-American is simply ridiculous. NCBA, you need to saddle up or turn the horse loose! You are either for COOL or against it. Voluntary COOL (which NCBA has been pushing) has been around for several years and nothing has been done. It hasn’t worked in the past and it isn’t going to start working next week. The reason being that the packers can import beef from other countries and get a USDA stamp on it, meaning only that it was US government inspected. But most people believe that the USDA stamp means it is US beef, for the simple reason that almost everything else they purchase has a country of origin label on it. Everything from tools to clothes to toys. So, with that perception out there among consumers, why would the packers want to change that? They can sell cheaper imported beef, under the guise of the USDA stamp, as American beef. Is that the American way? I don’t think so, but evidently Mr. Davis does. Mandating COOL is the only way we can get the packers to implement it. It is a simple concept, yet the packers don’t want their gravy train of cheaper, imported cattle or beef (which is perceived as US beef) to stop. Implementing COOL will not stop imports from other countries, but it is a way for us to differentiate our product from products from other countries. And that is all we ask for. To be able to see our finished product with a USA label on it and be able to stick our chest out and proudly say "Yes that is an American product born, raised, and processed right here in the good old USA." What is so un-American about that? Till next time, Ken
November/December 2003 It has been interesting to me over the last couple of years how what we are doing as an organization can be related to other things in life, and vice-versa. For instance, Monica and I have two boys in high school at Custer and both of them play football. The other night there was a football awards banquet. The coaches all got up and handed out individual awards for best defensive player, best offensive player, etc., but the most interesting part to me was when the head coach got up and talked about the football team as a whole. He spoke about how the team learned about executing plays as a team and staying focused on their part of the field. How they learned to concentrate on their part of the play to make the whole play work. And how they worked on the little things in their individual positions and how that would improve the play as a whole. Custer football made leaps and bounds in these and other areas and this has given the boys confidence in themselves and their team. And when people started noticing this confidence and enthusiasm being displayed by the coaches and boys, parents and townspeople began volunteering to help out. Students and others started showing up to the games and cheering the boys on. They were really fun to watch, and when things clicked, they really showed what kind of level of football they could play in. We are no different. There are times when, as an individual, we look at all the problems in the cattle industry today and it seems overwhelming. Almost to the point where it seems that there is nothing we can do about it. But, if we can break these problems down into individual areas, they don’t seem so overbearing. Like a football game. The quarterback doesn’t do all the blocking, all the running, or all the kicking. Each person on that football team has a position and each position its own responsibilities. Each position being equally important to the others in executing the play. Therefore, each player is not overwhelmed with all the intricacies of the play, just their position on the field or their part of the play. It is broken down enough to where they can see where a change in a block or whatever can make the play better. The Stockgrowers are no different. We set up committees to deal with their respective issues. And we have terrific people working on these committees who are very dedicated and willing to listen to others to maybe adjust our policies here or there to make them work better. All with the idea of making things better in the cattle industry, for scoring a goal, so to speak. Some of these issues, such as the prairie dog issue, we are gaining yardage. The state GF&P are asking the USF&W to drop the prairie dog from the ‘warranted but precluded’ list. Other issues, such as COOL, I believe the referees have made a bad call, in some circles it’s called ‘the hometown advantage’. We may have lost some yardage, but losing yardage on a play has never stopped the game from being played. The two year delay on the implementation of COOL is something like a penalty, a temporary setback, as we make the drive down the field to score a goal. We have some great people in both the Stockgrowers and R-Calf USA working on COOL. We might need something like a ‘time-out’ to rethink things, but the game will continue to be played, our goal will still be reached. There also may be times when our team will need some more volunteer help, a louder cheering section, or maybe even hollering at the ‘refs’ a little when they make bad calls. But remember, we all need to keep focused as to what the goal is. And that goal is getting mandatory COOL implemented as written into law by Congress last year.
Another thing I have noticed players and coaches do a lot is to study their opponents. Not just how the team works as a whole, but also studying the individual players. Which ones carry the ball the most, do they usually go to the left or the right, and are they all healthy. Things like that. Again, we should be no different. We need to understand who we are dealing with. Even know if we are talking to the right person. Take government personnel, for example. We tend to think that every person in government is all-knowing. That they can handle any problem from prairie dogs to labeling when, in fact, most of these staff people have very specific jobs. So, part of the trick is finding the right person to talk to. And they are there. Through trial and error, we have found some of them! The environmental groups are no different, either. The more information we can learn about them, the better. Actually maybe even get an idea or two from them. One example of this is e-mail. Environmental groups have been using this for years. We are just getting started. There are several issues facing us today, and just like a football team can’t use the same play against every opponent they face, the same with the Stockgrowers. We need different committees to come up with different strategies. Oh, by the way, Custer didn’t have a winning season this year, but they did make it to the first round of the state play-offs. And, as I said before, they were fun to watch. They kept improving all year and you could see the confidence build in them. And guess what. They are already talking about next year and the possibilities there. They aren’t about to give up! Again, no different with the Stockgrowers. Your organization is improving every year. And I am looking forward to the possibilities of the New Year. I hope you are, too. Here’s wishing you and yours a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR! Till next time, Ken
September/October 2003 G. B. Oliver, Paragon Foundation, Alamogordo, New Mexico - "I speak to cattle groups across the nation, and this group (the Stockgrowers) is truly one of the best," he said. "I don’t know what it is that makes this group stand out from the others - your energy, your positive outlook, or your camaraderie, or maybe it’s a combination of the three, but whatever it is, you need to bottle it up and sell it." This was a comment made by G.B. Oliver, one of a tremendous lineup of speakers who we were fortunate enough to have at this years’ Stockgrowers convention. This was just one of several positive messages of the convention, but it seems to have been the one that has been sticking in my mind as of late. "Bottle it up and sell it." Hmmmm. That got me to thinking (of all things) about bottled water. Remember when that first come about? I do. I, and I’m sure many others, thought no way were people going to pay for a bottle of water. It just couldn’t work. There definitely was no way that I was going to pay for something that I could get for free at a drinking fountain or faucet or wherever. But guess what. I do, along with millions of other people, often times paying more for a bottle of water than a bottle of pop. Motels sometimes sell it in their rooms, while coffee is provided for free and you can get the water to make it free from the faucet. I, along with many others, was proven wrong. Bottling water up and selling it did and does work. There really is no rhyme or reason to it, it just works. I guess the point I’m trying to make is that, like the bottled water thing, the Stockgrowers, two and one half years ago, tried something different. Something that wasn’t the norm at the time. We affiliated with a different national cattle organization. An organization that we believed represented the grassroots ranchers in South Dakota. That organization, of course is R-CALF, USA. Some of the comments made at that time were "it will never work" and "this is the beginning of the end for the Stockgrowers." But guess what. It did work. It wasn’t easy and seemed like an uphill battle at times, but it did work. Our membership grew, our committees started functioning again, and we started standing up for the things we believed in. We started telling our side of the story, instead of having others tell it for us. People are getting involved in our committees, meetings, conventions, and other functions, and are enjoying being a part of the Stockgrowers again. They are taking pride in what they are doing. It’s a good thing, and was noticed and commented on numerous times during and after the convention. But can we ‘bottle it up and sell it’? I think we have already started. The Stockgrowers is a gathering point, a bottle of sorts, for concerns and solutions involving the ranching industry in South Dakota. By having an issues driven organization like the Stockgrowers, members can bring their concerns up and these concerns can be acted upon. Now, can we sell it? That’s the next step, and it takes commitment, as does anything that is truly important in life. That commitment is that if you believe in what your organization, the Stockgrowers, is doing, to start spreading the word. Not only to your friends and neighbors, but also to people you do business with, and your local and national politicians as well. Tell them about the Stockgrowers and the issues we are working on. Tell them about how important the cattle industry is to you and your community. You’ll be surprised at how interested they will become and how your enthusiasm will spread. That’s how we ‘sell it’. By SHOWING our energy, our positive outlook, our camaraderie. Along another line of thought, I would like to personally thank Bill Hutchinson for his leadership and friendship during the last couple of years. You’re one of a kind, Bill. My hat is off to you. Now don’t get too relaxed, though. If you think your work with the Stockgrowers is over, think again. I don’t believe our ride is quite over yet. Thanks again, Bill!
March/April 2003 Friends, I’ve had some trouble settling in to write the Wagonboss this month. As usual there is plenty going on in our Association and our industry, but it’s kinda hard to focus on business as usual. As I write this our Country has been at war with Iraq for over a week. What a blessing it is to live in a free country where we all have a right to agree or disagree. I do hope some of the protesters stop and think about the differences between the U.S. and Iraq. Also what can happen to a people that lose control of their freedom and their ability to feed themselves. Per capita income in Iraq is $2,500.00 per year. The country has the second largest oil reserve in the world and easiest access to that reserve. Yet they are controlled by a ruthless regime that refuses to share its’ wealth with its’ people. A large portion of the population faces lack and oppression we can’t imagine. People that protest against the leadership in Iraq die for it. No jury, no trials - 100% conviction. We shouldn’t allow our industry to become so monopolized by a few, to the extent that our producers become peasants working for a greedy regime. I believe we should fight evil whereever it may be. I completely support our President and the U.S. Troops in Iraq. We continually pray for President Bush and his advisors and for unity in our country. Let’s also take notice of these other countries that are so eager to trade freely with the U.S. Let’s remember their attitudes when it’s not to their financial advantage to be our allies. If we ever lose production agriculture in this country because our free trade partners can produce and import into this country cheaper than we can produce and make a profit - we better not look to France, Germany, Canada, Mexico, etc. to help us out.
January/February 2003 Friends, It doesn’t seem to slow down in the trenches, does it? My hat is off to you Stockgrowers that give so much of your time, energy and expertise to this industry. Literally everyday, something happens somewhere that needs our attention. It takes a lot of active people and man-hours to fill that need. Educating people and organizations is one of the challenges we face, and has become an important part of what we do. Too much false information and half-truths are being fed to the public and to the government. We recognize a need to have our people available to make some of these groups accountable for the information they are putting out. We continue to face many challenges - lack of competitive markets; property rights; county empowerment; governments land acquisitions; attacks on brand inspection; implementing COOL the way congress intended and |
