Posted on 06/28/2009 1:31:59 AM PDT by WorkerbeeCitizen
HORSE SPRINGS, N.M. — Wranglers at the Platt ranch were marking calves the old-fashioned way last week, roping them from horseback and burning a brand onto their haunches.
What they were emphatically not doing, said Jay Platt, the third-generation proprietor of the ranch, was abiding by a federally recommended livestock identification plan, intended to speed the tracing of animal diseases, that has caused an uproar among ranchers. They were not attaching the recommended tags with microchips that would allow the computerized recording of livestock movements from birth to the slaughterhouse.
“This plan is expensive, it’s intrusive, and there’s no need for it,” Mr. Platt said.
Mr. Platt said he already did all he could to fight epidemics. He does not bring any outside animals into his herds, and he happily staples on metal tags that identify animals to help with brucellosis control. But as he drove his pickup from grasslands into dense thickets of piñon pine on this highland desert that requires 100 acres per cow, he explained why he thought the federal plan was wrongheaded.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
This is wrong on many levels - when all the beefs are registered, the gov effectively owns them and can go take them at their leisure or worse, fine the rancher every time one is slaughtered (think PETA).
Also, the gov will know exactly how many cow farts to charge the rancher for - no pun intended.
Time to open a ‘game preserve’ for all those wild cattle, and sell canned hunts, complete with processing...
I believe that’s one beef => many beeves.
I’m not a rancher but I’ll stand corrected.
bump
Mr. Platt called the extra $2 cost of the electronic tags an onerous burden for a teetering industry
Can a cattleman tell me: why is this a "teetering industry"?
That’s it. Time for Hussein and his czars to step in and take over the cattle industry. Bring in Kim to negotiate a buy out of American ranches. Consulting with PETA on it’s regulations would also be a start. It’s for our own good, ya know.
There must be a racial angle to this; what kind of cattle are we trying to advantage?
When goobers in gooberment control agriculture we shall pay dearly for food before we eventually starve or, faced with famine, resort to BBQ’ed goober.
“Can a cattleman tell me: why is this a “teetering industry”? “
If you are serious about getting such an answer, I suggest bringing lunch and dinner, a box of pens, and a pack of writing pads.
This guy “happily staples on metal tags that identify animals to help with brucellosis control”, and then complains that the RFID tag plan “is expensive, it’s intrusive, and there’s no need for it.” Wonder what his grand-pappy and great uncle said about the brucellosis tag plan when it was introduced, way back when.
Vegetarians and greenies raising hell about meat being bad for the climate. Somehow, eating beef(or any meat)contributes to global warming. There are other causes but if you will go to the store and check out beef prices you can see why many people might not be buying so much of it right now!
This country is rotting away under our feet like river ice in the spring.
yep, Im serious - gotten few attempts at answers so far.
Mr. Platt called the extra $2 cost of the electronic tags an onerous burden for a teetering industry “
Enviros and city slickers are pressuring ranchers and farmers from every direction.
Water is being taken from them on trumped up reasons- and behind most of those water issues is the result that more golf courses and developments will have the water and the food that is raised in the USA will no longer happen. Especially in Las Vegas- where Harry Reid still rules supreme. Harry is trying to dust bowl Northern Nevada and keep the Las Vegas developments going. That is where all his kids have their interests. Every slimy land exchane in the last 40 years in Southern Nevada has Dirth Harry at the core.
Mason Valley, Smith Valley and surrounding areas in Northern Nevada are under threats to re-distrubute water from the Walker rivers into Walker Lake, and stop all the irrigation of thousands of acres. That financial impact is estimated to cost existing ranchers with Water Rights as old as from 1852 to lose over $99 million in revenue per year. Perfect Storm for another DUST BOWL. Dirty Harry wants to then give the water in Walker Lake to Los Angeles— THERE IS NO PIPELINE TO MOVE IT—and in exchange, Las Vegas will get Los Angeles’ share of water from the Colorado River and Lake Mead. BTW- Lake Mead is almost 150 feet below normal levels right now.
The ranchers and farmers get screwed again. So what, say you? The hay that is grown in those valleys feeds thousands of dairy cows. What do you think a cow eats when it is producing your milk-butter-cream- and ice cream?? ALFALFA- and lots of it-prime grade/ weed free.
NAIS (National Animal Indentification System) isn’t just about a $2 microchip in a cow.
It applies to all animals, chickens—even a category for TREES!! How much do trees move around?
The owners of animals raised for food are being told it is for disease tracking.
The owners of pleasure animals dogs, cats, or horses which are obviously NOT raised for food are being told a different story. They are being told it is to FIND your horse if it goes missing. I say BS!
This country has had VIN numbers on cars for over 20 years and if your car gets stolen—tell me how long it takes for anyone to “find” it???
The people who have ‘volunteered’ to have their horses chipped in the neck have had a high incidence of infection and the horses got into trouble because they wouldn’t lower their head and neck to eat and drink. Horses cannot last long without the ability to drink.
There is a total paperwork nightmare attached to the NAIS.
IF I leave my property lines with a horse- riding or trailering- I have to file a form with the Feds —on software and computer I might not even own— as to WHICH HORSE I am on—as to WHERE I am going- HOW LONG I expect to be gone- WHAT ROUTE I am taking- WHEN I will be back, etc. This report has to be filed within 24 hours of my going off the property. Then when I come back onto the property, I have to file a similar report, telling them WHERE I was- WHEN I left-WHAT ROUTE I was on- WHEN I got back. That report also has to be filed within 24 hours. Since I deliberately bought property that I can ride directly off of to save gas and other costs, I would be filing reports almost daily. IF I decide to ride in a figure 8 off my property, coming back for water at the center of the figure 8- that would double the number of reports. Is has been over 90 here for the past week. A figure 8 route would be normal in those conditions.
The fine for not filing the reports is $5000 for EACH report.
BTW- That is a report for EACH and EVERY horse I take off the property. So, IF I leave with 3 in the trailer, and 2 other riders are going to ride my horses along with me, I have to file 3 reports ragarding leaving and 3 reports regarding arrival back home.
When I am on the road trailering, I have to have an electronic ID gun in my possession at all times, so that if I am stopped, I can ‘read’ the microchip and prove that these horses are mine, and match the reports I have been required to file in advance. Those guns cost about $400 at the present time. I already have mandatory brand inspection papers here in Nevada, which I carry in the truck which hauls my trailer.
All these rules apply- even if I have an emergency and have to load a horse to trailer it to a large animal clinic and a vet. NO exceptions!!
Beef cattle-Dairy cattle- llamas- sheep- goats-any animal is subject to these rules..they even have categories for TREES.
In rural areas, ATV riders are prevalent in cutting fences. They decline to ASK permission to ride on your property- and they are too lazy/sneaky to go to your gate. Now that cut fence has 50 cows/heifers out on the road or some place they shouldn’t be. You might not know that that fence is cut for a couple of days...and there goes your 24 hour mandatory window to file the 50—yes I said FIFTY—reports on the cows that are off your property perimeters. WHEN you get them rounded up and the fence fixed- you need to file 50 reports on their return...and you have to ID each and every animal!! When you are a rancher with a couple thousand or more beef cattle—how would you like this mess???
The rules apply to dogs and cats, also.
Do YOU walk your dog AM & PM? Go to the park with it? This applies to you, also!! How about your cat? Always know where your cat is??
This entire program is a violation of the 4th Amendment. It is illegal search- they are tracking my movements on a horse or with a horse in the trailer. IT is NONE of the FEDS business where I ride or when.
I am NOT a criminal- never been arrested. Never in trouble for all of my life. This will make every animal owner a criminal.
Help out a stop to this intrusion. The Feds are bribing states with more money for whatever to make individual states compliant. FOLLOW THE MONEY—AGAIN !!
For more information on this problem, contact RANGE MAGAZINE in Carson City, Nevada. They have published articles on it.
many thanks - will read your post thoroughly. I will also read up on ag forums online. I wanted to dig past the rhetoric.
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