http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/ranchers/ en-us Sun, 20 Dec 2009 14:40:25 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411647/posts When the new West is won, will there be cowboys? In light of what her neighbors are up to, Double O Ranch owner Vicki Olson isn’t so sure. “I guess the point that I keep hammering at is that if they succeed, that means all of us third- and fourth-generation ranchers are gone,” Olson said. She is the average Montana rancher, 56 going on 70, working a spread gouged from the pebbly soil by her grandparents 100 years ago. Her neighbor, the nonprofit American Prairie Foundation, is methodically acquiring ranches and crafting a 3.5-million-acre wildlife reserve out of private property... The Gazette http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411647/posts#comment Sun, 20 Dec 2009 14:40:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2400696/posts "A creepy string of calf mutilations in southern Colorado has a rancher and law enforcement investigators mystified. Four calves have been found dead in a pasture just north of the New Mexico state line in recent weeks. The dead calves had their skins peeled back and organs cleared from the rib cage. One calf had its tongue removed. But rancher Manuel Sanchez has found no signs of human attackers, such as footprints or ATV tracks. And there are no signs of an animal attack by a coyote or mountain lion . Usually predators leave pools or blood or drag marks... thesop http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2400696/posts#comment Sat, 5 Dec 2009 02:15:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2356320/posts The Texas Department of Transportation is pulling the last plug on the Trans-Texas Corridor, Gov. Rick Perry's embattled plan to build a toll-road network across the state. The agency said earlier this year it was scaling down the project and dropping the name "Trans-Texas Corridor." Now, transportation officials say it's fully dead. Transportation Commissioner Bill Meadows told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram of the decision in a report posted online Tuesday. The news comes a day after Perry's Republican primary opponent, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, secured the coveted endorsement of the powerful Texas Farm Bureau — a vocal opponent of the... The Dallas Morning News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2356320/posts#comment Tue, 6 Oct 2009 23:39:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2332188/posts Frank Gwozdz says coyotes have made a meal out of his livestock so often in the past several months that the farmer is thinking of leaving agriculture. “They are wiping me out,’’ Gwozdz said ...from his 110-acre farm in Dartmouth in Southeastern Massachusetts. In the past several months, Gwozdz said, coyotes have killed two cows, four calves, 14 goats, two lambs, two sheep, and numerous geese, ducks, and chickens. “They are getting bolder and bolder,’’ Gwozdz said of the coyotes... Gwozdz said he and his family have tried to deter the animals, sometimes by standing guard into the early morning... Globe http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2332188/posts#comment Fri, 4 Sep 2009 16:34:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2326647/posts Kathy Konen has lost guard dogs to wolves in the past, but nothing prepared the Dillon rancher for the killing of 120 buck sheep last week. "They were in the sagebrush, on the creek bottom - just all over the pasture," Konen said Thursday. "It's a terrible loss to our livestock program." Konen said they discovered the attack Aug. 16 while checking their sheep in the Rock Creek drainage of the Blacktail Mountains south of Dillon, where they pasture buck sheep in summer. She said they check their sheep every two or three days, so the attack was recent. She... Montana Standard http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2326647/posts#comment Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:41:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281040/posts 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... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281040/posts#comment Sun, 28 Jun 2009 08:31:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2261032/posts Ranchers in the Lemhi Valley of Idaho have suffered increased losses from wolf depredation, as wolf numbers expand. Allen Bodenhamer, who raises cattle near Baker, ID lost three calves this past spring. At first he thought the kills were made by coyotes, then realized he was dealing with wolves. “When coyotes kill a calf they get hold of the back of the neck and basically strangle it. They usually don’t start eating on it while it is still alive. A wolf grabs it by the top of the back or just in front of the hips and is eating on... Swift http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2261032/posts#comment Sat, 30 May 2009 03:43:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2236548/posts The state’s largest farm organization is in favor of legislation that would terminate the Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC) in both name and concept. Texas Farm Bureau President Kenneth Dierschke expressed support for HB 11 by State Rep. David McQuade Leibowitz (D-San Antonio), which repeals the authority for the establishment and operation of the massive transportation project. “We hope you will agree with us that it is finally time to kill the Trans-Texas Corridor,” Dierschke testified before the House Transportation Committee on April 21. Although the farm organization recognizes the need to build and maintain Texas’ infrastructure, Dierschke said Texas Farm Bureau... Southwest Farm Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2236548/posts#comment Fri, 24 Apr 2009 01:49:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2158356/posts Bandera local farmers and rancher charge that the I-69 Trans-Texas Corridor Tier One Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) has failed to meet important environmental standards. Barbara Mazurek, Bandera County Farm Bureau President says that these failures are indicative of the problems that exist with the entire Tran-Texas Corridor (TTC). “Because these environmental standards have not been met, the Texas Department of Transportation should seriously consider alternatives to its current model,” Mazurek said. According to Mazurek, there are three main reasons that the DEIS is flawed. • It limits its analysis to alternatives that fit the TTC “vision” of a multimodal... The Bandera County Courier http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2158356/posts#comment Sun, 4 Jan 2009 03:42:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2130577/posts California's worst drought in decades is forcing the state's cattle ranchers to downsize their herds because two years of poor rainfall have ravaged millions of acres of rangeland used to feed their cows and calves. --snip-- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a statewide drought in May after the state recorded two years of below-average rainfall, a sharp reduction in Sierra Nevada snowpack and its driest spring on record. Late last month, state water officials warned local agencies that their water deliveries could be cut by as much as 85 percent next year. The drought has drained many reservoirs, left lawns and... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2130577/posts#comment Wed, 12 Nov 2008 06:03:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029994/posts State highway officials said Wednesday that the first step in carrying out their decision to build a controversial toll road along the present U.S. 59, and not through farm and ranch land, is to get federal approval. Although no federal funding has been sought for the Interstate 69/Trans-Texas Corridor, the Texas Department of Transportation is bound by federal environmental law. The project has generated thick volumes about its likely impact on the natural environment and the communities in its path. The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) is expected to undergo public review late this year and then get sent to... The Houston Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029994/posts#comment Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:19:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026092/posts The Forest Service says it's trying to protect resources by ordering a 30 percent reduction in cattle grazing on grasslands in southwestern North Dakota. Some ranchers were surprised by the order. Doug Pope is the president of the Little Missouri Grazing Association. He says the Medora District has had more than 4 inches of rain this spring. He says a lot of people thought Forest Service letter ordering the cuts was unwarranted. The Forest Service manages grazing on about 1 million public acres on the National Grasslands. Ron Jablonski is the Forest Service ranger for the Medora District. He says... Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026092/posts#comment Wed, 4 Jun 2008 22:37:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2014530/posts Texas Gov. Rick Perry wants to build a big highway through the Lone Star State. No, make that a really big highway, as in a monstrously big highway. The exact route hasn't been determined. The mega-highway would run roughly from Laredo on the Rio Grande River through the Hill Country and the Piney Woods and then through Texarkana in that tiny portion of the state that borders Arkansas. Imagine for a moment if that thoroughfare would be pointed in the other direction - from the Valley, through the South Plains and then through the heart of the Panhandle, right past... Amarillo Globe-News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2014530/posts#comment Sun, 11 May 2008 21:38:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2014262/posts While Gov. Rick Perry was in Johnson Coliseum addressing SFA graduates, on the other side of campus a group of citizens were not so happy about his appearance in Nacogdoches. In the free-speech area of campus, near North Street and Vista Drive, many farmers, property owners and concerned citizens gathered for a Citizens Against the Trans-Texas Corridor Rally. Holding protest signs and using a tractor as a symbol of the farming community, those who gathered wanted to make their cause heard by the governor, as well as the community. Many vehicles traveling on North Street honked in support of the... The Daily Sentinel http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2014262/posts#comment Sun, 11 May 2008 01:36:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2008559/posts Each day, I make the dreaded drive down Interstate 35 to go to work in Fort Worth. Each day, I slug through the snarl and sludge of ceaseless traffic, which intensifies my growing desire to commit hari-kari, or at least incites a vehement curse of the highway gods. Certainly, we in Texas need more lanes, more roads, more rails, more something to deal with the ever-expanding urban population and growing international commerce. Yet how do we solve our transportation needs without carving up the countryside like some congratulatory cake? Or should the construction of a superhighway-rail-utility corridor even concern us?... Quarter Horse News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2008559/posts#comment Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:29:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007990/posts Minutes south of Interstate 10 and Sealy, the pastures along FM 1458 are their own silent world in the morning. Mists lift to reveal black cattle, brown and spotted horses, snow-white egrets underfoot in lush green grass. Then a concrete mixer comes churning down the blacktop. Just up the road is a small subdivision. More are sure to come as city dwellers, including weekenders and retirees, move out in search of a quieter, simpler life — and relief from city traffic. Although the gradual influx may bring greater changes in the long run, what disturbs residents most is the planned... The Houston Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007990/posts#comment Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:31:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2001575/posts BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, April 14, 2008 – Government veterinary officials in Afghanistan’s Farah province, assisted by coalition forces, treated animals and taught local shepherds how to care for their livestock at an event at Farah Fire Base. Dr. Gulam, provincial veterinarian for Afghanistan’s Farah province, teaches a goat shepherd how to de-worm his livestock during a mission at the Farah Fire Base, April 2, 2008. The local coalition civil affairs team, along with Gulam, organized and coordinated with local shepherds to have them come to the firebase to treat their animals. Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force Afghanistan... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2001575/posts#comment Mon, 14 Apr 2008 23:26:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1998130/posts HARARE, Zimbabwe - Militant supporters of President Robert Mugabe targeted whites Monday, forcing about a dozen ranchers and farmers off their land as Zimbabwe's longtime ruler fanned racial tensions amid fears he will turn to violence to hold on to power. Mugabe's opponents pressed a lawsuit seeking to compel the publication of results of the March 29 presidential election that they say Morgan Tsvangirai won. The opposition leader urged the international community to persuade Mugabe to step down. "Major powers here, such as South Africa, the U.S. and Britain, must act to remove the white-knuckle grip of Mugabe's suicidal reign... AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1998130/posts#comment Mon, 7 Apr 2008 21:59:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1988505/posts In comments filed with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Texas Farm Bureau said the Draft Environmental Impact Study (DEIS) for the proposed I-69 corridor “would not withstand judicial scrutiny.” Under the terms of the National Environmental Policy Act, these detailed environmental studies are conducted under rules developed by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). According to the farm organization’s comments, the failure of the DEIS to consider the environmental impact of using existing rights-of-way–rather than a single minded focus on building a completely new route–means the study could not hold up in... Southwest Farm Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1988505/posts#comment Thu, 20 Mar 2008 01:06:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1987300/posts Plots by Communists to infiltrate America. The disintegration of borders and rural areas. Citizens mobilizing and rising up against government agencies and big business. It all sounds like the plot for a summer blockbuster, but it's something that could be happening in your own backyard. These were just a few of the topics addressed in the "How to fight the TTC" workshop, held Monday at the Pitser Garrison Civic Center in Lufkin. The conference served as an informational meeting aimed at informing citizens and local government officials how they can unite in trying to stop the proposed Trans-Texas Corridor project.... The Lufkin Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1987300/posts#comment Tue, 18 Mar 2008 00:19:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1986713/posts There's been a lot of talk about the new Trans-Texas Corridor — the next-generation "super-highway" — and opinions are varying. Now the debate is coming to Lufkin's doorstep. On Monday, the American Land Foundation, Stewards of the Range and TURF will hold a workshop at Lufkin's Pitser Garrison Civic Center on how to stop the Trans-Texas Corridor 69. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A portion of Texas citizens have voiced their opposition to the TTC-69 in public meetings held by the Texas Department of Transportation, but believing they are not being heard, four cities and their... The Lufkin Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1986713/posts#comment Sun, 16 Mar 2008 22:04:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1982970/posts Topic: Globalism The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is planning on building a new super highway system called the Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC). The Trans-Texas Corridor will not be just another interstate and will it will be used by more than just automobiles. It will include 10 lanes for traffic, two high speed rail tracks, four standard rail tracks, utility lines, oil pipelines, and gas pipelines. The Trans-Texas Corridor will consist of many corridors segments that are 1,200 feet wide, with each mile consuming 146 acres of land. This land is currently ranch and farm land that is being taken by... Nolan Chart http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1982970/posts#comment Sun, 9 Mar 2008 20:08:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1982484/posts State Representative Jim McReynolds previewed the 2009 legislative session at Friday's First Friday Chamber luncheon, with the hot topics going into the biennial madhouse listed as the I-69/Trans-Texas Corridor, the growing issue of water supply, and the battle over the top 10 percent rule that allows Texas high school students to be admitted to any state college if they graduate in the top 10 percent of their class. According to McReynolds, the legislators are "not too happy" with the Texas Department of Transportation, which has been under fire for its proposed I-69/TTC plans. "This (the I-69/TTC) is something we never... The Lufkin Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1982484/posts#comment Sat, 8 Mar 2008 16:50:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1981527/posts Texas spirit was alive and well at the Navasota DEIS public hearing on Feb. 28. Opposition groups, such as the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, came from as far as Washington, D.C. to give recorded testimony, and get a first hand look at TxDOT process procedures. Assistant Director of Communications, Leigh Strope, who attended the meeting on behalf of the 34,000 Texas Teamsters Union members, says, “Teamsters want to stop the dangerous trend of selling our roads and bridges to foreign investors so they can slap tolls on the driving public. We are also concerned because the Trans-Texas Corridor would form... The Navasota Examiner & Grimes County Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1981527/posts#comment Thu, 6 Mar 2008 21:18:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1980376/posts REFUGIO, Texas - With an abandoned Wild West-vintage town of storefronts slumbering just a block from old US 77, tiny Refugio is a place where myth and reality coexist in a ghostly silence. more stories like this Obama faces heat over aide's NAFTA remarks to Canadians Texas, Ohio could decide Dem nomination Canada says didn't misrepresent Obama over NAFTA McCain tags Dems on trade treaty NAFTA seen differently in Ohio, Texas And now this South Texas outpost is swept up in one of the more intriguing tests of myth vs. reality in today's political life: the battle over the so-called... The Boston Globe http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1980376/posts#comment Tue, 4 Mar 2008 21:28:23 GMT