What a great story! It made me proud and a little teary eyed when I read this story. Any program or project that supports our troops past, present and future, is a great thing in my mind. The fact that Cydectin stpped up and became a sponsor is fantastic. What a way to support our troops!!
Partnership honors service and sacrifice of today's soldiers
By Drovers news source
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Cydectin announced it has become the industry’s first sponsor of Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), a nonprofit whose mission is to honor and empower wounded warriors.
Founded in 2003, WWP’s purpose is to raise awareness and enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured service members aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. The vision of WWP is to foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded warriors in our nation’s history.
The industry’s first collaborative effort with Wounded Warrior Project, Cydectin’s “Honor Our Troops” program, demonstrates support and gratitude for wounded veterans of today’s wars on behalf of beef and dairy producers.
“Our troops give the ultimate sacrifice by serving on the frontline for us each day,” says Mike Randolph, Cydectin brand manager. “One of the most fundamental offerings we give them is our respect and support … and to help them succeed when they return.”
“It is an honor to partner with Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, and we thank the company for doing its part to support wounded warriors,” said Wounded Warrior Project Executive Partnership Director Steve Nardizzi. “This assistance and public awareness will go a long way in helping this generation of veterans heal in mind, body and spirit.”
Wounded Warrior Project assists wounded warriors and their families through a holistic approach to their recovery by providing programs and services to aid their physical rehabilitation and improve their mental health and well-being. Through caregiver retreats, combat stress programs, career and education services or adaptive sporting opportunities, Wounded Warrior Project empowers warriors with the tools essential to not just survive their injuries, but to thrive and achieve personal and professional success.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Official Statewide Vaccination
Last Tuesday July 27th, 2010 the Montana Board of Livestock met in Helena to vote on the proposed Official Statewide Vaccination for Brucellosis. The BOL voted to review the rules for another 6 months, with everything being reviewed again in January.
If you would like to listen to Errol Rice, VP of the MSGA, about ranchers reactions to OCV and the proposal it self, check out the Northern Ag Story.
If you would like to listen to Errol Rice, VP of the MSGA, about ranchers reactions to OCV and the proposal it self, check out the Northern Ag Story.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Wolve. Wolves. Everywhere Wolves.
Here is an AP story that I thought I really needed to share. It was forwarded to me by my sister. The very idea of them wanting to scatter more wolves throughout the country just makes me mad. Read the story below and let me know what you think.
Petition seeks to have wolves howl across US
Jul 20, 8:58 PM EDT
By MATTHEW BROWN
Associated Press Writer
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) -- Tens of thousands of gray wolves would be returned to the woods of New England, the mountains of California, the wide open Great Plains and the desert West under a scientific petition filed Tuesday with the federal government.
The predators were poisoned and trapped to near-extermination in the United States last century, but have since clawed their way back to some of the most remote wilderness in the lower 48 states.
That recovery was boosted in the 1990s by the reintroduction of 66 wolves in Idaho and Yellowstone National Park. Yet as those first packs have flourished, increased livestock killings and declining big game herds have drawn sharp backlash from ranchers, hunters and officials in the Northern Rockies.
But biologists with the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity want to expand that recovery across the country. A few isolated pockets of wolves, they say, are not enough.
"If the gray wolf is listed as endangered, it should be recovered in all significant portions of its range, not just fragments," said Michael Robinson, who authored the petition. Robinson said the animals occupy less than 5 percent of their historic range in the lower 48 states.
The federal Administrative Procedure Act allows outside parties to petition the government to act when species are in peril. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Chris Tollefson, whose agency received the petition, said there was no deadline by which the agency must respond to the one filed Tuesday, which was signed by Robinson and another biologist, Noah Greenwald.
Tollefson also said an internal review was under way to figure out where wolves once lived and where they might be returned.
"We need to look at what is realistic and where the suitable habitat would be," Tollefson said.
The review will be completed by late 2010 or early 2011 and will contain recommendations but no final decision on whether to create new wolf populations, Tollefson said.
About 6,000 wolves live in the U.S. outside Alaska, with most of those in the Great Lakes and Northern Rockies, with only a few dozen in Arizona and New Mexico. They are listed as endangered except in Alaska, Idaho and Montana.
In early 2008, a similar petition was lodged by the Natural Resources Defense Council. In its rejection of that petition, the Fish and Wildlife Service said the Great Lakes and Northern Rockies programs had succeeded and any additional recovery efforts would be "discretionary."
The Fish and Wildlife Service faces no deadline to respond to such petitions
Like the Bush administration, the Obama administration has pushed to end federal protections for wolves and return control over the animals to the states.
But both administrations have been rebuffed in the courts. Federal judges have ruled repeatedly that the government failed to prove existing wolf numbers will ensure the population's long-term survival.
Last year, the Interior Department relented to pressure from environmentalists in the Great Lakes. The agency agreed to put wolves back on the endangered list at least temporarily - just months after they had been removed for the second time in recent years.
Wolves are notorious predators with a hunger for livestock, and experts say they could survive in most of the country if they were allowed.
Young adult wolves sometimes travel hundreds of miles when looking to establish a new territory. In the last several years, packs have gained a toehold in parts of Oregon and Washington. Others have been spotted in Colorado, Utah and northern New England.
But with wolves, more than just biology is at play. Politics serves the deciding role in where wolves are allowed, said David Mech, a wolf expert and senior scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey.
"In the areas where they are not acceptable, they will be killed out - illegally if nothing else, Mech said.
The Northern Rockies population has stirred the most rancor, largely because of sheep and cattle killings and wolves preying on big game herds that had swelled when the predators were absent.
Idaho and Montana initiated public wolf hunts last year, and both intend to increase their quotas on the animals this fall. The states want to put a dent in the animal's population growth rate, which has been as high as 30 percent annually.
Wyoming, which has about 525 wolves, was blocked in its efforts to start a hunt after federal officials said state law was too hostile to wolves to ensure their survival. That ruling has been challenged in federal court.
Wyoming House Speaker Colin Simpson said Tuesday it should serve as a warning for other states that are asked to take wolves.
"Be careful," Simpson said. "We don't need more of that in the West."
(This version corrects name of federal law that allows for outside party petitioning to Administrative Procedure Act, not Endangered Species Act.)
Petition seeks to have wolves howl across US
Jul 20, 8:58 PM EDT
By MATTHEW BROWN
Associated Press Writer
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) -- Tens of thousands of gray wolves would be returned to the woods of New England, the mountains of California, the wide open Great Plains and the desert West under a scientific petition filed Tuesday with the federal government.
The predators were poisoned and trapped to near-extermination in the United States last century, but have since clawed their way back to some of the most remote wilderness in the lower 48 states.
That recovery was boosted in the 1990s by the reintroduction of 66 wolves in Idaho and Yellowstone National Park. Yet as those first packs have flourished, increased livestock killings and declining big game herds have drawn sharp backlash from ranchers, hunters and officials in the Northern Rockies.
But biologists with the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity want to expand that recovery across the country. A few isolated pockets of wolves, they say, are not enough.
"If the gray wolf is listed as endangered, it should be recovered in all significant portions of its range, not just fragments," said Michael Robinson, who authored the petition. Robinson said the animals occupy less than 5 percent of their historic range in the lower 48 states.
The federal Administrative Procedure Act allows outside parties to petition the government to act when species are in peril. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Chris Tollefson, whose agency received the petition, said there was no deadline by which the agency must respond to the one filed Tuesday, which was signed by Robinson and another biologist, Noah Greenwald.
Tollefson also said an internal review was under way to figure out where wolves once lived and where they might be returned.
"We need to look at what is realistic and where the suitable habitat would be," Tollefson said.
The review will be completed by late 2010 or early 2011 and will contain recommendations but no final decision on whether to create new wolf populations, Tollefson said.
About 6,000 wolves live in the U.S. outside Alaska, with most of those in the Great Lakes and Northern Rockies, with only a few dozen in Arizona and New Mexico. They are listed as endangered except in Alaska, Idaho and Montana.
In early 2008, a similar petition was lodged by the Natural Resources Defense Council. In its rejection of that petition, the Fish and Wildlife Service said the Great Lakes and Northern Rockies programs had succeeded and any additional recovery efforts would be "discretionary."
The Fish and Wildlife Service faces no deadline to respond to such petitions
Like the Bush administration, the Obama administration has pushed to end federal protections for wolves and return control over the animals to the states.
But both administrations have been rebuffed in the courts. Federal judges have ruled repeatedly that the government failed to prove existing wolf numbers will ensure the population's long-term survival.
Last year, the Interior Department relented to pressure from environmentalists in the Great Lakes. The agency agreed to put wolves back on the endangered list at least temporarily - just months after they had been removed for the second time in recent years.
Wolves are notorious predators with a hunger for livestock, and experts say they could survive in most of the country if they were allowed.
Young adult wolves sometimes travel hundreds of miles when looking to establish a new territory. In the last several years, packs have gained a toehold in parts of Oregon and Washington. Others have been spotted in Colorado, Utah and northern New England.
But with wolves, more than just biology is at play. Politics serves the deciding role in where wolves are allowed, said David Mech, a wolf expert and senior scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey.
"In the areas where they are not acceptable, they will be killed out - illegally if nothing else, Mech said.
The Northern Rockies population has stirred the most rancor, largely because of sheep and cattle killings and wolves preying on big game herds that had swelled when the predators were absent.
Idaho and Montana initiated public wolf hunts last year, and both intend to increase their quotas on the animals this fall. The states want to put a dent in the animal's population growth rate, which has been as high as 30 percent annually.
Wyoming, which has about 525 wolves, was blocked in its efforts to start a hunt after federal officials said state law was too hostile to wolves to ensure their survival. That ruling has been challenged in federal court.
Wyoming House Speaker Colin Simpson said Tuesday it should serve as a warning for other states that are asked to take wolves.
"Be careful," Simpson said. "We don't need more of that in the West."
(This version corrects name of federal law that allows for outside party petitioning to Administrative Procedure Act, not Endangered Species Act.)
It's Raining, It's Pouring........
.....the old man is snoring. He went to bed with a bump on his head and won't wake up this morning!
It started raining sometime after midnight last night and it hasn't quit yet. And it's a beautiful rain. When I left for town at about 7:30, we had a little over an inch of rain. In July!! A couple of farmers were talking about starting to combine come Monday, that maybe pushed back a few days. For all the moisture we have had this year, we were needing another little drink. Here are a couple of pictures from this morning. Not the best, as I still haven't found my camera, and these are off my phone.
I am not going to lie, I really want to go out and run through the rain and jump in the mud puddles!
It started raining sometime after midnight last night and it hasn't quit yet. And it's a beautiful rain. When I left for town at about 7:30, we had a little over an inch of rain. In July!! A couple of farmers were talking about starting to combine come Monday, that maybe pushed back a few days. For all the moisture we have had this year, we were needing another little drink. Here are a couple of pictures from this morning. Not the best, as I still haven't found my camera, and these are off my phone.
I am not going to lie, I really want to go out and run through the rain and jump in the mud puddles!
Beef Checkoff
These days everyone has their own (usually strong) opinion on the Beef Checkoff system through NCBA. Below you will find read what MCA recommends for this nations Beef Checkoff.
MCA Submits Beef Checkoff Improvement Recommendations
1. Checkoff dollars be used to promote only U.S.A. beef from cattle born, raised, and processed in the United States of America.
2. A periodic vote on the checkoff program (every five years).
3. Prohibit any one cattle organization from serving as the "prime contractor" for the program, but allow all U.S. cattle organizations to participate in approved projects on a case-by-case basis.
4. Reform the Cattlemen's Beef Board to reflect proportional representation from all national cattle organizations.
5. Allow for checkoff expenditures to protect U.S.A. beef and cattle from unfair trade practices and to protect the U.S. cattle herd from import practices which threaten cattle herd health and beef consumers.
6. Allow checkoff expenditures to promote branded products from small and large packing entities.
7. Provide that 70% of all funds collected remain in the state where collected, and 30% to the national Cattlemen's Beef Board.
8. Provide an exemption for producers contributing equal or greater funds into a private sector self-help effort.
In addition, the MCA Board recommends any increase in the checkoff assessment fee not be considered unless or until the above recommendations are implemented.
What are your thoughts on the Beef Checkoff situation?
I found the above information on the MCA website
MCA Submits Beef Checkoff Improvement Recommendations
1. Checkoff dollars be used to promote only U.S.A. beef from cattle born, raised, and processed in the United States of America.
2. A periodic vote on the checkoff program (every five years).
3. Prohibit any one cattle organization from serving as the "prime contractor" for the program, but allow all U.S. cattle organizations to participate in approved projects on a case-by-case basis.
4. Reform the Cattlemen's Beef Board to reflect proportional representation from all national cattle organizations.
5. Allow for checkoff expenditures to protect U.S.A. beef and cattle from unfair trade practices and to protect the U.S. cattle herd from import practices which threaten cattle herd health and beef consumers.
6. Allow checkoff expenditures to promote branded products from small and large packing entities.
7. Provide that 70% of all funds collected remain in the state where collected, and 30% to the national Cattlemen's Beef Board.
8. Provide an exemption for producers contributing equal or greater funds into a private sector self-help effort.
In addition, the MCA Board recommends any increase in the checkoff assessment fee not be considered unless or until the above recommendations are implemented.
What are your thoughts on the Beef Checkoff situation?
I found the above information on the MCA website
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Bison Tests Positive for Anthrax
I just read a news release on the MT Department of Livestock webiste that a bison heifer carcass tested positive for Anthrax in Gallatin County. Field tests were done on the dead bison which was found near a pasture where Anthrax killed 287 bison in 2008. The pasture has since been quarantined.
There is a vaccine for anthrax, and the state vet encourages produces that live in areas known for anthrax to vaccinate.
You can read the whole news release on the MT Department of Livestock website.
There is a vaccine for anthrax, and the state vet encourages produces that live in areas known for anthrax to vaccinate.
You can read the whole news release on the MT Department of Livestock website.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
man oh man
Being without a camera really has taken its toll on my blogging. Doesn't seem to be quite as fun with out pictures. I promise I will do better (and get a new camera)
Thursday, July 8, 2010
MT FWP Purchasing 28,000 Acre Ranch
That wonderful agency we call Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks is at it again.
MT FWP Could Soon Purchase 28,000 Acre Ranch
For more details, visit the FWP Website.
Two state agencies are taking public comment on a Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks proposal to buy a nearly 28,000-acre ranch near Deer Lodge.
FWP has requested $16.5 million in restoration funds administered by the state Natural Resource Damage Program to purchase the Spotted Dog Ranch.
The ranch would become a state Wildlife Management Area and be managed for fish and wildlife habitat and seasonal public access.
The lands are home to the largest concentration of wintering elk in the Upper Clark Fork River basin and provide yearlong habitat for antelope, mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, moose, black bear and other species. The land is bordered on two sides by national forest land. The ranch and intermingled school trust lands total about 38,000 acres.
"Spotted Dog provides a unique opportunity to permanently protect and manage a large, intact landscape between the Blackfoot and Clark Fork watersheds for a v ariety of fish and wildlife species," said Mack Long, FWP Region 2 supervisor. "The purchase would also ensure lasting public access to previously inaccessible lands."
The property is owned by the Rock Creek Cattle co.
The Natural Resource Damage Program said the project qualifies for funding by restoring or replacing resources injured by historic mining and smelting in the Upper Clark Fork basin. However, the project proposal would require an amendment of the NRDP's grant process to receive founding outside the regular NRDP grant cycle.
Gov. Brian Schweitzer said he supports the purchase of what he calls "extraordinary habitat for an array of species."
FWP is seeking comment on the draft environmental impact statement, while NRDP is asking for public comment on the proposal and an exception to the funding process.
NRDP comments must be received by Aug. 9 and can be sent to NRDP, P.O. Box 201425, Helena, MT 50602, or nrdp(at)mt.gov; or faxed to 4 06-444-0236.
FWP is taking comments through July 30 at spotteddog(at)mt.gov, or by mail to Region 2 FWP; Attn: Spotted Dog, 3201 Spurgin Road, Missoula, MT 59804.
A public hearing is planned July 14 in Deer Lodge.
MT FWP Could Soon Purchase 28,000 Acre Ranch
For more details, visit the FWP Website.
Two state agencies are taking public comment on a Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks proposal to buy a nearly 28,000-acre ranch near Deer Lodge.
FWP has requested $16.5 million in restoration funds administered by the state Natural Resource Damage Program to purchase the Spotted Dog Ranch.
The ranch would become a state Wildlife Management Area and be managed for fish and wildlife habitat and seasonal public access.
The lands are home to the largest concentration of wintering elk in the Upper Clark Fork River basin and provide yearlong habitat for antelope, mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, moose, black bear and other species. The land is bordered on two sides by national forest land. The ranch and intermingled school trust lands total about 38,000 acres.
"Spotted Dog provides a unique opportunity to permanently protect and manage a large, intact landscape between the Blackfoot and Clark Fork watersheds for a v ariety of fish and wildlife species," said Mack Long, FWP Region 2 supervisor. "The purchase would also ensure lasting public access to previously inaccessible lands."
The property is owned by the Rock Creek Cattle co.
The Natural Resource Damage Program said the project qualifies for funding by restoring or replacing resources injured by historic mining and smelting in the Upper Clark Fork basin. However, the project proposal would require an amendment of the NRDP's grant process to receive founding outside the regular NRDP grant cycle.
Gov. Brian Schweitzer said he supports the purchase of what he calls "extraordinary habitat for an array of species."
FWP is seeking comment on the draft environmental impact statement, while NRDP is asking for public comment on the proposal and an exception to the funding process.
NRDP comments must be received by Aug. 9 and can be sent to NRDP, P.O. Box 201425, Helena, MT 50602, or nrdp(at)mt.gov; or faxed to 4 06-444-0236.
FWP is taking comments through July 30 at spotteddog(at)mt.gov, or by mail to Region 2 FWP; Attn: Spotted Dog, 3201 Spurgin Road, Missoula, MT 59804.
A public hearing is planned July 14 in Deer Lodge.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
FWP Proposes Free Roaming Wild Bison Herd in Montana
Those crack heads at the FWP office are at it again. They recently held a couple of meetings to discuss if whether or not it makes sense to have a wild, free-ranging population somewhere in Montana, and if a population of wild bison can actually exist and be managed like wild deer, elk, or antelope. Good Gravy! In what frame of mind would this make sense.
HEY! Montana FWP, have you ever heard of Brucelloisis???
Valley County & Phillips County have already taken a stand and have started a petitions to give to the FWP. The Valley County petition states that, "Montana already has a wild bison population in Yellowstone. A free roaming bison herd will negatively affect private property rights and compete with livestock and existing wildlife for forage and adversely affect rural communities. We the residents of Valley County OPPOSE any evaluation or plan the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department have for a wild free roaming bison population in Valley County."
I wonder if the goal of the FWP is to put the Rancher out of business?
Please take a moment and fill out this survey about this propsed bison herd. It really just takes a minute.
Here is a link to story and video of Circle Montana area ranchers comments and opposition to this assinine proposal. Video Link
HEY! Montana FWP, have you ever heard of Brucelloisis???
Valley County & Phillips County have already taken a stand and have started a petitions to give to the FWP. The Valley County petition states that, "Montana already has a wild bison population in Yellowstone. A free roaming bison herd will negatively affect private property rights and compete with livestock and existing wildlife for forage and adversely affect rural communities. We the residents of Valley County OPPOSE any evaluation or plan the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department have for a wild free roaming bison population in Valley County."
I wonder if the goal of the FWP is to put the Rancher out of business?
Please take a moment and fill out this survey about this propsed bison herd. It really just takes a minute.
Here is a link to story and video of Circle Montana area ranchers comments and opposition to this assinine proposal. Video Link
Friday, July 2, 2010
Heat Killing Kansas Cattle
Man oh Man, the summer heat can be brutual, but this is just plain awful. I read this on the Northern Ag Network website. Makes my heart ache for those producers.
Heat in Kansas Kills 2000 Cattle
The intense heat and humidity that blanketed central Kansas since late last week have killed more than 2,000 cattle and one state official called the heat-related losses the worst in his 17 years on the job.
However, conditions for the cattle improved somewhat on Tuesday as the humidity has decreased and the wind has picked up, state and feedlot sources said.
Kansas is the third largest cattle state with more than 2 million cattle in feedlots.
"It is all cattle in feedlots. It is more the humidity than the heat," Ken Powell, environmental scientist with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said of the more than 2,000 cattle deaths.
The cattle deaths have overwhelmed rendering plants and some feedlots are burying the carcasses in accordance with state regulations, said Powell.
"From the standpoint of dealing with the disposal of animals, this is the worst I have seen in the almost 17 years I've been here," he said.
The death losses helped guide Chicago cattle futures higher on Monday, but on Tuesday the futures were near unchanged as traders awaited Friday's release of a USDA cattle supply report.
Temperatures reached 101 Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) at Garden City in southwest Kansas on Monday, and highs in the region were expected to reach the upper 90s to low 100s F (upper 30s C) through Friday, said Joel Burgio, meteorologist at Telvent DTN.
"For three or four more days, it's still pretty stressful," Burgio said. "There is a chance you may see a few showers this weekend, which would help ease stress on the livestock.
Source: Yahoo! News
Posted by Kaci Switzer
Heat in Kansas Kills 2000 Cattle
The intense heat and humidity that blanketed central Kansas since late last week have killed more than 2,000 cattle and one state official called the heat-related losses the worst in his 17 years on the job.
However, conditions for the cattle improved somewhat on Tuesday as the humidity has decreased and the wind has picked up, state and feedlot sources said.
Kansas is the third largest cattle state with more than 2 million cattle in feedlots.
"It is all cattle in feedlots. It is more the humidity than the heat," Ken Powell, environmental scientist with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said of the more than 2,000 cattle deaths.
The cattle deaths have overwhelmed rendering plants and some feedlots are burying the carcasses in accordance with state regulations, said Powell.
"From the standpoint of dealing with the disposal of animals, this is the worst I have seen in the almost 17 years I've been here," he said.
The death losses helped guide Chicago cattle futures higher on Monday, but on Tuesday the futures were near unchanged as traders awaited Friday's release of a USDA cattle supply report.
Temperatures reached 101 Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) at Garden City in southwest Kansas on Monday, and highs in the region were expected to reach the upper 90s to low 100s F (upper 30s C) through Friday, said Joel Burgio, meteorologist at Telvent DTN.
"For three or four more days, it's still pretty stressful," Burgio said. "There is a chance you may see a few showers this weekend, which would help ease stress on the livestock.
Source: Yahoo! News
Posted by Kaci Switzer
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