R - Calf

[blackjack]

Sure seems to me that R - Calf supports their grassroot producers a heck of lot more than our own ABP. R -Calf say they will sue the USDA if live animals from Canada are allowed back into the U.S.A.

[rsomer]

R-Calf has a membership of 9000, that would be the equivalent of 900 in Canada. They are a small splinter group of malcontents. Their main platform is encouraging policies that foster one way. R-Calf is certainly not representative of the U.S. beef industry. In fact R-Calf paints the American cattleman as a rather stupid ignorant SOB who is unaware of the North American beef industry, the world around them and how trade works.

[rsomer]

That should have read "Their main platform is encouraging policies that foster one way trade."

[rodb]

R CALF is not the only US org. that believes in what they call fair trade, or we produce it and you buy it.

The Americans are finding out that they are not the best at everything and hate to see someone do better than they are. They hate to compete.

[blackjack]

I agree with you guys about R-calf but I wonder if ABP could tell our american beef allies the propaganda R-calf spread . I just think the longer the our borders are closed the more it will hurt cowcalf operations in both countries. In the long haul the Americans will need their beef export market open . It does not help when R-calf and the northern US Senators are calling canadian beef diseased !

[cowman]

I suspect if we had a Canadian R-CALF I would be all for joining. I mean consider they have just come through a year of record prices...why would they want it to change?
Maybe they are really wrong(from our perspective) but what is so wrong with wanting to make a decent return on your calves?
I agree they don't see the big picture, and in reality why should they? All they want is a good profit...just like any other business! They see a wealthy country that is well able to afford to pay for what they are producing, so why let in foreign meat or cattle?
Maybe I'm looking at it all wrong but I really can't fault them for looking after their own interests? If they don't do it who will?

[rsomer]

And might is right I guess. And I guess if Alberta beef producers had the political clout they would lobby to turn off the oil and gas taps to the Americans until they accept our beef. But that is not likely to happen although fair would be fair.
These are the same Montana cattlemen who were the ones to lobby to see their anaplasmosis and bluetongue infected cattle imported into Canada. So Canada lets them in. What happens? R-Calf turns around and lobbies to keep out Canadian cattle. Now there is win win. They win both ways and we loose both ways.
The U.S. cattle industry is made up of more than 1 million small businesses – farms or ranches – operating in all 50 states. R-Calf represents less than 1% of that industry, they should not be given more credibility than they deserve at same time as the U.S. beef industry should not be painted as all being R-Calf supporters. I see the problem with these extremist lobby groups is they pretend to speak for an industry when they only speak for their own small narrow interests. It would seem that 99% of the American cattle producers do not support R-Calf.

[cowman]

Now rsomer, I'm not saying they are right. But you have to admire their ability to promote their agenda? Sure it might not be fair, but they are "taking care of businesss"?
Let's face it, if you or I could see a way to lobby our government, so that it put X amount of dollars into our pockets, wouldn't we take it?
Maybe you are a more noble type than me...but if I saw that buck I'd go for it! And I suspect so would about 99% of Canadian producers?
You know that I think the blue tongue thing was a blatant sell out by our government? But hopefully the fix was in, otherwise we gave up a lot just to kiss butt? Hopefully our leaders have done the right thing?

[rsomer]

R-Calf has been successful at promoting their agenda. At least in part because their agenda of protectionism and restrictive trade is the same as the government in power. Also, in the U.S., lobby groups are more common and more successful because of the different U.S. political system.

I have met some of these more extremist U.S. cattle producers and they are really way out there in their views. They can be extremely ignorant. I am not convinced that putting bucks in their pockets is the goal for these people. It sometimes seems that they are motivated by a pro American, anti everyone else attitude. For instance I am not convinced that if COOL were implemented that it would put more bucks in the pockets of American producers yet that almost doesn’t seem to matter. There is more to it than that. A fear of not being able to compete fairly, perhaps a belief that they do not need to compete fairly.
Like Canadian beef producers, these people are not strictly motivated by dollars. But would Canadians do the same if we got the chance? I think not, we really are different. I think Canadians in general like to be fair rather than win. And cowman, based on your comments in the various threads I tend to think you would tend to be fair too rather than see who could be hurt they are down which is a underpinning motivation for R-Calf. R-Calf’s lobby efforts display a moral rot and deep seated fear that I don’t see amongst Canadian beef producers.

[kato]

If a native American BSE case pops up, this will all blow up in R-Calf's face. Big time.

I was quite surprised first time I visited an American discussion board, and saw posts from people accusing each other of belonging to R-Calf, like it wasn't a good thing.

I had been under the impression that they represented a lot more producer's views than they really do. It was comforting to know that there are rational sensible people down there, and they don't all want what R-Calf wants.