Stressed-Out Cowboy When:

[WoolyBear]

This came to me via BEEF Cow-calf Weekly


You Know You're A Stressed-Out Cowboy When:

* You start talking to your dog in the front seat -- asking for advice.
* Somebody mentions drinking from the bottle -- you think of Maalox.
* You wake up at 3 a.m. and wonder if you have time to brew a cup of coffee before getting started.
* You have an attack of road rage, between your house and the barn.
* Your favorite horse starts to act like a horse with 20 days because you have sent enough mixed signals in the last 15 minutes to undue six years of training.
* You sit in your favorite recliner for the first time in months, and watch TV for a couple of hours -- too tired to get up and turn it on.
* Every calf you see sunning itself is immediately assumed to be dead.
* You arrive at a social event and elect to sit in the driveway until the market report is over, even though you don't have any fats to market for 60 days.
* You entertain thoughts of a total dispersion and doubling your herd size at the very same time.
* Your wife suggests you take up chewing again, after persistently asking you to stop for 15 years prior to you finally quitting.
* You take your wife's advice, buy a can of chew and find out you can't open the darn thing because you no longer have fingernails.
* You put in a 40-hour week -- every day.
* You can recall the morning when ol' "810" was born, but have to call your mother to find out when your anniversary is and how long you've been married.
* You have the local renders phone number on speed dial, and they don't bother to ask for directions when you call.
* Fill in the blank.

[intr3est]

Go to Ranchers.net, they have the same thing posted in their bull session. What do they have to be stressed about? anyway it's fightless friday over there, no name-calling etc. those americans seem to be better at writing poems than we are too.

[whiteface]

Joe, I'd like to see you over on Ranchers with that same solution, be awesome to see you at it with some of those guys...
Just not today, it's fightless friday. Hope yer there tommorrow with that statement!

[Willowcreek]

The interesting thing is tho that if the US had a COOL law ***tioning it would take away many of the arguments that R-CALF, NCBA, consumers groups, and Congressmen are making about keeping the border closed. Much of the food safety issue about Canadian meat would be a moot point. The consumers would have a choice and the decision would be left to them to decide the safety of Canadian product.

Personally I believe that if there was a COOL law much of the opposition to the border opening would have disappeared and the border would be open.

[whiteface]

Supposed to be the ideal "spring skiing" conditions. Fresh snow today and low double digits for the weekend. At least that's what I heard 5 minuits ago, this is Alberta, weather changes once a minute! Wind is cold tonight but supposed to warm for the weekend, hope you have a good trip! If you need to borrow my computer and "catch up" esp. at ranchers, let me know! I'm an hour north of Calgary in Olds. Stop in and see Randy on the way, he's right on the highway!

[whiteface]

avalanche warnings for Kananasksis, but as whiteface has said, the weather changes every five minutes in AB.

[intr3est]

Whiteface, if I have the time I might just visit. I'll have my cell with me. 519-312-6183

P.S if you haven't seen my rant on Ranchers yet you should take a look, name on there is Murgen! Top of the page, about ***** footing around. thanks

[intr3est]

Good point Willowcreek! And after they implement COOL and we implement testing of all cattle, who's meat will they then choose?

[intr3est]

I'll pack for warm weather and if it gets cold, I'm stopping at one of your places for a ski jacket, and gloves! I'll buy my own long johns.

[whiteface]

I have read your threads, Murgan! I wondered if that was you! I just may give you a call on your cell, how busy are you??!! I've got calves comeing like crazy including one out of a heifer that was top of her class at Agribition so I may be a little busy but certainly enjoying some nice weather! Happy skiing!

[farmers_son]

Interesting comments re: M-Cool giving consumers a choice. International trade in beef is not driven by consumer demand rather it is and it needs to based on science, recognizing that the science is interpreted by politicians.

Look at Japan. I notice that Japan resuming trade with the U.S. does not revolve around a mandatory law identifying U.S. beef in Japanese meat coolers so the consumer can choose.

The consumer needs to be assured that all beef is safe. Consumer confidence in beef will be eroded by segregating product according to country of origin thereby forcing nation against nation as inevitably each country makes inferences that the other countries’ product is somehow not as safe or nutritious or tasty as their domestic country's product.

Whether we are talking U.S. beef, Canadian beef, Australian beef or elsewhere, before it gets to the retail cooler it all passes through the hands of a few multinationals such as Cargill or Tyson. Just think about how these pirate companies could pit each nation’s producers against another nation’s producers in order to drive down the price of live cattle.

Let’s face it, when it comes to making a living raising cattle those packers are the problem, not producers in Canada or Australia. There is more to be gained by North American producers and Australian/New Zealand producers finding ways to work together to break the monopoly of the big packers than producers will ever realize from country of origin legislation. COOL just plays into the hands of the multinationals. My opinion.

[whiteface]

Hey intr3est! You from the Brantford area in Southern Ontario??!! I go there sometimes and just noticed the area code on your cell phone #! What have you got for cattle? If you're already on the plane for Calgary, we'll visit later...

[Willowcreek]

Interestingly tho, it is my understanding that Japan, like many of the European nations, has COOL. I know that after the May 2003 cow and before the Washington cow, when Japan was requiring the US to segregate off US beef, all beef going to Japan was being marked and sold as a Product of USA.

[jensend]

any of the real r-calfers wouldn't back off if there was suddenly a feasible, enforcible cool law. they are protectionists, straight and simple and regard government intervention to restrict foreign competition as their reason to exist. right now they have the totally insupportable health issues and cool as a fallback but they will always find a reason to want to restrict competition. if the border opens we will see a raft of trade actions trying to paint the canadian cattle industry as unfairly subsidized. what's happening now is the future. these guys are loading up with money and will be a pain in the butt for years to come.

[farmers_son]

It was my understanding that the U.S. and Australia successfully won a WTO ruling against South Korea for its dual beef labelling law (MCOOL) in 2000-01.

See: www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/dispu_subjects_index_e.htm
click on beef, Korea.

Korea had passed a MCOOL law that would have seen U.S. beef labelled as such. The U.S. successfully challenged that law. I am not aware of what the situation is in Japan but I imagine the U.S. would not tolerate MCOOL used to discriminate against its products in Japan any more than it would have in Korea.