Fair Market Beef

[15444]

Considering that individual producers chipped in, I would hope that the instigators (ie Jim Murray and John Morrison) would get a healthy portion, and the rest split evenly amongst those that joined the suit.

[rkaiser]

I say give it all to Jim Murray. He sounds like the kind of guy who would use it to build a slaughter plant, maybe even one with BSE testing for Japan.

[farmers_son]

Thought you may be interested in this news item regarding Jim Murray.

http://www.portageonline.com/AgriculturalNews_alt_main.html

Portage Farmer Confronts Federal Ag Minister Andy Mitchel
2005-03-30

Portage La Prairie cattleman Jim Murray, drove to Winnipeg Tuesday night to attend a press conference organized by Federal Agriculture Minister Andy Mitchel. He told the minister the money is not enough to help those people who are in trouble. He says there is getting to be more of those guys every day. Banks are saying we have given as much as we can give. The $19.00 per head for cattle producers based on 2003 or $3.00 per acre isn't enough. He adds the worse this problem gets the less money is being directed toward it. Murray says producers don't want to look like beggars. He says put this money into slaughter plants and get them up. He adds the bureaucracy on this is appalling. Murray says he was disappointed the minister refused to answer his questions. He says he asked the minister how much of the $488 million has been put into slaughter plants. He said they have 2 plants up and going. Murray said he told Mitchell he had not answered his question because most of that $480 million is just a loan guarantee, there is no money out of pocket. Murray says he is involved with a group called Fair Market Beef that is launching a class action suit against R-Calf for 7 million dollars per day. He says in the 2 weeks they have been going they have already had R-Calf call them asking them to back off until after the July court date is heard.

[rkaiser]

I say Jim Murray for president, or maybe vice president, and Cam for pres.

[FRENCHMAN]

farmers son ....Unfortunately we don’t get to fight toe to toe with…you know. I’d love the chance.

Instead we Canadians would have to hire Montana lawyers to debate the safety of our Canadian beef product against other Montana lawyers before a Montana judge. We should not assume for a minute that this is a fair and level playing field here. It is stacked against us all the way. This is a fight we are sure to loose.

Frenchman..Nothing personal .So lets all just quit then ? thats the problem with farmers...no one believes they can do anything.so they don,t even try.

Everyone knows our beef is safe but a Canadian arguing our beef is safe in Montana has about as much chance of winning as an Iraqi immigrant arguing he is not a terrorist. These people are not into reason and logic, it is about America first, greed and self interest


frenchman.. again nothing personal...But at some point Canadian farmers have to grow some balls...I will not sit by and let R-Calf slam the box -beef trade door in our faces without a fight.If nothing else it may buy us time to find other markets for our beef .

[rookie]

We have to do something because since the border shut , we have basically done nothing.

Who else will help the producer?

All I see is everyone having an opinion about how to solve this ( or how it won't work ), bla bla bla... but nothing ever changes.

Aren't you tired of this yet?

There is the old saying " all hat and no cows " , well I think we as producers are dangerously close to being " all debate with no action ".

Part of the solution or part of the problem... I know where I will be...

[farmers_son]

Frenchman: For me, rather than do nothing I think the action that offers the best chance of positive returns for Canadian producers is to focus 100% on increasing packing plant capacity in Canada.

Canadians trying to win legal battles in U.S. courts, especially Montana courts, is a low percentage thing at best. FYI, the CCA and ABP tried again this week to get status in the R-Calf injunction and both R-Calf and the USDA objected and Cebull will decide later this month.

Regarding boxed beef trade, I personally think it is very unlikely that boxed beef trade will stop, for many reasons, not the least of which it would cost the two American packers huge bucks and cause severe harm to the U.S. packing industry.

For me, a vigilante action like this going into Montana court and arguing the safety of our beef actually gives R-Calf ammunition to close boxed beef trade if the Canadian group were to loose their case. There are downsides to this action well beyond the $20 producers are paying up. We are dealing with issues having very serious consequences for the entire industry. At the very least this initiative should be coordinated with the CCA.

But I still prefer to see action of the packing plant front rather than Canadians trying to influence a foreign court. If the Americans are hell bound bent on stopping our live cattle it only helps Canada increase its packing capacity. My opinion.

[FRENCHMAN]

farmers-son.. For me, rather than do nothing I think the action that offers the best chance of positive returns for Canadian producers is to focus 100% on increasing packing plant capacity in Canada.

Frenchman...thats fine if you are not counting on the U.S being 40% or more of our export markets. Building packing capacity is fine, As long as it has somewhere to go to.

farmers-son..Canadians trying to win legal battles in U.S. courts, especially Montana courts, is a low percentage thing at best. FYI, the CCA and ABP tried again this week to get status in the R-Calf injunction and both R-Calf and the USDA objected and Cebull will decide later this month.

frenchman..so we just ignore the situation?

farmers-son...Regarding boxed beef trade, I personally think it is very unlikely that boxed beef trade will stop, for many reasons, not the least of which it would cost the two American packers huge bucks and cause severe harm to the U.S. packing industry.

Frenchman...I would not count on that..if they can block cattle UTM..they sure the hell block our UTM beef..

Farmers-son...For me, a vigilante action like this going into Montana court and arguing the safety of our beef actually gives R-Calf ammunition to close boxed beef trade if the Canadian group were to loose their case. There are downsides to this action well beyond the $20 producers are paying up. We are dealing with issues having very serious consequences for the entire industry. At the very least this initiative should be coordinated with the CCA.

Frenchman ...I say the same to the CCA as I said to the prov MB Ag minister..Lead or get the hell out the way!!My opinon.

Farmers-son..But I still prefer to see action of the packing plant front rather than Canadians trying to influence a foreign court. If the Americans are hell bound bent on stopping our live cattle it only helps Canada increase its packing capacity. My opinion

Frenchman.. As long as you have a market that is.

[farmers_son]

“As long as you have a market that is."

Remember this story…One day Chicken Little was walking in the woods when -- KERPLUNK -- an acorn fell on her head.
"Oh my goodness!" said Chicken Little. "The sky is falling! I must go and tell the king."

Well the border did not open to live cattle on March 7 like we were told it would but the sky is not falling. As far as I know there is no court hearing scheduled with Cebull to close the border to live cattle. The lawsuit that R-Calf has launched against the USDA proposed rule deals with live cattle, not boxed beef. Although anything is possible last time I checked the sky was not falling. There is a market for our beef today and there will be a market for our beef tomorrow.

And what happens if R-Calf is rubbed out of existence? Assume for a minute we sue the bastards right off the face of the earth. Lets face it, R-Calf is just a name, the protectionist sentiments that drive organizations like R-Calf would still be there and another protectionist group would rise from the ashes.

R-Calf has achieved what success they have because the USDA has let them. The USDA is still going to be there if R-Calf disappeared and when this administration decides it is time to open the border to live cattle the border will open. Until then build packing plants.

I believe the talk of boxed beef trade beef trade being stopped is being spread by people who do not want to see packing capacity being built in this country, especially by producers. Look at who is talking that talk and see who they are. Figure it out for yourself.

[farmers_son]

Oops... I said "As far as I know there is no court hearing scheduled with Cebull to close the border to live cattle." I wish, I was getting a little Freudian there. I meant to say I was not aware of any pending court hearings to close the border to boxed beef.