R-Calf continues

[cowman]

Actually Willowcreek that whole scenario is sort of a red herring? The facts were, at the time, the Canadian feedlots and packers couldn't compete to buy your calves anyway?...Not when our dollar was worth 63 cents and our packing houses were not competitive with the big American packing houses?
I believe you could always export cattle into Canada if they had a simple test? Sort of like the test you required for Canadian breeding stock entering the US, for Bangs?
I suspect when the big packers get rolling in Canada you might find there is a whole lot of interest in Montana calves? The fact is we have some very cheap feed up here, a better position on the dollar, and an efficient feeder and packer sector? I suspect the cheapest place to feed cattle in North America might be Alberta this year? Right this minute there is a lot of American money in the marts up here...and these cattle are going to be fed right here! Now why is that?
When the game playing stops, you might just be surprized who is buying your Montana calves? The Alberta feeder can do it cheaper than the feedlot in the cornbelt! Start to think "North American market" instead of "US market" because that is where this is heading...and you will make more money!

[Willowcreek]

cowman- You are right about the way things should be-- but they never will be...Too many splits created on BOTH sides by the Big Business money going to politicians-the Dows, Monsantos, Tysons, Cargills, CWB, etc-- involves lumber, cattle, steel, grains, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and sprays- now I hear the big one is generic Ivomec- we buy it in states for $90- costs Canadians $500, so they have been coming down in droves to buy it- but now big money has influenced Canadian politicians to outlaw Canadian ranchers from even bringing it in...I hear even your so-called "cattlemens groups" like CCA are supporting the ban- how much money was stuffed in their pockets to eat their own?

[silverback]

Why does willow never seem too worried about losing packers in the US?? He always changes the subject to something else. Maybe R-Calf is building their own plant for their members with their money? He also whines about the big corporations, but what is he actually doing about it?

[cowman]

Well willowcreek, I didn't think they got that rule passed? But I do agree that we need to get some of these things harmonized, if we are going to have a level playing field.
I actually think the Monsanto's/Dows of the world are really more interested in opening borders than closing them? After all they are international corporations not US or Canadian corporations...and their market is the world?
The fact is you have BSE...just like us? And in reality we can't harm your BSE status or the health of your American cow herd?
You should just give up all those old protectionist R-CALF adages and admit you don't like to compete with Canadian cattle...Hey we can understand that?
It is too bad the Montana cattleman decided that Alberta cattle were the problem and did their very best to alienate the western Canadian producer. I suspect there were probably lots of cow/calf producers up here who could have identified with your message of packer/retailer control, transparent pricing, even COOL! However by your short sighted views you have probably alienated at least a generation of farmers up here and turned a lot of potential allys into enemies! Your group has done more to spread anti-American feelings than any other in the Ag community!
This silliness really should stop? R-CALF is not going to win this one and you really should be trying to mend fences rather than continuing to beat a dead horse? Hopefully someday the leaders of R-CALF will see the light...or at least get out of the way and let some more rational people run the show!

[Willowcreek]

silverback and emerald-- I don't buy into all the propaganda put out by AMI and the Packers on the slaughterhouses--most is just BS to scare people... A couple of old plants have closed and they make a big deal-but they say nothing about the new ones being opened and the several online to be built...And much of it is a shift toward where they now have access to cows...And few Americans are losing jobs- most employees are aliens, many illegal who end up more a detriment on the community than they are an asset..They can slip across the line north and work at Canadas new plants- and then Canadians can pay for their care.

[cowman]

Actually Willowcreek, we have enough up here already...thank you very much!
What can you do? Not many Canadians or Americans for that matter are all that keen to work for poor wages in a hell hole?
I would suspect you are right about the packers mothballing old inefficient plants? And without a doubt if they see an opportunity to build a new one where the cattle are, they will do it? I would suggest to you the longer you keep our cows out the more they will look at the possibility of building a cow plant in Canada? The ideal situation for a packer would be if you Americans allow cow beef in but not live cattle? Then they can duplicate with cows what they did for the last two years with fats?
Tyson and Cargill made a literal killing up here and you are doing your best to help them continue the gravy train! I often wonder if they send donations into R-CALF? After all R-CALF has made them a ton of money in the last two years!

[FRENCHMAN]

OT..After you've been in the cow business a few years Frenchman, you will realize that much of the entire cattle industry is tied around "speculation".

And some of those that have "speculated" quite successfully for 40-50 years are the ones I like to listen to and continue learning from......

Frenchman...Thats a laugh..Dick..The point is do you know what you are talking about..?I was talking about your speculation.

Where is the huge market crash you forecasted?

Hmmm

[Willowcreek]

frenchman- like I said before - if the border opens to OTM beef or God forbid cattle of all ages- we will again be seeing culls in the $20-30 range again which will mean a 10-20% drop in many outfits incomes- then with the unsettled Japanese and Asian export market- which was not helped by the failure of all Canadas high faluting supposedly infalible ID system (LOL) and USDA's normal screwup by their packer bought "stooges" which allowed in OTM cattle- there will still be unsettled times to come-- Come about spring when everything comes together...

[cattleman2]

WillowCreek: "The failure of the infalible CDN ID system"???
WHat do you mean by this?

If you mean the age of the 1 hiefer(31 months)coming across, has nothing to do with the ID System. Birthdates were not recorded in the database until this year, so doesn't factor into at all.

I would be asking you, how would you ever trace an unbranded calf that comes into a 125,000 head feedlot and then turns up with TB or the like, where it needs to trace back to herd of origin??? You would never get it done, just like that Texas cow, you guys weren't sure what color it was for the longest time, nevertheless who's herd it came from.

[cattleman2]

not to mention nobody has bothered to trace back the Texas cows calves or other herd mates because for the most part they have no way of doing so.

All the Canadian bashing and for that matter US bashing isn't going to put more dollars in any of our pockets, and likely isn't going to change the way some organizations feel.

It does sound as though our government has some small fire built under them regarding the soft wood lumber issue, will see what comes of it !!

[Willowcreek]

cattleman2--Believe me it has been done before using sales receipts and everything you can get your hand on- including profiling and genetic testing...But that is why a standard ID system makes things easier...Most feeders are already using a tagging system matching tags with purchase records when the cattle come in- brands just add a permanent ID to go along with the tags and paper trail..

One question I do have tho- Does any of these CFIA and USDA people even know what a cow is? Now its confirmed the load of cattle not only contained an over thirty month, but had 8 pregnant cows...Looks a little lax to me. Border has only been open less than 2 months and its been screwup after screwup....And again Japan is questioning it all!!!!!!

[FRENCHMAN]

frenchman- like I said before - if the border opens to OTM beef or God forbid cattle of all ages- we will again be seeing culls in the $20-30 range again which will mean a 10-20% drop in many outfits incomes- then with the unsettled Japanese and Asian export market-


Ot more speculation on your part the sky is falling.

frenchman..which was not helped by the failure of all Canadas high faluting supposedly infalible ID system (


Ot ..

Failure what a laugh...Lets have all the U.S cattleman apply brands..lets see 800,000 cattlemen..800,000 brands.


But wait in some states like Texas people can have the same brand as their neighbour in a different county.

Regardless of the I.D its only as honest as the person appling it Or their record -keeping.