US ranchers-get real

[cowman]

Also Willowcreek I wonder if you have ever attended a sale where some poor deluded soul donated a calf for R-CALF? Or maybe you were one of those poor deluded souls!
I wonder how that rancher feels when he finds out R-CALF is taking out ads telling the American consumer the American steak he is eating is not safe? Or his R-CALF veggie loving lawyer standing up and saying how eating meat is evil? Do they ever wonder "What in the hell am I doing"?

[Willowcreek]

emerald 1- I speak for myself... I break up laughing everytime Canadians say we should have an integrated market--but for over 10 years when many in the US were working for that- Canada called all US cattle diseased and kept border restrictions on the US cattle as a trade barrier- even cattle that ran side by side Canadian cattle...How come it wasn't a North American herd 10 years ago? You Canucks need to go back and look yourselves in the mirror.....

Now you come whining crawling for help and wonder why some aren't sympathetic...

[grassfarmer]

So were you in the posse that shot up the VJV bus in Billings for the world auctioneering championship last year Willowcreek? Which was is - couldn't stand the competition or just hate Canadians?

[grassfarmer]

I have to wonder who will be whining to whom.

I have always found that when someone has their mouth open running down their neighbour they tend not to see some of the undesirable things that are going on in their own backyard.

Something like pointing to your neighbours manure pile and holding your nose when you have a pile twenty feet higher in your own corral !!!!!!

[grassfarmer]

This Hate Canadians mentallity is so non productive it makes me sick. We have the longest undefended border in the world and a few idiots in RCalf are trying everything in their power to start a range war for God sakes !!!

[Willowcreek]

emerald- Like I posted above, Do you really believe the border will or even can go back to as it was before?

You talk of unprotected border- but at the same time we have 10 times the border patrol agents on it as we had 5 years ago--New border "forts" going up all along the line- that little barb wire fence along the line has been all rebuilt and is now a maze of electronic and satellite imaging sensors..I just saw in todays Great Falls Tribune where the Border Patrol have a new "air wing" that will start flying the border this summer- over 70 people in the air wing...Probably all justified since Canadas Intelligence Agency admits they have more terrorist cells operating in Canada than anywhere else, outside the Middle East!!!

I used to go to Canada quite often- only live 50 miles from the border-- run cows as close as 20 miles from the border- but with the new international passport requirements I doubt if I'll go again- isn't worth all the bother...

And as far as cattle- I don't think that will ever obtain the old status quo..The record US cattle prices during the border closure have shown even many of those that were skeptical, what a negative impact the Canadian cattle have on the US prices and markets..Even if they agree with opening the border that knowledge will always be in the back of their minds- especially during times of tough prices....

It will always be in the back of many producers minds from this part of the country that will remember that Canada and Canadians were the first to put up trade barriers to protect their own cattle prices and called ALL US cattle "diseased"...Even those that used to crawl fences back and forth to either side....And to my knowlege Canada has done nothing to drop those barriers- altho they were promising it when the border was closed....

And there is a bigger and bigger backlash building in this country against the US governments globalism policy giving jobs and industrys to the foreign countries- it is already becoming a major election issue this year......I don't see things ever being like before....

[FRENCHMAN]

The thing Ot won,t tell you is that certain states had the same restrictions on U.S cattle from other states SHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh......

Or that 200,000 Montana feeder cattle per yr did move to Alberta under the n.w feeder agreement with no restrictions during the non-insect period.Which is when the majority of Montana calves would hit the market.SHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh......

[Willowcreek]

Frenchie- Many states have restrictions on cattle--State by State-Disease by Disease...

But not Canada- ALL US CATTLE WERE "DISEASED"....Even tho thousands were tested-all negative-- the Universities spent years testing and doing studies that recommended the border be opened to many states..I've seen hundreds of thousands of cattle go out of this area over the years- all went unrestricted all over the country with just a health certificate-But not to Canada...

It was/ still is nothing but a trade barrier to protect Canadian calf prices....

[cowman]

I wonder how all those "deseased' cattle ended up in Canada then? Including a large group of black heifers that sold through the Innisfail Mart as bred heifers? And yes they came out of the restricted program!
Willowcreek: It is very sad when we see a Canada hater of your magnitude! You would probably fit right in with the American haters we have up here?
I doubt anyone but an idiot would see the border buildup as a good thing for either country. It sure makes travel or commerce difficult to say the least? You may not realize it but Canada is your biggest trading partner...as you are ours? Hey I have a great idea to make us both poorer...lets put up some stupid trade restrictions and slow traffic at the border to a crawl?
Without a doubt Canada needs to clean up its immigration policies...mainly to protect America? We don't have a lot of problems yet with terrorists. Mainly because we haven't been screwing over every country in the world? Now maybe that will change because our Canadian soldiers are fighting your dirty war in Afghanistan?

[Willowcreek]

cowman- I'm not a Canada hater...You asked if the US- Canada could work towards getting things back to normal- Its my opinion they can never be...I guess I could lie to you and tell you I think it'll all be hunky dory in the next few weeks because thats what everyone wants to hear- but thats not what I see happening...

Like I said I am protectionist in some ways- but that is also the tone the American public is going toward- both Liberals and Conservatives...Many want to end the jobs and industry's movement overseas...

One of the biggest jokes locals were talking about this morning after the Presidents State of the Union speech was his comment "We want everyone to buy American"... But he won't allow his USDA to implement the M-COOL law so they know where their food was made or comes from.....LOL

The only reason I bring up the Canadian border rules is because of some arrogant Canucks that keep screaming that they have some kind of right, thru free trade agreements, for us to open the border to cattle...I like to remind them that Canada never in 10 years did open their side to fair and free trade...

Heres an interesting article that was written before your election...

http://www.registerguard.com/news/2006/01/15/ed.col.canada.0115.p1.php?section=opinion

[FRENCHMAN]

Tell me Ot do americans always sign trade agreements they don,t intend to keep..LOL

[FRENCHMAN]

We do need to ensure that not only the US border is monitored better than before but in addition we need to have a lot more vigilance on who is allowed to immigrate into Canada period. Allowing any terrorist suspect or anyone associated with terrorist activities into this county doesn't just pose a threat to the US.