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Look Out Montana

elwapo

Well-known member
The Canadian dollar went over par with the green back yesterday. They are going to need a four lane highway going to the wildhorse border crossing! Oldtimer you will have to go back to work to protect your state from the northern invaders.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
elwapo said:
The Canadian dollar went over par with the green back yesterday. They are going to need a four lane highway going to the wildhorse border crossing! Oldtimer you will have to go back to work to protect your state from the northern invaders.

Its back under now again today--$.999 :wink:
I'll have to buy up and reopen one of those border town bars that all closed up when the Canuck money flopped...Make my fortune :wink: :lol:

Barowner friend of mine has several thousand dollars in Canadian-- that he picked up at a little over $.50 on the dollar over the years-- including a Canadian $1000 bill- which he says is no longer even printed...Lots of quarters -which the local banks had refused to take.. I talked to him the other day- and he said he was going to wait awhile longer before cashing in....Said he's hanging on to the $1000 bill tho..
 

elwapo

Well-known member
oldtimer
maybe you all can convert those California cappuccino bars back to the good ol saloons us Canadians like to swill beer in.
 

PORKER

Well-known member
9/20/2007 1:24:00
Disease brings restriction on transport of Montana sheep

By SUSAN GALLAGHER
Associated Press Writer

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - A potentially fatal sheep disease spread by gnats has triggered a quarantine in eastern Montana, preventing ranchers from moving their animals at a time of year when lambs are shipped out, often to Colorado feedlots.

State veterinarian Marty Zaluski's order this week prohibits any transportation of sheep that are in 16 of Montana's 56 counties. The disease bluetongue has been confirmed in tests from eight flocks in six counties and is suspected in hundreds of sheep, said Lisa Schmidt, spokeswoman for the Montana Department of Livestock.

The main consequence of the quarantine is that ranchers must now feed sheep they assumed would be gone, and producers without available pasture may have to buy hay, said Rodney Kott, a Montana State University sheep specialist who has not seen a bluetongue outbreak in the state since he joined the university nearly 30 years ago.

"The unusual thing about this situation is that this is the farthest north that this disease has been reported," said Larry Cooper, spokesman for the federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in Fort Collins, Colo. Because of Montana's relatively cool climate, the gnats that spread bluetongue have been uncommon in the state, ranked fifth in the nation for sheep production.

The quarantine is in effect until Oct. 10. Officials expect cold weather to eliminate gnats by then.

"We expect a killing frost by Oct. 9 and that should reduce the risk of spreading bluetongue significantly," Zaluski said in a statement.

Mary Jane Beadle of the Roundup area north of Billings said Thursday that the apparently healthy sheep operation in which she is a partner has dozens of lambs that should have been gone by now. Pasture is available and so is water, but the supply is running low at this time of year, Beadle said.

"We have feed, but it's time to sell the lambs," said Beadle, whose Rambouillet and Targhee sheep usually are trucked to Public Auction Yards in Billings around this time. Whether the quarantine affects prices the livestock draw later remains to be seen, she said.

"Usually they go down when people start bringing a lot into the market," said Beadle, a third-generation sheep producer.

Public Auction Yards held its weekly sheep sale Monday but will not hold another until the quarantine ends, spokesman Pat Goggins said. The number of sheep passing through the stockyard annually varies between about 90,000 and 150,000, Goggins said.

The quarantine is unlikely to affect the domestic supply of lamb for dinner tables, Kott said. Once the quarantine ends, lambs likely will be shipped out of the state and the rate at which they grow can be controlled in anticipation of slaughter at the usual time this winter, he said.

Although bluetongue can be fatal, it is possible for sheep to recover from it, Schmidt said. Symptoms of the disease include fever, sores, weakness and loss of wool.

The disease was confirmed earlier this month in one antelope and one one-tailed deer in Montana, and is suspected in the deaths of several hundred deer and antelope, according to the state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Bluetongue is not a risk to human health, the agency said.


Zaluski's quarantine expands one he imposed last week in Musselshell County, which includes Roundup and is one of the 16 covered by the new order. The others are Big Horn, Carter, Carbon, Custer, Fallon, Fergus, Garfield, Golden Valley, Petroleum, Powder River, Prairie, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure and Yellowstone.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press.
 

QUESTION

Well-known member
I thought OT said Bluetongue isn't a problem , his butt must be hurting from this bite. Man maybe the canadian border should be closed to US beef the disease could be spread it is a health issue. Montana producers shouldn't be able to export and animals that could carry bluetongue until they can prove there are no carriers in montana. Afterall it is about the safety of the health of the Canadian cowherd. We wouldn't want diseased US animals contaminating our herds. Does any of this sound familiar OT. Makes the decision to lower canadian standards allowing for the importation of more US animals based on US science look hasty. Or was the science from r-calf? :lol: :roll:
 

elwapo

Well-known member
oldtimer

.... What makes this similar, but still different to the Canadian Anaplas/Blue Tongue rule is that Canada grouped ALL US cattle in one group-- and said "ALL US cattle are diseased" (no matter if they ran a fence apart from Canadian cattle)

.... Your flat wrong there Rod-- the US did have restrictions and quarantines on certain states-- But Canada lumped ALL US cattle into one bunch and said ALL US cattle are diseased- even those running side by side with Canuck cows-- a rule that every US Vet and scientist said was idiotic...But most down here saw it for what it was- an artificial trade barrier from a country that did not want FAIR trade....

.... Yep Rod -Big difference...Anaplas/Bluetongue is found in only a small part of the US- affects only cattle and sheep

.... I will never forget that Canadians said that cows running fenceline apart from Canuck cows were ALL DISEASED

.... If I remember correct, part of the argument Canadian producers used for years for the Anaplas/Blue Tongue 10+ years border closure was to protect the health and economic viability of the Canadian cattle and sheep industry...

.... We know--we lived with the Anaplas/Blue tongue rule and Canadians calling ALL US cattle diseased for years

.... I also remember they (R-CALF) filed complaints against Canada because they used trade barriers to restrict ALL US cattle from going north with their Anaplas/Blue tongue restrictions .....

.... except they still haven't dropped all the Blue tongue restrictions

.... Canada dropped its phony Anaplas/Blue tongue trade barriers against ALL US cattle
 
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Anonymous

Guest
QUESTION said:
I thought OT said Bluetongue isn't a problem , his butt must be hurting from this bite. Man maybe the canadian border should be closed to US beef the disease could be spread it is a health issue. Montana producers shouldn't be able to export and animals that could carry bluetongue until they can prove there are no carriers in montana. Afterall it is about the safety of the health of the Canadian cowherd. We wouldn't want diseased US animals contaminating our herds. Does any of this sound familiar OT. Makes the decision to lower canadian standards allowing for the importation of more US animals based on US science look hasty. Or was the science from r-calf? :lol: :roll:

Rodney Kott, a Montana State University sheep specialist who has not seen a bluetongue outbreak in the state since he joined the university nearly 30 years ago.

Canada has had outbreaks of Blue Tongue as late as 1999- 8 years ago-- so don't go crowing too loud....

Mr. Kott just verifies what I said-- it was a disease we just hadn't seen...When you get your BSE problem down to the point you ain't found one in 30 years- then you can crow...

Also the F&G boys believe that a lot of the deer death down there in the southern part of the state is actually EHD and not Blue Tongue....
 

QUESTION

Well-known member
OT the outbreak in 99 was in the Okanogan Valley in BC was traced back to animals imported from the US that were supposed to be clear of BT. But nice try though. Mr. Kott hasn't seen positive cases for nearly 30 years. What is that 21 or 29 years? And he hasn't seen BT but it could still have been in montana. But because of climate it is not usual it isn't the first thing thought of. Maybe try spreading more disimformation OT, Better luck next time .
 
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Anonymous

Guest
QUESTION said:
OT the outbreak in 99 was in the Okanogan Valley in BC was traced back to animals imported from the US that were supposed to be clear of BT. But nice try though. Mr. Kott hasn't seen positive cases for nearly 30 years. What is that 21 or 29 years? And he hasn't seen BT but it could still have been in montana. But because of climate it is not usual it isn't the first thing thought of. Maybe try spreading more disimformation OT, Better luck next time .

The Okanogan Valley has had a history of and testing program for BT going back to 1969!!!!!!!!!!
 

QUESTION

Well-known member
OT partially correct more disimformation . Yes BT has been in the valley that long BUT due to geological isolation and a finite game population. It seems BT keeps getting in from imported livestock from the US. And the animals that seem to get sick first are the US imports. Notice since more stingent rules were put in by the CFIA for the import of animals there from the US there hasn't been another animal positive for BT. Oh yeah OT, Canada was being UNFAIR the truth is the CFIA got burned by the US and implemented more stingent rules. I am sure you are going to twist the facts again or go on some obtuse rant or ignore what has been said or done on here but enjoy your isolated little world.
 

elwapo

Well-known member
do we still have import restrictions during vector season?
Do animals still have to be tested before they are imported?
 
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Anonymous

Guest
elwapo said:
do we still have import restrictions during vector season?
Do animals still have to be tested before they are imported?

OTTAWA, July 10, 2006 – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has revised its import policy, based on an updated scientific risk analysis, to eliminate current bluetongue-related control measures for cattle, sheep and other ruminants imported from the United States.

Bluetongue can affect wild and domestic ruminant animals but does not pose any human health risk. CFIA animal health experts have determined that the potential for bluetongue to spread in Canada, both in livestock and wildlife, is very limited. The insect that spreads the disease is not present in eastern Canada and has been shown to have a poor capacity to spread the disease in western Canada. Furthermore, climatic conditions limit potential transmission to only a short period each year, within a restricted geographic region.

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/newcom/2006/20060710e.shtml
 

elwapo

Well-known member
oldtimer
We have virtually the same climate here as Montana so why is it spreading there, but will not here?
sound like a political move to me!
 
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Anonymous

Guest
elwapo said:
oldtimer
We have virtually the same climate here as Montana so why is it spreading there, but will not here?
sound like a political move to me!

Its not spreading up here...I darn sure ain't worried up here about that-- took until 10:00 for the frost to clear from the windshields-- only thing I'm wondering about today is when the snow will fly :???:
 

PORKER

Well-known member
Montana lifts Quarantine
Story Published: Oct 3, 2007 at 8:07 PM MDT

Story Updated: Oct 3, 2007 at 8:07 PM MDT
By The Associated Press
HELENA - Sheep producers in 16 eastern Montana counties can move their animals to sale yards or elsewhere, now that a quarantine is over.
The Montana Department of Livestock ended the quarantine Wednesday. That's six days earlier than announced when it was imposed last month, because of the disease bluetongue. State veterinarian Marty Zaluski says cold weather that kills gnats has reduced the risk of those insects further spreading the disease.
Department of Livestock spokeswoman Lisa Schmidt has said bluetongue is suspected of killing hundreds of Montana sheep, and sickening hundreds of others.
Last month, it was confirmed in tests from eight flocks in six Montana counties.
One big effect of the quarantine is that it restricted movement of sheep to sale yards at a time of year when ranchers expect to sell their lambs.
The quarantine was imposed in one Montana county on September 10th, and extended to 15 others on the 20th.
 
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