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this can,t be true.. can it?

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Mad Max

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Tuesday, March 8
today's lesson: the boys who cried beef
I draw your attention to an interesting and insightful editorial decrying the protectionist efforts of Montana cattle producers' organization R-CALF. It was published on Sunday, several days after a federal judge issued a temporary injunction keeping the U.S. border closed to imports of live young Canadan cattle, but obviously written before that ruling and with a view towards the possibility of R-CALF finagling a permanent closure of the border.



R-CALF has actually issued and called on its members to distribute - I'm not making this up - a "Safety Alert Fact Sheet" to consumers, grocery store managers, butchers, public health officials and elected officials across the U.S. They've already sent it to elected officials and health departments. Why? To make sure consumers believe that Canadian beef can give them BSE. R-CALF's belief is that if they can get consumers panicked about Canadian beef, they can generate pressure on USDA to rescind the Canadian Final Rule due to go into effect March 7. Then, when panicked consumers find out Canadian boxed beef has been entering the country for months, they can protect themselves by not eating any beef in the U.S. at all until mandatory COOL [country-of-origin labeling] is implemented, according to R-CALF's wishes.

Emphasis mine. Sounds like a scorched-earth policy, hm?


What it boils down to is this: R-CALF is engaged in a high stakes poker game. The stakes are not just R-CALF's $800,000 a year legal affairs budget. They are gambling your money - if you are at all involved anywhere in the beef chain - that they can scare consumers enough to help them achieve their political goals of cutting off beef imports. To them, risking consumer confidence in beef, indeed, risking the future of the whole industry, is a bet they are willing to make, Texas hold'em style, with all their money - and all yours.

They're not only betting everything, they are trying to fill an inside straight. Because they are gambling that if they destroy consumer confidence, if they create a "mad cow" scare and stop the beef market cold, that it will be temporary and they can re-start it later on whenever they want to do so. Such thinking is not only inconceivably, but unbelievably reckless. It is demonstrative of the naiveté of these people who apparently know so little of consumer habits, beef demand and the struggle of the last 30 years to turn this industry around at the consumer level. They evidently imagine that there are magical control valves somewhere to turn demand and consumer confidence in beef safety off and on.

"Magical control valves" ... ha.


The bottom line is that if R-CALF fails in its quest to block Canadian cattle imports, they have stated unequivocally that U.S. consumers should avoid eating beef purchased at U.S. grocery stores unless they wish to risk getting "mad cow" disease. If the USDA goes ahead with implementing the Final Rule on March 7 ... any consumer ignorant of the facts who reads R-CALF's Safety Alert sheet, with its inaccurate information and ridiculous scare tactics, would avoid beef totally.

If R-CALF's lawsuit is successful and the border reopening is delayed, another genie's bottle is uncorked. Any number of R-CALF's misleading, exaggerated and inaccurate conjectures in its legal filing could be quoted in the court's ruling, giving more credence and broad media coverage to such scare statements in the general media. And just as many people feel courts should not be making laws; legal briefs throwing everything attorneys can think of against the wall is not the proper and accurate way to establish scientific fact.

And if the curiosity of consumers is aroused and they read R-CALF's other ridiculous statements about beef's supposed continual "health risks to U.S. consumers," disaster could result.

Frankly, I cannot believe there are 12,000 R-CALF members out there who approve of such reckless brinkmanship with their livelihood. If they are concerned about this high stakes poker game with their life on the line, we suggest they get control of their leadership and its attorneys. This is not about turf. This is about survival of an industry.

No one I'm aware of in America is doing more to try to wreck the beef industry than R-CALF is right now.

Again, emphases throughout are mine.

The author? Steve Dittmer, writing for Cattlenetwork.com which is published by The Agribusiness Freedom Foundation which "promotes free market principles throughout the agricultural food chain."

The AFF is headquartered in Platte City, Missouri. That's right, Missouri, as in "midwestern United States". (A red state, even.) This is not the opinion of a disgruntled Alberta feedlot operator, it's the unvarnished frustration of a pro-free market organization vexed by the "unbelievably reckless" actions of fellow Americans.
 
:oops: :oops: :cry: :cry: :cry:
as a montanan myself, i am so very confused....gonna go talk to the hubby and see if i can make sense of this whole mess :???: :???:
 
ranchwife said:
:oops: :oops: :cry: :cry: :cry:
as a montanan myself, i am so very confused....gonna go talk to the hubby and see if i can make sense of this whole mess :???: :???:

I don,t understand either... really don,t want to believe such a thing.
 
Frankly, I cannot believe there are 12,000 R-CALF members out there who approve of such reckless brinkmanship with their livelihood. If they are concerned about this high stakes poker game with their life on the line, we suggest they get control of their leadership and its attorneys. This is not about turf. This is about survival of an industry.

The leadership(?) at R-CALF is like the 14 year old who got in his older brothers souped-up Corvette. He doesn't know how to drive, but he goes fast.
 
Oldtimer said:
frenchie said:
Hmmm .. no comment from R-calf crowd....I,d be ashamed too.

Frenchie--Are you and Mad Max roomies :???:

:lol: :lol: :lol: Too funny...Very good OT keep dodgeing the issues.See you in court MTFR
Oldtimer did you and Bill Bullard have your brain removal surgery at the same time?
 
It's an editorial, sounds like it was written by a Canuck, you can put all the stock in the world in it but I put NONE. Like I said I'd be willing to bet $100 than you Canucks won't get a dime out of R-Calf. Buck up to the bar eh!

The objective is not really to get any money from R-CALF, they're running in the red. The objective is to get the money out of the people who are members of R-CALF. Good Luck.
 
Hat said:
frenchie said:
Hmmm .. no comment from R-calf crowd....I,d be ashamed too.

It's an editorial, sounds like it was written by a Canuck, you can put all the stock in the world in it but I put NONE. Like I said I'd be willing to bet $100 than you Canucks won't get a dime out of R-Calf. Buck up to the bar eh!

Boy heres a real winner.A real momma,s boy.
 
Do some reasearch on the Agribusiness Freedom Foundation. You'll find that the "foundation" is a one-man show (Dittmer) that has a vendetta against R-CALF. Go back and read all of his articles. After you read them all, you shouldn't have much question in your mind as to how much credibilty you will give him and his writing.
 
Sandhusker said:
Do some reasearch on the Agribusiness Freedom Foundation. You'll find that the "foundation" is a one-man show (Dittmer) that has a vendetta against R-CALF. Go back and read all of his articles. After you read them all, you shouldn't have much question in your mind as to how much credibilty you will give him and his writing.

truth hurts don,t it if you can,t disprove him , you dismiss him.Typical R- calf move.
 
Hat said:
frenchie said:
Sandhusker said:
Do some reasearch on the Agribusiness Freedom Foundation. You'll find that the "foundation" is a one-man show (Dittmer) that has a vendetta against R-CALF. Go back and read all of his articles. After you read them all, you shouldn't have much question in your mind as to how much credibilty you will give him and his writing.

truth hurts don,t it if you can,t disprove him , you dismiss him.Typical R- calf move.

Poor baby, cry a little more! :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

Should ,nt you be somewhere mommas boy ..like elementary school :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
Cmon you French Fairy put your money where your mouth is $100 says you won't get a dime. If your so sure you'll win, you'll take the bet.

Why would I take your money when I can have all those funny looking LonghornxHolstein cattle of yours instead. We'll be down shortly to pick up the deeds to your land. Good Luck.
 
Hat said:
Cmon you French Fairy put your money where your mouth is $100 says you won't get a dime. If your so sure you'll win, you'll take the bet.

Going to borrow that from your dad ..mommas boy.
 
Hat said:
SASH said:
Cmon you French Fairy put your money where your mouth is $100 says you won't get a dime. If your so sure you'll win, you'll take the bet.

Why would I take your money when I can have all those funny looking LonghornxHolstein cattle of yours instead. We'll be down shortly to pick up the deeds to your land. Good Luck.

You say R-Calf lies but then you pull crap like this out of your butt that has absolutely no basis. I guess the US cattlemen should start a lawsuit against the Canadian producers for the closure of our export markets as the result of a Canadian cow.

I guess we'll see on April 11th. Better start liquidating those assets now. we prefer cash.
 
Hat said:
SASH said:
Cmon you French Fairy put your money where your mouth is $100 says you won't get a dime. If your so sure you'll win, you'll take the bet.

Why would I take your money when I can have all those funny looking LonghornxHolstein cattle of yours instead. We'll be down shortly to pick up the deeds to your land. Good Luck.

You say R-Calf lies but then you pull crap like this out of your butt that has absolutely no basis. I guess the US cattlemen should start a lawsuit against the Canadian producers for the closure of our export markets as the result of a Canadian cow.

Thats a hell of a good idea and while your at it,why don,t you sue the feed mill..Which used American Feed ingredients
 
Hat said:
SASH said:
Hat said:
You say R-Calf lies but then you pull crap like this out of your butt that has absolutely no basis. I guess the US cattlemen should start a lawsuit against the Canadian producers for the closure of our export markets as the result of a Canadian cow.

I guess we'll see on April 11th. Better start liquidating those assets now. we prefer cash.



What is the name of the group that is suing R-Calf?

Fair Market Beef
 

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