JHL RANCH

THE PLAINS TRUTH

COOL - Country Of Origin Labeling is in it’s preliminary setup period. Yes, there will be some concerns as in any new program. Yes, it involves our government reaching further into the beef industry. But it doesn’t take too much reading to understand that John Q and Susie Public are becoming more aware and more interested in their food’s safety. Go to a third world country and you will quickly become aware how safe the food is in the United States.

Besides allowing customers a choice of whether they want American born, raised and processed meat COOL also can provide accountability to the meat industry. It can help keep our country’s non-imported food supply free from disease. Dysentery is a leading cause of malaise and lack of productivity in many countries. Dysentery, cholera and other infectious diseases many times are passed along the food chain. The USA will probably continue to be less prone to these diseases because warmer climates are much more conducive to bacterial growth. But America also has other advantages such as refrigeration, clean water and modern sanitary systems for handling foods. COOL can help insure the safety of our product.

Tracking foods is not unusual in the world. Japan, and countries in Europe already are tracking from the farm to the retail establishment.

SHOULD PACKERS OWN CATTLE BEFORE THEY ARE HARVESTED?

Allowing packers to own cattle definitely makes it more convenient for the staff at the packing plant and allows their production to be smoothed out (good news for their stockholders).

Is there a downside?

The downside is only for the 800,000 individual cattle producers who are not a part of the corporate system. Who, because of the sheer numbers it takes to provide meat to the American consumer, has little leverage on the prices they receive.

As this picture points out it doesn’t take much of a stopper at the major bottleneck point (packing plant) to back up all comers into the market and affect the prices at that point in time.

Is there another industry where so few have the potential to control so much and so many at such a crucial point in time? There is no one else who has invested two and one-half years in a product that will arrive at a ready point that won’t wait – to face prices that are potentially manipulated. You may say "what about grain". Farmers plant in the spring, harvest in the fall and have storage options. How did the packers ever do without ownership before?

Moderation in all things.

Choose what fits your state of health, age, lifestyle and genetic make-up.

BEEF – IT’S FOR HEALTHY PEOPLE

COWBOY’S GUIDE TO COMPUTERS:
(So you didn’t think cowboys knew what computers were. Shame on you.)

• MODEM - what you did in the hayfield
• KEYBOARD - where you hang your keys
• WINDOWS - what to shut down when it’s 30 below
• WINDOWS XP - what you call windows in a sports car
• LOG ON - what to put on the stove before installing Windows
• HARD DRIVE - getting home during January
• DOWNLOAD - getting the firewood out of the pickup
• MEGAHERTZ - what you get if you’re not careful downloading
• MICROCHIPS - what calves leave in the pasture
• CRASH - what you do after you receive your accountant’s bill for your tax return
• COMPUTER - what you say when calling your dog, "Puter" to dinner
• BYTE - what "Puter" does if you don’t feed him

There seems to be a lot of city folks who are a first and second generation removed from the "country" wanting to move back to the "country"…….At the same time there are a lot of "country" folks who want to remain removed from the city. All of this seems to make the word "country" a moving target. What does living in the "country" mean? Here are a few cream of the crop "country definitions" if you have others please share………….

You know you are in the country when:

• …it’s too far to drive to have a meal out...
  (the corollary is when taking your wife out it means to the church buffet)
• ...the neighbors are too far away to hear their dogs barking
• ...you can drive all the way home at night without having to dim your lights
• ...everyone you pass on the road waves

and NOW for the main event:
COW TIPPING

What a conversation starter. Whether you are city or country, the subject of cow tipping starts conversations. In researching this subject it has been a great ice-breaker and a great opportunity to introduce people to the "country".

Before we get into the ever popular parsing of words (exactly what is the definition of the word "is"?) let’s lay-out a common definition of what is meant by cow tipping:

DEFINITION: Cow tipping is when a cow is toppled (tipped over) by a person. (The popular thought is that this happens when cows are sleeping.)

If you will allow me to introduce you to some cows I know of it might lend to your understanding of their natural abilities:

• Cows from the mountains able to defend their baby calves against predators such as mountain lions, timber wolves and bears.
• Cows who are able to run 30 miles per hour.
• Cows weighing more than 1500 pounds (equivalent to five NFL linemen!)
• Cows whose owners take extreme care and pride to ensure their cow’s ability to produce at their maximum.

The cows I am familiar with mostly sleep lying down. Mostly they spend their time free roaming large pastures (large enough to run ME down if I messed with her mind). Why would I even think of tipping a cow who is nursing our end product, a calf. After all, we get paid by pounds we’ve produced. We want that calf to be as large as she can raise it to be. A falling 1500 pound cow could get injured (or injure me). If she gets injured what about her ability to raise next year’s calf? We have a major investment in her. She is our factory.

Could you sneak up on a cow? Possibly. But there are too many reasons not to do it (see above).

Could you tip her over? Possibly. It would be an act like vandalism.

As I already said cow-tipping is a great conversation piece. I have not talked to anyone in the cattle business admitting to having tipped a cow. So I guess that does leave the window (or for the cow: gate) open that it may occur somewhere, someplace and sometime.