CALF_News_April_May_2021

28 CALF News • April | May 2021 • www.calfnews.net By Larry Stalcup Contributing Editor I f you use a computer or tablet, you’ve probably sent Microsoft mogul Bill Gates money in one way or another. He oversaw the birth of Word and Excel, key in most of our lives. But despicably, the Silicon Valley sultan has a plan that indirectly steals more money from cattle producers. He’s spread- ing spam that rich countries “should move to 100 percent synthetic beef.” “A big problem that has come out of COVID is it gave AOC [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.], Bill Gates and fake meat a voice for their agenda,” said Damian Mason, long-time beef industry friend and reboot emcee.“They use media and misinformation to drive an agenda.” Gates, either the world’s richest person or close to it, is a publicized investor in fake meat companies Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods. He stated in an interview for the MIT Technol- ogy Review, “synthetic alternatives [like plant-based burgers] will be required” to help in solving the climate disaster. When asked about agriculture’s role in promoting climate change, Gates said, “In terms of livestock, it’s very difficult. … So no, I don’t think the poorest 80 countries will be eating synthetic meat. “I do think all rich countries should move to 100 percent synthetic beef. You can get used to the taste difference, and the claim is they’re going to make it taste even better over time.” That was horse hockey to the conven- tion’s cattlemen and women, including NCBA officers and staff members. Jerry Bohn, long-time Kansas cattle feeder and new NCBA president, said producers know Gates’ claims are BS. “The reality is we know cattle can be a part of the solution,” he said. “We know that pasture and rangeland, through proper management, can actually reduce the amount of carbon and more than offset the short-lived methane emissions of our cattle.” A Beef With Bill Bill Gates' Call for '100% Synthetic Beef' Blasted at Cattle Industry Convention Winter Reboot His bad-beef blabber is in the name of saving the planet. It stoked the flames of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Associa- tion (NCBA), and producers and feeders nationwide – those already fed up with deceptive claims that cattle production promotes excessive greenhouse gases. It escalated during the recent virtual “Reboot” of the Cattle Industry Conven- tion and NCBA Trade Show. Industry leaders followed up after the convention with further takes on Gates and his new book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster. NCBA policymaking, COVID-19 and a pasture full of other issues were also discussed. Bill Gates. Photo from abs-cbn.com Jerry Bohn, NCBA president “The beef industry has achieved sustainability without the EPA and Bill Gates telling us what to do.” – NCBA CEO Colin Woodall NCBA staffers further discussed attacks on beef production during the convention’s Washington, D.C.-Beltway update. “The beef industry has achieved [environmentally friendly] sustainability without the EPA and Bill Gates tell- ing us what to do,” said Colin Woodall, NCBA CEO. “We produce more beef with fewer cattle. We know that without good soil, water and air we don't have a cattle industry.” Danielle Beck, NCBA senior execu- tive director of government affairs and so-called “fake meat queen,” said the association’s goal of obtaining true meat labeling at the meat counter is advancing. Fake meat “truly needs to be differenti- ated” from beef, she explained. “We are prepared to engage on labeling but there is a lot of work to do.” Kaitlynn Glover, NCBA executive director, public lands council and natural