CALF_News_August_September_2021

5 CALF News • August | September 2021 • www.calfnews.net Editor & Publisher Betty Jo Gigot | (620) 272-6862 National Account Manager Jessica Ebert | (785) 477-1941 Art Direction & Administration Kathie Bedolli, Lisa Bard Leslie McKibben | BluePrint Media Copy Editor Larisa Willrett | BluePrint Media Contributing Editor Walt Barnhart Contributing Editor Gilda Bryant Contributing Editor Blaine Davis Contributing Editor Brad Geiger Contributing Editor David MacKenzie Contributing Editor Chris McClure Contributing Editor Kelsey Pagel Contributing Editor Burt Rutherford Contributing Editor Larry Stalcup Contributing Editor LaRayne Topp Contributing Editor Will Verboven Contributing Editor Megan Webb, Ph.D. Contributing Editor Jim Whitt Contributing Editor Patti Wilson CALF News (ISSN 00077798) is published bimonthly for $40 per year by B.J. Publishing, 115 Wilcox Street, #1604 Castle Rock, CO 80104; (620) 272-6862 e-mail: bjgigot@calfnews.net Postmaster/Change of Address Send address changes to: BluePrint Media 2935 Little Salt Road Seward, Neb. 68434 (308) 440-8179 Please notify us of your change of address at least six weeks before the change. Include the address label from your latest issue. Give both your old and new full addresses. Please print legibly. Copyright 2021. B.J. Publishing CALF NEWS The Face of the Cattle Industry August | September 2021 Vol. 60 Issue 4 Published bimonthly by B.J. Publishing Gypsy Wagon From the Publisher F rom the ridiculous to the sublime is the only way to look at the cattle industry news right now. No need to vote on the ridiculous with the introduction of a bill by Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) that aims to end “factory farming.” The Farm System Reform Act supposedly addresses consolidation and unfair practices in animal agriculture. The act would force feedyards of more than 1,000 head to close by Jan. 1, 2040. It would authorize $100 bil- lion over 10 years to buy out those offending feedyards. It also would restore mandatory country-of-origin labeling of beef and pork. I can see all of you lining up right now for your share of the $100 billion. Also on the government agenda was President Biden’s newest executive order to promote competition in the American economy. I just have to quote Yogi Berra’s “It’s like deja vu all over again,” when I see the industry revisiting the 2010 GIPSA rule that, in my opinion then and now, takes us back to “all beef is the same,” and if I don’t get the same price with my cutter cow as you do for your Prime steer, I’ll just call my attorney. The removal of the harm-to-competition requirement, as a Kansas Livestock Association newsletter put it, “is an attempt to ensure equal outcomes instead of equal opportunities.” As the newsletter points out, “it is questionable whether the USDA can make such a proposal, as eight federal circuit courts of appeal have held that the [Packers and Stock- yards Act] requires a finding of harm to competition, and Congress has rejected amend- ments to make such a change to the act in the past.” On the bright side, the U.S. District Court in South Carolina dismissed a challenge to the Navigable Waters Protection Rule. I don’t know how you guys feel, but the “one step forward, two steps back” on those two issues is distressing. Onward is the word for the year here at my house, not cleaning out the back of the closet. Reports show that progress is being made on the National Cattlemen’s Beef Associa- tion voluntary industry plan to increase negotiated trade and price discovery. The four major packers have agreed to have their negotiated trade data analyzed weekly, which is good news in moving toward solutions that do not involve government mandates. Finally back on the road again, I had a delightful time revisiting Beef Empire Days in Garden City, Kan. I have been joining the fine cattle feeders of Kansas since the mid- 1990s at this old-fashioned celebration of feeding the world the best beef possible. An addition this year was the cook-off competition, and the photo is of me with son Marc and daughter-in-law Jackie, who were proud judges of the event. With all of the issues we face every day, how fun to just enjoy what Big Earl Brookover visualized all those years ago … honoring the people of agriculture, personally. My quote for this issue came from an amazing putt one of the golfers at the U.S. Open just made. The announcer said, “He’s got the guts of a burglar.” Kind of a requirement in this post-COVID period. Probably not politically correct, but I’m past caring. Last, on a very personal note, CALF News copy editor and best friend for decades, Larisa Willrett, is facing a life event head on. Her recent Facebook announcement read: “Over the years my family has supported the race for the cure for breast cancer in honor of my mother, a friend and so many others. Now I join that fight. I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, caught by my annual mammogram, and will undergo a partial mastectomy Continued on page 11 