The Morgans and the Malcolms have always had vaccination programs in place for their cattle. You are calling them idiotic for not vaccinating. They do vaccinate. Yes, the Morgans owned some Corriente cows. They were “bought cows”. Those cows were not bangs vaccinated before they purchased them. They cannot be vaccinated after reaching a certain age. You ask “How were they allowed to get away with that?”. It was and is perfectly legal - what exactly do you believe they got away with? Do some research and you’ll find that many cows in the state are not vaccinated. There were no laws blatantly ignored. My late husband insisted on a vaccination program, as do I. Many ranchers in Montana do not. Vaccinating for brucellosis is not mandatory in Montana. I have read and heard countless times since May that it is the law. That simply is not true. It is only a requirement if you are selling cattle out of state. There will be a few cows in most herds without a readable tattoo, she will not be able to be sold outside Montana, either.

I have “neighbors” who do not bangs vaccinate their heifers. I have “neighbors” who do not vaccinate or worm their cattle. I have “neighbors” who might feed their cattle one mineral/salt block a year - whether they need it or not.

Two years ago, during beet harvest, I left a message for a neighbor. I had seen one of my heifer calves in with some of his cattle. I gave him her tag number and asked that he keep an eye out for her. He runs cattle in Montana and Wyoming. On another Lovell parts run I spotted her again. I called and told him about her that time. Later that fall, Allan spoke with him, too. Shortly after that we ended up living at the hospital. Jim and Sandy did return a stray pair of ours at that time, but we never did find out what happened to Orange tag #14. These things can happen to us small operators as well as the big guys. Allan and I returned many strays to their owners. Can you say “Open Range”? Sarpy’s calves had a happy ending. We consistently “lost” one black bull every year from 2000 until 2004. We never found as much as a bone.

Last November, I received a call from a neighbor that he had one of my pairs. How could that be? My cattle were at home. He is just north of the Wyoming state line. Remember Orange tag #14? She was all grown up and with her new daughter. Obviously not bangs vaccinated, since she survived in the hills on her own. And much too late now. This is simply an explanation on how a herd with a vaccination plan in place can have some cattle that fall outside that plan.

The original “hot cow” was a bangs vaccinated Black Angus. It has been proven that the strain of brucellosis she had was not from a bovine source.

We know that the bison are not passing this disease to livestock.

The test for brucellosis requires a blood sample. This sample is checked. If there is a questionable reading there can be three subsequent tests done on that sample.

The other six cows that tested “positive” - were only considered “positive” because of subsequent testing. Those numbers would not have been considered positive normally. They were called “positive” because they had been exposed to the original hot cow.

They included three bangs vaccinated Black Angus, and three Corrientes that were not vaccinated. They were healthy cows with strong calves.

Will you update your site? Get new cows?

Take care — and keep in touch.

My meeting about my VA disability fight went much the same at Reberg’s office - more of the same they are working on it! So IF I can hang on I may be able to keep my house and belongings but then again maybe not. As in all government the wheels turn OH so SLOWLY.

However I doubt Karen will give up and I surely will not either.

Except for the ugly American part, thanks.

The only know transmitters back to cattle is elk which are repeatedly documented to transmit.

The biggest brucellosis breeding pit in the world is the elk feedlots in Wyoming.

Cattle and bison grazed in the same pastures for forty years in Grand Teton National Park and there was not a single incident of transmission from bison to cattle.

If anyone doubts this, and actually has documented proof that bison can transmit then you are the person that Montana’s Department of Livestock has been looking for for ten years - because it doesn’t exist.

Brucellosis goes around and around in the Yellowstone ecosystem but the blame for this disease is continually not put where it belongs: on the introduction of European cattle in the region and on the elk feedlots but the blame, in that circle, miraculously stops at the one species that competes with cattle for grass and in Gallatin National Forest, a forest created as migratory territory for Yellowstone animals in the winter, wildlife is continuously chased off and killed to make room for welfare ranchers.

Take your cow cult and split; stop making the ecology suffer for your own lack of willingness to adapt to your environment. You are the ugly Americans that embarrass us all abroad.

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Hang in there!