Just in time for the first real snow. The calves look good and are eating well.
The cows (and the goofy buckskin) seem content. That pasture is snow covered now. It looks like a good start for next year’s irrigation water.
Sugar insists on coming with me. She isn’t much help, but she is good company.
This was taken two months ago. I’m sure that the autumn colors are long gone.
There is so much good in the worst of us,
And so much bad in the best of us,
That it hardly behooves any of us
To talk about the rest of us.
Edward Wallis Hoch, Marion (Kansas) Record
(1849 - 1925)
I arrived early to find out where I needed to be. I walked up the stairs and into the Governor’s office. I explained who I was and why I was there. The first gentleman I spoke with didn’t know what I was talking about. He made a phone call, and a second gentleman came out. That man asked me where Representative Malcolm was. I told him that I didn’t know, and I sat down to wait. Needing to pace, I returned to the hall. I found Craig and we went back to the waiting room. Sandy, Jim and the Malcolms were right behind us. Jennifer McKee introduced herself. Then we were led to a meeting room and introduced to the Governor. And yes, I did pet Jag.
During a lull in the meeting, I explained why I was there. I said that they could put away the calculators. I wasn’t discussing figures.
On the day before Thanksgiving, 2005 my husband, Allan was told that he probably had pancreatic cancer. He had been sick for months before being properly diagnosed. The Monday after Thanksgiving it was confirmed. Circumstances forced us to sell most of our cattle in February 2006. We still had our calves. Allan wanted to sell them at the NILE sale as he had always done. We chose to keep our heifers and I sold the steers a few days after Allan’s funeral. Later that spring I bought a few registered Black Angus low birth weight bulls. Two half brothers were specifically purchased for the heifers. I planned to breed and feed the heifers, and sell them the following year. I kept these girls at home and babied them along. Sandy called in January, 2007 expressing an interest in running the heifers on shares. It was a good idea then - and it would still be a good idea. This was not a major money making proposition for any of us. I was sad when we loaded up the heifers, but happy that I didn’t have to sell them. I knew that they were going to a good place. No one could foresee what happened in May.
There was (and still is) an information/disinformation overload. The media was treated to more information than the ranchers concerned. At the beginning of this fiasco, few knew that I was involved. This unfortunate position led to some interesting conversations. I was treated to gems of gossip, wild speculation and ridiculous rumors. I permitted people to flap their lips.
With all the players in this script since May, one would think that someone from one of the agencies involved would have been in touch with me. After reading an article in the Billings Gazette, I called APHIS to test my cows at home. Is this considered a rapid response? I was losing my herd because of their policy, and I had to contact them?
I understood on May 18th that I was losing my heifer pairs. I read the law. I am not the only person who questions the scientific basis of that law. If livestock considered exposed to brucellosis must be slaughtered, so be it. But wildlife considered exposed to brucellosis are not slaughtered. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist or an epidemiologist to see that this does not make sense.
What a difference between the response to the wildfires of this summer and this disaster. Neighbors traditionally rush to help one another. You always hear about the overwhelming response from the community. Elected officials manage to take the time from their busy schedules to visit the fire lines. They’re right in front of the cameras and microphones, promising aid, making disaster declarations.
Was this not a fire to be extinguished? It seems that it was put out on our backs. This should not have been about politics.
We should not have been caught in a pissing match between acronyms. A friend called it a turf war. I saw battle lines being drawn. People had their own agenda, and it was ugly.
The governor assured me that several universities are working on better vaccines. That is good, but it is not enough.
We need to make an effort to work together toward the eradication of this disease. We need communication between all parties involved and interested. All the acronyms, wildlife advocates, livestock owners, veterinarians, and people who have been through the aftermath of this disease in the past. Some of those scarred from brucellosis have responded to previous entries here. We need people who are willing to sit down and speak rationally.
I was in Helena for the first time in over twenty years. Unfortunately, it was for business. You’ll hear about that in a bit. I enjoyed the drive, but I enjoy driving. The winds near Livingston brought home a point that a friend recently made. He said that my car was as aerodynamic as a brick. I made it safe and sound.
I had a wonderful supper with the Sprout clan. Thanks! I twisted Craig’s arm (not too much) to attend the meeting with Governor Schweitzer the following day.
Yes, I’ll tell you about that later. . .
After the meeting, I thought that I’d wander around downtown. I found an antique store, but my cell phone kept ringing, and I’d walk outside to talk. I suppose that was a good thing.
Mike called to say that he was just getting into town. He, too, had business in the Capitol. We met for lunch, then continued on our not so merry ways.
That evening I caught up with Martha. I met Martha through our blogs and flickr pages. She is an incredible artist. Martha works in different mediums, with a wide range of subjects. Because we’d never met in real life - we got together at McDonald’s. Neither of us exhibited overt Lizzie Borden tendencies, and I suppose that we look relatively safe. In any case, we were comfortable enough with each other to go next door for a Mexican dinner. Thank You! We agreed that we need to get together again. How about a blogger bash somewhere in the middle? Maureen and I were unable to connect, so maybe next time. . .
The next morning I drove home - mostly in the rain. I stopped again at Three Forks for their great coffee and sandwiches.
A few miles outside of Red Lodge, I visited friends. The toaster started misbehaving when I left their house.
It is now in the shop for the same issue. Third time’s a charm, right?
I will be in Helena to meet with the Executive Branch. Does anyone have any questions (regarding brucellosis, please) that they’d like me to ask?
Mydland Bull #269 has the right idea. We are all so tired of the above 100 degree Fahrenheit temperatures for the last few weeks. The valley is buzzing with combines and swathers. The hay and the grain look wonderful. I wish that I could bottle up the scent of the alfalfa blooms for you all to enjoy.
Since she calved last year in September, we’ll call it an early calf. It’s a boy!
Bye girls. . .
Goodbye to my beautiful girls and their healthy calves. Goodbye to years of selective breeding. Goodbye to another thing that Allan and I struggled to build.
They’re calling this herd tainted. A misleading headline. The Morgans have six cows considered positive. Three of those are home raised, bangs vaccinated cows with healthy calves. The other three are Corriente cows that weren’t vaccinated before they purchased them. Those longhorns also have healthy calves on them. These six have been segregated since the test results.
We’ve been called “welfare ranchers”. The USDA budgeted 22% for Farm and Commodity programs in 2003 - 2006. 11% went to Conservation and Forestry. 6% was for Research, Inspection and Administration. 2% went to the Rural Development Program. 3% was for International Programs. The Domestic Food Assistance Programs took 56%.
We’ve been told that we should be happy, that the government is giving us money for our diseased animals. These cows are no more diseased than the brucellosis exposed bison which are permitted to live and return to Yellowstone Park. These cows are our private property that the government is taking.
These cattle are considered “exposed” to brucellosis. Federal law requires brucellosis exposed livestock to be slaughtered. Federal law does not require “exposed” wildlife to be slaughtered. How is this a scientific solution to the eradication of brucellosis? People were crying over moms and babies. That slaughter did not happen. Ranchers have been vilified as rabid, evil, wildlife haters. Maybe there are some extremist ranchers, but most ranchers enjoy all animals. I don’t appreciate having hundreds of deer in my haystacks, especially knowing that they are relatively recent arrivals to this part of the Clark’s Fork Valley. It makes me wonder about the free all you can eat wildlife buffet being served here.
How did all of this happen? Even with CSI Montana, it is doubtful the actual source will be found.
The original “hot cow” would have been on the Emigrant ranch at the time she contracted the brucella abortus organism. This was not from a bovine source, but another ungulate - elk. How did the elk get this? Probably from the bison.
I understand the history of brucellosis. I am well aware that this is a cattle disease, transmitted from livestock to wildlife. History repeats and reverses itself. Brucellosis is now transmitted from the bison to other wildlife. Every recent case of brucellosis in cattle in the Yellowstone area has had a common denominator - elk.
The writing was on the wall from Day One. We knew that our cattle were going to slaughter. If there was a procedure in place, it should have been followed. We should have been kept abreast of what was happening. I know that Montana has not gone through this in years. I understand that the focus was shifted from our livelihood to the icon of Yellowstone National Park.
We were left in the dark. We apparently were not on a “need to know” basis. My heifers were headed for slaughter. I was getting more information from the Billings Gazette than the agencies involved. I had to call the Feds, not the other way around. I took in the speculation and rumors. I read utter nonsense. We heard from folks crying about “what we were doing to the industry”. My father-in-law was yelled at by a “neighbor” complaining about what I was doing. He didn’t call me. The Industry didn’t come to anyone’s rescue. We were in the middle of political posturing. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I too, requested a sit down with the Executive Branch.
The slaughter of Jim and Sandy’s herd is not going to eradicate brucellosis. This is a political solution, not a scientific solution. A buffer zone around YNP is not going to solve the problem either. It would create new problems. Political problems, reaching far beyond the borders of the United States, not simply the “buffer zone”.
What is the solution? I don’t know, but I would like to see all parties involved putting their heads together to work toward trying to eradicate this disease. We need to protect and respect all of our resources. Farmers and ranchers make up a very small part of the United States population. Most of us would not be doing this if we didn’t love it. I know that these are beef cattle. I may not be a third generation Montanan like my late husband, but I understand that I am producing food. These cows were not for sale now. My heifers should have produced nine or ten more calves. Only then should they have been considered beef headed for slaughter. These calves should not be going to slaughter at this young age. They needed to continue getting their mother’s milk for quite some time. It isn’t going to happen.
Personally, I’d like to thank everyone who has been supportive the last few weeks. Your calls, messages, comments and emails have helped. Many of you didn’t understand what was going on. Don’t feel bad, neither did we. We’re all getting an education.
There are scarier things than disease:
Ignorance and arrogance
Taxes and capital gains
Stay tuned.
May your day be relaxing, safe and fun.
