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Ranchers start last roundup of tainted cows
Billings Gazette ^ | July 14, 2007 | Laura Tode

Posted on 07/14/2007 10:58:14 AM PDT by Montana Headlines

Ordinarily, a roundup on the Morgan ranch would happen in the fall.

Jim and Sandy Morgan, along with Sandy's parents, Connie and Bruce Malcolm, and perhaps a few neighbors, would head into the hills behind the red butte south of Bridger and bring in the cows and their calves.

They would trail behind the cows and check out the bulky calves, admiring the traits for which their Black Angus herd is known.

But this week, the roundup came early, at the end of a two-month ordeal that began with the discovery that seven of the Morgans' cows had brucellosis, a contagious disease that causes cows to abort their calves.

......

If the state condemned the herd, the Morgans would have received no compensation.

"We expected their help; instead, they treated it like it was all our fault," Sandy said.

APHIS began negotiations by offering the Morgans $394,000 for the herd, while the Morgans estimated that the herd was worth closer to $740,000.

Earlier this week, the Morgans asked for $567,000, the average of four appraisals. Thursday, with the deadline for slaughter just four days away, they accepted an offer of $423,000.

Jim Morgan said that wouldn't cover the cost of replacing the herd.

"Everything we did was not to get rich, but just to stay alive," he said.

(Excerpt) Read more at billingsgazette.net ...


TOPICS: Government; US: Montana
KEYWORDS: agriculture; brucellosis; cool; environment; foodsafety; foodsupply; govwatch; montana; nais; ranching
Further commentary at Montana Headlines, here and here.

An example of heavy-handed government intervention without adequate compensation to those affected. The state government would ultimately condemn the herd if the deadline arrived, in order to preserve the state's brucellosis-free status.

But the federal government was responsible for compensating the family for its losses, since Yellowstone National Park is the reservoir of brucellosis -- in its bison -- a reservoir of infection that the feds have shown no real interest in attempting to address.

The ranching community in Montana is overwhelmingly Republican -- which may explain the seeming absence of intervention by our currently Democrat-dominated elected officials in Montana.

But that may be mere cynicism.

The fact that all of this is an esoteric issue to most people didn't help. For those interested in learning more, read the article and follow the links.

1 posted on 07/14/2007 10:58:16 AM PDT by Montana Headlines
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To: fieldmarshaldj; Wally_Kalbacken; acapesket; george76; timer; tinamina; Clintonfatigued; WOSG; ...

Freepmail to be added or removed from this Montana Headlines pinglist.


2 posted on 07/14/2007 11:00:57 AM PDT by Montana Headlines (No, we won't let let Montana become a "blue state")
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To: Montana Headlines; Abram; akatel; albertp; AlexandriaDuke; Alexander Rubin; Allosaurs_r_us; ...
"According to APHIS regulations, the herd must be slaughtered 60 days from the day the disease is detected."





Libertarian ping! To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here.
3 posted on 07/14/2007 11:24:03 AM PDT by traviskicks (http://www.neoperspectives.com/Ron_Paul_2008.htm)
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To: traviskicks
Can't say I see a problem with this.

It's not the governments job to reimburse this family. It's the cost of doing the type of business they do. Insurance should be what pays for it.
4 posted on 07/14/2007 11:52:52 AM PDT by ndt
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To: ndt

Yea, I don’t see why they should receive a cent from the state. I also don’t see why the state should mandate the destruction of the herd. Just, IMO.


5 posted on 07/14/2007 11:58:31 AM PDT by traviskicks (http://www.neoperspectives.com/Ron_Paul_2008.htm)
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To: traviskicks
I also don’t see why the state should mandate the destruction of the herd.

Didja know it can be passed to humans?

6 posted on 07/14/2007 12:08:23 PM PDT by woofer (Some strive to soar like an eagle, but weasels never get sucked into jet engines.)
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To: traviskicks
"Yea, I don’t see why they should receive a cent from the state. I also don’t see why the state should mandate the destruction of the herd. Just, IMO."

In the case of a disease like brucellosis, it is so infectious that the situation is a little like the TB guy that's in quarantine. Not limiting it would be so immediately devastating to the community that I have to agree that it is a valid govenment role to prevent it's spread.

I don't know why this type of scenario is not covered by insurance though. If it raises the price of beef, so be it. Otherwise we are essentially eating subsidized beef. You pay for it one way or the other.
7 posted on 07/14/2007 12:12:43 PM PDT by ndt
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To: Montana Headlines
Hi. I'm not from Montana, but I thought all cows had taints.
8 posted on 07/14/2007 12:44:46 PM PDT by RichInOC (No! BAD Rich!)
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To: RichInOC

That’s udder nonsense!


9 posted on 07/14/2007 3:30:32 PM PDT by Montana Headlines (No, we won't let let Montana become a "blue state")
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To: ndt

I doubt that one could insure against brucellosis. Not sure, though.

The point at issue is that ranchers are not allowed to manage the source of potential infection.

Since they are not, the cost is the responsibility of the agency that won’t let them control it.


10 posted on 07/14/2007 3:36:17 PM PDT by Montana Headlines (No, we won't let let Montana become a "blue state")
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To: Montana Headlines
Aphis web page on B. Abortus and Yellowstone bison.
11 posted on 07/15/2007 5:12:54 PM PDT by amchugh (large and largely disgruntled)
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To: amchugh
From the link you provided:APHIS intends to work with the cooperating agencies to develop a plan to eliminate brucellosis from the GYA while ensuring a wild, free-roaming, and viable bison herd in Yellowstone.

Similar eradication efforts have been successful in other parks, including Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park in South Dakota and Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma.

We really haven't seen efforts to eradicate the disease in the Yellowstone herd similar to the efforts in those other areas.

Granted, Yellowstone has much rougher country, and the kind of yearly roundup that takes place in Custer State Park wouldn't work as well.

But they need to try.

12 posted on 07/15/2007 5:17:47 PM PDT by Montana Headlines (No, we won't let let Montana become a "blue state")
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