Cow Tax Proposal Would Threaten Agriculture Viability

Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation ^ | November 15, 2008 | unattributed

[prairiebreeze]

“With the economy in bad shape and the possibility of a deep recession looming, the Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to levy new taxes—on cows and pigs,” American Farm Bureau Federation Director of Regulatory Relations Rick Krause told Wyoming Farm Bureau members at their annual meeting. Krause spoke in Sheridan on Nov. 7.

“This is no laughing matter,” Krause said. “The cow tax and the pig tax are parts of a larger scheme by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.”

“Under the proposal, if a state charged the “presumptive minimum rate” from the EPA, the cow tax would be $175 per dairy cow, $87.50 per head for beef cattle and a little more than $20 per pig,” Krause explained.

[cyberaxe]

.....funny you brought this up.....

.....Monday night at my local Farm Bureau board meeting this was brought up.....

.....the guy that mentioned it was sent an email from another farmer who had heard "rumors" about it.....

.....there was one guy from the local college extension at the meeting.....

.....he was trying to shine this turd pretty hard.....

.....saying it's really for our own good.....ha!

[Lurker]

there was one guy from the local college extension at the meeting..... .....he was trying to shine this turd pretty hard.....

Is there no source of tar and feathers in your area?

Just askin....

L

[B4Ranch]

Dave, what’s going on here? Are we going to end up with a dozen major ranchers owning 80% of the livestock in America when this has been shaken out?

[cyberaxe]

.....LOL.....

.....the guy is actually pretty nice.....

.....he "means" well, and he can be quite helpful at times.....

.....but on this matter, I think he's drank the cool-aid.....

.....most of the farmers were saying that this will lead to the gubment taxing our livestock.....

.....he kept saying no, this is just to prevent outbreaks.....

.....I had to remind him that this was a fairly conservative bunch.....

.....and any info the gubment gets, we all know that end the end.....

.....they will find a way to use it to get more money out of us....

.....(besides, tar and feathers don't really scare anyone in this group, we are normally covered in it anyway lol).....

[Islander7]

But if humans all became vegetarians we would emit just as much gas!

Unintended consequences!

[NVDave]

If ranchers and farmers are able to pass the increase along.

Farmers are price takers, not price makers.

[Lurker]

he "means" well, and he can be quite helpful at times

Yep. He's from the Government, and he's here to help.

.....(besides, tar and feathers don't really scare anyone in this group,

I meant for the geek from the University. And if he's not scared of it, your tar isn't hot enough.

L

[T-Bro]

How do they plan on collecting this tax?
I raise a few head and feed my family and friends.
I think if they came for taxes on my animals, this would be where I draw the line.
It would be time for armed resistance.
And yes, I am serious.

[Lurker]

saying it's really for our own good.....ha!

I'll bet he really meant that. It's just that in his lexicon 'for your own good' means 'Do it or we send nice men with guns.'

Capiche?

L

[Lurker]

How do they plan on collecting this tax?

At the point of a gun, of course.

L

[dmartin]

So let me get this straight...the EPA is taxing cows while simultaneously dairy farmers receive subsidies from the Department of Agriculture.

Government. One hand giveth, one hand taketh away.

[prairiebreeze]

Farmers are price takers, not price makers.

Agreed. And anybody that thinks the cost of feed, fertilizer, seed, grass, veterinarian or anything else that's a production expense will go down, simply doesn't know what they are talking about.

[prairiebreeze]

Let’s take it another step in a different direction. Meat gets transported by truck drivers. Just think of the decrease in volume of transportation goods that would likely result from decreased production and increased taxes.

(sorry for the second post)

[cyberaxe]

I'll bet he really meant that. It's just that in his lexicon 'for your own good' means 'Do it or we send nice men with guns.'

.....naw, not this guy.....

.....he's a good guy, he is just "too" involved with the science of this stuff.....

.....he is really helpful in a lot of ways to the farmers in our area.....

.....he just doesn't know where that line is drawn with us "Southern Folk" when it comes to doing what the gubment wants.....

.....(and btw, he is smart enough to know better than take that kind of tone with the folks that were in the meeting, way too many old wells and empty washes that need filling, lol).....

[SJackson]

If you’d like to be on or off this Upper Midwest/outdoors/rural list please FR mail me. And ping me is you see articles of interest.

[radiohead]

So they will put all the American dairy, beef, and pork farmers out of business and then we can import our meat from elsewhere?

No, the idea is to get people to go vegan. I say this as a vegan for health reasons who reads a lot of vegan sites. PETA is small potatoes compared to what some of these people would like to do to our livestock and dairy industries.

[grellis]

If you would like to be added or dropped from the Michigan ping list, please freepmail me.

This would be disasterous for a lot of little towns up my way. Ovid/Elsie comes to mind, both towns rely on dairy farming, especially Elsie.

[Osage Orange]

I have no problem with the tax IF we equally apply the tax to imported livestock and boxed meat.

I do...because we will just be shoveling more $$$$ to BIG GOVERNMENT.

[Osage Orange]

No cow/calve, stocker, etc... operation is going to just "absorb" this tax....they will pass it on.

[TexasRepublic]

If there isn’t a revolution soon, we will starve to death as millions already have under Marxist dictatorships. Think it can’t happen in America? Think again, Comrades.