Thoughts from an Idaho Cattle Ranch
Stories have been bouncing all around the cattle industry of late regarding some of the challenges confronting Idaho’s cattle ranchers. We didn’t want the opinions of a group of politicians or legislators…we wanted to go right to the horse’s mouth…or maybe a guy who rides a horse to work cattle. Carl Ellsworth of the Idaho Cattleman’s Association and a real rancher himself about some of the current challenges.
(Ellsworth) “The record high we saw this summer, $200 plus per ton of hay, corn prices were so high, a lot of stress on the cattle industry. People had to cull herds making sure they wouldn’t have to purchase hay for the winter. Fuel prices were so high that freight went up, it cost more to get your cattle delivered. It’s just taking the profitability out of it. I think everybody’s just cut back and trying to get through these high feed prices and a slow economy.”
His response to the EPA’s proposed tax on cows for methane emissions, which could be as much as $87 per head on a cattle operation over 50 head?
(Ellsworth) “People who don’t realize where their food source comes from. Those type of tax or legislation being passed would just devastate the cattle industry. We need to get carbon secretion credits and things like that. They’re taxing us for what they thinks bad and not giving us any credit for the good things.”
The Obama era?
(Ellsworth) “We’re going to approach the administration with an open mind, approach it with an open dialogue and continue to try and work things out to keep us a viable industry.”
