Beef Industry Fires Back & Wolf Disaster Emergency

Friday Apr 8th, 2011 29 Views Northwest Report

Beef Industry Fires Back & Wolf Disaster Emergency. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

Beef industry representatives told the House Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Subcommittee that increasing government intrusion threatens to limit producer access to business opportunities and higher profits. Nebraska feedlot operator Ann Burkholder accused the Obama Administration of regulatory combativeness. She also testified it’s time for Washington to stop underwriting production of corn-based ethanol.BURKHOLDER: We’ve had ethanol subsidies in this country for 30 years now. As feed costs go up that makes a tremendous impact on my business. Five years ago we could put a hundred pounds of gain on a calf for $40, today it’s going to cost me $100 so it makes a tremendous impact. I believe it’s time for us to all be playing on the same level field.

Idaho state senators have passed legislation declaring a wolf disaster state of emergency. The bill, which already passed the Idaho House, would allow Gov. Otter to enlist local law enforcement to help eliminate wolves. The Senate voted 27-8 to approve the measure, despite some concerns that it expands executive powers beyond what is intended in the state constitution. Opponents contend Idaho is not in a state of emergency and there are no recorded cases of the grey wolves attacking humans since their reintroduction here in 1995.

Now here’s today’s Washington Grange report.

(Grange)

That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.