Good News – Thoughts From The Middle of Nowhere

<a href="http://www.brownfieldnetwork.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=AD9F076C-0DCF-162A-79F8572C98CC4BE3">Japanese steer suspected of <acronym title="Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy">BSE</acronym> tests negative</a> n n<blockquote>Tests of a 20-month-old Japanese steer for bovine spongiform encephalopathy have come back negative. The steer was slaughtered last week and initially tested positive for <acronym title="Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy">BSE</acronym>, but according to wire reports, further tests showed that the young Holstein did not have <acronym title="Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy">BSE</acronym>.</blockquote> n nI will repeat, the 20 month old steer did not have <acronym title="Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy">BSE</acronym>. The implications if it did would have been staggering but since it didn't we don't have to worry about it. n nThis is the reason that the <acronym title="United States Department of Agriculture, Bought and Paid for by The Big Meat Packers">USDA</acronym> doesn't want to test every cow that is slaughtered in the US for <acronym title="Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy">BSE</acronym>. They are afraid they would be overwhelmed with false positives worrying consumers. They claim it is the cost stopping them but testing would be cheaper than the <acronym title="National Animal Identification System">NAIS</acronym> plan they are pursuing. The only difference is the cost of testing would be borne by the meat packers where the cost of <acronym title="National Animal Identification System">NAIS</acronym> is borne by the producers of cattle, the ranchers. Guess which side the <acronym title="United States Department of Agriculture, Bought and Paid for by The Big Meat Packers">USDA</acronym> came down on. No surprise there. n nWorry is interest paid on trouble before it falls due. W.R. Inge