Argentine Beef

<a href="http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i6xzlH1hMRduz7Tf9n6W14_lkqRAD8TTHUO00">Argentine Farmers Give Up Beef Business</a><br />n<br />n<blockquote>Argentines are passionate about their beef — from cattle grazed on the sprawling pampas grasslands, it's a national staple, delivered inexpensively and received with religious fervor at Sunday barbecues nationwide.<br />n<br />nBut while Argentines are some of the world's top meat-eaters, consuming nearly 154 pounds per capita each year, soaring grain prices and export caps are driving many cattle ranchers to sell their herds and farm more lucrative crops instead. Ranchers have switched from grazing to grain on about 7.4 million acres since 2005 — a 10 percent decline in ranchland, said Pablo Adreani, an economic analyst with AgriPAC Consultores, an agricultural consultancy in Buenos Aires.</blockquote><br />n<br />nFirst off this story really points out how the Government can screw things up. To maintain high enough internal beef supplies, they don't allow the ranchers to export beef which drives beef prices down for the ranchers. Yeah, it keeps prices down for the consumer but what has happened. Beef herds have shrunk probably raising beef prices again.<br />n<br />nNow, as an American beef producer this doesn't hurt my feelings because the competition from South American beef is fierce throughout the world. The less beef that Argentina exports means a better chance for my beef. Also by holding down production I don't have to worry about how much cheap beef the Argentine's can throw onto the American market. Not that that is a problem with the foot and mouth disease problems they have in Argentina. This keeps them from shipping beef to the US since the US won't allow beef in to protect the US beef herd from foot and mouth disease. No complaints here on all of that.<br />n<br />nThere is a little fly in the ointment here though. According to sources I hear from, the <acronym title="United States Department of Agriculture, Bought and Paid for by The Big Meat Packers">USDA</acronym> is planning on moving forward with the rule allowing regionalization of foot and mouth disease in Argentina. This would allow beef to be imported into the US from Argentina even though there is outstanding cases of foot and mouth disease in the country by only allowing beef from areas where the disease is not a problem. Why would the <acronym title="United States Department of Agriculture, Bought and Paid for by The Big Meat Packers">USDA</acronym> be doing this? I thought there job was to protect American farmers, not put them in harm's way. How do you regionalize a highly contagious disease that can be spread on the wind?<br />n<br />nI really wonder sometimes what the true goal of the <acronym title="United States Department of Agriculture, Bought and Paid for by The Big Meat Packers">USDA</acronym> is.<br />n<br />n<blockquote>Vision Statement<br />nTo be a dynamic organization that is able to enhance<br />nagricultural trade, improve farm economies and quality<br />nof life in rural America, protect the Nation’s food supply,<br />nimprove the Nation’s nutrition, and protect and enhance<br />nthe Nation’s natural resource base and environment.</blockquote><br />n<br />nThey sure don't act like <a href="http://www.ocfo.usda.gov/usdasp/pdf/sp05-02.pdf">this</a> is their mission statement and goal. They are always trying to cut the American farmers throat, not help them, in my opinion.<br />n<br />nWell, time to keep watching them and how their policies affect the business. As we see by Argentina's example, the quickest way to screw up an industry is to let the government "help" them out.<br />n<br />n<strong>Reasoning draws a conclusion, but does not make the conclusion certain, unless the mind discovers it by the path of experience. Roger Bacon </strong>