Just a few different items from Australia that have caught my eye.<br />n<br />n<a href="http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20596614-1702,00.html" >Drought hitting livestock prices</a><br />n<br />n<blockquote>LIVESTOCK prices across NSW are in freefall, with farmers selling off record numbers of sheep and cattle as the drought worsens.<br />n<br />nMeat processors say they cannot take any more livestock, and producers say they are concerned about how low prices could go. </blockquote><br />n<br />nLately it seems like this is all a person hears about, drought, drought and more drought. Whether it's here in the US or elsewhere in the world. It sure makes life for farmers and ranchers of all types tough as the article points out. It's so dry they have to sell stock but there is nowhere for the stock to go so prices go down. Supply and demand, it can work for you, or against you.<br />n<br />n<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/2006/s1766808.htm" >US vows not to compete over Japanese beef market</a><br />n<br />n<blockquote>The United States beef industry has pledged to try to expand the Japanese beef market, rather than take market share from Australia.<br />n<br />nAustralia is currently hosting beef producers from the United States, Canada, Mexico and New Zealand for the annual five nation beef talks.</blockquote><br />n<br />nIf you believe this I have some swampland in Florida to sell you too. Of course we are in competition with each other for market share. That's the name of the game. Expanding the whole base is a great idea but there will be some poaching along the way. Deal with it, that's life.<br />n<br />nLast, but not least, <a href="http://www.ruralheritage.com/stop_nais/australia.htm">some notes</a> on Australia's National Animal Identification Scheme (NLIS).<br />n<br />n<blockquote> NLIS has been in effect here coming on two years. I haven’t registered my place, and I am selling cattle to a neighbor who also isn’t registered. There is one heck of an underground trade, making the whole thing pointless. I’ve always been opposed to it, but I can mount arguments for its implementation in the bigger picture. In theory it gives the customer what he wants, but in reality it has lots of big holes.<br />n<br />nAt the last bullocky [ox drover] meeting I raised the subject of just how ridiculous NLIS is, and plenty of people there were in total agreement. NLIS had just bogged them down in paperwork.<br />n<br />nOur Patron is a retiring senator. His advise? “Just ignore it!” Which is what everybody who can already does. So it’s only those who put stock through the market that it affects. Hardly a watertight system!</blockquote><br />n<br />n“Just ignore it!” Not advice I recommend while we are trying to stop the <acronym title="National Animal Identification System">NAIS</acronym> program in the US. It might be the right move though if the system is put in place. The whole farm to factory aspect, don't believe the governments propaganda of farm to plate, the tracking stops at the slaughter house, of <acronym title="National Animal Identification System">NAIS</acronym> just gives a person a warm fuzzy felling of security doesn't it? Especially knowing that people are out there circumventing it. We in the US need to keep an eye on the Australian NLIS system and the flaws in it for ammunition to stop the movement here. Mandatory <acronym title="National Animal Identification System">NAIS</acronym> is wrong.<br />n<br />n<strong>Australia has always been important to me. I'd love to get down there, but I'm not a booking agent. I'm not a promoter, so I haven't had control over that. Tom Cochrane</strong>