NEWS

A conservative effort to protect wilderness There's something a little different about the group leading an effort to create a wilderness area in the Elk River drainage of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. Rather than Greens, the group seeking to protect 12,000 acres is comprised mostly of conservatives. "We're not a group of environmentalists out to save this place by keeping people out," David Smith, a Republican and president of the Port Orford Chamber of Commerce, said Thursday. "In fact, most of the people behind this effort are very conservative in nature," he added. "It's unusual to have a bunch of Republicans behind this kind of proposal. What that should tell you is we want this place to stay like it is because that's what's best for our community." The supporters are generally hunting and fishing enthusiasts who say the proposed Copper-Salmon wilderness area centers on protecting recreational opportunities....
Spring Snow Brought Up to 5 Feet to Plains Residents of the northwestern Plains on Thursday started to dig out from this week's spring blizzard, which dumped up to 5 feet of snow, cut power and threatened to flood low-lying areas. The heaviest snow was reported in the city of Lead in western South Dakota, near the Wyoming line, where the weather service reported 59.4 inches. The potent storm in some areas knocked down trees and power poles. Wind gusting to 84 mph overturned a mobile home in the Nebraska Panhandle, and gusts to 71 mph were reported in eastern Montana, officials said. Ranchers were concerned about possible losses during calving and lambing season, said Kristi Turman, director of the South Dakota Office of Emergency Management. "They're getting dug out and getting into their fields and checking their cattle," Turman said. "We don't have an exact number on losses."....
Despite new mad cow cases, U.S. wants to lift restrictions on Canada The Bush administration wants to end remaining mad cow disease-related restrictions on Canadian cattle, despite two fresh cases there. The new cases have slowed the effort, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns acknowledged Thursday. Still, "we here at USDA are very committed to this," Johanns said during a news conference with Canada's new agriculture minister, Chuck Strahl. "I want to make sure it's done right, first and foremost," Johanns said. "I want to make sure it will withstand not only our rigorous internal challenges but challenges that can come from court cases." Johanns says rules for how cattle are slaughtered would keep mad cow disease from entering the food supply for people or animals. He had hoped to finish the rule-making process by the end of the year but said Thursday it might take longer....
Small farmers up in arms over livestock ID program Ride a horse near someone's farm? You soon may have to record your trail ride for the Agriculture Department. Are your kids involved in 4-H programs? You may soon have to register the animals they are raising and report to the government what shows the animals appear in. Keep a few chickens in the backyard so you can have fresh eggs for breakfast? You too could be affected by what officials are calling one of the most massive federal programs in history. Dogs and cats aren't included, but the government has begun collecting information for its new animal identification program in order to better track disease. Even those not involved in farming could be affected. The USDA says even those who raise animals only for show or use them for recreational purposes need to register. "When people show or commingle their animals with animals from multiple premises, the possibility of spreading disease becomes a factor. Those animals will need to be identified," the agency says on its Web site. Small farmers are already up in arms over the plan, protesting that the expense and the paperwork involved will be breathtaking. They also complain the system is tilted in favor of large agribusiness farms. Agribusinesses raise animals in confined areas from birth through slaughter, and so under USDA rules will only be required to obtain one identification for an entire cattle herd or chicken flock. Small farmers using traditional agricultural methods will have to identify and register their animals individually. "Before this is over, I predict there's going to be a lot opposition to this program," said Bob Parker, a Raymondville, Mo., rancher who runs 60 Corriente cattle on his 100-acre farm. "This is a pretty divisive issue." Parker, who is chairman of his county farm bureau, said his farm is composed of three parcels of land, 23 miles apart, and the regulations would require him to tell the government each of the four or five times a year he moves cattle to new pastures. "Just imagine the paperwork," he said....
Ranger To Rancher One of the popular misconceptions about the old-time gunfighters is that they traveled around the country somehow surviving on their skills with a handgun. Many of the old-timers served as lawmen while others invested in various business interests to help pay the bills and buy groceries. Wyatt Earp, in addition to his law-enforcement jobs, also owned real estate, mining claims, gambling concessions, and saloons. Bat Masterson was another shootist who actually spent the majority of his life as a professional gambler, a prizefight promoter, and a sports writer for newspapers. Cut from the same cloth was a fellow named John Barclay Armstrong. Armstrong was born in McMinnville, Tennessee, in January 1850. As a young man he left home and wandered throughout the South, before winding up in Austin, Texas, in 1871. In 1875 he enlisted in the Texas Rangers and joined the company commanded by famed Capt. Leander McNelly. Armstrong followed Capt. McNelly into several hot border fights that resulted in at least two shootouts in Mexico. In those early days of the Texas Rangers a man was required to furnish his own rifle, handgun, and saddle horse. Like most of the other Rangers, Armstrong apparently acquired a Winchester Model 1873 carbine in .44-40 and a 7 1/2-inch Colt Peacemaker in .45 Colt....
'Moo-ve' Over Competition Joining the stampede to create new content platforms, PBS today announced the launch of MooTube.com, the first 24/7 inside look at the daily life of Texas Longhorn cattle. Beginning April 19th, visitors to the site will get an exclusive, bovine's-eye-view, as wireless cow-cams, attached to the Longhorns' collars, reveal the day-to-day intrigues of life on the range. "In the 500-plus-channel-world, we believe this is a 'bullish' alternative, especially for those who enjoy grazing," said a PBS executive. "Plus, it's a great way to extend the PBS brand to even greener pastures." Along with activities like chomping grass, flicking flies, mooing and hanging out at the watering hole, the cow-cams capture such fun-loving antics as stealing snacks from the human production crew to roaming the fields in search of the best siesta spot. With spring in the air, alert viewers may catch a glimpse of cattle locking horns in the heat of pixilated romance. The MooTube site is at http://www.mootube.com/ For even more cattle gazing (and grazing), tune in May 1-4 at 8:00 p.m. for TEXAS RANCH HOUSE, the new eight-part, PBS hands-on history series that sends a group of men and women to 1867 Texas to experience the harsh reality of the Old West. In the middle of a hot, forbidding landscape, with only the tools of the era at their disposal, these bold individuals face daily challenges like herding Longhorn cattle, cooking over an open fire and preparing for a cattle drive. With colliding cultures, and cowboys and ranchers who don't always see eye to eye, it will take cooperation, ingenuity and leadership for the ranch to survive. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/ranchhouse/ On Wednesday, April 26 at 8:00 p.m. (check local listings), step inside the colorful and competitive world of "Show Cattle" and follow the trials and tribulations of competitive cows in pursuit of the ultimate honor -- "Supreme Champion" -- at one of the most prestigious cattle shows on the East Coast, the Fryeburg Fair. See inside the little-known world of bovine makeovers, where pride and determination, not to mention steel-capped boots, transform a barnyard cow into a regional celebrity....
In The Pitts: Eatin’ His Own Cookin’ It seems like everyone has a consultant these days. Or is one. This is due partly to city folks who want to avoid paying taxes. After selling their multimillion dollar homes, office buildings and apartments they use the proceeds in a 1031 exchange to buy a ranch. Which, by the way, they have no idea how to run. So they hire consultants. Gullible George traded a big commercial warehouse in the city for a sprawling ranch and has spent the last few years trying to give back any money he saved in taxes. I saw George at the coffee shop after he’d just come from the auction yard and he looked about as happy as a kid being dragged away from the video arcade. He invited himself to sit down and proceeded to unload all his misery on me. “George, you look like you’ve got more troubles than the President. What’s wrong?” “I was out at the auction and noticed that my ranch consultant sold his calves.” “What did they bring and why should that bother you?” I asked. “They brought a ton of money and the reason it bothers me is that he told me to retain ownership, feed my cattle and sell them to a packer on a grid.” “Well now George, the only consultant I have is my wife but any idiot knows that now is not the time to be taking such risks.”....

The Westerner will be very sporatic over the next two days....family member getting married this weekend.