Cargill Says It Won't Slaughter R-CALF Cattle

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la4angus

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Cargill Says It Won't Slaughter R-CALF Cattle


Calgary - One of the country's largest meat packers says it won't knowingly process cattle owned by members of an American lobby group fighting to keep Canadian beef out of the U.S., a move sought by Alberta ranchers. Cargill faced a blockade by ranchers and feedlot operators two weeks ago, when its trucks tried to haul away cattle that the protesters believed were owned by Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA).



Cargill spokesman Rick Meijer says the company will rely on feedlot operators and ranchers to alert them to which cattle are owned by R-CALF.



In April, R-CALF successfully lobbied a Montana judge to block additional beef exports into the U.S. The U.S. Department of Agriculture had approved the wider scope of acceptable beef shipments.



R-CALF also opposes reopening the border to live cattle, arguing Canadian beef is unsafe. Many in the local industry don't believe the group's members should be allowed to profit from selling Alberta cattle whose prices are driven down by the mad cow crisis when they are actively working to keep the border closed.



Feedlot operator Rick Pascal, who helped organize the small blockade of Cargill in mid-July, believes R-CALF members own as many as 50,000 cattle in the province. He says they're now going to greater lengths to disguise who owns the animals, including selling to two or three surrogate owners and rebranding them.



"There's what I call some unscrupulous people in this business that are trying to bail these R-CALF guys out and buying these cattle cheap from the R-CALF guys and trying to sell them cheap to the Canadian packers," Pascal said. "I'm telling you we're going to do whatever we can to put some stress on these guys.



"If if it means some of their cows don't get slaughtered, well, I guess that's what it is."



In a statement, R-CALF said it can't control what individual members do, and maintained its position that the border should remain closed until Canada can ensure the safety of its cattle.



The U.S. and 33 other countries closed their borders to Canadian beef May 20, 2003, after a single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy was discovered in Alberta. While the United States began accepting some cuts of beef last August, they still won't allow shipments of live cattle.



The U.S. Department of Agriculture is in the process of determining whether it should be reopened to live cattle.
 
Maybe cattle baron Mr "G". will get what he has coming to him. You can only swindle for so long before dirt finally comes to the surface.
 
R-Calf members own more cattle in Canada right now than people know about. They are profitting from Canadas BSE problem as we have to sell feeder cattle for as low as .30 per pound to pay bills. These cattle are costing them very little to buy with the US dollar. If as they say Canadian beef is Unsafe, why are they buying canadian feeder cattle and fattening them up here. I guess they must figure the meat isnt safe but they are a good investment. I think when R-Calf looks for an excuse to keep the border closed "they should just come out and say that they just want to keep it closed so their members can make money off of the Canadian producers losses. What do you US ranchers think of R-calf?
 
ccstockfarms_2003":14rxe2lf said:
R-Calf members own more cattle in Canada right now than people know about. They are profitting from Canadas BSE problem as we have to sell feeder cattle for as low as .30 per pound to pay bills. These cattle are costing them very little to buy with the US dollar. If as they say Canadian beef is Unsafe, why are they buying canadian feeder cattle and fattening them up here. I guess they must figure the meat isnt safe but they are a good investment. I think when R-Calf looks for an excuse to keep the border closed "they should just come out and say that they just want to keep it closed so their members can make money off of the Canadian producers losses. What do you US ranchers think of R-calf?

Crooks, shysters, horses patoots. That pretty well sums up my opinion of R-Calf. The Agriculture online board has one very vocal supporter. Kind of like the kerry supporters on this board. His motto seems to be "Don't confuse me with facts"

dun
 
ccstockfarms_2003":ehmiot8a said:
R-Calf members own more cattle in Canada right now than people know about. They are profitting from Canadas BSE problem as we have to sell feeder cattle for as low as .30 per pound to pay bills. These cattle are costing them very little to buy with the US dollar. If as they say Canadian beef is Unsafe, why are they buying canadian feeder cattle and fattening them up here. I guess they must figure the meat isnt safe but they are a good investment. I think when R-Calf looks for an excuse to keep the border closed "they should just come out and say that they just want to keep it closed so their members can make money off of the Canadian producers losses. What do you US ranchers think of R-calf?
Personally I don't think that you can think any less of R Calf than I do.
 
ccstockfarms_2003":30dgw47n said:
What do you US ranchers think of R-calf?

R-CALF sure doesn't represent my beliefs. And lately, they sure as Hell don't hang around with company I approve of. If they were on a mission to destroy our cattle industry, they would find themselves in bed with some of the same groups they lay up with now. Sleep with dogs, wind up with fleas.

Neither do they seem to share my values. Around my place, we don't expect the government to step in and fix everything for us. We prefer they stay out of our business to the extent possible. R-CALF seems to have a different take on things.

But to be fair and objective, there have got to be some good things that they have done for our industry. Don't ask me to name any, because I couldn't. But, I haven't been looking either. So that's my fault!
 
la4angus":37oujqqw said:
Cargill Says It Won't Slaughter R-CALF Cattle


Cargill faced a blockade by ranchers and feedlot operators two weeks ago, when its trucks tried to haul away cattle that the protesters believed were owned by Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA).

I am so confused. This is the first time that I have heard of R-calf. Who is this?
 
Sounds like it's getting pretty hot up on the northern border!
I'm hearing a lot of negative things about R-CALF,
But on the other hand Old timer sure is making alot of sense in the post that he is making.
So I guess I'm gonna kick back , Keep my mouth shut!!, Take notes and watch the fireworks 8) 8) :cboy:
 
ccstockfarms_2003":1hsgqucw said:
R-Calf members own more cattle in Canada right now than people know about. They are profitting from Canadas BSE problem as we have to sell feeder cattle for as low as .30 per pound to pay bills. These cattle are costing them very little to buy with the US dollar. If as they say Canadian beef is Unsafe, why are they buying canadian feeder cattle and fattening them up here. I guess they must figure the meat isnt safe but they are a good investment. I think when R-Calf looks for an excuse to keep the border closed "they should just come out and say that they just want to keep it closed so their members can make money off of the Canadian producers losses. What do you US ranchers think of R-calf?

ccstockfarms

So how are these evil people profitting? Did they not bid against the Canadian buyers and feeders to purchase these calves- and give the rancher top going dollar for Canadian calves?-- May have even got the rancher a buck or two more by bidding them up- Did they hold a gun to the ranchers head to make him sell to an R-CALF member?
Have they not paid Canadian feedlot operators to feed them?
Have they not paid the feed bill to the Canadian grain growers?
All this with good old American greenbacks?

How are they making huge profits if they are now selling these now fat cattle in Canada? Are they not getting the same price the Canadian feeders get?

Funny how for years Canadian ranchers have screamed for the US buyers to come to Canada and spend some of the good US green-real money.--Now all of sudden they are evil and our money is evil. Many Americans have bought cattle and fed them out in Canada for years- sometimes slaughtering them in Canada- sometimes shipping them to the US to slaughter.

Pat Goggins has owned cattle in Canada for over 30 years- maybe more. He has probably bought millions $ worth of cattle in Canada. He owns more cattle than you will probably ever see. But since he belongs to R-CALF he is now evil. He probably belongs to about 30-40 other organizations- are you going to boycott all them too.

Have you checked out all the American owners of Canadian cattle- You had better- might be some NRA members (and Canadians hate guns), or a Republican, or God forbid a democrat (remember a lot of Democrats voted for COOL).

R-CALF is not your problem. You can't blame all your woes on R-CALF. Years ago your country adopted a policy of putting everything into cattle (4 times what you can consume), developing no export market- counting on the US to do it all. Then you got BSE. BSE and USDA policy closed the border-not R-CALF. The border will reopen- and R-CALF will be there to protect our interests on this side of the border- and then you guys up north will all be screaming for more American money!!!!
 
Oldtimer who are you kidding,you have a cattlemans group using their political power to cause turmoil in the Canadian cattle industry. And their henchmen scooping up the bargains.There has been substanial money made by people playing the market here on speculation .

I have no problems with an American buying cattle in this country.I have a problem with hypocrites.....Yelling ....Keep the border closed....On the 1st bus up here buying calves.

if its so ok ,how come you guys are getting front men to buy your r- calf members cattle.

we had an export market it was Japan,Korea,and the U.S.and others.

As far as being too dependent on the U.S MARKET we were.Our problem right now is the packing industry.

where are your facts to back up the 4 x fiqure.

furthermore where do you come up with the statement Canadians don,t like guns. I own at least 14 firearms.

If you (R-calf)are thinking we are going down without a fight, you are in for a big ******* surprise.
 
frenchie":2wuv0tlc said:
Oldtimer who are you kidding,you have a cattlemans group using their political power to cause turmoil in the Canadian cattle industry. And their henchmen scooping up the bargains.There has been substanial money made by people playing the market here on speculation .

I have no problems with an American buying cattle in this country.I have a problem with hypocrites.....Yelling ....Keep the border closed....On the 1st bus up here buying calves.

if its so ok ,how come you guys are getting front men to buy your r- calf members cattle.

we had an export market it was Japan,Korea,and the U.S.and others.

As far as being too dependent on the U.S MARKET we were.Our problem right now is the packing industry.

where are your facts to back up the 4 x fiqure.

furthermore where do you come up with the statement Canadians don,t like guns. I own at least 14 firearms.

If you (R-calf)are thinking we are going down without a fight, you are in for a big ******* surprise.

Frenchie

Please explain to me how they are making all this money on these deals. If the packers hate R-CALF so bad do you think they are really giving them special deals? Could be happening, but I doubt it. Do you mean speculating on the futures market? If so you are giving R-CALF much more credit than they deserve- they definitely don't control the futures market. I have more worries about USDA leaking info that speculators are profiting on.

I don't know anything about front men- If you mean using cattlebuyers, thats how most of these guys buy- most feeders down here use orderbuyers- few see the calves until delivered and usually when they buy them you are not aware who has bought them- a lot of times its a corporation name- many times the owner doesn't even sign the check or bank transfer- its an employee- In the case of Goggins- I can think of 7 corporations he's CEO or officer of- Probably 20 more I don't know about.

Get me some names of some of these supposedly many cattle owners- like I said many Americans have owned cattle in Canada for years. I keep hearing about all these evil Americans- but nobody has any names. One feeder up there Paskal, is making all the stink- makes me think the Americans must have beat him out on the bid.

The 4 x was a figure I got off an Agriville post- that only 25% of Canadians beef is used domestically- so I have no verification on that.

And I'm glad there is a Canadian that has guns- with the gun laws you have up there you'd think nobody wanted them. Back in my Sheriffing days, you could be working a drug case with the Mounties and you still couldn't take a gun or ammo (and God forbid if you had dum-dums- Canadian for hollowpoints -or armor piercing) north- without applying for a trip permit 6 months in advance and then you still couldn't pack it- just put in a locker when you get to your destination. I was working with a Mountie out of Lethbridge one day and asked him if he had an extra piece in case we ran into trouble. Not only did he not have an extra one- he didn't have one---- couldn't remember if he'd left his pistol in his desk drawer or his briefcase- hadn't wore it for a month--but he did have a set of handcuffs.

Frenchie- As I said in another post- I think the border would be open if the enactment of the COOL law (supported by R-CALF) hadn't been postponed- just my feeling. The consumer groups screaming against the safety of Canadian beef, wouldn't have an argument- consumers would know where their beef they purchased came from and could choose--Also all live Canadian cattle would be being branded so they could be identified if they got into the American herd.
 
Oldtimer,


I would take it your from Montana and likely a member of the so called cattle mens group R-calf. Reading what you have wrote just about makes me wanna throw up. What you have written is in my opinion "complete garbage". Before you go shooting your mouth off you better get some facts straight. What do you call top price for canadian calves? Feeder calves in manitoba right now are running around .40-.70 cents a pound. Fats are around .60 a pound. The R-calf members that are getting Canadian calves and making the money on them arent in my eyes buying them, "they are stealing them" for the prices they are paying for them". What Rick Pascal is mad about is the space these R-calf owned cattle are taking up in the killing plants. Don't say that he was jsut outbid by a R-calf buyer. Canadian ranchers have no other alternative than to sell calves for what they can get for them. Prices have been depressed since May 2003. Financial Institutions are making ranchers sell cattle at these low prices to get some of there money back that they have loaned out over the past year to keep their ranches going. All canadian ranchers are in the same boat and it is not one that R-calf is going to sink. They can try but they are not going to sink us. I would love if an R-calf member was to set foot on my ranch because they would find out you just cant walk over a Canadian rancher without a fight. They would be in the biggest ass-whooping of their lifetime. Next time get your facts straight before you open your mouth.


Until next time take care
 
Where I come from, North-Central Nebraska, the people who represent R-Calf are people just like me and although I am not a member I appreciate their viewpoints. Don't know anything about current happenings or who the big-wigs are. I don't think the Nebraska Cattleman's assoc has my best interests in mind so I've been leaning more toward R-Calf in the past.

I really hate to see anyone having a tough time and I hope all you Canadians get through this. My several travels through Canada have all been enjoyable and I've met many of your good people.

People where I live still talk about the opening of the borders and the hardship it caused them over the years. They talk of Canadian/Mexican trucks lined up for miles waiting to get into the packers. Remember the legend of the 8 year cattle cycle? A rancher could make enough money on the highs to get through the lows. The benefit of NAFTA to the packers was to level out the cost of beef through the supply from across the borders which made the rancher's cattle cycle more of a consistant break-even. I think that when the border closed and our beef prices sky-rocketed the pieces added up. I know I'm over-simplifying this.

I certainly don't know what the answer is. I know I lose when the packer doesn't have to buy my beef because he has an unlimited supply from which to choose. I know I lose when I try to produce a quality product, but yet the grocery store can't sell meat of a quality better than my worst cull cow. I know the packers buy huge tracts of land and cattle by the thousands to stabilize their supply and prevent higher cattle prices.
Whether it be packers or some members of R-calf that are buying up the cattle in Canada it basically boils down to the rich and powerful against us little people.

Basically, when the border opens up our "high" cattle prices are going to go way down; but then you'd "survive?". What these guys are doing... is it honorable? No. Is it big business? Yes.
 
Oldtimer

You know the effect that rumours can have on cattle price, so do the effects of border opening rumours. This last yr has had price swings on feeder cattle of at least 30-40 cents.I have personally bought and resold cattle just to survive here.Sometimes bought at one place and sold the same week or next week somewhere else.


And yes some of the speculation refered to was the futures. Things were looking up here before ,the judges ruling.The price of fats was about 70 cents here prior. Fell to about 40 cents now.

my neighbour here sold some steer calves. One calf brung a whopping 21.00 dollars after ring fees .for a 700 lb calf

With r- calf screaming about B.S.E ,what are you going to tell the american consumer.When you find your own homegrown case of B.S.E,
Oh Geeze don,t worry its one of ours.

I have never seen a mountie here without a pistol on his hip.

I have to cut this short. Company just drove in .

More later

frenchie
 
Also all live Canadian cattle would be being branded so they could be identified if they got into the American herd.

Please clarify this statement. Are you saying every cow should have a brand that says made in Canada on it or are you thinking that every hobby farmer that raises cattle needs his own individual brand?
 
Cattle Rack ..........I agree.....as long as we can brand their cattle.Not that we need to worry about that, with these prices.
 

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