Isn't the decision those in power make just wonderful sometimes. The federal government tells ranchers they have to control brucellosis or face severe restrictions on their abilities to move cattle across state lines like our friends in Idaho and Wyoming recently found out. Yet Gov. Brian Schweitzer decides that letting possibly infected bison roam lose in the State and put our whole cattle industry at stake of severe restrictions from the Federal Government.
With agriculture being the number one industry in our state how smart is it to endanger a large part of that industry in such a callous way? Idaho and Wyoming have both discovered domestic cattle can get brucellosis from wild animals, are Montana's cattle somehow immune from this happening to them too? I don't think so. This might be a politically popular decision for someone to make who has Presidential ambitions but it is a poor decision to make for the state of Montana. Schweitzer needs to take care of our state first and not his and Sirota's political ambitions.
There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty. John Adams
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If turning wild bison into a revenue-producing asset, on cattle-free public lands adjacent to Yellowstone is going to "destroy the cattle industry", then you're in a lot worse shape than I thought.
Frankly, I'm disappointed, Sam. You're clearly an intelligent guy, and for you to not only buy into, but spread this kind of misinformation and hysteria is unconscionable.
We would like to see protections for the handful of cattle adjacent to Yellowstone strengthened. Is DOL really doing you and the rest of Montana's bona-fide stockmen any favors by endorsing, say, Bill Hoppe's ten head of susceptible breeding age cows right on the Park boundary? If you want to spin hysteria, it could be argued THAT could destroy Montana's cattle industry.
But no, that is utter lunacy. It would make a hell of a lot more sense for him to raise a handful of steers, spayed heifers, or better yet horses, instead of putting YOUR B-free status at risk (if you buy into this terrible disease risk argument). We fully support his right to do as he likes on his private property, but he's doing you no favors.
The tide of public opinion is shifting. Daily, we're seeing op-eds and articles endorsing treating these bison as wildlife (in limited areas around the Park, that have less livestock conflict than literally anywhere else in the world where buffalo might conceiveably roam). If stockmen continue to scream that this will destroy your industry... as I saw in one of your apt quotes "all illusions are eventually revealed".
If the Feds and state would work together to solve the whole brucellosis issue would be the ideal solution. The feds keep ignoring the issue which leaves the state and us ranchers in a tough position. If the feds problem infects Montana cattle we as ranchers in Montana will be punished. It's scary for ranchers. Real simple. The cost to us will be great so we watch it closely. You only have to look at the situation in Idaho and Wyoming to see what it could cost us.
Our plan puts keeping our B-Free status at top priority. I'd really hate to see MT lose it. We're doing so much else right (on wildlife issues, among other things) in comparison, that if nothing else it'd be gratifying to hold APHIS at bay. Look, this is just my opinion, and any agency people will vociferously deny it at length, but APHIS and to a disturbing degree our own DOL is practicing something awfully close to blackmail, with blatant threats to downgrade our brucellosis status. Based on what, I'm not quite sure, other than being accustomed to power.
We have spoken with APHIS about regionalizing, so if a couple of counties adjacent to Yellowstone turn up infected, the whole states don't lose their status.
But no, that would defang the the threats of placing a ban on imports of beef from the state du jour. Oh, yes, that frightens ranchers wonderfully.
Personally, the idea of that sort of unsustainable policy precluding wild bison, on lands as free of conflict as you'll find, just doesn't sit. Hell, Sam, you've got more cattle by a large margin than what there are here north of Yellowstone. And, we have some pretty decent geographical constraints and bottlenecks. If you see renegade buffalo out on Sarpy Creek, they won't be these, I'll bet you a steak of choice.