This articles needs our response about Missouri!

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We need to respond to this article in the comment section and an editorial!!!!!


Brandon Butler doesn't want the facts or truth getting in the way of his story.  He has slanted this story so bad, it clearly shows he has an agenda, and is just a puppet for the DNR spin machine.  


 


Gary


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Driftwood Outdoors: Making an unwise move

Senate vote on captive cervids an embarrassment for Missouri

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class="" ;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(119,119,119);font-weight:boldBrandon Butler, outdoors columnist, [email protected]
class="" 12px;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(153,153,153)Sunday, May 4, 2014

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;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(34,34,34)As states across the country increase regulations on captive cervid facilities in efforts to curb the spread of deadly wildlife diseases, specifically Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), your Missouri Senate has voted to transfer the control of captive cervids from the Department of Conservation to the Department of Agriculture under the precise premise of relaxing captive cervid control.
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class="" 12px;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(34,34,34)
class="" 12px;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(119,119,119);font-weight:boldCourtesy of the Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife
class="" 12px;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(34,34,34)Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is an always fatal disease that eats away the brain of a deer.

;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(34,34,34)Here are some facts to consider. In 2013, there were 1,277,791 resident deer hunting licenses issued in Missouri. Those licenses generated $9,050,694. There were also 39,792 non-resident deer hunting licenses issued in 2013, which generated another $5,965,736. In 2013, Missouri public deer hunting licenses generated $15,016,430.
;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(34,34,34)That’s a lot of money, but it’s a drop in the bucket when it comes to the total amount of money hunters spend annually on the pursuit of wildlife. A 2011 survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported that in Missouri, hunters spent $1.6 billion on equipment, licenses, trips and more. Yes, billion, with a “B.� Nationwide hunters spent $38.3 billion. With a little simple math, you can see, Missouri is a leading state in hunting related expenditures.
;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(34,34,34)Yet, 23 of your state Senators chose to ignore those numbers. They chose to ignore the public deer hunters, the Missourians who accounted for 1,317,583 deer permits in 2013. Instead, they were influenced by and voted for the captive deer breeding and high fenced hunting lobby. There are 39 high fenced hunting facilities currently permitted in Missouri and just over 200 deer breeders. This tiny industry lobbied incredibly hard, even treating legislators to a venison dinner at the Capitol. It worked. The masses were ignored.
;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(34,34,34)Senator Mike Parson recently released a newsletter that acknowledges the Senate’s vote on the captive deer transfer. The senator wrote, “With guided hunts on private reserves becoming a growing segment of the tourism industry, Missouri could become a leader in this field.�
;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(34,34,34)Senator Parson’s attempt at putting a positive spin on our state becoming a leader of killing deer behind a fence is misguided at best. What about the fact that we are already a leader in economic revenue generate by the pursuit of wild whitetails? What about the motels across rural Missouri that are booked every night through the month of November? What about the sleepy little restaurants that are jam-packed during opening weekend of deer season? What about the gas stations, sporting goods stores, grocery stores, hardware stores and all the other rural community businesses that benefit from the economic boom of deer season? How does a minute smattering of private high fenced deer hunting facilities benefit rural business owners, their employees and local economies? The answer is they don’t.
;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(34,34,34)And as these facilities haul disease into our state, our wild deer population will become less and less valuable. No one wants to kill and eat a diseased deer, so public hunters, both resident and non-resident, will begin to disappear. But hey, at least Missouri will be a leader in providing a tiny population of rich folks the opportunity to shoot genetically mutated, giant bucks behind a fence.
;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(34,34,34)Senator Parson wrote, “Even though the breeding and raising of captive deer is a growing industry, the Department of Conservation has made no secret they would like to put those producers out of business.�
;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(34,34,34) The MDC recently announced their plans for new regulations on captive facilities. Actually, these regulations stop short of what some Missourians deem necessary for controlling the spread of CWD.
;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(34,34,34) Even though double fencing these captive facilities is the only way to keep captive animals from spreading disease to wild deer contacted through a single fence, the new MDC regulations “grandfather� in existing high fence facilities, so those properties don’t have to double fence until they are sold to the next permit holder. New facilities do have to double fence.
;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(34,34,34)The new regulations would ban the importation of captive cervids into Missouri, thus ending the legal transfer of deadly diseases, like CWD, into our state. The regulations still allow for instate transfer and say nothing about stopping the breeding or killing of captive deer.
;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(34,34,34)The regulations also call for testing of all mortality on these facilities. Every deer that dies needs to be tested for disease. This is necessary to find out if the captive herd is diseased.
;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(34,34,34)How these regulations imply, “the Department of Conservation has made no secret they would like to put those producers out of business,� is beyond my understanding.
;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(34,34,34)Senator Parson wrote, “Captive elk are already classified as livestock in Missouri. It only makes sense to do the same for deer and let the industry continue to create jobs and markets for another superior Missouri agricultural product.�
;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(34,34,34)The reason elk are classified as livestock in Missouri is because until a few years ago, there were no wild elk in Missouri, so those in captivity were considered an exotic species. Now that elk are once again a wildlife species in Missouri, as nature always intended, it is time to reclassify them as wildlife and transfer control to the Department of Conservation, who was granted, by the people, the constitutional responsibility of protecting and managing all wildlife in Missouri, including those living behind a fence.
;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(34,34,34)And, the Department of Agriculture testified in a Senate hearing that they do not want control of captive cervids transferred to them. They gave the same testimony in a House hearing. MDC wants to keep control, Ag doesn’t want it, yet your Senate voted to force the transfer.
;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(34,34,34)“ Likely� thanks to a high fenced hunting ranch in Macon County (it can’t officially be proven Missouri’s CWD outbreak originated there), Chronic Wasting Disease has already made its way into our 1.5 million wild whitetails. Now, Missouri must do all we can to stop the spread of this deadly disease. If we don’t act now, future generations wont have the chance to hunt deer in Missouri the way you. Relaxing the regulations on these facilities is counterintuitive to efforts across the country. There are 23 states that have already closed their bo rders, and some of those are not even CWD positive. Missouri is, yet our Senate voted to relax regulations.
;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(34,34,34)Senators Chappelle-Nadal, Dempsey, Justus, Keaveny, Pearce, Schmitt, Sifton, Silvey and Walsh voted against the bill. They stood against the majority. They should be commended for their vote in favor of the conservationists, public hunters and wildlife of Missouri. If you don’t see your senator’s name, well, then you know how they voted.
;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(34,34,34)This legislation has passed the Senate, but now it must pass the House before going before the Governor. There is still time to stop this atrocity. If you are opposed to this legislation, then as a citizen, you have the right contact your state representative and let them know you are opposed to House Bill 2031.
;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(34,34,34)For more information on Chronic Wasting Disease in Missouri, visit www.NoMoCWD.org.
;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(34,34,34)See you down the trail…
;background-color:transparent;' ', 'helvetica ', ;(34,34,34)Brandon Butler can be reached at [email protected].

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More like this story
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This was my response to his story in the comment section at the end of the article.
 Kind of lengthy, but I had a lot more I wanted to say.
 
Gary Olson
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Wow Brandon,  Don't let a little thing like the truth or facts get in the way of your story!!!
You say that you have an economic impact of $1.6 billion dollars, with a herd of 1.5 million deer?
Yet Iowa that has about 1/3 that herd claims to only have an economic impact of $200 million dollars.  Minnesota boasts 1 million wild deer and claims to have an economic impact of $500 million dollars.  You are  claiming an economic impact of 2-2 1/2 times of other states for the same deer.
Who does the math for these state agencies?  Either someone is lying, or they they can't get their figures straight.  Either scenario is dangerous.
 
Your speak of "relaxing" control on this in "minute smattering industry",  couldn't be further from the truth!  This industry is the most regulated, tested, monitored, and inventoried, industry of ALL livestock combined!!
 
Explain to me why the hunting ranch in Macon had a positive animals to start with?  The positive animals you speak of, were all natural additions, born on the ranch.  All the animals that were brought into the facility, came from herds that tested negative, and they were tested at 100%.  Understand that most all herds in this country have been testing at 100% since 2002.  We are generations into this program, and it has been a very successful program.  There has never been a positive animal from a deer farm EVER exported across state lines.   If a farm ever gets CWD it probably came from the local native deer herd.  Since you only test 1/4 of 1% of the wild deer, you will hardly ever find it!!!!!!  The Macon herd was the  proverbial "the canary in the coal mine" scenario.  You saying the Macon herd was giving CWD to the native herd, is like saying the canary caused the methane gases in the coal mine.  They found it first, because they are testing for it!!!  
You also state that "ever deer that dies needs to be tested for disease".  Why don't you require YOUR  MDC to do the same?  1/4 of 1% don't cut it!  The deer farms test at 100% , why doesn't the MDC?
 
You also talk about the wild elk being reintroduced into Missouri.  Where did they come from?  They didn't come from certified farms, did they? They were brought in from untested, unmonitored herds of CWD, from out of state.  Yet you critiize farmers for bringing in 100% monitored animals and praise the DNR for bringing in unmonitored ones!!  So by your line of thought, if the state would bring in Buffalo, for reintroduction, the cattle herds should be reclassified, and placed under the MDC for wild life management, since they were once wild animals also.  Take a look at Wind Cave In South Dakota.  Their herd was over 40% positive with CWD and they had 3 times the number of animals the park could handle.  What did they do?  They took the fences down and herded over half of them out of the park into the wild herd.  Where were you to criticize that?  It's ok for the government to move known positive animals, and you condemn farmers for moving tested, monitored animals?
 
The Senate did not vote to relax regulations.  They voted to move management of an animal species
to the Board of ANIMAL HEALTH from the wildlife department.  It makes sense, if you are truly wanting to monitor them for a disease, who better than Veterinarians to oversee them?   Also the new rules that wildlife were trying to place on them were ludicrous, and being totally made up to regulate them out of business.
 
Brandon, you need to report the truth and facts, not trying to twist this story for your own hatred and agenda.  You do your profession a great disservice.
 

Not yet.

One thing I find interesting is, why do they want the farmers to test down to 6 months of age?

Last week we attended the DNR meetings in Iowa, where they had the first CWD in the wild. Interesting, there is no deer farms in that county. They were asking the public to call them if they see road kill deer. They said this would help them in their testing efforts.

But they then told us they didn't want fawns for testing. Why don't they want fawns to test, but then the MDC wants farmers to test them? This move is nothing but a harassment and inconvenience for farmers.

Had a friend send this to me,  this is along the same road.  What is happening to this country?


Gary


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Right to farm being stripped from Americans: Michigan to criminalize small family farms with chickens, goats, honey bees and more


 

Friday, May 02, 2014

by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger

Editor of NaturalNews.com (See all articles...)
Tags: family farms, food security, Michigan government

 








 


(NaturalNews) In the latest stunning assault on Americans' right to grow their own food, the freedom-crushing state of Michigan has ruled that local governments (cities, towns, counties) can now ban any animal they wish from small residential farms. The move opens the door to the mass criminalization of backyard farms and small, residential farming operations where people might keep a few goats or honey bees for food security.


According to Michigan Public Radio (1), the ruling could ban all chickens, goats, honey bees and other animals from farms which have another residential house less than 250 feet away.


Off The Grid News(2) goes on to report:

Some homesteaders in Michigan could find themselves in a complete regulatory limbo because of the Commission's action. Blogger, writer and organic farmer Michelle Regalado Deatrick does not know if she'll be able to keep her livestock, because about half of her 80-acre farm may not be zoned for farm animals.


"We're building up a mixed production farm, planning to farm during retirement, and we have a permit in hand for a livestock facility," Deatrick said, "...Now we're having to reconsider our business plans and may sell the farm and buy a farm in a more rural area with definite [Right To Farm] protection, or move to another state that's more welcoming and protective of small farm rights."


Michigan DNR previously ordered small local farmer to shoot his own pigs
Michigan is the same state where the DNR (Department of Natural Resources) ordered one small, local farmer to shoot all his pigs because they were the wrong "race" of pigs. This genocidal demand by the Michigan state government echoes a tyrannical anti-farming agenda at the highest levels of state government.


Michigan is also the state where Julie Bass of Oak Park was threatened with jail time for teaching her children how to grow vegetables in their own home garden. All charges against Julie were later dropped after Natural News and other independent news sources publicly shamed Oak Park bureaucrats into backing down.


Nationwide, people who attempt to grow their own food are routinely threatened with arrest and fines. One woman in Oklahoma suffered the complete destruction of her medicinal herb landscaping by local city officials who raided her home garden while she was away.


The war against small farms is an attack against America
This obscene war against small farms is an attack against America herself. Our heritage, values, and culture are forever interwtined with small local farms.


Attacks against small local farms are also attacks on America's food security. Local, independent food production provides a buffer against systemic food failures that might occur, for example, after an EMP attack causes a national power grid blackout. Without power, centralized systems of food production, harvesting, transportation and retailing cannot function. But small, local farms can still produce food without electricity. So any attack against local farming is, in essense, an attack on America's national security.


And no state seems to be more determined to undermine America's national food security than Michigan, where state leaders appear to be even more insane than the leaders of Illinois.


Natural News urges farmers everywhere to fight back against this insanity and stand up for your divine right to produce your own food on your own property. Any government "authority" that attempts to take this right away from you is no authority at all: it is a tyranny.


With food prices already skyrocketing nationwide, and food security on the brink of systemic failures, only a government run by absolute fools would try to limit local food production. Perhaps when these bureaucrats are all starving one day, they can eat their regulations.

Sources for this article include:

(1) http://michiganradio.org/post/state-agricult...

(2) http://www.offthegridnews.com/2014/05/02/mic...




(0,0,0);Times;mediumLearn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/044965_family_farms_food_security_Michigan_government.html#ixzz30n9oakSA