Thirty six hours ago we were broiling under unseasonably hot and dry weather. Today we’re under a flash flood warning. Typical Texas weather: feast or famine.
A joint statement from Texas Cattle Feeders Association, Kansas Livestock Association and Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association regarding the ongoing ICE operations in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas:
“The Kansas Livestock Association, Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association and Texas Cattle Feeders Association are closely monitoring reported U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity affecting agricultural communities in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas.
Our organizations respect the responsibility of federal agencies to enforce the law. At the same time, cattle producers, feedyards, dairies, livestock markets, processors, and other rural businesses depend on a stable workforce to care for animals, protect food safety, and keep the supply chains operating. Sudden workforce disruptions can create immediate animal-welfare, operational, and economic consequences that extend well beyond an individual business. These ICE operations are having a massive chilling effect on the legal, documented, skilled workers that put beef on the table and keep the cattle supply chain moving. Additionally, these types of disruptions will lead to higher beef prices for consumers.
Reported impacts to our organizations throughout the past few days have been:
- Thousands of fed cattle slated for shipping to processors now delayed, resulting in millions of dollars in lost revenue and additional costs.
- Workforce disruptions at numerous supply chain chokepoints such as feedyards, dairies, processors, feed and grain companies, transportation hubs, and community services.
These disruptions come at a time of enhanced focus and pressure on the cattle and beef supply chain. They are a costly and unnecessary impact to cattle producers already suffering from unwelcome political interference to both the markets as well as the physical supply chain. Frustratingly, the harm these actions cause to cattle producers last for days and weeks after such operations conclude.
We urge federal officials to conduct enforcement actions in a lawful, orderly, and transparent manner; respect due process; and communicate clearly with affected employers and communities.”
I’ve always said that my greatest ambition is to be sincerely mourned by my grandkids when I go. Dolly is being mourned by everybody’s grandkids. She wins. 😞
Great Western Swing combo at the Central Market stage tonight. Last four tunes went from Red Steagall to a Paris cabaret tune to “Ain’t Nobody Here but Us Chickens” to “Blue Bayou.” A virtual world tour.
I've been trying to improve my Spanish to a more conversational level for a while now, and Spanish Memory Bridge makes more sense than anything else I've tried. The lessons and prompts are helping me sound more "native" than simple vocabulary drills.