A few days ago, on or about 07/19/2002, Wally Day wrote:

>Date:    Fri, 19 Jul 2002 15:48:24 -0700
>From:    Wally Day <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: Corn

[snip reference to previous post]

>You know, the usual vegetarian retoric is that it
>takes tons of corn to create a pound of beef, blah,
>blah, blah.....
[snip]
>I've posted this before, but it bears repeating. There
>is really only a small amount of arible land capable
>of producing ag products. On the other hand, there is
>literally *millions* of acres (especially in the
>American west) that could support grazing.
>(Unfortunately, most of it is 'locked up' by the
>do-gooder Hollywood vegetarian liberals who don't know
>their.... well you know -- rant over).

As a paleo liberal who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico (pretty much in The
American West), I would like to speak to this briefly.  The feds have proposed
removing cattle from  public lands here.  The ranchers don't like this idea.
So far, the ranchers have forced the feds to step back from the idea.  No
surprise their; ranchers have gotten their way since the opening of the
west/removal of the natives a century or two ago. The ranchers like to pay
very
little rent to graze their cattle on tremendous amounts of public land (like
national forests and BLM lands).  It's a form of government subsidy for these
fiercely politically conservative, independent business men (heh).

Some might think this grazing is similar to buffalo grazing in forests and on
the prairie, but of course only 100 years ago, buffalo (or what were left of
them by then) still had a lot of open land to graze.  Now, even if cows
dreamed
of acting like buffalo--migrating here and there, from the mountains to the
prairie and back again with the seasons, stirring up and fertilizing the
land--they are penned in by fencing and highways, though in national forests
and BLM land, they still can roam a bit since they have to since it takes a
lot
of acreage to support even one cow.

But cows aren't much threatened by cars or getting lost as they have their
protectors, the ranchers and the government officials who bow to the needs and
desires of the ranchers.  Like a guest who pays $1 rent per month and can't
understand why you don't want him to play his stereo at concert levels at 2
a.m. or why you won't wash his clothes for him, ranchers can't understand why
other wild life is allowed to threaten their four-footed capital (i.e., cattle
and sheep).  Ranchers insist that the government regulate the presence of
coyotes, wolves, bears (black and grizzle), mountain lions and lynxes, and
lately deer, elk and moose that might possibly have some form of "mad cow"
disease that could spread to ranchers' cows and sheep.  Ranchers and their
friends want these threats regulated out of existence if at all possible (by
poison for coyotes and open hunting season for all the others).  For example,
this is one reason the introduction of the Mexican Wolf (which used to roam
these parts freely for thousand of years) is having such trouble--people
(guess
who) are shooting them on sight regardless of where the wolves are found,
regardless that it's illegal for them to be killed.  Gotta protect dem cows,
doncha know.

I won't waste anyone's time explaining the ramifications of the years of
drought around here or the fact that most non-ranchers living in the state
support wildlife and leaving all the animals, birds and fish to live in peace.

I will note, though, that since starting paleo dieting, I have eaten very
little cow... but that's not why I do not support cows grazing in the
mountains
on public lands.  Actually, I think they *should* be allowed to graze
there--if
wolves, bears and mountain lions are allowed to fulfill their role and catch,
kill and eat some of them.  Shepherds (such as Pueblo, Navajo and Hopi
peoples)
can use sheep dogs to protect their herds if they want.  Dogs do a good job of
protecting their charges.  Grazing on public lands should come with a
cost--and
not a cost (of their lives) to the original residents.

Otherwise, keep the cows where the grass is, east of and out of our mountains.
Leave the predators alone, I say! :)  We can learn a lot from a wolf.

Debby
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