fallon Bull Sale - The Progressive Rancher Magazine

Letter to the Editor
Note: The opinions expressed herein are strictly those of the author. The Progressive Rancher neither seeks or endorses these submissions, but allows all to voice their views.
I had an old horse by the name of PJ. He reminded me of a horse when I was young
whose name was Paddy. Thus, Paddy Junior or PJ. He wore a number three shoe. Would fit
easily into a team . Not a big team but surely one that would pull a sled or a small wagon.
Red roan he was. Had a black mane and tail. A neck as big as a fifty gallon drum, and a
head to match. The only way he could go to the Cow Palace, you would need to buy him a
seat in the third row. There is good in everything and PJ was good to separate the wannabes
and the purveyor of male bovine fecal matter from the pure quill. However the pure quill
was easily recognizable. They never bragged much. They would just show you. So when
you drew PJ for the day, it was a test. The art of observation was PJs long suit. By the time
the FNG had him saddled and bridled, PJ knew more about this fellow than anyone else
on the outfit. He didn’t buck. Workman’s comp is too expensive can’t get someone fouled.
Boy do I miss the good old days. PJ would wait patiently for his rider. If the lad just gave
him a little rein, tapped him a little with the heels of his boots, a near perfect day could be
had. The problem is, most FNG’s think, to be impressive, you must drive steal into the guts
of the horse and yard on his head with the reins. Well mashing on the accelerator and the
break at the same time seldom works. For PJ, this meant, suck up a little, crow hop and do
a ballet thing I think they call it a pirouette, back up and break wind with enough force to
sound like thunder. Then he would back the rube into the greenish gas cloud and freeze. If
the FNG hadn’t fallen off yet, PJ would just stand there frozen until someone came to his
rescue This task usually fell upon me. I would slowly ride over waiting for the mushroom
shaped noxious gas cloud to dissipate and mention, that if you will take your hand out of
his mouth and your gut hooks out of his belly we can go, and by the way let go of the saddle
horn the batteries are dead, the horn won’t make a sound.
Well we have a similar situation going on in the state government. Lots of credentials.
Lots of spunk. Just not real good at keeping a poker face whilst they whip out some political
pay back .Dr. Lesperance is not perfect, nor is anyone else. I started college on September
1, 1967. It is safe to say that by September 2, 1967,it would match with the first time Dr.
Lesperance yelled at me. I willfully admit that I had it coming. Was he a stern task master?
YES. Did you dare show up in his class unprepared? NO. At the end of the semester did
you know the subject? YES. Was Dr. Lesperance passionate about his subject? YES .At
the end of the semester did you get your monies worth for taking his class? YES. Did he
inspire you to work hard and excel? Yes Did Dr. Lesperance take over the AG department
when there was internal strife in the AG department? Was there huge shortfalls in the state
budget? Did the AG department have to bite the bullet in several areas. Did this make the
employees nervous and apprehensive at the AG departments administration? We all got to
watch the University’s college of agriculture get gutted. Ag extension put on the chopping
block .No worries mate? Sounds like a perfect storm to me. This was all under the last
governor, the one that ask for Dr. Lesperance’s help and tried as hard as any governor that
I am aware of to help agriculture. The governor had respect for the AG industry and knew
well of its contribution to the states economy.
The department of agriculture was set up in 1915 to regulate, promote, educate, and
champion agriculture in the state of Nevada. It was not set up to provide jobs for employees
of the department of agriculture. Nor can you protect agriculture without addressing water
issues. When we adopted the strong water policy for the state, we as a board, to protect agriculture,
felt that we needed a strong position. No we didn’t want the state engineers job. We
merely wanted standing in the process. INPUT AND RESPECT FOR OUR INDUSTRY!
Well, as we were told by governor Gibbons, “an individual in Las Vegas took exception to
that stance”. Maybe the same person who a few short years ago had a natural resource panel
dissolved when a strong negative policy on intra basin water transfer was taken? Maybe
the same person that is on the new governor’s transition team? Maybe the same person that
several governors have said that they couldn’t do anything about her or her organization, as
it was too powerful? Gee Hard for me not to believe that in a state that is so rural; but one
end is so urban and powerful and so unaware of the role of agriculture that the assembly
and senate and lots of governors have found themselves beholden to that huge urban area.
Hard not to connect the dots that a bunch of farmers would be put in their place.
The Ag board represents a cross section of constituents within the industry. It is kind of
insulting that our opinions can be so easily dismissed. We had an exit strategy. The majority
of the board thought it best to get through the legislature. Dr. Lesperance wanted to stay on
just long enough for us to replace him after the session with the legislature. The incoming
governor was aware of this strategy. Are we rogues? Are we poking the governor in the
eye? We swore an oath to protect agriculture. We should have been given enough respect
Fumes from the Farm by Hank Vogeler
to express our views. Time will tell the rogue and the eye metaphor. The metaphor of the
honey moon period for the new administration cannot be declared, as far as the Ag board
goes, the new governor never even bothered to consummate the marriage. CONTINUITY,
was the theme. We basically got a no confidence in our judgment as a board. Dr. Lesperance
is being used as a trophy head. Measured for Boone and Crockett and to be presented to the
victor. We will all kiss the ring of the water empress or die. Now we have been told that if
the governor’s office has its way, the departments of weights and measures will be moved
elsewhere, along with fuels. Who knows what else. Maybe, what is left will be an advisory
board with no teeth? Oh don’t worry boys. Little political capital is expended. Not many
northern rural folks can pull the chain for a liberal democrat. Ironic isn’t it. We voted in
droves for the incoming governor and we were the first ones under the bus. How will they
address the tough issues like teachers unions, culinary unions, state workers unions, and
public employees retirement system. How will they address spending billions on a pipeline
that may not be needed for years or if at all. What about the money in SNWA’s coffers could
it be swept to help balance the budget? Eight percent of the Ag department budget is from
the general fund. The entire general fund budget for agriculture is just over a million dollars;
it would run the state for about three minutes Rural Nevada is a Chihuahua barking at
a great Dane. Yet we supported the great Dane, and for what? To be told to have a nice day
and we can carve you up if we want. A little like my old horse PJ. Mashing on the breaks
and the accelerator at the same time just causes a huge stink, confusion and doesn’t get you
anywhere. Hang and rattle. Hank
Progressive R ancher
Internet
FEATURE:
EXTRA
Ecological Site Descriptions:
Consideration for Riparian Systems
By Tamzen K. Stringham and Jeffery P. Repp
Ecological sites, and the previous iteration known as range sites, have provided
ecologically based guidance in making land management decisions for more
than 60 years. However, previous site description approaches failed to sufficiently
describe the specific functions and processes unique to riparian areas, subunits
critical to landscape function. Riparian areas are defined as the transition zone
between the uplands where there is seldom standing water and the stream, lake,
or spring where free-flowing or standing water supports a suite of water-loving
plants such as sedges, rushes, and willows. Riparian zones in the western United
States occupy only a small proportion of the total landscape and are often narrow
corridors associated with streams. In spite of this limited area, about 80% of the
terrestrial wildlife species known to occur in southeastern Oregon, for example,
are dependent on these ecosystems for some portion of their life cycle. Riparian
zones and meadows have also been found to provide a high proportion of summer
forage for livestock and big game. The importance of riparian areas to wildlife,
livestock, fisheries, and water quality is well recognized, but the development of
riparian ecological sites and the associated state-and-transition models (STMs) is
a recent phenomenon.
For the complete article, please go to
www.progressiverancher.com/extra.html
www.PROGRESSIVER ANCHER.COM/EXTR A.html
www.progressiverancher.com The Progressive Rancher
February 2011 13