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Newspaper Archive of
Golden Valley News
Beach, North Dakota
April 7, 2011     Golden Valley News
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April 7, 2011
 
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April 7, 2011 Page 3 Butting up with spring Calves butt heads at an area feedlot on April 1, (Photo by Richard Volesky) in To the editor: Visits to the grocery store have many Americans wbndering about the price of food these days. We all know food prices are up a bit. but the reasons why are not Simple. Americans are fortunate to have a safe. abundant supply of food. But as food travels from the farm to our tables, the price we pay is influ- enced by a number of factors along the way. Energy costs are up, not only gas for our cars and trucks, but for trac- tors, combines, semis, ships, trains and cranes all of the vehicles that help get food from the farm to our tables. Refrigeration, packaging, processing and marketing also con- tribute to the final food cost in a grocery store or restaurant. Meanwhile. costs for fertilizer, ani- mal feed. and equipment are up for prices family farmers and ranchers across the country. Floods, drought and political instability in foreign nations have also impacted prices. In fact. estimates show that out of every dollar a consumer spends on food, less than 16 cents goes to a farm or agricultural business. So while many farmers have weath- ered the recession and are earning strong incomes, not all farm fami- lies are doing as well as they might. Small and mid-sized operations in particular continue to struggle. And today, in spite of the many factors affecting food prices, farm- ers and ranchers are working hard to keep food affordable for con- sumers for their neighbors, family and friends, and all of us who depend on their work. Thankfully, U.S. farmers are the most productive in the world. They are have embraced science and new farming technologies to produce about twice as much per acre as they did 50 years ago. This record productivity has helped keep food affordable for American families. The average American household spends between six and seven percent of its income on food. while residents of nearly every other country in the world pay substantially more. History shows that food prices will rise and will fall. As we weath- er this period of price fluctuation together, know that America's farm- ers are working every day to pro- vide your family with the highest quality, mosl; affordable food any- where in the world. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Washington D.C. ill Ion i don,t know about you, but I'm really getting tired of winter! It's April for goodness sake. We need some warm days and green pas- tures. The third phase of the Legislature has begun - conference committees. At this point, bills that have been voted on in both sides of the Legislature. and have differ- ences between the House or Senate versions, move to committees made up of three House members and three Senate members. The winter has been long and hard on not only livestock but on our wildlife as well. SB 2227 is a bill that expands the tools available to livestock producers who are suf- fering from deer depredation. In addition to the original components - the authorization of the Game and Fish Department director to estab- lish specialized hunts (now from December through Jan. 15) to reduce depredation problems: a cost-share program for the erection of deer proof hay yards: and a defi- nition of crops to include those that are harvested and gathered (hay) is included. The version that was amended and approved by the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee provides for mandatory mediation through Ag Mediation for landown- ers dissatisfied with the Game and Fish Department's management Capitol Report By Shirley Meyer State Representative, District 36 Beef producers are stewards of their livestock, not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it is how they make a living, plan to control deer. It also sets aside $1 million per biennium to purchase short-term feeding sup- plies during the winter to help draw out animals in problem areas, as well as $100.000 for specialized food plots. Furthermore. language authorizing the Game and Fish Department to engage others to euthanize injured, sick or emaciated deer has been added to the bill. Language aimed at giving landown- ers their "day in court" if they are charged with shooting deer without a license was likewise enhanced to modify the current strict liability offense. This bill is long overdue and we should be debating it on the House floor this week. Ranchers and farm- ers certainly contribute their share of feed to keep the deer alive, but in winters such as this when the hay piles starts dwindling and 100 head of deer start invading the hay, other remedies need to be sought. One bill that was defeated was SB 2365, which called for a study of laws related to the humane treat- ment of animals. All of our major livestock groups testified m support of this bill. citing livestock produc- ers' positive practices and the voic- es of groups like the Humane Society and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Beef producers are stewards of their live- stock, not only because it is the right thing to do. but because it is how they make a living. I felt that reviewing the lan- guage through the study process to make sure that our high standards of animal welfare are maintained. and prohibit animal agriculture from being targeted by radical groups would have been a good idea. I do have concerns that some will view the Legislature's opposi- tion to the study negatively and will decide to initiate legislation on their own that may be unfavorable to agriculture. I can be reached at sjmey- er@nd.gov or by phone at 1-888- 635-3447. N. D. Matters By Lloyd Omdahl Oil industry's demand for water is 'now' As you read this. the session is on Its 62nd leg'islative day with no more than 18 days left to wrap up our work. House bills, that the Senate amended and that the House did not agree with are being assigned to conference committees starting last week. The beginning of the conference committees sig- nals the beginning of the end of the session. On average it takes three weeks for the committees to complete their work and if that holds true the ses- sion should end on Good Friday. A former employee of mine would always say "'the good Lord willing and the creek don't rise" and I think that applies here. The most controversial subject we had this past week was a consti- tutional revision bill that would have put language into our Constitution allowing citizens to purchase or not purchase health care coverage. It was billed by many as a strike against what is referred to as Obama care. There is no doubt in my mind that the large majority of the Legislature opposes Obama care but that is not what the debate on the bill was about. The debate was simple, can North Dakota put a law in that is in conflict with federal law? If we were to secede from the union, we could do it but you know what? I am a resident of North Dakota but a citizen of the United States so I had to vote as a citizen. Obama care is in the hands of the courts if we like it or not and in the hands of the fed- eral government. We. as a state. have done as much as we could to hullify the negative effects of the bill and at the same time try to take Speaker ' s Desk By David Drovdal DEADLINES The deadline for sub- mitted copy and stories and all ad orders is noon on Fridays. Call 872-3755 or e-mail gvnews @ mid state, net. The debate was simple, can North Dakota put a law in that is in conflict with federal law? advantage of the positive aspects of the bill. Some of the bills that directly affect western North Dakota seem to be going through the process w~th very little problems. The oil and gas distribution formula is only receiving a few corrections: the governor's proposal on oil and gas roads has had little opposition after the House had its disagreement. School funding will be around $104 million more across the state with an additional $46 million in property tax buy down of mill levies. The western water bill that is designed to provide Missouri River water first to the oil industry, then to cities and industries was revised in the Senate and is headed to a con- ference committee. The Senate reduced the funding and put it under the management of the State Water Commission. The State Water Commission does manage other state funded water projects but in this case they have not supported the project up to now and only start- ed supporting it after it passed the House. There is a well-founded fear that the project would be stalled for a number-of years under their management. The need for the water is now and it would reduce the damage to roads because of the reduction in distances traveled by water trucks. There is an argument that this would put the project m. competi- tion with private sellers of water but currently most towns in the oil patch are selling water today. An additional goal of the project is to make use of the Missouri River water and reduce the drain on the aquifer that our citizens need for their personal use. If you have any comments on the bills left before us. I can be r~ached at ,ddrovdal@nd.gov and Rep. Kempenich at kkem- penich@nd.gov. Senator Bowman is bbowman@nd.gov, and we would appreciate hearing from you. A person can also watch the daily legislative session on the lnternet by going to www.legis.nd.gov/then by clicking on session quick links followed by clicking on live house sessions. I k and Shrimp Night • Starting at 6 p.m. Includes salad bar and dessert $19.95 includes tax Reservations a ppreciated Tobacco program translates into improved women's health To the editor: In my years of working for women's public health. I have learned a valuable lesson: If you want to dramatically improve women's health in North Dakota, convince them never to start smok- ing and help them stop smoking. The top four leading causes of death among all women in North Dakota (heart disease, cancer. stroke and lung disease) all have one big risk factor in common - tobacco. According to the American Heart Association. smoking is a major cause of car- diovascular heart disease among women, and. women who smoke have an increased risk for ischemic stroke and subarachnoid hemorrhage. One year after quit- ting smoking, the risk of heart attack drops sharply, and after 2-5 years, the chance of stroke could fall to about the same as a non- smoker's. Where heart disease is the num- ber one cause of death among women, lung cancer is the number one cancer killer of women. Yes. that's right - lung cancer is the num- ber one cancer killer of women, and we know unquestionably that 90 percent of those cancers are directly related to tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke. According to the latest surgeon general's report "If nobody smoked, 1 of every 3 cancer deaths in the United States would not happen.'" This is why both the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association support state- based comprehensive tobacco con- trol programs as a top policy priori- ty. Smoking also reduces a woman's chance of getting pregnant, increas- es the risk of having babies who die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and increases the risk of pregnancy complications." prema- ture delivery, low birth weight, still- birth and miscarriage. These are all critical women's health issues that will be positively impacted by work done to reduce tobacco use by women. A strong tobacco control pro- gram based on science and best practices, like the one approved by the voters in Measure 3, is in fact one of the best women's health pro- grams in the country. Heidi Heitkamp Mandan Spea ing We were all eager to hear President Obama tell us about the exit strategy in Libya. but not quite as eager as Moammar Gadafi. (It's difficult to run a successful war when you have to tell the enemy • what you are planning.) The French have a heart for rev- olutions. They were first in line to defend the staggering revolution in Libya. They did the same thing in America 230 years ago when Count de Grasse's fleet bottled up General Cornwallis at Yorktown. They bailed us out of a losing war. Sarah Palin traveled to Israel' recently in anticipation of a run for the presidency but Israel doesn't have an opening at present,. However. there may be a vacancy in Libya shortly.. President Obama was in Brazil and Chile looking over his options. They didn't have any vacancies either, but Egypt will be holding elections soon. 4, O4, The ladybug v;,ill be the official North Dakota state insect. The ant was not even considered, proving that appearances carry more weight than hard work. 4, 4, I~ Which ethnic group is most s~4it- ed to the "square" dance? The Swedes nominated the Norwegians. PewResearchCenter has discov- ered why so many young people are binge drinkers. Thirty-seven percent don't see excessive drinking as a moral issue, especially when they are drunk. I lost interest in getting a Smartphone when a friend told me that an IQ test would be required. 4, OII, Due to a lack of Boniva, the AARP-Dakota River Dancers will not appear at the Minor State Fair this year, but just about everyone else will. Dates: July 22-29. I have 44 friends, relatives and strangers offering to be my friends on Facebook. Since I couldn't do justice to that many friends, rela- tives and strangers. I don't do Facebook at all. 4, 4~ 4, In a democracy, when enough people are doing the wrong thing, it cannot be outlawed, e.g, using cell- phones while driving in traff~c. With nuclear fallout in the wind. we need to dig out the North Dakota Civil Defense Survival Plan devel- oped in the late '50s. It assumed the Russians would bomb the Minot and Grand Forks ngs Air Force Bases and the Capitol in Bismarck. However, Fargo was included as a target for no reason at all except they complained about not being considered important enough to be a target. Fargo was made a target without checking with the Russians. : II, II, I) ..... The plan started with a clear exit strategy: run. We were all supposed to head for Williston, Dickinson and Devils Lake because the prevailing winds would blow the radioactive clouds to the southeast. A new administration was elect- ed and changed the strategy: dig. That brought concrete bomb shel- ters filled with water and crackers. If you could survive the crackers, you didn't need to worry about the radiation. O 4, 4,. When it comes to passing laws, the politics of the present are more important than the consequences of the future because nobody in the future is voting yet. 4,4,4, Sometimes it's hard to tell a cab- bage from a king. "The Brokers Krimm" The slorl ol Ntota's serial bank robber AM Visit with our Excellent Staff Sandi Peplinski, Branch Manager Lorrie Knight, Teller Western Cooperative CREDIT UNInN BEACH: S4 | ST ST. SE P.O. BOX 366 B72"222S " WWW.WCP-U.ORB