# In Chilly Canada, COOL isn't cool.



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

This is not cool to US ag producers either.....it just contributes to the anti-American sentiments that already exist by many of our northern neighbors.

Regards, Mike

http://growingtennessee.com/features/2015/11/title-cool-chad/?utm_source=Growing+Tennessee&utm_campaign=bb17dcf17e-growingtennessee-daily_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d75710df8e-bb17dcf17e-296641129


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

I would not be against a North America label.

Canada sends a lot of cattle to the U.S. to be fattened on our feed lots. Those cattle are then processed here in the States.

Mexico once sold a lot of stocker calves here to be grazed, then put on feed. Those numbers are down. All three countries have done well with how things ran in the past. I am not sure country of birth is as important as where the beef was finished and processed.

I differentiate between North American beef and beef raised on other continents. Canada and the U.S. have pretty much the same standards and also have enforcements in place. Mexico may not be quite as stringent or have oversight but the cattle they send here are young and spend most of their life on American soil.

With out COOL then cattle raised in countries with vague health standards, both in raising and also processing, can be sold side by side with beef raised and processed in North America.


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## Waterway64 (Dec 2, 2011)

I have been and am a supporter of country of origin labeling, something like the little sticker Chile puts on there apples. Leave it to our federal government to complicate it with so much paperwork and red tape that it is impractical for our entire industry. I cannot understand why we can't have a simple solution that works for everyone.


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

Simple solution without red tape.

Easy
Abolish USDA and FDA.

A guy can dream, right?


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Waterway64 said:


> I cannot understand why we can't have a simple solution that works for everyone.


There are two big obstacles for COOL to be simple and work.

The most obvious is that Mexico and Canada will be penalized in price. Their cattle shipped to be raised in the U.S. can not be marketed with the rest of the beef a company buys. Keeping track of which steer is Canadian, U.S. or Mexican comes at a cost. Those importing cattle across the border are docked because their cattle now require more work.

Second, the U.S. producer will have to chip their cattle. Chips are down to about $1 now. We would have to implant the chip and record the data on a computer. One source claims the data is immediately uploaded to a national data base. I have not been able to confirm that as fact. Every shot, vaccination, deworming, castration etc needs to be added to the data of that bovine. Who has time for that? Who can afford the technology or learn to use it.

A loud voice in all this COOL for beef is saying it is a smoke screen for us to enter our numbers into a database which allows the government to see our inventory and track our sales.

Not sure about all that.

Can you picture a leather skinned cowboy roping a calf on the range, give it some shots, cut or band it, then reach into his saddle bag and pull out a lap top to make it official?

That dog won't hunt.


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

Tim/South said:


> There are two big obstacles for COOL to be simple and work.
> The most obvious is that Mexico and Canada will be penalized in price. Their cattle shipped to be raised in the U.S. can not be marketed with the rest of the beef a company buys. Keeping track of which steer is Canadian, U.S. or Mexican comes at a cost. Those importing cattle across the border are docked because their cattle now require more work.
> 
> Second, the U.S. producer will have to chip their cattle. Chips are down to about $1 now. We would have to implant the chip and record the data on a computer. One source claims the data is immediately uploaded to a national data base. I have not been able to confirm that as fact. Every shot, vaccination, deworming, castration etc needs to be added to the data of that bovine. Who has time for that? Who can afford the technology or learn to use it.
> ...


Nor should it...

I know there's folks out there doing that now and getting the "market premiums" for "identity preserved" cattle-- more power to them, if that's they're thing and they've figured out how to make money off it.

Make EVERYBODY do it, and those premiums go RIGHT OUT THE WINDOW.

Back when the premise ID crap started and all that, they were trying to strongarm everybody into this sort of crap. NO THANKS!

It's all just a money grab by the big agribiz companies that want to sell tags and data services and all that sh!t... and of course a jobs program for USDA beancounters to keep track of all the numbers on everything... the stupid USDA reports do enough damage manipulating the market anyway... Why I NEVER cooperate with those gubmint survey people calling wanting to know "how many acres of this or that will you plant/have planted, what condition is it in, how many of what kind of cattle, how many calves, etc..." I always tell them straight up, "that's proprietary information, and none of your business"...

When Ford or Chevrolet start announcing all their plans months or years in advance, their plans to increase production or decrease production, or switch materials, they don't announce it until AFTER they've secured their materials and pricing strategy... IOW, if Ford announced they were going to increase production of autos by 20% next year, what do you think would happen to the price of steel?? I'd go up due to increased demand, right?? Of course it would. So they don't announce anything until after they've contracted for their steel deliveries that they need...

In the exact same way, all these stupid "USDA reports" on all the crops and livestock do is serve to undercut the market and the farmer is usually left holding the sh!tty end of the stick... How many times have folks cussed the latest USDA report coming out showing a huge increase in soybeans, corn, or cotton that half the time is exaggerated numbers, and watched the price fall because of it?? Let the market bid what it takes to get the corn/beans/cotton/cattle/whatever it needs, without the USDA "giving them inside information" every time they come out with a "report"...

Everybody would be a LOT better off if EVERYBODY would tell these people to take a flying leap when they call wanting that information...

It's all about control... including COOL and this premise nonsense and all that other garbage...

Later! OL JR


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