Tablerock Ranch eastern Wa | Can we set the record straight once and for all, two events were involved primarily in shaping a movement towards cool labeling. One event was 9 11 which created a wave of patriotism not seen in the USA since Pearl harbor. Another was Mad Cow in 2003, If one really gets accurate on cool, it's nexus really started in 1998 with three Ranchers that were tired of selling feeders for 55 to 65 dollars a hundred weight... you read that right $300 dollars a head, Cattle were being dumped on the US from Mexico and Canada at historic rates and the cowman was going extinct. in the Northwest you couldn't cross a North South highway without running Infront of a Canadian cattle pot bringing fats south. I remember riding an Angus tour bus sitting with Leo McDonnell talking about the plight of the industry. Leo was one of the three Ranchers that started R-calf and was the first President, you will also know him from running the Midland Bull test for many years.
Anyway R-calf morphed into a different animal and Leo was pushed out... at least that's what I remember. After 9 11 Americans wanted to support anything American and we felt beef was no exception, we felt Canadian beef was on par with ours but was killing our prices, Mexico cattle on the other hand was considered sub standard and had no business being labeled like it came from Nebraska. Then came mad cow, a cow imported from Alberta to a kill plant in central Wa 80 mile from my ranch tested positive for BSE... the country was primed for panic as the Oprahs of the world had been all over scary beef for a year, American Cattle produces got caught square on the chin as did Canadians..... we got rocked Canadians got knocked down!... we were dying on the vine and felt like Americans deserved a choice and cool seemed like a fair answer... it still does in my OP but like others believe the timing would not be conducive to retaining beef market share as it may inflate already high prices. Sorry long explanation but that's this producer's memory of events.
Edited by t rock 8/11/2025 14:41
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Cool... can we set the record straight.
