A Rancher's Legacy
I need to get this off my chest, and perhaps it will anger some people but to loosely quote "Gone With the Wind", quite frankly I don't give a damn.
The beef industry as we know it is being destroyed. Ranch life could disappear if we don't work together to make some radical changes.
The first few months of 2020 have proven, without a shadow of a doubt, that cattle producers have been kept in the dark for far too long concerning how and where our Federal Check Off dollars and donated funds have been spent.
I am appalled with how the NCBA has treated cattle producers, R-CALF, and other cattle associations. Considering you are supposed to be supporting for the American Cattle producer, it sure feels like they are more concerned about padding their personal pockets. The behavior of their leadership is disturbing, and they have the gall to stand up in their fancy suits and point fingers at cattle ranchers when we question their ethics. We are required to pay our checkoff dollars to an entity that treats ranchers like uneducated morons, and we are just supposed to bend over and take it? It angers me to no end. This is not industry leadership--this is greed and lust for power at it's worst. I personally believe that their organization shouldn't be entitled to a red penny unless producers choose to send it to you.
The packing plants that are giant conglomerates owned by non-American corporations are the ones making profits, while the producers, feeders, and sale barns keep falling further into debt. They've screwed us all over in their rise to the top of the money pile. The corruption is despicable.
And last but not least- the politicians. Most of them have proven time and time again that they are no where to be found unless the wallets open up. We send letters and make phone calls, and they continue to ignore us. Or they give us lip service to shut us up. Well, we aren't going to accept that anymore. We are their constituents, too- start treating us like it.
It is almost embarrassing to watch the unraveling of an industry happen right before our eyes. It's a damn shame that it has to be this way.
It is the producers and feeders and small family ranchers that are going to write the next chapter of the beef industry. We work hard to keep food on the table for our families, and to pay the bills. We bust our asses day in and day out, not to pay for political dinner parties and pretty marketing schemes, but because this is our livelihood. It's time these leaders start working for the people providing the products that pay for their wardrobe.
Sincerely,
Richelle Barrett
Cattle Rancher, Ranch Wife, American Consumer, and Agvocate
