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State Representative Paul Anderson
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4317
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GUEST COLUMN
Slippery slope for livestock industry; Canadian oil
By Rep. Paul Anderson
Those involved in animal agriculture need to be mindful of groups such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the agendas they promote. Already, they have helped push through legislation in California, for example, that makes the use of cages for layer hens illegal. The next state targeted for animal rights’ legislation may be Ohio, where an Election Day battle over what’s deemed to be proper care for farm animals has been averted — for now.
Ohio voters last November passed a constitutional amendment that created a Livestock Care Standards Board, whose job was to establish standards pertaining to the care and well-being of livestock and poultry. At the time of the amendment’s passage, it was hailed as a victory for farmers and a proactive strike by lawmakers against an expected ballot campaign by HSUS.
The organization wasn’t through, however. HSUS launched a petition drive and obtained enough signatures to put on this year’s ballot what they called an “anti-factory farming measure.” They eventually agreed to pull the ballot initiative, but not before receiving several crucial assurances. They include the banning of veal crates in 2017 and gestation stalls for sows in 2025. In addition, any new facilities built will not be allowed to have cages for layer hens or farrowing crates for sows.
It seems to me that livestock interests in Ohio have given in to the pressure. Seeing news footage of downer cows being mishandled is not good PR, so we in Minnesota must be proactive and make sure scenes like that do not happen here. Our livestock economy is too important to have restrictions such as those in California or Ohio placed on us here in Minnesota.
Ask most folks where most of our imported oil comes from, and chances are they will say “Saudi Arabia” or simply the “Middle East.” However, most of our foreign oil comes from right here on this continent. Our good neighbor to the north, Canada, supplies more than 20 percent of all U.S. oil imports. Nearly two million barrels a day come to us, which represents 99 percent of Canada’s export total. Most of the oil that comes to the Midwest is from the province of Alberta and their oil sands.
The business of oil and energy is huge. It’s estimated that two-way trade in energy between the U.S. and Canada in 2009 was over $120 billion. That total represents more than 20 percent of all trade between the two countries.
There’s an old adage that a farmer’s crops are never safe until they’re in the bin. That’s never been more true than this year as the district’s been hit with hail, high winds, and excessive amounts of rain. It’s no fun getting stuck in the field when one is trying to get the crop out, whether it’s silage, sugar beets, corn or soybeans. We were going around wet spots in fields before this latest round of heavy rain which – as this is being written – is pounding southern Minnesota with copious amounts of precipitation. Receiving eight or nine inches of rain just as harvest is beginning will make for a long and difficult fall season. Some of that ground will probably never dry out enough to support equipment before freeze-up. I talked with one custom harvester who had sent workers to Michigan and Kansas to pick up sets of tracks for his combines. These tracks replace the wheels and give machines more flotation and traction to travel over soft ground.
Unless our weather pattern changes dramatically real soon, farmers are going to have an especially difficult time during harvest this fall. Be careful as you work to get the crop out. And good luck.
—30—
Rep. Anderson encourages constituents to contact his office with input regarding any state legislative issue. He can be reached on the web at www.house.mn/13A and via email at rep.paul.anderson@house.mn. To contact Anderson by phone, call (651) 296-4317. Mail can be sent to Rep. Paul Anderson, 239 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, Minnesota 55155.
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