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Just a scoop full(April 16)--I was talking to a feedlot manager the other day. He said that his customer base for feeding cattle was about 30 percent but, he said, after this past year he expects it to be 10 percent. He also mentioned that he had talked to a politician who was somewhat agriculture-minded. He had voiced his concern not only about ethanol but also about huge corporations taking over completely. The politician said, "Who will feed these cattle if we would change this monopoly?" Only he did not use the word monopoly. That's a poor excuse. I realize we would not want to take away this huge ownership overnight. I do not resent some corporation ownership. The only thing I do not want is a monopoly. There are plenty of people that will still invest in feedlot cattle, if they feel that it is a good risk. None of us can stand these huge losses that we have encountered. These huge corporations could also have taken huge losses if they did not have their bases covered with corn and futures. However, if they are sharing in the end product--it looks a lot better for them than it does for us. It is a huge domino effect, if we take out the individual feeders competing with these big corporations on feeder cattle. Then we immediately move to a controlled calf market, whether individuals own them or not. All of us need to do everything we can to keep from going to a complete monopoly. Unless we want to simply be growers, like the chicken and pig industry, for these huge corporations. Then we are going to have to have the guts and ambition to be vocal enough to be heard loud and clear. By pushing the ethanol product--the government is causing the cattle industry to head to a monopoly very fast. And corn growers will have a lot better chance of selling their product with individual feeders competing for their product than they will if only three or four organizations are bidding on their product. Trust me, they may not realize it--but they need us just as much as we need them. Editor's Note: Jerry Nine, Woodward, Okla., is a lifetime cattleman who grew up on his family's ranch near Laverne, Okla. 4/28/08 Date: 4/23/08
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