EPD's - Do all the acronyms, numbers & jargon have your head spinning???  Click here for the most current definitions, according to the American Angus Association.

 

National ID - As National ID and "branded" ID programs come marching on, we thought it might be helpful to our customers to provide some Program forms, very simple record keeping forms and some links to other forms from various companies/agencies.

  • Premise ID Number  - State of KS.

    Click here for an online, easy-to-fill-out form.  This process took me about 10 minutes to register 2 premises.

    The following are all official documents from the Kansas Dept. of Animal Health.  They are all in PDF format which means you'll need Acrobat Reader.  Click the link and each form/info sheet will appear.  You can print or save it to your own computer to use later by using those normal commands.  Then click your browser's "Back" button to return to this page.  Click here to download Acrobat Reader if you don't already have it (it's free!). 

    Explanation of Premise ID system (PDF)

    Premise ID FAQ's (PDF)

    Application Form (PDF)

    Application Cheat Sheet (PDF)

m COOL - Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling

As of Sept. 30, 2008, mCOOL is the law.  According to Allie Devine, VP and General Counsel for the Kansas Livestock Association;

USDA will begin enforcing provisions of the mandatory country-of-origin labeling (mCOOL) law September 30, 2008. This will affect livestock producers and purchasers. Retailers are required to label covered commodities, including meat products, with information about the item’s country of origin. Packers and processors who sell to supermarkets must maintain documentation to prove the country of origin of meat. This can come in the form of producer statements, participation in programs compliant with the National Animal Identification System or import markings on the animals.

This means anytime an animal leaves your ranch, the purchaser, be it a sale barn, feedyard, individual or agent, will require an affidavit from you, the producer, that the animal was born and raised in the USA.  The National Cattlemen's Beef Association has produced an easy to use document that I have posted for your convenience that's one page and covers most applications.  KLA has developed 4 separate forms, also posted below.  Both options came out of industry wide meetings and will satisfy the requirements of the law.  Use either the NCBA's single form or ONE of KLA's as appropriate for your situation.

  • NCBA's Standardized Affidavit or
  • one of KLA's situation specific forms
    • Document 1 is a "continuous affidavit" intended for use by feedyards and others supplying cattle directly to packers.
    • Document 2 is the "continuous affidavit" intended for use by cow-calf and stocker operators supplying cattle to auction markets, feedyards or other buyers.
    • Document 3 is intended for use by cow-calf and stocker operators making an individual transaction.
    • Document 4 is a declaration of visual livestock inspection to be kept on file by the seller. The industry has agreed visual inspection for the presence or absence of foreign origin markings constitutes firsthand knowledge of the origin of those animals. Such inspections may be used to support an affidavit of origin.

Now, if all of this has your head spinning, call me (785-456-8160) and I'll help you out.  But now, here comes the soap box.

 

SOAPBOX AHEAD!!!! - Don't say I didn't warn you!

 

OK, now that you've been warned, mCOOL was foisted upon us by a special interest group (r-CALF and their affiliates) who believed that Americans wanted to know where their meat was from. Well, I say if they really wanted to know, there'd have been a successful brand based on "USA Born & Bred Beef."  Good ol' unfettered American capitalism has been very effective at identifying and meeting consumer demands throughout history.  That there's no such brand means that the American consumer has spoken.  Besides, when you look at dollars of beef exported vs. dollars imported, you'll see the importance of global beef trade, but that's another soapbox.  Back on topic...

 

NCBA and their affiliates fought on our behalf against the creation of this HUGE bureaucracy, record-keeping nightmare to no avail.  Seeing the writing on the wall, NCBA and KLA then became part of a 70 member group that worked VERY HARD for ALL producers to keep this burdensome legislation manageable and to keep the paper work reasonable.  A quick search of r-CALF and the Kansas Cattlemen's sites (our mCOOL creating state r-CALF affiliate) shows no record keeping forms available either place.

 

Remember as you deal with this latest government intrusion into the way you run your business who forced this on you (r-CALF and their affiliates) and who fought against it, then lobbied Congress during the Farm Bill debate to insure the new regulations were as palatable as possible (NCBA and their affiliates).  And PLEASE, if you're not already NCBA and KLA members (or whomever your state NCBA affiliate is), JOIN TODAY! 

 

Downey Ranch, Inc.

Joe Carpenter & Barb Downey, Managing Partners

38703 Wabaunsee Rd.

Wamego, KS  66547-8918

downeyranch@wamego.net