The company we keep: Kessler’s ties to radical group

https://www.thefencepost.com/news/the-company-we-keep-kesslers-ties-to-radical-group/?fbclid=IwAR1Z61xLWKzaS2MOj64JPghxjfa3F8VgUWeLWkRYrUa0ULxZHcuJtcFStVw

• Ellen Kessler, Colorado Governor Polis’ appointee to the State Board of Veterinary Medicine has been busy flaunting her anti-agriculture viewpoint alongside other Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) activists.
  • According to Wayne Hsuing, DxE founder, the goal of the group is to destroy animal agriculture. Members have been known to break into farms, steal animals, and destroy property.
• In a recent social media photo, Kessler is holding a sign with a picture of a piglet and another sow in a farrowing crate with the words, “No horror movie compares to life on a factory farm!”
  • Kessler posted a video of what she called a “disruption,” that showed her holding this sign in a store’s meat department.
    • The store’s management later asked Kessler and other activists to exit the store as law enforcement was en route. The group slowly left the store and reconvened outside, displaying their signs to passing traffic.
    • The following day, Kessler posted on social media that she was “bearing witness” at Superior Farms as meat goats were arriving to be processed.
  • Kay Johnson Smith, CEO of Animal Agriculture Alliance, said extremists within DxE have been known to stage “disruptions” at large grocery stores, dressed in hazardous material suits and placing yellow crime scene-type tape around the egg department in some instances.
  • Johnson stated that Kessler’s involvement with DxE is no longer just supporting legislation or supporting animal welfare. Since DxE has a history of criminal behavior in Colorado, this creates yet another example of Kessler’s conflict of interest.
    • Johnson believes that both consumers and those in agriculture should be concerned with Kessler’s involvement with DxE.
  • According to Bill Hammerich, Colorado Livestock Association’s CEO, Kessler has an obvious conflict of interest and Colorado Livestock Association believes she won’t be able to serve in a fair and unbiased manner on issues related to veterinarians who are vital to Colorado’s livestock industry.
  • Conor Cahill, Governor Polis’ press secretary said in a statement that the Governor has appointed various Coloradans to different boards and commissions based on their professional and life background, not their social media engagement or dietary habits. Governor Polis has this approach to ensure that a diversity of voices is represented.

NCBA on the election’s impact on the beef sector

https://www.rfdtv.com/story/42865306/ncba-on-the-elections-impact-on-the-beef-sector

• NCBA’s Ethan Lane was featured on RFD-TV last week discussing the impact of the election on the beef industry.
• Lane explained that NCBA is planning to spend a significant amount of time educating the new members of Congress about how the industry has gotten to where it is today and what it needs in order to continue being successful.
• NCBA plans to continue their work with Congress to ensure American cattle producers are getting the value they deserve for their high quality cattle. The organization wants to be sure that producers are receiving a fair profit for the good work they are doing.
• When asked about the uncertainty regarding who actually won the presidential election and how that will impact the cattle markets, Lane stated that it has been an unprecedented year for the cattle market, but consumers still need to eat and fill their freezers with beef; strong beef demand is not going away.
  • He went on to say that NCBA is making sure that market dynamics are being handled appropriately to ensure adequate price discovery. When boxed beef prices increase and we see a run of prices at the meat counter for consumers, Lane said that NCBA makes sure that that profit is being pushed all the way down the chain to cattle producers. The organization wants to be sure that we don’t see inverted prices for cattle producers like we saw earlier this year.

Boxed beef prices

www.nationalbeefwire.com

• Choice boxed beef: $214.32 (+1.77)
• Select boxed beef: $198.49 (-0.48)