[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24689]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



    PRESENTATION OF TERESA OE: NORTH DAKOTA'S STATE BEEF AMBASSADOR

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. EARL POMEROY

                            of north dakota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 24, 2000

  Mr. POMEROY. Mr. Speaker, on September 28-30 of this year, the North 
Dakota Stockmen's Association held its annual convention in Bismarck, 
ND. I would like to take this opportunity to share with my colleagues 
the remarks of one of the conference presenters. Ms. Teresa Oe, a high 
school student from Belfield, North Dakota and North Dakota's State 
Beef Ambassador, gave an impressive speech to the convention delegates. 
Ms. Oe's remarks addressed the environmental benefits of cattle 
grazing. I would encourage my colleagues to take a moment to review her 
remarks which may help to bridge communication between cattlemen and 
environmentalists.

                          The Misunderstanding

          (By: Teresa Oe--North Dakota State Beef Ambassador)

       Cattlemen and environmentalists have long regarded each 
     other as the enemy. Rarely do they wish to converse with one 
     another, let alone compromise. When they eventually agreed to 
     ``discuss'' matters, the resulting arguments are based 
     primarily on biased opinion and accusations. This 
     communication gap has led to the disastrous misunderstanding 
     that cattle and conservation cannot successfully coexist.
       The irony in this notion, however, is that modern day 
     cattlemen, equipped with new range management tools, are 
     extremely capable and dedicated conservationalists. Believe 
     it or not, grazing cattle are their most valuable means for 
     upgrading environmental well being.
       According to the 2000 Cattle and Beef Handbook, produced by 
     the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, ``Grazing lands 
     comprise about one-third of the land in the United States.'' 
     Due to steep terrain or dry conditions, these lands often are 
     not suitable for cultivation or development. Cattle graze 
     these virtually useless lands, utilizing grass, one of our 
     country's most ample, renewable resources. Cattle are capable 
     of efficiently transforming grass and other forage into 
     nutritious high-protein beef.
       Nevertheless, more and more every day, environmentalists 
     are questioning if cattle belong on the rangelands. Surely, 
     if environmental agencies only knew the significance of 
     cattle to these areas, then their minds would be at ease and 
     our cattle could continue to do their job. With this motive 
     in mind, it is my privilege to share with you five major 
     environmental benefits of cattle on the rangelands.
       First of all, properly grazed cattle promote healthy soil 
     and plant vigor. As a matter of fact, as documented in the 
     Soil and Land Conditions publication, the Wildflower Research 
     Center states, ``Grazing is necessary for the maintenance of 
     grassland systems.'' Cattle actually help plants and grasses 
     grow by aerating the soil with their hooves. When cattle 
     saunter over the land, they loosen the dirt which allows more 
     oxygen to enter the soil. Without this oxygen, the soil 
     develops a hard crust and is unable to readily absorb water 
     and nutrients. Moreover, cattle naturally fertilize the soil 
     in the form of manure.
       Cattle also encourage plant reproduction. As a natural 
     means of reseeding, they scatter the seeds of various plant 
     life and bury them in the ground, surrounding them in soil 
     that is necessary for the onset of growth.
       Regulating bothersome weeds and shrubs is also 
     characteristic of cattle. They consume these nuisances which, 
     otherwise, without the use of herbicides, would have the 
     potential to grow and reproduce uncontrollably.
       Furthermore, cattle are doing a large favor for many 
     species of wildlife. Elk, deer, wild sheep, antelope, and 
     geese, among others, are partial to young, palatable grass 
     shoots. In order to stimulate and enhance this new, preferred 
     growth, cattle must first remove the rank fall vegetation 
     that other animals are hesitant to eat.
       Last, but certainly not least, cattle grazing aids in 
     preventing fires. Longer vegetation helps carry uncontrolled 
     wildfires that cause mass destruction and expense. In the Wow 
     that Cow! pamphlet published by the American National Cattle 
     Women Inc., it points out that grazing these areas reduces 
     the amount of matter on the ground, thus limiting the 
     quantity of fuel to burn and restricting the fires ability to 
     spread quickly.
       Many members of our society have been misinformed that 
     rangelands are in pitiful condition and that cattle are to 
     blame, when in fact, just the opposite is true. As quoted by 
     Rockwood Research in 1996, ``73 percent of cattlemen's range 
     of pasture land had been reported as improved in the past ten 
     years, while only six percent had declared a decline.'' Not 
     surprisingly, this study also showed that 62 percent of 
     cattlemen reported an increase in wildlife. People for the 
     USA! Grazing Position Paper states, ``Scientists and range 
     experts are constantly proving that rangelands are currently 
     in their best condition since the turn of the 20th century, 
     and the improvement is continuing.''
       If statistics verify that rangelands and the wildlife 
     therein are truly thriving, why then do members of the 
     environmental community still feel the cattle should be 
     removed from these areas? Mistakes by ranchers of the past 
     are mostly responsible for the negative attention that cattle 
     receive, but this is unfair. Cattle can only be as efficient 
     workers as their owners are good managers. Ranchers of the 
     past did not have the educational resources that are 
     available to us now. Today's cattlemen have a tremendous 
     understanding of the correlation between the proper 
     maintenance of natural recources and their success as 
     livestock producers. Educated ranchers of this generation are 
     better able to make use of cattle grazing as an effective 
     management tool.
       Please, take just a moment to visualize the rangelands 
     without cattle. Better yet, try to imagine McDonald's without 
     hamburgers, a shower without soap, Tupperware without 
     plastic, a diabetic without insulin, or a kiss without 
     toothpaste. Impossible, isn't it? But without cattle, it 
     would be extremely difficult of even impossible to obtain 
     these items. After all, cattle provide beef and other 
     byproducts that are significant in the creation of countless 
     industrial, household, pharmaceutical, and food products that 
     we use every day. My wish is that everyone will understand 
     that no matter who you are or what kind of stand you take on 
     environmental issues, if cattle are removed from the 
     rangelands, ultimately everyone will suffer.
       In order to prevent this dilemma, we must enlighten others 
     with the truth about cattle and grazing. The devastating 
     misunderstanding that cattle and conservation cannot 
     successfully coexist will be reversed only by knowledge and 
     communication. Please take it upon yourselves to share with 
     others the virtue of cattle on our rangelands and beef in our 
     every day lives.


                              Bibliography

       Cattle and Beef Handbook Facts, Figures, and Information, 
     National Cattlemen's Beef Association. Englewood, CO. (June 
     1999)
       Grazing. National Cattlemen's Beef Association. (1996). 
     [Online], Available: http//www.teachfree.com/ffyf/
grazing.html
       Non-Federal Grazing Lands in the United States. United 
     States Department of Agriculture. (1997). [Online], 
     Available: http//www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/BSC/grace/nonfed.html
       Grazing Position Paper: Facts vs. Fiction. People for the 
     USA! [Online], Available: www.pfw.org/grazing
       Soil and Land Conditions: Myths and Facts about Beef 
     Production. [Online], Available: www.beef.org/library/myths-
 facts
       Wow That Cow! American National CattleWomen, Inc. 
     Englewood, CO.

     

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