Author: Rachel Gabel
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How to handle the national cattle herd at its lowest level in 75 years? | Rachel Gabel
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This time of year, the salebarns are full of bidders, buyers and cream pie connoisseurs. The adrenaline and anxiety in the building and around the ring is as thick as the gravy served in the café. In the back of the barn, the crews are bringing loads of cattle, many of which are 600-ish to…
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Insecticide bill latest example of Colorado pols legislating your plate | Rachel Gabel
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“Neonicotinoids” seems to be the word rolling off the tongues of lawmakers this year as the legislative session kicks off. Senate Bill 26-065, concerning limitations on the use of certain insecticides in the state, sponsored by Sen. Katie Wallace, a Democrat who represents Boulder, Broomfield and Weld counties; Sen. Cathy Kipp, a Democrat who represents…
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Fierce, capable women at the Super Bowl of livestock shows | Rachel Gabel
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The first cattle to show in the CoBank Arena in the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Livestock Center at the National Western Stock Show were the Herefords of the Catch-a-Calf program. Anschutz is an ardent supporter of the program and a big fan of a burly Hereford, so it was fitting. She was ringside watching in her signature…
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Political interference, activism a constant under Polis’ Colorado Parks & Wildlife | Rachel Gabel
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Colorado Parks & Wildlife can’t catch a break. If polling were used to measure public trust in agencies, it would be a dreary picture. This, however, is the result of political interference with the agency, not as a result of the professionals managing wildlife in the state. Former CPW Director Jeff Davis was a political…
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Misguided overtime law hampers Colorado agriculture | Rachel Gabel
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The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 sets federal standards for employees including minimum wage, child labor and overtime. Agricultural workers have been largely exempted from the overtime requirements because during key portions of the growing season, there is a small window of time that requires more hours and more labor than the majority of…
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They don’t make ’em like Ben Nighthorse Campbell anymore | GABEL
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There are many things to appreciate about the late Ben Nighthorse Campbell, but one of the items at the top of the list is his belief that it’s more important to kill bad bills than to sign onto a mediocre bill in the name of visibility. His time in the statehouse was the era of…
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The men and women of meatpacking on my mind | Rachel Gabel
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The meatpacking industry employees and their families are on my mind as the closure of the Lexington, Nebraska, Tyson plant nears its closure date in January. More than 3,200 employees will lose their jobs, realistically affecting half of the 11,000 people in Lexington. Meat packing has never been an easy way to make a living.…
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Conservation, ranching and the land always win | GABEL
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Sue Anschutz Rodgers sat in her downtown Denver office, far from her beloved Crystal River Ranch, but surrounded by photos of the ranch and a wall of plaques, photos and newspaper clippings evidencing her long support of young people in agriculture and the National Western Stock Show. She is all class in winter white, a…
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Ranchers are not an endangered species, nor an invasive one | GABEL
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Animal agriculture, ranching, hunting and farming are not dying ways of life. The cowboy is not about to ride off into the sunset and certain extinction. Beef is not going to be replaced by cultured meat, any variety of bugs, or salad (though we grow that, too). Artificial intelligence or niche small-scale production methods are…
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Beef industry takes another blow with Nebraska plant closure | GABEL
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Black Swan is apparently on the menu this holiday season for people across the cattle and beef value chains. Last week, Tyson announced the closure of a processing plant in Lexington, Nebraska. This plant processes about 5,000 head of cattle daily and employs more than 3,200 people. In a town like Lexington, this closure realistically…
