News from Jan. 1, 2003 issue



Local cattlemen say beef is safe to eat
What's going to happen next from the fallout of the country's first case of mad cow disease remains uncertain, some local beef producers said this week.

They urged consumers not to be worried about the safety of beef products as they continue tending their herds.

The federal government announced last week that a cow in Washington state had tested positive for the disease. Tissue samples from the cow, which was slaughtered Dec. 9, were sent to England for further testing where BSE or made cow disease was confirmed. Meanwhile, it was also confirmed that the infected animal had actually entered this country from Canada, which has had a BSE outbreak before.

In Crittenden County, there are about 20,000 head of cattle and another 19,000 in Livingston. Local cowboys have no concerns about the safety of American beef. They say the meat is fine, it's the markets that are fickle.

Responding to the news of mad cow disease, cattle prices started going down last week and there's no way of knowing just where the bottom will be, area cattlemen said.

Statewide, there are about 40,000 farm families that produce beef cattle, said Dave Maples, executive director of the Cattleman's Association.

"Kentucky is a very large, beef-producing state and there's a lot of concern with our producers ... that it will have an effect," Maples said. "Hopefully it will be temporary. The big thing is the consumers have to be confident in our product."

Currently, there are about 1.2 million cows in the state. Most of the cows in Kentucky are sold to farmers in western states where they are eventually slaughtered.

Mad cow disease ­ which destroys the brains of infected animals ­ cannot pass through muscle tissue, Crittenden County beef producer Mark Williams said. In other words, there is a zero percent chance of a human getting infected meat from a steak, roast or any other similar cut of beef.

The nation's food supply should be safe, Williams added, and if Americans continue to buy and eat beef, the scare won't last too long.

"If American consumers don't lose confidence in the product, this could end up being just a blip on the radar screen," said Williams, who is a partner in Triple-W Farms, one of the county's largest cattle businesses. "There could be 30 to 90 days of suppressed market, then prices will get back to where they're supposed to be based on supply and demand."

Jim Vaughn, another Crittenden County beef producer and partner in Chandler & Vaughn, a local company that buys and ships calves out West to feed lots, says the impact of mad cow could be devastating.

"It's a bad situation. It could break us all if we can't sell our cattle," he said.

Of course no one knows what the local cattle producers will get for their animals once markets re-open. The sale barns in Marion and Ledbetter were closed the last two weeks because of the holidays. A special slaughter class sale was cancelled Monday. Both local markets are scheduled for sales Monday and Tuesday, respectively.

Vaughn said several farmers hold part or all of their stock to sell after the first of the year, largely due to tax consequences. Had they sold them two or three weeks ago, the animals would have brought about $1 a pound.

"Instead of being worth what they were two weeks ago, we don't have any idea what they're going to be worth now," Vaughn said.

Williams thinks prices will fall anywhere from 10 to about 30 cents per pound during the initial impact of the mad cow report.

"Locally, I think we can expect cheaper cattle in the short term," Williams explained. A 700-pound calf might have brought $700 in early December before the news of the infected Washington cow broke. Now, Williams says those same 700-pound feeder calves ­ which are anywhere from eight to 10 months old ­ might bring less than $500 per head.

A drop in the beef industry probably wouldn't help pork producers, said Mike Ovesen, executive director of Kentucky Pork Producers. The state has about 1,000 pork producers that generate about 800,000 market hogs a year, Ovesen said. While they have benefited from recent popular diets, the same may not hold true in a mad cow scenario, Ovesen said.

"Anything that relates to food security won't help at all," Ovesen said. "It's not even going to help the apple industry."
The Associated Press contributed to this story.

DEER TOURISTS: Commission thinks hunting
One could sense an aura of excitement around the table Monday when the Marion Tourism Commission met for the first time and began discussing possible ways to promote the community.

New advertising, better marketing, greater attractions and even more attention on some natural resources like the already booming deer hunting opportunities in Crittenden County were among the initial ideas thrust into the room by newly appointed members of the commission.

Marion's Tourism Commission was established last month to oversee the city revenue that will be generated from a three-percent motel and restaurant tax that went into effect in October. The first quarterly payments from the tax are due Jan. 15, but some checks have already started coming in, according to City Administrator Garry Barber.

The Tourism Commission, a seven-member board, will create an annual budget, listing expenditures, which will then require city council approval. While it's unclear exactly what the new tax revenue will be spent on, Monday's first meeting of the Tourism Commission provided some early indications.

Mayor Mickey Alexander told the commission that he hoped it might use some of the money to fund current general fund items like the City-County Park, Veterans Park and maybe the Ben Clement Mineral Museum.

Jeanne Hodge, a member of the Tourism Commission, asked if the next tax money could be used for promoting activities or attractions outside the city limits. City Administrator Garry Barber said the laws creating the new taxing agency will allow it to advertise and promote anything going on in the community. However, Bart Frazer, legal counsel for the city, advised that the money could not be used for infrastructure or improvements to sites or attractions that are not inside the city.

Cletus Hunt was elected chairman of the commission with Bill Wheeler vice chairman and Linda Schumann secretary/treasurer. Other members are Hodge, Bill Frazer, Jim Myers and Barry Nasseri, the only one who did not attend the first meeting.

Wheeler, who owns The Coffee Shop and Front Porch restaurants, said he would like to see the group find some way to better accommodate deer hunters. He said hunters during the three-week whitetail season account for about a 140-percent increase in his restaurant business.

"We need to take our strengths and build on them before we try to branch out into other areas (of tourism)," Wheeler said during the meeting as members brainstormed on ways to boost the local tourism effort. "Deer hunting is definitely our strongest point right now."

Schumann suggested that the Tourism Commission could start looking for ways to attract the rest of the hunters' families.

"We need more things to do so they will bring their wives and children," she said.
Hunt said the group wants to extend a public invitation for input in regard to improving local tourism.

"We are going to be receptive to the community. We want people to bring us their ideas," he said.
The Tourism Commission will meet monthly on the first Thursday beginning in February. The group says any organizations, events or individuals who plan to seek funding should make arrangements to be put on the agenda by phoning city hall.