Comments on: NAIS and Counter-Economics http://bradspangler.com/blog/archives/514 the bottom of the rabbit hole Sun, 14 Mar 2010 15:20:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Brad Spangler http://bradspangler.com/blog/archives/514/comment-page-1#comment-18722 Brad Spangler Tue, 20 Feb 2007 03:06:25 +0000 http://www.bradspangler.com/blog/archives/514#comment-18722 @Dave -- pardon my ignorance. I was going by sources that describe Dexters in ways such as "<a href="http://www.dex-info.net/" rel="nofollow">They originated as a hardy breed of small mountain cattle run on small family holdings</a>". I'll bow to your expertise, but I would hope you could see how I became misinformed on the matter of a particular breed of cattle and forgive my error. Of course, the difficulties you mention are very real and I congratulate you on refusing to register your herd. @Dave — pardon my ignorance. I was going by sources that describe Dexters in ways such as “They originated as a hardy breed of small mountain cattle run on small family holdings“. I’ll bow to your expertise, but I would hope you could see how I became misinformed on the matter of a particular breed of cattle and forgive my error.

Of course, the difficulties you mention are very real and I congratulate you on refusing to register your herd.

]]> By: dhaxton http://bradspangler.com/blog/archives/514/comment-page-1#comment-18712 dhaxton Tue, 20 Feb 2007 01:42:26 +0000 http://www.bradspangler.com/blog/archives/514#comment-18712 Hey Brad: You know your counter-economics, all right, but not your cattle. Dexter's aren't bred for mountainous terrain (cattle stick to valleys in any event), and unless you're a small rancher aiming for self-sufficiency, you're not going to make a living off of them. Which is really the whole point of NAIS - to drive all small commercial producers out of the market and leave it for the corporate agribusiness boys. NAIS will be enforced at the slaughterhouse level - you will not be able to get your livestock commercially processed without that RFID tag and the accompanying paperwork. You'll still be able to slaughter and eat your own animals, of course, and sell to local friends and colleagues, but forget selling to your local restaurant. And while black (and grey) markets sound great in theory, until you have a critical mass of consumers resisting statist aggression as well as producers, you'll have naught but a critical mass of starving producers. I oughta know: I are one! None of my animals are registered, nor is my "premises ID" in order. I've just said "No!" to the thieving bastards, and will continue to do so as long as I'm able - that is, until the men in the brown shirts show up and tag the critters themselves. In the meantime, despite my philosophical qualms with Rep. Paul and other "vulgar" libertarians, I will continue to bitch at the Congress and the USDA and anyone else in earshot, if for no other reason than as a (probably futile) first line of defense of my land and my livelihood. Be well, Dave Haxton MacRaven Weblog http://www.haxton.org/weblog Hey Brad:
You know your counter-economics, all right, but not your cattle. Dexter’s aren’t bred for mountainous terrain (cattle stick to valleys in any event), and unless you’re a small rancher aiming for self-sufficiency, you’re not going to make a living off of them. Which is really the whole point of NAIS - to drive all small commercial producers out of the market and leave it for the corporate agribusiness boys.

NAIS will be enforced at the slaughterhouse level - you will not be able to get your livestock commercially processed without that RFID tag and the accompanying paperwork. You’ll still be able to slaughter and eat your own animals, of course, and sell to local friends and colleagues, but forget selling to your local restaurant.

And while black (and grey) markets sound great in theory, until you have a critical mass of consumers resisting statist aggression as well as producers, you’ll have naught but a critical mass of starving producers. I oughta know: I are one!

None of my animals are registered, nor is my “premises ID” in order. I’ve just said “No!” to the thieving bastards, and will continue to do so as long as I’m able - that is, until the men in the brown shirts show up and tag the critters themselves.

In the meantime, despite my philosophical qualms with Rep. Paul and other “vulgar” libertarians, I will continue to bitch at the Congress and the USDA and anyone else in earshot, if for no other reason than as a (probably futile) first line of defense of my land and my livelihood.

Be well,
Dave Haxton
MacRaven Weblog
http://www.haxton.org/weblog

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