AFRICAN AND BRAZILIAN CATTLE IMPORTS

By Richard E. “Rick” Dennis CPP
Freelance Journalist, Writer, and Author
© 2020 All Rights Reserved

DELIBERATE ATTEMPT TO TO DESTABILIZE U.S. CATTLE INDUSTRY

As the old adage goes, “When You Think Things Can’t Get Worse, They Can.” Well the same is true for the U.S. Cattle industry. Right in the middle of the Covid 19 pandemic, the United States is allowing a shipment of cattle from Namibia, Africa to enter the USA as alleged supplemental low cost beef. In a February 25, 2020 news article the “Fence Post” explains in detail what their interpretation, of the impact, importing foreign beef is having on the USA Beef market.

BILLINGS, Mont. — R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard said that the Agriculture Secretary’s opening the U.S. market to fresh beef imports from Brazil and Namibia, Africa, are deliberate attempts by both the government and multinational beef packers to destabilize the U.S. cattle industry.

He said the secretary’s own economic analysis shows unequivocally that cattle producers would be hardest hit by raw beef imports from Brazil: “By far, the largest share of the welfare loss would be incurred by cattle producers, at $143 million,” states the secretary’s economic analysis for Brazil.

“But the secretary rationalizes this hit on America’s cattle producers by assuming that the cheaper beef derived from cheaper cattle in Brazil would provide America’s consumers with lower-cost beef and more choices,” Bullard said.

But the secretary rationalizes this hit on America’s cattle producers by assuming that the cheaper beef derived from cheaper cattle in Brazil would provide America’s consumers with lower-cost beef and more choices,” Bullard said.

Indeed, the CME Group, a global securities and commodity exchange company, had reported in early January that the price of Brazilian steers was 40% less than the price of U.S. fed steers based on November 2019 pricing data.


But Bullard contends these cheaper cattle do not result in cheaper beef or more choices for American consumers. Indeed, the CME Group, a global securities and commodity exchange company, had reported in early January that the price of Brazilian steers was 40% less than the price of U.S. fed steers based on November 2019 pricing data.


But Bullard contends these cheaper cattle do not result in cheaper beef or more choices for American consumers.“The secretary’s assumption is false as imported beef can be sold to American consumers with nothing but a USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) safety inspection sticker, meaning consumers cannot distinguish this cheaper beef from the superior, safer and higher-quality beef produced by America’s cattle farmers and ranchers, though the inspection sticker leads every consumer to erroneously believe all the beef available in the grocery store is USA beef,” Bullard commented.

IMPORTED BEEF HURTING U.S. CATTLE INDUSTRY

Bullard said the effect of the secretary’s action is to enable multinational meatpackers to exploit consumers on one end of the beef supply chain and harm cattle producers on the other, which he says causes the destabilization of the entire U.S. cattle industry.

According to Bullard, the secretary was in such a rush to allow fresh beef from Brazil that he conducted only a partial audit report that he now uses to claim Brazil is meeting U.S. safety standards.

The January 2020 safety audit reveals that the secretary did not review all aspects of Brazil’s food safety inspection system; he reviewed fewer than 30% of the Brazilian meatpacking plants now eligible to export fresh beef to the U.S.; and, he evaluated only two of the six critical components for determining whether Brazil’s food safety inspection system was equivalent to that of the United States.

“This is further evidence that the secretary is motivated by political objectives and not food safety,” Bullard asserted.

Bullard explained that the meatpackers and the secretary are working aggressively to force cattle producers to comply with unnecessary mandates that will facilitate the vertical integration of the live cattle supply chain. He cites the secretary’s recent and unlawful mandate to require producers to begin using RFID technology and to register their premises with the government.

“The secretary knows that only when America’s cattle producers are financially distressed will they acquiesce to government mandates that infringe on their freedoms to choose how they will produce their cattle. The strategic use of cheaper, undifferentiated imports from Brazil and Africa will cause that financial distress by destabilizing the U.S. cattle market.

According to Bullard, the secretary was in such a rush to allow fresh beef from Brazil that he conducted only a partial audit report that he now uses to claim Brazil is meeting U.S. safety standards.

The January 2020 safety audit reveals that the secretary did not review all aspects of Brazil’s food safety inspection system; he reviewed fewer than 30% of the Brazilian meatpacking plants now eligible to export fresh beef to the U.S.; and, he evaluated only two of the six critical components for determining whether Brazil’s food safety inspection system was equivalent to that of the United States.

“This is further evidence that the secretary is motivated by political objectives and not food safety,” Bullard asserted.

Bullard explained that the meatpackers and the secretary are working aggressively to force cattle producers to comply with unnecessary mandates that will facilitate the vertical integration of the live cattle supply chain. He cites the secretary’s recent and unlawful mandate to require producers to begin using RFID technology and to register their premises with the government.

“The secretary knows that only when America’s cattle producers are financially distressed will they acquiesce to government mandates that infringe on their freedoms to choose how they will produce their cattle. The strategic use of cheaper, undifferentiated imports from Brazil and Africa will cause that financial distress by destabilizing the U.S. cattle market.

“Congress must intervene by reinstating Mandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling (M-COOL) for beef so America’s cattle producers can at least begin competing against these cheaper, less-safe and undifferentiated imports that function as direct substitutes for beef produced exclusively in the United States,” he concluded. ❖ To read the entire article click on the following link:

https://www.thefencepost.com/news/african-and-brazilian-beef-imports-are-deliberate-attempt-to-destabilize-u-s-cattle-industry/

“UNTIL NEXT TIME, KEEP EM BETWEEN THE BRIDLE”

NEW WYOMING LAW LETS RANCHERS SELL
CUTS OF MEAT DIRECTLY TO CONSUMERS

By Richard E. “Rick” Dennis CPP
Freelance Journalist, Writer, and Author
April 26, 2020
© 2020 All Rights Reserved

WYOMING’S FOOD FREEDOM LAW

2020 seems to be a year that keeps on giving. Recently, I was sent an article by a Wyoming client alerting me to a little known law that Wyoming passed some five years ago which contains a recent amendment. The law is designed to form a co-op so-to-speak among cattle ranchers where consumers can purchase shares in beef cattle and once the animal is slaughtered, the owner can take possession of the meat and bypass the middleman seller and the grocery store corporations. In a recent article published, by REASON, Wyoming’s first-and-best-in-the-nation food freedom law just keeps getting better, by BAYLEN LINNEKIN | 4.4.2020 8:30 AM the author explains the law in detail.

Wyoming's groundbreaking Food Freedom Act has served as a national model for how states can deregulate many in-state food sales. The five-year-old law opened up many previously illegal food transactions in Wyoming, and has delivered on its promise to benefit ranchers, other food entrepreneurs, and consumers alike. And it's done so without a single case of food - borne illness being tied to any foods sold under the law.

The law also keeps getting better. As I detailed a column just last month, an amendment to the Act will allow low-risk foods such as homemade jams to be sold in grocery stores and sold and consumed in restaurants.

That was great news. But yet another new amendment to the law, passed last month and set to take effect in July, could further bolster the fortunes of ranchers and consumers in the state.

A new animal share amendment will let consumers buy individual cuts of meat directly from ranchers though an animal-share agreement, completely outside of the typical U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection regime. That's something that's still illegal in the other 49 states. It's also why the Wyoming law could be a game changer for ranchers in the state and—should other states follow suit—a valuable new revenue stream for farmers and ranchers across the country.

The new amendment was introduced by Wyoming State Rep. Tyler Lindholm (R), who co-sponsored the bipartisan Food Freedom Act five years ago.

"The idea for the bill is simple," Lindholm—a rancher with whom I serve on the board of the nonprofit Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund—told me this week. "Let ranchers and farmers sell herd shares for their animals. That way the entire herd is 'owned' by all of the customers before slaughter, thereby meeting the exemption standards of the federal law, and now the rancher does not have to jump through the hoops of the Federal Meat Inspection Act and can utilize the smaller mom and pop butchers that still [exist] in most of our small towns."

The premise behind animal shares isn't new. For example, some states which prohibit raw (unpasteurized) milk sales allow distribution to people who've purchased shares in one or more of a farmer's dairy cattle. These "herdshare" agreements let a farmer raise and care for the herd-shared livestock in exchange for providing some of its (typically unpasteurized) milk to share owners.

Meat sharing has been a bit more complicated. As I detail in my book, Biting the Hands that Feed Us: How Fewer, Smarter Laws Would Make Our Food System More Sustainable, a consumer may buy a significant portion of a living cow—say one-quarter or one-half its post-slaughter weight—and take possession of its meat after it's been slaughtered in a non-USDA approved facility without running afoul of USDA rules. But that can mean buying more than 100-200 pounds of beef. Until the new Wyoming law, consumers who weren't quite that hungry (or who wanted only a particular cut of meat) have had little option but to buy from farmers who'd had their animals processed under the USDA's rules or to go to the grocery store for similarly inspected cuts.

The Wyoming amendment takes advantage of an exemption created under § 623(a) of the Federal Meat Inspection Act, which governs interstate and even most intrastate livestock slaughter and meat sales in this country. The FMIA exemption allows custom slaughtering of livestock by and for an "owner" of the animal.

The Wyoming law clarifies who is or may be an owner of livestock in that state. It does so by defining an animal share as "an ownership interest in an animal or herd of animals created by a written contract between an informed end consumer and a farmer or rancher that includes a bill of sale to the consumer for an ownership interest in the animal or herd and a boarding provision under which the consumer boards the animal or herd with the farmer or rancher for care and processing and the consumer is entitled to receive a share of meat from the animal or herd."

Since the Food Freedom Act's passage five years ago, Lindholm has sought ways to improve the law. Meat sales were always at the top of the list.

"The sale of processed meat, except poultry, is not allowed under the Food Freedom Act," Lindholm explained to me in 2015. Even five years ago, though, he was already busy at work figuring out a fix.

"We have to find a workable solution to this issue and you can expect to see legislation in the future dealing with this issue so that ranchers and farmers can also sell beef and pork directly to consumers also," he told me. "This is just the beginning."

He meant it. Still, the new amendment has its limits. It still doesn't allow for the resale or donation of meat obtained under the law; for third-party retail or restaurant sales; or for sales taking place off of a farm or ranch. It also requires, among other things, that ownership shares be established prior to an animal's slaughter.

While it's difficult to ascertain right now who might be taking advantage of the law—given it doesn't kick in until July—Lindholm learned after the bill's passage of one such person. That would be his sister Bonita Carlson, who runs Persson Ranch near Gillette, Wyoming, with her husband Drew Persson.

Bonita told me this week that the law could be a game changer for ranchers and consumers in the state.

"It's caught quite a few people's attention in the state," she tells me. "It's pretty exciting news for sure. Even with social distancing, I've spoken with probably twenty people personally who are interested in using animal shares."

Carlson tells me the fact the Wyoming law lowers costly barriers to entry for ranchers like her—for example, she won't have to transport her animal-share cattle to an out-of-state feedlot—will help her high-quality grass-fed beef compete on price with larger competitors.

"We will be selling 93% lean ground beef for much cheaper than they're selling 80/20 at the grocery store," Carlson tells me. "We should be competitive enough that a single mom can purchase ground beef from us, too."

More than five years after Wyoming passed the Food Freedom Act, the law has benefited farmers and ranchers, small entrepreneurs, and consumers throughout the state. And it just keeps getting better. To read the entire article click on the following link:

https://reason.com/2020/04/04/novel-new-wyoming-law-lets-local-ranchers-sell-cuts-of-meat-directly-to-consumers/

“UNTIL NEXT TIME, KEEP EM BETWEEN THE BRIDLE”

WHERE’S THE HORSE INDUSTRY HEADED, PART 2

By Richard E. “Rick” Dennis CPP
Freelance Writer and Author
April 21, 2020
© 2020 All Rights Reserved

PREVIOUSLY

On July 14, 2014 I authored and released an article entitled: Where’s The Horse Industry headed. The article was released on http://www.allaboutcutting.net. The article was structured in response to a down-turn in the horse industry and the article offered specific steps the horse industry could take to overcome this calamity. More specifically, it included a myriad proposals for Horse Associations to survive the down-turn. Overall, the horse industry survived the down-turn in the industry, but the industry has never been the same as it was in it’s hay day, or since. Today, the industry is again faced with a another calamity. However, this calamity is even more dire and in some instances the measures to combat it can mean the difference between life and death. The new calamity is Covid 19 – The Corona Virus.

https://allaboutcutting.net/%E2%98%9B-where-is-the-horse-industry-headed-7-18-14/

COVID 19 – THE CORONA VIRUS

As we all know, the Corona Virus or Covid 19 entered the world scene in late December 2019 and has successfully shut down the worlds economy. The highly infectious and contagious virus has devastated world populations, caused sickness and death, and instituted fear in most of the world’s populations. As a kid growing up in the 1950’s I remember a similar disease outbreak which shares a common denominator with the Covid 19 virus – Polio. The shared common denominators are – both are highly infectious and contagious. However, there’s one difference between the two viruses. Polio, has a successful vaccine against the harmful and dire effects of the disease and as of yet, Covid 19 doesn’t have an effective vaccine. When Polio first hit the scene there was no vaccine and the same goes for Covid 19.

Sixty years ago, polio was one of the most feared diseases in the U.S. As the weather warmed up each year, panic over polio intensified. Late summer was dubbed "polio season." Public swimming pools were shut down. Movie theaters urged patrons not to sit too close together to avoid spreading the disease. Insurance companies started selling polio insurance for newborns.

The fear was well grounded. By the 1950s, polio had become one of the most serious communicable diseases among children in the United States.

In 1952 alone, nearly 60,000 children were infected with the virus; thousands were paralyzed, and more than 3,000 died. Hospitals set up special units with iron lung machines to keep polio victims alive. Rich kids as well as poor were left paralyzed. All ethnic groups were affected as were male and female genders.

Then in 1955, the U.S. began widespread vaccinations. By 1979, the virus had been completely eliminated across the country. Now polio is on the verge of being eliminated from the world. The virus remains endemic in only two parts of the globe: northern Nigeria and the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The differences between the two highly infectious and contagious viruses are: Polio didn’t shut down the worlds economy and there is a vaccine for Polio. As of yet, a vaccine hasn’t been invented for the Covid 19 virus. However, the techniques used to combat Polio are in use today to combat the Covid 19 Virus. The main one in use is: social distancing.

COVID 19 AND REOPENING THE ECONOMY

Once the Covid 19 virus has reached the peak of its infections in the United States and Globally, the next step for governments, in the U.S. and around the globe, is to develop a plan to gradually reopen the world’s economies, which includes the horse industry. As it was back in the 1950’s, the proposed safety protocols will most likely include social distancing – among other precautionary measures. Notwithstanding, until an effective vaccine for Covid 19 is developed the world as we knew it before the Covid 19 will disappear. The new precautionary techniques proposed and put in place, by governments around the globe, to prevent spread of the disease will be the new normal.

THE HORSE INDUSTRY SURVIVING COVID 19

The big question for the horse industry is: How does it survive the Covid 19 calamity, especially with social distancing guidelines in place? After all, the horse industry is a social happening, at it’s finest. Post Covid 19 will be entirely different from Pre-Covid 19. Therefore, post Covid 19 will establish a new set of guidelines for the horse industry in the same context as it does for society and other social gatherings. The big question is – what is the new normal for the horse industry? Until an effective vaccine is developed, I can envision horse shows being absent of spectators and only allowing participants. I can also envision horse shows being telecasted, or a virtual horse show so-to-speak. Instead of paying an entry fee to the arena, the viewer will pay a fee similar to pay-per-view TV.

Further, I can envision Open Classes being on separate days from Amateur, Novice, and Non-Pro Classes. I can also envision participants wearing protective masks in order to follow social distancing guidelines. Which ever the case may be, it will be our new normal in the horse industry. One thing I’ve found out about horse people, in my thirty years in the business, is that they are hardworking, resilient, adaptable, and survivors. Even though our new normal may be an imposition on our lives we will all comply for the sake of our businesses, our horses, and we all will adapt to the new social distancing guidelines and standards in order for our businesses to grow and be successful. At a horse show, stalling horses next to each other may become a thing of the past for a while or until an effective vaccine is developed. Nonetheless, we will comply and survive this ordeal.

HORSE SALES

Not only will the new government guidelines affect horse showing, it will also impact the horse sale industry. Horse sales are integral parts of the industry and horse associations rely on them for a boost in their revenue base. As in the foregoing, I can also envision horse sales being telecasted - or a “virtual sale” so-to-speak with a bid for a particular horse coming through the TV instead of from the viewing stands. Which ever the case may be, horse sellers and buyers will come together and adapt to the new government safety standards. In reality, lots of things are sold, bid on, and purchased, via, the TV – why not horses?, e.g., guns, boats, planes, jewelry, etc. Where there’s a will, there’s a way!

WILL THE HORSE INDUSTRY SURVIVE?

Unless I miss my best guess, I’d say absolutely! Whatever the new normal will be, horse people will adapt, improvise, and overcome this new normal and hardship to complete our mission and survive life’s calamities. After all, we’re horse people. We’re tough, hard workers, innovative, adaptable, and survivors. As President Roosevelt once said, “The only thing to fear, is fear itself!” As long as we live smart, work smart, and show smart we will survive this ordeal as we have all others we’ve been confronted with.

“UNTIL NEXT TIME, KEEP EM BETWEEN THE BRIDLE”

PROTECT YOU CELL PHONE SIM CARD

By Richard E. “Rick” Dennis CPP
Freelance Writer and Author
© 2020 All Rights Reserved
April 17, 2020

HOW THE SIM CARD SWAP WAS DEVISED

At the end of December 2019 a new PHONE SCAM was discovered whereby scam artists have devised a relatively new plan to highjack your cell phones SIM CARD. Once the scammer has control of your SIM CARD, they control your phone. This action alone makes it easy for them to drain your bank accounts. In a December 19, 2019 ABC I-Team News article, by Jason Knowles and Ann Pistone; entitled, IN SIM CARD SWAP, THIEVES STEAL YOUR IDENTITY BY HACKING YOUR PHONE. The article specifically details the steps necessary for the high jacker to gain access to your phone and your finances.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- In the SIM swap scam, thieves take control of your phone number, emails, texts and can even wipe out your bank account. It can destroy your credit and compromise your most private details. You can completely lose control of your apps and your phone.

Experts told the I-Team it can all start with someone calling your cell phone carrier, pretending to be you.

"I had no signal," said Mike Malloy, who thought there was a glitch on his cell phone.

After rebooting failed, Malloy noticed emails from his bank and E-Trade about money withdraws.

“I was panicking, almost about $20,000 dollars," said Malloy. He quickly learned he was a victim of what's known as "SIM swapping."

“SIM swapping' is where they will call your mobile carrier and convince the help desk that you need to get a new SIM card because you lost your phone or your SIM card broke," explained Andrew Hoog of Chicago's NowSecure.

Hoog told the I-Team that scammers have enough information about you through social engineering or other data breaches to convince your mobile carrier to use the cloud and move your phone number to a new smartphone SIM card.

"Your service gets transferred to the attackers' SIM card and then they are impersonating you from there on out," he said.

Your SIM card is in the side of your phone. It stores your contacts, text history and more.

"They have access to your email, bank account, social media, contacts, to all of the transactions you have done in the past. Basically, they own your identity," said Hoog.

And while you are restarting your phone and trying to figure out what is happening, criminals are resetting passwords to your bank accounts and social media accounts.

"As a consumer you will never know it happens until your phone goes dead," Hoog explained:
​
CHICAGO (WLS) -- In the SIM swap scam, thieves take control of your phone number, emails, texts and can even wipe out your bank account. It can destroy your credit and compromise your most private details. You can completely lose control of your apps and your phone.

Experts told the I-Team it can all start with someone calling your cell phone carrier, pretending to be you.

"I had no signal," said Mike Malloy, who thought there was a glitch on his cell phone.

After rebooting failed, Malloy noticed emails from his bank and E-Trade about money withdraws.

"I was panicking, almost about $20,000 dollars," said Malloy. He quickly learned he was a victim of what's known as "SIM swapping."

"'SIM swapping' is where they will call your mobile carrier and convince the help desk that you need to get a new SIM card because you lost your phone or your SIM card broke," explained Andrew Hoog of Chicago's NowSecure.

Hoog told the I-Team that scammers have enough information about you through social engineering or other data breaches to convince your mobile carrier to use the cloud and move your phone number to a new smartphone SIM card.

And while you are restarting your phone and trying to figure out what is happening, criminals are resetting passwords to your bank accounts and social media accounts.

"As a consumer you will never know it happens until your phone goes dead," Hoog explained.

"My heart was in my throat as I was seeing this guy make these transactions, and it would show up as it turned out," said Malloy. "Both of us were logged into the account at the same time."

Eventually Malloy was able to get his number back and stopped the SIM swap hacker from draining accounts by accessing accounts through his laptop. It also helped that he used emails as his main way of account verification. You can also use another phone number like a work cell or home number as a backup verification number with your accounts.

"When you are doing verification you're setting up bank card, credit cards, make sure you are using more than one method to validate who you are," said Malloy.

But how can you stop a SIM swapper from tricking your carrier?

To read the entire article, click on the following link:

https://abc7chicago.com/sim-card-scam-no-swap/5749616/

PROTECTING YOUR CELL PHONE SIM CARD

As a Risk Analyst, I always insist my clients - enact a two-step verification process to ensure your financial safety and security. With the two-step verification process the user establishes a user identification and a password. With the two-step verification process the user also enacts a second step verification by using either a PIN number or your own cell phone number to ensure the individual requesting the information is emphatically you.

Essentially, what happens is: “Once you enter your log-in identity and password, the system will either ask for your PIN number or the system will send a text message to your cell phone asking if it’s actually you trying to log in. With the two-step verification process the customer service representative will also have these security protocols at their fingertips. This two-step verification process will alert the customer service representative whether it’s you or not, by asking for either your PIN or log-in information or sending you a text for verification.

RISK MANAGEMENT AND STEP-LAYER SECURITY MEASURES

As a RISK MANAGER I always implement “STEP-LAYER” security measures. For the layman, this is essentially adding specific layers of security, in-steps, where one over-laps the previous security measure and so forth to protect a Clients assets.

WHERE TWO-STEP VERIFICATION IS WARRANTED

I always suggest my clients to enact two-step verification for: Email, bank accounts, cell phone accounts, and social media profiles. Keep this information securely locked away. A rule-of-thumb to remember is, never provide any of your personal or private information over the telephone.

LIMITING SOCIAL MEDIA INFORMATION

One way you can protect yourself is by limiting the amount of information you place on you Social Media profile. This will protect you and your bank accounts. Only use as much information necessary to establish your social media presence.

In today’s trying times, thieves are readily available to steal your hard earned money. Prepare yourself against the onslaught of these unwanted individuals, by using the proper security to protect your assets.

“UNTIL NEXT TIME, KEEP EM BETWEEN THE BRIDLE”

A FAMILY TRADITION AND SOUTHERN HERITAGE

Today, is Easter Sunday. It’s been a very long time since I’ve reflected on this day, in any other context, except it’s the day Jesus rose from the Grave to fulfill a biblical prophecy for our sake. However, for me - today also marks an anniversary that’s fifty four years old. More specifically, Easter Sunday marks the anniversary that my grandfather gave me my first brand new Case pocket knife back in 1966. Until this date, I was use to being afforded the privilege of being the recipient of hand-me-down pocket knives from relatives. Usually, by the time I received them the blades were like tooth picks from repetitive sharpening over-the-years.

However, on this date my grandfather surprised me with an Easter Gift that I’ve cherished for fifty six years – my first ever, brand new Case pocket knife. A knife made in America, by American craftsman, and not China. A two blade trapper. A blade for general purpose use and a skinning blade. You see, I grew up in rural North East Alabama at the foot of Oak Mountain which was an extension of the Appalachian Mountains where farm life was a food necessity and hunting and fishing were not only a favorite pass time, but necessary for food as well.

Therefore, a pocket knife was a necessity and an indispensable tool. I also grew up in a era where self sufficiency was a way of life. And era where dressing in the morning and putting your knife in you pocket, was as natural as putting on your overalls, your baseball cap, and tying your brogan boots. Everyone in my household had a favorite pocket knife, including my great grandmother and my grandmother.

In this era, pocket knives came in all sorts of models, shapes and colors. A pocket knife is a personal thing – like a favorite color, shirt, gun or shoes. My great grandfather had a hawk billed Case which he used for cutting tar paper for roofing needs, general purpose use, and cutting Days Work chewing tobacco. My grandfather had a small two blade Shrade he used to cut fruit and clean his nails. My great grandmother had a single blade Shrade she called her paring knife which Grand Ma Dolly used to cut up a lot of fruits and vegetables during canning season. Other family members carried Bucks and Old Timers. All came equipped with carbon steel blades, not stainless as they are today.

My grandmother had a three blade Shrade which she did everything with including cutting sewing thread during quilting. Back then, pocket knives had a myriad uses and were used for everything from peeling fruit and vegetables to cutting bailing twine and stripping wires to repair electrical issues and cleaning automobile battery terminals. The pocket knife was also used to clean fish in the summer and wild game in the winter. What ever and when ever the need arose, everyone had a favorite pocket knife to handle the chore.

I use to enjoy watching my relatives whip out their pocket knives to fix about everything they could that was broken. Each one had a common element. The knives they carried were razor sharp. Sharpening our knives on the porch every evening was a common pass time. It was also a pass time for each of use to reflect on what we were thankful for and enjoy time together. Eventually, my first knife wore out from use and sharpening. However, it was replaced with a new Case, which I carry to this day and I have a spare backup.

My early knife has seen a lot of history during its existence with me, including: my growing up days on the farm, my life’s travels around the world, man’s first moon landing in 1969, the civil rights movement, my time in the Army during the Vietnam War, my days in law enforcement and drug enforcement, the invention of the beeper, the computer, and the cell phone and the list of technological advances goes on. Many life changes have taken place since I first received my Case back in 1966. One common element remains the same, I still carry a Case pocket knife. The only time my first pocket knife was out of my possession was when I left for the Army to serve my country. I left it in the trust of my grandfather for safe keeping and I picked it up when I returned two years later.

Today, I use my pocket knife for any need necessary including: cleaning game and birds I’ve harvested to repairing broken farm equipment to broken horse tack. What ever and when ever the need arises my Case knife is my companion for the repair. As I was taught many years ago, I take explicit care of my pocket knife and it remains razor sharp in my pocket.

THE TYPE OF PERSON WHO CARRIES A POCKET KNIFE

Overall, the person who carries a pocket knife is self-sufficient. A self-reliant, do-it-your-self type, so-to-speak. A person who isn’t afraid of hard work and is up to the challenge of making instant repairs, in order to complete a project. More over, a pocket knife carrying person is a confident person. Confident in his or her abilities. A person who gets a job done when tasked with a project. Further, a pocket knife carrying person is one who has been entrusted with carrying on family tradition and a symbol of responsibility and trust.

“UNTIL NEXT TIME, KEEP EM BETWEEN THE BRIDLE”