Page 14 - MWC 8-25-2022s

CALIFORNIA COUNTY TO CONSIDER BAN The Midwest Cattleman · August 25, 2022 · P14
ON RODEO EVENTS, GEAR U.S. AGRICULTURAL percent increase (+25%), fol-
By Greg Henderson continued from page 3 lowed by Iowa and Nebraska
The Alameda County, board pointed out that the duction cost and barrier to (both +21%) and South Dakota
Calif., Board of Supervisors is county’s agriculture depart- profitability faced by farmers (+19%). Half of all the states in
set to consider banning wild ment had not been given an and ranchers. the nation faced double-digit
cow milking contests in rode- opportunity to review the Farm real estate value farm real estate value increas-
os and the use of spurs and language, the Mercury News The U.S. average farm real es.
straps used by rodeo cowboys reported. estate value, a measurement Cropland value
to provoke bulls and horses Rodeo critics say many that includes the value of all Like overall agricultural
into bucking, along with the rodeo sports, especially wild-
stiff ropes used to lasso cattle cow milking, amount to the land and buildings on farms, real estate values, average
clocked in at a record $3,800 U.S. cropland values increased
or tie them down. humiliation, abuse, and tor-
The board will hear the ture of livestock. per acre. This 12% increase sharply in 2022, rising to
proposal next month, and, if Earlier this year, the Los over last year represents a per- $5,050 per acre. This increase
approved, could threaten the Angeles City Council sup- centage change not seen since came in as a 14% jump over
2006, when values increased 2021, which matched the in-
future of rodeos at the Al- ported the idea of rodeo rules
ameda County fairgrounds similar to the ones being con- 14% over the previous year. crease in cropland in 2013 and
Looking at the dollar value of is only outpaced by 2005, when
and the Rowell Ranch Rodeo sidered in Alameda County,
in Castro Valley that just though that proposed policy the change, the $420-per-acre rates jumped 18%. In dollar
increase over 2020 is a level values, this year-over-year in-
celebrated its 100th annual still awaits the council’s final
event in May, according to approval. not seen since the USDA first crease was $630 per acre, also
began the survey in 1997.
a record numerical increase.
the San Jose Mercury News. Alameda County has al-
The proposed ordinance ready imposed some restric- These levels vary signifi- The distribution across the
would ban the act of tackling tions on rodeos. In 2019, the cantly throughout the country, country follows a similar pat-
or milking bovines – such county supervisors banned with the highest real estate tern as overall farmland value,
values concentrated in areas with California and North-
as steers, calves, bulls, oxen, mutton-busting events,
heifers, or cows – for enter- where children throw them- of the country with larger east urban states claiming the
volumes of high-value crops highest average cropland val-
tainment or sport. The policy selves onto the backs of sheep
has been sought for years by and ride them. (think wine grapes and tree ues. Again, following that top
nuts in California), as well as category is much of the Mid-
animal-rights activists, who Next month’s board hear-
consider the wild cow milking ing will pit animal-rights areas experiencing upward west and northern Plains, fol-
pressure due to proximity to lowed by the South and then
event cruel and inhumane. groups against lifelong Ala-
“Our lifestyles are import- meda County ranchers who urban areas with little re- the rest of the country. The top
ant, cultures are important,” feel their way of life has been maining developable land, like three states in terms of per-
longtime Alameda County deeply misunderstood by the the small states of the North- centage growth are Kansas,
east. Much of the Midwest Nebraska, and Iowa, posting
rancher Brian Morrison told outside world.
the Mercury News. “For this “We don’t get into this had higher real estate values, gains of 25%, 21% and 20%, re-
followed by the South and Pa- spectively.
ordinance to try to be piggy- business because there’s a lot cific Northwest, and finally the
backed on to hurt a particu- of money in it, and we damn Plains and Mountain states. Pastureland value
lar culture and institution sure don’t get into this busi- Part of this increase can be Similar to overall agricul-
like the Rowell Ranch Rodeo ness to hurt animals,” Liver- linked to the rise in commod- tural real estate values and
is shameful.” more rancher John Betten- ity prices that have translated cropland values, pastureland
The new ordinance was in- court said, according to the values posted strong gains
troduced in August and will Mercury News. to a higher farming value for from the previous year, coming
land in row crop-heavy heart-
be considered by the board Drovers land states like Iowa, Illinois, in at $1,650 per acre on aver-
Sept. 20. The issue was post- and Indiana. age for the U.S. This is an in-
poned after others on the Incentives added to govern- crease of 11.5% over 2021, the
ment programs, such as those highest increase since 2006’s
added in 2021 to the Conser- 30% increase and following
seven years of little to no in-
vation Reserve Program, that
provide financial compensa- creases in value.
However, the distribution
tion to landowners who volun-
tarily enroll and retire highly of pastureland values across
the country differs from the
erodible and environmentally
sensitive lands also contrib- cropland values and real es-
tate values. Instead of the
uted to increased competition
for active cropland, increasing Midwest and California, some
of the more valuable pasture-
land prices. Other factors con-
tributing to rising land values land state averages are con-
centrated in the South and
include competing land-use in-
terests, which includes urban the mid-South, with the Mid-
west and the Plains states
and suburban sprawl and the
increased investments into making up the next group of
higher average values. With
hard assets, like land, for a
safer return on investment extended drought impacting
60% of the western U.S., re-
during a period of high infla-
tion. On a state-by-state basis, ducing the quantity of graz-
able land, demand for pasture-
(excluding Northeast states
Vic Rivers, of Livermore, California holds onto a milk cow during the wild cow milking with urban pressure), Kan- land has increased. This has
increased pastureland prices
contest held at the “Family Night” event at Robertson Park Stadium. sas experienced the largest