Diagnosis of BSE in Washington State The announcement of a diagnosis of BSE in a Washington State dairy cow on December 23rd sent chills throughout the beef industry complex, all the way from production, marketing, and processing to the retail segments. The disclosure that the cow came into the USA from Canada is of some relief but the story in still unfolding.   Cline Wood Agency as one of your business partners shares your concern over this event. We feel the most important reaction now is to deal with the facts. The USDA and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association are to be commended for getting right on the problem and distributing timely, factual information to the media and public. The press, for the most part, dealt with the facts preventing what could have been mass hysteria in the public’s perception of beef. We just got off a national conference call with marketing businesses from around the U.S and industry representatives from Washington and the feeling was very positive. Of main concern is what is going to happen in the market. A few selected sales of feeder cattle this week indicated very little weakness and that fat cattle were trading in a $78 – $80 range. There was consensus that the marketing of “downer” cows will need to be stopped and that a national cattle ID system will be forthcoming soon. The USDA will sharing some important information at 2:00 Central Time today. The belief is that the government is preparing to move much more swiftly than usual to address the problems we are facing. Our main job right now is to continue to assure the public that our beef supply is safe. So long as the real story is being told we believe the U.S. consumer will continue to keep beef on the menu. Attached are some talking points courtesy of the Kansas Livestock Association for your use. We will continue to monitor this situation, and we wish you and yours all the very best in the coming New Year. For additional and updated information on BSE, you can go to www.BSEinfo.org.