From America with Love

The Western Horseman this month reports that a Montana rancher has moved half his cattle herd to Russia, which is trying to revive its nearly dead cattle industry.
The writer, Ryan Bell, reports that the beef cattle population in Russia dropped from 18 million at the time of the Russian revolution to only 6000,000 today.
As a result, a steak dinner costs $75 in Moscow. People quoted in the article said beef available from butchers is only a step above leather.
Russia has one beef cow for every 230 people while in the U. S. there is one cow for every 3.5 people.
Russia has vast expanses of unfenced, idle grasslands, and the Montana ranch has partnered with the owners of 13,000 acres to restock some of this unused natural resource. A herd of about 500 cows were shipped over by boat.
The rancher also defied Russian restrictions by shipping over five trained cow horses to work the cattle. It was argued that while Russia has many horses of its own the U. S. horses had the build, training and disposition for the job. Only one of the horses was a registered Quarter Horse. The others were grade horses bought off ranches.
The cows sent over to Russia were Angus and they will have to thrive in a climate that ranges from 30 F. below in winter to 100 degrees F. in summer.
Russia now imports a lot of beef and it hopes to become more self sufficient within a few years.
I find it unbelievable that Russia’s meet industry had fallen into such a low state and only now realizes it has to improve it. Of course, having a population that is undernourished and alcoholic makes it easer for mass control.
The rising cost of food and fuel in the U. S. during an economic depression is something for us to think about, for the elites definitely have the U. S. targeted for more poverty consciousness. Though that is not all bad since we as a people waste and squander a lot and hopefully we will find ways to be more efficient and not have to step down our comfort levels even if we have to reorganize our consumption to more realistic and sustainable and healthy levels.

Dan