BEWARE

Imagine the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize being told he was no longer eligible for the award because he helped start a war in a country he had never set foot in nor had talked to any of its citizens. The man being falsely accused would be stunned, speechless, and totally unprepared to respond to his accusers. He would have no where to turn and the truth wouldn't satisfy his critics.

That's exactly the hot seat that Eldon Roth found himself sitting in a few weeks ago. When he invented the process that separated lean meat from bone and fat, he was lauded as a genius by his peers and he started a new company - Beef Products Inc. BPI marketed a 100% beef product that is used to create a 90-95% lean ground beef product that was healthier for consumers than conventional 80-85% lean ground beef. This was a win-win formula for the beef industry and consumers.

The company prospered, expanded and couldn't keep up with the demand for its product. Everybody liked it. That is, until ABC stepped into the picture with a story about "pink slime", its new name for BPI's lean; fine textured beef. "Pink slime" was captioned by a foreign chef and promoted by irresponsible activists who got a national stage from ABC.

The false characterization of this delicious, healthy, pure, all-beef product resulted in Beef Products Inc., based in Dakota Dunes, SD, having to close three of its plants, that employed 650 people. They also cut management staff in their Dakota Dunes headquarters - and I don't think anyone can tell you why. There isn't anything concrete about what wrong with lean; finely-textured beef. I've been waiting for the press release that puts the scientific facts about what's wrong with Eldon's product on paper, T.V., or radio. Its been a long wait, and nothing materialized because BPI markets a delicious, healthy beef product.

So what did happen? Lots of folks lost good paying jobs. A vibrant company was brought to its knees. Consumers must now pay a lot more money for lean hamburger. As Grandma Kate used to say, "Isn't that a fine how-do-you-do". She also used to say, "You can sure tell right from wrong. If you can't, look it up in the Good Book". Her husband, my Grandfather Skinny Pfeil, used to say "If you're getting pushed on and you're right, don't back down, fight back".

I always thought they gave me good advice and were of high character. I know that they eastern media and activists were wrong and BPI was right. That thought takes the whole issue our of any gray area and makes it very black and white to me. Eldon Roth and BPI are operating in an honorable fashion and could sure use some friends here in the fly-over zone. We all need to become activists on their behalf by encouraging industry groups, local media, political representatives, and our churches to band together against the eastern elite media and their whacko; activist brethren and demand an apology and to correct their outlandish statements. Don't wait until it's too late. We're under attack by animal activists.

Point in fact! The Human Society of the United States has badgered the major fast food outlets to not use pork produced in farrowing crates or poultry products (including eggs) produced from birds in cages. Burger King is the latest big company to throw in the towel. They have agreed to follow the Humane Society's edict in 2014. They pushed this crazy proposal very hard in Nebraska and many folks pushed right back at them.

Nebraska's Governor Heideman is a very polite, polished graduate of the West Point Military Academy and never uses profanity or rough talk. He climbed all over the Humane Society and ended by telling them, "we're gonna run your asses right out of Nebraska." The whole state was proud of the Governor for blasting these activist whacko for pressuring Nebraska's largest business, which is agriculture. IF these activists had their way, we'd al be eating dandelion salads and yogurt, washed down with a straight shot of tea.

We can all be very proud of our political representatives and how they stood up for BPI in Sioux City. The media clip of Iowa Governor Branstadt getting right in the face of an ABC correspondent for asking him an outlandish question was really outstanding pro-activist rhetoric. When agriculture is unfairly attached by outside activists and loony media reports, we need the help of people like Governor Heideman and Governor Brandstadt.

The South Dakota Livestock Markets annual convention made a point of serving lean finely textured beef at the noon meal and openly talked about supporting BPI in their struggles against the outside forces that declared war on them. Agriculture is the biggest industry in the Midwest and we all need to be active in its support against animal rights activists. If Nebraska Governor Hiedeman had the courage to tell the Human Society he was going to "kick their asses right out of Nebraska", all of us could follow his lead and have the guts to get tough with those people who yearn to attack us and change out way of life.

An organization that pretends to save dogs and cats and has a huge national advertising budget telling everyone how noble they are in their endeavors to save the lives of unwanted pets, while really pushing the vegetarian lifestyle, needs to be challenged. They need to be shown the way outside of our borders just as Governor Hiedeman addressed them. Remember, you can't negotiate with a terrorist or an animal rights activist. They're only interested in our destruction.

Encourage your industry trade groups to stick up for victims of these vicious animal activists (like the Humane Society of the United States). BPI needs your help. Do all you can to join forces with the Midwestern Governors to tell the truth about how these groups crippled an outstanding Midwestern business, BPI, and in the end, cost American consumers millions of dollars because of higher prices for an American mainstay, the hamburger.

Let them all stay on both coasts and live on seafood that see's only 1% of its total production actually inspected. Must of the weekly catch stays in the holds of ships for days before it's unloaded. A huge majority of the daily catch is mislabeled and sold at higher prices. They don't need to come out here, where every animal is inspected and graded to find out the inspectors sometimes outnumber the animals. Our plants are cleaner than their kitchen tables, so please stay away and take a cause that really needs cleaning up - seafood. It's right in your backyards.

We can run our own business and give you the same clean inspected product you want.

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