April 2013 Articles

Archives by Months

Just Rambling, April 2013

Just Rambling:
Stop! Look around you. Enjoy the beauty of this world. Aren’t we blessed! Spring is upon us, even though “old man Winter” keeps trying to hang on. Based on that old saying, “if it thunders in February, there will be a cool snap at that time in April,” we are probably not finished with cool weather. This saying usually holds pretty true, and we did have a lot of thunder in February, so check it out as we go through April. Spring is all around us – trees budding, flowers blooming, pastures greening, birds singing – God’s creation coming alive again. Isn’t it magnificent! This world didn’t just happen as many would have you believe. As we are told in Genesis 1:1, God created this world and the life that is in it. It was by design by our Father in Heaven, as it is so plainly taught in the Bible. Let us not forget to be thankful to God for life itself, for the many blessings we enjoy, and for giving his son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross that we might have through him an even better life in Heaven one day. May we all take notice, not just smell the roses, but enjoy all of God’s blessings this spring.
Horse Slaughter
A few years ago, horse slaughter was stopped in this country, based primarily on people’s emotions rather than common sense. Since that time, the value of horses has steadily declined due to their being no market for older horses, for young, untrained horses, or for donkeys, ponies, and wild horses – practically all horses in the U.S. People who have horses, especially untrained horses, have a difficult time selling them now. Many have resorted to abandoning them in rural areas or on national and state-owned lands. They can’t afford to feed them, and they can’t sell them. Without horse slaughter, a major problem has been created. But then, just as it appeared there might be some hope of reinstating horse slaughter in the U.S., I read a news report about an individual in New Mexico who led a beautiful horse outside and shot it between the eyes while someone filmed it. This video was then posted on the Internet in order to aggravate animal rights groups. How stupid and how cruel can a person be? We at Ag Trader USA believe humane horse slaughter should be reinstated in the U.S., but we cannot condone the actions of this individual or others who would intentionally abuse an animal to make a political statement. We in agriculture and the livestock business are so often blamed for the dumb actions of a few, and so we must not keep silent in condemning such an inhumane act. Van Bennett