With all of the major concerns that we have in this country, floods, fires, tornados, economy, not to mention the great impact that the millions of illegals are having and will have on our country, it would be silly to get dramatic concerning the potential impacts of shut down and limitations on imports of Mexican rodeo cattle for our recreational enjoyment. I don't for a moment believe that an abundant supply or absence of Mexican cattle will stop American cowboys from roping. We have natives, long horns, short horns, watusis, highlanders, muleys and plastics at our disposal. The number, placement, stock charges and financial arrangements of many events in this country will definitely change over the next two years. Many have heard me soapbox that the long term security for the team roping industry must be built domestically. But still it is frustrating being held hostage by politicians, bureaucrats and factors outside of our control. Nevertheless, I want to explain to all of you what is occurring, some of the facts, and point out some of the hypocrisies and frustrations that those involved on both sides of the river are feeling.

For the record, Mexico's export status has been lowered and cattle have to be assembled and held together for 4 months prior to export. Chihuahuas status for bovine tuberculosis (TB) will be downgraded from Modified Accredited to Accredited Preparatory as of August 25, 2011. This will affect the 1,000,000 head of feeder steers that cross into the United States each year and roughly 16,000 roping steers each year. This rule change appears to be a limited response that only applies to the Mexican state of Chihuaha. But roughly 85% of all rodeo cattle come from Chihuaha . You can read the full rule at the bottom of this article.

Reemergence of cattle tuberculosis in the US can be attributed to a few things, including a few persistent low-level infections in beef and dairy herds, infected wildlife populations in the north, and importation of cattle from Mexico. Even though numbers vary generally animal health officials attribute 75% of all TB cases to cattle coming from Mexico.

It is also important to remember that humans infected with bovine TB have also served as the source of infection to cattle. This is a hot political potato that USDA/APHS has avoided discussing publicly. Privately the federal vets are pointing to infections in cattle coming from humans as the only potential source on some of these isolated dairy infections that pop up. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, have reported a sharp increase in Bovine Tuberculosis that is concentrated mostly in hispanics of Mexican origin. The bovine TB is thought to be primarily spread to humans by consumption of raw dairy products from Mexico, for instance, the unpasteurized popular cheese queso fresco. Recently federal vets traced a brucellosis case to this cheese. But to this point public health officials are refusing to check blood on workers near these outbreaks.

It is good news that USDA has decided to handle horned cattle the same as other cattle. Their most recent history has been to regulate horned cattle differently and more severely.  Back in 2002 the Texas Animal Health Commission had an epidemiologist that reasoned, "imported feeder steers have a fairly 'straight path ' to pasture, feedlot and then to slaughter. Conversely, imported rodeo or roping steers may be used for several years for practice and events, giving them longer and more exposure to domestic cattle". The problem with that argument is they don't know how fast you guys can go through cattle, and they never had any documentation to prove that theory. In addition they never could quite explain why they thought exposure in adjacent pastures was less dangerous for the 99% feeder cattle, than the 1% percent roping cattle that had more stringent testing requirements.

Still APHIS is under severe political pressure from dairy groups and state health officials to take some type of token action concerning the Mexican TB. It appears that are adopting the TAHC position. Now it appears that Mexico itself is using the roping cattle issue as a basis to bargain on getting feeders steers out. Please understand that these actions taken by Mexican and American animal health officials is political and has no scientific basis at all.