Meeting includes presentation from state veterinarian

By MATTHEW WEAVER

Capital Press

Predators and processing are up for discussion when the Cattle Producers of Washington hold their annual meeting.

The organization will include an update on a processing plant and a panel discussion about wolves during the annual convention, beginning at 9 a.m. Oct. 21 at the Pillar Rock Grill in Moses Lake, Wash.

Craig Vejraska, president of CPOW, said the group's Livestock Processors Cooperative is in the process of securing funds to match a $1.2 million grant for the processing plant. The plant is slated to open in Odessa, Wash., in spring 2012.

The wolf panel discussion will include reports from fellow ranchers in other states that have a wolf problem, particularly Idaho.

"They've been devastating to the wildlife population and also are preying on livestock, so that's a big concern for us," Vejraska said. "We want to hear from all sides of the spectrum on it."

Other items on the agenda include alternative feeds and Washington's animal disease traceability program, Vejraska said. State Veterinarian Leonard Eldridge will deliver a presentation on new rules and what a 40-cent-per-head assessment will mean.

CPOW has been active in getting the legislation passed.

"We're trying to do animal disease traceability within the state of Washington, as opposed to submitting to some USDA plan that isn't germane to the state," he said.

Vejraska expects 80 to 100 ranchers to attend.

Online

Cattle Producers of Washington: www.cattleproducersofwa.org