Danny and Susan own the Flying W Ranch in rural Pequot Lakes with Danny's parents, Eldon and Shirley Wiese. They have about 500 head of Angus cattle, and are well known for their annual bull sales held each spring for the past 30 years.

Danny said the heifer, if sold in regular auction, would have brought about $1,000. "I had really good support from the Pine River businesses," he said. Individuals and businesses bid between $25 and $250, knowing that their bids were donations and that they would not actually be taking the calf home with them. The high bidder, Pine River State Bank, topped them all-donating $1,000 to the cause as well as donating the calf back to the local 4H program, to be shown and sold at the Cass County Fair later this summer. The Wiese's six-year-old daughter, Amy, will care for the calf, Susan said.

The Wiese's are members of Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stock Growers of America (R-CALF), an organization that represents the interests of cattle farmers. R-CALF is fighting a legal battle against the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to prevent the import of live Canada beef. The import of live beef from Canada was banned a little over a year ago, after several cases of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, the disease known as "mad cow," were found in Canadian cattle. Four cases of "mad cow" have been identified in Canada beef cattle since May 2003. The ban is set to be repealed this week, on March 7. A court hearing on the issue will be March 2, in the Federal District Court in Billings, Montana.

"We feel the USDA has lowered their standards," Susan said.

R-CALF is also working toward mandatory Country of Origin Labeling ("COOL") for all imported meat. In 2002, Congress passed a law specifically requiring meat products to have a "country of origin" label. The USDA lobbied Congress to delay the law's implementation twice: once in 2002 and again in 2004.

Many consumers believe that the USDA Inspection Stamp implies that meat products either come from U.S. cattle or has been inspected by U.S. government officials. The truth is, meat with the USDA stamp could be from any one of the 13 countries from which the U.S. imports beef.

"We think consumers want to know," Susan said. With Country of Origin labeling, only calves born and raised in the United States would qualify as "U.S. beef." Currently, animals that are in the U.S. for 30 days-even those from other countries-are considered U.S. meat, she said.

"I go to town and buy a hamburger like anybody else," Danny said. "I want that food supply to be safe."

The Wiese's concerns extend to finance as well. Susan said that beef prices have been steady since live Canada beef imports were banned, but will most likely drop if the ban is removed.

Danny said the cattle price fluctuations affect the local economy as well. "If we don't get money for our cattle, we don't go to town to buy a new pickup or whatever," he said. "That's why the businesses really got behind us."