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COPAKE, NY (MCT) - - A 59-year-old dairy farmer in Columbia County killed 51 of his cows and then took his own life with a self- inflicted gunshot wound at his farm on Weed Mine Road, State Police said. The deceased farmer, Dean Pierson, was found alone in a barn Thursday afternoon. There were no signs of foul play, State Police Investigator Abdul Weed said. He would not speculate about a possible motive, but Pierson left sev- eral of his cows unharmed before he turned the gun on himself, Weed said. He would not say if Pier- son left a note. "It's horribly sad," Weed said. An investigation is continuing, although no charges or criminal action are expected, he said. By late Friday afternoon, neighbors and local farmers had helped remove the dead cows from the farm. They were also assisting with the care of the remaining ani- mals. Weed was joined by Investigator Kelly Taylor and Trooper Charles Buten- hoff in responding to a 911 call by a neighbor who encountered the grisly scene. That person was checking on Pierson after receiving a call from some- one concerned about the farmer. "We can't know and will never know the reasoning behind killing the cows," Weed said. He declined to speculate on whether psy- chological problems, finan- cial concerns or the strug- gling dairy industry may played a role in the mass animal killing and suicide. Fifty-eight years ago we were not worried about being politically correct as we read "The Big Steer" in the Feb. 12, 1952 Daily News. "Cattle Columnist offers Sidelights on Bull Sale Days" was the head- line. Darrel Conard, local cattleman and father of Dean Conard, Flournoy, and Cheryl Conard Haase wrote a weekly column as the big steer. "Monday morning, February 10th I expected to read my name in either the Hospital Notes or Obituary Column today but so far I have escaped both. My present state of well being could merely be a lull before the storm. Or, perhaps, I'm just in what is called the eye of the hurricane. Anybody who partici- pated in the festivities accompanying last week's Red Bluff Bull Sale will know what I mean. It's an uneasy feeling that you're lucky to be up and about and that the worst may arrive at any moment. The doctor's offices are jammed to capacity this morning with people from all over the nine western states. They aren't really sick. They're merely suf- fering from a mild malady known as the Red Bluff Bull Sale fever. There is no known cure for it and there's no inoculation that will alleviate it's effects. It comes on early every February and lasts until the patient heals up and hairs over. T e n n e s s e e Ernie Ford raised nearly $5,000 more than has previously been realized from the sale of a March of Dimes bull. To my knowledge he is the only guest auctioneer who had made a personal contribution at the sale. He plunked down five $20 bills as his donation to the Polio fund. I was asked by the Bull Sale Committee to intro- duce Tennessee Ernie to Saturday morning's audi- ence. I stayed awake all Friday night trying to think up an introductory speech and when the big moment arrived I was scared spitless. I needn't have worried. All I got to do was mention his name before the microphone was jerked away. As the sale of the Dimes Bull progressed, I noticed that Ernie squirm- ing cross-legged and jug- gling the microphone from hand to hand. All of a sud- den he tossed it to me and I immediately discovered the cause of his uneasi- ness. The mike was shorted out some place and was as full of electric shocks as an eel caught in the Shasta Dam powerhouse. My complexion was mighty lak a rose before I could get rid of the darned thing. February 8, the big day of the Sale, was also the 79th anniversary of the birthday of Charlie Stover, the Bull Sale Committee chairman. It had been sug- gested that Tennessee Ernie lead off a happy birthday song but somehow in the confusion the event never came off. Belat- ed congratula- tions, Charlie. I was also reminded that if I had kept my blinders on and stayed hitched that it would have been my 17th wedding anniversary. I'll bet the gal who slipped the har- ness would like congratu- lations, too. In all the thousands of people who attended the sale there wasn't a forked tongue in the crowd. How- ever, a few tongues got slightly twisted. A lady and I were discussing the coming marriage of a mutual woman friend. "Is she going to marry a Red Bluff girl?" she asked. Well, I should hope not, Christine. My tongue not only gets twisted but it has a marvelous facility for say- ing the wrong thing. At the dinner meeting for con- signors and buyers, Wednesday, Feb. 5, I sat next to a 6-foot-3, 260 lb fellow by the name of Becker from Wiball, Mon- tana. "Didn't I buy one of your bulls once?" I asked. "You could have," he answered. "I showed here in 1947." "I remember that bull" I said, "when the fat got off him he had quite a dish in his back. How much paraffin did you use in that spot?" "Look buster." he growled. "I never used anything in my life to build up a bull." "What's your first name?" I inquired. "I'm Eaton," he said. "What?" I exclaimed. "Aren't you done yet?" Did you ever see so many power failures as there was during this last storm. *** Many familiar names have returned for the 15th annual J P Ranch Rodeo. Rice/Sparrowk Ranches, Clements with Rich Rice, Jeff Sparrowk and Lee Whitney. Laird Ranch, Dubois, Idaho with Joe Slagowski, Ted Laird, John Hagenbarth. S Pitch- fork Ranch, Eagleville with Hec Hurley, Snooks Smith, Shawn Smith. Double Bar X, Millville with Bill Wilson, Tom and Reed Martinez. Llano Seco Ranch, Chico with Destry Wolverton, John Baker and Cooper Stum- baugh. Elk Creek Ranch, Livermore with David Lackey, Gene Roberts, Kent Hirdes. Sprague River Ranch- es, Beatty, Oregon with Victor Madrigel, Eric Duarte, Troy Brooks. Cross Five Ranch, Walnut Grove, with Colby Cama- cho, Mark Brum, Brent Tadman. J H Ranch, Stan- dish, with Dan Holland, Rob Pyle, Bill Finks. N Arrow Livestock, Standish with Tub Blan- thorn, Colt Shields, Gaylen Taylor. Z Hanging X Cattle Co; Fallon, Neva- da with Jimmy, Flint and Kenny Lee. Dry Creek Ranch, Snelling with Roy Richards, Brandon Baba, Joe Iveson. Gill Ranch, Millville with Clint Lear, Eddie and Scotty Gill. ENG Ranch- es, Carrisa Plains, with Philip Selby, Darrell Nor- cutt, Danny Leslie. Elwood Ranch, Bella Vista with Dean Miller, Justin Niesen, Chance Caudle. TNT Cattle Co; Chiloquin, Oregon with Chance Millian, Billy Ward, Casey Ladner. Spring Ranch, Shandon with Chance Jackson, Wyatt Bourdet, Frankie Martinez. Triangle V Ranch, McArthur with Dallas Osborne, Cole Hook, Brian Humphry. River Bend Ranch, Dubois, Idaho with J D Johnson, Rhett Jacobs, Ron Eliason. Local teams are U I Ranches, Ferguson Live- stock, Antelope Creek Cattle Co; T X Bar Ranch, Holiday Ranches, Lazy Spade Cattle Co; and Loverin Livestock. Jean Barton can be reached at jbarton@theskybeam.com. Saturday, January 23, 2010 – Daily News – 5A Drop Off Sites in Downtown Businesses Thank you from D.R.B.B.A. Collecting until February 14th Food From the Heart Canned Food Drive ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Call For Free Information Toll-Free (800) 464-1403 or (530) 365-1403 6183 MEISTER WAY ANDERSON, CA 96007 (530) 365-1403 (800) 464-1403 LIC #808524 530-528-8120 10 Gilmore Rd. Red Bluff Corner of Antelope & Gilmore 530-528-8120 10 Gilmore Rd. Red Bluff Corner of Antelope & Gilmore Limited time offer expires Feb. 28, 2010. Other conditions and restric- tions may apply. See store for full details. Offer valid only at NorCal AT&T Authorized Retailer stores. Rebate debit card offer. Price before mail-in rebate is $149.99. M u s t p u r ch a s e B l a c kBerry Unlimited Plan and sign new 2 year service agreement ot qualify for discounted pricing and rebate. Retail price Blackberry Pearl 8110 is $399.99. Red Bluff Garden Center 766 Antelope Blvd. (next to the fairgrounds) 527-0886 January 23 10am Please call to sign up Rose Pruning Class Rain or Shine Smog Check starting at $ 29 95 (most cars and pick-ups) Pass or FREE retest COMPLETE AUTO REPAIR + cert. All makes and models. We perform dealer recommened 30K, 60K, 90K SERVICES AT LOWER PRICES 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St. Agriculture farm&ranch A look back at The Big Steer Courtesy photo The 2009 JP Ranch Rodeo team from Antelope Creek Cattle Co, Dusty deBraga, Lance Root and Walt Brown were introduced before the finals. Jean Barton Dairy farmer kills cows, self