Regarding the treatment of the downer dairy cows in the Chino, CA plant (“California Nightmare," March 2008 BEEF), my 45 years in the beef industry tell me that the subject cow should never have left the producer's operation. I'm not defending the individuals who abused the cow but I am stating that most of this type of abuse can be controlled by producers. Producers and haulers have the responsibility to insure that the animals they load for shipment are strong and healthy. That these incidents still happen after all of the years of producer training provided by the industry's Beef Quality Assurance program is sad.

Hank Wilbur
Greenland, MI