WEBVTT 1 00:00:03.640 --> 00:00:07.379 Welcome to Financial Issues, where we help you steward faithfully 2 00:00:07.660 --> 00:00:11.230 by honoring God with your investments. Now listen in as 3 00:00:11.269 --> 00:00:14.050 we give you the practical tools and advice you need 4 00:00:14.390 --> 00:00:16.789 to become a biblically responsible investor. 5 00:00:22.699 --> 00:00:25.219 This is Financial Issues, where we help you defund darkness 6 00:00:25.260 --> 00:00:28.600 and fund the light by investing with biblical integrity. Folks, 7 00:00:28.640 --> 00:00:31.089 Craig Halgard, our Financial Issues Ag Reporter, joins us later 8 00:00:31.109 --> 00:00:31.609 in the show today. 9 00:00:31.629 --> 00:00:33.049 You don't want to miss that. It's going to be 10 00:00:33.070 --> 00:00:34.070 a great time. I'm Seth Udinski. 11 00:00:34.090 --> 00:00:36.630 You've got Sam Case in the control room and your host, 12 00:00:36.829 --> 00:00:39.490 Mark Manilla. Mark, we're lively this morning, I think. 13 00:00:40.270 --> 00:00:42.630 We're having a great time. A little Bible study, a 14 00:00:42.670 --> 00:00:45.619 little conversation about music. It's all over the place. 15 00:00:45.719 --> 00:00:48.859 And now you're joining us, which makes it all better. Welcome, everyone. 16 00:00:49.140 --> 00:00:50.679 Yeah, we're grateful to have you, folks. Hey, give us 17 00:00:50.719 --> 00:00:57.479 a call, why don't you? Number 610-363-1110. Again, 610-363-1110. Put 18 00:00:57.509 --> 00:00:59.490 that in your speed dial, folks, and save that and 19 00:00:59.509 --> 00:01:00.770 give us a call, why don't you? We'd love to 20 00:01:00.829 --> 00:01:04.989 hear your opinions, your questions, anything financial. Join the live broadcast. Hey, guys, 21 00:01:05.010 --> 00:01:07.239 let's start with our verse of the week, Proverbs 27. 22 00:01:07.239 --> 00:01:09.890 23 through 24. Sam, would you give us this one 23 00:01:11.219 --> 00:01:13.260 one more time? You made me do it yesterday, but 24 00:01:13.280 --> 00:01:14.959 you know what? It's such a good verse. 25 00:01:15.120 --> 00:01:15.819 I'll do it again. 26 00:01:16.159 --> 00:01:18.620 Be diligent to know the state of your flocks and 27 00:01:18.659 --> 00:01:21.689 attend to your herds, for riches are not forever, nor 28 00:01:21.719 --> 00:01:25.170 does a crown endure to all generations. Proverbs 27, 23, 29 00:01:25.170 --> 00:01:27.310 and 24. 30 00:01:28.230 --> 00:01:31.230 You know, Mark, as I was reading that, just was reminded, 31 00:01:31.269 --> 00:01:34.150 you know, the writer to the Proverbs, who I believe 32 00:01:34.170 --> 00:01:37.530 it is Solomon. He's obviously Solomon under, you know, he 33 00:01:37.569 --> 00:01:39.310 understood the weight of the crown. He was the king 34 00:01:39.329 --> 00:01:42.049 of Israel and one of the richest kings and most 35 00:01:42.250 --> 00:01:45.689 successful kings in the history of the people of Israel. 36 00:01:46.189 --> 00:01:49.329 He understood that the crown does not endure to all generations. 37 00:01:49.810 --> 00:01:52.140 I believe Solomon also understood, though, in the way that 38 00:01:52.200 --> 00:01:54.099 he could in the Old Testament as he trusted in 39 00:01:54.120 --> 00:01:57.900 a future Messiah, that someday believers, all of us, would 40 00:01:57.939 --> 00:02:00.599 get the crown of victory because of Jesus Christ. 41 00:02:00.640 --> 00:02:04.040 And that crown will endure. And it's an amazing thing, Mark. 42 00:02:04.359 --> 00:02:07.159 Yeah, and one more crown that we get to toss 43 00:02:07.219 --> 00:02:08.580 at the feet of our Savior. 44 00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:09.740 How awesome is that? 45 00:02:09.840 --> 00:02:10.539 Yeah, it's amazing. 46 00:02:10.560 --> 00:02:11.469 Yeah, that's really good. 47 00:02:11.750 --> 00:02:13.949 But you know, this verse is probably the number one 48 00:02:14.030 --> 00:02:15.990 verse used in financial planning. 49 00:02:16.780 --> 00:02:18.379 When it comes to Christian financial planning. 50 00:02:18.400 --> 00:02:18.780 Is it really? 51 00:02:18.800 --> 00:02:22.060 Because be diligent to know the state of your flocks. 52 00:02:22.599 --> 00:02:25.599 That alone tells people that they should be on top 53 00:02:25.699 --> 00:02:29.900 of their finances. They should understand what is feeding them, 54 00:02:30.300 --> 00:02:33.879 what is providing for them, what God has entrusted them 55 00:02:34.199 --> 00:02:37.460 to utilize for all that and to help you to 56 00:02:37.500 --> 00:02:39.840 be able to be giving to others and care for 57 00:02:39.879 --> 00:02:41.379 those that God puts in your path. 58 00:02:41.759 --> 00:02:44.719 Be diligent to know the state of your finances. 59 00:02:45.180 --> 00:02:45.340 Hmm. 60 00:02:45.770 --> 00:02:46.409 Well said, Mark. 61 00:02:46.449 --> 00:02:49.449 Speaking of diligence, actually, we have a very interesting topic 62 00:02:49.490 --> 00:02:54.969 here talking about financial diligence. This topic is theft and cybersecurity. 63 00:02:55.330 --> 00:02:57.349 So here's a question that we got, Mark. Kim is 64 00:02:57.349 --> 00:02:59.610 65 years old. She's a partner, and she's asking this. 65 00:02:59.729 --> 00:03:03.250 In today's age of identity theft and ongoing cybersecurity threats, 66 00:03:03.770 --> 00:03:08.509 is comprehensive identity theft protection truly essential or is simply 67 00:03:08.590 --> 00:03:11.750 freezing your credit card enough to safeguard your personal information? 68 00:03:12.189 --> 00:03:14.500 Do you personally use a protection plan? Mark, how would 69 00:03:14.509 --> 00:03:14.939 you help Kim? 70 00:03:15.770 --> 00:03:17.610 Well, she made this personal now. 71 00:03:17.750 --> 00:03:17.889 No. 72 00:03:18.830 --> 00:03:19.569 Yeah. 73 00:03:19.669 --> 00:03:22.509 No, I don't have a personal protection plan. Actually, I 74 00:03:22.629 --> 00:03:29.430 have several times had my identity breached and had to 75 00:03:29.490 --> 00:03:32.979 do things like locking down and getting. 76 00:03:32.780 --> 00:03:33.900 A hold of the companies. 77 00:03:33.979 --> 00:03:36.159 And then, of course, whoever breached it, they gave you 78 00:03:36.180 --> 00:03:40.219 a free identity program for a year or two. But, 79 00:03:40.460 --> 00:03:43.159 you know, instead of me talking about this, what I'd 80 00:03:43.199 --> 00:03:45.159 like to do is bring in somebody I have a 81 00:03:45.180 --> 00:03:48.360 lot of respect for. He's our IT manager, head of 82 00:03:48.639 --> 00:03:52.580 all our technical here at Financial Issues. And he has 83 00:03:52.620 --> 00:03:55.560 to deal with all sorts of fraud and ID theft 84 00:03:56.080 --> 00:03:57.259 scams that are going on. 85 00:03:57.360 --> 00:04:00.960 And that's Elijah, the one, the only Elijah. Welcome to 86 00:04:01.000 --> 00:04:03.590 the show, Elijah. Good morning, everybody. It's good to be 87 00:04:03.620 --> 00:04:03.990 with you. 88 00:04:04.620 --> 00:04:04.930 Well, we're. 89 00:04:05.840 --> 00:04:09.169 We're glad you're with us. How would you address Kim's question? 90 00:04:09.409 --> 00:04:14.050 Well, I'm honored that you trust me to answer Kim's 91 00:04:14.090 --> 00:04:19.250 question today. So her question about is comprehensive identity theft 92 00:04:19.310 --> 00:04:22.699 truly essential? I wouldn't say it is, but it also 93 00:04:22.759 --> 00:04:28.360 depends on your lifestyle. If you're someone who isn't looking 94 00:04:28.439 --> 00:04:32.100 over your accounts, making sure you're managing all your passwords, 95 00:04:32.180 --> 00:04:40.699 using a password manager, also having you know, just access 96 00:04:40.759 --> 00:04:44.420 to your accounts and using two-factor authentication, making sure all 97 00:04:44.480 --> 00:04:48.079 of your logins to your IRS and all these, you know, 98 00:04:48.160 --> 00:04:51.860 different accounts that use your identity, you know, are you 99 00:04:52.000 --> 00:04:55.129 actively engaging in that? And if no, then I would say, yeah, 100 00:04:55.170 --> 00:04:58.149 I mean, it could definitely help, you know, help monitor, 101 00:04:58.509 --> 00:05:02.329 help do credit repair. Mark, you just shared a situation 102 00:05:02.360 --> 00:05:05.459 where that might go in handy. But I would say 103 00:05:05.620 --> 00:05:09.540 simply freezing your credit is enough. If you're at a 104 00:05:09.660 --> 00:05:12.519 point in your life where you're not really utilizing your 105 00:05:12.560 --> 00:05:15.990 credit a whole bunch, freezing it is actually much better. 106 00:05:16.500 --> 00:05:20.689 Let me tell you guys a secret. People already have 107 00:05:20.790 --> 00:05:24.259 access to your information. They're leaked everywhere. Um, and, and 108 00:05:24.300 --> 00:05:26.839 that's why I would say, you know, freezing it is 109 00:05:26.879 --> 00:05:29.670 just one of those things that, you know, if you have, 110 00:05:29.810 --> 00:05:31.509 if you, if you have your accounts frozen, if you, 111 00:05:31.629 --> 00:05:34.870 if you, uh, freeze all of your accounts through, uh, 112 00:05:34.889 --> 00:05:37.939 through the kettle barrels, then, uh, they can't use your information. 113 00:05:38.639 --> 00:05:42.399 Um, So freezing it, what that does is keep people 114 00:05:42.459 --> 00:05:45.439 from opening accounts in your name or using your credit. 115 00:05:45.819 --> 00:05:49.019 But it wouldn't stop them from stealing your identity or 116 00:05:49.850 --> 00:05:52.050 scamming you, would it? 117 00:05:52.329 --> 00:05:52.949 No. 118 00:05:53.250 --> 00:05:56.189 You hear about the elderly scams. And by the way, 119 00:05:56.290 --> 00:05:57.970 I don't know if you knew this, Elijah. This is 120 00:05:58.370 --> 00:06:01.220 one of the things I came across years ago. But 121 00:06:01.600 --> 00:06:06.259 the number one affinity group for scams is the Christian community. 122 00:06:06.709 --> 00:06:10.009 They are scammed more than anybody else. And I think 123 00:06:10.029 --> 00:06:13.949 that's just because they're giving and they're easy, you know? 124 00:06:13.990 --> 00:06:14.529 Them and the elderly. 125 00:06:14.550 --> 00:06:16.230 I don't think it's because they're gullible, right? I think 126 00:06:16.250 --> 00:06:18.569 it's because we're bent towards generosity. 127 00:06:18.709 --> 00:06:22.149 And you know, a lot of these scams and these people, 128 00:06:22.189 --> 00:06:26.399 they use two things. They use fear and urgency. And 129 00:06:26.420 --> 00:06:28.160 that's just one of the things to look out for 130 00:06:28.319 --> 00:06:32.779 as your baseline. Now, there's multiple ways that people try 131 00:06:32.800 --> 00:06:36.060 to impersonate your bank accounts You know, it's important that, 132 00:06:36.319 --> 00:06:38.839 you know, whatever you do with your bank, that you 133 00:06:39.040 --> 00:06:41.399 go directly to them. You go directly to the website. 134 00:06:41.420 --> 00:06:45.009 You call them. Also be just aware of the different 135 00:06:45.069 --> 00:06:47.550 ways that people are trying to scam you. One of 136 00:06:47.589 --> 00:06:53.750 those being AI. I've myself received AI calls and they 137 00:06:53.790 --> 00:06:56.759 might call you being, you know, your grandson who may 138 00:06:56.779 --> 00:06:59.319 be in jail, who needs money quick. You know, you 139 00:06:59.360 --> 00:07:01.379 just want to, you know, take a step back. The 140 00:07:01.399 --> 00:07:03.680 moment that you start feeling like you need to make 141 00:07:04.189 --> 00:07:05.310 a decision right now. 142 00:07:06.750 --> 00:07:08.439 So that's, that's really good. 143 00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:12.199 When they push you to do something right away, that 144 00:07:12.259 --> 00:07:15.480 causes nervousness, anxiety, and you might do something silly. 145 00:07:15.639 --> 00:07:19.350 It does, you know? So yeah, that urgency, that fear 146 00:07:19.399 --> 00:07:20.589 that they put into you. 147 00:07:20.889 --> 00:07:21.129 Yeah. 148 00:07:21.290 --> 00:07:21.529 Yeah. 149 00:07:21.550 --> 00:07:23.870 So those, those are just some, some things that you 150 00:07:23.910 --> 00:07:27.730 want to, you know, just be aware of. Like I said, if, if, 151 00:07:28.050 --> 00:07:30.620 you know, if you're caring after your mother and she's 152 00:07:30.649 --> 00:07:33.170 not really proactive about her counts and then maybe a 153 00:07:33.189 --> 00:07:35.850 paid service may be worth it. You know, you might 154 00:07:35.889 --> 00:07:38.350 not have the time to help her manage those things. Or, 155 00:07:38.529 --> 00:07:41.459 you know, if better, better than that is freezing it. 156 00:07:41.449 --> 00:07:43.759 Because at the end of the day, you can always 157 00:07:43.920 --> 00:07:47.620 unfreeze and freeze your account at your will. So you're 158 00:07:47.639 --> 00:07:49.000 not really chained to anything. 159 00:07:49.279 --> 00:07:52.620 I heard that the IRS actually has a pin now 160 00:07:52.680 --> 00:07:55.360 you can get from them so that if somebody tries 161 00:07:55.439 --> 00:07:58.560 to file a fake return, you know, that was one 162 00:07:58.600 --> 00:08:01.259 of the big scams is people were filing returns in 163 00:08:01.310 --> 00:08:05.699 other people's names. and getting refunds from fake returns, and 164 00:08:05.740 --> 00:08:08.980 then the real person was getting hit by the IRS 165 00:08:09.019 --> 00:08:11.540 for false returns and stuff. So you can get a 166 00:08:11.579 --> 00:08:14.259 pin from the IRS, so nobody can do that. There's 167 00:08:14.279 --> 00:08:16.720 a lot of good ways, it sounds like, but I 168 00:08:16.779 --> 00:08:19.870 think what it comes down to is, What Jesus really 169 00:08:19.910 --> 00:08:23.449 tells us, what God tells us, obviously he's always right, right? 170 00:08:23.569 --> 00:08:26.750 Because he's God. But we do not act in fear. 171 00:08:27.089 --> 00:08:28.110 We act in wisdom. 172 00:08:28.230 --> 00:08:31.610 And when we act from wisdom, we don't let fear 173 00:08:32.009 --> 00:08:35.919 or urgency creep into this. We don't use the phone 174 00:08:35.960 --> 00:08:39.100 number that somebody gave us to call them back if 175 00:08:39.139 --> 00:08:41.620 they say they're with our bank. We use the number 176 00:08:41.659 --> 00:08:43.559 we have on file at home to call them. We 177 00:08:43.600 --> 00:08:47.100 don't click on their link. We go out to the website. 178 00:08:46.659 --> 00:08:49.490 For our phone. that the bank has we've. 179 00:08:49.330 --> 00:08:52.289 Always used that kind of thing i really appreciate that 180 00:08:52.769 --> 00:08:56.269 that information elijah um i know we're seeing more and 181 00:08:56.330 --> 00:08:58.909 more of it and i guess the best way to 182 00:08:59.549 --> 00:09:02.769 really uh to really watch this is to stay on 183 00:09:02.809 --> 00:09:04.950 top of it check your credit every now and then 184 00:09:05.029 --> 00:09:06.169 right yep. 185 00:09:06.049 --> 00:09:09.299 Log into irs.gov and set up your pin you know 186 00:09:09.340 --> 00:09:09.720 set up. 187 00:09:09.659 --> 00:09:13.000 Your pin exactly Yeah, so do what you can do, 188 00:09:13.440 --> 00:09:15.970 not out of fear, but out of wisdom and prudence. 189 00:09:16.070 --> 00:09:18.429 Well, Elijah, thank you so much for joining us this morning. 190 00:09:18.870 --> 00:09:20.909 I'm sure I haven't been able to get over to 191 00:09:21.789 --> 00:09:26.309 our chat yet this morning to see what's going on, 192 00:09:26.350 --> 00:09:28.029 but they love you there, Elijah. 193 00:09:28.049 --> 00:09:30.860 I know, I love them too, you know. I just 194 00:09:31.000 --> 00:09:33.240 love being able to help, you know. 195 00:09:33.259 --> 00:09:34.159 There you go. 196 00:09:34.179 --> 00:09:34.820 That's awesome. 197 00:09:34.879 --> 00:09:37.679 And Mark, I can say from personal experience too, you know, 198 00:09:37.700 --> 00:09:40.259 Elijah does a great job. Sometimes I will forget to 199 00:09:40.320 --> 00:09:42.899 run my my scans on the computer to make sure 200 00:09:42.919 --> 00:09:44.120 that it's safe from all that stuff. 201 00:09:44.139 --> 00:09:46.879 And Elijah's like, hey, did you run your scan this week? 202 00:09:46.899 --> 00:09:48.350 Did you run it this month? 203 00:09:48.379 --> 00:09:49.309 Did you do the full scan? 204 00:09:49.330 --> 00:09:52.289 You get a message from Mark saying, I need $ 500 205 00:09:52.169 --> 00:09:55.110 in Visa gift cards right now or I'm going to die. 206 00:09:55.149 --> 00:09:57.429 And you go, oh, shoot, I need to do this. 207 00:09:57.450 --> 00:09:59.230 And Elijah says, no, no, don't do that. 208 00:09:59.620 --> 00:10:01.659 But in all seriousness, Mark, I do think, and this 209 00:10:01.700 --> 00:10:03.779 gets back to the verse we talked about, diligence. 210 00:10:05.159 --> 00:10:06.879 Know the state of your flock. 211 00:10:06.899 --> 00:10:07.679 Yeah, knowing the state of. 212 00:10:07.659 --> 00:10:10.980 Your flock's resiliency, being vigilant as well. That's more of 213 00:10:11.019 --> 00:10:14.059 a military term, but always making sure that your defenses 214 00:10:14.139 --> 00:10:16.509 are up. I think is so important, especially like you said, Mark, 215 00:10:16.529 --> 00:10:17.980 for Christians, we should be generous. 216 00:10:18.240 --> 00:10:20.500 We should have a bent towards helping others, but we 217 00:10:20.539 --> 00:10:22.789 also have to be wary whether that help is really 218 00:10:22.850 --> 00:10:24.629 helpful or if it's something more nefarious. 219 00:10:24.850 --> 00:10:25.070 Right. 220 00:10:25.600 --> 00:10:28.230 I really appreciate that question from Kim this morning. I 221 00:10:28.500 --> 00:10:31.330 really appreciate Elijah joining us this morning. And you know 222 00:10:31.370 --> 00:10:36.129 what I appreciate even more is that you're with us, 610-363-1110. 223 00:10:36.389 --> 00:10:38.629 You might have a question or a comment. We want 224 00:10:38.669 --> 00:10:41.659 to hear it. Anything financial, we'll give you an answer 225 00:10:41.720 --> 00:10:44.679 both from real world and biblical point of view so 226 00:10:44.720 --> 00:10:46.590 you can see the worldview that affects you. 227 00:11:05.320 --> 00:11:06.159 Great to be here with you folks. 228 00:11:06.179 --> 00:11:07.700 Today's show brought to you in part by our friends 229 00:11:07.740 --> 00:11:10.990 at Preborn. Preborn.com slash FISM is the place to go. 230 00:11:11.029 --> 00:11:14.490 You can also dial pound 250 and say keyword baby. 231 00:11:14.570 --> 00:11:18.110 Preborn saves babies from abortion, brings the gospel to families, 232 00:11:18.129 --> 00:11:21.620 a wonderful ministry to support if you love Jesus Christ. Preborn.com 233 00:11:21.639 --> 00:11:25.200 slash FISM. Mark, very excited for this interview. We've got 234 00:11:25.220 --> 00:11:27.259 the man himself. We had Elijah in the first segment. 235 00:11:27.279 --> 00:11:29.419 Now we've got Craig Haugard, our financial issues agri-porter. 236 00:11:29.470 --> 00:11:32.389 We have all sorts of friends joining us today. It 237 00:11:32.490 --> 00:11:36.149 is a fun day. It's financial issues and friends. Yeah, 238 00:11:36.429 --> 00:11:38.570 that's financial issues and friends. 239 00:11:38.590 --> 00:11:39.090 That's right. 240 00:11:39.110 --> 00:11:39.799 That's basically what it is. 241 00:11:39.820 --> 00:11:41.820 I love it when we get questions in and we 242 00:11:41.879 --> 00:11:45.320 have an expert panel to draw from, like Craig Haugard here. 243 00:11:45.779 --> 00:11:46.740 Craig, welcome to the show. 244 00:11:47.909 --> 00:11:50.490 Well, thank you. It's my pleasure. Do I understand correctly? 245 00:11:50.529 --> 00:11:53.389 I'm following Elijah. Is it the Elijah? 246 00:11:53.629 --> 00:11:58.210 The Elijah, the one, the only Elijah. You're right. You're 247 00:11:58.250 --> 00:12:00.850 following him. It was actually just taken up into heaven. 248 00:12:00.889 --> 00:12:02.379 That's why he's not here. 249 00:12:02.429 --> 00:12:04.899 Yeah, that's why I'm kind of surprised you had his number. 250 00:12:04.940 --> 00:12:06.039 That is amazing. 251 00:12:08.220 --> 00:12:13.820 Well, Craig, we got a question from Jean, who's age 70, 252 00:12:13.820 --> 00:12:16.120 and she expresses something that I think is on a 253 00:12:16.179 --> 00:12:17.250 lot of people's mind. 254 00:12:20.460 --> 00:12:22.110 Was it Jean? Who was that? 255 00:12:22.210 --> 00:12:23.289 Yeah, Mark, it was Jean. 256 00:12:23.610 --> 00:12:27.809 So Jean's saying, she was asking you, Mark, but we 257 00:12:27.889 --> 00:12:29.549 really felt like Craig would be a good opportunity to 258 00:12:29.570 --> 00:12:30.169 have you on the show. 259 00:12:30.389 --> 00:12:31.210 Here's what she says, Mark. 260 00:12:31.230 --> 00:12:33.049 She says, thank you for helping us be equipped for 261 00:12:33.110 --> 00:12:36.370 times when we're approached for money and then to give 262 00:12:36.409 --> 00:12:39.389 and pray with them to overcome their obstacles in Christ. 263 00:12:39.409 --> 00:12:40.019 That's awesome, Mark. 264 00:12:40.059 --> 00:12:43.100 That was from a reference to something that you'd said 265 00:12:43.240 --> 00:12:45.700 some shows ago. She says, I also wonder what you 266 00:12:45.720 --> 00:12:48.850 think about President Trump importing ground beef from Argentina. 267 00:12:49.169 --> 00:12:50.610 So there's some journalists. 268 00:12:50.149 --> 00:12:53.230 Who said that it might have bacteria, microplastics, and it's 269 00:12:53.250 --> 00:12:56.049 going to make us ill. Also could harm ranchers, meat 270 00:12:56.129 --> 00:12:59.860 packaging facilities economically. So we figured we'd have Craig come 271 00:12:59.879 --> 00:13:00.450 on to talk about it. 272 00:13:00.460 --> 00:13:03.460 So we thought we'd have the one, the only Craig 273 00:13:03.559 --> 00:13:06.019 on here to answer this question since you're really into it. 274 00:13:06.259 --> 00:13:08.830 So what exactly did President Trump do? 275 00:13:10.570 --> 00:13:17.830 Well, basically, he allowed, I believe it was 300,000 metric 276 00:13:17.909 --> 00:13:22.450 tons more of lean ground beef trimmings to be imported 277 00:13:25.149 --> 00:13:28.110 without the excessive tariff being applied to it. So you 278 00:13:28.129 --> 00:13:29.490 could have brought it in, but they would have had 279 00:13:29.509 --> 00:13:34.009 to pay a higher tariff. There's a certain quota that 280 00:13:34.029 --> 00:13:36.669 you're allowed to bring under the normal tariff. And so 281 00:13:37.090 --> 00:13:40.509 he expanded that. But really, I think Gene has three 282 00:13:40.549 --> 00:13:43.389 different questions in there. It seems to me there's a 283 00:13:43.429 --> 00:13:48.149 concern about bacteria. There's a concern about microplastics. And then 284 00:13:48.190 --> 00:13:52.409 there's a concern about importing of beef. So maybe we 285 00:13:52.490 --> 00:13:56.750 should just break those three down individually and look at them. 286 00:13:57.360 --> 00:13:57.769 Let's do it. 287 00:13:57.789 --> 00:14:00.379 Let's start with the bacteria. Let's start with microplastics, guys. 288 00:14:00.879 --> 00:14:01.659 Okay. 289 00:14:02.240 --> 00:14:06.240 It's currently not tested for in U.S. ground beef. So 290 00:14:06.259 --> 00:14:08.820 we really don't know the level that microplastics might be 291 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:11.610 present at. Now, there have been a couple of studies. 292 00:14:11.629 --> 00:14:13.669 There was a study in Italy where they looked at 293 00:14:13.669 --> 00:14:19.080 10 commercial hamburgers and found microplastics in all 10 samples. 294 00:14:19.940 --> 00:14:22.440 And so that kind of gives the idea that if 295 00:14:22.559 --> 00:14:26.759 it's a problem in Italy, it's probably showing up in U.S. 296 00:14:26.820 --> 00:14:29.690 burgers as well. There was a study in the United 297 00:14:29.730 --> 00:14:32.769 States back in 2024 where they looked at 16 different 298 00:14:33.269 --> 00:14:36.169 types of protein products that they purchased in the U.S., 299 00:14:37.000 --> 00:14:40.269 included meat products, and they were all labeled as U.S. products. 300 00:14:40.309 --> 00:14:44.049 So presumably this beef was all raised and processed in 301 00:14:44.070 --> 00:14:47.490 the U.S. And they found microplastics in every one of 302 00:14:47.529 --> 00:14:51.049 those products. And the more highly processed the food was, 303 00:14:51.220 --> 00:14:54.399 the higher the concentration tended to be. So if you 304 00:14:54.440 --> 00:14:58.860 look at beef, for example, they found greater numbers in 305 00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:01.679 ground beef than they would have in a ribeye steak 306 00:15:01.740 --> 00:15:06.230 or a cut that hadn't been through a process. So 307 00:15:06.289 --> 00:15:09.450 I guess, now what, the impact of microplastics. 308 00:15:09.470 --> 00:15:12.129 So does that mean it's picking it up in the processing? 309 00:15:13.529 --> 00:15:16.929 Well, I think that's one of the issues. You really 310 00:15:16.950 --> 00:15:19.570 don't know where that's coming from. There's several, I mean, 311 00:15:19.590 --> 00:15:22.269 they could get it in exposure just to their everyday living. 312 00:15:22.340 --> 00:15:26.279 A cow, as it's eating and drinking water out on pasture, 313 00:15:26.960 --> 00:15:29.799 could be picking up some agricultural plastics or something through 314 00:15:29.820 --> 00:15:32.940 that environment. And then you move into the slaughter process 315 00:15:33.000 --> 00:15:36.299 and you come into a contact with different plastic surfaces 316 00:15:36.360 --> 00:15:41.179 and equipment in that that could be contributing as well. 317 00:15:41.679 --> 00:15:43.539 And then in the case of ground beef, you start 318 00:15:43.659 --> 00:15:47.539 grinding that, and that gets to be pretty extensive contact 319 00:15:47.559 --> 00:15:50.870 then with that processing machinery. The thought is that you're 320 00:15:50.879 --> 00:15:55.529 probably picking up additional microplastics in that process. And then, 321 00:15:55.549 --> 00:15:57.309 of course, they're going to package it, and they tend 322 00:15:57.350 --> 00:16:00.870 to put it in a styrofoam tray with plastic foam 323 00:16:00.909 --> 00:16:03.690 over the top of it. And there's some thought that 324 00:16:03.710 --> 00:16:06.529 that could be contributing as well. So there's a number 325 00:16:06.570 --> 00:16:08.710 of steps. And there could be something in the handling 326 00:16:08.750 --> 00:16:11.990 and storage as well where you get some of that introduced. 327 00:16:12.129 --> 00:16:15.220 But I think you're right, Mark. I think that grinding 328 00:16:15.279 --> 00:16:19.860 process probably gets it. If it doesn't introduce more, which 329 00:16:19.899 --> 00:16:23.059 it probably does, it certainly would get it more widely 330 00:16:23.139 --> 00:16:26.389 spread throughout the product. Whereas with a stake or a 331 00:16:26.429 --> 00:16:29.330 cut that hadn't been further processed, if it's there, it's 332 00:16:29.370 --> 00:16:36.850 probably more of a surface issue. Okay. So that's the microplastics. Yeah. 333 00:16:36.889 --> 00:16:39.690 So what about bacteria? 334 00:16:40.389 --> 00:16:44.649 Before we go there, Craig, it doesn't sound like we're 335 00:16:44.720 --> 00:16:47.759 seeing a difference between Argentina beef and the U.S. 336 00:16:47.820 --> 00:16:49.340 Beef then, really. 337 00:16:50.759 --> 00:16:54.500 No, it's not a Ford beef versus U.S. beef issue. 338 00:16:54.860 --> 00:16:57.100 And the studies have done, and it's been a very 339 00:16:57.179 --> 00:16:59.500 limited number of studies at this point, but the studies 340 00:16:59.539 --> 00:17:03.039 seem to indicate that it's It's in there regardless of 341 00:17:03.080 --> 00:17:06.779 where the original source of that animal was, which leads 342 00:17:06.799 --> 00:17:09.420 you to kind of maybe believe it's in the process 343 00:17:09.519 --> 00:17:15.069 that's introducing it. The bacteria issue is also kind of 344 00:17:15.150 --> 00:17:19.589 an interesting issue. Raw beef obviously can contain bacteria. In fact, 345 00:17:20.089 --> 00:17:22.779 it's normal enough that ground beef is kind of treated 346 00:17:22.859 --> 00:17:25.480 as a higher risk food. It needs to be handled 347 00:17:25.619 --> 00:17:30.180 and cooked accordingly. You could have bacteria on a steak, obviously, 348 00:17:30.220 --> 00:17:32.559 but it's going to be on the surface. So if 349 00:17:32.599 --> 00:17:35.619 you sear that steak during the cooking process, you're going 350 00:17:35.640 --> 00:17:38.319 to kill it. When you grind up that beef, obviously, 351 00:17:38.339 --> 00:17:43.460 you're going to make that bacteria more widespread throughout the animal. 352 00:17:43.509 --> 00:17:46.250 And that's why it's a little harder to kill bacteria 353 00:17:46.750 --> 00:17:50.130 in a hamburger by cooking it. So if you like 354 00:17:50.150 --> 00:17:56.359 a raw, you know, fairly pink or red middle, there's 355 00:17:56.400 --> 00:17:59.359 a greater chance that you're going to have some bacteria 356 00:17:59.400 --> 00:18:03.660 in that that hasn't been killed in that process. So again, 357 00:18:03.700 --> 00:18:06.369 the question is, where does that come from? If you 358 00:18:06.380 --> 00:18:08.890 look at the process that that animal is going through, 359 00:18:08.910 --> 00:18:11.329 you bring it and you slaughter it, and you remove 360 00:18:11.369 --> 00:18:14.849 the hide and eviscerate it, and you remove all the 361 00:18:15.490 --> 00:18:17.769 intestines and whatnot, and then you cut it up and 362 00:18:18.150 --> 00:18:21.329 grind it and package it, and ultimately it goes into storage. 363 00:18:21.410 --> 00:18:24.529 So at any step through the way, I mean, you're, you're, 364 00:18:25.220 --> 00:18:28.509 it's a fairly traumatic experience for that animal. It's going 365 00:18:28.549 --> 00:18:31.769 from alive to dead and, and you're removing things from, 366 00:18:31.910 --> 00:18:35.509 from the body cavity that, you know, if something gets punctured, 367 00:18:35.589 --> 00:18:38.819 it could get on the meat. And, and then in 368 00:18:38.839 --> 00:18:42.420 that whole process, you can end up with, with bacteria. 369 00:18:42.559 --> 00:18:47.680 Of course, then once it's been harvested, you need good 370 00:18:47.720 --> 00:18:51.509 sanitation and good temperature control also to, to kind of 371 00:18:51.569 --> 00:18:55.839 control bacteria or try and prevent it. But the threat 372 00:18:55.880 --> 00:18:58.380 is going to be out there to some degree. And 373 00:18:58.440 --> 00:19:00.079 every once in a while, you hear of E. coli 374 00:19:00.160 --> 00:19:04.549 or something that breaks out that comes from an animal source. Now, obviously, lately, 375 00:19:04.589 --> 00:19:07.329 it's been more of a lettuce story. And we've seen 376 00:19:07.390 --> 00:19:12.269 it in spinach and things. So anytime you're eating, there's 377 00:19:12.349 --> 00:19:15.390 bacteria that can be introduced. Now, the good thing is 378 00:19:15.450 --> 00:19:21.019 that the USDA does test for that. And so we've 379 00:19:21.279 --> 00:19:24.359 probably got, I believe, I've been in a lot of 380 00:19:24.400 --> 00:19:27.359 slaughter facilities in my life, and every one of them 381 00:19:27.400 --> 00:19:29.480 that I've been in has been a federal facility. It's 382 00:19:29.519 --> 00:19:33.640 had government employees sitting right there along with the regular 383 00:19:33.680 --> 00:19:38.259 hourly employees, and they're pulling samples. Obviously, they don't test 384 00:19:38.819 --> 00:19:42.559 every item that comes along, but they pull samples continually, 385 00:19:42.579 --> 00:19:44.859 and they're constantly looking for it. So I think we've 386 00:19:44.880 --> 00:19:47.559 got a really... safe. 387 00:19:47.599 --> 00:19:49.859 Got control of that area. 388 00:19:49.880 --> 00:19:50.220 Yeah. 389 00:19:50.720 --> 00:19:51.720 Yeah. 390 00:19:51.859 --> 00:19:54.460 So what about our final question, the one about why 391 00:19:54.500 --> 00:19:58.119 are we importing beef? Isn't that hurting our farmers, our 392 00:19:58.180 --> 00:20:00.039 beef men, our cattlemen? 393 00:20:01.460 --> 00:20:09.619 Well... So if we think about that, the question kind 394 00:20:09.640 --> 00:20:14.859 of assumes that importing beef is kind of a minimal practice, 395 00:20:14.940 --> 00:20:18.519 and this is something that maybe the president is doing. Obviously, 396 00:20:18.539 --> 00:20:20.880 I think one of the reasons that it's happening is 397 00:20:20.960 --> 00:20:25.210 because of the affordability question. We've got midterm elections coming up, 398 00:20:25.250 --> 00:20:28.750 and obviously we'd love to see cheaper gas and cheaper groceries. 399 00:20:28.809 --> 00:20:32.349 So I think that's partly at play here. But another thing, 400 00:20:32.400 --> 00:20:34.450 if we talk about what they're bringing in, it was 401 00:20:35.150 --> 00:20:38.029