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(NaturalNews)The assault against American industry and individual livelihood continues -- andno, it is not coming from Al-Qaeda or other foreign terrorists. A recent reportfrom R-CALF USA, an advocacy group for American cattle producers, says the USEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA) has declared harmless cattle hay a"pollutant," which is part of the agency's agenda to squelch family-scale cattleranches in favor of corporately-owned, mega-sized feedlot operations.

Atthe recent 12th Annual R-CALF USA Convention in Rapid City, SD, an audiencemember asked Mike Callicrate, a Kansas cattle feeder, if the EPA had, indeed,declared hay a pollutant. His affirmative answer was startling to many, but notnecessarily surprising in light of the US government's apparent agenda todestroy every single producing sector in the nation and to reduce the country toa poverty-stricken, corporately-dominated wasteland.

"Now that EPA hasdeclared hay a pollutant, every farmer and rancher that stores hay, or thatleaves a broken hay bale in the field, is potentially violating EPA rules andsubject to an EPA enforcement action," responded Callicrate. "How far are wegoing to let this agency go before we stand up and do something aboutit?"

Callicrate currently operates what is considered a mid-sized cattleranch, and was ostracized by some of the nation's largest beef packers back in1998 for exposing their illegitimate buying practices. Callicrate ended uphaving to cease operations for two years, but later reopened as a directmarketer of meat to consumers.

"I believe the EPA's enforcement action isa premeditated effort by EPA to partner with the beef packers to finish the jobthe beef packers couldn't do alone," added Callicrate, referring to EPA'sfailure to enforce the same rules for large meat packers like JBS-Brazil andCargill (the two largest beef packing operations in the country).

Between2008 and 2010, 45 small to mid-sized family cattle operations were forced out ofbusiness, according to R-CALF USA. During the same time, the nation's largestfeedlots expanded their operations, and now own and feed roughly 25 percent ofthe nation's cattle.

"EPA is turning a blind eye toward the mega-feedlotsthat are a real risk for pollution and, instead, is antagonizing small tomid-sized family operations in an effort to help their packer-partners capturethe entire live cattle supply chain away from family farm and ranchoperations."