Ashley’s first experience with cattle came after I hired her as an attorney at my firm in Birmingham — I had a Bull Sale coming up and she drove all the way to the metropolis of Rainsville, Alabama to help with it; and in return, I gave her an interest in one of the weaned heifers that sold. We named her Belle Meade, and we always said she had the potential to produce an exceptional bull calf one day — after a run of all heifers, she had her first bull calf this year, who we have named Snow Creek Ben Brush.
He turned 6 months old today.
The names: Belle Meade + Brush
Belle Meade Plantation, founded in the early 1800s near Nashville, was a flagship breeder of American Thoroughbreds, with their lines forming the backbone of modern horse racing genetics. Nearly all modern Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown winners have carried Belle Meade ancestry in their pedigree, with many of them tracing back to the heralded Belle Meade Stallion, Ben Brush; born in 1893 and a grandson of the famed Bonnie Scotland, Ben Brush went on to win the 1896 Kentucky Derby. Ben Brush’s breeding line produced countless champions in the decades that followed, with legends amongst them like War Admiral, Seabiscuit, Secretariat, Seattle Slew, American Pharoah, and Justify.
You’d have to drive a lot of miles to find one any fancier than this Spotted Mule;
Working now on a Texas cattle farm, he is set to change addresses in 48 hours; as the centerpiece of an Online Auction with bids already exceeding $10,000.
In this Thread, learn more on one of the coolest mules you are ever going to see.
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Eye Appeal and Style —
While not terms you typically associate with a Mule - which is a cross between a Horse and a Donkey - this Spotted Mule has those visual traits in spades.
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English or Western —
This Spotted Mule is incredibly unique in his versatility - ride him English or ride him Western; he’s adept at both.
🚨 FARM CREDIT CHAIRMAN FORCED FARMERS TO PAY THE BILL FOR AGENCY’S DEI INITIATIVES:
Unlike most federal agencies, the Farm Credit Administration (FCA) is funded by assessments; ultimately paid by farmers who have loans in the Farm Credit System. That critical distinction means the FCA could not be mandated to foot the bill for the Biden Administration’s DEI initiatives.
However, prior statements and financial records now reveal FCA Chairman Vincent Logan, Biden’s only appointment to the Farm Credit Board during his tenure, made the decision to force farmer borrowers to pay the bill to implement agency-wide DEI.
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🇺🇸 || SAVE OUR FARMS 🌾
When selected for the position in 2022, Vincent Logan was touted by the Biden Administration as the first openly gay FCA Chairman and first Board Member and Chairman to be Native American.
Upon information and belief, Logan had no background in farming and had not worked previously with Farm Credit.
Logan is a lawyer and an investment advisor who previously worked with a division of the Federal Reserve.
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🇺🇸 || SAVE OUR FARMS 🌾
Upon taking Office, President Biden issued Executive Orders instituting DEI initiatives in the federal government.
On President Trump’s first day in Office, January 20th, an Executive Order was issued to dismantle the DEI initiatives imposed by the Biden Administration.
Trump’s EO stated in pertinent part:
The Biden Administration forced illegal and immoral discrimination programs, going by the name “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI), into virtually all aspects of the Federal Government, in areas ranging from airline safety to the military. This was a concerted effort stemming from President Biden’s first day in office, when he issued Executive Order 13985, “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.”
Pursuant to Executive Order 13985 and follow-on orders, nearly every Federal agency and entity submitted “Equity Action Plans” to detail the ways that they have furthered DEIs infiltration of the Federal Government. The public release of these plans demonstrated immense public waste and shameful discrimination. That ends today. Americans deserve a government committed to serving every person with equal dignity and respect, and to expending precious taxpayer resources only on making America great.
🚨 BREAKING: Tennessee Rancher Dustin Kittle requests Trump DOJ to reevaluate its position in continuing to defend Biden’s violation of law —
In a letter sent on Friday by Kittle’s legal counsel Ashley Posey, the United States Attorney’s Office in Nashville was asked to reevaluate its position in continuing to defend Joe Biden, sued in his official capacity as the President from 2021-25, in a pending legal action filed by Kittle from March of 2024.
The legal claims against Biden hinge on his failure to nominate and appoint a full Farm Credit Board during his tenure as President of the United States.
In 2021, Kittle, who raises cattle, sheep, and Clydesdale horses on his farm in Tennessee, became a whistleblower and the key witness in a federal investigation involving fraud and abuse in the U.S. Farm Credit System. During the pendency of that investigation, Kittle and his family would be extorted by Farm Credit lawyers who threatened to foreclose on Kittle’s Tennessee farm and the Alabama family farm Kittle had grown up on that was owned by his mother, if Kittle refused to sign a legal release and swore to confidentiality as to his knowledge of System-wide fraud and abuse.
Kittle had never missed a payment in the history of his loans and his branch manager had put in writing, just days before his blowing the whistle, that his account was in “excellent standing”.
Kittle was ultimately forced to sell his family’s home to escape the extortion; as he refused a seven figure bribe that demanded he stay quiet about what he knew of the Farm Credit fraud.
In 2023, the Farm Credit Administration would be forced to admit that Kittle’s legal rights under multiple federal laws were violated; including the wrongful threat to foreclose on Kittle, as he had indeed never missed a payment. And with respect to the threats against Kittle’s mother, the Farm Credit Administration confirmed that she was not even a System borrower, and her property should have never even been subject to a Farm Credit lien.
But Farm Credit offered nothing more to Kittle than its written finding that federal laws were violated; leaving the matter instead in the hands of the U.S. Department of Justice; who would then defend President Biden as well as Farm Credit in the lawsuit Kittle filed against them both in 2024.
While Biden was President, it was no surprise the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nashville would provide defense; particularly given that the Office was led at the time by Henry Leventis, a former cohort of Special Prosecutor Jack Smith; who once supervised Leventis in the Nashville Office.
But in October, Leventis abruptly resigned from his post as the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee; and since that time, Trump has not yet named a permanent replacement, with another Democrat, Robert McGuire, serving in the position of Acting U.S. Attorney.
Leaving the irony of all ironies that surely just needs to reach the right eyes to be corrected: But Donald Trump’s DOJ is currently defending Joe Biden.
Kittle’s letter was copied to McGuire as well as U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi (@AGPamBondi), in the hopes that someone from within the Trump Administration (@POTUS) will step up to reverse course in this case and to pursue a resolution with Kittle (that will not be conditioned on burying evidence of fraud against America’s farmers).
The actions taken against Kittle and his family have been ruthless, including verified death threats, but are illustrative of the lengths those in government will go to avoid accountability.
This is a case that should be a priority to resolve for the U.S. Department of Justice. It will signal a new approach to government-citizen relations and the protection of public whistleblowers.
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A complete copy of Kittle’s correspondence and Attorney General Pam Bondi’s memorandum on eliminating the “Weaponization of the Federal Government” can be found in the Replies to follow.
Re: Directives on Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government
I represent Plaintiff Dustin J. Kittle in the above-referenced matter, currently pending before the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. This correspondence serves as a formal reminder of your Office’s obligations under the directives issued by President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to end the weaponization of the Federal Government.
On February 5, 2024, Attorney General Bondi issued a Memorandum titled “Restoring the Integrity and Credibility of the Department of Justice.” A copy of the Memorandum is attached as Exhibit A. The Memorandum cites President Trump’s Executive Order 14147 (Jan. 20, 2025) establishing the Administration’s policy of Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government.
The directives issued by President Trump and Attorney General Bondi mandate a rigorous review of federal agency misconduct over the past four years – precisely the period encompassing the Farm Credit Administration’s (FCA) egregious actions against Mr. Kittle, as has been reported to your Office in the form of undisputed, documented evidence revealing violations of federal law.
There is no question that Mr. Kittle, who reported fraud to the FCA as early as August 2021, acted as a whistleblower and was thereafter retaliated against by the FCA, its system lender in Alabama Farm Credit, and retained private lawyers to facilitate a scheme of extortion against Mr. Kittle and his family designed to coerce him into signing a legal release with confidentiality (in order to halt a pending federal investigation into fraud and abuse in the Farm Credit System).
With respect to the facts, the Memorandum issued by Attorney General Bondi targets such abuses, including the …
… “retaliatory targeting of legitimate whistleblowers” and resource diversion from statutory duties, demanding accountability in reviewing such matters that your Office cannot ignore any longer.
Mr. Kittle has provided your Office with documented evidence of significant misconduct by the FCA, including the 657-day delay in addressing his borrower complaint, confirmed violations of the Farm Credit Act and Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and the FCA’s refusal to enforce corrective action despite its statutory mandate. Additionally, Mr. Kittle has produced evidence to demonstrate the former FCA Inspector General’s misconduct, including conflicts of interest and a failure to conduct independent investigations; as well as the unlawful extension of FCA Board member terms and the failure of former President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. to fulfill his Constitutional duty to appoint a full FCA Board. The evidence and the undisputed facts substantiate the prior government fraud and mismanagement that falls within the scope of your Office’s responsibilities.
Due to an agency-authorized scheme of extortion against a whistleblower to government fraud, Mr. Kittle was forced to sell his home, his livestock, and his farmland; and to endure the economic and emotional harm of having his Constitutional and civil rights violated; while for the past year your Office has defended those responsible for the damage caused to Mr. Kittle and his family.
As defenders of the FCA and its officials, you are bound by President Trump’s and Attorney General Bondi’s directive to root out corruption and ensure justice, not to shield prior government misconduct against innocent private citizens. As such, I respectfully request that your Office:
1. Conduct a thorough review of the documented evidence presented by Mr. Kittle, including the Exhibits attached to the pending Third Amended Complaint, with particular attention
given to the evidence of the FCA’s failure to enforce borrower rights, the Inspector General’s conflicts and misconduct, and the systemic dysfunction within the agency that
contributed to the harm endured by Mr. Kittle and his family;
2. Ensure that your defense of the Defendants is conducted in a manner consistent with the current Administration’s policy of addressing prior government fraud, including the
violations of federal law and regulations identified during the pendency of this litigation;
3. Propose an immediate resolution to Mr. Kittle to halt the ongoing harm caused by the retaliation against him as a legitimate whistleblower to government fraud and abuse; and
4. Consider cooperating with an independent investigation into the FCA’s actions, including the handling of Mr. Kittle’s complaint and the broader enforcement practices of the agency,
to uphold the principles of accountability articulated by the current Administration.
This request, made on behalf of a whistleblower targeted by the federal government, aligns with the Administration’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and the faithful execution of federal statutes, including those governing agency oversight and borrower protections under the Farm Credit Act (12 U.S.C. § 2001 et seq.) and the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. § 706).
Mr. Kittle has suffered and continues to suffer significant economic losses, including the forced liquidation of assets and the loss of his family home, as a direct result of the misconduct and
inaction detailed in the Complaint and documented evidence. The FCA’s own findings on June …
Why would Farm Credit not just resolve this matter with Dustin Kittle, given the fact he has recorded calls and documents showing he was extorted as a whistleblower after he reported fraud in the U.S. Farm Credit System?
Well, they tried; in fact, they offered a seven figure settlement — but it was to be conditioned on the following …
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1) I would be required to swear to full and complete confidentiality as to my personal knowledge of any fraud I had discovered in the Farm Credit System;
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2) I was provided a list of my clients, other Farm Credit Borrowers, who I was told to advise that I could no longer represent them;
If you follow, you know our current work in animal care is focused on Flopsy the Lamb.
Our work with Flopsy is an opportunity and is what we were meant to do, in the hopes of finding ways to make a better life for the future lambs born with her same condition.
And when you have hundreds of head of livestock, there will always be a Flopsy who comes along in need of extra help; but our plan on this research farm of sorts has always been to give those animals the very best in care, as I watched my father do for years, without any fanfare whatsoever.
And sometimes I wish it was the case now.
Frankly, it would be easier to take on this work without the attention of the outside world, as so many times in life you do not get the fairytale ending you hope for.
And that hurts — and in those moments, it would be easier if no one ever knew; but it would not accomplish our goal of doing all we can to improve the lives of livestock; as we have been able to share success stories along the way that bring new ideas to the table you can only advance with eyes and ears following the work that you do.
Bud, a Bull calf born in September of 2022, was one of our first projects, so to speak. I highlight his story through the video thread below, which shows the benefit of utilizing a technique called the Madigan Squeeze in “waking up” calves born with a condition referred to as “dummy calf” syndrome.
Not only did Bud wake up, he went on to have a Cinderella story in becoming our #1 Bull Calf for the 2022 Season; and he was retained as a Herd Sire in our program.
Bud’s first calves were born this past Fall, and those of you who have followed calves like Virgil, Forrest, Casper, Rosette, Chuck, Boo, Twain, Tiger, Cassius and Prissy, now know more of their story, as all were sired by Bud in his very first calf crop.
So enjoy look back on our work with Bud, and for those in the cattle business or for most any animals in general, check into the Madigan Squeeze as a technique for those calves or puppies or lambs or crias or kids or foals who may lack natural instincts at the time they are born — and yes, I do believe the technique should be studied for potential benefits with humans as well.
Thank you for following our work, our farm, and the animals who reside at Snow Creek;
We greatly appreciate you!
— DK
And a final note, you will see in this first video, just like with Flopsy, I knew we could get him right; I am the most stubborn, hard-headed person you will ever meet, but occasionally in life that serves you well.