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As the long term effects of the US ban on Canadian beef and the now subsequent lifting of that ban are debated, two Saskatchewan farmers are looking at things from a slightly different angle - peering out from behind their thick masses of hair.

Two years ago, Jay Fitzpatrick and Miles Anderson vowed not to cut their locks until Canadian beef was once again crossing the US border freely. Now with the ban on live cattle lifted, both are looking forward to sitting down in the barber chair. However, both men are holding off on the scissors until July 27th when Montana judge Richard Cebull will decide whether a permanent ban is warranted.

Other ranchers are taking the same wait and see attitude. "Nothing's over until it's over and until the final word and some of the cattle start going across the border," said Doreen Claiter, who has a ranch northeast of Calgary. "It was just like March 6. Up until that point you were thinking the border would open and then, Wham!"

For that very reason, the two fuzzy farmers are waiting for proof before they mow their manes. "Until the cattle start going across the border, I think that will be the indicator," Fitzpatrick says. "When that first cattle liner goes across the line, I think that's her. Off she goes."

Chronology of Key Events in the Mad Cow Crisis