Cattlemen Make Impact on Policy Issues

NCBA members left their mark on Capitol Hill during the 2003 Spring Conference as hundreds of cattlemen from across the country met with key members of Congress and top government agency staff April 9-11.

 “Washington, D.C. is a long way from the cattle ranch, and it’s imperative for us to bring all of our concerns, priorities, and personal stories to federal lawmakers and government officials,” explains Idaho cattle rancher and NCBA President Eric Davis. “With hundreds of us in attendance, we have the chance to split up and cover top national issues for all cattle producers, as well as discuss individual state requests with our specific members of Congress.” 

 “They see the cowboy hats coming, they know it’s the members of NCBA, and they know it’s time to get down to some serious business,” says NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Chandler Keys. “We are currently managing more than 30 issues affecting cattlemen.”

“It’s not easy to leave the ranch behind for almost a week, but we consistently see our hard work paying off in the long run,” says Davis. “It is such a rewarding feeling. I wish every cattle producer had the opportunity to come to Washington, D.C. just once and see how the political process works.”

 An overview of top priorities:

 Death Tax:  Cattle producers met with White House staff and congressional offices to urge for permanent repeal of the Death Tax, representing generations of rural families across America who are struggling to maintain family ranches built by their forefathers. Cattlemen explained the Death Tax is an unfair tax on American values and the American dream. They urged House members to co-sponsor the Death Tax Permanency Act of 2003. 

 Drought Relief:  Producers met with White House staff, USDA representatives and their members of Congress to reiterate the urgency of the drought in many states. In Congress, NCBA supports a bill introduced by Sen. Craig Thomas (R-Wyo.) that defers capital gains taxes for cattle producers forced to sell livestock due to drought.  The House measure passed last month.

 Country of Origin Labeling: More than 50 producers had a two-hour  meeting with USDA Agricultural Marketing Service staff to discuss current legislation and interpretation of the law. Producers also met with key members of Congress to discuss the legislation in detail.  

Public Lands: Members of the Public Lands Council and NCBA’s Federal Lands Committee discussed grazing issues, permit renewal, monitoring and National Environmental Policy Act reform.

Food Safety: Food safety priorities were  discussed with congressional offices.  NCBA officers met with USDA Secretary Ann Veneman, Undersecretary for Food Safety Elsa Murano and Deputy Undersecretary for Food Safety Dr. Merle Pierson.  A group of NCBA members visited with staff at USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service. 

 Trade: Cattlemen visited with USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service and U.S. Trade Representative officials to discuss international trade concerns for the beef industry, including the Doha Round of trade negotiations, the pending Free trade Agreement with Australia, safeguard provisions being pursued by Japan and Mexico, and Russia’s new tariff rate quota scheme. 

 Animal Health: NCBA members and staff met with Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Administrator Bobby Acord, and in a separate meeting, Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine Director Steve Sundlof to discuss antibiotic resistance, BSE compliance and to urge fast-track of approval for food safety intervention technologies such as chlorate.

Endangered Species Act: NCBA members discussed reform of the Endangered Species Act and the delisting of the grey wolf.  Cattlemen met with Fish & Wildlife Service Director Steve Williams. Natural Resources Conservation Chief Bruce Knight discussed implementation of the Farm Bill conservation programs. 

 Water Quality: NCBA members and staff met with EPA Administrator of Ag Policy Jean Mari Peltier to discuss implementation of the CAFO regulation, which was released in December of last year.