The Cattlemen’s Capitol Concerns (CCC) is a weekly report from Washington, D.C., giving an up-to-date summary of top policy initiatives concerning the cattle industry; direct from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).

NCBA Members Tell U.S. Senate About Farm Bill Needs:  This week, the Senate Agriculture Committee hosted a series of field hearings across the nation on the development of the 2007 Farm Bill. NCBA cattle producer-members testified at all three of these August hearings, which took place:

… in Redmond, Ore., August 15.  Oregon producer Sharon Livingston testified.
… in Grand Island, Neb., August 16.  Nebraska producer Jay Wolff testified.
… in Great Falls, Mont., August 17.  Montana producer Bill Donald testified.

The next Farm Bill field hearing is set for September 8 in Lubbock, Texas. To listen to the hearings live online, submit comments, or share informal views, go to: http://agriculture.senate.gov. 

NCBA Announces Departure of Dr. Gary Weber:  NCBA’s Executive Director of Regulatory Affairs Gary Weber will depart his position effective August 31, 2006 to take on a new role as Chief Operating Officer of Harrison Ethanol, LLC.  Dr. Weber, NCBA’s resident animal health scientist since 1994, has served cattlemen on public policy issues related to meat inspection, animal health, beef safety, research and education and has been a trusted expert on these issues working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, and members of the U.S. Congress.  Dr. Weber was NCBA’s lead spokesperson on BSE, often appearing on network television news programs and conducting interviews with print publications from across the globe.  Earlier this summer, the Food and Drug Administration honored Dr. Weber with a “Special Citation” for his work in the animal health sector, specifically for helping to prevent the spread of BSE in the United States.

NCBA’s Vice President of Government Affairs Jay Truitt says “Gary has served our industry through its toughest challenges as the face and voice of NCBA. In every case he has excelled in representing and leading our industry. Gary is a loyal friend, an excellent strategist, a relationship builder, a trusted adviser, a mentor to me, and many that have worked with him. Our entire staff, NCBA and the cattle industry will miss him greatly.  He has assured me that we will continue to have him as an actively participating member of NCBA, and I am grateful for that.”

NCBA Urges EPA Not to Regulate Dust:  Cattle producers and agriculture and mining groups from across the nation are making every effort to urge the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to drop a baseless attempt to regulate coarse particulate matter (fugitive dust) under the Clean Air Act. Coarse particulate matter is dust in the wind, not smoke or soot, and has never been demonstrated to have adverse impacts on health at ambient levels and cannot be regulated in this manner. Nevertheless, the EPA may decide to regulate agriculture dust anyway. 

The requirements proposed are unattainable for nearly all of American agriculture. This non-science based proposal by EPA is a slap in the face of America’s farm and ranch families who have made ‘dust control’ a priority land management practice for generations. NCBA expects a final rule on this issue out of the EPA by the end of September.  NOW is the time for U.S. cattle producers to phone, write, or email EPA staff and other officials to urge that the U.S. government cannot regulate agricultural dust in this manner.  We must defeat this proposed regulation and protect the livelihood of America's farming and ranching families! Visit http://capwiz.com/beefusa and voice your opinion now.

Producers Encouraged to Send Comments on CAFO Rule:  NCBA is working on official comments to the EPA on its proposed rule for regulating concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) under the Clean Water Act.  Comments are due to the EPA by August 29. 

“In looking at the rule, the compliance date is still unreasonable, requiring nutrient management plans (NMPs) to be implemented a month after the final rule comes out,” says NCBA Director of Environmental Issues Tamara Thies. “There are some other issues regarding the flexibility of these NMPs and how minor changes on the operation could require endless public review of the plans. After the initial approval of a CAFO permit, which includes all anticipated changes, only substantial changes to an NMP should require opening it up to additional formal rulemaking procedures.” NCBA will submit full comments this summer.  For more information and to submit comments, go to: www.epa.gov/npdes/afo/revisedrule or contact Jenni Beck in NCBA’s D.C. office at 202-347-0228 or jbeck@beef.org.

President Bush Signs Pension Bill:  In a White House signing ceremony August 17, President Bush signed into law the Pension Protection Act of 2006, which contains conservation tax provisions for ranchers.  The bill, which passed the Senate August 3, allows ranchers who donate land for conservation to receive an increased deduction and be assured those lands will remain in agriculture production.

“This bill will provide a major increase in the deductions landowners can take for donating a conservation easement in 2006 and 2007,” says Jeff Eisenberg, NCBA’s director of federal lands who also attended today’s White House signing ceremony.  “It’s important that we focus efforts on keeping agricultural lands intact and in production, rather than offer ranchers incentives to give up their land for other uses.”

South Korean Trade Update:  South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said this week that the government of South Korea will decide whether to lift its ban on U.S. beef in early September.  Korean officials say they want to send additional teams of experts to examine U.S. processing facilities.  This inspection tour is scheduled to begin August 24 and be completed by September 3.

Ranchers Seek Out Members of Congress During August Recess:  NCBA cattle producer-members are reaching out locally to their Senators and Representatives while they are in their home states for August recess.  “For the rest of this month, NCBA members have an opportunity to visit with members of Congress about key issues such as drought relief, Death Tax, environmental issues and more,” says NCBA’s Manager of Grassroots Communications Jenni Beck.  “We recommend contacting their local offices and seeking them out at town hall meetings or other local events.” For more information on these issues or for tips on how to contact Congress, visit http://capwiz.com/beefusa or contact NCBA’s Washington office at 202-347-0228. 

Congress Addressing Superfund Issue:  Cattlemen continue to urge support for a pair of bills in Congress which will clarify that manure should not be regulated under Superfund laws.  In the Senate, S. 3681 has 27 co-sponsors. In the House, H.R. 4341 currently has 177 co-sponsors.  Visit http://capwiz.com/beefusa to see a full list of co-sponsors.  If your Senator or Representative has not yet signed on as a supporter, send a message to them asking them to sign on, or seek them out at home over August recess and talk to them about the importance of this issue! 

Superfund laws were created in the 1980s to provide for clean-up of industrial toxic waste sites and chemical spills.  Opponents of animal agriculture want to apply Superfund laws to livestock operations because of manure emissions.  CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act) and EPCRA (Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act) already contain provisions exempting fertilizer and other substances used in agricultural operations from their regulations. 

Judge’s Ruling Allows Grazing Regulations to Move Forward:   In Western Watersheds Project v. Kraayenbrink, U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill issued a preliminary injunction blocking only the part of BLM’s new grazing rules that deal with public participation in the rulemaking.  But Judge Winmill allowed all other aspects of the regulations to go forward - a victory for public lands ranchers.

Following BLM’s July 12 publication of the final grazing regulations, Western watersheds and four other environmental groups filed suit alleging that the rules violate NEPA (the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969), FLPMA (Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976), ESA (the Endangered Species Act of 1973) and the Administrative Procedure Act.  The Public Lands Council has intervened in the lawsuit on behalf of the BLM and the regulations.  “The United States and the PLC overwhelmingly succeeded at this very early stage of the litigation,” says Jeff Eisenberg, PLC executive director.  “None of the substantive provisions of the regulations were enjoined.  These are all in effect.”   

NCBA Submits Comments on Grass-Fed Labeling:  NCBA filed comments with USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service last week regarding their “United States Standards for Livestock and Meat Marketing Claim, Grass (Forage) Fed Claim.”  A full copy is found online at: http://hill.beef.org/pdfs/AMSgrassfed.pdf.

In comments, NCBA voiced support for the rights of producers and processors to use marketing claims to market their products to a specific market. “Food producers fill a marketing niche by providing consumers with information that helps them make purchasing decisions. However, these claims cannot be false or misleading. They must be based on science and established regulations. The claims should not construe product safety or nutritional information.”

NCBA also expressed concern over how consumers interpret the meaning of the term ‘grass-fed’.  Research shows there is recognition of grass-fed beef in the marketplace, but there is a wide variety of interpretation of what exactly this means to consumers. There is question as to whether it means the cattle consumed only grass over its entire lifetime or if they consumed mostly grass and some additional feed items. “This research indicates the importance of AMS setting a proper definition, communicating that with the public, and ensuring that this definition is adhered to when the product is marketed as “grass-fed,” notes NCBA comments.

Cooperative Conservation Listening Sessions Scheduled:  Dates and locations for listening sessions on cooperative conservation and environmental partnerships were announced August 8 by the Secretaries of Interior, Commerce and Agriculture, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.  Discussion will focus on how the government can better work with local communities and landowners to protect the environment and promote conservation.  In a joint statement, the agencies said they want to better respect the interests of people with ownership in land, water, and other natural resources.  Sessions are scheduled as follows:

• Columbus, Ohio - August 21, 4:00pm
• Redmond, Ore.  - August 22, 10:00am
• Omaha, Neb. - August 24, 1:00pm
• Muncie, Ind. - August 26, 10:00am
• Fairbanks, Alaska - August 28, 10:00am
• Jefferson City, Mo. - August 29, 1:00pm
• Enid, Okla. - August 30, 1:00pm
• Redding, Calif. - September 13, 9:00am
• Colorado Springs, Colo. - September 15, 9:00am
• Brewer, Maine - September 20, 4:00pm
• Brunswick, Ga. - September 21, 1:00pm
• Colton, Calif. - September 28, 10:00am

Cow Genome: A consortium of international research organizations announced this week the release of the most complete sequence of the cow genome ever assembled. According to their press statement, “The ability of scientists to improve health and disease management of cattle and enhance the nutritional value of beef and dairy products has received a major boost… the new bovine sequence contains 2.9 billion DNA base pairs and incorporates one-third more data than earlier versions. Differences in just one of these base pairs can affect the functioning of a gene and mean the difference between a highly productive and a poorly performing animal. Over two million of these SNPs, which are genetic signposts or markers, were identified as part of the project.”

Cattle geneticists will use the genome as a template to highlight genetic variation with cattle breeds, between cattle and other mammal species. Contributors to the international effort to sequence the genome include: the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service and Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service; the state of Texas; Genome Canada via Genome British Columbia, The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization of Australia; Agritech Investments Ltd., Dairy InSight, Inc, AgResearch Ltd; the Kleberg Foundation; and the National, Texas and South Dakota Beef Check-off Funds. The data can be accessed via a number of public databases including the Baylor College of Medicine Human Genome Sequencing Center, at www.hgsc.bcm.tmc.edu. 

U.S. BSE Surveillance:  USDA’s Enhanced BSE Surveillance Program continues to test targeted animals identified as most likely to have the disease.  Since June 1, 2004, the program has tested 780,245 cattle and has found only two confirmed cases, evidence that our safeguards are working and the prevalence of BSE in the United States is extremely low.  Testing 268,500 animals can detect BSE at a rate of 1 in 10 million adult cattle at a 99 percent confidence level. 

Media Contact:
Tanya Augustson Camarra or Karen Batra at 202-347-0228; taugustson@beef.org or kbatra@beef.org