Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns
August 21, 2008

Contact: Heather Vaughan, 202-347-0228, or hvaughan@beef.org

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). Please feel free to reprint in full or in part. If you would like to include NCBA’s logo, contact us at 303-694-0305.

Canada Confirms Another Case of BSE: On August 15, 2008, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a 6-year-old beef cow from Alberta.  CFIA has identified the animal’s birth farm and is investigating the case, which was detected through Canada’s national BSE surveillance program No part of the animal entered the human or animal feed supply. Canada remains a Controlled Risk country for BSE.

Livestock Producers Eligible for Federal Disaster Assistance Program: Under the 2008 Farm Bill, farmers and ranchers who suffer losses as a result of natural disasters after the 2007 crop year are eligible for assistance programs.  The disaster programs include a livestock forage program for drought-affected livestock farmers, a livestock indemnity program to compensate ranchers for livestock losses caused by a disaster, emergency assistance for livestock, honeybees, and farmed-raised fish, and a supplemental revenue assistance payment program. 

To be eligible for these new programs, producers must have Federal crop insurance or coverage under the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP). 

Since the 2008 Farm Bill was enacted after the application periods had closed for these programs, producers who did not have such coverage could not comply with this requirement. The 2008 Act recognizes this dilemma by providing a waiver that allows producers to pay a "buy-in" fee to be eligible for this new disaster assistance.

Every producer whose crops, including grazing lands, are not fully covered by catastrophic risk protection insurance or NAP may take advantage of this one-time opportunity. The "buy-in" fee is due no later than September 16, 2008.

Senate Agriculture Committee Holds Hearings on Renewable Fuels: On Monday, August 18, 2008, the Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing in Omaha, NE on “Food, Feed and Fuel Production: Today and Tomorrow.”  Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), chairman of the committee, was in attendance, as well as Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE).   The majority of the hearing was dedicated to testimony in support of ethanol production, with slim representation from the poultry and livestock industries. 

Michael Kelsey—NCBA member and Executive Vice President of the Nebraska Cattlemen—attended the hearing but was not asked to testify.  “Nebraska’s largest industry, Beef, has not been invited to speak, but we feel it is critical for the public to understand our position on this debate,” Kelsey said prior to the hearing.   “Certainly the rising cost of energy and increased demand are playing a role in higher food prices,” he explained.  “However, feed alone makes up 70 percent of a cattleman's operating costs.  When corn feed prices increase as they have, so does the cost of running our businesses.  This means that our products must sell for more, which means higher beef prices for consumers.”

FDA Extends the Comment Period on Cephalosporin Use: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended the comment period on a final rule for the prohibition of the antibiotic cephalosporin to November 1, 2008.  The effective date of the final rule has also been pushed back to November 30, 2008.  The extension is in response to requests for more time to examine the available evidence on cephalosporin and consider potential long-term impacts. 

The order prohibiting the extra-label use of cephalosporin antimicrobial drugs in food-producing animals was originally announced in the Federal Register on July 3, 2008 with a 60-day comment period and a 90-day effective date for the final rule.  Additional information on the rule can be found on FDA’s website at: http://www.fda.gov/cvm/CVM_Updates/CVMupdateCepha_QA.htm.

Burton Eller Joins NCBA as Senior Vice President of Government Affairs:  Monday, August 18, 2008 marked Burton Eller’s first day in the Washington, D.C. branch.  Eller joins NCBA from USDA, where he served as Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs.  Eller is a veteran of NCBA, having worked in government affairs for the National Cattlemen’s Association from 1981-1996. 

Don't Miss the Award-Winning NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen:  On this week’s edition, airing August 26 through August 31, we’ll hear from cattle producers from across the country as they discuss the 2008 Presidential Election.  Also, we’ll learn more about how to treat Bovine Respiratory Disease, or shipping fever, in your cattle herd.  Plus, we’ll introduce you to the winners of this year’s W.D. Farr Scholarships.

On next week’s episode, from September 2 through September 7, we’ll discuss how best to manage high risk calves on your operation.  Also, we’ll introduce you to the winners of the Fort Dodge Animal Health Legacy Scholarship.  Plus, we’ll have a delicious, easy to make beef recipe that’s perfect for your family on a school night!

NCBA’S Cattlemen to Cattlemen debuts Tuesday at 8:30 p.m.  The show also airs Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. and on Sunday at 12:00 a.m.  (All Times are Eastern)   Don’t forget, you can watch NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen online anytime by visiting CattlemenToCattlemen.org.

NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen on RFD-TV provides weekly news and features for cattle producers across the country. It airs every Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time, with repeat episodes on Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. and Sundays at midnight (all times Eastern).

The program’s sponsors include Purina Mills, Fort Dodge Animal Health, Dow AgroSciences, Bayer Animal Health and McDonald’s. 

For more information or to check out past episodes, visit www.cattlementocattlemen.org.

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