Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns: February 19, 2004

Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns

February 19, 2004
The 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 National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).

Beef Exports: According to the latest statistics released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2003 was a record year for U.S. beef exports. The industry exported 1,276,446 metric tons (mt) of beef and beef variety meats in 2003. That’s more than 42,000 mt ahead of last year’s total (1,233,769 mt). Export levels have only once exceeded this volume, in the year 2000. When it comes to our pocketbooks, U.S. beef exports were worth almost $3.9 billion in 2003, a 21 percent increase over 2002. These numbers are a new record for the U.S. beef industry. In addition, last year Japan regained its position as the U.S.’s leading export market, overtaking Mexico. NCBA remains involved in trade negotiations and work towards the reopening of our export markets. We continue to urge that trade decisions be based on sound science.

2004 Agricultural Outlook Forum:  NCBA is participating in the USDA 2004 Agricultural Outlook Forum this Thursday and Friday in Arlington, Virginia. The Forum includes two days of discussion on food safety and health concerns. USDA Secretary Ann Veneman and McDonald's CEO James Cantalupo gave the keynote address. U.S. Agriculture industry representatives and European agriculture officials will discuss policy developments and trade and farm prospects. The Forum gives seminars on the future outlook, current climate in the world of agriculture. Speakers include top government officials, industry analysts, farmers, business leaders, and academic experts. More than 1,300 people attend this annual event. Forums on BSE and the 2004 livestock industry outlook are scheduled. Some sessions on February 19 and 20 will be webcast with a four-hour delay at www.usda.gov/oce. The webcasts will be available by 1 p.m. Eastern time and remain available for viewing.

Environmental Stewardship Award Program:  The deadline is quickly approaching for submitting applications for the 14th annual Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP).  The final deadline is March 12, 2004. Sponsored by Dow AgroSciences, and USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), the Environmental Stewardship Program recognizes cattle producers who use innovative practices to protect and enhance natural resources while maintaining or increasing the profitability of their businesses.  Any group or organization is eligible to nominate one individual/business, however the nominee must raise or feed cattle.  Individuals cannot nominate themselves.  Nominees need not be NCBA members, but they must support NCBA’s mission: A dynamic and profitable beef industry, which concentrates resources around a unified plan, consistently meets global consumer needs and increases demand.

Agriculture Border Protections: NCBA is highly involved with border issues affecting the cattle industry. NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Chandler Keys, and Director of Food Policy Leah Wilkinson, attended an agriculture stakeholder workshop Wednesday held by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) unit in the Department of Homeland Security.  CBP Commissioner Robert Bonner, and USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Administrator Bobby Acord, announced that CBP is in the process of hiring or retraining "Agriculture Specialists," who will be responsible for inspection of agricultural cargo goods as well as the agricultural inspection at airports. USDA APHIS is developing the training for these Agriculture Specialists, and USDA APHIS will continue to set the policies regarding the importing of agricultural goods with CBP implementing the policies. Continuing to protect American agriculture is a top priority for the CBP.  NCBA will continue to work with this department to assure the needs of cattle producers are met.

NEPA Reform:  A new guidance document released this week by the U.S. Forest Service contains a number of significant reforms relating to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Cattlemen have historically requested reforming the NEPA process and urged the agency to dedicate more resources to resource management, rather than compliance with process and paperwork requirements. The new measures, part of Chapter 90 of the Forest Service handbook for the range program, will yield better results for the land, and benefit public lands ranchers who have struggled with the traditional NEPA process.  Key reforms include: 

- NEPA compliance is dependent on resource status on allotments rather than to artificial deadlines imposed through regulatory requirements.  NEPA for allotments will be renewed when new resource information requires new analysis. 

- Allotment management will be dependent on meeting resource goals rather than artificial regulatory requirements. Within limits, permittee/agency disputes about on-and-off dates and cattle numbers will be minimized. Substantive rangeland health will be prioritized.

- NEPA analysis may be performed on more than one allotment when multiple allotments, such as those in a watershed, make a coherent ecological unit.

- The handbook guidance requires Forest Service staff to work with permittees in developing the proposed action for grazing activities. Greater cooperation between permittees and agency staff will strengthen stewardship of the resources.

Ag Day 2004:  This year, March 20 is not only the first day of spring, but also Ag Day 2004! This is the big day when producers, agricultural associations, corporations, universities, government agencies and others across America gather to recognize and celebrate the abundance provided by agriculture.  NCBA is a proud sponsor of Ag Day 2004 and encourages members to get involved locally by planning events and promoting American agriculture within their communities. This is an important day for our industry, as we highlight the importance of our contribution to the American economy. In these modern times, most Americans are far-removed from agriculture, and have trouble appreciating that food does not simple come "from the grocery store." The National Ag Day program believes that every American should understand how food and fiber products are produced and should value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy. Through education, Americans can acknowledge and consider career opportunities in the agriculture, food and fiber industry. National Agriculture Week runs March 14-20, 2004.  For more information on how YOU can participate, visit www.agday.org

NCBA Spring Conference: NCBA is preparing for its 2004 Spring Conference in Washington, March 29-April 3. Hundreds of cattlemen from across the country will be in the national’s capital for this important event. Attendees will hear directly from top policymakers, meet face-to-face with key Congressional offices, government agency influencers and have the opportunity to articulate policy priorities for today’s cattle industry. NCBA has invited Vice President Cheney, and other top officials to speak with our members. For more information, go to http://hill.beef.org/spring. 

Chico "Beef Day": NCBA's Chief Economist Gregg Doud will be speaking to agriculture students this Saturday February 21 on beef trade, economics, and BSE issues at the Annual "Beef Day" at California State University, Chico in Chico, CA.

Congressional Schedule:  Congress is out of session this week and will reconvene on Monday, February 23. 

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

This publication is funded by cattle producers and other industry supporters through their voluntary membership contributions to NCBA. To join the tens of thousands of cattle producers from across the U.S. in working to preserve our legacy, contact NCBA Member Services at 1-866-BEEF-USA or Membership@beef.org.

For more information, please visit our web site at hill.beef.org.

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