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).

Summer Congressional Schedule: Congress is back in session this week following their July Fourth recess. Over the next three weeks, members of Congress will be working hard on many KEY ISSUES important to cattle producers. Read on for more information on how you can get involved in efforts related to CAFTA, Death Tax, Farm Bill and more!

Death Tax Vote Expected: The Senate could vote on full and permanent repeal of the Death Tax by the end of July. The House passed H.R. 8 (Hulshof-MO, Cramer-AL), the Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act of 2005 on April 13. Now, NCBA is supporting is S. 420 (Kyle-AZ), the Senate version of the House bill. NCBA is reaching out to producer-members as part of its grassroots effort. Lawmakers need to hear personal stories about how this tax hurts small business operations in their home state, and why the Death Tax must GO!

Five Nations Beef Conference: NCBA Chief Economist Gregg Doud and NCBA President and Texas cattle producer Jim McAdams are at the Five Nations Beef Conference this week, July 10 – 15, in Alberta, Canada. Beef industry leaders from the five nations of Australia, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and the United States are discussing key industry issues such as animal ID, and international standardization and harmonization of animal health and trade standards. This Friday, July 16, the group will present a position paper at a media conference. Look for more coverage of this important trade issues meeting in next week’s CCC!

Sage Grouse Conservation: NCBA and the Public Lands Council have historically supported local conservation efforts as a more scientifically-viable means for species protection than federal listing under the Endangered Species Act. Supporting this position, USDA announced July 13 that $5 million is available for special projects to protect and enhance greater sage grouse habitat in eleven states. Funding will be divided for conservation projects in California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. USDA Secretary Mike Johanns says "These funds will boost existing efforts and partnerships with private landowners, local organizations and state agencies to improve the viability of the sage grouse."

In the last session of Congress, NCBA and the Public Lands Council were successful in getting $5 million designated for conservation of sage grouse habitat in the FY05 Ag Appropriations Bill. In January of this year, cattlemen scored another victory on the sage grouse issue when the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced that the greater sage grouse does not warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act. FWS Director Steve Williams commended government agencies and local working groups for their efforts to conserve the species and maintain or improve sage grouse habitat, and said those efforts should continue. Sage grouse habitat often exists on Western rangelands where ranchers graze livestock. If the bird is listed as a federal endangered species, ranchers face increased costs, regulatory delays and land use restrictions that could seriously impact their operations.

USDA Announces More Farm Bill Listening Sessions: Ag Secretary Mike Johanns announced last week the location of the next three U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Bill Listening Sessions:

- July 26, 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. (CST) North Dakota State Fair, Minot, ND

- Aug. 3, 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Minnesota Farm Fest, Redwood County, MN

- Aug. 4, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Wisconsin State Fair, West Allis, WI

USDA BSE Surveillance: NCBA continues to monitor the media activity surrounding the June 24 announcement of BSE in a 12-year old Texas cow. USDA announced July 10 the Bio-Rad tests on the 67 adult animals culled from the index herd tested negative at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. USDA says these results complete the testing of animals located at the ranch where the positive animal originated. APHIS continues to track animals of interest and testing will be conducted as those animals are located.

Meanwhile, USDA is continuing with its BSE Enhanced Surveillance Program. To date, the program has tested 405,976 targeted animals at highest risk for BSE and has found only one case, which confirms that our firewalls are working and the prevalence of this disease in the U.S. 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.

Johanns in China, Africa – July 9-21: Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns is in China and will be traveling later to Africa for multilateral and bilateral meetings on agricultural trade and development, July 9-21. While in China July 11, Johanns participated in the meeting of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) in Beijing, along with U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez. Johanns urged Chinese officials to lift its ban on U.S. beef, noting the critical need for China to adhere to a science-based system that includes following internationally recognized BSE guidelines. In response, China has pledged to send a technical team to the U.S. in October of this year and will be working with USDA officials in the interim to provide more information on the timeline and process for reopening their market to U.S. beef. Johanns and Portman are also traveling to Dalian, China for a meeting with trade ministers from key members of the World Trade Organization (WTO). In addition to the WTO meetings, Johanns will also have bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Australia, Canada, Japan and South Korea.

Dierlam Departs NCBA for Ag Committee Post: This week, NCBA says farewell to our own Bryan Dierlam as he leaves NCBA for a post with the House Agriculture Committee. As NCBA’s Executive Director of Government Affairs, Bryan led efforts on some of the industry’s toughest and most controversial issues, serving NCBA and its producer-members since 1999. He was raised in a Texas cattle-producing family and earned two degrees from Texas A&M University. Bryan says, "The decision to leave NCBA did prove difficult, but I am looking forward to joining Chairman Goodlatte's staff and moving ahead on this new and challenging opportunity -- especially since Reconciliation and the Farm Bill are quickly approaching." We all wish Bryan and his wife Christina the best.

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