Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns Archive
Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns
July 24, 2008
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.
Ruling Issued in CRP case: Cattle producers are applauding a court decision today to lift a temporary restraining order (TRO) preventing haying and grazing on 24 million acres of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land.
The ruling was issued in response to legal action taken by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) to contest the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) decision to allow haying and grazing on 24 million acres of CRP ground.
Judge John C. Coughenour of the United States District Court, Western District of Washington in Seattle, ruled today that there will be no cap on eligible acres for haying and grazing, and producers whose contracts had already been modified and approved for critical feed use can immediately proceed with haying and grazing and continue through November 10, 2008, as originally announced by USDA.
All applications to hay or graze CRP acres that were filed but not approved before the July 8, 2008 restraining order will now be processed, and producers will be subject to shorter usage periods. The haying period will end on September 30, 2008, while the grazing period will end on October 15, 2008. Additionally, producers that can document a reliance on the critical feed usage program as well as an investment of more than $4500 to prepare for haying and grazing of CRP acres are eligible to submit new applications.
“This was the right decision for America’s cattle producers,” said Andy Groseta, a cattle producer from Arizona and president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). “We’re pleased that the court listened to NCBA’s arguments and agreed that reversing USDA’s decision would place undue hardship on our ranchers.”
NCBA joined a coalition of America’s farmers and ranchers to file an Amici Curiae brief in support of USDA’s decision to allow for haying and grazing. More than 50 producers submitted declarations to NCBA to be used in the brief, demonstrating that reversing USDA’s decision would cause severe economic harm to the many cattle producers who have made major capital investments to prepare ground to feed their cattle.
Cattle producers have already invested over $800,000 in equipment, water, leases and fencing according to the submitted declarations.
Additionally, NCBA filed two more declarations on Tuesday, July 22, 2008 from producers who planned to file for contract modifications to allow for haying and grazing on their CRP acres, but had not yet done so before the court put in place the temporary injunction.
“Cattle producers are businesspeople who rely on government policy to make informed business decisions,” said Groseta. “Reversing USDA’s decision at this late date would cause enormous financial losses. NCBA was proud to work with our state affiliates and other coalition members to fight what could have been a terrible blow to the cattle industry.”
The coalition filing the brief included: the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) in conjunction with Idaho Cattle Association, Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, Kansas Livestock Association, Nebraska Cattlemen, New Mexico Cattle Growers, Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers, Texas Cattle Feeders Association, Washington Cattlemen’s Association, Washington Cattle Feeders Association, the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC).
Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) Update: The U.S. Trade Representative cleared the interim final COOL rule on Monday, July 21, 2008. It is expected to be published in the Federal Register on Friday, July 25, 2008. Upon release, NCBA will closely examine the rule and provide analysis to members.
WTO Doha Negotiations in Geneva: U.S. officials, including U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab, are meeting in Geneva this week to continue negotiations on the Doha round of the WTO free trade discussions. The U.S. will be pushing for further concessions from emerging markets like Brazil, China, and India. Thus far, there has been no major movement from the major players, but NCBA will continue to monitor the discussions.
Ninth Circuit Court Rules in Favor of Forest Service in Victory for Ranchers: The Lands Council and others filed suit against the Forest Service charging the agency with violating the National Forest Management Act (NFMA) by failing to demonstrate the reliability of the scientific methodology underlying its analysis of a timber treatment project’s effect on wildlife.
The Lands Council also argued the Forest Service violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) because the agency did not adequately address the uncertainty concerning its proposed treatment as a strategy to maintain species viability. The court supported the Forest Service’s decision on the project and issued important rulings in each of these two areas.
This decision is a significant victory for all those who want to limit the ability of activists to dictate outcomes to courts. The decision will be very helpful to public land ranchers and all other members of the public who rely on government policies to make business decisions.
Jill Davidsaver joins the D.C. office this week as a lobbyist. Jill hails from Winnemucca, NV and studied International Business and Spanish at Montana State University. She comes to our organization from the Duberstein Group, where she worked on trade issues as the Director of Legislative Affairs. Prior to that, she worked for Senator Max Baucus (D-MN) in both his personal office and on the Senate Finance Committee. Jill will serve as the manager of legislative affairs for NCBA.
Editor’s Note: Cattlemen’s Capitol Concerns is now being written by Heather Vaughan, who was recently hired as Associate Director of Public Affairs in the D.C. office. Heather will be handling policy communications.
Don't Miss the Award-Winning NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen: On this week’s edition, airing July 22nd through July 27th, experts from Fort Dodge Animal Health address the topics of parasite control and resistance. The experts offer specific tips on how to best handle these issues on your operation.
On next week’s episode, airing July 29th through August 3rd, we examine top beef industry issues with officers from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. The officers discuss issues ranging from the economy to international trade.
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.