2007 CCC Archive
Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns
October 18, 2007
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’d like to include NCBA’s logo, contact us at 202-347-0228.
Korea Trade Update: Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Wendy Cutler urged South Korean officials this week to expand beef trade beyond Korea’s current protocol which allows for only boneless beef from animals younger than 30 months of age.
"We expect our trading partners to import beef, all products, all ages," Cutler said, citing the May 2007 decision by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) which classified the Unites States as “controlled risk” for BSE. This classification represents the effectiveness of U.S. regulatory controls and dictates that U.S beef and beef products from cattle of all ages can be safely traded in accordance with international guidelines.
Beef trade between the United States and South Korea is currently suspended due to a recent shipment that violated an interim trade protocol by including vertebral column. In the wake of the suspension, Korean officials said the two countries would work to establish new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards for beef imports. In media reports last week, South Korea Agriculture Minister Im Sang-gyu said, “U.S. beef poses no health risks beyond international standards.”
Prior to December 2003, bone-in beef accounted for roughly half of all U.S. beef exports to South Korea, and U.S. cattlemen are eager to regain this important market share.
Senate Considering Farm Bill Conservation Programs: Adequate funding and flexibility for producers within Farm Bill conservation programs has been a top priority for NCBA during congressional discussions on the Farm Bill. “Farm Bill conservation programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) are very popular with our members,” says Stacey Satterlee, NCBA’s director of legislative affairs. “These programs help cattle producers implement voluntary conservation practices on their operations while promoting agricultural production and environmental quality. We’re asking the Senate to approve language in the Farm Bill that will allow our producers to participate in cost-share conservation programs.”
Senate Ag Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) told the media this week that the coming Senate Farm Bill proposal has an estimated $4 billion in new budget authority for conservation.
In related news, a coalition of conservation organizations is sponsoring ads appearing in Washington-area political news media urging the Senate to allocate funding for conservation programs when it takes up the Farm Bill. The ads say: “Working farms, ranches and forests offer the greatest potential to enhance the nation’s water quality, air quality and wildlife habitat…Polls show the public overwhelmingly supports conservation funding, and the environment needs it.”
Energy Legislation: As Congress prepares to conference energy legislation, NCBA, along with the American Meat Institute, National Chicken Council, National Meat Association, National Turkey Federation, United Egg Association, and United Egg Producers sent a letter October 12th to leaders in Congress regarding a potential increase in the mandates for corn ethanol production.
In June of this year, the U.S. Senate passed H.R. 6, the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007, which mandates 15 billion gallons of renewable fuels from feedgrain products by 2015 – an increase that NCBA policy does not support. The House version passed earlier this year contains no increase to the renewable fuel standards (RFS).
NCBA wants policymakers to fully understand the ramifications of increasing the RFS beyond its current 7.5 billion gallons by 2012. The letter points out, “With respect to the existing RFS, the uncertainty of year-to-year crop yields creates an urgent need for a safety valve in the event of a short corn crop…In the event that corn supplies are not sufficient to meet food, feed and fuel demand, the law should provide for a temporary reduction in the RFS, triggered by an appropriate stocks or price indicator.”
As these bills are conferenced, NCBA will be urging for a final package that does not include an increased RFS such as what is currently in the Senate version of the bill. The letter says, “the existing RFS, enacted in 2005, has already spurred rapid development in the renewable fuels industry. The current RFS extends through 2012, and we believe this policy should be given a chance to work before any additional mandates are added to it.”
Partnerships Key to Clean Water Act Successes: The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a hearing October 18th, entitled "The 35th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act: Successes and Future Challenges."
NCBA, along with 25 other industry organizations, sent a letter to Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-Minn.) and Ranking Member John Mica (R-Fla.) highlighting examples of partnerships between federal, state, and local governments and industry groups that have fostered success in water protection. The letter also points to current and future challenges and urges careful consideration of state authority in water and land use issues.
“While we have made significant strides to improve water quality, the next 35 years will focus on updating antiquated infrastructure and addressing sources of pollution inextricably intertwined with land use activities,” the letter says. “Solutions will be more complex and costly, and will invariably require a greater commitment to fostering the federal-state framework critical to the CWA’s success.”
USDA Finalizes Grass Fed Standard: USDA issued this week its voluntary standard for grass (forage) fed marketing claims. This standard will become effective on November 15, 2007. The grass fed standard states that grass and/or forage shall be the feed source consumed for the lifetime of the ruminant animal, with the exception of milk consumed prior to weaning. The diet shall be derived solely from forage, and animals cannot be fed grain or grain by-products and must have continuous access to pasture during the growing season.
NCBA filed comments with USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) last summer regarding the grass fed standard and voiced support for the rights of producers and processors to use marketing claims to target their products to specific demographics. “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.”
Increasingly, livestock and meat producers are using production or processing claims to distinguish their products in the marketplace. AMS, through its voluntary certification and audit programs, verifies the accuracy of these claims. To see the final rule, submitted comments and other information go to: http://www.ams.usda.gov/lsg/stand/grassclaim.htm.
EPA Publishes SPCC Rule for Farms and Ranches: The EPA published its proposed rule on Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) for ag operations in the October 15th Federal Register, opening a 60-day comment period. The program regulates large fuel tanks in an effort to prevent spills on farms or ranches.
This rule applies to operations that store, transfer, use or consume oil or oil products if the operation’s above-ground capacity is greater than 1,320 gallons. If storage capacity is 10,000 gallons or more, a Facility Response Plan is required and must be certified by a Professional Engineer.
NCBA is working within an agriculture coalition that represents farmers, ranchers, farmer cooperatives, livestock operations and related agribusinesses to address the impacts of this rule on ag operations. EPA has posted a fact sheet on the proposed rule on their website at: http://www.epa.gov/oilspill/spcc_oct07.htm.
USAHA Meetings: NCBA’s Chief Veterinarian Elizabeth Parker is in Reno, Nev. this week for the annual meeting of the U.S. Animal Health Association and the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians. More information on these meetings is posted at www.usaha.org.
Mark Your Calendars For Annual Convention!: The 2008 Cattle Industry Annual Convention and Trade Show will be held February 6-9 in Reno, Nevada. The meeting will feature joint and individual meetings by NCBA, Cattlemen's Beef Promotion & Research Board, American National CattleWomen, Inc., Cattle-Fax and the National Cattlemen's Foundation.
At the NCBA Trade Show, more than 250 companies will offer attendees a chance to see the latest products and services while networking with other cattle producers. In addition, many booths will feature giveaways, games and prize drawings. Whether you are looking for farm vehicles, fencing, feed supplies, animal health products or the latest in technology, you'll find it right here under one roof.
Education, information and networking are the cornerstones of Convention. But it's not all business, there will be lots of time to kick back, relax and enjoy your mini-vacation in Reno. Bring your family along! Additional details and schedule updates are posted at http://www.beefusa.org/convcattleindustryannualconventionandncbatradeshow.aspx.
NCBA Recruiting Student Workers for Cattle Industry Convention: NCBA is now accepting applications for student workers to assist with the 2008 Cattle Industry Annual Convention and Trade Show, February 6-9, 2008, in Reno, Nevada. Student workers will help host while networking with more than 5,000 attendees from across the country and helping trade show exhibitors in more than 250 booths. Our student worker positions provide a unique opportunity for students to gain first-hand experience and to interact with leaders from every segment of the cattle and beef industry.
Qualified applicants must meet the following criteria:
- be considered a junior level college student at the time of application
- be available to work February 5-9, 2008 in Reno, NV
- major in a field related to agriculture
- have at least a 2.8 grade point average
- have a background in or working knowledge of the cattle or beef industry
Although this is not a paying work experience, NCBA will pay for the student’s registration fee, hotel room costs and most meals while in Reno. The students are responsible for their own travel to Reno, NV. Anyone wishing to refer or recommend a student should contact NCBA’s Human Resources Department and ask for an applicant package. The deadline for applications is Friday, November 16, 2007.
Don't Miss NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen: On this week’s edition of NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen airing October 16-20, top executives from Coleman Natural Foods explain the growth of the natural beef market and provide information on the production practices that can qualify cattle for a natural beef program. The Congressional Ranch Tour takes members of Congress to cattle operations in Missouri, Georgia and Nebraska to help educate them about the beef business. Veterinary experts from Bayer Animal Health help separate myths from facts when it comes to bovine respiratory disease. And we’ll visit the Roaring Springs Ranch in Oregon to meet another regional ESAP Award winner.
In the next episode airing October 23-27, Lee Leachman of Leachman Cattle of Colorado explains the importance of quality genetics when building or expanding a cattle herd. The Cattle Learning Center travels to Montana, where veterinary experts have developed a screening project to battle the problem of cattle being persistently infected with bovine viral diarrhea. And Cattlemen to Cattlemen’s “Day in the Life” segment profiles California rancher Duane Martin.
NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen on RFD-TV provides weekly news and features for cattle producers across the country. The show airs Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. and is rebroadcast Wednesdays at 4:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and Saturdays at 10 a.m. All times are Eastern. Make sure YOU tune into NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen on channel RFD-TV. For more information or to check out past episodes, visit www.cattlementocattlemen.org.
Media Contact: Karen Batra at 202-347-0228 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.