Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns: September 9, 2004

Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns

September 9, 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 the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).

Congress Returns from Summer Break: Members of the U.S. House and Senate are back in Washington D.C. for a few weeks of business before their targeted pre-election adjournment, expected for October 8th. NCBA continues to meet with members of the House and Senate and their staff on top issues affecting cattle producers, including disaster relief, public lands issues, animal ID, marketing issues, election year priorities, and more.

Appropriations Update:  The Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee approved an $83.1 billion fiscal year 2005 spending plan this week. NCBA attended the markup of the FY05 Agriculture Appropriations bill this Wednesday, September 8, which did not make changes to priority spending programs for cattle producers. The Senate bill includes $5 million in funding within the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) program for conservation of sage grouse habitat.  NCBA and the Public Lands Council are working with Congress on these conservation measures as an alternative to listing the bird as an endangered species. 

Each year, NCBA continues to work aggressively with Congress to ensure that cattle producers are a key player in the agriculture appropriations process, ensuring that the infrastructure producers need to stay competitive is maintained. The agriculture spending bill supports many of the FDA and USDA programs and includes funding for the BSE surveillance program, BSE detection and prevention, increased FDA inspections, and a toll-free hotline. Funding also covers USDA’s Animal Identification efforts, and the child nutrition and conservation programs, including about $1 billion for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. The House passed its $83.7 billion FY05 Agriculture Appropriations Bill in July. 

NCBA President Addresses Tens of Thousands -- Kansas producer and NCBA President Jan Lyons addressed approximately 12,000 farmers and visitors at the Farm Progress Show in Alleman, Iowa, on August 31, 2004.  Lyons was one of a handful of supporters who personally greeted President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and addressed the crowd.  Lyons told President Bush and those in attendance about NCBA's historic and unprecedented action in the organization’s 106-year history by directing its Political Action Committee to endorse Bush-Cheney.  Lyons cited the President’s policy on several key issues as reason for endorsement.  Those issues included: bringing reason and science back to the debate on environmental policy, supporting the rights of private property owners, encouraging small businesses and farms and ranches to prosper through tax stimulus initiatives, supporting permanent repeal of the Death Tax, and commitment to working with the livestock and feed industries to better ensure the safety of the U.S. cattle herd and guarantee the safest food supply to consumers worldwide. NCBA was extremely pleased at the exceptional invitation to address this crowd in Iowa.

Hurricane Disaster Relief – This week, President Bush signed legislation providing $2 billion in additional funding for cleanup, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)  relief operations, emergency food, shelter, and medical care for those suffering from devastating hurricane damage in Florida. NCBA members and state associations continue to work in conjunction with Florida Cattlemen’s Association to aid in relief efforts for Florida cattle producers.  Sixty-three percent of Florida’s ranches were devastated by two back-to-back hurricanes affecting over 1.2 million head of beef cattle.  Currently NCBA is working to help cattlemen in Florida secure financial support from the Farm Service Agency of USDA.  NCBA also spoke with officials from FEMA trying to secure additional relief for Florida's producers, however these funds are not available for these types of agriculture damages in this situation.  Those interested in coordinating groups to provide time and labor or if you have materials or equipment you would like to donate or loan to these rebuilding efforts you may call the NCBA office toll free at 1-866-BEEF-USA and NCBA will coordinate with FCA.

NCBA on Additional BSE Safeguards: This week, NCBA is working on two sets of comments regarding possible additional BSE safeguards in the U.S., to be submitted to the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). The comments are due Monday, September 13. More details on the final comments will be available in next week’s edition of the CCC. This summer, the departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services developed an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) that includes several additional actions the federal government is considering regarding BSE. Interested parties and stakeholders have the opportunity to submit comments until September 13 to APHIS and FSIS on the additional regulatory and policy measures under consideration. NCBA sent lengthy comments to the FDA last month regarding several additional measures related to animal feed under consideration.  For a final copy of the FDA comments, go to: http://hill.beef.org/pdfs/NCBAFDAANPRComments.pdf

NCBA in NYC -- Various NCBA leaders, members, and staff were in New York City last week for the 2004 Republican National Convention, which ran August 29-September 2, 2004. President Jan Lyons, CEO Terry Stokes, VP of Government Affairs Chandler Keys, and others represented America's cattle industry at key events with top national officials and leaders in agriculture during this action-packed week. NCBA was one of the many sponsors of the "Great American Farm Breakfast," where Congressional agricultural leaders, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, U.S. Trade Representative Bob Zoellick, and others reiterated the Bush administration’s dedication to agriculture. "I am the secretary of the department John Kerry wants to get rid of," remarked Secretary Veneman. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani also spoke at the event, honoring agriculture and the current administration’s policies.

NOTICE to D.C. & Colorado-Area Media: Due to inclement weather, the NCBA press event scheduled for today, Sept. 9, 2004 in Upperville, Virginia has been moved to Thursday, September 30, 2004. The Colorado version of the workshop is scheduled for September 24, 2004. This is a unique opportunity for members of the press to learn about the impressive stewardship practices of today’s cattle producers, on an award-winning ranch. The Virginia winners of the Environmental Stewardship Award Program will be hosting this on-farm conservation workshop experience at Llangollen Farms in Upperville, VA. The Colorado winners will be hosting their own workshop at Frasier Farms in Woodrow, Colorado. The families will be demonstrating the innovative practices they have implemented, and officials from the Natural Resources Conservation Service will be available to discuss participation in the Farm Bill Cost Share programs.  All media, producers, and the public are welcome to attend, and lunch will be provided. Please contact Megan Tipton, mtipton@beef.org or 202-347-0228 if you would like to attend.

Nutrition Issues: On August 26, 2004 NCBA submitted written comments to the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion as they continue with their process of revising the Food Guide Pyramid.  These written comments provide more detail to the oral comments given by NCBA on August 19th.  Now the USDA will consider the comments received and conduct consumer research on a graphic and messages.  The revised food guide is set to be released in 2005 after the release of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. For a full copy of NCBA’s comments, go to: http://hill.beef.org/pdfs/NCBAFGSWrittenComments82604final.pdf. In related news, public comments are now being accepted on the Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005 to the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Agriculture. NCBA is reviewing the report and will be working on written comments to be submitted by Monday, September 27., with a public meeting scheduled for September 21. First published in 1980, the Dietary Guidelines are reviewed, updated and released by HHS and USDA every five years, and contain the latest nutritional and dietary guidance for the general public. The report is online at http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines.

Conservation Programs-- According to the USDA, nearly 2,200 farmers and ranchers have been selected as the first participants in the Conservation Security Program (CSP). The privately-owned land impacted by the new program covers nearly 1.9 million acres in the 18 watersheds in 22 states selected for the fiscal year 2004 CSP sign-up. USDA expects to fully use the $41 million provided by Congress for this program. Secretary Veneman says "the USDA has accepted all eligible CSP applications that were submitted during the first sign-up period. Payments will begin immediately under three tiers of conservation contracts capped at $20,000, $35,000 and $45,000 annually. Contracts will last for five years for Tier I and 5-10 years for Tier II and Tier III. About 4,800 producer contacts were registered at local NRCS offices and USDA Service Centers during the first sign-up that ended July 30, 2004. CSP will be available each year on a rotational basis in as many watersheds as funding allows. Additional information on CSP is at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/csp.

Cooperative Conservation: In a move to direct government agencies to coordinate with each other in conservation measures and efforts,  President Bush on August 26 signed an order entitled "Facilitation of Cooperative Conservation."  The executive order emphasizes the inclusion of local participation in Federal decision-making, in accordance with their respective agency missions, policies, and regulations.  It also supports property rights.  Producers across the country will benefit from the realistic, bona fide results of this declaration. Members of NCBA are proud stewards of the land and agree that cooperative conservation -- with all parties working together toward a greater good -- is the best solution. The order states that when implementing laws relating to the environment and natural resources, the USDA, Department of Interior, Commerce Department, Defense Department and the Environmental Protection Agency must coordinate and promote cooperation. The President wants to assure those who make decisions in D.C. are well-informed by those closest to the land and their communities.

Educating Congressional Advisors: Last week, NCBA's Manager of Legislative Affairs, Colin Woodall, met with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) to give a presentation on the NCBA and the importance of lobbying for the agriculture community to their incoming group of Congressional Science Fellows. These veterinarians were selected from across the nation to serve a year as consultants, researchers, and scientific resources on Congressional or Committee staffs on Capitol Hill. The new fellows are in D.C., and it is important for NCBA to educate them on issues of top importance for the cattle industry. The will provide scientific expertise to the congressional offices, and NCBA is orienting them regarding top legislative issues currently on the radar.

USDA Surveillance for BSE: USDA continues its BSE surveillance program which began on June 1. APHIS posts the test results on their website at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov.  To date, 52,609 tests have been conducted.

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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