Letter from the President -- April 2008

Now more than ever, your voice needed on Capitol Hill
by Andy Groseta

As I reflect on the NCBA Spring Legislative Conference and Public Lands Council meeting, I am more proud than ever to be a member of these organizations.  As I made my way around the nation’s capital – to Capitol Hill as well as key regulatory agencies – it was obvious that NCBA and the PLC are well-respected and highly regarded by policy makers at every level.

This is of course due to the daily presence of a knowledgeable, professional staff. But is also the result of grassroots efforts that mobilize and energize cattle producers across the nation. About 250 turned out for the conference, and I believe we had a very successful and productive week. Cattlemen emphasized the need to finalize a new Farm Bill, uphold our nation’s commitment to free, fair and reliable trade, and maintain a regulatory climate that will protect the environment without smothering American agriculture in red tape and burdensome regulations.

Here’s another thing that made me proud to be a cattleman:  even with corn shooting past the $6 per bushel mark; even with fuel and fertilizer expenses reaching all-time highs; even with all sectors of the cattle business feeling the pinch of soaring operating costs and the sluggish consumer economy – what were cattle producers asking Congress for? Less – not more - government intervention.

As tempting as it may be to seek government solutions in difficult times, it is seldom the right approach. We’re already seeing the impact on grain prices when government decides to pick winners and losers, instead of allowing free market principles to work. We’ve also got a Farm Bill that has been bogged down for months, as all sides try to get a handle on program costs.

There are certainly some specific programs – the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Grasslands Reserve Program, for example – that NCBA feels must be more adequately funded. We also think it is important to establish a more permanent and dependable system for agricultural disaster assistance. But for the most part, cattlemen are proud of the fact that we operate in a free market – less dependent on government programs, subsidies, and intervention than virtually any other sector of American agriculture.

This fact certainly contributes to the warm reception NCBA and PLC members receive on Capitol Hill. Members of Congress understand they are already hard-pressed to meet the multitude of obligations government has accumulated over the years, especially in slow economic times. So when they have an opportunity to meet with a constituency that favors less government, it’s a refreshing change.

I was very gratified by one theme I heard over and over on Capitol Hill – that America cannot take its food supply for granted. As global demand for resources increases at a rapid pace, the importance of maintaining an economy that is productive and globally competitive is abundantly clear. NCBA is committed to free and fair trade – and up to a point, there’s nothing wrong with imports meeting some of our food supply needs. But without sensible regulation and government policy, we run the risk of making farming and ranching so difficult and so expensive that we could end up “outsourcing” or “offshoring” our nation’s food production. That’s a scenario that is not only frightening for agricultural producers, but for all Americans.

One of the best reasons to belong to NCBA and the Public Lands Council is the representation and expertise these organizations maintain in Washington, D.C., throughout the entire year. But those efforts are all the more effective when cattlemen make a personal commitment to representing the industry and making our voices heard.  Working together, we can all make an impact on the nation’s agricultural policy, and on the direction and success of the cattle industry. 

Andy Groseta is a rancher from Cottonwood, Ariz., and president of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.