NCBA’s Livestock Marketing Council members work to set NCBA policy through a complex but effective governance structure. The council’s political agenda carries a big punch on Capitol Hill.

Livestock marketing enterprises for years have been under the scrutiny of federal and state regulatory policies that make it difficult to operate efficiently and effectively. Within the scheme of constant changes to the cattle industry and the ongoing competitive pressure in the live cattle market, the NCBA Livestock Marketing Council focuses directly upon inhibiting regulatory legislation that directly affect livestock marketers. With economic forces and ongoing change as a backdrop for the livestock marketing industry, NCBA Livestock Marketing Council members are staying on course to support a free market system.

Council members believe that a beef industry long–range plan, including goals to achieve a dynamic and profitable beef industry, is imperative to the livestock marketing community. Through cooperative efforts with cattle producers there are new opportunities to increase profits through the marketing sector of the beef industry. Council members believe firmly in the continuation of the beef checkoff program that funds efforts to enhance the consumer demand for beef.

Members of the NCBA Livestock Marketing Council are able to closely monitor day to day activities of the Grain Inspection Packers & Stockyards Administration through their focused staff delegation in Washington D.C.

Council member’s investments fully funded efforts to successfully managing the Canadian Bovine Spongiform Encephalopthy (BSE) crisis to minimize the impact on U.S. cattle producers.

Council member’s investments also successfully secured over $750 million in direct payments to producers impacted by recent drought conditions and reformed the death tax until 2010 which helped to reduce the impact felt by America’s small agriculture businesses.