Neighbors Helping Neighbors?

I am sitting here in my office, catching up on my paper work, when a disturbing thought comes to me! I have just written my annual dues check to California Cattlemen’s Association and NCBA and I begin to wonder about my neighbors who are not members of either organization. Yet because of the nature of the efforts of NCBA and CCA, they benefit from my hard-earned dollars that I send to both organizations.

In essence, they are riding for free! That doesn’t hardly seem fair to me but our state and national staffers don’t have the ability to lobby tough issues and then request that the benefits of their lobbying be distributed only to my fellow members.

How can I, an NCBA and CCA member, correct this? It’s easy! Just pay a visit to your neighbor and ask them to “share the load.” Point out to them how they benefit from the joint efforts of your state and national organizations. Remind them of the death tax victory, the Livestock Compensation Program (LCP), the ongoing efforts to eliminate/soften the AFO/CAFO regulations coming out mid-December, and the other issues we won, influenced, or are currently following.

I mentioned the LCP.  Remind them that if the beef industry was as unified as the dairy industry, we might have been the ones getting the $31/head instead of the $18.50/head we are getting.

Is it fair for your neighbors to “ride free”? Do something about it — ask them to join. You might be surprised — maybe they don’t know or aren’t aware of the good things we are doing.