With Congress set to return from its annual August recess, NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Jay Truitt says cattlemen have several critical issues on their agenda. These include a push for additional disaster assistance for farmers and ranchers impacted by drought; opposing a proposal in the House of Representatives to ban horse slaughter; and passing legislation that would clarify agriculture’s exemption from Superfund regulations.

Cut #1         :21         Outcue... "from the Superfund laws."

But one of cattlemen’s biggest Beltway battles won’t be on Capitol Hill. It’s NCBA’s effort to convince the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take a reasonable approach for agriculture with regard to dust regulation. Truitt says this is an issue that could have serious implications for the future of U.S. agriculture.

Cut #2         :18         Outcue... "for reasonable regulations."

Truitt notes that feedlots and other agricultural operations already employ many dust control methods in order to comply with local and state regulations - and because it’s a good business practice.

Cut #3         :20         Outcue... "to comply with that."

But Truitt emphasized that these regulations will not just affect large feedlots. Other farming and ranching operations could be seriously impacted, if the regulations are not written in a reasonable manner.

Cut #4         :26         Outcue... "just a bad idea."