Proposed GIPSA Rule Could Reduce Welfare

NCBA Echoes Temple Grandin’s Animal Welfare Concerns
10/04/2010 03:40PM
CattleNetwork.com

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration’s (GIPSA) proposed rule on livestock marketing poses concerns to animal welfare, according to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). The Obama Administration's proposed rule would ban packer-to-packers sales of livestock causing many to question the impact to the welfare of livestock. Colin Woodall, NCBA vice president of government affairs, said eliminating packer-to-packer sales would have several unintended consequences such as animal welfare.

“Let’s say that there is a beef packer located in the Pacific Northwest that also owns a feedlot in Southwest Kansas. Under this proposal, that company would be required to ship all of its Kansas feedlot cattle to Washington State for processing, which subjects those cattle to an additional 1,600 miles of travel,” said Woodall

Woodall also said the packer-to-packer ban would especially hurt smaller producers, dealers and packers. He said the ban would encourage consolidation and displace producer livestock.

“In addition, those cattle that traveled from Kansas to Washington State would displace the local cattle that typically supply that plant,” said Woodall. “The proposal would add inefficiencies for the feedlot through added transportation costs, which could result in the sale or liquidation of that feedlot, thereby driving consolidation and less competition.”

Colorado State University professor and world renowned animal welfare expert, Temple Grandin, wrote USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack offering her concerns about the well-being of livestock if the proposed rule requires packers to market and sell livestock through dealers is implemented. Beyond stress to livestock that would occur if this rule is implemented, Grandin is also concerned that the proposed rule would complicate and compromise the effectiveness of many established animal welfare-certification programs by requiring another level of paperwork and recordkeeping to track the additional transactions.

“As a scientist who has dedicated her life to improving livestock welfare, I am extremely alarmed that although this rule is concerned with marketing and competition, the department ultimately responsible for it – USDA – is also charged with enforcing the Humane Slaughter Act and apparently has paid so little attention to the animal welfare implications of this proposal,” Grandin stated in the letter.     Link

The GIPSA rule proposal has certainly been cussed and discussed throughout the beef industry.  The unintended consequences of this proposal seem to be mounting though.  Temple Grandin has now added her welfare concerns to the mix.  The last thing we need in animal agriculture is the federal government forcing new regulations on us that actually limit our ability to properly handle cattle. 

EPA's Anti-Ag Agenda

NCBA Blasts EPA for Anti-Agriculture Agenda


09/30/2010

by Gary Truitt

The National Cattleman’s Beef Association has launched a series of blistering allegations against the Environmental Protection Agency. Last week EPA administrator Lisa Jackson testified before the Senate Ag Committee that her agency is not out to get American agriculture. But, this week National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Chief Environmental Counsel Tamara Thies accused the agency of trying to put the cattle industry out of business, “It is ironic that as we strive to become less dependent on imported oil the policies of the Obama administration are likely to make us more dependent on imported beef.” She accused the EPA of waging a war to bring an end to production agriculture, “EPA exhibits reckless indifference to scientific fact, and instead imposes stringent regulations based on nothing more than its biased, anti-animal agriculture agenda that will leave many cattle operations with no recourse but to shut down.”

Speaking on Wednesday at a forum focused on the impact of EPA regulations on job creation and economic growth in the nation’s rural communities, Thies told members of the Rural America Solutions Group that EPA’s regulations will result in a loss of jobs, just the opposite of what the White House says they want to do. She said EPA regulations are causing economic uncertainty in the cattle industry and throughout rural American because they are “vague, overreaching, costly, unnecessarily burdensome, ludicrous, and sometimes illegal.”     Read More

The mentality at the EPA is that everything humans do is inherently damaging to the environment and that their job is to continually come up with more “solutions” to these problems.  It’s beginning to look like the EPA is more of a threat to the people of this country than people are to the environment.  This has never been more apparent that it is now with their goals of regulating dust. 

R-CALF Joins with Meatless Monday, Meatrix Creators

NCBA questions R-CALF's partnership with animal rights group

By Drovers news source
Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Representatives of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association questions the affiliation of the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund (R-CALF) with the animal rights and environmental activist group Food and Water Watch.

According to separate news releases issued by the two groups, R-CALF and Food and Water Watch are joining forces on the campaign to support the USDA Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyard Administration’s (GIPSA) proposed rule on livestock marketing. NCBA President Steve Foglesong said well-funded activist groups, like Food and Water Watch, are working to obstruct the success of U.S. agriculture and its efforts to feed a growing global population. He said Food and Water Watch, a lobbyist group full of “career activists,” has a longstanding history of lobbying for stringed agricultural regulations that are devoid of science.

Food and Water Watch on its Web site defines factory farms as an agribusiness-controlled operation where “tens of thousands of animals are raised in crowded facilities.” In an attempt to portray the livestock industry as factories, Food and Water Watch sponsored an animated video called The Meatrix, which Foglesong calls a “strong manipulation of reality preying on consumers removed from production agriculture.” The Monday Campaigns, Inc. (Meatless Monday) is also associated with the film, according to the Web site for the video.     Read More

Normally I don’t dive into inter-industry politics on my blog but this needs to be brought to light. Why on earth would any group in the beef industry team up with the people who created the anti-meat movie “Meatrix”. I don’t care how desperate you are for money or to push your causes, there is no excuse for sleeping with the enemy. Frankly it’s embarrassing for them and damaging to everyone in the beef business. (For the record, I called R-Calf to get their side of the story.  No one was in their office on Thursday morning when I called so I left a message.  I look forward to hearing their side of the story.)

Cattlemen's Challenges Discussed

Cattlemen Confront Challenges
01/28/2010
by Gary Truitt
Hoosier Ag Today

A group of Indiana Cattlemen have joined their colleagues in San Antonio, TX this week for the National Cattleman’s Beef Association convention. The cattle business is a much different business than it was just a year ago when the group met in Phoenix, AZ. Attacks on animal agriculture have intensified, and beef demand has declined due to poor economic conditions. Cattleman’s Beef Board President Lucinda Williams told the convention that the industry must confront these challenges head on, “We must be more proactive and more aggressive as we deal with changes taking place in our country.” She said changes taking place today will forever change the way cattle producers do business and could eliminate their ability to make a profit. Williams said cattlemen must reconnect with their customers, people who eat beef, “We must make our customers understand that our abundant supply of protein will not continue if we remain on the current path.” It is up to cattlemen, according to Williams, to educate consumers that those consumers are funding groups whose primary purpose is to abolish animal agriculture and decrease the availability of meat, which will ultimately drive up the cost of food.

CBA President Gary Voogt said another challenge facing producers is excessive and burdensome regulations from Washington, “There are politicians who do not know where food comes from, and some seem not to care where food comes from.” He called on the cattle industry to unite to confront these challenges. He said cattlemen have their work cut out for them this week. He urged support for the governance task force that will change the organization and provide a simpler and more unified structure, “We all have to live in one house.”

The event is the largest of its kind in the cattle industry, attracting nearly 6000 people this week. The meeting includes the annual meetings of NCBA, the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, American National CattleWomen, Cattle-Fax, and the National Cattlemen’s Foundation. The 2010 Cattle Industry Convention wraps up Saturday, January 30, when the annual meetings of the NCBA and the Cattlemen’s Beef Board are conducted. Link

There are certainly no lack of challenges that need discussing at this years Cattle Industry Convention. As I walked through the crowds, you heard discussions about everything from range management to international trade. The one topic that continues to be near the top of everyone’s list is about the attacks being launched on American agriculture. I had the pleasure of making a couple different presentations in San Antonio and that was my focus. I am very encouraged at the level of enthusiasm from the cattle producers who want to become better spokespeople for their industry. It’s hard to believe that we need to work so hard to defend the one occupation that sustains life on this planet, but that’s where we are.

MBA Training and Graduation

Today we will be presenting to the newest graduates of the Masters of Beef Advocacy program which is being held during the 2010 Cattle Industry Convention in San Antonio, TX. More than 40 beef enthusiasts will be putting the finishing touches on their training to be better advocates for the beef industry and agriculture as a whole.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Our Busy Schedule

The last few days have been whirlwind of traveling and meeting new people while we shared our story and inspired others to do the same. With adverse weather all over the country, traveling by airplane became quite a challenge. Despite all of that, we did eventually make it to all our destinations and back home.

On Friday morning we had the opportunity to present to a group of swine veterinarians and other animal health experts from Pfizer Animal Health in Miami. Many times we tend to focus on family farmers and ranchers telling their story, but we need to make sure that everyone who is involved in agriculture, from our veterinarians to our equipment dealers, are also helping promote and educate about the industry they rely on.

From there we traveled to Vidalia, Louisiana to spend Saturday morning at the Louisiana Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Leadership Conference. More than 100 young agriculturalists were in attendance. The amount of talent and leadership potential at these young farmers and rancher meetings, never ceases to amaze me and Louisiana certainly has a lot of it. It was a great group to work with and we are looking forward to crossing paths with these young leaders in the future.

While we did make it home last night, we have to hit the road again today. Tomorrow we are presenting in San Antonio, TX at the Masters of Beef Advocacy graduation which is being held in conjunction with National Cattlemen's Beef Association. We had the privilege of speaking at the MBA graduation last summer in Denver and it was a blast. It's a lot of fun to meet beef cattle enthusiasts from across the country and see their enthusiasm for agriculture turned into positive education and promotion of the industry.

After taking in the Cattle Industry Convention, we will end up in Des Moines, IA at the end of the week to share our message at the Iowa Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Leadership Conference. This meeting is always very well attended and it will be great getting to see some old friends and make new ones.

If you can make it to any of these events, please make a point to come introduce yourself to us. One of the best parts of getting to travel to these different areas of the country and share our story is meeting other people involved in agriculture.

Have a great week!

Defending and Promoting Agriculture

Capture the hearts and minds of consumers
High Plains Journal

Trade, antibiotics, food safety and the estate tax were some of the issues that Forrest Roberts, chief executive officer of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) touched on during his address at the Kansas Livestock Association (KLA) Convention, Dec. 3 to 4 in Wichita, Kan. Of all the issues he discussed, Roberts said the one with the most energy is animal welfare.

"It does not take a rocket scientist to see what has happened in our industry, starting all the way back with the book "Omnivores Dilemma" to the recent film "Food, Inc." and articles in Time magazine and the New York Times, to understand how much pressure our industry is under when you think about animal welfare," Roberts said.

Roberts said this is about capturing the hearts and minds of the consumer. It is about defending, sustaining, and advancing modern beef production.

Pack of wolves

Dr. Dan Thomson, K-State Beef Cattle Institute, compared the attack on the beef industry like "a pack of wolves attacking a moose." As soon as the industry turns to face one activist group, another one attacks from the other side.

"They keep attacking and their goal is to kill the moose," Thomson said. "Their goal is to abolish animal agriculture." Click here to read the rest of the article, which includes a short section about Jody Donahue's social media efforts and other info from the KLA convention.

There is no doubt that farmers and ranchers are under attack in this country, and we tend to focus on those problems quite a bit. However, there are still many reasons that we should be optimistic. While the radical try making farmers and ranchers out to be evil, greedy, animal abusing people, it’s not working very well. Farmers and ranchers are still considered to be very trustworthy people. We need to build on that trusting relationship by talking to consumers face to face and introducing ourselves. We don’t have a lot of money to fight back but we have great people with great stories. That’s something money can’t buy.

Be Ready to Educate About Ag

Cattle producers told to fight myths
By Lori Potter World-Herald News Service

KEARNEY, Neb. — Lana Slaten is proud that her Cullman County is Alabama’s top cattle producer. The registered nurse and cow-calf producer was thrilled to recently read in Beef magazine that it also ranks as the 130th largest U.S. beef county.

“Yet I have friends who actually believe beef is not safe to eat,” said Slaten, who is president-elect of American National Cattlewomen.

Slaten and Tom Field, executive director of producer education for the Denver office of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, were featured speakers this week at the opening session of the 2009 Nebraska Cattlemen and Cattlewomen Convention in Kearney.

Both talked about the mission to fight myths and misconceptions used to attack the cattle industry on such issues as hormone and antibiotic use, global warming and animal welfare.

Misinformation is spread person-to-person by schoolchildren, adult consumers and some of the media’s biggest stars. Slaten said one negative comment about beef from Oprah Winfrey can send markets down in just one afternoon.

“Our job is to arm ourselves with facts, science-based facts, and educate those who blindly believe what they hear in a 30-second sound bite on the news,” she said. “We have to tell the rest of the story.” Read More

It’s easy to know when and where you should be educating people about agriculture. You should be doing it everywhere all the time. Seeking opportunities to tell your story and educate about what you do on your farm or ranch needs to be on your chore list. The best place to start doing it is right in your hometown. Even if you live in a rural community, not everyone there understands what it takes for you to get food on their table. The things you do off the farm and ranch to promote and educate can and will have as much impact on your ability to continue in agriculture as the things you do on the place.

EPA Ruling Could Devastate Ag

NCBA: EPA Greenhouse Gas Ruling Could Be Devastating To Agriculture
12/08/2009 01:59PM
CattleNetwork.com

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is extremely concerned about the potential impacts that the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent greenhouse gas (GHG) ruling could have on agriculture operations. EPA’s decision, announced yesterday, claims that GHG emissions are an endangerment to public health and the environment. This sets the stage for greenhouse regulation under the Clean Air Act (CAA) and would give the EPA unprecedented control over every sector of the U.S. economy.

“It’s premature to issue this kind of finding, especially given the recent controversy surrounding the scientific validity of alleged human contributions to climate change,” said Tamara Thies, NCBA chief environmental counsel. “Regulation of greenhouse gases should be based on science, and it should be thoughtfully considered and voted on by Congress through a democratic process, not dictated by the EPA.”

The endangerment finding does not itself regulate GHGs; but unless Congress acts, it sets in motion EPA regulation of GHGs from stationary sources and the setting of new source performance standards for GHGs. On October 27, 2009, EPA proposed a rule designed to regulate GHG emissions from sources that emit 25,000 tons per year or more, instead of the statutory 250 tons per year threshold for pollutants which is included in the Clean Air Act. The extent to which EPA can change statutory permitting requirements, however, is unclear. Only time will tell how our federal courts will address citizen suits to force regulation of all sources that emit GHGs in excess of the statutory thresholds. EPA indicated that it also would be developing an approach to regulate GHGs from hundreds of thousands of small operations, including farms and buildings. Read More

The regulation of greenhouse gasses and specifically carbon dioxide, could deal a devastating blow to American agriculture. And for what benefit?? Not only would it affect our ability to grow our food, it would unfairly target rural Americans who depend on affordable energy for transportation. If you have never been involved in the political process before, now is the time to start. Everyone needs to let their elected officials know that we aren’t willing to give away our sovereignty for a plan that won’t solve a problem that might not even exist.

Cattlemen Dealing With Many Issues

WINDMILL: Cattlemen bristle at EPA, USDA rules
By Jerry Lackey
Saturday, November 21, 2009

SAN ANGELO, Texas — An unbelievable number of issues confront not only the cattle business but agriculture as a whole, says Colin Woodall, vice president of government affairs for National Cattlemen’s Beef Association in Washington, D.C. But one of the biggest concerns is the Environmental Protection Agency’s dust rule.

“The EPA is proposing a tenfold reduction in the thresholds of what they call coarse particle matter, which is EPA talk for agricultural dust,” Woodall said in a recent interview during the 65th annual National Association of Farm Broadcasters convention.

“We’re talking about everything that comes out of the back of a cotton stripper or a combine (dust, leaves and harvest debris), cows that are milling around in the lot, even dust kicked up from pickup tires while driving down the ranch road,” Woodall said. “They would all be in violation of EPA’s clean air rules.” Read More

There certainly are many issues facing agriculture, and animal agriculture in particular. In my mind it highlights the need for producers to become involved in helping shape the solutions to these problems. It’s more important than ever to be active in an agriculture organization that represents your views. Your involvement can’t end there though, you need to be politically active as well by contacting your elected officials to share your thoughts and let them know how pending legislation might affect your ability to produce food and fiber. I was reminded again this weekend that politics is a contact sport. If you have been sitting on the sidelines, please suit up and get on the field!

Are You Telling Your Story?

Ranchers fight animal activists
Beef consumer study helps cattlemen tell their story, boost battered image
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press

PASCO, Wash. -- Tom Field doesn't mind if consumers think a little differently, so long as they're eating beef.

In the midst of a fragmented consumer market, Field, the producer education executive director of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, presented marketing measures the beef industry needs to take during the Washington Cattlemen's Association annual convention in Pasco, Wash.

Consumers are besieged by negative messages from animal activists, said Field, a Centennial, Colo., rancher.

However, the majority of consumers do not necessarily change their beef consumption behavior, an association study showed.

"(Our) enemies want to paint us into this realm of being these unfeeling, uncaring industrialists running a chemical company," Field said. "I say to every reporter, 'On our ranch, we would love being able to control just one variable.' We react to the market, the weather, policy and our urban development neighbors. We don't have control over nothing, except our attitudes."

Field recommended that the best tactic to battle negative campaigns is to personalize the industry, promoting an image of good people with a legacy of caring for their animals, the environment and their land.

"People want to hear your story," Field said. "It's the best story you have to tell." Read More

I know that some people may be getting tired of hearing that they need to go tell their story. But unfortunately, until everyone is out doing something, we have to keep emphasizing the importance of doing so. Now I know that some folks don’t think they have the opportunities to talk to our consumers. That’s simply not true. The best place to start is in your own local communities. Even in our rural communities, there are people that don’t understand how their food is grown. If that isn’t a big enough stage for you, then take your advocacy online and share with the entire world how you grow food and fiber. It doesn’t matter so much what you are doing, so long as you are doing something to advocate for agriculture. Our consumers are asking for this so let’s deliver it.

YPC Cattle Call Blog

Cattle producers take their thoughts to the Web
Young Producers' Council wants to energize the emerging generation
By TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press

The emerging generation of cattle producers is bringing the beef industry into the digital age.
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association's Young Producers' Council has launched a blog and Facebook page to get people from college to their mid-30s more involved in industry issues.

Cari Rincker, 29 and a Shelbyville, Ill., cattle producer and agriculture attorney who leads the council's public relations committee, said there are already more than 1,000 people linked to the Facebook page and a dozen contributors have signed up to blog.

"NCBA has more than 30,000 members and the average NCBA member is about 60 years old," Rincker said. "The goal of YPC is ultimately to get more young people involved with NCBA so they can help shape NCBA policies.

"Young people are certainly a big part of the beef industry, yet they seem to not have a lot of a voice right now," she said. "We're quickly becoming a social media world. The blogosphere is a great way for young beef producers to get their stories out to the public." Read More

It’s really exciting to see so more farmers and ranchers that realize the importance of taking the time to tell their story. Congratulations to Cari Rincker and the rest of YPC for putting this blog together. Not only is it good for our consumers to learn more about the beef industry, but it’s also good for those folks who are in the beef business to be reminded that there are young, passionate ranchers out there who are ready to take on the challenges of raising cattle and promoting their product in the 21st century.

Coalition For Conservation Through Ranching

Unique partnership promotes conservation
By Drovers news source Monday, September 14, 2009

A group of respected ranching and conservation organizations have come together to form a unique broad based coalition to enhance ranching practices that consider important conservation issues throughout the West. The Coalition for Conservation through Ranching is a new multi-stakeholder partnership between national conservation-minded groups that share an interest in promoting open space for ranching and healthy landscapes. The recently signed agreement marks the beginning of the unique relationship. Steering committee members of the coalition include the Public Lands Council (PLC), the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Family Farm Alliance (FFA) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Other organizations that have joined the coalition at this time are the American Farmland Trust, the American Forage and Grassland Council, the California Farm Bureau Federation, the Society for Rangeland Management, the Wild Sheep Foundation, and the Wilderness Society. The Bureau of Land Management serves as an advisor to the group.

“Cherished iconic western landscapes depend upon productive partnerships between ranchers and conservationists. The Coalition for Conservation through Ranching will promote solutions that will keep western landscapes healthy and in the process benefit working ranches, wildlife and other natural resources,” says Dan Grossman, Rocky Mountain Regional Director, EDF.

Read More

No matter what the anti-agriculture people say, farmers and ranchers make taking care of their land a top priority. No matter if they are growing crops or livestock they depend on their land as the foundation of everything they do. This new partnership is bringing together many different groups that all realize the importance of healthy land and I look forward to seeing the great work that they can no doubt accomplish.