The U.S. House of Representatives Thursday passed the Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act, a diverse package of initiatives from meat packing plants to year round E15, despite opposition by the majority of Republicans. The final vote was 221-204, with seven Republicans siding with the majority and five Democrats voting against the bill. The act includes a package of ag-related …
USDA Announces Meat Supply Chain Actions
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack used an appearance before the Senate Agriculture Committee on Thursday to make a few announcements, including issuing a new Packers & Stockyards Act rulemaking, making available $200 Million to expand competition in meat processing, and investing $25 million in workforce training. Vilsack said the actions build on President Biden’s whole-of-government effort to promote competition in …
NCBA President Testifies on Cattle Market Policies
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association NCBA President Don Schiefelbein of Minnesota testified before a House Agriculture Committee hearing Wednesday on cattle market policy issues. Listen to Schiefelbein’s opening remarks here: (5:16) Wednesday’s hearing included a panel consisting of the CEOs of the four major meat packing companies – Cargill, Tyson, National Beef and JBS. The hearing was based on allegations that …
NCBA Opposes Mandate on Cattle Sales
Two bills designed to address transparency and oversight within cattle marketing were the subject of a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on Tuesday where the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association expressed opposition to a “government mandate on cattle sales.” The hearing was specifically on the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act sponsored by Sens. Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and …
House Ag Committee Hearing on State of the Livestock Industry
The House Agriculture Committee held a hearing Thursday to address the current state of the livestock industry, meat processing, production and supply. Among the witnesses testifying were Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Vice President Todd Wilkinson of South Dakota, and François Léger of FPL Food, on behalf of the North American Meat …
2021 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Tradeshow
The 2021 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show is tuning in to Tennessee August 10-12 in Nashville. #CattleCon21 is THE event for anyone in the cattle business! The Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show is agriculture’s premier event where thousands of cattlemen and women gather for three days of education, fellowship, networking, business, and a whole lot of …
Hearing Focuses on State of Beef Supply Chain
The U.S. House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture held a hearing Wednesday to examine how to address challenges within the beef supply chain during which several members of Congress echoed the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA) longstanding call to expand processing capacity. Ranking Member Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) recently introduced the Butcher Block Act, a bipartisan bill that …
Rep. Randy Feenstra is Passionate About Biofuels
Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA) is new to Congress this year, winning the seat from Rep. Steve King in Iowa’s 4th congressional district. That district includes includes Sioux City, Ames, Mason City, Fort Dodge, Boone and Carroll so agriculture and biofuels are a big deal for Feenstra. In this interview with Tony St. James of Texas, Rep. Feenstra talks about biofuels …
Senate Hearing Examines Cattle Markets
The Senate Committee on Agriculture held a hearing Wednesday on “Examining Markets, Transparency, and Prices from Cattle Producer to Consumer” to address a wide range of issues, including the urgent need for robust price discovery and differing industry views on how to achieve it, greater market transparency and oversight, and expanded beef processing capacity. Among the witnesses was Mark Gardiner, …
Sen. Thune on Aid for Agriculture and Biofuels in COVID Relief Bill
The new COVID relief package passed by Congress this week includes help for agricultural and biofuels producers excluded from previous aid legislation. Sen. John Thune (R-SD) says relief includes the Paycheck Protection Program for Producers Act, assistance for livestock and poultry producers who were forced to euthanize animals during the initial wave of the pandemic, and biofuels producers are now …
Conservation Goals Unite Livestock and Sporting Groups
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the Public Lands Council (PLC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Monday with Ducks Unlimited (DU) and Safari Club International (SCI) with a commitment to conservation of natural resources through sustainable multiple use. The MOU outlines these groups’ efforts to cultivate healthier ecosystems, wildlife populations, and economies through active management. Hunting, fishing, and …
Fed Cattle Exchange Acquired by Central Stockyards, LLC
The Fed Cattle Exchange, the only weekly fed cattle online auction for the cattle industry, has been acquired by Central Stockyards, LLC from 5150 Productions Company, LLC. Since 2016 the Fed Cattle Exchange has provided the cattle industry with weekly, cost-effective cattle auctions that provide a platform for price discovery through competitive bidding. The prices determined in the weekly auctions …
2020 Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting
The Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting features meetings of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion & Research Board, American National CattleWomen, Inc. and the National Cattlemen’s Foundation. The cattle industry comes together twice a year to discuss current issues as a group, to work on programs and initiatives, and to set the course we should take with our …
Pork Producers Facing $5 Billion in Losses
With an estimated two million hogs still backed-up on farms, the nation’s pork producers are facing $5 billion in losses and the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) is urging Congress to act swiftly to preserve their livelihoods. According to an analysis by Dr. Steve Meyer, an economist with Kerns & Associates, based on lean hog futures prices on March 1 …
NCBA Urges Steps to Maintain Beef Supply
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is working to maintain an adequate supply of beef for U.S. consumers during the current COVID-19 outbreak. NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane says they have taken a number of steps to help protect the value chain, starting with sending a request to Vice President Mike Pence for assurance that meat inspection …