Category Archives: NCBA Convention

NCBA Committee Considers Cattle Health Issues

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Government activities that affect cattle producers and cattle health were among the topics discussed at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Cattle Health and Well-Being Policy Committee Friday at the Cattle Industry Convention in Denver.

Committee chairman Tom Talbot, a veterinarian and cow-calf operator from California, says the committee’s objective is to provide guidance and develop policy to ensure cattle health and well-being issues are addressed in an efficient and effective manner to maintain the health and quality care of cattle; and to provide consumers consistent, high quality, safe and wholesome beef. “The majority of things that we talk about are things that affect each and every producer across the United States,” he said.

During Friday’s meeting, Devin Koontz, with the Food and Drug Administration’s district office in Denver, updated the committee on the FDA’s draft guidance on antimicrobial resistance. Brian McCluskey, western region director of APHIS’ Veterinary Services, was on hand to provide an update from APHIS.

The committee also heard about herd health management from Dr. Dan Thomson of Kansas State University, and Dr. Guy Longeragan from Texas Tech University gave an update on the current state of the science regarding pre-harvest tools. Read more about the meeting here.

“Obviously, animal health, food safety and animal welfare all come under cattle health,” Tom said. “We want the consumer to know that we do our best to make sure that the product comes out at the end is extremely healthy and safe and has been handled well its entire life.” Tom is pictured here with NCBA staff veterinarian Dr. Elizabeth Parker.

Listen or download my interview with Tom here: Interview with Tom Talbot

2011 Cattle Industry Convention Photos

See more coverage on BeltwayBeef.org.

NCBA PAC Auction Raises $50,000

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Karl Rove helped the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association raise more than $50,000 for the organization’s Political Action Committee (PAC) during the Thursday general session.

In addition to several great packages already on the auction list, Rove donated a vacation at his personal Florida panhandle property – which ultimately sold for almost $10,000.

During his address just prior to the auction, the former White House advisor mentioned the importance of the political action committee for a policy organization like NCBA that is working daily for the interests of cattle producers in the nation’s capitol. “You want to have a role, you want to have a voice, you want to have an influence in making our country what you want it to be,” Rove said. “The first thing you ought to do is you ought to write a check to the PAC.”

Thanks to Karl’s generous contribution and NCBA Communications Director Mike Deering’s enthusiastic auctioneering, the PAC has a few more dollars for lobbying efforts on behalf of the cattle industry in Washington. If you want to help, contributions to the PAC can now be made on-line.

Watch Mike the auctioneer at work here:

NCBA CEO Says Industry is Optimistic

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National Cattlemen’s Beef Association CEO Forrest Roberts is thrilled at the turnout at this week’s Cattle Industry Convention, which was exceptional even without considering the bad weather.

“We started the week with expectations that we would set a record for attendance over the past ten years,” Forrest said. “We had a little bit of a scare with Mother Nature with some bad weather across the entire US, but we’re right at about 6,000 cattlemen that have come into Denver with a real focused effort to make good business decisions for this industry.”

Forrest says the producers have come together with a sense of optimism. “We’ve obviously had good levels of profit throughout just about every segment of the beef industry and that’s not a situation we’ve ever had. So when you seen that type of an opportunity, you tend to see people come into it with their spirits high, despite the weather.”

Forrest talked about the beef industry long range plan and how NCBA hopes to implement those long term goals.

Listen or download my interview with Forrest here: Interview with Forrest Roberts

2011 Cattle Industry Convention Photos

See more coverage on BeltwayBeef.org.

NCBA Live Cattle Marketing Issues

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The proposed GIPSA regulations and the impact of the recent Eastern Livestock bankruptcy case were the top issues on the agenda for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Live Cattle Marketing Committee meeting today.

Allie Devine, VP & General Counsel for the Kansas Livestock Association, gave an update on both at the meeting. While the outcome of GIPSA is still up in the air, Allie says there are lessons cattle producers can learn now from the Eastern Livestock bankruptcy situation.

“I would tell any cattle producer today, there’s nothing wrong with writing contracts, they’re not hard,” she told me. However, she acknowledges that goes against the grain of the people in this business. “The handshake is the hallmark of the cattle industry,” she said. “For the vast majority of them, they’re honest and hardworking and their word is their honor.”

“It’s tough, but when we’re talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars, it’s better to put it in writing,” Allie advises.

Listen or download my interview with Allie here: Interview with Allie Devine

2011 Cattle Industry Convention Photos

See more coverage on BeltwayBeef.org.

CattleFax Outlook at Cattle Industry Convention

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It was a full house for the CattleFax Annual Outlook Seminar this morning in Denver, showing how important future trends in weather, prices, grain markets and exports are to members of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

According to CattleFax market analyst Brett Stuart, global beef demand is increasing alongside tighter world beef supplies.

“2011 will be the fourth consecutive year of global beef production declines,” said Stuart. “This will not correct quickly. We will see very tight supplies moving forward.”

A major contributing factor to increasing demand comes from outside the borders of the United States. Stuart said business in the international marketplace is growing quickly as improvements to infrastructure and logistics are made. Beef exports are witnessing substantial growth with 75 percent of all U.S. beef exports going to Mexico, Canada, South Korea, Japan and Vietnam.

“Korea is very aggressively buying beef from the United States,” said Stuart, adding that the foot and mouth disease issue is causing substantial reductions in Korea’s domestic meat supplies. “Last week we had outstanding sales to Korea at 24,000 tons, which is up from 9,000 tons a year ago.”

Stuart projects the increasing demand from outside the United States will continue the upward trend. He suggested an 8 percent to 10 percent increase in U.S. beef exports in 2011 compared to last year. He said it could even surpass his expectation.

“I am not saying exports will be up 18 percent (from 2010), but I’m not saying they won’t be,” he said.

Listen or download Stuart’s presentation here: CattleFax's Brett Stuart

2011 Cattle Industry Convention Photos

See more coverage on BeltwayBeef.org.

NCBA Outlines Long Range Plan

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Members of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Long Range Plan Task Force unveiled the core strategies and goals for the industry going forward.

I talked with task force member Homer Buell of Shovel Dot Ranch in Nebraska about some of the six core areas – improving domestic consumer preference for beef, global growth opportunities, strengthening the image of beef, protecting the freedom to operate, improving industry trust and positioning the cow herd for growth.

“We developed a three year plan.” said Homer. “We really wanted to set out a vision, a mission, and then locked together six core strategies to make that happen and as we move forward, if the things in our plan can be made to happen, then we can continue to have success.”

The vision statement is, “An industry united around a common goal of being the world’s most trusted and preferred source of beef and beef products” and the mission statement is “To provide the safest, highest quality, most consumer-friendly beef and beef products in an environmentally and economically sustainable manner.”

Listen or download my interview with Homer here: Interview with Homer Buell

2011 Cattle Industry Convention Photos

See more coverage on BeltwayBeef.org.

NCBA Stewardship Awards Celebrate 20 Years

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The 20th annual national Environmental Stewardship Award (ESA) winner was announced Thursday night during the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association tailgate party held at the Denver Broncos football stadium.

The seven regional award winners were honored during a reception where they all received specially commissioned bronze sculptures by artist Vern Friesen of Nebraska, courtesy of sponsor Dow AgroSciences. The national winner was Couser Cattle Company of Nevada, Iowa – represented here by Bill and Nancy Couser. They received another special bronze for being the best in the country.

The awards are also sponsored by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Since the ESA program began in 1991, nearly 130 cattle operations in 33 states have been recognized for outstanding environmental stewardship. The 20 year milestone of the program is being marked by a special video presentation that will be aired on NCBA’s Cattlemen to Cattlemen program this summer.

BTW, we did a post about the Couser Cattle Company last year when they hosted a tour of the operation as part of the TATT Global Farmer to Farmer Roundtable.

Listen or download my interview with Bill here: Interview with Bill Couser

2011 Cattle Industry Convention Photos

See more coverage on BeltwayBeef.org.

First Ever NCBA Communications Awards

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The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association inaugurated some new awards this year for excellence in agricultural communications and journalism.

The Excellence in Agricultural Communications awards were presented to an outstanding state beef association communicator and to a state breed communicator. The winners were Eric Grant of the American Angus Association (pictured on the right with Mike Deering and Mary Geiger of the NCBA Communications Staff) and Jaime King from the Ohio Cattlemen’s, who was not present.

There were over 90 nominations from state associations for the first Excellence in Ag Journalism. The winner this year, picked by a panel, Ron Hays of the Radio Oklahoma Network (RON).

That’s me with Mike and Ron in the second photo. ZimmComm was proud to be the sponsor of these new awards, which included traveling plaques and gift certificates for ZimmComm services for the organization awards, as well as $100 in cash for the ag journalist award. Congrats to all and thanks to NCBA for starting this award to honor excellence in ag media and communications.


2011 Cattle Industry Convention Photos

See more coverage on BeltwayBeef.org.

NCBA President Reflects on 2010

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Steve Foglesong of Illinois has just a couple more days as president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and I spent a few minutes with him today reflecting on his year as the head of the organizations.

When it came to over-reaching government regulation, Steve said, “It was non-stop, one issue after another” but, he is pleased that NCBA was successful in getting some of those things changed or stopped.

GIPSA was the biggest regulatory issue that NCBA faced in 2010, and while a final decision has not yet been made, Steve is happy the Secretary of Agriculture has now ordered a full economic analysis of the proposed rule. “And they’re going to take their time and do that job right.”

After so many struggles in 2010, Steve said it was strange that the year ended with a victory that meant a great deal to the cattle industry – two years of death tax relief in the lame duck session of Congress. But, he notes that the industry will still be “looking for a full repeal.”

Listen or download my interview with Steve here: NCBA president Steve Foglesong

2011 Cattle Industry Convention Photos

See more coverage on BeltwayBeef.org.

Karl Rove at Cattle Industry Meeting

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Addressing about 5,000 cattle industry members from around the country Thursday morning, the man who served President George W. Bush in the White House gave a nice, if somewhat backhanded, compliment to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. “This is one damn confident organization to have a man with a ponytail coming in as your president,” said Karl Rove, referring to Montana cattleman Bill Donald, NCBA president-elect.

Rove, who served as Senior White House Advisor under Bush and is now a Fox New contributor, talked about a number of policy issues important to cattle producers, starting with international trade. “We gotta find ways to take what we grow and produce and manufacture and create and sell them all around the world because America can compete anywhere in the world as long as the rules are fair and the playing field is level,” he said.

Listen or download all of Rove’s remarks here: Karl Rove Remarks at NCBA

2011 Cattle Industry Convention Photos

See more coverage on BeltwayBeef.org.

NCBA President-Elect Stresses Working Together

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The pony-tailed president-elect of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association took a little good-natured ribbing from former White House advisor Karl Rove this morning for his hairstyle, but he also poked a little fun at himself during his address to the thousands of cattle industry members.

“I am the first president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association to be on Facebook,” said Bill, noting that he had to come up with some of his favorite quotes for his profile. They are “If you don’t think too good, don’t think too much” and “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing.”

Getting more serious, Bill stressed the importance of the industry working together. “We’re a diverse outfit, we cover every segment of the industry, and I don’t apologize to anybody about that,” he said. “Yeah, we’ve got packers who serve on the board of this outfit. And we’ve got retailers and we have importers and cow-calf guys and stocker guys and feedlot operators. Because that’s what it takes for all of us to be profitable is all of us to be in the same room working on the same issues.”

Bill used a painting by Montana artist David Hodges to illustrate teamwork in the beef cattle industry. That painting is pictured here. Among other things, Bill drew attention to the freight wagon going up the hill on the high road. “We get a lot of challenges, a lot of groups and individuals that can say a lot of nasty things about us,” he said. “We’re gonna stay on the high road.”

Listen to Bill’s remarks here: NCBA Bill Donald Remarks


2011 Cattle Industry Convention Photos

See more coverage on BeltwayBeef.org.

First Look At Beef Industry Long-Range Plan

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A draft version of the Beef Industry Long-Range Plan 2011-2013 has been presented here at the Cattle Industry Convention. It will be discussed and refined I’m sure. The hope is that it will be adopted in a final version by the end of this meeting so work can get started on the 3 year plan.

To get an idea of what it has taken to get the plan put together and what’s in it I spoke with Long Range Plan Task Force Member Charlie Mostek, Tyson. Thanks to Rod Smith, Feedstuffs, for snapping a photo while I was doing the interview.

Charlie is one of 23 members on the task force which is made up of a variety of industry organizations. He says that makes it unique. Also making it unique is the fact that it’s a three year plan instead of five as has been done in the past. This effort is an outgrowth of work that had already been done by NCBA, Beef Board and Federation of State Beef Councils.

One of the things that struck me in looking at published notes on the draft is this from the Vision statement, “An industry united around a common goal . . . ” The plan lays out some specific target goals like increasing the value of exports 25% per head. Charlie says that their will be a focus on measurement. So we’ll see what the joint board of directors does on Saturday. You can listen to my interview with Charlie here: Interview With Charlie Mostek


2011 Cattle Industry Convention Photos

See more coverage on BeltwayBeef.org.

Let the Cattle Convention Coverage Begin

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We are here in the Mile High City at last for the 2011 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show. Despite all the weather issues this week, attendance looks to be pretty good for this annual meeting of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

The media room is filled with all the usual suspects and from what we have heard, most everyone who planned to make it here did. Everyone is getting ready for the second general session to start here shortly, with the main attraction being former White House advisor Karl Rove.

Past NAFB president Greg Akagi (WIBW-Kansas Ag Network) had the opportunity to interview Rove yesterday, so here is a little preview of what the cattle industry will be hearing this morning.

Greg Akagi Interviews Karl Rove

Got a couple of photos uploaded this morning, lots more to come!

2011 Cattle Industry Convention Photos

See more coverage on BeltwayBeef.org.

Cattle Industry Convention Kicks Off

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We’re still on our way there, but about 5,000 cattle producers were in Denver for the opening of the 2011 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show on Wednesday, according to Mike Deering with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Mike has been busy live streaming, tweeting (@beltwaybeef), taking photos, posting to beltwaybeef.com and sending out news releases from the event. He tweeted this photo of NCBA president Steve Foglesong at the opening general session.

Foglesong advised the attendees to reflect on 2010 successes but focus on possibilities for 2011.

“Your NCBA didn’t waver to the critics or this administration’s regulatory rollercoaster ride. We buckled down and took them on, which resulted in several wins for U.S. cattlemen. You ladies and gentlemen sat high in the saddle and worked with your NCBA to aggressively defend this industry,” said Foglesong. “The success stories go on and on. As you set forth policy positions this week, I am confident the success stories will continue in 2011. We will go do battle again and again with forces that are aligned against us and our commonsense approach will win again”

Foglesong said the Obama administration’s “regulatory rollercoaster ride” is unprecedented and has the potential to devastate rural America. However, he is hopeful President Obama will carry through with a thorough regulatory review to rein in the Environmental Protection Agency, the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration and other government agencies from regulating farmers and ranchers out of business. Foglesong said NCBA’s pressure on the administration to eliminate burdensome, costly and scientifically unfounded regulations assisted in the President’s decision to conduct the review.

Hopefully, your beef blogging team will be on site in time for the rest of the convention tomorrow.

Largest-ever Beef Donation in Colorado

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It’s easy to think that in the land of the plenty, everyone has consistent access to high-quality, nourishing foods, like beef. However, according to the USDA, in 2009, more than 50 million Americans were food insecure and did not have consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle.

Today, in conjunction with the largest gathering of the nation’s cattlemen and women for their annual meeting in Denver, Greeley-based JBS USA – the world’s largest animal protein processor – and cattle farmers and ranchers from around the country made the largest-ever donation and delivery of 16,000 pounds of beef to Colorado’s Feeding America Food Banks, drawing attention to the very serious issue of food insecurity right here in our own communities.

High-quality and nutritionally efficient foods, such as beef, are important to help meet daily nutritional requirements. One, three-ounce serving of lean beef provides 10 essential nutrients, including protein and B vitamins. Iron and zinc deficiencies are common worldwide and beef is a good source of iron and an excellent source of zinc.

By continuing to innovate and advance what they do, the entire beef industry is able to work together to provide nutritious food to feed a growing population around the world.

Beef Ambassadors Blogging

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National Beef AmbassadorsIf I can get to Denver in time I hope to meet and interview our National Beef Ambassadors. They’re pictured here with Daren Williams, Masters of Beef Advocacy Program. I took the photo from the Beef Ambassadors Blog, sponsored by ZimmComm New Media! The new ambassadors are starting to post on it. Here’s what Austin Joyce had to say:

Howdy,

My name is Austin Joyce and I am a Freshman Ag Business major from Pearland, Texas and a loud and proud member of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Class of 2014! I can’t elaborate enough on how honored and excited I am to be a member of the 2011 Beef Ambassador Team! This year holds alot in store for us and I am looking forward to meeting many new people in our industry. This is a once in a lifetime oppurtunity and I am ready for the challenge and excitiement that is to come. I am writing this blog from the 2011 NCBA Cattle Industry Meeting in Denver. If you haven’t had an oppurtunity to attend this event I encourage you to at least once. It is a wonderful convention and a great way to meet people in our industry. Also, if you haven’t already, sign up for the Master of Beef Advocacy Course (MBA). It will give you insight into our industry and allow you to be a better beef advocate!

Thanks and Gig’em,

Austin

Agwired Cattle Convention Coverage Delayed

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It looks like the 2011 Cattle Industry Annual Convention & NCBA Trade Show will be officially kicking off on Wednesday without us, although we are still trying to get there.

I know we are not alone, there are lots of cattlemen and women across the country who are having problems getting to Denver for the big event this week, but it’s still frustrating. Our original flight was scheduled for today (Tuesday) and although we tried to beat the storm by rescheduling for early Monday evening, our flight was canceled after we arrived in Kansas City. We made the drive through freezing rain to and from KC airport safely and re-booked for Wednesday afternoon, wishfully thinking that the worst would be over by then. Apparently, not so much. Our 1:30 pm flight has already been canceled.

Sooo, we are now re-scheduling on a different airline to try and get in late and still be there for all of Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We can only hope. At this point, however, we will definitely miss the Cattlemen’s College, opening general session and Trade Show Welcome Reception.

We are determined to make it there yet so that we can still bring coverage to others who may still not be able to get there, so stay tuned!

NCBA Sets Policy Priorities for Convention

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The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) has set it’s 2011 policy priorities in preparation for the upcoming Cattle Industry Convention being held Feb. 2-5 in Denver.

According to NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Colin Woodall, they identified five major priorities for the organization that will be discussed in great detail during the annual meeting – trade, transportation, environment, competition, and healthy herd – cattle and consumers. Woodall says the overall theme for 2011 is sustainability. “The days of allowing others to define sustainability for this industry are over,” Woodall. “We will discuss these five priorities at the upcoming convention and determine how we can develop policies that ultimately sustain the future of this industry for generations to come. Our five priorities are critical to sustainability, profitability and longevity of the beef industry.”

There is still time to register for the meeting, if you have not done so yet. There are dozens of good reasons for anyone in the cattle industry to be there, from educational sessions to entertainment. The 18th annual Cattlemen’s College, sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health, offers 20 sessions that cover all aspects of cattle production and marketing. To address today’s challenging industry environment, the 2011 curriculum will focus on three primary tracks:

* Technology Track – focus on Genomics and Reproductive Management
* External Forces Track – focus on Consumer and Environmental Issues
* Business Management Track – focus on Risk and Business Management

Lots of serious business will be done, but Friday night is reserved for laughs at the Cowboy Comedy Club featuring Larry the Cable Guy, sponsored by Bayer Animal Health. There’s lots more – information and registration details can be found here. Hope to see you there!

Blog Training With National Beef Ambassadors

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Ambassadors I spent the morning with the 2010 National Beef Ambassador Team (pictured LR: Ellen Hoffschneider, Neb.; Malorie Bankhead, Cali.; Mandy-Jo Laurent, Tex.; Rebecca Vraspir, Wyo.; and Jackson Alexander, Okla.) The morning was spent in a social media training workshop, where I helped to equip the ambassadors with the tools they need to write an effective blog post to share the positive agriculture story with consumers.

At the conclusion of the workshop, I had the opportunity to interview the ambassadors about their year, and why they believe they are the best team to represent America’s beef cattle producers. These are the best and brightest in the industry, and they certainly do a great job. Be sure to follow their blog. They are pros now!

You can listen to my interview with the Ambassadors here:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

NCBA’s New Youth Focus

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grosetaandy5b15d_lg_vert1After spending a week at the 2009 Cattle Industry Convention, I’m pretty excited about the new focus on the youth in agriculture. 2008 NCBA President Andy Groseta was incredibly driven to invest in the cattle industry’s youth, and he accomplished those goals in three ways: NCBA’s Young Producers Council (YPC) and NCBA Youth Public Speaking Contest and the Team Marketing Contest.

The average age of an NCBA member is 60 years old, and Groseta thinks now is the time to engage in the beef industry and make an investment in the future of this industry. During the YPC meeting, Dustin Dean from Texas was named as the chairman, and Steve Yardley from Utah was elected the vice chairman. Committee chairs were elected for various positions to sit in during meetings and serve as YPC’s vote. Without a doubt, the meeting was charged with energy and passion as young people stood up to give speeches. There is a definite need for a voice in this generation, and I think NCBA nailed it right on the head with this one.

In addition, the public speaking and team marketing contests were a great way to take advantage of our generation’s competitive edge. 18 contestants, ages 9-19 were involved in the speaking portion. I listened in on the 10 and under division of the public speaking contest, and I was thoroughly impressed with the topics including: the benefits of the beef checkoff, antibiotics, downer cattle and the life of a rancher. One little boy from New Mexico got up and said, “The best part in the life of the rancher is riding in the pastures with my dad; the worst part is scooping all the crap.” Too cute for words!

My hat goes off to the NCBA leadership for investing in agriculture’s youth. Congrats to the young people for taking part in these growing organizations and contests.