The Environmental Protection Agency agreed with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and withdrew its proposed Livestock Reporting Rule late last week. Now, NCBA is hoping EPA will also agree on the dust standard. NCBA testified at an EPA hearing in Philadelphia Tuesday in opposition to any attempt to lower the coarse particulate matter (PM) standard as part of the …
Committee, Ag Leaders React to FARRM Bill
As Cindy already noted, it took nearly 15 hours, but members of the House Agriculture Committee were able to pass their version of the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act (FARRM) Bill. Committee Chair Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK) and Ranking Member Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN) praised the bipartisan legislation: “This is a balanced, reform-minded, fiscally responsible bill that underscores …
Egg Amendment is Top Priority for NCBA
As the amendments to the 2012 Farm Bill are piling up in the Senate, one of the more than 240 stands out as causing the most concern to many agricultural organizations, including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), and that is the rotten egg amendment. A “dangerous piece of legislation” is what NCBA calls amendment #2252, put forward by Senator …
Mary Geiger Moves To Kansas Dept. Of Agriculture
All I can say is congratulations to Mary Geiger who is starting a new phase of her career with the Kansas Department of Agriculture. Mary has been a bright spot in the communications department of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. (Plus, I dare say, she’s much better looking than Mike Deering!) So now what are we going to do Mike? …
NCBA Praised for Youth Labor Rule Efforts
In deciding not to pursue controversial youth labor regulations for agriculture, the Obama administration said it would work with rural stakeholders for safety education, specifically mentioning organizations such as the Farm Bureau, the NFU, FFA, and 4-H. But the livestock industry has been just as involved in the issue, if not more so, according to Congressman Denny Rehberg (R-MT). “I …
Victory for Kids in Agriculture
Agricultural organizations are pleased that the U.S. Labor Department has officially withdrawn proposed rules that would have prevented many young people from working on farms and ranches. “The Obama administration is firmly committed to promoting family farmers and respecting the rural way of life, especially the role that parents and other family members play in passing those traditions down through …
Rep. Sam Graves on Beltway Beef
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s latest “Beltway Beef” podcast features comments from Congressman Sam Graves (R-MO), who is also a farmer from Northwest Missouri, about a couple of important issues for agriculture – farm bill, the “death tax,” and government regulation. “It’s not really a farm bill, it’s a food policy bill,” said Rep. Graves. “It’s about the safest, most …
Senate Transportation Bill Includes Ag Provisions
By a vote of 74-22, the Senate has approved a highway transportation re-authorization bill that includes agricultural-related amendments passed Tuesday. The amendments include one by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) which will exempt drivers of farm vehicles from having to acquire a commercial driver’s license, and another by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) which will waive hours of service restrictions during harvest …
Beef’s Shrinking Environmental Footprint
Contrary to popular belief, eating beef is not bad for the environment and Dr. Jude Capper with the Department of Animal Sciences at Washington State University has the research to prove it. Jude talked about her findings to the media and during National Cattlemen’s Beef Association committee meetings at the recent Cattle Industry Convention in Nashville. “There’s a popular perception …
Keeping Beef Safer than Ever
American consumers have never had a safer supply of beef, but there’s always room for improvement, according to Dr. Guy Loneragan, professor of food safety and public health at Texas Tech University, At the recent Cattle Industry Convention in Nashville, Guy presented some of his recent research to committees of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). “Our research focuses on …