The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is urging all producers, from the biggest to the smallest, to get engaged in the proposed Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) rule and make their voices heard.
“Every producer should be concerned because the trickle down effect from everything that’s going to result from this rule is going to impact the way we market cattle,” says NCBA vice president of government affairs Colin Woodall. “The only way that we can stop it, or try to change it, is if there is truly an outcry from producers across this country.”
Colin says it is important for producers to not only read the rule, but to understand the implications and interpretation of it. “We’ve got a lot of great summaries and talking points on our website (beefusa.org), we’ve got a big red box that has all the background information and tool kit that we’re using to inform our producers.”
NCBA also provides information on the website on how easy it is for producers to provide comments on the proposed rule, which can be done until November 22. In addition, there’s a video producers can watch where Colin explains the concerns that NCBA has and why they believe this rule will have a negative impact on the industry as a whole. “That’s why it’s so important to educate yourself, understand what the interpretation is, and then get engaged and deliver the message to this administration that real producers, boots on the ground ranchers, don’t want the government dictating what price they can get paid for their cattle,” Colin says.
Listen to or download my interview with Colin here: Colin Woodall Interview
NCBA will also be actively engaged in the upcoming USDA/DOJ public workshop on competition in the livestock industry in Ft. Collins, Colorado on August 27 and encourages producers to attend that if they are able. The agenda for the workshop includes several panels as well as three hours dedicated to public testimony which will be split into two sessions, one at mid-day and the other after the final panel.