AgWired

A lot of discussion in the cattle industry today is about issues relating to widespread drought. Bill Nutt, Chair of the Emerging Cattle Health Research and Issues Working Group that met during the Cattle Industry Summer Conference, is a producer from Georgia who has not escaped the consequences of the drought. While drought can cause problems with your herd, there are other health issues affecting herds across the country.

Many not not know, but herds across the country are at the lowest level they’ve been since the 1940s. “We keep looking for the expansion of the herd but not many of us are willing to stick our neck out and expand the herds in the face of continued uncertainty about drought, fuel prices and all the other things that have been occupying the attention of the country and the world perhaps in the last few weeks in Washington,” said Nutt. But he does expect herd size to expand over the next few years.

However, the focal point of the committee meeting was to discuss some disease areas of current concern and emerging concern. “We’re not prognosticators but we’re trying to look ahead and see what are we seeing now that we didn’t see in the past,” said Nutt. “Let’s get it out on the table so that the members of our committee and all of the producers that are looking to us and depending on us to keep our eyes open and give them some heads up on that.”

Two diseases that took center stage during the meeting was BVD, or bovine viral diarrhea, and this is of such concern that the committee spun out an additional working group to spend more time focuses on the issue and researching treatments. A second disease of concern is Trichomonas, a disease that Nutt says has been around for a long, long time but recently is starting to come out and cause problems.

The work of the committee comes out in the form of creating and circulating information to NCBA members about the issues that have a bearing on their business. Prior to the conference next February in Nashville, the committee will continue working and during the conference will set policy directions and plan for the future.

Listen to my interview with Bill Nutt here: Bill Nutt Interview

Photos from the conference will be posted to this photo album: 2011 Cattle Industry Summer Conference Photo Album. Check it often as we add to it over the next several days.

Our leaders in Washington might be on a month-long recess during August, but upon their return discussion about the 2012 Farm Bill will be in full swing. Therefore a priority during the Cattle Industry Summer Conference 2011 is to create the policy directives that best represent its National Cattleman’s Beef Association (NCBA) members – cattle producers.

Colin Woodall, vice president, government affairs for NCBA, said that this is really their business meeting and this is time they get together and talk a lot about the hot topics in the industry. It is also the time they make sure NCBA’s policy is in place to cover all issues and ensure they can engage accordingly.

“It really is probably the best part of NCBA because this is truly a grassroots opportunity for every member of NCBA to come in and cast a vote on how they think our policy should be set up,” said Woodall.

One of the hottest topics relates to NCBA’s Farm Bill Guiding Principles. Woodall said they need to make sure they have everything they need to engage in the field hearings in Washington D.C. They are in the process of putting words on paper so they need to make sure they understand where their members want them to be on conservation programs, disaster assistance, research and overall government payments.

“So we’re going to do that today in our agricultural policy committee,” said Woodall. “We have a three page document we’re working from and we’re really excited about the opportunity to really discuss where NCBA and the cattle industry needs to be in regards to probably the most important Farm Bill we’ve ever had just given the overall budget nature of the federal government right now.”

The next step is to refine the Farm Bill Guiding Principles and vote on them during NCBA’s conference in Nashville next February. Yet in the interim, NCBA will be taking an active role in making sure the needs of the cattle industry are well heard, understood and represented on the Hill.

Listen to my interview with Colin Woodall here: NCBA Farm Bill Guiding Principles

Photos from the conference will be posted to this photo album: 2011 Cattle Industry Summer Conference Photo Album. Check it often as we add to it over the next several days.