TRANSCRIPTION:
Russell Nemetz: Well, an important issue for cattle producers has been increasing competition and market transparency.
And this week the USDA launched the cattle contract library pilot program designed to help provide new disclosure to the industry and public regarding the key terms, conditions and volumes under which cattle are contracted.
Here at the cattle industry convention in New Orleans. NCBA, Senior Director of Government Affairs Tanner Beymer talked with me about their efforts to get cattle producers more information and help them be more profitable.
Tanner Beymer: Essentially, what that library does is it allows producers to see the types of contracts that are offered by packers to cattle feeders for the procurement of fed cattle.
And ultimately, that will allow them to look at some of the options that are out there and say, hey, you know, my cattle meet the qualifications and standards for this particular program. And I see that that program gets a premium, when it comes time to sell to the packer.
Maybe that’s something that I want to take the time and enroll in so that I can get that extra dollar for those higher quality cattle that I’m raising any more information to put out there into the marketplace is powerful for producers in the right hands. And we’ve been very pleased to see it.
Nemetz: Now a lot of ranchers in the West continue to utilize public lands for grazing and NCBA. Federal Lands Committee Chairman Jim Hellyer, from Wyoming says that they’re working hard to make sure that continues.
Jim Hellyer: We all want a successful range program. A successful range program is something that shares obviously, you have a permittee agency relationship, all working towards functioning, functioning systems, good grass, clean water. And of course, a relationship between between the regulated and the regulator.
Nemetz: Wild bison are also being talked about here in New Orleans this week, as the Montana Stockgrowers Association hopes to bring more attention to their lawsuit involving the BLM and the American prairie reserve in north central Montana.
John Grande: We’re involved in an appeal on that because it is so we feel I blatantly disregarded the Taylor Grazing Act and as well as other laws in in allowing those allotments be changed over to species that are that are not production livestock, and at the same time doing things that go against 100 years worth of good resource management. And they’re not the best for the resource and and the good grazing management. So so we’re really here to ask people to help us out without appeal and let them know that this is an issue that potentially affects everybody in the country.
Nemetz: It’s the cattle industry convention and NCBA trade show here in New Orleans. For more of our coverage, please visit us online at Western ag network.com Or check us out on Facebook, and Instagram.
That’s a look at your farm and ranch news. Have a great day
