Cunningham. Dr. Tonya Amen has retired from NCBE and has taken a position with ABS. We are sad to see her go as she has done much for the Limousin breed in bringing about the BOLT system for EPDs and thank her for her service. Dr. Amen is being replaced by Dr. Samantha Cunningham. Samantha (Sam) Cunningham, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Animal Sciences at Colorado State University, where she teaches undergraduate Animal Science courses with an emphasis on hands-on learning and livestock experience. Sam currently coordinates the CSU Seedstock Program that involves students in the merchandising and management of the University’s Angus and Hereford cow herds. Students enrolled in the seedstock management and merchandising courses will spend time in the classroom analyzing with
data and marketing materials, time on the university’s teaching farm working with livestock, time in the field networking with producers and industry professionals, as well as working to plan and execute the CSU Annual Bull & Female Sale. These students are also eligible to participate on the CSU Seedstock Team, where they are involved in managing show cattle that are exhibited in The Yards during the National Western Stock Show, coordinating and managing a booth at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Annual Convention and Trade Show, working with the Colorado beef industry, as well as planning and executing an on-campus production sale each spring. Sam grew up on her family’s farming/ ranching operation in Western Nebraska, where the primary production focus at that time was purebred Gelbvieh seedstock with the integration of corn, wheat, and
NCBA
President’s Report By JERRY BOHN
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
Steadfast on the Road Ahead The road ahead seems daunting for producers right now, dealing with the challenging dynamic brought on by uncertainty in the market and black swan events, private property protection, tax issues, and weather. While cattlemen and women are the ultimate optimists, running our operations can sometimes feel like the ultimate gamble. We understand your challenges and concerns at NCBA, and we are steadfast, focused on the road ahead to protect our members’ interests in Washington, D.C. For the first time in what seems like a long time, I had the pleasure, as did my fellow NCBA officers, to attend several state affiliate conventions and summer meetings over the past month. While challenges and concerns are always
part of the discussion, I was encouraged by the positivity, appreciation for fellowship, and great discussions I heard throughout the country. Our friends in Florida were encouraged by NCBA’s work on transportation. Producers have to ship calves quite a distance to feedyards which is why NCBA worked hard to deliver much needed regulatory flexibility for livestock haulers. The addition of the backend 150 air-mile exemption from hours-of-service, crucial language pulled from the HAULS Act, was adopted into the larger Surface Transportation Investment Act of 2021 by a bipartisan vote. We strongly support efforts to give livestock haulers the flexibility they need to maintain the highest level of safety for drivers on the roads, transport livestock humanely, and ensure grocery stores remain stocked with beef. We will
hay production. Today, they continue to produce corn and hay, although the cowherd has taken a commercial focus. While at home, she showed cattle, sheep, and hogs and judged livestock in 4-H; and was very active in state and national junior Gelbvieh associations. A livestock judging career at Clarendon College and Texas Tech inspired her to pursue graduate degrees in Animal Breeding and Beef Production from Texas A&M. Following graduate school; she spent time working in industry managing data and registrations for a large seedstock producer in Texas. Prior to teaching at CSU, she was on faculty at Western Illinois University, where she taught Animal Sciences courses, managed an on-campus bull test, and coordinated the school’s beef cattle teaching herd. Since coming “home,” Sam has been able to play more of a contributing role
in her family’s operation and continues to be active in the agriculture and beef industries. We are excited to welcome Dr. Cunningham and begin our working relationship with her as we continue to improve our breed. Dr. Cunningham can be reached by email at Samantha@nalf. org or by phone at 979-220-5681. About the North American Limousin Foundation. The North American Limousin Foundation, headquartered in Englewood, Colo., provides programs and services, including the documentation of more than 25,000 head of cattle annually, for approximately 4,000 members and their commercial customers. The Limousin breed and Lim-Flex® hybrid offer industry leading growth and efficiency while being an ideal complement to British breeds. For more information about NALF, please visit www.nalf.org.
continue to work on transportation issues that will benefit producers across the country. Other issues discussed at events I attended focused on two topics: concern about President Biden’s America the Beautiful Plan and concerns with packing capacity and labor issues. Following the release of the administration’s preliminary report on their “Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful” plan to conserve 30 percent of lands and waters in the United States by the year 2030, NCBA convened regional forums to discuss the administration’s efforts and receive grassroots producer feedback. We continue to work with the administration in an effort to help guide its conservation work and to ensure these large frameworks recognize and incorporate the good things cattle producers already do. It’s also critical that we’re at the table to avoid any unintended consequences for our businesses, lands, waters, and communities. When looking at the continued challenges that plague the cattle market, we’re seeing additional dynamics come into play. The supply of fed cattle is greater than the available packing plant capacity, coupled with issues packers are having getting the full workforce to come to work every day. NCBA has several items in the works on the Hill to address processing capacity, and it’s my hope that the fed cattle supply is going to get closer in line with available hook space soon.
One of the caveats to that hope is the fact that we have quite a bit of drought in the western half of the country. I’ve heard from several producers that continued drought, especially in the West, is a serious concern, and we’ve already seen some increased cow liquidation in places like North Dakota. NCBA is hard at work addressing these items and won’t let up in the fight to ensure our members are represented. As we look ahead to the 2021 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show, I’m looking forward to seeing NCBA in action. This meeting is where our statenational partnership is most present, and it’s a goal of mine to continue to forge a strong bond between our state and national associations as we work to improve the business climate for U.S. cattle producers. We need our members to help guide the association as we work through these tough issues. In our businesses, most of us make decisions after considering all accessible information, and then we chart a course of action that we believe will be of greatest benefit to us as we go forward with our operations. That’s exactly what we accomplish with the state-national partnership and member driven grassroots policy process during the convention.
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