125 Years of the “Association of Associations”

As you look south out of the windows of NCBA’s headquarters office in Centennial, Colorado, you see a lot of rooftops. Those rooftops, however, sit on land that was once the ranch of John W. Springer. In the late 1800s, Springer was a rancher and member of the Livestock Committee of the Denver Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade who was keenly aware of the challenges facing livestock producers across the United States. He understood the importance of a national voice to address issues such as range wars, cattle diseases, railroad monopolies, the packer trust, and the U.S. Government. As a result, he and the Denver Chamber envisioned a permanent national association that would be an “association of associations” in its representation of livestock of all types. From January 25-27 of 1898, 1,185 delegates came to attend the National Stock Growers Convention in Denver.

At the opening session of the convention, J.G. McCoy of Kansas exclaimed, “organize or perish.” The hook was set, and the National Live Stock Association of the U.S. was formed, with John Springer selected as president. The first state to join was the Colorado Stock Growers Association, now the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, followed by the Cattle Raisers Association of Texas, now the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. The association has had many names over the years. In 1906, the name was changed to the American National Live Stock Association. From 1952 to 1977, we were known as the American National Cattlemen’s Association before the name evolved to the National Cattlemen’s Association. After the merger with the Beef Industry Council of the National Live Stock and Meat Board, we became known as the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association in 1996.

While the name of the association has changed over the years, the issues remain familiar. In his inaugural address, Springer talked about the need to improve the way cattle were raised by stating, “Under our new methods of raising livestock we can lay down as our chief axiom, take care of your livestock and your livestock will take care of you.” NCBA’s work in managing and implementing the Checkoff funded Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program is a direct result of that commitment made in 1898. He went on to state that the second axiom would be “breed the best in every class and you will own better farms, better barns, better homes...” Once again, the association set the stage for the decades of work that has been done to improve the quality of cattle and the beef eating experience. Springer referred to the association as being a “new regime” that would allow the industry to prosper as never before.

When it came to the Federal government, Springer’s comments on laws meant to provide “…the least amount of governmental interference compatible with the public good” and that “we need to be largely left alone, from a legislative standpoint…” resonate with NCBA’s position today of working to keep the government out of your business. They talked of “the stamping out of contagious diseases,” much like we are talking about our Farm Bill priority of continued funding for the Foot-andMouth Disease (FMD) vaccine bank. They talked of rail transportation issues, much like we are working on maintaining our ELD exemption, expanding hours of service, and trying to increase truck weights and lengths. They mentioned the need for trade and of our ability in “feeding millions of consumers beyond the seas.” Even in 1898, our work to protect livestock access to federal lands was at the forefront of the issues discussed.

As I have read the transcripts of the early National Live Stock Association’s meetings and the history of our association in Charles Ball’s book Building The Beef Industry, I remain amazed at the ability of cattle producers to come together and build an organization that has stood the test of time. It was no easy feat, and the issues we have confronted throughout the past 125 years have tested every seam of this association. I believe the issues we must confront over the next 125 years will be even more challenging. Can we make it 250 years? The foundation is solid, but we will have to fight every day to stay on the land and keep beef in the center of the plate.

Springer said, “The men, or set of men, who are continually looking backward for inspiration; who are chuck full of calamity forebodings; who thrive on opposition to any and all measures; who are constantly quoting ancient history, are not fit to lead progressive, enterprising, 20th century Americans.”

I believe his words are as applicable today as they were in 1898, and keeping them in mind will help ensure that those attending the 2148 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show will equally admire what we are doing today.