CATTLEMEN GATHERED IN NEW ORLEANS FOR THE CATTLE INDUSTRY CONVENTION AND TRADESHOW

Nearly 7,000 cattle producers, industry partners and stakeholders recently gathered in New Orleans for the 2023 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show. The convention, the largest in the beef industry, offered education, engagement and entertainment.

This year’s event kicked off with Franki Moscato, winner of the 10th Annual NCBA National Anthem Contest, singing the “Star-Spangled Banner.” Buzz Brainard, host of Music Row Happy Hour, returned as convention emcee and introduced surprise guest Archie Manning, patriarch of a professional football legacy and former quarterback of the New Orleans Saints. And “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan joined remotely to welcome cattlemen and women from across the country.

Convention participants gained insights on market trends and weather forecasts during the CattleFax Outlook Seminar, learned about the industry’s commitment to protecting environmental resources, supporting communities and creating an economically viable future during the Sustainability Forum, and heard an update on the beef business climate in the United States and around the globe. Annual meetings of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, American National CattleWomen, CattleFax and National Cattlemen’s Foundation also took place. In addition, the 2022 Environmental Stewardship Award regional winners were recognized at a special reception. Before activities con- clude on Friday, the Closing General Session celebrated the Beef Checkoff-funded Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Program and BQA award winners and featured inspirational keynote speaker Chris Koch.

The award-winning NCBA Trade Show featured more than 350 exhibitors and displays across eight acres under one roof along with a variety of educational opportunities.

New in 2023, Cattle Chats featured 20-minute beef industry educational sessions, with special spotlight sessions focusing on sustainability. Attendees could stop in the Learning Lounge to enjoy informal, face-to-face talks in an intimate setting right on the trade show floor. Industry leaders tackled topics such as ranch succession, effective probiotics, deworming protocols, animal welfare and tax trends.

The popular Stockmanship & Stewardship Demonstration Arena returned with stockmanship experts providing low-stress cattle handling demonstrations, BQA educational sessions, industry updates and facility design sessions. And the Chutes and Scales Showdown offered a side-byside comparison of equipment where producers could watch cattle run through chutes then get hands-on experience.

During the convention, the NCBA executive committee approved the organization’s policy priorities with a focus on advancing animal disease preparedness, protecting voluntary conservation programs, and defending producers from regulatory overreach.

“Our focus is helping to create opportunity for America’s cattle pro- ducers and fighting to make sure the federal government does not damage our industry,” said NCBA President-Elect Todd Wilkinson. “Cattle producers have been caretakers of the land and livestock for decades and are committed to conserving this country’s natural resources while producing high-quality beef.

NCBA’s policy priorities include: Securing reauthorization of animal health provisions in the 2018 Farm Bill and advocating for expanded funding of the National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank (NAVVCB) to protect against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). Protecting and funding EQIP, CSP and other voluntary conservation programs that incentivize science-based, active management of natural resources.

Protecting the cattle industry from regulatory attacks under Waters of the United States, the Endangered Species Act, emissions reporting and more.

“One of the biggest opportunities to help cattle producers in the coming year is passing the 2023 Farm Bill with continued investment in our national vaccine bank to protect the U.S. cattle herd from the threat of footand-mouth disease. Recently, we have seen other countries deal with the realities of animal disease outbreaks. American cattle producers are not going to be caught flat-footed – we are laser-focused on reducing risk and having the strongest response with a stockpile of vaccines that we have been building up since the 2018 Farm Bill,” Wilkinson said.