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National Cattlemen's Beef Association discusses policy
Kennedy Tesch / Agweek
The South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association welcomed members of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association policy team to host a discussion panel Aug. 21 during the second day of Dakotafest which ran Aug. 20-22 in Mitchell, South Dakota. Taya Runyan, executive director of the South Dakota Cattlemen's Association, left, Ethan Lane, the vice-president of government affairs for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and Tanner Beymer, executive director of government affairs for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association led discussion.
KENNEDY TESCH Agweek
MITCHELL, S.D.
The new EID ruling and the Charles and Heather Maude indictment case were just some of the topics of discussion at a meeting hosted with members from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association on Aug. 21 at Dakotafest.
The South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association welcomed members of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association policy team to host a discussion panel during the second day of Dakotafest which ran Aug. 20-22 in Mitchell, South Dakota.
Ethan Lane, the vice-president of government affairs for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, said the discussion comes at an important time with the upcoming election and deadline approaching for the 2024 farm bill.
“Producers have a lot of questions,” Lane said. “We want to make sure we're getting the latest information from them as well, so that we're making those connections between these conversations out here in the country and what's going on in Washington, D.C.”
Lane said the farm bill is filled with important tools and programs for farmers and ranchers to take advantage of whether that be through resources such as voluntary conservation or risk management programs.
“This is the opportunity every five years for Congress to look at those programs, to talk with USDA, producers and stakeholders, and make sure that those programs are doing what producers need them to do,” Lane said. “What we learn year over year, is there's always some tweaks. That five-year cycle of refreshing the farm bill is an opportunity to look under the hood, make sure we tighten
South Dakota Habitat
Habitat is crucial to the things we enjoy about our state. Through a variety of programs and partnerships, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks is constantly working to preserve and improve quality habitat
GAME, FISH AND PARKS
GAME, FISH AND PARKS
GAME, FISH AND PARKS
Private Lands Habitat Programs
PRIVATE LANDS HABITAT PROGRAMS
Private Lands Habitat Programs
South Dakota Game Fish and Parks (GFP) has a variety of habitat programs that can help farmers and ranchers. These programs help enhance wildlife habitat and assist landowners’ management goals. GFP programs include woody habitat plantings, grassland and wetland restoration, and pasture and grassland infrastructure to promote rotational grazing.
South Dakota Game Fish and Parks (GFP) has a variety of habitat programs that can help farmers and ranchers. These programs help enhance wildlife habitat and assist landowners’ management goals. GFP programs include woody habitat plantings, grassland and wetland restoration, and pasture and grassland infrastructure to promote rotational grazing.
South Dakota Game Fish and Parks (GFP) has a variety of habitat programs that can help farmers and ranchers. These programs help enhance wildlife habitat and assist landowners’ management goals. GFP programs include woody habitat plantings, grassland and wetland restoration, and pasture and grassland infrastructure to promote rotational grazing.
Public
HUNTING ACCESS PROGRAMS
Public Hunting Access Programs
Public Hunting Access Programs
GFP has several public hunting access programs available that are a great way to give back to the community while generating some additional income from those acres put into habitat or CRP. These access programs open up land for public hunting. The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) is popular in the James River Watershed. The Walk-In Area (WIA) and Controlled Hunter Access Program (CHAP) are also great options with lexibility.
GFP has several public hunting access programs available that are a great way to give back to the community while generating some additional income from those acres put into habitat or CRP. These access programs open up land for public hunting. The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) is popular in the James River Watershed. The Walk-In Area (WIA) and Controlled Hunter Access Program (CHAP) are also great options with lexibility.
GFP has several public hunting access programs available that are a great way to give back to the community while generating some additional income from those acres put into habitat or CRP. These access programs open up land for public hunting. The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) is popular in the James River Watershed. The Walk-In Area (WIA) and Controlled Hunter Access Program (CHAP) are also great options with lexibility.
For more information about GFP’s habitat and access programs, call Alex Elias, Private Lands Habitat Biologist, 605.350.1725.
For more information about GFP’s habitat and access programs, call Alex Elias, Private Lands Habitat Biologist, 605.350.1725.
For more information about GFP’s habitat and access programs, call Alex Elias, Private Lands Habitat Biologist, 605.350.1725.
all the bolts and make sure that the car is running properly.”
A large part of what the NCBA policy team is working to do is to make sure the bill stays current and effective for cattle producers across the country.
“The way you raise cattle in Florida doesn't look anything like the way they raise cattle in Washington state, neither of those look like upstate New York, and none of them resemble South Dakota,” Lane said. “So it's really important that we're looking at all those different regional challenges as well.”
Lane believes some of the most crucial challenges the cattle industry faces include livestock hauling and processing capacity.
“There's always issues with livestock hauling, making sure that not only do we have enough drive time for our livestock haulers, but the truck weights are at a high enough level and consistent from state to state,” Lane said. “We're heavily invested in trying to make sure that the investments
USDA has put out to build new processing capacity around the country are being used effectively to make sure that, not only are we adding more hooks in the system, that the producers are getting more options from those different hooks.”
Boundary discrepancy
Another important topic of discussion during the panel was regarding the Charles and Heather Maude indictment case in western South Dakota. A grand jury on June 20, 2024, indicted Charles and Heather Maude, ranchers near Caputa, South Dakota, for theft of government property. The indictment involves a boundary discrepancy that the Maudes were trying to help solve.
the Forest Service,” Lane said. “This isn't one where we have an option of engaging or not engaging. We have to protect this family, and then we have to make sure that the circumstances that led to this situation are never able to happen to another cattle producer again.”
Traceability ruling
Tanner Beymer, executive director of government affairs for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, highlighted the importance of the new animal disease traceability ruling.
While the new rule will allow for better and more efficient traceability of any foreign animal disease between cattle being moved across the U.S., Beymer believes that it will be most crucial when it comes to foot and mouth disease, “a highly contagious virus, and it would absolutely decimate the cattle industry in the United States if it were to be found here.”
Beymer said it’s important for the cattle industry to be aware of foot and mouth disease as it’s not a matter if the disease will emerge in the U.S., but more so when.
“It is an absolutely absurd situation that's unfolding in western South Dakota, and it's a real wake up call for every producer in the country that has a grazing permit with
The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced May 9 a final rule that requires electronic identification tags for certain cattle and bison that are transported across state lines. The rule is an amendment to the 2013 animal disease traceability regulations and will take effect on Nov. 5.
“In the event that we do flag positive with a case here in the U.S., it's going to automatically trigger a mandatory 72-hour ground stop for all movement of cattle across the country while they try and identify where the virus is and how to prevent it from spreading any further,” Beymer said. “The faster we are able to trace back the source of that virus, the faster we're able to identify and establish quarantine zones and buffer zones and the faster we'll be able to clear unaffected areas to return to normal commerce.”
