Cattle producers, get involved while you still can
By Eric Nelson
Friday, February 15, 2008 5:27 PM CST
While attending a cattle auction a few weeks ago, I was encouraged by the number of young people in attendance to see either their own cattle, or the cattle of a friend or family member, be sold. That’s not an uncommon sight on a January day in Iowa, but the future of what I witnessed that day in Spencer, Iowa, is being threatened. Just 10 years ago, sales of hogs and pigs also commonly occurred at many neighborhood auction barns, yet today there are so few open markets for slaughter hogs that hog auctions are nearly nonexistent. Nine out of every 10 hogs fed in Iowa are owned by someone other than the farmer, and in many cases, the owner of the hog is the corporate meatpacker that also farrows the pigs.
Unless something is done, the cattle auctions of today could also become a thing of the past. JBS, Cargill and multinational meatpackers could be the cattle owners of tomorrow unless anti-trust laws n already on the books n are enforced.
Iowa Senators Grassley and Harkin both realize what is at stake (or is it steak?) here in Iowa and across the nation, and both support strengthening enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act (PSA) and also hope to pass a prohibition on packer ownership of livestock in the next Farm Bill. We need these competition reforms so the family farmer and rancher can continue ownership of their livestock.
At the same time, however, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is busy lobbying for n yes, FOR n packer ownership of cattle, continued lax enforcement of the PSA, and even calling for the end of support for ethanol produced from corn. Why is an organization such as NCBA, which is supported in Iowa by the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, taking these positions? Because it takes large sums of money from meatpackers, and in return, it lobbies for the interests of the meatpackers while at the same time tells its cattle-producer members these positions are “just the direction of the future.” And if NCBA and the meatpackers have their way, it will become the direction of the future: loss of independent cattle producers, and loss of the dollars they spend on Main Street or at the auction barn or at the local bank or hardware store.
There is, however, another national cattle-producer organization that is working with Senators Grassley and Harkin to make a difference on these issues n R-CALF USA. The Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America was formed 10 years ago to fight for the rights of independent cattle producers across the United States. R-CALF USA is supported in Iowa by the Independent Cattlemen of Iowa (ICI), and together they are working with Senators Grassley and Harkin to ensure independent cattle producers have a voice in what the future of the cattle industry looks like across Iowa and the nation. R-CALF USA and ICI want small towns and cities to stay vibrant and to have family operations remain the norm, instead of having large mega feedlots funnel their profits elsewhere.
Next week, Feb. 20-23, R-CALF USA will hold its annual convention and trade show in the Holiday Inn Omaha Convention Center, located at 72nd and I-80 in Omaha, Neb. If you think it’s important to keep food production in independent hands, I encourage you to attend. For more information or to pre-register, call R-CALF USA headquarters at 406-252-2516, or visit www.r-calfusa.com. From private property rights to market access to trade, many topics vital to independent producers will be discussed by leading experts from around the globe. You’ll see why thousands have joined R-CALF, and learn how n by getting involved now n you can help preserve future opportunity for generations to come. Hope to see you in Omaha!
Eric Nelson is R-CALF USA convention committee chairman.
He also co-chairs the R-CALF USA trade committee and resides in Moville, Iowa. He also is a past director of R-CALF USA and currently serves as president of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association. 2/15/08
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