U.S. Cattlemen’s Association
USCA Fly-In off and running
The “Back for More Fall Fly-In 2009″ is off and running. Yesterday’s meetings dealt with USDA’s animal health, tracking, and marketing issues. USDA is planning to make an announcement on its animal tracking plans. Chuck Kiker did his best to get a little more info out of the officials and tried to get them to slip up and reveal some secret details. He wasn’t successful, but the meetings were very useful nonetheless as we discussed current animal tracking systems and how we can build on those.
The evening ended with a nice dinner with USCA’s trade council from Stewart and Stewart at the Palm!
King Ranch, Texas and a successful ICA meeting in Falls City
Today was an exciting day in Texas. My good friend and colleague, Diana Doan-Crider, arranged a lunch today with Ms. Helen Kleberg Groves of the King Ranch. We had very nice lunch; it was incredible to hear Ms. Groves tell stories about the history of the King Ranch, cattle ranching in Texas, and what she thought about today’s current events. I knew I had a front seat to a History Channel special when she described how Fidel Castro took over the King Ranch in Cuba and forced out the owners during the 1960s Cuba Missile Crisis. I can’t thank Ms. Doan-Crider and Ms. Groves enough for a lunch date that will be forever ingrained in my memory!
After lunch I pointed my Enterprise special: a Hyundai Accent (I could fit this car in my right boot and have room to spare!) to Falls City, Texas. Falls City is a little town 35 miles south of San Antonio. The southern chapter of the Independent Cattlemen’s Association of Texas (ICA) had a dinner meeting. It was a great event with over 60 people in attendance. Seeing the packed house and the smiles of ranchers who have finally gotten some rain really motivated me to speak about how great the U.S. cattle industry is and how important it is to be involved in ICA and USCA. Folks were very receptive, and I can’t thank everyone enough for their hospitality. I especially want to thank Mr. Windy Miller for arranging to have me speak at this event. 
Special USCA Horn Wrap Call
Due to a high volume of questions and requests for additional informatio on the proposed estate tax repeal bills [H.R. 3050, H.R. 3524, and S. 722], the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) will be hosting a special Horn Wrap call for discussions. Representatives from the C2 Group here in Washington D.C. will be providing expert insight into what these bills do and what the road map looks like for their potential passage. So if you want to find out the latest and have questions on what the substance is on these bills, call in next Tuesday, September 29th:
Special Horn Wrap Call
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
6 am PDT, 7 am MDT, 8 am CDT, 9 am EDT
1-270-696-2525
032007#
A no-sale on the road in Wyoming
After a good night’s rest at the Showboat Hotel in Casper, Wyoming I got up and moderated the USCA Horn Wrap teleconference call. It was an action-packed call as we discussed the private property issue affecting Mike and Terry Karrel’s ranch. After concluding the call, I pulled the Blue Bandit (my trusty ranch pickup) onto interstate 25 and pointed him South. My drive was marked by several phone conversations with my Dad as we discussed numbers and bids that we would accept on our cattle that were being marketed on the Western Video Sale. Just as I pulled out of Cheyenne, Wyoming, I got the call from Dad- the numbers bid for our cattle on the sale were too low so we took a no sale. Looks like Dad and I will play the markets this fall and hope that they pick up and provide some stronger numbers and bids.
My destination for this trip was Greeley, Colorado. I met up with Colorado ranchers Wayne Rusher, John Reid, and Gerald Schreiber. We were invited to attend Congresswoman Betsy Markey’s (Colorado, 4th District) agriculture town hall meeting. Also attending this event was Chairman of the Agriculture Committee, Collin Peterson. After the afternoon event, we had a nice time at an evening reception. Check out the pictures above.
Faith Livestock Market
Today was another great day in the Dakotas! Faith Livestock had its Monday cattle and sheep sale. Scott and Gary Vance were kind enough to give me some time to speak from the auction block. It was a good opportunity to give an update on USCA’s activities in Washington, D.C. Auctioneers Doug Dietterle and Seth Weishaar were auctioneering at this market too—you know I really need to figure out a way to “pickup” pool with these guys to the sale barns!
In the audience, I had a good time catching up with several folks including Eddie Miller, Chase Adams, and Tom Miller. Again the “rough” crowds who attend these auctions makes a guy glad he always does this run a couple times a year! In all seriousness, I can’t say enough good things about the folks here in the Dakotas. USCA is lucky to have their support and will work hard to keep it!
Visit to Selfridge, North Dakota
Just finished up an excellent U.S Cattlemen’s meeting here in Selfridge, North Dakota. Special thanks to Pat and Bergetta Becker and the crew at Becker Ranch for sponsoring the steak dinner. Folks were fired up about USCA and the work being done in Washington, D.C. From a crowd of over 30 ranchers, including a few current USCA members, we signed up 11 new members. Special thanks again to these folks for the support!
I sure appreciated the opportunity to speak with these area ranchers. It is so helpful to hear insights and concerns from the people being impacted by federal policies. Defending country-of-origin labeling at the WTO, the impact of climate change legislation, and horse management problems were just some hot topics discussed in this meeting. It has been a long and busy legislative session. There are times when I question whether it’s worth it to keep fighting, but after a positive and upbeat meeting like this one in Selfridge, North Dakota, I say “bring on the stress and work in DC – it’s worth it!”
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