Farm bill. Allison Rivera, executive director of government affairs at NCBA, led off her list of hot topics with farm bill negotiations, and NCBA’s efforts to be heard on Capitol Hill. “Remember, we have 218 members of Congress who’ve never voted on a farm bill,” she said. That requires NCBA staff to not only educate about what’s in the policy book, but also educate those new members about the farm bill and its importance to cattle producers.

Budget considerations. The new rules of Congress require that any new spending must require funding cuts from some other place. Consider that the last farm bill cost in the ballpark of $850 billion, and estimates are that the next one could easily top $1.1 trillion in spending. While cutting spending is admirable, this will require some tough choices by legislators regarding programs. NCBA is currently educating on the importance of the animal vaccine bank, voluntary conservation programs, and disaster and risk management programs.

War on drugs. Kathy Simmons, NCBA chief veterinarian, explained that fentanyl dealers have been found cutting their fentanyl with xylazine, known by many cattle producers by the brand name Rompun. While naloxone can reverse fentanyl overdoses, it has little to no effect when that fentanyl is cut with xylazine. The Drug Enforcement Administration has proposed making xylazine a Schedule 3 controlled substance, which would require increased regulations surrounding its manufacturing, distribution, storage and usage. NCBA and the American Veterinary Medicine Association both have concerns with this proposal, since currently it is a safe and effective tool used by law enforcement and veterinarians to sedate cattle, especially in situations where injured cattle could harm themselves or humans.

International trade. Kent Bacus, director of international trade and market access for NCBA, says beef exports are a bright spot for cattle producers, with steady gains over the last few years. The first 11 months of 2022 saw exports exceed all of 2021 — a value of $10.9 billion. At the same time, he says, the U.S. has There’s slow progress being made in frameworks that would strengthen market access in the Indo-Pacific and the Americas. But NCBA has a lot of work to do to educate new House members who may not understand the need for rules-based, market-based, science-based trade agreements, Bacus said. Today, $452 of the value per head of cattle is attributed to exports, which is why trade is critical to cattle producers.

Taxes. Figuring out how to pay for programs and ideas is a challenge every year. Bacus reminded cattle producers that estate tax relief is set to expire soon, and more than half of Congress wasn’t here when that was passed. There’s not that many people with experience on Ways and Means, or in writing tax bills — so there again is the need for more time spent educating members on the topic and the parts of tax legislation that benefit cattle producers. “So when they’re looking for new revenue-raisers, we want to remind them not to do that on the back of cattle-raisers,” Bacus said.

Domestic markets. The cost of inputs has direct impact on producer profitability, said Tanner Beymer, senior director of government affairs and market regulatory policy. That’s why supporting tools that help cattle producers make sound risk management decisions and the tweaks the Risk Management Agency has made to improve the Pasture Range and Forage and Livestock Risk Protection programs are important. The rollout of the pilot Cattle Contract Library is another item that will help cattle producers. Our message, Beymer said, is that the U.S. cattle market is recovering well by itself — so don’t do anything to stymy any of that progress or roll it back.

Traceability. Beymer said proposed rules regarding cattle traceability have been released. The big takeaway is that the rule opens up the methodology to any electronic ID format, meaning that the technology used is irrelevant in terms of applying the regulations. Cattle producers should understand that this is an effort to help the U.S. respond faster in case of a foreign animal disease outbreak, like foot-and-mouth disease. The faster we can respond to contain an outbreak, the faster we can get back to the normal speed of business and recover, Beymer added.

Waters of the U.S. Mary-Thomas Hart, chief counsel, government affairs, says NCBA is not only working on Capitol Hill and in the administrative agencies, but also has the resources and support from the grassroots to fight regulation through the judicial branch. For example, NCBA has joined a coalition of other organizations to file a complaint in the Southern District Court of Texas to get an injunction against the Jan. 18 WOTUS final rule from the Biden administration. Hart says this move from the EPA — while the U.S. Supreme Court is considering arguments in Sackett v. EPA, a case about the WOTUS rule — is out of order.

Environment and conservation. From climate-smart considerations for rule-making to endangered species and conservation in the farm bill, NCBA is making its voice heard in D.C. One item that is worth noting is 2023 is the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. NCBA members across the country have some interaction or another with ESA regulations — most recently in the Plains states, and with the listing of the lesser prairie chicken. NCBA members are asking: If very few species actually meet their recovery goals and get off the Endangered Species List, is the law working — or does it need tweaking?

Transportation. NCBA continues to work with coalition partners to argue that livestock truckers should remain exempt from hours of service rules and electronic logging devices. The ELD delay is in effect until Sept. 30, and there’s work to make that permanent. The work continues to show rule-makers that livestock haulers can still operate safely and within animal welfare guidelines without meeting hours of service guidelines meant for truckers hauling consumer goods rather than live animals.