Iowa Farmer Today
12-15-06
Farm bill, other issues ahead for cattle producers in ’07
By Jeff DeYoung
WEST DES MOINES -- Several issues are facing cattle producers in the coming
year, says an official with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).
The upcoming farm bill is one of the biggest issues, Colin Woodall, NCBA
director of legislative affairs, told producers at the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association
(ICA) winter conference on Dec. 7.
He said several factors are in place that are different than in 2002, when the last
farm bill was written. Among those is the federal deficit.
“In 2002, Congress had money to burn. But, today we have a deficit, so it is
going to be difficult to write a farm bill of that caliber,” he said.
Woodall expects some subsidies and other payment programs to be scaled back,
but said the 2007 version could be similar to 2002 when it comes to specific
programs.
“I think conservation will be a big part of it, and that has been an area identified
by our members as an area for us to champion,” he said. “Where the funding
comes from, I don’t know, but I expect conservation to be a big part of it.”
Additional funding requests could come from non-traditional segments of the ag
industry, Woodall said.
“The specialty crop industry has grown, and it is going to continue to grow,” he
said.
“They are now wanting a seat at the table, and they will have it.”
Another issue is the mandatory country-of-origin-labeling (COOL) program.
Woodall said it is scheduled to start in October 2008, but he expects the new
Congress will bump that up at least a year.
“Both incoming chairs of the ag committees (Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Rep.
Collin Peterson, D-Minn.) are proponents of COOL, and it wouldn’t surprise me to
see it come in Oct. 1, 2007,” Woodall said.
He commended Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, for his work to keep agricultural
dust out of the Environmental Protection Administration’s (EPA) monitoring
program.
“Right now, just about every feedlot is out of compliance, and that’s not a good
thing for our industry,” Woodall said.
“They tell us it will focus on more urban areas, but there’s nothing to keep them
out of rural areas. There are no studies show ag dust causes health problems.”
Another EPA issue involves an attempt to place manure under Superfund
regulations. Lawsuits have been filed by municipalities in Texas and Oklahoma,
arguing manure is dangerous, Woodall said.
“We need to make sure we fight to keep manure out of that law because it’s not
just a threat to our feedlot industry. Once a precedent is set, everyone is going to
jump on it.”
Woodall also encouraged producers to watch export markets. He said while
some U.S. beef is making its way into Japan, South Korea appears intent on
keeping U.S. beef out.
“We’ve had three shipments, and all have been rejected because of pieces of
material they are finding that range in size from a half of a grain of rice to a half of
a peanut,” Woodall said.
“It’s quite obvious Korea does not want to play by the rules. All of the beef
coming out of the U.S. is BSE-free, and right now they are playing games.”
He said the NCBA has contacted President Bush to encourage the administration
to become more heavily involved in the export issue.
Woodall said South Korea is seeking a free trade agreement with the United
States, and said the NCBA does not support that effort until beef exports are
allowed.
The United States is working with Japan to increase the age limit to beef from
cattle 30 months of age or younger, rather than the current 20 months. he added.
“When we get beef over there, we can’t keep it on the shelves, so I think we have
proven that Japanese consumers want it,” he said.
The ethanol boom will also affect the cattle industry, said Iowa Secretary of
Agriculture-elect Bill Northey.
Northey said he believes the state can increase the number of cattle fed in the
state because of the readily available ethanol co-products.
“There are opportunities there because of the energy business, and I will actively
encourage that as secretary of agriculture,” he said.
Water and air quality are other issues facing cattle producers, said Wendy
Wintersteen, dean of Iowa State University’s College of Agriculture.
“We have some great programs, but that only gets us to 30 percent of what the
EPA wants,” she said.
“If you don’t think they will hit you on the side of the head with a 2x4, you’re
wrong. Water- and air-quality issues are the biggest threat to animal agriculture
right now.”
Wintersteen encouraged continued industry support of researchers who are
working on those issues.
“Without innovation, we can’t move forward at the pace we need to move,” she
said.