Independent Cattlemen of Nebraska
2008 Resolutions
Resolution #1
TITLE: COMMENTDATON OF US DEPT. OF JUSTICE FOR SUPPORT OF COMPETITIVE
MARKETS
SUBMITTED BY: BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF INDEPENDENT CATTLEMEN OF NEBRASKA
(ICON)
WHEREAS: GIPSA encourages competition in the marketplace; and
WHEREAS: Ranchers in the United States rely on an open market and a competitive bidding process in
establishing fair market prices for beef cattle; and
WHEREAS: Consolidation in the packing industry will result in the suppression of competitive markets;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
That ICON commends the US Department of Justice and thirteen states attorney generals in
seeking to block the proposal to merge JBS and National Beef into one company, and encourages
further efforts to prevent the suppression of price competition and to maintain and promote a
competitive market and challenges the Nebraska Attorney General to join this effort.
Resolution #2
TITLE: OPPOSITION OF THE RELOCATION OF PLUM ISLAND ANIMAL DISEASE
CENTER TO THE MAINLAND
SUBMITTED BY: BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF INDEPENDENT CATTLEMEN OF NEBRASKA
(ICON)
WHEREAS: Research on animal health issues is a national necessity; and
WHEREAS: Plum Island Animal Disease Center has been the center of that industry for many years; and
WHEREAS: Foot and Mouth Disease continues to be one of the major animal health issues which is
investigated at Plum Island; and
WHEREAS: Foot and Mouth Disease is an airborne pathogen; and
WHEREAS: Plum Island is an isolated location which has the benefit of natural barriers;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
That ICON affirms its belief that Plum Island is the best location for the ANIMAL DISEASE
CENTER and opposes the relocation of Plum Island’s ANIMAL DISEASE CENTER to the
mainland United States.
Resolution #3
TITLE: OPPOSITION TO NEBRASKA LB 108, FENCE LAW
SUBMITTED BY: BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF INDEPENDENT CATTLEMEN OF NEBRASKA
(ICON)
WHEREAS: The Nebraska Legislature adopted LB 108 on March 7, 2007; and
WHEREAS: The law obligates livestock owners to maintain border fences, to repair all border fences in
order to keep livestock on the property; and
WHEREAS: Neighboring landowners will no longer be obligated to maintain their fences if they do not
run livestock on the property: and
WHEREAS: Fences are considered the boundary between two neighbors; and
WHEREAS: LB 108 imposes significant hardship on livestock owners, requiring them to maintain all the
fences; and
WHEREAS: Good fences make good neighbors;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
That ICON supports the repeal of LB 108, which would restore existing laws defining the obligation
for the maintenance of the fences being borne by both parties.
Resolution #4
TITLE: SUPPORT FOR THE BEEF CHECKOFF MODERNIZATION ACT INTRODUCED BY
SENATOR JON TESTOR
SUBMITTED BY: BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF INDEPENDENT CATTLEMEN OF NEBRASKA
(ICON)
WHEREAS: The Beef Checkoff was instituted in 1985 and imposed a fee on each head of livestock sold;
and
WHEREAS: The original Beef Checkoff did not permit the promotion of USA Raised Beef or anything
but generic beef; and
WHEREAS: Jim Hanna, previous ICON Board Member, assisted in the preparation of the bill introduced
by Montana Senator Jon Testor to redress some of these wrongs;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
That ICON supports Senator Jon Testor’s bill to amend the Beef Act and encourages Nebraska’s
elected representatives to sign on to and provide active support for the bill.
Resolution #5
TITLE: REQUEST THAT COMMUNITY COLLEGES BE SUPPORTED BY STATE TAX
DOLLARS
SUBMITTED BY: BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF INDEPENDENT CATTLEMEN OF NEBRASKA
(ICON)
WHEREAS: Nebraska’s ranchers are burdened by property taxes which are disproportionate to the
amount of income they receive; and
WHEREAS: Many ranchers are paying more than 13% of their gross income in property taxes; and
WHEREAS: Many businesses pay less than .13% of their gross income in property taxes; and
WHEREAS: Such disparities in taxes cause undue hardship on Nebraska’s ranchers who are unable to
pass any costs on to their customers due to the commodity nature of the industry; and
WHEREAS: The funding of Nebraska’s Community College System through property taxes imposes a
significant hardship on Nebraska’s farmers and ranchers; and
WHEREAS: The Legislature is seeking ideas to relieve the property tax burden; and
WHEREAS: A unified state community college system could reduce duplication of services and create
significant cost savings at the community colleges without imposing a reduction of services;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
That ICON supports the assumption of the support of Nebraska’s Community College System by
the State of Nebraska for its funding mechanism.
Resolution #6
TITLE: OPPOSITION TO USDA’S PLAN TO DEVELOP REGIONAL AND INTERNAL (AS
OPPOSED TO NATIONAL AND EXTERNAL) FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE BORDERS
SUBMITTED BY: BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF INDEPENDENT CATTLEMEN OF NEBRASKA
(ICON)
WHEREAS: Many nations have a perennial problem with Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD); which
inhibits their ability to export beef; and
WHEREAS: The United States has been FMD free for over 80 years and is therefore able to export beef
to wide areas of the world, creating a higher standard of living for its ranching communities by virtue of
the hard work out forefathers undertook in eradication the disease; and
WHEREAS: Argentina is still dealing with an outbreak of FMD which was brought into that nation
illegally across unmonitored borders; and
WHEREAS: Argentina has a long history of credit defaults, corrupt and undemocratic governments, and
graft among its civil servants; and
WHEREAS: Argentina has ignored U.S. court judgments to repay debts to American Businesses and
taxpayers, and Argentina’s default has harmed teacher pension funds, tied up needed money from
American banks, and given Argentine businesses an unfair advantage over international competitors; and
WHEREAS: USDA has proposed the regionalization of Argentina to permit large areas of that nation to
be declared FMD- free; and
WHEREAS: Such status would immediately establish significant price differentials within the nation
which could give rise to FMD infected animals being brought across these internal lines in the infected
nations for possible export to other nations; and
WHEREAS: FMD is an extremely contagious disease which would impose devastating consequences on
the US BEEF herd if it were unleashed in the United States; and
WHEREAS: The Foot and Mouth Disease Prevention Act and the Judgment Evading Foreign State
Accountability Act have been introduced in Congress to address these issues;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
That ICON opposes regionalizing FMD areas in Argentina and all other nations which are infected
with FMD, due to the inability to directly supervise these areas and the probability that the disease
will be exported to the United States which would have catastrophic consequences for the ranching
industry, and that the Independent Cattlemen of Nebraska calls on Congress to pass the Foot and
Mouth Disease Prevention Act and the Judgment Evading Foreign State Accountability Act during
the final days of the 110th Congress or during the 111th Congress.
Resolution #7
TITLE: CALL FOR ADDRESSING INEQUITIES IN QUALITY AND COST OF RURAL
CELLULAR AND INTERNET SERVICES IN NEBRASKA
SUBMITTED BY: BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF INDEPENDENT CATTLEMEN OF NEBRASKA
(ICON)
WHEREAS: Nebraska’s cellular telephone and Internet services have become an integral part of doing
business; and
WHEREAS: Rate plans are developed and implemented without consideration of location; and
WHEREAS: Rural Nebraskans pay the same or higher rates for Cellular and Internet service in
comparison to their urban brothers; and
WHEREAS: Rural Nebraskans are limited to procuring Cellular and Internet services from monopolistic
entities; and
WHEREAS: Cellular service is extremely spotty in many parts of Nebraska, where no service is available
or the caller cannot be hear or the call is dropped and high-speed internet services are either not available,
are more limited, or are exorbitantly priced;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
That Nebraska’s Public Service Commission and the Nebraska Legislature study the problems of
Cellular and Internet service in rural Nebraska.
Resolution #8
TITLE: OPPOSITION TO FUNDING / MANDATES FOR PREMISE ID AND PARTICIPATION
IN NAIS
SUBMITTED BY: BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF INDEPENDENT CATTLEMEN OF NEBRASKA
(ICON)
WHEREAS: Existing systems for identification of livestock, including brands, are effective for disease
control; and
WHEREAS: Changes to optimize existing systems can be accomplished by state authorities without
implementation of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS); and
WHEREAS: The implementation of NAIS – whether by federal or state governments - raises concerns
about the impact on private property, privacy, and the ability to conduct business;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
That ICON opposes any government action that funds or mandate premise registration and
individual or industry participation in NAIS.
Resolution #9
TITLE: OPPOSITION TO COERCIVE / EXCLUSIONARY TACTICS TO IMPLEMENT NAIS
SUBMITTED BY: BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF INDEPENDENT CATTLEMEN OF NEBRASKA
(ICON)
WHEREAS: USDA-APHIS intends to use existing federal disease control programs, breed association
registries, and interstate certificates of veterinary inspection (health certificates) to implement National
Animal Identification System (NAIS), as outlined in a draft titled “ A Business Plan to Advance Animal
Disease Traceability” dated December 12, 2007;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
That ICON opposes implementation of NAIS through coercive or exclusionary tactics.
Resolution #10
TITLE: RELATING TO NAIS MANDATES FOR 4-H AND FFA
SUBMITTED BY: BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF INDEPENDENT CATTLEMEN OF NEBRASKA
(ICON)
IT IS RESOLVED:
That ICON opposes making premises registration or animal identification mandatory for 4-H and
FFA, which are USDA- driven programs.
Resolution #11
TITLE: RELATING TO FREE HOLDING BETWEEN SCHOOL DISTRICS AND SCHOOL
TRANSPORTATION
SUBMITTED BY: BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF INDEPENDENT CATTLEMEN OF NEBRASKA
(ICON)
WHEREAS: Western Nebraska has many large school districts; and
WHEREAS: Many taxpayers reside much closer to a specific high school than their resident distric or the
district in which they own land; and
WHEREAS: Taxpayers may be ineligible to receive transportation except to or from their resident
district; and
WHEREAS: Districts are set up in such a way that many landowners are unable to vote on issues which
will affect their property taxes if they reside in a neighboring district; and
WHEREAS: It would impose a significant burden on a school district if large amounts of land could be
moved from one district to another, but small parcels should not affect the district significantly; and
WHEREAS: Nebraska prohibits free holding except under very specific circumstances which do not
relate to distance but to levy limits;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
That ICON supports a taxpayers right to free hold a parcel of land smaller than one square mile if
the taxpayers high school is more than 40 miles away from the parcel, and ICON supports the
position that students who attend schools which are closer to their home than their resident district
should receive mileage paid for travel to the school of choice by the resident district.
Resolution #12
TITLE: OPPOSITION TO FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO ETHANOL PLANTS
SUBMITTED BY: BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF INDEPENDENT CATTLEMEN OF NEBRASKA
(ICON)
WHEREAS: Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer has proposed guaranteed loans to ethanol plants; and
WHEREAS: Ethanol is generally a corn based product; and
WHEREAS: The United States government has already granted significant subsidy to the production of
ethanol in the form of tax abatement, fuel tax waivers, and other tax incentives; and
WHEREAS: Ethanol consumes a significant proportion of the nation’s corn production; and
WHEREAS: The development of Ethanol has been the primary contributor to the doubling and tripling of
the price of corn in the United States in the past two years; and
WHEREAS: Feeder cattle require a constant and inexpensive supply of feedstuff; and
WHEREAS: Ethanol as an industry is speculative and unproven; and
WHEREAS: Investors in Ethanol plants are knowledgeable about the risks and rewards of the product in
which they are investing; and
WHEREAS: Ranchers and feedlots have borne the burden of higher corn prices through an increase of
cost of production of beef cattle; and
WHEREAS: The U.S. Government is considering an offer of loan guarantees to ethanol plants which
have been affected by commodity price speculation;
THEREFOR BE IT RESOLVED:
That ICON opposes any financial assistance to Ethanol Plants due to commodity price speculations
and urges the Secretary of Agriculture to study the detrimental effects which ethanol has imposed
on ranchers across the nation and to implement programs to redress these hardships.