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1 percent of the population. About 50 percent of Americans are three generations away from the farm or ranch.” He mentioned a saying that’s old, but factual – many consumers believe their food comes from the grocery store. Better education of consumers can be better accomplished by cattlemen and women working together, he said. New NCBA Officers Wilkinson became the new NCBA president after serving as president-elect in 2022. Along with ranching, he has practiced law for nearly four decades and specializes in business transactions, estate planning and probate, real estate matters and ag law. “I'm going to bring the same level of passion that I bring for my own family and business to this organization. I think it’s important to fight back and protect this industry from the people who want to put us out of business. I think this is something that will unite cattle producers in the future.” Other 2023 NCBA officers include President-Elect Mark Eisele of Wyoming and Vice President Buck Wehrbein of Nebraska. Brad Hastings of Texas was named NCBA treasurer. Virginia cattleman Gene Copenhaver was elected chair of the NCBA Policy Division. Tim Schwab of Indiana was elected policy vice chair. Clark Price of North Dakota and Dan Gattis of Texas were elected as chair and vice chair of the NCBA Federation Division, respectively. Look for additional convention-related articles in upcoming issues of CALF News and on our website at Calfnews.net . Also, follow the CALF Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/calfnews/ .
under the Obama administration. The Trump administration replaced it with a water proposal that was both environmentally sensible and not harmful to ag producers. However, Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency shifted back to WOTUS. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on the WOTUS question this year. Meanwhile, NCBA filed suit in January to challenge it.“The Biden administration’s WOTUS definition is an attack on farmers and ranchers,” said NCBA Chief Counsel Mary- Thomas Hart.“The rule removes longstanding, bipartisan exclusions for small and isolated water features on farms and ranches and adds to the regulatory burden cattle producers are facing under this administration.” NCBA, Farm Bureau and many other ag commodity groups contend that regulating these features under the federal Clean Water Act disrupts normal agricultural operations and interferes with producers’ abilities to make improvements to their land.
S:4.298" T:4.798" B:5.298"
Former New Orleans Saints great Archie Manning
2023 NCBA President Todd Wilkinson of De Smet, S.D.
No matter the production phase: There’s an implant for that.
Producer Unity Needed NCBA has long preached that even though producers and feeders from different regions may disagree on some policies, they should bond together to counter attacks by environmental and animal rights activists that denounce the beef industry. Don Schiefelbein, 2022 NCBA president, stressed the need for unity at the convention.
“Our enemies have figured out they can put wedge issues between us to divide us,” he said.“That’s how they plan to conquer us. Anti-beef environmentalists and animal welfare activists are trying to put us out of business. “Cattle producers are the foremost environmentalists. We should be shouting from the roof how environmentally conscious we are. We’re only about
BEEF QUALITY ASSURANCE AWARD WINNERS 2023 Annual Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) award winners were announced at the Cattle Industry Convention in New Orleans. The BQA program provides producers with guidelines and certification that are established from sound animal welfare techniques and accepted scientific knowledge on how to raise cattle under optimum management and environmental conditions. Josh White, senior executive director of producer education and sustainability at NCBA, said the 2023 winners “exemplify high-quality animal care and handling principles as part of their day-to-day operations and are continually improving through BQA. The 2023 BQA Award winners are: • Cow-Calf Award – Wilson Flying Diamond Ranch, Nebraska • Dairy FARM Award – Temme Agribusiness, Nebraska • Feedyard Award – Darr Feedlot, Nebraska • Marketer Award – Fresno Livestock Commission, California • Educator Award – Dr. Tom Noffsinger, Nebraska Award winners are selected by a committee comprised of BQA-certified representatives from universities, state beef councils, sponsors and affiliated groups who assess nominations based on their demonstrated commitment to BQA practices “As good stewards of the cattle industry, they also encourage others to implement BQA principles,” White said. For more about each of the award winners, visit https://www.bqa.org/about/bqa-awards .
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