USCA: Senate And House Spending Bills Signal Support For Industry

Jul 21, 2015

USCA: Senate and House Spending Bills Signal Support for Industry The United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) applauds this week’s Senate Appropriations Committee passage of the 2016 agriculture spending bill. Thursday's Senate passage followed the House’s action on similar legislation; both mark-ups were consistent in showing support for issues facing the U.S. cattle industry.

Both the House and Senate versions include provisions in their respective Manager’s package that halt the United States Department of Agriculture Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) from implementing, or moving forward, with allowing imports of beef products from Argentina and Brazil. This issue has been of utmost concern to USCA and the industry and USCA has issued its official opposition to the proposed change in trade on numerous occasions.

USCA President Danni Beer commented on this provision, “USCA applauds the House and Senate for including this necessary restriction of funds in their 2016 agriculture spending bills. The import of beef products from Brazil and Argentina is widely opposed throughout all sectors of the industry. We appreciate Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) and Rep. David Valadao (R-CA21) who acknowledged this concern and acted with the appropriate language to restrict any further movement towards trade.”

A rider was also passed in the House spending bill that would reinstate funding for inspectors in horse processing facilities. Beer commented, “Horse processing is an ongoing issue faced by those in our industry and across rural America. This is a positive first step toward reinstating horse processing in the U.S. However, the Senate did not follow the House's action on this issue, they again voted to continue to ban funding for required inspectors. USCA will continue to inform Members of the Senate of the need for funding to allow horse processing in the U. S.”

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.