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Corn, cattle producers head to D.C. to promote trade, other important issuesNebraska Nebraska corn producers want to see more Nebraska beef on dinner tables around the world--yet some countries have put trade restrictions in place despite the fact that Nebraska and the United States produce some of the healthiest and most nutritious beef in the world. "The international scientific community says there is no reason countries should shut their doors to U.S. beef, and we want the U.S. Department of Agriculture, trade officials and members of Congress to push harder in the beef trade area," said Don Hutchens, executive director of the Nebraska Corn Board. Hutchens said that issue will be on the top of the list when he and other Nebraska Corn Board members--and representatives from Nebraska Cattlemen--meet with officials, including Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer, in Washington, D.C., March 10 and 11. This is the second year that the Corn Board has sponsored a joint trip with Nebraska Cattlemen in order to promote issues of importance for both groups with politicians and regulatory agencies in Washington. "Our efforts last year were very successful, and we feel jointly discussing issues such as trade, animal welfare, research and the environment benefits both organizations and demonstrates that cattle and corn producers can work together towards the same goal," Hutchens said. "It also gives us an opportunity to openly discuss and look for common ground in other areas, like energy policy." Michael Kelsey, executive director of Nebraska Cattlemen, said in addition to trade, he wants to discuss animal welfare and environmental issues, emphasizing that livestock producers work hard to keep their animals healthy and raise them in an environmentally sustainable way. "This is a message we need to repeat, especially since there are well-funded groups out there trying to drive animal agriculture out of this country. Allowing them to gain a foothold by increasing unnecessary regulations would be a tragedy," Kelsey said. Kelsey added that Nebraska Cattlemen and Nebraska Corn Board members will meet with their respective national organizations, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and National Corn Growers Association. "We want to meet with our national organizations to help set a tone and demonstrate that we can work together to solve issues important to both of us," he said. Hutchens agreed and added that the tight, two-day agenda is something Nebraska producers expect. "They want us to work more closely together and help better position Nebraska cattle and corn producers to be able to find profit in this business of providing food, feed and fuel to this country and others," he said. The state's corn producers know that livestock and poultry producers are their number-one customer, in terms of corn and the ethanol co-product distillers grains. "This is why supporting Nebraska's beef industry, all animal agriculture actually, is important to the Corn Board," Hutchens said. "In fact, the Corn Board spends three times more corn checkoff dollars on meat export promotion than corn export promotion. When you add in our commitment to the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska, distillers grains research and joint educational meetings with the livestock industry, we hope people understand just how important we believe the livestock industry is to our state and country." The Nebraska Corn Board is a self-help program, funded and managed by Nebraska corn farmers. Producers invest in the program at a rate of 1/4 of a cent per bushel of corn sold. Nebraska corn checkoff funds are invested in programs of market development, research and education. 3/17/08 Date: 3/27/08 Advertisement
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