Agricultural News
NCBA President Craig Uden Advises Cattle Industry to 'Keep Its Foot on the Gas' Finishing Out 2017
Tue, 25 Jul 2017 15:35:42 CDT
During the 65th Annual Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association Convention in Norman, Oklahoma last week, Ron Hays, Radio Oklahoma Ag Network farm director, had the chance to speak with National Cattlemen's Beef Association President Craig Uden of Nebraska. Hays took the opportunity to get Uden's take on a variety of topics, ranging from the recent NCBA Summer Business Conference to the issue of traceability and beyond. You can hear the full discussion between Hays and Uden, by clicking or tapping the LISTEN BAR below at the bottom of the page.
When asked about what business had cropped up during NCBA's recent meeting this summer in Denver, Uden highlighted one issue in particular that NCBA has partnered with the CME Group to resolve.
"Volatility continues to be a challenge for all producers and really all of agriculture," he said, explaining how the NCBA/CME working group reported on its efforts over the last several months to add more transparency to the futures market. "I thought at the end of the day, everybody came in, worked really well and presented some resolutions that looked like they were going to address some of these issues."
Still, Uden admits there are challenges yet to be totally resolved there. He assures the working group will continue its effort to bring stability back to the market.
In addition, Uden brought up the issue of traceability and the impacts it is having and could potentially have on the livestock industry. He says for now, though, the debate continues.
"That will continue to evolve and be discussed," he said. "There's a lot of positive - but there's a lot of challenges out there. People will have to view for themselves the benefits or the costs associated with that."
He cites a recent case of "atypical" BSE, found in Alabama that gained very little to no media attention, because of the incident's benign nature. But Uden says the animal's origins were traced within an hour of being discovered. He says that is a testament to the system the industry already has in place.
Beyond that - Uden says his outlook for the rest of 2017 is very optimistic. He applauds the successful year so far noting the impressive strength in both domestic and international markets. He says herd expansion, too, continues while processing has stayed very tight. Uden contends that if the industry keeps its foot on the gas, there will be ample opportunity for the future.
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