Agricultural News
New NCBA President Don Schiefelbein Talks Industry Wins in 2021, Ongoing Issues and the Future
Thu, 03 Feb 2022 11:46:39 CST
There is no shortage of obstacles to navigate the National Cattlemen's Beef Association through as new Don Schiefelbein steps into his new role as NCBA president. He spoke with Ron Hays, senior reporter for the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network, about the policy strategies that served producers best in 2021 and ongoing challenges as he steps into his new role after several years of preparation.
"One of the ones that doesn't get as much press but is absolutely paramount is having no increase in taxes for our producers," Schiefelbein said. "When you looked at the trillions of dollars (the government) was going to spend, the payfors were largely agriculture-oriented initially."
Schiefelbein said NCBA leadership worked hard to get payfors removed from spending bills before they moved from the U.S. House Committee process. One potential payfor that the industry was buzzing about last year was the possible elimination of stepped-up basis.
Possibly the most talked-about topic from last year was the ineffectual state of the cattle markets. Although the problem is not solved, the live cattle supply finally began to mirror demand by beef processing facilities strained by labor shortages late last year.
"Everybody can pinpoint the problem; there are a lot of dollars in the beef industry but (producers) are not getting our fair share," Schiefelbein said.
Two significant blows to the U.S. cattle industry destabilized the scales of supply and demand: the 2019 Tyson Beef processing plant fire of 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic months later. A bottleneck of live cattle waiting for processing caused a massive backlog which sent cattle prices plummeting. The inverse happened for processors. With low live cattle prices and global record demand for beef, beef prices soared in 2021.
Some argued the problem was a classic example of supply and demand being skewed, while others cried foul by the four largest packing companies in the country, which control about 70% of total U.S. beef production.
Protein shortages during the early days of the global pandemic and soaring prices shined a national spotlight on the delicacy of the nation's food supply chain. Since then, Congress has stepped in to help solve the complex problem.
"There are different debates on how much government you want (involved in a free market like the U.S. beef industry," Schiefelbein said. "Do we want to curb people's economic independence? After talking with producers and peers, economic independence is something we are going to continue to strive for."
As Schiefelbein steps into his new role as NCBA president, he is eager to open up dialogue between producers on some of these issues.
"The way our whole grassroots process works is that we want to hear from all affiliates from all areas of the country, listen closely (to their input) and then come up with what the best route forward is," Schiefelbein said. "It starts with listening."
Hit the LISTEN BAR to hear Ron Hays and Don Schiefelbein talk about successful policy put forth in part by NCBA efforts last year, ongoing challenges and more.
Our coverage on the Oklahoma Farm Report of the 2022 Cattle Industry Convention and the NCBA Trade show is sponsored by Performance Beef from Zoetis. Performance Beef simplifies feed, performance and health data collection, without double data entry or complicated software. Track feed, generate real-time closeout reports, create accurate invoices, record health data at the chute, in the pen or pasture; or analyze performance trends - all in one place with ease. Try the app for yourself by clicking here.
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