In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays spoke with Hunter Ihrman of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association about the upcoming midterm elections, the outlook for passing a farm bill and the impact of government comments on cattle markets.
Midterm Elections Could Shift Congressional Priorities
With control of Congress in play, Ihrman said the midterm elections could have a significant impact on the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term. “The Cook Political Report is saying that Democrats are expected to pick up anywhere between two and six seats in the U.S. Senate, anywhere between three and 15 or so seats in the U.S. House of Representatives,” Ihrman said.
He said control of both chambers is up for grabs, creating uncertainty about what Congress will accomplish before the next presidential election.
If Democrats gain control of one or both chambers, Ihrman said the focus could shift toward oversight and investigations of the Trump administration. “Democrats have stated that they have a really strong intention to focus on oversight and investigations on the Trump administration if they take power,” he said.
That shift could leave less time for lawmakers to debate and pass legislation important to the cattle industry. “So for us at NCBA, we need to think about some opportunities to attach cattle industry priorities to what we call must-pass pieces of legislation,” Ihrman said.
He pointed to annual government funding bills and the National Defense Authorization Act as opportunities to advance cattle industry priorities through legislation that Congress must pass. “Those bills are so important that pretty much every year they have to get passed,” he said. “Which means we need to find a way to connect our priorities as an amendment to that legislation, so it can ride along and ultimately become law and benefit our producers.”
Farm Bill Outlook Remains Challenging
Hays also asked about the possibility of passing a farm bill during the lame-duck session following the elections. Ihrman said the outlook remains difficult, particularly because of disagreements over provisions in the Senate’s version of the legislation. “Now, from our perspective, we have some serious concerns about the Senate’s version of the farm bill,” he said.
One concern is the inclusion of mandatory country-of-origin labeling, which Ihrman said the cattle industry has opposed in previous efforts. “The cattle industry, we’re also displeased that the Senate Farm Bill does not include a fix to California’s Proposition 12,” he said.
NCBA wants federal legislation to address concerns about states imposing restrictions on agricultural practices in other states. “We want to make sure that states aren’t trying to levy new restrictions on the agricultural practices of producers in other states,” Ihrman said.
Instead, he said NCBA would prefer the House version of the farm bill, passed by House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson. “That is full of cattle industry policy priorities with no downside policies for the cattle industry, rather than what we’re seeing in the Senate right now,” Ihrman said.
Government Comments Could Add Pressure to Cattle Markets
The conversation also turned to beef prices and the administration’s attention to the cattle industry as consumers face higher costs.
Ihrman said government efforts to address beef prices by discussing herd rebuilding or intervening in the market are not addressing the underlying issue. “Ultimately, we’re hoping the administration understands that this focus on the beef industry is not doing what they’re intending by talking about it more, by talking about herd rebuilding, by having the federal government interfere in the market,” he said.
He pointed to low cattle supplies as the primary reason for high beef prices and said the industry would benefit from allowing market fundamentals to guide prices. “That’s not actually helping address the root causes of high prices, which is low cattle supply right now,” Ihrman said. “So we’re hoping to see the government pull back from their focus on some of that. Ultimately, the market will work itself out.”
He acknowledged that stepping back may be difficult for government officials who want to show they are taking action on consumer concerns. “But I know it’s a tough thing for anybody in government to hear that the easiest thing they can do to solve a problem is stop whatever they’re doing now,” he said.
NCBA Opposes Mandatory MCOOL and Wants a Proposition 12 Fix
Ihrman said NCBA has concerns about mandatory country-of-origin labeling (MCOOL), noting that similar efforts have failed in the past.
He also said the Senate farm bill does not include a fix to California’s Proposition 12, which NCBA opposes because it can allow states to impose restrictions on agricultural practices in other states. “We want to make sure that states aren’t trying to levy new restrictions on the agricultural practices of producers in other states,” Ihrman said.
He said NCBA would prefer the House farm bill, which includes cattle industry priorities without policies the organization views as harmful to producers.
Cattle Producers Need Market Stability
Ihrman said comments from government officials can have real economic consequences for cattle producers, particularly when those comments influence market expectations and trading decisions. “We’re hearing from folk that comments by government officials have a real economic impact on the livelihood of cattle producers, and that’s something that can be difficult to understand if you don’t work in agriculture every day,” he said.
He said cattle markets respond to signals from government officials, making consistent messaging important for producers and the broader industry. “So for stability, it’s really important. We stop talking about the markets in general and let them function based on the fundamentals,” Ihrman said.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
