Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, is visiting with the vice president of governmental affairs at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Ethan Lane, talking about priorities for the NCBA in the fight for the nation’s beef producers.
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“It is farm bill year, so that is definitely going to be the top-of-mind conversation, I think,” Lane said. “It is going to dominate most of the conversations this year, because even if it is not a farm bill issue, in farm bill season, people tend to lump it in.”
Regulatory issues have been a big topic of conversation, Lane said, a couple of those including the new WOTUS (Waters of the United States) rule and Endangered Species Act listings such as the lesser prairie chicken.
“There is a lot of work to be done,” Lane said. “Packers and Stockyards Act rulemakings are still moving through the system. We are still voicing our opposition to those.”
With the Republicans in control of the U.S. House of Representatives, Lane said when Capitol Hill is working properly, ideas should originate in the House.
“A lot of times we have seen that break with tradition in the past few years,” Lane said. “The Senate will pick up something before the House, but historically, that is where those conversations should begin. G.T. Thompson has said he is going to take the lead on the farm bill this year and then kind of come out of the box there.”
Lane said he sees a less-compromising view coming from the Republican conference in the House of Representatives.
“They are going to have to get realistic, probably, on some of those areas about what is possible with their colleagues in the Senate who don’t view these issues the same way,” Lane said. “Same-type margins, which mean there is deals to be had in the middle area there. But you know, given what we have seen in the first few weeks, given the freedom caucus sort of laying down that marker that they don’t want to see anybody dealing across the aisle and they don’t want to see any of that collaborative work product- that is going to present a very difficult choice for a lot of those members.”
Lane also talked about how he is pleased to see that Congressman Frank Lucas will be working by G.T. Thompson’s side on the 2023 Farm Bill.
“If I were the Chairman, and I don’t ever want to put words in the Chairman’s mouth, I would be awfully pleased to have a veteran of one of the tougher farm bill’s in recent memory there in a position where he can assist really at the ground level with this,” Lane said. “Frank Lucas knows this landscape, he is a deal maker, he is a guy that looks at these issues rationally. He is an incredible resource in Washington for all of us in the ag community. We are delighted to have him back on the ag committee. I am sure Chairman Thompson is as well.”
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