Whether it’s a 20-year lawsuit over poultry litter in Oklahoma, the looming threat of New World screwworm (NWS) or renewed debate over origin labeling, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Ethan Lane sees the same pattern: The burden eventually falls on cattle producers.
Lane, NCBA senior vice president of government affairs, was a guest Wednesday on “AgriTalk,” pointing out how regulatory shifts and legal settlements can quickly erode the certainty ranchers rely on, especially when border policies and labeling rules are decided without a clear plan for how they’ll play out in the countryside.
Here are the key takeaways from Lane’s discussion with Chip Flory.
1. Oklahoma Poultry Litter Lawsuit Has Wider Implications for Cattle Producers
Both NCBA and the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association made statements following the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma’s rejection of the state of Oklahoma’s negotiated settlement with four poultry companies in the decades-old State of Oklahoma v. Tyson Foods, Inc., et al., lawsuit regarding the application of chicken litter in the Illinois River Watershed.
Lane says though the case has to do with chicken litter, it has direct implications for cattle producers because it involves Nutrient Management Plans (NMPs), a core tool many livestock operations rely on for regulatory certainty.
He explains that if a state can settle in a way that undermines NMPs, it sends a message that even when producers “check all the boxes,” they can still “have the rug pulled out from underneath” them in federal court. If NMPs are invalidated in court, producers lose their safe-harbor status.
His warning is that settlements that go beyond established expectations should concern every cattle producer, because compliance burdens and liability ultimately roll downhill to producers.
2. NWS Response Playbook Is Critical Preparation
Lane says the New World Screwworm (NWS) Response Playbook is the product of months of collaboration between USDA, impacted states and state animal health officials.
“We know screwworm is coming, right? We know that despite the best efforts of the federal government, we are most likely going to have to deal with screwworm on U.S. soil,” he summarizes.
He explains the playbook is meant to:
- Define how cattle will move, go to slaughter or move to the next production phase if NWS is present.
- Integrate state and federal responses so the industry does not repeat the confusion seen early in the high-path disease issues in dairy cattle.
- Provide clarity and predictability for producers and the supply chain when NWS cases occur.
Read more about the playbook and how surveillance, targeted treatment and movement controls will help protect cattle operations while preserving business stability when NWS invades:
Ready for the Risk: USDA Releases Updated New World Screwworm Response Playbook
How Will U.S. Producers Maintain Business when New World Screwworm Invades?
3. Border Reopening With Mexico Must Be Deliberate and Predictable
Lane emphasizes that deciding when to reopen the border for cattle commerce will be “more art than science.”
“The secretary has a really important job in determining whether or not our Mexican friends are meeting all the obligations that they have here and that they are being collaborative partners,” he says. “We continue to believe that what’s most important here is making sure that the reopening of the border is planned, it’s announced, it’s very predictable.”
NCBA’s priority is a planned, announced and predictable border reopening so supply chains can plan around it and speculation is minimized.
“We’ve seen what happens with speculation in the markets surrounding this, and it’s not good for producers,” he says.
Wednesday a report from a state official in Mexico incorrectly claimed that USDA has set a date to resume livestock imports from Mexico. According to a USDA APHIS social media post this is not accurate.
“USDA has not set a date for resuming livestock imports. USDA will resume livestock imports only when we determine that the risk of New World Screwworm introduction into the United States can be adequately mitigated.”
Read more about the impact of the U.S.-Mexico Border Closure:
The 1.1 Million Head Gap: Analyzing the Impact of the U.S.-Mexico Border Closure
Should Beef Producers Be Concerned About Potential Phased Reopening of U.S.-Mexico Border?
4. Skepticism Toward Mandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling (MCOOL)
Lane acknowledges MCOOL’s political popularity with some stakeholders. He notes NCBA once supported it and later reversed policy because producers didn’t get the promised premiums and instead faced significant compliance costs.
“MCOOL doesn’t generate premiums for producers,” he says. “Giving the packer an extra 10 cents a pound on those cattle doesn’t help my members across the country make more money.”
He argues that consumers say they’ll pay more for “born, raised, harvested in the USA,” but in practice they buy on price and quality.
“We’ve been very supportive of closing the Product of the USA labeling loophole and putting some promotion behind it to educate folks about what’s possible,” Lane says. “That’s where we think we’ll find real premiums. MCOOL is a road to just higher consumer prices, and that’s the last thing the White House wants right now.”
He adds local and regional labels, like born, raised and harvested in Nebraska, are more effective at creating real producer premiums than a broad, mandatory origin label.
As the beef industry continues to navigate a volatile 2026, the intersection of legal precedents, biosecurity threats and trade policy continues to redefine the rancher’s risk profile. For Lane, the goal remains clear: ensuring that federal regulations and court rulings provide a predictable roadmap rather than an unexpected burden.
In a landscape where the “rug can be pulled” at any moment, maintaining a seat at the policy table is the only way to ensure that the burden of uncertainty doesn’t stop at the farm gate.
