Latest From Opinion

Efforts to collect signatures for a petition to recall the Beef Checkoff fell "far short" of the number needed to trigger a referendum. NCBA president Jerry Bohn calls it "a de facto referendum" supporting the Checkoff.

While some animal rights activist organizations rely on tactics like undercover video campaigns where individuals misrepresent themselves to get hired on farms or plants, others are much more brazen in their approach.

Proponents of COOL say the law provides an advantage to U.S. beef producers and enables them to earn higher prices. But that view doesn't consider Canadian prices that have marched in lockstep with the U.S. market

Greg Hanes says cow-calf, feeder, dairy, veal, and others producers all benefit from the Checkoff’s work to grow demand and protect beef’s livelihood and viability in an increasingly competitive arena.

For the sake of our livestock, our families and our communities, we are deeply committed to conserving our natural resources. We simply need a practical, interpretable WOTUS definition so we can care for our land.

Cattlemen considering making the leap into ownership of a packing plant should consider how their risk profile dramatically changes with labor, trucking, and the cost of building and retaining markets.

Animal rights extremist organizations are known for attempting to take advantage of unfortunate situations. That means farmers need to think about potential activism while coming up with crisis plans. 

We are rapidly approaching the point where we may soon be discussing the cattle cycle in terms of GHGs rather than forage supplies and producer profits.

Work conducted during the annual BPOC is the culmination of the beef industry’s entire year — the end result of hundreds and hundreds of volunteer hours from American beef producers and importers.

While ruminant (cattle, sheep, and goats) production is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions globally, the sector's share is smaller in developed countries due to better genetics and feeding practices.

Advocates for meat substitutes are especially good at hyping forecasts over the next decade. However, it’s difficult to get a handle on the true size of the alternative meat business.

In the haste to go after packers in order to gain producer trust, the government may be using consumer price inflation as a means for greater leverage against packers, suggests John Nalivka.

Chronic wasting disease in Texas’ deer threatens the economic boost hunting provides rural communities and landowners. Texas Parks and Wildlife and Texas Animal Health Commission are working to slow the disease spread.

“Every morsel of meat we eat is slapping the tear-stained face of a hungry child.” Hannah Thompson-Weeman shares remarkable quotes from 2021 activist conferences to demonstrate what animal ag is up against.

Virtual recruiting, including career fairs and interviews, were catching on before COVID-19, but now they’ve become the norm. Virtual recruiting is here to stay.

The U.S. agriculture community tends to be proud of our role in providing families around the world with safe, affordable and nutritious food. And we have reason to be. However, not everyone shares that same sentiment.

Want to know how your Checkoff dollars are spent? Cattlemen’s Beef Board CEO Greg Hanes urges cattlemen to visit DrivingDemandforBeef.com to learn how the money is invested, with volunteer producers calling the shots.

The Proposed Transfer Tax can actually eliminate net equity for many farm families and cause their heirs to be underwater. It can be much worse than the current or proposed estate tax for most farmers.

Cattlemen should be suspicious of legislative and regulatory activity that interferes with markets under the guise of improving them, writes John Nalivka. Before long the entire camel is “in the tent.”

An unexpected conversation in the check-out lane spurred editor Jennifer Shike to weigh in on the stock show prize we need to spend more time talking about these days.

To hear Sen. Cory Booker tell it, the Farm Systems Reform Act would “create a level playing field for independent family farmers” and “transform the broken system built by multi-national meatpacking companies.”

They say that nothing is certain in life except death and taxes. While those two certainties are undeniable, we need to make sure that family-owned businesses, including farms and ranches, aren’t taxed to death.

Here's the bottom line: I am beyond fed up with billionaires spouting misinformation about meat and the environment while also flying on private planes to private islands, oh and also going to space for the fun of it.

Livestock from the U.S. move through Texas in route to Mexico every day. Animals rejected for export could be moved somewhere in Texas without proper testing and treatment, creating vulnerability for Texas ranchers.

Just for fun, let's say the DOJ goes full 1911 and ‘Standard Oils’ the meat industry. The ‘Big 4’ become the ‘Midsize 22’. Then what? Janet Barnard offers insights.

With so much conversation around sustainable nutrition and some voices calling for everyone to ditch meat to save the planet, we all need to get more comfortable communicating about nutrition. 

Specific challenges vary from year to year, but at its core, the cattle business is the business of dealing with challenges. The planning it takes to get through these challenges is the real work of the business.

Gregory Bloom, CEO and owner of U.S. Protein, shares his perspectives on the cattle market based on experience as a cattle buyer, meat seller and working with chefs and restaurants.

One consequence of the back-to-back-to-back black swans is a surge in the popularity – or at least sampling – of fake meats. Rising prices for real beef has aided demand for alternatives at retail and foodservice.

Black swan events are always possible, but with a little luck, cattle markets will settle back into more typical dynamics and we can get a break from the action-adventure roller coaster of the past two years.

Historically, the technology used to monitor pastures was the keen eye of the stockman. New technologies – such as drones - can sample large pastures quickly under a variety of conditions without damaging forage.

Whatever your thoughts on the politics of border security and immigration, it is undeniable that a crisis exists for those men, women and families who must live and work amid the chaos.

Save money and create efficiencies while improving the health of your herd and reducing environmental impact.

The impact of cattle market discrepancies are being felt by consumers and gaining the attention of lawmakers outside traditional farm-states. New reporting suggests USDA may be considering regulatory action.

The topic of beef packer capacity remains a critical industry concern. It plays an important role across the entire red meat supply chain from the ranch to the packer/processor through distribution.

When you become a livestock "show mom," rest assured you’re going to experience your fair share of teachable moments. Here are five reasons why show moms deserve a little extra celebration.

The lack of electricity and fuel during last winter's historic storm has the Texas state legislature considering an exemption for dyed diesel fuel and increased truck weights on public roads during an emergency.

Public lands ranchers are conservation experts. Cattle and sheep producers have cultivated healthy ecosystems on private lands and leverage that environmental success onto the federal grazing allotments they manage.

Against the backdrop of Earth Day and the climate summit, you will hear claims cattle and sustainability can’t mix. As one whose ranch is older than USDA, I say farmers and ranchers are the original conservationists.

While in-person events have a long list of benefits, there is one downside – they allow animal rights activist organizations to attempt to gain attention for their cause by holding “disruptions” and protests.

Feed costs are on the rise for many cattle producers, a situation they haven’t faced for several years.

Nevada is exploring the idea of “water banking,” which, in short, is the creation of a market to sell and/or buy water rights. We should all be skeptical of hedge funds trading water rights independent of the land.

U.S. Cattlemen's Association president Dr. Brooke Miller offers his organization's view of the Cattle Market Transparency Act of 2021, introduced in the Senate on March 3, 2021.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis has effectively hung a “welcome” sign out encouraging radical activist groups to make mischief in his state and torment ranchers. The first salvo is called the PAUSE Act.

Why do you do what you do? If you are anything like me, I bet you’ve stopped to take a deep look in the past year at how you spend your days. Pandemic living has definitely made me ask more questions.

Attempting to use the legislative process to make things more difficult for animal agriculture is far from a new tactic for animal rights activist organizations, but things seem to be heating up in this area. 

Most industry analysts expect cow-calf operations will see positive margins in 2021 and over the next two or three years. That optimistic view is based on expectations for smaller cattle supplies going forward.

Proposed legislation that is perceived to make markets work better and solve a problem often has the opposite effect, argues Sterling Marketing president John Nalivka.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis angered ranchers when he declared March 20 as MeatOut Day in his state, further promoting misinformation about cows and climate change.

A virtual FFA community can only fill the gap so far. I am grateful FFA has found solutions during the pandemic, but I believe the things FFA members have missed drive home the reasons why FFA is so important today.