More than 1,000 producers and cattle industry representatives from across the country came together in Reno, Nev., for the 2002 Cattle Industry Summer Conference, July 17 - 20. Individuals had the opportunity to bring up major issues that are affecting their farming and ranching operations.

"As you might expect, the beef checkoff was one of the key issues discussed at our meeting," said NCBA President Wythe Willey. "Our members feel strongly that NCBA should continue its efforts to support and maintain the current $1-per-head beef checkoff."

The new resolutions passed at the Summer Conference serve as a road map for NCBA members, staff, and state affiliates as they address policy issues.

"It's an open opportunity for producers across the country to take a stance and decide on the most important changes, resolutions, and directives. Producers bring the realities of critical issues -- such as the current drought, cattle health, market conditions, and property rights -- immediately into the spotlight," said Willey.

After four days of meetings and public forums, NCBA members passed resolutions that address their concerns. Some items of interest to cattle feeders include:

• NCBA will support legislation that would require USDA to work with the National Academy of Science and the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods reviews on how to establish science based microbiological performance standards that will aid in reducing the risk of food borne illness.
• NCBA will work closely with the Beef Industry Food Safety Council and others to facilitate the implementation of irradiation technology, where appropriate.
• NCBA will seek the assistance of President Bush in resolving the long-standing animal-health-related barriers to trade with Canada.
• NCBA will work to correct the inequities in the current foot and mouth disease indemnity proposal. NCBA will coordinate the development of comments regarding the recently proposed USDA indemnity program.
• NCBA will assist in the pursuit of any legal action against the European Union that may benefit the U.S. beef industry in its long battle to gain relief from the European hormone ban on beef, which the World Trade Organization has ruled to be illegal.
• NCBA members support a Congressional investigation into the workings of the livestock marketing complex with a focus on 1) impacts on producers from packer concentration, 2) impacts on producers from retail concentration, and 3) possible statutory changes to anti-trust and anti-competition laws and regulations to afford producers the same protections as consumers.
• NCBA will continue its efforts to identify opportunities for improving profitability, price discovery, and the cattle marketing system as a whole. These efforts will be part of an industry led, rational and deliberative process of finding solutions to the challenges facing the beef industry that do not jeopardize free-enterprise and cattle producers' right to conduct business as they see fit.
• NCBA strongly opposes implementing new air quality standards on cattle production until science-based data can substantiate the need for such standards.
• NCBA requests that the USDA place a high priority on the development of improved and validated foot-and-mouth disease vaccines, including funding for production of the vaccines.