We are rapidly approaching the NCBA Annual Convention in Houston. This week we need to hear from producers as we continue to serve Idaho at the national meetings to ensure the continued success of Idaho’s Cattle Industry. President Mark Pratt, incoming President Kim Brackett, and I will be in Houston to voice the needs of our industry here in Idaho. Please reach out with any questions or concerns as we move into February. If you’re going to be in Houston, join us at the Idaho Reception hosted by ICA & Northwest Farm Credit Services. --Cameron Mulrony Executive Vice President Idaho Cattle Association |
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The past week at the statehouse was rule-centric as the various committees have begun work reviewing all state agency rules. With the governor’s Zero-Based Regulation executive order in 2020, a routine review of rule chapters is required annually. Even if no changes were made to a section of agency rules, they still must be reviewed and passed by the committee to reauthorize the rule section. The Senate and House Agricultural affairs committee have completed the process of reviewing and recommending the Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) omnibus rules package, fee rules, and negotiated rules of the past year. The two committees will work to reviews all germane agencies or commissions rules, including the Idaho Brand Department and the Idaho Beef Council rules, throughout the upcoming weeks. Meanwhile, every morning, the Joint Finance and Appropriation Committee (JFAC) is continuing the arduous process of reviewing proposed agency budgets. Both ISDA and the Idaho Wolf Depredation Control Board presented their proposed budgets with slight to no changes respectively. However, this didn’t stop the Associated Press from continuing to raise the social eerie and stir the pot, admittedly the article detailed that no raise in the wolf depredation control fund was being requested yet the article still headlined that Idaho will have $1 million to kill wolves. The Idaho Department of Lands also presented their proposed budget to JFAC with a 20.7% general fund increase requested. This increase largely reflects the governor’s priority of additional resources for state fire suppression. |
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Idaho snowpack has water experts cautiously optimistic Idaho's snowpack levels are in good shape and water experts are cautiously optimistic about water levels in the coming months. Daniel Tappa, a hydrologist with the Natural Resource Conservation Service, said Thursday that by Jan. 1 most of the state had higher-than-normal snowpack levels. The snowpack replenishes water supplies in reservoirs, waterways and aquifers as it melts, so higher snowpack levels can mean more water available in spring and summer to support agriculture, communities and ecosystems. Read more here, from Bonner's Ferry Herald |
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Biden supports removing climate provisions from stalled BBB President Biden said yesterday that he’s willing to split up his "Build Back Better" bill to give the stalled measure a chance of passage. And he signaled there was strong support on Capitol Hill for its climate-related provisions. “We’re going to have to probably break it up,” Biden said during a White House press conference. “I’ve been talking to my colleagues on the Hill; it’s clear that we would be able to get support for the 500-plus billion dollars for energy and the environment.” Biden’s comments came during a rare two-hour press conference. It was the first time the president has said publicly that he’s open to the idea of taking a piecemeal approach to passing "Build Back Better," which contains a wide range of his domestic priorities. Continue reading here, from E&E News |
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NCBA Backs WOTUS Recommendations from EPA Advisory Committee The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced support for a report issued by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Advisory Committee (FRRCC). “The FRRCC represents a diverse group of stakeholders including academia, industry, non-governmental organizations, and state, local, and tribal governments,” said Scott Yager, NCBA Chief Environmental Counsel. “NCBA strongly supports the committee’s recommendation to develop a clear and limited WOTUS definition and protect key exemptions for common agricultural features. With the EPA’s convoluted approach to soliciting public comments and stakeholder perspectives on WOTUS, NCBA encourages the EPA to listen to its own advisory committee’s recommendation, and the recommendation is clear: farmers and ranchers need clear rules and regulatory certainty to be successful.” The FRRCC’s recommendations include: - Ensuring EPA compliance with the Clean Water Act and Supreme Court precedent limiting federal jurisdiction over bodies of water.
- Developing a clear definition of WOTUS that is easily interpreted by farmers and ranchers.
- Protecting WOTUS exemptions for common agricultural features, including farm ditches, stock ponds, prairie potholes, prior converted cropland, and other small, isolated water features.
- Reconsidering the EPA roundtable process to ensure that all stakeholders have an opportunity to voice concerns on WOTUS rulemaking.
Background: The FRRCC is a Federal Advisory Committee chartered by the EPA to provide policy advice and recommendations to the EPA Administrator on environmental issues impacting agriculture and rural communities. The committee consists of 32 members from across the United States representing academia, agricultural producers, affiliated industries, non-governmental organizations, and state, local, and tribal governments. On January 12, 2022, the FRRCC released a final report containing policy recommendations to EPA Administrator Michael Regan. In addition to the recommendations on WOTUS, NCBA is supportive of the FRRCC’s position on an Ecosystem Management System, pesticide management, and food loss and food waste. These recommendations focus on the need for clear, consistent policy positions from the EPA that account for the needs of farmers and ranchers on their individual operations. In November 2021, the Biden administration released a proposal to repeal the Navigable Waters Protection Rule and propose new regulations on common agricultural features, such as stock ponds, ditches, and ephemeral water features that only flow during rain. The rule is currently open for public comment and NCBA is engaging with the EPA to voice concerns on the rule. NCBA encourages the EPA to adopt the FRRCC recommendations, which align with the views of cattle producers and address shortcomings in the proposed rule. |
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Checkoff Programming Ignited Grills During the Summer Grilling Season This past grilling season the Idaho Beef Council (IBC) participated in the national Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. Summer Grilling e-commerce campaign in partnership with the Kroger retail chain to get consumers, and their grills, fired up about beef. The campaign involved on-site display ads as well as targeted ads on Kroger’s digital platforms with nation-wide reach that ran from July 1 through Labor Day. It also included “pre-roll” video ads that ran before viewer-selected videos on YouTube and other streaming platforms. Idaho increased the national investment in the video component, to achieve added reach for the month of July, through increased video placement across all of Kroger’s digital platforms. |
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Special audience segmenting technology scans Kroger platforms for online activity that helps to identify the audience for whom the ad is most relevant. This technology makes it possible to deliver beef ads and recipes to shoppers viewing cooking information online or using shopping apps, who were near or in the store shopping for beef, competitive proteins and complimentary products. For example, if someone hasn’t purchased beef in a while, or if they are viewing recipes featuring another protein, a beef ad, recipe or a list of the top 150 beef cuts would appear inviting them to click to learn more. Each time a consumer sees an ad is counted as an impression, and the campaign delivered 5.6 million of them, with 7,681 individuals clicking the links to see more detail. This targeting ensures that the ads are reaching the right people at the right time with information they can use. Nationally, the video portion of the campaign influenced purchases with $18.3 million in total sales with a return on ad spend (ROAS) of 29.27x. That means that for every dollar spent, consumers purchased $29.27 of beef. In addition, it inspired 581 new households to make repeat purchases during the campaign and generated 1.1 million total store visits. In Idaho specifically, the total households served was 20,313 resulting in $421k in sales. In whole, the campaign (video, on-site and digital ads combined) influenced more than $23 million in beef sales. The Summer Grilling campaign is another prime example of how Beef Checkoff dollars help to increase consumer demand for beef. You can help inspire more Idahoans to discover beef’s versatility and delicious flavors throughout the year. Visit and share IDBeef.org with your friends and family. We also encourage you to take advantage of the power of social media and follow, like and share IBC’s posts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, All Recipes, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube! |
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| Fed Cattle steady to $1 softer Boxed Beef
Choice $10.12 higher Select
$9.42 increase Cows $1 lower to $3 higher Calves mostly steady to $4 firmer Corn $0.20 higher on March futures |
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Ranchwork.com Jim & Sue Smith Teton Mountain Ranch Randall & Susan Crisp Allyson King Black Livestock LLC Pacific Intermountain Mortgage Co. J Lazy S Angus Ranch Little Land & Livestock Co. Thank you to all of our new & renewed members! |
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Cheeseburger Soup Cheeseburger Soup is a creamy and delicious dinner option that is so easy to make. A cashew-based cheeseburger soup recipe, that's packed with flavor, needs to be on your winter menu! View the recipe here, from Country Natural Beef |
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