Exec Update

Last week brought moisture to most of our state! While it came in a bit more solid form than we often anticipate in April, we’ll still take it. We also completed the negotiated rule-makings related to Dead Animal Movement and Disposal, Trichomoniasis, and Rules Governing Beef Cattle Feeding Operations, where we have requested Phosphorous indexing be incorporated by reference to allow producers to use this in their nutrient management planning. These rule-makings will be taking written comments until April 29^th through the ISDA. There are recommended changes to clean up the language in these rules, but the proposed changes of note are the P-Indexing, as well as a consideration to require PCR testing for trich, just as was changed in last year's import rules.

--Cameron Mulrony

Executive Vice President

Frustration related to the cattle market has been voiced by our members in recent months, there have been many proposals introduced including a pilot program to establish a contract library and others that have passed recently. Additionally, a new Cattle Market Transparency Act of 2022 has been introduced and varies from the proposals for cattle market transparency in recent legislative sessions.

This Senate bill, S. 4030, is set to have a hearing in the Senate on April 26th. Please reach out to your senators and give them your feedback on the proposal.

Contact information for US Senators can be found here.

Current ICA Policy:

2) Government Intervention In Livestock Markets (New 99, Amended 02; Amended 03; Re-affirmed 21)

Whereas: Market dynamics for beef, lamb, and pork producers are becoming more volatile; and

Whereas: History has shown that marketplace forces of supply and demand have eventually resolved economic imbalances; and

Whereas: Past government interventions such as the Dairy Buyout have negatively affected beef cattle prices and producers by artificially increasing the supply of meat;

Whereas: ICA supports a fair and competitive marketplace;

Therefore, Be It Resolved: That ICA will continue to oppose any artificial intervention measures that interfere with the supply/demand dynamics of the marketplace such as a possible buyout or direct payments to producers;

Be It Further Resolved: That if emergency government measures are deemed appropriate for other livestock species then those measures should be fair and equitable for all species and applied uniformly;

The mandated cash requirements that would be set as a result of this bill constitutes as “artificial intervention measures”, and is in conflict with the position of the ICA Board through direction from the membership in past years. This position was re-affirmed during the 2021 annual convention and we will continue to use this to guide the ICA policy position. It is important that you, as members, also contact our senators and let them know how this could affect your operation individually.

Hands-On Beef Education For Young Idahoans During 2022 Ag Week

During 2022 Agricultural Week, the Idaho Beef Council supported a hands-on “beef field day” offered through the UI Extension (Lemhi Country) program. The educational workshop was designed for Pioneer Elementary School 5th graders and consisted of several lessons, including the beef production process, the importance of genetics, vaccines, beef management practices, cattle nutrition, and technology.

Participating students completed a pre-and post-workshop quiz with questions relating to what was presented at the stations. The average pre-quiz score was 52.67%, but jumped to 72.95% post-workshop; an increase of over 20%.

Providing agricultural education around the beef cattle life cycle to youth in Idaho not only provides a deeper understanding and respect for the industry but ensures that we will continue to have future generations of farmers and ranchers. Youth education will remain a major focus for Idaho Beef Council programming in the coming years; we are currently conducting stakeholder interviews with industry partners to better understand the opportunities and aspire to develop a curriculum to be implemented at elementary schools across Idaho in late 2023.

Sustainable beef: How cattle are part of the climate solution

All too often the untold story is how cattle farmers and ranchers are actually helping to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide, the world’s most abundant greenhouse gas, in the environment through grazing cattle.

Through grazing management and other sustainable practices, cattle ranching is positively impacting the environment — from the open space it preserves for wildlife habitat to the way cattle naturally regenerate soil and plant life which then capture carbon.

Continue reading here, from KPVI

Stanislaus National Forest Included as an Appellate Court Upholds Grazing on Federal Lands

Ranchers with grazing permits in the Stanislaus National Forest and elsewhere are no longer in danger of being run off their allotments after a federal appeals court rejected an appeal from environmental groups seeking to hamstring cattle grazing on federal lands. The Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center and Sierra Forest Legacy groups sued in federal court in March 2017, alleging violations of the Clean Water Act, Environmental Policy Act, and Forest Management Act. Specifically, the suit challenged cattle-grazing allotments on Bell Meadow, Eagle Meadow, and Herring Creek allotments authorized by the U.S. Forest Service. California Farm Bureau Senior Counsel Kari Fisher said the Forest Service and state water boards have had a deal in place for more than 40 years that no additional water quality permits are needed under state law. The agreement recognizes that the Forest Service practices for protection of water quality on federal land comply with state water quality laws. The environmental groups' lawsuit argued the deal was void.

Read the full article here, from Sierra Sun Times

Sutton Ranch

Marchant Ranch

Treasure Valley Livestock Auction

Bonneville County Cattlemen’s Association

Ron & Kerry Wilcox

Mt. Borah Ranch

Denise Matthews

Terry McNellis

Sydney & Karen Dowton

Travis & Chandra Weeks

Wittman Farms

Slavin Livestock

Kauffman Farms

Siera Horton

Dennis Stanford

Colebee Knudsen

Susan Goodrich

George Presley

George Bennett

Thank you to all of our new & renewed members!

Fed Cattle

$2 to $4 higher than last week

Boxed Beef

Choice

increased $0.46

Select

decreased $1.51

Market Cows

steady to $4 softer

Calves

$4 lower to $2 higher

Corn

$0.22 higher

Baked Ziti

Simply a hands-down hearty recipe that is family-friendly and worth duplicating for the freezer!

View the recipe here, from The Pioneer Woman