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6 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN April/May 2024 THE ONLY PUBLICATION DEDICATED TO THE NEBRASKA CATTLE INDUSTRY. NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN April/May 2024 Vol. 80 | Issue 4 REGULARS Insights ........................................8 Ruminations .............................10 MARC .........................................48 Consider This ...........................50 NC Foundation .........................50 NC Dispatch ..............................54 NC Partners ..............................56 Boots on the Ground ...............58 Advertiser Index ......................59 Sale & Event Calendar ............62 FEATURES PRODUCTION Be Prepared!.......................................................................................14 A look at how to manage heat stress in feedlots. Navigating TN and H-2A Visa Programs.......................................20 Recommendations for producers looking to recruit foreign workers. Methane Emission Management.....................................................34 Experts share updates on innovations in methane emissions, including methane digestors. PEOPLE It’s All in the Details...........................................................................44 Greg Wolfe receives 2024 Arturo Armendariz Distinguished Service Award. PAST Boomtown...........................................................................................24 How the Union Stockyards of Omaha changed the beef business forever. SPECIAL TO THIS ISSUE 2024 Nebraska Cattlemen Midyear Meeting.................................42 Manuscripts and advertisements are welcome. Nebraska Cattlemen reserves the right to edit and refuse advertisements. Readers are welcome to submit letters to the editor. Full name and address of writer must accompany all letters. Letters are accepted with the understanding that they may be condensed to fit the magazine format and edited for accuracy and clarity. Letters contain the opinion of the writer and not that of the Nebraska Cattlemen. You can get Nebraska Cattleman via email. Receive each issue even before the Post Office ships the printed edition. Just send an email to us at NCmag@necattlemen.org and put “Email NC Magazine” in the subject line. We assure you we will not share your email address with anyone! ON THE COVER: Feeder cattle line up at the bunk at Star Cattle Company on a beautiful day near Hershey. Photo by Avery Clark.
8 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN April/May 2024 NC BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT: Jerry Kuenning*, Lemoyne, (308) 883-8382 PRESIDENT-ELECT: Dick Pierce*, Miller, (308) 440-2489 VICE PRESIDENT: Craig Uden*, (308) 325-0285 TREASURER: Laura Field, Lincoln, (402) 475-2333 SECRETARY: Melody Benjamin, Lakeside, (308) 760-6464 PAST PRESIDENT: Steve Hanson*, Elsie, (308) 289-0225 MEMBER SERVICES VICE CHAIR BY REGION 1 – Jaclyn Wilson, Lakeside, (308) 762-3196 2 – Kat Kennedy, Purdum, (308) 645-7036 3 – Allan Louthan, Stanton, (402) 841-6601 4 – John Ecklund, Atkinson, (408) 602-5905 5 – Scott Reynolds, Berwyn, (308) 870-0970 6 – Chuck Graff, Ogallala, (308) 289-5841 7 – Heath Clausen, Leigh, (402) 750-4433 8 – Allen Bruntz, Friend, (402) 525-2651 9 – Shannon Peterson, Gothenburg, (308) 529-2116 COW-CALF COUNCIL CHAIR: Travis Chrisman, Wauneta, (308) 883-6781 VICE CHAIR: Jake Johnson, Hastings, (402) 984-8824 FARMER-STOCKMAN COUNCIL CHAIR: Marc Hanson, Morrowville, Kan., (402) 729-7174 VICE CHAIR: Dwight Dam, Hooper, (402) 720-4250 FEEDLOT COUNCIL CHAIR: Ryan Danehey, Manhattan, Kan., (308) 440-8267 VICE CHAIR: Daron Huyser, Lexington, (308) 233-4368 SEEDSTOCK COUNCIL CHAIR: Reiss Bruning, Bruning, (402) 768-3332 VICE CHAIR: James Felt, Wakefield, (402) 287-2488 ALLIED INDUSTRIES COUNCIL Jake Pullen, Aurora, (308) 380-9040 ~ COMMITTEE LEADERSHIP ~ ANIMAL HEALTH AND NUTRITION CHAIR: Jared Walahoski*, Overton, (308) 746-1965 CHAIR-ELECT: Jeff Heldt, Scottsbluff, (308) 641-5781 BRAND AND PROPERTY RIGHTS CHAIR: Brock Terrell, Hay Springs, (308) 430-1213 CHAIR-ELECT: Matt Blackford, Brownlee, (402) 322-1377 EDUCATION AND RESEARCH CHAIR: Marcus Urban, Leigh, (402) 276-3830 CHAIR-ELECT: Suzanne Jagels, Davenport, (402) 469-3374 MARKETING AND COMMERCE CHAIR: Joe Eisenmenger, Humphrey, (402) 920-0665 CHAIR-ELECT: Chance McLean, Stromsburg, (402) 366-2254 NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT CHAIR: Eric Hansen*, North Platte, (308) 530-3899 CHAIR-ELECT: Sam Drinnin, Grand Island, (402) 910-0233 TAXATION CHAIR: Scott Peterson, Valentine, (402) 322-0225 CHAIR-ELECT: Steve Sunderman, Norfolk, (402) 750-0149 MEMBER SERVICES CHAIR: Jim Edwards, Ord, (308) 750-0881 NEBRASKA LIVESTOCK MARKETING ASSOCIATION REP. Bryce Dibbern, Interior, S.D., (308) 293-7766 UNL EXTENSION REPRESENATIVE Erin Laborie, Beaver City, (419) 494-3872 UNL REPRESENTATIVE Deb VanOverbeke, Lincoln, (402) 714-5879 * member of the Executive & Finance Committee INSIGHTS BEING INFORMED THROUGH CONTINUING EDUCATION CRAIG UDEN | JOHNSON LAKE NC VICE PRESIDENT Most of you probably became a Nebraska Cattlemen (NC) member or are exploring membership because of an issue you or your operation has faced. Although we don’t necessarily like change or challenges in our daily lives, we continually deal with them in our businesses. This is why I believe it is so important to become an engaged member of your local, state and national cattlemen organizations. When I first accepted the NC vice president position, I looked at it as an opportunity not only to help advance policy and address industry issues, but to help educate our producer members on a whole host of topics that our industry faces daily. After all, policy is like research – as we solve one issue, another one is created. Therefore, we must always be learning and adapting to progress our industry for future generations. To truly serve our ever-changing beef industry, we must view our education as continual. Nebraska Cattlemen’s greatest service to its members is its ability to provide further education. NC informs not only about the policies we fight for and against, but about programs such as disaster relief, market analysis, genetic enhancements and risk management tools to benefit our members’ operations. NC strives for its members to be well informed on the cause and effect of each challenge our industry faces. Each Nebraska Cattlemen member brings a different perspective of knowledge from their own experiences and has expertise in some of the issues their sector of production faces. Nebraska Cattlemen offers a look at all sectors of beef production, from seedstock and cow-calf to growing and finishing, as well as the processing and retail levels. This foundation of diverse member experiences shows the bigger picture on each issue and how it can affect all sectors of the industry. We are a true microcosm of the national organization because we get involved at all levels of the beef industry and share information on the issues our members deem important. It is with this responsibility in mind that I stress the importance of being an engaged Nebraska Cattlemen member. There will be no shortage of changes and adversity to face in the years to come, so I challenge cattlemen to be active members of their organizations and always strive to become more knowledgeable about the industry they love and the issues it faces. ~NC~
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10 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN April/May 2024 LAURA FIELD | NC EVP RUMINATIONS 4611 Cattle Drive, Lincoln, NE 68521 Phone (402) 475-2333 | Fax (402) 475-0822 nc@necattlemen.org | www.nebraskacattlemen.org NEBRASKA CATTLEMEN STAFF EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT | Laura Field lfield@necattlemen.org VICE PRESIDENT OF ASSOCIATION ENGAGEMENT | Melody Benjamin VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING | Jeff Stolle DIRECTOR OF MARKETING | John Roberts DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS | Libby Schroeder DIRECTOR OF PRODUCER EDUCATION | Bonita Lederer DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP-RETENTION | Jessica Rudolph DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP-RECRUITMENT | Steven Stettner EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT | Patty Goes Nebraska Cattleman is published monthly, except for May and July, by the Nebraska Cattlemen, 4611 Cattle Drive, Lincoln, NE 68521 – (402) 475-2333. --------------------------------------------------------------------- MAGAZINE PRODUCTION: BLUEPRINT MEDIA LLC www.blueprintma.com | ncmag@necattlemen.org EDITOR | Lisa Bard MANAGING EDITOR | Jessie Topp-Becker COPY EDITOR | Larisa Willrett DESIGNER & MATERIALS COORDINATOR | Megan Sajbel Field ADMINISTRATION | Leslie McKibben CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Bill Coe | Natalie Jones STATE & REGIONAL ADVERTISING Amber Coleman | (402) 340-1588 acoleman@necattlemen.org NATIONAL ADVERTISING Wendy McFarland | (334) 271-6100 mcfarlandadvantage@gmail.com Working for Nebraska Beef Producers PASTURE TO PLATE TO PLATE NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN VIEW NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN DIGITAL VERSION BY SCANNING THE QR CODE. THE WORLD IS OURS LAURA FIELD | NC EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT I’ve heard it said, “You’re a product of your raising!” As I pondered this month’s musings, I am reflecting on the importance of embracing history when we think of who we are, who we represent and how it all works together. Faith, family, fellowship, advocacy and cattle are some of the key pieces of my life’s puzzle. I can tie all of these to my raising. My parents grew up in agricultural settings, raised by parents who rode horses, raised cattle, worked hard and were influencers in their communities long before anyone knew about influencers. They were friends and neighbors to everyone they met. One of my grandfathers was a preacher and the other a county commissioner. My love of church and faith as well as my magnetism to policy and advocacy are tied directly to them. Both of my grandmothers were incredible cooks and amazing moms; one was a fabulous seamstress and fixer, and one had an eye for fashion and was a master domino player. While not even close to their level, I love to cook, I adore my family, I create in my rare free time, my closet is brimming with clothes and I play a mean game of dominos! All of those parts of me I got from my grandmothers. My parents are the best. One of my dad’s most frequent guidance is, “It doesn’t cost anything extra to be nice.” I hear his voice in my head almost every day when I’m challenged by those who try to divide rather than unite. He is a leader in all he does. My mom was born to be a mom and is patient and forgiving. She told people our house was “lived in” and always opened the door to those who needed a place to land. Family vacations were either cattle shows or trade shows at Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers meetings, which is where my fondness of cattle and associations intersected and grew. My parents modeled partnership in marriage, which was key to me in finding a supportive husband and raising a family of my own. One year ago, my family’s support was key when Nebraska Cattlemen leadership took a chance on me. I strive every day to be better in serving the association’s membership, and as I constantly learn, I think about the words and actions of those who got me where I am today. The ones who raised me, support me, check in on and listen to me, and tolerate me picking them up late from school when I either forget or am running late from a meeting. In 1898 at the organizational meeting of the National Live Stock Association, the predecessor organization of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, J.R. Van Boskirk said, “Indeed it would seem that success, in this age of intense competition and clashing of different interest, comes only from association of those having common interests, followed by cooperation, organization, leadership and attention to details … and the world is ours.” This quote is part of the history of our association of cattle producers; 126 years after Van Boskirk said them, these words still ring true. In this age of different interests, Nebraska Cattlemen will continue to grow as those with common interests organize and lead with attention to the details that matter. The world is ours, and I’m ready for it! ~NC~
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12 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN April/May 2024 Words don’t matter, experience does. At Tallgrass, we believe that At Tallgrass, we’ve transported natural gas through the Trailblazer pipeline across Nebraska for over a decade without incident. By converting Trailblazer to transport a nonflammable gas like carbon dioxide, we will directly support Nebraska’s ethanol industry, the corn and sorghum farmers that supply the ethanol plants, as well as the cattlemen and livestock industry that use ethanol coproducts.
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14 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN April/May 2024 Be Prepared! Managing Heat Stress in Feedlots KELSEY POPE | CONTRIBUTING WRITER Weather is arguably one of the most talked about, researched and stressed over topic among cattle producers. With rising temperatures on the horizon, it’s a reminder for producers, specifically feedlot operators, to be prepared for heat stress in cattle and the impact heat has on cattle performance. Cattle do not adapt nearly as quickly to heat events as humans do. In preparing for severe events, we must consider both the humans working with cattle as well as the cattle themselves. Impact of Temperature Swings Nebraska Extension Specialist in Animal Care and Handling Ruth Woiwode works with livestock producers across all sectors, focusing on stockmanship, worker safety as well as how workers’ skill is related to welfare and their performance. “We tolerate those 80-degree days in the spring much better than cattle,” Woiwode says. “If we’re thinking about how to plan ahead, what’s really important is to be watching those 10day forecasts, looking for that combination of low wind speed, humidity and high temperature.” Cattle have the ability to adapt ideally at about 1 degree per day, responding best to gradual changes in temperature. When we think about heat, we think summer, but we’ve seen some pretty severe temperature swings already this spring, going from negative temperatures to 80 degrees – a drastic change that is difficult for cattle to handle. This is particularly difficult when they still have their winter hair and a black hair coat, making them more susceptible to solar radiation. “You have to be watching the weather forecast constantly,” says Kip Lukasiewicz, DVM. “In particular, you should be always looking at the next three days in front of you because you have ultimately 24 hours to implement water to your cattle if you know it’s coming.” Lukasiewicz has already seen heat stressed animals this spring when the temperature swung from -40 to nearly 80 degrees in a short time. Lukasiewicz is a consulting veterinarian with Production Animal Consultation (PAC). The consultants at PAC oversee about 3.2 million head of cattle on feed and more than one million cows in the four-state region of Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas and Iowa, visiting yards on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. “We have to start implementing strategies now to combat heat stress,” Lukasiewicz says. “Because we’ve seen temperatures warm up earlier this spring, we’ve started seeing flies earlier than usual. Typically, we would start fly control later, but starting fly control now will help when those hot days hit this summer.” Fly control is important not only because stable flies are a nuisance but also because flies tend to cause cattle to bunch and not spread out, causing more issues when the heat index rises. Start With a Plan Having a plan for an upcoming heat event starts with important strategies to keep cattle cool, including additional water sources, preventing crowding, processing times, shades and air flow. “Shade is a great way to reduce solar radiation, but may not necessarily change air temperature,” Woiwode states. “And if they’re not high enough, they can reduce wind speed. We’d like to see those the higher the better, even as high as 14 feet.” Airflow “I would put airflow at the top of importance when it comes to preparation,” Woiwode says. “Without enough airflow and too much humidity, cattle do not have the ability to dissipate heat through evaporative cooling [sweating].” Water sprinklers can be a good tool for cooling cattle and the ground they lay on; however, if there is no air movement PRODUCTION
April/May 2024 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN 15 with extreme heat following precipitation, adding additional moisture and humidity to the environment can actually exacerbate the situation, Woiwode explains. Nevertheless, sprinkling can be a strategy to use, particularly if airflow is present. Getting cattle wet can increase evaporative cooling and reduce the ground temperature. This is most beneficial when there has not been a significant amount of precipitation recently and humidity is low. Before a heat event occurs, Woiwode suggests planning to have cattle in pens that naturally have more airflow and strategizing ways to improve airflow. • CLUE #1: Predicted hot weather following precipitation. It is the combined temperature and humidity that determines the severity of heat stress. • CLUE #2: Monitor the upper critical temperaturehumidity limits of cattle. Consider this limit has been reached when the Temperature-Humidity Index reaches 80 (e.g., 86° F at 60 percent relative humidity; see Table 1). • CLUE #3: Evening weather forecast for overnight temperatures to remain above 70° F. A potential heat stress crisis situation exists for cattle when there is little or no night cooling. • CLUE #4: Observing cattle will tell you when they are becoming uncomfortable from heat. Cattle will start to walk around looking for an area that is more comfortable, where there is more air movement. They will start to slobber, and their respiratory rate may reach 75 breaths per minute. They will extend their head to make it easier to breathe. They will position their body to minimize their exposure to the sun; generally, this is facing the sun. Clues to an Impending Heat Stress Crisis CONTINUED ON PAGE 16 Table 1: Temperature-Humidity Index (THI) Source: “Managing Feedlot Heat Stress” UNL NebGuide, Sept. 2007
16 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN April/May 2024 BEEF UP Beef up with BOVAMINE DEFEND® Plus. An innovative combination of four proven strains of good bacteria, BOVAMINE DEFEND Plus supports cattle gut health and immunity, allowing cattle to be more productive. Research also shows improvements in feed efficiency, cattle performance, dressing percentage and hot carcass weight — all helping to beef up your profit potential, too. It’s the power of good bacteria at work. Scan to learn more. YOUR CATTLE. YOUR OPERATION. YOUR BOTTOM LINE. Chr Hansen BDP_Half page_NECattlemen_Fall2023.indd 1 10/10/23 11:07 AM Planning for increased water consumption includes checking wells, water pressure and placing additional tanks in pens, which also reduces crowding around the water to help avoid elevating body temperature. By doing this work ahead of time, cattle have some time to acclimate and find those extra sources of water, reducing stress. Avoid Processing and Moving Cattle Prior to a heat event, Lukasiewicz emphasizes educating all working crews about processing. “We do not want to be processing cattle at least 24 hours prior to the heat event, so if we have the opportunity to not process and not vaccinate, that is ideal,” he says. Processing can be accomplished if it is absolutely necessary as early as possible in the day, but Lukasiewicz warns against this. “Early in the morning is the time when the cattle have their ability to cool down from the night before. If you process early in the morning, you’re intervening with that cooldown period, and that impacts the heat load that those cattle take on,” he says. “We have to be really careful about when we process during that time.” According to Lukasiewicz, when cattle are processed and given a vaccination, that vaccine is creating an immune response, which causes the animal’s core temperature to increase almost 2 degrees. That animal maintains that core temperature for about 48 to 72 hours. “You might have vegetation, like weeds or brush or even hay bale windbreaks, close to some of the pens that could be removed,” Woiwode encourages. “If we have a windbreak near a pen, while it provides a lot of benefit for the cattle during the winter, during heat events it’s actually detrimental. Even a 10foot structure can reduce wind speed for as much as 100 feet.” To assess airflow movement on your facility, a Kestrel meter can be used. The base model also provides temperature and dew-point readings. Reducing stocking density and creating mounds in pens are two other strategies to help with airflow issues. Mounds in pens provide access to increased wind speed, in some cases, and also can reduce crowding. Water Access and Availability Water should be prioritized as an important tool to combat heat stress as cattle’s need for water increases significantly with heat. At temperatures warmer than 80 degrees, cattle need more water than normal to prevent dehydration and allow heat to be dissipated through evaporative cooling and urination. Consuming water is the quickest and most efficient method to reduce body temperature. Each animal needs as much as five gallons every two hours during a heat event. BE PREPARED! CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15
April/May 2024 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN 17 1/2 page horizontal 4 color Nebraska Cattleman Holdrege Equipment April/May 2024 2000 Series Quad Auger TMR Mixer Meet the NEW 2000 Series Mixer Features: • Solid stainless steel troughs and lower sides • No liners, lower mixer weight, more feed capacity • Load bars replace load cells • Improved weighing consistency/reliability • Advanced hydrostatic drive with gravity discharge • Wider door improves feed-out speed • Promotes efficient, one-pass feeding Patented Ribbon Augers: • Effective for all rations • Lower feed pressure • Open augers improve mixing performance, speed and capacity • Faster mix times, lower total feeding time and less fuel saves money Orbit Evo Intelligent Controller: • User-friendly single joystick controls all box functions • Balances hydraulic, truck and mixer functions • Optimizes horsepower draw, mixing and feed-out speeds • Monitors all systems – hydraulics, truck ECM and mixer components The BEST is now even BETTER BETTER MIX • BETTER RESULTS BETTER RESULTS BETTER BOTTOM LINE Holdrege Equipment 1009 W U.S. Hwy 6, Holdrege, NE 68949 888-995-9565 | www.HOLDREGEEQUIPMENT.com Contact the Holdrege Equipment Sales Team for a demo TODAY! “If we’re being strategic about processing, best practices always apply,” Woiwode adds. “Avoid excessive use of handling tools as we don’t want cattle moving faster than a walk if we can help it. They’re not athletes and their respiratory capacity, especially those close to finishing, is really limited, so they don’t handle excessive activity really well.” Animal Nutrition and Heat Stress Since cattle are ruminants, they generate heat during ruminant fermentation and using energy for growth. “A common misnomer is we focus on the fat cattle during heat stress, but the ones that are at most risk for heat stress are those cattle that are transitioning to increasing energy in their diets,” Lukasiewicz explains. “They are going up on elevated energy levels, and it’s actually the metabolic heat that leads to a lot of our heat-stress deaths at the end of the day.” For prolonged heat stress events, both Lukasiewicz and Woiwode recommend working with your nutritionist to consider changing diets to include energy sources that are easier to digest and increase throughput, producing less metabolic heat. “Consistency is really important for cattle and their potential meat quality,” Woiwode expresses. “Big changes, either to their diets or in temperature, are both stressors. So having a strategy and working with a nutritionist to perhaps transition to a lower energy ration in anticipation of a heat event would be advisable.” ~NC~ Being proactive rather than reactive is important to avoid any “train wrecks” when it comes to heat stress. The following valuable resources can help. • Heat Stress Mitigation in Feedlot Cattle webinar https://beef.unl.edu/webinar/heat-stress-mitigationfeedlot-cattle • “Feedlot Heat Stress Information and Management Guide” https://extensionpublications.unl.edu/assets/ pdf/g2266.pdf • “Managing Feedlot Heat Stress,” UNL NebGuide, Sept. 2007 https://extensionpubs.unl.edu/publication/10 • Nebraska BQA Extreme Heat resources at https://bqa. unl.edu/resource-library • Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance – https://bqu.unl.edu • Jesse Fulton, M.S., Extension Educator – Director of Neb. Beef Quality Assurance. Jesse.fulton@unl.edu Resources
Nematodirus (shown here), also known as the thread-necked intestinal worm, is an unsightly parasite that causes infections marked by diarrhea and loss of appetite − both of which open the door for other internal parasites to cause even more damage. Add Safe-Guard® (fenbendazole) when you deworm to take out the profit-eating parasites that your ivermectin alone just can’t.1 If you’ve only been using ivermectin (or any other kind of -ectin), it’s time to add a dewormer from a different class to your protocol. Because you’re leaving resistant parasites in your cattle – and potential profit on the table. By adding Safe-Guard, you can kill more of those microscopic monsters than you can with ivermectin alone.2 This different-class dewormer is one more way Merck Animal Health Works for you. BITE BACK AT SAFEGUARDWORKS.COM IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: Do not use in beef calves less than 2 months old, dairy calves and veal calves. A withdrawal period has not been established for this product in preruminating calves. Additionally, the following meat withdrawal and milk discard times apply: Safe-Guard Paste: Cattle must not be slaughtered for 8 days. For dairy cattle, the milk discard time is 96 hours. Safe-Guard Suspension: Cattle must not be slaughtered for 8 days. For dairy cattle, the milk discard time is 48 hours. Safe-Guard EnProAl Type C Medicated Block: Cattle must not be slaughtered for 11 days. For use in beef cattle only. Safe-Guard 20% Protein Type C Medicated Block: Cattle must not be slaughtered for 16 days. For use in beef cattle only. Safe-Guard Type A and other medicated feed products (pellets, cubes, free-choice mineral, or free-choice liquid): Cattle must not be slaughtered for 13 days. For dairy cattle, the milk discard time is 60 hours. 1 Reinhardt CD, et al. A fenbendazole oral drench in addition to an ivermectin pour-on reduces parasite burden and improves feedlot and carcass performance of finishing heifers compared with endectocides alone. J Anim Sci. 2006;84(8):2243-50. 2Merck Animal Health National FECRT Database. Choose suspension, paste or one of the formulations your cattle are already used to eating. MAHCattle.com • 800-521-5767 © 2024 Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA and its affiliates. All rights reserved. US-SFG-200400001
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20 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN April/May 2024 NAVIGATING TN AND H-2A VISA PROGRAMS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BEEF PRODUCERS CALLIE CURLEY | CONTRIBUTING WRITER Labor challenges affect an increasingly large number of beef operations in the United States today. Faced with finding local labor or being forced to sell the business or significantly reduce operations, many producers find value in recruiting foreign workers. A recent roundtable series hosted by University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) provided professional insight on exploring visa options for hiring feedlot employees. Immigration attorney Julia Cryne of Omaha-based law firm Carlson & Blakeman, LLP, was joined by Ritter Feedyard’s Nick Strehle of Cuming County. Strehle works in operations and human resources (HR) for Ritter, a custom cattle feeding operation with multiple locations across the county. Together, they provided a multi-dimensional summary of the key visa options available to producers, as well as shared recommendations on making the most of the programs and remaining in compliance. They also discussed the most common challenges that producers and visa employees face, and how to stay in compliance and ensure long-term successes in your visa program. Understanding the TN Visa Program The Trade National (TN) visa program is accessible only in the recruitment of Canadian and Mexican workers. “This program will not work for you if you want to hire employees from countries other than Canada or Mexico,” Cryne said. “Most TN workers have four-year degrees and are considered professional workers.” To qualify for a TN visa worker, the job opening in your operation must require a specific skill set and educational background. TN visas are typically valid for at least one year and renewable for up to three years per visa, with indefinite renewals. “A challenge we’ve learned from in this process has been mismatches in the worker’s expectations or experience compared to what we needed,” Strehle said. “While all TN visa workers have a four-year degree, their levels of experience and knowledge vary greatly from person to person. Some require more on-the-job training than others to get up to speed.” Other than creating clear job descriptions that demonstrate the required skill sets, submitting TN visa requests are relatively straightforward. “Really all that’s left to do is create an offer letter. You issue an offer letter with the specifications of skill set and educational background to an individual, they go to the consular embassy in their country to get their visa,” Cryne said. “It’s a relatively simple process compared to many other options in immigration.” According to Cryne, the average turnaround for TN visas recently has been about two weeks from issuance of the letter to approval, with no follow-up requirements in the interim. Is H-2A Right for You? Another commonly used program is the H-2A temporary agricultural visa program. “This was designed to be the basic ag worker program,” Cryne said. “It has no minimum education levels and can be created for any kind of ag-related job as long as it truly is a strong connection to agricultural work.” The H-2A visa is temporary and typically relies on a “seasonal” element or temporary “peak need” designation, such as to fulfill a specific, short-term project or contract, or to cover short-term hiring challenges. H-2A visas can be issued to workers from across the globe. “There is a requirement to demonstrate that there are no available American workers willing to do the job,” Cryne explained. “And fair wages must be paid, as designated by the Department of Labor.” According to Cryne, the rules for the H-2A program are strict and must be followed to avoid consequences. “H-2A visas are typically issued for less than one year – that’s where that seasonal or temporary need comes in,” Cryne said. “But they can be renewed for up to three calendar years in total, after which time the individual must return to their country for a period of time before applying for renewal again.” PRODUCTION
April/May 2024 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN 21 All things considered, the H-2A program is also a relatively fast turn-around, typically taking three to four months to identify a placement and bring them on board. The H-2A program also requires paying a “fair wage” as determined by the Department of Labor. This “fair wage” designation is typically higher than minimum wage and varies based on geographic location. Cryne reported that the current non-range job compensation determined by the Department of Labor for livestock/ farm workers is $18.32 per hour. Employers of H-2A employees also must provide free housing and cover transportation costs from the housing to the job site. The federal government conducts inspections on H-2A facilities and does issue fines for non-compliance. “This is the kind of program where, especially if you’re just starting out, it’s ideal to form a local agreement with other producers in your area, especially your neighbors,” Cryne recommended. “Neighboring farms can share housing facilities so long as all requirements of the H-2A employer rules are met.” It’s also crucial to work with a trusted partner who is knowledgeable on the rules and keeps your operation in compliance. This may be company HR or a third-party partner that specializes in the programs. An attorney should be consulted on any contracts signed between an employer and worker. Important note: When using a foreign recruiter to help you find labor, there should be no upfront payment involved. This is a violation of H-2A rules. American recruiters can help you. Permanent Residency “If you have an employee who returns year after year and you value having them on your staff, you may consider sponsoring them for permanent residency,” Cryne said. “This would result in a Green Card being issued. Both professional/ skilled and unskilled workers can be eligible, through four major steps: 1. Identify Department of Labor “fair wage” for your area. 2. Advertise your role in your community to meet the burden of proof for no available American applicants. 3. Complete a worker petition with Citizenship and Immigration Services. 4. File the visa application. Once an employee earns their Green Card (or Permanent Resident Card), you no longer need to worry about visas. “Sponsoring an employee for their permanent residency is a big deal,” Cryne said. “It can literally change their life and their family’s life. But it takes a considerable amount of time.” Cryne recommended starting the process to sponsor for permanent residency while the worker is in the United States on their visa. “The shortest path through this process is about two years for professional or skilled workers, while unskilled workers will take three to four years from beginning to end,” Cryne said. CATTLEMAN The process must be paid for by the employer, except for the final step of applying for the visa, which can be paid by the worker. Undocumented Workers Many employers want to know how they can help reliable, hardworking undocumented laborers find a path toward citizenship. According to Cryne, it can be an uphill battle. “Most undocumented workers are not eligible for visa status,” she said. “But there are some waivers and special categories in rare cases.” If someone you know is currently an undocumented worker, the best way to help them is to make a connection with an immigration attorney and find out their personal, individualized best options. Overcoming Common Challenges While these processes are relatively straightforward with the right professional support and resources, there are challenges associated with employing visa workers. “Sometimes life just happens,” Strehle said. “Family or life changes take place, and they need to be home to handle those situations; people who have never traveled far from home realize several months in that they are homesick and unhappy; or the experiences they are having are different from what they expected the job to be … any number of things can happen.” That mismatch in expectations can be a leading cause of turnover in visa employment agreements. Taking time to clearly explain the day-to-day expectations of the roles you are hiring for can alleviate some of that strain. “Of course, once someone gets a Green Card there is also no guarantee they’ll continue working for you forever,” Cryne said. “A simple solution can be to draft an employee contract or non-compete agreement that they’ll stay with you for a certain length of time or be responsible to repay a portion of the costs you incurred.” There are risks in all employment agreements, and life circumstances are subject to change for any employee. These situations shouldn’t be seen as a deterrent for hiring visa workers. Ensuring Compliance and Long-Term Success “There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to immigration solutions,” Cryne said. “This is not something you can or should do on your own, especially the H-2A process.” Cryne recommended working with a company to help you navigate the processes and ensure you are protecting your operation and your workers by following the law. “When a few locals can get together to pool resources, everyone wins,” Cryne said. “You have a stake in the game because you all need workers, can’t get them locally and face the prospect of limiting your future growth potential by not having a reliable labor force. Working together can provide more options that help you all succeed.” ~NC~
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24 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN April/May 2024 BOOMTOWN There was a time, Bob Gerlach remembers, when Omaha was the center of the livestock industry, and all the country’s best cattle, hogs and sheep streamed in on trucks and trains to its stockyards. Gerlach, whose home is near Hallam, once raised cattle and hogs and farmed the fertile land of eastern Nebraska. Now retired, he recalls a golden time in his life when he owned an International truck with an 18-foot box on it, and, in the evenings when the farm work was done, he’d haul livestock into the city for friends, neighbors and clients. Gerlach’s wife, Bernice, and their kids would often tag along, squeezed shoulder to shoulder on the truck’s bench seat with one of the kids sitting on Bernice’s lap. When the kids got tired, they’d sleep on the floor. It was the 1950s and ʻ60s. It was a good way to live, a great way to raise a family, and there was no better way to see the world than through the windshield of a big truck. PAST “We’d always stop at the McDonald’s near the stockyards for 49-cent hamburgers,” Gerlach recalls. “The kids loved that.” What Gerlach remembers most, however, was the bustling nature of the sprawling complex – the checkerboard pattern of the wooden pens, the drovers and workers moving quickly and efficiently up and down the alleys, and the sorting of newly arrived livestock into commission company pens. On the street nearby, long lines of straight trucks idled patiently in the queue to unload every kind of cow and pig imaginable – dairy cows and bulls, finished steers, groups of weaned calves, baby calves and pigs. While folks waited, they leaned up against their trucks, shared stories, gossiped a little and renewed old friendships. Indeed, during its 100-plus years of operations, the stockyards became a cultural and economic centerpiece, a city in and of itself. Resting on a gentle slope on the south side of Omaha, it became the largest meat-packing center in the world, and at one time the companies associated with the yards employed more than half of the workers in the city. But all of that is over now. Except for the 11-story Livestock Exchange BuildRanchers and farmers shipped livestock to Omaha from all across the West and, by 1955, Omaha supplanted Chicago as the world’s largest livestock market and meatpacking center. Photos courtesy of the Nebraska State Historical Society.
April/May 2024 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN 25 The Union Stockyards of Omaha Changed the Beef Business Forever ERIC GRANT | CONTRIBUTING WRITER ing, built in 1926 during the yard’s halcyon days and still looming over Omaha’s south side, and Johnny’s Café, the dining mainstay for thousands of workers, buyers and sellers, pretty much everything that once was is now gone. The pens were destroyed in the late 1990s. Most of the major packers – Armour, Cudahy, Swift and Wilson – consolidated into new names and moved into the country, far from urban pressures and the scrutinizing eyes of a public that no longer wants to have meat packing in its presence. Why Omaha? Geography was the main reason for the stockyard’s 1883 beginning. Omaha rested on the cusp between the western range, the fertile farmland of eastern Nebraska and Iowa, and the growing urban centers of the East. Two decades earlier, at the end of the Civil War, the city had served as the starting point for the transcontinental railroad, its track eventually stretching across America to California. The railway immediately made pioneer trails like the Oregon, California and Mormon obsolete, and heralded a new age for ranchers and homesteaders who found they had efficient connections with markets not only in the United States but around the world. The Missouri River, which skirts the eastern edge of Omaha, also provided key advantages. Unlike in Chicago, where removal of manure and unusable animal parts had always been a challenge for the stockyards, the Missouri River provided fresh water for processing and a swift-moving current for removing waste downstream. There was plenty of land with which to expand, and, at one time, the sprawling complex encompassed 250 acres. “Looking back, the stockyards were just unsustainable from an environmental standpoint,” says Bob Hough, Ph.D., a writer and historian. “They actually conCONTINUED ON PAGE 26 By the mid-1900s, livestock arrived at the Omaha Stockyards by truck as well as trains. After unloading, trucks parked in the shadow of the Livestock Exchange Building. From its humble beginnings in the late 19th century to its status as the world’s largest livestock market, the Omaha Stockyards played a vital role in the nation’s agricultural and economic landscape.
26 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN April/May 2024 structed an 8-foot-wide sewer that connected the yards to the Missouri River. You would never be able to build anything like it in today’s world.” Omaha’s stockyards were not only a marketplace but also a cultural and economic hub. The livestock industry’s prosperity had a ripple effect on the local economy, boosting businesses that supported the trade, from feed suppliers to transportation companies. During its time, the stockyards attracted tens of thousands of immigrant workers – Irish, Polish, Czech and others – and represented an American, cultural melting pot. “The stockyards built Omaha,” says publisher and writer Dan Green. Early Motivations Much of the initial motivation – and financing – for the stockyard’s construction came from Wyoming cattle baron Alexander Swan, a Scotsman who owned Swan Land and Cattle Company of Chugwater, Wyo. At one time, Swan and his partners grazed more than 100,000 head of cattle on more than 4.5 million acres of land, including ground near Ogallala. But they knew shipping cattle the extra 500 miles to Chicago meant their cattle lost weight during transport and paid less when they arrived. They needed a closer market for their cattle. “Swan was as hard as a coffin nail, industrious and visionary to pull millions of investment dollars together,” Green says. Swan worked with William Paxton, an Omaha politician and entrepreneur who was instrumental in the construction of railways in Nebraska and Colorado. He also operated ranches in western Nebraska and had built the smaller stockyards in Omaha and Council Bluffs in the 1870s. He encouraged Paxton to reorganize the company and build a new facility in south Omaha. He sent the first shipment of cattle to the facility in 1884. The convergence of cattle, trains and cash attracted meat packers, and their plants soon rose up on the south side of Omaha. By 1888, just five years after the formation of the stockyards, four packers were operating along the edge of the yards, processing more than 1 million head of livestock every year. In 1910, the stockyards received 20,000 animals a day for slaughter. Ranchers and farmers shipped livestock to Omaha from all across the West and, by 1955, Omaha supplanted Chicago as the world’s largest livestock and meat-packing center. The advent of refrigerated rail cars, invented by meat packer Gustavus Swift in the 1880s, meant fresh beef could be shipped to markets that were hundreds and even thousands of miles away. BOOMTOWN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 CONTINUED ON PAGE 28
April/May 2024 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN 27 We build low-touch technology to optimize forage availability, improve biodiversity and maximize soil carbon. www.enriched.ag sales@enriched.ag 406-318-9631 Forage & grazing management Image-based analysis for ag Real-time ranch analytics Bridges of Change Omaha has always served as a transportation hub, a launch point for the California, Oregon and Mormon trails. In the 1860s, it became the eastern terminus for the transcontinental railroad, the first of its kind in the world. Without the railroad, there would be no stockyards and no modern cattle industry. Two infrastructural changes in Omaha also heralded the beginning of another technological advancement that would also change American transportation forever: the rise of paved roads and the construction of two iconic bridges – the Q Street Bridge and the South Omaha Bridge. Both of these bridges made it possible for local farmers and ranchers to haul livestock into the stockyards with trucks, not trains, and unknowingly, the increasing use of trucks and the subsequent construction of the Interstate Highway System in the 1950s. Both factors would end the use of cattle trains and drive the demise of the terminal markets themselves. The South Omaha Bridge (known later as the South Omaha Veterans Memorial Bridge), which spanned the Missouri River and provided Iowa farmers with access to the market, helped drive sweeping changes in the way cattle were raised and marketed. It was opened in 1936 and stretched nearly 4,400 feet over the river. Because of access to plentiful feed grains, Iowa and eastern Nebraska served as the cradle for the cattle feeding sector. And for this reason, Omaha became the leading market for finished cattle – rather than grass-fed, range cattle – and the template for the feeding and packing industries known today. The driver for this change was access, and the South Omaha Bridge, which was demolished in 2010, remains a symbol for the stockyard’s heydays and of American ingenuity and change. The Q Street Bridge, which was also destroyed, made it easy for farmers to drive their cattle through the city and into the stockyards. It once hung a sign above its entrance that proudly stated: “Welcome to Omaha. World’s Largest Meat Packing Center.”
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