10 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN June/July 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 STATE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS | Matthew Melchor 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. LAURA FIELD | NC EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT A BUSY SPRING! By the time you read this column, summer will be upon us. Spring brought much needed rain to most of Nebraska, but it also brought severe weather, with tornadoes touching down on the outskirts of Lincoln and causing widespread damage to suburbs of Omaha, particularly Elkorn and Bennington. Devastating spring wildfires forever changed the lives of our fellow cattle producers in Texas and Oklahoma. Prayers, love and support in the way of supplies, feed and cash made their way south. As the cleanup continues in the months ahead, Nebraska Cattlemen (NC) stands ready to support our friends and neighbors in the state and across the country. NC leadership traveled to our nation’s capital in April to take part in the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA) spring legislative conference. Cattlemen and women from across the country made their way to Washington, D.C. to share thoughts with leaders about what is needed to keep the cattle industry strong, safe and economically successful in the present and in the future. As we visited with our Congressman and Senators in Washington, I recognized how fortunate we are to have those who celebrate our successes, listen to our concerns, and will engage and respond. All five made it a priority to visit with us and took time out of their very busy days to spend quality time engaged on issues that matter to Nebraska ranchers. We discussed goals for a new Farm Bill, expressed concerns over the cancelation of July National Agricultural Statistics Service reports, reviewed electronic identification rules and funding and talked about many other issues. It was time well spent advancing the priorities of NC and NCBA. May kicked off with Gov. Jim Pillen and Nebraska Department of Agriculture Director Sherry Vinton joining NC and the Nebraska Beef Council proclaiming “May is Beef Month.” This month, we are looking forward to seeing NC members in Ogallala at the Midyear Meeting. Much of the spring had us monitoring the situation with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), alternatively named H5N1, that was discovered in some dairy cattle back in March. At the time of this writing, there have been no cases found in Nebraska. NC has been actively engaged with state and federal officials regarding this situation and has updated members as needed. In May, The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it was testing samples of ground beef at retail stores in states where dairy herds had tested positive for H5N1. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service analyzed 30 samples, and no virus particles were found to be present. While notifications and explanations for the testing were lacking and confusing for consumers, the test results proved clearly what we already knew – that beef is safe for human consumption. NC will continue to work with stakeholders and industry experts to monitor the situation and keep producers informed. As Nebraska’s economic driver, the beef industry will remain vigilant and continue to educate consumers and promote the product we so proudly raise. I hope your summer is of full of family time, green grass and lots of steaks and burgers on the grill! ~NC~
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTMxNTA5