26 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN June/July 2026 POLICY Boots on the Hill Nebraska Cattlemen Executive Committee and Staff Visit D.C. LIBBY SCHANEMAN | NC DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS The Nebraska Cattlemen (NC) officer team and staff flew to Washington, D.C. for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Spring Legislative Conference in April. With high input costs for producers, Farm Bill negotiations, the southern border remaining closed due to the threat of New World screwworm and conversations picking up about the Asian longhorned tick and the risk of Theileria, Congress and the White House were bustling. NC started the trip with a visit to the White House Office of Public Liaison to discuss wildfire recovery efforts, relay cattle producers’ concerns and stories, and discuss ways we can work with the administration to provide swift relief for Nebraska. The team then met with Congressman Mike Flood (R-Neb.) where we received five minutes of fame on CNN while Rep. Flood took a live interview to discuss ongoing national security issues and called Nebraska Cattlemen out by name. Following the interview, we discussed the importance of expanding access to international trade markets for beef producers. The NCBA Legislative Conference officially kicked off on NCBA’s rooftop overlooking the Capitol building and the Washington Monument with steaks cooked by Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture Rep. Glen “G.T.” Thompson. Day two of business began by joining our fellow Nebraskans visiting D.C. for the famous Nebraska Breakfast, which was started by Sen. Hugh Butler in 1943. Following breakfast, we visited with Sen. Fischer (R-Neb.) and thanked her for introducing the Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act to expedite ag producers’ access to federal disaster relief under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP). The bill would give producers impacted by disasters the option to receive an advance on cost-sharing relief based on existing USDA estimates. This expedited option would ensure family farmers and ranchers in dire need of help could begin the critical work of restoring their property to productive levels. The act would also reframe eligibility for relief from wildfire damage to include any wildfire caused or spread due to natural causes as well as wildfires caused by the federal government. This bill passed the Senate unanimously on March 24, and is awaiting action on the House side. Next, the group met with Sen. Pete Ricketts’ (R-Neb.) staff to discuss the importance of reintroducing the FAIR Labels Act, which aims to end deceptive labeling practices in the marketplace to protect U.S. cattle producers’ reputation while ensuring consumers have the transparency they deserve. We also discussed the importance of ensuring USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has adequate funding to hire more entomologists to research the threat of Theileria in the U.S. cow herd. We met with Rep. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) where we focused on wildfire recovery efforts, the Farm Bill and international trade concerns. Following our meeting with Rep. Smith, the group met with Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) where we discussed the Farm Bill given his position on the House Committee on Agriculture. The next two days were spent listening to updates from federal agency officials and senior Trump administration officials. ~NC~
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