Beltway Beef Audio News

Apr 13, 2012

NCBA supports a strong research title within the 2012 Farm Bill. Farm bill research dollars are used to fund critical scientific studies to improve the health, well-being and sustainability of the U.S. beef cattle industry. NCBA will be encouraging Congress to adequately fund the research title to ensure necessary research is being done to combat emerging diseases, discover new production practices, improve environmental stewardship and improve the long-term viability of America’s cattlemen and women.

NCBA will work with members of Congress to stress the importance of the research title. The organization is fortunate to have members of Congress like U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) who vocally support the research title. In fact, he says it was a “victory” that Congress was able to sustain funding for research in the 2008 Farm Bill. He says the research title is one very important thing the federal government can do to ensure America’s farmers and ranchers are at the forefront of producing food and fiber for the world.

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Source: NCBA.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.