USDA Extends Organic Livestock and Poultry Rule Six More Months

The USDA today extended implementation of the Organic Livestock and Poultry Rule to November 14, an additional six-months beyond the 60-day extension initially put in place by the Trump administration. The USDA will also seek additional public comment on the rule, citing  "significant policy and legal issues addressed within the final rule." NASDA has taken several actions in opposition to the rule both independently and with the livestock and poultry community due to significant animal health, biosecurity, and compliance challenges for organic producers.

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.