NCBA Commends Transportation Dept. & FMCSA For Extension of HOS Exemption

 

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) today released the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (DOT-FMCSA) announcement of a 30 day extension to the Hours of Service (HOS) exemption for livestock and feed haulers:

 

"Livestock haulers are crucial to keeping beef moving through the supply chain and on to grocery store shelves. We thank DOT and FMCSA for extending this exemption and giving crucial relief to critical infrastructure," said NCBA Executive Director of Government Affairs, Allison Rivera. "While this is a win for the cattle industry, more still needs to be done. NCBA will continue to work with Congress and the Trump Administration, to find a permanent fix for Hour of Service regulations.

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.