Policy Forum Encourages Farmer Involvement And Collaboration

Dec 04, 2014

The Indiana corn and soybean organizations hosted a joint policy forum at the Glass Barn Tuesday, and the event brought farmers from all over the state and a panel of speakers that included the CEO’s of the national corn and soybean organizations and the two ag committee chairs of Indiana state government. Northern Indiana farmer and Indiana Soybean Alliance director Jerry Osterholt said all the panelists had a common message to farmers.

“Definitely to become more involved with the legislative process by finding out who your representative is, contacting them, and having a personal relationship with them so when they have a question about ag, they know who to go to.You!”

National Corn Growers Asscociation CEO Chris Novak just started that role after leading the National Pork Board. Prior to that he headed up the Indiana corn and soy groups, leading them to combine separate offices and staff. They then collaborated with Indiana pork and beef in bringing all four under one roof. Novak spoke about the importance of collaboration, and he hopes to bring the kind of success Indiana has enjoyed to future talks between NCGA and livestock groups. That will be a challenge.

“The Corn Board is committed to working with the livestock industry,” he said. “The hog guys, the cattle guys, they’re a pretty darned independent bunch, and from their standpoint, not having dealt with government programs, not really having a livestock insurance type program in place for the most part, they don’t want government on their farm. I don’t know that you’ll ever see livestock farmers who will reach out and embrace and love the RFS. I don’t know that that’s what we should expect.”

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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.