Agricultural News
NCBA's Top Hired Hand Reviews 2017's First Half, and Why Beef Has a Bright Future on the Horizon
Mon, 17 Jul 2017 12:30:40 CDT
In Denver this past week during the National Cattlemen's Beef Association Summer Business meeting, the association's Chief Executive Officer, Kendal Frazier, took a few moments to speak with Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays. They spoke on several subjects that NCBA has worked on over the past year. You can listen to their full in-depth conversation, by clicking or tapping the LISTEN BAR below, located at the bottom of this story.
Frazier told Hays that a lot of progress has really been made so far, just half way through this year. He says a lot of that movement is thanks to having an administration in place that is willing to work with the association.
"We feel really good about some of the appointments that been made in the key government agencies that we interact with, EPA, the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture," Frazier said. "We feel like there are good people now heading up those agencies and feel like philosophically, we agree a lot with what they want to do."
In addition to better inter-government relations, Frazier says the industry itself is doing well, with conditions in all matters seeming to have improved from this time last year. He thinks overall member attitudes have improved; market prices have improved and stand to improve even more with a good corn crop coming in. He says exports, too, have seen double-digit increases and believes there is a bright future for US beef overseas on the horizon, now that China is poised to import more beef from our producers here at home.
"Our industry is in pretty good shape and there's a lot of optimism in our industry," he said. "We understand that we're going to have to develop (China's) market and that it'll be a slow process to do that."
Still, though, it has been a top priority for NCBA, says Fraizer, and our foot is in the door and once mature, China stands to be a very important market for the US. He insists it is a great achievement to be celebrated.
In matters of domestic policy though, Frazier says there are things to celebrate there too, but also some frustrations. While the repeal of the Death Tax and some other tax related promises have been made, that could alleviate the financial burden on producers, Frazier says the focus is being pulled by other distractions, like the seemingly illogical desire of the administration to renegotiate or back out completely our trade agreements with some of our existing trade partners. He says NCBA has advised the Trump administration to be very careful with the North Atlantic Free Trade agreement, as it has been universally beneficial for most all of agriculture. He says, also, they will continue to push for a bilateral agreement with Japan, since Trump took the Trans-Pacific Partnership off the table.
Nonetheless, Frazier says the US beef industry is positioned to make large gains in with consumers, especially in today's younger demographic, curious about beef and how it is produced. He says, the NCBA is soon to launch a campaign designed to capitalize on this consumer interest.
"We feel like this campaign that we're going to launch this fall is going to really put us on the offense and help answer some of those questions," Frazier said. "So, stay tuned for that campaign. We think it's going to be really exciting."
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