On October 9, 2012, I had the honor to work a live show for NCBA's Cattlemen to Cattlemen where we took calls live on the air to answer drought questions, as well as allow viewers to call in and join NCBA, ask questions about the 2013 Cattle Industry Annual Convention, etc. My task was to answer the phone and sign people up to become members. Although I did not get any new memberships, I had an interesting conversation with a gentleman from Pennsylvania. The night was entertaining and I enjoyed interacting with U.S. cattle producers. Take a look at the video below to catch a few glances of me manning the phone lines and becoming "almost famous". I will say most of the shots on camera were of me acting, but it was fun while it lasted. Thanks to anyone who called into the show, NCBA appreciates the support. Enjoy the video (I am the one between the lady in the pink jacket and the gentleman with the beard).
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On June 21, 2012, the Senate passed its version of the Farm Bill and the NCBA team, as well as cattle producers across the nation, is pleased with this version. NCBA is now turning its focus on the U.S. House of Representatives' markup scheduled for after the July 4th recess. On July 11, 2012 at 10:00 am the House Agriculture Committee began debate on their version of the Farm Bill. Late in the evening of July 11, the Agriculture Committee completed consideration of 109 amendments and passed their version of the Farm Bill (35 - 11). NCBA was successful in eliminating the livestock title, sustaining the conservation title – specifically the 60% EQIP allocation and helped to strengthen the research title. Look for more updates on the National Cattlemen's Beef Association website, www.BeefUSA.org, in the next two weeks on the Farm Bill as NCBA continues to work closely with the House to finalize their version. Steak from H3 Steakhouse in the Ft. Worth Stockyards and the Shorthorn show at the Fort Worth Stockshow and Rodeo 2012. If you haven't "herd", I will be moving to Denver, Colorado in February because I am the newest employee of the National Cattleman's Beef Association (NCBA). I am excited to work for such a wonderful organization and the American cattle producer. Eat some beef to help me celebrate! As a new NCBA employee I will be serving as the manager of web content, so check out www.beefusa.org to see what I will be working on at my place of employment. I am honored to give a voice for the American cattle producer and help the world understand how beef cattle producers are working every day to feed families. As I prepare for my big move to Colorado, I have taken time to remember all the friends I have found in Stephenville, Texas. The last three days have consisted of a lot of eating, catching up with old friends and connecting with new friends. Yesterday, January 29, 2012, I was lucky enough to celebrate my new job and my move at the Fort Worth Stockshow and Rodeo. I spent the day with my favorite people, my family of course, and watched the Southwest Major Pace Shorthorn Show. Once the Champion female (heifer or cow) was selected my family made our way to the historic Fort Worth Stockyards for me to say good-bye in style. The town of Fort Worth and specifically the stockyards is a favorite of mine. I will truly miss the Fort Worth weekends, summers and stock show time. However, I am excited to meet a new city that is just as famous in the beef cattle industry, Denver, Colo. As part of my farewell to Fort Worth and family I enjoyed a thick, juicy filet mignon at the H3 Steakhouse. There is no better way to celebrate my job at NCBA than with a piece of beef, I just hope Fort Worth will not be jealous of me moving to Denver to eat more beef. I am excited for my new adventure and I want to take you along with me. I will post pictures, thoughts, comments and struggles I encounter in my rocky mountain and beef adventures. Happy Monday and eat some beef. Congressman Stephen Fincher (R-Tenn.) and I at the NCBA Washington, D.C., office. From the outside looking in, Washington D.C., is perceived as a corrupt and heartless city, where people will do just about anything to get ahead. How do I know this? I felt the same way before I left my Texas town to move up North. The month prior to starting my internship in Washington, I was constantly warned, “Don’t let those politicians turn you greedy.” I will admit I received mixed signals when I told people I would in interning in Washington. However, I would simply respond, “I won’t let the city corrupt me and anyways I will be working for the good guys, people advocating for the cattleman.” In fact, when I informed my family and friends that I would be interning for the National Cattleman’s Beef Association (NCBA), I witnessed a bit of relief in their eyes. This relief stemmed from the great NCBA reputation and from them understanding that fellow beef advocates would be educating me, rather than politicians. Before I moved to Washington, D.C., I had my opinions and misconceptions about the work conducted on Capitol Hill. I expected the city to be ruthless and embody a “kick you while your down” atmosphere. I also expected the NCBA office to be more consumed with political agendas than the policy issues important to NCBA members. Well if you are wondering, my perceptions were incorrect. It’s true. Washington is not Texas. Even though is not as heart-warming as my hometown, the city is not as cruel as you may think. Specifically, the agricultural world in D.C. is a tight knit and supportive group. I expected the fight against regulations to be an “on your own” competition but it is amazing to see agricultural groups support and work together to combat issues. My time here in Washington has been a wonderful experience where I have learned why the presence of NCBA on Capitol Hill is important for cattle producers. The Washington D.C., team works continuously to ensure cattlemen from all over the country have a voice on the Hill. They work each day to battle the top issues, so producers can remain at home checking cows and feeding the world. Issues such as potential dust regulations, the proposed U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration’s proposed livestock marketing rule and ethanol could negatively affect producers. However, the team here in Washington keeps a hard thumb on lawmakers and the administration and is always the first to respond when issues harm the beef industry. Each day there are phone calls being made and letters being sent to administrators, elected officials on the Hill and even President Obama opposing rules that could affect the producer’s pocketbook. Being a NCBA member, I can appreciate the work that occurs here because if it were not for this team’s continuous efforts, the future of the beef industry would be in jeopardy. As a Capitol Hill outsider and a young producer, I was hit with a heap of information my first week here. The first thing I learned and I appreciate the most is that NCBA’s presence on Capitol Hill is unique and highly respected. It is unique in the sense that the people fighting are currently or once were beef producers. Their fights are personal. The staff is not only highly educated on the issues, but they are passionate. It is the combination of passion and knowledge that puts NCBA on a level that should make all members proud. The remarkable reputation of NCBA was refreshing to me and continues to be refreshing when members of Congress and Capitol Hill staff regard NCBA as a knowledgeable, reputable organization. As a NCBA member and worker, I am proud of the successes and efforts of NCBA because I have witnessed them firsthand. I have witnessed progress in resolving trade issues and Environmental Protection Agency concerns because the DC staff always has their boots on the ground constantly meeting with members of Congress so the cattlemen and women can rest easier at night. This internship has given me an exclusive viewpoint that allows me to rest easier at night because I know the beef industry is in good hands with the NCBA’s Washington D.C., office. As of today I have officially completed my first week as the communications and public policy intern at National Cattleman’s Beef Association (NCBA) in Washington DC. I arrived by plane exactly a week ago and I was expecting to write it has been a whirlwind of a week, but in all honesty I have fit in quite well. The first few days were hard because I was fighting a cold and filling my brain with names, metro stops and street intersections. I also missed my family and friends back home in Texas. However, these past two days have eased my mind and helped me realize I will make it and may even succeed in DC. I am absolutely enjoying NCBA and my ten new roommates. The NCBA office is welcoming, warm and my kind of place in DC and I look forward to these next two months. My first day on the job was quite nerve racking but as I look back, it was all in my head. As I arrived to 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., SE, I have learned that the NW or SW portion of an address is important due to that fact you could end up on the completely wrong side of DC. I am not speaking from experience, if you are wondering I am speaking strictly from observation. Anyways, as I arrived at my place of internship I cautiously rode the elevator to the third floor and stepped out to see glass doors illuminating the words “National Cattleman’s Beef Association.” I had successfully arrived and was ready to take on my intern tasks. The first day consisted of meeting all of the office staff with Kristina’s excellent guidance and firmly beginning the introduction with a handshake. Once I made my rounds, Kristina showed me to my desk and I began checking my already 79 emails, which were mostly deleted because I took Kristina’s advise. The rest of the day I met with the communications team, that consists of Mike and Mary. As a team we discussed the first steps that must be taken to start redeveloping the NCBA website, beefusa.org. In our discussion I was assigned to meet with all the departments and get recommendations on the website. Specifically, I would let the person know what was currently on the website and then they would say what needed to be updated or completely removed. My second day on the job consisted of meetings, meetings and more meetings. I had four meetings to discuss the website and rapidly took notes while we discussed the redevelopment. After concluding the website meetings I was asked to sit in on my first “all staff” teleconference meeting with the corporate office in Denver. I finished the day by typing up my notes from the morning meetings. My third day began with Mary, the associate director of communications, teaching me how to create and distribute the NCBA “Daily News Watch” email. After receiving instructions, I developed my first daily news email. My last task for the morning was making copies of the summer internship applications. My afternoon consisted of conducting more website meetings and editing the weekly “Beltway Beef” newsletter. Yesterday, my fourth day, I had my last website meeting and finalized my outline of notes and distributed them to Mike and Mary. They will be utilizing the notes at their website meeting with corporate on Monday, February 28. I also developed my second “Daily News Watch” email. The most exciting part of my day was writing my first blog post for “Beltway Beef” blog. My topic focused on the international trade meeting that was hosted in Austin, where our Texas affiliates were in attendance. I ended my day through discussing possible summer interns and reviewing applications. Yesterday, February 24, the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) and the Texas Cattle Feeders Association (TCFA) made their presence known at an international trade meeting in Austin. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples was joined by U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk to host this round table discussion focusing on the pending free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama.
TSCRA President Dave Scott was in attendance along with several leaders in Texas agriculture. Initially, Scott made it known that TSCRA and its members support the free trade agreements. If these three trade agreements are to pass, U.S. exports are said to increase by at least $13 billion and thousands of jobs will be created. “TSCRA strongly supports free and fair trading rules in the global marketplace for goods and service. Bilateral trade agreements can benefit many exporting and importing nations resulting in fairer trade rules for all producers and consumers,” Scott said during the round table discussion. Renewing U.S. beef exports with China and resolving the ongoing trade dispute regarding allowing Mexican trucks on U.S. roadways were also topics discussed during the meeting. Scott encouraged Kirk to make the Mexico trucking issue a significant subject to the U.S. government. He said the Mexican trucking dispute directly affects Texas agriculture because the boarding regions lack access and the ability to export agricultural commodities. An international trade meeting like this one brings a promising light to U.S. and Texas agriculture, specifically the beef cattle industry. Click here for the TSCRA news update. Click here for the Texas Department of Agriculture press release. |
Disclaimer: the opinions expressed on this blog are my own opinions and do not express the views of Beefmaster Breeders United. Enjoy!Archives
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