Celebrate Beef Month

CENTENNIAL, Colo. — May is National Beef Month, a chance to celebrate all things cattle.

Whether it’s cooking a steak for dinner or learning something new about the industry, there are many ways to enjoy Beef Month. For a list of delectable meal ideas, visit www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/recipes.

Beef cattle are raised in all 50 states, and 96% of the farms are family owned and operated.

In Indiana, there are more than 800,000 cattle on over 29,000 registered farms and ranches.

Organizations such as National Cattlemen’s Beef Association advocate for farmers and ranchers.

Legislative priorities for 2022 focus on protecting and promoting the economic, environmental and social sustainability of the U.S. cattle industry.

Policy Goals

1. Improve market leverage and opportunities.

Examples include:

• Improve upon the risk management tools available to producers.

• Secure full reauthorization and funding for Livestock Mandatory Reporting.

• Increase producers’ access to market data and improve transparency into market transactions.

2. Secure the future of the beef industry.

For example:

• Preserve critical tax code provisions that protect a viable business climate for today’s producers and support the next generation of family farms and ranches.

• Level the playing field and fight for fair, accurate labels on fake meat products.

• Build on record-breaking export sales by expanding market access through science-based, fact-based trade standards.

3. Boost the resiliency of the beef supply chain.

Examples include:

• Advocate for bipartisan reforms to the H2-A visa program and other measures to address the shortage of skilled workers.

• Continue pushing for resources to expand hook space among small, independent and regional processing facilities.

• Secure continued investment to strengthen the rural broadband network.

4. Support commonsense 2023 farm bill priorities.

This includes:

• Expand accessibility and fund risk-management programs and disaster-relief programs within the farm bill, to support financial stability for producers.

• Protect and fund Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Conservation Stewardship Program and other voluntary conservation programs that incentivize science-based, active management of our natural resources.

• Defend against the addition of a livestock title.

Learn more at www.ncba.org.