Remember the Alamo Thousands gather in San Antonio to celebrate policy victories and work towards future beef industry wins by CCA Director of Communications Katie Roberti In early February, more than 8,000 people, including close to 200 Californians, headed south to San Antonio, Texas to participate in the 2020 Cattle Industry Convention and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Trade Show. As with each year’s convention, many cattlemen and women made plans to see the sights of the city hosting the event. From enjoying restaurants along the San Antonio Riverwalk to taking a short drive to experience Gruene Hall, the oldest dance hall in Texas, there was something for everyone to enjoy. However, there is one historic landmark in San Antonio that is visited by millions of people each year and even remembered by those who haven’t ever seen it—The Alamo. Built in 1718, the Mission today is remembered mostly for the Battle of the Alamo, where for 13 days fewer than 200 Texans (in the middle of a war to gain independence from Mexico) held off a Mexican force outnumbering them by the thousands. While the Texans did lose this battle of the war, Texas eventually gained their independence from Mexico because of this historic battle and a few years later became a state. It is the Texans’ heroic ability to resist and endure as they were outnumbered in the battle that is still remembered and honored to this day. Much like the Texans were at the Battle of the Alamo, as beef producers in the United States today, sometimes it is difficult not to feel outnumbered. With less than 2 percent of our country’s population directly involved in agriculture, the number of Americans working in the beef industry is even smaller. Misinformation about livestock production in the media and attacks against animal agriculture are nothing new, but unfortunately, these battles aren’t going away. But while the Texans didn’t get help from other troops,
10 California Cattleman March 2020
fortunately, United States cattle producers, have backup in Washington, D.C. This backup is NCBA’s policy team that works every day on Pennsylvania Avenue to fulfill the mission “to serve the beef industry by improving the business climate and growing global beef demand.” This team—which recently appointed NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs, Ethan Lane, named the best lobbying team in D.C.—was active in leading many meetings throughout the 2020 Cattle Industry Convention, but was on full display at the D.C. Issues Update on Thursday of the event. As Lane led the update before handing it over to NCBA’s various policy teams, he started with recognizing the recent victories that led to a historic year for NCBA’s policy division—the ratification of the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement, the Japan and European Union trade deals, the Phase-One Agreement with China, the proposed reform of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and modernization of the Endangered Species Act, to name a few. Although the fruition of these wins all took place within a close timeframe, Lane made it clear these victories didn’t just happen overnight. These wins are products of years of cattle producers and agricultural allies battling and enduring on the frontlines for beef in Washington, D.C. While there was time to celebrate these wins and plenty of fun to be had at this year’s Cattle Industry Convention and in the NCBA Trade Show, the staff of NCBA’s policy division was quick to address it is now time to focus on what needs to happen next to cement current progress and ensure future wins. With presidential campaigns in full swing, the next few months are critical in Washington, D.C., as Congress will soon shift their attention to campaigning and work in our nation’s
