Message from the EVP

As industry encounters roadblocks, ICA is steady at the wheel

BY CAMERON MULRONY ICA Executive Vice President

Idaho’s producers know it takes patience, purpose and pragmatism to navigate the feds’ changing traffic patterns

Nearly every day, I make my commute from the greater Wilder metropolis to our ICA office in Boise. The trek of 37 miles can take varying lengths of time, ranging from 40 minutes to well over an hour, based on the obstacles you encounter along the way.

As I travel in either direction, I know at which exit I am getting on or off when I hit the freeway. My routine is to work my way to the far left lane in order to avoid any congestion associated with merging at the ramps. It never fails that another driver doesn’t think I am driving fast enough when I leave a semitrailer-plus length between me and the car I am following. The other driver quickly darts to another lane to hurry around me, before slowing down to my pace 5 feet behind the next car.

As their frustration grows, they quickly dart over two lanes, as that one looks faster. Then, as they get stuck, and I pass them yet again, they return to their original place behind me in the far left lane.

I tell you all of this because my message this month is to be patient and steady — similar to the folktale of the tortoise and the hare. A steady and direct path will get us to our destinations more quickly in the end.

Last month we met in Sun Valley for our annual meeting and discussed some of the topics that are at the top of the list for the new federal administration. To my point, they have a shiny new car and are in a hurry to get somewhere. They have placed attractive titles on these somewhat obscure ideas, such as “America the Beautiful,” but they don’t have lanes yet for us to navigate in these agendas.

We must stay in our lane and be patient as these things come our direction.

The association has continually drafted policy, just as we did at our convention, to guide our car down the road. We try not to jerk the wheel toward every quick opening, or move from one side of the road to the other, without the careful guidance of our driver — the membership we serve and represent.

Now let us switch gears a bit, to the ol’ idiom “beware a wolf in sheep’s clothing”...

CONSERVATION AND KEEPING OUR EYES ON THE ROAD

With patience and research, our association continues to try to educate our membership, leadership and the public around things related to our industry. I’ll return to the earlier mentioned idea of “America The Beautiful,” or 30 X 30. The general message here is that we will “conserve” 30% of the lands in the U.S. by the year 2030. In return, this will somehow “beautify” our nation.

Our first general question is, what qualifies as conservation? What do we already do as producers to achieve “conservation” status? Where is the aesthetic view of America in a definition of conservation? As I write this, the answers are unknown.

As producers, we know that a do-nothing management approach is not a useful tactic for “conservation.” In my opinion, black, barren ground

We need to act carefully, but we also need to be aggressive in advocating for the needs of our industry. Be assured, the steady and consistent message of our association is heard by those who are making decisions in Washington.

Drought Solutions. Delivered.

1218

Now is the time to optimize nutrition and performance. Your local CowBos Dealer delivers cost-effective, laborsaving and high-quality solutions with professional service to make the most of your investment.

1268

1202

1267

following a fire or a mess of wolf plants and dead brush do not add aesthetic value to our nation.

The time is now to begin formulating our approach for navigating the roads ahead. With this topic, among others, we utilize the resolutions of our association to guide our travels. Here is the question: How patient can we be? We need to act carefully, but we also need to be aggressive in advocating for the needs of our industry. Be assured, the steady and consistent message of our association is heard by those who are making decisions in Washington.

We are pragmatic in our decisions and our actions, and this has created respect for our association. However, as time goes on, I am seeing more wolves disguised as sheep while policy decisions come down the halls. The titles are flashy, and we may be inclined to jerk the wheel in one direction. If we are not careful, however, we will quickly have to jerk things back the other direction, and this is what we are seeing in our leadership changes in D.C.

While the changes are drastic on a national level, the ICA has consistently selected long-term producers who are the boots on the ground to lead our association. This year we welcome Mark Pratt to take our association’s wheel and carefully steer through the lanes of our state and national leadership.

Be sure to look at the listing in the front of our magazine for an updated account of board members in your area or producer segment as we begin 2022. Though the issues in the coming year may prove to be challenging, you can count on the ICA to drive steadily and patiently toward the solutions that benefit our membership base and industry as a whole.