Common objections around ICA membership

What’s holding you or your neighbors back from joining?

Membership is the lifeblood of our association! Growing our membership is critical as we work toward our mission of advancing the economic well-being of the beef industry. For this piece, I wanted to address some of the more common reasons we may hear from people as to why they have not become a member. Here are a few of the objections that may stop people from joining the Idaho Cattle Association (ICA):

1. “I can’t afford to pay membership dues.”

We are living in a world where fast food employees are making $15/hour and the teenager at my local grocery store gathers and disinfects grocery carts for $22/hour. Base cow-calf membership dues are $150 annually. That breaks down to $2.88/week or .41cents/day. Do you find value in the work ICA does at the state legislature or with state agencies? Value in the networking opportunity that ICA meetings and conventions provide? Value in the level of professionalism, experience and dedication of our ICA staff? If you answered yes, $2.88/week is a bargain.

2. “ICA is controlled by larger producers; my operation is too small.”

The average herd size in the United States is 44 head, so no operation is too small to step up and join their state cattle association. I argue that ICA is not run by the large producers in Idaho, it’s run by those producers who choose to be involved and show up at the meetings. Our association doesn’t care how many cows you run. What we care about is your engagement and dedication to our industry. Are you interested in promoting, protecting and preserving Idaho’s cattle industry? If so, then we have a seat at the table for you.

3. “ICA only works on federal lands issues.”

ICA does work on federal lands issues because nearly 62% of our state is owned by the federal government. ICA also works on state lands priorities; over 5% of Idaho lands are Endowment Lands. Looking at ICA’s 2023 priority issues our highest tier includes: Recreation, Idaho Brand Department, BLM Grazing Regulations, Cli-

BY KIM BURTON BRACKETT ICA President

mate Change, Sage Grouse, and Idaho’s Fish & Game Department. Only one of those priorities is specific to federal lands. Other priorities that ICA works on include Wolves, Water Rights and Wildfires & Fuels Management. Most of ICA’s work is geared toward all of Idaho’s beef producers, not only BLM or USFS permittees.

A great example of how the support is shared among all types of producers is the work ICA has done with endangered species. ICA is a national leader in working to manage sage grouse and wolf issues. The Endangered Species Act concerns all of us, whether we run cattle on federal, state or private lands. If you attended ICA’s Annual Convention, you heard from several presenters on how the work we do on our ranches and rangelands can mitigate climate change. This is another topic that crosses the boundaries between private, federal and state lands.

4. “ICA will do the work whether I pay my dues or not.”

True. ICA will carry on the good fight with or without your membership, as they have done for over 100 years now. But I don’t know many cattle producers who are looking for a free lunch. In general, we pay our own way and are proud to do so. The work that ICA engages in is brought forward by our members, either through the resolution process which determines our association’s policies or through local concerns brought to us by our members. When a local issue pops up and ICA’s influence is called upon to help address it, the first thing we do is make sure that we are working on behalf of a dues-paying member. If so, we roll up our sleeves and dive in. If not, we explain that we reserve our staff and leadership’s time for concerns that are impacting our membership. Do any of these sound like something you’d hear from yourself or other producers? If one of these objection solutions hit home with you, it’s time to join ICA and work with us to promote and protect Idaho’s beef industry.