White House Unveils Additional Actions Focused on Cattle Producers

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Sept. 4 aimed at strengthening the U.S. cattle and ranching industry amid historically low cattle numbers and growing consume demand for beef. The order directs several federal agencies to conduct a comprehensive review of regulations and policies affecting ranchers, with recommendations due within 90 days on ways to improve producers’ financial viability and market access.

The order also takes several steps related to predator management, directing the Interior Department to evaluate whether gray wolves and Mexican wolves have met the criteria for delisting or downlisting under the Endangered Species Act. The administration will also examine changes to depredation claims, producer compensation,and emergency removal policies.

Additionally, the U.S. Departmentof Agriculture (USDA) is directed to review existing authority for mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef and provide an economic analysis of its potential impacts. Depending on the findings, USDA could pursue regulatory changes or develop legislative recommendations.

While we await additional details on the findings from these "investigations," we are also waiting for more information from USDA on the other proposal recently released by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins at the Nebraska State Fair. The proposal includes a new Livestock Risk Protection product aimed at heifer retention,additional flexibility on the utilization of the Emergency Conservation Program on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and Grassland CRP acres, expanded drought assistance, predator-loss assistance, and additional federal purchases of U.S.beef. 

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