All Aboard
By Trent Loos

I don’t remember a single day of my life that I have not been proud to be a part of American Agriculture. Yet on the heels of the National Cattlemans Beef Association meeting in San Antonio that pride achieved another new level. It is completely impossible to create with words energy that exist when you are one of nearly 7000 people who gather and eat sleep and drink nothing but the beef industry for a week. The power of a membership organization comes front and center during these days.

So what is the power? Policy, or give direction for our hired individuals to execute the will of the membership. Yes certainly there can be no better way for an industry to maintain focus for the days ahead. The ability to deal with issues whether planned or expected it is vastly important to have conventions such as this, hall chatter delegate representation in committee meetings all lead to administration rooted in the desires of the members. But events like this meeting have so much impact to the industry.

USDA reports that there are currently 834,000 cattle owners in the United States. NCBA has in the neighborhood of 30,000 and only 7000 attend the meeting. If you break that down on a percent basis less than 1 percent of the vested cattlemen in the country show up. What do you miss by not showing up?

For example, on Monday of last week I did not believe the time was right to open the border to live cattle importated Canada. Due to the facts presented, visiting with numerous other individuals I changed my mind about the timing. No doubt that border must be back open but how and when needs to be established. The membership organization route has a mechanism for generating the method. Without a doubt by now you have heard the summary of the discussion and direction. Yet it will be the people who did not show up who the biggest problem with it.

I understand in today world we have many obligations and can not be everywhere all the time. I have this on going debate with a good friend of mine about working on the business as opposed to working in the business. He thinks I work on the business too much and I believe he works in the business too much. Some where in the middle there is a compromise.

For the back seat drivers in an industry that don’t even get in the vehicle I have very little time for their criticism. I understand it is so easy for anyone to get so ingrained in your own segment of the industry you lose sight of how vast it truly is. Whether you are calving cows or cutting meat. One only need to walk the trade show at an event like this and you begin to realize that there are a tremendous number of indgridents in the receipe for a successful beef industry.

I truly believe the division that exist today within the beef industry is the only predator we have. I sit in the media room over hearing reporters of all type attempting to present information in a certain way as to not offend or in some cases to offend other groups. If information needs to position a certain to keep advertising coming in can we consider that healthy? So not only by not showing up you lose insight into the beef industry, your voice is not heard to hear a positioned account of what took place.

Nothing I am sharing with you today will win me more friends. But at the end of the day I truly believe everyone no matter what their methods in getting there want the same end result. A better opportunity for our kids than our father gave us. Some are quick to tell you that as any organization grows it easily becomes disconnected from the grass roots producer. That is a two way street as well.

Today’s beef industry’s foundation of the heritage that we are so proud of, yet that history should have us give us a foundation for the future rather stuck in the past. We are in the food business a business that involves production issues with food safety measures. Those who weigh too heavily on where we have been will indeed miss the train to the future. At this point and time we each have the decision to make, get on the train and see where it takes us or stand at the depot and complain that the step in is higher than it use to be. Yep, it is higher but the train runs faster and farther than grandpa ever could have imaged.

 

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