LINCOLN — Nebraska Cattlemen applauds the Senate passage of the CARES act with a vote of 96-0. We extend our sincerest thank you to our Nebraska congressional delegation for their work in the passage of this act and their vocal support to the beef industry.
Nebraska Cattlemen will ask USDA to utilize funds dedicated to livestock producers in the CARES act to issue one-time payments to producers who experienced loss exposure resulting from the COVID 19 disruption, as well as modify and subsidize producer risk protection programs.
The CARES act addresses short-term priority relief to our cattlemen and women through this pandemic. While we are grateful for a win on these short-term priorities for Nebraska Cattlemen, our focus intensifies on our long-term agenda. These items include:
- Exploring modifications to existing risk mitigation programs like the Livestock Risk Protection program (LRP) or others to incentivize participation by cattlemen.
- Exploring ideas to incentivize more cattle to be marketed on the cash market, thereby increasing true price discovery and transparency in the marketplace. NC policy encourages cash negotiated trade levels reach 50% of fed cattle marketed.
“These are unprecedented times and our industry, among others, is hurting. Cattlemen are resilient but appreciate the short-term relief the CARES act that will provide to our industry. This is a short-term fix and Nebraska Cattlemen has a big agenda for the long-term. We will continue working hard for our members through this time and beyond.” Ken Herz – Nebraska Cattlemen President.
The U.S. House is expected to take action on the CARES Act yet this week.
— Nebraska Cattlemen
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