WASHINGTON — The United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) concluded its East Coast producer tour last month, traveling over 1200 miles and visiting producers throughout New York and New Jersey. Events were hosted at regional livestock auction markets, local extension offices and universities.
“The first-ever USCA East Coast Producer Tour was a successful collaboration between local producers and industry leaders,” USCA Policy & Outreach Director Lia Biondo stated. “Our staff gained a better understanding of the challenges that producers in the Northeast face and ways that we can best represent their needs in D.C.”
The tour hosted events at Empire Livestock Market (Chatham, New York), Central Bridge Livestock (Central Bridge, New York) and Finger Lake Livestock Exchange (Canandaigua, New York). Prior to the start of each market’s sale, USCA staff were able to provide a brief overview on industry issues, including trade, the state of the cattle market, and transportation. Following each sale, staff met with producers from New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts. The conversation continued after the sale with an on-site Beef Supper sponsored by Chatham Empire Livestock Marketing and USCA.
Following the livestock auction market outreach, USCA traveled to Flemington, New Jersey where staff met with Rutgers Cooperative Extension Agent Bob Mickel and Animal Science professor Dr. Mike Westendorf to begin a Northern New Jersey tour of local cattle operations. USCA staff were able to meet with multiple producers and gain insight into their operations and the issues faced on the ground.
The tour concluded at the Gloucester County Rutgers Cooperative Extension Office’s auditorium in Clayton, New Jersey. USCA hosted a presentation on: Industry Trends & Issues: What’s on the Horizon for U.S. Cattle Producers? Representatives from all sectors of the industry attended the discussion, providing a successful conclusion to the tour.
Biondo commented on the tour’s success, “USCA greatly appreciates the livestock markets, producers, Rutgers University, and the Gloucester County Extension Office for hosting us on the producer tour. This tour was a success due to the participation and engagement from the producers we met with and we look forward to building on those relationships as we face industry issues in D.C.”
USCA will continue its 2017 National Membership Tour with stops in Montana, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. If you’re interested in hosting USCA at your facility, please contact Lia at lia@wssdc.com or 202-870-1552.
–United States Cattlemen’s Association
For more articles concerning cattle, click here.