285 10th Street
P.O. Box 310
Elko, NV 89803
775-738-9214
775-738-5208 Fax
Executive Director
Cell 775-340-4486
Email: nca@nevadabeef.org
Aug 2010
President's Message:
Ruby Pipeline, owned by El Paso Corporation, recently announced that they have entered into a $20,000,000.00 arrangement with Western Watersheds Project (WWP) and Oregon Natural Deserts Association (ONDA). As a result of the agreement the two organizations would, in turn, drop their appeals to the gas pipeline.
According to Richard Wheatley, spokesman for El Paso Corporation, “The bottom line is we think it’s a preferable approach than being involved in litigation.” It is apparent by the statements made by the representatives for the pipeline company that they believe what they are doing is environmentally responsible and will mitigate any harm done to the ecosystem as a result of the pipeline’s construction.
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Executive Director's Message:
While many of you are haying and working away on summer projects the staff at Nevada Cattlemen’s association is looking towards our annual convention in November. This year our convention will be held in Elko. The dates for this year’s 75th annual convention are November 10-12. We are excited to be back in Elko this year to enjoy the great Basque restaurants, local businesses, and Ruby Mountains.
We are currently working on reserving speakers, and panels for the different meetings. Please contact the office with any ideas, topics, or individuals that you would like to see during convention. This is a time for members to gather to set policy, learn about new methods and marketing techniques, and to socialize. We are working to make this year bigger and better than it has been in the past. However, we cannot do that without your participation and input.
JULY 2010
President's Message:
What has happened to common sense?
I hope everyone is having a good spring. Those of us in northern Humboldt County are going to be short on irrigation water due to a snow pack that was about 60% of normal. It sure would be nice to get a winter with normal or above normal precipitation again. There are a number of ranches that are at the end of the streams that haven’t had water on their meadows for five or more years. We were fortunate this spring to get some really good rains at the right time. The grass out on the range is exceptional which is great, except that in about a month when it all dries out we could have a potentially bad fire season.
Dealing with the wild horse issue is still taking a lot of the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association and my time. I have talked a lot about wild horses in my columns, so everyone must be thinking that it is a big issue to me personally. I don’t have wild horses on my allotments or even around me; it is just a subject where there seems to be a lack of common sense and it irks the hell out of me! To me a deal is a deal. In 1971 a plan was put together and both the BLM and the wild horse advocates have failed to hold up their end of it.
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Executive Director's Message:
Over the past month the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association has been working hard to promote sound management and responsible multiple use. NCA leadership has been attending meetings, sending comments, and working with legislators to make sure that Nevada’s voice remains strong. We are currently working on speakers and topics for convention. If there is something that you would like to see, learn, or participate in during convention please contact the office. We look to you for input and this is your opportunity.
What has NCA Done For you:
JUNE 2010
President's Message
In March Steve Boies, John Falen, Joe Guild and myself traveled to Washington D.C. to attend a Public Lands Council meeting. Every year when we make this trip we make a concerted effort to schedule meetings with the federal land agency people that are in charge of regulating those of us out west that make use of the public lands. We also try to meet with our Nevada congressional delegation. Each Senator and Representative usually tries to have at least one person on their staff that works on natural resource issues. Meeting and talking to these individuals is just as important as meeting with our Congressmen. Because Congressmen have so many issues to deal with, they must rely on these staff members to keep them informed on pending legislation. Congressional staff members are also expected to keep the Congressmen informed as to their constituent’s feelings on certain issues, whether they are in favor of or opposed to pending legislation and if there are any changes that they would recommend. This is why it is so important there be organizations like the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association. The Nevada Cattlemen’s Association office receives calls from one or more of these staff members weekly wanting to know what the livestock industry in Nevada thinks about some particular issue...
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Executive Director's Message
The Nevada Cattlemen’s Association (NCA) continues to work on issues that are important to you. There are many issues facing the state from potential closure of CABNR to national legislation regarding Clean Water. The Executive Committee of the association continues to keep a close eye on issues that affect you. If there are issues you feel need to be addressed, please contact the office or a member of the NCA Executive Committee. Feedback is important to the leadership of this organization. Without the voice of the membership the association can not grow and meet the ever changing challenges we face.
Gubernatorial candidate Brian Sandoval contacted the NCA office for a sit down meeting to discuss issues important to NCA and the industry. Several members of the NCA Executive Committee met with Brian on May 13th at the NCA office in Elko. Ron Torell, Boyd Spratling, Audrey Spratling, J.J. Goicoechea and Meghan Brown sat down with the candidate and spoke with Mr. Sandoval about issues such as taxes, appointments to boards and commissions, monument designations in Nevada, public land issues, wildlife, water rights, and litigation.....
MAY 2010
President's Message
Ron Torell, North-East Livestock Extension Specialist, has submitted his resignation to the Nevada Cooperative Extension, effective June 30th, 2010. Ron is technically still working for the Extension Service, but is using the annual leave he has built up. It seems Ron got into hot water over the last article he wrote entitled Technology Hypocrisy. As an employee of the University system, the on campus administration felt it was inappropriate for Ron to mention by name some of agriculture’s adversaries like Western Watersheds Project, PETA, and the Humane Society of the United States; organizations whose objectives are to create havoc for agriculture.
I read the article, as I am sure many of you did. The article was about new technology and how it was being used in today’s communication world. All Ron had said was that these groups have learned to effectively use this new media to spread their message, and if we in agriculture are going to survive we had better learn to do the same. It would seem to me that someone who is getting paid to work with and for an industry should be able to defend that industry. But I guess one should not be surprised; after all this is the same University Administration that is proposing the elimination of the College of Agriculture.
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Executive Director's Message
For several months the livestock industry has been waiting for the listing announcement from the US Fish and Wildlife Service on sage grouse. On March 5th that announcement came and with that came more questions about how private land owners and ranchers could protect their property from regulation under ESA. In late March an announcement was made that funds were available from the NRCS for projects on public and private land for the conservation of habitat for sage grouse. The USDA made available $16 million dollars for projects.
Funding enhances the opportunity for USDA to strengthen its conservation commitment with state agencies responsible for managing sage-grouse populations. USDA will also work with the Department of Interior to provide certainty to landowners who enroll in NRCS programs to benefit sage grouse. This will protect landowners from increased regulation should the bird be listed under the Endangered Species Act in the future.
APRIL 2010
President's Message
In the last month Nevada’s agricultural industry was dealt two major blows: the proposed elimination of the College of Agriculture and the loss of our State Veterinarian. Why have those in charge of our higher educational system and our State Government decided that agriculture is no longer important?
From our state’s very beginning there have been two industries that have been constant—agriculture and mining. Both have had their ups and their downs. Not until the 1950’s did gaming become king. Now it too is struggling and most likely will never again be the revenue source for Nevada that it once was. In the early part of the last decade mining activity dwindled. Then in the 1970’s mining once again became a leading industry in Nevada. This happened as a result of new technology and new ways of mining, like open pit and leaching, to extract the precious metals. These new technologies came from land grant universities like the University of Nevada, Reno.
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Executive Director's Message
There are many issues that are facing the ranching industry. Currently Nevada Cattlemen’s Association has been monitoring and working on the sage grouse listing, potential monument designations, UNR CABNR potential closure, state water rights, EAJA legislation, and state budget cuts relating to agriculture.
On March 5, 2010 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the greater sage-grouse as warranted to be precluded. This means the bird is warrants protection under the Endangered Species Act but listing the species at this time is precluded because of the need to address higher priority species. This means that on an annual basis the greater sage-grouse will be evaluated for potential listing. Currently under the precluded status the greater sage-grouse will not receive statutory protection under the ESA and individual states will continue to be responsible for managing the bird.
MARCH 2010
President's Message
By the time this column goes to print the 44th Annual Fallon All Breed Bull Sale will have already taken place. The Nevada Cattlemen’s Association would like to thank the consignors, buyers and everyone who attended this year’s sale.
Once again a committee has been formed to look at the brand program and some of the issues that have arisen. This committee is made up of two members of Nevada Cattlemen’s Association, two members of Nevada Livestock Association and one from the Nevada Farm Bureau.
The committee was formed originally to look at special sales and the costs associated with them. When the auction yards have a sale outside their regularly scheduled sale day the brand department has been charging the livestock auctions time and mileage for inspectors to recover the additional costs associated with these sales. The auction yards argue that.....
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Executive Director's Message
On January 29th Boyd and Audrey Spratling, Tom Barnes, Jon Griggs, and JJ Goicoechea sat down with Ms. Sue Lowden, candidate for the US Senate, to discuss issues important to the livestock industry. There was a lot of discussion about wild horses and the current management of those horses. NCA leadership spoke to her regarding the importance not only of rangeland health but over health of the wild horse herds in Nevada. Without the use of gathers horse numbers would increase to levels that both the resource and herd could not sustain. The association maintained that wild horses needed to be managed at AML and that sanctuaries in Nevada were not the answer.
Another issue that was touched upon was the Equal Access to Justice Act. There has been some recent media attention brought EAJA abuse by environmental groups....