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December 2009
by Ron Cerri

 

My name is Ron Cerri and it is my honor to represent the members of the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association as President for the next two years. Many of you already know me, but for those that don’t, I am a third generation rancher in Orovada, Nevada. My wife Denise and I have three children. Our son Jeff works with us on the ranch, and daughter Jacque and her husband Zach and children Bailey and Connor also live on the ranch. Our youngest daughter Stacey lives in Boise, Idaho where she attends school. Our children are all involved in the family ranching business, right down to our granddaughter who tagged her first heifer this fall!

I see a multitude of challenges that our industry will be faced with in the next two years. For example, the continuing litigation from groups opposed to public lands grazing, the feral horse and burro issue, and the ever-increasing need for agricultural water by urban areas. With the decision on the sage grouse listing coming up in February, the threatened and endangered species act is always an issue. The economy is on everyone’s mind. There is a real possibility of the need to raise taxes, not only on a state level, but on a national level as well.

One of the newest things to come along is the current administrations push for development of renewable energy such as wind and solar. There are federal stimulus funds available for these projects with the requirement that there must be a plan developed and in place by December of 2010. Many view Nevada as a vast empty wasteland, ideal for these projects. Those of us that live here and love the land are aware of the challenges ahead that we will face. While we all can agree that our nation needs to break our dependence on foreign oil, these are currently multiple use lands and we must make others aware of the effects of implementing these renewable energy plans.

Nevada Cattlemen’s Association’s Executive Director, Meghan Brown, has been doing a fine job of developing a relationship with our leaders and their staffers. Our congressmen and legislators are interested in hearing our views and developing a dialog to discuss these issues. NCA also has committees in place that address the different aspects of our industry and your involvement is crucial to protect your rights and interests. I urge anyone interested in serving on these committees to contact the Elko Office at (775) 738-9214 or any of the committee chairs. Please call any one of the officers or chairpersons whenever you have something you would like to discuss. As those that have served in this position before me, I will strive to represent all members of the livestock industry, as will the officer’s team and committee members and chairs. I am always—well almost always!—available to visit with anyone who has any concerns about the Association or the industry. I can be reached at (775) 272-3386. Our officer and chairperson’s contact information is available on NCA’s Website at www.nevadacattlemen.org. I encourage everyone to visit our Website to see what our organization is doing for you.

I would like to invite everyone, whether you have five cows or five thousand, to become involved in the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association. It is our goal to try to reach out to as many Nevada livestock producers as possible. We hope to accomplish this with the help of some of our allied industries. Our Allied Industry Committee Co-chairs John Keithley and Tracy Vigil are working with NCA to plan some get-togethers in various locations to hear producer’s concerns and discuss how Nevada Cattlemen’s Association can assist them. Whether you are an NCA member or not, I would like to hear from you and hope that you will attend.

In closing, I would like to remind everyone of an old cowboy quote—You’ll never break a horse if you stay sittin’ on the fence!

 

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