National Livestock Producers Association

February 1, 2012

SAVE THE DATE: NIAA Annual Conference in Denver, CO - March 26-29, 2012

National Institute for Animal Agriculture, 1/12/11 -- Building on NIAA's 2011 Annual Conference theme, Consumers' Stake in Today's Food Production: Meeting Growing Production Demands, the 2012 Annual Conference will focus on how decreasing resources, both natural and financial, as well as increasing regulations are making it difficult for animal agriculture to advance. With issues such as drought, tight credit, increased capital requirements, environmental regulations, more demanding animal care standards, and misinformation about how animals are raised, animal agriculture is in an important period of change.

The 2012 Annual Conference of the National Institute for Animal Agriculture will explore the many issues facing the industry. We will discuss how animal agriculture can be advanced through understanding the intricacies involved with the limited resources available and continued pressure to further regulate how animals are produced.

This year's conference includes an important and interesting tour of animal agriculture along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains.

Early Registration Ends Feb. 8, 2012

New Member Incentive: If you or your organization become a NEW NIAA member between now and March 23, 2012, you qualify for a special 2012 NIAA Annual Conference registration discount! See the NIAA website for more details.

GIPSA NEWS (1/26/12)

Animal Rights vs Agriculture?

Ag Weekly, 1/26/2012 - Over the last decade, animal rights groups like the Humane Society of the United State (HSUS) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have successfully sought to restrict hunting, animal research and modern animal agriculture techniques across the United States. Today, farmers, ranchers and hunters are standing together to fight back against these intrusions.

USDA Farm Service Agency - Helping Veterans Return to Agriculture

USDA, 1/27/2012 - We need help reaching out to veterans that would like to start or get back into farming as well as landowners that are willing to offer ground to help a veteran farm. It can include land leasing options all the way to helping them own ground to farm. Through a grant and a partnership with the Center for Rural Affairs and other partner agencies, we are proud to be able to help these wonderful people to attain their dreams.

U.S. Cattle Supply Is Tightest Since 1952

Des Moines Register, 1/30/2012 - The combination of drought and heat in the Southwest accelerated what was already a tight supply of cattle in the U.S. last year, dropping the total herd to 90.8 million animals, the lowest total since 1952, according to USDA.

Guest View: Cattlemen Speak Out On Downer Livestock Ruling

Red Bluff Daily News, 1/30/2012 -Following this week's U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the slaughter of non-ambulatory livestock, there is some lingering confusion about the slaughter of non-ambulatory cattle. In short, the court's ruling that California law cannot be stricter than federal law does not affect the slaughter of non-ambulatory cattle because federal regulations already prohibit the slaughter and sale of meat from cattle that are unable to walk.

Butler Resigns, Finalizing GIPSA Rule's Demise

Beef Magazine, 1/27/2012 - Last week's announcement that Dudley Butler was leaving USDA was taken by both sides of the GIPSA debate as a watershed event. Essentially, it put an end to USDA's attempts to radically transform the livestock industry.

6 Million More Cattle?

Drovers Cattle Network, 1/16/2012 - Supply and demand may seem like just concepts from a dusty book. But in today's cattle market, those fundamentals govern profit and loss, and point toward the future.

Iowa and Nebraska Target Hidden-Camera Farm Videos

Chicago Tribune News, 01/29/2012 - Activists who go undercover to record animal abuse on farms and ranches could face criminal charges under new proposals from Iowa and Nebraska lawmakers, who say activists' videos showing suffering livestock are more about political influence and fundraising.

MF Global Bankruptcy And Customer Account Update

Pork Network, 1/27/2012 - MF Global failed on Oct. 31, 2011, producing the eighth-largest bankruptcy in US history and the largest commodity brokerage collapse of all time. While this is not the first time a major brokerage firm has failed, what sets MF Global apart is the fact that $1.2 billion in customer funds were missing at the time of the failure, and still remain missing three months later.

U.S. Agriculture Groups Want to Resolve the COOL Dispute

Canadian Cattlemen's Association, 01/30/12 -- CCA President Travis Toews attended the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Annual Meeting earlier this month where he had several opportunities to update Farm Bureau delegates on the World Trade Organization (WTO) Panel report on U.S. country of origin labeling law (COOL).

The discussions identified how the U.S. will be better off by eliminating the discrimination that COOL has created for Canadian and Mexican livestock imported into the U.S. Although COOL has not produced any quantifiable benefits for U.S. agriculture, it puts at least 9,000 U.S. meat processing jobs at risk though closure of excess processing capacity. Once U.S. packing facilities start closing, the U.S. livestock producers that rely on the closed facilities will be negatively impacted.

UN Panel Stresses Urgency in Agricultural Development

Without immediate action and a global shift in priorities, the world will not be able to feed its growing population in the coming decades, according to a new report from a United Nations panel. The UN Secretary General's High-level Panel on Global Sustainability released its report, titled "Resilient people, resilient planet," this week.

Senator Roberts Blasts Gensler's Questionable Involvement in MF Global Rulemaking

U.S. Senate Ag Committee, 01/27/12 -- U.S. Senator Pat Roberts today blasted Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Gary Gensler's role in developing recommendations for new regulations and rules following the bankruptcy of MF Global. These actions have occurred even though the CFTC's own investigation is not complete, and despite the Chairman's own recusal of enforcement matters pertaining to MF Global.

Chairwoman Stabenow Applauds Reversal of Farm Labor Rule

U.S. Senate Ag Committee, 02/01/12 -- Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today applauded the U.S. Department of Labor's move to go back to the drawing board on a controversial farm labor rule that would have prevented many young people from working on family farms.

House Ag Committee Approves Proposed Amendments to Dodd-Frank

Agri-Pulse, 01/25/2012 – The House Committee on Agriculture approved six bills designed to amend Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The committee has held seven hearings in the past year regarding the implementation of Title VII, gathering testimony from almost 40 witnesses.

National Livestock Producers Association, 13570 Meadowgrass Drive, Suite 201, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80921 Phone: 719-538-8843 * Toll-free: 800-237-7193 * Fax: 719-538-8847 Prepared by Melissa Schneider	Visit us online NLPA.org Twitter.com/NLPAorg
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