News - Montana Cattlemen Association

The Way to Fix a Flawed Compromise is to De-couple “Negotiated” from “Spot”

December 1, 2021 ~ By Gilles Stockton, MCA President ~ Senate Bill 3229, is said to be a compromise merging the 50/14 concept proposed by Senators Grassely and Tester, with a bill that enhances mandatory price reporting advanced by Senator Fischer. The original version of the 50/14 proposal would require...Read More

Beef Labeling

The Montana Cattlemen’s Association (MCA) believes most American consumers want to know about the food they eat and where it was produced. In the case of beef, the origin of the product is very important. US producers are required to follow strict standards on how our animals are treated, what...Read More

Agreement Reached on Cattle Market Reform Legislation

WASHINGTON (November 9, 2021) – Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer(R-Neb.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) are announcing a compromise cattle market proposal, known as the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act. The bill is part of Grassley’s ongoing effort to return fairness to the cattle marketplace dominated by four major...Read More

Tester Announces Drought Assistance for Montana Farmers and Ranchers

July 15, 2021 Sarah Feldman | 202.604.5521 Roy Loewenstein | 202.913.0188 Andy Bixler | 406.230.1721 Producers will begin receiving financial and technical assistance; Emergency haying and grazing on CRP acres may be authorized, following Senator’s push (U.S. Senate) – Amid a historic drought gripping Montana, U.S. Senator Jon...Read More

The Current State of U.S. Agriculture and Food Instructure and Solutions

June 27, 2021 By Mike Callicrate To view video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybeiiu7cBOc&feature=emb_imp_woyt or: https://nobull.mikecallicrate.com/2021/06/30/the-current-state-of-u-s-agriculture-and-food-infrastructure-and-solutions/...Read More

Biden administration to issue executive order on country of origin labeling

By Ariana Figueroa - July 6, 2021 WASHINGTON—The White House will unveil an executive order in the coming days that directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture to clarify that meat can only receive a “Product of USA” label if that livestock is raised in the U.S. rather than abroad, press...Read More

Biden Signs Executive Order to Tackle Competition Issues; Here's How it Impacts Agriculture

By TYNE MORGAN July 9, 2021 First reported Tuesday, President Joe Biden is tackling anti-competitive issues in the U.S. with a new Executive Order. Signed Friday at the White House, the Order could have a sweeping impact on agriculture and corporate business, covering competition in airlines to equipment manufacturers. The order includes...Read More

USDA Announces $600 Million to Increase Meat Processing Through the American Rescue Plan, Following Tester Push

July 9, 2021 Sarah Feldman | 202.604.5521 Roy Loewenstein | 202.913.0188 Andy Bixler | 406.230.1721 Executive Order also addresses consolidation in packing industry, right to repair (Big Sandy, Mont.) – Following his direct appeal to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack last month urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)...Read More

Tester to USDA: Support Montana Producers, Allow Emergency Haying and Grazing on Conservation Reserve Program Lands

July 1, 2021 Sarah Feldman | 202.604.5521 Roy Loewenstein | 202.913.0188 Andy Bixler | 406.230.1721 More than 91 percent of Montana is currently experiencing abnormally dry to extreme drought conditions (Big Sandy, Mont.) – In the face of an historic drought that has slammed Montana producers, U.S. Senator...Read More

Tester Pushes Agriculture Secretary on Meat Packing Consolidation, JBS Hack, and Support for Small Processors

Secretary calls Senator’s Meat Packing Special Investigator Act “a good proposal…it is part of what needs to be done” June 15, 2021 (U.S. Senate) – Continuing his fight to address consolidation and market imbalance in the meat packing industry, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today secured support from Secretary of Agriculture...Read More

OP-ED BY MCA PRESIDENT GILLES STOCKTON

Dear Editor, In a June third article of the Western Ag Reporter, the author likened the effort to reform the cattle market to that of a basketball game in the last twenty-one seconds of the fourth quarter with the score tied. The Packers versus the Producers; or the Cowboys might...Read More

Tester and Colleagues Demand Investigation into Consolidation, Unfair Competition in U.S. Cattle Market

Senators urge Department of Justice to investigate potential violations of antitrust laws in the face of skyrocketing corporate profits, plummeting live cattle prices (Big Sandy, Mont.) – U.S. Senator Jon Tester and a group of his bipartisan colleagues are calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate whether the...Read More

USCA requests emergency relief for livestock haulers

June 2, 2021 (WASHINGTON) - On Wednesday, the United States Cattlemen's Association (USCA) sent a letter to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg requesting immediate regulatory relief for transporters of live animals and fresh meat products following the impact of the cyberattack on global meat supplier JBS SA. In the letter, USCA...Read More

Senator Tester urges Biden to re-open Canadian border

Tester to Biden Administration: Quickly Re-Open U.S.-Canadian Border, Montana’s Economy Depends on It Senator outlines importance of open border to Montana’s economy, urges swift action May 19, 2021 (U.S. Senate) – U.S. Senator Jon Tester today urged the Biden Administration to work with Canada to quickly reopen the U.S.-Canadian border....Read More

MCA submits comments to USDA on production agriculture

5-11-21 letter to Vilsack re Comments AMS-Tm-21-0034...Read More

Tester Highlights Pressures Facing Montana Farmers

Tester Highlights Pressures Facing Montana Farmers and Ranchers From Market Consolidation & Unfair Competition, Demands Action Senator stresses need to address causes of population decline, economic downturn in rural America (U.S. Senate) – Highlighting the urgent need to combat consolidation in the agricultural sector, U.S. Senator Jon Tester put the...Read More

Tester’s Bipartisan Bill Provides Ag and Livestock Haulers Critical Relief from Burdensome Red Tape

March 19, 2021 Senator’s HAULS Act increases hours-of-service flexibility for ag and livestock haulers, allows for more efficient transport of agricultural commodities (U.S. Senate) – U.S. Senator Jon Tester is fighting to ensure Montana ag and livestock haulers have the flexibility they need to safely deliver their products to...Read More

Ag Secretary Vilsack Says He’s Open to COOL

By Greg Henderson, Drovers During Senate confirmation hearings on Tuesday, Tom Vilsack, the former Ag Secretary who is President Biden’s nominee to return as Ag Secretary, said he is willing to consider reimplementation of country-of-origin labeling (COOL) regulations for meat products. Addressing a question from Nebraska Senator Deb Fischer...Read More

Take the bull by the horns, legislature: Pass Country of Origin Labeling in Montana

Consumers have the right to know the origin of their beef purchases, and ranchers have the right to a fair and competitive market. This is a reasonable expectation. However, since 2015 Congress specifically exempted beef and pork from labeling laws. Consumers do not know where their beef comes from, and...Read More

Tester’s Bipartisan Bill Aims to Cut Red Tape, Expand Access to Interstate Markets for Montana Ranchers

Senator’s New Markets for State-Inspected Meat and Poultry Act would open interstate sale of meat processed at state facilities, provide certainty for producers (U.S. Senate) – U.S. Senator Jon Tester is reintroducing his bipartisan bill to cut red tape and allow the interstate trade of meat processed at Montana...Read More

Montana Agriculture Safety Program

For enrollment form and to learn more about the program visit: www.mtagrisafety.com...Read More

MT Farmers Union Meat Processing Grant

Montana Farmers Union secures funds to start cooperative mobile slaughtering business and first college curriculum in the United States to teach meat processing from harvest to retail: Montana Farmers Union is pleased to announce it is the recipient of a $150,000 Montana Meat Processing Infrastructure Grant (MMPIG) which is funded...Read More

USDA Sonny Perdue response to Covid-19

USDA Sonny Perdue response to Covid 19 October 2020...Read More

Grassroots cattlemen aren’t smart enough to protect their own livelihood, says NCBA.

Posted on October 16, 2020 by Mike Callicrate January 31, 2000 Long held elitist philosophy finally exposed at National Cattlemen’s Beef Association convention By Mike Callicrate Cattlemen attendees at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) convention were aghast at hearing the statement of Jon Ferguson, newly elected chairman of the Beef Checkoff division...Read More

Defining “Made in the USA”

by Lilly Platts published in Western Ag Reporter, September 24, 2020 “Made in the USA” is a label adorning many products sold in America — but it may not be as straightforward as it seems when read at face value. A recent push, particularly by beef producers, hopes to...Read More

USCA to Host Senators Jon Tester & Mike Rounds for #FactsOnlyFriday

(SEPTEMBER 23, 2020) - The United States Cattlemen's Association (USCA) is pleased to host U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-MT) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) for a live, virtual discussion on the state of the U.S. cattle market and the role of Congress in bringing forth solutions. The conversation will take place...Read More

Use of Radio Frequency Identification Tags as Official Identification in Cattle and Bison

Posted by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service on Jul 5, 2020 Action Notice and request for comments. Summary In accordance with Executive Order 13892, Promoting the Rule of Law Through Transparency and Fairness in Civil Administrative Enforcement and Adjudication, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is soliciting public comments...Read More

FTC Comment Deadline Soon

August 30, 2020 Deadline: September 14, 2020 is the last day for comments on the Federal Trade Commissions rule on product of USA or made in USA label for beef. We need to get this important deadline out to our membership. In July of 2020 the Federal Trade Commission...Read More

MCA joins USCA and others; Letter to Secretary Perdue on US Beef

August 24, 2020 The Honorable Sonny Perdue Secretary of Agriculture U.S. Department of Agriculture 1400 Independence Drive S.W. Washington, DC 20250 Dear Secretary Perdue; As the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) considers its third round of Farmers to Families Food Box Program purchases, the undersigned organizations respectfully request that preference...Read More

How to Not Protect Montanan’s Water Rights

August 19, 2020 “Keep Public Lands in Public Hands” is a well-used slogan during this election season. Given that all candidates claim to support this notion, it should be concerning that Senator Steve Daines has just given away the 18,500-acre National Bison Range and 36,800 acres of state lands to...Read More

Rigged Markets, and False Choices

Posted on August 14, 2020 by Mike Callicrate Cattlemen are still fighting with each other over how they will die, not if they will. Cattle and meatpacker groups are fussing over a choice of 30/14 or 50/14 for percent cash trade and maximum days for the meatpacker to take delivery of cash-traded cattle...Read More

KRTV Montana Ag Network Story

Senators Bring #FairCattleMarkets to Capitol Hill

On Tuesday, on the floor of the U.S. Senate, Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Jon Tester (D-MT) championed the cause of #FairCattleMarkets for U.S. cattle producers. Specifically, the pair urged support for their "50-14" or spot market bill (S. 3693 | HR 7501). Earlier in the week, Senator Grassley told reporters that...Read More

On Senate Floor: Tester Urges Colleagues to Support His Bipartisan Bill to Level the Playing Field for Montana Ranchers and Consumers

August 4, 2020 Senator: “Our ranchers, and the American public, are being taken advantage of in the midst of a global public health and economic crisis” (U.S. Senate) – As part of his continuing efforts to provide critical relief to livestock producers who have seen cattle prices plummet over...Read More

Governor Bullock Announces over $7.5 Million of Coronavirus Relief Funds Awarded through Montana Meat Processing Infrastructure Grants

August 4, 2020 Bullock, MDA award grants to over 60 businesses for meat processing MONTANA – Governor Steve Bullock and the Montana Department of Agriculture (MDA) today announced that over $7.5 million in grant funding has been awarded through the Montana Meat Processing Infrastructure Grant (MMPIG) programs. The grants...Read More

MCA FOUNDATION RECEIVES GRANT TO PROVIDE BEEF TO LOCAL FOOD PANTRIES

We are pleased to announce that the Montana Cattlemen’s Foundation has been awarded a $50,000 grant to benefit our Beef On Every Plate program! The grant was issued by the State of Montana to help increase food security for Montanans hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. For those of...Read More

MCA has concerns regarding brucellosis in bison

MCA president Gilles Stockton sent an email to Bill West regarding bison. The following is an excerpt from that correspondence. Bill West's sent his Bio, I worked at and managed National Wildlife Refuges for 36 years. I worked for the Missouri State Wildlife Agency for 5 years prior and was...Read More

Hearing requested for Water Compact SB3019

Click Here: Water Rights 7-6-20...Read More

Imported raw beef recalled for lack of re-inspection – And it’s not lean trim! by Mike Callicrate

The industry promotes the need for imported beef to provide lean trim for blending with the extra fat from our domestic finished animals. Notice the list of items being recalled – “BONELESS RIBEYE ROLL”. Cheap, below-cost-of-production imported beef is a primary reason why small meat plants can’t survive in the...Read More

Tyson Foods Issues Statement On DOJ's Indictment In Broiler Chicken Investigation

Springdale, AR - Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) issued the following statement today regarding the June 2, 2020, indictment by the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) charging multiple executives of other companies in the broiler chicken industry with conspiring to restrain trade. "Tyson Foods is...Read More

Meatpacker Theft Sets All-time Record – Our Nation’s Food Security is Gone by Mike Callicrate

Fri, Jun 12, 2020 at 3:42 PM The May 20th, 2020 USDA retail beef value was reported at $7.58 per pound, up $1.41 per pound from a year ago. Live cattle slaughter weights were reported at 1,370 pounds. Retail beef yield from a 1,370 pound steer or heifer will be...Read More

Livestock and the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program

May 26, 2020 Are you a livestock producer whose operation has been directly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic? The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program provides direct relief to producers who faced price declines and additional marketing costs due to COVID-19. The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, or CFAP, provides vital financial assistance...Read More

NCBA Opposes Government Mandate Restricting Cattle Marketing Options

WASHINGTON (May 13, 2020) - National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Policy Division Chair and South Dakota Rancher Todd Wilkinson today released the following statement in response to the bill introduced by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) that would require a minimum of 50 percent of a...Read More

Tester: Cut Cattle Market Red Tape, Allow Interstate Meat Sales

May 11, 2020 First plank of Senator’s Rancher Relief Plan is call to open interstate sale of meat processed at state facilities; Senator’s legislation would reduce backlogs at processing plants, diversify market, provide price stability (U.S. Senate) – As Montana ranchers have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, U.S....Read More

by Mike Callicrate 9 Actions We Can Take Now to Strengthen Our Agriculture and Food System

April 30, 2020 OCM Staff The Covid-19 Pandemic has had many effects on the economy of the United States, and particularly hard-hit has been the agriculture and food sector. Not since the Depression have we seen such a disparity between retail and farmgate prices, empty grocery shelves while people clamor...Read More

Unite, you have nothing to lose but your chains!

Saturday, May 2, 2020 For over a month now, nearly anyone who can lift a fork has asked what the “new normal” in American agriculture will be after Covid-19 loosens its terrible grip. Six weeks later, we now have a pretty good idea that ag’s new normal will look like...Read More

OCM Calls for Breakup of Big Four Meatpackers

May 30, 2020 LINCOLN, NE: Today, Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) is calling for the breakup of the “Big Four” meatpacking companies: Cargill, JBS, National Beef, and Tyson. Together, these four companies control over 85% of the United States beef supply. Recent packing plant closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic...Read More

Tester Secures Expansion of Relief Programs to Cover Montana Family Farms and Ranches in Interim Relief Package

April 21, 2020 Agriculture businesses, farms, and ranches with fewer than 500 employees now qualify for small business disaster relief loans (Big Sandy, Mont.) – Continuing his push to make sure Montana’s family farms and ranches receive relief during the global pandemic, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today secured an expansion...Read More

Tester Secures Expansion of Relief Programs to Cover Montana Family Farms and Ranches in Interim Relief Package

The Loss of One of America’s Last Great Arena of Competition

March 22, 2020 by Leo McDonnell Pat Goggin’s, who was one of the greatest advocates for rancher’s and preserving a competitive market based on market fundamentals, always said it takes a little government to maintain a free market. I don’t think Pat was talking about a free market...Read More

USDA announces it will revisit country of origin labeling

by Sam Bloch 04.03.2020, 10:28am For years, American ranchers have asked for a return to COOL labeling enforcement. It might be coming back. Right now, if you walk into a grocery store and buy hamburger patties that are labeled as American beef, make sure to read the fine print. Because...Read More

Beef costs are up at stores, but futures are down. Senators want to know why

By Ellyn Ferguson Posted March 31, 2020 Grassley said he'll ask the Justice and Agriculture departments to investigate An Iowa senator says there’s something fishy about falling cattle market prices at a time when beef is a top seller among consumers stocking up during the COVID-19 pandemic. Republican Charles E....Read More

Daines Calls On DOJ to Investigate Price-Fixing, Market Manipulation Within Cattle Market and Meatpacking Industry

March 19,2020 U.S. SENATE – Today, U.S. Senator Steve Daines sent a letter calling on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the ongoing allegations of price-fixing and market manipulation within the cattle market and the beef meatpacking industry. “At a time when cattle producers are seeing record losses and...Read More

Court Rules In Favor Of Checkoff, Dismisses R-CALF Suit

Drovers News Source March 27, 2020 The Beef Checkoff program and fifteen grassroots-led state beef councils won a major court victory as the United States District Court of Montana ruled in favor of USDA and the Montana Beef Council in the matter of R-CALF vs. Sonny Perdue and USDA. NCBA...Read More

National Cattlemens Beef Association Goes on CNBC and Embarrasses Themselves and the Entire Cattle Industry

March 25, 2020 By Jim Mundorf “If demand is up why are prices down?” It’s the question the anchor asks. It’s the obvious question that any idiot would ask after taking one look at what is going on in the beef industry. The answer given by NCBA’s Ethan Lane is,...Read More

Tester Leads Bipartisan Bill for Aid to Montana Small-Scale Livestock Producers As Beef Markets Flounder

Senator’s legislation will provide much-needed relief to independent cattle ranchers as prices drop amid COVID-19 pandemic (U.S. Senate) – Following a unprecedented drop in cattle prices as a result of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and continued market consolidation, U.S. Senator Jon Tester is introducing bipartisan legislation that would...Read More

Tester Demands Agriculture Secretary Take Immediate Action to Stabilize Beef Markets Amid COVID-19 Outbreak

U.S. Senate) – After Montana ranchers recently saw the steepest price decline for cattle in forty years due to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, U.S. Senator Jon Tester is demanding that U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue take immediate action to stabilize beef markets. “Since January 1,...Read More

Perdue Nixes Revival Of mCOOL, Suggests Voluntary Labels

by Greg Henderson 02:56PM Mar 06, 2020 Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue made clear his position on mandatory country-of-origin labeling on beef in his State of the Rural Economy testimony before the House Agriculture Committee on Wednesday. Mandatory COOL “is not going to happen unless we want to do a billion-dollar...Read More

Captive Supply Reform

By MCA Director Gilles Stockton: Feeders and ranchers alike have every reason to be upset at the hit cattle prices took following a fire in a Tyson slaughter plant back in August. We can’t call this downturn a collapse because the collapse came in 2015 when Congress rescinded Country of...Read More

Up Against Monopoly

by Jim Hightower: Farm Aid, the top-notch group of researchers and advocates who've tracked family farm issues for nearly 34 years, reports that just two giants now control 60% of all raw milk processed nationwide — a concentration that works to suppress the farm price of milk. But the processor...Read More

RFID tags op-ed

By MCA Director Gilles Stockton: Most cattle producers have probably not paid enough attention to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue’s recent announcement that adult cattle in interstate commerce will be required to carry RFID tags. This includes all cattle vaccinated for brucellosis. It is going to cost you and is...Read More

NAFTA and the NCBA op-ed

By MCA Director Gilles Stockton: The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is currently making a media and lobbying push to have the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) - better known as NAFTA-II - ratified by Congress. In their press info NCBA states: “USMCA maintains science-based trade standards while rejecting...Read More

Where's the Beef?

By MCA Director Gilles Stockton: Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Purdue probably expects that his press release announcing more access to Japan’s market for U.S. Beef will have cattle ranchers dancing a jig. But frankly, there is not enough of a musical beat in this trade agreement to cause anyone to...Read More

COOL Press Release

April 20, 2019 - Contact person: Jim Baker, President (406) 741-3680 Montana Country of Origin Labeling The Montana Cattlemen’s Association is very disappointed that the Montana Legislature refused to enact a Montana Country of Origin Labeling law (Mt-COOL). Although the bill did receive limited bipartisan support, it was primarily the...Read More