Your Association Defends Your Business of Ranching By Pete Bonds, president, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association
I
N ALL MY YEARS AS A MEMBER OF THE TEXAS AND SOUTH- western Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) I have read the President’s Report after the con-
vention and it seemed that every president begin his report with this statement: “Your association is strong.” I cannot express to you how proud I am to be
able make that same statement to you in this report. TSCRA is strong, but it’s not because of my do-
ing. TSCRA’s strength comes from your support as a member and from the vast resources of knowledge and management experi- ence the members use on behalf of Cattle Raisers. Our 16,000-plus mem-
TSCRA President Pete Bonds cruised the Cattle Raisers Expo.
bers give us clout when we speak up to support a bill or a program. You give TSCRA clout when we fight against bad public policy, bad regu- lations and agencies that are lead by bureaucrats with wrong ideas. The way TSCRA
works is simple. You tell us what’s important to you, and we act on your direction. We get that di- rection through meetings like this convention and the summer and fall meetings. Our 9 standing policy committees research and
discuss these issues and send policy resolutions to the board of directors. The directors can discuss the issue further and then vote to approve the resolu- tion, or not. The policies approved by the board give the
offi cers, the volunteer leaders and the staff clear direction on where we need to be spending TSCRA time and resources. Fortunately for all of us, we have the best, most
respected business minds in the U.S. cattle industry in the TSCRA membership. Our volunteer leaders are experts in their areas of the beef industry and they understand how policies and regulations play out across our businesses. They are willing and able to speak in support of TSCRA policies. Elected of-
54 The Cattleman June 2014
fi cials consider our members credible, and when our members speak, their comments have positive effects. Let me outline 3 areas of deep concern to me, per-
sonally. I know you share my concerns. First, there are 2 national issues we absolutely must
watch carefully. Those are government intrusion into our businesses and our private property, and beef trade with countries that may endanger our own biosecurity in the U.S. Let me start with the second issue fi rst. USDA Ani-
mal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) proposed a rule to allow the importation of Brazilian beef. The public comment period for this rule closed in late April. So far no Brazilian beef has entered the U.S. We are joining with the National Cattlemen’s Beef
Association (NCBA) to strongly oppose this rule. Our objection to the rule is that foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is prevalent in Brazil and we must not expose our national herd to this devastating disease. It could cripple our herd and cause our own international trade to shut down. The economic consequences of FMD in this country are too great to allow even minimal risk. As for government intrusion into our business and
how we manage our private property, that is important at the national and at the state level. TSCRA has always defended private business, and my goal during my term as president of your association is to be valiant in the defense of private property rights. Let me ask you this. Who controls the water in your
stock tanks? Every reader would say you do. In mid-March the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) teamed up with the U.S. Corps of Engineers to propose a regulation that would give them authority over “Waters of the United States” under the federal Clean Water Act. This regulation, if adopted, would give them control over temporary wetlands and waterways on private property — a fi rst in U.S. history. Senator David Vitter, the top Republican on the Sen-
ate Environment and Public Works Committee, said on March 25 that this “rule may be one of the most signifi cant private property grabs in U.S. history.” We have been constantly battling the EPA and its
desire to regulate water on private lands. We remain in this battle to make sure EPA does not succeed in getting regulatory control over mud puddles after a
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