RENO, Nevada Ñ There is no escaping talk about BSE in American farm circles, not even at a meeting of wheat growers.
When hundreds of U.S. farmers gather for a convention it is only natural there will be some chatter about when the border should open to live cattle imports from Canada.
But many producers were taken aback when the issue was elevated to a resolution tabled at the National Association of Wheat Growers’ annual convention, held Feb. 19-22.
Jeff Krehbiel, a NAWG director representing Oklahoma, proposed the wheat group lobby Washington to delay the opening of the border until the United States re-establishes lost markets in Japan.
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After a lengthy debate, the resolution was eventually defeated by a count of eight board members in favour and 27 opposed to the idea.
Krehbiel said producers in his state are not opposed to the border reopening. It’s the proposed date that has set them off.
However, since the meeting, an injunction has delayed the March 7 border opening.
“That particular week of the year is when we move most of the cattle in the state.”
He estimated 85 percent of the cattle on wheat pasture in Oklahoma are sold during the week of March 7. Producers worry the influx of Canadian cattle will dampen prices during that critical marketing period.
“We stand to bear the brunt of the market,” said Krehbiel.
His resolution was raised during a meeting of NAWG’s international policy committee. David Moore, who chairs that committee, felt it was inappropriate for NAWG to approve the resolution.
“We’re here representing the wheat industry and that’s why I felt like we needed to stay with wheat issues.”
He recognized that many of the wheat growers sitting around the NAWG board table were also cattle ranchers, but worried that by supporting the resolution the association could find itself drafting language that was at odds with policies espoused by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.
“We could possibly find ourselves in conflict on the Hill,” said Moore.
Another director at the board table said passing the resolution would send the message that BSE is a trade issue, not a health issue, which was the reason given for closing the border.
Krehbiel said Oklahoma isn’t alone in its concern about the timing of the border opening. Producers in nearby states like Nebraska and Kansas also market a lot of cattle during that week.
But mixed operators in those states will have to use cattle organizations when it comes to lobbying the U.S. Department of Agriculture to implement a gradual phase-in of live Canadian cattle.
