14 Nebraska Cattleman August 2023 and how this will allow NC the ability to interact with current and prospective members. Laura Field, NC executive vice president, presented a one-page Associate and Supporting member flier to aid in recruiting non-producer/agribusiness members. She also discussed additional ongoing efforts to bolster recruitment by the NC membership team. Bobby Marchy, Merck Animal Health representative, presented the launch of the Cartridges for Cash program. This program will donate $0.25 per cartridge collected with a goal of collecting enough to donate $10,000 to youth scholarships and young cattlemen programs (learn more on page 60). Allied Industries Council Chair Andy Dorn reminded the Nominations Committee to submit nominations by the 2023 NC Annual Convention for the Allied Industry Council (AIC) chair and vice chair positions. Further, the AIC decided to continue the Nebraska Cattlemen Career Fair for the upcoming NC Convention. Following nomination discussions, NC Director of Membership-Retention Jessie Rudolph demonstrated the new MemberClicks website and fielded questions. Rudolph and Jake Mayer also explained the new form for recruiting Associate and Supporting members, which can be found on the NC website. Taxation Committee This meeting began with NCBA’s Executive Director of Government Affairs Kent Baucus providing updates on the federal tax code. Next, Nebraska Sen. Tom Briese (LD 41) gave an in-depth update on important tax relief that occurred during the first half of the 108th Legislature. Animal Health and Nutrition Committee Alfredo DiConstanzo, Ph.D., beef systems Extension educator, presented information on the use of ear implants in cattle and the need to plan the use appropriately according to the label. Jesse Fulton, Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) director, gave an update on the fed beef audit. Of concern was an increase in recent bruising to carcasses, which indicates problems with transportation to harvest facilities. BQA-Transportation certification is required for livestock haulers to deliver to many harvest facilities. There might be a need for additional training if bruising remains a problem. Chair Jared Walahoski reminded everyone of the imminent requirements for a prescription for all antibiotics and what will be required by producers. NCW Consumer Education and Promotion Committee Gina Hudson reported on the Beef Ambassador Contest held June 7. The contestants will receive their prize money and a Nebraska Cattlemen student membership using sponsorship dollars from Farm Credit Services. Mitch Rippe, Nebraska Beef Council director of nutrition and education, gave an update on several programs he is working on. The Nebraska Beef Council recently held its Nutrition Adventure for registered dietitians. Additionally, information was provided by Chandler Mulvaney, NCBA director of grassroots advocacy and spokesperson development. He encouraged Nebraska producers to participate in the Masters of Beef Advocacy Training program. Education and Research Committee Post-secondary institutions, including Northeast Community College (NCTA), University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), Midland University, Concordia University, Nebraska and Doane University, reported an increase in enrollment for the fall 2023 semester. Current ag teacher education programs are being offered to help with the need for ag teachers in high schools. Some of the schools that have recently added ag are seeing an increase in students from other states. Information was provided by Kacie McCarthy, Ph.D., UNL Extension specialist, about the Krutsinger Beef Industry Scholars Program. They recently wrapped up their summer trip, and they are looking forward to the new program courses. Marketing and Commerce Committee NC’s Marketing and Commerce Committee heard updates on several industry issues and ongoing projects. NC Vice President of Marketing Jeff Stolle provided an in-depth overview of the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Cattle Contract Library (CCL) pilot project – starting from the origin of the current platform and working through each page of the current format of the public-facing CCL dashboard. NC will impress upon AMS that using a weighted-average data format (instead of the simple-average format currently being used) and applying volume totals to the dashboard data whenever possible would result in the library being a much more useable tool for producers. (Read more about the CCL library on page 28.) NC Vice President of Legislative Affairs Jacy Schafer provided an update on Sen. Deb Fischer’s (R-Neb.) Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act, and Rusty Kemp gave his insights on the progress of the ongoing construction of the Sustainable Beef, LLC, beef plant in North Platte. Jeff Stolle also provided a short update on production-level beef industry inventories and how the aggressive beef cow liquidation of the last couple of years is likely to affect industry segment margins and overall price levels moving forward. Join Nebraska Cattlemen in Kearney for the 2023 Annual Convention and Trade Show, Dec. 6-8 where members will decide policy for the organization, celebrate achievements and accomplishments from the past year, provide educational opportunities and engaging social and professional interactions. NC 2023 MIDYEAR MEETING RECAP • CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12
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