RAPID CITY, S.D. – R-CALF USA, the nation’s largest producer-only national cattle trade association,wrapped up its 22nd annual convention in Rapid City over the weekend.
The convention started Wednesday and concluded on Friday.
At its convention, the group intended to strengthen its national strategy to quickly fix the United States’ broken cattle market crisis by restoring competition for both cattle and beef.
The group says the two immediate solutions that Congress must implement right now to preserve the nation’s largest sector of agriculture – the cattle sector, are to restore mandatory country of origin labeling (M-COOL) for beef and pass the 50/14 Spot Market Protection Bill S. 949 (50/14 bill) that requires beef packers with more than 1 plant to purchase 50% of their cattle in the competitive cash market each week.
Last December the group released the first-ever U.S. Cattle Industry Long Range Plan to serve as a roadmap which it says will reverse the ongoing decline of the cattle industry. The plan calls for producers to take specific actions, and this year’s convention will provide attendees with factual information and the necessary steps to restore the same opportunities within the cattle industry that initially helped build America, before the packing cartel got ahold of it.
The group has the backing of South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds, who spoke at the convention about his latest bill on country of origin labeling.
Rounds said that it’s important to get rid of false advertising when it comes to labeling beef products, not only for American producers but for consumers as well.
