News Update
June 30, 2014
Dan Harris Elected Livestock
Marketing Association President
Dan Harris, owner of Holton Livestock Exchange in Holton, Kan., has been elected president of the Livestock Marketing Association (LMA). In this role he will spend two years leading the nation’s largest membership organization representing more than 800 local livestock auction markets and allied businesses.
Harris is no stranger to having a microphone in his hand, but, as he told the LMA membership at Annual Convention, it is usually because he is selling something.
“I grew up in the livestock marketing business,” Harris says. “My father helped build our facility in 1951, and I’ve been coming along to the market ever since I was knee high to him. At a young age, I decided that I wanted to follow his footsteps to be a livestock auctioneer and in the marketing business.”
Following high school, Harris, along with his brother, attended auctioneering school in Mason City, Iowa. He then returned to the family business at Holton Livestock Exchange. Now, Harris is taking an additional step to represent his own market and all livestock markets as he takes the helm of the volunteer leadership at LMA.
“I’m an LMA member because I feel like we need a stronger voice than we have as individual market owners. LMA is a grassroots organization that allows us to come together to develop national programs and policy and to speak with one voice,” says Harris.
In laying out his goals for his presidency, Harris stressed the importance of continued focus on LMA’s animal-handling program and pushing back against unnecessary and overly burdensome regulation.
“Enjoyment of time around livestock is a major factor that keeps me loving my job,” Harris says. “Our consignors put a great deal of trust in us in allowing us to sell animals they depend on for their own livelihoods. It’s for this reason and others that I’m incredibly proud of the leadership LMA has with our focus on animal handling.”
Additionally, Harris sees overregulation as a concern that LMA must continue addressing. The association will continue working to prevent new regulations that would overly burden markets or livestock owners. At the same time LMA will seek updates to bring Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Administration requirements more in line with the 21st century businesses today rather than the early 1900s businesses the law was written to regulate.
In addition to owning Holton Livestock Exchange, Harris is a member of the Kansas Beef Council Executive Committee. He and his wife, Lesley, have three sons, Blake, Garrett and Tyler.
USDA and USTR Name New Members to
Agricultural Trade Advisory Committees
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman announced June 26 the appointment of 19 additional members to six agricultural trade advisory committees.
“The agricultural trade advisory committees provide great insight into trade issues for the United States. Hearing from such a wide variety of agricultural experts helps us formulate our trade strategy and keep American exports growing to record numbers,” Vilsack said. “Agricultural trade plays a vital role in the health of our economy, and the new members of the committees will bring welcome new perspectives.”
Congress established the advisory committee system in 1974 to ensure U.S. agricultural trade policy objectives reflect U.S. commercial and economic interests. The USDA and U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) jointly manage the committees.
“A primary objective of President Obama’s trade agenda is to unlock economic opportunity for American farmers and ranchers,” said Froman. “As we fight to open markets across the world to more U.S. exports, direct insight from the American agricultural community is essential. I welcome these well-qualified individuals and look forward to hearing their advice. I also look forward to continued engagement with the public with regard to U.S. agricultural trade policy and how it can continue to benefit American families.”
Since 2009, nearly one-third of U.S. economic growth has been due to exports. In 2013, American exports were a record $2.28 trillion. Agricultural exports alone reached a record $140.9 billion and supported nearly one million jobs in the last fiscal year. The past five years represent the strongest period for U.S. exports in the history of the United States.
The committees provide advice and information to the Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. Trade Representative on negotiating objectives and positions and other matters related to the development and administration of U.S. agricultural trade policy.
The Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee is composed of senior representatives from across the agricultural community and provides advice on general trade policy matters. The Agricultural Technical Advisory Committees offer technical advice and information on specific product sectors.
The new appointments became effective June 15, 2014. Nominations for committee members are accepted at any time and appointments are made periodically, usually for a period of four years. More information is available at http://www.fas.usda.gov/topics/trade-policy/trade-advisory-committees. Questions may be directed to USDA Trade Advisory Committee staff at 202-720-6219 or via email to ATACs@fas.usda.gov.
CBO Study on RFS Deeply Flawed
National Farmers Union (NFU) Senior Vice President of Programs Chandler Goule issued the following statement in response to a study by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on the impact of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS):
“CBO’s claim that repealing the RFS would reduce gasoline prices is simply false. The RFS has reduced consumer demand for oil, and the study fails to take that into account. It is unfortunate that CBO, which is supposed to be objective, released such a flawed study that does not take into account the reality of fuel markets.
“Study after study shows that the RFS is saving consumers money. Www.e85prices.com recently released data showing that consumers filling up with E85 can save an average of 61¢ less per gallon.”
“Thankfully, the CBO study does acknowledge that the RFS is not driving up food prices. Additional studies from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the World Bank clearly show that ethanol does not increase prices in the grocery store.
“The RFS is a successful policy tool that decreases our nation’s reliance on foreign oil, creates economic opportunities in rural America, and effectively decreases the greenhouse gas footprint of the transportation sector. CBO should have taken all of these benefits to consumers into consideration when performing the study.”
Anniversary of Yarnell Hill and South Canyon Fires
This week marks the one-year anniversary of the Yarnell Hill fire tragedy in Arizona and the 20-year anniversary of the South Canyon fire tragedy in Colorado. Vilsack today offered the following statement in tribute to the fallen:
“This week, a grateful nation mourns the loss of the brave firefighters whose commitment to duty was so deep that they gave their own lives to protect others. We also extend our profound sympathies to the families of the fallen, whose sacrifices are equally worthy of honor.
“As we press on through another challenging wildfire season, we are reminded yet again of the perils our firefighters face as they protect communities from wildfire. On behalf of the American people, thank you to those who keep us safe.”
Editor’s Note: The articles used within this site represent a mixture of copyrights. If you would like to reprint or repost an article, you must first request permission of Angus Productions Inc. (API) by contacting the editor at 816-383-5200; 3201 Frederick Ave., Saint Joseph, MO 64506. API claims copyright to this web site as presented. We welcome educational venues and cattlemen to link to this site as a service to their audience.