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USCA Director Emritus Leo McDonnell, his wife Sam, and USCA supporter Eddie Miller.
(FAITH, SD) – On Monday, Faith Livestock in Faith, South Dakota proudly hosted the United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) for a rollover auction fundraiser.
Prior to the sale, attendees heard from USCA Director Emeritus Leo McDonnell on the work the organization has underway in Washington, DC to benefit U.S. cattle producers. He noted USCA filed a petition for rulemaking to USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service in 2018 to define the terms “meat” and “beef” as products derived exclusively from the flesh of a bovine animal.
“Since then, we have seen a tremendous amount of support from U.S. agricultural organizations and consumer groups, along with ample media coverage on the issue,” McDonnell said.
Speaking further on USCA’s Truth in Labeling efforts, McDonnell noted that USCA filed a petition for rulemaking to USDA FSIS that would close the regulatory loophole allowing packers, processors, and retailers from utilizing the Product of the U.S.A. label on imported beef. Public comments on that petition will be accepted until January 30.
USCA has also worked with Congress to develop similar language. McDonnell said to watch this closely, as there are already some groups trying to compromise these efforts and allow imported cattle and carcasses be labeled as Product of the U.S.A.
McDonnell concluded, “No one knows better than those of us here today at Faith Livestock just how much the cattle markets impact our bottom line. That’s why USCA continues to prioritize results-oriented solutions to increase transparency and true price discovery in the cattle marketplace.”
USCA would like to thank all the businesses and individual ranchers who supported this fundraiser, Faith Livestock for hosting it, and Mike and Wade Maher for their generous donation of a cow for the rollover auction. The cow sold multiple times with proceeds going towards USCA’s efforts to serve as the voice of U.S. cattle producers on Capitol Hill. As long-time USCA supporters, we are grateful to the Maher family, especially Mike Maher, who also sits on the South Dakota Beef Council and is a past officer of South Dakota Stockgrowers Association. Thank you again to all who were able to help us make this fundraiser a success!
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Established in 2007, USCA is committed to enhancing and expanding the cattle industry’s voice on Capitol Hill. USCA has a full-time presence in Washington, giving cattle producers across the country a strong influence on policy development. For more information go to www.uscattlemen.org.
- $100: FREE USCA Annual Membership*
- $50: “Support Your Local Ranchers” sign
- $25: FREE USCA Bumper Sticker
- $5: Recognized as a Supporter in a USCA Social Media Post
