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KEARNEY, Neb. — The Nebraska Cattlemen are gathered in Kearney for a three-day conference and trade show, which runs until Friday, to address pressing issues in the industry. With cattle inventory at an 80-year low and prices soaring, the closure of the Lexington Tyson plant has added to the challenges.
Nebraska Cattlemen President Dick Pierce highlighted trade and tariffs as top concerns, stating, “The president has gotten… into some hot water because of his tariff agreements, I guess, is what you want to call that. But I think that there’s a reason to his madness.” Pierce also noted the importance of monitoring foreign meat imports from countries like Argentina.
Taxation was another major topic impacting cattle families, with Pierce expressing a desire for tax burdens to shift from property to income or sales tax.
“We don’t have kids that are going to school anymore, and some may not even have grandkids. And yet we are taxed on property, to the point of it becoming a major, fixed expense that we can’t we can’t do anything about,” he said.
The conference also included committee meetings on branding laws, with Pierce expressing hope for progress on the longstanding brand inspection law debate.
“We’ve been working on this issue since the early 90s. So, to say that next year’s the year, the golden year that it’s going to happen, you know, I’m not going to even venture that. It could happen. Hopefully so. But, still a lot of ground to cover and a lot of issues to work through,” he said.
Vendors and attendees, such as Rachel Evans from the Long Creek Cattle Company, used the event to network and stay informed.
“It’s great to keep up to date on what’s going on, not just Nebraska wide, but industry wide as well… They’re talking about the screw worm in Mexico today. So, that definitely causes some price increases and decreases and fluctuations in the market,” Evans said.
Young attendees also participated, eager to learn about the industry and explore the trade show. Lando, Sally and Ida hunt explored the trade show in the morning with their mom Kaytie.
Lando and Sally said they enjoyed looking at a skid steer on display, while Ida liked looking at a car.
“It’s great to be around like minded people and visit. So we’ll walk around and visit for a while and then go back to our booth,” said Kaytie.