Page 10 - WCA July Ketch Pen 2020

Washington’s cattle industry exemplifiesvalues of rural communities
By Congressman Dan Newhouse (WA-04)
While it may not be the top news story across the nation, I know – as a farmer myself – how hard our agriculture industry works every day to ensure a strong and secure food supply chain, and in Wash- ington state, we have a lot to be proud of. Our state’s cattlemen and cattlewomen provide families across the world with high-quality, Washington-grown beef – but as our nation combats the COVID-19 pandemic and grapples with economic uncertainty, falling cattle prices, and meat alternatives entering the market, I understand the challenges our cattle industry is facing.
I proudly represent Washington’s 4th Congressional District. Within our district lines are thousands of farmers and ranchers whose livelihoods are directly affected by federal laws and regula- tions, which is why I am proud to champion the issues important to agriculture and cattle producers in Congress. As a Member of the Congressional Western Caucus, I work with my colleagues to strengthen and promote the priorities of rural communities across the West and beyond. These priorities and values of our rural com- munities are exemplified in our cattle producers: hard work, local management, and conservation.
In the 2018 Farm Bill, I worked with Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) to include an amendment that would guarantee access to grazing rights for those farmers and ranchers whose land may have been impact- ed by natural disasters, wildlife conflict, or court injunction. On the House Appropriations Committee, I have defended grazing rights and worked to increase transparency in federal decisions that impact access to permits.
Most recently, I cosponsored legislation that would allow U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Perdue to open Con- servation Reserve Program (CRP) lands for grazing, especially during these difficult times facing our farmers and ranchers. Our meat processors and packing plants continue to operate to ensure a strong food supply, but reduced capacity has led to a need for producers to feed their cattle for longer periods of time. The bipartisan PASTURE
Act, introduced by Rep. Roger Marshall (R-KS), will modernize the emergency flexibil- ity of CRP lands and provide relief through- out this pandemic and into the future.
I have been a strong proponent of grazing rights on our federal lands because, as I see it, our farmers and ranchers are doing our communities – and our environment – a favor. By empowering responsible grazing, we encourage local conservation efforts that not only allow
ranchers to continue to Congressman Dan Newhouse produce high-quality
American beef but also preserve our rural areas and public lands for future generations.
In the United States – and here in Washington – we produce the best beef in the world, and we must come together throughout all levels of government to support our farmers and ranchers who work tirelessly to feed our families across the globe. I am grateful for
the input I receive from Central Washington’s cattle industry, and
I encourage you to keep speaking up. Making your voice heard is the best way to influence real change, implement changes like those I’m fighting for in Congress, and create an improved cattle industry across the country.
10 KETCH PEN - July 2020