It was actually Charles Dudley Warner who said “Everybody complains about the weather but nobody does anything about it”. Weather might have been the most impactful thing coming out of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Convention recently. It was 15 below zero when I left home and I arrived to 75 degrees in New Orleans; darn right it made an impact! We were treated to a couple of different weather presentations, and -imagine this- there was some discrepancy in their long-range forecasts. One told us that La Nina is definitely on her way out and we should be in a “normal” to wetter pattern by this Spring, and the other said that while La Nina is weakening, she’ll likely impact us through fall so look for a Spring and Summer much like we’ve had the past couple of years. Obviously, I’m going with the first prediction.
Closer to home, your Association is in the middle of the 82nd Nevada Legislature. I’m pleased to say that we’ve interacted with our new Governor and his staff quite a bit already and the results have been positive. An NCA past President taking over the reins at the Nevada Department of Agriculture is an added bonus. Your NCA leadership has been busy building relationships with Legislators and while there’s always things that seem to pop up – like a crack at Nevada water law, we feel that we’ve a good chance of keeping any sort of regulatory mischief to a minimum this year.
Mr. Warner surely didn’t know how much snow we’ve all pushed around this winter when he said “nobody does anything about it”. Hopefully all that makes for full ditches and plentiful grass and your calving season is filled with warm days full of exceptionally smart heifers and very restful nights.
Jon Griggs, President
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association