USDA Amends Animal Traceability Regulations
On April 26, 2024, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced that they were amending animal traceability regulations, requiring electronically (and visible) readable ear tags for interstate movement of cattle and bison. The rule will take effect 180 days after it has been published in the Federal Register. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/traceability-final-rule.pdf
This required electronically readable ear tag will apply to all sexually intact cattle and bison which are 18 months or older. It will also apply to all female dairy cattle of any age and dairy male cattle born after March 11, 2023.
This “Frequently Asked Questions” might assist you with details that you would be interested in considering: aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/traceability-faq.pdf
More Details On USDA Federal Order On Requirements For Dairy Cattle Movement
In last week’s newsletter we reported on the federal order that the USDA released on interstate lactating dairy cattle movement. After the newsletter made it to your email inboxes the agency’s Guidance document was distributed and further details were made known about the specifics.
While the initial Guidance document provided for dairy cows which were headed straight to slaughter facilities (across state boundaries) there were still burdensome provisions relating to whether those animals which were going through auction markets and then on to out-of-state slaughter facilities. On Saturday, April 27, this news release from the Nevada Department of Agriculture further clarified that Lactating dairy cows consigned to a sale barn in Nevada for subsequent interstate movement to a slaughter facility do not require a negative test.
U.S. House Passes Bill Seeking Withdrawal Of BLM Rule
On a vote of 212 to 202 the U.S. House passed HR 3397 which was sponsored by Congressman John Curtis of Utah. Nevada Congressman Mark Amodei was one of the 20 co-sponsors who joined on the legislation. HR 3397 seeks to require the Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to withdraw the recently released “Conservation and Landscape Health Rule.” Farm Bureau supported passage of the legislation and sent letters to each member of the U.S. House supporting passage. Congressman Amodei was the only member of Nevada’s House delegation to vote in support of the bill.
There is a strong likelihood that a Senate Bill will also be introduced, but passage is rather unlikely and whatever might take place, the legislation will require a two-thirds vote to over-ride the extremely likely veto of President Biden.
The House And Senate Ag Committee Chairs Release Something On Farm Bills
U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee and Congressman G.T. Thompson, Chair of the House Agriculture Committee have released partial information on what they are planning to be their respective committee’s version of the next Farm Bill. This preliminary information prompted American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Zippy Duvall to comment that his organization appreciates the signals of some progress happening.
On the other hand, the two sets of Farm Bill ideas didn’t come out with very extensive details. The Senate version was an outline of the various sections that will likely become the Senate bill and the House version was also more of Title-by-Title outline. In a video conference discussion with State Farm Bureau Presidents, part of the monthly meeting that President Duvall host, Chairman Thompson was the featured speaker, and he offered a few more details as well as answered various questions from State Farm Bureau Presidents. The Congressman noted that he plans to have a committee markup of the bill on May 23rd. He also promised that the House version will include “robust” provisions aimed at “putting the ‘farm’ back in the Farm Bill.”
Senator Stabenow has not indicated what her timetable might be for committee actions.
Background Paper On Crop Insurance
One of the major priorities for the Farm Bill involves the program of Crop Insurance. American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Economist Daniel Munch offers this Market Intel Report with basic information relating to crop insurance: https://www.fb.org/market-intel/crop-insurance-101-the-basics
Time To Begin The Discussions On Nevada Farm Bureau Water Policy
The last session of the Nevada Legislature was a heavy-duty water session with a significantly increase in the number of legislative proposals. Whether the 2025 session will include that many proposals remain to be seen, but based on the ideas being circulated from various organizations and groups with interests in water it could be a busy one. Nevada Farm Bureau has been engaged in conversations with other water advocates and has been sorting through other concepts that have been offered by different groups.
The Nevada Legislature’s Interim Joint Natural Resources Committee will be meeting on Friday, May 10th. There’s no agenda for the meeting at this writing but based on the conversations that we’ve been in as well as the concept papers that are being circulated, we are expecting a number of different possible ideas to be presented at the interim meeting.
This brings us to where Nevada Farm Bureau’s policy might need to be revised, prior to the start of the 2025 Nevada Legislative Session. We’ll be better equipped to get those discussions started after the May 10th interim committee meeting, but from what we understand at this point, Farm Bureau policy will need a complete review.
Does Your Family Have A Centennial Farm/Ranch?
An interesting news blurb in the April issue of the newsletter from the Nevada Department of Agriculture caught our eye this week, noting that if your family has a Centennial Farm/Ranch, you need to make this milestone mark known. You are able to reach out to make the contact through the Department’s Website Page for the Centennial Farm Program. To qualify as a Centennial ranch or farm, an applicant’s ranch or farm must have belonged to his or her families for at least 100 years and must be a working ranch or farm with a minimum of 160 acres or if it is less than 160 acres, it must have gross yearly sales of at least $1,000.
SDA Issues Federal Order On Requirements For Dairy Cattle Movement
On April 24th the United States Department of Agriculture issued a federal order pertaining to interstate lactating dairy cattle movement. At this writing we are still waiting to receive the Guidance document which spells out the exact details for movement, but from what has been shared the federal order mandates testing of lactating dairy cows (with negative results for H5N1 Avian Influenza).
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsak, in speaking to a group of industry interest, stressed that the main purpose for the testing requirements are to gather as much data as possible to better understand the emerging situation. At this point a total of 33 dairies in Texas, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, North Carolina and South Dakota have had animals which tested positive for H5N1.
Throughout the discussions of the past month and stressed again in the announcement for the Federal Order, the milk supply and food supply remains safe. Pasteurization of milk has continually proven to inactivate bacteria and viruses like H5N1 in milk.
We’ll keep you posted on on-going developments as they become available.
BLM Conservation and Landscape Health Rule
Since the April 18th release of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) new “Conservation and Landscape Health” rule we have been spending some significant time going through the document and contemplating the regulation changes that BLM has decided as their final rule. The rule will take effect 30-days after being published in the Federal Register.
For those who want to just read the actual regulations (minus the puff and self-justification that the agency has prepared to convince everyone that the are doing the right thing and have the authority to do what they have decided) – the last 46 pages of the 178-page document have the regulation language.
To describe the final rule as something multiple-use advocates might be willing to appreciate – would be totally wrong. This rule has nothing of merit, despite those who suggest that it is positive that everyone will now have to live with rangeland health standards like livestock grazing has had to deal with since their adoption. The rule calls for setting “national land health standards” (which will be brought from the top-down within BLM) and could easily clamp down harder on livestock grazing than what is now in place.
Whether it is designations of Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACES); managing for “intact landscapes;” restoration or mitigation leasing…or any of the other multitude of ecologically-correct aspirations liberally seasoned into the rule, the bottom line is that this rule promises to use “Conservation” as the tool to preclude multiple use from continuing to occur on BLM managed lands. This will be accomplished all the while the agency is swearing that their intentions is not to have “Conservation” to be anything different (or more equal) than the multiple uses that Congress actually wrote into the Federal Land and Policy Management Act (FLPMA).
To quote directly from the documents used to announce their final rule…
“The Conservation and Landscape Health Rule establishes the policy for the BLM to build and maintain the resilience of ecosystems on public lands in three primary ways: (1) protecting the most intact, functioning landscapes1; (2) restoring degraded habitat and ecosystems; and (3) using science and data as the foundation for management decisions across all plans and programs.”
Reminder For Upcoming Western Law Conference…
The Second Annual Western Agricultural & Environmental Law Conference is scheduled for June 13-14 at the University of Nevada, Reno. “We’re very excited about this year’s program and hope we’ll see you there,” Harrison Pittman, Director of the National Agricultural Law Center said. He added that they hope that “you can help spread the word about the program with others you think may be interested.”
The agricultural industry in the western U.S. is uniquely impacted by changes and developments in state, federal and international laws and policies. Additionally, many of those unique issues – water rights, Ag. labor and immigration, California Propositions and many more – often more broadly impact the agricultural industry throughout the country.
This conference focuses on legal and policy issues directly relevant to the Ag industry in western states, and is designed for attorneys, students, and other Ag professionals who work in the western Ag industry. It’s a unique learning and networking opportunity. Conference agenda, registration, and other information can be found here: https://nationalaglawcenter.org/western2024/
UNR Extension Seeking To Fill Two Openings In Fallon
Extension Director Jacob DeDecker has distributed through various channels, including Nevada Farm Bureau, a request for spreading the word about openings the University of Nevada, Reno Extension is recruiting for two positions to be located in Fallon, NV.
He shared that they would appreciate any assistance you can provide for dissemination of information about this opportunity to your contacts, colleagues and graduates.
Livestock Specialist | The University of Nevada, Reno is recruiting for a Statewide Livestock Specialist, located in the Churchill County office in Fallon, Nevada. We are looking for a candidate who is passionate about helping Livestock producers, especially bovine and small ruminants, learn and improve their industry. More more info: https://tiny.cc/LivestockSpecialist
Extension Ag Educator: The University of Nevada, Reno is recruiting for an Extension Agriculture Educator. This position is in Fallon, NV, at the Churchill County Extension Office and reports to the Northern Extension Area Director. For more information, visit: https://tiny.cc/ExtensionAgEducator
Extra News….
BLM: Public comment period opens for Rio Grande del Norte National Monument plan; Agency announces new Assistant Director for Energy, Minerals, and Realty Management.
BLM is seeking public comment on the draft amendment to the Taos Resource Management Plan and associated Environmental Assessment for the Río Grande del Norte National Monument Management Plan. The Río Grande del Norte National Monument spans 242,668 acres. It was designated on March 25, 2013, by Presidential proclamation under the authority of the Antiquities Act of 1906 for its significant natural, cultural, and scientific values. The amendment aims to protect and restore Monument objects while allowing for the enjoyment and use of Monument lands and resources. The plan will establish goals and objectives, while identifying allocations and allowable uses to achieve a balance of protection and use for the Monument. This public comment period provides an opportunity for the public to participate in the decision-making process and share thoughts on the Environmental Assessment. More information on the planning process, including draft documents, maps, and instructions on how to submit comments, can be found on the BLM National NEPA Register. Comment period closes May 23, 2024.
BLM announced today the selection of David Rosenkrance as the Assistant Director for the Energy, Minerals, and Realty Management Program. In this role, Rosenkrance will manage BLM’s work on renewable energy, oil and gas, mining and minerals, and grants for rights-of-way associated with solar and wind energy development on public lands. Additionally, he will oversee the realty management program, which administers land exchanges and other actions often linked to recreation and public access projects. Rosenkrance previously worked for the BLM and will return to start his new position in late May. With over 30 years of relevant experience as an engineer, natural resources manager, and leader of national and regional programs, Rosenkrance brings a wealth of expertise to the BLM. Rosenkrance is currently serving as a Senior Advisor for the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Before joining BLM, Rosenkrance served for six years as the Deputy Regional Forester for the US Forest Service’s Intermountain Region based in Ogden, Utah and as the Acting Director for the US Forest Service’s Minerals and Geology Management program. He was also Associate District Manager for BLM Colorado. Early in his career, he worked in various engineering roles for BLM in ID and OR. He holds a BS in Engineering from Northern Arizona University and a Graduate Certificate in Hazardous Waste Control from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.