The Iowa Cattlemen’s Association held its annual Cattlemen at the Capitol event, where farmers were able to show their loyalty and commitment to the state’s cattle industry by lobbying elected officials on issues that impact their operations. State Senator Tom Shipley, a Republican from Nodaway, says he always appreciates the chance to meet with beef producers about some of their top state policy priorities.

“I always love meeting with my friends,” said Shipley. “There’s groups we meet with all the time, but sometimes you don’t know what their agenda is. I know what these people here are after. I don’t say what “guys” are after because some of the best people I know in the cattle business are women. I’ve been very outspoken about that. Some of the best people handling cattle today are women.”

One policy priority for Iowa’s cattle industry is the prevention of additional government ownership of land. Iowa Cattlemen’s Association board member Mark Putney of Elgin says ICA opposes efforts to increase the state sales tax and to funnel three-eighths of a cent to the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund. As written, these funds could be utilized by government entities to purchase land.

“That hits home for me because there was some land that was purchased that was farm ground that we rented,” said Putney. “It was purchased for considerably higher than what a farmer would pay for it. Ultimately, that land comes off the tax roll. So, it’s kind of a double whammy because as a young farmer, I didn’t have a chance to buy that at least at a reasonable price. We need to put the brakes on that, and we need to have some more oversight on what happens with that land when it is purchased either by DNR or other groups.”

Putney says beginning farmers and cattle producers cannot compete with the government for valuable farm and pasture ground.

“The amount of land that has been taken off the rolls already, it’s increasing the taxpayer bill because of managing, keeping trees down and managing that public land now. I appreciate and am pro-conservation – as all farmers are – but we just need to have a level playing field when it comes to that land acquisition with our government bodies.”

Shipley says he had some great conversations with farmers at the Cattlemen at the Capitol event. He believes the beef industry is greatly important from an economical standpoint for the entire state.

“Down in my part of the world I call it cow country,” said Shipley. “My new district is going to represent that into Ringgold, Taylor County, parts of Union and all of Adams County. The beef cow industry is huge and there’s also been some feedlots built to accommodate those calves coming off. It plays a significant role. I have a neighbor up the road who has a feedlot and also runs a feed business through there. They employ a lot of people, and in Adams County that is a big, big deal. Good jobs with good people in them. It plays a major role in our economy in southern Iowa, southwest Iowa, and really frankly Iowa all the way around.”

Other policy priorities for the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association include building processing capacity and competition in the state, growing the state’s beef business through local processing, and protection from foreign animal diseases.