While policy related to the cattle industry is undeniably important, as producers we typically fall into one of two camps: those of us who understand the importance of beef policy but who have seemingly 1 million things also requiring our attention back at home, and those of us who derive great pleasure in the happenings related to beef in our home states and in Washington.

No matter where your preference lies, every four years like clockwork one event comes along that turns everything related to the inner workings of government on its head: the election of a new president.

With the inauguration and first few days of a new presidency fresh on our minds, host Lynsey McAnally was joined by Ethan Lane, senior vice president of governmental affairs with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), on our most recent episode of Angus at Work.

Policy development process

The policy developed from input provided by producers at multiple levels is really the foundation of how NCBA staff in Washington, D.C., operate, according to Lane. The NCBA Government Affairs team, purely funded by member dollars, is focused on implementing the policy book at the heart of the NCBA policy process.

“That really is a process that never stops. It’s ongoing every year, and it’s really that link between not just NCBA and our state affiliates who make up the leadership that advances policy through that process, but their membership in their respective states [as well as] their county cattlemen’s associations,” Lane emphasizes. “It really is a comprehensive grassroots approach to ensuring that we have clear instruction here in Washington on what producers across the country think on a variety of issues and what they want us focusing on and prioritizing here.”

How do members put forward their input for policy consideration? Cattle Industry Convention — taking place in San Antonio, Texas, this week — is the starter’s pistol on the annual policy cycle.

At annual conventions and through state policy meetings prior to Cattle Industry Convention, each state association decides which policies to bring to convention. During convention, the seven standing policy committees will meet. Each of them has a chair, vice chair and representatives from affiliates around the country. Policies will be proposed, debated, amended, changed and discussed during convention and then carried forward to the summer NCBA business meeting, where policy decisions will be finalized for the next five-year policy cycle and eventually added to the policy book.

“The cumulative impact of that is we have a lot of folks from around the country with very different perspectives based on where they’re raising cattle and what part of the supply chain they’re in,” says Lane. “They’re weighing in constantly on that policy to make sure that it’s fresh and correct as far as how it represents cattle producers in Washington. It’s a responsibility we take seriously.”

Current state of affairs

Transitions of power in Washington are always a hectic thing. No matter who is coming in, a new president wants to put their stamp on Washington, and they’re going to put a new team in place. With the change in party this election cycle, there is a lot of optimism in the air, says Lane.

“There’s a lot of can-do [attitude], which is always the case in a new administration. The sky’s the limit, and it takes a while for that exuberance to wear off and for us to get back to the reality that is the federal government,” Lane explains. “The federal government is slow. It’s big, it’s cumbersome. It is designed to be inefficient. I mean that. People always give me a quizzical look when I say that, but I try to remind people that’s a feature of a system, not a bug. You don’t necessarily want the federal government to be highly efficient at making new rules, passing new laws and exerting more control over the American people.”

In fact, making new rules and passing new laws needs to be difficult. However, the flip side of that coin is that it’s difficult to deregulate government, too. With a new administration who feels there is excessive government involvement in the daily lives of Americans, there is bound to be a shakeup when it comes to standard operating procedure.

From Lane’s perspective, it seems many people in Washington are now pondering what can really be accomplished with Republican control of all three bodies (the House, the Senate and the White House) as well as the 6-3 majority for conservatives on the Supreme Court.

“I think largely in agriculture, there’s a positive feeling with a few caveats,” summarizes Lane. “We’ve heard some things out of the Trump administration so far that we’re keeping an eye on, but generally it’s very positive and we’re excited about the possibility over the next couple years.”

The information above is summarized from the Jan. 29, 2025, episode of Angus at Work. To access the full episode — including further information on policy development and how you can play a role in driving the direction of our industry — check out our Angus at Work archive  on www.angus.org.

[Lead photo by WLDavies from Getty Images.]

Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, Vol. 17, No. 2-A