ICOW Proud of Wyoming Congressional Delegates

Press Release
March 27, 2008

When it comes to standing up for independent ranchers, Wyoming can be very proud of its congressional delegation, according to the Independent Cattlemen of Wyoming. No other state in the Union can boast 100 percent support of family farms and ranches at the national level by their Congressional delegates.

When the news broke that JBS was planning a merger with National Beef, Smithfield Beef Group, and Five Rivers Cattle Feeding, Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso of Wyoming promptly sent a letter to the Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey protesting the proposal. They ably and accurately described how concentrated the packing industry has become and how this merger would further erode free markets leading to greater market manipulation and concentration and thereby harming beef consumers, Wyoming livestock producers, and the entire U.S. cattle industry. Wyoming Rep. Barbara Cubin led a bipartisan group of eight members of the House in writing their own letter of concern addressed to the Attorney General.

Meanwhile, formation of a conference committee to hammer out a compromise 2008 Farm Bill has put the pressure on Senators and Representatives to move forward with the Farm Bill. After repeated misinformation and outright lies by lobbyists for the meatpacking industry, which opposes the proposed prohibition on packer ownership of cattle, Wyoming Rep. Barbara Cubin, joined forces with South Dakota Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin in a strong defense of that proposal.

In a letter to President Bush and leaders of the House Agriculture Committee, Cubin and Sandlin exposed the falsehoods and explained the truth: that the language in the bill restores a level playing field between livestock producers and large packers, exempts small and cooperative packers, and does allow contracting agreements with protections for the producers.

“Wyoming cattle producers and ranchers all across the nation have been fighting for these fair and sensible market reforms for years now,” said ICOW President Judy McCullough, a Moorcroft rancher. “But is sure is good to have Wyoming’s delegation firmly on our side. We salute Congresswoman Cubin and Senators Enzi and Barrasso for standing up against the powerful packer lobby—and for the ranchers back home.”