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Prairie Pioneer (Pollock,
S.D.) – Friday – November 28, 2008
Schumacher, Callicrate Provide Input at Policy Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Click here to view photos.
By Allan Burke, Editor
Livestock industry
activists Herman Schumacher of Herreid, S.D., and Mike Callicrate of St.
Francis, Kan., were among about 60 business leaders from around the country who
provided input on November 6 to a legislative and public policy group in
Washington, D.C., in preparation for the change in Administrations and Congress.
Leading the effort were former U.S. Senator and Senate Majority Leader Tom
Daschle (D-S.D.) and former U.S. Senator and Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole
(R-Kan.). Daschle and Dole are executives of Alston & Bird, L.L.P., a 900-member
law firm that is providing information to the President-Elect Barack Obama
transition team.
Senator Daschle, now the nominee to be Secretary of Health & Human Services, is
a member of the transition team.
Schumacher is a former co-owner of Herreid Livestock Market, and Callicrate is a
cattleman who owns a specialty meat packing company. Both have been active in
R-CALF USA, an organization of cattle producers.
Schumacher and Callicrate were specially invited to the meeting two days after
the election by Senators Daschle and Dole.
In opening remarks, Senators Daschle and Dole shared their views of the incoming
Administration and Democrat-dominated U.S. Congress.
“This new Administration and Congress already face some of the greatest
challenges of our lifetime. From the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to health care
reform and climate change, our new government has inherited a myriad of
daunting—but surely surmountable—issues,” Daschle, a long-time supporter of
R-CALF USA, said. “Recently, these already difficult problems have been
compounded by a financial crisis that has exacerbated eight years worth of
fiscal irresponsibility. Going forward, presidential leadership will be key to
navigating a bipartisan solution through this morass.”
Daschle compared the challenges to President-elect Barack Obama to those
President-elect Abraham Lincoln faced in 1860. The country was an economic
wreck, and three states seceded from the Union, he said.
“The strength of our democracy is evident in that fact that we have just seen a
dramatic change in government, but not a shot was fired,” Daschle said.
“Democracy works.”
Daschle noted that President Lincoln, despite the massive challenges he faced,
said that there would be good times ahead for America, just as President-elect
Obama is saying today.
Dole said the newly elected President and newly elected Congress “are savoring
their victory and celebrating across the country” but very soon will be tested
as to whether or not they can work with the minority to accomplish not only
their goals, but the goals of the American people.
“The challenges are enormous, but they also present unlimited opportunities if
everyone is prepared to share the responsibility, as well as the credit. Rising
to meet critical needs is something Americans have done for more than 200
years,” Dole said. “America has always been, and will continue to be, a work in
progress.”
He continued, “There are, and should be in a competitive system, policy
differences between the parties, but in my 35-plus years in Congress I learned
that, no matter the issue or the balance of power, just about anything that is
good policy is the result of bipartisanship.
“So whatever your business or interest may be, get ready for the time of your
life,” Dole said.
Dole said the two political parties can find common ground and agree on an
agenda that is good for the country.
Schumacher and Callicrate said the magnitude of the change in the makeup of
Congress combined with a new President provide opportunities as well as
challenges for agriculture in general and the livestock industry in particular.
R-CALF USA has noted that the U.S. live cattle industry generates about $50
billion each year to the U.S. economy and is the single largest segment of
American agriculture. Cattle are raised in every state of the Union, and the
U.S. cattle industry is the economic cornerstone of rural communities across the
country, according to R-CALF.
Issues raised by R-CALF include:
•Mandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling—correct loopholes that allow mislabeling
and make sure imported livestock is distinguished from domestic livestock.
•Market Competition—Block mergers that would further concentrate the U.S. Cattle
market, both horizontally and vertically, and restore competition.
•Cattle Herd Health—Block the importation of over-30-month cattle and beef from
Canada to protect against BSE.
•Animal Identification—Restore the voluntary aspect of USDA disease programs.
“Input sessions like that held by Alston & Bird are critical. Trade issues must
be addressed to guarantee fairness to U.S. ag producers,” Callicrate said.
“Senator Dole pointed out that we cannot build a fence around America to block
trade, and we agree, but fairness and balanced
trade should be the cornerstone of trade policy,” Callicrate said.
Callicrate said he emphasized to Senator Dole that the country cannot continue
with an annual trade deficit of $800 billion.
Schumacher and Callicrate said we need a new USDA that supports U.S. food
producers and consumers rather than the current USDA that is held captive by
multinational corporate interests.
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