Anyone who's seen an R-Calf and NCBA debate comes away convinced the NCBA
doesn't have anyone as articulate as R-Calf CEO, Bill Bullard. NCBA represents
"the industry" - producers, packers, retailers. R-Calf represents just
producers. Bullard told a recent crowd "that the only reason R-Calf USA exists
is because the entire industry was headed in one direction - toward vertical
integration. 'Packers are trying to turn the feeding sector into a non-
competitive subsidiary of the packers themselves. Packers told us that demand
for consistent quality products were leading many firms to exert greater
control over the supply chain. We (cattle producers) cannot be unified (with
the packers) because we have different interests. The packers already have two
organizations representing them: the American Meat Institute (AMI) and the
National Meat Association (NMA). The producers are the only sector that does
not have their own, exclusive organization representing them. You cannot
compete as widely dispersed, independent producers unless you are united under
an organization strong enough and large enough to affect the outcome.'"
Producer-packer-retailers have differing interests within "the industry"
and many times these interests conflict with one another. My observation has
been that when this happens, the NCBA almost never represents the producers'
interest, instead conceding to what they perceive as "industry agenda" which
virtually always coincides with AMI policy. It's not a coincidence. The NCBA
puts industry cohesion above producer interests, achieving that goal by
accepting a subservient position within the supply chain for producers. My
producer interests are not the same as packers' and others within the supply
chain. I need an organization that holds my interests as paramount. ICA policy
is being set by NCBA so they are one in the same.
R-Calf, with 18,000 members, now bills itself as the largest "voluntary"
cattleman's group in the U.S. Many of the NCBA's memberships are involuntary.
If you feed cattle in many custom lots, they automatically dun you for an NCBA
membership. Differing from the NCBA, which represents interests of varied
sectors of the beef industry, R-Calf represents producers exclusively and has
subsequently attracted grassroots appeal not apparent for NCBA. R-Calf has a
goal of reaching 25,000 members to become the indisputably largest cattle
organization in the U.S.
****************************************
doesn't have anyone as articulate as R-Calf CEO, Bill Bullard. NCBA represents
"the industry" - producers, packers, retailers. R-Calf represents just
producers. Bullard told a recent crowd "that the only reason R-Calf USA exists
is because the entire industry was headed in one direction - toward vertical
integration. 'Packers are trying to turn the feeding sector into a non-
competitive subsidiary of the packers themselves. Packers told us that demand
for consistent quality products were leading many firms to exert greater
control over the supply chain. We (cattle producers) cannot be unified (with
the packers) because we have different interests. The packers already have two
organizations representing them: the American Meat Institute (AMI) and the
National Meat Association (NMA). The producers are the only sector that does
not have their own, exclusive organization representing them. You cannot
compete as widely dispersed, independent producers unless you are united under
an organization strong enough and large enough to affect the outcome.'"
Producer-packer-retailers have differing interests within "the industry"
and many times these interests conflict with one another. My observation has
been that when this happens, the NCBA almost never represents the producers'
interest, instead conceding to what they perceive as "industry agenda" which
virtually always coincides with AMI policy. It's not a coincidence. The NCBA
puts industry cohesion above producer interests, achieving that goal by
accepting a subservient position within the supply chain for producers. My
producer interests are not the same as packers' and others within the supply
chain. I need an organization that holds my interests as paramount. ICA policy
is being set by NCBA so they are one in the same.
R-Calf, with 18,000 members, now bills itself as the largest "voluntary"
cattleman's group in the U.S. Many of the NCBA's memberships are involuntary.
If you feed cattle in many custom lots, they automatically dun you for an NCBA
membership. Differing from the NCBA, which represents interests of varied
sectors of the beef industry, R-Calf represents producers exclusively and has
subsequently attracted grassroots appeal not apparent for NCBA. R-Calf has a
goal of reaching 25,000 members to become the indisputably largest cattle
organization in the U.S.
****************************************