Statement on Livestock Policy
April 28, 2009
 
Kansas is known around the world as "The Wheat State" and rightly so.  We produce more wheat than any other state and nearly one-fifth of the entire U.S. crop.  We should be proud of our heritage as the greatest wheat producing state in the union.  I certainly am.  My ancestors first moved to Ellis County and grew wheat on their farm.
 

However, many people across the nation don't realize how dominant the state of Kansas is in another agriculture commodity: beef.  Here are some facts for you.  Cattle generated $6.32 billion in cash receipts in 2007, which represented 54% of the total agricultural cash receipts in Kansas.  In fact, Kansas had 6.3 million cattle on ranches and in feedyards at the beginning of this year.  Put another way, for every Kansan there are 2 and a quarter cattle in the state.
 
During these trying economic times, I believe it's more important than ever to allow small business owners the freedom to innovate and find new ways to generate a profit.  This includes our cattle producers across the state.  They need more freedom to remain economically vibrant, not less.  They also need increased access to foreign markets to sell their products.  The knee-jerk reaction against trade as a necessary component of cattle producers businesses does not make sense.  In 2008 we sold $1.4 billion worth of beef to Mexico, which sets the record for our largest export market ever.  The Canadian market was worth $750 million in 2008.  Those are just our neighbors; we ship beef across the globe because we produce the safety and highest quality beef in the world.  Shutting down trade out of protectionist fears is not wise and takes money from the pockets of our cattle producers across the state.
 
Too often Washington tries to micro-mange "solutions" for small businesses.  In the livestock industry, one example of this is mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL).  Why the federal government is dictating marketing practices to our cattle industry is beyond me.  COOL has been mistakenly argued as a food safety issue.  It is not.  It is a marketing decision.  Certainly producers should be able to voluntarily practice COOL if there's a consumer demand for it, but this is a decision best left to the market to decide, not the government.
 
Another misguided attempt to fix the cattle market is the proposed special counsel at USDA to investigate the livestock industry.  I'm not sure there's anything scarier or more counter-productive than a team of lawyers with an unlimited budget overturning every rock and looking in every cranny for violations simply to justify their existence.
 
Finally, there's a movement in Washington to make it a crime to send unwanted horses to processing plants.  Unfortunately, those who propose such a drastic step haven't figured out what to do with the thousands of aging horses will have across rural America.  Some have proposed "retirement homes" for the horses.  It sounds funny, and I wish I was kidding, but I'm not.  This movement has picked up momentum in the past several years, largely from urban citizens who think of horses as pets like a dog or cat.  It's another example of an increasingly urbanized Congress making laws about issues it can't come close to comprehending.
 
Allow me to add my voice to the thousands of cattle producers across the state.  These so-called solutions won't work.  Leave our cattlemen alone and let them do what they know best: raising the safest, highest quality beef in the world.  Let's not let those in Washington dictate our business decisions, whether it's in the feedyard or on Main Street.
 
My campaign for Congress has focused on prosperity in rural America.  It's safe to say rural America will not be able to prosper without a healthy and vibrant livestock industry.  This is particularly the case in "The Big First" of Kansas where so much of our state's livestock industry is located.   
 
I'm afraid the actions of those in Washington who don't understand the livestock industry, nor have its best interests in mind, will severely hamper our cattlemen's chances of earning a decent profit.  I can assure you I will fight for cattlemen and small business owners across the First District to maintain the freedom necessary to run a profitable business that's responsive to their customers and their needs.
 
We have a tremendous heritage as an agricultural state and a strong tradition of standing on our own.  No one better exemplifies this than the Kansas livestock producer.  I will fight everyday to ensure they are left alone and allowed to run their operations as they see fit.