Press Release
In this Nov. 11, 2004 file photo, livestock stand in a feedlot outside Caldwell, Idaho.
(AP Photo/Troy Maben, File)
Idaho Cattle Association (ICA) staff and leadership welcomed Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary Ryan Zinke and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue to Boise Friday. In a series of meetings ICA representatives, members, and cattle producers were able to have candid dialogue with President Donald Trump’s cabinet members about issues specific to Idaho’s cattle industry.
Secretary Zinke encouraged the ranching community by saying, “It’s pretty rough, being a rancher,” Zinke told the gathering. “It’s tough being a cattle rancher when you’re also micromanaged by the regulations of [state and federal] agencies. There’s a lot of goodness about ranching.”
The primary message from both Zinke and Perdue was their shared focus on collaboration.
“Collaborative efforts take a long time,” Zinke said. “Collaboration needs to include all stakeholders at the beginning [of the process] to mitigate lawsuits at the end.”
He then went on to explain that DOI will no longer make decisions to skirt lawsuits, but will make the best decisions and deal with the lawsuits that come.
“One of the first priorities [of the Trump administration] is to improve and strengthen
interagency relationships,” Perdue said. “We’re going to change the way we do business.”
“It’s really wonderful to have people in top leadership positions who understand our industry and our business,” ICA President Jerald Raymond said. “We’re extremely optimistic about working with this administration to keep livestock production viable.”
The Idaho Cattle Association serves as the official voice of Idaho’s cattle industry and is the only organization in the state that deals exclusively with the needs, interests, and welfare of Idaho’s beef community. The Idaho Cattle Association works on behalf of nearly 10,000 cattle producers in Idaho and represents more than 1,200 members.
