By Gene Copenhaver
NCBA’s membership is made up of tens of thousands of cattle producers from every corner of the country. No two families raise cattle exactly the same way, and our association runs on the wide range of different ideas, backgrounds, and perspectives that our producers bring the table. But there are two things that unite each and every NCBA member and set our course in Washington, D.C. — our grassroots policy process and our conservative values.
One of the building blocks of conservatism is belief in the free market. Our members believe in strong private property rights, individual freedom, and fair market competition on a level playing field. We don’t want the federal government to tell us what we can buy, eat, or do with our business, and we don’t want those burdensome, bureaucratic restrictions put on our neighbors either. This is reflected all over the policy book that directs NCBA’s work in Washington — everywhere from our policies on trade, to environmental management, to how we handle competitors in the fake meat business.
Plant-based and lab-grown protein products enjoyed a moment in the sun several years ago, but it didn’t take long for the free market to kick in and push these companies down a very steep decline. From Beyond Meat to SCiFi Foods, we have seen stock prices fall, employees laid off, plans for new facilities cancelled, and in some cases companies have gone out of business altogether. We know — and recent history has proven — that when given a choice, American families will choose real, wholesome beef. Our customers trust farmers and ranchers. They trust the nutrition, taste, and quality of the beef we produce. They trust the safe and responsible way you raise cattle and care for the land. And they don’t want to turn their back on a delicious, proven winner in favor of untried, untested, ultra-processed goop that a Silicon Valley company cooked up in the vat of a bioreactor.