{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/common-ground-group-focuses-financing-young-ranchers-risk-protection-and-more", "Common Ground group focuses on financing young ranchers, risk protection and more", "2025-11-27", "2025", "2025-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Cindy Hyde-Smith", "H001079", "www.hydesmith.senate.gov", "hydesmith", "https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/newsroom", "scraper", "By Carrie Stadheim\n\nA dozen cattle and beef industry spokesman got together in Washington, D.C., in October, to discuss with a group of Senators and Congressional representatives their ideas for restoring confidence in the cattle industry.\n\nJake Parnell, a California cattleman, owner of Cattlemen\u2019s Livestock Market and President and Chairman of the Board of Western Video Market told TSLN that Montana Senator Tim Sheehy, a Republican, invited the group to gather in D.C., and he believes Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith was also instrumental in lining up the meeting.\n\nOther government officials present included: U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Sen. John Boozman (R-AR), Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE), Rep. Adam Gray (D-CA-13), Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY-At large), Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL-01), Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), and Rep. Dave Taylor (R-OH-02).\n\nThe meeting happened to coincide with the President\u2019s social media comments that he intended to increase the under-tariff quota of Argentinian beef, and also USDA\u2019s beef plan rollout.\n\nAlthough some of the Common Ground leaders were invited to join the president for an announcement, chose not to participate due to a lack of information about what would be announced.\n\nParnell said he doesn\u2019t think they \u201cmissed\u201d an opportunity to take their message to the President.\n\n\u201cThe tweet, beef is too high, zapped the energy out of rural America, so much of the base has supported this president,\u201d he said. \u201cWe all know foreign meat comes into our food chain, how you want to handle labeling and all that is a whole different discussion. And that\u2019s not what really was on the top of our minds. It was more understand the fundamentals, understand what it takes today to produce an 800-pound calf,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cAnd realize that a pound of choice meat cost about 12 minutes of labor 20 years ago. Same market conditions today. Twelve minutes of labor buys you about a pound of choice meat,\u201d he said. \u201cWe wanted to talk about the true fundamentals of the cow-calf production.\u201d\n\nParnell said initially five of the Common Ground participants were invited to a meeting, which morphed into an invite \u201con an announcement and a press conference.\u201d\n\nBecause they could not obtain, after multiple requests, details about \u201cthe announcement,\u201d Parnell said they were concerned they would be the \u201ctoken cowboy hats\u201d in an announcement that beef is too high. \u201cSo we chose not to be there,\u201d he said.\n\nParnell said he wishes the President would \u201ctake more time to understand the fundamentals of livestock production and how the markets dictate themselves.\u201d\n\nThe participants of this conversation emphasize that their Common Ground Coalition is not a new organization, but it is a loose group of representatives who share common goals.\n\nParnell said some of their issues are seeing the light of day.\n\nOne of the issues he believes is most important is subsidizing livestock risk protection at the same level as crop risk protection.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re way behind when it comes to the opportunity to protect ourselves,\u201d he said, referencing the Livestock Risk Protection program.\n\nThe renewal of the 179A deduction of bonus depreciation from 60 percent to 100 percent in the Big Beautiful Bill was a win, he said.\n\n\u201cYou work so hard, you want to not have to give it all back to the government,\u201d he said.\n\nSen. Hyde-Smith\u2019s (R-MS) introduction of the Heritage Act was a good start, and Parnell would like to see the bill gain traction. The legislation increases the 2032A special use exemption from $4.95 million to $15 million for qualified real property used for farming purposes. This would allow special-use valuation of farmland to reduce the estate tax value of farming operations.\n\nParnell said \u201cfruitful\u201d discussion was had with the congressional delegates on \u201credefining \u2018ag labor.'\u201d\n\nThe group talked about \u201chow to take the seasonality clauses out of the H2A programs, how to find a path for foreign labor to get to this country to work in some of these production outfits where they\u2019ve been involved for so long, and we need them involved,\u201d he said, adding that a couple of bills have been introduced to this effect. \u201cIndustry wide in agriculture, not just in livestock \u2013 this is a priority,\u201d he said.\n\nAs far as transportation, Parnell said there is a bill, the HELP Act to basically ratify the law to make livestock hauling a little more conducive with hours of service.\n\nWhen it comes to market issues and packer concentration, Parnell said, \u201cI think that our market is fundamentally in a good spot. Our cow herd is decimated. \u201cI think that we\u2019ve got to continue with the free market approach,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cWe need wins. We need to spend less time fighting over the two or three percent of the issues we don\u2019t agree on and more time going out, working for our producers, our base,\u201d he said.\n\nMiles City, Montana, cattle feeder and cow-calf operator Fred Wacker was one of the D.C. meeting-goers.\n\nGovernment loans for young producers is a big priority, he said.\n\n\u201cWe really worked hard to talk about the different issues such as financing young people,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cWe need to make it possible for young people to buy the parents\u2019 ranch, so financing would be easily obtained through the federal government with extremely low interest rates,\u201d he said.\n\nTo support the Common Ground effort, Wacker encouraged producers to sign the petition which has about 10,000 signatures already.\n\nAs far as addressing market-related issues, Wacker said, \u201cour feeling is that if the market is really low, we can establish policy for them to carry their payment over two years to give the market a chance to come back so they can make their payments,\u201d he said.\n\nThe Livestock Marketing Association financed and helped organize the coalition\u2019s first gathering which brought together about 40 individuals including ranchers, feeders, economists and packers in Denver last April.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/common-ground-group-focuses-financing-young-ranchers-risk-protection-and-more"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7465081289410591, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}