Long has been the debate over how much government involvement our industry needs. The spectrum is wide. A friend shared a story of a recent Farm Bill listening session. Following several producers who had requested more payments and aid, a fellow walked to the microphone and simply said, “Mr. Secretary, with all due respect, just leave us alone!” and sat down.

As we approach the Farm Bill, this debate is sure to continue. But is it black-and-white or far more complicated than “just leave me alone”?

Take marketing cattle as an example. I have yet to meet a cattle producer who wants the government to regulate who, how and when that producer can sell his or her cattle. This right is almost as close to apple pie as private property rights! Yet, if this is true – the popularity of freedom to sell when, how and to whom – then why does our industry entertain the idea of banning packer ownership? Doesn’t that create a contradiction? If you believe in freedom to market your cattle, then how can you want to eliminate a potential buyer for your cattle? Won’t that take away your freedom to sell to whomever, whenever and however you choose?

Maybe you’re in the camp of never having sold your cattle to a packer so you don’t see a potential conflict. But wait! Do you also subscribe to the idea of competitive bidding? If you remove one bidder, then you have weakened the competitive bidding process.

As our industry engages in the farm bill debate, there are many other issues beyond marketing that we will need to decide. Tough questions will need to be answered regarding conservation, disaster relief, energy, meat labeling, and payment limitations. Nebraska Cattlemen has already weighed in and will continue to engage in the discussion as we move closer to a final Farm Bill. Stay tuned for more updates and voice your own thoughts and ideas as well.

This article began with the observation of how much government involvement we want in our business. I guess we’ll continue that debate and discussion for a long time. One point that we can all agree on, for sure: Our government is just that – ours! We may not want government involved in our business but we should always be involved in our government.    Michael Kelsey is executive vice president of Nebraska Cattlemen. He can be reached at mkelsey@necattlemen.org.