Andrea Joy Campbell: “I call upon my colleagues today to recognize an organization that has been very valuable not only to the hard working…”

“I call upon my colleagues today to recognize an organization that has been very valuable not only to the hard working ranchers and farmers that I represent in Colorado, but to everyone in America whose livelihood depends upon the cattle industry. Founded in 1898, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association is the marketing and trade association for America's one million cattle farmers and ranchers. Small businesses, like cattle farms and ranches, are the heart of the American economy. The U.S. cattle industry is comprised of more than one million individual farms or ranches that provide our nation with a steady supply of safe, nutritious beef. Living on a small ranch in Ignacio, Colorado, I know the vast majority of U.S. cattlemen are family farmers and ranchers who are skilled stewards of their natural resources and trained caretakers of the animals under their care. Eighty percent of cattle businesses have been in the same family for more than 25 years and 10 percent for more than 100 years. Cattle ranchers form the largest part of the U.S. food and fiber industry, which, in turn, is the largest segment of the U.S. economy-- nearly 17.5 percent of the gross national product. Doing business in all 50 states, cattlemen contribute to thousands of rural economies and, directly and indirectly, add $153 billion to the national economy.”