Angie Craig: “I rise to introduce a bill of critical importance to our Nation's cattle industry. The joint United States- Canada…”

“I rise to introduce a bill of critical importance to our Nation's cattle industry. The joint United States- Canada Commission on Cattle and Beef is designed to resolve some of the existing differences in trade practices between the two countries. As a former rancher, I have a firsthand understanding of the challenges that face the cattle industry. The prolonged down cycle is especially troubling because it affects the livelihoods of thousands of ranching families in Idaho and across the country. These beef producers are the largest sector of Idaho and American agriculture. Over 1 million families raise over 100 million head of beef cattle every year. This contributes over $36 billion to local economies. Even with the extended cycle of low prices, direct cash receipts from the Idaho cattle industry were almost $620 million in 1995. These totals only represent direct sales; they do not capture the multiplier effect that cattle ranches have in their local economies from expenditures on labor, feed, fuel, property taxes, and other inputs.”