Cow Country Reporter: July 2025
Don’t forget to send in your CPL dues for fiscal year 2025-2026. Thank you for your support. If you didn’t receive a renewal notice with a form in the mail, please contact me.
The first week in July the bulk of the auction markets will be closed in the U.S. this includes the Louisiana and Mississippi auctions.
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NCBA Stands With USDA On Measured Plan To Reopen Key Ports Of Entry
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced support for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) plan to strategically reopen key ports of entry to shipments of live cattle, bison, and horses. This decision was made by Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins following a New World screwworm assessment by USDA staff in Mexico and ongoing conversations between Secretary Rollins and the Mexican Secretary of Agriculture.
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Seven Stories on How the One Big Beautiful Bill Protects Family Farmers and Ranchers
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) released a series of grassroots videos featuring hardworking family farmers and ranchers who need Congress to deliver lasting tax relief by passing the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
“Across the nation, farming and ranching families are thinking about how their cattle operation stays in business for future generations. Legislation that reduces the Death Tax, cuts taxes across the board, and helps farmers and ranchers keep more of their hard-earned money is how we keep America’s agricultural legacy going strong for future generations,” said NCBA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane. “Cattle producers’ message to Congress is simple: pass the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill.’”
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Cattle Industry Support Letter For One Big Beautiful Bill
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and its state affiliates sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo urging passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
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Ashley Edwards: Pivoting During The Pandemic To Help The Beef Industry
When Ashley Edwards joined the LSU AgCenter in December 2019 as an extension agent and coordinator of livestock programs, she was eager to hit the road and begin visiting producers, conducting workshops and helping 4-H youth with their livestock projects.
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Property Owner Of Alleged Cockfighting Location Arrested
The owner of the property that is at the center of a cockfighting investigation in Beauregard Parish has now been arrested, according to the sheriff’s office.
Ricky Lee Ashworth, 70, was booked into the Beauregard Parish Correctional Facility for one count of cockfighting and one count of aggravated cruelty to animals. He was released on bond Wednesday evening.
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NCBA Supports USDA Plan For Screwworm Sterile Fly Facility In Texas
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced strong support for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) plan to build a New World screwworm sterile fly facility at Moore Air Base in south Texas. NCBA President Buck Wehrbein and NCBA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane joined Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins at Moore Air Base for her press announcement.
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McNeese Rodeo Team Going to the 2025 CNFR
The McNeese State University men’s rodeo team has claimed its fourth straight championship title in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s (NIRA) Southern Region. Six members of the team, and one member of the women’s team, are traveling to the 2025 College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) June 15-21 in Casper, Wyoming.
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NCBA Backs Cattle Health Provisions In Senate 'Big Beautiful Bill'
The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry released legislative text for the Senate’s version of the “one big beautiful bill.” In response to the text, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced support for the cattle health measures in the legislation, which help protect the livelihoods of family farmers and ranchers.
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Ouachita Parish 4-H Promotes Livestock Involvement
Organizations like the Ouachita Parish 4-H Club are working to recruit more young people to take part in livestock shows.
While the number of participants is growing, 4-H leaders say there’s still a need for more youth to get involved. Bethany Corona, with the Ouachita Parish 4-H Club, says time and cost can be major barriers for some students.
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Cow Country Reporter: June 2025
The cattle market continues to move higher. Slaughter steer and heifers coming out of the feed yards brought $235.00 cwt. in Iowa and Nebraska, the last week in May.
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Louisiana Bull Rider Recovering Well After Taking Horn to the Neck
It’s been three months since Louisiana native Zach Naegele experienced first-hand just how dangerous riding rodeo can be. It was a ride that nearly killed him, sending him on a downward spiral.
“The first month was extremely hard,” said Naegele. “I fell into depression, couldn’t eat, got extremely skinny, just not talking to nobody. Just staying at the house and seeing this every time I looked in the mirror, it was not a good feeling.”
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USDA To Provide $1B To Livestock Producers Impacted By Drought Or Wildfire In '23 & '24
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today announced the release of Congressionally mandated Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) payments to cover grazing losses due to eligible drought or wildfire events in 2023 and/or 2024. Secretary Rollins committed on May 7 to release these emergency payments by May 30, and today she is delivering on that commitment ahead of schedule.
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Cattlemen Thank USDA For Prioritizing Disaster Recovery
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) thanked Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins following an announcement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that the agency would quickly be sending Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) payments to cattle producers who suffered losses from drought and wildfire.
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New World Screwworm Moves Beyond Containment Threshold
To protect the U.S. from a new threat posed by an old foe, the New World Screwworm (NWS), the U.S.-Mexico border was closed on May 11 to cattle, bison, and horses from Mexico. This pest was eradicated from the U.S. in 1966 and eliminated as far south as Panama by 2000. NWS began re-emerging above the biological barrier in Panama in 2022 and has continued moving north through Central America and Mexico.
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