Do American Ranchers have any pull?

[kpb]

rkaiser, sorry I didn't read your post 'til today, things are so g-d busy around here right now. It's so mucky around here I don't think I could get out to burn down anyone's barn even if I wanted to, which I don't. As far as our discussion is concerned, I don't expect everyone to agree with me and goodness knows I don't even have all the questions let alone the answers. I'm just trying to push things along to get people thinking about some different ways out of our mess. And just trying to get along.
I respect your point of view, agree with you sometimes and always read what you have to say even if I don't agree. That's what this is all about, right?

[oxbow]

Cattlemen in the US have no political juice simply because of quantity. GW Bush attended the NCBA convention a couple years back, and NCBA clearly supportes Bush. But NCBA and Rcalf have opposite positions (with NCBA having more members.

[cowman]

I'm no expert on the NCBA but I expect they are a lot like the CCA in their desire to see trade and common sense prevail. However having said that, I will admit sometimes they seem to be working at odds with the needs of the cattle producer? They seem to be slanted towards the feedlots and the packers?
BIG C has an agenda that I believe supports the cattle producer? And by cattle producer I mean the cow/calf guy not the middlemen. The only guy "producing" cattle is the cow/calf guy...the feedlots are just adding value and so is the packer.In reality we could get along without them...if we had to? I really don't see where BIG C has said anything really radical despite some ABP delegates labelling them "socialists"! It would be helpful if R-CALF could tone down the rhetoric and "spin"? Surely they can stand up for their members without condemning the USDA, all Canadian beef, and getting cuddly with the animal rights nuts? All this does is assure that the consumer will lose confidence in the safety of the beef supply? Seems to me their leaders need to not shoot from the lip so much and think beyond simplistic solutions?