NCA 2009 President's Award Recipient - The Progressive Rancher ...

Nevada Cattlemen’s Association
By Desiree Seal, Nevada Cattlemen’s Association Executive Director
Well, another month has passed, with some much needed moisture I must
say, as compared to last year anyways. I also have to say that up until this
point in the month, I haven’t gotten out of the office much. Reviewing many documents
from agencies and legislative hearings has kept me indoors. Luckily, the last part of
the month is looking like I may get to be out on the ground with some permittees. The
one large event that I got to be out of the office (still indoors, but
not at a desk) was our NCA Legislative Breakfast.
March 7th was this year’s Agricultural Recognition Day at the
Legislature, and it was a huge success!
Our Legislative Breakfast kicked off the day with a presentation
by Dr. Tom Harris of the UNR Economics Department. Dr.
Harris has been working on a model on the economic impact of
public lands grazing. He presented his initial research and estimations
at the Legislative Breakfast. While we were pleased with his
presentation, we were even more pleased at the interest of Legislatures
in attendance. Ag Day at the Legislature also featured a
lunch and dinner, and, many booths by agriculture groups such as
Nevada Department of Agriculture, Dairy Farmers of American, Nevada Grown, Nevada
Farm Bureau Federation, Nevada FFA, NV Energy, USDA-FSA and NRCS, Nevada Dairy
Commission and Northern Nevada Development Authority. The event was very well attended
for our first year and we hope to continue to put on a successful Ag Day during each
legislative session.
Speaking of Legislature, things are heating up on both the state and national level.
With the state legislature in full swing, our lobbyist Neena Laxalt, is working hard to
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“As we approach the deadline
of 2015 for USFWS’ decision
to list or not to list greater
sage grouse, we hope to keep
members well informed. our
members about the facts.”
6/21/2010 9:15:38 AM
The Progressive Rancher
represent our values and speak for our concerns. There are over 50 BDRs that we are
monitoring with staff and our lobbyist. For more information visit the Nevada Legislature
website at www.leg.state.nv.us. The website contains full copies of all bills, the option to
watch hearings live, comment on bills you are interested in, and learn more about the legislative
process. If there is a bill that you feel may affect our industry that may not be being
watched by the Association, please let us know. If you would like
more information regarding these or any other bills please call the
Nevada Cattlemen’s Association office at 1-775-738-9214. Next
month, members will attend the PLC/NCBA Legislative Conference.
Please tune in next month for an update of the annual PLC/
NCBA Legislative Conference in Washington D.C.
Lastly for issues updates, the Nevada Sagebrush Ecosystem
Council met in February and will meet again March 27. Top priorities
for the Council are the discussion of model of mapping efforts
for sagebrush ecosystem efforts and development of the Sagebrush
Ecosystem Mitigation Bank. At the February meeting, the Council
discussed the various mapping models available to use for mapping
sage grouse habitat. At the March 27th meeting, the Council is prepared to discuss
further one of those such models, Dr. Peter Coates’ model, and the cost and timeframe
for implementing this model. The council also tasked the Technical Team with gathering
inventory of projects being completed or having been completed by local area work groups
and sagebrush ecosystem projects between the two meetings. At the March 27th meeting,
the Technical Team will give their report regarding these topics. For more information,
please visit www.sagebrusheco.nv.gov .
For more information each month, check out the column in the NCA newsletter Sage
Signals, The Power of Conservation and Ranching on: SAGE HEN, SAGEBRUSH AND
STEWARDSHIP. As we approach the deadline of 2015 for USFWS’ decision to list or not
to list greater sage grouse, we hope to keep members well informed. Each decade brings on
different issues for public lands ranchers, and this decade seems to be the possible listing
of greater sage grouse. There is an abundance of information available about sage grouse;
we have decided it is best to educate our members about the facts. What is going on with
sage grouse in the State and across the west? What opportunities are available to ranchers
to encourage stewardship of the range and sage grouse habitat? This column will serve as
an area to keep you informed on the progress of the Nevada Sagebrush Ecosystem Council,
provide you with information to support a sustainable ranch operation while conserving
sage grouse habitat, and anything else you may have questions on.
A large discussion at NCA is the possibility of changing the office headquarters. At our
February Board of Directors meeting last month, the Board voted to explore other options
for office management for approval during the summer Board meeting. The NCA Officers
currently met and made the executive decision to postpone the move until after the 2013
Convention in November to allow for membership awareness and input.
Currently, our office is housed next to American Ag Credit and has served as a good
location. However, when NCA originally moved into this location, NCA and Nevada Beef
Council shared the space, and expenses. With the move of NBC in 2006 and increased
operating costs, our current office space is out of our budget. The Office Management
Committee, as appointed at Board Meeting, has put together a virtual office proposal.
Virtual office is another term for working from home. The current proposal provides a stipend
to the Executive Director and Executive Secretary in exchange for office space from
their home and staff would be provided all necessary off-site communication needed (i.e.
computer, printers, phone, fax).
PLEASE NOTE, this is just one proposal. For the full proposal and discussion about
the virtual office proposal, refer to the NCA Physical Office versus Implementing a Virtual
Office Environment document in the NCA newsletter Sage Signals. Please let us know your
thoughts and concerns with this proposal.
If you are not currently a member of Nevada Cattlemen’s Association, we encourage
you to join. Become part of an association that is working to protect the future of ranching
in Nevada. To learn more about the Association or to become a member, please call the
office at 1-775-738-9214 or visit our webpage www.nevadacattlemen.org. We look forward
to hearing from you! If you are currently a member, thank you for your continued support.
Without your membership, the Association’s voice could not be as strong as it is today.
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