It sounds good to say, ‘we’re going to protect that species,’ or ‘we’re going to try to keep those lands going.’ But sometimes, expanding that bureaucratic red tape is really hard for producers, who also care about the environment. In fact, cow producers are the original conservationists. Cattle are grazing lands for which there are no other uses, which is a vital tool in managing our landscape. And we’re using good genetics to grow good cows and that means we’re decreasing emissions. We’ve seen emissions decrease by 40% since the 1960s.” Finally, on the state level, Field says that the numberone issue that affects cattle producers in Nebraska is high property taxes.“The one thing that we’re unified The association has also worked to deal with some problems that have arisen under provisions of the federal government’s Clean Water Act, which established a permit system to control the release of pollutants into the nation’s waters.“A lot of cattle operations are heavily permitted,” Field reports, “which we’re not unhappy about; permitting is important because we have to make sure we’re protecting water and air. But, sometimes, the burdens that come with that don’t always make sense and are difficult for cattle producers. So, we want to make sure we’re in those conversations. “We’re also always watching things around endangered species and environmental protections. 5 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 11, ISSUE 10 THE NEBRASKA CATTLEMEN ASSOCIATION
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