By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition

July 6, 2006 - When the Independent Cattlemen’s Association (ICA) of Texas gathered for their 32nd annual convention and trade show in San Antonio, the second week in June, they had a mission.

Items introduced as “mission” items included relaxation, perspective, education, commerce, marketing, identification and recognition. Obviously, much of it was business, but attendees were able to visit and peruse the trade show booths, between speakers and programs offered.

Chuck Kiker, seventh-generation Jefferson County producer and current president of R-CALF, spoke to the group concerning the “perspective” of ICA and all other entities involved in cattle ranching. As past state president and a member of the ICA of Texas, Kiker has served on the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and the Gulf Coast Cattle Association, among others, and is vice president of the Jefferson County Farm Bureau.

According to Kiker, the most important thing Texas cattle producers can do is “get people to the table and talking.” He noted that whether a rancher had “10, 50 or 5,000 cows, everybody wants to make a little money on them!”

Since the ICA, as well as R-CALF, has always supported the beef checkoff, there are still issues that need to be addressed, cited Kiker. One of the major issues coming up very quickly … across the entire country … is the animal identification program.

“It’s a good way to get the crowd to turn on you, since there’s not a lot of support (for the animal identification program) out in cow country,” explained Kiker.

Although animal health issues present the need for some source for age verification and traceback, Kiker believes there should be a way to “… work out a way where you can be paid for animal identification.”

Kiker explained that the United States needs to keep the beef checkoff and other programs (such as Country of Origin Labeling, known as COOL) that are about science … not politics.

“We need balanced import and export in order to compete in those markets,” added Kiker.

Producers need to make sure that packers are being fair to the COOL program, he continued, and opined that “… somebody’s been talking out of both sides of their mouth.”

“Don’t let your legislator work in a vacuum … talk to your district and state legislators,” Kiker urged.

The more players (cattlemen organizations) that can “come to the table” will enable everyone to be more successful cattle ranchers, explained Kiker.