Day one of the virtual Cattle Industry Convention “Winter Reboot” event was filled with industry updates and policy decisions impacting ranchers. Trade access continues to be a top priority for the U.S. beef industry. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Director of Trade and International Access Kent Bacus said the industry is capitalizing on a growing market. “It’s not just about removing tariffs, like the 40 percent tariff in Korea or the 38 percent tariff in Japan. It’s also about addressing non-tariff barriers like the hormone ban in China.” With a change in the presidential administration, movement at USDA is temporarily paused. However, NCBA Executive Director Government Affairs Allison Rivera assured cattlemen that the work in that space has not stopped. “Animal disease traceability is extremely important, along with the Food and Mouth Disease vaccine bank, and those two items certainly go together.” One final point of discussion was climate change, which is a priority for the Biden Administration. “Cattle are not part of the problem, they are part of the solution,” said NCBA Chief Environmental Counsel Scott Yager. Listen to the story.