TSCRA Government Affairs Roundup: See you at Cattle Raisers Convention, 90-day ELD ag waiver extended; Japan tariffs

For everyone interested in what the federal government has been up to and how it impacts ranchers and landowners, we have a great update scheduled during the 2018 Cattle Raisers Convention and Expo. NCBA’s Colin Woodall will be on hand for a update on Washington, D.C. issues on Friday, March 23 at 3:45. Check out his preview video on Facebook here! Pre-registration ends this Monday, so if you haven’t registered yet, don’t wait to sign up at cattleraisersconvention.com.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced an additional 90-day agricultural exemption for the ELD mandate. The first exemption was set to expire this Sunday. This is great news, but we’re still working to get a permanent exemption or resolve the ELD issues around hauling livestock. Our news statement is available on our website.
In other good news, it is being reported that Japan import tariffs on U.S. beef will drop back to 38.5 percent on April 1. This comes after eight months at 50 percent because high imports triggered Japan’s import safeguard mechanism. U.S. beef exports to Japan remain strong. According to the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) January exports increased 7 percent from 2017 volume levels and 19 percent in value.