Overreaching state negatively impacts beef industry

The beef industry creates more than 14,000 family-wage jobs in Washington state at 9,000 small and family-owned ranches and feedlots across all 39 counties, generating $3.6 billion in economic benefit. Ranching is a family tradition here; the average ranch has been in operation for 47 years, sustaining its local community for generations. Family ranches are the lifeblood of our industry. These families are thoughtful stewards of their land, tireless caretakers of their herds, and mainstays in their rural communities.

El Oro Cattle Feeders has been feeding cattle in Eastern Washington since 1978. The ranching and cattle feeding culture is deeply ingrained in El Oro’s 64 employees and their families.

Environmental stewardship is at the forefront for everyone involved at El Oro. El Oro’s operations in Grant County are guided by our fundamental principles of Sustainability, Total Quality, Animal Well-Being, and Responsibility – our company’s STAR Commitment. We use best practices to ensure we are good stewards and that we are complying with regulations. Cattle waste is collected, dried and used by local farmers as a soil amendment. We also source feed ingredients locally whenever possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, cost and support or Northwest rural economies.

Recently, the state of Washington is moving toward regulation of the cattle industry that goes far beyond what is expected of other agricultural activities, which are exempt from such attention. The Department of Ecology has directed their focus on fugitive dust. What is fugitive dust? Fugitive dust is the dust that can be emitted from open air operations like ranches or cattle feedlots; it is dust which cannot be controlled by a stack or chimney. For example, dust rising from a plow in a farmer’s field is fugitive dust.

The Department of Ecology appears to be enforcing a “zero-tolerance policy” which seems to require cattle feedlots to prevent any dust from becoming airborne. As most people can appreciate, this is not achievable. Many factors contribute to dust emissions, not the least of which is weather. Such a policy would go far beyond what is necessary to protect the environment and neighbors, end a system that has been working for decades and would create a mandate that the cattle industry simply cannot achieve. Such a policy could do great harm to an economic driver of the state of Washington, putting your neighbors and ours out of work.

For many years, feedlot operators and ranchers have been implementing best management practices in an effort to minimize fugitive dust. These best management practices protect the health of employees, neighbors and the livestock. The industry is already doing this, and the Department of Ecology’s new approach is overreaching.

The Department of Ecology’s approach can and should be changed during the current session of the Washington Legislature. If fugitive dust legislation is not passed, the Department of Ecology will continue to unfairly regulate the already environmentally conscious beef industry in ways that go beyond what is expected of similar agricultural activities.

The proposed legislation creates a system that makes complete sense. Cattle feedlots that are implementing Best Management Practices in accordance with their Fugitive Dust Control Plans, provided their activity does not have a substantial adverse effect on public health. State law exempts virtually all other “agricultural activity from this “no tolerance” standard if the agricultural activity (e.g. farming) is conducted consistently with good agricultural practices. This proposed legislation does not change who we are or how we produce high-quality meat products in a responsible way.

At El Oro, we believe that being part of the livestock industry is both a privilege and a responsibility. The cattle industry is ready and willing to work with the state to solve issues and to coordinate the best system to ensure that best management practices are being adhered to in sites across the state. A cooperative and productive relationship between the beef industry and the Department of Ecology, based around best management practices and mitigation is not only good for the environment and the people of Washington, but it’s what’s best for cattle health and welfare too.

This is a top priority. Call your legislator to voice your opinion on this issue that hinders the productivity of our economy and has no corresponding benefit to the environment. Let them know you support SB 5196 and HB 1299.

Rob Miller and his family live and work in Moses Lake. Rob graduated with a bachelor’s of science in Animal Science from Oregon State University and is currently pursuing a master’s of business administration from Purdue University.