BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) — Members of the North Dakota Stockmen's Association (NDSA) are in the Capital City this week for their Annual Convention and Trade Show at the Bismarck Hotel and Conference Center. About 400 NDSA members are attending this year's convention and many of them were at the opening session on Wednesday, September 18. It's their 95th gathering since a small group of North Dakota cattlemen first founded the organization in 1929 to deal with the problem of cattle rustling and promote brand inspection to protect their herds. Many issues currently affecting cattle producers are being discussed at this year's convention: Identifying and Tracking of Cattle One of the top issues being discussed at this year's event is the evolution of identifying cattle. Many cattle producers still brand and tag their cattle. However, advances in technology are also allowing them to electronically identify and track their herds. NDSA President Jason Leiseth says many cattle producers are switching over from traditional cattle tags to tags with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). These tags have a small RFID chip with information on them that can be scanned by a device that then reads the information and enters it into a database, which can be used to track the location of cattle. He says that many are making the switch to RFID identification because there are cattle buyers out there that will pay more for calves that are tracked using the electronic technology. Leiseth also says voluntary electronic identification has made tracking and monitoring cattle herds more efficient. "Electronic tracking has also helped us to improve our trace-back in case there is disease outbreak that we need to get a handle on quickly and assure our consumers that they've got a safe and quality product that is still available," explained Leiseth. Phase one of Grand Farm research center complete Country of Origin Labeling (COOL)Another issue being looked at by members is whether Congress should finally make Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) mandatory, which Leiseth says the NDSA opposes. Leiseth cautions that a mandatory COOL law would violate trade agreements with Canada and Mexico, and that any retaliatory tariffs from those countries would be detrimental to the cattle industry. Rather than making it mandatory, NDSA members have approved a voluntary program that is market-driven. He says their voluntary policy allows cattle producers to make the decision of whether they want to provide origin labeling on their products. "It's been quite successful, and many of our members have also taken an approach where they take their own product directly to the consumer," said Leiseth. Initiated Measure 4: The "Property Tax" MeasureWith the general election coming up, there was plenty of discussion among members about the property tax measure on the general election ballot in North Dakota. If passed, Initiated Measure 4, would end the levying of any tax on the assessed value of real or personal property, which Leiseth says NDSA leadership also opposes. "In our July meeting, our board of directors voted unanimously to oppose that measure," Leiseth said. "We feel it would be detrimental to rural North Dakota and agriculture in general." He says members will discuss other solutions that could possibly help lower the tax burden on property owners without completely eliminating property taxes. Overall, Leiseth says 2024 has been a good year for cattle producers. Although cattle numbers are down, prices remain high, and he says that is helping to keep the industry profitable for producers. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Today's Top Stories SIGN UP NOW