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Common Ground Summit Seeks to Preserve America's Food Security

 

Agriculture is not optional. America’s food chain is only as strong as our family farms and ranches. Our livestock industry is better together and must unify with one voice.

 

As dedicated stakeholders in the livestock industry, we call upon our fellow livestock producers and all of agriculture to join us and stand united. The time has come to prove that our industry can and will align to drive meaningful and lasting change, safeguarding the future of America’s agricultural sector, rural communities and our nation’s food independence. 

 

We need your help in giving America’s livestock industry a common voice. Join us as we seek to:

 

Achieve and Maintain Ag-Friendly Tax Policy

  • Extend the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provisions that help agriculture beyond 2025, including:

    • Preservation of federal transfer tax lifetime exemption amounts, indexed for inflation, and

    • Retention of step-up in basis under § 1014, and

    • Return to 100% bonus depreciation under § 168, and

    • Continued expanded application of § 179, and

    • Maintenance of the § 199A qualified business income deduction.

    • Increase the aggregate limit allowed under § 2032A to $30 million, indexed for inflation.

 

Make Risk Management Tools More Effective

  • Increase the Livestock Risk Protection subsidy level, and

  • Allow Livestock Risk Protection coverage to start the day price risk is assumed, and

  • Create or improve mechanisms for industry input and oversight of risk management tools that will make them more attractive to producers.

 

Improve Access to Labor

  • Remove the seasonality component from H-2 programs, and

  • Create an optimized and efficient process for workers in good standing to return to the same employer year after year, and

  • Redefine “agricultural employer” to expand its scope for purposes of H-2A programs to include more employers essential to agricultural production in the United States.

 

Increase Flexibility for Livestock Haulers

  • Exempt livestock haulers from Hours-of-Service rules, and

  • Permanently exempt livestock haulers from the Electronic Logging Device mandate, and

  • Support the state and federal adoption of increased load capacity limits.

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Create Support for Young and Emerging Livestock Producers

  • Reform USDA programs to raise limits on guaranteed loan programs, streamline the lending process, and expand eligibility criteria.

  • Create tax credits or incentives for leasing or selling land to, and providing capital to, younger or emerging livestock producers, including elimination of capital gains, reduced financing costs, and access to loans.

  • Create front-loaded tax relief for buyers purchasing land for use in livestock production.

  • Establish programs and educational programming to cultivate interest in young people to pursue careers in livestock production. Incentivize livestock producers and others, including those in academia, business, and government, to mentor young or emerging livestock producers and support new entrants into the industry. Develop technologies targeted at increasing efficiency in livestock production.​

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Committed,

Turk Stovall, Billings, Montana

John Barnes, Reidsville, North Carolina

Dr. Kenny Burdine, Nicholasville, Kentucky

Renee Carrico, Springfield, Kentucky

Monte Cluck, Boerne, Texas

Colton Coffee, Miles City, Montana

Jerry Connealy, Whitman, Nebraska

Gene Copenhaver, Meadowview, Virginia

John Dickinson, Caldwell, Idaho

Barb Downey, Wamego, Kansas

Chad Ellingson, St. Anthony, North Dakota

Joe Fischer, Auburn, California

JD Georg, Midway, Texas

Joe Goggins, Billings, Montana

Ed Greiman, Garner, Iowa

Randall Grimmius, Hanford, California

Jim Handley, Orlando, Florida

James Henderson, La Jara, Colorado

Paul Houret, Lakeview, Oregon

Greg Ibach, Sumner, Nebraska

Jeremy Kinder, Faxon, Oklahoma

Pat Kirby, Oakdale, California

Dr. Clay Mathis, College Station, Texas

Mike McCormick, Union Church, Mississippi

Mark McCully, St. Joseph, Missouri

Joe Morgan, Scott City, Kansas

Jackie Moore, Carthage, Missouri

Jake Parnell, Galt, California

Rich Porter, Reading, Kansas

Don Schiefelbein, Kimball, Minnesota

Doug Shepperd, Mills, Nebraska

Wade Small, Mountain City, Nevada

Eric Smith, Reform, Alabama

Lamar Steiger, Bentonville, Arkansas

Steve Sunderman, Norfolk, Nebraska

Derek Thompson, Paxico, Kansas

Justin Tupper, St. Onge, South Dakota

Cyndi Van Newkirk, Oshkosh, Nebraska

Fred Wacker, Miles City, Montana

Warren White, Hereford, Texas

Members of the Common Ground Coalition - last updated May 6, 2025

Erin Beasley, Alabama

Caleb Beason, Alabama

Eric Smith, Alabama

Michael Binns, Arkansas

Lamar Steiger, Arkansas

Michelle Baser, California

Michael Correia, California

Tanner Dye, California

Joe Fischer, Auburn, California

Randall Grimmius, Hanford, California

Michael Imbrogno, California

Eric Isaacson, California

Abel Jimenez, California

Pat Kirby, California

Cynthia Miles, California

Justin Niesen, California

Jake Parnell, California

Celeste Settrini, California

James Henderson, Colorado

Cheyenne McEndaffer, Colorado

Michael Ray, Colorado

Kelsi Seymour, Colorado

Patrick Durden, Florida

Luke Johnson, Florida

Colleen Larson, Florida

Carlton D McKettrick Jr., Florida

Mike Willis, Florida

Beaver Yoder, Florida

Jim Handley, Florida

Terry Moore, Georgia

John Dickinson, Idaho

Jared Patterson, Idaho

Matt Thomson, Idaho

Luke Frantz, Illinois

Darrin Karcher, Indiana

Ed Greiman, Garner, Iowa

Ben Brophy, Kansas

Matt Caldwell, Kansas

Lance Cline, Kansas

Dylan Dechant, Kansas

Amber DeWitt , Kansas

Chelsea Good, Kansas

Laura Handke, Kansas

Crystal Hurla, Kansas

Debbie Lyons-Blythe, Kansas

Barb Downey, Kansas

Mark McCully, Missouri

Aaron Miller, Kansas

Joe Morgan, Kansas

Richard Porter, Kansas

Derek Thompson, Kansas

Jara Settles, Kansas

Dan Stark, Kansas

Dr. Kenny Burdine, Kentucky

Renee Carrico, Kentucky

Jeremy Wyles, Kentucky

Don Schiefelbein, Minnesota

Brad Brewer, Mississippi

Mike McCormick, Mississippi

Tom Frey, Missouri

Eric Grant, Missouri

Mark Harmon, Missouri

Izabella Michitsch, Missouri

Jackie Moore, Missouri

Kristen Parman, Missouri

Mike VanMaanen, Missouri

Colton Coffee, Montana

Joe Goggins, Montana

John Goggins, Montana

Linda Goggins, Montana

Kurt Kangas, Montana

Garrett Knebel, Montana

Joe Kovanda, Montana

Monty Lesh, Montana

Molly Masters, Montana

Lowell  Peterson, Montana

Corey Schultz, Montana

Todd Smith, Montana

Turk Stovall, Montana

Ryan Tangedal, Montana

Fred Wacker, Montana

Shane Whiteman, Montana

Jerry Connealy, Nebraska

Clay Easterday, Nebraska

Marie Farr, Nebraska

Brian Herbolsheimer, Nebraska

Greg Ibach, Nebraska

Jacob Mayer, Nebraska

Doug Shepperd, Nebraska

Steve Sunderman, Nebraska

Rebecca Baldridge Tiedeman, Nebraska

Cyndi Van Newkirk, Nebraska

Jaclyn Wilson, Nebraska

Wade Small, Nevada

Chris Earl, New Mexico

John Barnes, North Carolina

Justin Deckert, North Dakota

Chad Ellingson, North Dakota

Gene Harris, North Dakota

Stephanie Hatzenbuhler, North Dakota

Dodi Rae Hauck, North Dakota

Nathaniel Bradford, Oklahoma

Jeremy Kinder, Oklahoma

Ricky Piggott, Oklahoma

Darrel Shepherd, Oklahoma

John Flynn, Oregon

Jamie Houret, Oregon

Paul Houret, Oregon

Kirby Kerns, Oregon

Brandi Neider, Oregon

Jenita Derga, South Dakota

Bryce Dibbern, South Dakota

Roger and Joyce Glynn, South Dakota

Justin Tupper, South Dakota

Ross Varilek, South Dakota

Evan Davenport, Tennessee

John Donaldson, Tennessee

Jake Bettencourt, Texas

Doyle Borchgardt, Texas

Bill Cawley, Texas

Brad Chandler, Texas

Monte Cluck, Texas

Phillip Fox, Texas

JD Georg, Texas

Glen Loftin, Texas

Dr. Clay Mathis, Texas

Michael Moore, Texas

Terry Reagan, Texas

Nathan Sheets, Texas

Lyle Smith, Texas

Timmy Sparkman, Texas

Duane  Standley, Texas

Bailey Starns, Texas

Clay Wells, Texas

Warren White, Texas

Stephen Williams, Texas

Will Yeager, Texas

Joe Young, Texas

Nat Lunn, Texas

Gene Copenhaver, Virginia

Steve Hopkins, Virginia

John Meade, Virginia

Kacy Atkinson, Wyoming

Patti Davis, Wyoming

Terra Ochsner, Wyoming

About the Common Ground Summit

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The Common Ground Summit convened April 21-23, 2025, in Denver, Colorado. The summit marked a historic step forward in a multi-year effort to strengthen unity within the livestock industry.

​

Bringing together stakeholders from diverse backgrounds, operations and organizational involvement, the summit demonstrated the livestock industry’s collective commitment to preserving America’s agricultural land for future generations while strengthening and expanding the livestock producers who rely on it to feed the world. 

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Participants engaged in focused discussions on topics that were identified as being most pressing to achieving these shared goals. Through intensive dialogue and collaboration, attendees successfully identified key priorities and actionable solutions to drive progress on these pivotal topics.  All stakeholders in the livestock industry are called upon to pursue impactful change with a common voice.

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