


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.
​
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.​
​
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
​
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.
​
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.