Scores of Government Officials Attending Nashville Cattle Convention
Unprecedented numbers for 2003 Cattle Industry Convention & Trade Show 
 
Washington, D.C. (January 23, 2003) - The 6,000 attendees at next week's Cattle Industry Convention & Trade Show will hear first-hand from Washington's top government officials about policy issues affecting ranchers and farmers.  Nearly 40 government officials -- including two Cabinet Secretaries -- will speak at the four-day convention in Nashville, Tenn., which will also feature a video welcome address from President George W. Bush.
 
"We are very impressed by the sincere interest that this Administration has shown for our organization and the interests of cattle producers across America," says Iowa cattleman and NCBA President Wythe Willey.  "This convention is an important place to be if you have an interest in issues affecting the U.S. cattle industry." 
 
"These officials understand that farmers and ranchers are the backbone of our American economy, and know the importance of coming together in times of need," says Willey.
 
Ann Veneman, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Gale Norton, Secretary of the Department of Interior (DOI), are two top officials speaking at the convention.  The bulleted list below gives a brief overview of officials who can be found speaking in Nashville next week. 

This year's influential policy-makers in attendance include:
§    Ann Veneman, Secretary, USDA
§    Gale Norton, Secretary, DOI  
§    Dale Bosworth, Chief, U.S. Forest Service
§    Kathleen Clarke, Director, Bureau of Land Management
§    Bruce Knight, Chief, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), UDSA
§    Michael Gorham, Director of Market Oversight, Commodity Futures Trading Commission 
§    Steve Williams, Director, U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Department of Interior
§    Ambassador Allen Johnson, Chief Agriculture Negotiator, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (tentative yes)
§    Barry Carpenter, Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS), USDA
§    John Van Dyke, AMS, USDA                          
§    Donna Reifschneider, Administrator, Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration, USDA
§    Dr. Dan Engeljohn, Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA      
§    Dr. Bob Bockma, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Veterinary Services, USDA
§    Dr. Michael Carter, APHIS, USDA
§    Dr. Rich Pacer, APHIS, USDA
§    Dr. Lynn Creekmore, APHIS, USDA
§    Dr. Valerie Ragan, APHIS, USDA
§    Dr. Ron DeHaven, APHIS Veterinary Services, USDA
§    Dr. Elizabeth Paris, Senate Finance Committee
§    Lance Kotschwar, House Agriculture Committee
§    Pete Thompson, House Agriculture Committee
§    John George, Agricultural Research Service, USDA            
§    Leland Southard, Economic Research Service, USDA
§    Howard Wetzel, Dairy, Livestock, and Poultry Division, Foreign Ag Service, USDA
§    David K. Harrelson, Endangered Species Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,  DOI 
§    Carole Jett, NRCS, UDSA                             
§    Ed Burton, NRCS, Wyoming State Conservationist, USDA
§    Janet Oertly, NRCS, South Dakota State Conservationist    
§    Leslie Deavers, NRCS, USDA
§    Dana Larsen, NRCS, USDA  
§    Kim Stein, NRCS, USDA
§    Dan Meyer, NRCS, USDA 
§    Tom Christensen, NRCS, USDA 
§    Jeff Lape, Environmental Protection Agency             
§    Representative of the White House Council on Environmental Quality 
 
This is only a partial list of the impressive speakers and attendees who will be flying to Nashville next week for the 2003 Cattle Industry Convention & Trade Show. The convention will be held at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, Jan. 29 - Feb. 1. 
 
For more information on specific scheduling details for each day of the convention, please contact NCBA, or go to the official NCBA/CBB News Center at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, room Jackson C/D. The News Center opens by 8 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 27 and is open until Saturday, Feb.1. 
 
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Producer-directed and consumer-focused, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association is the trade association of America's cattle farmers and ranchers, and the marketing organization for the largest segment of the nation's food and fiber industry.