OVERLAND PARK, Kan.—More than 30 Livestock Marketing Association members and staff traveled to Washington, D.C., March 4-6, 2026, for the association’s annual D.C. Fly-In. Over the course of three days, participants met with U.S. representatives, senators, congressional staff, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Labor officials.
LMA members began their time in Washington, D.C., with an issues briefing, followed by a leadership meeting with Secretary Rollins. The discussion was productive, focusing on Animal Disease Traceability, animal health threats such as New World Screwworm, and the need for rulemaking to compliment the Livestock Dealer Statutory Trust law.
The next day, LMA members advocated to Congress on a variety of issues, first of which was passage of a Farm Bill reauthorization. The visits were timely as they coincided with the House Agriculture Committee’s mark up of its new Farm Bill. Of particular interest is a provision included in the bill that would update an outdated Packers and Stockyards Act rule prohibiting owning both a livestock auction and a livestock harvest facility. This antiquated rule predates the current, transparent method of selling livestock at an open auction. The provision included in the Farm Bill would address this issue by allowing livestock auction owners to own or invest in small and regional harvest facilities. The provision was first introduced to the committee as the Amplifying Processing of Livestock in the United States (A-PLUS) Act (H.R. 1648) sponsored by Reps. Mark Alford (R-MO) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA). Its Senate companion bill, the Expanding Local Meat Processing Act (S. 782) is sponsored by Sens. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) and Joni Ernst (R-IA).
Fly-In attendees also advocated for continued direction by Congress to USDA that it continue to procure required electronic identification, or EID, tags for compliance with its ADT program so that it is not an unfunded mandate.
LMA members were able to meet with Chairman of the House Committee of Agriculture G.T. Thompson (R-PA) to thank him for his work on a new Farm Bill, leadership and attention to the labor shortage faced by the agriculture industry. Labor has long been a particularly challenging issue for LMA members and the entire agriculture industry. Consequently, members advocated to both Congress and regulatory officials for changes to the H-2A program that would allow auction markets to participate in the program.
On their last day, members met with leadership of the USDA Packers and Stockyards Division; Rear Admiral Micheal Schmoyer and Dr. Alan Huddleston of USDA’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS); and Brian Pasternak, Department of Labor.
Forrest Mangan, LMA’s chief executive officer who attended the event, said it was productive trip.
“I’m grateful for all the LMA members and staff who took the time away from their families and businesses to advocate on behalf of themselves and the entire industry at the D.C. Fly-In,” he said.
“It’s hard to fully explain just how impactful a visit like this is for the industry. Showing up year after year to develop and maintain relationships with decision makers is how we can ensure the interests of the livestock marketing industry is considered in policy decisions.”
LMA members who attended this year’s D.C. Fly In were: Jim Akers, Lexington, Ky.; Todd Eberle, Broken Bow, Neb.; Helen Glover, Mt. Washington, Ky.; Lindsay Grant, McAlister, Okla.; Julie Grant, McAlister, Okla.; Ben Hale, Throckmorton, Texas; Aimee Hale, Throckmorton, Texas; Budge Herbert, Moffett, Okla.; Samantha Herbert, Moffett, Okla.; Bracken Marburger, Milano, Texas; Stephanie Marburger, Milano, Texas; Kale McGuinness, Spokane, Wash.; Chad McNew, Greencastle, Penn.; Hunter Owens, Crawford, Neb.; Ron Ratliff, Garnett, Kan.; Christine Ratliff, Garnett, Kan.; Rich Robertson, Crawford, Neb.; Alicia Robertson, Crawford, Neb.; Jay Romine, Mt. Washington, Ky.; Robin Scerbarth, Crawford, Neb.
