[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 15955]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO DEE LIKES

 Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President, in a State where cattle outnumber 
people, the Kansas livestock industry is one of the leading economic 
and cultural drivers of our State. Across the Midwest, ranchers and 
their families work hard every day to provide protein for a growing and 
hungry world, often without the appreciation or recognition they 
deserve.
  I rise today to offer my sincere congratulations and thanks to a 
trusted leader and friend. Thomas ``Dee'' Likes has served for the last 
31 years as the chief executive officer and executive vice president of 
the Kansas Livestock Association. Under his leadership, the 5,500-
member trade association has grown into one of the most influential and 
respected agricultural organizations in Kansas and across the nation.
  Dee Likes has made a distinguished impact on the livestock industry. 
As the longest tenured State affiliate organization CEO in the history 
of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, he helped lead the 
industry through the 1996 merger between the National Cattlemen's 
Association and the Beef Industry Council of the National Live Stock 
and Meat Board.
  In addition to his service as CEO of the Kansas Livestock 
Association, Dee Likes has been a true partner in government. He has 
successfully represented the livestock industry in front of Congress 
and has served two terms as president of the Kansas Agricultural 
Alliance, a coalition that represents over 20 Kansas agricultural 
associations before the Kansas Legislature.
  I am grateful to Dee for his friendship, his advice, and his counsel 
over the years. Kansas agriculture has been fortunate to have Dee's 
commitment and dedication. I hope he and his wife Terry will enjoy 
their next chapter in life.

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