Wichita ? Hundreds of Kansas cattlemen will converge in Wichita next week amid fears of possible tighter industry regulations and uncertainty about President-elect Barack Obama’s plans for agriculture.

The cattlemen will be gathering for the Kansas Livestock Association’s annual convention, scheduled for Dec. 4-5.

“Nobody knows what to expect from the new administration,” said association spokesman Todd Domer.

Producers are concerned about who will be Obama’s choice for agriculture secretary.

“Obviously he didn’t have a broad agricultural platform. He doesn’t come from an agricultural background or district and that presents some concerns,” Domer said. “The list of potential Cabinet appointees give us some cause for concern. I don’t think there is anything specific out there yet everybody is shooting at. It is probably more the unknown factor.”

Among the keynote speakers for the convention is former Rep. Charles Stenholm, a Texas Democrat among those whose name has been bandied about as a potential candidate for agriculture secretary.

Stenholm, now a lobbyist with a Washington law firm, told The Associated Press on Monday that no one from the Obama transition team has contacted him yet.

Cattlemen also are closely watching to see whom Obama will name as head of the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA fears stem from the possible tightening of environmental rules for cattle feedyards, Domer said.

Stenholm said producers probably have more concerns about Obama’s pick for the EPA than the next agriculture secretary.

“A lot of how agriculture is treated and viewed by his administration will likely come through appointments of agriculture secretary and secretary at EPA. His Cabinet-level appointments will be really important to our industry,” Domer said.

At the Kansas Livestock Association meeting, Stenholm plans to spend much of his time talking about the need to reorganize the Agriculture Department to bring it into the 21st century on technology and jurisdictional issues.

The Agriculture Department is the logical agency to take over food safety issues for domestic production and imported foods, Stenholm said, but the agency is not structured to do so at this time. Nobody is, he added.

He is scheduled to speak at the 7:30 a.m. breakfast session on Dec. 5. His talk also will touch on what the new congressional makeup will mean for agricultural issues, including the implications of the ban on horse slaughter for human consumption.

Sessions on Dec. 4 deal with consumer trends, climate change and cattle market outlook.

Between 800 and 900 cattlemen from across the state are expected to attend.

Cattlemen want to know how some of their peers in the industry are dealing with such challenges as higher input costs and the prospect of tighter regulations.

“Misery loves company, and it has been an extremely difficult year in this business,” Domer said. “I am looking for a real good attendance. Folks want to get together to talk about these problems and address some of them in policy.”