At a hearing Thursday, Eastern Washington rancher and cattle feeder Camas Uebelacker told the House Finance Committee that cattle in his feedlot stay for 220 to 240 days, making him subject to the tax.
Even cattle held for more than a year would be taxed if the rancher had an off-farm job that he earned more at than ranching.
"Guys starting a ranch might have to work in town for awhile," Washington Cattlemen's Association lobbyist Mark Streuli said in an interview.
"For our guys, it's an income tax. And when you apply it to beef cattle, it's a tax on food," he said.