U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-SD) introduced the Beef Origin Labeling Accountability Act to bring clarity and to reinstate Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (MCOOL) for beef products. “Consumers don’t know where their beef comes from,” Johnson says. “It could be South Dakota, Brazil, or Canada. U.S. producers raise better beef, and they’re not getting credit for it.” The act will …
Groups Applaud First Senate Veterinary Medicine Caucus
The U.S. Senate has established a Veterinary Medicine Caucus for the first time ever. The caucus will focus on increasing awareness toward veterinary-related matters in Congress, educating lawmakers and their staffs about the challenges facing the profession, and advancing the legislation that benefits the veterinary community. The bipartisan caucus will be led by Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). …
Florida Ag Commissioner Reminds Local Governments of New Law Prohibiting Special Assessments on Agricultural Land
(FDACS/TALLAHASSEE, FL/August 9, 2023) — Today, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson addressed a letter to local governments reminding them of the new provision in State Law prohibiting counties from levying special assessments on agricultural lands. Read the letter below and here. August 9, 2023 Greetings, As Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, my top priority is to ensure that Florida agriculture continues …
Large Pork Producers Don’t Favor Overturning Prop 12
Legislation has been introduced in Congress that would overturn California’s Prop 12. Reuters says some of the country’s biggest pork producers who’ve already spent money to comply with the California requirements don’t favor throwing out Prop 12. The Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act would curb states’ ability to regulate agricultural products sold within their borders. The bill was introduced …
Senator Boozman Says No Mandatory Conservation Programs
Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator John Boozman (R-AR) doesn’t mince words when it comes to conservation programs in the farm bill. “We talk about what needs to be included or excluded in the farm bill and that is a red line for me. We’re simply not going to get ourselves in a situation where we have a …
NCBA President Slams Regulatory Onslaught by Biden Agencies
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President Todd Wilkinson recently slammed administration overregulation during a recent NCBA Beltway Beef podcast. Wilkinson says Biden agencies from the EPA to the Bureau of Land Management are trying to take away the cattle industry’s freedoms. He cites recent EPA statements that it can make minor changes to its Waters of the U.S. rule after the …
Pork Producers Sue Massachusetts over Animal Housing Law
Triumph Foods and a group of Midwest pork producers are suing the state of Massachusetts over its Question 3 law and others that set minimum housing requirements for livestock. The plaintiffs are challenging the constitutionality of the Q3 law and seeking immediate relief from the law before it takes effect on August 24. They also want enforcement stayed until the …
GATES Act Aims to Include Larger Farms in Conservation Programs
The Growing Access to Environmental Sustainability (GATES) Act seeks to reduce barriers that producers face in accessing agricultural conservation programs. Congressman John Duarte, a farmer from California, is on the coalition behind the act. He says current adjusted gross income (AGI) limitations of $900,000 disproportionately limit producers with high input costs from participating in certain USDA conservation-focused programs. “That sounds …
Legislation Would Exempt Farms from Emission Reporting
Last week, a group of lawmakers introduced legislation to exclude reporting of routine emissions from livestock farms to state and local emergency response authorities. The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) supports the legislation. Pork producers and other livestock industries have engaged with federal and state regulators for decades over permitting and reporting of air emissions. This engagement has included both …
NCBA Urges Opposition to Spartz Ag Appropriations Amendment
The cattle industry is speaking out against a proposed amendment to the ag appropriations bill. Introduced by Indiana Congresswoman Victoria Spartz (R-IN-05), the amendment states that none of the funds made available by the bill may be used to carry out commodity checkoff programs. Vice President of Government Affairs with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), Ethan Lane, says it …