Producers Should Prepare for Government Shutdown; NPPC Pens LMR Letter to USDA
In this week's National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) Friday recap: pork producers brace for a federal government shutdown as NPPC pens LMR letter to Secretary Vilsack; NPPC weighs in on USDA proposal to update reportable diseases; NPPC’s Zieba attends FAO conference on sustainable livestock production; NPPC supports legislation to increase USDA farm operating and ownership loans; and USDA unveils grant program aimed at facilitating H-2A usage. Take a deeper dive below.
What happened: At the time of publication, the federal government was facing the prospect of closing because Congress (so far) failed to approve funding for fiscal year 2024, which begins Oct. 1.
In preparation, NPPC joined the American Farm Bureau Federation, the American Sheep Industry Association, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, and the North American Meat Institute in urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to continue publishing livestock price reports should the government shut down. The Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR) Act, which expires Sept. 30 if Congress doesn’t reauthorize the statute, requires meatpackers to report to USDA the prices they pay for cattle, hogs, and lambs. USDA then publishes reports with information on pricing, contracting for purchase, supply and demand conditions for livestock, livestock production, and livestock products.
In the Sept. 22 letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the livestock groups asked him to deem USDA personnel who publish the twice-daily price reports “essential,” meaning they would not be furloughed if the funding for federal agencies lapses with the end of the fiscal year — Sept. 30.
Why it matters: Without funding, many federal programs will cease, and the staff who administer them will be furloughed. Among the programs that could be idled is the LMR Market News.
LMR helps ensure livestock producers have reliable and accurate information when making critical business decisions and supports competition and transparency in the livestock industry. Failure to continue publishing reports would jeopardize swine, cattle, and lamb producers’ ability to market their animals effectively.
NPPC's take: NPPC and the other livestock organizations support designating USDA’s LMR staff as essential personnel during a government shutdown, an action previously taken during the 2018-2019 shutdown.
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