More in Regulation

Mar. 26, 2013

Article

House Passes Continuing Resolution Funding FSIS Inspectors

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) applauds the action of the House and Senate as the House passed H.R. 933, the continuing resolution which contained a similar amendment to that which passed the Senate....More
Mar. 25, 2013

Article

Lesser Prairie Chicken Puts Ranchers and Government On Same Side Of Endangered Species Act 2

The lesser prairie chicken is at the center of the latest endangered species brouhaha. But cooperation, rather than conflict, seems to be the path forward....More
Mar. 23, 2013

Article

Resolution Should Prevent Meat Inspector Furloughs

Congress passed a continuing resolution bill last week that would fund the government through the end of the current fiscal year. That resolution included an amendment from Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Mark Pryor (D-AR) that shifts $55 million from USDA accounts to pay Food Safety Inspection Service inspectors until Oct. 1....More
Mar. 14, 2013

blog

You Call This A Fix For Mandatory COOL? 3

The proposed changes to mandatory country of origin labeling published in Monday’s Federal Register are worthless. The reforms may address the total failure that the law has been, but it definitely will add more costs to the system. And it’s all irrelevant, unless the U.S. plans to abandon its WTO agreements, which seems highly unlikely....More
Mar. 14, 2013

blog

Meat Inspector Furlough Is Just A D.C. Game 6

Food inspection is a miniscule part of USDA’s budget, but it greatly impacts industry and consumers. Thus, the meat inspector furlough the perfect issue to use as a chip in Washington game-playing around the sequester....More
Mar. 14, 2013

Article

USDA Meat Inspector Furloughs To Begin In July

The USDA decision to furlough USDA meat inspecters all on the same day for 11 days beginning in mid-July is catching heat from many fronts. There will almost certainly be pigs, cattle and turkeys that go to market 8-11 days later than they would under a normal production flow....More
Mar. 14, 2013

Article

Audit-Based Beef Grading Can Mean Better Efficiency, Lower Costs

Consumers and industry look for the USDA grade shields as trusted symbols of wholesome, high-quality American beef. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), the agency responsible for grading, continues to explore ways to more efficiently conduct business....More
Mar. 13, 2013

Article

Canada Response To MCOOL “Fix” Is Predictable, Swift

Canada doesn’t believe the MCOOL rule changes proposed by USDA on March 8 address World Trade Organization concerns, and contends the changes actually increase U.S. food labeling discrimination against Canadian cattle and hogs....More
Mar. 12, 2013

Article

MCOOL Issue Is Far From Settled

The next page in the MCOOL saga was turned March 8 when USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service released a proposed rule to address the WTO finding that the MCOOL program violates trade rules....More
Mar. 8, 2013

News

USDA Issues Proposed Rule On COOL 3

USDA's proposed COOL rule, to be published in the March 11 Federal Register, would modify the labeling provisions for muscle cut covered commodities....More
Mar. 6, 2013

blog

Farmers Against Crippling Taxes (FACT) Act Would Repeal Death Tax 11

Discussions about the estate tax have died down somewhat since Congress passed the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, which locked in a death tax rate of 40% and a $5-million exemption level indexed to inflation. I think Congress hoped that by passing meaningful legislation, it would placate the growing concern and loud protests from the meager country mice like you and me....More
Feb. 21, 2013

Article

EPA Releases Producer Information To Activist Groups

Early this week the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) was notified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the agency had been collecting information from states on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). This information was requested by extremist groups, including Earth Justice, the Pew Charitable Trust and the Natural Resources Defense Council through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request and granted to them....More
Feb. 16, 2013

Article

USDA Says Meat Inspectors Might Be Furloughed 9

Whether it turns out to be seriously considered or merely political grandstanding, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack helped add pressure to cattle markets last week when he suggested USDA may furlough federal meat inspectors for two weeks in order to meet the mandatory federal spending cuts (sequestration) that take place March 1 if lawmakers fail to agree to a spending package by then. This suggestion implies that meat inspectors would be regarded as “non-essential” federal employees....More
Feb. 11, 2013

blog

South Dakota Ag Groups Fight Animal Rights Legislation 16

My home state of South Dakota hasn’t been a particular hot spot for animal rights activist activity. However, the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS), which ranks South Dakota “dead last” for animal cruelty laws, is beginning to have a larger presence here....More
Jan. 23, 2013

Article

New Hampshire Bill: Too Short For An “Ag-Gag” Bill? 2

The “live free or die” state might require anyone recording livestock abuse to report it to law enforcement within 24 hours....More
Jan. 22, 2013

blog

Good Luck, Mr. President 20

"We have a chance to finish what we started. Our work begins today. Let's go," tweeted President Barack Obama before his official inauguration yesterday morning. The swearing in of the 44th president of the U.S. is a historic moment for our nation, regardless of whether you voted red or blue in the last election....More
Jan. 20, 2013

Article

Peterson Lets Fly: Obama, Leaders Don’t Care About Farm Bill 2

In the days after the fiscal cliff bill’s passage, Peterson blamed both Democratic and Republican leadership for turning their backs on the farm bill, and he’s got messages for both. Peterson has vowed not to help write another long-term bill unless Republicans give it a path to the House floor, and as for his party, he told Politico the night of the cliff vote: “I’m not going to talk with those guys. I’m done with them for the next four years. They are on their own.”...More
Jan. 8, 2013

blog

Fiscal Cliff Moves Estate Tax In Right Direction 10

If you’ve been paying attention this first week of 2013, you already know that Congress passed a tax compromise that averts the fiscal cliff and makes permanent the federal estate tax with an exemption of $5.12 million/individual (indexed for inflation) and a tax rate of 40% for amounts over the exemption....More
Jan. 2, 2013

blog

2013 Poses A Lot Of Producer Challenges 1

Comedian George Carlin once published a long, thoughtful and humorous piece about how the ascendancy of society in the U.S. has coincided with a decline of its personal values. It ends with these thoughts, which I think are good advice for everyone in the new year, regardless of your profession, financial status or religious inclination....More
Jan. 2, 2013

blog

Where’s Our Farm Bill, Congress? 4

For many Americans, instead of celebrating the end of 2012 and ringing in 2013 with optimism and joy, they worried about what Congress would decide to do about the fiscal cliff and what the tax hikes and spending cuts would look like once the dust settles....More
Dec. 20, 2012

Article

Ag's Future Demands Death Tax Repeal 2

With the death tax a constant threat to America’s farm and ranch families, now’s the time to sit down with a lawyer and get your affairs in order. Yet, 90% of families either don’t have an estate plan or are inadequately protected, says Brian Kirby, a Sioux Falls, SD-based lawyer and partner at Lindquist & Vennum....More
Dec. 20, 2012

Article

USDA Issues Final Rule for Animal Disease Traceability 1

Under the final rule, unless specifically exempted, livestock moved interstate would have to be officially identified and accompanied by an interstate certificate of veterinary inspection or other documentation, such as owner-shipper statements or brand certificates....More
Dec. 19, 2012

Article

USDA Offers Temporary Adjustment For School Lunch Program Limits On Meat And Grain

USDA has announced additional flexibility to assess the compliance with the standards of the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs, citing the operational challenges relating to the limits placed on grains, meat and meat alternatives....More
Dec. 14, 2012

Article

EPA Retains Dust Standard

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that it would retain the coarse particulate matter (PM) National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS), eliciting a positive response from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) on behalf of cattle producers across the country....More
Dec. 13, 2012

Article

526,421 Family Farms Threatened By New Death Tax On Jan. 1 11

New legislation that jumps the death tax to 55% of estates exceeding $1 million threatens 526,421 family farms, or about 25% of all farms in America, according to an analysis conducted by the Senate Republican Policy Committee....More