Wins for pork producers in house farm bill

May 20, 2024

By Farms.com

The U.S. pork industry secured significant wins in the House Agriculture Committee's draft 2024 Farm Bill. The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) praised the bill for addressing their top concerns, including:

Countering California's Proposition 12, a regulation affecting the sale of pork produced under certain housing standards.
Doubling funding for programs that promote U.S. pork exports.
Increasing resources to protect the nation's food supply from foreign animal diseases.

"We appreciate Chairman Thompson's willingness to address our industry's challenges," said NPPC President."The House Farm Bill reflects the importance of the pork industry and our commitment to working with policymakers."

The draft bill includes specific funding allocations for animal health programs:

$10 million annually for the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN).
$70 million annually for the National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program (NADPRP).
$153 million annually for the National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank (NAVVCB).

These programs play a crucial role in safeguarding U.S. livestock from diseases like African Swine Fever.

The House bill also aims to strengthen border security by codifying the USDA's National Detector Dog Training Center. This center trains canines to detect illegal agricultural products entering the U.S.

The Farm Bill is a crucial piece of legislation that sets policy for various agricultural sectors. The Senate Agriculture Committee is expected to release its own version of the bill soon. Both chambers will need to reconcile their proposals before sending a final bill to the President for approval.

Video: Learning to Wrench From Dad the Hard Way

Harvest is a week out and the farm picked this week to fall apart. The truck needs a battery, the barn curtain's got a problem, and the corn and beans are telling us we're out of time to get it all fixed.

So it's a full day of wrenching. Tork supervises while I get the truck back running, then we're out at the hog barn where one rusted up part has the whole curtain system hung up. Ladder work, cable work, and a little dad-and-son disagreement about the right way to do it. We close it out walking the fields, shelling beans and checking corn, because whether everything's fixed or not, harvest starts when harvest starts.

Chapters: 00:00 Everything breaks the week before harvest 01:00 Tork supervises while I fix the truck 12:30 Out to the barn to find the curtain problem 14:30 One rusty part hung up the whole curtain 20:00 Running the curtain cable from the ladder 24:00 Walking the beans and corn before harvest 26:30 Wrapping up

We're a 6th generation family farm in southeast Iowa showing the real ups and downs of pig farming and row crop farming. No script, just the work. Subscribe and follow along.

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