Congress Passes Tax Extenders bill

Dec 24, 2014

On Dec. 16 the U.S. Senate approved legislation to extend a number of expiring tax provisions and President Barack Obama signed it into law on Dec. 19.

The bill, H.R. 5771, called the Tax Increase Prevention Action of 2014, passed the Senate by a 76-14 vote. It passed the House on Dec. 3 by a 378-46 vote.

The bill included the extension through tax year 2014 for dozens of individual and small business expenses. The key ones for farmers are Section 179 small business expensing, which allows small businesses to immediately expense up to $500,000 instead of depreciating them over time and there will be an additional 50 percent bonus depreciation for the purchase of new capital assets.
American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman praised Congress for passing the bill while noting that a long-term solution is needed.

"Thanks to tax provisions like Section 179 for small business expensing and bonus depreciation, hard-working Americans will be free to put their money directly back to work on their land and in their local communities," Stallman said. "

Click here to see more...

Video: What Does 20 MILLION Hogs a Year Look Like?

?? The Multi-Plant System Processing 20 Million Hogs Annually in the Midwest JBS USA operates multiple large-scale pork processing facilities across the Midwest, including major plants in Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana. Combined, these facilities have the capacity to process approximately 20 million hogs annually.

Each plant operates high-speed automated slaughter systems capable of processing up to 20,000 head per day, followed by fabrication lines that break carcasses into primals, sub-primals, and case-ready retail products.

Hog procurement is coordinated through electronic marketing platforms that connect regional contract finishing operations and independent producers to plant demand schedules. This digital procurement system allows for steady supply flow and scheduling efficiency across multiple facilities.

Processing plants incorporate comprehensive food safety systems, including pathogen intervention technologies, rapid chilling processes, and integrated cold-chain management. USDA inspection is embedded throughout the harvest and fabrication stages to ensure regulatory compliance and product integrity. Finished pork products — from bulk primals to retail-ready packaged cuts — are distributed through coordinated logistics networks serving domestic and export markets.