Topline Summary of the Agriculture Provisions in the Government Spending Bill What happened: On Dec. 23, President Biden signed into law the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill that averted a government shutdown and funds the government until Sept. 30, 2023. Secretary Vilsack stated, “USDA is ready to hit the ground running in 2023 to keep expanding…
NPPC Comments on DOL Independent Contractor Proposed Rule What happened? National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) submitted comments to the United States Department of Labor (DOL) in response to the Wage and Hour Division’s (WHD) Proposed Rule for determining employee or independent contractor classification. Why was a response warranted? The DOL’s Proposed Rule would change the…
U.S. Pork Producers Praise Biden Administration’s Efforts to Avert Rail Disruptions Railroad Union Contract Negotiations Recap: In October, National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) along with 321 local, state and federal trade associations signed onto a coalition letter urging President Biden and key administration officials to return to the bargaining table to negotiate a new rail…
NPPC staff in attendance from left to right: Michael Formica, Maria Zieba, Terry Wolters, Mikayla Dolch, Andrew Bailey, Bryan Humphreys, Annemarie Pender, Holly Cook, and Josh Scramlin. NPPC Participates in NAFB Trade Talk What happened? This week the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) took part in the National Association of Farm Broadcasters (NAFB) annual ‘Trade…
Mexican President Issues Decree to Fight Food Prices What happened? On Oct. 19, Mexican President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador published a decree titled the Package Against Inflation and Famine with the objective of reducing the average price of the basic basket of 24 food products by 8%. It creates a universal import license that companies…
California Proposition 12 SCOTUS Oral Arguments Lowdown Missed the live stream? Take a listen to the audio recording for a full recap. Prefer to cut to the chase? We’ve got you covered on the “war on breakfast” (a phrase coined by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa). Our review: “This is a historic day for American farmers.…
Producers Convey Pork Industry Priorities During NPPC Fly-in NPPC held its fall Legislative Action Conference Wednesday and Thursday, with nearly 100 pork producers in Washington, D.C., meeting with their members of Congress to discuss pork industry priorities. Over the two-day event, producers asked lawmakers to: Press the Biden administration to join the 11-nation Comprehensive and…
More Funds Available for Meat, Poultry Processing ImprovementsUSDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) this week announced an additional $21.9 million for 111 projects through the Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grant Program, bringing total funding to $54.6 million. MPIRG awards this year have funded projects in 37 states. The program helps meat and poultry processors make…
Coalition Calls for Ag Labor ReformAs part of the Ag Workforce coalition, NPPC and 21 state affiliates signed a letter urging Senate leadership to find a path forward on ag workforce issues. While progress is being made toward a workable solution for expansion and reform of the H2-A visa program, many hurdles remain. The groups wrote,…
Report Highlights Pork Industry Contributions To U.S. Jobs, EconomyNPPC released a new economic report highlighting how America’s pig farmers are significant contributors to the agricultural and overall U.S. economy. The report, authored by NPPC staff economist Holly Cook and Iowa State University economist Lee Schulz, features the U.S. pork industry’s value chain contributions and growth…