Producers Dig Into Farm Bill Conversations

The farm bill is the focus of many conversations taking place this week in Washington, D.C., as the nation's pork producers gather to meet with members of Congress during the National Pork Producers Council’s (NPPC) Spring Fly-In.

“This is a conversation we've been having for a while,” says Bryan Humphreys, NPPC CEO. “We need a bipartisan solution and recognize there's some balance we have to have here. But as we look forward, our goal is to ensure there is not a patchwork of 50 different regulations across the country. We need to ensure we can provide stability to our producers so they can do what's right for their farms and for their animals, and make sure they can raise those animals in the best way they know how on their farms.”

Humphreys says there are a lot of options when it comes to the farm bill. That's why NPPC continues to meet with both the House and the Senate and with Republicans and Democrats to find a bipartisan solution.

From a producer standpoint, NPPC president and Minnesota pork producer Lori Stevermer says the patchwork of regulations producers are concerned about is real.

“Even a producer who has made the change to become Proposition 12 compliant is worried about what the next state could do. Maybe that's 28, 29 or 30 square feet. We need certainty, and whatever language gets us there is very important,” Stevermer says.