Agricultural News
USDA Secretary Vilsack to Chief Economist Joe Glauber on GIPSA Cost Benefit Analysis- Do it Right
Fri, 18 Feb 2011 6:29:03 CST
A flood of EPA rules and a pending USDA livestock marketing rule were among key issues House and Senate Ag lawmakers pressed U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack about Thursday.
Vilsack told the House and Senate Ag Committees the farm economy remains strong, with record or near record exports, cash receipts and net farm income. At the same time, soaring crop and input costs do raise some concerns and the need for a strong safety net, especially for livestock and dairy producers in the next farm bill.
Vilsack was qustioned multiple times during his Q&A with memebrs of the House Ag Committee on USDA's pending GIPSA Livestock Marketing rule - which he defends as necessary to bring fairness to the marketplace. The rule, which sparked huge controversy in 2010, was originally issued last June by the Agency, was the focal point at the USDA-Department of Justice Workshop on Competition Issues in the Livestock industry last August and drew over 60,000 comments during the public comment period that ended in November, 2010. (Our picture shows just a few of the hundreds of cattle producers who showed up at the Ft. Collins, Colorado event)
The Secretary told lawmakers that USDA is sorting through those comments and that USDA Chief Economist Joe Glauber will be conducting a comprehensive Cost Benefit Analysis- with the Secretary saying to the Committee that his instruction to Dr. Glauber was not to meet a hard time deadline, but rather to "do it right."
You can hear some of the Secretary's Comments on the GIPSA rule on today's Beef Buzz.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the state on the Radio Oklahoma Network- but is also a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the listen bar below for today's show- and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
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