Ohio pig farmer Duane Stateler is optimistic, but he’s not going to stop speaking up for the passage of the farm bill now. He joined 120 pork producers from across the country in Washington, DC, last week for the National Pork Producers Council’s (NPPC) Fall Legislative Action Conference. The farm bill and labor topped the discussions on the Hill.
Stateler, NPPC president-elect, joined AgriTalk host Chip Flory on Monday to discuss the importance of the farm bill’s timing.
“We had a united showing by the barnyard last week that we need to get a farm bill done,” Stateler says. “We need this now because there’s going to be a new administration no matter which way it goes. That means there’s going to be a First 100 Day Agenda, and then there’s going to be appointments, and everything starts over. We will be lucky if we have something in 18 to 24 months if we don’t get it done this year.”
Of course, the labor conversations were a hot topic amongst pork producers.
“There has been a serious uptick in denials of TN Visas,” Stateler says. “In rural America, it’s very hard to find anybody to work. Everybody’s already got a job.”
Flory noted that pork exports have always been such an important piece of the puzzle for the U.S. pork industry. He asked Stateler how international markets were addressed during their conversations last week.
“As far as international trade, this administration has not had anything out there as far as wanting or wanting to look for free trade agreements,” he explains. “We’ve had to put that on the back burner. The only good news we’ve had out of trade this year is the fact that our trade numbers are good – up 5% I believe. We’re not seeing new markets, but we are moving product.”
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