Jim Hagedorn
Local U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn is joining fellow lawmakers from across the Upper Midwest in requesting additional federal aid for pork producers hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hagedorn, who represents Jackson County in Congress, joined with around 50 other lawmakers in sending a letter last week to President Donald Trump requesting improvements to pork producer aid offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program and additional support by opening up existing programs for pork producers.
Hagedorn said the supply chain for pork producers is increasingly strained due to the ramifications of the COVID-19 outbreak. Pork processing plants and other food service industry closures across the country have reduced processing capacity by hundreds of thousands of hogs per day, and slashed prices by more than 33 percent. The aid producers are projected to receive under CFAP is not commensurate with losses incurred, Hagedorn said, and additional rules are imposed that could limit the benefits of the program to the agriculture community.
“Our pork, beef and poultry producers are stepping up to meet their critical role in maintaining America’s food supply, even during this pause in our economy that has created historically low demand and commodity prices,” Hagedorn said. “Congress and the USDA must work together to fund key programs to reimburse farmers — who are on the brink due to no fault of their own — and sustain agriculture and our rural way of life. We appreciate our farmers, processors, truckers, grocery store folks and all who keep America fed with an array of quality choices at affordable prices.”
National Pork Producers Council President Howard “A.V” Roth said pork producers across the Upper Midwest appreciate Hagedorn and the other lawmakers going to bat for them.
“As a result of COVID-19 challenges, U.S. pork producers are in dire straits through no fault of their own,” he said. “Industry economists conservatively estimate that hog farmers will lose a collective $5 billion for the remainder of the year. All pork producers are hurting and immediate action is imperative. The USDA aid package does not begin to address the losses incurred by producers and many generational family farms will go bankrupt without immediate financial aid with no payment limitations.”
Cattle people are losing money too.