The House not finishing their work
affects agriculture producers, and ultimately us.
The House could have passed a farm bill. They could have extended some sort of disaster relief to cattle and hog producers so that they wouldn't have to send so many to slaughter. They missed multiple opportunities in this bill to boost production and help stabilize Ag markets.
Right now, lots of producers have started using their winter stores of livestock feed because there is nothing left to forage because of the drought. And harvested feeds like corn and sorghum, have gone up because of the drought. In the spring, Ag producers will be hanging on to more of their livestock to repopulate their herds.
The USDA is offering more drought assistance to farmers and ranchers, but it's to assist with conservation practices. It isn't in the form of direct assistance that helps them feed their livestock now.
The EPA is under pressure to relax the standards for ethanol. That will keep more produce in the form of feed versus biofuels and help relax prices a bit if they cave.
But the House was a No-Show on getting anything done for the people who produce a lot of our food. Boehner punted to the lame duck session. He and the GOP are chickens and don't give a damn about family farms and ranches. I hope they choke.
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