The Butcher Block Act, recently introduced by Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-SD-At large) and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-7) would provide funding for small, regional and independent processing facilities.
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) applauded the bill’s introduction, calling it “the latest in a long line of efforts by NCBA to create more opportunities for cattle producers to get their cattle processed and capture more of the beef dollar.”
The legislation would create a stand-alone loan program through USDA to help processors expand capacity, improve marketing options, and encourage competitive markets and pricing. It would also authorize the secretary of Agriculture to establish a grant program that would support research to strengthen the workforce and help processors become federally inspected.
NCBA President Jerry Bohn said the bill would “go a long way to alleviating the bottleneck that is depressing live cattle prices for our farmers and ranchers.”
