CRP decision disappoints US pork producers
Stating that it will have adverse consequences for the U.S. pork industry, the National Pork Producers Council expressed extreme disappointment over the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision today not to release land from the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to address the need for more acres in crop production to meet the growing demands for food, feed and fuel.
Losses
Pork producers have lost an average of $20 per hog since the start of this year because of lower feed supplies – and higher prices – driven by the ethanol industry’s demand for corn, which has grown by 1 billion bushels over last year.
“We are cutting back our swine herd and production by as much as 10 percent over the next several months, and even then we will need more acres and more corn in 2009 to meet the demands of ethanol producers and other users and to feed this smaller herd,†said NPPC President Bryan Black, a pork producer from Canal Winchester, Ohio.
Worldwide demand
“Without these CRP acres, which can be responsibly farmed using today’s modern techniques to prevent soil erosion and protect the environment, we will have no ability to grow our industry to respond to worldwide demand. Pork producers are deeply disappointed by USDA’s short-sighted decision.â€
Created in 1985, the CRP is a land reserve program that gives farmers an annual rental payment to take acres out of crop production and use them for conservation purposes for 10 years. There are approximately 34 million crop acres in the program today.
Related Website
• NPPC
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