{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://dustyjohnson.house.gov/media/press-releases/johnson-cattle-bills-seek-drive-competition-packing-industry", "Johnson Cattle Bills Seek to Drive Competition in the Packing Industry", "2023-01-26", "2023", "2023-01", "Republican", "House", "SD", "Dusty Johnson", "J000301", "dustyjohnson.house.gov", "dustyjohnson", "https://dustyjohnson.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) re-introduced two cattle-focused bills to improve the industry \u2013 his Butcher Block Act with co-lead Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and the Amplifying Processing of Livestock in the United States (A-PLUS) Act with lead Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO).\n\nAccording to a 2020 report, an increase of packing capacity by 5,000-6,000 head of fed cattle per day is needed to get back to the historic baseline. Building new facilities could cost $100-250 million for every 1,000 head of cattle processed daily, according to estimates. The Butcher Block Actwould establish a grant and loan program at USDA for new and expanding meat processors to drive competition within the packing industry.\n\nCurrently, regulatory barriers prevent livestock auction market owners from investing in packing facilities. The A-PLUS Act would allow for expanded investment to small and local packers, increasing capacity and diversifying market options for producers.\n\n\u201cCattle country needs solutions,\u201d said Johnson. \u201cThe past few years have taken a toll on the livestock owners who have experienced black swan event after black swan event. The Butcher Block Act and the A-PLUS Act will provide increased capacity to small packers and drive healthy competition to create a more stable market.\u201d\n\nIn July 2021, following Johnson\u2019s leadership on the Butcher Block Act, the U.S. Department of Agriculture implemented a pilot program mirroring the legislation, supplying grants to small processors. Additionally, it passed the House in June 2022 as part of a larger package.\n\nThe Butcher Block Act:\n\nAssists new and expanded livestock or meat processors to improve marketing options for livestock producers, further competitive markets, and facilitate value-added opportunity for livestock producers.\n\nAllows for financing of cooperative stock in producer-owned processing facilities and refinancing for expanded processing capacity.\n\nEstablishes a Rural Development grant program for eligible entities to assist with new construction or expansion planning and compliance.\n\nThe A-PLUS Act:", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T23:08:17Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://dustyjohnson.house.gov/media/press-releases/johnson-cattle-bills-seek-drive-competition-packing-industry"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8663488551974297, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}