Farm Bill - Strengthen the Livestock and Dairy Sector
The livestock sector is a pillar of the food system in America and across the world. California has a large and diverse livestock industry: it is the number one dairy state in the nation and is also a leading producer of beef cattle, broiler chickens, eggs, turkey, sheep, and goats.
Provisions related to livestock are crafted under the Miscellaneous title (Title XII). In 2008 livestock was given its title, Title XI, but was moved back under Miscellaneous in 2018. This title has funded and reauthorized the following programs:
Dairy Business Innovation Initiativessupport dairy businesses in the development, production, marketing, and distribution of dairy products.
The National Animal Health Laboratory Networkis part of a nationwide strategy that enhances the Nation’s early detection of, response to, and recovery from animal health emergencies.
National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Programbolsterthe nation’s efforts to keep high-consequence animal diseases from entering and spreading in the United States.
National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bankallows USDA to stockpile animal vaccines and countermeasures including diagnostic assays to use in the event of an FMD outbreak or other high-impact FADs, such as ASF and CSF.
Dairy Industry
California has been the nation’s leading dairy state since 1993, accounting for one-fifth of the United States’ milk production. Tulare County is the largest dairy producer in California and the U.S. The county's dairy farms traditionally produce more than 10 billion pounds of milk each year. Milk output in 2021 topped 10.17 billion pounds, nearly 1.18 million gallons.
But California is also leading the nation in the implementation of alternative manure management systems, helping provide a significant reduction of greenhouse emissions. These sustainable farming practices are improving water quality and reducing costs for farmers. To build on these efforts, I introduced the Converting Our Waste Sustainably (COWS) Act, which would establish a new manure management conservation program to improve air quality and implement sustainable farming practices.
The Healthy Fluid Milk Incentives (HFMI) projects were established by the 2018 Farm Bill to promote milk as part of a healthy, balanced diet consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). However, the latest DGA report shows that over 90% of Americans do not consume enough dairy to meet daily nutrition requirements. That is why, I introduced the Dairy Nutrition Incentives Act to expand access to dairy products for SNAP recipients while supporting dairy farmers in California and across the nation.
Animal Health
The 2018 Farm Bill funded three essential Animal Disease Prevention and Management programs—the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, the National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program, and the National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank to help bolster the USDA’s prevention, preparedness, and response capabilities for foreign animal diseases. To build on these efforts, I introduced the Foreign Animal Disease Prevention, Surveillance, and Rapid Response Act to make critical investments in these programs to help prevent, respond to, and mitigate foreign animal diseases in the future.
Outbreaks of avian influenza have wreaked havoc amongst the poultry industry, impacting the lives of farmers and our food supply chain. In the last year, the outbreak impacted 47 states, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in losses for poultry producers and driving up costs for American consumers. I co-sponsored the Healthy Poultry Assistance and Indemnification (HPAI) Actto simplify the calculation of indemnity and expand USDA-APHIS compensation to all poultry farmers.