The proposed Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) rule was a big topic of discussion at last week’s National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Legislative Conference in Washington, DC.

Andy Vance with Buckeye Ag Radio has some great coverage from the event, including an interview with USDA chief economist Joe Glauber about the proposed rule. Secretary Vilsack continued to say it was not appropriate for him to comment on the rule. Vilsack has basically made no comment about the rule since it was released in June and he was quoted in the official release saying, “This proposed rule will help ensure a level playing field for producers by providing additional protections against unfair practices and addressing new market conditions not covered by existing rules.”

In Andy’s interview, Dr. Glauber seems to distance USDA “the department” from “the agency” GIPSA. “GIPSA has put out a proposed rule. We have some responsibilities within the department to review rules and so we had looked at early versions of the proposed rule that went out,” says Glauber. “The agency will be reviewing all the comments. We will be looking to see how the agency addresses the comments in terms of the costs and benefits of the rule.”

Glauber had no real direct answers to Andy’s questions about the lack of an economic impact study on the proposed rule and the potential for unintended consequences. He agrees that alternative marketing arrangements have been beneficial for many producers and he agrees that “from an economist’s perspective” the various livestock segments – beef, pork and poultry – are very different in terms of production and marketing. Dr. Glauber said they were glad to hear from the cattlemen who came to Washington last week and encouraged them to make comments about how the proposed rule would affect them.

Y’all really should listen to this interview – it’s posted below. Thanks, Andy! Andy also has good interviews with Mike Engler of Cactus Feeders and Nebraska Cattlemen’s president Bill Rishel.