Congressman Jim Nussle says it’s crucial to come up with an alternate proposal that’ll ban meatpackers from owning livestock. Senator Charles Grassley got an anti-packer ownership amendment tacked onto the Farm Bill, and Nussle has authored a bill in the House on the subject.Nussle says he’s not convinced either his proposal or Grassley’s is the perfect solution, and he’s seeking out other options.Nussle says the biggest challenge on the Farm Bill, though, is its timeliness. He says farmers and those providing their financial backing need to know what’s going on.Nussle is a member of the conference committee that’s hammering out difference between the House and Senate versions of the Farm Bill. He says it could be possible to get it done before the end of April, but says there are a lot of challenges to get it done and keep it within the budget.Nussle, a republican from Manchester, is chairman of the House Budget Committee.
