Back in the spring, farmers who raise pigs were in a panic. Many major customers, such as food service companies that supply restaurants, weren’t buying pork. Prices had fallen sharply. Some hog farmers had no place to ship their animals, because so many workers in pork processing plants got sick from COVID-19.
“Our folks need a lifeline,” said Nick Giordano, top lobbyist for the National Pork Producers Council, on a call with journalists in May. “Unless there is a large cash infusion from the federal government, we’re going to lose a lot of producers.”
Other farmers also demanded government aid. They got their wish.
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