Trump directs USDA to create guaranteed loans for small and regional beef processors
A Friday executive order directs the Agriculture Department to establish a guaranteed loan program for small and regional beef processors.
The program does not yet have an amount, terms or application date.
President Donald Trump also ordered USDA to expand investigations of possible Packers and Stockyards Act violations and increase staff and resources for that work. The department must submit an enforcement plan within 60 days.
Two more reports are due on the same clock. One will assess participation and barriers in cooperative inspection programs. The other will identify federal laws and trade considerations that restrict state-inspected or custom-exempt meat from moving between states.
The order also calls for technical assistance, a USDA coordinator and less prescriptive inspection reporting, where allowed by law. All implementation is subject to available appropriations.

