U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD) and John Hoeven (R-ND) recently introduced two pieces of legislation seeking to empower meat and poultry producers and prevent federal government overreach.
“Strengthening rural America starts with empowering the people who feed it,” Sen. Hoeven said. “These common-sense reforms support our farmers and ranchers, open up new markets, and cut unnecessary red tape—boosting local economies, creating opportunity, and delivering real benefits for North Dakota and the entire country.”
The first bill, the New Markets for State-Inspected Meat and Poultry Act of 2025, S. 1496, would allow meat and poultry products inspected by state Meat and Poultry Inspection (MPI) programs to be sold across state lines. Currently, meat and poultry products inspected by state programs are limited to markets within the state, even though inspection at a state facility meets or exceeds federal inspection standards.
S. 1496 was sponsored on April 10 by Sen. Rounds and cosponsored by Sen. Hoeven and Sen. Angus King (I-ME), among others.
The second bill, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Wetland Compliance and Appeals Reform Act, S. 1495, would reform the NRCS within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), safeguarding farmers, ranchers, and landowners from bureaucratic overreach by the NRCS and empower producers to continue to protect their land as they see fit.
“South Dakota is home to a robust and diverse agriculture industry,” said Sen. Rounds, who sponsored S. 1495. He added that he is looking forward to getting “these priorities included in the Farm Bill and across the finish line.”
“I will continue to work to support farmers and ranchers in South Dakota and across the country,” Sen. Rounds said.