Our class was required to attend another hearing this week. I chose to observe a House hearing for the Committee on Agriculture’s Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry. This was a hearing to discuss the status of the beef industry. The Members of Congress wanted to know what legislation is working and what is not. Specifically, what regulations should be addressed and what programs are benefiting the beef industry. At first I was unsure whether I would be interested in this hearing, but I decided to attend it anyway because it was different from the others I observed. I had little knowledge how the beef industry worked and how complicated the process is to produce beef for us consumers. After attending this hearing, I had a better understanding of the hard work and delicacy this process needs to run.

Even though I thought this hearing would not be relevant to the topics we discussed, it proved to be very relevant. A large discussion of our semester focused on regulations and how they greatly affect our country. Our professor discussed how these agencies theoretically have more power than the other branches because they are basically unchecked and unelected by the people. The agencies pass thousands of rules in a year, while Congress passes much less. These rules dictate many operations such as the beef industry. According to the witnesses present, these agencies have put a significant burden and threat to their businesses. Many of these rules are passed without basis and knowledge of the true situation at hand. An Environmental Protection Agency inspector went to inspect one of the witness’ ranch and stated that he had never been so close to a cow before. He had little knowledge of how a ranch operated and what was necessary for healthy cattle feeding. The very agencies that regulate farms such as these should be educated on how they actually operate. This will ensure that the most beneficial rules are passed. It was shocking to see how influential the regulatory system is on the beef industry. From the knowledge I gained at this hearing, I hope that appropriate measures can be taken to ensure the prosperity of this industry. I was glad to attend this hearing to realize that the topics we study in class extend to many areas that I would not expect.