WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate last week passed H.R. 2051, the Agriculture Reauthorization Act.

The bill, passed in June by the House, adds language to existing legislation to hedge against effects from labor disputes at exporting ports.

The bill includes the U.S. Grain Standards Act, which now includes language to require state agencies to continue providing USDA-delegated grain inspection during possible port disruptions.

The Port of Vancouver came under criticism in 2014 when inspectors employed by Washington state refused to enter the port, citing threats from union picketers.

"We need to prevent port disruptions like that which we saw at the Port of Vancouver last year," said National Assoc. of Wheat Growers President Brett Blankenship.

"This bill will establish more transparency and will help ensure there is no disruption in inspection services, should a delegated state agency discontinue providing services."

The Port of Vancouver was criticized by some in Congress for not providing grain inspectors safe access to conduct inspections in 2014.

Grain inspection at export terminals – from Superior, Mich., to Vancouver – is often delegated to employees of state agencies.

The Grain Standards Act now mandates USDA to continue providing grain inspection and weighing services "in an uninterrupted, reliable and consistent basis," according to a joint statement from the National Grain and Feed Assoc. (NGFA) and the North American Export Grain Assoc. (NAEGA).

The USDA is required to approve a waiver of the official grain inspection requirement, if authorized inspections are not restored during a port disruption, except in cases of a natural disaster or other emergency.

The NGFA and NAEGA said they will in the future still seek a provision, not included in H.R. 2051, to mandate USDA use of qualified third-party inspectors to ensure grain inspections during port disruptions.

The bill also amends the Mandatory Price Reporting Act (MPR) to create greater transparency and accuracy in livestock and meat price reporting. More detail for livestock prices paid by packers, and prices packers receive for wholesale pork, beef and lamb, are now required.

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) said the MPR and Grain Standards Act will continue through 2020, while the National Forest Foundation authority (explained below) will continue through 2018.

One major difference between the House-passed legislation and the Senate’s version, says AFBF, is how MPR would be treated during a government shutdown, which could happen Oct. 1, owing to disagreements in Congress. The Senate’s MPR bill does not include emergency authority for reporting during a government shutdown.

The House legislation deems the price reports an essential service, guaranteeing they would continue during a government shutdown. National Cattlemen’s Beef Assoc. President Philip Ellis prefers this version.

"Cattle markets are complex and ever-changing, and cattle producers like myself rely on the information provided by price reporting to make informed decisions," he said, adding the Senate version could mean producers "will not have access to this critical market information in the event of a government shutdown."

The third authorization in the bill is for the National Forest Foundation, headquartered in Missoula, Mont., which conducts forest and grassland conservation with private and public funds. "This is not the last you’ll hear from the Agriculture Committee this year," said its chair, Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.). "We have a number of legislative items to consider, and I believe we can also approve those in a bipartisan manner."