Luckily, the U.S. Congress agreed. Congress approved a $55 million spending package on March 21 that prevented the furloughs from hitting meat inspection facilities.

Reuters reported that lawmakers moved $55 million in Ag Department funding to shore up food safety agencies and their 8,400 inspectors.

As for respondents on the Progressive Cattleman poll, some 70 percent of readers responding felt the move passed by Congress to initiate the cuts was a bad call.

Only 17 percent found it a tough but necessary decision for budgetary times, and just 12 percent approved of it as a budget-balancing step.