Feb. 1, 2001/ Newjersey.com/ AP/ KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The hearing concerning a preliminary injunction to keep the national pork checkoff alive has been postponed by a federal court judge to March 16, according to this article.

   No reason was given for delaying the hearing, which was to have taken place Feb. 2. U.S. District Judge Richard A. Enslen postponed the hearing with no objections by either side.

   The National Pork Producers Council, Michigan Pork Producers Association and other independent pork producers sued the USDA on Jan. 12 in a Grand Rapids federal court to keep the checkoff going. When the case was moved to Enslen's court a week later, he granted the NPPC and producers a temporary restraining order to prevent the USDA from ending the program. Former Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman had ordered the program stopped.

   Since the temporary restraining order remains in effect until the March hearing, producers are expected to continue paying the 45 cents on every $100 of hogs sold until the lawsuit is settled.