Thursday October 05 Ag News

 LICENSE RENEWAL DENIED FOR NORTH BEND ORGANIC GRAIN DEALER

The Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC) has denied a request by Organic Producers Iowa Nebraska South Dakota (OPINS) Cooperative of North Bend for the renewal of its Nebraska grain dealer license.

In August 2023, OPINS Cooperative, filed a renewal application for a Grain Dealers license, but failed to comply with Nebraska Revised Statute §75-903 or Commission Rules and Regulations. As a result, the Grain Dealer license for OPINS Cooperative was allowed to expire as of October 1, 2023.

“It is a busy time for producers/sellers, and we want to make sure they are aware this company is no longer licensed to do business as a grain dealer in our state,” said Commission Chair Dan Watermeier.

Producers/sellers who may have done business with this company and have questions are encouraged to contact the PSC grain department https://psc.nebraska.gov/grain.



Nebraska Corn Supports Next Nebraska Corn Checkoff Presidential Chair Selection

The Nebraska Corn Board (NCB) and the Nebraska Corn Growers Association (NeCGA) are pleased to announce the selection of Dr. James Schnable as the next Nebraska Corn Checkoff Presidential Chair. The organizations are enthusiastic about the opportunities for engagement and collaboration the partnership can provide. Dr. Schnable’s previous and ongoing work aligns well with Nebraska Corn Board’s goals and will serve as an asset to Nebraska corn growers.

The presidential chair appointment serves as an opportunity to focus university research and a dedicated faculty member on the topics that are pertinent to Nebraska corn growers. Dr. Schnable brings a broad research portfolio and a valuable mindset that will be beneficial to the industry. He brings strong connections within the innovation and new uses space with his work within differentiated products, bio-processing and fermentation. Notably, he also provides expertise within the agronomic aspect of genomics/ phenomics and increasing our understanding of input efficiency. Earlier this year, he was part of an international research team that was able to map the complete corn genome, a landmark breakthrough that opens the door to long-term advances in crop health, resilience, and productivity.

Dr. Schnable possesses an entrepreneurial spirit and a multidisciplinary approach to the complex challenges the corn industry faces amidst a changing workforce, climate and increased demand for both production and sustainability. His established connections throughout the Nebraska University system and across additional academic institutions and industries will be a key advantage to the organizations. Additionally, Nebraska Corn applauds and wishes to foster his efforts to grow the next generation of agricultural professionals and to increase student opportunities for on-farm engagement.

“Nebraska Corn approves of the appointment of Dr. Schnable as the Nebraska Corn Checkoff Presidential Chair,” said Jay Reiners, Chairman of NCB. “We believe this selection will open doors to collaborations and research that will continue to benefit our industry for generations to come.”

Mike Boehm, NU Vice President and Harlan Vice Chancellor, for UNL’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said he was grateful for the strong partnership among NCB, Nebraska Corn Growers Association (NeCGA) and Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR).

“I am thrilled with the selection of Dr. Schnable as the Nebraska Corn Checkoff Presidential Chair,” Boehm said. “Dr. Schnable has long been engaged in work important to corn growers in Nebraska and across the United States. This honor strengthens the already close partnership between IANR and corn producers and positions Nebraska to be a global leader not just in agriculture, but in the growing and increasingly important fields of biofuels and biomaterials.”



New Partnership Brings Biodiesel to Husker Athletics and All of Nebraska

The Nebraska Soybean Board (NSB) has teamed up with Husker Athletics to promote and power the team buses with biodiesel for the ongoing school year and sports season.

This innovative sponsorship officially launched as the college sports season kicked off this fall bringing exposure to the sustainable energy powering the Husker transportation fleet, which includes three passenger buses. If you’ve been to a University of Nebraska Athletics event recently, you might have spotted the buses proudly displaying “Team Bus Powered by Biodiesel”. However, these team busses are not the only ones running on biodiesel. Arrow Stage Lines, the transportation provider for Husker Athletics, has announced the use of B20 biodiesel blends in every Arrow bus operating in Nebraska.

“Biodiesel not only promotes the use of locally grown feedstocks but also aligns perfectly with the sustainability goals of our university,” stated Andy Chvatal, NSB executive director. “Utilizing biodiesel for Husker Athletics will be a significant step in reducing emissions and highlights a great value-added product for Nebraska soybean farmers to folks across the state.”

B20 and lower-level blends can be used in many diesel vehicles without any engine modification. Beyond reducing emissions and fostering job growth, the transformation of soybean oil feedstocks into biodiesel plays a crucial role in Nebraska's resilient agricultural sector. It offers stability for farmers during challenging economic periods and contributes approximately 13% to the price per bushel of soybeans, equivalent to $1.78 per bushel in 2022. It also lowers the price of soybean meal, a key ingredient for livestock producers and the food supply.

"We are thankful for the longstanding partnership with the Nebraska Soybean Board,” said Brandon Meier, senior associate athletic director of marketing and multimedia at the Nebraska Athletic Department. “Agriculture is the foundation of our state, and we are proud to have Nebraska soybeans powering our new team buses. The new bus wraps look great, and this wouldn't have been possible without the ongoing support from the Nebraska Soybean Board.”

As Husker athletes embark on thousands of miles of travel during the upcoming year, this collaboration will bring the spotlight to clean fuels like biodiesel and the promising opportunities it offers to fleets and diesel engines across the country.



USDA Providing Funds to Protect and Restore Agricultural Working Lands, Grasslands and Wetlands across Nebraska

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is now accepting applications for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP). This voluntary program, authorized in the 2018 Farm Bill, provides funding for the purchase of conservation easements to help productive farm and ranch lands remain in agriculture and to restore and protect critical wetlands and grasslands.

Nebraska State Conservationist, Robert Lawson said, “Conservation easements are a great tool to ensure natural resources are conserved and protected for all Nebraskans. We encourage Indian tribes, local governments, non-governmental organizations and private landowners to contact their local NRCS office to find out how to apply.”

The main goal of ACEP is to prevent productive agriculture land from being converted to non-agricultural uses and to restore and protect wetlands and wildlife habitat. Cropland, rangeland, grassland, pastureland and nonindustrial private forestland are eligible.

Applications can be submitted at any time, but to be considered for fiscal year 2024 funding opportunities, applications in Nebraska must be received by November 13, 2023 for both Farm Bill and IRA funded programs.

Applications are currently being accepted for both agricultural land and wetland reserve easements.

NRCS provides technical and financial assistance directly to private and tribal landowners to restore, protect, and enhance wetlands through the purchase of conservation easements. Eligible landowners may enroll in 30-year or permanent easements. Tribal landowners also have the option of enrolling in 30-year contracts.

All wetland reserve easement applications will be rated according to the easement’s potential for protecting and enhancing habitat for migratory birds, fish and other wildlife. Eligible applicants will be compensated with a payment rate comparable to the local land use value.

NRCS also provides financial assistance to eligible partners for purchasing agricultural land easements that protect ag land use and conservation values of eligible land. For working farms, the program helps farmers keep their land in agriculture. Agricultural land easements also protect high quality grasslands under threat of conversion to cropping, urban development, and other non-grazing uses.

Applicants will need to provide accurate records of ownership and ensure they have established fiscal year 2024 ownership eligibility with USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA). Application information is available at your local USDA Service Center and at www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted.

“NRCS staff will work with all interested applicants to help them through the application process and provide one-on-one assistance to create the conservation easement option that works best for their farming or ranching operation,” Lawson said.

For more information about the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the programs and services it provides, visit your local USDA Service Center or www.ne.nrcs.usda.gov.



Roth to Serve as Extension Nitrogen Education Specialist

Richard Roth has joined Iowa State University Extension and Outreach as a nitrogen science education specialist.

Roth started with the university on Sept. 18 and will serve as assistant professor in the Department of Agronomy at Iowa State, with an extension education appointment.

“I’m very proud to work for Iowa State and the opportunity to contribute to the Department of Agronomy,” said Roth. “In Iowa, nitrogen is a huge issue because our crops depend on it, and there are issues with leaching and water quality. My focus will be on looking at ways to engineer nitrogen management strategies to improve efficiency.”

At Iowa State, Roth plans to work toward engineering nitrogen management strategies through the manipulation of old technologies and investigation of new technologies to optimize the agronomic, economic and environmental performance of cropping systems throughout the Midwest.

He obtained his bachelor's and master's degrees from Illinois State University before moving to Indiana where he graduated from the Department of Agronomy at Purdue University in 2021 with his Ph.D. in agronomy.

He also spent a year as a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Agronomy at Purdue. Prior to joining the department, Roth spent the past year as an assistant professor and the extension grains and oilseeds agronomist in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at the University of Georgia.

“We are excited Richard has joined us because of the expertise that he brings to the department and also the opportunities we’re going to have as a result,” said  Mary Wiedenhoeft, interim chair of the Department of Agronomy and Morrill Professor at Iowa State. “It’s always exciting when new faculty start because of the possibilities and the potential they bring.”

Roth grew up in a small farming community in central Illinois. He said he looks forward to studying ways farmers can maximize their use of nitrogen, while being environmentally conscious.

“The question is, how can we manipulate our management with our systems to help alleviate some of these environmental issues, but continue to optimize agricultural production,” he said.

Roth can be reached at rtroth@iastate.edu or 515-294-1360.



Unanimous Presidential Candidate Support for Year-Round E15, Opposition to EV Mandates

Biofuels Vision 2024 is excited to share documented unanimous support for consumer access to year-round E15 and opposition to electric vehicles (EV) mandates from presidential candidates who are actively campaigning in Iowa for the Republican nomination.

“All the active candidates in Iowa agree that consumers deserve choices in how the vehicles they drive are powered,” said Biofuels Vision 2024 Executive Director Logan Shine. “Folks don’t want to be forced into an EV and they want more fuel options like E15 at the pump. Biofuels Vision will continue to engage candidates on additional issues important to biofuels and the over 50,000 Iowa jobs supported by biofuels production.”

Currently, all Republican candidates who are actively campaigning in Iowa have voiced support for a permanent, national year-round E15 fix allowing consumers choice at the pump. Additionally, all candidates have agreed they oppose laws and regulations that directly or indirectly mandate an EV-only future.

Biofuels Vision 2024 is tracking candidates’ stances on eight issues vital to the future of biofuels. Stay up to date by following @BiofuelsVision on X, previously known as Twitter. For more information about Biofuels Vision 2024, including background on the priority issues and an updated candidate position tracker, visit biofuelsvision.com.



Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon posters available for free ahead of Iowa State game on Saturday
    
The Iowa Pork Producers Association will be handing out free “Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon” posters to Iowa State Cyclone fans ahead of Saturday’s football game. The original post featuring a photo of Cyclones Myles Purchase, Tyler Moore, Tommy Hamann and Caleb Bacon, with several pounds of ham and bacon, has been viewed more than 2.6 million times on X and garnered national media attention. That photo will now be on posters that the Iowa Pork Producers Association will give away ahead of Saturday’s Iowa State-TCU game in Ames.

Additionally, Raygun has begun selling “Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon” t-shirts with a portion of the proceeds going to the players, and a portion benefiting the Food Bank Association of Iowa, per request of the Iowa Pork Producers Association.

The “Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon” initiative is part of an NIL (name, image, likeness) deal with the four players to encourage Iowans to purchase more ham and bacon during National Pork Month, aka #Porktober23.

“This promotion has gone better than we could have imagined and while we’re promoting pork and the swine industry, we’re also helping to fight food insecurity in Iowa and beyond,” said Trish Cook, president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association. “Iowa pork producers are very grateful to the Cyclone players for their partnership, and hope everyone will heed the call to purchase more ham and bacon!”

In conjunction with the NIL partnership, the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) is donating $1,000 of pork to each player’s food pantry or food bank of choice. The four Cyclones all selected one in their hometown. Tyler Moore picked DMARC in Des Moines.

“In just the month of September, the DMARC Food Pantry Network assisted 22,745 individuals in the Des Moines Metro,” said Matt Unger, CEO at DMARC. “Donations like this help us provide more choices at local food pantries while getting the word out about food insecurity. With meat options being some of the most requested food items at our pantries - this is kind of a big deal. Thank you to Iowa State guard Tyler Moore and Iowa Pork for giving back and having fun while doing it.”

Caleb Bacon selected the Lake Mills Food Shelf in Lake Mills, Iowa for the $1,000 worth of pork donated by the Iowa Pork Producers in his name.

"The Lake Mills Food Shelf would like to thank the Iowa Pork Producers Association for their very generous donation. A special thanks to Caleb Bacon of Lake Mills for nominating us! Caleb, your last name will be remembered for years to come, not only locally, but to also to Iowa State fans and IPPA members," said Bart Winter, co-administrator of the Lake Mills Food Shelf.

Myles Purchase chose the Food Bank of the Rockies andTommy Hamann asked for the $1,000 worth of pork in his name to go to Interfaith Outreach & Community Partners in Plymouth, Minnesota,

The “Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon” posters, along with pork sticks, will be available for free this Saturday from 2-5:30 p.m., or while supplies last, at the Iowa Pork Producers tent located on Jack Trice Way, on the north side of Jack Trice Stadium.

A photo of the posters will be displayed on the Jack Trice Stadium video board and a public address announcement encouraging Cyclones fans to “Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon” will be made during the game on Saturday.



Turkey Prices Fall as Thanksgiving Approaches

The cost of purchasing a turkey could be lower this Thanksgiving, thanks to a drop in avian influenza cases and a recovery of the turkey population in the United States. American Farm Bureau Federation economists analyzed turkey and egg prices in the latest Market Intel report, which states the average price for an 8-to-16 pound turkey typically served for Thanksgiving was $1.27 per pound in August 2023, 22% lower than the same time last year.

“The status of HPAI (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza) is much different now than it was just a year ago,” the Market Intel states. “Migratory birds are a major vector of this virus, which naturally makes spring and fall migration high risk times. Detections from the current outbreak peaked during March 2022 with 20.96 million birds affected before gradually falling to just 540 birds in September 2023. This can be compared to 8.15 million birds affected in September 2022. June marked the first month with no detections since the outbreak began in February 2022.”

“A robust turkey population is good news for farmers and families across the country,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “The resilience of our food supply is an example of the strength of American agriculture, which is helped in part by the farm bill. We urge Congress to focus on passing the farm bill by the end of the year to ensure farmers can continue to put food on the tables of America’s families.”

Egg production also saw a year-to-year increase, with 9.38 billion eggs produced in September 2023, a 2% increase from the same time last year. The national average retail price for shell eggs was $2.04 per dozen in August 2023, down 30% from $3.11 in August 2023. This is nearly 60% lower than the record average price of $4.82 set in January 2023.

AFBF tracks the cost of a full Thanksgiving dinner every year in its annual marketbasket survey. Full details on the cost to cook a Thanksgiving feast for 10 will be released on Nov. 15.



August Sales of U.S. Ethanol and DDGS Tighten Yet Remain Robust
Ann Lewis, Senior Analyst, Renewable Fuels Association

U.S. ethanol exports scaled back 10% to 102.3 million gallons (mg)—a low for the year yet the eighth straight month to top 100 mg. Canada was our largest destination for the 29th consecutive month with exports of 62.4 mg, just 0.2% shy of last month’s record. As such, our northern neighbor accounted for nearly two-thirds of total August sales. Exports to the United Kingdom pared back 19% to 13.5 mg. Colombia increased its U.S. imports by 151% to 10.7 mg, the largest monthly volume in almost 3 years. Shipments to the European Union dropped 24% to 5.4 mg, the lowest imports this year. Essentially all remaining ethanol exports were destined for Peru (4.5 mg), Mexico (2.1 mg), Singapore (2.0 mg), and Jamaica (1.3 mg). Brazil and India again were notably absent from the market. Year-to-date ethanol exports total 920.5 mg, which lags 7% behind last year at this time.

The U.S. imported 10.5 mg of undenatured ethanol from Brazil and minimal gallons of denatured ethanol from Austria and France. This was the first month of substantive imports recorded in 2023.

Exports of dried distillers grains (DDGS), the animal feed co-product generated by dry-mill ethanol plants, eased 5% to 947,326 metric tons (mt). A quarter of shipments landed in Mexico (234,674 mt, up 27% from July), our largest DDGS market for the 14th consecutive month. Exports to Vietnam lifted for the 7th consecutive month, up 6% to 131,232 mt. DDGS exports to Indonesia tightened 28% (87,015 mt), but South Korea sales rebounded 29% (83,425 mt), and Morocco purchased record volumes (59,367 mt). Rounding out our top ten customers in August were Canada (59,097 mt), New Zealand (30,799 mt), Colombia (28,887 mt), Taiwan (28,832 mt), and China (27,298 mt). Year-to-date U.S. DDGS exports total 7.06 million mt, which lags 9% behind last year at this time.



Speakers Announced for NIAA’s 13th Annual Antibiotics Symposium in Atlanta

The National Institute for Animal Agriculture will host the 13th Annual Antibiotics Symposium in Atlanta, Georgia from November 7-9, 2023. This year’s theme for Symposium is Thriving in a Changing Landscape.

NIAA serves as a contractor to the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and the Antibiotics Symposium is made possible in part by the Beef Checkoff. This year’s Symposium program comes on the heels of NIAA’s Kentucky Farm Tour collaboration with Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association, Kentucky Pork Producers Association, Cattlemen’s Beef Board and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that served to bridge the gap between animal agriculture, human, and environmental health. This program is also made possible by Beef Farmers and Ranchers.

Symposium topics will include an industry report on the current state of antibiotic stewardship from producer to processor to grocer, information on the latest antimicrobial stewardship and resistance research, the multi-dimensional aspects of antibiotic stewardship and AMR, regulatory updates, One Health collaborations, and more. Confirmed speakers include:
    Ken Opengart – Tyson Foods,
    Alex Rinkus – Health for Animals,
    Chris Gambino – The Breakthrough Institute,
    Terry Lehenbauer – University of California Davis,
    Collette Kaster – Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization
    Andy Bishop – Cattlemen’s Beef Board,
    Chelsey Shivley – USDA APHIS,
    Catherine Rockwell – USDA FSIS,
    Susan Jennings – EPA,
    Karen Smith – Association of State & Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO),
    Cameron Bess, PhD – Biomedical Advanced Research & Development Authority (BARDA),

In addition to the Symposium program, NIAA will be leading a tour on Tuesday, November 7 before the opening reception. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will host a tour limited to 30 people. More details will be released at a later date.

To register for the 13th Annual Antibiotics Symposium and book your hotel stay in Atlanta, please visit www.AnimalAgriculture.org. Hotel room block and early bird rates for registration are active until October 15, 2022.



New data highlight continuous improvement, sustainability across meat sector

In the second year of the meat sector’s pioneering data collection and reporting on five key focus areas for continuous improvement, the number of companies submitting data grew by nearly 60% and now covering more than half of all establishments operated by Meat Institute members.

With 93% of the Meat Institute’s largest member companies (more than 2000 employees) submitting data, the report reflects commitments and actions covering an estimated 90% of meat sold in the United States. The Meat Institute's metrics and goals align closely with on-farm efforts in beef, pork, poultry and feed to drive supply chain-wide sustainability.

Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts commented:
    “98% of American households purchase meat, putting our sector undoubtedly at the center of sustaining healthy diets, healthy communities, and a healthy planet for generations to come.
    The Meat Institute has a clear vision for 2030 and has established measurable targets to verify progress along the way, including through this game-changing data collection and reporting which will incentivize sector-wide implementation of best practices and allow us to identify gaps where further resources are needed to achieve ambitious goals.”

Among the Meat Institute’s five focus areas for continuous improvement, one key target is the Meat Institute’s aim for 100% of members to have set a science-based emissions reduction target by 2030. To date, 14 Meat Institute general members representing the majority of meat sold in the United States, plus 10 supplier/allied members, have set or publicly committed to set targets verified by the Science-Based Targets Initiative.

Of establishments reporting data, 66% are covered by a company commitment to set scope 1 and 2 emissions reduction goals; 62% are covered by a company commitment to set scope 3 emissions reduction goals. In September, the Meat Institute and the UN Global Compact Network USA jointly released a practical tool to help meat companies conduct emissions surveys, the first critical step in the path to setting science-based targets.

Aiding another key target to help families facing hunger access enough high-quality protein, Meat Institute members donate tens of millions of dollars and meals to food banks and charities across the country every year. The majority of companies reporting data contributed to food banks and charities in 2022. Examples of food security actions in this reporting period include:
    Bob Evans Farms announced a four-year partnership with Mid-Ohio Food Bank to donate more than $1 million in cash and food contributions.
    Hormel Foods and Tyson Foods partnered to support communities affected by the Maui wildfires, with Hormel donating more than 264,000 cans of SPAM and Tyson donating more than 100,000 lbs of protein.
    Smithfield Foods donated 28,000 lbs of protein to Florida communities devastated by Hurricane Idalia.
    Swaggertys has donated nearly 35,000 lbs of frozen sausage to local food banks and charity organizations so far in 2023.



Colombia is First Country to Issue Positive Regulatory Determination for PIC’s PRRS-Resistant Pig

Genus plc (LSE: GNS), the parent company of PIC (Pig Improvement Company), announced today that Colombia’s government issued a favorable regulatory determination for gene-edited pigs resistant to the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) virus. This means Colombia will treat the PRRS-resistant pigs the same as conventionally bred pigs.

It is important to note this determination will not automatically trigger sales of PRRS-resistant pigs in Colombia. PIC is working closely and transparently with all stakeholders in the animal protein value chain to establish a timeline for commercialization.

“For more than 30 years, pork producers have struggled to protect their pigs from the devastating PRRS virus. PIC is working to make the PRRS-resistant pig and genetics available to producers across the globe to improve animal welfare and the sustainability of pork production,” said Matt Culbertson, Chief Operations Officer at PIC. “Today’s announcement marks a critical milestone in the battle against PRRS and it moves PIC one step closer to commercializing the PRRS-resistant pig.”

The PRRS virus is a universal challenge affecting pork producers and production systems worldwide. It is estimated that PRRS costs the global pork industry approximately $2 billion each year. PIC is working to secure approval for the PRRS-resistant pig in the United States, Canada, China, Japan, Mexico, and Brazil along with other pork-producing countries. Each country has a unique regulatory system and biotechnology policies that will affect the approval process and timeline. PIC anticipates a series of regulatory decisions over the next few years including a decision from the United States Food and Drug Administration in the first half of 2024.

In addition to securing key approvals, other considerations will determine when PIC will initiate a phased global launch. As with any genetic improvement, it will take several years to multiply enough PRRS-resistant genetics to meet global demand.

Using Gene Editing to Protect Pigs from the PRRS Virus
Gene editing is making headlines because of its successful human healthcare applications. The technology shows tremendous potential to help treat and prevent human diseases, including HIV, sickle cell anemia and a variety of cancers, according to the World Health Organization. Gene editing can be used to provide similar disease-resistance benefits to improve animal health.

PIC developed a solution to protect pigs from the PRRS virus, which causes animal suffering and prematurely kills millions of pigs per year. Using gene editing technology, PIC deleted a small portion of the pig’s DNA that encodes a protein that the virus uses to enter and infect the pigs’ cells. Without the binding site, the PRRS virus is unable to enter the cell, replicate and infect the pig.

Adopting the PRRS-resistant pig can also have secondary benefits, including improving the overall health of the herd and the sustainability of the production system. Research shows the PRRS virus makes pigs more susceptible to secondary infections. If herds can eliminate PRRS infections, pigs will have less need for antibiotic use, which reduces producers’ input costs and supports antimicrobial stewardship. It can also reduce the physical, mental and emotional strain on workers resulting from a PRRS outbreak.

Genetic Improvements Support Sustainable Protein Production
PIC has over a 60-year legacy of providing genetic improvements in pigs​​. Gene editing allows PIC to accomplish genetic improvements — similar to those achieved through traditional breeding — faster.

Advanced genetics produce healthier animals. Healthy pigs typically consume feed and water more efficiently than pigs battling disease, which may reduce waste, carbon emissions and production costs. That, in turn, helps make farms and pork production more sustainable. PIC is working with credible, third-party researchers to conduct a Lifecycle Analysis to quantify these benefits and will share the research findings later this year.



Republican Lawmakers Urge Agriculture Committee Members to Keep EATS Act Out of the Farm Bill
Press Release

In yet one more showing of building opposition to the EATS Act and any of its potential derivatives, 16 Republican House Members sent a letter today to the leaders of the House Committee on Agriculture urging that the anti-states-rights measure be omitted from the Farm bill. The letter was led by Reps. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., David Valadao, R-Calif., Mike Waltz, R-Fla., and Nancy Mace, R-S.C.

Animal Wellness Action helped organize the letter, noting that the EATS Act would overturn key statewide elections, mainly to benefit Smithfield and other foreign-owned pork industry conglomerates. Specifically, the primary targets of the EATS Act are Proposition 12 in California and Question 3 in Massachusetts, which stipulate that whole pork cuts sold in those states must come from farms that do not severely confine the sows in gestation crates.

Other signers of the letter are Vern Buchanan, R-Fla.; Buddy Carter, R-Ga.; Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa.; Mike Garcia, R-Calif.; Lance Gooden, R-Texas; Tom Kean, R-N.J.; Young Kim, R-Calif.; Michael Lawler, R-N.Y.; Carol Miller, R-W.V.; Alex Mooney, R-W.V.; Chris Smith, R-N.J.; and Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J.

“The transition away from gestation crates, which has been in motion for the last two decades, shows again that American farmers are the most adaptable and innovative in the world,” noted the 16 Republican signers. “Farmers know how to compete, and they don’t need the heavy and often distant hand of federal government picking winners and losers.”

This letter comes after 171 House members (166 Democrats and 5 Republicans) and 30 Senators (29 Democrats and 1 Republican) sent letters to Agriculture Committee leaders some weeks ago opposing the sweeping bill to nullify state agriculture laws called the EATS Act.

Nearly 40 percent of U.S. breeding sows are already in group housing systems, rather than gestation crates, according to a recent market analysis and report issued by the Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action. The report documents that California and Massachusetts together will require just 6 percent of total U.S. pork production to come from facilities that allow the sows an opportunity to lie down, stand up, and turn around. It also underscores that the industry has been expanding gestation-crate-free production since Florida banned the use of gestation crates in 2002 and that it has more than ample capacity right now to supply all the needed gestation-crate free pork in two states.

“If this pork-specific provision is incorporated into the Farm Bill, it would provide [Chinese owners of U.S. factory farms] with a mechanism to bypass state-level laws and rapidly acquire even more American land and pork industry assets with no restraints at all,” wrote the Republican lawmakers from all wings of the Republican conference.

“Well more than 200 lawmakers from both parties are on the record in opposing the EATS Act,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center for a Humane Economy. “If leaders include any version of the highly partisan and dangerous EATS Act in the Farm bill, it will put passage of that important food-and-farm bill at risk.”

“The Congress should not be in the business of overturning state elections to drive more vertical integration within a U.S. pork industry already heavily infiltrated by foreign-owned factory-farming multinationals,” said Jim Keen, D.V.M., Ph.D., director of veterinary sciences for the Center for a Humane Economy and primary author of the recent report on the EATS Act.

Efforts to adopt a similar measure to EATS were rejected as amendments to the 2014 and 2018 Farm bills, and that was prior to the Supreme Court of the United States declaring that Prop 12 and Question 3 were constitutional and proper exercises of state authority.

The National Pork Producers Council has come up on the losing side on five of five ballot measures on gestation-crate confinement, each one by double-digit margins, with landslide votes in California (63% “Yes” vote) and Massachusetts (78% “Yes” vote). It lost 12 of 12 court cases challenging Prop 2 and Prop 12, including the SCOTUS ruling in May 2023. The NPPC also lost the debate with 60 major food retailers, including giants in food retail such as McDonald’s, Costco, and Safeway that have strong anti-gestation-crate policies. In July, Governor Phil Murphy signed a ban on gestation crates in New Jersey after the Assembly passed a ban on gestation crates 73 to 1 and the Senate passed the measure 35 to 1.

The Center’s report notes that Prop 12 and Question 3 exempt all combined and canned pork products, which represent about 42 percent of pork sales in California and Massachusetts. This means that nearly half of the pork sold in these two states need not come from farms providing some ample living space to the sows.

Just two weeks ago, 16 state Attorneys General announced their opposition to the EATS Act. And weeks before that so did the National Governors Association, the National Association of Counties, and the League of Cities.