The March World Ag Supply and Demand Estimates Report looked very similar to February’s numbers This month’s 2023-2024 U.S. corn outlook is unchanged relative to last month.

The season-average corn price received by producers is lowered to $4.75 a bushel based on observed prices to date. The outlook for U.S. soybean supply and use for 2023-2024 is also unchanged this month. Higher soybean meal exports are mostly offset by lower domestic use. The season-average soybean price and soybean meal price forecasts are also unchanged from last month.

The outlook for 2023-2024 U.S. wheat this month calls for unchanged supplies and domestic use, lower exports, and higher ending stocks. Exports were reduced by 15 million bushels to 710 million. Ending stocks were raised by the same amount to 673 million bushels and are 18 percent higher than last year. The season-average wheat price dropped by five cents to $7.15 a bushel.

The March World Ag Supply and Demand Estimates Report looked very similar to February’s numbers This month’s 2023-2024 U.S. corn outlook is unchanged relative to last month.The season-average corn price received by producers is lowered to $4.75 a bushel based on observed prices to date. The outlook for U.S. soybean supply and use for 2023-2024 is also unchanged this month. Higher soybean meal exports are mostly offset by lower domestic use. The season-average soybean price and soybean meal price forecasts are also unchanged from last month.The outlook for 2023-2024 U.S. wheat this month calls for unchanged supplies and domestic use, lower exports, and higher ending stocks. Exports were reduced by 15 million bushels to 710 million. Ending stocks were raised by the same amount to 673 million bushels and are 18 percent higher than last year. The season-average wheat price dropped by five cents to $7.15 a bushel.-NAFB

March WASDE Shows Few Major Changes

Despite publicly declaring years ago to not sell certain pork products in California, some companies that own major meatpacking plants have signed up to do just that

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/johnmccracken/">JOHN MCCRACKEN</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/benfelder/">BEN FELDER</a>

In 2021, two years before California enacted new hog confinement standards for pork to be sold within its borders, Seaboard Foods said it would “no longer sell certain whole pork products” in the state.

Passed in 2018, California’s Farm Animal Confinement Initiative, often referred to as Proposition 12, required pork producers to give sows, or mother pigs, at least 24 square feet of space per animal.

Nearly 5% of Seaboard’s 7 million hogs produced each year are sold in California but the company said the coming Prop 12 standards would significantly decline how much business it would do moving forward in the nation’s most populous state.

But when the new standards went into effect on Jan. 1, 2024, Seaboard was listed as a Prop 12-compliant distributor with the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

“In our connected food system, our farms raise market hogs born from sows in various housing types based on customer requirements, including … for Prop 12 group housing compliant for California,” David Eaheart, a spokesperson for Seaboard, told Investigate Midwest when asked about the company continuing to sell into California. “Because of this, we can flex between different sow housing requirements to produce pork products based on customer demand.”

Seaboard did not say how its business this year compares to years past. But it’s an example of how many of the nation’s largest pork producers, who once said the new standards would limit or end their business in California, are adapting to the new standards.

Investigate Midwest reviewed financial statements from more than a dozen of the largest pork-producing corporations and California’s new Prop 12 pork distribution lists, along with speaking to several hog farmers to better understand the impact Proposition 12 is having on their industry.

Two months into the new Prop 12 standards, the picture that emerged is one where the nation’s largest pork producers are largely adapting to the new rules in an effort to continue sales in a state that consumes about 15% of the nation’s pork, the highest rate in the nation, according to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nppc.org/press-releases/supreme-court-to-hear-nppc-case-against-prop-12/">consumption estimates from the National Pork Producers Council</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Biden administration is also concerned that Prop 12 could create a 50-state patchwork of legislation for hog producers.

In 2022, the administration asked the Supreme Court to strike down California’s animal confinement legislation.

At a February Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee hearing, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said he supported the federal government stepping in to clarify these regulations.

“Farmers don’t need the chaos,” Vilsack said. “They need clarity and certainty.”

While many of America’s largest pork producers and distributors have said they plan to comply with the new law, some have blamed the additional hurdles for recent plant closures and layoffs. More than 230 out-of-state distributors already have been licensed to sell pork in California by the state’s Department of Food and Agriculture, according to the agency’s latest registered distribution list.

Some local hog farmers with compliant pens have found an opportunity to sell into a new competitive market, while those with non-compliant operations have balked at the new standards, claiming it would be too expensive to comply with or is against their principles.

“I don’t like California telling me (that) to be able to sell in this state, I have to raise these pigs this way,” said AV Roth, who owns a 3,000-sow farm in Wisconsin.

Roth, who is also vice president of the Wisconsin Pork Association, said none of his hogs will ever go to California because he’s against another state regulating his business. His sows are housed in 14-square-foot gestation crates.

“If they want to tell their farmers in California how to raise pigs that’s totally fine by me, but this is the great country of the United States and I should be able to sell in all 50 states,” Roth said.

Dan Sumner, a professor of agriculture economics at UC-Davis, said that sentiment is common among many hog farmers.

“Frankly, a bunch of know-nothing Californians who’ve never been on a hog operation think they can tell these guys what’s better for their pigs,” Sumner said. “If I was a hog farmer I’d be pissed off. It’s just insulting.”

Anti-Prop 12 groups, including the National Pork Producers Council, claim hog farmers would have to spend $3,500 per sow to become compliant. The council, along with the American Farm Bureau, has vowed to continue pursuing legal and legislative avenues to overturn Prop 12.

But animal welfare organizations have called the cost estimates overblown and said new confinement standards are the ethical thing to do.

“I don’t think anyone needs to be a rocket scientist to understand that having space to lie down and stretch your legs is necessary for mental and physical well-being,” said Allison Molinaro, U.S. campaigns manager for the nonprofit organization Compassion in World Farming. “Living in a gestation crate is like having a human live in a telephone booth.”

California is the nation’s largest consumer of pork products but pinpointing exactly where the state’s pork supply comes from is not clear.

According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, before Prop 12, no public data tracked how much pork comes from specific states or companies. To see which states could be impacted the most by Prop 12, Investigate Midwest analyzed U.S. Department of Agriculture data to locate where most baby pigs are born.

Iowa, North Carolina, Illinois, Minnesota and Missouri had the most pigs born in the country from 2013 to 2023, accounting for roughly half of the nation’s pork supply.

Local chapters of the National Pork Producers Council located in these major states declined multiple requests to comment, but economist Steve Meyer, a consultant with the National Pork Producer Council, told&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/agriculture/2023/06/07/californias-prop-12-comes-as-iowa-pork-producers-face-mounting-losses/70249889007/">the Des Moines Register</a>&nbsp;in 2022 that less than half the pork sent to California met Prop 12 standards, at that time.

In January, Meyer told Investigate Midwest he estimates there still isn’t enough compliant pork supply in the U.S. to meet demand based on what California consumers have eaten in the past.

While there aren’t available data points to support this claim, Meyer said he was confident the nation is short roughly 250,000 complaint sows to meet California’s historic demand, which would lead to either a price increase or a lack in availability for cuts of pork.

“I believe the covered products are in short supply, and California consumers are substituting exempt pork products and other proteins,” Meyers said.

Premade pork products are exempt from Prop 12 standards, including sliced ham, salami and deli meat.

Most of the nation’s major pork producers have taken steps to become compliant with the new California law, some starting the transition more than a decade ago.

Smithfield Foods, the nation’s largest pork producer and owner of some 885,000 sows, has spent years transitioning to group housing that meets the standards of Proposition 12.

The company owns more than 400 pork production farms in Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah and Virginia, according to Smithfield spokesperson Ray Atkinson. According to the company’s 2021 Sustainability Report, all of the company-owned farms are compliant with large, group housing for sows.

The company contracts out pork production to more than 2,000 contract farmers across the county, and information about the compliance of these farms was not made available.

“We have established supply agreements for Prop 12-compliant pork and will continue to engage customers to expand the availability of compliant products,” Atkinson said in an email.

Still, the company has openly complained about the new Prop 12 standards, and said it was one reason it recently&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/farmer-john-meatpacking-plant-in-vernon-to-close-in-2023-due-to-escalating-costs/">closed meatpacking plants in California</a>.

Atkinson said Smithfield continues to sell into California but its sales numbers are confidential.

“We fully support a federal legislative solution that will resolve a growing patchwork of state-by-state regulations that make it increasingly difficult to keep food affordable,” Atkinson said.

Other major pork producers and grocery chains have said they are compliant with Prop 12 as of the beginning of 2024:

While California is the largest pork-consuming state in the U.S., a growing amount of the nation’s pork is being sent overseas, lessening the impact of Prop 12 on many large producers.

Until 1995, less than 5% of American pork production was exported. Today, 27% of U.S. pork is exported, a higher rate than beef or poultry.

There were some concerns that Prop 12 could have an impact on exports because much of America’s pork destined for Asia passes through California ports. But several weeks into Prop 12, export officials said they haven’t seen any problems.

“The bottom line is that so far exports transiting California for shipment out of the West Coast ports seem to be flowing smoothly,” John Herath, a spokesperson for the U.S. Meat Export Federation, told Investigate Midwest.

Pork industry says it will continue to fight Prop 12

National agriculture groups and major pork producers originally hoped a legal challenge would end Prop 12 before it ever started. But the American Farm Bureau and the National Pork Producers Council’s lawsuit was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, where a 5-4 ruling last year upheld the law.

Despite the loss, the groups said they continue to look for ways to overturn Prop 12.

“If we are going to have a patchwork of 50 different rules, that is going to make it very difficult … to produce livestock efficiently in this country,” Jack Irvin, vice president of public policy for the Ohio Farm Bureau, said from the American Farm Bureau’s national convention in Salt Lake City in January.

Prop 12 was a major discussion topic at the convention, Irvin said, where members passed a resolution asking the farm bureau to continue its opposition against the measure, including pushing for a federal law banning state-level confinement standards.

But opponents of a federal law banning Prop 12 claim it would create further chaos.

The Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression Act, also known as the EATS Act, is a proposal in Congress that would prevent states from enacting laws similar to Prop 12. But a Harvard Law School analysis of the EATS Act warned it could have consequences beyond just regulations on animal confinement and jeopardize more than 1,100 state laws related to invasive plant disease protection, food safety regulations, horse slaughter laws and some narcotic laws.

Supporters of Prop 12 believe lawmakers should focus more on helping farmers retrofit their operations.

U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, a Minnesota Democrat,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://brownfieldagnews.com/news/prop-12-solutions-beyond-eats-act/">told the Brownfield radio network</a>&nbsp;in January that her office was looking into federal grants to help pork producers adhere to Prop 12 standards.

In Oklahoma, Senate Bill 1325 would create a $4 million fund to provide grants to pig farmers to remove gestation crates and build new structures that meet California’s standards.

Prices still leveling out while producers see new market

Economists are also watching the impact Prop 12 might have on consumer prices, with some estimating the new law will increase the price of pork in California by roughly 25 cents per pound, according to a study by the University of California.

A California Department of Finance&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://dof.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/352/Forecasting/Economics/Documents/DF-131_CDFA_Proposition_12_SRIA.pdf">analysis</a>&nbsp;estimated that consumers of egg and whole pork products would pay $1.1 million more for the newly regulated commodities in the first year of Prop 12.

Data for the price increases since Prop 12 became law is sparse. In November 2023, the USDA began tracking the average premium paid to producers for hogs sold under California’s confinement legislation. The amount paid to producers for being compliant with the law is negotiated between processors and producers. The average premium given to compliant producers was $6.30 per hundred pounds in the first month of the year, in addition to the base price paid for their hogs.

For some producers, the price increase and growing interest are seen as an opportunity to expand into new markets.

In Clear Lake, Iowa, Chris Petersen has operated a hog farm since the 1970s, raising thousands at a time up until the Iowa hog market crashed in the late 1990s.

Now, he raises a few hundred hogs a year with 30 sows on his farm. None of his animals are in gestation crates or confinement, and they never have been.

“I don’t believe in totally confining any type of livestock down to a small cage,” Petersen said.

Rather than going through large packing companies, he raises a premium breed of hogs known as Berkshires. He said it’s likely that some of his meat wound up in California before Prop 12 was finalized through the supply chain, but now that the ruling is in place, he sees California consumers as a new revenue stream.

“Absolutely I’ll sell to them,” Petersen said.

This&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://investigatemidwest.org/2024/03/06/with-californias-prop-12-now-law-pork-producers-adapt-while-lobbying-groups-continue-to-fight/">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://investigatemidwest.org/">Investigate Midwest</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607531560248.jpeg" alt="Missouri, Iowa, North Carolina, Illinois and Minnesota had the most pigs born in the country from 2013 to 2023,&nbsp;cacounting for roughly half of the nation’s pork supply-File photo" />
 <figcaption>Missouri, Iowa, North Carolina, Illinois and Minnesota had the most pigs born in the country from 2013 to 2023,&nbsp;cacounting for roughly half of the nation’s pork supply-File photo</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Despite publicly declaring years ago to not sell certain pork products in California, some companies that own major meatpacking plants have signed up to do just that</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/johnmccracken/">JOHN MCCRACKEN</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/benfelder/">BEN FELDER</a>In 2021, two years before California enacted new hog confinement standards for pork to be sold within its borders, Seaboard Foods said it would “no longer sell certain whole pork products” in the state.Passed in 2018, California’s Farm Animal Confinement Initiative, often referred to as Proposition 12, required pork producers to give sows, or mother pigs, at least 24 square feet of space per animal.Nearly 5% of Seaboard’s 7 million hogs produced each year are sold in California but the company said the coming Prop 12 standards would significantly decline how much business it would do moving forward in the nation’s most populous state.But when the new standards went into effect on Jan. 1, 2024, Seaboard was listed as a Prop 12-compliant distributor with the California Department of Food and Agriculture.“In our connected food system, our farms raise market hogs born from sows in various housing types based on customer requirements, including … for Prop 12 group housing compliant for California,” David Eaheart, a spokesperson for Seaboard, told Investigate Midwest when asked about the company continuing to sell into California. “Because of this, we can flex between different sow housing requirements to produce pork products based on customer demand.”Seaboard did not say how its business this year compares to years past. But it’s an example of how many of the nation’s largest pork producers, who once said the new standards would limit or end their business in California, are adapting to the new standards.Investigate Midwest reviewed financial statements from more than a dozen of the largest pork-producing corporations and California’s new Prop 12 pork distribution lists, along with speaking to several hog farmers to better understand the impact Proposition 12 is having on their industry.Two months into the new Prop 12 standards, the picture that emerged is one where the nation’s largest pork producers are largely adapting to the new rules in an effort to continue sales in a state that consumes about 15% of the nation’s pork, the highest rate in the nation, according to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nppc.org/press-releases/supreme-court-to-hear-nppc-case-against-prop-12/">consumption estimates from the National Pork Producers Council</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Biden administration is also concerned that Prop 12 could create a 50-state patchwork of legislation for hog producers.In 2022, the administration asked the Supreme Court to strike down California’s animal confinement legislation.At a February Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee hearing, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said he supported the federal government stepping in to clarify these regulations.“Farmers don’t need the chaos,” Vilsack said. “They need clarity and certainty.”While many of America’s largest pork producers and distributors have said they plan to comply with the new law, some have blamed the additional hurdles for recent plant closures and layoffs. More than 230 out-of-state distributors already have been licensed to sell pork in California by the state’s Department of Food and Agriculture, according to the agency’s latest registered distribution list.Some local hog farmers with compliant pens have found an opportunity to sell into a new competitive market, while those with non-compliant operations have balked at the new standards, claiming it would be too expensive to comply with or is against their principles.“I don’t like California telling me (that) to be able to sell in this state, I have to raise these pigs this way,” said AV Roth, who owns a 3,000-sow farm in Wisconsin.Roth, who is also vice president of the Wisconsin Pork Association, said none of his hogs will ever go to California because he’s against another state regulating his business. His sows are housed in 14-square-foot gestation crates.“If they want to tell their farmers in California how to raise pigs that’s totally fine by me, but this is the great country of the United States and I should be able to sell in all 50 states,” Roth said.Dan Sumner, a professor of agriculture economics at UC-Davis, said that sentiment is common among many hog farmers.“Frankly, a bunch of know-nothing Californians who’ve never been on a hog operation think they can tell these guys what’s better for their pigs,” Sumner said. “If I was a hog farmer I’d be pissed off. It’s just insulting.”Anti-Prop 12 groups, including the National Pork Producers Council, claim hog farmers would have to spend $3,500 per sow to become compliant. The council, along with the American Farm Bureau, has vowed to continue pursuing legal and legislative avenues to overturn Prop 12.But animal welfare organizations have called the cost estimates overblown and said new confinement standards are the ethical thing to do.“I don’t think anyone needs to be a rocket scientist to understand that having space to lie down and stretch your legs is necessary for mental and physical well-being,” said Allison Molinaro, U.S. campaigns manager for the nonprofit organization Compassion in World Farming. “Living in a gestation crate is like having a human live in a telephone booth.”<h2>Where’s the pork?</h2>California is the nation’s largest consumer of pork products but pinpointing exactly where the state’s pork supply comes from is not clear.According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, before Prop 12, no public data tracked how much pork comes from specific states or companies. To see which states could be impacted the most by Prop 12, Investigate Midwest analyzed U.S. Department of Agriculture data to locate where most baby pigs are born.Iowa, North Carolina, Illinois, Minnesota and Missouri had the most pigs born in the country from 2013 to 2023, accounting for roughly half of the nation’s pork supply.!function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r=0;r&lt;e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][t]+”px”;e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();Local chapters of the National Pork Producers Council located in these major states declined multiple requests to comment, but economist Steve Meyer, a consultant with the National Pork Producer Council, told&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/agriculture/2023/06/07/californias-prop-12-comes-as-iowa-pork-producers-face-mounting-losses/70249889007/">the Des Moines Register</a>&nbsp;in 2022 that less than half the pork sent to California met Prop 12 standards, at that time.In January, Meyer told Investigate Midwest he estimates there still isn’t enough compliant pork supply in the U.S. to meet demand based on what California consumers have eaten in the past.While there aren’t available data points to support this claim, Meyer said he was confident the nation is short roughly 250,000 complaint sows to meet California’s historic demand, which would lead to either a price increase or a lack in availability for cuts of pork.“I believe the covered products are in short supply, and California consumers are substituting exempt pork products and other proteins,” Meyers said.Premade pork products are exempt from Prop 12 standards, including sliced ham, salami and deli meat.Most of the nation’s major pork producers have taken steps to become compliant with the new California law, some starting the transition more than a decade ago.Smithfield Foods, the nation’s largest pork producer and owner of some 885,000 sows, has spent years transitioning to group housing that meets the standards of Proposition 12.The company owns more than 400 pork production farms in Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah and Virginia, according to Smithfield spokesperson Ray Atkinson. According to the company’s 2021 Sustainability Report, all of the company-owned farms are compliant with large, group housing for sows.Smithfield Foods, the nation’s largest pork producer and owner of some 885,000 sows, has spent years transitioning to group housing that meets the standards of Proposition 12.The company owns more than 400 pork production farms in Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah and Virginia, according to Smithfield spokesperson Ray Atkinson. According to the company’s 2021 Sustainability Report, all of the company-owned farms are compliant with large, group housing for sows.The company contracts out pork production to more than 2,000 contract farmers across the county, and information about the compliance of these farms was not made available.“We have established supply agreements for Prop 12-compliant pork and will continue to engage customers to expand the availability of compliant products,” Atkinson said in an email.Still, the company has openly complained about the new Prop 12 standards, and said it was one reason it recently&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/farmer-john-meatpacking-plant-in-vernon-to-close-in-2023-due-to-escalating-costs/">closed meatpacking plants in California</a>.Atkinson said Smithfield continues to sell into California but its sales numbers are confidential.“We fully support a federal legislative solution that will resolve a growing patchwork of state-by-state regulations that make it increasingly difficult to keep food affordable,” Atkinson said.Other major pork producers and grocery chains have said they are compliant with Prop 12 as of the beginning of 2024:<ul>
 <li>Tyson Foods&nbsp;did not respond to repeated requests for comment. However, in a 2021 earnings call, Tyson CEO and President Donnie King said that the company is ready and able to provide compliant pork products. “It’s not something we were excited about, but we can align suppliers, and we can certainly provide the raw material to service our customers in that way,” King said.</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>Clemens Food Group,&nbsp;a major pork producer based in Pennsylvania, has been Prop 12 compliant since the beginning of 2023. The company has “fully transitioned to group housing for all our sows,” said Brad Clemens, the company’s president, in a statement.</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>JBS,&nbsp;the nation’s fifth largest pork producer,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.meatpoultry.com/articles/27678-jbs-usa-enters-acquisition-agreement-with-midwest-producer">purchased</a>&nbsp;an Iowa pork producer in 2022 to expand its Prop 12-compliant sow housing. According to a translated transcript of a November 2023 corporate earnings call filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Brazil-based company said it took steps to begin transitioning into Prop 12 compliance when there was still “uncertainty” about the legislation becoming successful. The company did not respond to repeated requests for comments.</li>
 </ul><ul>
 <li>The top five grocery retailers in California —&nbsp;Walmart, Albertsons, Grocery Outlet, Kroger and Trader Joe’s&nbsp;— are all complying with the state’s confinement legislation to varying degrees. Albertsons’ website notes that some of their suppliers have decided not to comply with Prop 12 standards, which could limit the pork products sold on store shelves. Walmart’s&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://corporate.walmart.com/purpose/esgreport/environmental/animal-welfare">website</a>&nbsp;notes that it has asked its suppliers to “implement solutions to address concerns regarding housing systems that lack sufficient space, enrichment, or socialization, such as sow gestation crates.” According to Kroger company documents, the chain aims to have all of the pork they sell come from sow group housing by 2025. Trader Joe’s spokesperson Nakia Rohde said the grocery chain has provided gestation crate-free pork since 2018, which is clearly labeled in California and Massachusetts stores. Rodhe said in an email that the company sources its pork from the Midwest, but didn’t further clarify the sourcing. Grocery Outlet did not respond to a request for comment.</li>
 </ul>While California is the largest pork-consuming state in the U.S., a growing amount of the nation’s pork is being sent overseas, lessening the impact of Prop 12 on many large producers.Until 1995, less than 5% of American pork production was exported. Today, 27% of U.S. pork is exported, a higher rate than beef or poultry.There were some concerns that Prop 12 could have an impact on exports because much of America’s pork destined for Asia passes through California ports. But several weeks into Prop 12, export officials said they haven’t seen any problems.“The bottom line is that so far exports transiting California for shipment out of the West Coast ports seem to be flowing smoothly,” John Herath, a spokesperson for the U.S. Meat Export Federation, told Investigate Midwest.<h2>Pork industry says it will continue to fight Prop 12</h2>National agriculture groups and major pork producers originally hoped a legal challenge would end Prop 12 before it ever started. But the American Farm Bureau and the National Pork Producers Council’s lawsuit was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, where a 5-4 ruling last year upheld the law.Despite the loss, the groups said they continue to look for ways to overturn Prop 12.“If we are going to have a patchwork of 50 different rules, that is going to make it very difficult … to produce livestock efficiently in this country,” Jack Irvin, vice president of public policy for the Ohio Farm Bureau, said from the American Farm Bureau’s national convention in Salt Lake City in January.Prop 12 was a major discussion topic at the convention, Irvin said, where members passed a resolution asking the farm bureau to continue its opposition against the measure, including pushing for a federal law banning state-level confinement standards.But opponents of a federal law banning Prop 12 claim it would create further chaos.The Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression Act, also known as the EATS Act, is a proposal in Congress that would prevent states from enacting laws similar to Prop 12. But a Harvard Law School analysis of the EATS Act warned it could have consequences beyond just regulations on animal confinement and jeopardize more than 1,100 state laws related to invasive plant disease protection, food safety regulations, horse slaughter laws and some narcotic laws.Supporters of Prop 12 believe lawmakers should focus more on helping farmers retrofit their operations.U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, a Minnesota Democrat,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://brownfieldagnews.com/news/prop-12-solutions-beyond-eats-act/">told the Brownfield radio network</a>&nbsp;in January that her office was looking into federal grants to help pork producers adhere to Prop 12 standards.In Oklahoma, Senate Bill 1325 would create a $4 million fund to provide grants to pig farmers to remove gestation crates and build new structures that meet California’s standards.<h2>Prices still leveling out while producers see new market</h2>Economists are also watching the impact Prop 12 might have on consumer prices, with some estimating the new law will increase the price of pork in California by roughly 25 cents per pound, according to a study by the University of California.A California Department of Finance&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://dof.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/352/Forecasting/Economics/Documents/DF-131_CDFA_Proposition_12_SRIA.pdf">analysis</a>&nbsp;estimated that consumers of egg and whole pork products would pay $1.1 million more for the newly regulated commodities in the first year of Prop 12.Data for the price increases since Prop 12 became law is sparse. In November 2023, the USDA began tracking the average premium paid to producers for hogs sold under California’s confinement legislation. The amount paid to producers for being compliant with the law is negotiated between processors and producers. The average premium given to compliant producers was $6.30 per hundred pounds in the first month of the year, in addition to the base price paid for their hogs.For some producers, the price increase and growing interest are seen as an opportunity to expand into new markets.In Clear Lake, Iowa, Chris Petersen has operated a hog farm since the 1970s, raising thousands at a time up until the Iowa hog market crashed in the late 1990s.Now, he raises a few hundred hogs a year with 30 sows on his farm. None of his animals are in gestation crates or confinement, and they never have been.“I don’t believe in totally confining any type of livestock down to a small cage,” Petersen said.Rather than going through large packing companies, he raises a premium breed of hogs known as Berkshires. He said it’s likely that some of his meat wound up in California before Prop 12 was finalized through the supply chain, but now that the ruling is in place, he sees California consumers as a new revenue stream.“Absolutely I’ll sell to them,” Petersen said.This&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://investigatemidwest.org/2024/03/06/with-californias-prop-12-now-law-pork-producers-adapt-while-lobbying-groups-continue-to-fight/">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://investigatemidwest.org/">Investigate Midwest</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<figure>
 <img src="https://investigatemidwest.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=745123&amp;ga4=G-R9VE8P61LG" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

With California’s Prop 12 now law, pork producers adapt while lobbying groups continue to fight

A warm February led to increased snowmelt and runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City Iowa. February runoff was 1.8 million acre-feet, 161 percent of average with above-average runoff in every reach except Sioux City, which was near average. However, the updated 2024 calendar year runoff forecast for the basin continues to be below average.

“Despite the increased runoff in February and improved soil moisture conditions, we expect 2024 runoff to remain below average,” says John Remus, chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Missouri River Water Management Division.

The much warmer-than-normal temps led to an early melt of the lower-than-average plains snow. Soil moisture conditions are near or above normal across most of the basin with below-normal soil moisture conditions in the eastern basin. The 2024 calendar year runoff forecast above Sioux City is 17-million-acre feet, 66 percent of average. Current system storage is 53.9 MAF.

A warm February led to increased snowmelt and runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City Iowa. February runoff was 1.8 million acre-feet, 161 percent of average with above-average runoff in every reach except Sioux City, which was near average. However, the updated 2024 calendar year runoff forecast for the basin continues to be below average.“Despite the increased runoff in February and improved soil moisture conditions, we expect 2024 runoff to remain below average,” says John Remus, chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Missouri River Water Management Division.The much warmer-than-normal temps led to an early melt of the lower-than-average plains snow. Soil moisture conditions are near or above normal across most of the basin with below-normal soil moisture conditions in the eastern basin. The 2024 calendar year runoff forecast above Sioux City is 17-million-acre feet, 66 percent of average. Current system storage is 53.9 MAF.-NAFB

Missouri River Runoff Forecast Below Average

The House Agriculture Committee laid out a roadmap to relieve labor shortages that have seriously impacted America’s farmers and ranchers. The Agriculture Labor Working Group released its final report on how to improve the H-2A guest worker program. It includes more than 20 recommendations to streamline the program and make labor more affordable for farmers.

“We’re losing American farms rapidly, and there’s no question the broken workforce system is partly to blame,” says Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall.

While the working group recommendations don’t address all the labor challenges facing farmers, they do offer needed solutions, such as streamlining the recruiting and hiring of H-2A employees. They also want to expand the H-2A program to meet year-round needs, recommend paying employees based on duties performed during the majority of the day, and reform wage calculation standards to provide stability in farmworker pay rates.

The full committee report is available at agriculture.house.gov.

The House Agriculture Committee laid out a roadmap to relieve labor shortages that have seriously impacted America’s farmers and ranchers. The Agriculture Labor Working Group released its final report on how to improve the H-2A guest worker program. It includes more than 20 recommendations to streamline the program and make labor more affordable for farmers.“We’re losing American farms rapidly, and there’s no question the broken workforce system is partly to blame,” says Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall.While the working group recommendations don’t address all the labor challenges facing farmers, they do offer needed solutions, such as streamlining the recruiting and hiring of H-2A employees. They also want to expand the H-2A program to meet year-round needs, recommend paying employees based on duties performed during the majority of the day, and reform wage calculation standards to provide stability in farmworker pay rates.The full committee report is available at agriculture.house.gov.-NAFB

House Ag Committee Offers Farm Labor Solution

The Securities and Exchange Commission omitted the Scope 3 reporting requirement from its final climate disclosure rule. Scope 3 would have required public companies to report the greenhouse gas emissions from their supply chains and affected family farms and ranches.

“Farmers are protecting the natural resources they’ve been entrusted with and continue advancing climate-smart agriculture,” says Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall. “However, they can’t afford to hire compliance officers just to handle SEC reporting requirements.”

International Dairy Foods Association President Michael Dykes says it would have placed a significant financial burden on millions of companies outside of SEC jurisdiction. “The proposed rule demonstrated a lack of engagement with the dairy value chain and a lack of analysis on the actual impact of the rule on privately held small entities,” he says.

Some companies have said they will still require the emissions information from producers because investors, consumers, and other governments demand it.

The Securities and Exchange Commission omitted the Scope 3 reporting requirement from its final climate disclosure rule. Scope 3 would have required public companies to report the greenhouse gas emissions from their supply chains and affected family farms and ranches.“Farmers are protecting the natural resources they’ve been entrusted with and continue advancing climate-smart agriculture,” says Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall. “However, they can’t afford to hire compliance officers just to handle SEC reporting requirements.”International Dairy Foods Association President Michael Dykes says it would have placed a significant financial burden on millions of companies outside of SEC jurisdiction. “The proposed rule demonstrated a lack of engagement with the dairy value chain and a lack of analysis on the actual impact of the rule on privately held small entities,” he says.Some companies have said they will still require the emissions information from producers because investors, consumers, and other governments demand it.-NAFB

More Positive Reaction to SEC Removing Scope 3 Requirements

The Texas &amp; Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association announced that cattle producers impacted by wildfires in the Texas Panhandle and Western Oklahoma can now apply for financial help.

The emergency assistance is available through the group’s Disaster Relief Fund. The fund will distribute financial assistance to reduce the burdens incurred by cattle producers from wildfire damages that weren’t covered through insurance or other means of aid. The application window comes after hundreds of individuals and companies donated generous gifts in response to the second-largest wildfire event in the U.S. Donations continue to be accepted to benefit ranchers and landowners impacted by the natural disaster.

Ranchers and landowners from the disaster-declared counties impacted by recent wildfires are eligible to apply in the open production period. Applicants are also not required to be a member of the Texas &amp; Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association to qualify for aid.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709914324105.jpeg" alt="FILE - A telephone pole burns from the Smokehouse Creek Fire, Feb. 28, 2024, in Canadian, Texas. The utility provider Xcel Energy said Thursday, March 7, 2024 that its facilities appeared have played a role in igniting a massive wildfire in the Texas Panhandle that grew to the largest blaze in state history. (AP Photo/David Erickson, file)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - A telephone pole burns from the Smokehouse Creek Fire, Feb. 28, 2024, in Canadian, Texas. The utility provider Xcel Energy said Thursday, March 7, 2024 that its facilities appeared have played a role in igniting a massive wildfire in the Texas Panhandle that grew to the largest blaze in state history. (AP Photo/David Erickson, file)</figcaption>
 </figure>The Texas &amp; Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association announced that cattle producers impacted by wildfires in the Texas Panhandle and Western Oklahoma can now apply for financial help.The emergency assistance is available through the group’s Disaster Relief Fund. The fund will distribute financial assistance to reduce the burdens incurred by cattle producers from wildfire damages that weren’t covered through insurance or other means of aid. The application window comes after hundreds of individuals and companies donated generous gifts in response to the second-largest wildfire event in the U.S. Donations continue to be accepted to benefit ranchers and landowners impacted by the natural disaster.Ranchers and landowners from the disaster-declared counties impacted by recent wildfires are eligible to apply in the open production period. Applicants are also not required to be a member of the Texas &amp; Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association to qualify for aid.For more information, go to tscra.org.-NAFB

Disaster Relief Fund Opens After Texas Wildfires

Ag groups are hailing this week’s Securities and Exchange Commission’s final rule on reporting greenhouse gas emissions. National Cattlemen’s Chief Counsel Mary-Thomas Hart says the 2022 SEC proposed rule wasn’t a good idea to begin with.

“Farmers and ranchers across the country would have had to submit their greenhouse gas emissions, eventually providing those reports to the federal government.”

That’s simply because a producer sold to a publicly traded firm.

“Fortunately, those companies will no longer be required to submit that information.”

The reporting proposal first raised alarms at the American Farm Bureau, where Travis Cushman said AFB was wildly worried.

“It has the potential to mean the farmer is going to have to keep track of a very, very onerous set of emissions data, from carbon dioxide to methane, to a slew of other emissions and has potential to require a farmer to keep track of every gallon of diesel he puts in his tractor.”

Putting a huge squeeze on small and medium-sized farms that don’t have the technology or time to comply. NCBA’s Hart blames a growing trend in the corporate world for the initial SEC push.

“The latest attempt by shareholders to get more and more information out of publicly-traded companies, so unfortunately, we were just potential collateral damage of that desire.”

Ag groups are hailing this week’s Securities and Exchange Commission’s final rule on reporting greenhouse gas emissions. National Cattlemen’s Chief Counsel Mary-Thomas Hart says the 2022 SEC proposed rule wasn’t a good idea to begin with.“Farmers and ranchers across the country would have had to submit their greenhouse gas emissions, eventually providing those reports to the federal government.”That’s simply because a producer sold to a publicly traded firm.“Fortunately, those companies will no longer be required to submit that information.”The reporting proposal first raised alarms at the American Farm Bureau, where Travis Cushman said AFB was wildly worried.“It has the potential to mean the farmer is going to have to keep track of a very, very onerous set of emissions data, from carbon dioxide to methane, to a slew of other emissions and has potential to require a farmer to keep track of every gallon of diesel he puts in his tractor.”Putting a huge squeeze on small and medium-sized farms that don’t have the technology or time to comply. NCBA’s Hart blames a growing trend in the corporate world for the initial SEC push.“The latest attempt by shareholders to get more and more information out of publicly-traded companies, so unfortunately, we were just potential collateral damage of that desire.”-NAFB

Farm Groups Hail Final SEC Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule

U.S. pork producers approved a resolution to enhance the country’s live swine traceability system during the 2024 National Pork Industry Forum hosted by the National Pork Producers Council.

“Traceability is a priority for the industry and has been for decades,” says Lori Stevermer, incoming NPPC president and Minnesota producer. “These standards will improve our ability to control the spread of a foreign animal disease and lessen the economic impact of an outbreak should one occur.”

A producer-led task force brought together stakeholders in the supply chain to identify gaps in the traceability system. That process resulted in several recommendations, including all swine owners needing to register for a premises identification number. Other recommendations include high-risk swine being required to get tagged with an Animal Identification Number RFID tag.

”Industry delegates at Pork Forum took a proactive step to protect animal health and producers’ livelihoods,” says NPPC’s Immediate Past President Scott Hays.

U.S. pork producers approved a resolution to enhance the country’s live swine traceability system during the 2024 National Pork Industry Forum hosted by the National Pork Producers Council.“Traceability is a priority for the industry and has been for decades,” says Lori Stevermer, incoming NPPC president and Minnesota producer. “These standards will improve our ability to control the spread of a foreign animal disease and lessen the economic impact of an outbreak should one occur.”A producer-led task force brought together stakeholders in the supply chain to identify gaps in the traceability system. That process resulted in several recommendations, including all swine owners needing to register for a premises identification number. Other recommendations include high-risk swine being required to get tagged with an Animal Identification Number RFID tag.”Industry delegates at Pork Forum took a proactive step to protect animal health and producers’ livelihoods,” says NPPC’s Immediate Past President Scott Hays.-NAFB

Pork Forum Passes Enhanced Traceability Resolution

The USDA says all cattle and calves in the United States and Canada combined totaled 98.2 million head on January 1, 2024, down two percent from the 100 million head on January 1, 2023.

The all cows and heifers that have calved inventory was down two percent from last year to 42 million head. All cattle and calves in the U.S. as of January 1, 2024, totaled 87.2 million head, down two percent from the 88.8 million head on January 1, 2023. The all cows and heifers that have calved inventory was 37.6 million head, two percent lower than last year.

All cattle and calves in Canada on January 1 totaled 11.1 million head, two percent lower than last year. All sheep and lambs in the U.S. and Canada combined to total 5.86 million head on January 1, down two percent from the 5.98 million head on January 1, 2023.

The USDA says all cattle and calves in the United States and Canada combined totaled 98.2 million head on January 1, 2024, down two percent from the 100 million head on January 1, 2023.The all cows and heifers that have calved inventory was down two percent from last year to 42 million head. All cattle and calves in the U.S. as of January 1, 2024, totaled 87.2 million head, down two percent from the 88.8 million head on January 1, 2023. The all cows and heifers that have calved inventory was 37.6 million head, two percent lower than last year.All cattle and calves in Canada on January 1 totaled 11.1 million head, two percent lower than last year. All sheep and lambs in the U.S. and Canada combined to total 5.86 million head on January 1, down two percent from the 5.98 million head on January 1, 2023.-NAFB

U.S. and Canada’s Cattle Inventory Down Two Percent

The AM for Every Vehicle Act has hit the magic number of voting co-sponsors it will need to ensure passage through the House of Representatives. Sponsors of the House legislation, led by New Jersey Representative Josh Gottheimer, announced they had picked up the 218th voting supporter.

The majority of votes is necessary because Kentucky Senator Rand Paul blocked a bipartisan-driven majority consent vote in November. He’s seeking to override the AM mandate and instead use the legislation to end electric vehicle subsidies under the American Vehicle Tax Credit. As the bill moves closer to the goal, the Department of Transportation is ready to implement the legislation.

In a February interview, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said he’s “ready to run with the Act the moment Congress gets it done.” The Act has picked up massive public support, including more than 400,000 emails, letters, and social media posts directed to Senators and Representatives.

The AM for Every Vehicle Act has hit the magic number of voting co-sponsors it will need to ensure passage through the House of Representatives. Sponsors of the House legislation, led by New Jersey Representative Josh Gottheimer, announced they had picked up the 218th voting supporter.The majority of votes is necessary because Kentucky Senator Rand Paul blocked a bipartisan-driven majority consent vote in November. He’s seeking to override the AM mandate and instead use the legislation to end electric vehicle subsidies under the American Vehicle Tax Credit. As the bill moves closer to the goal, the Department of Transportation is ready to implement the legislation.In a February interview, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said he’s “ready to run with the Act the moment Congress gets it done.” The Act has picked up massive public support, including more than 400,000 emails, letters, and social media posts directed to Senators and Representatives.-NAFB

AM Radio Act Gets Enough Support to Pass the House

Over the last two decades, disease-related mortality rates have widened between rural and urban areas, especially for the prime working-age population, aged 25–54.

Researchers with USDA’s Economic Research Service compared natural-cause mortality in rural and urban areas between two three-year periods, 1999–2001 and 2017–2019. They found the gap between rural and urban natural-cause mortality rates widened between the two time periods. Natural-cause mortality rates decreased across all age groups in urban areas.

In rural areas, mortality rates decreased for most age groups, although not as much as for the same groups in urban areas, but increased for the prime working-age population. The rural group with the largest increase, 19 percent, in natural-cause mortality rates was 30- to 34-year-olds. Increased mortality rates for people who are of prime working age are an indicator of worsening population health, which could have negative implications for rural families, communities, employment, and the economy.

Over the last two decades, disease-related mortality rates have widened between rural and urban areas, especially for the prime working-age population, aged 25–54.Researchers with USDA’s Economic Research Service compared natural-cause mortality in rural and urban areas between two three-year periods, 1999–2001 and 2017–2019. They found the gap between rural and urban natural-cause mortality rates widened between the two time periods. Natural-cause mortality rates decreased across all age groups in urban areas.In rural areas, mortality rates decreased for most age groups, although not as much as for the same groups in urban areas, but increased for the prime working-age population. The rural group with the largest increase, 19 percent, in natural-cause mortality rates was 30- to 34-year-olds. Increased mortality rates for people who are of prime working age are an indicator of worsening population health, which could have negative implications for rural families, communities, employment, and the economy.-NAFB

Disease Mortality Gap Growing Between Rural and Urban Areas

Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin blamed his state’s farm runoff for a huge dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico at a recent Senate Ag hearing. But the solution could apply to neighboring states as well.

When it comes to preventing farm runoff, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin told USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack at a recent Ag hearing, his state doesn’t have such a good record.

“We’re about number four in the nation in terms of agricultural production, pretty big state, but we rank 37th in the nation when it comes to participation in the major conservation programs, soil conservation programs, that might avoid some of this runoff.”

So, what to do about that? Secretary Vilsack.

“The resources that you all provided under the Inflation Reduction Act, provide some ammunition to begin to address this issue in a more meaningful way. We’ve expanded the number of cooperative groups that are reaching out to farmers to encourage them to participate in basic conservation that could potentially, significantly reduce the need.”

Nutrient research and precision ag are also key—and not just for Illinois.

“I’ve been told that perhaps, as many as 30-percent of our corn acres in Iowa and Illinois, may not require any fertilizer at all. We have resources that have been applied from the CCC that we’re using to create alternatives to the fertilizer, so we’re going to look at different ways to fertilize the land.”

While Vilsack says, USDA’s Climate Smart practices that encourage farmers to produce crops sustainably and get a premium for doing so, should also help reduce runoff in the Mississippi, Missouri, and other rivers.

And he says, better conservation will improve the productivity and value of farmland, making it a better investment.

Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin blamed his state’s farm runoff for a huge dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico at a recent Senate Ag hearing. But the solution could apply to neighboring states as well.When it comes to preventing farm runoff, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin told USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack at a recent Ag hearing, his state doesn’t have such a good record.“We’re about number four in the nation in terms of agricultural production, pretty big state, but we rank 37th in the nation when it comes to participation in the major conservation programs, soil conservation programs, that might avoid some of this runoff.”So, what to do about that? Secretary Vilsack.“The resources that you all provided under the Inflation Reduction Act, provide some ammunition to begin to address this issue in a more meaningful way. We’ve expanded the number of cooperative groups that are reaching out to farmers to encourage them to participate in basic conservation that could potentially, significantly reduce the need.”Nutrient research and precision ag are also key—and not just for Illinois.“I’ve been told that perhaps, as many as 30-percent of our corn acres in Iowa and Illinois, may not require any fertilizer at all. We have resources that have been applied from the CCC that we’re using to create alternatives to the fertilizer, so we’re going to look at different ways to fertilize the land.”While Vilsack says, USDA’s Climate Smart practices that encourage farmers to produce crops sustainably and get a premium for doing so, should also help reduce runoff in the Mississippi, Missouri, and other rivers.And he says, better conservation will improve the productivity and value of farmland, making it a better investment.-NAFB

Illinois Senator Blames His State’s Farm Runoff for Gulf Dead Zone

A coalition representing farmers and the ethanol industry this week urged the Environmental Protection Agency to reject a recent petition by CVR Energy to alter the Renewable Fuel Standard's credit trading program.

CVR Energy's petition is a counterproductive proposal that would undermine the RFS and ultimately lead to higher prices for consumers, according to the group. CVR Energy has long sought to change the RFS, and in late December 2023 petitioned EPA to prohibit many businesses from possessing and trading Renewable Identification Numbers, or RINs.

RINS are the credits that EPA uses to ensure obligated parties satisfy their obligations under the RFS. In a letter to the EPA, the coalition states, “Altering the structure of the RIN system would have disastrous impacts on renewable fuel producers, fuel marketers and retailers, obligated parties, and consumers in the form of higher prices at the pump.”

The letter was signed by the Renewable Fuels Association, the National Association of Convenience Stores, National Farmers Union, and others.

A coalition representing farmers and the ethanol industry this week urged the Environmental Protection Agency to reject a recent petition by CVR Energy to alter the Renewable Fuel Standard's credit trading program.CVR Energy's petition is a counterproductive proposal that would undermine the RFS and ultimately lead to higher prices for consumers, according to the group. CVR Energy has long sought to change the RFS, and in late December 2023 petitioned EPA to prohibit many businesses from possessing and trading Renewable Identification Numbers, or RINs.RINS are the credits that EPA uses to ensure obligated parties satisfy their obligations under the RFS. In a letter to the EPA, the coalition states, “Altering the structure of the RIN system would have disastrous impacts on renewable fuel producers, fuel marketers and retailers, obligated parties, and consumers in the form of higher prices at the pump.”The letter was signed by the Renewable Fuels Association, the National Association of Convenience Stores, National Farmers Union, and others.-NAFB

Coalition Urges EPA to Reject CVR Energy Petition

Clean Fuels Alliance America applauds New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham for signing legislation to create a clean transportation fuel standard for the state of New Mexico.

The new law will help drive demand and open a new market for biodiesel and renewable diesel, while spurring economic opportunity and creating cleaner air for New Mexicans. The New Mexico Clean Transportation Fuel Standard tasks the Environmental Improvement Board with developing regulations to reduce transportation emissions by 20 percent from 2018 levels by 2030 and 30 percent by 2040.

This technology and fuel-neutral program will generate new opportunities for the renewable fuel industry to help meet these carbon emissions reduction targets. Clean Fuels Director of State Regulatory Affairs Cory-Ann Wind says, “Cleaner fuels like biodiesel and renewable diesel will play a significant role in helping New Mexico reach its climate and air pollution goals.”

Clean Fuels Alliance America applauds New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham for signing legislation to create a clean transportation fuel standard for the state of New Mexico.The new law will help drive demand and open a new market for biodiesel and renewable diesel, while spurring economic opportunity and creating cleaner air for New Mexicans. The New Mexico Clean Transportation Fuel Standard tasks the Environmental Improvement Board with developing regulations to reduce transportation emissions by 20 percent from 2018 levels by 2030 and 30 percent by 2040.This technology and fuel-neutral program will generate new opportunities for the renewable fuel industry to help meet these carbon emissions reduction targets. Clean Fuels Director of State Regulatory Affairs Cory-Ann Wind says, “Cleaner fuels like biodiesel and renewable diesel will play a significant role in helping New Mexico reach its climate and air pollution goals.”-NAFB

Clean Fuels Welcomes New Mexico Clean Transportation Fuel Standard

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Wednesday announced $2.3 billion in projects to expand clean power in rural communities. USDA is moving forward on clean energy investments in 23 states to reduce pollution and strengthen rural America’s power grid.

The announcement includes the first five awards totaling $139 million under the Powering Affordable Clean Energy program. Secretary Vilsack also announced $2.2 billion in funding awarded to 39 projects to help ensure over two million people in rural areas have access to reliable electricity. Vilsack says, “Rural electric cooperatives are the backbone of America’s power delivery.”

Vilsack made the announcement at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s PowerXchange annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas. American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall responded, “Building new markets for commodities is difficult work and we are glad USDA is listening to participants and continuing to be nimble in implementing this program.”

More details are available at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2024/03/06/biden-harris-administration-invests-23-billion-projects-expand">USDA.gov</a>.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Wednesday announced $2.3 billion in projects to expand clean power in rural communities. USDA is moving forward on clean energy investments in 23 states to reduce pollution and strengthen rural America’s power grid.The announcement includes the first five awards totaling $139 million under the Powering Affordable Clean Energy program. Secretary Vilsack also announced $2.2 billion in funding awarded to 39 projects to help ensure over two million people in rural areas have access to reliable electricity. Vilsack says, “Rural electric cooperatives are the backbone of America’s power delivery.”Vilsack made the announcement at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s PowerXchange annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas. American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall responded, “Building new markets for commodities is difficult work and we are glad USDA is listening to participants and continuing to be nimble in implementing this program.”More details are available at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2024/03/06/biden-harris-administration-invests-23-billion-projects-expand">USDA.gov</a>.-NAFB

Vilsack Announces $2.3 Billion in Clean Power Projects

Farm bill prospects are looking dimmer after recent comments by Senate Ag Chair Debbie Stabenow and as other priorities crowd out the legislative calendar in a presidential election year. The hints started weeks ago.

“We can get this done if people are serious about it, if people are serious…I’m serious about it.”

That was Ag Chair Stabenow in January. But last month, Politico quoted her saying at a White House event, she’d rather stick with the lapsed ’18 farm law already extended one-year, than compromise with Republicans on SNAP and climate cuts.

Longtime GOP Ag Senator Chuck Grassley’s already made up his mind on whether there’s still time in a crowed legislative and political calendar to do a farm bill this year.

“No, for myself, but I think it’s more important to answer your question, by what I think I heard reported on Chairwoman Stabenow saying that she thinks the farm bill’s going to have to be extended for one more year. Sounds to me like she’s thrown in the towel.

Stabenow told nutrition advocates, when it comes to limiting anti-hunger programs in a new farm bill, “I’m not going to do it…so, if that means we continue the policies of the 2018 farm bill…then that’s Ok.” Republicans say they want ‘more farm in the farm bill,’ and argue the best way to do that is to reprogram some SNAP and climate spending.

Renowned Texas A &amp; M Ag Policy chief Joe Outlaw was already looking at the ‘tea leaves’ on a Farm Policy Facts “Groundwork” podcast in January.

“I don’t expect it to be done in ’24, unless something wild happens after the election, and even then, if House or Senate flips, it’s going to be enough change that I don’t think it will happen early in ’25, either.”

Outlaw’s prediction—‘maybe a summer of ’25 farm bill.’

Farm bill prospects are looking dimmer after recent comments by Senate Ag Chair Debbie Stabenow and as other priorities crowd out the legislative calendar in a presidential election year. The hints started weeks ago.“We can get this done if people are serious about it, if people are serious…I’m serious about it.”That was Ag Chair Stabenow in January. But last month, Politico quoted her saying at a White House event, she’d rather stick with the lapsed ’18 farm law already extended one-year, than compromise with Republicans on SNAP and climate cuts.Longtime GOP Ag Senator Chuck Grassley’s already made up his mind on whether there’s still time in a crowed legislative and political calendar to do a farm bill this year.“No, for myself, but I think it’s more important to answer your question, by what I think I heard reported on Chairwoman Stabenow saying that she thinks the farm bill’s going to have to be extended for one more year. Sounds to me like she’s thrown in the towel.Stabenow told nutrition advocates, when it comes to limiting anti-hunger programs in a new farm bill, “I’m not going to do it…so, if that means we continue the policies of the 2018 farm bill…then that’s Ok.” Republicans say they want ‘more farm in the farm bill,’ and argue the best way to do that is to reprogram some SNAP and climate spending.Renowned Texas A &amp; M Ag Policy chief Joe Outlaw was already looking at the ‘tea leaves’ on a Farm Policy Facts “Groundwork” podcast in January.“I don’t expect it to be done in ’24, unless something wild happens after the election, and even then, if House or Senate flips, it’s going to be enough change that I don’t think it will happen early in ’25, either.”Outlaw’s prediction—‘maybe a summer of ’25 farm bill.’-NAFB

Farm Bill Prospects Looking Dimmer

The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act significantly changed Federal individual income and estate tax policies, though some were temporary.

In 2018, the legislation increased the estate tax exemption amount from $5.49 million to $11.18 million. This increase is set to expire at the end of 2025. The exclusion amount will revert in 2026 to $6.98 million per deceased person. Researchers with USDA's Economic Research Service estimate the expiring increased exemption would be $13.95 million per person at the time of the expiration.

Lowering the estate tax exemption level in 2026 is estimated to increase the percentage of farm operator estates taxed from 0.3 to 1.0. Large farms would experience the largest increase in the share of estates owing estate tax, increasing from 2.8 to 7.3 percent. Total Federal estate taxes for farm estates would be expected to more than double to $1.2 billion if the provision were allowed to expire.

The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act significantly changed Federal individual income and estate tax policies, though some were temporary.In 2018, the legislation increased the estate tax exemption amount from $5.49 million to $11.18 million. This increase is set to expire at the end of 2025. The exclusion amount will revert in 2026 to $6.98 million per deceased person. Researchers with USDA's Economic Research Service estimate the expiring increased exemption would be $13.95 million per person at the time of the expiration.Lowering the estate tax exemption level in 2026 is estimated to increase the percentage of farm operator estates taxed from 0.3 to 1.0. Large farms would experience the largest increase in the share of estates owing estate tax, increasing from 2.8 to 7.3 percent. Total Federal estate taxes for farm estates would be expected to more than double to $1.2 billion if the provision were allowed to expire.-NAFB

USDA: Expiring Estate Tax Provisions Would Increase Taxes for Farm Estates

Members of the West Platte FFA Chapter will be planting seeds of knowledge for students at West Platte Elementary through a statewide program.  

Agriculture on the Move is an educational program run through Missouri Farmers Care. 

Program Director Heather Fletcher says the program helps students understand better where their food comes from.  

"And how their everyday lives are connected to Missouri agriculture," Fletcher tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "We're a state so rich in agriculture and it surrounds us no matter what part of the state we live in that we feel like helping that next generation of consumers and those young minds connect to what's going on all around them in the state is a really worthwhile endeavor." 

Fletcher says while they do have their own teachers, they've seen success in teaching local FFA students to lead the course. 

"We're reaching the third graders but then these high school students are getting amazing experience too in communication, leadership, and also maybe identifying a path that would lead them to the classroom in the future," Fletcher explains. 

Fletcher says through the 10-course program they cover a wide range of topics 

"We have a few lessons on crop production, we talk about soybeans and corn production specifically, and then also kind of touch on how diverse Missouri is as far as crops grown throughout the state," Fletcher says. "When you look at the bootheel all the way up to northwest Missouri there's a lot of diversity there, so we cover all of those." 

Fletcher says they also cover livestock production, soil and water conservation, nutrition, and even introduce students to how the supply chain works.  

Along with each course also comes a STEM project, giving students the opportunity to also get hands on experience with what they are learning. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709744957451.jpeg" alt="Ag Moves in Missouri classrooms Spring 2024/ Photo courtesy of Agriculture on the Move" />
 <figcaption>Ag Moves in Missouri classrooms Spring 2024/ Photo courtesy of Agriculture on the Move</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post Members of the West Platte FFA Chapter will be planting seeds of knowledge for students at West Platte Elementary through a statewide program. Agriculture on the Move is an educational program run through Missouri Farmers Care. Program Director Heather Fletcher says the program helps students understand better where their food comes from. "And how their everyday lives are connected to Missouri agriculture," Fletcher tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "We're a state so rich in agriculture and it surrounds us no matter what part of the state we live in that we feel like helping that next generation of consumers and those young minds connect to what's going on all around them in the state is a really worthwhile endeavor." Fletcher says while they do have their own teachers, they've seen success in teaching local FFA students to lead the course. "We're reaching the third graders but then these high school students are getting amazing experience too in communication, leadership, and also maybe identifying a path that would lead them to the classroom in the future," Fletcher explains. Fletcher says through the 10-course program they cover a wide range of topics "We have a few lessons on crop production, we talk about soybeans and corn production specifically, and then also kind of touch on how diverse Missouri is as far as crops grown throughout the state," Fletcher says. "When you look at the bootheel all the way up to northwest Missouri there's a lot of diversity there, so we cover all of those." Fletcher says they also cover livestock production, soil and water conservation, nutrition, and even introduce students to how the supply chain works. Along with each course also comes a STEM project, giving students the opportunity to also get hands on experience with what they are learning.

West Platte FFA members spreading seeds of knowledge to younger generation

The Department of Agriculture Tuesday announced the finalization of Inclusive Competition and Market Integrity Under the Packers and Stockyards Act. The final rule will be effective 60 days following publication in the Federal Register.

The final rule, Inclusive Competition and Market Integrity Under the Packers and Stockyards Act, establishes clearer, more effective standards for prohibited practices relating to discrimination, retaliation, and deception in contracting. USDA says this will help producers and growers that have suffered from increasingly consolidated markets over the last 30 years by enhancing market integrity and ensuring fair access to economic opportunities.

National Farmers Union President Rob Larew responded, “Today’s announcement is the culmination of years of work from NFU and supporters of equitable livestock markets.”

The final rule comes on the heels of a successful effort by NFU and allied organizations to keep a harmful policy rider out of the FY 2024 appropriations agreement. Such a rider would have thrown out existing rules, prevented future rulemakings and blocked USDA from making similar progress on the Packers and Stockyards Act, according to NFU.

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association responded to USDA's final Packers and Stockyards rule released Tuesday.

NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane says, "While we still have concerns about the unintended consequences of the rule, we are pleased that USDA has addressed most of our significant concerns between the proposed and final rules."

NCBA's concern with the regulation has always been based on the rule's unforeseen impacts on standard business practices. However, Julie Anna Potts, President and CEO of the Meat Institute, argues the final rule does nothing to change competition. Potts says, “These changes are simply an attempt to assert even more federal authority to regulate the equities of industry business practices, clogging the federal courts with every contract dispute.”

She claims that Congress never intended to give USDA such broad-ranging authority over meat industry contracts and practices, regardless of their effect on competition. The Meat Institute previously submitted comments to USDA outlining legal precedent and congressional intent regarding the rule.

The Department of Agriculture Tuesday announced the finalization of Inclusive Competition and Market Integrity Under the Packers and Stockyards Act. The final rule will be effective 60 days following publication in the Federal Register.The final rule, Inclusive Competition and Market Integrity Under the Packers and Stockyards Act, establishes clearer, more effective standards for prohibited practices relating to discrimination, retaliation, and deception in contracting. USDA says this will help producers and growers that have suffered from increasingly consolidated markets over the last 30 years by enhancing market integrity and ensuring fair access to economic opportunities.National Farmers Union President Rob Larew responded, “Today’s announcement is the culmination of years of work from NFU and supporters of equitable livestock markets.”The final rule comes on the heels of a successful effort by NFU and allied organizations to keep a harmful policy rider out of the FY 2024 appropriations agreement. Such a rider would have thrown out existing rules, prevented future rulemakings and blocked USDA from making similar progress on the Packers and Stockyards Act, according to NFU.The National Cattlemen's Beef Association responded to USDA's final Packers and Stockyards rule released Tuesday.NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane says, "While we still have concerns about the unintended consequences of the rule, we are pleased that USDA has addressed most of our significant concerns between the proposed and final rules."NCBA's concern with the regulation has always been based on the rule's unforeseen impacts on standard business practices. However, Julie Anna Potts, President and CEO of the Meat Institute, argues the final rule does nothing to change competition. Potts says, “These changes are simply an attempt to assert even more federal authority to regulate the equities of industry business practices, clogging the federal courts with every contract dispute.”She claims that Congress never intended to give USDA such broad-ranging authority over meat industry contracts and practices, regardless of their effect on competition. The Meat Institute previously submitted comments to USDA outlining legal precedent and congressional intent regarding the rule.-NAFB

 USDA Releases Packers and Stockyards Act Final Rule on Competition; Livestock Groups Respond

The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer rose modestly in February posting a reading of 111, five points higher than a month earlier.

The modest rise in the barometer was attributable to producers expressing somewhat more optimism about the future as the Future Expectations Index rose seven points to a reading of 115. The Current Conditions Index was unchanged at 103 compared to a month earlier. Meanwhile, February’s Farm Financial Performance Index reading of 85 was one point lower than in January and 13 points below its most recent peak in December.

Weak crop prices continue to weigh on financial expectations as mid-February Eastern Corn Belt cash prices for corn and soybeans were percent and eight percent lower, respectively, than two months earlier when the December survey was conducted. When asked about their biggest concerns for their farm operation in the upcoming year, producers in this month’s survey continued to point to high input costs and lower crop and livestock prices.

The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer rose modestly in February posting a reading of 111, five points higher than a month earlier.The modest rise in the barometer was attributable to producers expressing somewhat more optimism about the future as the Future Expectations Index rose seven points to a reading of 115. The Current Conditions Index was unchanged at 103 compared to a month earlier. Meanwhile, February’s Farm Financial Performance Index reading of 85 was one point lower than in January and 13 points below its most recent peak in December.Weak crop prices continue to weigh on financial expectations as mid-February Eastern Corn Belt cash prices for corn and soybeans were percent and eight percent lower, respectively, than two months earlier when the December survey was conducted. When asked about their biggest concerns for their farm operation in the upcoming year, producers in this month’s survey continued to point to high input costs and lower crop and livestock prices.-NAFB

Modest Improvement in Farmer Sentiment, Financial Concerns Loom

The compromise USDA/FDA spending bill headed for House and Senate votes this week to avert the next partial shutdown cliff at midnight Friday pares the president's request but drops several GOP demands.

It’s less than Biden asked for, but more for some USDA agencies and feeding programs like WIC, less for others like SNAP, and no GOP abortion pill rider—the demise of the House version.

“It’s been a long road to get here…this is a bipartisan agreement in the end, but it sticks to the numbers—the agreement on spending—but it does not go above that. It will increase a bit defense spending, but there will be real cuts to non-defense discretionary spending.”

The compromise USDA/FDA spending bill headed for House and Senate votes this week to avert the next partial shutdown cliff at midnight Friday pares the president's request but drops several GOP demands.It’s less than Biden asked for, but more for some USDA agencies and feeding programs like WIC, less for others like SNAP, and no GOP abortion pill rider—the demise of the House version.House Speaker Mike Johnson.“It’s been a long road to get here…this is a bipartisan agreement in the end, but it sticks to the numbers—the agreement on spending—but it does not go above that. It will increase a bit defense spending, but there will be real cuts to non-defense discretionary spending.”Almost three billion less than the president’s USDA/FDA ask, including small cuts from FY ’23 to FSA, NRCS, APHIS and the Ag Marketing Service, but more for FSIS meat inspections and emergency loans due to higher interest rates.There’s 90 million for ReConnect broadband and more for child nutrition, but no USDA pay hikes or major new DC hires. While foreign buys of US farmland get better tracking and USDA Secretary involvement.But after FY ’24 bills, it’s on to fiscal ’25.“Turn the page on FY ’24 and get immediately into FY’25. And that process, to change the way that it’s done, to back it up on the calendar, to do everything we can to get that job done by the end of summer, so that we’re not coming up at the end of September, the end of the fiscal year, and having to talk about CRs and omnibuses and everything.”But what about a farm bill? American Farm Bureau’s Emily Buckman ahead of this week’s spending bill votes.“Our main priority this year is to get a farm bill across the finish line. And unless these funding bills are addressed, the government is funded in full, then that’ll just delay consideration.”