Implications of California's Proposition 12 Extend Beyond Agriculture

Sep 26, 2022

The Senior Counsel for Public Policy with the American Farm Bureau Federation says the implementation of California's Proposition 12 has implications that extend well beyond the pork industry.Proposition 12, a California ballot initiative approved by voters in 2018, if allowed to proceed, will ban the sale of pork in that state that does not originate from farms that comply with California's housing requirements for sows.

The National Pork Producers Council hosted a roundtable last week to discuss Proposition 12 and update the media on the National Pork Producers Council-National Farm Bureau Federation's Supreme Court challenge of the legislation scheduled to be heard October 11.

Travis Cushman, the Senior Counsel for Public Policy with the American Farm Bureau Federation, says this legislation has implication that extend beyond agriculture.

Clip-Travis Cushman-American Farm Bureau Federation:

This issue goes well beyond the pork industry.This is an issue that has faced farmers everywhere in all types of farming activities.While we obviously share California’s goal of ensuring animals are well cared for, unfortunately this does not let farmers have a say in that.

For me what it comes down to is the small farmer will be unable to spend millions of dollars to renovate his operation to satisfy a law in a state elsewhere that might change again in a few years.From AFBF's perspective that is our biggest concern, is what this will do to the small farmer.

California's attorneys during arguments in a similar case acknowledged that under California’s logic they'd be able regulate wages in other states.So, you can't sell your widget, your computer in our state unless it's built according to our standards of what an appropriate wage would be.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments October 11th and, although the Supreme Court has no deadline for rendering its decision, a ruling is expected by January-February 2023 or by the spring of 2023.

Source : Farmscape.ca

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.