Hogs - General

US House Passes Bill Allowing Year-Round Sales of E15 Gasoline

Thu, 14 May 2026 12:31:16 GMT

The U.S. House passed legislation on Wednesday that would allow nationwide year‑round sales of gasoline containing 15% ethanol, handing a major win to biofuel producers and farm groups while raising concerns among refiners about higher compliance costs.

The H.R. 1346 bill , or the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act, approved by a vote of 218 to 203, would permit fuel retailers to offer E15 year‑round, removing seasonal restrictions linked to smog concerns.

The legislation would need to pass the Senate, where it needs 60% of votes, and get a signature from President Donald Trump to be enacted.

Supporters say allowing year-round E15 sales would expand biofuel demand and help lower fuel prices that have spiked since the start of the Iran war. Critics argue it risks raising costs for refiners already facing higher compliance burdens under federal biofuel mandates.

Some lawmakers have also raised fiscal concerns, with Representative James McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat, saying the measure will add billions to U.S. debt.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill would increase direct spending by $2.7 billion while raising revenues by $0.4 billion, resulting in a net deficit increase of about $2.3 billion between 2026 and 2036, based on an assumption that the legislation would take effect in August 2026.

High fuel prices due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, conduit for a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, have become a major vulnerability for President Donald Trump and his Republican party ahead of the November midterm elections.

(Reporting by Siddharth Cavale in New York; Editing by Sonali Paul)

The New Survival Skill: Build Like a Polymath, Lead Like a CEO

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:14:35 GMT

Have you been concerned about jobs being eliminated because of artificial intelligence (AI)? My exhortation is that, now more than ever, if you want to protect your position in the market, your company and your role, you must become more innovative and entrepreneurial with and through AI.

To lead, not just survive but thrive, you must become an AI-driven entrepreneurial polymath.

Some entrepreneurs dedicate their lives to building and scaling a single enterprise, but the most impactful among them — entrepreneurial polymaths (or serial entrepreneurs) — never stop creating. They build multiple ventures, innovate across disciplines and contribute to both industry and society.

Polymath comes from the Greek “polymathēs” — “having learned much.” Historically, polymaths like Leonardo da Vinci and Benjamin Franklin applied mastery across multiple fields. In an entrepreneurial context, a polymath entrepreneur blends adaptability and insatiable curiosity with the commercial instincts to turn knowledge and innovation into enterprises.

Where the typical entrepreneur may invest all energy into one idea, the polymath entrepreneur has a restless drive to solve problems repeatedly. With AI, this isn’t just easier; it has become essential for survival.

The question for you is: Are you a maintainer, a one-venture wonder, or do you have the capacity for ongoing leadership and innovation across multiple pursuits?

Leverage for Leaders

Over my career I have interacted with thousands of CEOs, hundreds of whom have been clients and many who have become friends. The most fascinating and fruitful among them have always been the polymath entrepreneurs.

Whether they wear the title of CEO, founder or simply manager, they are the true engines of progress. They see opportunities others overlook, and in an age of technological disruption and AI, they often find it easy to reinvent industries.

But vision and creativity alone are not enough. As Peter Drucker reminds us, “Entrepreneurship is neither a science nor an art. It is a practice.”

Entrepreneurs often have blind spots in the disciplines of management, strategy, innovation management, implementation, culture, resource allocation, productivity and sustainable value creation. Without these, even a polymath’s brilliance can stall.

One shortcut is leverage: Partner with external strategists who’ve implemented AI-driven innovations across many businesses, so you’re not learning everything the expensive way, through delays, misfires and internal politics.

When partnered with strong functional leadership, however, the polymath entrepreneur becomes nearly unstoppable. Their power multiplies when aligned with:

Operations leadership (chief operating officer/VP of operations) to translate vision into scalable systems.
Financial leadership (chief financial officer) to ensure disciplined capital allocation and risk management.
Specialized expertise (e.g., internal full-time or external consulting or fractional chief marketing officer, chief information officer or chief strategy officer) to deepen customer, technology or domain execution.

As Michael Porter taught: “The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.” The polymath thrives because they can choose across domains, letting go of the old to seize the new. And as Joseph Schumpeter argued in “Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy,” the entrepreneur is the true agent of “creative destruction.” The polymath entrepreneur embodies this, not just once, but repeatedly, breaking down old models and building new ones.

Unlike the myth that entrepreneurship is a product of personality or charisma, whether Steve Jobs at Apple, Richard Branson at Virgin or Elon Musk with his many ventures, Drucker insisted that entrepreneurship is a discipline. It can be studied, replicated and managed. What separates polymath entrepreneurs is their repeated ability to master this discipline across domains.

Bottom line: The most successful will be those who will be applying the fast-evolving tools of AI to not just innovate and add new value through the optimization of your organization but also to create new solutions for your customer/market that innovate your industry — and often will create a new sustainable business faster and more value-creating than ever before.

Mark Faust (513-621-8000, mark@em1990.com) works with owners, CEOs and sales managers who want to grow their businesses. You can schedule a free profit improvement session with Mark by visiting calendly.com/markfaust . Read more ideas from him here .

Beyond the Blame Game: Navigate the Mental Toll of Modern Ag

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 14:56:34 GMT

When market pressures mount, it is easy to succumb to the “blame game.” Yet, the most resilient operations are those that anchor themselves in a mission larger than the current balance sheet. For leaders like James Burgum and Lamar Steiger, coping with stress isn’t just about managing the books, it’s about managing the mindset.

The Many Hats of the Modern Producer

James Burgum, CEO of The Arthur Companies, believes the first step in managing stress is acknowledging the sheer weight of the roles farmers play.

“One of the things I did when I stepped into my role is an exercise where I said to our team, ‘Help me understand all the hats on the farm – farmworker, agronomist, grain merchandiser, mechanic, truck driver, snow removal lead, banker, economist,’” Burgum said during a discussion at Top Producer Summit. “You start to go down the list, and its dozens and dozens of roles that an individual farmer plays.”

By recognizing the complexity of these roles, Burgum argues that producers can move toward servant leadership—prioritizing the team’s needs.

“There are things that are much more important and much bigger than the challenges we’re wrestling with on the job every day,” Burgum says. “It’s hard to juggle all the balls, but at the end of the day, we want everyone on our team to make sure they get home at night and be there for their families.”

Choosing Abundance Over Scarcity

Lamar Steiger, owner of The 808 Ranch, learned about stress through the lens of his father, a man who seemed to face every possible setback: health crises, financial downturns and missed market peaks.

The farm struggled during times of high interest rates in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s and his father was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder, Guillain-Barre, that left him paralyzed for six months.

Still, his dad always had an attitude of abundance, not scarcity, Steiger says.

“With my brothers holding other obligations, I was left to milk the cows,” Steiger says. “We were so far behind, and all my dad would say is, ‘It could be worse.’”

Breaking the Silence

Eventually, his family lost the dairy. After hitting rock bottom and battling depression , Steiger realized that the “tough it out” mentality was a liability, not an asset.

“When the stresses pile up, you’ve got to find help,” Steiger says. “I wasn’t ‘man enough’ to step up and say, ‘Hey, something’s wrong here.’ I should have said, ‘Time out—this is not working.’”

Steiger’s advice for those feeling the weight of the current market is simple: Find your “who.” Whether it is a spouse, a neighbor or a professional, talking through the stress is the only way to separate your self-worth from the volatility of the markets.

“In agriculture, we’re so reliant on outside forces,” Steiger says. “You’ve got to have an attitude that it’s going to work out. As my Dad would say, ‘Well, we never missed a meal.’ That was his bottom line for ‘It’s okay.’”

From Constraints to Catalysts: How Ag Leaders Turn Hardships into Strategy

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 18:19:05 GMT

In an industry defined by “one-year-at-a-time” cycles, the greatest threat to a growing operation isn’t just a market downturn—it’s the inertia that comes with size. Farm Journal CEO Prescott Shibles argues that long-term survival requires a rare blend of faith and agility. To maintain an entrepreneurial mindset, leaders must lean into “conviction” as the core of a strategy that survives the lows.

Here is how four industry leaders are turning today’s constraints into tomorrow’s differentiators.

1. Build when times are hard.

When Brent Smith, president and CEO of NewLeaf Symbiotics, joined the company in 2023, the grain market was entering a significant down cycle. While some saw a risky time to lead a startup, he saw an opportunity.

“I learned in my first startup that the best time to build a business is in hard times,” Smith said said during a discussion at Top Producer Summit. “Because if you can’t withstand tough times, you’re not going to survive long term.”

For Smith, survival meant doubling down on the company’s core: science. Despite the pressure to cut costs, NewLeaf continues to spend half of its operating expenses on science.

“It would be very easy to peel that back,” he admits. “But we focused on projects that make the most impact the quickest, while keeping an eye on the long-term innovation in our pipeline.”

2. Control what you can control.

Farmers face the ultimate constraint every year: the weather. Scott Beck, president of Beck’s Hybrids, recalls the planting crisis of 2019 when constant rains kept tractors out of the fields well into May.

“I was concerned for our customers not being able to plant, but also for us not being able to plant our seed for the next year,” Beck says. “There was nothing that we could do to control the weather, but we could control how we interacted with our customers.”

Rather than retreating, the Beck’s team focused on transparency and empathy, using video series to connect with farmers and even forming small groups for prayer and support. Ultimately, they wanted farmers to know they cared and were there to support them however they could.

Despite the financial reality of what could happen if farmers didn’t plant and returned seed, Beck’s decided their course of action would not include employee layoffs. Instead, they prepared to sell land to protect their people.

“Fortunately, the weather broke and everybody was able to get planted,” he says. “Then the second miracle happened. We had the second warmest September on record, and that’s what brought the crop through to enable 2019 to not turn out as bad as it started.”

3. Turn disadvantages into advantages.

In 2014, Lamar Steiger, owner of The 808 Ranch, was tasked with a monumental challenge: helping Walmart reinvent its beef supply chain. At the time, the retail giant was at a disadvantage, forced to accept whatever the major meatpackers provided.

Steiger’s strategy was to turn that lack of control into a new kind of independence.

“I convinced the Walmart team to go around the traditional supply chain,” Steiger says. Today, Walmart sources 28% of its beef from its own “farm-to-table” supply chain.

There’s no question that decision was really good for Walmart. But Steiger says it was also really good for him personally.

“It reminded me that no matter how big you are, there are always challenges,” he says.

4. Create “white space” for the future.

When the day-to-day tasks of an operation become overwhelming, long-term strategy is often the first thing to go. James Burgum, CEO of The Arthur Companies, believes leaders must intentionally carve out “white space” for their teams.

“It’s important to find ways where people can actually spend their time working on the business, not just in the business,” he says.

By protecting time for team members to execute ideas that are three to five years out, Burgum manages the tension between short-term urgency and long-term viability.

“It’s hard to step away from the daily fires you’ll face in your operation, but it’s important,” he adds. “How we manage that tension of short term and long term is creating that white space and making sure that we consciously work on the business.

The Long Game

Ultimately, resilience in agriculture is about knowing when to push and when to pivot.

“You have to know when to put the gas down, and you need to know when to tap the brake,” Smith says. “And regardless of what you are doing, you need to stay focused on what you’re doing.”

Whether it is investing in science during a downturn or choosing customer empathy over the bottom line, these leaders say constraints don’t have to be roadblocks; they can be the very catalysts that drive an operation forward.

Trump, Zeldin Announce 'Largest Deregulatory Action in U.S. History'

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 22:31:06 GMT

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the “single largest deregulatory action in U.S. history” alongside President Trump in the White House today.

EPA is eliminating both the 2009 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Endangerment Finding and all subsequent federal GHG emission standards for all vehicles and engines of model years 2012 to 2027 and beyond. The action also eliminates all off-cycle credits, including for the start-stop feature.

President Trump’s Day 1 Executive Order 14154 “Unleashing American Energy” tasked EPA with submitting recommendations on the legality and continuing applicability of this finding in the first 30 days of this term. On March 12, 2025, Zeldin announced that the agency was kicking off a formal reconsideration of the finding and resulting regulations. Zeldin formally announced the agency’s proposal to reconsider these actions on July 29, 2025.

“EPA’s historic move restores consumer choice, makes more affordable vehicles available for American families, and decreases the cost of living on all products by lowering the cost of trucks,” EPA said in a release .

Former President Barack Obama commented on X that because of the endangerment finding: “we’ll be less safe, less healthy and less able to fight climate change — all so the fossil fuel industry can make even more money.”

Today, the Trump administration repealed the endangerment finding: the ruling that served as the basis for limits on tailpipe emissions and power plant rules. Without it, we’ll be less safe, less healthy and less able to fight climate change — all so the fossil fuel industry can…
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) February 12, 2026

Saving Taxpayer Dollars
The administration says the final rule will save American taxpayers over $1.3 trillion in regulations, by removing the regulatory requirements to measure, report, certify and comply with federal GHG emission standards for motor vehicles, and repeals associated compliance programs, credit provisions, and reporting obligations that exist solely to support the vehicle GHG regulatory regime.

“Lee is also working on cleaning up the horrible situation with regard to farm equipment,” President Trump said. “You could use John Deere as an example and other companies where tractors are unbelievably expensive and don’t work as well because of all of the environmental nonsense that was put on them. But the people are going to be a beneficiary because the equipment is going to be a lot less expensive and most importantly it’s going to work much better.”

This major deregulatory process included ‘substantial public input and robust analysis’ of the law following the Supreme Court decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and West Virginia v. EPA. The agency held an extended 52-day public comment period, which included four days of virtual public hearings where more than 600 individuals testified. EPA received about 572,000 public comments on the proposed rule and made substantial updates to the final rule in response to comments.

“The Endangerment Finding has been the source of 16 years of consumer choice restrictions and trillions of dollars in hidden costs for Americans,” Zeldin said in a release. “Referred to by some as the ‘Holy Grail’ of the ‘climate change religion,’ the Endangerment Finding is now eliminated. The Trump EPA is strictly following the letter of the law, returning commonsense to policy, delivering consumer choice to Americans and advancing the American Dream.”

Affordable vehicle ownership is essential to the American Dream and a primary driver of economic mobility out of poverty in the U.S., the Agency explained. This action will result in average cost savings of over $2,400 per vehicle.

“As EPA Administrator, I am proud to deliver the single largest deregulatory action in U.S. history on behalf of American taxpayers and consumers,” Zeldin said. “As an added bonus, the off-cycle credit for the almost universally despised start-stop feature on vehicles has been removed.”

What Does This Mean for the Future?
Climate scientists say the overturning of the endangerment finding undermines decades of scientific progress and damages the credibility of U.S. institutions tasked with protecting the environment, the Associated Press reports. Scientists point out that rising global temperatures — the hottest years on record have all occurred since 2009 — cause more extreme weather that endangers people and causes billions of dollars in damage from more frequent and severe heat waves, wildfires, droughts and catastrophic flooding from more-intense storms.

The EPA action repeals all GHG emissions standards for cars and trucks, but experts believe it could trigger a broader undoing of climate regulations for stationary sources such as power plants and oil and gas facilities, AP reports.

David Doniger, a climate expert at the Natural Resources Defense Council, told AP that this could prevent future administrations from proposing rules to address global warming because they would have to restart the scientific and legal process to establish a new endangerment finding, which could take years and face legal challenges.

A 2014 Repeat? Why This Meteorologist Sees 'Bumper Crop Potential' for 2026

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 17:37:04 GMT

The weather outlook for 2026 is one of “cautious optimism.” While there is less immediate concern compared to the start of 2025, Matt Reardon, senior atmospheric scientist for Nutrien Ag Solutions, says the “spring predictability horizon” remains a factor where conditions could still shift.

El Niño and La Niña are the two opposing phases of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle. This cycle describes the fluctuations in temperature between the ocean and atmosphere in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.

“That gives us some sense of where things might tilt weather-wise, particularly in winter,” Reardon says. “In summer, there are some correlations, too.”

For many U.S. farmers, El Niño is often welcomed because it can bring increased precipitation to major growing regions, though it can also cause flooding in some areas. Meanwhile, La Niña is frequently associated with increased drought risk in the Southern Plains and Mid-South, which can lead to yield-robbing conditions if the pattern persists into the summer.

“We tend to root for El Niño, particularly in North America, as it tends to be beneficial for our growing regions with a little more precipitation,” Reardon says. “But those correlations are very far from a home run. We’re talking just a slight lean in that direction.”

He says the forecast predicts fading out of La Niña pretty quickly in spring and heading toward an El Niño, potentially by summer.

What Can Farmers Expect This Spring?

“What I’m looking at as we head toward both spring planting then summertime heat and real drought risk in June and July is that one sea surface temperature is closer to home in the Northeast Pacific,” he says. “We found, especially this decade, that as those sea surface temperatures go, our season tends to go.”

Last year, with all the drought concerns going into 2025 growing season, water temperatures in the Northeast Pacific stayed warm – actually record warm.

“We had a great growing season for the most part with plenty of moisture, if not too much, in some areas,” Reardon says. “In 2023, those water temperatures stayed a little bit cooler, and we had more drought risk.”

Reardon admits he’s learned that “cautious optimism about where things are headed” is often helpful when determining weather expectations.

As he looks toward 2026, he sees a similar start to 2014, which was a huge bumper crop year.

“But things can change,” Reardon adds. “There’s that spring predictability horizon we’ve got to leap over here.”

Is Drought Likely in 2026?

One of his concerns is that the latest USDA Drought Monitor shows some overwinter drought, which he says isn’t uncommon.

“We’ve seen a lot of that this decade. Spring rains can quickly make up for a lot of that,” Reardon says.

On Feb. 9, the Southern Plains saw a lot of grass fires. He says some of those were prescribed burns, but winds will be picking up again over the next 10 days.

“We are keeping an eye on the Southern Plains,” Reardon says. “They are getting some rain over the next seven days, but that’s an area that’s so prone to drought, especially in spring. If we see it build there and then try to leach over to Little Rock or Nashville, that can start to become a concern.”

In big yield-robbing drought years, it often flares in the Mid-South or even the Southeast over into the southern plains, first in April or May, and then tends to spread north.

“That’s a common behavior of some of these big concerning years of the past like 2006 or 2012, so we are keeping an eye on that right now,” he says. “But the good news is, in the next 10 days, we are going to get some moisture into the ground.”

Preserving the Future: How Tennessee is Protecting Farmland While Driving Development

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 19:06:29 GMT

How is Tennessee, one of the fastest-growing states in the country, balancing economic development while still protecting farmland? Gov. Bill Lee says it’s one of the state’s greatest challenges, but he believes there is a way to do both.

Last year, Lee signed the Tennessee Farmland Preservation Act into law, tasking the Tennessee Department of Agriculture with developing a grant program to incentivize farmland owners to voluntarily enroll their land in a permanent conservation easement.

“We lose 9 acres an hour to development,” Lee said at the 2026 Top Producer Summit . “We recognize that agriculture is our No. 1 driver of our economy, so we have to preserve farmland. This act will incentivize farm property, and agriculture property in particular, to be put in land trusts so it can never be developed. This effort has been widely accepted by farmers and is beginning to take effect.”

Where is the Push for Economic Development in Tennessee?

Although economic development is taking place in many different forms, the state of Tennessee is seeing a big push for data centers. For some farmers, this could be the revenue generator they’ve been waiting on, but for others, it’s a contentious issue.

“If we are going to have a data center, it has to work for all of us,” Lee says. “Most important is that the impact on the grid for power is one that our state can effectively manage.”

He believes the data centers and the companies behind them should be partners with the state and with regulatory bodies.

“They should come in and say, ‘If we’re going to come here, this is what we will deliver to the state,’” Lee says. “Besides just the investment in dollars and what they will take from the grid, how will they deliver to the state?”

AI, a major data center and supercomputing facility in Memphis, is an example of a good partnership, he says.

“They are producing their own power and contributing to the grid. It’s a great partnership and model for things that we should be looking for in the future,” Lee adds.

How is Tennessee Helping Farmers?

Tennessee crop farmers are feeling pain right now like their peers across the country.

“It’s a tough environment for crop farmers,” Lee says. “We’ve seen the staggering losses some of our producers have experienced. But they’re very resilient people. They know that a few years ago, crop prices were good. Right now, they’re really bad. A lot of patience is required in farming, and they know that.”

Stability and predictability are nearly impossible to have in agriculture, he says. But he’s working to help provide stability and predictability from a federal standpoint through ag policy efforts.

“I think that’s what farmers look for more than anything,” Lee says. “They don’t want a rescue or an immediate solution to the problem they have. I think farmers want some indication of what stability looks like and what predictability looks like and what they can expect in the future.”

From a livestock standpoint, Tennessee has been investing heavily in the development of more local processing options.

“We do believe that locally sourced products are helpful to our own ag community,” he says. “To the degree that we can facilitate that in this state, we ought to do it. We’ve broadly expanded our ability to process beef in this state. We’re not nearly where we need to be, but we’re headed in the right direction.”

Creating a Pipeline for Agriculture

Lee is passionate about thinking about the future and creating pathways for skilled trades, especially in the agriculture industry. His experience running a company in the skilled trades business — plumbers, pipefitters, electricians and welders — has helped him see the need firsthand.

“One of the most important things we can do is recognize that kids’ giftings are really different,” Lee says.

Lee’s passion to better meet the demand for skilled labor came to fruition through the Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education (GIVE) Act.

“It created, initially, a $1-million program in high schools for vocational, technical and agricultural education programs,” he says. “It led to $500 million in middle school career and technical education programs, and ultimately $1 billion in our colleges of technology that deliver ag education, technical education and vocational education. We have removed the waitlist for our colleges of technology. We’re delivering 10,000 more workers a year who are skilled tradesmen.”

He believes it’s one of the reasons Tennessee has so many global companies making the decision to come to the state.

“We have a lot of activity here economically because the state with the workers is going to win every time,” Lee says. “We started seven years ago by creating a workforce that was much more diverse than what it had been previously, and that includes agricultural education.”

As a cattle producer and proud Tennessean, Lee says he’s most proud of how he’s helped support the state’s future in agriculture by investing in youth and the technologies that will be the future.

“It will be fun for me to look back years from now and say, ‘I’m really glad we did that. Ag was No. 1 in Tennessee when I was there, and ag is still No. 1 in Tennessee now that I’ve been gone,’” he says. “That’s what I hope for.”

Grassley Urges Trump To Prioritize A Trade Deal With China

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 20:12:03 GMT

As the government shutdown continues through day 21, there is little to no hint that a resolution to the ongoing stalemate between Republicans and Democrats is about to end.

The latest setback: On Monday night, Senate Democrats rejected a Republican-led stopgap funding bill for the 11^th time with a 50-43 vote. The resolution needed 60 votes to pass, according to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA).

He says more Democrats are needed to step up and vote in cooperation with Republicans to get the government reopened.

“If we can get four more Democrat votes, the government will be opened up,” Grassley contends.

In the meantime, county Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices remain closed, keeping services like new loans, farm program sign-ups, and disaster assistance from being addressed. Market data that helps set commodity prices is also not being released.

Trump has mentioned taking action to reopen the county offices, but Grassley is unsure whether he can accomplish that.

“I don’t know that he has that authority, but he surely had it with about $8 or $10 billion in the defense budget – to shift it from one activity in the Defense Department to paying the soldiers and the military people,” he told AgriTalk Host Chip Flory on Tuesday.

So far, Trump administration officials say there are no plans to shift dollars around for agriculture like they’ve done with troop pay and other priorities.

President Trump ‘Has To’ Get Trade Resumed With China
Grassley was adamant that Trump needs to make progress in pressing China for a new trade deal.

“He has to [get that done},” Grassley says. “I’d say the president needs to spend a massive amount of time, even some of his personal time, on dealing with China. I know it’s necessary to have lower-level people begin those discussions, but it’s got to be a top priority.”

The U.S. and China exchanged barbs last week, with the U.S. threatening to raise tariffs to 157% if no new deal is reached by Nov. 1. President Trump is supposed to travel to Asia later this week to renew discussions with China.

During his conversation with Flory, Grassley weighed in with his perspective on consolidation in the fertilizer, seed, equipment, the pesticide industries and how that relates to the development of potential monopolies.

“I’m going to wait until the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission gets done with their investigations before I make a decision on it,” Grassley says. “I don’t think we have to pass any laws. The antitrust laws that have been in existence for 130 or 140 years ... just use those laws as they’ve been used for the last 100 years. They’re pretty effective laws.

“It just takes the government enforced to get it done. There’s certain guidelines that have to be met and protocols be met before you actually can break up a monopoly. But the free-market system dictates you don’t have monopolies,” he adds.

Grassley also weighed in on needing year-round nationwide availability of E15, noting that he wishes the president would be more proactive in getting the product readily available on a permanent basis.

“We got legislation that would make it permanent without a presidential waiver. It ought to be easy for the president to promote that. He’s going to have a bailout for farmers because of low prices now, and he ought to connect with that – getting E15 through the Congress of the United States and have it permanent. Because until we get the law passed, we’ll never get the investment by retailers to put in the expensive pumps that it takes to get E15 out.”

Hear the complete discussion between Grassley and Flory on AgriTalk here:

Has Government Shutdown Stalled Farm Financial Aid Package?

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 23:33:05 GMT

While U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last week details of potential new federal support for farmers could be released as soon as Tuesday, the announcement didn’t materialize. Furthermore, no announcement is expected this week, according to some media reports.

“The Trump administration has pushed back its plans to roll out economic aid for farmers this week due to the government shutdown,” said an article published Tuesday afternoon by Politico .

The article said the “Office of Management and Budget has readied between $12 billion and $13 billion to be allocated from an internal USDA account,” but no final decision has been made on how much or when the money would go to farm aid.

“If this is a temporary shutdown, you know, if we’re talking another week or two, it’s probably not going to affect too much more in that length of time,” CPA Paul Neiffer ventured during a conversation with Chip Flory, host of AgriTalk.

Still, Neiffer noted farmers are being impacted by delayed and/or canceled payments. He cited ARC and PLC payments farmers have anticipated for the 2024 crop. The funds were supposed to be distributed on Oct. 1 but got postponed.

“That certainly doesn’t help farmers from a cash flow standpoint,” he said. Get the complete discussion on AgriTalk:

Neiffer added that farmers also need to know there is another type of cost to ARC and PLC payments — they are subject to the 5.7% sequestration adjustment.

“If farmers were counting on, let’s say $50 an acre, maybe they’re going to get $47 an acre. So that is something that’s going to affect them,” he said.

As for when the government shutdown might end, Neiffer referenced Washington Policy Analyst Jim Wiesemeyer, who reported the closure might conclude by Friday, Oct. 17.

“Of course, we are dealing with Congress, so let’s don’t use logic,” Neiffer said. “If they can come to a deal on the extension of the Obamacare premium subsidies, I think that’s fairly easy. If the Democrats are going to dig in on Medicaid and some of that other stuff, then, yeah, this could go on quite a while.”

Various Programs And Reports Are Suspended
It’s estimated about 42,000 USDA workers are being furloughed during the shutdown.

“Local FSA offices have mostly closed. It’s about 67% of USDA staff who work in those offices and deal with all the different programs that FSA administers,” Callie Eideberg, policy expert with the Vogel Group, told AgDay TV’s Clinton Griffiths.

“Folks…are waiting for this government to reopen so farmers can continue to engage with these programs and get the money that they so desperately need,” Eideberg said.

Neiffer cited the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the second stage of the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) as two of the numerous financial programs on hold.

Also in jeopardy of being delayed or cancelled is the October WASDE, scheduled for release this Thursday.

Payment Wheels Likely To Turn Slowly
Even if the financial aid package is announced this week, Neiffer said farmers are unlikely to see any money until December at the earliest, and January 2025 is more likely.

“I think what we have to remember when the ECAP program (Economic Assistance Payment)
was announced in December, it had 90 days to get done, and they took the full 90 days to get it done,” he said.

During their conversation, Flory asked Neiffer whether the timing is right for the aid package.

“I’m starting to get a little concerned,” Neiffer acknowledged. “You know, there are other industries out there that are likely to soon say, ‘Hey, what about us?’”

Another concern Neiffer voiced was whether an aid package is artificially keeping cash rent prices at higher levels.

“You talk to landlords and they could say, ‘Hey, these farmers are getting an extra $50 or $100 per acre. I want a third of that or 40% of it, because I’m the cash rent landlord.’ So, yeah, I do have a concern. The aid is needed, but at what point do we get the law of diminishing returns, and it’s too much? We might be approaching that.”

Your next read: Soybeans Firm on China/Aid Hopes but Corn Falls: Can Cattle Retest Highs?

Tragic Turn: Trailer of Show Pigs Bursts Into Flames on I-80

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 18:58:52 GMT

With the windows rolled down and the sun on his face, Chad Rieck admits he was having a pretty good day driving down Interstate 80. He was pulling a trailer with four gilts, and one of those gilts was bringing home the title of Third Overall Purebred Breeding Gilt from the Aksarben Stock Show.

For Chad and his wife, Amy, spending precious time with their 17-year-old daughter Hollynn at a stock show is something they don’t take for granted. Their busy daughter, now a senior, was juggling the show weekend with homecoming, volleyball and dance team. Because of this, she drove separately to the show with her mom to squeeze in more of her school activities.

Separated by a couple minutes on the interstate, they were chatting on the phone keeping each other awake on the drive from Grand Island, Neb., back to their farm in Creston, Iowa. Suddenly, the traffic slowed down and their day took a tragic turn.

A car burning alongside I-80 held up traffic for miles.

(NDOT)

Igniting the Fire

“I remember my wife saying, ‘Traffic is starting to get bad,’” Rieck recalls. “I told her there was an accident up ahead and we’d get through it eventually.”

When he came upon the scene, he discovered a car burning alongside the road. By this time, he had rolled up his windows and slowly drove by the car. No emergency vehicles were on the scene, so Chad estimates the fire had probably started within three to five minutes of when he passed it.

“The front of the car was fully engulfed in flames,” Rieck describes. “The driver’s portion to the back of the car was starting to get hot – hot, hot flames. My fear of driving by was, ‘What if there’s a gas tank there, and that gas tank blows? That’s going to be bad.’”

When he drove by, something burst.

“It wasn’t the gas tank that blew, but something, whether it was a fuel line, a tire or whatever, blew a ‘poof’ of flames,” he says.

About a mile after he passed the car on fire – maybe one or two minutes at most – Rieck noticed smoke rolling out of the trailer. At first, he thought maybe some smoke from the fire got in through the open trailer windows. Then, he wondered if he blew a tire.

“I’m looking in the mirrors checking for that and continually rolling,” he says. “I see a semi behind me begin to flash his lights at me. That’s when I thought, ‘Okay, I’ve got problems.’”

Fortunately, he was coming upon an exit ramp. He jumped off the interstate and threw the truck in park as soon as he could.

“My wife’s still on the phone with me at this point,” he says. “I jump out of the truck and see the trucker running up with a couple of fire extinguishers. Because of him, I was able to get the back doors opened on the trailer. We got most of the flames down but didn’t have enough to get the fire completely out.”

When he opened the door, he saw that their banner-winning Poland China gilt was already dead, but the three other pigs were hanging on to life.

“The Poland gilt was on the back of the trailer and had somehow broken out of her pen trying to get away,” he says.

The burning trailer was caught on camera by the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT).

(NDOT)

Roadside Rescue

The fire picked up again as he tried to figure out how to get the pigs off the trailer.

“When I parked the trailer at the show, we left some tack in the trailer. So, I locked the ramp and the driver side walk-through door,” he explains. “I ran to get the key that I thought was in the truck, but there was no key there. Now, I’m just frantic.”

With no way to get to the three pigs still on the trailer, he grabbed for the big cart they hauled tack with that was standing upright in the back pen.

“Not a smart deal,” Rieck recalls. “I grabbed it with my hand, and now I’ve got some nice blisters. But even if I could have moved that cart, it wouldn’t have mattered. I had to get the pigs out the side ramp.”

The trucker ran back with a crowbar and Rieck broke the latches off the ramp door to get the ramp down. Flames greeted him. He was running out of options. He ran around to the other side’s ramp, broke that latch off and ended up getting two pigs out.

“The third pig was scared and wouldn’t come out, so I had to reach in through one of the sides to push her out,” he says. “I ended up with some burns on my arm from that, but I finally got her out.”

At this point, the trailer is still on fire. The trucker told Rieck to unhook his truck and pull it away from the trailer now that the pigs were out.

“I would have never thought of doing that,” he adds. “We had a gas can and small generator in the tack room of the trailer, so I went to work to get that out of there before we had an even bigger problem. Fortunately, the tack room was in decent shape, likely because there was a door between it and the main part of the trailer.”

Once the fire truck arrived, they focused on the trailer first. Megan Hobbs says she was able to gather buckets from the tack room to start filling to get to water all three pigs who were alive at the time. Unfortunately, they lost the Duroc, so they had to turn their focus to the remaining two.

(Megan Hobbs)

Meanwhile, people began showing up and helping with the pigs that were now scattered.

“I had one pig walking down the exit ramp,” Rieck says. “Meanwhile, one gilt was hunkered down under a tree in the ditch and the third was dying alongside the exit ramp. I’m in shock at this point – walking around and asking myself why.”

Stock show people he had never met before like Joe and Megan Hobbs of Newton, Kan., turned around and came back to help.

“As soon as we arrived at the scene, there was another young lady who worked for Legacy Livestock Imaging that had also stopped to help,” explains Megan Hobbs. “We immediately just jumped into action getting any and all water available to help cool the pigs down. At the beginning all we had was cooler water and water bottles. In those situations you don’t ask for permission, you just go with what your gut tells you to do.”

(Chad Rieck)

A Little Bit Ironic

When the York Fire Department showed up, they quickly went to work extinguishing the fire in the trailer. Hobbs says she kept running water back and forth from the firetruck to the people caring for the gilts alongside the road.

“God put us in the right place at the right time,” Hobbs says. “We trusted our gut turning around to go help as we just knew it was probably one of our own from the livestock industry that needed help.”

The firefighters on the scene also reached out to a firefighter in a nearby department, David May, who had show pigs.

“I received a call from dispatch when I was about 5 miles from my farm heading home with pigs from the show,” May says. “They said there was a vehicle fire involving a trailer with larger pigs and asked if I could help wrangle and haul the surviving pigs. Of course, I didn’t hesitate and was already on the move.”

May devised a plan to get his pigs off his trailer quickly and navigate through the piled-up interstate traffic.

“I had my 16-year-old daughter Braxtyn with me, so we began talking through things on the drive there,” May says. “I even joked with her, ‘It’s probably someone who kicked our butt today.’ But that didn’t cause either of us to hesitate to help however possible.”

When May got to the scene, he immediately recognized the pickup. It had been parked directly beside his truck during loadout about 45 minutes ago.

“I recognized the people and confirmed I didn’t know them,” May says. “I parked and walked up to assess and gather information. Within a minute, another Iowa trailer showed up to get the live hogs. We discussed what to do with the now two deceased pigs. I offered to put them on my trailer and dispose.”

After all the pigs were on trailers and the firefighters had inspected Rieck’s trailer to confirm it was safe to haul home, Rieck went over to talk to Braxtyn and thank her for coming to help.

Hollynn Rieck’s Champion Poland and Third Overall Purebred Breeding Gilt at Aksarben.

(Legacy Livestock Imaging)

“For some reason, I wanted to try to cheer this kid up who had just seen this devastation,” Rieck says. “I tried to distract her by asking if she showed a pig that day, and she said, ‘Yes, I was third place with my Poland gilt.’”

It was definitely a little ironic, both dads admit. Their kids had been competing against each other just a few hours earlier. They loaded their pigs up beside each other and took off about the same time. As they got back into their trucks and trailers for the second time that day, they both spent some time reflecting on their drive home.

A Case of Bad Luck

Hollynn drove her dad back in the truck and trailer because he was still in shock. All Rieck could think about was what he could have done differently.

“I saw a number of trailers roll right on by as we stood there with the trailer smoldering,” Rieck says. “I know the next time I see a car fire, I’m going to feel like Ricky Bobby in Talladega Nights. I’m going to be like, ‘Don’t drive through it.’ Maybe I could have gotten in the ditch more, but that’s not safe either.”

It was the kind of incident that you could never predict, May says. Typically, a trailer fire starts with a bad wheel bearing, then the wheel gets hot or locks up. Eventually, the tire catches on fire and results in heavy black smoke that’s easily visible.

(Chad Rieck)

“Most livestock trailer fires start on the outside of the trailer,” May says. “But this fire started inside the trailer. This was a completely freak accident.”

The odds of something hot coming off the car at the precise moment Rieck drove by while also entering the trailer is one in trillions, he adds.

“It’s a bad-luck lottery. It could never have been predicted,” May says. “But, just like so many instances in life, you just have to react and adapt as plans change.”

Still, Rieck says he learned some valuable lessons going through this experience. He will make sure his next trailer has fire extinguishers. He won’t travel with his doors locked on his trailer. He’s also going to invest in some wireless cameras to put into his trailer.

Stock Show Support

When they returned home, a veterinarian confirmed the gilts who survived the trailer fire needed to be euthanized, as their injuries were too severe. Rieck says it was hard on Hollynn to walk through an empty pig barn the next day. Although it’s not an uncommon thing, as every show season comes to an end, this was not the ending she expected. She had high hopes of taking the Poland gilt to the American Royal in a few weeks.

Hollynn won Champion Poland China Gilt and Third Overall Purebred Breeding Gilt at Aksarben.

(Amy Rieck)

For Rieck, the hardest part was calling the breeders who leased them the gilts and telling them what happened.

“The personal financial portion of this isn’t much compared to having to contact those breeders and let them know about the fire,” Rieck says. “We work with Hunter Langholff to get some of our pigs. I can only imagine what the conversation was like with me screaming and yelling about the pigs right after it happened. I’ll never forget Hunter calmly saying, ‘Do not worry about that. These breeders will only care that you, Hollynn and Amy are fine. Pigs can be replaced.’”

With a few tears in his eyes, Rieck says he never wants to take his stock show friends for granted.

“Stock show people are pretty special,” he adds. “Because guess what? We all wanted to win that day. We raise our kids in the show ring and in the show barn for a reason. It’s so we can be around these people. My daughter is going to be a much stronger person because of the experiences that she’s had winning and losing in the show ring and yes, even going through this trailer fire.”

Hollynn says she’s already learned a lot from the fire.

“I am so thankful for all of the people who stopped to help us during our emergency,” she says. “This is living proof that the stock show industry is the best thing to be a part of. The amount of love, thoughts and prayers I have received from people has been astronomical. At the end of the day, I am just grateful my family is ok and that I will forever be a part of such an amazing industry.”

As May reflects on what happened, he says he’s not surprised by the overwhelming support people provided to the Rieck family.

“It’s what we do for each other in all aspects of agriculture, not just livestock,” May says. “I’m glad I was able to assist as needed here and glad my daughter was able to see value in helping others even when it’s not always pretty fairy dust and rainbows.”

ADM, Alltech Unveil North American Animal Feed Joint Venture

Wed, 24 Sep 2025 14:20:05 GMT

ADM and Alltech have signed a definitive agreement to launch a North American animal feed joint venture, bringing together decades of experience and unparalleled capabilities to create new advantages for customers, the companies announced on Sept. 23.

“The first company name I can remember, besides our own, is ADM — a name I’ve heard since I was 3 years old, and likely even earlier,” Mark Lyons, president and CEO at Alltech, announced on LinkedIn . “My father’s very first order — and his second, for those who know the story of Alltech’s beginnings — came from ADM. That early vote of confidence helped shape our story. Over the decades, the relationship between our two companies has only grown stronger. We’ve long explored ways to partner more deeply, and now the time is right to align our passionate teams, proven products and shared values.”

Alltech will contribute its U.S.-based Hubbard Feeds and Canada-based Masterfeeds businesses, including 18 feed mills in the U.S and 15 in Canada, and ADM will contribute its 11 U.S. feed mills. The joint venture will be majority-owned by Alltech and governed by a board with equal representation from each parent company.

“This partnership combines the complementary strengths of our businesses — the expertise of our people, extensive manufacturing capabilities, trusted product portfolios and deep knowledge of nutrition science,” Lyons wrote. “Together, we are building something greater than the sum of its parts, with the shared goal of advancing animal nutrition and delivering our customers every advantage.”

As the animal nutrition industry continues to reshape itself to support a growing global population, Alltech and ADM will bring together passionate teams, proven products and shared values to ensure enhanced advantages for our customers, the companies said. They plan on evolving with purpose to offer an industry-leading range of products and solutions for livestock, equine, backyard and leisure animals.

“By joining forces, we can offer more than we ever could alone: broader capabilities, practical solutions and an uncompromising commitment to our customers’ success,” Lyons wrote. “This is a milestone moment — one that sets the stage for the continued growth of our North America feed business and enhances the advantage we can deliver to those we serve.”

The venture will be supported and strengthened by the parent companies’ leading-edge technology and R&D, broad logistical capabilities, and connections across the broader ag and feed value chains.

Alltech will retain its Ridley Block Operations, Ridley Feed Ingredients and Alltech specialty ingredients, although these business units will be partners and suppliers to the joint venture. ADM’s Canadian locations will remain with ADM, as will its U.S. premix and additive businesses, though those capabilities and products will help supply the new company.

The companies expect to complete the transaction and formally launch the joint venture in the first quarter of 2026.

Is the U.S. Corn and Soybean Crop Getting Smaller?

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 18:31:26 GMT

From disease to drought, this 2025 crop has been thrown a curve ball late in the season. It’s also pushing the crop to maturity quicker. And with USDA projecting currently projecting a record yield and crop, many analysts say the U.S. crop is likely going backwards in terms of yield, but that doesn’t necessarily mean USDA will cut yield projections next month.

USDA’s August crop production report showed a record-high 2025/26 U.S. corn yield projection of 188.8 bu. per acre and a record-high soybean yield estimate at 53.6 bushels per acre.

But as AgWeb reported earlier this week , southern rust could take a big bite out of the U.S. corn crop this year. The disease is causing turmoil for farmers who have a large crop in the making. In some cases, a Hail Mary fungicide application at R4 up to early dent (R5) might make sense this season, say agronomists. But in severe cases, the disease can wipe out 45% of the yield potential in a field, according to the Crop Protection Network (CPN) .

A map of counties where Southern Rust has been confirmed or reported in 2025.

(CPN )

Add to that fresh concerns about drought, as the latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows drought is now covering 33% of the country. When it comes to agriculture, 5% of the corn crop is now considered in drought, 11% of the soybean crop and 30% of the cotton crop.

USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey authored the Monitor this week, saying the drought picture has drastically changed over the past month.

“We’re seeing rapid expansion flash drought across the mid-south, lower Midwest into the Northeast,” Rippey says. “All of this drought has come on in just the last few weeks. At the end of July, we were virtually drought free in the Midwest, so to see these yellows and tans starting to light up, that is reflective of the overall dryness. Of course, it’s a different story in the West where we’ve got drought really deeply entrenched. But from the big picture here, a lot of focus on those developing drought areas from the mid-South into the northeast.”

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows how the dry August is impacting the drought picture across the country.

(U.S. Drought Monitor )

Rippey says as the taps turned off for some areas, some portions of the Eastern Corn Belt are seeing their driest August on record. He says that dryness is extending westward into parts of the southern and eastern Corn Belt.

“Agriculturally, all eyes are on the Northern Mississippi Delta into the Ohio Valley and the southern Corn Belt. A lot of those areas are receiving less than half of the normal rainfall during the month of August. A few areas have less than 25% of normal,” Rippey says. “And with those taps turning off, that is depleting topsoil moisture. We’re going to have to wait and see with crop production in September to see how the crops have handled this late dryness.”

The map showing the percent of normal precipitation proves areas of the Corn Belt, West and Northeast have turned off dry to end the summer.

(Brad Rippey, USDA)

Rippey says, on a positive note, temperatures have remained mild. So, even though the moisture has been sparse or absent, at least temperatures didn’t amplify the situation. But a dry August is still a concern.

Impact on Yield
Peter Meyer, who helped lead Pro Farmer Crop Tour in the east last week, says with the amount of dryness that’s entered the picture —and the fact that disease has exploded in many Midwest fields over the past week — he thinks the crop is getting smaller, not bigger. But that’s something that likely won’t show up until USDA factors in test weight, which will be the October report.

“I think the crop has gone backward since [Pro Farmer] Crop Tour,” Meyer says. “When I start to look at some of these numbers for the month of August, it was extremely dry in many, many areas. We’re talking the top 10 or 15 dry years out of the last 150, 160 years. So, that’s why the crop ran out of gas. It had a lot of moisture. The heat was there. It pushed a crop further and faster. I think we have an issue.”

Meyer says based on those factors, he’s dropped his yield estimate from the 183 bu. per acre he personally projected during Crop Tour last week.

“But I’m still not below 180 [bu. per acre]. I think we’re going to have an early harvest, and I think we’re going to have an earlier harvest in beans, too. That’s represents a problem here as far as the market is concerned.”

“It definitely feels like it’s going backward,” said Jim McCormick with AgMarket.net on U.S. Farm Report. “When we talk to our clients, which we have some all across the country, they are really concerned about it. Probably a little bit more in the east and the west where we’ve seen some of the driest conditions in 130 years in parts of Ohio. Is it a disaster? No, but it’s definitely taking the top end off the crop.”

Dan Basse, who’s AgResource Company’s president and founder, agrees the U.S. corn and soybean crops could be losing yield, but he warns that it may not be a dramatic cut.

“I think its going backward, but maybe not to the degree that the farmer would like,” Basse said on U.S. Farm Report. “We dropped our yield estimate from 189.2 to 187.1 [bu. per acre]. So, we’re down a skosh from USDA, but this is still a big crop. And some of the early deal data we’re getting out of Kentucky, Missouri and Kansas is above what expectations were. When you think about this crop, southern rust is a bad disease if you get it into blister or early milk stage. But when it happens at dent, you’re looking at yield losses of zero to 4%. So, let’s hope that farmers applied one application of fungicide and that kept them until the crop got in the dent. I’m hoping that’s going to limit yield losses going forward.”

USDA’s next yield revision could come Sept. 12. That’s when the agency is slated to release its latest crop production report. But if you look at USDA’s methodology in September, which is to factor in ear counts and pod counts, Basse thinks USDA could potentially raise its yield estimate next month.

“I think, in general, they tend to grow a little bit bigger,” McCormick says of USDA’s historical pattern of yield estimates from August to September. “I mean, look at last year’s analog year. The crop was big in August, it got bigger in September, then again in October before they started revising it down. It would not be a surprise that they will go bigger, but there’s gonna be a lot of pushback, like Dan said, from the disease pressure. There’s going to be a wide range on the estimate for the September WASDE when it’s all said.”

Basse adds: “I wouldn’t be surprised if USDA raises yield next month. Even on the Pro Farmer Crop Tour, it showed us record ear counts and record pod counts. Those are the two most important ingredients for the September report. Now, in October, we’ll have more to know about pod weights and ear weights. But for September, I’m kind of expecting USDA is going to be a few bushels, if you will, from the August estimate. It’s the October report that will determine how big is big.”

Better Together: The Co-op Employee Experience

Wed, 30 Jul 2025 18:18:53 GMT

Cooperative organizations are rooted in a distinct set of values and principles that set them apart from traditional business models. While many recognize these principles as guiding how co-ops serve their members, they are just as influential in shaping how co-ops support, engage, and empower their employees.

At a time when the U.S. is experiencing the lowest levels of employee engagement in over a decade, cooperative organizations are bucking the trend. A recent engagement survey conducted by FCCS revealed six standout strengths in workplace culture, each directly tied to the cooperative model. These strengths are not accidental; they are a reflection of the seven cooperative principles in action.

(Angie Coleman)

By viewing employee experiences through the lens of cooperative values—member ownership, collaboration, and shared success—it becomes clear why co-ops often cultivate highly committed, purpose-driven teams. Here’s how:

1. Strong Sense of Purpose & Mission
Connected to Cooperative Principle #7: Concern for Community
Employees in co-ops understand that their work serves a larger purpose, whether it’s supporting farmers, credit union members, healthcare communities, or electric utility customers.

How the Cooperative Model Shapes This:
• Employees witness the direct impact of their work on their communities.
• Mission-focused cultures foster intrinsic motivation and engagement.
• Employees are proud to work for something bigger than a bottom line.

2. Managerial Support and Coaching Conversations
Connected to Cooperative Principle #5: Education, Training, and Information
Managers in cooperatives often serve as mentors, coaches, and supporters, not just supervisors. One-on-one conversations are used as a tool for reflection, idea-sharing, and development.

How the Cooperative Model Shapes This:
• Continuous learning is a cultural norm, encouraged through coaching and dialogue.
• Employees feel heard and valued through regular check-ins.
• Managers focus on employee growth and alignment with organizational values.

3. Collaborative & Supportive Work Environment
Connected to Cooperative Principle #6: Cooperation Among Cooperatives
Employees frequently cite strong teamwork and cross-departmental collaboration as key strengths in cooperative workplaces.

How the Cooperative Model Shapes This:
• Shared success is prioritized over internal competition.
• Departments work together to solve problems and support one another.
• A “we over me” mindset strengthens trust and cohesion.

4. Fair & Transparent Leadership
Connected to Cooperative Principle #2: Democratic Member Control
Transparency and inclusivity in leadership are hallmarks of cooperative governance, and employees feel the difference.

How the Cooperative Model Shapes This:
• Leadership decisions are rooted in shared values, not short-term gain.
• Employees experience open forums, accessible leaders, and transparent communication.
• Trust in leadership fosters higher engagement and morale.

5. Meaningful Employee Ownership & Involvement
Connected to Cooperative Principle #3: Member Economic Participation
Even when employees are not formal member-owners, many report a strong sense of ownership in the organization’s success.

How the Cooperative Model Shapes This:
• Employees feel that their input shapes policies, decisions, and improvements.
• Career development reflects long-term investment in people, not just roles.
• A shared stake in success drives accountability and pride.

6. Work-Life Balance and Well-being
Connected to Cooperative Principle #5: Education, Training, and Information
Cooperatives often take a sustainable view of employee well-being and work-life balance.

How the Cooperative Model Shapes This:
• Training helps employees work effectively—not just more.
• Leaders model healthy boundaries and encourage time away.
• Employee well-being is prioritized as a long-term asset, not a short-term trade-off.

Cooperative Values Drive Positive Employee Outcomes
The strengths highlighted by employees across cooperative sectors reflect a deeper truth: when an organization operates by cooperative principles, the employee experience naturally improves. Employees thrive in environments where:

✔ Their work is rooted in purpose.
✔ Collaboration is prioritized.
✔ Leadership is transparent and fair.
✔ They feel ownership and involvement.
✔ Their health and balance are respected.
✔ Their growth and development are a shared priority.

By staying grounded in cooperative principles, co-ops are not just creating great places to work—they are building values-driven cultures where people can grow, contribute and belong.

Angie Coleman is an Organizational Development Consultant with FCCS Consulting.

Your Next Read: From Boomers to Zoomers: Engage and Retain Across Generations

Overcoming Burnout in the Agriculture Industry

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 12:56:36 GMT

Burnout isn’t always about doing too much. Sometimes it’s about doing the wrong mix of work or carrying all of the mental load on top of the physical. That’s according to Kacee Bohle, who runs AgriMinds , a group coaching business for members of the agriculture industry.

“You can still have a full plate and feel fine, especially if you’re doing stuff that energizes you,” she says. “But what happens when every single part of your day feels like a chore, even the stuff that you used to love? That’s when you know stuff is starting to get off. You can feel burnt out, even when you love or loved the type of work that you do.”

For business owners, farmers, ranchers and ag professionals, Bohle says people often judge themselves for having negative thoughts about the work they have chosen to do in a field they love. There is pressure to carry on the family legacy and love every part of it, and to feel proud of the work.

“Burnout doesn’t care who you are,” she says. “Burnout doesn’t care who’s in charge. It shows up when you’re over extended, misaligned, and you’re trying to carry all the things all the time without any support,” she explains.

Sometimes the work isn’t optional. The gate needs fixed. The field work needs done. The livestock need fed. Bohle points out even when the tasks can’t change, the conversation can. Sometimes it’s not the physical work that is causing burnout, but the mindset surrounding the work.

“What I mean is I want you to start noticing what expectations, pressure or guilt that you’ve been piling on top of the already heavy stuff,” she explains. “Sometimes what’s extinguishing you isn’t the work, it’s the story that you’re telling yourself about the work.”

For example, it could look like thoughts that are similar to: I should be able to handle this. I shouldn’t be tired. I chose this. I don’t have time to feel burnt out. I just need to push through this. It’ll eventually go away.

As Bohle points out, pushing through only works so long.

“There’s only so much you can brush under the rug before it starts seeping out, bulging and tripping you up,” Bohle says. “Eventually, your energy runs out, and if your mindset isn’t giving you any grace or flexibility, everything is just going to continue to feel harder.”

Can you extinguish burnout? Start with what you can control.

An exercise to address burnout is to create two lists. Write down what gives you energy and what drains you, Bohle suggests.

Notice one item on this list that drains you that you can shift or do differently, she says. Then look at the list of things that gives you energy and intentionally add back in something that gives you energy — even if it’s for just five minutes.

“This is not about trying to fix everything,” she explains. “It’s not even about trying to fix stuff overnight. This exercise is just about noticing what’s going on beneath the surface, giving yourself permission to make some small shifts here. Control what you can control.”

Four mindset shifts to keep in mind:

You’re not lazy or failing.
You’re likely mentally, physically, and emotionally maxed out.
Focus on awareness and small, intentional changes.
Remember, the goal is not to fix everything overnight, but to start noticing and making small, manageable changes.

Your next read: Overcome the No. 1 Challenge in Passing Down Your Family Farm

It's Hot Out There: Avoid Heat Stroke and Heat Exhaustion This Summer

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 20:22:43 GMT

As the temperatures begin to soar, we all know farm and ranch work never stops, even in the hot weather.

“Wear lightweight, long-sleeved, light-colored clothing, or a cooling vest and take short, frequent breaks in a shaded or cool area to stay cool while working outdoors,” says Tawnie Larson, a program manager in Kansas State University’s Carl and Melinda Helwig Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and the Kansas Agriculture Safety and Health Program.

She says technical cooling vests “are essentially like wearing air conditioning.”

“The vests use specialized fabric and fibers to circulate cooling products to keep body temperatures low during hot days,” she explains.

Larson also suggests using equipment with a canopy, such as a Rollover Protection Structure (ROPS) with a sunshade.

“Usually, the ROPS with canopies cannot be folded down, which in turn provides more safety for operators because the ROPS is always activated,” Larson says. “Equipment that has an enclosed cab often times comes with air conditioning and has a built-in ROPS. Both of these options provide safety from rollovers and can help prevent heat-related illness.”

Because each individual reacts to hot days different, it’s important to listen to your body, Larson says. Take frequent breaks and stay inside during the hottest part of the day if possible.

“Medication may also play a role in affecting one’s body’s ability to stay cool, making it harder to handle the heat,” Larson says. “Before working outside this summer, check with your doctor to see if you’re at higher risk for heat-related illness and whether you should take extra-precautions due to medication.”

Is it Heat Stroke or Heat Exhaustion?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends drinking 1 cup of water every 15-20 minutes, and before becoming thirsty. The CDC also recommends keeping sugary and alcoholic drinks to a minimum. Replace salt and minerals with snacks or a sports drink.

Heat stroke symptoms include high body temperature; hot, dry, red or damp skin; fast, strong pulse; headache; dizziness; nausea; confusion; and lack of consciousness.

If a person is suffering from heat stroke:

Call 9-1-1 immediately.
Move the person to a cooler place.
Lower the person’s temperature with cooler clothes.
Do not give the person anything to drink.

“Heat exhaustion is different and usually not as serious,” Larson says.

Symptoms of heat exhaustion may include:

heavy sweating
cold, pale and clammy skin
fast, weak pulse
nausea
tiredness
headache
fainting

“If this occurs, take action by moving to a cool place, loosen clothing, get cool, sip water and seek medical attention if symptoms last longer than an hour or get worse,” Larson says.

Your Next Read: Protect Your Pigs With Summer Beat-the-Heat Prep Tips

July Weather Outlook: Goodbye Rain, Hello Heat

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 20:11:21 GMT

The Pacific Jet Stream has been going strong since early spring, sending heavy rains down through the Ohio River Valley, delaying farmers’ planting efforts there, then more recently, moving large amounts of moisture into the central Corn Belt.

“Nobody would have thought three months ago that we were going to have this much rain occurring across key crop areas, especially in the southern half of the Plains and in the Delta and Tennessee River Basin,” says Drew Lerner, president and senior agricultural meteorologist of World Weather.

But be advised, the engine driving that jet stream is about to turn off, says John Hoomenuk of EmpireWeather.com . He anticipates that by early July, some farmers will see those heavy rain events turn into a trickle.

Weather outlook for early July.

(BAM Weather)

Weather Brewing For July

“As we get into the second week of July or so, we’ll see the ridge push a little further north, and we’ll see some drier forecasts starting to appear, starting in Kansas and Nebraska, and then spreading a little bit into southwestern and central Iowa at times as well,” Hoomenuk says.

“That’s really caught our attention, because we just haven’t seen that [pattern] so far this year, and it’s a pretty big change compared to where we’ve been,” he adds.

As July goes on and August nears, Hoomenuk says the weather data indicate the jet stream will go up into Canada and drop into the Great Lakes.

If that occurs, he says farmers in Indiana, Illinois and Ohio are likely to get some precipitation dropping on the east side of the ridge. But across the Central Plains, Kansas, Nebraska, Dakotas, and maybe even into parts of Iowa, farmers will see their conditions trend a little drier.

“I think that’s not a huge concern just yet, but it’s a pretty big change up compared to where we’ve been the last couple of weeks,” Hoomenuk told AgriTalk host, Chip Flory, on Tuesday.

Drought Risks Remain In Place

The outlook for drier weather in July is not a surprise, based on the patterns some meteorologists saw shaping up last winter.

“The central United States is at about a 60% drought risk. Some of the best weather forecast models we have out there are trying to put the epicenter of that drought somewhere between Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa and southern Minnesota by the time we get into July and August,” says Eric Snodgrass, principal atmospheric scientist for Nutrien.

Much of the western U.S. has been enduring dry, hot conditions already this year. Much of the central Midwest is about to experience the same.

(The National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.)

“When you think about those particular states, developing drought from spring to summer in any year is somewhere in the neighborhood of 28% to 38%,” he says. “Essentially, the risk is doubled this year.”

Snodgrass explains the canary in the coal mine for a drought will come from a combination of the Gulf of Alaska ocean temperatures and the Bermuda high, which is an area of high pressure that can influence weather patterns and tropical systems. If the Gulf of Alaska ocean temperatures begin dropping this summer, that’s a sign moisture will be lacking.

The silver lining, Hoomenuk says, is many farmers have either had excess or sufficient moisture this spring, so no alarm bells have been ringing yet for corn and soybean crops that are now in rapid growth.

His concern is the current weather patterns will stagnate, causing temperatures to rise.

“Most of the long-range data we’re seeing, if you look at July as a whole, is showing some pretty substantial [temperature] numbers in the Central Plains. We’re talking somewhere between four and five degrees above normal in some areas of Kansas and Nebraska, two or three degrees above normal for the month on average, surrounding that in parts of southwestern Iowa and the Dakotas,” he says.

As for states further east, such as Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, Hoomenuk says farmers there will likely see temperatures “closer to normal” for July, based on data he’s reviewed.

“The thing I keep seeing is temperatures looking to be about normal, maybe slightly warmer than normal – just a couple days of heat followed by a cool down and some rain, which is is pretty ideal,” he says. “It doesn’t seem like we’ll get into that long-term heat there in those eastern regions of the U.S, so the concern level out there is pretty low right now heading into July.”

Your next read: Crop Quality in the Midwest: Most States Soar, Some Flounder

Chinese Scientist Accused Of Smuggling ‘Potential Agroterrorism Weapon’ Into the U.S.

Wed, 04 Jun 2025 21:22:46 GMT

Two Chinese nationals have been charged with trying to smuggle a fungus, Fusarium graminearum, into the United States.

Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, citizens of the People’s Republic of China, were charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the U.S., false statements and visa fraud.

The charges against the pair were unsealed in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, on Tuesday.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office references Fusarium graminearum online as a “dangerous biological pathogen … which scientific literature classifies as a potential agroterrorism weapon.”

Fusarium graminearum causes significant diseases in a number of U.S.-grown food crops, including corn, wheat, barley, soybeans and rice.

Diseases caused include Fusarium head blight (scab) in wheat, and two corn diseases Gibberella ear rot and Gibberella stalk rot , which can lower yield and feed quality of silage corn, according to the Crop Protection Network, a partnership of land grant universities.

Toxins the fungus produces can cause vomiting, liver damage, reproductive defects and mycotoxin-induced immunosuppression in humans and livestock, including cattle, hogs, horses and poultry.

One Scientist Arrested, One Returned To China
The 25-page criminal complaint alleges Liu tried to smuggle the fungus through the Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DMA) in July 2024, so he could study it at a University of Michigan laboratory where his girlfriend, Yunqing Jian, worked at the time.

Jian had been living in the U.S. and working at the university laboratory since 2022.

The roots of the case involving Yunqing Jian, 33, and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, 34, stretch back to March 2024. That is when Liu applied for a B2 tourist visa to enter the U.S.

(The Detroit News and Sanilac County Jail)

According to the criminal complaint, Jian and Liu had both previously conducted work on the fungus in China.

Officials further allege Jian received funding from the Chinese government for her research on the pathogen in China. They also claim she is a member of the Chinese Communist Party.

Jian, who was arrested by the FBI, remains in federal custody. On Thursday, her detention hearing was adjourned until 1 p.m. June 13 to allow time for a new defense attorney to get up to speed.

Liu was sent back to China last year after changing his story during an interrogation at the Detroit airport about red plant material discovered in a wad of tissues in his backpack, the FBI says.

The U.S. does not have an extradition treaty with China, which makes Liu’s arrest unlikely unless he returns.

In a statement released on June 3, the University of Michigan said it condemns “any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine the university’s critical public mission.”

“It is important to note that the university has received no funding from the Chinese government in relation to research conducted by the accused individuals,” the university added. “We have and will continue to cooperate with federal law enforcement in its ongoing investigation and prosecution.”

In a statement released on June 3, the University of Michigan said it condemns “any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine the university’s critical public mission.”

(Michigan News Source)

Boyfriend Spills Intentions To Investigators
An article in The Detroit News said Liu told investigators during an interrogation at the Detroit airport he planned to clone the different strains and make additional samples if the experiments on the reddish plant material failed, according to the government.

“Liu stated that he intentionally hid the samples in his backpack because he knew there were restrictions on the importation of the materials,” an FBI agent wrote. “Liu confirmed that he had intentionally put the samples in a wad of tissues so CBP officers would be less likely to find and confiscate them, and he could continue his research in the United States.”

Liu told investigators he planned on using UM’s Molecular Plant-Microbe Interaction Laboratory to research the biological materials, the FBI agent wrote.

“Liu stated that, while he was in the United States, he would have free access to the laboratory at the University of Michigan on some days, and that other days his girlfriend would give him access to the laboratory to conduct his research,” The Detroit News article reported.

Before preventing Liu from entering the U.S. and sending him back to China, the investigators found messages between the couple that indicate Jian previously smuggled biological material into the U.S., the FBI agent wrote.

The messages are from August 2022 and discuss smuggling seeds into the U.S.

Lawmakers Respond To The Criminal Complaint
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that the Justice Department “has no higher mission than keeping the American people safe and protecting our nation from hostile foreign actors who would do us harm.”

“Thanks to the hard work of our excellent DOJ attorneys, this defendant — who clandestinely attempted to bring a destructive substance into the United States — will face years behind bars,” the attorney general says.

“I can confirm that the FBI arrested a Chinese national within the United States who allegedly smuggled a dangerous biological pathogen into the country,” FBI Director Kash Patel said on Tuesday.

(FBI)

FBI Director Kash Patel addressed the arrest of Jian late Tuesday on X, formerly Twitter.

“This case is a sobering reminder that the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) is working around the clock to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate American institutions and target our food supply, which would have grave consequences … putting American lives and our economy at serious risk.”

U.S. Custom and Border Protection, Director of Field Operations Marty C. Raybon says the criminal charges against Jian and Liu are indicative of CBP’s critical role in protecting the American people from biological threats that could devastate its agricultural economy and cause harm to humans.

“This was a complex investigation involving CBP offices from across the country, alongside our federal partners,” says Raybon in a prepared statement. “I’m grateful for their tireless efforts, ensuring our borders remain secure from all types of threats while safeguarding America’s national security interests.”

Your next read: Surveillance State: Game Wardens Sued for Secret Private Land Intrusions in Alabama

Wienermobiles Will 'Haul Buns' to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Thu, 22 May 2025 13:27:42 GMT

Nothing kicks off the beginning of summer like a hot dog on the grill. The beloved American staple will be featured in full force during the “Wienie 500” at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 23. The Wienie 500 marks the first “meat-up” of all six Wienermobiles in over a decade, the company says.

In this first-of-its-kind spectacle, the fleet of Wienermobiles will ‘haul buns’ to the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a race unlike any other, Oscar Meyer said in a release . This will be the first competitive race for the fleet.

Each Wienermobile will represent a different regional dog that you can cheer on in the race, including:

The Chi Dog (Midwest)
New York Dog (East)
Slaw Dog (Southeast)
Sonoran Dog (Southwest)
Chili Dog (South)
Seattle Dog (Northwest)

“From custom Hotdogger racing suits to a trophy presentation in the ‘Wiener’s Circle,’ complete with a condiment spray and hot dog for the wiener’s enjoyment, every moment of the race is designed to spark smiles, serving up a delightful racing event only Oscar Mayer can,” the company said.

The Indianapolis 500 draws more than 330,000 fans who consume nearly 30,000 hot dogs, the company said.

“The Indy 500 marks the unofficial kickoff of summer and the start of hot dog season,” Kelsey Rice, brand communications director at Oscar Mayer, said in a release. “As a brand known for sparking smiles in disarmingly delightful ways, it’s only fitting that we bring a race of epic proportions to the Speedway and celebrate a timeless tradition: delicious meats and a little friendly competition to kick off a summer of wieners.”

The Wienie 500 is part of a partnership between Oscar Mayer and IMS that names Oscar Mayer the “Official Hot Dog” of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500.

Editor’s Note: The race will be streamed live on Friday, May 23 at 2 p.m. ET on the FOX Sports app and across @INDYCARonFOX social accounts, and fans can catch highlights from the race during Sunday’s Indy 500 pre-race show on FOX.

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Farming and Public Service Memoir Released By Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 20:18:20 GMT

On April 24, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture John Block released a memoir chronicling his years growing up on an Illinois farm and his time in public service. Pigs Politics, Persistence: The Life and Legacy of John “Jack” Block offers an in-depth look at his career in agriculture, government, and public service. The book provides firsthand insights into Block’s experiences as an Illinois farmer, policymaker, and national leader who played a pivotal role in shaping modern American agriculture.

Block grew up in Galesburg, Ill., and helped on his family farm milking cows, collecting eggs and feeding pigs . His childhood included going to school in a one room schoolhouse, and he remembers the time the family got electricity and indoor plumbing.

Block went to West Point and served in the Army before returning to the family farm and working with his dad in the 60s and 70s raising corn, soybeans, hogs and cattle. When Block returned to the farm, the family expanded, little by little. At one time they were farming 3,000 and feeding out 6,000 hogs.

Block served as the Illinois State Secretary of Agriculture, then as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1981 to 1986 under President Ronald Reagan. During his tenure, the industry dealt with the U.S. grain embargo, the Conservation Reserve Program, and the 1980s farm crisis. A lifelong advocate for farmers, Block’s leadership continues to influence agricultural policy today. His new book shares personal stories, policy battles, and reflections on the evolution of American farming.

“This book is a testament to the resilience of America’s farmers and the importance of sound agricultural policy,” said Block in a release. “I hope readers gain a deeper appreciation for the challenges and triumphs of those who dedicate their lives to feeding the world.”

Block has remained active in agriculture and public service, continuing to be a respected voice on issues impacting rural America.

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Will Geomagnetic Storm Watch Slow Down Farmers in the Field?

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 15:07:29 GMT

In the midst of farmers busily planting in the field, a strong geomagnetic storm (G3) watch has been issued for April 16. The Space Weather Prediction Center says geomagnetic storming conditions are likely to persist into April 17 due to the arrival of multiple coronal mass ejections that left the sun on April 13.

Could last year’s Gannon space storm, a powerful geomagnetic weather event that caused mass global navigation satellite system (GNSS) outages, impact farmers again? Kansas State University precision agricultural economist Terry Griffin says these events were not an anomaly.

What seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime space weather storm might become more of an expectation for growers in the future, he says in a release.

During the weekend of May 10, 2024, the Gannon Storm led to an assumed $565 million in losses for Midwestern crop producers.

“GNSS signal degradation associated with the Gannon Storm was unprecedented, especially at the specific timing with respect to peak agricultural activities,” Griffin and colleagues shared in ‘Impact of the Ganon Storm on Corn Production Across the Midwestern USA.’ “Lack of GNSS for planting for subset of farms reliant upon the technology led to production and economic losses.”

The Actual Anomaly
Since 1750, humans have been measuring solar cycles. The planet is entering it’s 25th solar cycle now, he points out. Geomagnetic disturbances could still occur this spring, fall and in the spring of 2026.

“It seemed like an oddity because we haven’t had something like this happen during planting time, yet the actual anomaly is we’ve had mild solar cycles as of late, which are usually 11 years,” Griffin says.

Part of the reason these outages seemed out of the blue is because this is only the third one since GPS has been commercialized.

“It’s probably what we should expect moving forward, not just for the next solar cycle, but also for this spring because we haven’t passed the maximum amount of geomagnetic disturbances for the solar cycle yet,” Griffin says. “Spring 2025, fall 2025 and even spring 2026, we should still expect this type of activity.”

What Happened in 2024?
During the weekend of the Gannon storm, there was increased solar activity, which included sunspots seen by the naked eye and several coronal mass ejections that led to part of the atmosphere becoming more dense, he explains. This caused the GPS and GNSS signal degradations.

“It was sort of a perfect storm of solar activity that even caused a radio blackout at one point,” Griffin says. “Space weather is different from terrestrial weather. Besides the northern lights, there’s nothing we can see, feel or hear from space.”

He’s quick to add this is definitely a real thing and he expects it to be an issue for the remainder of this solar cycle. In the May 2024 G5 event, outages lasted anywhere from a 1/2 day to a day. He says G3 event outages may only last for minutes and could be unnoticed by farmers.

Be Ready
Producers can best prepare themselves for future events by simply being aware and quickly determining the source of system outages, he says.

“It’s important to know whether it’s a local problem with your hardware or if it’s a global problem that is outside of your control,” he adds. “You can learn that online through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center.”

Growers can find a bar chart on the Space Weather Prediction Center ’s website that denotes high geomagnetic activity for the entire planet with orange or red bars.

Geogmagnetic Storm Scales

(Space Weather Prediction Center/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

“If you’re having problems with GPS and the bars are green, it’s probably a local issue,” Griffin says. “Call the dealer, but if the bars are dark red for nine hours or so, it’s probably the atmosphere being activated by solar activity, and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

It can be frustrating when technology doesn’t work, but he advises farmers not to panic or try to fix something you can’t fix.

“Farmers can sometimes switch to a less susceptible correction system to get them through the day if a geomagnetic disturbance occurs,” he says. “If not, go have an early dinner or see a movie.”

Your Next Read: What Farmers Need To Know About Severe Solar Event With Potential To Disrupt GPS

China Strikes Back: U.S. Beef Now Faces a 56% Tariff, Pork is 81%

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 19:52:33 GMT

Just days after President Donald Trump announced responsive tariffs impacting 186 countries, China is hitting back. On top of the tariffs China already has in place, it’s matching the additional 34% tariff the U.S. announced on April 2.

As China slaps back, U.S. pork exports will now face a 81% tariff, while the tariff on beef is now 56%.

“These rates represent the sum total of China’s 12% most-favored-nation tariff, plus retaliatory duties previously imposed by China, plus the new duties set to take effect April 10,” says Dan Halstrom, U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) CEO.

The tariff rates now placed on U.S. meat are hefty, and USMEF says the impact could be significant, especially for pork.

“U.S. beef already faces major obstacles in China related to plant eligibility, so an increase in retaliatory duties puts exports in even greater jeopardy. Unfortunately, taking China out of the export mix also impacts the price U.S. beef cuts command in markets like Korea, Japan and Taiwan,” Halstrom says. “China’s duties on U.S. pork were already daunting and will now be massive, which severely impacts exports of pork variety meat. These exports equate to about $10 per U.S. hog, with China accounting for more than half of that total. USMEF remains hopeful that negotiations will be held soon to address these issues.”

While this does create new challenges and makes U.S. meat even less competitive for China, U.S. pork exports hit a record-high in 2024.

According to USMEF, China accounted for 15% of total U.S. pork export volume last year and 13% of export value. Variety meat was much higher. China took 54% of U.S. pork variety meat shipments, accounting for 59% of the value of these products.

As for beef, China accounted for 14% of total U.S. beef export volume last year and 15% of export value.

What’s at Risk for Ag?
It’s no secret China isn’t the giant export destination it was before the previous trade war. For years, China remained the top destination for U.S. ag exports, but now Mexico holds the top spot and Canada is second. In 2023, U.S. ag exports to China decreased, and China’s share of total U.S. exports fell to a four-year low.

What caused the shift? Economists say there are a number of factors, including fallout from the first trade war, increased competition from other countries, changes in Chinese import policies and a slowdown in China’s demand for certain U.S. ag products. It’s important to note, Brazil’s market share in China has been growing.

34% Tariff is in Addition to 20% Tariffs Already in Place for Other Ag Goods
Even before China’s retaliation this week, American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) analysis from March showed Beijing had specifically targeted 15 products, including beef, cotton, grain sorghum, pork, corn and dairy along with fresh fruit.

AFBF shows China has made up a quarter or more of U.S. global agricultural exports for 10 targeted products over the last five years:

Macadamia nuts (99%, $12 million)
Frozen swine carcasses (96%, $25 million)
Grain sorghum (88%, $1.3 billion)
Frozen swine offal (75%, $593 million)
Soybeans (53%, $12.8 billion)
Frozen unboned hams, shoulders and cuts thereof (45%, $7 million)
In-shell hazelnuts (38%, $8 million)
Cotton, not carded or combed (29%, $1.5 billion)
Frozen boneless bovine meat (27%, $1 billion)
In-shell pistachios (25%, $627 million)

Economists say while it’s too early to measure the full impact of the tariffs on U.S. agriculture, they believe it will certainly decrease demand for U.S. products in China.

Comparing the Possible Impact of Trade War 2.0
The March Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor found while 92% of economists think the U.S. is already in a trade war, 69% say they don’t think a trade war today would have the same impact it did 2018 through 2020.

“When you look at China, Brazil and soybeans, we don’t have as much of the market to lose as we did the first round,” one economist said.

Ag Econoimsts’ Monthly Monitor

(Lindsey Pound)

However, many economists think a trade war, this round, will have a more severe impact on agriculture.

“The trade war in 2018/19 also had the African swine fever [ASF] in China in the mix,” one economist said in the monthly survey. “Because of ASF, they did not need the soybeans anyway. It will be hard to figure out what impacted the U.S. markets/prices more, but the market reaction should not be as great this time.”

“It would be a bigger impact,” said another economist in regard to another trade war with China. “The first round of trade wars in agriculture were largely used as a wedge for negotiation or renegotiation of agreements that provided improved access and growth opportunities for ag trade. This round seems to be championed based on reshaping the entire trading system, a system that U.S. agriculture largely benefited from over time.”

(Farm Journal)

When economists were asked who ultimately wins in a trade war, none said the U.S. The majority of ag economists (73%) say it’s ultimately one of the United States’ biggest competitors: Brazil. Eighteen percent, however, think China will benefit from the latest trade war.

Texas Teen Charged with Deadly Conduct After Letting Steers Loose at Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 14:56:47 GMT

A Texas teenager was arrested and charged with deadly conduct for his behavior at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo on March 19.

Alonso Apodaca, a 17-year-old fairgoer, was worried the steers were tied up too tightly, ABC 13 News reports. He went up to a steer, took off its halter and let it loose. Then, he continued to do this for another steer, the article says.

He went up to a third steer and was petting it when someone asked him not to do that, ABC 13 reports. He was tackled to the ground and handcuffed soon after this.

Apodaca was charged with deadly conduct, a misdemeanor. He was taken to jail where he remained overnight as his mother told local reporters that she wanted to teach him to control his actions and emotions better. The teenager took responsibility for his decisions and later told ABC 13 News that he learned an important lesson to think before taking action next time.

Although none of the steers got out and nobody was injured, stock show officials expressed their concern about the unpredictability and danger of loose 1,200+ lb. animals in a crowd of people.

A record-breaking 2.7 million people attended the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo this year.

(Brianna Knowlton/Next Level Images)

Show Livestock Require Proper Animal Handling Skills
While show cattle might appear calm and friendly, they still require experienced handling and restraint, says Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Calf Scramble Judge Jon DeClerck.

“For the safety of both the public and our exhibitors, it is critical no one interacts with livestock without the owner’s permission and assistance,” says DeClerck, incoming executive vice president of the American Simmental Association. “A loose steer in a busy environment can pose serious risks, from injuring pedestrians and junior exhibitors to causing accidents. As a judge we greatly appreciate everyone’s respect for these animals and the hard work exhibitors put into their care and safety.”

Signs clearly ask people not to touch the animals. This is not only for the safety of animals and fairgoers, but also for the health of both animals and people.

A record-breaking 2.7 million people attended the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo this year. A crew of 35,000 volunteers give their time to help make the 20-day event that brings in more than 12,000 head of livestock a success.

Know the ‘Why’ Behind Proper Show Conduct
Jeff Langemeier, one of the event’s volunteers with decades of experience in the stock show industry, says the majority of the volunteers come from cities and there is a need for more rural volunteers who have livestock experience. That’s one of the reasons why he volunteers to help at the show – to help share his practical knowledge of the livestock industry in this volunteer role.

“This instance brings to the forefront the safety of all attending and these valuable projects are of the utmost priority,” Langemeier says. “Safety protocols are in place for all committees and instilled in the behaviors of all involved.”

Beyond the component of human and animal safety, it is important for exhibitors to be diligent and engaging in the ‘why’ behind their conduct at livestock shows, particularly with large public crowds, says Clay Zwilling, CEO of the National Swine Registry.

“We often take for granted our daily and routine tasks,” Zwilling says. “This is an example of stepping back and thinking about why we may have common practices, or more importantly, how we remain diligent to protect fairgoers and fellow exhibitors.”

Emily Ellis, director of communications and content for Animal Agriculture Alliance, agrees that this story emphasizes the continued need for members of the animal agriculture community to proactively communicate what they’re doing on the farm and why certain practices are important for animal welfare, animal health, environmental stewardship and other valued issues.

“This highlights the unintended consequences of members of the public taking matters into their own hands when they don’t understand or agree with a practice being used in agriculture,” Ellis says. “In some instances, as it appears in this case, it’s due to a misunderstanding. In other instances, it’s connected to more extreme ideologies like animal rights activism.”

Zwilling adds that everyone is very lucky that no people or animals were hurt or caused themselves or others damage.

Your Next Read: Viral Videos Fuel Interest in Pig Shows

5 Easy Steps to Better Invest in Your Employees

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 18:05:32 GMT

Each year, farmers make significant investments in their operations, whether it be new equipment, new technology, or infrastructure improvements. However, to maximize the return on these investments, they must also focus on hiring and retaining skilled, engaged employees. According to Dr. Bob Milligan of Dairy Strategies, LLC, one often overlooked but essential investment farmers neglect to make is in employee development.

“Unlike physical assets, employee development doesn’t require massive capital—but it does demand a commitment to fostering growth and continuous improvement. The key is making it a priority,” Milligan says.

Milligan outlines five essential employee development tools—ranging from one-time training events to continuous improvement systems—that farmers can implement to strengthen their workforce.

1. Create a Development Plan
One way to make sure employees keep learning and growing is by having a clear plan in place. A well-structured development plan ensures employees have clear goals for professional growth.

According to Milligan, a strong development plan may include:

On-farm training opportunities.
Reading materials, virtual resources and webinars.
Off-farm learning experiences such as workshops or industry conferences.

Milligan suggests that plans be reviewed and updated in late fall or early the following year, allowing owners and employees to align educational opportunities with these focus areas.

2. Develop a Performance Improvement System
Beyond individual growth plans, it’s also important to have a system in place that helps employees understand expectations and track their progress. A strong performance improvement system answers two essential employee questions:

What is expected of me?
How am I doing?

“While all businesses set expectations and provide feedback, an unstructured approach leaves employees uncertain, frustrated, and less effective,” Milligan adds. “Many farms rely on annual performance reviews, but research suggests they are often ineffective feedback should be timely, not delayed until year-end.”

Milligan notes that a structured performance system should include:

Providing ongoing, informal feedback to help employees refine their skills in realtime.
Frequent structured check-ins, ideally monthly, to review progress and reset expectations.
An annual strategic meeting focused on future growth, replacing outdated performance review models.

3. Conduct Stay Meetings
A stay meeting is a great way to check in with employees and keep them engaged for the long haul. Instead of looking back like a traditional performance review, it focuses on the future—helping set goals and make a plan for success.

During stay meetings, Milligan highlights three key areas to focus on:

Have a clear purpose: Work together to boost performance, job satisfaction, and keep good employees around.
Look ahead, not back: Unlike regular reviews, stay meetings focus on growth and future goals.
Make it a two-way conversation: Supervisors should listen, ask questions, and get input from employees.

4. Communicate
Good communication is key to keeping things running smoothly on the farm. Whether it’s working together as a team or making important decisions, strong communication makes a big difference.

“In my opinion, the keys to excellent communication are listening, asking questions, and psychological safety,” Milligan says. “Psychological safety means feeling safe to take interpersonal risks, to speak up, to disagree openly, and to surface concerns without fear of negative repercussions or pressure to sugarcoat bad news.

5. Create Career-Oriented Compensation
Keeping good employees around takes more than just keeping them happy—it takes showing them they have a future on your farm. Stay meetings help build that long-term commitment but pay and benefits play a big role too.

“Younger and often first-line employees typically focus on having cash as their compensation. As employees age, advance, and become more family-oriented, they seek benefits like excellent health insurance and a retirement program. Balancing these differing desires, especially in our difficult labor market, is a challenge,” Milligan notes.

Being flexible with pay structures and openly communicating with employees about their needs can help create a compensation plan that supports long-term retention.

Give It a Shot
At the end of the day, investing in your employees is just as important as upgrading equipment or adopting new technology. A strong, engaged team keeps the farm running smoothly, and when people feel valued and see a future with you, they’re more likely to stay. By focusing on these five steps, you won’t just build a workforce—you’ll create a team that’s in it for the long haul.

Your Next Read: Leading By Example: How this Employee Became the Best in the Business by Being Genuine

How Iowa Farmer Mark Hanna is Investing in Innovation and Giving Ag Startups a Fighting Chance

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:49:36 GMT

You’ll still find Iowa farmer Mark Hanna behind the wheel of his combine every fall. The technology and automation is a signature of their farm, and what helps keep running the combine still fun for someone who’s been farming for 46 years.

But the landscape of equipment and technology today looks drastically different from when he started farming in 1979.

“I joined my dad’s operation where I was basically the labor force to help me get started,” Hanna says, who farmers in Joyce, Iowa. “I would trade my labor for the use of his machinery.”

The Cusp of the 1980s Farm Crisis
Right on the cusp of the 1980s farm crisis, Hanna’s rookie years of farming were tough.

“It was a horrible time. It was 1979 and my grandpa, Dewey, whose farm we actually bought in 1980, said he was always going to sell me that farm, even when I was little,” Hanna remembers. “And it came about in 1981, and a year later, the farm was worth half of what we bought it for.”

Hanna describes farming as an occupation of risks and rewards. And the risks then were high.

“The bank got concerned and said, ‘Boy, your equity is going backward here. Your net worth isn’t good.’ And I said, ‘Well, I have a private contract with my grandpa. And as long as I make that, it really doesn’t matter to you.’”

The Mortgage Lifters
With interest rates at 18%, Hanna weathered that storm. One way he did was with farrow to finish hogs.

“I figured out they were the mortgage lifters,” he says. “So, I just raised as many as I could in every nook and cranny on the farm for about five or six years. And that kept me making my payments and kept me farming.”

Throughout the ‘90s, Hanna expanded more and more, moving all his hogs and pigs into an environment he could control.

“By 1998, I had even my sows inside as fully confinement buildings,” Hanna says. “But 1998, that was a pretty tough. We had 8 cent hogs in December. I had all my buildings full. We had just built two new buildings. It turned out to be a $30,000 a month loss with no end in sight.”

The Hog Market Crash of 1998
In 1998, Hanna met his biggest challenge yet. With margins in the red and the debt mounting, he knew he needed to find additional income. So, he decided to take a job in town working nights, while also still raising hogs.

“After two weeks of that, I decided, ‘You know what? There’s more important things in life. I’m doing the best I can. And if I’m doing the best I can and I can’t make it, so be it.’ So, I kept breeding sows and keeping all the facilities full. And by July that year we had $60 hogs. I had full buildings, and I made more money than I ever thought I would and got my debt taken care of,” Hanna says.

It’s that moment in Hanna’s career that his son, Philip, says was a pivotal point for their family farm.

“It really stuck out to me is that he just focused on ‘what can I do and not worry about the things that I can’t control and just focus on that’,” says Philip Hanna.

The Next Generation
Hanna’s sons, Philip and Andrew, are now partners in their family farm. And they say the thing they admire most about their dad is his vision and ability to take risks.

“I feel like technology-wise, our biggest thing is being able to variable rate our planting, planting our split application of 32% and our fertilizer in the fall. That’s been huge,” says Andrew Hanna.

Mark’s sons, Andrew and Philip, are now partners on the farm.

(Tyne Morgan )

From the latest technology to the decision to dive into strip till in 2018, even Hanna’s employee of 20 years will tell you he admires Hanna’s intelligence and ability to always look ahead.

“They’re just really good people to work for,” says Larry Severson, a long-time employee. “I mean, they’re very innovative. They try new things like the strip tower. We were the first ones in this area to make that leap. And they went headfirst into it and it worked out really well for them.”

Mark Hanna was one of the first in his area to try strip till, and it wasn’t just a few acres. Hanna went all-in.

(Matt Mormann )

Investing in Innovation
What may be the biggest mark of success is how Hanna is investing in innovation through Ag Ventures Alliance .

“We help startups in ag thrive and be successful,” he says. “We offer them a wealth of information and knowledge and help to get them going.”

Ag Ventures Alliance and AgLaunch now select their top 10 startups each year, offering advice and financial investment.

“Out of that spun AgLaunch Farmers LLC , which we started two years ago. Farmers actually get a stake in each company. They have to put up $100,000 and pledge it to the AgLaunch Farmer LLC. When they’re successful, the farmers will get paid back with their stake in the equity in the company,” Hanna says.

Ag Ventures Alliance was created to accelerate ag tech innovation and redefine resilience and profitability for American farmers.

(Ag Ventures Alliance )

For Hanna, investing in others and helping start-up companies launch into the ag field is one of the most rewarding parts of his job today.

“I like to see new innovations. We like to try the newest thing that’s coming out there on our own farm,” he says.

For his sons, Hanna’s ability to give back and support others is just a glimpse into the strong character he instilled in both of them.

“I came out of high school wanting to be just like my dad, wanting to be a farmer like he has been in the past and to grow with him in the future,” Andrew says.

Phillip adds, “I hope with my brother and me, when my dad starts phasing out, that we’re going to continue to be on the new technology like my dad was and just keep on improving things on the farm and not be afraid of trying new things and new technology.”
Congratulations to Mark Hanna, a finalist for the 2025 Top Producer of the Year.

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Iowa Man Reveals Best Tenderloin from 99-County Tour

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 16:26:59 GMT

After a ‘whirlwind of a sandwich odyssey’ in Iowa, JayJay Goodvin, chief explorer of the Iowa Gallivant, revealed his favorite tenderloin from his 99-county tour.

Just over 10 months ago, Goodvin started a quest to eat a tenderloin in all 99 counties in Iowa. With more than 28 million views of his videos across his social media platforms, the response to his journey left him speechless.

After thoughtful analysis and some soul-searching, Goodvin announced the winner to a live WHO 13 News audience on Feb. 13. The winning tenderloin was served by The Landmark Bistro of Grundy Center, Iowa.

What set this tasty tenderloin apart from the other 98?

“It was a beautiful tenderloin – they really did a great job with the mustard,” Goodvin says. “It was bigger than your compact tenderloin, but it wasn’t huge. The breading was crunchy, but didn’t overpower the flavor of the pork, which was very important. They had great seasoning in that breading.”

Most importantly the staff did a great job, he points out. They were busy, but they got the food out expeditiously. Most importantly, it was served scorching hot.

“It doesn’t matter what style of pork tenderloin you like, it’s got to come out scorching hot,” Goodvin told Farm Journal’s PORK in an earlier interview . “Whether you like them thin, thick, breaded, battered, small or huge elephant ears, it must come out hot. After that, it’s all up to the consumer on what style is their favorite.”

He notes there is a wide spectrum of tenderloins available.

“There is more variety than people realize,” he says. “You can get them battered, broiled, breaded, even served with a wheelbarrow of gravy over mashed potatoes on it.”

Where is the Iowa Gallivant off to next? He says he is starting a project called “99 Specials.” He will be going throughout the entire state of Iowa trying a “special” in every county. He’s hopeful he’ll be able to find 99 different specials from ham balls to hot beef sandwiches and everything in between.

Follow his journey here.

Your Next Read: Mission Complete: Iowa Man Eats a Pork Tenderloin in All 99 Iowa Counties

U.S. Pork Exports Break Records at $8.63 Billion in Value for 2024

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 20:46:32 GMT

U.S. pork exports reached new highs for both volume and value in 2024. Export value totaled $8.63 billion, up 6% from the previous record set in 2023. The full-year volume came in at 3.03 million metric tons, up 4% from a year ago and topping the previous high (2.98 million metric tons) reached in 2020.

U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and CEO Dan Halstrom says the increases were driven by diversification of export markets and delivered a value of $66 per head slaughtered on pork.

“We’ve actually had a few months this year where we were over $70 so I think we’re going to continue to look to increase that payback going forward in 2025,” Halstrom says.

December pork exports totaled 267,132 metric tons, slightly below last year’s large volume, while value increased 1% to $771.8 million, according to year-end data released by USDA and compiled by USMEF.

“Market diversification has been a key goal of the U.S. pork industry for many years, and the resulting broad-based growth has never been more evident than in 2024,” Halstrom says. “While exports to Mexico were record-large for the fourth consecutive year, U.S. pork’s footprint expanded greatly in the Western Hemisphere and made gains in the Asia-Pacific, which bolstered global export totals and pushed export value per head slaughtered to a new high of more than $66.”

Pork exports achieved annual volume and value records in Central America, Colombia, New Zealand, Malaysia and several Caribbean markets. Value records were reached in South Korea, Australia and the Dominican Republic.

“I think we’re well positioned, on the pork side, to see continued growth in 2025,” Halstrom adds. “And like I said, it’s not just Latin America, but it’s a combination of Southeast Asia, Asia and Latin America. So very good spot for us on the pork side.”

Your Next Read: What Are Ohio Pork Producers Doing to Defy the Winter Slump?

5 Reasons Consumer Distrust In Our Food Supply Is Rising

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 20:38:14 GMT

Bread, check. Blueberries, check. As I wheel my grocery cart alongside the deli case, I’m taken aback at what I see. Rather, it is what I don’t see that has me wondering, “What in the world?” This section of my favorite grocery store is now almost completely empty, except for a couple of ham loaves and a renegade block of cheese.

In a slightly distraught tone I ask the worker behind the counter, “What’s going on?” He hesitates for a moment, then replies, “The store is in the process of changing suppliers for our deli products. We should have more of a selection next week.” Then it dawns on me: my favorite brand of deli meat and cheese, Boar’s Head, has officially been blacklisted by my go-to grocery store.

I should not have been surprised. Boar’s Head began its fall from public grace on July 26, 2024, when the company issued a recall for more than 207,528 lb. of product due to potential listeria contamination. The CDC linked the contamination to 61 illnesses and, tragically, 10 deaths. It was the worst listeria outbreak in the U.S. in over a decade.

The outbreak was ultimately traced to a production line at the company’s Jarratt, Va., plant. According to USDA inspection reports, which USA Today had to obtain through a Freedom of Information Act request, 69 reports of non-compliance were recorded at the Jarratt plant between 2023 and 2024. What was in those reports was unsettling. Documentation of insects live and dead, black and green mold, mildew, dripping and standing water, as well as other unsanitary conditions within the plant in the weeks leading up to the July recall. In a move that was too little too late, Boar’s Head announced on Sept. 13, 2024 that the Jarratt plant would be closed permanently.

In 1906, Upton Sinclair published his famous novel “The Jungle,” which exposed the horrific conditions in the meatpacking industry at the time. The writer’s work proved to be an instant bestseller to the masses. The irony is that nearly 120 years later, one might find it hard to discern whether they’re reading a current USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) report or a chapter straight out of “The Jungle.”

Just One Of Many
The Boar’s Head case was only one the high profile food recalls last year. Remember the E. coli contaminated onions on McDonald’s quarter pounders? Then, Costco issued a massive recall on their Kirkland Signature brand of organic eggs because of a threat of Salmonella. And to cap off the year with the scariest illness yet, on Dec. 18, 2024, the CDC confirmed a patient in Louisiana had been hospitalized with the nation’s first severe case of avian influenza A (H5N1) virus, aka the “bird flu.”

If it seems that the number of food recalls are coming at us at a more fast and furious pace than ever, then your gut instinct is spot on. The Food and Drug Administration, which reports food and cosmetics together, says 1,908 such products were recalled in the fiscal year that ended in September. That’s the highest number since 2019. Such a constant barrage of warnings is having a serious affect on consumers’ overall psyche — and not in a positive way. According to a September 2024 Gallup report, only 57% of Americans say they have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence in the government to keep food safe. This number is a 27 point decrease since 2019, and is a record low for the Gallup Consumption Habits Poll since its inception in 1999.

This explosion of 20th century foodborne illnesses has me asking the same question I asked the worker behind the deli counter: “What’s going on?”

5 Reasons To Be Skeptical
There are multiple reasons consumers have good reason to be less confident in the safety of their food.

First, there’s the government. Second, more and more of our food is imported, which makes it harder to inspect. Third, you have a growing quest for more natural food, which sometimes circumvents traditional inspection channels. Fourth, industry consolidation means only a handful of players control both the production and processing. That’s not inherently a bad thing, but if something goes wrong, it’s probably going to be big. Finally, we now have the ability, through more technology and data, to find, detect and isolate the specific source of contamination and document it.

Time For An Overhaul
Food safety policy and implementation at the government level is in need of a serious overhaul. There is a chance it could actually happen. In 2018, the previous Trump administration proposed consolidating federal food oversight into a single agency with USDA.

There are so many common sense things that a fully functioning food agency could do. For one, start with better and more noticeable country of origin labeling (COOL) on imported foods. It should be prominent, displaying the country’s flag as the primary indicator of origin. If nothing else, we’ll all get better at geography. Next, companies that embrace new technologies that prevent contamination should be rewarded with tax credits. We do it for electric cars. Why not for safer food?

Finally, the most important change needs to come in the form of accountability and transparency both from the food industry itself and the government that regulates it. That didn’t happen in the case of Boar’s Head, and 10 people lost their lives because of it. In the age of AI and social media, those FSIS plant inspection reports should be posted on platforms such as X and Facebook for the public to see in real time. Without such transparency, we’re no better off than we were back in 1906.

Has Prop 12 Created a Crisis in California?

Fri, 10 Jan 2025 21:00:01 GMT

Proposition 12 is exacerbating food insecurity in California – especially in the Asian and Latino communities who rely on pork as their primary protein, say representatives of the Latino Restaurant Association and the Latin Business Association.

“The impacts of Proposition 12 are devastating our Latino businesses and families across California,” says Ruben Guerra, chairman of the Latin Business Association. “With pork prices soaring up to 41% higher than the rest of the country and more than one in three Latino adults already living in food-insecure households, this misguided law is creating unintended food insecurity in our communities.”

Pork is a staple protein in Latino cuisine and culture, yet Guerra says they are seeing California’s pork consumption plummet as families struggle to afford these drastically higher prices.

“This isn’t just about numbers, this is about real families having to choose between putting food on the table and paying their bills,” he says. “Our small businesses, particularly Latino-owned restaurants and markets, are caught in the middle as they try to maintain affordable prices while absorbing these massive cost increases.”

Prop 12 hasn’t made life better for anyone, says Lilly Rocha, executive director of the Latino Restaurant Association.

“It would be one thing if the regulations imposed on pork producers were based on data and scientific research,” Rocha says. “But it’s not. We’ve had a great pork industry forever. Why do we need to change a good thing all of a sudden? It makes no sense. It seems to be regulation stemming from a social agenda, not a scientific one.”

Out-of-Control Prices
The Latino Restaurant Association is based in Houston, Texas, Los Angeles, California and New York and serves about 1,400 members across the nation. As a representative of Latino restaurant owners, Rocha says they are concerned about how Prop 12 has affected their industry in a negative way.

“Latinos are the No. 1 consumers of pork in the United States – that means our menus have a lot of pork products,” Rocha explains. “Pork has generally been the affordable protein. Now, beef and pork are the same, so the profit margin is going down on both of the proteins. It’s going to be more of a struggle to even make a profit within the menu since prices are up, resulting in an increase in overall pricing.”

She points out that the Latino community is not the most affluent of the minority groups, so the higher prices are impacting them in a big way.

“Here in California, it’s not the easiest place to run a business, especially a restaurant. We are seeing out-of-control pricing already,” Rocha says.

Pork is a staple protein in the Latino population.

(Latino Restaurant Association)

Although she doesn’t know if there is a direct correlation between higher pork prices and restaurant closures, she says there’s no question about it that closures are continuing to happen.

“I think Prop 12 is just one more regulation on top of other regulations, and all together, that’s what’s making our folks shut their doors,” she says. “Prop 12 absolutely adds to that in a very negative way.”

Rocha and Guerra are leading voices in the Food Equity Alliance, a coalition working to address rising food costs and their impact on California families, especially within the Latino community. Of course, they don’t want prices to go back down, but realize that probably won’t happen. She says they’d like to see prices not go up. Most importantly, they don’t want Prop 12 to propagate in other places.

“Latinos love pork, and we will try to find ways to be able to afford pork,” Rocha says. “We’re always going to be supportive of the pork industry and want them to know we are an ally. We are willing to do anything we can do to help or team up to educate others on what’s really going on in the industry.”

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