Missouri family hog farmers have joined a campaign of independent producers to turn up the volume in Washington, D.C., as Congress weighs Proposition 12, California’s crate-free pork law.
The campaign consists of billboards, ads and outreach to thank lawmakers who support it. Missouri ranks among the nation’s top pork producers, with more than 3 million hogs and pigs. Supporters said Proposition 12 has opened a niche market for crate-free pork, giving smaller farmers and co-ops a way to stay in business without relying on corporate contracts.
Bob Street has been a mid-sized farmer in eastern Missouri since the 1960s and said they once had a lot of options for marketing livestock.
"All of those markets today are gone," Street pointed out. "If you want to market, you have to go semi-loads of hogs, and it's kind of hard for someone like me to put a semi-load together."
However, opponents argued that Proposition 12 burdens interstate commerce by forcing out-of-state producers to meet California’s housing standards, driving up costs for farmers and consumers, and potentially putting small and mid-sized pig farmers out of business.
Hog farming remains a cornerstone of Missouri agriculture, with more than 2,200 farms with about 1,400 animals each, while supporting thousands of jobs in processing and feed.
Street explained why smaller producers matter.
"I think it's important to keep smaller producers in business," Street emphasized. "They're good for the local economy. A lot of what I read said that when you get the bigger ones, they don't add that much to the local economy. They buy things outside the community."
Farm Action reports that more than 5,000 independent farmers nationwide have added their voices in support of Proposition 12.
The Missouri Public News Service originally published this story and is a partner with KRCU Public Radio.
