In a coordinated push against California’s Proposition 12, Iowa leaders are rallying support to protect pork producers from what they call unconstitutional overreach and harmful regulations. During a U.S. House Agriculture Committee hearing this week, Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) spoke out against the mandate, highlighting economic losses and threats to herd health voiced by Iowa hog farmers.
Matt Schuiteman, a hog producer from Sioux County, testified alongside Feenstra, calling Proposition 12 an ill-informed policy crafted without input from those working directly with livestock. “Prop 12 takes away our ability to act on what we know for the best interest of the animal,” said Schuiteman. “We would prefer to have the freedom to manage our animals the best way we can see fit for the best possible outcome.”
Feenstra entered several letters from Iowa farmers into the congressional record, detailing how the proposition has led to substantial conversion costs—ranging from $3,500 to $4,500 per sow—as well as declines in herd health and market opportunities. He emphasized, “Allowing a state that represents less than one-tenth of one percent of hog production to mandate activist-driven practices for farmers across the country is blatantly wrong.”
Joining the effort at the state level, Governor Kim Reynolds submitted a letter to congressional leadership—co-signed by seven other governors—in support of the Save Our Bacon Act. The letter urges Congress to limit individual states from regulating agricultural production outside their borders, especially when it imposes burdens on interstate commerce.
The letter critiques Prop 12 for increasing pork prices and disregarding the science-based practices that have shaped America’s food supply. “Although California does not raise hogs, the state accounts for 15 percent of the national pork market,” the letter reads. “By imposing unnecessary and unscientific regulations, Proposition 12 increases the price for consumers in California and for producers in pork-supplying states.”
As Congress weighs the Save Our Bacon Act, Feenstra and Reynolds continue to advocate for a legislative fix that restores consumer choice and protects Iowa’s farmers from rules made far from the fields and barns they call home.
See Schuiteman’s and Feenstra’s full testimonies on Representative Feenstra’s YouTube channel.
