Reposted from: https://dcjournal.com/stop-the-bankruptcy-of-american-farmers/
May 18, 2026
For generations, independent farmers helped build rural America. We raised livestock, bought feed from local mills, worked with local veterinarians, and kept our small towns alive. In Lincoln County, Mo., there used to be more than 100 hog farmers. Today, only a handful are left. And many could be wiped out if Congress passes the Save Our Bacon Act, included in the House Farm Bill, which would overturn states’ ability to oversee agricultural production as they see fit.
I’ve watched corporate agriculture hollow out communities that once thrived. When independent farmers disappear, the businesses around them disappear too. Equipment dealers close. Feed stores vanish. Schools shrink. Churches are empty. The social fabric of rural America starts to unravel.
This didn’t happen by accident.
Today, four giant corporations dominate the pork industry: Smithfield Foods, JBS USA, Tyson Foods and Hormel Foods, and two of those are owned by China and Brazil. Together, they control 70 percent of the U.S. pork market. Their business model depends on consolidation and control. The fewer independent producers there are, the more power these corporations have over who gets to farm, how they farm, and how much consumers pay. That’s why California’s Proposition 12 matters so much.
Prop 12 established basic animal welfare standards for pork sold in California, including more space for momma pigs. For independent farmers, it created something we hadn’t seen in years: a fair market opportunity. My farm was already raising hogs in ways that met those standards, so we didn’t need to overhaul our operation. But suddenly, there was a premium market for the kind of farming we were doing responsibly, but barely getting by.
For the first time in a long time, independent producers had a fighting chance. Twenty-seven percent have already complied with the California standards and are making a living.
Now, corporate big pork lobbyists in Washington want Congress to take that away through the Farm Bill. The so-called “Save Our Bacon Act” would override laws such as Prop 12 and strip states of their right to set standards for food sold within their borders.
This isn’t just about pork. It’s about who gets to shape the future of American agriculture: family farmers and local communities, or multinational corporations.
The big companies claim Prop 12 creates burdens, but what really bothers them is that they can’t completely control the market. Independent farmers found a way to compete. Consumers showed willingness to support different production practices. Both developments would threaten a system built around industrial livestock production based on corporate concentration.
If Congress overturns Prop 12, many independent hog farmers won’t survive. Some are hanging on by a thread. Once small producers are gone, they won’t come back.
That should concern everyone, not just farmers. Consumers have said they want our meat produced under better and more humane conditions.
A food system controlled by a handful of corporations is fragile. When everything becomes cookie-cutter and centralized, one disruption can ripple through the entire supply chain. We saw that during the pandemic. Resiliency comes from diversity — different farms, different regions, different production models.
Independent farmers provide that resiliency.
We also keep rural communities alive. Small and mid-size farms support local economies in ways giant corporate operations never will. We hire local people. We buy local supplies. We invest in our towns because we live there.
We are in the grips of one of the worst farm crises since the 1980s. Record input costs, record consolidation, and the U.S. war with Iran have left many farmers on the brink of financial ruin. America cannot afford to lose independent producers altogether, and if the Senate chooses to go along with the House Farm Bill, many hog farmers will be put out of business.
Congress has a choice in this Farm Bill debate. Lawmakers can continue rewarding consolidation — and Chinese-owned corporations — or they can stand up for competition, states’ rights and the independent farmers fighting to survive. I know which future I want for rural America.
Bob Street is a farmer in Lincoln County, Mo.