October 15, 2026
As a Minnesota farmer, I know that one of the hardest things in agriculture is uncertainty.
Farmers make decisions years in advance. We invest in our land, animals and operations based on the markets available to us and the rules in place.
That is why I’m concerned about efforts in Washington to “fix” California’s Proposition 12 (a voter-enacted ballot initiative that sets standards on eggs, pork and veal sold in the state) as part of the Farm Bill.
Whatever one thinks about California’s law, farmers have already adapted to it. Some producers have invested in meeting its standards, and others have built businesses around consumers willing to pay for products raised differently. Congress should not change those rules now simply because some of the largest players in the pork industry want different terms.
A federal compromise that weakens Proposition 12 would still be federal intervention in an agricultural marketplace that farmers are already navigating. It could also set a troubling precedent: When a state creates a market with standards some producers do not like, Washington can step in and erase them.
Minnesota’s Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Angie Craig are in important positions as Congress works toward a final Farm Bill. I appreciate their work on behalf of farmers, and I hope they will continue standing with independent producers by rejecting not only the Save Our Bacon Act, but any attempt to repackage it as a “fix” or compromise.
Farmers don’t need Washington changing the rules in the middle of the game. We need stable markets, choices about how we farm and the opportunity to compete on something other than size.
Matt Goettl, St. Peter