Your Farmer's Voice on Capital Hill

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September 14, 2024

This past week I traveled to Washington DC with a group of fellow farmers and small meat companies to lobby our state's congressmen and state senators about the detrimental effects the EATS Act will have on animal welfare, family farms, and our customer's food supply long term.

I was really honored to attend with a huge thank you to American’s for Family Farmers that help fund my trip and our farm team keeping up with all the farm duties in my absence.

I also had the opportunity to be with other like minded small farmers and some up and coming meat companies like Butcher Box, Niman Ranch, and True Story Foods that I think are looking to reshape the food production standards in the US.

The trip was my first time to D.C. and there were a few observations this country boy made that might make you laugh.

#1. Pictures and movies don’t do the Capital building justice. It is beautiful, magnificent, and HUGEEE!!!

#2. SO MANY all black and tinted window SUV’s! Lol

#3. While, I thought I dressed up well in my nicest jeans and a button down collared shirt tucked in…I definitely felt a little underdressed at times as everyone wore slacks, suit jackets and a tie. I’ve never been somewhere where everyone dressed this way on a regular daily basis.

#4. The U.S. policy's are pretty much run by 20-30 year old staffers.

For whatever reason, I was expecting to see a majority of older people here in D.C. However this really wasn’t the case.

The staffers actually have so much power as they are responsible for communicating with their boss (i.e. congressman or senator) our meetings and key issues that the people are presenting to them. Everything goes through a staffer before the congressman or senator hears about it.

Now I give these young staffers a lot of credit in our meetings with them they were smart, well articulate in their conversation, and informed individuals. Definitely not individuals to take lightly in their ability to influence.

Why Go to D.C. to oppose the EATS Act?

The “Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression Act" (S.2019; H.R.4417) as it stands is a bit of a misleading title. Which on the face of it sounds good. However this is really Big Ag’s attempt to take more power over the agricultural industry as it would take away individual state rights and harm the niche markets that are developing to comply with animal welfare laws previous instated.

They’ve been attempting something like this for years and after California’s proposition 12 and Massachusetts Question 3 were put into law recently January 1st. They feel all the more need to get this passed in the upcoming farm bill.

Prop 12 and Question 3 are state laws that require mother pigs, veal, and egg laying hens have enough space to turn around and that some of these products sold in that state meet those requirements as well.

Voters in these states agreed by an overwhelming majority to put these laws into effect knowing it would increase their cost on these food products, but they felt giving these animals a better living condition was essential.

I learned that mother pigs in a commercial factory farm are actually put into a gestation crate to live for 4 months where they can’t turn around or walk. Here they are bred and kept while in pregnancy (gestation).

Then just before farrowing (having the baby) they are moved to the farrowing crate where it's a very similar living condition, but slightly wider so the babies access the mothers milk.

Prop 12 law only required the gestation crates be removed and didn’t affect the farrowing crates. So in my opinion, it's an improvement, but still I think we have more progress to make in the way factory farms operate!

While there, several hog farmers that provide pork to meat companies like Butcher box, Niman Ranch, and True Story Foods presented their story transitioning their hog farms to be compliant with Prop 12 and Q3. Investing millions of dollars to improve their facilities for the hog’s welfare by removing the gestation crates. Many since they switched not only found they could get a premium for their pork now that this law opened up a niche market, but it now was going to result in them being profitable vs risking to lose their farm.

One farmer also shared the unintentional significant improvement in hog performance by removing these gestation crates!

What a surprise…right?

Duh folks....Pigs get stressed in this type of environment!

I kept telling folks, “We are here in DC to honor the pig.”

When young teenagers see pictures of these factory farms, it's no wonder, they stopped eating meat!

This bible verse kept coming to my mind when I saw these pictures of pigs in the gestation crates.

“The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel” Proverbs 12:10

At the end of the day, we have a responsibility as a farmer to honor these animals and provide a good living condition for them.

Educating Congress

All this said, we really tried to combat some of the lies that Big Ag are stating about this prop 12.

Unfortunately they are stating so many misleading myths as facts. Some are just direct lies.

One example of a misleading lie that set me off was they stated "Prop 12 will financially wreck family farms."

This couldn't be further from the truth. Since Prop 12 the pork industries quarterly earnings report are positive. If anything their fight to insert the EATS Act in the farm bill has created more uncertainty for the niche family farmers as I described above as they could potentially lose their new markets!

The reality is these “family farms” as Big Ag describes are under the thumb of big meat as they contract all their pork to 3 big meat companies.

I invite you to watch this video that a fellow pork producer, Ron Mardesen, I had the honor to be with this week. He has an amazing farm with really high level animal welfare that I align so closely with.

I think this video lays out how the hog industry has changed over the last 35 years and how it’s really not in the best interest of the family farms and rural communities, but rather the opposite.

Rescinding State Rights

The EATS Act will not only reverse the progress and investments farmers are taking towards animal welfare, but it's also going to threaten the future balance of power in the US government.

This would erode the state’s rights to pass laws and regulations related to food safety, disease and pest control and other public health/welfare matters.

In fact in 2023 the Supreme Court upheld California’s Prop 12 in court as constitutional. The EATS Act is really an attempt to take away state rights as taking it to court didn’t work for them.

For me personally, this is probably the biggest reason I want to fight this. Prop 12 or not, EATS Act or not, in some ways, it doesn’t affect us as a farm all that much because we sell direct to consumers and folks buy from us because they do care about animal welfare and don’t trust what the grocery store has to offer. They know we are raising our livestock with care and to the highest standards!

However, if the states lose their power and the Federal government has complete control of this, I think it could be a slippery slope of potentially more bad policy that individual states will have no say on the matter.

If you have time to watch this video, here's another video explaining the EATS Act and it's history in detail.

Take Action!

If you can, I encourage you to send an email or phone call to your local congressman in your district and let them know you oppose the EATS Act.

Here's the direct link to search for your congressman in your district. Currently this is bill is still in the house. So let's try to stop it now before it heads to the senate.

We need to make this known that the overwhelming majority of Americans do not want this Act or something similar in the upcoming farm bill.

Thanks so much for reading and together we can shape a better food system for America!

God bless,

Joe

A warning to all fatty meat lovers

A buttery ribeye infused with rosemary. Or Sunday-morning bacon, maple-kissed and golden-edged. And not without plenty of butter and eggs on the side. All of these are indulgences I love… and that I’m sure you love as well. Even more so because these foods are good for you… Giving your body so much strength and vitality. But you know what… plot twist. All of those people who say fatty steaks and eggs are the villain, and will cause such and such diseases, may actually be RIGHT. Fat is the worst thing you can eat if you’re trying to be healthy—under ONE condition… But before I get into that… Why is it that so many people made the decision to incorporate nutrient-dense meats and eggs (including lots of fat) in their diet? Why Fat Is Essential for Health. Fat is the body's preferred source of fuel (especially when on a low-carb diet). Your body uses it much more efficiently than both carbs and sugar… (no energy crashes or mood swings.) Some vitamins NEED fat for your body to absorb them… like vitamins A, D, E, and K, which are fat-soluble, meaning you literally can’t absorb them without fat present… So even if you’re eating liver (vitamin A) or greens (vitamin K), those nutrients are pretty much USELESS without enough fat to carry them into your cells. The cholesterol in fat is the raw material that produces hormones like testosterone, estrogen, and cortisol (responsible for maintaining constant blood pressure and blood glucose levels, and regulating immune function and anti-inflammatory mechanisms) in your body. Low fat = a starving endocrine system… which tanks your mood, libido, and metabolism over time. Every cell in your body has a fatty membrane… and your brain? It’s made up of roughly 60% fat (mostly DHA and other fatty acids). This means not eating fat is basically starving your cells and brain—your operating system. All unnecessary cravings go away because of the way fat satiates your body (it slows digestion, stabilizes blood sugar, and keeps you full)... without it people tend to snack throughout the day, crave and binge carbs, and lose control of knowing when their body is actually hungry. Fat is the key that allows your body to thrive and prosper. (Even if you love to eat veggies!! Because many of the important nutrients in veggies are fat-soluble… meaning your body can’t absorb them without fat present.) So what makes fat so bad? Well firstly, not ALL fat is the same. Some fat may be detrimental to your health. While other fat can heal your body in the most marvelous ways. This is because of one important thing: Toxins are stored in the fat. In fact, some toxins love fat… due to being lipophilic. (Meaning they dissolve in fat.) Although some toxins—like bentazone, glyphosate, imidacloprid, fluoride, and arsenic—are hydrophilic, meaning they dissolve in water (and don’t store in the fat). So just like any packaged snack at the grocery store, low-quality fat may have hidden mystery ingredients… i.e. toxins, inside it. (Remember: not ALL toxins are stored in the fat… but most of the persistent and harmful ones are—especially the ones conventionally-raised livestock are exposed to.) Because, whenever an animal is exposed to harmful substances/toxins… like pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, antibiotics, or mold toxins—whether that’s through the food they eat, or the water they drink, or the air they breathe… Those compounds don’t just vanish into thin air. (Or don’t just turn into a cow-patty lol.) They have to go somewhere. That “somewhere” being the fat of the animal. But really, it’s all by design. Because shoving all those toxins into fat cells keeps them away from vital organs—it’s the body’s version of sweeping junk under the rug. But with one problem: those toxins stay there. So which toxins accumulate in fat (and how’d they get there)? Dioxins and furans (PCDDs/PCDFs) — These are toxic compounds created when industrial waste, plastics, or chemicals are burned… think incinerators, factory emissions, or even backyard trash fires. They don’t break down easily and are known to bioaccumulate in fat—making them one of the most persistent and dangerous pollutants in the food chain. So how do they end up being consumed by livestock? These toxins settle onto grass, soil, and water—which grazing animals like cows eat directly or ingest through contaminated feed (like grain) or hay. Pesticides and herbicides — Banned chemicals like DDT can still be found in soil today (both the soil which livestock may live on and the soil their feed—mainly grains for most—is grown on)… in addition to other modern pesticides—like organophosphates and organochlorines. If an animal was fed feed grown with pesticides, its residues can end up in its fat… and then on your plate, and then in your body. PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) — These man-made chemicals were once used in everything from paints and coolants to glues and electrical equipment. Even though PCBs were banned in 1979, they’re still found in soil, water, and—yep—animal fat. Their ability to stick around for decades means they often show up in conventionally-raised meat, through feed, water, or soil contamination—when ingested, they circulate in the animal’s bloodstream and get stored preferentially in adipose (fat) tissue, especially in fattier animals like pigs. Toxic heavy metals — Some metals like mercury, lead, cadmium, and even aluminum accumulate in fat… and these aren’t just neurotoxic—they disrupt hormones, impair detox pathways, and increase oxidative stress. Chronic exposure (even in small amounts) accumulates over time. Animals ingest them via contaminated soil, water, or feed, especially if raised near urban or industrial zones (for example, lead and cadmium can enter through plants or grains grown in polluted soils). These are the most prominent toxins that end up being in the fat of most conventionally raised animals. And the reason why SOME fat causes many health issues. By “SOME fat” I mean fat from conventionally raised animals (including cattle, pigs, chickens…) which are exposed to these toxins persistently… and NOT fat from animals raised with good practices. (And these toxins don’t ONLY end up in the fat of the meat you consume… they end up in the dairy—like milk, cream, and butter—and egg yolks produced by these animals too… which are made up of fat.) So although short-term you might see results sticking to conventionally raised, grain fed meats and eggs (with toxins accumulated in the fat)—simply because some of the benefits of those meats and eggs are still present… Long-term it is not the solution to feel your very best and be TRULY healthy. Because slowly but surely, those same toxins will accumulate in your body (and in your fat). The Problem with Toxins in Fat. If someone is relatively new to a fat based diet, with lots of meat and eggs, then they may in fact feel good, and think nothing is wrong… but that’s only because the amount of toxins is so small. As time passes, these toxins will slowly accumulate until they cause your body serious harm, which may include: Fatigue, headaches, brain fog, anxiety and depression… Digestive problems, leaky gut, histamine responses, bloating and inflammation… Increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, liver damage, obesity… Hormone imbalance, mast cell overreaction, trouble sleeping, skin conditions… Or more. Simply because these toxins DO NOT belong in your body. (And the animals' bodies, and anywhere to be honest…) This is exactly why WHERE and HOW your food was raised is so important, and why I as a farmer stress food quality so much… Because when you buy food from a farm that PROPERLY raises its animals and takes good care of its land… It makes the difference between you being actually healthy and feeling like your true, abundant self… instead of having loads of unwelcome and unnecessary health issues. This is exactly why Wanda Farms has extensively audited our practices to make sure there is no toxin build-up in the fat of our animals. To ensure you’re eating quality fat, from the best possible source, with NO toxins. That is TRULY the best for your body and soul, and your family’s. How this is possible. (And how regenerative farming solves this problem.) Our regenerative farm is 60+ miles away from any major cities—out in nature, away from toxin-exposure, where the land is pristine and untouched (sounds like a fairy-tale right? lol). One reason why we practice regenerative farming—which includes NEVER ever spraying any glyphosate, pesticides, or herbicides on our soil—is because that preserves the quality of our soil, thus allowing our soil to have a high microbe count. And guess what? The microbes in quality soil actually break down any toxins that may be present in the soil. And our animals only eat the best quality food, and are given NO hormones, NO steroids and especially NO mRNA vaccines… And NONE of our products have junk like nitrates/nitrites, GMOs, additives, fillers, MSG, etc. Our cattle graze our lush pastures, and eat only grass year-round, even in the winter (we make our own hay from our grass to feed in the winter.) Our omnivorous chickens and hens love to “hunt” for beetles, grasshoppers, ants, spiders, worms; and snack on clover, alfalfa, dandelion, and wild plants. Our hogs root around with their snouts for wild plants and grubs like roots, tubers, and bulb; and snack on grasses, clover, herbs, weeds, and the occasional acorns falling from the trees high above. Anything they can find. Why do we do this? Because we want you to feel, be, and look your best, and be the healthiest you possibly can be in a world where it’s hard to find REAL food.

Beef prices go up March 2nd — Lock in current pricing on Bulk Beef Shares + Bundles today!

Your Farmer's Voice on Capital Hill

Why Go to D.C. to oppose the EATS Act?

Educating Congress

Rescinding State Rights

Take Action!

More from the blog

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A warning to all fatty meat lovers

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