This ‘fix’ would harm humane farming

At Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm, we’re keeping close watch on deliberations on the federal Farm Bill. It’s important that policy does not undermine the kind of agriculture we’re determined to support.

We have a bond and understanding with our customers, and our core belief animal agriculturalists must respect and ethically raise their stock. Our customers want and demand to know more about where their meat is produced and how the animals were cared for on our farms.

We raise beef, chicken, sheep, and pork. It’s important that we create a transparent and mutually beneficial relationship between farmers and consumers. Cedar Valley Sustainable was Chicago's first Meat CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) operation. A primary goal in establishing our farm was to foster community connections through the production of local, sustainable, and humane products.

We are alarmed that the current House Farm Bill contains a measure that directly threatens to undermine these efforts, and the very spirit and essence of farm operations like our own.

A handful of elected officials, in collaboration with a backward facing segment of the pork industry, are pushing a reckless attempt to override state agriculture laws and regulations in the Farm Bill. This overreaching proposal, if enacted into law, would compromise our farm’s — and many others' — ability to uphold high standards and provide responsibly sourced products.

The proposed measure has been cast as a “fix” to California's Proposition 12, a law passed in 2018 which established reasonable standards for the humane treatment of certain farm animals. Proposition 12 reflects the growing public demand for improved animal welfare and ethical farming practices. Unfortunately, the “fix” contained in the draft House Farm Bill would invalidate state-level laws like Proposition 12, stripping states of their rights to set their own agricultural standards.

It also seeks to overturn the will of voters who have supported initiatives aimed at ending the intensive confinement of farm animals. Its approval would enable large agriculture corporations to bypass state regulations and impose lower standards on farmers nationwide. This is not a “fix.” It is rather a step backward that benefits industrial agribusiness at the expense of sustainable, small and family-run farms like ours.

We hope that Illinois citizens will understand that this would not be good for them, either.

We urge Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth and all members of Congress within and outside of Illinois to carefully consider the far-reaching implications of the House Farm Bill, and to advocate for a final version that rejects this unnecessary “fix” to state laws and regulations.

Our nation’s Farm Bill should reflect the values of local governance, consumer choice, and the preservation of our diverse agricultural heritage. These are fundamental principles we should all support and defend.

• Jody Osmund is a farmer and owner of Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm in Ottawa.