News
Nebraska bills involve livestock expansion
Two bills in the Nebraska legislature would help facilitate livestock expansion in the state.
LB106 would make changes to the local permitting process for new or expanding livestock operations. The other bill, LB176, would change current policy by allowing meatpacking companies to own and raise hogs in the state.
Mark McHargue, vice president of Nebraska Farm Bureau, says his group supports those proposals.
“Livestock is just very important to Nebraska. I think it’s one of the areas that we can really grow,” says McHargue. “There’s a lot of talk about property tax in Nebraska and one of the ways that we can help add revenue to the state is livestock production.”
The bill allowing packer-owned hogs to be raised in the state has drawn fire from several groups, including Nebraska Farmers Union. They say it would be detrimental to family-owned farms.
McHargue, an independent pork producer from Central City, disagrees.
“I don’t personally think that it’s going to change the face of pork production in our state,” he says. “But if it adds one or two more options to that producer that is looking to custom feed for someone, I think it’s a good step.”
Proponents of the legislation are also concerned pork processors may leave the state if Nebraska doesn’t start increasing its hog numbers.
AUDIO: Mark McHargue
Hog mega-farms owned by a packing plant in Nebraska will create the same issues as in Iowa => complaining neighbors, polluted water,
air, and food not trusted by our urban consumers. Also it will also destroy what swine production we currently have in Nebraska. It will
be nearly impossible for local swine producers to market successfully against a foreign country (in this case Smithfield Foods => CHINA).
In Hastings, NE we are paying $40 million for a water treatment system for the nitrate issue we did not create. In Des Moines, IA the city of
Des Moines is suing 3 Iowa counties for pollution to the water wherein the city is spending $80 million to rectify. How many more times do
Nebraskans have to solve these expensive and unnecessary issues before we will learn.
In Nebraska, we produce only 4% of the food that Nebraskans consume. As a matter of food security and common sense, we should be
raising wholesome food for Nebraskans first . If something happens to our transportation/supply sources i.e. California, we would starve
in the middle of what we refer to as the bread basket of the United States.
As a Farm Bureau member and former farmer I am appalled at why our leadership would support LB176 or any other mega animal feeding
operation. The consumer should be driving this bus and not someone’s bank account. Then in the end, both the consumer and the
producer will win.
Nebraska agriculture needs to stand up for the consumer and start listening to them. If we don’t, the consumer will go elsewhere to get
food they can trust and be informed about and thereby harming our ag producers.
JUST SAY NO TO LB 176!!!
Respectfully,
Butch Hughes
4135 E. Hadco Road
Hastings, NE 68901
402-469-5546