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Nebraska ag leader pleased with lifting of packer ban

The president of Nebraska Farm Bureau, Steve Nelson, is confident that the elimination of the state’s ban on meatpacker ownership of hogs will lead to expanded pork production in Nebraska.

The Nebraska legislature voted last week to lift that ban, which means pork processors can now enter into agreements with Nebraska farmers to feed and care for processor-owned hogs.

“What we’ve seen and understood over the last several years is that companies have wanted to do these kinds of things, but it’s all happened in states around us–and so we believe that we can have a piece of that,” Nelson says, “and certainly as we see the demand for pork growing around the world, this is another opportunity for that to take place.”

Nelson says the lifting of the ban will provide opportunities, not only for existing farmers, but also for young farmers and future generations as well.

AUDIO: Steve Nelson