Turek criticizes Hinson’s ‘Save Our Bacon Act,’ calls for supporting small farmers

GRINNELL — With five days left until Election Day, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek visited a farm Thursday to discuss his plans to support Iowa farmers if elected to Congress — a plan he said will not include the “Save Our Bacon” act proposed by his opponent, Republican Ashley Hinson.

Farmers Lance and Megan Veldboom, who own Raffety Farms, a family farm on the outskirts of Grinnell, gave Turek a tour of their property and equipment while telling the candidate about some of the problems they have faced with high input costs and volatile markets over the past year.

Megan Veldboom told Turek, a state representative, that she and many farmers are feeling “uncertainty” about the future. “I mean, certainty that expenses are going up, and uncertainty of what the future holds,” she said.

Turek and other Democrats on the campaign trail have highlighted the impacts of President Donald Trump’s tariff policies and high fuel and fertilizer prices caused by the Iran war. The Veldbooms said these were issues contributing to high costs, and there are other long-term impacts on Iowa markets that could hurt the state’s economy, like the loss of international markets for pork.

Hinson, who currently represents Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, has championed the “Save Our Bacon Act” — a proposal she introduced that would block block individual states from enforcing conditions on livestock products sold across state lines. The legislation was introduced specifically in response to California’s Proposition 12 that enacts certain standards for growing conditions of livestock like hogs.

While Hinson and farmers supporting the measure say the Save Our Bacon Act will help local Iowa hog farmers, Turek said he believed the measure benefits large, international companies like JBS Foods and Smithfield Foods more than it helps small Iowa farmers.

“When I’m out there talking to small providers, most of them have already updated themselves to the standard,” Turek said. “… Certainly, California shouldn’t be telling Iowa farmers what to do. But … when I’m talking to small pork providers, they’re telling me this doesn’t benefit them. This doesn’t help them. This only helps foreign ownership.”

He said he would instead advocate for legislation that would provide more help to small pork and beef producers, like mandatory of country of origin labeling.

But Linda Schroeder,  a hog farmer in northwest Iowa with her husband and two sons, says Hinson’s proposal helps small Iowa producers because many family farms are not able to pay for the costs necessary to upgrade their facilities to comply with California’s Proposition 12.

“Small family farmers can’t possibly basically shell out the (roughly) $3,000 per sale that it would cost to comply with Prop 12,” Schoeder said. “I guess that means a lot of family farms would have to close for good, and that would be more consolidation in the ag industry.”

Schroeder also said the proposal would help shield Iowa farmers from other state initiatives regulating agricultural products coming into their states.

Billy Fuerst, Hinson campaign communications director, said in a statement, “When it comes to agriculture and more specifically Prop 12, Josh Turek has no idea what he’s talking about.”

“Farmers don’t trust a liberal like him who supports Prop 12, wants a 50% tax rate on many Iowa farms, and voted to let fake meat be labeled as real,” Fuerst said.

Turek has stated he does not support California’s Proposition 12. Opponents of Hinson’s proposal, including some local farmers and groups like the American Meat Producers Association, have argued the measure allows Chinese companies to override state and U.S. laws.

Turek called for Iowa farmers to support him over his opponent because “I’m going to look out actually for our small family farms. I think what Ashley Hinson has fought for is just big ag.”

“Farmers can see what she’s done,” Turek said. “Five times voted in favor of the tariffs. That has decimated rural communities and small family farms. It’s led to a loss of markets. It’s led to commodities prices being upside down. Seven times she’s voted in favor of this war. It’s led to gas prices going up here in Iowa more than almost any other state. Diesel prices at an all-time high, and fertilizer prices skyrocketing. She’s not looked out for farmers. She’s looked out for herself. She’s looked out for China.”