A bill in the Nebraska legislature would exempt hogs from the 15-year-old state ban on ownership of livestock by meatpackers other than immediately before slaughter, says Fortune. “Nebraska’s law is one of the last remaining packer bans in the country.” Under the proposal, packers could contract with farmers to fatten hogs for them. The Nebraska Pork Producers Association supported the bill at a hearing in February, saying it would create economic opportunity for farmers. Opponents, such as the Center for Rural Affairs, say farmers lose leverage when they become contract feeders.
Over the past two decades, says Fortune, the portion of cattle and pigs sold on the cash market has dropped dramatically as contract feeding has become commonplace. In 1993, 87 percent of hogs were sold on the spot market. By 2001, only 17 percent were marketed that way. The rest were controlled by packers, either in their own herds or under contract with farmers. This is the second year in a row that changes have been proposed to the packer ban.