Lincoln, NE — Nebraska lawmakers are considering a measure to beef up protections for meatpacking and poultry workers and ensure emergency plans in situations such as bird flu outbreaks.  Legislative Bill 573, which requires certain ag operations to implement disaster mitigation plans for workers and the food supply, should fortify the state’s economic backbone, said sponsoring State Sen. Dunixi Guereca of Omaha. Among those who voiced support for the bill was Edison McDonald of GC Resolve, which advocates for family farmers and impact on communities. McDonald said recent outbreaks of avian flu have increased volatility in commodity prices. He said, for example, egg prices have increased about 38% nationally since January. He believes the planning and response mechanisms called for under the bill would help manage outbreaks and disruption of the food supply chain. Read full Nebraska Examiner article here.

Omaha, NE - Join Dr. Stephanie Hartman and her guest Mr. Graham Christensen as they explore regenerative agriculture principles and the intersection with human and environmental health. They also discuss LB573 and the public and human health implications of this bill. ⁠LB573 - Adopt the Meat and Poultry Workers and Contractors Protection Act   Listen to full Advocacy Is Medicine Podcast with Dr. Stephanie Hartman here.

1. GC Resolve, LLC supports a ban on fake meat sales in Nebraska, particularly as it pertains to the production of “cultured” or “lab-grown” meat cooked in bio-reactors. 2. GC Resolve believes bio-reactors growing meat from animal cells could create unnecessary competition to Nebraska’s livestock sector and farmers. 3. GC Resolve believes the relationship between humans and animals in an important co-existence and removing farmers from animals will further segregate the relationship between living species which depend on one another. 4. While GC Resolve is extremely concerned about the rapid growth in size of large animal feeding operations, and the impact of these larger systems to our air and water quality, we do not believe that “cultured” or “lab-grown” is a viable alternative. GC Resolve would like to see more farms transition to regenerative agriculture (as defined through the 7 regenerative principles). An approach more focused on healthy, living soils would increase on-farm bio-diversity increasing animal feed options for farmers through increased grazing and haying practices. This is especially important in regions of Nebraska where animals have been mostly removed from the land and replaced by synthetically produced nutrients. 5. GC Resolve believes the need for ruminants such as cows, bison, or other livestock moving cyclically through the land is vital to a healthy and living ecosystem, and is concerned that the introduction of bio-reactors to our farms could further remove animals from the land, making it less possible to restore our ecosystem to something that more closely resembles Nebraska’s native prairie. 6. GC Resolve questions what market the “cultured” or “lab-grown” fake-meat industry is truly targeting, and is concerned the growth in interest is based off of a marketing campaign targeted at disillusioned Americans, and our young people, who are less often connecting the food they eat to the farmer and ranchers who raises the product. GC Resolve believes strongly the U.S. consumer needs to re-connect with the farmers and ranchers that raise our food, and believes a nationwide transition to regenerative agriculture will restore public perception, transparency, and trust in the food system back to the consumers. 7. GC Resolve questions the health viability of human-grown “cultured” or “lab-grown” meat. We have not seen good data that indicates, 1). We need this alternative, 2). Or that “cultured” or “lab-grown” meats are a healthy alternative. 8. GC Resolve is also concerned with the highly processed nature of “cultured” or “lab-grown” meats which will likely include unhealthy fillers. GC Resolve wants to see complete transparency around these additional products used through the growth of the animal cell in the bio-reactor to the finished product. We want to explore regulating labeling of “cultured” or “lab-grown” products, no matter how and where it is raised. 9. GC Resolve believes strongly that meat protein is an essential protein source that should be available to consumers who choose meat as a protein source. We believe animals raised regeneratively is the most ethical and healthy choice for consumers choosing meat protein as part of their diet, and also for the environment we all live in. 10. GC Resolve is not uniformly opposed to plant-based meat alternatives, but believes that specific industry could do a better job of sourcing more on-farm healthy, plant-based options which will increase markets for more bio-diverse regenerative farms. Grazing-animals will still be a part of those systems.

Nebraska, USA - U.S. trade officials have preferred not to discuss non-GMO opportunities for U.S. farmers, but some farmers and grain suppliers would welcome them. “I think the U.S. farmer would be delighted to have a market where they would get paid more by providing an identity-preserved, (non-GMO) crop,” says Lynn Clarkson, CEO of Clarkson Grain, a leading U.S. supplier of non-GM corn. Graham Christensen, a fifth-generation farmer in Lyons, Nebraska, is one example. “Absolutely, if there’s a demand there, let’s find ways to partner with Mexico,” he says. “They’re that much closer, and they’re a trade partner. We should make it happen.” Nate Belcher, co-owner of Hybrid85, a Nebraska-based non-GMO corn seed company, says his state—the leading producer of white corn in the U.S.–could meet Mexico’s demand for non-GMO corn. “There’s a $450 million market in corn going from Nebraska to Mexico. We could fill the non-GMO demand from Nebraska and a good portion of the Midwest as well,” he says. Read the full Non-GMO Report article here.

LINCOLN — A rural state senator called Tuesday for providing financial incentives for farmers to use less nitrogen fertilizer and help clean up the state’s groundwater. Legislative Bill 1368, introduced by State Sen. Teresa Ibach of Sumner, would pay no less than $10 an acre for farmers who reduce their use of synthetic fertilizers, such as anhydrous ammonia, and switch to “biological” alternatives, such as coating seeds with microbes that draw nitrogen from the air. While no opponents testified against the bill during a public hearing Tuesday, Edison McDonald of GC Resolve, which advocates for rural communities and regenerative agriculture, testified neutral. McDonald said the bill should also provide incentives for traditional farming practices that reduce nitrates, such as filter strips and cover crops. He added that more research needs to be done on the biological alternatives cited in the bill to ensure there are no unintended problems. Read full Nebraska Examiner article here.