Backers of a new federal rule said it will increase fairness for livestock and poultry producers, in North Carolina and across the country.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has finalized its Inclusive Competition and Market Integrity rule, under the Packers and Stockyards Act this month. Advocates said it is a big step in addressing discrimination and even deception smaller livestock and poultry producers have faced for decades, from corporations they contract with to bring their products to market.

Aaron Johnson, policy co-director for the Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA, explained some of the long-standing concerns the rule addresses.

"One thing that we have documented in past reports is the tendency of integrators to present the terms and the potential benefits of the contracts they're offering during the recruitment process with growers in what we would assess to be deceptive terms," Johnson explained.

In addition to misleading contract terms, he noted some farmers were recruited within months of a plant being closed. He contended with the new rule, such issues can be prevented. It will go into effect 60 days after it is published, and producers will be able to use a Farmer Fairness Portal to submit their concerns to the Packers and Stockyards Division.

North Carolina poultry farms produce almost 8 million turkeys annually. Johnson emphasized the rule will work in tandem with another recent rule giving poultry farmers a more accurate estimate of the income they will receive with a contract. He believes even more could be done to strengthen protections for livestock and poultry producers in the performance-based payment system known as the "tournament system."

"One thing that hasn't been addressed by these two rules, as of yet, is really robust and targeted reform of the tournament system itself," Johnson stressed. "One thing I would highlight is that the tournament itself is one of the systemic facilitators of retaliation."

By "retaliation," he asserted some farms have had their contracts cut short and have even been driven out of business. He predicted more rules addressing issues in the tournament system and manipulation of cattle prices are expected.


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In North Dakota, 2025 could be another year when the state puts out the welcome mat for the livestock industry.

Following task force recommendations, the Legislature will consider updating how much local governments can restrict feedlot operations. The panel was specifically looking at distances allowed between larger livestock sites and homes, businesses and schools.

Doug Goehring, North Dakota's agriculture commissioner, took part in the discussions and argued while the rules would be more relaxed, they are still tougher than those in other states. He said exemptions could be carved out -- moving feedlots back a bit -- by the use of an "odor modeling tool"

"It looks at prevailing winds and information that's collected from different data points, weather stations," Goehring explained. "Counties can actually look at it and determine if the setbacks that are in place are sufficient, or they could actually grant a variance."

Feedlots with large animal herds, sometimes known as concentrated animal feeding operations, are under scrutiny from environmentalists over the effects on air and water quality. State leaders say North Dakota lags behind neighboring states in animal agriculture but some projects have faced local backlash. A Senate bill, based on panel recommendations, calls for reducing the maximum setback distance by a quarter mile in most cases.

Supporters of expanding livestock output said it brings more jobs to smaller towns.

Aaron Birst, executive director of the North Dakota Association of Counties, who sat in on the task force, said it recognized the need but cautioned it cannot outweigh how a local community values quality-of-life metrics and whether they would be harmed by an industry.

"It's not even just concentrated feeding-lot operations. It's any economic development, whether it's oil activity or putting in a large Amazon station," Birst outlined. "Those all, if they want to be successful, have to have local government buy-in."

While Birst acknowledged a healthy balance is desirable, his group has yet to take a stance on the proposed changes. There were similar debates in 2023 when the Legislature narrowed the scope of corporate farm regulations. More broadly, researchers at the University of Missouri found despite what backers of large livestock operations say, their economic strengths do not stretch as far as advertised.


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Wisconsin has just added more than 30,000 acres across two counties to its protected agricultural lands, advancing its commitment to preserve the state's farming heritage and supporting conservation farming practices.

Agricultural Enterprise Areas are community-driven initiatives aimed at protecting farmland and boosting the local economy.

Wednesday Coye, Farmland Preservation Program manager for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, said the process is one of two ways Wisconsinites can participate in the Farmland Preservation Program.

"We get to see what landowners identify as areas that are important to their local agricultural communities -- both economically and historically -- and then, also seeing how that interacts overall with the statewide agricultural landscape," Coye explained.

Agricultural Enterprise Area landowners also contribute to conservation practices across the state by voluntarily signing agreements to use their land for agricultural purposes for a set time period and implement environmentally friendly farming methods. In return, they may be eligible for farm tax credits.

The assurance of long-term land preservation also provides farmers with peace of mind for future investments. Coye pointed out the new Delavan Lake Watershed Agricultural Enterprise Area serves to protect land near large lake attractions like Lake Geneva.

"There are a lot of interests there in developing the area but then there's also a lot of interest from their agricultural producers to protect the farmland that's there," Coye observed.

By designating new Agricultural Enterprise Areas, she stressed landowners and community members are taking proactive steps toward preventing development, which could convert land to nonagricultural use.

The latest areas, across Sauk and Walworth counties, add to the state's nearly 2 million acres of Agricultural Enterprise Areas. Wisconsin now has 51 areas spanning 140 towns and the Bad River Reservation.


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Some farm advocates in rural America, including Nebraska, are calling on the Trump administration to continue investing in small communities.

They propose that new federal investments in agriculture wind up in the hands of farmers in rural communities.

Nebraska Farmers Union President John Hansen said he is cautiously optimistic about how rural policy will look in the new administration, but said it will start with fair competition in the agriculture markets.

"The markets are not competitive now," said Hansen. "So, if they're not competitive, they're not functional. They don't perform as they should. And we want more competition. So, in order to get there, we need some appropriate regulation in order to create competition. And in the absence of competition, there's collusion."

Hansen and other rural farm advocates are calling for increased competition in the supply chain and food processing sectors of the agriculture economy, and for more federal investments at the local level - where he said farmers are facing unprecedented financial stress.

Hansen added that markets are far more consolidated today than they were when lawmakers created the Packers and Stockyards Act in 1921, especially in beef and pork.

"So, when you look at it through the lens of time," said Hansen, "are we winning or losing here?"

Hansen said consolidation and a lack of market competition have put unprecedented pressure and financial stress on farmers, and he said no matter what policies are set in Washington, most solutions happen at the local level.




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