The World’s Biggest Meat Company Gets the Greenlight to Go Public on the New York Stock Exchange

(4/25/25) Despite a long history of corruption and connections to illegal deforestation, the largest meatpacker in the world has been granted a listing on the New York Stock Exchange by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), reports Inside Climate News. Highlights:

• Brazil-based JBS has sought a listing on the New York Stock Exchange for more than a decade, but the company, which has long been accused of links to illegal deforestation in the Amazon, was stymied by corruption charges.
• During the first Donald Trump administration, the SEC and the Department of Justice fined JBS, along with its parent company, J & F Investimentos, and Joesley and Wesley Batista—the brothers who control most of the company—a total of $280 million after determining they had bribed roughly 1,800 Brazilian officials, in part to facilitate JBS’ acquisition of Pilgrim’s Pride.
• The company has also been accused of misleading investors about its climate commitments and fraudulently issuing “green” bonds attached to its greenhouse gas reduction targets.
• The decision by the SEC to finally allow JBS to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange came days after campaign filings revealed that Pilgrim’s Pride donated $5 million to President Donald Trump’s inauguration campaign — the largest of any single company.

Control of the meatpacking industry by companies like JBS is a major barrier to developing a food system that pays farmers a fair price for their livestock and that is good for the land, eaters, and communities. See LSP’s Federal Policy web page for information on our work related to consolidation.

♦ ♦ ♦

Bill Seeks to Increase Farmland Access for Young Farmers & Ranchers

(4/16/25) Investigate Midwest reports on a bipartisan-backed bill in Congress seeking to help young farmers and ranchers gain better access to farmland. Highlights:

•  The New Producer Economic Security Act would increase access to low- and no-interest loans for new farmers, support state and Tribal governments in purchasing land to be made available to young producers, and fund access to legal services related to land acquisition.
• According to a 2022 National Young Farmers Coalition survey,​​ 59% of farmers under 40 said finding affordable land was “very or extremely challenging.” Multiple factors contribute to the increase in farmland prices, including the growth of investment firms paying top dollar for land and reselling some property at amounts as much as five times higher than the regional average.
• Investigate Midwest also found that some investment firms have targeted aging farmers for expanding their portfolio. “An aging farmer generation, fractional family ownership structure and technological advances requiring sizable capital investment will naturally transition farmland holdings from individuals to institutions,” stated a report from PGIM, a $10 billion property asset management company run by Prudential Financial.

During the current session of the Minnesota Legislature, LSP is working with its allies to push for legislation that supports greater access to farmland for beginning farmers. A recent LSP Ear to the Ground podcast features a discussion about the barriers emerging farmers face when it comes to finding affordable farmland. Check out our resources page for links to various resources related to getting the next generation of farmers established on the land.

♦ ♦ ♦

USDA’s $1B Bird Flu Plan Uses Money Intended for Schools, Food Banks

(4/12/25) U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins’ $1 billion plan for fighting bird flu will rely on money cut from programs meant to help schools and food banks support local farmers, according to Politico. Highlights:

•  Rollins in February rolled out a five-step strategy to fight bird flu that includes importing eggs and researching and developing a poultry vaccine. The strategy will be funded by money previously intended for two food programs that USDA canceled earlier this year, according to sources interviewed by Politico.
• The abrupt cancellation of the food programs sent schools scrambling to find new funding for fresh food. In addition, farmers were left with unpurchased crops. Food banks are also feeling the strain of meeting increased hunger demands as prices soar.
• The $1 billion for the local food programs — and now, for bird flu response — comes from a New Deal-era fund that gives the Agriculture Secretary sweeping authority to provide disaster relief, support farmers, and respond to market downturns. That fund, known as the Commodity Credit Corporation, has $30 billion to spend each year, but it has dwindled to roughly $4 billion in available funds.

Check out LSP’s latest action alert for information on how you can let Congress know we need to restore funding for the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program and the Local Food for Schools Program at USDA.

♦ ♦ ♦

The Most Rigorous Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Emissions Study to Date

(4/22/25) A new study from the University of Illinois has found that soil management in corn and soybean systems plays a significant role in how much nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide emissions are released from corn and soybeans fields, according to Morning Ag Clips. Highlights:

• When more fertilizer is applied than the crop can take up, some of the excess can be converted into gaseous forms, including nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that traps nearly 300 times as much heat in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. About 70% of human-caused nitrous oxide comes from agricultural soils.
• Using federal funding, University of Illinois researchers laid out a large network of gas sampling sites in commercial corn and soybean fields under conventional, conservation, and no-till management. The goal was to create the most extensive dataset yet available for on-farm nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide emissions.
• The results revealed how management and cropping systems influence greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon dioxide emissions were similar for corn and soybeans and for conservation and no-till, but conventional chisel tillage and continuous corn saw higher concentrations. Nitrous oxide emissions were “nearly off the charts” in continuous corn under chisel tillage.

♦ ♦ ♦

Report: Immigrants Make Up Increasing Share of Minnesota’s Overall Workforce

(2/26/25) Between 2019 and 2023, nearly 60% of the Minnesota’s total labor force and employment growth came from foreign-born workers, according to a report developed by the Minnesota Chamber Foundation and summarized by Minnesota Public Radio. Highlights:

• Officials with the foundation say the report is based on 16 years of research and highlights how immigrants fill essential roles in key industries like agriculture, health care, and manufacturing.
• The state added more than 100,000 foreign-born workers to the labor force from 2010-2023.
• Smaller counties in greater Minnesota may disproportionately benefit from the added population base that immigration provides. According to the findings, 51 of Minnesota’s 87 counties had more deaths than births from 2020-2023, making them dependent on both domestic and international migration.

LSP and the Immigrant Defense Network invites the public to participate in one of four “teach-ins” being held around Minnesota this week, where participants will discuss the key role immigrants play in the state’s economy and our communities. Locations are Montevideo (April 30), Minneapolis (April 30), Rochester (April 30), and Mankato (May 1). Details are here.

♦ ♦ ♦

One Iowa Landowner Fights to Farm a Designated Wetland. Others could Face Consequences Downstream

(4/29/25) The Star Tribune describes a battle in northeastern Iowa where an out-of-state investor is attempting to farm a designated wetland in violation of the “Swampbuster” law. Highlights:

• Jim Conlan is suing the federal government over a law that disallows him from receiving publicly-funded benefits such as subsidized crop insurance if he drains and plows a 9-acre wetland on farmland he owns.
• If he wins the lawsuit, it could potentially result in hundreds of thousands of acres of wetlands being plowed and put into crop production. Swampbuster, which was created by the 1985 Farm Bill, has resulted in the protection of 12 million acres of U.S. wetlands, according to a 1998 study.
• Farmers downstream of Conlan’s property are concerned that if he drains and plows the wetland, it will have negative impacts on their land’s hydrology.

As this LSP blog explains, Farm Bill programs like federally subsidized crop insurance play a key role in who farms the land and the health of the rural landscape.

♦ ♦ ♦

Want to Help Minnesota Wildlife? Plant an Oak Tree.

(4/23/25) The Star Tribune reports on a University of Delaware study that examined the best native flora to plant for wildlife in every county in the United States. It turns out the oak tree is a key species for supporting wildlife. Highlights:

• Entomologist Doug Tallamy set out to find and rank the specific flora that support the most caterpillars, the building blocks of much of the country’s wildlife food web. He came up with a guide for keystone plants. It’s searchable county by county to show the top six or seven species of trees, shrubs, and flowers that support the most caterpillars in each corner of the country and, in turn, the most kinds of birds and other wildlife.
• North America has lost 3 billion birds from its annual population since the 1970s — about a third of all birds on the continent. The fall is primarily because of habitat destruction — the loss of the trees and plants birds need to nest and hunt.
• Tallamy found oak trees are the top habitat for caterpillars.

An increasing number of farmers are utilizing silvopasturing in the Upper Midwest to balance livestock production with the revitalization of oak savanna habitat. Check out the Land Stewardship Letter‘s article on silvopasturing’s potential here.

♦ ♦ ♦