Reality Of Prop. 12 Production

In Farms That Have Implemented Prop. 12 Breeding, it is Taking About Two to Three Hours Per Day to Drop Feed, Heat Check and Release Animals.

By Aaron Lower, DVM, Carthage Veterinary Service

From an article in National Hog Farmer

Just this week we see yet another change in the Proposition 12 implementation! The Superior Court for Sacramento County in California has halted the enforcement of Prop 12 for 180 days after the final rules go into effect. What a high-stakes ride! Hats off to the producers and processors that have plunged forward with the investment of capital and time to be ready by Jan. 1, 2022. All this while we should soon learn if the Supreme Court of the United States will hear the case regarding this law’s potential violation of the Constitution’s Commerce Clause.

We have a few weeks now of Prop 12 implementation in client herds. I would expect you will see another article in this series as we continue to learn and adjust. There are many unknowns in how Prop 12 housing rules will affect long-term production and expectations of “good” breed to wean production. This article is not addressing the validity or reasoning of the law but sharing some of the practical side to implementing Prop 12.

Prop 12 production, as it was intentionally crafted, will have tremendous implications regarding the target production cost for wean pigs from the farm. Rough math, if a farm was to add gestation to maintain farrowing throughput,