California’s new law, Proposition 12, will impact pork production nationally. The law went into effect at the start of the year. It requires a breeding hog to have at least 24 square feet of space. This is significantly higher than the industry standard. But if your facility doesn’t meet that requirement, the pork cannot be sold in California. This matters because California consumes about 13 percent of U.S. pork. Brenda Boetel is an extension specialist and UW-River Falls ag economics chair. She explains what this will cost producers. She also gives a pork outlook for 2022.

Update: a judge confirmed that Proposition 12 enforcement should be halted until the state has finalized the regulations.