Cattle in Wine Country and Congress on Prop 12

**In a region dominated by vineyards, cattle ranchers and dairies are looking outside the box for solutions to help keep their businesses viable.

A Napa County cattle operation and a Sonoma County organic dairy offered a glimpse recently of how they do that while also helping to preserve their land and natural resources.

It was part of an educational tour hosted by the California Farm Bureau and California Bountiful Foundation, with funding from the California Cattle Council.

**Legislation has been introduced in Congress that would overturn California’s Prop 12.

But Reuters says some of the country’s biggest pork producers who’ve already spent money to comply with the California requirements don’t favor throwing out Prop 12.

The Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression Act would curb states’ ability to regulate agricultural products sold within their borders.

Prop 12 bans sales within California of pork, veal, and eggs from animals whose housing conditions fail to meet certain standards.

**The USDA’s latest report on farmland values shows U.S. cropland jumped more than 8% this year, with several states seeing increases well in the double digits.

Average U.S. cropland values were relatively stagnant from 2014 through 2020, a period of relatively low commodity prices.

Since then, the average value has gone up about 33% to $5,460 an acre.