“Consumers in California are concerned about the price of meat going up,” said Schleisman, a director on the Calhoun County Farm Bureau board who traveled with Iowa Farm Bureau Federation leaders to Sacramento for a market study trip in March 2024.

Schleisman and about 20 other farmers learned more about the ramifications of Proposition 12, a voter-approved rule in California that imposes arbitrary, minimum space requirements on farmers for breeding sows, egg-laying hens and calves raised for veal.

Prop 12 bans sale of pork, for example, from offspring of sows kept in pens with less than 24 square feet per sow.

During the intensive, four-day market study tour to California, Schleisman and the other Iowans heard directly from stakeholders across the pork supply chain, including California farmers, meat distributors, food retailers, researchers and other food and agricultural experts.

-Submitted photo
Mark Schleisman (back row, third from left) participated in a March 2024 Iowa Farm Bureau Federation market study trip to California to learn more about how Proposition 12 is affecting meat prices, consumers and farmers. During the trip, the group visited Yosemite Foods, a specialty pork processor in California.

California voters approved the Prop 12 ballot initiative in 2018. Implementation of Prop 12 has been fraught with uncertainty, so much so that the California Supreme Court delayed full implementation until Jan. 1, 2024.

“Enough time has passed that many California voters have forgotten what they voted for with Prop 12,” Schleisman said.

California consumers are well aware of rising meat prices, though. Pork prices for affected products in California rose 20%, on average, after July 1, 2023, according to IFBF.

Bacon prices rose 16%, rib prices jumped 17%, and pork loin prices soared 41%. Also, California’s share of fresh pork consumed nationally has fallen significantly, from approximately 10% to under 8%, as of January 2024.

Farm Bureau supports congressional action on this issue, Schleisman noted.

A 2024 American Farm Bureau Federation policy resolution states, “The enactment of Proposition 12 and similar initiatives not only undermine the intent of the commerce clause, but they also threaten farmers’ livelihoods and erode basic consumer protections such as food choice, food affordability and food availability. A renewed emphasis should be given to a legislative solution that will protect American consumers and farmers while preserving interstate commerce.”

“When it comes to Prop 12, the California Department of Food and Agriculture has limited enforcement funding and resources,” said Schleisman, who is concerned about the interstate commerce impacts of Prop 12 and other upcoming ballot initiatives aimed at animal agriculture. “Any fix will have to come from Congress.”

Looking beyond the bottom line

Staying current on national and global issues that impact Iowa agriculture is part of the job for Schleisman, a 2022 Master Pork Producer who received the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award in 2023.

“We believe the bottom line in pork production isn’t just financial,” said Schleisman of M&M Farms. “It must include a system that’s safe and efficient at producing high-quality pork products that satisfy the consumer at an affordable price.”

A third-generation farmer, Schleisman has been working with pigs since age 10, when his father, Larry, gave him a runt to raise on his own. It wasn’t long before Schleisman owned a couple sows, the first of which he affectionately named “Beth” after his sister. “Money from raising pigs helped put me through Iowa State University,” Schleisman added.

He didn’t go into production ag right after college, choosing instead to start his career as an agronomist in western Nebraska. Then he got involved in the popcorn business, managing production for Conagra. Schleisman came back to pig farming about 14 years ago, when his son and son-in-law indicated a desire to farm.

Today, Schleisman and his family farm 5,000 acres of corn, soybeans, and popcorn seed, in addition to running a sizeable cow-calf operation, a cattle feedlot and a swine operation.

Schleisman is an active member of the Calhoun County Pork Producers, which restarted a few years ago, thanks to renewed interest from area pork producers.

“It’s great to see younger people getting involved and being proud of the pork industry,” said Schleisman, who participated in the 2022 Pork Leadership Institute through the National Pork Board and National Pork Producers Council.

Ag leadership in action

Schleisman’s ag leadership has earned him accolades beyond the pork industry. He received the Iowa Soybean Association’s Environmental Leader Award and the American Soybean Association’s 2018 National Conservation Legacy Award.

These honors reflect Schleisman’s willingness to embrace the pork industry’s We Care ethical principles, including:

∫ Safeguarding natural resources. The Schleisman family’s farm is in the Elk Run watershed, a tributary to the Raccoon River. As part of a demonstration project directed by the Iowa Soybean Association, Schleisman installed a couple of edge-of-field practices designed to significantly cut nitrate contribution to the Raccoon River, including a saturated buffer and a bioreactor. “In years past, I’ve seen nitrate levels entering the bioreactor running 15 to 22 parts per million,” Schleisman said. “Now it’s exiting the bioreactor at less than 1 part per million.”

∫ Contributing to a better quality of life in the community. Schleisman worked with Practical Farmers of Iowa to host a cover crop workshop in 2017. He also hosted a PFI field day in 2022 to show various water quality projects on his family’s farm and explain how his family integrates cover crops into their crop and livestock production.

All these conservation efforts help promote improved soil health, water quality and wildlife habitat. “When I was growing up, it wasn’t common to see much wildlife around our farm,” Schleisman said. “I was about 17 or 18 before I saw a wild turkey around the Raccoo River. Today, I see so many more wild turkeys, ducks, geese and other wildlife around here.”

The quality of fishing opportunities is also noteworthy.

“In the last few years, my son Matthew has caught a 27-inch walleye in the Raccoon River. To me, this speaks to the fact that the wildlife habitat and quality of the water have definitely improved. This benefits all Iowans.”