(Radio Iowa) – One of the Democrats running for the U-S Senate says the “Save Our Bacon Act” being touted by Iowa’s governor and Iowa Republicans in congress doesn’t address the real dilemma Iowa’s hog farmers face. The bill seeks to nullify rules requiring that pork sold in California come from hogs raised in pens large enough that the pigs can move around. J.D. Scholten of Sioux City says lawmakers should really be addressing corporate consolidation in the livestock industry. “You know 67% of the hog industry is owned by just a handful of companies,” Scholten says, “yet they want to blame a California bill for all their problems when the reality is these huge corporations have squeezed our farmers in the last few decades.” Scholten calls the “Save Our Bacon Act” is window dressing and he says Republicans have done nothing to protect independent hog farmers who can’t compete in a monopolized marketplace.

“Address the consolidation issue,” Scholten said. “China Pork owns Smithfield and in 2017 the CEO for China Pork made $291 million that year alone. That’s more than Elon Musk made that year. That’s more than Apple’s Tim Cook,” Scholten says. “And you as a hog farmer that year, especially one with that has a contract with Smithfied how they did that year, most of them said they probably made about the cost of production.” Scholten says picking a fight with California is barking up the wrong tree. “A place like Iowa, 90% of our food is imported and a huge chunk of it half of the food we eat comes from California,” Scholten says. “…I would rather have them work with California.”

State Rep. J.D. Scholten of Sioux City speaks at a statehouse news conference. (RI file photo)

Scholten says if Republicans really wanted to help farmers and consumers, they’d do something about corporate meatpackers that are gouging consumers. Scholten, Nathan Sage of Knoxville and Zach Wahls of Coralville are campaigning for the Democratic Party’s 2026 nomination for the U.S. Senate. Republican Senator Joni Ernst recently told Radio Iowa she’ll make an announcement this fall about her 2026 intentions and at least two Republicans have announced they intend to run against Ernst next year. James Carlin is an attorney from Sioux City is a former Republican state legislator who challenged Senator Chuck Grassley in 2022. Joshua Smith of Indianola, a former national leader in the Libertarian Party, announced on social media in early December that he intended to run against Ernst in the 2026 Republican primary.