Meat War Continues: Gov. Reynolds Proclaims “Meat on the Table Month”
The meat war continues. On Friday, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds proclaimed April as “Meat on the Table Month.” During this time, she encourages Iowans to support the livestock industry through meat consumption and purchases.
“Iowa feeds the world with high-quality products,” Reynolds said in her proclamation. Pork, beef, lamb, poultry and fish products generated almost $29 billion in crop and livestock sales, making Iowa the second-leading agricultural state in the nation. Nearly one-third of the nation’s hogs are raised in Iowa alone.
Her announcement follows earlier proclamations in Colorado and Nebraska that have stirred up quite a controversy.
Democratic Colorado Gov. Jason Polis declared March 20 as MeatOut Day in his state. The New York Times reports Polis is seeking to decrease meat consumption and encourage meat eaters to consider plant-based diets.
In response, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts declared March 20 in his state as “Meat on the Menu Day.” Agriculture is the number one industry in Nebraska, with beef leading as the largest segment of production.
“While meat is one of the most nutrient-dense foods you can eat, there are radical anti-agriculture activists that are working to end meat production and our way of life here in Nebraska,” Ricketts said in a statement.
In response to the backlash in Colorado after Polis’ proclamation, Colorado agriculture commissioner Kate Greenberg issued an open letter to the state’s livestock producers and clarified that the proclamation was “nonbinding” and did not create a new state holiday, The Sterling Journal-Advocate reports. She pointed out that a similar proclamation had been made by former Gov. John Hickenlooper in 2011.
“You, your families and your hard work are part of the backbone of Colorado’s rural communities,” she wrote in a letter to Colorado’s livestock producers. “I want you to know that I’ve got your back as you do what you do best. The livestock industry is an essential part of Colorado’s past, present and future. No proclamation will change that.”
