When belief replaces evidence in agricultural policy, the consequences can be catastrophic — as Sri Lanka demonstrated when an overnight ban on fertilizers and pesticides collapsed rice yields by more than 30 percent and toppled a government. American farmers deserve a Farm Bill grounded in science and sound economics.

Inside the Farm Bill, Section 12006 addresses when state agricultural standards can extend beyond state borders through interstate commerce. The provision does not limit in-state regulation. It clarifies how Congress may protect national food markets from conflicting state-by-state production mandates.

California’s Proposition 12 was presented to voters as an animal confinement measure, but its broader impact has played out through interstate commerce and national food markets. Congress is now debating where state authority ends and national markets begin.