Proposition 2 in California has created some serious dilemmas for farmers. Egg farmers have had to form a new organization just to deal with policies and implementation regulations from this legislation.
The state’s egg producers today announced the creation of the Association of California Egg Farmers (ACEF), a nonprofit statewide trade association to serve as their advocate on state policies affecting the industry and to ensure the continued production of fresh and affordable eggs that meet the food safety and animal care standards consumers expect.
The nonprofit association will serve as the voice for California egg farmers and an industry that is critical to the state’s economy and food supply. The state’s egg farmers produce 4.9 billion eggs a year, providing a fresh, affordable source of food and making California the fifth largest egg producer in the country. Most of the state’s egg farms are family owned, and they generate thousands of jobs for Californians, especially in economically hard-hit rural areas.
“The state’s egg farmers have a long history of providing a safe, healthy and nutritious source of food for California’s families,” said ACEF Executive Director Debbie Murdock. “The egg farmers are establishing the Association of California Egg Farmers to ensure they can continue to meet consumer expectations for fresh and affordable eggs that meet food safety and animal care standards.”
One of the association’s first tasks will be addressing the implementation of Proposition 2, a ballot measure California voters approved in November 2008. The ballot measure imposes new mandates on how the state’s egg producers house their egg-laying hens.
“California egg farmers respect the voters’ decision and want to comply with Proposition 2, but the initiative’s language is so vague that producers don’t know what they need to do to meet the new mandates and avoid jail sentences,” said Ms. Murdock.
The initiative provides no clear standards or guidelines for determining the amount of space the hens need to meet the new mandates. The new law doesn’t say whether the enclosures – including cage-free enclosures – currently used by California egg producers will comply with the law. It also does not say how – or if – farmers can modify the existing enclosures to meet the mandates. ACEF will be seeking avenues to obtain clarification on the requirements of Proposition 2.
I missed AgChat last night but like you, I can review the discussion 
This was the scene when I got off the plane in Bakersfield, CA this evening. Pretty cool looking I think. I love sunrises and sunsets. There is an artist who is a lot better than any of us human ones.
One of the blogs that I visited daily, okay several times per day, is 
Well, as of this past weekend, I’m now a proud graduate of South Dakota State University. It’s a crazy feeling to know that my college years are over, and I’m now making the transition into the “real world.” It’s been said, time and time again, that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. I really think I have found that dream career in my role as an agriculture writer and speaker. 
There recently was a death of a 98 year-old lady named Irena. During WWII, Irena, got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto, as a plumbing/sewer specialist. However, she had an “ulterior motive.” She KNEW what the Nazi’s plans were for the Jews, (being German.) Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the toolbox she carried. She also kept a burlap sack in the back of her truck for larger kids. She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers, of course, wanted nothing to do with the dog and the barking covered the kids/infants noises. During her time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants. She was caught, and the Nazi’ s broke both her legs, arms and beat her severely. Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her back yard. After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived it and reunite the family. Most of course had been gassed. Those kids she helped got placed into foster family homes or adopted. 
The Executive Director of 
I love this story Kurt posted on our 