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Holiday Spirit, Soup Scandal & Mass Vaccinations
44 Plays6 days ago
This week in Magnetic Ag - Ears Edition, travel to South Africa for mass vaccination movements and across the U.S. to see how FFA students feed local farmers. Braeden and Savannah also chat through the challenges with U.S. labor and Campbell's soup headlines.
In the headlines this week:
- South Africa is preparing to vaccinate 7.2 million cattle against food-and-mouth disease after facing years of major economic setbacks. Learn more: https://www.farmprogress.com/farm-business/south-africa-plans-nationwide-cattle-vaccination-against-foot-and-mouth-disease-
- Real Christmas Tree prices are expected to stay flat this season as farms decide to absorb the increased input costs. Learn more: https://www.brownfieldagnews.com/news/real-christmas-tree-prices-expected-to-stay-flat-at-wholesale/
- The United Farm Workers filed a lawsuit asking the federal court to through out a new rule from the U.S. Department of Labor that recalculates wage requirements for H-2A workers. Learn more: https://www.agri-pulse.com/articles/23809-ufw-sues-to-block-cuts-to-h-2a-wage-rates?utm_source=Instant+Update&utm_campaign=517544fe2a-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_02_23_COPY_6464&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_288ff2b53a-517544fe2a-50535777
- Campbell's is enacting damage control after Martin Bally, Vice President of IT, shared derogatory statements about their consumers. Learn more: https://www.fooddive.com/news/campbells-exec-on-leave-poor-people-comments/806573/
- FFA Chapters across the country stepped up this fall to feed local farmers and their communities. Learn more: https://www.agdaily.com/ffa/ffa-chapters-across-u-s-feed-thousands-of-farmers-and-families/
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Transcript
Nationwide Vaccination Campaign in South Africa
00:00:00
Speaker
South Africa is pulling together to vaccinate against deadly diseases. United Farm Workers lawsuits could impact how farm workers are paid and Campbell's Soup is making a real bad name for themselves. We're also diving into the Christmas spirit with real Christmas tree prices and FFA students feeding their communities.
00:00:19
Speaker
This week's headlines are full of Christmas magic and the real impact of agriculture. Savannah, let's go. I'm Braden. And I'm Savannah. Welcome to Magnetic Ag Ears Edition. Every week we break down the top headlines and trends facing food and agriculture. Fast, fun, and actually useful.
00:00:38
Speaker
Let's get it. South Africa is about to launch one of the biggest animal health movements on the planet, vaccinating every one of its seven plus million cattle against foot and mouth disease.
00:00:49
Speaker
The rollout starts in the hardest-hit provinces, where farmers are now submitting herd counts and quarantine details as crews can map out the sweep. This isn't just a biosecurity play.
00:01:01
Speaker
It's an economic reset as well. Foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks since 2019 have hammered South Africa's beef sector, shutting down feedlots, stopping cattle movement, and fueling beef price inflation.
00:01:14
Speaker
Industry economists say the situation hit crisis levels this year. Vaccinating the entire national herd, about 7.2 million cattle, is massive. But it's also the clearest path to earning freedom with vaccination status from the World Organization of Animal Health. What does that mean in real terms?
00:01:32
Speaker
Export doors are going to reopen, market confidence will rebound, and Africa's largest beef producer gets back on offense in the global red meat trade. The government expects 2 million vaccine doses by February, arriving in two shipments. And to keep from demanding on imports forever, South Africa is building a mid-scale vaccination facility to crank out another 1.5 million doses annually with government industry backing. All this comes as feedlots deal with quarantines and producers face higher costs just to move cattle to auction.
00:02:07
Speaker
Every delay tightens supply and pushes prices higher. The new vaccination push won't fix things overnight, but for a country that's battling reoccurring outbreaks for six years straight, it signals a turning point, a big one.
00:02:21
Speaker
Because when your national herd is at stake, you either go small or you go all in. And South Africa, it shows all in.
Christmas Tree Market Analysis
00:02:30
Speaker
Savannah, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
00:02:33
Speaker
And for tree shoppers across America, there's a little bit of good news under the tinsel this year. According to a recent report from Brownfield Ag News, wholesale prices for real Christmas trees are expected to stay flat this season.
00:02:46
Speaker
The Real Christmas Tree Board, which represents farms supplying roughly two-thirds of all U.S.-grown Christmas trees, surveyed 43 wholesale growers in August of 2025. 84% of them said they're not raising prices at wholesale. Some even said that they're lowering them.
00:03:04
Speaker
That's a win for this year's holiday shoppers. This is despite some growers reporting modest increases in input costs up to as much as 5%. Many said they'll absorb those costs rather than pass them on. On top of stable pricing, the outlook for supply is strong.
00:03:21
Speaker
Most growers expect to sell as many or even more trees this season compared to 2024. This story comes at a time when holiday costs seem to be creeping up across the board. Some sources report that artificial Christmas tree prices are rising by as much as almost ten to twenty largely due to tariffs and global supply chain pressures on imported domestic and plastic furs. So as you consider crowning your home with a Christmas tree this holiday and maybe even paying more attention farm-raised quality and tradition, you can rest easy.
00:03:54
Speaker
This year, the real deal still looks like a solid bet.
Legal Challenges in Agricultural Labor
00:03:58
Speaker
This week in Ag Labor, a new lawsuit could reshape how seasonal farm workers get paid. And it's not just about foreign labor.
00:04:05
Speaker
The United Farm Workers, or UFW, has taken the fight to the courts, arguing a recent federal rule slashes wages for guest workers and could drag down pay for U.S. farm workers, too. So what's happening?
00:04:17
Speaker
On November 21, 2025, the UFW filed suit in the Eastern District of California, asking a federal court to throw out a new rule from the U.S. Department of Labor that recalculates wage requirements for H-2A workers. Under this interim rule, instead of using the traditional USDA Farm Labor Survey to set the adverse effect wage rate, DOL will now rely on the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The DOL estimates this shift will save employers about $2.5 billion dollars per year
00:04:53
Speaker
According to the lawsuit, by lowering wages floors for H-2A workers by $5 to $7 per hour in many states, the rule will pull down wages for U.S. citizens working under the same contracts, undermining federal laws met to safeguard their pay.
00:05:11
Speaker
Savannah, let's unpack why this matters for ag. The H-2A program was supposed to supplement U.S. labor when needed, not undercut it. The rule change effectively redefines the baseline wage, weakening the original safeguard. Use of the H-2A visa program has soared from about 90,000 visas in 2012 to nearly 385,000 positions certified in the fiscal year 2024.
00:05:36
Speaker
Lower wages for H-2A labor may make it easier and cheaper for farms to hire guest labor over U.S. workers, altering hiring behavior industry-wide.
00:05:47
Speaker
The outcome of this lawsuit matters far beyond the picket lines. It touches on fairness, farm economics, and how the U.S. defines the value of agricultural labor. For leaders in agriculture, the verdict could help set the tone for labor relations and the cost of getting crops from field to fork.
Campbell's Controversy
00:06:05
Speaker
Campbell's, yes, the soup, is in full-blown damage control this week, and it all started with an audio recording no brand ever wants to see trending. A lawsuit allegations that Martin Bally, Campbell's vice president of IT, called the company's soup, quote, highly processed and, quote, for poor people, and claims he didn't buy it anymore because it uses, quote, bioengineered meats and chicken from a 3D printer.
00:06:35
Speaker
Those comments didn't stay internal for long. Former employee Robert Garza says he tried to report them to HR and was fired instead. So now he's suing Campbells, Bali, and a manager he says didn't support him.
00:06:51
Speaker
The fallout snowballed fast. As the recording spread across social and media, Campbells launched a review. And by November 25th, Bali was officially no longer with the company. Campbell's didn't mince words. They called the comments, quote, vulgar, offensive, and false, emphasizing that none of their soups use 3D printed chicken, lab-grown meat, or anything bioengineered.
00:07:13
Speaker
And just to clarify, cultivated meat isn't even sold in grocery stores. It's only available at a few restaurants under strict regulations. And the lawsuit goes further. It claims Bali insulted Indian employees, calling them idiots, complained about working with them, and even said he showed up to work high on marijuana edibles. Campbell says these statements don't reflect their values.
00:07:40
Speaker
Garth's attorneys argue he was retaliated against for wanting to report these remarks, putting the company in the spotlight, just as pantry staples like Campbell's Soups and Rayo's Sauces are seeing big demand from inflation-weary shoppers.
00:07:53
Speaker
So while Campbell's is trying to highlight affordability and quality, the lawsuit is highlighting a very different storyline, one involving employee treatment, tech leadership, and how quickly internal comments can explode on national news.
00:08:07
Speaker
Campbell says millions trust their products, and the comments on the recordings are, quote, patiently absurd. But the company is still working to restore the narrative as the case moves through a Michigan court.
00:08:18
Speaker
It's a reminder, in 2025, nothing stays beyond closed doors, not even a conversation about chicken, 3D printed, or otherwise.
FFA Community Initiatives
00:08:29
Speaker
Savannah, before the holiday break, most students are counting down to mashed potatoes and lots of extra sleeping.
00:08:36
Speaker
But FFA chapters and their members? They've been out feeding half the countryside. You heard that. From Florida to Iowa, Ohio to Indiana, these students basically turned November into a multi-state Blue Jacket meal machine.
00:08:51
Speaker
Let's start with a look at Tate FFA in Florida. More than a dozen student groups teamed up to pack 6,808 meals in just under three hours.
00:09:03
Speaker
This isn't even just a service project. These students are doing like elite level logistics. Ohio's Versailles FFA chapter kept the momentum rolling, delivering 100 warm meals, plus handwritten thank you cards straight to farmers in the field.
00:09:18
Speaker
We can't leave out Kansas. Hiawatha FFA pulled off its harvest meals run, even with the advisor away. Students stepped in, organized it all themselves, and were able to feed their local producers anyway.
00:09:31
Speaker
Iowa saw a total field meal takeover. Four FFA chapters teamed up with Farmers Cooperative Associations and Vision Act to deliver 300 meals across the region in just a few days.
00:09:44
Speaker
Indiana's Jasper FFA delivered 166 meals. Milton FFA hit 110, and ten in Wisconsin's Riverdale FFA cooked 176 meals from scratch.
00:09:56
Speaker
Ham, cheesy potatoes, coleslaw, and the works. We can't forget about the Mormon Trail chapter and Blair, as well as others that round out this list, making sure farmers grinding through the harvest got a hot meal and a face-to-face thank you.
00:10:12
Speaker
Evidently, Savannah, as you and I both know, service isn't add-on in FFA. It's baked in. I apologize for the bad pun. And this fall, thousands of families and farmers felt real impact from those students in Blue and Gold.
00:10:26
Speaker
If gratitude were a crop, these chapters just hit a record year. Savannah, I wonder how many cans of Campbell's soup were used by those FFA chapters. Maybe it's too soon for that joke?
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00:10:37
Speaker
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00:10:50
Speaker
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