On Nov. 4, California voters will decide on an issue that has unknown economic effects. Not the presidency, but an initiative called Proposition 2 that could be proposed in Georgia.

If voted into law, Proposition 2 would require a larger minimum size for battery cages of laying hens, enclosures for calves raised for veal and gestation crates for sows prior to the seven days before they give birth.

Similar initiatives have passed in Florida, Arizona and Colorado, and “the writing is on the wall” for one to be passed in Georgia, said Alex Stelzleni, assistant professor of meat science.

The University is preparing for such a law. Double Bridges Farm, located adjacent to the existing UGA Dairy on Highway 78, will soon be under construction. Double Bridges will replace cattle and swine units the University has owned for more than 30 years.

One of the key issues addressed in Proposition 2 is sow gestation crates, and Stelzleni said there will be group housing for pregnant sows at Double Bridges.

If a law like Proposition 2 is passed in Georgia, it will change the way pigs are produced in the state, he said. Costs will increase to shelter the sows in larger areas and to pay for increased medical costs due to fighting, disease and wildlife attacks.

But many national organizations do not support California’s Proposition 2.

Dave Warner, spokesman for the National Pork Producer’s Council, opposes the proposition because “[it] would dictate production practice, and we feel [producers] should use any practice that is good for the animal’s well-being.”

Stelzleni said his main concern with Proposition 2 is supporters appear to have a long-term goal of abolishing animal agriculture.

Supporters include Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, and free-range and organic farmers.

Tim Young, owner of Nature’s Harmony Farm in Elberton, calls himself as a “sustainable farmer” because his farm runs on a closed-loop system. He fertilizes with manure, allows pigs to give birth in the woods and uses mobile hen houses.

Stelzleni and Young said there is a middle ground to Proposition 2. Industrial and traditional agriculture, if managed the correct way, can create “safe, affordable food products for the masses,” Stelzleni said.

Young said he does not think a law should regulate the relationship between consumers and farmers.

He raises animals in a free-range, pastured environment, a choice he said he made because it is the right thing to do for the animals.

“You’re not talking about a plastics assembly line,” he said. “You’re talking about a live animal.”