Tomorrow is the last day of the federal government’s fiscal year.  That is not necessarily a big deal except that the new federal budget year begins on Wednesday and as I write this on Sunday no agreement to fund the federal government of the United States is in place moving forward.  If there is no agreement on how to fund the government, then the government will shut down with only “essential services” continuing to operate.

While threatened many times over the past several years, we have not had a government shutdown in the United States for 7 years.

The good news in all of this is that “business generally grinds on”.  Private businesses continue to operate and in the funeral home business where the federal government intersects with funeral homes — at least in the National Veteran Cemetery operations — those operations are considered “essential”.

Here is a Veterans Administration “contingency planning” document that was released in anticipation of a federal government shutdown.  From the VA cemetery side of things here’s what I believe funeral directors would need to know:

• Burials will continue at VA national cemeteries.
• Applications for headstones, markers, and burial benefits will continue to be processed.

And, here’s a couple of things that will not be moving forward:

• The VA will not permanently place headstones or maintain the grounds at national cemeteries.
• The VA will not process applications for pre-need burials.

Thoughts on a potential government shutdown —  On Friday of last week the Yahoo Finance Morning Brief had a short overview on their thoughts about the looming government shutdown.  I found it a pretty fair observation of what the United States is facing and why we may actually see a government shutdown for the first time in seven years.  The following is an exerpt from that article:

By the time you read this. . . . or within the next 48 hours or so, we will probably have an answer on which way the federal government will move.

Related — “What’s opened or closed in a federal shutdown”.  USA Today

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Minnesota funeral director Scott Mueller is a proponent of “Green Burials”.  Mueller makes a comment in this recent article from the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin titled “As interest in green burials grows, so does some opposition”.  Mueller’s comment is this, “As long as people have walked this earth, we’ve had green burials.  Every cemetery around here, until the 1940s, has green burials.”

While there are two Minnesota cemeteries that the article states are green burial cemeteries, the article also makes note of at least two instances where Minnesota authorities have either stopped or delayed the establishment of cemeteries proposed for green burials.  One in Carlton County where, according to the article, neighboring property owners objected and one in Winona County where the county attorney issued a cease-and-desist order.

The conflict in Carlton County, again according to the article, “prompted lawmakers to put a moratorium on natural burial cemeteries in order for the Minnesota Health Department to study the environmental and health impacts of green burials and human composting.”

Based on that report both the Minnesota House and Minnesota Senate designed bills about the establishment of new green cemeteries.  In both of those bills the legislation proposed that no more than 300 burials per acre be permitted and the proximity to bodies of water be established.  Neither bill made it to a floor vote by the end of the Minnesota Legislative Session for 2025 but proponents of green cemeteries were not fans of the limited burials per acre.  In the article Mueller states, “Nobody is going to pursue that because there isn’t going to be enough acreage or enough revenue to justify that.”

Minnesota eventually lifted the moratorium on green cemeteries and effective in July 2025 Minnesota became the 11th state to legalize Natural Organic Reduction (NOR), known by some as human composting.  However, as of this writing I’m not aware of any facility that is operating or applied for a NOR permit.

Mueller, in the linked article, says these methods of human dispositions are a reflection “. . .of a shift in cultural priorities.  Fewer people are affiliated with religion and people are embracing environmental awareness. . . . . .I think a funeral should reflect our lifestyle and should reflect what’s important in life.  It represents my choice, it is important to me having an impact on the environment. If I can express that through my death, that’s important to me.”

Related articles about pushback from these methods of disposition —  Human composting, alkaline hydrolysis not acceptable for burial say U.S. bishops.  National Catholic Reporter (2023 article)

Funeral Director Daily take:  Scott Mueller, who by the way, is a classmate of mine from the University of Minnesota and a consumate proponent of “serving the families who call him” , makes good points in this article.  Rochester (MN) funeral director Colin Maxon also makes good points in the article when he says, “We try to accommodate what people are wanting.”

If what people want are more simple, green options, the industry and eventually laws will change. “That barrier is going to break at some point,” continued Maxon.

From my point of view we live in a society where people want options that fit their own attitudes and beliefs.  We no longer live in the era when Henry Ford made this quote famous, “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it’s black”. 

It’s my opinion that if funeral homes are not going to provide, or facilitate, dispositions options such as natural organic reduction, green funerals, and alkaline hydrolysis someone else in the community will and will siphon off customers over the years as these methods become more popular.  I think it is imperative that funeral homes work with their legislators to get these disposition methods approved as long as public health is maintained in doing so.  To fight the processes simply to force client families to go out of state or use the disposition methods available at your funeral home today will, again in my opinion, not be good for the long-range financial health of Death Care providers.

About the Henry Ford quote:  I was aware of the quote and decided to use it in this article.  However, when looking it up I learned that while it is a true quote atrributed to Henry Ford, customers could get their Model T in other colors.  Here’s what I learned about the Model T manufactured between 1914 and 1925:

“This (paint color) policy was not arbitrary but stemmed from a focus on efficiency, as black paint dried much faster than other colors, allowing for quicker assembly-line production and lower costs. While the policy became prominent between 1914 and 1925, the Model T was available in other colors before and after this period.”  

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New products come to market all the time. The issues for companies with new products include how to make potential consumers aware of them and how to distribute the product to those consumers.

The Loop Biotech “Living Cocoon” is a new poduct for green burials.  According to an article in Funeral Service Times “The Loop Living Cocoon is a coffin grown from mycelium – the underground root network of mushrooms – which acts as “nature’s recycler”, breaking down organic matter and returning nutrients to the soil. The concept is simple yet revolutionary: instead of being buried in a material that takes decades to decompose, the mushroom biodegrades in as little as 45 days – enriching the soil and leaving no environmental footprint.”

Recently, the Netherlands developed product has found acceptance in Great Britain and has signed Poppy’s Funerals as one of their dealers.  According to the Funeral Service Times article, “Designed and developed by Loop Biotech in the Netherlands, this pioneering product is now available across the United Kingdom, offering a natural and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional coffins. Around 20 funerals have already taken place using the mushroom coffin in the UK.”

Perfect for Green Burials??  —  Again, according to the Funeral Service Times article, “The Living Cocoon is not only 100% biodegradable, but it also enhances biodiversity. It is grown in just seven days using a combination of mycelium and upcycled hemp fibers, and it can hold up to 200kg (about 440 lbs.) while itself weighing around 30kg (about 66 lbs.). Certified by the Funeral Furnishing Manufacturer’s Association (FFMA), it is both suitable for traditional and natural burials, as well as cremation. Its rapid decomposition process ensures that the body contributes to the regeneration of the earth, rather than polluting it.”

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  As green burials grow in popularity is the mycelium casket an option for those burials?  We think so and when you look at the reasons one might prefer a green burial its use seems to make a lot of sense.  It is just another in a host of products that are coming to market that create a growing “Death Care choice Optionality” that seems to be growing world-wide.

In that thought process, the mycelium casket is another one of the growing vairety of product that your funeral home should either have on hand or know how to acquire in a short period of time if or when it may be requested by a family.

An American mycelium company — Here’s a 2024 news video and article from Fox 43 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, about a mycelium based casket company operating in the United States.

• The Setas Eternal Rest mycelium casket company website

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As I’ve told you before, I read the book Megatrends early in the 1980’s.  That book, written by John Naisbitt, enlightened me on how happenings of today’s world become trends and potentially “Megatrends” that can change society over time.  It also enlightened me that sometimes we can be fooled — some things that look like trends might be fads and fall away from universal acceptance as time goes on.

“Megatrends” had an incredible influence on my life.  I’ve used the thought process of “trends” in everything from how I look for public stocks to invest in to looking for trends in the funeral business — not only in disposition decisions — but on pricing options as well.  For instance, my sons were listening to Spotify and eating at Chipotle before I had even heard of the companies and their interest and fondness in those companies is why I invested in them on their way up.  And, in the funeral home business I moved to the trend of higher professional service pricing and lower merchandise pricing before most and that proved to be a smart idea too.

In the Death Care business there is no doubt that the biggest trend that became a megatrend over the past half-century was the choice of cremation over traditional burial as a disposition choice.  And, those companies that embraced the cremation trend in the 1970’s have, more often than not, increased their business size and profitability as cremation choice continued to grow.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

So, is there a trend that could become a megatrend evident in today’s Death Care business?  I would say yes, and I would believe it is the trend of more individual choice or niche selections over the current disposition mainstream choices of either burial or cremation.  And, I think this “niche trend” is happening in all terms of the linear succesion of Death Care.  Disposition, ceremony, and memorialization.

What are some of these niches?

In Disposition I think that natural or green burial is growing. . . . I also think that there is an upward movement in alkaline hydrolysis and natural organic reduction (human composting).  I have a friend who operates a funeral home in New York City.  She recently told me “We are making great strides, receiving many more green burial pre-arrangement requests (with at- need steady too)”.

And, we recently published this article in Funeral Director Daily about alkaline-hydrolysis focused Endswell, located in North Carolina, which noted they had conducted 300 services in their first two years of operation allowing them to open a 2nd location.

Related — Recompose (Natural Organic Reduction) website

In Ceremony I am seeing a continual uptick in using non-traditional funeral venues for services.  And, what I call “Ceremony” companies like Kinwood or SendOff vying not only for funeral ceremonies but working to capture the contracted dispositions of the deceased also.

Or what about the idea of holding one’s funeral or memorial service (if you can call it that) before one has died?  There’s a company in Great Britain, Ceremonia, advocating just that.  Might this catch on?

Finally, in Memorialization I see many options that death care consumers will have over the tried-and-true option of burial (full body or cremation remains) in a cemetery with a monument declaring a life that has been lived.  There are a lot of options out there for this truly individual decision.  For instance, Better Place Forests made large investments in natural forests and a visit to their website will show testimonials that there are families that seem to be well pleased with their decision of purchasing memorial positions through them.

And, there are other options such as Parting Stone that seem to be growing also.

So, in our profession there are these emerging trends of “niche” choices that I see.  I’m also guessing that moving forward we will see more “niche” options present themselves to the Death Care consumer.  The question is, “Will these trends become megatrends and move the needle somewhat in decreasing the numbers of traditional burials, cremation, and traditional cemetery memorializations?”

Going back only 20 years, we lived in a country where over 90% of homes had landline telephone lines. . . . and we lived in a world where Netflix was delived on compact discs (CDs), not via streaming.

With those thoughts in mind, I would suggest that as you move forward with your Death Care business you look at options how you can partner with the growing “niche” businesses in Death Care to make sure that you don’t make a fatal mistake of missing a trend becoming a megatrend.

Disclaimer — The author of this article for Funeral Director Daily is a shareholder of Parting Stone.

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Is the World Ready for Deep Space Burials?

So besides the launching of cremated remains into or out orbit as part of a final farewell (an option of such growing popularity that there are businesses built upon the option as a burial alternative), there may soon be legitimate options for deep space burial of intact remains. Popular space travel, long-term missions and other circumstances may bring the necessity to the forefront in the near future. 

Star Trek and the sci fi genre have long featured the practice artistically; how faithful to reality are such depictions? In some shows, bodies explode from the lack of atmospheric pressure; in others, remains float unprotected gently into space, accidentally or otherwise, and just sort of peacefully float away, intact.

What’s the real story?

Human Bodies Are Tough

No exploding corpses after all: the absence of the pressurized atmosphere isn’t extreme enough to pull the human body apart, as the skin and connective tissues are sufficiently tough to hold things together. Even so, there would be other immediate effects, as well as long-term ones, contributing to the degradation of remains… though it wouldn’t be decomposition on earthly terms.

Immediate loss of pressure would draw out gases within the digestive tract, as well as oxygen in the tissues and blood. While this process might cause some damage, it wouldn’t be catastrophic. Rapid dehydration would follow, fluids in the body boiling off as the gases dissipate, and due to the extremes of temperature – at the low end, hundreds of degrees below Fahrenheit – any remaining moisture in the body would freeze.

The result would be a sort of preserved, dessicated, partially frozen mummy which, depending on its  trajectory after being ejected into space, might some day pass within proximity to cosmic features where temperatures are significantly higher and could cause other damage… such as within proximity to a star, like our sun.  

No Putrefaction

And there wouldn’t be the bacterial helping hand we’re used to for the sort of decomp we typically experience  on earth. For one thing, there’s no oxygen in space to help with the processes of bacterial propagation in the gut, that primary device that directs things so expeditiously on the surface; none of the natural means would be available to aid putrefaction. Space’s extreme temperatures don’t support propagation of the microorganisms in our gut that typically drive the processes we associate with the body’s breakdown.

But at a more stately pace, over time, interstellar radiation would take over, contributing to the breakdown of tissues by the deconstruction of DNA and other cellular materials. There could also be collisions from micrometeoroids and other space debris, though most of them would be relatively small particles – space dust, really.  Ultimately, the body will disintegrate, if slowly.

And should the remains be protected by a space casket of some sort, a vessel for the protection or in honor of the deceased, preservation might be possible for considerably longer, depending on the nature of the materials and any preparation of the body.

A regal ending, in theory if nothing else, to find a final resting place among the stars of our origins.

Pine Boxes & Backyard Burials | 4M #172

Welcome to the hundred-and-seventy-second edition of Morticians’ Monday Morning Mashup, 4M #172, where we’ll serve up bite-sized, easily-digestible nuggets of the deathcare news you need to crush conversations in the week ahead. Bon appetit!

Buried in the backyard?

A Washington state lawmaker is hoping that the latest revision of his bill will pass, allowing residents to bury loved ones on their own private property. But before you imagine folks digging a hole for grandma in their vegetable gardens, you should know that the law would include thoughtful parameters that would ultimately prevent burials in small lots (like residential subdivisions), commercial sale of plots and more. The bill was inspired by the burial traditions of local Native American tribes — some of whom, the lawmaker says, are resorting to burying their loved ones on their private properties without legal approval until the law changes.

Steal this idea!

An Ohio funeral home is among several who are providing community members the opportunity to pay their respects to the late former President Jimmy Carter without making the trip to Washington, DC. Staton-Borowski Funeral Home in Warren, Ohio has set up a memorial to Carter, complete with a photo, the presidential seal, memorial cards, and a guestbook, which will be mailed to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library.

Veterans showing interest

A few weeks ago the Department of Veterans Affairs announced the creation of dedicated green burial spaces at three of its national cemeteries. The opportunity to be buried in a national cemetery, but still enjoy the environmental and economical benefits of natural burial, is already gaining traction with veterans. Last week, the military publication Stars and Stripes spoke with veterans and family members who are happy about the new option, including an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran who said, “Just put me in a pine box where my body can decompose and return to nature.” This positive response could lead to an expansion of the program’s trial run!

The OG memorial product

A few years ago, archaeologists discovered evidence that the ancient Mayans incorporated human cremated remains into rubber balls used for tournament play on an I-shaped court. The ashes made the rubber “stronger and bouncier” and added “an extra layer of durability and toughness “ to the ball. If it weren’t for fireworks, tattoos, and vinyl records that people now fill with cremains, this might seem a little more shocking. Instead, it’s probably just a matter of time before someone creates an ash-and-rubber pickleball.

NFDA Applauds Senate Passage of Legislation Ensuring Dignified Burials for Veterans

Brookfield, Wis. – Yesterday, the U.S. Senate passed “The Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act” (S. 141), a comprehensive omnibus package of veterans legislation. Among its significant provisions, the bill includes a crucial update to veterans’ burial benefits that extends the allowance to veterans who die from a non-service-connected disability at home while receiving hospice care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Following the House of Representatives’ passage of this legislation last month (H.R. 8371), the bill now heads to President Joe Biden for his signature. The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) is a steadfast advocate for enhancing veterans’ funeral and burial benefits, with a full-time lobbyist in Washington, D.C., who played a pivotal role in supporting this legislation through expert advice and testimony. 

“On behalf of NFDA’s 20,000 members, I want to express our deep gratitude to Congress for passing this essential legislation,” said NFDA President Christopher P. Robinson, CFSP, CCO. “We especially appreciate the dedication of the House and Senate Committees on Veterans Affairs for their tireless work to ensure our nation’s veterans are honored with a dignified funeral and burial, regardless of where they take their final breath.” 

The provision to extend burial benefits to veterans who die at home while under hospice care is outlined in Section 301 of S. 141 and is rooted in the earlier House bill known as “Gerald’s Law.” Named in honor of veteran Gerald “Jerry” Elliott, this measure closes a gap in current policy that denies terminally ill veterans their VA burial allowance if they pass away outside a VA facility while under VA-furnished hospice care. 

On November 13, NFDA Lobbyist Lesley Witter, MPA, CAE, provided testimony before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs in support of “Gerald’s Law” and nearly 20 other provisions in “The Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act.” 

During her testimony, Witter stated: “NFDA supports the ‘Veterans’ Burial Improvement Act of 2024,’ particularly its provisions making certain burial benefits permanent for spouses and children of armed forces members who die while on active duty. We also endorse the provision enabling the Secretary to cover additional costs for transporting a veteran from the place of death to a designated cemetery, exceeding the standard transportation allowance. These legislative initiatives are crucial steps toward ensuring that our veterans and their families receive the utmost respect and recognition for their sacrifices to our nation. NFDA is proud to support these efforts and remains committed to advocating for the dignified treatment of our nation’s heroes.” 

Following her testimony before the House, Witter noted, “It was an honor to testify before Congress on behalf of this vital legislation. This bill represents a significant step toward ensuring that all veterans, no matter where they die, receive the respect, recognition and benefits they have earned through their service.” 

NFDA has a long-standing tradition of advocating for policies that honor the service and sacrifice of America’s veterans. As the world’s largest and most trusted funeral service association, NFDA’s commitment to veterans and their families is founded on deep respect for their service and a belief that every veteran deserves dignified recognition in death. 

Throughout its history, NFDA has supported key legislation to ensure equitable funeral and burial benefits for all veterans, regardless of circumstances. This includes the “Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020,” which established equal burial benefits for all non-service-connected deaths. 

NFDA’s advocacy success is built on strong relationships with lawmakers, the VA, and veterans’ organizations. Through congressional testimony, direct outreach to policymakers and mobilizing funeral directors across the country, NFDA ensures that the voices of funeral directors, veterans and their families are heard. 

About NFDA

NFDA is the world’s leading and largest funeral service association, serving 20,000 individual members who represent nearly 11,000 funeral homes in the United States and 49 countries around the world. NFDA is the trusted leader, beacon for ethics and the strongest advocate for the profession. NFDA is the association of choice because it offers funeral professionals comprehensive educational resources, tools to manage successful businesses, guidance to become pillars in their communities and the expertise to foster future generations of funeral professionals. NFDA is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., and has an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit NFDA.org. 

Roughly 18-months into their journey as an individual operating company, Batesville has made their first acquisition.  And, it should come as no surprise that the acquisition expanded the company’s technology offerings.  It was announced last week, in this press release, that Batesville has acquired Halcyon, a deathcare management system.

Batesville CEO Chris Trainer made these comments in the press release, “Over the last two decades, Halcyon has become one of the most respected providers of funeral home and crematory management software by delivering high levels of product innovation, technology leadership and outstanding customer service – all while maintaining the same integrity the company was founded on.  We are excited to continue to invest in new capabilities, new partnerships and integrations to support the changing needs of today’s professionals and provide a foundation for success for the next generation.”

According to the press release, Halcyon’s technology applications can help funeral homes and cemeteries in the following areas:

• Funeral home management software with a family-facing arrangement tool
• Crematory management software with body tracking capabilities
• Trade services management software
• Pet cremation management software

For more information on the company that will now operate with Batesville as their parent, you can access the Halcyon website here.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  It is pretty evident in the funeral home business that there is a trend to be more technology savvy and also to have some type of technology interface with the consumer public.  It appears that Halcyon does that with added benefits that can interface with accounting packages, credit cards, and online document signing software.

At Funeral Director Daily we’ve also preached about the ability of funeral directors to have all the necessary information on accounts and services at their fingertips and, according to the Batesville press release, Halcyon and its systems can be accessed from any device with a “user-friendly” navigation system.  In my opinion, that is almost a necessity in today’s Death Care world where current families being served may call or text directors at any time while directors could be in any location. . . .most of the time out of the office.

From my point of view, the next 24-36 months will show an increasingly competitive environment for these management software navigation systems in the Death Care sphere to become your funeral home or cemetery’s management system partner.  Company’s like Funeral365, Passare, PlotBox, Osiris, Halcyon, and many more will have a short-term race to become your management system of choice because funeral home’s without a “family-friendly” management system may risk loss of clientele because of out-dated technology that many families will be looking for.

I also think that with the number of players in this ever-crowding field that we will see some consolidation of the providers in the not so distant future.

Related Information — “Why is Batesville making acquisitions”?

When I started in funeral service employment in 1980, Batesville was predominently a wholesale casket company. Here is a couple of statistics that I found on why that business has changed so drastically:

• 1970 Number of United States Deaths:    1.921 million
• 2022 Number of United States Deaths:    3.279 million

• 1970 U.S. Cremation Rate:    5%
• 2022 U.S. Cremation Rate    60%

• 1970 Estimated Number of Casketed Burials:  1.824 million
• 2022 Estimated Number of Casketed Burials:  1.179 million

Analysis of those statistics will tell you that America has became a “Cremation Nation”.  Over a span of 52 years the country has approximately 1.4 million more annual deaths than in 1970.  However, because of the higher cremation rate, the country is purchasing about 645,000 less caskets annually. . . . . .and that continues to decrease as cremation continues to increase.

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