“Embalming is another issue. It is pretty much mandated by law.”
Actually that’s a myth pushed very aggressively by the funeral industry. Most states have no laws requiring embalming. Federal law requires it only when shipping bodies across state lines or between the United States and a foreign country. If you can find a copy (many libraries will have one) I suggest reading The American Way of Death by the late Jessica Mitford. It’s a brutal expose of the funeral industry.
Some friends of ours are caretakers at a cemetery. The majority of cemeteries are for profit corporations (many are owned by a group out of Texas). Prices are going up. They are still a non profit one, but the board has been under pressure to sell out.
The predatory practice of some of the mortuaries is rather horrible.
As for embalming, I do know that in South Dakota it is mandated (with exception for certain explicit religions), and if I remember right Nebraska is too. The definition is much less than what is typically done. The reason is because in some areas, there isn’t enough top soil to bury very deep.