NPR By Renee Wilde American soil. Those are two words that are commonly used to stir up patriotic feelings. They are also words that can’t be taken for granted, because today nearly 30 million acres of U.S. farmland are held by foreign investors. That number has doubled in the past two decades, which is raising alarm bells in farming communities. When the stock market tanked during the past recession, foreign investors began buying up big swaths of U.S. Read More …
Author: OCM Staff
May 23, 2019: #AgJustice Webinar with Center for American Progress
On May 23, 2019 at 11:00 AM CT, Zoe Willingham and Abril Castro from the Center for American Progress (CAP) will bring OCM members their latest research on U.S. farm policy. They will share their research on the history of structural racism at the USDA and its contribution to the loss of black farms. They will present exciting proposals that would begin to help black farmers rebuild wealth by affirmatively supporting the growth of black-owned and -operated farms. Read More …
Over 200 Farm, Food and Rural Groups Support Agribusiness Merger Moratorium Bills
Coalition Urges Members of Congress to Cosponsor Vital Legislation Washington, D.C. — Today, a broad-based coalition of 219 farm, food, rural, faith and consumer advocacy organizations delivered a letter to Congress endorsing food and agribusiness merger moratorium bills introduced by Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Jon Tester (D-MT) and Representative Mark Pocan (D-WI). The Food and Agribusiness Merger Moratorium and Antitrust Review Act of 2019 would initiate a moratorium on large agriculture, food and beverage manufacturing and grocery retail Read More …
USDA Announces New Packers and Stockyards Act Regulations to be Issued
Today, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it will invite the public to comment on new proposed revisions to regulations under the Packers & Stockyards Act in compliance with a 2008 congressional mandate by the Bush administration. At issue is whether or not family farmers have a legal leg to stand on when the largest agriculture monopolies bully them in the marketplace using predatory and retaliatory practices to either keep farmers in line or to drive Read More …
OCM Calls on DOJ to Block Acquisition of Iowa Premium by National Beef Packing Company
Via Open Markets Institute: Deal Would Destroy Last Competitive Market for Cattle in America Washington, D.C. — As lawmakers’ calls to break up big agribusiness monopolies grow, Open Markets, Food & Water Watch and the Organization for Competitive Markets called on the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to block the proposed acquisition of Iowa Premium by National Beef. “True open and competitive cattle auctions are disappearing as ranchers become more beholden to powerful corporations,” says Claire Kelloway, Food & Farming researcher at Open Read More …
Federal Legislation Would End USDA’s Bailout Payments to Brazil’s JBS
On Tuesday, May 14, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) filed the Buy American Agriculture Act (H.R. 2712) to stop the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from lining the pockets of global corporations at the expense of U.S. taxpayers and family farmers. The legislation was filed as the result of USDA’s announcement that it continues to provide millions of dollars in financial assistance to a Brazilian transnational corporation, JBS, through the bailout program established to assist America’s family farmers devastated Read More …
President Trump Should Say No to Brazil’s Beef Import Deal
“With this acquisition, we become the largest beef company in the world.” With these words, JBS President Joesley Batista set in motion what today has become an invasion of the U.S. beef market by Brazilian corporations. Batista uttered these words in 2007 during JBS S.A.’s announcement that it had just purchased the U.S.’s third largest beef processor, Swift Food Company. A year later, JBS seized on the opportunity to expand its U.S. acquisitions and purchased Smithfield Beef Group, Read More …
DTN Progressive Farmer | Groups Rally for Farmer Bill of Rights Before Rural Forum
DTN Progressive Farmer By Chris Clayton STORM LAKE, Iowa, (DTN) — Several farm groups focusing on issues related to small family farms in crisis held a rally here Saturday leading up to a rural issues forum later in the afternoon with a handful of Democratic presidential candidates. NOTE: I plan to update this blog with comments from the forum later in the day as well as post tweets at @ChrisClaytonDTN Family Farm Action spearheaded the forum, along with Read More …