Source: The Fence Post Published: May 20, 2020 President Donald Trump’s comments critical of cattle imports Tuesday at a White House farmer and rancher event have caused a stir among the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association and the Organization for Competitive Markets. In the middle of a presentation on the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, Trump seemed to divert from prepared remarks, saying apparently to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, who was standing nearby, “I read yesterday Read More …
Author: OCM Staff
OCM Calls for Moratorium on Beef Imports
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 20, 2020 Media Contact: Ben Gotschall bgotschall@competitivemarkets.com 402-540-1342 OCM Calls for Moratorium on Beef Imports American Producers Can Feed America LINCOLN, NE–Today, the Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) sent a letter to United States Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, calling on him to follow President Trump’s suggestion yesterday to terminate the importation of cattle into the United States. “While we agree with that strategy, we feel it does not go far enough,” said Ben Read More …
Red River Farm Network | OCM Seeks to Breakup Big Four Meatpackers
Source: Red River Farm Network Published May 4, 2020 The Organization for Competitive Markets is calling for the breakup of the “big four” meat packing companies. Together, Cargill, JBS, National Beef and Tyson process 85 percent of the U.S. beef supply. In a statement, Organization Interim Executive Director Ben Gotschall said the COVID-19 pandemic has “shown the biggest links in the food supply chain are the weakest.” Beyond this action, the association is also asking for mandatory Country Read More …
Position Announcement: Executive Director
The Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) seeks an Executive Director. About OCM: The Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) is a national, membership-based public policy research and advocacy organization headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. Founded in 1998, OCM is the only national think tank focusing strictly on antitrust and trade policy in agriculture. OCM represents America’s family farmers and ranchers fighting consolidation and corporate control of the food system. OCM provides objective, hard-hitting information to the public, the media, and Read More …
OCM Calls for Breakup of Big Four Meatpackers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 30, 2020 Media Contact: Ben Gotschall bgotschall@competitivemarkets.com 402-540-1342 OCM Calls for Breakup of Big Four Meatpackers Weak Links in Food Supply Chain Must Be Removed LINCOLN, NE: Today, Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) is calling for the breakup of the “Big Four” meatpacking companies: Cargill, JBS, National Beef, and Tyson. Together, these four companies control over 85% of the United States beef supply. Recent packing plant closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic have Read More …
9 Actions We Can Take Now to Strengthen Our Agriculture and Food System
The Covid-19 Pandemic has had many effects on the economy of the United States, and particularly hard-hit has been the agriculture and food sector. Not since the Depression have we seen such a disparity between retail and farmgate prices, empty grocery shelves while people clamor for food, and farmers going out of business. Like something straight out of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, farmers are euthanizing livestock, dumping milk, and allowing produce to rot in the fields, Read More …
30% of Nothing is Still Nothing
Currently there is a movement in the cattle industry calling for a mandatory beef cattle cash market volume of 30%. Corbitt Wall is touting it as the biggest thing to hit the cattle industry since Y-Tex eartags, while patting himself on the back like he just invented a new card game. Meanwhile, NCBA has been spending our checkoff dollars developing an online cookbook. Beef producers need Market Reform, not Martha Stewart. Perhaps NCBA could spend less of its Read More …
Corrupt billionaire brothers’ meat plants are riddled with coronavirus
by Isabel Vincent Source: The New York Post The world’s largest meat-processing giant was forced to shut down some of its US plants as more than 100 of its workers tested positive for COVID-19 last week, but the pandemic may be the least of its problems. The Brazilian billionaire brothers — one of whom owned a Manhattan penthouse — controlling the massive meat producer JBS, which slaughters 13 million animals a day and has revenues of $50 billion Read More …