USDA Approval of Brazilian Beef Imports Coming Soon?? by Jim Eichstadt | The Milkweed – Dairy’s best information and insights | Issue No. 431 • June 2015 Foot & Mouth Disease Threat Alert! USDA appears to be gearing up to do the unthinkable: allowing fresh beef imports from Brazil, a country contaminated with highly contagious Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD). No sane person would dare risk this “nuclear option.” Exposing U.S. livestock herds to an FMD outbreak could devastate millions Read More …
For Immediate Release July 3, 2015 OCM Repeats Call For U.S. Withdrawal From the WTO An Independence Day Press Re-Release: The OCM press release of four years ago that follows, reflects our frustration with the WTO decision made at that time, relative to the U.S. ability to implement its own mandatory COOL. The press release reflected concern for the conflict of special interest ridden WTO dispute resolution processes, and how they could adversely impact the U.S. in the Read More …
As of June 10, 2015 the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 2393 which will deny all Americans from knowing where their beef, chicken or pork comes from. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) of our food is essentially on its way out, if we don’t fight to stop the greed of Multi National companies. Three hundred of our U.S. Representatives have already caved to greed of Multi National Meat Packers and foreign trade tribunals (WTO). My Congressman, Texas Read More …
For Immediate Release Media Contact: OCM President Mike Callicrate, 785-332-8218 OCM stands firm on consumers’ right to meat origin info (June 25, 2015) -This week the Organization for Competitive Markets stood firm behind American consumers’ right to meat origin information and refused to back down on their long-standing position to support mandatory Country of Origin labeling on meat products sold at retail. “Our stance is right for consumers and for America’s independent farmers and ranchers. They can count Read More …
-by John K. Hansen | Posted: Wednesday, April 29, 2015 1:00 am The writer is president of the Nebraska Farmers Union and served as a U.S. Trade Representative trade adviser for three administrations for 14 years starting in 1994. The House and Senate have sent Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) proposals out of their respective committees to the floor for consideration, so the issue is now before us. TPA, also known as Fast Track Authority, provides the administration with Read More …
– by Chris Petersen There is frustration in rural Iowa! How would you city folks like it if there was very little regulation of siting or oversight of any industry locating or operating in your neighborhoods? At a moment’s notice industry could swoop in unexpectedly and set up shop with little say what so ever, I assume a vast majority of people would immediately be up in arms and try to stop it! In rural Iowa this Read More …
– by Lee Pitts, Livestock Market Digest Sometimes you have to really dig to find a story. And then sometimes it finds you. In the past few weeks I’ve received several phone calls from people associated with the beef checkoff. This alone is a minor miracle because I haven’t exactly been on speaking terms with these folks. Suffice it to say, I’m not on the Christmas card list of the NCBA or the Beef Board. At first I Read More …
While farmers chase the next crop, the agriculture game has changed. International corporations have reduced their own risk by passing it along to farmers. “Free” trade (like the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership), seed patents, and contract farming for hogs and chickens are some of the ways Big Ag has standardized a once-diverse industry. Photo by Nate Kauffman Playing fetch at Wisconsin’s Kettle Moraine State Forest. Playing fetch with a Labrador is a little like farming. I throw the Read More …