David Kruse President, ComStock Investments (With Permission to Reproduce) Copyright 2011@ CommStock Investments, Inc., David Kruse Selling pork was profitable last fall. You couldn’t tell that by looking at producer margins as they didn’t receive a share of it. Packer margins reached $30 head at one point based upon the pork trade voluntarily reported by packers. Only 3-4% of the product trade is reported, likely the 3-4% that packers who voluntarily report, want reported, so the pork margin Read More …
Category: GIPSA Rule
The Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s agency that facilitates the marketing of livestock, poultry, meat, cereals, oilseeds, and related agricultural products, and promotes fair and competitive trading practices for the overall benefit of consumers and American agriculture.
GIPSA is part of USDA’s Marketing and Regulatory Programs, which are working to ensure a productive and competitive global marketplace for U.S. agricultural products.
The Agency’s Packers and Stockyards Program (P&SP) promotes fair business practices and competitive environments to market livestock, meat, and poultry. Through its oversight activities, including monitoring programs, reviews, and investigations, P&SP fosters fair competition, provides payment protection, and guards against deceptive and fraudulent trade practices that affect the movement and price of meat animals and their products. P&SP’s work protects consumers and members of the livestock, meat, and poultry industries.
The Agency’s Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) facilitates the marketing of U.S. grain and related agricultural products by establishing standards for quality assessments, regulating handling practices, and managing a network of Federal, State, and private laboratories that provide impartial, user fee funded official inspection and weighing services.
Free Clothes
by Richard Oswald The worst thing about being a farmer is free clothes. Let me explain; In the city awhile back I shopped around for new car deals. I was just looking when up walked a salesperson. When her eyes locked on my corporate logo I received an unsolicited offer right there in the showroom. “Would you like to know more about the fleet discount?” she asked seductively. Being a city gal, she didn’t realize I was only Read More …
The Changing Structure of American Agriculture: Will the Family Farm Survive?
OCM is now interning its thirteenth year as an advocate for open, transparent, fair and competitive markets. I offer this somewhat lengthy manuscript to show our early vision and mission and that we have remained true to these precepts over the years. Thomas F. “Fred” Stokes, Executive Director Summerville, Tennessee, March 16, 2000 I’m Fred Stokes from Porterville, Mississippi, a little withering rural community some two hundred miles south of here. I want to thank Don Dowdel and Read More …
GIPSA Lie Exposed
big_lie_about_gipsa_rules_exposed Press Release announcing posting of video proof of Dudley Butler’s actual statements regarding the GIPSA rule.
Put Up or Shut Up: Wanted, Documented Evidence of the Existance of Competition
by Randy Stevenson, President We have listened for quite a long time to a number of experts expound on the virtues and flaws of the cattle market. We’ve seen surveys (some masquerading as “studies”) that purport to give us a picture of what is happening in the cattle market. But we have a couple of questions we would like to put out to the public to see what kind of response we can get. The important issue in Read More …
The Comstock Report
David Kruse President, ComStock Investments (With Permission to Reproduce) Copyright 2010@ CommStock Investments, Inc., David Kruse Farm Credit System works and works well, which really annoys anti-government ideologues. They offer customer friendly terms at competitive interest rates and as they operate as a cooperative, the customers benefit from patronage as the system makes money. The private sector has its farm Banks and they play a critical role in financing agriculture too. We don’t want to get rid of Read More …
“The Big Lie” – Weapon of Choice for GIPSA Rule Opponents
Thomas F. “Fred” Stokes Executive Director The comment period for the proposed GIPSA Rules has ended and the 80,000 or so comments are in; — but the bare knuckled, back-alley fight continues. Pursuant to Title XI of the Food Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (Farm Bill), the U. S. Department of Agriculture published certain rules on the federal register, June 22nd. The rules have to do with interpreting and enforcing the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921 Read More …
OCM Support Counters Corporate Interests
OCM_PR_Outpouring_GIPSA_Support Consumer and Producer groups combined to show support for proposed regulations of the Department of Agriculture that would provide producers and consumers a break they haven’t experienced in over 90 years. Many advocacy groups have joined OCM in these matters. Please read the press release on the list of advocacy groups and for more information regarding OCM’s role in the proposed GIPSA rule.