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.

The New York Times | Leashes Come Off Wall Street, Gun Sellers, Polluters and More

OCM Staff

The New York Times By ERIC LIPTON and BINYAMIN APPELBAUM WASHINGTON — Giants in telecommunications, like Verizon and AT&T, will not have to take “reasonable measures” to ensure that their customers’ Social Security numbers, web browsing history and other personal information are not stolen or accidentally released. Wall Street banks like Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase will not be punished, at least for now, for not collecting extra money from customers to cover potential losses from certain kinds Read More …

Organization for Competitive Markets Applauds USDA’s Proposed GIPSA Regulations

OCM Staff

Lincoln, NE – Today, the Office of Management and Budget released USDA’s Farmer Fair Practices Rules – commonly called the “GIPSA” rules – regarding contracts between poultry companies and growers. The Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) has been fighting for enforcement of GIPSA regulations since the USDA introduced rules in 2009, and looks forward to these newly released rules being enacted. Speaking at USDA’s news conference, Mike Weaver, poultry grower and OCM President, offered the following statement: “The Read More …

Letter of Support for Legislative Action to Provide Meaningful Reforms of Checkoff Programs

Mike Callicrate

July 14, 2016 Dear Members of Congress: We, the undersigned organizations, businesses and individuals call on Congress to support Senators Booker’s and Lee’s S. 3201 and Senator Lee’s S. 3200. These bills address the demonstrated, egregious marketplace abuses committed by the commodity checkoff programs (“checkoff programs”). Checkoff programs were established to serve as mechanisms by which agricultural producers pool money for common promotional and research purposes. Fees are mandatory, from the smallest local farmer to the biggest factory Read More …

Supporters Urge Congress to Take Action and Pass Meaningful Commodity Checkoff Program Reform

Mike Callicrate

Joint News Release Contact: Bill Bullard (406-252-2516) Fred Stokes: (601-527-2459) July 14, 2016 Supporters Urge Congress to Take Action and Pass Meaningful Commodity Checkoff Program Reform Washington, DC – More than 140 organizations, ranchers, farmers and businesses applaud Senators Booker and Lee for filing legislation that, when passed, will stop commodity checkoff program abuses. Yesterday, the Senators filed the Commodity Checkoff Program Improvement Act (S. 3201), which would put an end to the most egregious abuses committed by the Read More …

The Family Farm

Fred Stokes

I am Fred Stokes from Porterville, Mississippi. I am happy and honored to be a participant in this conference. Ralph Nader is one of my heroes and the epitome of unselfish commitment to worthy causes. I was born on a small diversified family farm in Kemper County Mississippi, the home of the late Senator John C. Stennis. After spending some 20 years in the Army, I retired and returned to my home country to get rich in the Read More …

OIG Reconfirms Commitment to Produce Beef Checkoff Audit Documents

Mike Callicrate

October 15, 2015 For Immediate Release: OIG Reconfirms Commitment to Produce Audit Documents Today, before a federal judge in the U.S. District Court in Washington, DC, and the attorneys for OCM, OIG reconfirmed their commitment to produce thousands of documents related to the 2013-2014 audit report. This assurance was issued today during a status hearing a little more than a year after the Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) filed a complaint for injunctive relief in U. S. District Read More …

Failed Promises

Mike Callicrate

By J. Dudley Butler When Obama made grandiose promises about protecting farmers’ rights Many farmers were hopeful and saw a glimmer of light They turned out and supported Obama in his time of need Obama appointed Vilsack and Holder and told them his words to heed They gave grand speeches and promised big change But in the long run it was just more of the same Vilsack appointed Butler who knew the law and the facts But Vilsack Read More …

This is so NOT COOL!

Mike Callicrate

Download the poster to print and share! Groups Criticize Ag Secretary for Allowing Checkoff-funded NCBA to Attack COOL Washington, D.C. – In a graphic issued today, R-CALF USA and the Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) criticize Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack for not doing his job to end the abuses to the national Beef Checkoff Program (Beef Checkoff) perpetrated by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). The NCBA receives over 80 percent of its funding from the Beef Checkoff Read More …