Category: Media Coverage

The Fence Post The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry announced the $1 refundable Oklahoma Beef Checkoff referendum failed with 2,506 no votes and 1,998 yes votes. The proposed checkoff would have required that $1 be taken from cattle owners every time they sold cattle. The funds would remain in state to be administered by the Oklahoma Beef Council, which is made up of members appointed by: American Farmers and Ranchers, Oklahoma Dairy Producers Association, Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Read More …

The Hill By Joe Maxwell On Oct. 17, 2017, the American dream, the hope of every American for a fair share of America’s prosperity, died for America’s family farmers and rural farming communities, when USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue announced he would withdraw the Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration’s Interim Final Rule (known as the GIPSA rule). Except for the lone voices of Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Jon Tester(D-Mont.), few in Washington even took notice. At issue is whether or not independent family farmers have a Read More …

Enid News & Eagle By Ryan Miller Staff Writer Two organizations are seeking state Supreme Court intervention to prohibit the certification of the beef checkoff referendum. Last week, members of the Organization for Competitive Markets and R-CALF USA joined to file with the Oklahoma Supreme Court, requesting the court enter declaratory judgement and prohibit the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry from certifying the Oklahoma beef checkoff program referendum. “The legal application is in response to the Read More …

U.S. News & World Report TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas agriculture community has been divided over a decision by the Trump administration to block new livestock rules from taking effect. A division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture called the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration had proposed the rules that were scheduled to go into effect Thursday, the Lawrence Journal-World reported . The new rules were intended to protect poultry producers from unfair commercial practices by food processing Read More …

Capital Press By Carol Ryan Dumas The USDA last week published annual reports for on the dairy checkoff program for 2013, 2014 and 2015. It provided no explanation why the mandatory reports to Congress were not completed as required. USDA Agricultural Marketing Service last week published three annual reports on the dairy checkoff program but gave no public explanation as to why it failed to submit those mandatory reports to Congress since 2012. A month earlier, the Organization for Competitive Read More …

The Wall Street Journal By Jacob Bunge and Heidi Vogt Move is blow to farmers and advocacy groups that have sought checks on meatpackers’ clout in rural America   The U.S. Department of Agriculture has dropped efforts to tighten regulations governing how meat companies deal with the farmers who raise the nation’s poultry and livestock. The move is a blow to farmers and advocacy groups that for years have sought checks on meatpackers’ clout in rural America, where nearly one million producers raise animals for the U.S. meat Read More …

Meatingplace By Lisa M. Keefe A group representing family farmers and ranchers filed a complaint with USDA’s Office of Inspector General alleging the Oklahoma Beef Council illegally joined the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association in campaigning for a state referendum that would require payment of a state fee of $1 for every head of cattle sold. This would be in violation of federal restrictions on use of Beef Council funds to promote or influence government or policy, according to a Read More …

Drovers By Wyatt Bechtel Early voting for a secondary beef checkoff in Oklahoma started on Oct. 2, but the Organization for Competitive Markets wants the vote to be halted. The official vote for proposed state beef checkoff is slated for Nov. 1, but Oklahoma cattle producers can vote with mail-in ballots from Oct. 2 to Oct. 20. Ballots can be requested from the Oklahoma Beef Checkoff Ballot Committee by calling 405-235-4391 or emailing okbeefcheckoff@gmail.com. Mail-in ballots must be post marked Read More …