Media

DOJ MAKES STATEMENT OF INTEREST IN DFA CASE

OCM Staff

by Nicole Heslip Source: Brownfield Ag News The Department of Justice has filed a brief in an ongoing Dairy Farmers of America federal court case with Northeast dairy farmers. The Department says the cooperative’s actions are inconsistent with legal protections for co-ops in the Capper-Volstead Act and is not safeguarded from antitrust laws as DFA argues. Ben Gotschall with the Organization for Competitive Markets tells Brownfield the purpose of agriculture antitrust laws is to protect producers and they’re pleased to Read More …

DOJ Antitrust Division Weighs in on Farmers’ Suit Against DFA

OCM Staff

by Chris Clayton Source: Progressive Farmer Ag Policy Blog The U.S. Department of Justice has come down on the side of a group of more than 100 dairy farmers in a federal lawsuit against the country’s largest dairy cooperative, Dairy Farmers of America. As initially reported by the Food and Environment Reporting Network, a group of 116 Northeastern dairy farmers rejected to take part in a prior lawsuit settlement against DFA in 2016 and instead pressed their case Read More …

BREAKING: Department of Justice Files Amicus Brief in Dairy Farmers of America Lawsuit

Ben Gotschall

On July 27th, 2020, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an amicus brief in a lawsuit against Dairy Farmers of America, the United States’ largest dairy cooperative. The lawsuit, filed in Vermont U.S. District Court, alleges that DFA and other cooperatives agreed not to compete for each other’s farmer-members, conspired to share payment information in order to discourage competition and depress prices, and maintained those low prices market-wide by entering into supply agreements with Dean Foods Read More …

Online Event: Meat Processing and Inspection with Dr. James Dillon

OCM Staff

On June 25th, 2020, OCM launched the first video of its summer online event series, a presentation by Dr. James Dillon, Director of the Texas Meat and Poultry Inspection Program.  This video is a great overview of the different types of meat inspection, and discusses the effects of currently proposed legislation that would affect the market access of state-inspected meat. You can watch the video presentation here: Here is a breakdown with links to the relevant sections of Read More …

OCM to Hold Series of Online Discussions

OCM Staff

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 23, 2020   Media Contact: Ben Gotschall bgotschall@competitivemarkets.com 402-540-1342   OCM to Hold Series of Online Discussions First Topic will be Meat Processing and Inspection LINCOLN, NE: The Organization for Competitive Markets has announced that its annual conference, scheduled for August has been cancelled.  In order to provide timely information and discussion of topics important to its members and to the public, OCM will be hosting a series of online events dealing with issues Read More …

Cincinnati News 12 | Skyrocketing beef prices spark signs at Kroger, federal investigations

OCM Staff

by James Pilcher Source: Cincinnati Local 12 News Date Published: June 17, 2020 LATONIA, Ky. (WKRC) – Bard’s Burgers and Chili is known for its burgers fresh off the griddle, and customers were glad to see them reopen to diners in May. But they were also greeted by higher prices on the menu, thanks in part to rising beef prices. “I mean, they’ve just literally skyrocketed,” said Bard’s owner Jordan Stephens. “I mean, almost triple we were — Read More …