Media

Bloomberg | U.S. Meat Giants Face Biggest Attack in Century From Probe

OCM Staff

by David McLaughlin Source: Bloomberg Business Date Published: June 15, 2020 The Trump administration is launching what could turn out to be the biggest attack in a century against the giants of America’s meat industry, which already faced uproar over employee treatment during the pandemic. The Justice Department is bringing criminal charges in the poultry industry just as it opens a formal probe of beef companies. Regulators are also scrutinizing potential price manipulation, and on Capitol Hill, lawmakers are clamoring for a Read More …

WNAX Radio | Meat Packers Facing Civil Case Charging Collusion And Price Fixing

OCM Staff

Source: WNAX Radio Date Published: June 11, 2020 The Four Big meatpackers are under a lot of pressure lately with not only the Justice Department Investigation but now a Chicago Grocery Chain has filed a civil lawsuit against them charging collusion and price fixing. Organization for Competitive Markets Interim Executive Director Ben Gotschall says the problem of packers getting paid more than producers for their cattle has been around a long time. South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association President Eric Read More …

South Dakota Public Broadcasting | Pandemic Widens Gulf Between Packers and Producers

OCM Staff

by Seth Tupper Source: South Dakota Public Broadcasting Date Published: June 2, 2020 Rancher Rick Fox said there aren’t as many buyers for his cattle anymore, because the four major beef processors are so big they’ve pushed out competition. He said that drives down the price of cattle. “It’s kind of like going to a farm auction and if you wait till the end of the sale when everybody leaves, you get a pretty good deal,” Fox said. That good deal for meatpackers Read More …

High Plains Journal | COVID-19 exposing stress points in meat supply system

OCM Staff

by David Murray Source: High Plains Journal Date Published: May 24, 2020 As the COVID-19 crisis grinds on, it is exposing serious stress points in the nation’s delicately balanced meat supply system. Decades of consolidation and centralization in the meat processing industry have created a system precisely attuned to serve the exact mix of retail and wholesale meat customers that existed prior to the virus. Improved logistics and data management techniques have helped the system operate in as Read More …

The Hagstorm Report | Trump remarks on imports cause stir among cattle groups

OCM Staff

Source: The Fence Post Published: May 20, 2020 President Donald Trump’s comments critical of cattle imports Tuesday at a White House farmer and rancher event have caused a stir among the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association and the Organization for Competitive Markets. In the middle of a presentation on the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, Trump seemed to divert from prepared remarks, saying apparently to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, who was standing nearby, “I read yesterday Read More …

OCM Calls for Moratorium on Beef Imports

OCM Staff

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 20, 2020 Media Contact: Ben Gotschall bgotschall@competitivemarkets.com 402-540-1342 OCM Calls for Moratorium on Beef Imports American Producers Can Feed America LINCOLN, NE–Today, the Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) sent a letter to United States Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, calling on him to follow President Trump’s suggestion yesterday to terminate the importation of cattle into the United States. “While we agree with that strategy, we feel it does not go far enough,” said Ben Read More …

Red River Farm Network | OCM Seeks to Breakup Big Four Meatpackers

OCM Staff

Source: Red River Farm Network Published May 4, 2020 The Organization for Competitive Markets is calling for the breakup of the “big four” meat packing companies. Together, Cargill, JBS, National Beef and Tyson process 85 percent of the U.S. beef supply. In a statement, Organization Interim Executive Director Ben Gotschall said the COVID-19 pandemic has “shown the biggest links in the food supply chain are the weakest.” Beyond this action, the association is also asking for mandatory Country Read More …

Position Announcement: Executive Director

OCM Staff

The Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) seeks an Executive Director.  About OCM: The Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) is a national, membership-based public policy research and advocacy organization headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. Founded in 1998, OCM is the only national think tank focusing strictly on antitrust and trade policy in agriculture. OCM represents America’s family farmers and ranchers fighting consolidation and corporate control of the food system. OCM provides objective, hard-hitting information to the public, the media, and Read More …