“Voices Rising from the Land” “Addressing the Threats to Independent Family Agriculture.” August 10, 2012 – 14th Annual OCM Food and Agriculture Conference, Kansas City, MO View Press Conference Video Welcome, Introductions, Opening Remarks Fred Stokes, OCM President PANEL – SETBACKS AND DISAPPOINTMENTS (From Left to Right) Fred Stokes, J. Dudley Butler, Bob Taylor and Bill Bullard J. Dudley Butler – GIPSA Rule Butler has recently returned to the practice of law after spending almost three years as Read More …
Farm and Food File for the week beginning Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012 by Alan Guebert Somewhere along the line it became acceptable to bend and break the record of public figures and firms without any consequence whatsoever. Shortly thereafter distortion and deception replaced discussion and debate and yelling and lying replaced compromise and progress. And that’s just in agriculture; in politics it’s even worse. The latest farm and food fight centers on the legal battle that pits the Read More …
Will Harris, White Oak Pastures, in support of HSUS help on checkoff lawsuit: [audio:http://NoBull.MikeCallicrate.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/willharrishsussupport.mp3] “Hey Mike, this is Will Harris in Georgia, White Oak Pastures, and I don’t expect you to call me back. I called to tell you that I read where the cattle folks castagated ya pretty good for partnering up a little bit with the HSUS, and I wanted you to know that you were right and they’re wrong. “I think that the HSUS agenda Read More …
August 16, 2012 Kansas City, MO – Proponents of independent family farm and ranch agriculture met this past weekend at the Organization for Competitive Markets’ “Voices Rise From The Land,” 14th annual meeting. The conference began at a Thursday evening press conference with President Fred Stokes announcing litigation seeking a halt to the flow of money to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association from the cattlemen’s beef checkoff. The suit names the United States Department of Agriculture, Cattleman’s Beef Read More …
Daniel D. Owen – Polsinelli Shughart PC August 10, 2012 | Filing Date for Complaint for Permanent Injunction MICHAEL P. CALLICRATE, Plaintiff, v. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (PDF) Mike Callicrate is the named plaintiff in the lawsuit filed against the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) and the CBB’s Beef Promotion Operating Committee. Callicrate is the owner of a meat packing facility and retail market called Ranch Direct Foods in Colorado Springs, Read More …
Daniel D. Owen – Polsinelli Shughart PC August 10, 2012 | Filing Date for Complaint for Permanent Injunction MICHAEL P. CALLICRATE, Plaintiff, v. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (PDF) Mike Callicrate is the named plaintiff in the lawsuit filed against the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) and the CBB’s Beef Promotion Operating Committee. Callicrate is the owner of a meat packing facility and retail market called Ranch Direct Foods in Colorado Springs, Read More …
At the 2009 OCM Annual Conference in St. Louis, Philip J. Weiser, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ) announced an unprecedented governmental initiative to bring competition and fair play to agricultural markets. For the first time in history, there was to be a joint and coordinated effort by USDOJ and U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to enforce antitrust laws and restore competition and fairness to the agricultural marketplace. Weiser announced plans for Read More …
Lincoln, NE, June 18, 2012: The Organization for Competitive Markets expressed its full support for an amendment to the 2012 Farm Bill that would make all mandatory checkoff programs voluntary. The amendment, proposed by Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), reads: “No program to promote and provide research and information for a particular agricultural commodity without reference to specific producers or brands (commonly known as a ‘check-off program’) shall be mandatory or compulsory.” These checkoff programs, funded by assessments of Read More …
