The cattle producers’ share of the retail price of beef has been as high as 70%, but today it is just 38.5%. Last week, cattle producers were losing over $200.00 per head while the monopoly meatpackers like JBS were making over $400.00. Farmers and ranchers own and care for their cattle 365 days a year and are going broke, while the Big Four packers own the cattle for about a week and get rich. Enough is enough: It is time for President Trump and Secretary Perdue to take charge and take action.
Organization for Competitive Markets is hosting a rally and meeting to Stop the Stealin’! in Omaha, Nebraska on Wednesday, October 2, 2019 from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM. The event will be held at the Ramada Inn at 3321 South 72nd Street. Lodging is available at the OCM block rate of $79 plus tax by calling 402-393-3950. Lunch will be available for $15 for folks who have RSVP’d.
RSVP for members of the public: Click here.
RSVP for members of the press: Click here.
The rally is sponsored by Organization for Competitive Markets, R-CALF USA, Family Farm Action, Farm Aid, National Family Farm Coalition, American Grassfed Association, Open Markets Institute, National Dairy Producers Organization, Center for Rural Affairs, Nebraska Women Involved in Farm Economics, Independent Cattlemen of Nebraska, Nebraska Grange, Alabama Contract Poultry Growers Association, Wisconsin Farmers Union, Illinois Farmers Union, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, Iowa Citizens Action Network, Iowa Alliance for Responsible Agriculture, Kansas Cattlemen’s Association, South Dakota Stockgrowers Association, Colorado Independent Cattlemen Association, California Dairy Campaign, and California Farmers Union.
Be sure to join the Western Ag Reporter’s campaign and tweet at President Trump the week of September 23rd for #FairCattleMarkets.
Agenda
9:30 – Opening Ceremony
9:45 – Welcome: Vaughn Meyer, OCM Vice President
9:50 – Welcome to Nebraska: David Wright, OCM Board Member
9:55 – Our Demands and Call to Action: Vaughn Meyer
10:05 – Twitter Action: Katherine Un, OCM Outreach and Engagement Manager
10:15 – Corbitt Wall, Cattle Market Summary, Feeder Flash
11:00 – Mike Callicrate, OCM Board Member
11:30 – Wes Shoemyer, Family Farm Action
11:45 – Lunch
1:00 – Where We Are: Fred Stokes, OCM Board Member
1:30 – Chickenization of Poultry and Pork: Jonathan Buttram and Chris Petersen, OCM Board Members
2:00 – Break
2:15 – Market Facts: Bill Bullard, R-CALF USA
3:00 – Our Demands in Detail: Senator Al Davis, OCM Board Member
3:30 – Closing Comments, Joe Maxwell, OCM Executive Director
4:00 – Adjourn
Our Demands
So often we hear it will take an act of Congress to fix the mess agriculture and livestock producers are facing. While Congress needs to wake up and take action to ensure open, fair, transparent markets for every producer, there is something United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue and the Trump Administration can do, should do and must do TODAY on behalf of independent cattle producers.
Six Actions President Trump and Secretary Perdue Can Take Today to Save the U.S. Cattle Market
Buy American
1. Stop foreign meat from being labeled “Product of U.S.A.” by ruling in favor of the OCM and American Grassfed Association petition to USDA’s Federal Safety Inspection Service.
2. Withdraw the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) until such time as Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) is included in the USMCA.
3. Reduce the amount of foreign beef imported into the United States and cease all efforts to reopen the U.S. to Brazilian beef.
Drain the Swamp of Corporate Monopoly Power
4. Restore producer protection safeguards under the Packers and Stockyards Act by issuing new rules that meet or exceed the demands that are outlined by Senators Tester and Grassley along with Congresswoman Kaptur in their recent letter to USDA:
a. Clarify the long-standing USDA position that the Packers and Stockyards Act does not require a producer to demonstrate harm to competition across the entire sector in order to bring a claim.
b. Ensure packers are not providing preferential marketing arrangements to only a select group of large livestock feeders, while excluding opportunities for smaller, independent feeders to remain profitable.
c. Protect the rights of farmers to join together in producer associations to advocate for themselves, free from retribution.
d. Grower payment systems (tournament) should be objective, transparent, and reward growers for their management skills, not penalize them for factors outside of their control.
5. Restore the enforcement power of the Packers and Stockyards Act by re-establishing the Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) and increase funding for investigations and enforcement.
6. Implement the Government Accountability Office’s recommendations and require USDA Agriculture Marketing Services (AMS) Livestock Mandatory Price Reporting Group to share marketing data with USDA Packers and Stockyards Act Program or submit to Congress a proposal to allow for such sharing.
Taking these six actions today will stabilize and move the market in the right direction for cattle producers and it would do so immediately without having to wait for an act of Congress. USDA Secretary Perdue and the Trump Administration have the power to take these six actions. Let’s not let them off the hook; let’s raise a little hell!
OCM Membership
Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) is a national leader working to bring about economic justice for family farmers, ranchers and rural communities by fighting to break the the abusive corporate power that extracts the wealth out of their pockets. OCM provides a platform for individuals and organizations to join their voices in demanding fairness and justice within the food and agricultural marketplace. Working together we can ensure everyone receives their fair share of America’s prosperity that they build. By becoming a member you will have access to the information and tools you need to join the fight. Click here to join OCM today.
Corbitt Wall on #FairCattleMarkets and OCM Rally
Is Your Meat Really a “Product of U.S.A.”?
Hell, the corporation has already destroyed the dairy farm with fake milk.I hope we don’t let it happen to our beef industry. Lets go show them we are ready to stand up to them and save are family farms and ranches because it we don’t we all will pay the price in the end.
It is really simple cattle producers. STOP forward contracting you fat cattle to the heartless packer!! Use the CME for a hedge. Thats why its there! STOP giving all the packers the leverage. Negotiate prices is the only way we can get our leverage back as cattle producers
I am proposing cattle feeders negotiate a new contract with the packers that guarantee a certain percentage of the comprehensive beef cutout price. Before the Holcomb, KS fire feeders were receiving well over 50% of the carcass value. After the fire the cattlemen’s share dropped to 42%. If the packer can manipulate the price of beef they have the power to break the producer.