Ben Gotschall – Organization for Competitive Markets

OCM Asks DOJ To Stop Purchase Of Mountain States Lamb Processing By JBS

OCM Staff — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 21:12:06 +0000

Source: WNAX Radio

‘An industry gone bankrupt’: Weld County lamb producers to feel impact of Mountain States Rosen closure

OCM Staff — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 21:23:54 +0000

by Anne Delaney Source: The Greeley Tribune When the Mountain States Rosen lamb plant in Greeley announced its closure last month, the transaction was projected to have a major effect on the lamb industry nationwide. The implications of the plant shutdown are already being felt in Weld County where as many as 300,000 lambs per year are kept on feedlots. Feedlots are where the lambs are fattened up before moving to slaughter at Mountain States Rosen, which was the Read More ...

DOJ asked to investigate JBS lamb facility acquisition

OCM Staff — Mon, 03 Aug 2020 21:17:07 +0000

by Jacqui Fatka Source: Feedstuffs JBS USA Holdings Inc. closed on its purchase of the rancher-owned Mountain States Rosen lamb processing facility in Greeley, Colo., but a number of congressional leaders from five western states as well as industry groups have asked U.S. Department of Justice assistant attorney general Makan Delrahim to investigate the acquisition. The COVID-19 pandemic severely damaged foodservice sales and consumer demand for American lamb, as foodservice dine-in sales account for more than 50% of Read More ...

DOJ MAKES STATEMENT OF INTEREST IN DFA CASE

OCM Staff — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 20:06:41 +0000

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 — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 19:17:03 +0000

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

OCM Staff — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 23:37:36 +0000

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 ...

Heritage Radio Network | OCM Weighs in on Cattle

OCM Staff — Fri, 26 Jun 2020 15:54:47 +0000

The Interim Director of OCM, Ben Gotschall, talks about a moratorium on beef imports, consolidation in the industry, and improving the markets for American producers.

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

OCM Staff — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 16:05:53 +0000

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 ...

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

OCM Staff — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 21:28:50 +0000

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 — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 21:20:14 +0000

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 ...