Updated: Wednesday, February 08, 2012 11:42 AM By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press Ranchers risk losing their independence unless they keep pressing for stronger oversight of meat packers, according to a former USDA official who recently resigned after losing a battle over livestock industry reforms. Cattle producers are subject to the same forces as the packer-dominated hog and chicken industries, said Dudley Butler, who left his post as chief of the agency’s Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Administration in Read More …
Tag: competition
Put Up or Shut Up: Wanted, Documented Evidence of the Existance of Competition
by Randy Stevenson, President We have listened for quite a long time to a number of experts expound on the virtues and flaws of the cattle market. We’ve seen surveys (some masquerading as “studies”) that purport to give us a picture of what is happening in the cattle market. But we have a couple of questions we would like to put out to the public to see what kind of response we can get. The important issue in Read More …
Common Sense is Where You find It
by Randy Stevenson, President When people engage in debate about the market, there is frequently an almost mediate division based on the left-right political spectrum. This remains true even though we can see many examples of error from both sides. On the other hand, those who engage in detailed conversation about what the markets should look like and what role government should have in the marketplace ultimately find a great deal of agreement. The disagreement, it seems, comes mostly Read More …
OCM Applauds USDA GIPSA Poultry Rule
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Grain Inspection and Packers and Stockyards Administration (USDA GIPSA) released its final rule regarding contracts between poultry integrators and growers. OCM sees this rule as a significant and badly needed step forward in reforming an industry that has a history of subjugating and otherwise dealing unjustly with contract poultry growers. The rule contains four important provisions: 1. The integrator must provide the grower a written contract prior to his commitment for facilities Read More …
Debilitating Effects of Concentration Report
dominafinalpdfexecutivesummarypdf OCM has issued a Special Report entitled, The Debilitating Effects of Concentration in Markets Affecting Agriculture. This Report proves that market concentration for major raw food products hurts both producers and consumers. Read and download OCM’s Special Report below:
Anti-Competitive Practices Highlighted 2009 OCM Conference
OCM_Post_Conference_ReleaseOCM’s annual conference focused on anit-competitive practices in agriculture and livestock industries. The conference featured many different speakers, including administration officials, antitrust experts and economists. The Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) drew a record crowd of ranchers, farmers, feedlot operators, seed distributors and others for its annual conference held in St. Louis on August 7th. Attendees heard panel presentations concerning the ills of market concentration and anticompetitive practices and ongoing efforts to address these issues. Featured speakers included Read More …
OCM Applauds Joint USDA/DOJ Workshops
Lincoln, Nebraska – The Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) expresses its pleasure at the announcement today by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Attorney General Eric Holder that they will hold the first ever joint workshops on agricultural market competition. The announcement states: “The workshops will address the dynamics of competition in agriculture markets including, among other issues, buyer power (also known as monopsony) and vertical integration.” This is the heart of OCM’s mission and we will cooperate Read More …
OCM Applauds Fifth Circuit Packers and Stockyards Act Decision
Organization for Competitive Markets P.O. Box 6486 Lincoln, NE 68506 www.competitivemarkets.com For Immediate Release: July 23, 2008 Contacts: Michael Stumo, 413-854-2580 Fred Stokes, 662-476-5568 or 601-527-2459 Lincoln, NE – The Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) hailed a decision released Monday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (Wheeler v. Pilgrim’s Pride) holding that a plaintiff need not prove an adverse effect on competition to prevail in a suit alleging a violation of the Packers and Read More …