Food Giants Secretly Fighting Against GMO Labeling Clare Leschin-Hoar, Takepart.com Excerpt: "Companies like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, General Mills and Kellogg’s have thrown down plenty of cash to defeat various initiatives across the country, and the story isn’t any different in Washington state." READ MORE

Group Applauds Senators’ Action to Maintain Competitive Livestock Markets Washington, D.C. – Despite the calamitous distraction of a prolonged government shut-down, eight U.S. Senators joined yesterday in a letter to preserve a competitive marketplace for U.S. livestock and poultry producers. Led by Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), the Senators urge Senate agriculture…

I guess Cargill couldn’t say they closed their meat plant and feedlot because they have put producers out of business with their abusive market power. MC Drought claims another victim: Cargill to close a Texas feedlot By Meatingplace Editors on 10/17/2013 Cargill will close its Lockney, Texas, feedlot next summer due to the ongoing impact…

So, let’s see, compared to 1980: · cattle numbers are down from 111.2 million head to 90.8 million head · cattle producers are down 42% · total slaughter is down from 36.8 million head to 33.9 million head · U.S. per capita consumption of beef at retail weight is down from 76.6 pounds to 57.4…

Cattle deaths create deep scars for ranchers Posted: Sunday, October 13, 2013 12:00 am By NANCY GAARDER World-Herald News Service It was more than the fourth-generation rancher could bear. The freakishly brutal rainstorm and blizzard claimed thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of cattle in South Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming. Ranchers have found dead mama cows…

A French Farmer Commits Suicide Every 2 Days, Study Says The Huffington Post | By Meredith Bennett-Smith Posted: 10/11/2013 4:49 pm EDT | Updated: 10/11/2013 4:49 pm EDT Mental health problems plaguing much of rural France were thrown into sharp relief this week by a study that found that a farmer commits suicide every two…

Korea’s detection of zilpaterol in U.S. beef won’t cause impasse: USMEF By Tom Johnston on 10/10/2013 South Korea’s finding of zilpaterol in a shipment of U.S. beef won’t likely cause a significant trade disruption, according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation. Seoul banned imports of beef from JBS USA’s Dumas, Texas, plant, according to USMEF…

Donate to Rancher Relief Fund & Help South Dakota Producers Devastated by October Blizzard South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association, South Dakota Stockgrowers Association and South Dakota Sheep Growers Association established the South Dakota Rancher Relief Fund Oct. 8, 2013 with the Black Hills Area Community Foundation to provide support and relief assistance to those in the…

Wendell Berry on His Hopes for Humanity October 4, 2013 Wendell Berry, a quiet and humble man, has become an outspoken advocate for revolution. He urges immediate action as he mourns how America has turned its back on the land and rejected Jeffersonian principles of respect for the environment and sustainable agriculture. Berry warns, “People…

· A rancher near Scenic couldn’t find his cattle yesterday and says he nearly killed a horse trying to get through the snow while searching. He turned back and today, with the help of a pilot/friend, flew over his land south of the Badlands. He found “the trail of death”. About 200 of his 600…