Beef Checkoff goes on the griddle Tuesday in Montana By Dan Flynn | October 23, 2016 The Beef Checkoff is up Tuesday for a federal court hearing where anything could happen from dismissal of the challenging lawsuit to a temporary restraining order for the plaintiff’s. The Beef Checkoff refers to money for marketing and research,…

R-CALF USA Presents Urgent Cattle Industry Priorities for New Congress Billings, Mont. – In a prepared statement presented this week during the 2018 Farm Bill listening session sponsored by Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.), R-CALF USA said the need for major changes is urgent if Congress wants to prevent the U.S. cattle industry from going the…

Philadelphia port gets first beef from Brazil since a ban between nations was dropped Updated: October 13, 2016 — 5:52 PM EDT The JBS beef processing plant in Brazil. The company will be sending beef to the U.S. via Philadelphia, with the first arrival due Friday. by Linda Loyd, Staff Writer @LoydLinda Where’s the beef?…

GIPSA Settles Case with Tyson Fresh Meats USAgNet – 10/19/2016 The USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration recently entered into a Consent Decision with Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc. Tyson changed its carcass trim procedures at two of its plants without prior notification to hog producers. GIPSA inspectors noticed the change and brought the notification…

Don’t blame the robots! An interview on manufacturing, automation, and globalization with Susan Houseman. October 18, 2016 Susan Houseman is a senior economist at the Upjohn Institute in Michigan. I’ve followed her work on employment trends, especially in manufacturing, for years, and wanted to share some of her recent findings that struck me as particularly…

Our view: “Yes” to farm programs but recent ones make no sense In recent columns we have challenged the positions and assertions of critics of the US farm program, in their quest to eliminate or at least greatly reduce the role of the US government in the agricultural sector. As we traced the history of…

Letter to the editor Opinion Oct 14, 2016 by WLJ In the article on Sept. 23, 2016, “NCBA files for intervener status in checkoff case,” National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) made false statements regarding the beef checkoff audits. Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) would like to set the record straight. In 2010, the Clifton Gunderson…

Howdy, When I read this article, I note that Farmers Union is on the side of fairness and family farmers, and NCBA is not. This longstanding battle is a tug of war between livestock producers, and livestock packers and their political allies. How in the world can NCBA and the packers be against rules that…

Did someone forward you this newsletter? Get your own copy by subscribing here. Big Ag Uses “Right to Farm” to Target the Rights of Oklahoma Citizens Oklahomans vote November 8 on a Big Ag-backed proposal to limit the ability of citizens to regulate agricultural activity within the state. If passed, State Question 777 would add…

Chinese Biotech Firm Opens Iowa Office By Origin Agritech October 05, 2016 | 5:17 pm EDT Origin ArtiTech is a Chinese germplasm and biotechnology-focused crop seed provider that has established a North American headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa. This move represents a key step in a series of strategic actions to position Origin as a…