Challenging the assumptions that underlie our agricultural food policy.

The farm Bill claims to tackle affordability problems by increasing foreign labor, and consumers complain about the cost of a burrito. August 15, 2026 By JR Burdick Recently, X has been embroiled in a controversy over the cost of a $20 burrito, and I have been mulling over a July article in Terrain by Ben…



Concentrated Packers Are Reshaping Beef Industry: Exacting Harm on U.S. Cattle Ranchers and Consumers

R-CALF United Stockgrowers of America Fighting for the Independent U.S. Cattle Producer     By: R-CALF USA Communications Director Jaiden Moreland Contact: R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard Phone: 406-252-2516; r-calfusa View and share this news release on Facebook here and on X here, or view the web version here.     Concentrated Packers Are Reshaping…



Tyson Foods will close or sell three US beef facilities as industry struggles

By P.J. Huffstutter August 13, 20264 Tyson to shut operations at plants in Illinois and Utah, looks to sell Washington plant Company says it will shift capacity to other sites to maintain similar cattle slaughter levels Closures mark the latest signal of trouble for the beef processing ​industry CHICAGO, Aug 13 (Reuters) – Tyson Foods…



Oil and gas internal conversations about climate change culpability

Internal oil and gas industry documents released through investigative reports and lawsuits show that major corporations knew about the link between fossil fuels and climate change as early as the 1950s and 1960s. Rather than accepting public culpability, internal memos reveal a calculated shift toward manufacturing scientific doubt, deflecting responsibility, and framing the crisis as…



Mystery meat is back on the menu: Uninspected Argentine beef exposes gaps in oversight and labeling

Mystery meat is back on the menu: Uninspected Argentine beef exposes gaps in oversight and labeling A news briefing from Farm Action’s policy team August 13, 2026 Texas ag commissioner presses USDA over uninspected Argentine beef What happened: Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is demanding answers from USDA after nearly 30,000 pounds of raw beef…



A Very American Invention, Pushed to an Extreme

In Nebraska, Blackshirt Feeders LP is building the country’s largest feedlot for 200,000 beef cattle on a square-mile slab of concrete. An aerial view of confinement lots at Blackshirt Feeders in Dundy County, Nebraska. Credit: Sonya Doctorian/Inside Climate News By Georgina Gustin August 9, 2026 HAIGLER, Neb.—The far southwestern corner of this state unfurls in a…



Big Food’s Weapon Against Local/Regional Meat Processors

The pandemic exposed the fragility of global supply chains, but killing food re-localization efforts is still strong.  Small locally-owned and operated meat plants can help rebuild rural communities while providing safe and affordable food to consumers. The Weapon: A cheap by-product/imported beef trim/waste fat blend of ingredients that costs essentially half of U.S. domestically sourced…



Senate Agriculture Committee Approves Bipartisan MCOOL Amendment for Beef

R-CALF United Stockgrowers of America Fighting for the Independent U.S. Cattle Producer     By: R-CALF USA Communications Director Jaiden Moreland Contact: R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard Phone: 406-252-2516; r-calfusa     Senate Agriculture Committee Approves Bipartisan MCOOL Amendment for Beef WASHINGTON, D.C., Aug. 6, 2026 – Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition,…



Why the big secret?

There’s a powerful food cartel that doesn’t want you to know where your beef comes from August 4, 2026 In May of 2017, Brazilian authorities launched Operation Weak Flesh, a crackdown on food safety violations associated with the production and exportation of rotten meat. What they found was shocking, including rampant use of acid and…



MCOOL battle + consumers turn to local food

MCOOL battle + consumers turn to local food A news briefing from Farm Action’s policy team August 3, 2026 MCOOL back in farm bill debate What happened: As the Senate Agriculture Committee prepares to begin markup of the farm bill this Thursday, debate over Mandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling (MCOOL) for beef has intensified. Rancher groups, including…