National Beef faces $3.7 million water pollution fine By Tom Johnston on 4/15/2014 National Beef Packing Co.’s slaughterhouse in Brawley, Calif., faces a fine of more than $3.7 million for alleged water pollution violations. In a complaint filed Friday, the Colorado River Basin Regional Water Quality Control Board accuses National Beef of discharging excessive amounts…
Death on the Farm By Max Kutner / April 10, 2014 6:12 AM EDT American farmers are a dying breed, in part because they’re killing themselves at a shocking rate. Priest + Grace On January 21, 2010, a cold, clear day, Dean Pierson woke up early, as usual. The 59-year-old put on a pair of…
The Transformative Potential of the Right to Food Monday, 14 April 2014 09:50 By Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, Truthout | News Analysis (Photo: Chris Jones / flickr)Transitioning from an industrial model of agriculture to a system benefiting small-scale producers – a step governments must support – will not only alleviate worldwide hunger and poverty, but will…
Smithfield parent execs cash in from massive stock offer By Chris Scott on 4/14/2014 Last week’s $5.3-billion initial public offer (IPO) launch of WH Group Ltd. stock has provided a windfall for two of the Hong Kong-based conglomerate’s top executives, according to preliminary proxy filings studied by Reuters. WH Group – which acquired Smithfield Foods…
Letter from Langdon: Tastes Like Chicken 04/10/2014 Mid-sized farmers are stuck in the middle – too conventional and “toxic” for the foodies, too small to matter to Big Ag corporations. How do you participate in the food debate without becoming part of the menu? Or, with friends like these, who needs aliens? By Richard Oswald…
Published on Apr 11, 2014 Our Fundamental Challenge is Creating Economic Opportunities If we do not aggressively work together to defeat power and market concentration and consolidation in the hands of the few, the Country cannot provide the economic opportunities that you and future generations deserve. We must have vibrant markets that welcome new entrants…
Financial Reform Newsletter April 11, 2014 Smoking Gun Catches the SEC in a Lie: It’s Time for the SEC to Disclose its Secret Settlement Collusion with Wall Street. Two separate reports this week have scratched the surface of what could soon be a full-blown scandal at the SEC. First, a recently retired senior SEC enforcement…
Ruling Upholding Meat Labeling Rule Vacated to Consider First Amendment Issue Reproduced with permission from The United States Law Week, 82 U.S.L.W. 1479 (Apr. 8, 2014). Copyright 2014 by The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. (800-372-1033) http://www.bna.com The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit April 4 agreed to rehear en banc a March…
April 10, 2014 The Honorable Sally Jewell Secretary of the Interior Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, N.W. Washington DC 20240 Dear Secretary Jewell: The Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA) respectfully urges you to immediately direct your agency to cease its current efforts to confiscate cattle owned by Nevada…
Beef prices hit all-time high in U.S. Extreme weather has thinned the nation’s cattle herds, roiling the beef supply chain from rancher to restaurant. Jerry Haines, general manager of R.C. Provision in Burbank, holds pastrami that’s ready for shipping. The company, which supplies Pink’s, Langer’s Delicatessen and other eateries, is struggling as beef prices have…