Miss COOL? Buy fresh, buy local Hancock County Journal-Pilot Norbert Brauer Jan. 13, 2016 Brazil, Mexico, China, Hungary, Korea, Nicaragua and Poland – these are just a handful of the 35 countries that are currently eligible to export meat to the United States. Until a few weeks ago, beef or pork products from any of…

Washington, D.C. – In testimony presented today to the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), R-CALF USA urged the commission to recommend the rejection of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement. R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard testified the TPP would harm U.S. cattle and sheep producers. "The TPP adopts the mantra of the National Cattlemen’s…

Philip – Hope the New Year is treating you well. Thought you might find this Alan Guebert column of interest. As you may know, Guebert’s "Farm and Food File" columns are broadly syndicated. I have highlighted, in red, his analysis that the mCOOL repeal on beef and pork was the "height of legislative hypocrisy" in…

Iowa Sen. Grassley Could Seek Judiciary Hearing on Cattle Price Drop BY DTN/Progressive Farmer via KTIC (NE) – January 13, 2016 The recent collapse in cattle prices has the attention of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s chairman. In a teleconference with agriculture reporters Tuesday, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said cattlemen in Iowa have told him…

The Oregon Militia Is Picking the Wrong Beef with the Feds By Tom Philpott Wed Jan. 13, 2016 6:00 AM EST Arizona rancher LaVoy Finicum guards the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, near Burns, Oregon. Rick Bowmer/AP On January 2, a band of armed militants—led by Cliven Bundy‘s son Ammon—stormed Malheur…

Hundreds of advocacy groups ask Congress to block Obama’s Pacific Rim trade pact By David Nakamura January 7, 2016 Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), dressed as Sherlock Holmes, looks at Roxy the "TPP Tracker" bloodhound outside the Capitol on Oct. 29, 2015. Many House Democrats and advocacy groups have deemed the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal unfair to…

Oregon and the Injustice of Mandatory Minimums Members of America’s political left share far more concerns in common with the armed protestors than many apparently realize. Jim Urquhart / Reuters Conor Friedersdorf Jan 5, 2016 The activists who began occupying government buildings in the Oregon wilderness over the weekend say that they’re protesting how federal…

The ruling by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals could put an end to a $60 million revenue stream that is being misdirected to the National Pork Producers Council to fund its political activities. Photo by iStockphoto Federal Court Clears Way for USDA to Reconsider Pork Lobbying Slush Fund January 6, 2016 0 Comments SHARE…

January 06, 2016, 06:00 am US should get COOLER By Joel D. Joseph Congress and the president have just caved in and gutted the Country of Origin Labeling Act (COOL) removing the requirement that meat must be labeled with its source. Now meat from China, Mexico, Argentina or any other country can be sold in…

R-CALF USA Requests Senate Judiciary Committee Investigation into 2015 Cattle Price Collapse Billings, Mont. – In a formal request sent today to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary (Committee), R-CALF USA seeks an investigation into potential antitrust and anticompetitive conduct in the U.S. cattle and beef markets. The group is asking the Committee to…