New JBS Violations Highlight Weak Enforcement of Packers & Stockyards Act December 12, 2018 OCM Staff Today, Organization for Competitive Markets received information indicating that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will be releasing the terms of a settlement agreement with JBS Swift over its gross mishandling of beef carcasses at its…

by Boyce Upholt | December 10, 2018 Monsanto’s new herbicide was supposed to save U.S. farmers from financial ruin. Instead, it upended the agriculture industry, pitting neighbor against neighbor in a struggle for survival. Mike Wallace sat in his pickup truck on a dusty back road near his farm outside Leachville, Arkansas, typing impatiently into…

by Twilight Greenaway | December 11, 2018 Can a single company reshape a landscape? That’s the question at play in Nebraska, where Costco, one of America’s most powerful companies, has the potential to impact residents, farmers, and the environment in complex and unprecedented ways. At the center of the move is the company’s $4.99 rotisserie…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 11th, 2018 Media Contact: Chelsea Davis, 573-808-2559, chelsea Family Farm Action Dethrones the King Amendment in the Farm Bill Protecting the Rights of Farmers & Rural Communities Columbia Mo, Family Farm Action applauds Chairman Roberts, Ranking Member Stabenow, Chairman Conaway and Ranking Member Peterson for eliminating Steve King’s attack on state…

by Jillian Hishaw | December 6, 2018 After more than 80 years, hemp is about to be legalized under the new farm bill, a shift that may offer farmers of color a unique chance to right historical, discriminatory injustices. But as a lawyer who works with farmers of color, the need for the U.S. Department…

by Marie Donahue and Stacy Mitchell | December 6 2018 It’s not easy to buy groceries if you live on the north side of Tulsa, Okla. This predominantly African American part of the city sprawls for miles and yet does not have a single, full-service grocery store. For many of North Tulsa’s residents this means…

Bill Aims to Improve School Meal Nutrition and Quality, Boost Local Economy FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Lea Howe lea@dcgreens.org 202.468.0176 WASHINGTON (December 4, 2018)—The Council of the District of Columbia voted unanimously today to ensure long-term commitment to implementing the Good Food Purchasing Program as part of a larger bill, The Healthy Students Amendment Act,…

Posted by Claire Kelloway Almost a century ago, in 1921, Congress passed the Packers & Stockyards Act to protect America’s farmers and ranchers from meat packing monopolies. Last week the Department of Agriculture quietly eliminated the independent office tasked with enforcing that law, the Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA). The change was the…

Justice Department urges Supreme Court against hearing cage-free egg lawsuit December 3rd, 2018 by Jessica Fu Flickr / Open Grid Scheduler Which came first—the anti-confinement law or demand for the cage-free egg? Home Feature Issues Policy Systems On Friday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) made a move that could have significant ramifications for the American…

by Anthony Pahnke, Family Farm Defenders vice president | December 6, 2018 The price tags at the grocery store, particularly for food items, hide a lot. Over the past couple decades, they have hidden from consumers the increasing concentration in nearly every facet of the food industry. It’s the least our current government can do,…