Illustration by Vinnie Neuberg Joe Fassler | The New Food Economy & Longreads | April 2019 | 8,802 words (33 minutes) This story is published in partnership with The New Food Economy, with reporting supported by the 11th Hour Food and Farming Fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2014, Rich Niemann, president and CEO…
Consumers Sue Beef Packers, Allege ‘Price Fixing’ Greg Henderson April 26, 2019 04:22 PM A federal class action lawsuit was filed against America’s four largest beef packers alleging a price-fixing scheme that dates back to 2015. ( Wyatt Bechtel ) A federal class action lawsuit was filed against America’s four largest beef packers alleging a…
[Photo: TED] Decades of intensive agriculture and deforestation have degraded around half of the world’s soil, which is one of the most effective natural systems for sequestering carbon. Soil scientist Asmeret Asefaw Berhe argues in a TED talk that we need to stop treating soil like dirt. By Eillie Anzilotti | April 19, 2019 “One…
Retailer to work with best-in-class companies to create a supply chain providing customers with unprecedented quality and transparency. This effort creates steady demand for cattle ranchers and jobs for those across the supply chain. BENTONVILLE, Ark., April 24, 2019 – Walmart, the nation’s largest grocer, announced its entry into the beef industry, developing an end-to-end…
Steve Kowalski by Mike Rosmann as told to Emily Atkin | April 22, 2019 Mike Rosmann left seminary to become a clinical psychologist for farmers. Now, as historic flooding ravages the Midwest, he’s never been more overwhelmed. click to listen I’m wearing out. Again. The first time was around Christmas. For several weeks, I just…
Alex Proimos / Flickr The plaintiffs, a group of feedlot operators, say companies like JBS and Tyson Foods illegally plotted to use various means—including strategic plant closures—to force desperate ranchers into selling their animals more cheaply. by Joe Fassler | April 23, 2019 A group of plaintiffs led by Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers…
Scott+Scott Announces Class Action Suit on Behalf of R-CALF USA Rancher Group, Ranchers File Historic Lawsuit Against Beef Packing Conspiracy April 23, 2019 12:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law LLP (“Scott+Scott”), a national antitrust and securities litigation firm, along with Cafferty Clobes Meriwether & Sprengel LLP (“Cafferty Clobes”), have filed a…
The USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville, Md. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images) by Ben Guarino | April 19, 2019 Researchers at the Agriculture Department laughed in disbelief last summer when they received a memo about a new requirement: Their finalized, peer-reviewed scientific publications must be labeled “preliminary.” The July 2018 memo from Chavonda Jacobs-Young, the…
posted April 11, 2019 Know your farmer. Know your food. It seems like a simple fix to the food system that we eat from today, where live animals can be shipped to our borders, slaughtered, packaged, and labeled “Product of USA.” It’s no wonder, then, that consumers are disconnected and confused. We eat from a…
by Darby Weaver Editor’s Note: This article is the first in a new series from Agrarian Trust and our contributors exploring the human side of land transition. Stay tuned for monthly posts from diverse voices, including farmers of all ages and backgrounds. We’re pleased to present our first story from Darby Weaver, a writer and…