By Mary Papenfuss | August 12, 2019 Minnesota Farmers Union president calls the agriculture secretary’s dig “very insensitive. It took everyone by surprise.” America’s farmers have apparently been demoted by the Trump administration from “great patriots” to “whiners,” according to a tone-deaf joke by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. Farmers, struggling with plunging income and bankruptcies amid…

Maria Payan recalls her struggles living next to a massive broiler chicken operation. (All photos courtesy of Hourglass Films.) “Right to Harm” takes viewers into the lives of those fighting the impacts of CAFOs in communities across the nation. By Lisa Held In North Carolina, people recall being sprayed with liquid manure when giant hog…

by Jessica Fu The Department of Agriculture (USDA) will allow researchers at the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to request to work remotely from D.C. through the end of the year, the employees’ union announced on Friday. For those approved for teleworking, this move will provide flexibility…

Cattle are shown in a portion of the pens in this file photograph at Finney County Feedyard Inc. northeast of Garden City. Cattle producers are bracing for the impact of losing processing operations at the Tyson plant in Holcomb. (Brad Nading/Garden City Telegram) By Sherman Smith | posted Aug 12, 2019 Cattle producers braced themselves…

By Elizabeth Warren | August 7, 2019 Consolidation in the agriculture sector is leaving America’s family farmers with lower prices and fewer choices. Giant corporations use their market share to squeeze farmers from both sides. Farmers are pressured into taking on huge debts to pay the high prices that a small number of large suppliers…

How an Oil Theft Investigation Laid the Groundwork for the Koch Playbook In the late 1980s, Charles Koch faced a federal probe, rallied all of his resources to fight it off and came away with lessons that would guide the Kochs for decades. By CHRISTOPHER LEONARD 07/22/2019 05:04 AM EDT Christopher Leonard is a business…

Foreword: Congressman Henry A. Waxman Cargill is the United States’ largest privately held company, bigger even than the notorious Koch Industries. Its footprint extends around the world. But The Worst Company in the World? We recognize this is an audacious claim. There are, alas, many companies that could vie for this dubious honor. But this…

Keith Wells, owner of Three Quarter Circles Cattle Co., creates gourmet chuckwagon menus, like Asian-style tuna steaks, and cooks on an outdoor open fire. By: Teresa Farney Keith Wells, owner of Three Quarter Circles Cattle Co., is much more comfortable riding his horse on the open plains than talking about himself. And preparing outdoor dinners…