A champion of the unplugged, earth-conscious life, Wendell Berry is still ahead of us The writer and farmer’s impassioned arguments on farming, technology, and the urban-rural divide have taken on a new urgency. By Hope Reese October 9, 2019 9:41 am Wendell Berry, 85, on his farm in Port Royal, Kentucky. He left his budding…

Dear OCM member, Following on the heels of our Rally to Stop the Stealin’, which brought together nearly 500 fired-up ranchers from across the country last week in Omaha to demand fair and just markets, OCM is pushing forward with three related policy priorities. Checkoff Program Reform: OCM along with the Kansas Cattlemen’s Association staged…

Yes, America Is Rigged. Here Is What I Learned From Reporting on Koch Industries Charles Koch, head of Koch Industries, talks about his new book on Feb. 26, 2007. Wichita Eagle—MCT/ Getty Images By Christopher Leonard September 26, 2019 IDEAS Leonard is the author of Kochland: The Secret History of Koch Industries and Corporate Power…

branex/iStock/Thinkstock Thousands urge USDA to act on GIPSA rule More than 84,000 petition signatures seek action to protect livestock and poultry farmers. Oct 11, 2019 In May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced its intent to publishanew rule under the Packers & Stockyards Act (PSA), also known as the GIPSA rule. The rule would specify…

Court documents show beef checkoff sends millions to cattle lobby By Leah Douglas, October 10, 2019 Facebook Twitter Email Newly released documents in a lawsuit between a group of independent Montana cattle ranchers and the USDA show that millions of dollars from an industry marketing fund are being diverted to the top cattle lobby, which…

KCA Requests Kansas Legislature Support Disqualifying KLA as Qualified State Beef Council Contact Tyler Dupy Telephone 785-238-1483 Cell 785-209-2584 Email cowsrus Website www.kansascattlemen.com October 10, 2019 Topeka, KS – Kansas Cattlemen’s Association (KCA) and the Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) released a briefing document outlining how Kansas Livestock Association (KLA) is operating under the trade…

Commentary: Industry Insiders Doing the Bidding Of Agribusiness Again! Wes Shoemyer October 8, 2019 The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of Wes Shoemyer, a farmer from Monroe County, Missouri. In a big ag hit piece “Identity Theft: How #FairCattleMarkets Was Hijacked” published in Drovers October 3rd, the authors (Kate Miller and Kim Hardan)…

U.S. senators call for probe of Brazilian meatpacker JBS Tuesday, October 08, 2019 6:58 p.m. CDT BRASILIA (Reuters) – Two U.S. senators called on the U.S. Treasury on Tuesday to open an investigation into the world’s largest meat processing company, Brazil’s JBS S.A. , due to alleged ties with the Venezuelan government of leftist President…

A surge in antimicrobial resistance threatens the livestock industry By Siobhán Dunphy – 24.09.2019 Antimicrobial resistance among farm animals is on the rise in developing countries according to a new paper published on 19 September in Science (1). Moreover, the widespread reliance on and growing resistance to antimicrobials will not only impact the sustainability of…

Rallying for Fair Markets Fired-Up Producers Call on Trump Administration to Help Restore Balance in Cattle Markets 10/2/2019 | 5:43 PM CDT By Chris Clayton, DTN Ag Policy Editor Bill Bullard, president and CEO of R-CALF USA, spoke Wednesday at a cattle producer rally in Omaha. Groups at the meeting want fairer livestock marketing rules…