Latest Stories — Food & Power

Big Beef Seeks to Expand its Tax on Oklahoma Ranchers

Big Ag is back on the offensive in Oklahoma, less than a year after voters defeated a bill that would have stripped the state’s residents of their ability to regulate corporate farming. The Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association wants ranchers to pay an additional $1 tax per head of cattle sold in the state, and will hold a November 1 vote on the tax for Oklahoma cattle producers. Family farm advocates say that much of the money collected under such checkoff taxes is funneled to private industry groups that use it to promote the interests of corporate agriculture over independent farmers.

Poultry & LivestockLeah DouglasOctober 5, 2017checkoff, NCBA, Oklahoma, SQ777, Leah Douglas, Beef Council, Beef

Broad Coalition Wins Key Fights Against Ag-Gag Laws

A coalition of animal rights groups, environmentalists, food safety advocates, farmers, and media organizations won two major victories against ag-gag laws early this month.

PolicyLeah DouglasSeptember 22, 2017JBS, Public Justice, tyson, Wyoming, Leah Douglas, Ag-gag

Farmers Warily Eye DuPont Purchase of Farm Software Leader

Amidst farmer concerns about data collection by agricultural technology companies, agrochemical and seed giant DuPont on August 9th agreed to buy software company Granular Inc. for $300 million. With the deal, DuPont greatly increases its ability to collect detailed data on the operations of individual farms.

Mergers & AcquisitionsLeah DouglasAugust 24, 2017Amazon, data, Dow, DuPont, granular, monsanto, Syngenta, tech, Leah Douglas, mergers, Big Data

Farmers Ramp Up Campaign Against Bayer Takeover of Monsanto

The National Black Farmers Association (NBFA) last week said it plans to bring an injunction against Bayer to stop the German corporation’s $66 billion acquisition of Monsanto. The announcement comes as farmers and antitrust advocates across the country organize against the looming merger of the two agrochemical giants, which they say would have dire consequences for both conventional and organic farmers.

Workers Begin to Organize Against Amazon Takeover of Whole Foods

Amazon’s announcement in June that it plans to buy Whole Foods for $13.7 billion has led to speculation throughout the retail industry about the corporation’s intentions in the grocery sector. Supply chain and retail workers in particular fear the merger will result in layoffs and less bargaining power overall. Some are ratcheting up unionization efforts in response.

In South Carolina, Poultry Industry Seeks to Eliminate Barriers to Expansion

A bill in the South Carolina legislature would make it significantly harder for residents to challenge the state’s expanding poultry industry. If lawmakers pass the bill, South Carolina will be the latest in a series of states to make it harder for rural communities to resist or even carefully regulate large-scale livestock farming.

Poultry & LivestockLeah DouglasJuly 18, 2017checkoff, Montana, OSI, poultry, right to farm, RTF, South Carolina, chicken, Leah Douglas, eggs

Will Warren Buffett Take Over Texas's Wine Industry?

McLane Distributors, a subsidiary of multinational conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway, is suing to overturn a Texas regulation that prevents monopolization in the liquor industry. The company, which serves numerous retailers, is seeking a wine distribution license. But because their owner, Warren Buffett, is also invested in Walmart, which sells beer and wine in the state, the license would violate state regulations designed to prevent concentration of power in the alcohol sector.

Farm Credit Mergers the Latest Threat to Independent Farmers

The latest in a series of mergers that are remaking the business of farm credit in America will, in early July, bring together three lenders in the upper Midwest, AgStar Financial Services, Badgerland Financial, and 1st Farm Credit Services. The new Wisconsin-based institution, to be called Compeer Financial, will hold over $18 billion in assets and will be the country’s third-largest farm credit association.

Mergers & AcquisitionsLeah DouglasJune 1, 2017farm credit, FCA, FCS, JBS, mergers, walmart, Leah Douglas

ABI Aims at Craft Brewers Again, This Time Targeting their Hops

Anheuser-Busch InBev, the largest beer producer in the world, is taking another shot at the American craft brewing industry, this time by cornering the market on some key ingredients independent brewers need to make quality beer. The company last week announced that they would no longer be exporting hops from their South African hop farms to U.S. craft brewers, as promised, and would instead be redirecting the hops toward their own in-house brands.

Mergers & AcquisitionsLeah DouglasMay 23, 20173G, ABI, HB467, hops, pay-to-play, SAB, South Africa, Wicked Weed, Leah Douglas, Beer

Congressmen Move To Protect Big Ag from Water Protection Law

Residents of rural communities near large-scale farms may soon find it harder to protect their drinking water from pollution from agriculture, thanks to a bill introduced recently by Representative Dan Newhouse, a Republican from Washington’s 4th district.

Dairy, PolicyLeah DouglasMay 4, 2017dairy, environment, manure, Newhouse, RCRA, right to farm, RTF, Leah Douglas

In South Carolina, Liquor Giant Targets Independent Stores

A recent decision by the South Carolina Supreme Court will overturn a 72-year-old restriction on how many licenses a liquor retailer in the state can hold. The case was brought by Total Wine & More, a Maryland-based liquor retailer with over 150 “big box” stores in 20 states. Now, small retailers fear they will be forced out of business as larger companies become the dominant liquor retailers in the state.

RetailLeah DouglasApril 20, 2017GIPSA, ILSR, license, liquor, Prohibition, right to farm, three-tier, Total Wine, Leah Douglas, Beer

Meat Giant JBS Continues to Grow in US Despite Contamination Scandal in Brazil

Over the past month, health authorities in Europe, China, and Brazil have all temporarily pulled beef from the Brazilian meat giant JBS off of grocery store shelves, in response to evidence that the company was involved in a massive corruption scandal to export rotten and contaminated meat. Yet here at home, the Trump Administration has yet to take meaningful action against JBS imports from Brazil. On the contrary, JBS has continued to expand its reach and political power in the U.S.

Processing & DistributionLeah DouglasApril 6, 2017Brazil, COOL, imports, JBS, Leah Douglas