Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “Consolidation”
There is a strong collaborative effort underway to stop the Bayer+Monsanto merger, but we need all hands on deck. There are three very important actions we are asking individuals and organizations to take to help stop the merger. Please scroll down for the details, and don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or if you’d like to get more involved. Scroll to the bottom of this page for a list of talking points on the merger.
Today, a broad-based coalition of 210 farm, rural, worker and consumer advocacy organizations released principles for a fairer farm bill that would address the lack of competition in every link in the food chain. The groups point out that growing consolidation in the agribusiness, food processing and supermarket industries lowers prices for farmers and wages for farmworkers and other food chain workers, erodes rural economies, and raises prices while limiting choices for consumers. The letter calls on Congress to address the ongoing consolidation of these industries with policies that address unfair contracts for farmers, increase market transparency, reform USDA guaranteed loans and guarantee worker rights.
This speech by George Naylor was written as the keynote address to precede the panel, Farmers Leading the Food Movement, for the Food Tank Summit, Washington, D.C., April 21, 2016.
With so much at stake, we should be very clear about our vision for agriculture. The agribusiness vision is not the only or best one, especially for family farmers.
If you can’t lick ’em, join ’em, the old saying goes. So I’ve decided to stop fighting and just build a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) of my own. I’ve figured out the costs and … it’s as good as owning an NFL team, but without most of the head injuries… like the proverbial Cash Cow… only you don’t need a pasture! Here’s how you, too, can be a CAFO owner… in an easy 10 steps:
Eat fat! That is the message delivered in new studies that suggest Americans have wrongfully avoided fat in their diets for decades. In an effort to deal with the growing epidemic of heart disease, scientists turned their focus to cutting fat from diets. Many of those studies failed to control for major heart disease contributors like smoking, stress, sedentary lifestyles, and obesity. Nonetheless, the war against fat had begun.
The USFRA was created in 2011 as a trade association uniting Big Ag corporations (such as Monsanto, Cargill and DuPont Pioneer) and marketing groups for commodities (including corn, soybeans, beef and pork). Take note: some of these groups are farmer-funded, but in reality, farmers have no choice but to fund them, and it is often at their own expense.
On April 28th, NFFC and Iowa CCI staff joined ROC United, National Domestic Workers Alliance, the National People’s Action, and the National Organization for Women to show Congress that we are fed up with them favoring corporations over people. The march timed to coincide with the National Restaurant Association’s annual lobby day. “The other NRA” has worked to block minimum minimum wage increases, paid sick day legislation, and kept the federal tipped minimum wage at $2.13 since 1991. The NRA also lobbied against sustainable farming practices, farm animal welfare rules, and efforts to label the nutritional quality of foods in restaurants.
As Spring has finally arrived, so has our latest Newsletter.
Our Meeting with Christopher Leonard and a discussion about his book, The Meat Racket: The Secret Takeover of America’s Food Business. Leonard, a former AP agribusiness reporter, discussed what he learned about the meat industry and the struggles of livestock growers in the business. It was an honor and a privilege to have this conversation with him over dinner, which included sustainably, family farm raised ham from Patchwork Family Farms and cheese from Cheddar Grove.
Immediately after the Food Sovereignty Prize, Rachel flew to Taos, New Mexico to represent NFFC and USFSA at the Growing Food and Justice Initiative Gathering. She attended the Intensive Leadership Facilitation Training as well as the main conference to join the conversation about racism and structural inequality in our food system.
American farmers are feeling the effects of a concentrated seed industry. Seed options are diminishing while prices increase at historic rates. A new report, Out of hand: Farmers face the consequences of a consolidated seed industry, examines these troubling trends, substantiating the U.S. Department of Justice’s investigation into alleged anticompetitive conduct in the seed industry.