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Karina Jones is a real-life ranch wife in the Nebraska Sandhills, Field Director for R-CalfUSA and one of the most highly sought-after speakers in the cattle industry nationwide!
Good day everyone in farm & ranch country.
I have an update regarding news I have reported on the last few weeks. According to Capital Press, “The attorneys general from of Minnesota, California, North Carolina and Tennessee have joined the U.S. Department of Justice in its civil antitrust lawsuit against Agri Stats for organizing and managing anticompetitive information exchanges among broiler chicken, pork and turkey processors.
The amended complaint, filed in the District of Minnesota, alleges the company has violated Section 1 of the Sherman Act by collecting, integrating and distributing competitively sensitive information related to price, cost and output among competing processors.” I will keep you updated on this issue as more developments arise.
Big news out of the USDA this week! Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced progress on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) comprehensive approach to address the many, complex competition issues in agricultural markets and create a fairer playing field for small- and mid-size farmers. In support of these efforts, USDA has finalized the first in a series of rules under the Packers and Stockyards Act, which is aimed at helping contract poultry growers compete more effectively and better understand the terms of their agreements with major processing companies.
USDA announced updates on several other efforts the department has undertaken as part of President Biden’s historic Executive Order on Promoting Competition in America’s Economy.
These include a notice to seed companies clarifying expectations that they share clear and meaningful information to farmers about the seed varietals they are purchasing. As part of this effort, AMS is holding seed companies accountable to the best interests of their farmer stakeholders by requesting they examine how they are complying with the Federal Seed Act and USDA’s Notice to Trade.
AMS is clarifying that meat products must be from animals that are born, raised, and slaughtered in the U.S. to meet the domestic origin requirements for purposes of USDA purchasing. Upon review, the guidelines for procuring beef, pork, lamb, and bison products were not as clear as other commodities. Last year, AMS purchased $800 million worth of meat products. This clarification to the domestic origin requirement will ensure U.S. producers enjoy reaping the full benefit of USDA purchase programs and recipients of nutrition assistance programs benefit from domestically-produced meat products.
In addition, USDA has created a new, senior- level career position at the Agricultural Marketing Service. The new AMS Chief Competition Officer will formalize and enhance implementation of key competition policy priorities at AMS and support efforts across the Department, including Packers & Stockyards Act enforcement, seed transparency and competition, partnerships with State Attorneys General.
Meet right back here next week for more ag news from our nation’s capital.
Join me right back here next week as I bring you more ag news from our nation’s capital.
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Karina ranches with her husband, Marty, and 4 children near Broken Bow, NE. She grew up in western NE, with roots also in southwest SD. The cattle industry and raising kids is her passion.
Tune in Fridays on The Hot Barn Report, where she deep dives into cattle industry issues and highlights industry reforms or listen to Ranch Raised with Karina Jones a slice of daily life on the Jones Ranch.
