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Our drinking water is at risk from toxic chemicals that can leak in as a result of fracking. Join Food & Water Watch in doing something to protect our water.
Last week, soon-to-be-former New York Governor David Paterson surprised many when he vetoed the fracking moratorium and signed an executive order that creates loopholes that could allow some kinds of fracking to continue. Paterson explained that, “Enacting this legislation would put people out of work…,” referring to jobs associated with drilling. But, there’s another labor force that’s threatened by fracking: upstate New York farmers. Read more…
Food & Water Watch now proudly unveils the latest version of our Factory Farm Map, which charts the concentration of factory-farmed animals across the country.
It’s called the food “industry” for a reason. If you’ve seen Food Inc., you understand why. In that film, and here at Food & Water Watch, some careful analysis reveals the massive network of production and distribution that has become our food system. Thanks to advertising, marketing and fancy packaging, the images we create for ourselves of the places where our food comes from are often in direct contrast to the reality of where most of it is produced. Much of the time, we may be thinking farm, but we’re really getting factory. Read more…
500 independent ranchers, farmers, meatpacking workers, consumers, urban farmers and food justice activists gather at a public forum in Colorado on the eve of the DOJ and USDA joint hearing on fair competition in the meat industry.
The American Meat Institute (AMI) thinks that everything is just fine in the meat industry. They represent the biggest meat packers and processors—the ones who have consolidated the meatpacking industry into a market dominated by four firms that exercise tremendous leverage over independent cattle producers. The few companies in control of the market insist that there is nothing wrong.
But, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder were in Fort Collins, Colorado last week, listening to the testimonies of independent ranchers who have been struggling to get fair prices for their cattle from the meat packer monopolies. If nothing is wrong in the meat industry, why would these top U.S. officials travel to the Mountain State to listen to the concerns of ranchers and small farmers at a joint hearing about restoring competition? And why would the groups like the Western Organization of Resource Councils (WORC) and Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund (R-CALF), who represent independent cattle producers, rally thousands of people to attend the hearings? Read more…
Investigations into a multi-state outbreak of salmonella have triggered a major recall of eggs involving 17 states and 380 million eggs—that's one bad egg per person in the United States.
By now, many of us have developed an unnatural but necessary fear of French toast, cake, omelets, egg salad sandwiches and more. Investigations into a multi-state outbreak of salmonella have triggered a major recall of eggs involving 17 states and 380 million eggs (one egg per person in the United States, plus several omelets), and those numbers could continue to grow. The affected eggs were packaged as far back as mid-May—an entire season ago. Read more…
We’ve finally reached the end of the road, and it’s been a blast! But before we sign off, there are a few more updates to give—starting with the Iowa State Fair last Thursday. With a herd of cow-suited groupies in tow I bought a $10 ticket for “Non-Stop Fun” (the appropriately-chosen theme of the Iowa State Fair this year). Although The Iowa State Fair is not the largest in the U.S. (that honor goes to Texas or Minnesota depending on whether you are talking about over all attendance or daily attendance, respectively) it is the largest state fair I have ever been to. It was also the hottest day of my life. We received a lot of support when we stopped by the milking barn where the dairy cows reside. The people there were very supportive and listened intently about the Department of Justice hearings. These hearings could really improve the way dairy farmers are able to do business. It’s so important to demonstrate public support for fair markets for farmers, so thanks to everyone who has signed our petition along the way. Read more…
The Rocky Road Crew visits Farmer Dick Jensen's Flying J Farms.
We had a blast in Pittsburgh yesterday, but the road show must go on. We got back on the highway early on Wednesday morning, and headed to Columbus. Hang on, Sloopy! (Ohio’s official state rock song.) Our first stop was at the Ohio State Fair, cow suits and all. (If you haven’t yet seen the cow suits, they are as versatile as they are refined.) The plan was to talk to fair-goers about the Department of Justice and USDA hearings being held this summer to investigate the lack of competition in agricultural markets. Needless to say, big agribusiness isn’t a fan. Read more…
Why are cattle piled up outside this ranch? Since 2008, ECOS, an environmental group from Saladillo, Argentina, has been investigating reports of sanitary violations by cattle ranches in and around Saladillo, which boasts the highest concentration of feedlots in the country.
