Increasingly, a small handful of corporations control inputs, credit, elevators, processing facilities, and markets necessary to grow and distribute agricultural products. Since the last half of the 19th century, farmer owned cooperatives have provided farmers a stronger presence in the marketplace and greater bargaining power to control the costs of inputs and the value of outputs. … Read More
Country- and state-of-origin labeling laws allow consumers to choose food that originates within their state or country, thereby supporting local or national producers. Progress on national labeling laws has been slow. A country-of-origin labeling law for many food products was finally passed as part of the 2002 Farm Bill, but full implementation has been delayed until … Read More
In 1996, the six states of New England (Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts) were authorized by Congress to form the Northeast Dairy Compact. The aim of the Compact was to save the region’s rapidly disappearing dairy farms by setting a minimum price that farmers receive for beverage milk sold within New England. … Read More
The use of production and marketing contracts in agriculture has dramatically increased the vertical integration and concentration of U.S. agriculture. Processors benefit from extraordinary bargaining power, and are able to offer “take it or leave it” contracts to farmers. As a result, most contracts contain obscure language, payment plans, and confidentiality provisions that make it difficult … Read More
In 2001 the state of Missouri passed a new law that gives school districts an incentive to purchase biodiesel fuel for their bus fleets. The law begins with the 2002-03 school year and lasts through the 2005-06 school year. Any school district may contract with an eligible new generation cooperative to purchase biodiesel fuel for its buses of a minimum of B-20 (20 percent biodiesel). The state will then reimburse the school district so that the net price to the contracting district for biodiesel will not exceed the rack price of regular diesel.… Read More
A Michigan House resolution (HCR34) passed in 1999 "urges state government agencies to use bio-based products as a source of oil and diesel fuel whenever possible."
Crop researchers in the state have estimated that farmers in the cooperative could see profits of 20-30 percent by growing and processing soybeans collectively, rather than the typical 5 percent return they receive by selling crops at the grain elevator.… Read More
This bill below addressing prices for livestock passed during the 1999 session of the South Dakota Legislature. South Dakota’s 1999 law (SB 95) was overturned in a case brought by the American Meat Institute(AMI), an industry trade group.… Read More
The Missouri Livestock Price Discrimination Law enacted in 1999 requires meatpackers to pay the same price for animals of the same quality, regardless of who the sellers are. "This law was a reasonable attempt to eliminate pricing discrimination that has hurt … family farmers," said Attorney General Jay Nixon.… Read More
The Washington State Legislature passed the nation’s first ban on all forms of the toxic flame retardants known as PBDEs. The legislation banned the use of the penta and octa forms of PBDEs, with limited exceptions, by 2008. It banned the use of the deca form in mattresses by 2008 and it bans the use of the deca form in televisions, computers, and residential upholstered furniture by 2011, as long as a safer, reasonable, and effective alternative has been identified by the state departments of Ecology and Health and approved by fire safety officials.… Read More