The Comstock Report

David Kruse President, ComStock Investments (With Permission to Reproduce) Copyright 2011@ CommStock Investments, Inc., David Kruse Darden Restaurants, which own Olive Garden and Longhorn Outlets, believes food prices and net energy costs will rise 1.5-2% this year and 3.5-4% in 2012. Darden has locked in 100% of its seafood for this year and 30% for 2012. It has bought 75% of its beef needs for 2011 and 40% for 2012. These two foodstuffs, fish and beef, account for Read More …

MO Big Pig

The Missouri legislature is passing laws that makes the world safe for Big Pig. That means, the world is a lot less safe for the rest of us. by RICHARD OSWALD One of my favorite pictures is one of Dad when he was about 10 years old, standing next to Granddad’s prize hog. A good caption would be “Are you gonna eat that?’ That’s about the way some of us in Missouri feel about the current CAFO hog Read More …

Reforming the Marketplace; What’s Next?

Thomas F. “Fred” Stokes Executive Director In a February 9th letter to Agriculture Secretary Vilsack and Attorney General Holder, Senators Patrick Leahy and Charles Grassley state; “we would appreciate an update as to what the DOJ and USDA plans for its next steps.” The two senators, Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, were referring to following-on actions after the conclusion of last year’s joint DOJ/USDA workshops. “What’s next” seems to be the question on the Read More …

The GIPSA Bubble

by Randy Stevenson, President When the market moves, there is usually more than one single factor involved. This is especially true the more long-term we look at the market. But it is also common that one factor or another may have a stronger influence at any given time on the status of the market. It seems strange that over the past few months a rise of price in the cattle market has coincided with concern over the new Read More …