Organization for
Competitive Markets
P.O. Box 6486
Lincoln, NE 68506
Date: March 19,
2003 For Immediate Release
Contact: Steve Cady:
402.792.0041
OCM's
Cattle Competition Project Gaining Traction
Lincoln, NE ~ In four short
months, the Cattlemen’s Competitive Market Project (CCMP) is gaining traction,
says Steve Cady, Executive Director, Organization For Competitive Markets
(OCM). "CCMP is being welcomed with open arms everywhere," said Cady. "We’ve
literally taken the ‘show on the road’, straight to the grassroots where we’re
holding public meetings about the project. The message we’re receiving is
‘what can we do to help’, Cady stated. "One producer said it so well during a
CCMP meeting in Wyoming recently. During an open microphone session, he told
me it was time for independent producers ‘to let the guard dog off the chain’
and that he sees CCMP as the guard dog for producers when it comes to
antitrust enforcement, captive supplies and monopolization."
Cady says funding support for CCMP is coming from
several directions. "There are several ways for producers to support the
project – through their local auction markets or feedlots where per-head
donations are being made at rates of 30 cents, 50 cents or $1.00. However,
we’re also receiving direct donations from cattlemen who are mailing in checks
to help fund a project they see as a light at the end of a dark tunnel." Cady
says the notes and letters accompanying those checks are encouraging.
Fred Phillips, a Baker City, OR cattleman, wrote,
"(CCMP) is the best news I have had in years in the cattle business. With men
like Tom Spencer on the Steering Committee, I know there’s much good news to
come. With this committee and R-CALF together, we in this industry have good,
good news to look forward to."
Contributors to CCMP in recent weeks include Cy F.
Pinkelman, Hartington, NE; Phillips Ranch, Baker City, OR, Brite Ranch, Marfa,
TX; James E. White, Jr. Trust, Marfa, TX; South Dakota Stockgrower’s
Association; John Stiefvater, Salem, SD; Double S Feeders, Wheatland, WY; and
Ainsworth Feedyards, Ainsworth, NE.
CCMP is a project designed to present the legal
and economic case for antitrust enforcement, research and data analysis needed
to support that case, and development of a communications division to reach
out to producers, consumers and policy makers on the issues. CCMP Steering
Committee members include Tom Spencer, Circle T Cattle Co., Pueblo, CO; Brett
Gottsch, Gottsch Feeding Corp, Elkhorn, NE; Randy Stevenson, Double S
Livestock, Wheatland, WY; Jerry Adamson, Rocking J Ranch, Cody, NE; and Korley
Sears, Ainsworth Feedyards, Ainsworth, NE.
If you’d like information about OCM or the
Cattlemen’s Competitive Market Project, contact Steve Cady at 402/792-0041.