Organization for Competitive Markets
P.O. Box 6486
Lincoln, NE 68506
Date: July 16, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: John Lockie, 406.628.9850
OCM’s 2004 Food and Agriculture Conference: Has USDA Been Hijacked by Industry?
Lincoln, NE ~ All are invited to attend OCM’s 2004 Food and
Agriculture Conference on July 23 at the DoubleTree Inn Downtown in Omaha,
Nebraska. Themed "Agency Capture: Has the People’s Agency Become the
Lobbyist’s Agency", the event will focus on the "hijacking" of
the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the growing influence of
agribusiness on U.S. agriculture policy.
At 8:00 a.m. on July 23, during a joint press conference of
collaborating organizations, a new report will be released that shows how USDA appears
to be serving the narrow interests of corporate agriculture and displays
conspicuous hostility to independent producers as well as consumers. The report
illustrates the extent to which the food processing industry has shaped USDA’s
decision-making over the last decade, examines the industry connections of key
USDA officials, as well as the role of a narrow group of trade associations in
influencing policy. The report also offers
remedies to restore accountability to USDA to be more inclusive of farm, ranch,
consumer and public interest groups’ voice in agriculture policy.
Immediately following the press conference, the author and
sponsors of the report will present to the general public in the opening panel
of the conference. "This analysis documents, through five case studies,
exactly how USDA policymaking has been hijacked," noted OCM president Fred
Stokes. "From the top down, this report scrutinizes the background of USDA’s
current administration and their connections to corporate agriculture. The
content of this paper is stunning in its revelation of how deeply imbedded
corporate agriculture has become at the People’s Agency."
At 11:00 a.m. a panel of journalists will discuss their own
views of the “agency capture” issue. Participants include Scott Kilman, The
Wall Street Journal; Andy Martin, Chicago Tribune; Alan Guebert, Editor of the
Farm and Food File; Linda Grosskopf, editor of Agri-News, Billings, MT.
At 2:00 p.m. former USDA employees Michael Coughlin, former
head of USDA-GIPSA’s Office of Policy and Litigation Support, Dean Alexander,
former head of USDA-GIPSA’s competition office in Denver, and John Munsell,
President, Montana Quality Food and Processing, Miles City, MT will share their
experiences at USDA.
At 4:00 p.m. David Domina, Domina Law, Omaha, NE, lead
counsel in the historic Pickett v. Tyson Fresh Meats trial will provide an
update on the case, which is currently on appeal at the 11th Circuit
Court of Appeals.
The evening will feature an awards banquet at 7:00 pm. After
dinner entertainment will be provided by the popular Omaha musical group, “Music
A la Carte.”