We Can’t Afford Cheap Meat Anymore

Most Americans view cheap meat as a good thing, but they generally don’t understand who pays the high cost of the policies making it inexpensive. More than 80 percent of the beef, pork and poultry consumed in this country comes from livestock fed and processed...

The Problem with Genetically Engineered Alfalfa

Close observers agree that the Supreme Court’s Monsanto Company v. Geertson Seed Farms decision is a big deal, but many of us disagree about what it actually means. As a farmer and advocate, I view the ruling as a major victory because it helps determine who...
Banks Profit While Our Farmers Fail

Banks Profit While Our Farmers Fail

Bruce Drinkman is a successful organic dairy farmer who milks 50 cows with his wife, Mari, near Glenwood City, Wisconsin. Despite his 34 years of experience, the two-year drop in milk prices and four years of drought have meant no profits or savings. Last fall they...

Dairy Farmers are Getting a Sour Deal

My husband and I farm in central New York State, milking 60 cows with another 40 head of young stock. We’re third-generation farmers and our farm has been in the same family for nearly 100 years. We have farmed it for 43 years, and 2009 was the worst year of our...

It’s Time to Rein in Agribusiness

You might be shocked to learn that our dairy foods are controlled by three companies, corn seeds by two companies, and 90 percent of our beef by three companies. On December 31, I submitted comments to the Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Agriculture...