An often rambunctious town hall event outside Des Moines last night gave small and family farmers an opportunity — largely unavailable at a joint U.S. Department of Justice and USDA antitrust workshop on Friday — to express their opinions on the agricultural industry. And it had one overarching message: “Bust up big ag.”
The antitrust conference for and about farmers scheduled to be held by the USDA and Department of Justice outside Des Moines later this week will now have what was originally absent: multiple voices from agricultural workers. As the Iowa…
Despite having said it’s “dumb” to pay a premium price for organic produce, Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson, who chairs the House Agriculture Committee, will be honored with the Organic Trade Association’s “2010 Public Servant Award.”
Next week, the federal departments of justice and agriculture will hold the first in a series of public workshops about antitrust laws, competition and agriculture. The Mar. 12 event in Ankeny, Iowa, will focus on crop-based farming…
A bipartisan bill introduced in the Minnesota House on Monday could give the state’s agricultural sector a boost in the form of a new cash crop: medical marijuana. Gov. Tim Pawlenty last year vetoed an effort to legalize medical cannibis,…
Rep. Collin Peterson, chair of the House Agriculture Committee, was one of the more successful negotiators during last summer’s climate change debate, winning big concessions for some of the nation’s largest polluters in the name of…
When he announced his bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Tim Walz on Tuesday, state Rep. Randy Demmer told the Minnesota Independent he opposed Walz’s support for a “culture of dependency” and entitlement. But according to the Environmental Working Group, the Hayfield Republican has received nearly $75,000 in one form of government help — farm subsidies. But Demmer says it’s not a fair comparison.
Grateful for many things — including some time off — the Minnesota Independent wishes you a happy Thanksgiving. Posting here will be light over the next few days as we spend time with our families and friends.
Gov. Tim Pawlenty shied away from touching a turkey in his chambers this afternoon (video), inviting comparison to potential 2012 rival Sarah Palin, who last Thanksgiving season carried on with a TV interview unruffled…
China may be ready to buy American pork again now, with fears subsiding about catching H1N1 flu from eating pigs, but hamburger has fallen from grace as a token of interstate tribute.
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