A diverse set of environmental, family farm, farm policy and rural community organizations sent a letter to the White House today urging the Biden administration to issue an executive order that would enact a moratorium on mergers and acquisitions in the food and agricultural industries.
The effort, led by Food & Water Watch, is meant to highlight the crisis of consolidation across the industry. The food system in the United States is heavily concentrated across all levels of the supply chain, with negative impacts on small farmers, industry workers, and consumers alike. Corporate consolidation has been accelerating since the 1980s, but particularly since the 2008 recession. Allowing additional food and agriculture mergers to proceed will only increase this consolidation which results in decreased income for farmers and higher grocery prices for consumers.
Food system s vulnerability showcased during pandemic, unrest
Protecting dignity for food workers, providing equal opportunities for all producers and ensuring fair and competitive markets are goals.
Jan 25, 2021 4:25 AM By: Mary Schuermann Kuhlman, Public News Service
Sustainable agriculture advocate Navina Kahnna says holistic changes are needed to end inequalities in the nation s food system. (HEAL Food Alliance)
COLUMBUS The nation is at a turning point with a new push for unity, and some groups say changing our food system is one crucial step in addressing the divide.
Navina Khanna, executive director of the HEAL Food Alliance, said the combination of COVID-19, the climate crisis and political unrest has illuminated the food system s vulnerability in times of crisis.
Cattleman and entrepreneur Will Harris to keynote sustainable food & farm conference logandaily.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from logandaily.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
COLUMBUS â A farm vision focused on animal welfare, regenerative land practices, and rural revival will be the focus of a keynote address by fourth-generation cattleman Will Harris at the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Associationâs (OEFFA) 42nd annual conference, Our Time: Essential Links in a Strong Food Chain.
In his Feb. 10 keynote address, presented by Turner Farm, âRegenerating Land with Livestock,â Harris will describe how the farmâs holistic, polyculture production system for 10 species of livestock, zero-waste model, and on-farm meat processing have made White Oak Pastures the largest private employer in the county, while regenerating the land.
âOur farm is creating more in terms of organic matter in the soil and microbial biodiversity than it is depleting,â Harris, who has been called a âcarbon cowboy,â told PR Newswire. âThis shows that it is possible for humans to positively contribute to the environment through our food
The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association’s (OEFFA) 42nd annual conference,
“Through these challenging times of physical distance, more than ever, we need to be socially close,” said OEFFA Program Director Renee Hunt. “In that spirit, the online conference will be different, but with the same intent and result: sharing information so that we can all succeed, moving our food system toward greater resilience and equity, and forging a strong and dynamic community.”
OEFFA’s popular conference will feature:
February 10 keynote speaker Will Harris is a fourth-generation cattleman at White Oak Pastures in Georgia. A leader in humane animal husbandry and environmental sustainability, he’ll share his story of building a successful, job-creating certified organic farm committed to regenerative land management and multi-species rotational grazing.