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13.07.2024 - 02:03 / modernfarmer.com / Dan Nosowitz
For decades, the meat industry has enjoyed what the National Farmers Union calls “lax antitrust enforcement.”
This has produced an intensely centralized, powerful meat industry, largely made up of only a few consolidated corporations and laws designed to keep prices low and retributions for fraud even lower. Last week, USDA chief Tom Vilsack announced his agency’s intention to strengthen the Packers and Stockyards Act, which regulates the meatpacking industry.
With incredibly powerful lobbying and a great deal of money, the meatpacking industry has managed to allow megamergers and engaged in alleged price manipulation and fraud. A major complaint of groups like the National Farmers Union is that the Packers and Stockyards Act lacks the regulatory clarity and muscle to properly ensure that farmers are treated properly by the few gigantic corporations that control the meat industry.
Many have called for significant antitrust work in the agribusiness industry, ranging from meatpacking to inputs to chemicals. The USDA has not announced too many specifics in terms of how the Packers and Stockyards Act will be updated, but did mention three targets.
First, the USDA plans to clarify the rules regarding deceptive practices and discrimination, which is something that advocates have been calling for over the past few years. Second, it will scrap the ongoing proposal for a poultry tournament system and replace it with a different tournament system; the tournament system currently allows for the rate a corporation pays for poultry to vary after the poultry is already grown, with opaque reasoning. (For more on that, read this.)
Perhaps most importantly, the USDA plans to clarify that farmers do not have to demonstrate competitive
Deadheading your hydrangea blooms can help your plant use its energy to produce more flowers and new growth. This is why it is essential to know how to do it the right way, which is what this article is about.
Has this ever happened to you? You purchase a gorgeous hanging basket overflowing with colorful blooms in late May, only to find that come midsummer it’s looking a bit... droopy and sad, with far too many leaves and not enough flowers? There are many reasons why a hanging basket might not be performing as well as it did earlier in the season, as they have several needs that should be met on a consistent basis. Typically, hanging baskets are made up of annuals or tender perennials. In the confines of such small containers as hanging baskets, these plants are much more demanding than they would be in a larger container or in the ground. But never fear: as long as you provide them with the right amount of sunlight, water, fertilizer, and pruning in the form of deadheading and pinching, you have the greatest chance possible to keep your basket a blooming powerhouse until the first frost. But first, you have to start with the most ideal plant material possible.
Autumn is a key time in a gardener's calendar. It's the time of year when you plan ahead for the following year with flower bulb planting and sort out some garden maintenance after the summer. Here are some top tips to help you get ready for autumn:
Tips for Growing Mint Mint is an excellent addition to any cocktail garden! Learn the secrets for growing this classic herb and how to keep it from taking over your garden. Add mint to your cocktail garden!
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Southerners love their gardening and landscaping, but if you really want to make your outside space feel welcoming and ideal for entertaining, it's time to figure out a hardscape plan. Unlike landscape which refers to the living elements like grass, trees, and flowers in your outdoor design, hardscape is the «non-living» elements like concrete, stone, and more.
Aldi; Design: Better Homes & Gardens
Aldi; Design: Better Homes & Gardens