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Oklahoma Cattleman Sues Stock Yards for Cheating and Collusion

by Harlan Hentges in Uncategorized 0 comments
Sep 07
One of Oklahoma’s largest independent cattle buyers is suing the Oklahoma National Stock Yards for illegally manipulating cattle prices and cheating cattlemen, which could affect the nation’s Independent Beef Producers. Parker Livestock of Thomas, Oklahoma today filed the suit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma claiming the Stock Yards and its auctioneer violated the federal Packers and Stockyards Act. This law was enacted in 1921 to prevent conflicts of interest and market manipulation. John Parker observed the auctioneer buying cattle while he was performing his duties, which violates the Act.  When Parker reported the violation at the March 12th sale, the ONSY kicked Parker out of the auction and banned him from participating. From June 2009 until he was banned in March, Parker Livestock purchased approximately 10% of the stockers and feeders sold at ONSY.  His banishment from the auction is damaging him and all other independent cattlemen who sell cattle at ONSY. “When you kick out a person who buys 10% of the cattle, you reduce competition and the price paid to cattle producers.” Parker said. Prior attempts to resolve the matter have failed but Parker’s case may have far reaching impacts for beef producers. […]

Keep Your Comments to Yourself

by Harlan Hentges in Uncategorized 0 comments
Apr 22
On April 22, 2011, the U. S. Department of State released a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.  The 400 page document attempts to address problems in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) issued one year ago. The State Department has asked for public comments, but it has given only 45 days and it is not even providing copies of the document to affected communities. Follow this link to comment on SEIS and ask for more time. Unfortunately, this seems to be the modus operandi for the State Department. When it issued the DEIS, it provided Oklahoma with only 17 copies and put them mostly in the wrong places. Only 6 were sent to libraries along the pipeline route: Cushing, Prague, Seminole, Ada, Stroud, and Durant. An additional 5 copies went to libraries within thirty miles of Cushing. Cushing is the pipeline hub of the United States and the pipeline businesses are important employers in the area.  People in Cushing and surrounding areas would be reluctant to comment on the pipeline. Despite this, or perhaps because of this, the Cushing area got a total of 6 copies. Of the remaining 6, Alva got 2.  Alva is […]

Keep Your Comments to Yourself

by Harlan Hentges in Uncategorized 0 comments
Mar 17
Oklahoma politicians are being driven by national and global interests and ignoring the interests of Oklahomans. Oklahoma politicians are ignoring the difference between big business (like Devon) and most local businesses (like those on main streets). As a result they are supporting big-business-Republican ideas (limits on: access to Courts, collective bargaining rights, voter initiatives, etc.), and they are getting a lot of money for doing so.   Oklahomans are ignoring the difference between big enviros (like Al Gore and RFK Jr.) and regular folks concerned about health and safety (like the folks in Bokoshe). As a result, they are ignoring the legitimate health and safety concerns of their own constituents and getting a lot of money for doing so.   Oklahomans must take back Oklahoma politics.   Local businesses and regular folks can demand answers to the hard questions such as:   Why don’t you stop using my taxes to give handouts to big business?In particular: why does AES a multinational energy company gets a $10 per ton subsidy (tax credits) for burning coal in Oklahoma?   Why don’t you stop letting big business destroy my land? In particular: why, after AES burns the subsidized coal, is it permitted to […]

Tar Sands: A Chinese/Canadian Invasion

by Harlan Hentges in Uncategorized 0 comments
Feb 28
At one time, President George W. Bush envisioned a cure for America’s addiction to foreign oil. His vision was faulty, and he  invited an foreign invasion of the Great Plains. In 2011, United States citizens are being forced off their land for the benefit of foreign countries and foreign based multinational corporations. The change of Presidential administrations has not brought change to the Great Plains and this invasion continues. Addiction to Subsidised Foreign Oil    Daily, 15 to 20 ships filled with middle eastern oil go from the Persian Gulf through the strait of Hormuz, a narrow channel separating Iran from the Arabian Peninsula. Iranian land based anti-ship missiles could halt the ships carrying nearly a third of world’s oil shipments. Iran does not fire because United States citizens fund and serve in a massive military. This subsidy of blood and treasure enables multinational energy corporations to buy oil from middle eastern dictators who, like kings of the middle ages, take whatever they want from their subjects. At the expense of their people, dictators enrich themselves, build their police forces and subdue their citizens for so long as the oil lasts. After purchasing the oil from dictators and being escorted through the strait of Hormuz by US military might, the multinational energy companies sell to the highest bidder. They claim that the prices are set by supply and demand in the free market, but there is nothing free about the process that […]

Republican Supports EPA Regulation on Ethanol

by Harlan Hentges in Uncategorized 0 comments
Feb 18
Republicans are supposed to detest EPA’s interference in the free market, but Okla. Congressman John Sullivan wants to keep EPA restrictions on gasoline. Sullivan wants to keep ethanol blends out of the market and he  opposes EPA’s plan to “increase the amount of allowable ethanol content in gasoline to 15% (E15).” This is disturbing. A cornerstone of Republican ideology is the free market. Yet Mr. Sullivan rejects freedom in order to keep us dependent upon fossil fuels.  A key fundamental Republican concept is being undermined. Why is it happening? Is it because the fossil fuel industry is afraid of competition and it will do anything to keep us hooked on fossil fuels. Mr. Sullivan’s position suggests that even the Republican’s commitment to the free market can be sacrificed for big oil. via PRNewswire, Feb 16, 2011 WASHINGTON, Feb. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — NPRA, the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association, was one of 15 organizations signing a letter to the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives today supporting a measure by Rep. John Sullivan (R-Okla.) that would bar the Environmental Protection Agency from using federal funds to cover EPA costs involved with increasing the amount of ethanol in gasoline from […]

Sovereignty — It’s an Indian Thing?

by Harlan Hentges in Uncategorized 0 comments
May 28
The 23rd Annual Sovereignty Symposium is June 2 and 3 at the Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City. This year’s title is “As Long as the Grass Grows and the Rivers Flow.” From the title “sovereignty” appears to be an “Indian thing.” I really haven’t understood it, but lately “cowboys” have been talking about sovereignty, and I am beginning to understand. My family has raised cattle in the Cherokee Strip for more than a hundred years. Our history is only clear back to September 16, 1893 when a land run opened the Cherokee Strip to settlement by immigrants. A short time later, my great grandpa came down from Nebraska and homesteaded 160 acres which was then granted to him by the U.S. government.  We celebrate that beginning every year with a parade, picnic, carnival and such. Beyond that, our history is kind of fuzzy. If we went back any further we would have to address the U.S. government’s propensity to take back what it has given. Before the U.S. government assigned the land to my great grandfather it had assigned the same land to the Cherokee and then took it back. Officially, the U.S. took back the land to punish the Cherokee Nation for siding with the Confederacy. Most of the land of most of the other native American people were taken from them as well, for one reason or […]

There Are No Important People in Bokoshe, Oklahoma

by Harlan Hentges in Uncategorized 0 comments
Jan 29
This presentation was for an environmental organization’s planning meeting. It is about the courageous actions by people in and around Bokoshe (pop. 450) where the State of Oklahoma has permitted a fly ash dump to operate illegally for more than seven years. It is a call for immediate action by individuals.   I have been asked here to talk about Bokoshe, but I did that last year.  Nobody cares about Bokoshe — at least nobody important. You wouldn’t want to waste your time on things that nobody important cares about. Let’s talk about sports instead. Lots of important people care about sports. The difference between football and wrestling is interesting.  In football the line man can’t score unless the running back can carry the ball. The running back can’t carry the ball unless the wide receivers  can draw the defense. The wide receivers can’t draw the defense unless the quarterback can throw the ball accurately, and the quarterback can’t throw the ball accurately unless the lineman blocks his man. Unless all eleven men take the field there is no reason for anyone to take the field. Wrestling is different from football.  In wrestling each man takes the mat by himself.  If […]

The Amazing Failure of NAIS

by Harlan Hentges in Uncategorized 0 comments
Jul 23
The National Animal Identification System (NAIS) would have gathered and introduced a huge amount of new data into the food supply chain.  Data is very valuable in any supply chain and would certainly be valuable to food. USDA had the power and resources of the US government and support of multinational corporations that dominate the U.S. meat market. Under these circumstances, getting data into the food supply chain should have been like shooting fish in a barrel.  Instead it was an amazing failure. Why? I submit that USDA and their industry partners have a common flaw in structure, leadership and management.  The flaw causes them to be blind to social, cultural and economic values of food and farming. After several years and hundreds of millions of dollars, USDA continues to face fierce public opposition to NAIS and members of congress have declared NAIS a failure and have moved to eliminate funding. The failure of NAIS reveals a flaw and its potentially negative consequences for the food supply chain. For at least four decades the U.S. consumer and producer have expressed a preference for a food and farming system that is consistent with their social and cultural values.  In the 1970’s the American Agricultural Movement radically protested the loss of farms. In the 1980’s FarmAid lamented the loss of farms. The 1990’s saw the growth of organic foods and specialized stores like Whole Foods and […]

Are we headed for a food fight?

by Harlan Hentges in Uncategorized 0 comments
Jul 20
Frequently, I hear two types of news related to food. One item reports that agricultural giants are using their market power to further industrialize production of crops and animals. The other item reports that farmers, consumers and small businesses are attempting to build alternative food supply chains because they believe the industrial model is damaging to health, food safety, rural communities, workers and the environment. Are these two parts of our food system on a collision course? Is it necessary that one must win and the other lose?     I don’t think so. The industrial food system and an alternative local food system each contains within it the key to the other’s success, not its destruction.  The industrial system’s ability to gather and use data is a key to the economic success of alternative food supply chains. The local food movement’s deep understanding of the cultural and social values related to food is the key to the progress of industrialized agriculture. Success or failure of participants in either the existing or new supply chains will depend upon their ability to add the skills of the other. The Value of Access to Data The industrial giants that have emerged from the food industry have amassed huge amounts of data. They mine the data, analyze it, restrict access to it and determine new […]

Big Ag – NAIS – Big Brother

by Harlan Hentges in Uncategorized 0 comments
Jun 26
Oklahoma Department of Agriculture Food and Forestry (ODAFF) announced on June 24, 2009 that it would force youth exhibitors at livestock shows to sign up for a “voluntary” National Animal Identification System (NAIS).  Oklahoma farmers have decided not to “volunteer” for NAIS, so ODAFF has decided to force their children to “volunteer” for them. (Update Monday June 29, 2009.  ODAFF indeed adopted a rule on Wednesday. It was an emergency rule declaring that the ucoming livestock shows represent an imminent peril to health and safety due to the ‘swine flu.”  As stated below, registering premises can not help at all if there is a disease outbrean at this falls livestock show. It seems obvious that the emergency was declared so that the Board of Agriculture would not have to recieve any public comment. )   (Updated Info:  On Friday, June 26,  ODAFF staff said the rule referred to in its press release was still in draft form and would not be availabe until Monday.  They could not explain how an unfinished draft could be approved by the Board of Agriculture or how the ODAFF had any authority to revise a rule that had already been approved.  Perhaps we’ll know more on Monday) ODAFF Press Release Using children to force farmers to do something that is supposed […]

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