Have ‘Ag-Gag Laws’ Gone too Far?

Jul 13, 2012

Animal Activists Assault on Agriculture Triggers Gag Laws

The food system is an intimate experience that touches everyone’s lives and it’s important to understand how your food is produced. But lawmakers in the US have introduced new measures to protect the ‘privacy’ of farms. The introduction of ‘ag-gag laws’ prohibits photographing or videotaping on farms without the owners consent. Over 20 states have proposed ag-gag laws with the first ones popping up in the early 1990’s. US farmers have had their fair share of animal activist groups target their operations, trying to use any piece of evidence as ‘proof’ that farmers mistreat their animals.

It’s unfortunate that this law had to be created in the first place. Farmers don’t have anything to hide – they care about the animals and are stewards of the land. The rise of ‘radical’ animal activist groups trespassing on farmer’s properties and attempting to gather evidence to support their cause has prompted lawmakers to- put -a -stop to the constant assault on agriculture.

But in rare cases there are cruelties that do happen that tarnish the name for agriculture and in those rare cases when cruelties do happen- it should be exposed. Ag-gag laws are harmful to agriculture because it makes the law look like there is something to hide when really the law is about protecting farm owners from activists who try and trespass on their property. There now exists two extreme sides of the spectrum the – radical animal activists and ag-gag laws. Do ag-ag laws really achieve the purpose that they were originally intended to do?

Video: Is China Buying US Soybeans + USDA Nov 14th Crop Report could be “Game Changing”

After a week of a U.S./China trade truce, markets/trade is skeptical that we have not seen a signed agreement nor heard much from China or seen any details. There are rumors that China is buying soybean futures & not the physical. Trust in Trump?
12 MMT of U.S. soybean purchases by China by year-end is better than 0 but we all need to give it more time and give it a chance to unfold. China did lower the tariffs on Ag and is buying U.S. wheat and sorghum.
U.S. supreme court could rule against Trumps tariffs, but the Trump administration does have a plan B.
U.S. government shutdown is now the longest in history at 38 days.
But despite a U.S. government shutdown we will be getting a USDA November crop report next Friday and it could be “game changing.” If the USDA provides a bullish surprise with lower U.S. corn and soybean yields and ending stocks that are lower than expected both corn and soybean futures will break out above their ceilings at $4.35/bu and $11.35/bu respectively.
The funds continued their selling in live and feeder cattle futures on continued fears that the Trump administration want to lower U.S. beef prices. The fundamentals have not changed, only market psychology has.
Stocks markets continue to worry about a weak U.S. job market, but you can blame ChatGPT for that. In the future, we will have a more efficient, productive and growing economy with a higher unemployment rate until we have more skilled AI workers.
After 34 new record highs in the S & P 500 and 124 new records in the NASDAQ in 2025 we are back to a correction and investor profit taking as AI valuations may have gotten too stretched near-term ahead of NVDA’s 3rd quarter earnings announcement on Nov. 19th. But this is not an AI bubble.
75% of Tesla shareholders approved a $1 trillion pay package for Elon Musk!
It has rained in South America in the last 7 days, but both the American and European models agree that Central Brazil remains dry in the next 14-days!

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