Why is the water the color of Barney? On October 1, a silage leachate pond on the site of A.J. Bos’ mega-dairy near Nora, Illinois, began discharging purple effluent into a tributary of the Apple River.

A purple discharge ... yes, purple! And no one knows why. It’s difficult to adequately describe the color of both the retention pond and the creek. (Photos courtesy of HOMES, http://www.StopTheMegaDairy.org )

Maggie Carson, Communications Director for the Illinois EPA, confirmed the Illinois Attorney General has been asked to proceed with an enforcement action against the Bos dairy for the purple discharge into the rivers of the state. According to several local residents, workers hired by Bos spent the entire weekend pumping purple liquid from two hastily built retention ponds and spreading it onto neighboring fields. They were not successful in preventing the discharge.

The Kona Coffee Farmers Association is seeking to protect the Kona brand they have worked so diligently to establish. At issue for the Hawaiian coffee farmers is a state statute that allows coffee companies to sell a “10 percent Kona coffee blend” at retail. Kona farmers believe such labels are confusing to consumers and damaging to the brand and their economic interests.

According to Bruce Corker, president of the Kona Coffee Farmers Association, the state standard should prohibit the use of the “Kona” name on any packaging that doesn’t contain at least 75 percent Kona coffee by weight. We agree. And we think it’s a fair warning to farmers and ranchers everywhere who seek to add value to what they produce through marketing of branded products and stringent label claims.

The National Pork Producers Council and the meatpackers continue to attack USDA’s new livestock market reform rulemaking, which is no surprise. Their loose relationship with the truth, however, is astonishing. The most recent claim that the rule will prohibit packers from paying any premiums whatsoever is complete hog-wallow. Keep up with the truth at http://www.cfra.org/competition. If you haven’t submitted supportive comments, then tell USDA about it today!

For more information, contact John Crabtree, johnc@cfra.org or 402.687.2103 x 1010.