Farmers & Rural Communities
FarmSTAND Checkoff System “Deep Dive” to Reveal Who Benefits, Need for Reform
Food checkoff programs penalize independent producers of food by funneling money to the lobbying and trade organizations that boost the largest corporate producers, according to research featured in the latest…

Deep Dive: Checkoff
Farmers and ranchers have beef with the checkoff, the system responsible for slogans like “Beef. It’s what’s for dinner,” “The Incredible, Edible Egg,” and "Got Milk?" Food checkoff programs penalize…
Sentient Media: More Data From Farmers Could Help Scientists Better Track Avian Flu, But Privacy Concerns Stand in the Way
“It is incredibly difficult to get any kind of specific information about industrial farm operations, especially geospatial data because of an overlapping system of exemptions from the public records laws,”…
Colorado Public Radio: Dairy Worker Families Call for Reforms and Recognition After Tragic Accident Kills Six
“These are not ‘Old McDonald’s Farm’ with sort of a small scale and small risks. These are large industrial facilities,” said Kelsey Eberly, an attorney at FarmSTAND, a national organization…
POLITICO Pro: Federal judge rules some USDA grant terminations were illegal
“The Court’s granting of the plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction is the only appropriate response to DOGE and USDA’s illegal and destructive grant cancellation,” David Muraskin, managing director for…
Law360: DC Judge Halts Some USDA Climate Grant Terminations
"Representing the grant recipients, David Muraskin of legal group FarmSTAND said the USDA, potentially with help from DOGE, had hastily ended thousands of grants with any perceived relationship to diversity,…
Victory! Federal Court Orders Terminated USDA Farmer and Community Grants to be Reinstated
Preliminary injunction granted in lawsuit against USDA ordering restoration of wrongfully terminated grants and funding that support tree planting, growing food in underserved communities, training new farmers, and helping farmers…
Bloomberg News: USDA Ordered to Restore Terminated Grants to Farmers, Nonprofits
"Congress provided 'explicit instruction for funding to be used to support such 'underserved' groups', Howell said. The plaintiffs are represented by Earthjustice, Farmers Justice Center, and FarmSTAND."
Law 360: Judge Questions USDA’s Climate Grant Cuts
"Representing the recipients, David Muraskin of legal group FarmSTAND said the USDA — potentially with help from DOGE — had hastily ended thousands of grants with any perceived relationship to…