by Ted Genoways
Michael Steinberg, the second PETA operative: Michael Steinberg’s story is told from his daily logs, July 23, 2008, to September 11, 2008, and video footage supplied by PETA.
the secret audio recording: Audio file and transcript of this recording supplied by Dan Paden of PETA in November 2012.
Hallmark/Westland recalled more than 143 million pounds of beef: Andrew Martin, “Agriculture Dept. Vows to Improve Animal Welfare,” New York Times, February 29, 2008, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/business/29food.html?ref=westlandhallmarkmeatcompany&_r=0.
a PETA investigator managed to get hired: For a detailed account of PETA’s investigation of Murphy Family Ventures, see Steven M. Wise, An American Trilogy: Death, Slavery, and Dominion on the Banks of the Cape Fear River (New York: Da Capo Press, 2009), 75–98.
a piece of model legislation then called the Animal and Ecological Terrorism Act: Full text of the model legislation is available at http://www.alec.org/model-legislation/the-animal-and-ecological-terrorism-act-aeta/.
“damaging or interfering with the operations of an animal enterprise”: The full text of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act is available at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-109s3880enr/pdf/BILLS-109s3880enr.pdf.
immortalized by 60 Minutes as “Dr. Evil”: See the 60 Minutes segment, “Dr. Evil,” http://www.cbsnews.com/news/meet-rick-berman-aka-dr-evil/.
Court filings in the suit revealed that Hormel: Ian T. Shearn, “Investigative Report: Richard Berman,” Humane Society of the United States, May 11, 2010, http://www.humanesociety.org/news/news/2010/05/investigative_report_berman_1.html.
a canceled check for $50,000: Mark Drajem and Brian Wingfield, “Union Busting by Profiting from Non-Profit May Breach IRS,” Bloomberg News, November 1, 2012, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-02/union-busting-by-profiting-from-non-profit-may-breach-irs.html.
“have a chilling effect”: Congressional Record, vol. 152, part 17, November 9, 2006–December 6, 2006, 21836.
“The No. 1 domestic terrorism threat is the eco-terrorism, animal-rights movement”: Henry Schuster, “Domestic Terror: Who’s Most Dangerous?,” CNN.com, August 24, 2005, http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/08/24/schuster.column/.
The jury handed down convictions for seven: Court filings relating to the case of United States v. Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty are available at http://ccrjustice.org/us-v-SHAC7.
Jeff Kayser, the production manager at Suidae Health: The account of the transition from Natural Pork Producers II to MowMar Farms is taken from the daily logs of Robert Ruderman and Michael Steinberg.
9: Ag Gag
“Abuse and Neglect of Livestock at Sow Farm”: Dan Paden at PETA supplied a copy of this report.
“But in the environment”: All quotes from police interviews come from Greene County Sheriff’s Office Investigative Report, Case: 09-1591, Abuse and Neglect of Livestock at Sow Farm located at F Avenue and 330th St., submitted by Russell C. Hoffman, Chief Deputy Sheriff.
Lyons acknowledged to the sheriff’s deputy: Interview with Shawn Lyons was conducted in Bayard, Iowa, November 2012.
Authored by Himle and released through Cunningham’s office: In our interview, Lynn Becker was evasive about who authored the statement and managed other aspects of the pushback against PETA, saying only that he had worked with “a PR firm in the Twin Cities”; however, the electronic file of the statement issued by National Pork Board contained metadata indicating that the author of file was “John Himle.” That PDF is still available at http://www.pork.org/filelibrary/features/MowMarFARMsept08statement.pdf.
“shares our commitment to animal welfare and humane handling”: Frommer, “Video Shows Abuse of Pigs.”
“One month later, the pigs at this farm”: The Associated Press story by Steve Karnowski ran in numerous newspapers; see, for example, “PETA: Manager Still at Farm Where Pigs Were Abused,” Minneapolis Star-Tribune, October 21, 2008, http://www.startribune.com/31706519.html.
“We are appalled that PETA representatives”: Ibid.
“during an industry meeting almost nine years ago”: Hormel Foods, Corporate Responsibility Report, 2007, 36.
Lyons called his wife, Sherri: The account of Lyons’s arrest and booking comes from Chief Deputy Sheriff Russell C. Hoffman’s reports and from the interview with Shawn Lyons in November 2012.
“to represent the most vital interests”: The mission of the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council is stated on their website: http://www.agrigrowth.org/who-we-are.html.
Hormel’s vice president for legislative affairs, Joe C. Swedberg: Joe C. Swedberg’s interview at Ag-Nite is available at http://agwired.com/2008/09/03/hormel-provides-protein-punch-for-hunger-relief/.
“We raise a good, clean crop”: John Rusling Block’s interview at Ag-Nite is available at http://agwired.com/2008/09/03/former-ag-secretary-attends-agnite/.
“this year providing media and strategic counsel”: “Member in Focus,” Minnesota Agri-Growth Council Newsletter, December 2008: 2, http://www.agrigrowth.org/pdf/MACGDecJan08.pdf.
“economic arguments supportive of rational immigration”: Minutes of the Legislative Coordinating Commission, Ethnic Heritage and New Americans Working Group, Thursday, September 18, 2008.
The talk, according to the council’s newsletter: See the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council Newsletter, February 2011, 3, http://www.agrigrowth.org/Newsletters/Feb2011.pdf.
“It’s absurd”: Interview with Amanda Hitt was conducted via telephone in April 2013.
“an important deterrent tool in our toolbox”: Bob Von Sternberg, “Bill Would Ban Video of Farming Operations,” Minneapolis Star-Tribune, April 8, 2011, http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/119516799.html.
pushed the legislation in the Sunshine State: Matthew Yglesias, “Florida Conservatives Standing Up For Liberty with New Law to Ban Farm Photo,” thinkprogress.org, March 7, 2011, http://thinkprogress.org/yglesias/2011/03/07/200129/florida-conservatives-standing-up-for-liberty-with-new-law-to-ban-farm-photo/.
Jack DeCoster was under a federal investigation: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s letter of warning to Decoster is available at http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/2010/ucm229805.
the Iowa Poultry Association freely admits: A. G. Sulzberger, “States Look to Ban Efforts to Reveal Farm Abuse,” New York Times, April 13, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/14/us/14video.html.
supposedly composed around Sweeney’s kitchen table: This claim was made by Emily Meredith, communications director for the Animal Agriculture Alliance, during an interview with Amy Goodman on the radio show Democracy Now! Full transcript of the interview is available at http://www.democracynow.org/2013/4/9/debate_after_activists_covertly_expose_animal.
“Was that House File 1369?”: Interview with Rod Hamilton was conducted via telephone, October 2012.
“At a time when a significant share of the consumer food market”: Sally Jo Sorensen, “Consumers Are Stupid: Agri-Growth Council Touts Babe in a Blender Restoration Act,” bluestemprairie.com, April 12, 2011, http://www.bluestemprairie.com/bluestemprairie/2011/04/consumers-are-stupid-agri-growth-council-touts-babe-in-a-blender-restoration-act.html#sthash.VdMQcOw0.dpuf.
“On or about August 27, 2008, I did the following”: Greene County Sheriff’s Office Investigative Report, Case: 09-1591.
“They completely snubbed him”: Interview with Sherri Lyons in Bayard, Iowa, November 2012.
“Who in their right mind”: Interview with Dan Paden was conducted via telephone, November 2012.
“We try to leave pigs home with Mom”: Joe Vansickle, “Charting a Course for Day-One Pig Care,” National Hog Farmer, August 17, 2010, http://nationalhogfarmer.com/mag/charting-course-pig-care-0815.
PART IV
10: I Thought It Was Fishy
Roxanne Tarrant received a phone call: Ruiz provided access to his medical file, maintained by his caseworker Roxanne Tarrant at Employee Development Corporation in St. Paul. All medical records are derived from Tarr
ant’s monthly reports.
“I was walking slowly”: Interview with Pablo and Noelia Ruiz was conducted in Austin, Minnesota, March 2013.
“For most patients that have gone on to have complaints”: Interview with Lachance, Rochester, Minnesota, February 2010.
In the early morning hours of June 12, 2009: Except where otherwise noted, details of the case of Patricia Rodriguez-Sanchez derive from the unpublished opinion in State of Minnesota v. Patricia Rodriguez-Sanchez, Mower County District Court File No. 50-CR-09-1932, October 11, 2011, http://mn.gov/web/prod/static/lawlib/live/archive/ctapun/1110/opa102137-103111.pdf.
“You’re lucky to be alive”: Paul McEnroe, “Protecting Illegal Immigrants to Catch Criminals,” Minneapolis Star-Tribune, October 27, 2011, http://www.startribune.com/local/132387733.html.
it didn’t sit right with Detective Sergeant David McKichan: Ibid.
Johnson and fellow NSM member Robert Hester: Mike Rose, “Immigration Protest Brings Out Two Sides,” Austin Daily Herald, June 3, 2009, http://www.austindailyherald.com/2009/06/immigration-protest-brings-out-two-sides/.
“You think America’s going to let you get away with this?”: Video of the protest is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obOaW_hnZbY.
“Hitler is not dead; he’s alive in our hearts”: “Rally Heats Up, No Arrests,” Austin Daily Herald, July 13, 2009, http://www.austindailyherald.com/2009/07/rally-heats-up-no-arrests/.
“It didn’t feel right morally”: McEnroe, “Protecting Illegal Immigrants to Catch Criminals.”
Kelly Wadding and human resources director Dale Wicks agreed to speak: Mike Rose, “QPP Weighs In on Forgeries,” Austin Daily Herald, September 12, 2009, http://www.austindailyherald.com/2009/09/qpp-weighs-in-on-forgeries/.
Ballesta was given work restrictions and assigned to other jobs: Ballesta provided access to his medical file, maintained by his caseworker Roxanne Tarrant at Employee Development Corporation in St. Paul. All medical records are derived from Tarrant’s monthly reports.
when I got Wadding on the line: Interview with Wadding, June 2010.
“It’s a slaughterhouse”: Interviews with Roxanne Tarrant were conducted in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and via telephone in March and April 2010.
11: You Are Not Welcome
ICE agents . . . entered the Fremont Beef processing plant: The account of the case of Rosaura Carrillo Velasquez comes from a phone interview and emails with her attorney, Bassel F. Kasaby, in August and September 2012 and court filings in United States v. Rosaura Carrillo-Velasquez in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska, Case Number 8:10CR80. The best detail appears in Findings and Recommendation That the Motion to Suppress 35 Be Denied, September 21, 2010, http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCOURTS-ned-8_10-cr-00080/pdf/USCOURTS-ned-8_10-cr-00080-5.pdf.
“To those people who want proof”: Jerry A. Hart, “We Shouldn’t Have to Fight Our Leaders,” Fremont Tribune, March 26, 2010, http://fremonttribune.com/news/opinion/mailbag/we-shouldn-t-have-to-fight-our-leaders/article_6cbc03f2-38e5-11df-9ac8-001cc4c002e0.html.
“This ordinance will not change the complexion”: Monica Davey, “City in Nebraska Torn as Immigration Vote Nears,” New York Times, June 17, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/18/us/18nebraska.html.
called out to the Hormel plant to investigate a bomb scare: “Explosive Device Found at Hormel; Officials Have Suspect,” Fremont Tribune, March 30, 2010, http://fremonttribune.com/news/local/explosive-device-found-at-hormel-officials-have-suspect/article_756b579a-3c15-11df-8034-001cc4c002e0.html.
He advised former Fremont city councilman Charlie Janssen: JoAnne Young, “Senators Hear Arguments on Repealing Nebraska Dream Act,” Lincoln Journal-Star, February 1, 2010, http://journalstar.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/senators-hear-arguments-on-repealing-nebraska-dream-act/article_c1af210a-0f5a-11df-a0e1-001cc4c03286.html.
called these local ordinances and state bills “field tests”: Paul Reyes, “‘It’s Just Not Right’: The Failures of Alabama’s Self-Deportation Experiment,” Mother Jones, March/April 2012, http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/03/alabama-anti-immigration-law-self-deportation-movement.
Arizona governor Jan Brewer signed the Kobach-authored SB1070: For an excellent discussion of the legal issues surrounding Arizona’s SB1070, see “Experts Go Over SB 1070’s Key Points,” Arizona Daily Star, May 2, 2010, http://azstarnet.com/news/experts-go-over-sb-s-key-points/article_a9006f6b-f9b6-59db-87b4-d54a09b4b786.html.
“That’s not it at all”: Interview with Kobach, May 2012.
Kristin Ostrom, a Fremont resident who held a law degree with certification as a master mediator: Interviews with Kristin Ostrom were conducted in Fremont, Nebraska, and via telephone throughout 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.
Hormel would dispatch Bill McLain: In an email to me on October 1, 2012, Hormel spokesman Rick Williamson confirmed the events as described: “During the week of June 14, 2010, the Fremont Plant manager was out of town. Our plant locations do not have internal communications employees on site; as a result, Bill McLain, in the plant manager’s absence, came to provide communications support for media inquiries that we had started to receive. As Chamber members, we also provided this support to the Chamber to help inform the community about the ordinance.”
refused to answer any questions: I spoke to McLain via telephone during September 2012, but he directed all inquires to Hormel spokesman Rick Williamson.
“There were a lot of tears in this room tonight”: Monica Davey, “Nebraska Town Votes to Banish Illegal Immigrants,” New York Times, June 21, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/22/us/22fremont.html.
“I wasn’t surprised that Fremont would bring up such a law”: Interviews with Blake Harper were conducted via telephone and email during January and February 2014.
“I am very concerned about the negative effect”: Declaration of Blake Harper, July 28, 2010, Martinez v. Fremont.
12: Brother, Are You Okay?
Not like the raid on the Agriprocessors plant: For an outstanding account of the Postville raid and its effects, see Maggie Jones, “Postville, Iowa, Is Up for Grabs,” New York Times Magazine, July 11, 2012, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/magazine/postville-iowa-is-up-for-grabs.html.
“The raids resulted in the arrest”: The full text of Franken’s statement, “Effect of ICE Raids on Children,” is available at http://www.franken.senate.gov/?p=issue&id=215.
Patrick Neilon, the president of Local 6 in Albert Lea: Interviews with Patrick Neilon were conducted in Albert Lea, Minnesota, in March 2013, and via email throughout 2013.
Albert Lea was founded on meatpacking: Cheri Register, Packinghouse Daughter: A Memoir (St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2000), 53–62.
switched off the main sprinkler system: Sarah Stultz, “Farmland: Ten Years Later,” Albert Lea Tribune, July 8, 2011, http://www.albertleatribune.com/2011/07/farmland-10-years-later/.
“We felt like the big losers”: Erin Galbally, “Albert Lea Optimistic About Jobs Picture,” Minnesota Public Radio, July 1, 2004, http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2004/07/01_galballye_aleaeconomy/,
“We looked at a lot of sites”: Ibid.
Kelly Wadding rises: Details of Wadding’s daily schedule and biography come from Kevin Cross, “Serious About Swine,” Austin Daily Herald, March 6, 2013, http://www.austindailyherald.com/2013/03/serious-about-swine/.
“They see the problem”: Rose, “QPP Weighs In on forgeries.”
The Karen Organization of Minnesota was officially formed in 2009: History of the organization is available at http://www.mnkaren.org/about.htm.
Tha Wah, at a meeting arranged by Patrick Neilon: Interviews with Tha Wah were conducted in Albert Lea, Minnesota, in March 2013, and Des Moines, Iowa, in October 2013.
On January 31, 2011, Local 6 filed a notice: Copy of the NLRB petition (Case no. 18-RC-17746) was supplied by UFCW Local 6 in Albert Lea, Minnesota.
“His hand was shaking when he was writing the numbers
”: Interview with Keh Moo was conducted in Des Moines, Iowa, in October 2013.
“one-third to one-half of Karen-speaking employees”: Employer’s Exceptions to the Regional Director’s Report on the Objections, Albert Lea Select Foods v. UFCW Local 6, Case 18-RC-17746, filed with the NLRB on April 29, 2011. Copy supplied by UFCW Local 6 in Albert Lea, Minnesota.
Now he drove people from Minnesota back to Mexico: For a more detailed account of Schwartz’s changing business, see Trey Mewes, “Special Report: Are Hispanics Leaving?,” Austin Daily Herald, November 10, 2011, http://www.austindailyherald.com/2011/11/why-are-hispanics-leaving-austin/
PART V
13: A Clean Bill of Health
the gravel surrounding the New Fashion Pork: The visit to the New Fashion Pork hog confinement near Jackson, Minnesota, was conducted during September 2013.
would soon post record profits: See Hormel’s annual profits statement for 2013, http://www.hormelfoods.com/Newsroom/Press-Releases/2013/11/20131126-Earnings.
Jim Snee, Hormel’s head of international sales: Adam Harringa, “Hormel: An Eye on China,” Austin Daily Herald, July 29, 2013, http://www.austindailyherald.com/2013/07/an-eye-on-china/.
CDC and the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) issued: Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2013 (Washington, D.C.: Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), http://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/threat-report-2013/.
the company’s last published set of instructions for barn managers: “Food Safety Guidelines,” New Fashion Pork Vision, Winter 2006. http://www.nfpinc.com/pdf/Winter06.pdf
Jay C. Hormel invited a group of medical researchers: Dougherty, In Quest of Quality: Hormel’s First 75 Years, 306.
“the relation of animal products to disease and to the treatment of disease”: Annual Report of the Hormel Insitute, 1955–1956 (St. Paul: University of Minnesota Press), 1.