News & Insights
Pity the Poor APA: How President Trump has Crippled Federal Rulemaking in Ten Short Days
Views expressed in this post are intended as solely those of the author. Nothing is more boring than the Federal...
John Block: Trade
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block I want to focus on trade today. From agriculture’s perspective, it is extremely...
Trade is Key for Agriculture
By Senator Bob Dole and Marshall Matz, as published in Agri-Pulse Perhaps no sector of the American economy is more...
John Block: Perdue as Ag Secretary
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block The news of the day is that Donald Trump is President. His critics...
NAFTA Renegotiation: What’s At Stake?
President Trump has made re-evaluating our approach to international trade a centerpiece of his economic agenda. In addition to putting...
USDA Guarantees Kosher and Halal Meat Can Be Organic, Too
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has assured the kosher and halal meat industries that the meat they produce with the...
Priebus’ January 20 Memorandum on Regulatory Freeze Pending Review
A memorandum from the President’s Chief of Staff, dated Friday, January 20, but released this afternoon via the Federal Register,...
John Block Reports: Barack Hussein Obama – A Retrospective
Today, OFW Law founding principal Richard L. Frank fills in for former USDA Secretary John R. Block on his weekly...
Organic Reform
By Marshall Matz and Peter Matz, as published in Agri-Pulse The House of Representatives’ Freedom Caucus lists the USDA National...
John Block: Priorities for 2017
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block We know some people are not happy to see Donald Trump move into...
SNAP Wars: Scott Walker, Tom Vilsack and Drug Testing of SNAP Beneficiaries
For more than 20 years, Federal law has expressly provided that states may test welfare recipients for use of controlled...
FNS Agrees To (Finally) Start Publishing SNAP Retailer Final Agency Decisions
In a major victory for supermarkets, convenience stores, and other Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) retailers, the U.S. Food and...
Up in Flames: Ninth Circuit Upholds Certification in “100% Natural” Wesson Oil Class Action
In a January 3, 2017, decision likely to have broad implications in food class action litigation, the Ninth Circuit Court...
2016 – Gone But Not Forgotten
Happy 2017, everyone! 2016 has come and gone. Looking at 2016 in my rear-view mirror, here are a few matters...
Recent OSHA Final Rule on Recordkeeping Flouts D.C. Circuit Decision
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced last week a new final rule that purportedly “clarifies an employer’s continuing...
CPSC: Closing the Books on 2016
This is a time for reflection. Looking back on the past year, it really was not a great one for...
John Block: Vilsack – 8 Years
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Last week, I – along with 2 other former Secretaries of Agriculture (Ann...