LORI PILGER Lincoln Journal Star
In a recently filed lawsuit, Costco was accused of violating animal welfare laws in Nebraska and Iowa for allegedly raising chickens that grow so fast they can’t support their own weight. and die.
The lawsuit – filed by two shareholders in Superior Court in King County, Washington, where Costco is based – involves an undercover investigation into Lincoln Premium Poultry near Fremont last year.
In a 48-page complaint, attorney Adam Karp said that in an effort to continue selling $4.99 rotisserie chickens to drive foot traffic, Costco directors and officers deliberately ignored red flags that their poultry production practices are illegal.
The Lincoln Premium Poultry plant in Fremont produces chickens for Costco.
Lincoln Premium Poultry Facebook Page
He said Costco sends millions of fast-growing birds to “dirty, overcrowded factory farms run by inexperienced contract growers whom Costco has recruited and trained.” There, he says, the disabled birds are slowly dying of starvation, thirst, injury and disease.
Karp said Costco’s practices amounted to neglect and abandonment of chickens, a violation of state law.
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Lawsuit asks judge to find Costco president, CEO, chairman of the board and others liable for breaching their fiduciary duty and order them to take all necessary steps to reform and improve Costco’s policies, procedures and practices.
Up to 100,000 chickens a day move along the processing line at the Costco processing plant in Fremont. The chickens are then sent to Costco warehouses across the country.
JUSTIN WAN, Newspaper Star
In a press release, Alene Anello, president of Legal Impact for Chickens, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that advocates for animals, said, “Once hailed as an innovative warehouse club, Costco today represents a grim existence for Nebraska animals that are in storage. in inevitable misery.”
Costco has yet to file a response and did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the allegations.
But in a statement last year after Mercy for Animals, a Los Angeles-based animal welfare nonprofit, released its 2021 investigation, Costco said it was committed to maintaining “the highest standards of animal welfare, humane processes and ethical conduct throughout the supply chain.”
Ellen Cooling and Curt Cooling of Omaha listen to maintenance supervisor Vince Smith (right) during a tour of the Costco chicken processing plant in Fremont.
JUSTIN WAN, Newspaper Star
“Lincoln Premium Poultry shares our commitment, as do the independent producers selected for the program who have been carefully chosen based on our mutual business philosophies. Independent audits are carried out regularly to ensure that all parties are in constant compliance.”
The Most Valuable Crops Grown in Nebraska
The Most Valuable Crops Grown in Nebraska
There are more than 2 million farms in the United States, about 98% of which are operated by families, individuals, family partnerships or family corporations, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. About 87% of all agricultural products in America are produced on ranches or family farms. A single farm feeds an average of 166 people a year, both in the United States and abroad. Even so, agriculture is only a fraction of the US economy, accounting for only 1% of US GDP – farming and ranching families make up less than 2% of the US population.
More African Americans are operating farms than ever before, as are Hispanic and Latino farm operators. One in four farmers is a novice farmer, a term that represents those with less than 10 years of farming experience – their average age is 46. About 11% of American farmers have served or are serving in the military.
The United States imports $129 billion in agricultural products a year, but the country maintains a positive trade balance by exporting $137 billion. Stacker compiled a list of the most valuable crops grown in Nebraska using data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s State Agriculture Overview. Crops are ranked by total annual value of production as of February 2, 2022.
Keep reading to see which crops grown in Nebraska are the most valuable.
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nnattalli // Shutterstock
#9. oats
– 2020 production: $5.1 million
– Main states:
— #1. South Dakota ($27.5 million)
— #2. Minnesota ($26.4 million)
— #3. Wisconsin ($20.6 million)
— #4. North Dakota ($20.1 million)
— #5. Iowa ($17.9 million)
Studio Mironmax // Shutterstock
#8. Sunflower
– 2020 production: $10.7 million
– Main states:
— #1. North Dakota ($263.7 million)
— #2. South Dakota ($220.2 million)
— #3. Minnesota ($29.5 million)
— #4. Kansas ($21.5 million)
— #5. Texas ($18.3 million)
EsfilPla // Shutterstock
#seven. Millet
– 2020 production: $26.6 million
– Main states:
— #1. Colorado ($48.1 million)
— #2. Nebraska ($26.6 million)
— #3. South Dakota ($16.4 million)
PENG TIANLI // Shutterstock
#6. Sorghum
– 2020 production: $61.5 million
– Main states:
— #1. Kansas ($1.1 billion)
— #2. Texas ($391.6 million)
— #3. Nebraska ($61.5 million)
— #4. Oklahoma ($51.0 million)
— #5. South Dakota ($48.0 million)
Sayanjo65 // Shutterstock
#5. Potatoes
– 2020 production: $103.2 million
– Main states:
— #1. Idaho ($981.2 million)
— #2. Washington ($753.4 million)
— #3. Wisconsin ($351.0 million)
— #4. North Dakota ($278.5 million)
— #5. Colorado ($241.8 million)
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fast horses // Shutterstock
#4. Wheat
– 2020 production: $156.5 million
– Main states:
— #1. North Dakota ($1.6 billion)
— #2. Kansas ($1.3 billion)
— #3. Montana ($1.2 billion)
— #4. Washington ($942.4 million)
— #5. Idaho ($582.4 million)
Cloth
#3. Hay and wrapped
– 2020 production: $621.4 million
– Main states:
— #1. Texas ($1.5 billion)
— #2. Wisconsin ($1.1 billion)
— #3. California ($1.0 billion)
— #4. Idaho ($930.9 million)
— #5. Pennsylvania ($881.5 million)
Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock
#2. Soy
– 2020 production: $3.2 billion
– Main states:
— #1. Illinois ($7.0 billion)
— #2. Iowa ($5.5 billion)
— #3. Minnesota ($4.0 billion)
— #4. Indiana ($3.8 billion)
— #5. Missouri ($3.3 billion)
nnattalli // Shutterstock
#1. Corn
– 2020 production: $7.6 billion
– Main states:
— #1. Iowa ($9.9 billion)
— #2. Illinois ($9.3 billion)
— #3. Nebraska ($7.6 billion)
— #4. Minnesota ($6.1 billion)
— #5. Indiana ($4.4 billion)
Claudia Harms-Warlies // Shutterstock
Contact the writer at 402-473-7237 or lpilger@journalstar.com.
On Twitter @LJSpilger