Members and producers from the Organization for Competitive
Markets (OCM), met in the Southeastern U.S. this month, for
the group’s annual conference where they presented the John Helmuth
Award. Attendees joined from Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida,
Georgia, Louisiana, Kansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska,
Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, South Dakota, and
Wyoming.
The group was also joined by a raft of speakers that included
Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson, Deputy Assistant
Attorney General at the U.S. Dept. of Justice, Michael Kades, and
Andy Green, Senior Advisor to the Secretary at the U.S. Dept of
Agriculture.
The John Helmuth Award – OCM’s highest honor named in
remembrance of OCM’s late co-founder John Helmuth, and presented on
select occasions – was awarded to OCM board director and secretary,
Marty Irby, president and CEO of Capitol South, LLC, and
Competitive Markets Action, in Washington, D.C. Helmuth was
instrumental in forming OCM and laying the intellectual groundwork
for analyzing meatpacker market power.
“I applaud the work dedicated to the organization by Marty Irby
and congratulate him on receiving the Helmuth Award this year
– OCM’s highest honor,” said Taylor Haynes, president
at OCM, and founder of the Wyoming Independent Cattle Producers
Organization. “Our voice and work on Capitol Hill are
stronger than they’ve ever been and the so-called National
Cattlemen’s Beef Association is right in the middle of our
crosshairs. We will continue to work alongside Irby and fight to
defeat China’s attempt to takeover American food production with
the EATS Act and to enact the much-needed OFF Act that would reform
USDA’s compromised Commodity Checkoff Programs.”
“I am deeply humbled to receive the John Helmuth Award, have
never been more surprised to have such a distinguished honor
bestowed upon me, and truly believe that God is with
us,” said Marty Irby, secretary at OCM and president
at Competitive Markets Action who is leading the group’s lobbying
efforts in Washington, D.C. “China’s front men and
whipping boys continue to fuel my desire to work harder and make
dramatic change that will improve the lives of the American family
farmers that keep this country fed. Our country is on the verge of
losing any remaining control we have over American food production
because of the scandal-ridden USDA’s Commodity Checkoff Programs,
and groups like the so-called National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
who lobbied for the repeal of Country-of-Origin Labeling.”
The inscription on the Helmuth Award presented to Irby read in
part:
“For being a hard charging advocate for what is right.
“His work was recognized by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
However, it was also recognized by those who would abuse animals
and livestock producers. They attacked him, attempted to shut him
up by having him fired only to awaken a sleeping giant. He is known
to be among the very best in his profession and has become the
‘Energizer Bunny’ for OCM.
“As he is so unique, his efforts in promoting independent family
agriculture are legendary and consistent with the mission of this
organization.”
Irby was recognized by the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth
II in 2020 for his work to end doping in American horse racing
and abuse in the world of Tennessee Walking Horses. He is a native
Alabamian from Mobile who graduated from UMS-Wright Preparatory
School and the University of South Alabama, and was named one
of The Hill’s Top Lobbyists in 2019, 2020, 2021, and
2023.
Since 2023, Irby has been continuously attacked for
his previous work on animal protection issues by Berman Co.,
whose managing partner Jack Hubbard, interestingly enough, served
as the Chief Operating Officer at American Humane prior
to joining Berman. Berman has long been known as “Dr.
Evil” across the political sphere. What’s even more
interesting is that Hubbard, during his time at American
Humane, actually joined Irby in the Oval Office with President
Donald J. Trump in 2019, for the signing of the Preventing Animal
Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act that Irby lobbied for – the first
federal anti-cruelty statute in American history. Hubbard’s cohorts
at Berman Co. also led the charge against President
Trump with their “Never Trump” movement that began in 2016 and
still continues against the President in 2024.
“I am proud to call Marty Irby my friend, and will continue to
fight in solidarity for what is right for American family
farmers,” said Jonathan Buttram, OCM treasurer and
president of the Alabama Contract Poultry Growers
Association. “We’re in the best position we’ve ever
been to make change in our food production system and are committed
to achieving checkoff reform with the enactment of the
Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act.”
Irby has worked for most of the past decade to see the enactment
of the Opportunities for Fairness in Farming (OFF) Act, H.R.
1249/S. 557, led by Reps. Nancy Mace, R-SC, and Rep. Dina Titus,
D-NV, and Sens. Mike Lee, R-UT, Rand Paul, R-KY, Cory Booker, D-NJ,
and Elizabeth Warren, D-MA. The measure would reform the U.S. Dept.
of Agriculture’s scandal-ridden checkoff programs that have been
plagued by unethical and illegal activities for decades. OFF is
backed by more than 200,000 farmers and ranchers across the country
and groups like the American Grassfed Association, Contract Poultry
Growers Association of the Virginias, National Taxpayers Union, and
the Heritage Foundation, as well as Reps. Thomas Massie, R-KY, Alex
Mooney, R-WV, Victoria Spartz, R-IN, and Mike Lawler,
R-NY.
Over the past year since the Berman attacks began, Irby has led
the Republican lobbying team against the Ending Agriculture Trade
Suppression (EATS) Act, H.R. 4417/ S. 2019, led by Rep. Ashley
Hinson, R-IA, and Sen. Roger Marshall, R-KS, that is designed to
nullify state ballot measures across the country enacted by a
direct vote of the people. Industrial agribusiness interests failed
to secure the enactment of similar legislation led by former Rep.
Steve King, R-IA, in the 2018 Farm Bill thanks to the work of OCM
leaders and former House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike
Conaway, R-TX, who is currently working with the Competitive
Markets Groups on the issue in 2024.
Irby’s lobbying efforts against EATS has helped secure two
Republican-led letters to House Agriculture Committee Chairman,
Glenn “G.T.” Thompson, R-PA, in opposition to the inclusion of EATS
in the 2024 Farm Bill set to be marked up next week. The letters
were led by Reps. Andrew Garbarino, R-NY, and Anna Paulina
Luna, R-FL, and cosigned by House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good,
R-Va., as well as Reps. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.,
Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Nancy Mace, R-S.C., Andy Biggs,
R-Ariz., Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., and Tim
Burchett, R-Tenn. Andrew Garbarino, R-NY, David Valadao, R-CA, Mike
Waltz, R-FL, and Nancy Mace, R-SC, was signed by Reps. Alex Mooney,
R-WV, Carol Miller, R-WV, Early “Buddy” Carter, R-GA, Lance Gooden,
R-TX, Mike Lawler, R-NY, Brian Fitzpatrick, R-PA, Young Kim, R-CA,
Mike Garcia, R-CA, Tom Kean, R-NJ, Jeff Van Drew, R-NJ, and Chris
Smith, R-NJ, and Vern Buchanan, R-FL.
The Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) is a
501(c)(3) non-profit based in Lincoln, Nebraska. The
foundation of the Organization for Competitive Markets is to fight
for competitive markets in agriculture for farmers, ranchers and
rural communities. True competition reduces the need for economic
regulation. Our mission, and our duty, is to define and advocate
the proper role of government in the agricultural economy as a
regulator and enforcer of rules necessary for markets that are
fair, honest, accessible and competitive for all citizens.
- OCM President Taylor Haynes and Marty Irby
- OCM Crew at 2024 Conference
Marty Irby
Competitive Markets Action
202-821-5686
marty@competitivemarketsaction.org