Jessica Culpepper

I had such a great time talking with @ourhenhouse.org about the fight to hold Big Ag accountable and build a food system that actually serves people, animals, and our planet. Grateful for the thoughtful, energizing conversation. Tune in here: ourhenhouse.org/ep862 🎧🐔

The Trump admin told the EEOC to stop protecting workers by ending enforcement of disparate impact discrimination cases (i.e., policies that discriminate in practice). That cannot stand.

@farmstand.bsky.social + partners are suing to defend food chain workers & hold corporations accountable.

Dairy worker families call for reforms and recognition after tragic accident kills six “If it happened one time, what’s to stop it from happening again in other dairies?”

Six workers died in a Colorado dairy last week. Fathers, sons, husbands.

If this happened in any other factory, it’d dominate headlines. At a factory farm, it’s dismissed. This is the deadly cost of ag exceptionalism. Proud of @farmstand.bsky.social's work to end it.

www.cpr.org/2025/08/29/c...

This case is about more than process. It’s about fairness, transparency, and protecting the future of agriculture and our climate. Proud to stand with our clients.

Judge Howell: “I would agree with you on that.”

Big moment: In response to Judge Howell's questioning, the government admitted it “wouldn’t be in accordance with best practices” to decide which grants to terminate by using search terms.

We’re live at the hearing in Urban Sustainability Directors Network et al v. USDA, where @farmstandorg is representing plaintiffs challenging the unexplained termination of critical climate + equity grants in agriculture.

The USDA announced the cancellation of $148M in ‘woke’ grants. Then it went dark. Farms, ranches, and food organizations brace for cuts, but the federal agency won’t say who’s next.

Brooke Rollins is throwing farmers lives into chaos, all to do Trump’s anti-DEI bidding. Our client in our case against USDA, Agroecology Commons, describes the last few months of mayhem:

FarmSTAND branded graphic reading "On The Blog: No, Americans Won't Fill Big Ag Jobs. Corporations Prefer It That Way." In the background, a photo showing the back of a man wearing a vest that says Police ICE.

Mass deportation of immigrant farm workers will not create employment opportunities for Americans. The truth is that Big Ag doesn’t want domestic labor because its business model is based on paying vulnerable people low wages.

Learn more in our latest blog ➡️tinyurl.com/blog-ag-jobs

Opinion: Warren Wilson College, hardest-hit by Helene, received no NC recovery money. Why? Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa most-damaged by Helene received no state recovery funds while WCU, UNCA did. Are dirty GOP politics to blame?

Warren Wilson College made me who I am: rooted in service, sustainability & hard work. Small liberal arts colleges are struggling, & cutting disaster funds for the hardest‑hit one is wrong. Thank you John Ager for shining a light on this. #NCpol www.citizen-times.com/story/opinio...

I expected cruelty from Trump 2.0. I didn’t expect USDA to gut social infrastructure by canceling grants midstream because they included words like “equity.”

Now people are losing jobs, farmers are losing land, and communities are losing vital support.

We’re suing. Communities deserve better.

Good read 👇 This is why we fight for a better food system -- one that is fair and nourishing for farmers, workers, animals and the earth.

Recent Graduates Were Told They Were Coming to the U.S. for Cultural Exchange. They Ended Up Trapped in a Factory Farm. A lawsuit alleges that three Guatemalan citizens, who came to the U.S. on J-1 visas, worked dangerous jobs under false pretenses.

3 college grads’ dreams became nightmares when their “internships” turned out to be a factory farm exploiting them for cheap labor, part of a growing trend of visa abuse used by Big Ag. Learn more about our suit to stop this injustice:

U.S. factory farms are exploiting visa workers under the guise of “cultural exchange.” @farmstand.bsky.social's latest lawsuit exposes the system—and @ninaelkadi.com's must-read piece lays it bare.
This isn’t a one off abuse. It’s the business model.

Trump’s Anti-Farmer Moves Are Designed to Keep Us From A Better Food System - FarmSTAND Devastated. Betrayed. Heartbroken. Like the rug was pulled out from under them — that’s how farmers describe the Trump Administration’s sudden dismantling of several Biden-era programs that had begun ...

Trump says he’s helping farmers, but gutting USDA’s climate-smart grants does the opposite. It strips small farmers of tools to cut costs + build resilience. Big Ag wins.

We need food system policy that centers people, not propaganda.
farmstand.org/trumps-anti-...
theguardian.com/environment/...

AVA Summit United States Get ready for the AVA Summit United States 2025, a flagship event uniting 800+ advocates, leaders, and changemakers from across the U.S. and around the globe. From May 15-18, 2025, we’ll gather…

Hope is strategy. Justice is non-negotiable. On May 16th, I’ll share how @farmstand_org stays grounded in long-term change, refusing to trade one form of justice for another. Animal protection, racial justice, worker power, and democracy are all one fight.
tinyurl.com/245hwd5j #WeAreAVA

📢 We're hiring at @farmstand.bsky.social!

⚖️ Staff & Senior Attorneys
💻 Digital Comms Associate
🌾 Rural Organizer
Join us in fighting for a food system accountable to people, not profit.
Apply or share with your people!
🔗 farmstand.org/join-our-team/

New reporting from @leahjdouglas.bsky.social: Trump admin is laying off key staff overseeing bird flu—just as the virus jumps from farmed animals to pets. This is a public health crisis.
@farmstand.bsky.social's latest: how BigAg is using this moment to gain power.
farmstand.org/trumps-plan-...

FarmSTAND branded graphic on a red background reading "A FarmSTAND win for rural communities. Minnesota Supreme Court rejects attempt to override local government controls on factory farming." The graphic features an image of several long barns from above and a manure lagoon covered by a multicolored collage.

🎉👏🎊Victory for @lspnow.bsky.social, local democracy and clean water in Winona County, Minnesota🎉👏🎊
When a megadairy tried intimidation to get its way, the community and FarmSTAND fought back—and won 💪

LSP Applauds State Supreme Court’s Rejection of Daley Appeal - Land Stewardship Project LEWISTON, Minn. — The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) applauded the Minnesota Supreme Court’s recent decision to deny a Winona County…

On March 18, Chief Justice Natalie Hudson announced that the Court would not hear an appeal filed by Daley Farm of Lewiston, LLP.

landstewardshipproject.org/lsp-applauds...

Center for Food Safety | Press Releases | <p>James Mitchell, legislative director for plaintiff Don't Cage Our Oceans:

👏 👏👏Big win for our oceans 🌊 against industrial aquaculture by Center for Food Safety www.centerforfoodsafety.org/press-releas...

My son tried to kick my daughter out of his Lego build. Without missing a beat, she yelled, "I HAVE THE RIGHT TO BUILD!" Leading the resistance one Lego at a time.

Somewhere, a Supreme Court justice just broke into a cold sweat.

Faster meatpacking line speeds put workers at even greater risk of injury. This corporate giveaway will be devastating to workers
sentientmedia.org/meatpacking-...

OSHA fined a poultry plant after a worker died. While the case was appealed, another worker was killed. - Investigate Midwest The chickens do not slow down. Workers hang featherless bodies upside down onto hooks, cut the limbs and wings off the birds, and automated machines separate viscera from meat, slicing through 144…

Meatpacking companies know their facilities are deadly but drag their feet fixing safety problems. Workers, including children, suffer the consequences.
investigatemidwest.org/2025/03/12/o...

Farmers Say Climate-Smart Commodities Projects Are Crumbling Thousands of farmers across the country who already paid for conservation projects report not receiving USDA reimbursements.

Farmers are already battling extreme weather, trade wars, and market barriers—now Trump’s actions are adding more uncertainty. If we want a just, resilient food system, trust has to be the foundation. Now it’s being eroded—along with the future we need. @civileats.com civileats.com/2025/02/26/f...

“This bill is legislator overreach, circumventing an ongoing legal review of this law. It’s fundamentally about stripping farmworkers of gains made in the 2021 measure."-FarmSTAND's Kelsey Eberly www.denverpost.com/2025/02/26/c...

Iowa Slaughterhouse Routinely Pollutes Waterways With Excessive Waste, Advocacy Groups Allege ‘250,000 gallons of untreated beef processing waste’ flowed into the local water supply, the notice states.

I'm really proud of our team, especially Holly and Skye, for the work they put into this. Great @sentientmedia.org piece by @ninaelkadi.com on the broader issue and our notice letter here: sentientmedia.org/iowa-slaught...

🚨Big Ag exploits labor, animals & the environment—but rural communities are fighting back. @farmstand.bsky.social is proud to rep Driftless Water Defenders alongside Jim Larew & @publicjustice.bsky.social
in suing an Iowa slaughterhouse for polluting local waters. cbs2iowa.com/news/local/i...

Trump Administration’s Halt of CDC’s Weekly Scientific Report Stalls Bird Flu Studies - KFF Health News An unprecedented freeze on the agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report sparks new concerns about political meddling in science.

We need MORE information and about bird flu, not less.

“This idea that science cannot continue until there’s a political lens over it is unprecedented,” said Anne Schuchat, a former principal deputy director at the CDC.

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/cdc-trump-mmwr-bird-flu-studies-bloc…

I was so excited to see your name in my inbox!