Do you know the biggest challenges family farmers face when trying to bring their livestock to market? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Joe Maxwell, Political Director for the Humane Society Legislative Fund (http://www.hslf.org/), former MO State Representative, Senator and Lt. Governor, and family farmer. Maxwell explains farmers’ and ranchers’ difficulty in locating convenient, independent meat processing facilities, the consequences of vertical integration in the livestock industry, and how and why U.S. citizens lost “country of origin labeling” on meat packages. He offers suggestions on ways citizens and farmers can work together with legislators to improve food policy, our broader food system, rural economies, family farming, and the quality of food on our plates.