$1,191,200 for 2 lbs. of sliced frozen ham??????

[Keefer]

Contracts - Recipient Summary
CLOUGHERTY PACKING, LLC
Clarification of Codes

Award Overview
Agency Name Department of Agriculture Project Location LOS ANGELES
Contract Number AG3J14120297196 Project Location - State CA
Funding Amount $1,191,200 Project Location - Zip Code 90058-1800
Completion Date 2009-06-30 Congressional District CA-34


Recipient Information (Award)
Recipient Name CLOUGHERTY PACKING, LLC Recipient Address 3049 E VERNON AVE
Recipient City LOS ANGELES Recipient State CALIFORNIA
Recipient Zip Code 90058-1800 Congressional District CALIFORNIA-34

Description of Work/Service performed
2 POUND FROZEN HAM SLICED


Purchaser Information (Award)
Contracting Office ID 3J14 Contracting Office Name AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE
Contracting Office Region TAS Major Program 3509


Contract Information (Award)
Date Signed 2009-04-28 Effective Date 2009-04-28
Current Completion Date 2009-06-30 Ultimate Completion Date 2009-06-30
Award Type DEFINITIVE CONTRACT Reason For Modification
Type of Contract Pricing FIRM FIXED PRICE Last Date to Order
Funding Agency ID 12F2 Funding Office ID
Funding Office Name Number of Offers Received 2


Product or Service Information (Award)
Product or Service Code 8905 Product or Service Description MEAT, POULTRY, AND FISH
Principal NAICS Code 311611 Principal NAICS Description ANIMAL (EXCEPT POULTRY) SLAUGHTERING


Competition Information (Award)
Extent Competed FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION Reason Not Competed
Solicitation Procedures SEALED BID Type of Set Aside NO SET ASIDE USED.
Statutory Exception to Fair Opportunity Type of Contract Pricing FIRM FIXED PRICE


Preference Programs (Award)
Business Size Determination OTHER THAN SMALL BUSINESS

http://www.recovery.gov/?q=content/contracts-recipient-summary&id=12-AG3J14120297196&mode=details&primeid=27

Outrageous, if true!

[jclincali]

1. wtf

[jkshaw]

2. Perhaps the number of UNITS of 2-pound units

of frozen ham is what's missing?

[KamaAina]

3. I surmise it's a large quantity of 2-pound hams

I sincerely hope so...

[dipsydoodle]

4. You could sure

pig out on that lot.

[yourguide]

5. Clougherty packing LLC is actually

Farmer Johns.

http://www.farmerjohn.com/Public/Default.aspx

I doubt they are selling 2 pounds of ham for over a million dollars.

[gmoney]

28. it's actually for 800,000 lbs of ham packed into 2 lb packages.

my guess is it goes to the military, or VA hospitals, or government cafeterias or some such purpose. Or maybe food banks?

Or it may be the government buying surplus inventory to help keep the business afloat -- like farm subsidy? It is a Dept of Agriculture expenditure.

[DJ13]

6. DC ham is sure expensive!

Just ask Goldman Sachs.

[hileeopnyn8d]

7. This sure is making the rounds today

though the other times I saw it, it was right-wingers posting about it.

It's going to food banks all over the country, it comes in 2lb packages. Yes, more than one package.


Clougherty Packing of Los Angeles won a $1.2 million contract to provide sliced ham to food banks as part of the Agriculture Department's emergency food assistance program.

[Keefer]

9. I believe you,

but nowhere on that page I linked to does it say the company was to provide more than two pounds of sliced, frozen ham.

[rvablue]

25. Well, if you are looking for the facts and details of this minus the RW talking points, here you go:

UPDATE: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack just issued a statement referring to the $100 million available to the states for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) through the stimulus bill. TEFAP, he said, "acquires food that is distributed to local organizations that assist the needy – including food banks, food pantries, and soup kitchens."

Said Vilsack: "The Recovery Act funds referenced in press reports allowed states to purchase ham, cheese and dairy products for these food banks, soup kitchens and food pantries that provide assistance to people who otherwise do not have access to food. This program will help reduce hunger of those hardest hit by the current economic recession. The references to '2 pound frozen ham sliced' are to the sizes of the packaging. Press reports suggesting that the Recovery Act spent $1.191 million to buy “2 pounds of ham” are wrong. In fact, the contract in question purchased 760,000 pounds of ham for $1.191m, at a cost of approximately $1.50 per pound. In terms of the dairy purchase referenced, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) purchased 837,936 pounds of mozzarella cheese and 4,039,200 pounds of processed cheese."

Vilsack said that the "principal purpose of these expenditures is to provide food to those hardest hit by these tough times" though they also offer "a modest economic benefit of benefiting Americans working at food retailers, manufacturers and transportation companies as well as the farmers and ranchers who produce our food supply.”

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/07/gopers-criticize-food-items-in-recoverygov-.html


Satisfied. If you believed that much was being spent on a single ham, maybe you're just remembering some very creative budgeting coming out of the Pentagon during the REAGAN YEARS.

This is money that is going to help feed the hungry since many food banks have lost a lot of donations due to the recession.

The purchase and shipping of the food will also help certain DOMESTIC COMPANIES and will hopefully help to save some jobs, too.

[hedgehog]

29. If I saw ham being sold for a buck and a half a pound, I'd be

looking around to see what truck it fell off of!

[asphalt.jungle]

10. wingnut crap constantly making its way over here

doesn't shock me for some reason.

[customerserviceguy]

8. Finally, a solid example of government pork.

:rofl:

[Vinca]

11. Wow - I'd happily do it for half that. Note to self: put in a bid next time.

:rofl:

[Cobalt-60]

12. They must come from very high on the hog indeed.

[BlooInBloo]

13. It'll be interesting to see how many DUers go for this.

[Ikonoklast]

14. That is not what the bid specifies.

The bid calls for 2# FROZEN HAM SLICED.

That is the specification for the SINGLE PACKAGE of product.

One of the bid codes will give the quantity.

Never saw a government bid for food product before, I see.


Get a life.

[Keefer]

17. Get a life?

If you look at the web page, it does not say "2# FROZEN HAM SLICED." It says "Description of Work/Service performed: 2 POUND FROZEN HAM SLICED." It says nothing about quantity, leading one to believe the bid is for two pounds of frozen ham, sliced.

And no, I have never seen a government bid for food product before. Not too many people I know of have!

As I said in post number 9, I believe hileeopnyn8d in post number 7.

[Ikonoklast]

18. In the trade the '#' sign is shorthand for 'lbs.'

And you are talking to someone that has seen government agriculture department bids, ummm, more than once.

[Keefer]

20. I know about the "#" sign.

I use it at work all the time, but the bid did not specify that. It said:

"Description of Work/Service performed
2 POUND FROZEN HAM SLICED"

The number of units to be delivered were not shown, leaving the impression it was for two pounds of frozen ham, sliced.

Maybe I'm just picking nits, but in today's world, you gotta be sure!

[Ikonoklast]

21. You are being deliberately obtuse.

But, it's what you guys do best.

Enjoy your stay.

[Keefer]

22. Huh?

I'm just trying to point out how unclear this contract is. Nowhere does it mention the number of units. That's all I'm doing. I' not being obtuse.

By the way: "But, it's what you guys do best." ??? Who are "you guys?"

[firedupdem]

15. More rightwing bullshit.

This is why the rethugs don't want people educated. They can push this kind of crap 24/7.

[Canuckistanian]

16. It just looks like weight/unit to me

But why didn't they mention the number of units?

[boppers]

19. Because it's one unit, sliced really, really, freaking slow?

Effective Date 2009-04-28
Current Completion Date 2009-06-30

:evilgrin:

[babylonsister]

23. Nice try, but wrong.....USDA: 760,000 lbs. of ham for $1.2M

USDA: 760,000 lbs. of ham for $1.2M
By Sam Youngman
Posted: 07/20/09 11:33 AM


U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack pushed back Monday against reports his agency spent $1.2 million in economic stimulus funds on a two-pound ham.

Visack said the department actually bought 760,000 pounds of ham with funds from the $787 billion stimulus, which the GOP has attacked as wasteful spending.

“Press reports suggesting that the Recovery Act spent $1.19 million to buy ‘2 pounds of ham’ are wrong,” Vilsack said in a statement. “In fact, the contract in question purchased 760,000 pounds of ham for $1.191m, at a cost of approximately $1.50 per pound.”

Visack put out the statement after the Drudge Report posted several contracts from the government’s stimulus website. The contracts suggested the administration has spent $1.19 million on 2 pounds of ham, $1.56 million for mozzarella cheese and $16.8 million on canned pork, among other items. Republicans blasted around screen shots from the Drudge Report highlighting the contracts as wasteful spending.

None of the contracts indicated how much food was purchased with the stimulus funds. Vilsack’s statement said his agency bought 837,936 pounds of mozzarella, for example.

Vilsack said the food was purchased for distribution to local groups, including food banks and soup kitchens, that support the needy. He said the purchases would help reduce hunger among those hardest hit by the recession.

more...

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/usda-760000-lbs.-of-ham-for-1.2m-2009-07-20.html

[SemiCharmedQuark]

24. Republicans sure are stupid to trust the Drudge Report.

[grantcart]

27. you had to ruin the OPs day didn't you lol

[johnaries]

30. $1.50 per lb for ham? That's pretty cheap!

Helps out the economy and helps the needy. A win-win in my book!

[Blue_Tires]

26. its a start...

now get me 30 tons of mustard and cheddar, please

[zulchzulu]

31. 760,000 pounds of ham for $1.191m, costing about $1.50 per pound

It's actually a bargain!

Wal-Mart (Supercenters only)--Sam's Choice brand--$1.98 per pound.

Sam's Club--Ridge Creek brand--$1.88 per pound.

Stater Bros.--Sugartree, Ohse or Jamestown brands--$1.17 per pound with $15.00 minimum purchase, $1.69 per pound without minimum purchase, limit 1 per family, no card required.

Costco--Kirkland brand--$2.29 per pound

http://www.insidesocal.com/bargain/2008/12/price-comparison-ham-sparkling.html

The other link:
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/usda-760000-lbs.-of-ham-for-1.2m-2009-07-20.html