California beef producer Harris Ranch Beef Co. put the screws to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo when they found out Michael Pollan was scheduled to speak there, with the company chairman essentially threatening to withhold financial support in a letter to the university’s president. The result? Instead of a speech by Pollan, the university put on a panel discussion with Pollan, a pro-industrial-ranching professor from Colorado State, and organic farmer Myra Goodman. As this editorial from the L.A. Times puts it,

Agribusiness gets plenty of opportunities to preach its point of view at agriculture schools such as Cal Poly, where the likes of Monsanto and Cargill fund research and most professors are trained in modern practices. Students seldom get to hear voices like Pollan’s, though. The university’s attempt to dilute his message in order to placate a donor is a shameful breach of academic freedom.

The vast influence that agri-business wields over agricultural schools and programs is a greatly under-reported story and a significant obstacle to meaningful reform.