Are Fewer Farmers Producing More?
Submitted on September 29, 2000 - 12:00am.
Antonio Gilb - Fall 2000
The effects of agricultural mergers -- and the merits of two bills giving the U.S. Department of Agriculture increased authority to block them -- were debated at a Senate subcommittee Thursday.
At the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Business Rights, and Competition, Sen. Tom Dachle (D-N.D.) said increased consolidation in agribusiness means family farms are forced out of their business. Dachle introduced the Farmers and Ranchers Fair Competition Act of 2000. The other bill, The Agricultural Competition Act, was introduced by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).
"We see a tendency toward concentration in just about every industry today, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is inevitable, or frankly, desirable," Dachle said. "Small, independent farmers and ranchers deserve a fair chance to compete."
At the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Business Rights, and Competition, Sen. Tom Dachle (D-N.D.) said increased consolidation in agribusiness means family farms are forced out of their business. Dachle introduced the Farmers and Ranchers Fair Competition Act of 2000. The other bill, The Agricultural Competition Act, was introduced by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).
"We see a tendency toward concentration in just about every industry today, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is inevitable, or frankly, desirable," Dachle said. "Small, independent farmers and ranchers deserve a fair chance to compete."
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