LEXINGTON, Ky. - Decades of unchecked mergers in the agricultural industry have left many farmers struggling, and rural advocacy groups says a proposal in Congress aims to change that.

The "Competition and Antitrust Law Enforcement Reform Act" would give agencies like the Federal Trade Commission more funding and resources to put a stop to unfair consolidation, and strengthen the rules against monopolies.

Tyler Whitley - Manager of the Challenging Corporate Power program for Rural Advancement Foundation International USA - said current antitrust law has left many farmers at the whim of a handful of major corporations.

He said there's not a lot of room for them to select a different supplier or manufacturer to get the best deal.

"So for a farmer, there may be limited options on where you can buy your seeds from, where you can buy your fertilizer from," said Whitley. "And I don't mean the individual point-of-sale; what I mean is the producer."

One 2016 study estimated that the mergers of Dow with DuPont, and Bayer with Monsanto, would mean an initial jump of more than $1,000 in corn-seed costs for the average U.S. farmer, in the first year alone. But opponents of stricter antitrust laws say allowing free-market competition benefits consumers.

Whitley pointed out big-ag mergers trickle down to most Americans at the grocery store.

"The number of manufacturers has gotten smaller and smaller, especially as some of these companies buy up other ones," said Whitley. "You know, if you're walking down the aisle of your grocery store, and you're looking at frozen poultry, for example, you look down the aisle and you see 20 some-odd brands, but what you probably don't realize is that, of those 20 brands, they're probably owned by four individual companies."

Whitley said he believes the bill is the foundation needed to help growers get the best prices for their products, and continue to innovate in the face of the climate crisis and other challenges.

"This bill will go a long way toward policing some of these mergers that have led to so few options for either buying products or selling products," said Whitley, "especially in rural economies."

The same bill would have implications beyond the ag industry, including for tech monopolies like Facebook, which is currently being sued by the Federal Trade Commission and several states for what they claim are antitrust practices.


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Black farmers in Kentucky said they have benefited from participating in Farms to Food Banks, an agricultural program funneling leftover produce from local farms to regional food pantries, and into the hands of Kentucky families in need.

Tatum Lewis of Black Roots Farm in Clark County said he is working to help raise awareness about the program among the state's farmers of color. Lewis views the program as an opportunity for farmers to generate cash from what they might otherwise plow under.

"I wanted to spread that message to minority farmers that there's another income source that you probably haven't noticed or used, or even known about," Lewis explained. "And it's a great opportunity to help supplement your income."

Lexington-based Complexion Community Development and the Community Farm Alliance in Berea recently partnered with Feeding Kentucky on grants to help increase diversity among participants in the Farms to Food Banks program. According to the nonprofit Feeding Kentucky, more than three million pounds of Kentucky-grown produce were distributed to people in need though the program.

Lewis noted a lack of physical representation means many Black farmers are left out of opportunities, and has been working on a project to map out where Black farmers are positioned across the state, with the goal of helping producers boost marketing strategies and access resources for farm projects.

"Being able to show them a physical representation during the Black Farmers Conference in March," Lewis outlined. "Where these black farmers are, where our voices are, where our products are, how we how they can do their transportation and distribution lines."

Lewis added cooperatives are one tool farmers of color can use to grow their businesses.

"Joining a co-op helps you get your voice out there and start moving things, and gaining that knowledge that you need," Lewis emphasized. "And they can also help kick-start your distribution lines."

According to federal data, the number of Black farm operators has plummeted over the last century. Only about 1% of the nation's farmers are Black, making up only 0.5% of total U.S. farm sales.

Interested Kentucky farmers can contact Feeding Kentucky at 859-986-7422 or online at produce@feedingky.org.

Rural advocacy groups in Iowa have released their priorities for the 2023 Farm Bill, which is already being discussed in Washington, D.C.

The Center for Rural Affairs has spent months gathering input from Iowa farmers, which the group wants lawmakers to consider. The Center is focusing on improving funding for crop insurance, more investment in conservation programs, and supporting entrepreneurial farmers. Those small farmers may otherwise be hesitant to take chances on progressive farming methods without a financial backstop.

Kayla Bergman, the group's policy manager, said the Center set its priorities by listening.

"The priorities outlined in our platform come directly from farmers, rural leaders and other individuals in rural communities that are directly impacted by USDA programs," Bergman pointed out. "These programs are doing great things for rural communities."

The current Farm Bill, which has a price tag of $428 billion, expires next September. The direction of the new bill will be determined in part by the ultimate makeup of the U.S. House and Senate.

Dan Voss, a corn and soybean farmer near Cedar Rapids, is a proponent of progressive farming methods. He's used no-till farming for more than 30 years and plants cover crops in the winter to reduce soil erosion.

Voss said those methods, and support from Congress in this Farm Bill, are critical for preserving Iowa's farmland for future generations.

"Our land's under a lot of stress," Voss noted. "We've got this climate shift going on. We demand more from the land; we'd like higher yields. Adopting these conservation practices helps enable the land to not only maintain - we can actually end up with land that becomes better over time."

Voss added he and other farmers have had substantial input into what may wind up in next year's Farm Bill. He was one of 5,000 farmers who completed a survey about what he thinks would best serve Iowa's farmers in the new legislation.

Thirteen livestock producers in Iowa are getting grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to keep meat and money closer to home.

The dollars are part of a program designed to bolster and protect smaller livestock producers from consolidation.

Right now, four companies account for about 85% of the beef purchased and processed in the U.S. The grants are meant to curb consolidation, lower farmers and consumers' reliance on those mega-producers and help people running smaller cattle operations.

Margaret Chamas, livestock viability manager for Practical Farmers of Iowa, said having a processor nearby means more of the meat stays close to home, in local grocery stores and restaurants.

"Versus I send that animal to an auction. That animal might go to Chicago, it might go to New York City, who knows? It's going to end up somewhere else, on someone else's plate," Chamas pointed out. "And all of the value of the meat, whoever is doing the down-the-road processing and further value-adding of that, they're going to keep that money."

The government said the grants are also designed to modernize, upgrade, and in some cases, expand,
smaller livestock production sites and options for livestock producers.

Chamas noted having a processor nearby gives her the option of having the meat she produces custom-butchered -- into ground beef, sirloin, or chuck roast, for example -- while giving local people access to another one of the state's resources.

"But when we do have a situation like the Midwest, especially Iowa, where there's such rich soil, and we can grow extremely high-quality beef, it's nice to be able to try to keep it all in the family, keep it in the neighborhood," Chamas asserted. "Have the animals grown here, processed here, and then consumed here, and the money stays in the local system."

Agriculture Department data showed a majority of the country's feedlots have fewer than 1,000 head of cattle, but the larger ones raise most of the nation's beef.