Department of Justice and USDA Workshops to Explore Competition and Regulatory Issues...

Department of Justice and USDA Workshops to Explore Competition and Regulatory Issues in the Agriculture Industry to Begin March 12 in Iowa

Initial Workshop to Be Held in Ankeny, Iowa, at Des Moines Area Community College, FFA Enrichment Center

WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today the agenda and panelists for the first joint public workshop, which will be held on March 12, 2010, in Ankeny, Iowa, to explore competition and regulatory issues in the agriculture industry. The workshop will be held at the Des Moines Area Community College’s FFA Enrichment Center.

The workshops, which were first announced by Attorney General Eric Holder and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Aug. 5, 2009, are the first joint Department of Justice/USDA workshops ever to be held to discuss competition and regulatory issues in the agriculture industry. The goals of the workshops are to promote dialogue among interested parties and foster learning with respect to the appropriate legal and economic analyses of these issues, as well as to listen to and learn from parties with experience in the agriculture sector. Attendance at the workshops is free and open to the public. The general public and media interested in attending the initial workshop should register at https://go.dmacc.edu/ffa/agworkshop.

The Department of Justice’s Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division Christine Varney and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will participate in the workshop and will be joined by Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey and Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller. They will participate in a roundtable discussion with presentations on current issues affecting farmers. Two panels focusing on the competitive dynamics in the seed industry and trends in contracting, transparency and buyer power will follow. The first day of the workshops will end with an enforcer roundtable and public testimony.

Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture Christine Varney, Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, U.S. Department of Justice

Roundtable Discussion and Presentation of Issues (9:15 a.m. CST - 11:30 a.m. CST)

Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture Christine Varney, Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, U.S. Department of Justice Tom Miller, Attorney General, State of Iowa Bill Northey, Secretary of Agriculture, State of Iowa Tom Harkin, Senator, U.S. Senate (tentative) Chuck Grassley, Senator, U.S. Senate (tentative) Leonard Boswell, Congressman, U.S. House of Representatives (tentative)

A farmer roundtable discussion and testimony will also be given at this time. Farmer panelists will be posted on the Web site at a later date.

Moderator: James MacDonald, Chief, Agricultural Structure and Productivity Branch, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Panelists: Ray Gaesser, Soybean and Corn Farmer, Corning, Iowa; Vice President, American Soybean Association; Former President, Iowa Soybean Association Neil E. Harl, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture and Emeritus Professor of Economics, Iowa State University; Member of the Iowa Bar Dermot Hayes, Professor of Economics and Finance, Pioneer Chair in Agribusiness, Iowa State University Diana Moss, Vice President & Senior Fellow, American Antitrust Institute Jim Tobin, Vice President, Industry Affairs, Monsanto Company

Moderator: Phil Weiser, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice

Panelists: Brian Buhr, Professor and Head of Department, Applied Economics, University of Minnesota Rachael Goodhue, Associate Professor, Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics, University of California, Davis Mary Hendrickson, Extension Associate Professor of Rural Sociology, University of Missouri John Lawrence, Professor of Economics, Iowa State University Chuck Wirtz, pork producer, Whittemore, Iowa Patrick Woodall, Research Director, Food & Water Watch

Moderator: Mark Tobey, Special Counsel for State Relations and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Justice

Panelists: Steve Bullock, Attorney General, State of Montana Richard Cordray, Attorney General, State of Ohio John Ferrell, Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, U.S. Department of Agriculture Stephen Obie, Director, Division of Enforcement, Commodity Futures Trading Commission William Stallings, Assistant Section Chief, Transportation, Energy and Agriculture Section, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice

This is an opportunity for those in the audience to make comments in an open forum.

Additional updates and information will be posted on the Antitrust Division’s agriculture workshop Web site at http://www.justice.gov/atr/public/workshops/ag2010/index.htm. While no streaming Web cast will be available, transcripts will be available for review at a later date on the Antitrust Division’s Web site.

UPDATE:

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/March/10-at-243.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Department of Justice and USDA Announce Updated Schedule for Agriculture Workshop on March 12 in Iowa

Initial Workshop to be Held in Ankeny, Iowa, at FFA Enrichment Center at Des Moines Area Community College

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today an updated schedule and panelists for the first joint public workshop, which will be held on March 12, 2010, in Ankeny, Iowa, to explore competition and regulatory issues in the agriculture industry. The workshop will be held at the FFA Enrichment Center at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC).

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division Christine Varney will participate in the workshop and will be joined by Iowa Lt. Gov. Patty Judge, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller and Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey. They will participate in a roundtable discussion with presentations on current issues affecting farmers. Testimony and roundtable discussion by a panel of farmers will follow. The workshop will also feature two panels focusing on the competitive dynamics in the seed industry and trends in contracting, transparency and buyer power. The first day of the workshops will end with an enforcer roundtable and public testimony.

The workshop schedule follows:

Opening Remarks (9:30 a.m. CST - 9:45 a.m. CST)

Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Eric Holder, Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice

Roundtable Discussion and Presentation of Issues (9:45 a.m. CST - 10:45 a.m. CST)

Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Eric Holder, Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice

Christine Varney, Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, U.S. Department of Justice

Patty Judge, Lt. Governor, State of Iowa
Tom Miller, Attorney General, State of Iowa
Bill Northey, Secretary of Agriculture, State of Iowa
Tom Harkin, Senator, U.S. Senate (tentative)
Chuck Grassley, Senator, U.S. Senate (tentative)
Leonard Boswell, Congressman, U.S. House of Representatives (tentative)

Invited:

Bruce Braley, Congressman, U.S. House of Representatives
Steve King, Congressman, U.S. House of Representatives
Tom Latham, Congressman, U.S. House of Representatives
Dave Loebsack, Congressman, U.S. House of Representatives

Coffee Break (10:45 a.m. CST - 11:15 a.m. CST)

Farmer Testimony and Roundtable Discussion (11:15 a.m. CST - 12:15 p.m. CST)

Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Christine Varney, Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, U.S. Department of Justice

Ken Fawcett, independent crop farmer, Eastern Iowa
Jim Foster, hog producer, Montgomery City, Missouri
Pam Johnson, farmer, Floyd, Iowa
Eric Nelson, grain and cattle farmer, Moville, Iowa
Todd Wiley, hog producer, Walker, Iowa
Eddie Wise, hog and produce farmer, Whitakers, North Carolina

Lunch (12:15 p.m. CST - 1:15 p.m. CST)

Seed Competitive Dynamics Panel (1:15 p.m. CST - 2:15 p.m. CST)

Moderator:
James MacDonald, Chief, Agricultural Structure and Productivity Branch, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Panelists:
Ray Gaesser, Soybean and Corn Farmer, Corning, Iowa; Vice President, American Soybean Association; Former President, Iowa Soybean Association
Neil E. Harl, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture and Emeritus Professor of Economics, Iowa State University; Member of the Iowa Bar
Dermot Hayes, Professor of Economics and Finance, Pioneer Chair in Agribusiness, Iowa State University
Diana Moss, Vice President & Senior Fellow, American Antitrust Institute
Jim Tobin, Vice President, Industry Affairs, Monsanto Company

Agricultural Trends Panel (2:15 p.m. CST - 3:15 p.m. CST)

Moderator:
Phil Weiser, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice

Panelists:
Brian Buhr, Professor and Head of Department, Applied Economics, University of Minnesota
Rachael Goodhue, Associate Professor, Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics, University of California, Davis
Mary Hendrickson, Extension Associate Professor of Rural Sociology, University of Missouri
John Lawrence, Professor of Economics, Iowa State University
Chuck Wirtz, pork producer, Whittemore, Iowa
Patrick Woodall, Research Director, Food & Water Watch

Coffee Break (3:15 p.m. CST - 3:30 p.m. CST)

Enforcer Roundtable Discussion Panel (3:30 p.m. CST - 4:30 p.m. CST)

Moderator:
Mark Tobey, Special Counsel for State Relations and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Justice

Panelists:
Steve Bullock, Attorney General, State of Montana
Richard Cordray, Attorney General, State of Ohio
Chris Koster, Attorney General, State of Missouri
John Ferrell, Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Stephen Obie, Director, Division of Enforcement, Commodity Futures Trading Commission
William Stallings, Assistant Section Chief, Transportation, Energy and Agriculture Section, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice

Public Testimony (4:30 p.m. CST - 5:30 p.m. CST)

This is an opportunity for those in the audience to make comments in an open forum.

Closing Remarks (5:30 p.m. CST)

Phil Weiser, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice
John Ferrell, Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Additional updates and information will be posted on the Antitrust Division’s agriculture workshop Web site at http://www.justice.gov/atr/public/workshops/ag2010/index.htm . While no streaming Web cast will be available, transcripts will be available for review at a later date on the Antitrust Division’s Web site. Individuals seeking more information on the workshops should contact agriculturalworkshops@usdoj.gov .

NOTE The following text is a quote:

www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/June/10-at-746.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, June 25, 2010

Department of Justice and USDA Hold Workshop Focused on Competition Issues in the Dairy Industry

Madison, Wis., Workshop is the Third of Five on Competition Issues in Agriculture

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today held a joint public workshop in Madison, Wis., to explore the appropriate role for antitrust and regulatory enforcement in the dairy industry. The workshop, led by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division Christine Varney, examined competition in the dairy industry and featured panel discussions on trends in the dairy industry, market consolidation and market transparency. The workshop included significant opportunity for producers and the public to comment on trends in the dairy sector.

This is the third in a series of five workshops intended to promote dialogue among interested parties and foster learning with a diverse group of stakeholders regarding competition and regulatory issues in the agricultural marketplace. These workshops are the first-ever to be held by the Department of Justice and the USDA to discuss competition and regulatory issues in the agriculture industry. Additional information about the workshops can be found at www.justice.gov/atr/public/workshops/ag2010/index.htm#overview.

“American agriculture provides the livelihood for an enormous portion of the workforce and sustenance for the rest,” said Varney. “Today’s discussion on the important issues facing the dairy industry has been immeasurably helpful as we consider the ways in which government can help to ensure efficiency and competition in the dairy industry.”

“The dairy industry has been hit particularly hard over the past eighteen months, and, like other agricultural sectors, is experiencing consolidation and shrinking farm numbers,” said Vilsack. “A fair and competitive marketplace is important not only for producers, but also for consumers, and today’s open and transparent dialogue with producers and experts will provide us with a understanding of the complex issues in this important industry and help us determine how we ensure competition and fairness in the dairy industry.”

Secretary Vilsack and Assistant Attorney General Varney began the workshop with opening remarks before leading a roundtable discussion on competition issues in agriculture and the dairy industry, followed by a panel of dairy farmers from across the country to share their first-hand experiences and perspectives on the industry. In the afternoon, a panel of academics and farmers will discuss trends in the industry. Later, a second panel of professionals will explore issues associated with consolidation. Lastly, a third panel of professionals will examine farm prices for milk, contracts and related issues from a public policy perspective. The second hour-long public testimony will take place before the end of the workshop.

The workshop was held in Madison, Wis., at the Wisconsin Union Theater at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and was attended by several key federal and state leaders, including Sen. Herb Kohl, Sen. Russell Feingold, Rep. Tammy Baldwin, Governor Jim Doyle and Wisconsin state Agriculture Secretary Rod Nilsestuen.

Videos and transcripts from today’s workshop will be available for review at a later date on the Antitrust Division’s website at www.justice.gov/atr/public/workshops/ag2010/index.htm#dates. Individuals seeking more information on the workshops should contact agriculturalworkshops@usdoj.gov.

NOTE The following text SNIPPET is a quote:

www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/August/10-at-888.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, August 2, 2010

Department of Justice and USDA Announce Registration for August 27 Livestock Workshop in Colorado
Workshop to be Held at Colorado State University in Fort Collins

WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today additional details for the August 27, 2010, public workshop in Fort Collins, Colo., which will examine competition in the livestock industry. The workshop will be held at Colorado State University, the main ballroom of the Lory Student Center, 1101 Centre Avenue Mall, Fort Collins.

This is the fourth in a series of five workshops intended to promote dialogue among interested parties and foster learning with respect to competition and regulatory issues in agriculture. The first workshop was held in March in Ankeny, Iowa, with a focus on row crops and hogs. The second workshop focused on issues in the poultry industry and was held in Normal, Ala. The third workshop focused on issues in the dairy industry and was held in Madison, Wis.

Attendance at the workshops is free and open to the public. The general public and media interested in attending the Colorado workshop should register at https://regstg.com/Registration/RegForm.aspx?rid=d91b419b-cf8e-43e9-8f20-919ca06562dc&action=addhttp://www.conferences.colostate.edu/LiveStockWorkshop.

The workshop will begin with opening remarks from U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. After opening remarks, Attorney General Holder and Secretary Vilsack will participate in a roundtable discussion with Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Christine Varney. Federal and state officials from Colorado have been invited to participate in the workshop. There will be public testimony from those attending the workshop and panels will feature ranchers, academics, processors and other industry representatives.

Additional details on the schedule and panelists will be provided at a later date. For further information, including submitted public comments and transcripts for past workshops, please visit the Antitrust Division’s agriculture workshop website at www.justice.gov/atr/public/workshops/ag2010/index.htm or contact agriculturalworkshops@usdoj.gov.

The Justice Department and USDA will hold the next public workshop on margins in agriculture in Washington in December.

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