LANESBORO, Minn. — The impacts on rural communities of unprecedented consolidation in agriculture and what local citizens can do to address this issue will be the focus of a Land Stewardship Project (LSP) panel discussion Tuesday, Nov. 4, from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., at the Lanesboro Community Center (202 Parkway Ave. South). To reserve a spot, see bit.ly/agconsolidate or call LSP’s office in Lewiston, Minn., at 507-523-3366.
The panel discussion will be led by Sonja Trom Eayrs and Austin Frerick. Trom Eayrs, author of Dodge County, Incorporated: Big Ag and the Undoing of Rural America, is a farmer’s daughter, rural advocate and attorney. Her book describes how her family’s 760-acre farm in southeastern Minnesota’s Dodge County has, over the years, became surrounded by a dozen concentrated animal feeding operations and how her own story connects to the “corporate capture” of rural America. Since it was published last year, Dodge County, Incorporated, has spawned discussions in rural communities about the impacts of consolidation pushing small and medium-sized farmers out of business at an alarming rate.
Frerick is the author of Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food System, and is considered an expert on agricultural and antitrust policy. He previously worked at the Open Markets Institute, the U.S. Department of Treasury and the Congressional Research Service before becoming a Fellow at Yale University. In his book, Frerick describes an agricultural industry that is, as he puts it, in “uncharted waters” as far as monopoly control and consolidation are concerned. The good news, he argues, is that since we created this system, we have the freedom to build it differently.
During the panel discussion, audience members will have a chance to discuss what actions can be taken to build vibrant rural communities and a resilient farm economy.
“This is an opportunity to take the first steps toward developing the kind of positive future for our communities that builds homegrown wealth, treats people fairly and is resilient in the long term,” said Alex Romano, an LSP organizer.
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The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering an ethic of stewardship for farmland, promoting sustainable agriculture and developing healthy communities in the food and farming system. LSP has offices in the Minnesota communities of Montevideo, Lewiston and South Minneapolis. More information is available at landstewardshipproject.org.