The concentration of money and power in our food and farming system is a threat to our rural way of life, the land, and Main Street economies. According to research compiled by Farm Action, agricultural industries ranging from poultry processing to seed distribution are now dominated by four or fewer corporations, creating a system that for all intents and purposes no longer represents an open market situation. This makes it next to impossible for small and mid-sized farms to compete economically.

Those of us who grew up in the rural Midwest have seen these effects firsthand. As once vibrant agricultural economies diminish, so too do community resources: hospitals, public schools, religious institutions, grocery stores, and more. Young people who see little opportunity in their hometowns move to cities and suburbs to start their careers and families.

A consolidated, corporate-controlled agricultural system is also wreaking havoc on our natural environment. Runoff from large-scale factory farms and row cropping operations threatens our drinking water and spoils natural landscapes that people from all walks of life cherish. Without intervention, it won’t be long before all of us — urban or rural, farmers and non-farmers, rich or poor, young or old — will be impacted by the devastation of Big Ag.

On Nov. 4, 2025, two people who think a lot about the power of Big Ag and its negative impacts — Austin Frerick and Sonja Trom Eayrs— participated in a Land Stewardship Project panel discussion in Lanesboro, Minn, They will led a discussion about the forces threatening our rural communities and how we build the people power to take them on.

This was 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. If you love something and someone, you fight for it.

Couldn’t make it in-person on Nov. 4, 2025?
Watch the Recording HERE.

Books Available

Signed copies of Sonja’s and Austin’s books are available at LSP’s webstore, with the added bonus of FREE shipping through the end of 2025. To claim free shipping, simply enter promo code “BIGAG2025” at check out.

Additional Resources

• LSP Ear to the Ground podcast (episode 383) interview with Sonja Trom Eayrs
• LSP Ear to the Ground podcast (episode 384) interview with Austin Frerick
• Land Stewardship Project Factory Farm Web Page
• Food & Water Watch’s Factory Farm Nation (2024 edition)
• The Loss of Our Family Farms: Inevitable Results or Conscious Policies?, by Mark Ritchie
• Land Stewardship Project Publication: When a Factory Farm Comes to Town
• Minnesota Farm Bureau Foundation Publication: When an Activist Group Comes to Town