Unsealed Antitrust Complaint Reveals Key Factor in High Food Prices: Corporate Behemoths

(12/18/25) Writing in the Minnesota Reformer, the Minnesota Farmers Union’s Justin Stofferahn describes how monopolization of the food industry and failure to enforce antitrust laws has harmed consumers. Highlights:

• A newly unsealed antitrust complaint provides a unique look at price discrimination in practice, which involves charging retailers different prices for the same good, often at the behest of powerful retailers. That practice is a violation of an antitrust law known as the Robinson-Patman Act.
•  From the 1950s until the early 1980s (a time of aggressive Robinson-Patman Act  enforcement) independent grocery stores captured over half of America’s grocery dollar.
•  Today, the four largest grocery chains capture over half of America’s grocery dollar while the market share of independents has dropped to 22%. Walmart alone commands a fifth of the grocery market nationally, 19%  in the Twin Cities, and over half of the market in some parts of rural Minnesota. Meanwhile, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, 1.6 million Minnesotans have low retail access and 16%  of the state’s census tracts are food deserts. This transformation of the grocery industry over the past four decades follows a decision by presidents of both parties to let the law collect dust.
• While Minnesota cannot revive enforcement of the Robinson-Patman Act, it can create its own standards. “The bipartisan Consumer Grocery Price Fairness Act would do just that,” writes Stofferahn.
• In a recent webinar hosted by the Minnesota Farmers Union and co-sponsored by the American Economic Liberties Project, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, the National Grocers Association, and Consumer Reports, speakers warned that price discrimination, price gouging, and algorithmic price-fixing are thriving in a highly consolidated, economy, driving up costs for consumers while squeezing farmers, small grocers and rural communities.

In episode 389 of LSP’s Ear to the Ground podcast, Minnesota Assistant Attorney General Elizabeth Odette talks about why it’s important for farmers and other rural residents to document and report possible examples of unfair marketing practices and antitrust violations. For more on how LSP is helping build community-based food systems in rural areas, click here.

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For These Faithful, Nurturing the Earth is Rooted in Spiritual Beliefs

(12/26/25) An article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel showcases Fields of Sinsinawa, a farmer-led center in southwestern Wisconsin set up for farmers to learn about sustainable practices. Highlights:

• The Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters in Sinsinawa, Wis., launched this collaborative farm to train farmers in regenerative practices. The idea for Fields of Sinsinawa arose from an Ohio farmer named David Brandt, an influential figure in the regenerative farming movement, who was exploring the idea of creating a farmer-led learning center at Sinsinawa Mound. After his death in 2023, a group of like-minded people made it a reality.
• Demonstration fields at the Mound are meant to be a “living classroom” which farmers can visit to learn how such regenerative practices work. The Sisters host visitors from the next town over and from across the globe, including at their annual Soul of the Soil conference. The on-site dairy farmers work closely with soil health adviser Rick Bieber to try practices out at minimal risk to their business.
• “We were formed from the soil, and we’ll go back to the soil,” said Bieber, who, as a crop and livestock farmer in South Dakota, was a pioneer in regenerative production systems. “Why would you beat it up if it’s going to be your resting place?”

In 2017, LSP’s Ear to the Ground podcast featured an interview with Rick Bieber. Check it out here.

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Barn Swallows Reduce Fly Activity on Farms

(12/23/25) Research shows that barn swallows can play a significant role in reducing fly pressure on livestock farms, according to Morning Ag Clips. Highlights:

• University of Milan PhD student Francesca Roseo studied how Keewaydin Farms in southwestern Wisconsin is maintaining barns and outdoor areas in a way that it encourages the presence of barn swallows. As a result, the birds are keeping fly pressure low, which helps Keewaydin’s sheep maintain clean, healthy coats and avoid tail docking, a common management method used on farms when fly populations are too high.
• Roseo also monitored dairy farms in the Italian Alps. She controlled by surveying farms with and without barn swallow populations. The results were striking — dairy farms with barn swallows saw an average 60% reduction in fly activity.
• Together, the research findings and farmer perspectives underscore a growing recognition that biodiversity is not just beneficial for wildlife — it’s a practical asset for working farms, said Rosen.

LSP’s Ear to the Ground podcast recently featured an episode on how Keewaydin Farms is partnering with wild birds to build a regenerative food production system. Several recent Ear to the Ground podcasts feature farmers talking about ways they are balancing profitable food production and wildlife habitat restoration. Check out episodes 275, 370, 371, 390, and 391 here.

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Pioneering Morris Ag Research Lab is Down to Three Scientists

(12/30/25) The Minnesota Star Tribune reports on how federal cuts have decimated cutting-edge research that was being done at the USDA’s North Central Soil Conservation Research Laboratory outside of Morris, Minn. Highlights:

• The lab was a leader in researching alternative crops as well as erosion prevention methods and carbon sequestration in soil. But in the past year, the lab has gone from more than 20 employees to seven after Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts, hobbling research efforts. Overall, the facility now has only three scientists on staff.
• Overall, more than 20,000 USDA employees left in the first half of the year because of President Donald Trump’s deferred resignation program, according to a report obtained by Politico. The Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service lost the most workers, 5,860 and 2,673, respectively, according to the report.
• Over the years, there’s been a slow replacement of public science by private companies. According to a 2019 report by a USDA economist, public research and development had flatlined since the 1970s at about $5 billion. Meanwhile, private funding had shot up since the early 2000s, hitting nearly $12 billion.

LSP’s Soil Builders’ Network is helping farmers access cutting-edge regenerative ag practices via peer-to-peer learning. Learn more here. Two recent LSP Ear to the Ground podcasts — 387 and 388 — featured discussions with microbiologist Kris Nichols about how far soil science has come in recent years and what needs to be done to advance it even further. LSP’s blog on one scientist’s contribution to public ag research is here.

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As Minnesota Farms Falter, so do Farm Families

(12/22/25) Nationwide, divorces on farms have ticked higher each year since the pandemic, even as divorce rates have flattened overall, according to the Star Tribune. Highlights:

• Divorces on farms were rare in the mid-20th century. Then, the 1980s brought crisis, where farms became saturated with debt and hamstrung by high interest rates. Thousands of Minnesota farmers were delinquent on their loans and hundreds faced foreclosure. Nationwide, there was a spate of farmer suicides, and anecdotally, a spike in divorces.
• As the farm crisis wore off, Minnesota began offering mediation sessions between lenders and farmers who had defaulted on loans. Those sessions plummeted during the pandemic but in the past year, they’ve almost doubled — and dredged up memories of the 1980s. Farm debts have more than tripled since the early 2000s.
• Farmers’ strategies for alleviating the financial stress, like working off-farm jobs or simply working longer hours, often show up in couple’s counseling, said Ted Matthews, who has counseled Minnesota farmers for more than three decades. They put a strain on couples accustomed to spending hours together, then barely seeing one another.

LSP’s Farm Crisis Resources web page has links to hotlines, fact sheets, and counseling services for farmers undergoing financial and emotional stress.

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Save Money, Save Time, Save Soil: Hepp Earns Iowa Farm Environmental Leader Award

(12/20/25) The Land describes how the latest recipient of the Iowa Farm Environmental Leader Award is utilizing soil-friendly practices to build a farming operation that is economically and ecologically sustainable. Highlights:

• James Hepp, a first-generation farmer, has adopted a wide range of regenerative ag practices, including cover crops, strip-till, and no-till. He began with 80 acres of rye cover crop in 2020. “It worked, and this encouraged me to expand my cover crop acres to 120 acres in 2021,” Hepp said. “Now, all of the 1,400 acres I farm have cover crops.”
• In 2019, Hepp started no-tilling all his corn acres going into soybeans the next spring. He strip-tilled the soybean acres that would be planted to corn. Along the way, he learned that no-till doesn’t mean yields have to suffer. “While I want to produce as many bushels per acre as I can, my main focus is ROI,” Hepp said.
• One of the ag professionals Hepp follows — Brian Dougherty, a consultant with Understanding Ag — has estimated the cost of soil erosion at $50 per acre per year. Because nutrients like phosphorus move with the soil, they end up in water supplies instead of fields when erosion occurs. “I don’t want nutrients leaching in the water supply, and I don’t want people downstream to struggle with water-quality issues, either,” Hepp said.

Jame Hepp will be one of the featured presenters at LSP’s winter soil health workshop — “Beyond Exports: Rebuilding Local Markets” — on Tuesday, Jan. 27, in Rochester, Minn. Details are here.

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China Is Investing Billions in Latin America, Potentially Sidelining U.S. Farmers for Decades to Come

(12/29/25) Billions of dollars of investment in shipping and handling facilities in countries like Brazil have positioned China to source more agricultural products from Latin America as it pivots away from U.S. farmers in response to President Trump’s higher tariffs, according to Investigate Midwest. Highlights:

• The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a U.S. nonprofit policy research organization, reports 23 ports across Latin America have some degree of Chinese investment. “Ports, railways, roads, bridges, metro lines, energy, power plants are probably the best signs that China has a long-term commitment … These are long-term projects,” Henry Ziemer, an associate fellow with the organization, said.
• In 2024, more than 40% of U.S. soybean production was exported, with about half going to China. But tensions between the United States and China have risen this year — Trump has increased tariffs and recently threatened a 157% tax on all Chinese imports, while China responded by reducing U.S. soybean imports to near zero for six months. A trade deal announced in November ends the suspension and includes commitments for China to buy 12 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans in the final two months of 2025 and at least 25 million metric tons annually through 2028, according to Purdue University and farmdoc Daily.
• Brazil has stepped in as China’s biggest supplier of soybeans. In May, the two countries signed new agreements to deepen their agricultural trade ties, granting Brazil authorization to export meat and ethanol byproducts.

LSP board member and southwestern Minnesota farmer Laurie Driessen recently wrote a blog describing how current federal ag policy and the trade war are harming small and medium-sized farmers. Interested in diversifying your cropping system out of the corn-soybean duo-culture? LSP and University of Minnesota Extension will be holding a “Rotating into Resiliency” workshop series in February. Details are here.

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Nebraska Water Task Force Leans Toward Incentives & Education Over Regulation

(12/16/25) A task force created by Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen to address that state’s water quality and water supply challenges has decided to focus on education, innovation, and incentives, rather than new regulations, reports KTIC Radio. Highlights:

•  The Governor’s Water Quality and Quantity Task Force is charged with developing recommendations aimed at improving groundwater quality, managing water supplies, and supporting long-term economic growth.
• Jesse Bradley, director of the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment and chair of the task force, said “innovation and education,” rather than “regulation” is being emphasized by the task force.
• Nebraska water has some of the highest nitrate levels in the U.S., and the state has the highest pediatric cancer rate west of Pennsylvania. The statewide median nitrate level in water doubled between 1978 and 2019, according to the Lower Loup Natural Resources District. Most of that nitrate pollution comes from crop field runoff; manure runoff from large livestock operations also contributes a significant amount of nitrate pollution.
• Pillen Family Farms, which was founded by the Governor in 1993, is the largest pork producer in the state with over 100 facilities.

LSP organizers are working with members and allies in an attempt to update manure handling rules in Minnesota, which have not been fully reviewed by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency in almost three decades. For more information, e-mail LSP’s Matthew Sheets. Check out LSP’s new Myth Buster on nitrogen fertilizer’s long-term pollution legacy. For more on ways to diversify out of row crops like corn, see LSP’s Small Grains web page.

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