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LSP: Executive Order on Promoting Economic Competition Important Step for Addressing Corporate Control of Ag

August 2, 2021

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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) applauded the White House’s recent signing of an Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy, and sees it is an important step toward addressing a legacy of corporate control in our food and farm system.

The executive order, which was issued July 9, directs the USDA  to consider issuing  new rules under the Packers and Stockyards Act to provide additional protections to livestock farmers. It also encourages the USDA to develop a plan to  increase opportunities for farmers to access markets and receive a fair return, and calls on the Department to consider issuing new rules that close current loopholes allowing meat that was born, raised and slaughtered in another country to be labeled as a “Product of the USA” if it was processed in the United States.  The Packers and Stockyards Act, a 100-year-old law, was originally designed to protect poultry and hog farmers and cattle ranchers from unfair, deceptive, and anti-competitive practices in meat markets.

Beth Slocum, an LSP member who raises livestock in Goodhue County, Minn., said the Biden Administration needs to address the fact that corporate consolidation in the meat sector has negative impacts on packing plant workers and consumers, as well as farmers.

“Increased line speeds in the packing plants and an unwillingness to immediately protect workers from the pandemic brought this corporate system to a halt and shut out contract producers who were in line to have their animals slaughtered and processed, causing thousands of animals to be euthanized, shorting our food supply and raising consumer prices,” she said. “On top of that, many small, local processing plants have gone out of business because of corporate consolidation in the food system. This ends up costing us, the local independent livestock producers, more.”

Kristin Tombers, owner of Clancey’s Meats in Minneapolis, said consolidation in the food system never has positive implications for small and midsized farmers.

“For a brief period during the pandemic, people realized the fragility of a corporate-controlled food supply chain,” she said. “As a small retail meat shop, we talked to farmers that had nowhere to go with their animals, and we heard from small processors about the pressure and barriers they faced having to turn away customers with no alternatives. Small and midsized farmers provide stewardship of the land for our own health and the health of the planet, and their critical role should be acknowledged and supported.”

Excessive corporate control in our food system jeopardizes the viability of thriving rural communities and the opportunity to build resilient and equitable food systems, said Bonnie Haugen, an LSP member and dairy farmer from Fillmore County, Minn. Mega-dairies often receive volume discounts from processors, flooding the market and sending milk prices plummeting while leaving fewer opportunities for small and midsized dairies to get a fair price for their milk.

“Corporate control of the food system negatively affects our farm by making us a price taker instead of having  the opportunity to be a price maker,” she said. “We milk 150 cows and do have a cooperative willing to buy our milk this year, but we wonder about security. Some farms have not gotten much notice before they were dropped off the milk pick-up route.  If that  happened to us, we  may be forced to quit  milking, and the timing could be financially disastrous.”

The executive order also “encourages” the Federal Trade Commission to  limit powerful equipment manufacturers from restricting people’s ability to use independent repair shops or do DIY repairs, which could have a major impact on farmers’ ability to affordably maintain their equipment.

LSP is committed to supporting a food system where diversified small- and medium-sized farms can thrive, and the health of all rural people is a priority, said LSP organizer Sarah Goldman, adding that the organization’s members and staff will be monitoring the implementation of the Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy.

“The interconnected problems plaguing small and midsized farms and rural communities for years, including fragile supply chains, underpaid and unprotected food chain workers, and untenable economic conditions for independent family farms, are rooted in a system that values corporate profits over people,” she said.

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The Land Stewardship Project is a 39-year-old membership organization that works to foster an ethic of stewardship for farmland, to promote sustainable agriculture and to develop healthy communities. LSP has offices in the Minnesota communities of Lewiston, Montevideo and south Minneapolis. 

Category: News Releases
Tags: competition • corporate control • Federal Trade Commission • market concentration • meatpacking • mega-dairies • Packers and Stockyards Act • regional food systems • USDA

Contact

Sarah Goldman, LSP policy organizer, e-mail, 612-400-6341

Upcoming Events

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September 2025

Monday September 1

All Day
Final Deadline for LSP's Farm Beginnings Course
Monday September 1
Final Deadline for LSP's Farm Beginnings Course

Beginning and prospective farmers are invited to apply to the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings course, a year-long training program that focuses on the goal setting, marketing, and financial skills needed to establish a successful farm business. The Farm Beginnings course creates a space for folks to name their vision, acquire the tools and skills needed to make it happen, and become part of a community of support to help them succeed.  

The course will run from November 2025 through March 2026, with some additional educational opportunities to take place later in 2026. 

The deadline for applications is Sept. 1. Early bird applications submitted by Aug. 1 will receive a $100 discount if you are accepted into the class. Partial scholarships are available.

More details are at http://www.farmbeginnings.org or Annelie Livingston-Anderson at annelie@landstewardshipproject.org.

You can apply to the course here.

Wednesday September 3

10:00 am – 3:00 pm
LSP Montevideo Office Coffee & Conversation
Wednesday September 3
10:00 am – 3:00 pm
LSP Montevideo Office Coffee & Conversation
111 N 1st St, Montevideo, MN 56265, USA

On the first Wednesday of each month, the Land Stewardship Project hosts coffee and conversation at our downtown Montevideo office (111 North First Street), and we hope you will have time to join us at the next one on Wednesday, Sept. 3, from 10 a.m. to noon.

The open house-style mornings feature a quick update on recent LSP work and then plenty of time to enjoy your coffee and build community the old-fashioned way, by talking face-to-face. This month we will give an update on our work to combat consolidation in animal agriculture and provide an overview of our recent town hall in Paynesville with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.  

 Come when you can and stay as long as you like! Don’t hesitate to bring along a friend or two — we always enjoy meeting someone new.

For more information, contact LSP’s Matthew Sheets at msheets@landstewardshipproject.org.

Friday September 5

9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Soil Health Field Day on the Cotter Farm: Austin
Friday September 5
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Soil Health Field Day on the Cotter Farm: Austin
50203 205th St, Austin, MN 55912, USA

 Sign up today for a get-together down on Tom Cotter’s Farm. This field day brings together food companies, local farmers and other professionals in agriculture — a perfect opportunity for networking and discussion.
Hear from soil health experts, then board the Topless Bus to take a tour of Tom’s farm. A FREE TACO BAR LUNCH will featureTom’s own grass-fed beef, along with authentic, homemade tortillas and rice. Featured speakers include soil scientist Kris Nichols and agronomist Joe Ailts.
 
You can check out the field day flier here. For more details and to register, click here.

Saturday September 6

9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Soil & Food Health Field Day: Austin
Saturday September 6
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Soil & Food Health Field Day: Austin
50203 205th St, Austin, MN 55912, USA

Details are here.

Monday September 8

7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Anne Biklé in conversation with Ross Evelsizer: What Your Food Ate
Monday September 8
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Anne Biklé in conversation with Ross Evelsizer: What Your Food Ate
Pulpit Rock Brewing Company, 207 College Dr, Decorah, IA 52101, USA

Join Anne Biklé (co-author, What Your Food Ate: How to Restore Our Land and Reclaim Our Health) and NEIA RC & D Natural Resource Projects Director, Ross Evelsizer, for a conversation and Q & A session followed by a book signing. Everyone is invited to this free event sponsored by the Oneota Valley Literary Foundation, with support from Pulpit Rock Brewing and Dragonfly Books.
 
Details on the Sept. 8 event are here.

View Full Calendar

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