American Agriculture and the Problem of Monopoly
American Agriculture and the Problem of Monopoly

Author: Jon Lauck

Publisher: U of Nebraska Press

Published: 2016-02-01

Total Pages: 374

ISBN-13: 080329526X

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The breathtaking number of mergers and joint ventures among agribusiness firms has left independent American farmers facing the power of an increasingly concentrated buying sector. The origin of farmers' concern with such economic concentration dates back to protests against meatpackers and railroads in the late nineteenth century. Jon Lauck examines the dimensions of this problem in the American Midwest in the decades following World War II. He analyzes the nature of competition within meat-packing and grain markets. In addition, he addresses concerns about corporate entry into production agriculture and the potential displacement of a production system defined by independent family farms. Lauck also considers the ability of farmers to organize in order to counter the market power of large-scale agribusiness buyers. He explores the use of farmer cooperatives and other mechanisms which may increase the bargaining power of farmers. The book offers the first serious historical examination of the National Farmers Organization, which fully embraced the bargaining power cause in the postwar period. Lauck finds that independent farmers' attempts at organization have been more successful than previously recognized, but he also shows that their successes have been undermined by the growing concentration and power of agri-business firms, justifying a new approach to antitrust law in agricultural markets.

Critical Food Issues of the Eighties
Critical Food Issues of the Eighties

Author: Marylin Chou

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2013-10-22

Total Pages: 423

ISBN-13: 1483157628

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Critical Food Issues of the Eighties: Pergamon Policy Studies — 39 focuses on the problems of the food industry, including food and nutrition policies and impact of regulation on food and agricultural productivity and agricultural chemicals. The selection first discusses the preoccupation with food safety, as well as advances in agricultural productivity and food processing; cultural and social changes affecting the food industry; and diet-related health concerns. The book then takes a look at food price inflation, as well as price trends in the food systems, economic efficiency in the food system, imported foods, and profitability. The text reviews changing food policies and national nutrition goals. Concerns include expanded constituency and components of food policies; conquering nutrition deficiency diseases; nutrient food disclosure; and difficulty of identifying nutrient usage or food group needs. The selection also tackles the effects of government policies on technological innovation in the food industry; assessment of future technological advances in agriculture and their impact on the regulatory environment; and changing attitudes and lifestyle shaping food technology in the 1980s. The book is a vital source of data for readers interested in the issues of the food industry in the 1980s.

Local Food Systems; Concepts, Impacts, and Issues
Local Food Systems; Concepts, Impacts, and Issues

Author: Steve Martinez

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 2010-11

Total Pages: 87

ISBN-13: 1437933629

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This comprehensive overview of local food systems explores alternative definitions of local food, estimates market size and reach, describes the characteristics of local consumers and producers, and examines early indications of the economic and health impacts of local food systems. Defining ¿local¿ based on marketing arrangements, such as farmers selling directly to consumers at regional farmers¿ markets or to schools, is well recognized. Statistics suggest that local food markets account for a small, but growing, share of U.S. agricultural production. For smaller farms, direct marketing to consumers accounts for a higher percentage of their sales than for larger farms. Charts and tables.