Jeff Jones
Callaway County
Dear Editor:
Finally, some good news for the agriculture and food industries!
President Biden issued an executive order that takes aim at breaking up monopolistic control and promoting competition in several industries including agriculture and food.
This executive order is an excellent first step in leveling the playing field for independent family farmers who have been taking it on the chin due to the huge multinational corporate behemoths who have been dominating the livestock industry for decades.
This extreme corporate concentration directly drives down prices that farmers get paid and can ultimately drive us out of business. It also drives up the price you end up paying at the grocery store for meat.
One top priority to come from this executive order needs to be stronger antitrust laws that are diligently enforced to break up this corporate cabal in the livestock industry that is endangering our food security and pushing out the independent family farmer.
Another big priority should be to bring back mandatory country-of-origin labeling that allows U.S. farmers to better market their beef and consumers to know where the beef they purchase originates.
And, finally, it's time for the USDA to start accurately tracking the amount of foreign corporate-owned farmland in the USA and for Congress to take action to halt further foreign corporate ownership of our farmland. This is urgently needed to protect our food security and national security.
It's up to us to make sure this executive order amounts to more than just good ideas and actually brings much-needed positive change for our farm families and to the agriculture and food industries.