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Event

Ag Workshops: Dairy Industry Agenda

Date:
Location:

University of Wisconsin - Madison, Union Theater in Memorial Union
800 Langdon Street
Madison, WI 53706
United States

Event Details

Specific areas of focus included trends in the dairy industry, market consolidation, and market transparency.

For more information, see the workshops page.

Updated: August 12, 2010

Workshop Agenda

document icon Event transcript PDF | Text

June 25, 2010 - Madison, Wisconsin

8:45 a.m.
CST

Opening Remarks
(81:31-minute video)

The Honorable Christine Varney, Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, U.S. Department of Justice
The Honorable Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture

9:00 a.m.

Keynote Roundtable Discussion
(81:31-minute video)

The Honorable Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture
The Honorable Christine Varney, Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, U.S. Department of Justice
The Honorable Herb Kohl, Senator, United States Senate
The Honorable Russell Feingold, Senator, United States Senate

Tentative:
The Honorable Tammy Baldwin, Congresswoman, United States House of Representatives
The Honorable Ron Kind, Congressman, United States House of Representatives
The Honorable Steve Kagen, Congressman, United States House of Representatives
The Honorable Jim Doyle, Governor, State of Wisconsin
The Honorable Rod Nilsestuen, Secretary of Agriculture, State of Wisconsin

10:15 a.m.

Farmer Presentation of Issues
(69:24-minute video)

This panel will be an opportunity to hear first-hand from dairy farmers as they share their experiences and perspectives on the industry.

Moderators:
The Honorable Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture
The Honorable Christine Varney, Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, U.S. Department of Justice

Dairy Farmers:
Jamie Bledsoe, Riverdale, California
Joaquin Contente, Hanford, California
Joel Greeno, Kendall, Wisconsin
Frances Horton, Hatch, New Mexico
Ed King, Schuylerville, New York
Bill Rowell, Sheldon, Vermont
Christine Sukalski, Leroy, Minnesota
Darin Von Ruden, Westby, Wisconsin

11:15 a.m.

Coffee Break

11:45 a.m.

Public Testimony
(61:42-minute video)

12:15 p.m.

Lunch

1:15 p.m.

Panel I - Trends in the Dairy Industry
(78:48-minute video)

Over the past several decades, the number of dairy farms in the United States has steadily decreased, while the average size of dairy farms has increased.  Most milk in the United States is produced under federal and state marketing orders and sold through cooperatives rather than directly by independent dairy farmers.  At all levels of the industry, changes have occurred that have a significant impact on farmers, processors, retailers, and consumers.  This panel will examine these changes, the responses of industry stakeholders, and the potential implications for regulation and enforcement.

Moderator:
Josh Soven, Chief, Litigation I Section, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice

Panelists:
Peter Carstensen, Professor of Law, University of Wisconsin
Ron Cotterill, Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Connecticut
Bob Cropp, Emeritus Professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Wisconsin
Jim Goodman, Organic Dairy Farmer, Wonewoc, Wisconsin
Jerrel Heatwole, Dairy Farmer, Greenwood, Delaware
Pete Kappelman, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Land O’ Lakes Cooperative
Marcus Peperzak, Chief Executive Officer, Aurora Organic Dairy

2:30 p.m.

Panel II - Market Consolidation
(65:56-minute video)

Firms that produce, process and sell milk and milk products have grown dramatically in certain geographic regions throughout the United States. While the growth of cooperatives and processors has almost certainly lowered production costs, in some regions there are concerns that there may be so few cooperatives and processors that the remaining firms can exercise market power against their customers. Processors may have also achieved sufficient size in some regions to exercise monopsony power against cooperatives and farmers. This panel will explore how such changes in firm size are affecting both farmers and consumers.

Moderator:
James MacDonald, Chief, Agricultural Structure and Productivity Branch, Economic Research Service

Panelists:
Calvin Covington, Retired Dairy Industry Executive, King, North Carolina
Brian Gould, Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Louise Hemstead, Chief Operating Officer, Organic Valley Cooperative
Daniel Smith, Esq., Former Administrator, Northeast Dairy Compact Commission
John Wilson, Senior Vice President, Dairy Farmers of America

3:45 p.m.

Break

4:00 p.m.

Panel III - Market Transparency
(63:16-minute video)

Farm prices for milk have been subject to wide swings in recent years.  Although likely the result of a multiplicity of factors, both domestic and foreign, some have raised concerns about the possibility of manipulation of fluid milk prices as a result of thinly-traded spot and futures markets for bulk cheese, butter, and powdered milk.  Others suggest that information disparities that result from long-term, full-supply contracts create perverse incentives that disadvantage farmers and prevent them from making optimal marketing decisions.  This panel will examine these phenomena from the point of view of public policy options.

Moderator:
Mark Tobey, Special Counsel for Agriculture and State Relations, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice

Panelists:
Stephen Obie, Director of Enforcement, Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Andy Pauline, Assistant Director, Government Accountability Office
Tanya Rushing, Dairy Farmer, Tylertown, Mississippi
Daniel Smith, Esq., Former Administrator, Northeast Dairy Compact Commission
Dennis Wolff, Partner, Versant Strategies, and Former Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture
Robert Yonkers, Vice President and Chief Economist, International Dairy Foods Association

5:00 p.m.

Public Testimony
(82:03-minute video)

6:00 p.m.

Concluding Remarks
(82:03-minute video)


Updated June 23, 2023
Topic
Antitrust