More Antitrust Investigations on the Horizon

President Trump’s antitrust investigation into the beef packing business may be just the beginning. USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden told the Red River Farm Network a series of announcements will be coming from the Administration soon. Vaden is anxious to take a deeper dive into specific segments of agribusiness, specifically fertilizer and farm equipment. “When you purchase a piece of equipment, it should be yours. You should have the right to repair it as you see fit. You should have the right to pick from whom you wish to purchase it and not be limited based on geography, and you should have the ability, if you want, to purchase parts from someone other than the original equipment manufacturer. All of these limits placed on farmers do one thing, and that’s jack up their costs and jack up the profits of the companies that are putting these highly legally questionable restrictions on what farmers can do.”