U.S. Cattlemen's Association Applauds Justice Department's Plans
for Competition and Regulatory Issues Workshops

USCA (December 1, 2009) - The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced the dates and locations of joint public workshops to explore competition and regulatory issues in the agriculture industry. The U.S. Cattlemen's Association (USCA) is applauding efforts by the Obama Administration to seek public dialogue and input focusing on marketplace issues impacting livestock producers.

"By bringing these workshops out into the heartland the Obama Administration is providing a solution-oriented process by which we may arrive at reasonable and appropriate solutions to antitrust issues that have plagued our markets for decades," said Jon Wooster, USCA President, San Lucas, California. "These workshops are an important opportunity for livestock producers to share their persepectives on matters such as enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act, marketplace concentration and monopolization, transparency and the trend towards vertical integration. There are no better experts on the subjects to be discussed than producers themselves. I encourage attendance and participation in the process."

The day-long workshops will begin in March 2010 and will be held in Alabama, Colorado, Iowa, Washington, DC and Wisconsin. The workshops will include keynote speakers, general expert panels, break-out panels and the public will have an opportunity to ask questions and provide comments.

The first workshop in the series is set for Ankeny, Iowa at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny, Iowa on Marcy 12, 2010 focusing on "Issues of Concerns to Farmers." The second workshop, focusing on the poultry industry, will be held in Normal, Alabama at Alabama A & M University on May 21, 2010 at the James I. Dawson Cooperative Extension Building Auditorium. The third workshop will focus on the Dairy Industry and is set for June 7, 2010 at the University of Wisconsin. A fourth workshop, focusing on the livestock industry will be held at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, CO on August 26, 2010 and on December 8 a workshop will be held in Washington, DC at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Jefferson Auditorium focusing on the discrepancies between the prices received by farmers and the prices paid by consumers.

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are also asking for comments in advance of the workshops. Interested parties should submit written comments in both paper and electronic form to the Department of Justice no later than December 31, 2009. All comments received will be posted publicly. Two paper copies should be addressed to the Legal Policy Section, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 450 5th Street NW, Suite 11700, Washington, DC 20001. The electronic version of each comment should be submitted to agriculturalworkshops@usdoj.gov.

Updated information on the workshops, including agendas and speakers, will be posted on the Antitrust Division's events website at www.usdoj.gov/atr/events.htm.

Established in March 2007, USCA is committed to concentrating its efforts in Washington, DC to enhance and expand the cattle industry’s voice on Capitol Hill. USCA has a full-time presence in Washington, giving cattle producers across the country a strong influence on policy development. For more information go to www.uscattlemen.org.