RFA Ethanol Podcast

USDA/DOJ Public Workshop Panels

Chuck Zimmerman

Friday’s joint USDA/DOJ public workshop was a marathon with potentially over 2,000 people participating. You can follow some of what happened in my archived CoverItLive stream and the press conference featuring Sec. Vilsack and AG Eric Holder. For those of you who couldn’t attend, couldn’t listen to the live stream or need the audio for your reports or broadcasts I’m posting the 4 main panel sessions for you. I’m including a list of the participants of each too.

Keynote Roundtable Discussion Keynote Roundtable Discussion

Eric Holder, Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice
Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Christine Varney, Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice
Betsy Markey, Congresswoman, U.S. House of Representatives
Bill Ritter, Jr., Governor, state of Colorado
John Suthers, Attorney General, state of Colorado
Steve Bullock, Attorney General, state of Montana
John Stulp, Commissioner of Agriculture, state of Colorado

Producer/Feeder Presentation of Issues
Producer/Feeder Presentation

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

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

Panelists:
Mike Harper, sheep producer, Eaton, Colorado
Dr. Taylor Haynes, rancher, Cheyenne, Wyoming
Robbie LeValley, rancher, Hotchkiss, Colorado
Harry Livermont, rancher, Interior, South Dakota
Chris Petersen, hog farmer, Clear Lake, Iowa
Allen Sents, feedlot owner, Marquette, Kansas
Alden Zuhlke, rancher, Brunswick, Nebraska

Panel I – Trends in the Livestock Industry
Trends In Livestock Industry

This panel will discuss trends in the livestock industry, including issues associated with contracting, price transparency and the effects of concentration.

Moderator:
Philip Weiser, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice

Panelists:
Jerry Bohn, general manager, Pratt Feeders, Pratt, Kansas
Libby Cook, co-founder, Wild Oats Markets and Sunflower Farmers Markets
Mark Greenwood, vice president, commercial lending, AgStar Financial Services
Bill Heffernan, professor emeritus of rural sociology, University of Missouri
Mark Lauritsen, international vice president, director food processing, packing and manufacturing division, United Food and Commercial Workers International Union
Gilles Stockton, rancher, Range, Montana
Armando Valdez, rancher, La Jara, Colorado
Clem Ward, professor and extension economist, Oklahoma State University

Panel II – Market Structure
Market Structure

This panel will include a variety of market participants who will discuss market structure issues in the livestock industry.

Moderator:
James MacDonald, Chief, Agricultural Structure and Productivity Branch, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Panelists:
Bruce Cobb, general manager, Consolidated Beef Producers
David Domina, attorney, Domina Law Group
Mark Dopp, attorney, American Meat Institute
James Herring, president and chief executive officer, Friona Industries
Robert Mack, cattle producer/feeder, Watertown, South Dakota
Bob Miller, rancher, Okmulgee, Oklahoma
William Rishel, Richel Angus, Platt, Nebraska.
Charlie Rogers, owner/general manager, Clovis Livestock Auction

USDA/DOJ Livestock Competition Workshop and Forums Photo Album

Audio, GIPSA, Livestock, USDA