Next Justice Dept./USDA Workshop on Competition in Agriculture
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division Christine Varney will participate in the workshop, and will be joined by Congressman Artur Davis, Alabama Attorney General Troy King and Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks. They will participate in a roundtable discussion with presentations on current issues affecting poultry growers. Testimony and a roundtable discussion by a panel of current and former poultry growers will follow. The workshop will also feature a panel to discuss contracting and regulatory issues in the poultry industry. The workshop will also include two sessions for public testimony.
The schedule is as follows:
9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. CDT Welcome/Introductory Comments
Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Eric Holder, Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice
9:15 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. CDT Roundtable Discussion and Presentation of Issues
Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Eric Holder, Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice
Christine Varney, Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, U.S. Department of Justice
Artur Davis, Congressman, U.S. House of Representatives
Troy King, Attorney General, state of Alabama
Ron Sparks, Agriculture Commissioner, state of Alabama
* The Alabama Congressional Delegation is invited
10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. CDT Coffee Break
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. CDT Roundtable Discussion on Poultry Grower Issues
This panel will allow a dialogue among growers, former producers and government officials. Expected topics include competition in the poultry industry, poultry contracting, contract terminations and upgrades to poultry houses. The panel will also discuss inputs that affect grower compensation, such as bird quality, feed quality and consistency.
Moderator: Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Gary Alexander, producer, Westminster, S.C.
Kay Doby, former producer, Cameron, N.C.
Garry Staples, producer, Steele, Ala.
Robert Lumzy, former producer, Columbia, Miss.
Carole Morison, former producer, Maryland.
Shane Wootten, producer, Henagar, Ala.
Sandra Genell Pridgen, producer, North Carolina
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. CDT Lunch Break
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. CDT Public Testimony
2:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. CDT Roundtable Discussion on Trends in Poultry Production
This panel will discuss changes in the structure of poultry production and enforcement under the Packers and Stockyards Act. Issues that will be discussed include the use of the tournament system and other methods of compensation, market access, contracting, credit availability, production efficiency/improvements and poultry house upgrades.
Moderator: Norman Familant, Chief, Economic Litigation Section, U.S. Department of Justice
Benny Bishop, Peco Foods, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Michael R. Dicks, Watkins Chair, International Trade and Development, Oklahoma State University
Max Carnes, producer, Baldwin, Ga.
John Ingrum, Forest, Miss.
Cindy Johnson, attorney, Cohutta, Ga.
Robert Taylor, professor, Agricultural Economics and Public Policy, College of
Agriculture, Auburn University
Mike Weaver, producer and president of Contract Poultry Growers Association of the Virginias, Fort Seybert, W.Va.
3:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. CDT Break
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. CDT Additional Public Testimony
5:00 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. CDT Closing Remarks
John Ferrell, Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Mark Tobey, Special Counsel for State Relations and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Justice
Additional information, including submitted public comments and transcripts for past workshops can be found at the Antitrust Division’s agriculture workshop website at www.justice.gov/atr/public/workshops/ag2010/index.htm. While no streaming webcast will be available, transcripts will be available for this workshop at a later date on the Antitrust Division’s website. Individuals seeking more information on the workshops should contact agriculturalworkshops@usdoj.gov.
Media who wish to attend the workshop may begin arriving at 7:30 a.m. CDT and cameras must be pre-set by 8:30 a.m. CDT. Press inquiries regarding logistics at the Ernest L. Knight Reception Center at Alabama A & M University should be directed to Jerome Saintjones at 256-372-5607 or jerome.saintjones@aamu.edu.
Press Contacts:
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
Gina Talamona
202-514-2007
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of Communications
Jim Brownlee
202-720-4623
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