Northwest Iowa — Federal regulations aim to level the playing field for area farmers and ranchers in dealing with big corporations.
John Crabtree, media director at the Center for Rural Affairs, says the U-S-D-A’s Farmer Fair Practice Rules are designed to improve marketplace conditions for producers in northwest Iowa, and nationwide.
He says the proposed rules would help to create a transparent marketplace.
The U-S-D-A recently submitted the rules to the Office of Management and Budget in a move hailed by many ag organizations, including the National Farmers Union and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
Opponents of the rules include the North American Meat Institute and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. They claim the proposal would raise costs for producers and for consumers. The U-S-D-A already reviewed more than 60-thousand comments as it considered the potential economic impact of the rules.
