Chuck Grassley: “Amendment No. 3823 deals with agricultural competition and increased consolidation in the agricultural industry. The…”

“Amendment No. 3823 deals with agricultural competition and increased consolidation in the agricultural industry. The amendment is cosponsored by me, Senator Grassley, and two Democrats--Senator Kohl and Senator Harkin. I wish to make it very clear--and I will get into some detail--there may be some people who feel the amendment I have put before the Senate is exactly the same as a bill Senator Kohl and I had introduced previously. It is very slimmed down from that bill. So any staff who is watching the debate and getting nervous about an amendment coming up that every big industry in the United States may find fault with, we are talking about a very slimmed-down version of it. I will explain all that shortly. I have been concerned with competition in the agricultural marketplace and increased competition in the agricultural industry for quite some time now. You have heard me speak about it on the floor. We have had hearings on it. I had hearings in the Senate Finance Committee, as well as hearings I participated in under both Republican and Democratic chairmanships of the Judiciary Committee. Agriculture, as you know, is a fairly risky business. I know that from personal experience because I have lived and worked on a farm all my life. But for some time, working in agriculture has become even more difficult for the little guy. The trend has been for companies in the agricultural sector to consolidate.”