Russ Feingold: “I rise today to submit an amendment that will give farmers some options in identifying the forum to resolve disputes…”

“I rise today to submit an amendment that will give farmers some options in identifying the forum to resolve disputes with agribusinesses. I, along with a number of other Members of this body, am deeply concerned that the concentration of power in the hands of a few large agribusiness firms--firms that can raise $1 billion on Wall Street at the drop of a hat--is forcing farmers and ranchers to be placed at a competitive disadvantage in the marketplace. These large corporations are using their market power to force independent producers into what is really a position of weakness through unfair concentration and other uses of market leverage. In some cases, the domestic marketplace has become almost noncompetitive for family farmers. Farmers have few buyers and suppliers than ever before. One indication of their dominance is the one-sided contracts that favor agribusinesses at the expense of farmers and ranchers. It is of paramount importance that we help restore competition in rural America.”