...causes distributors to favor a few large farms over many smaller ones.

This statement was based on passages from "Marketing Study of Opportunities for Foods Grown Locally or Sustainably in Minnesota"

"Requirements for doing business with retail and foodservice distributors included... More producers able to meet food safety and traceability requirements."(p.4)
The Wholesaler Wish List includes under the heading "More Producers Able to Meet Food Safety and Traceability Requirements," "We love to buy local, but our national accounts drive our volume. We are adamant about their traceability program, and we will not approve local vendors because of traceability concerns."(p.25)

It is also reflected in statements from the Minnesota State Cattlemen's Association...

"The MSCA will continue to call for regulatory relief [and] press for Congress to intervene in USDA-GIPSA rulemaking to ensure the cattle sector is not harmed by government overreach."

...and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

"Loopholes [in government policy] and unlimited subsidies have helped fuel an exodus from farming and rural America by favoring mega-farms over family farms, driving the consolidation of farmland, and inflating land prices. In a time of record budget deficits, scarce federal dollars should not be flowing without limit to the wealthiest mega-farm owners, and should instead be targeted to those most in need of assistance and capped at a reasonable level."

Begin this path

1. Marketing Study of Opportunities for Foods Grown Locally or Sustainably in Minnesota (metadata)
2. Minnesota State Cattlemen's Association (metadata)
3. National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (metadata)

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