Competitive markets group to host fair event

A shrinking number of seed companies has some lawmakers and industry groups concerned about escalating costs in the seed industry.

State Rep. Marcie Frevert of Emmetsburg is one of the hosts for an event titled "Taking it Back: Bringing Fairness and Competition Back to the Seed Industry for Our Farmers."

District 14 State Rep. Mark Kuhn, a Charles City Democrat, co-hosts the free event with Frevert. It will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 11, in the 4-H building at the Clay County Fairgrounds in Spencer.

The Iowa Farmers Union and American Corn Growers Association are co-sponsors. Those who attend the event will be provided a complimentary Oak Tree Bar-B-Que dinner. Attendees are encouraged to engage in dialogue with the political leaders and other guests.

"Concentration in the U.S. crop seed industry is hurting Iowa farmers," said Randy Stevenson, the Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) president. "In the face of expensive fuel and fertilizer costs, our farmers are paying historic seed prices with less choice in the marketplace."

The keynote speaker is Fred Kirschenmann of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University. Kirschenmann is a professor and farmer who is widely recognized as a leader in promoting equitable agricultural systems for American farmers.

The OCM, in a statement announcing the event, said regional seed companies are important distribution outlets in rural communities, yet their numbers have declined from about 600 to 150 nationally.

"Their investment and the concentration has come about quite naturally, with the research and the development, and it has made seed corn extremely expensive," Frevert said.

Companies want to preserve their independence and provide their customers the best modern varieties available, the statement said. The OCM believes large seed conglomerates represent a significant barrier to restoring competition for farmers.

"Farmers' seed options have become increasingly limited due to trade practices that drive up prices and restrain choice and innovation," Stevenson said. "Some seed corn prices are increasing by $100 per bag this fall. This is an enormous drain on rural communities."

"We cannot ignore the consolidation of market power in the U.S. crop seed industry," said Fred Stokes, Executive Director of OCM. "Our farmers are at a disadvantage, and we owe it to them to 'take back' an open and fair marketplace."