On Aug. 5, 2009, the heads of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Justice announced they will hold joint public workshops to explore competition issues in agriculture and the "appropriate role for antitrust and regulatory enforcement in that industry."

The public and press are invited to attend the hearings. Dates, times and locations have not yet been set, but written comments may be submitted anytime before the end of this year. Detailed agendas and schedules for the workshops will be posted on the Antitrust Division’s web site at http://www.usdoj.gov/atr.

To Submit Written Comments:

Interested parties should submit written comments in both paper and electronic form to the Department of Justice no later than Dec. 31, 2009. All comments received will be publicly posted.

Two paper copies should be addressed to the Legal Policy Section, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 450 5th Street, N.W., Suite 11700, Washington, D.C. 20001. The Department’s Antitrust Division is requesting that the paper copies of each comment be sent by courier or overnight service, if possible.

The electronic version of each comment should be submitted to agriculturalworkshops@usdoj.gov .

Download a PDF of the workshop news release here.

For more information on the hearings and how to comment, contact John Crabtree, johnc@cfra.org or 402.687.2103 x 1010.