Episode 174 - Agricultural Barons: Candid Conversation with Austin Frerick Part 1

Today is part one of a two-part episode; we are discussing systemic issues in the agriculture industry and how robber barons are impacting the ag industry as a whole. We are joined by a very special guest, Austin Frerick, who tackles some important and little-discussed issues within the food and agriculture industry. Austin is an expert on agricultural and antitrust policy and recently published his debut book, Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry. Together, we have a candid conversation and take a clear-eyed look into the lack of transparency in USDA checkoff programs, the struggle of smaller farms, the disparity in food prices, and the USDA's alignment with corporate interests over supporting small farms.    Join us next week as we continue this conversation with part 2.    Austin Frerick is an expert on agricultural and antitrust policy. He worked at the Open Markets Institute, the U.S. Department of Treasury, and the Congressional Research Service before becoming a Fellow at Yale University. He is a 7th generation Iowan and 1st generation college graduate, with degrees from Grinnell College and the University of Wisconsin, Madison.    Resources & Links: Check out Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry   Connect with Austin: Email Austin at [email protected] Follow him on Instagram: @AustinFrerick Follow him on X/Twitter @AustinFrerick Follow him on Facebook  Check out his website   Check out The Milkweed dairy publication, mentioned at the beginning of the episode   Connect with Valene & Katharine: Follow us on Instagram @millennial_ag Check out our website Email us at [email protected] Follow us on X/Twitter @millennial_ag   Make sure to hit subscribe/follow so you never miss an episode!