JUSTICE DEPARTMENT NAMES SPECIAL COUNSEL FOR AGRICULTURE ANTITRUST, KOHL
ANNOUNCES


Senator Sought New Post to Oversee Agribusiness Consolidation

1/20/00 -

WASHINGTON  U.S. Senator Herb Kohl announced that the U.S. Department of
Justice today named Doug Ross as Special Counsel to oversee agriculture
antitrust issues. Kohl is the Ranking Member of the Senate Antitrust
Subcommittee and last September contacted the Justice Department urging the
appointment of a Special Counsel. According to the Justice Department, Ross
has 25 years of law enforcement experience in antitrust and consumer
protection issues.

"The wave of consolidation occurring in agriculture, now and over the last
decade, raises real concerns for the farmers of my state. I'm glad that the
Justice Department recognizes the need to protect farmers from threats to
fair competition, and I look forward to working closely with Mr. Ross," Kohl
said.

The increasing level of concentration in many aspects of agriculture,
including food production and processing, meat packing, grain-handling and
agricultural implement manufacturing is a major concern to farmers across
Wisconsin and the nation.

Kohl and Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH), the Chairman of the Antitrust Subcommittee,
sought a Special Counsel for agriculture in a letter to the Justice
Department last September. Kohl and DeWine said that while the market often
requires some degree of consolidation, they are wary of the impact the
increasing level of consolidation will have on competition, and the
consequences for rural communities as restructuring of the agricultural
industry occurs. They expressed particular concern that these transactions
may seriously disadvantage farmers, who already have little bargaining power
compared to large agricultural conglomerates.

Kohl and DeWine said that the increasing frequency and size of these
transactions in agribusiness, and the importance of these issues to the
future of farmers, warranted action to appoint a Special Counsel for
agriculture. They indicated that the Special Counsel should be charged with
closely monitoring consolidation in agriculture and coordinating and
supervising the work of the Antitrust Division in reviewing antitrust
implications of such transactions.

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