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Canary In A CornfieldAuthor: The Harkin Institute
Canary In A Cornfield is a podcast from The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement, that explores how the policies that shape our food and farming systems impact our health, our communities, and our future. Language: en Genres: Business, Non-Profit Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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Farm Action's Angela Huffman on the Farm Bill and the Root Cause of the Current Farm Crisis
Episode 5
Monday, 23 February, 2026
In this episode of Canary in a Cornfield, host Adam speaks with Angela Huffman, co-founder of the farmer-led watchdog group Farm Action, about how consolidation and weak antitrust enforcement have reshaped U.S. agriculture and squeezed farmers, workers, and consumers. Huffman responds to a widely covered letter from former USDA officials and commodity leaders warning of agricultural collapse, agreeing with its concerns about broad Trump-era tariffs and retaliation but arguing it overlooks the root cause: decades of consolidation and policies that reward overproduction of commodity crops and export dependence. The conversation covers Farm Action’s data on corporate control across the food chain, concerns about price fixing and small settlements in the meat sector, and policy priorities for the 2026 Farm Bill, including rebuilding regional processing, diversifying farms toward food crops and mixed systems, and using government procurement to support healthier, locally produced food. They also discuss efforts to override California’s Proposition 12, pesticide immunity proposals, and Farm Action’s outlook on renewed federal investigations into meatpacker price fixing.Links from episode:Farm Action Website Former Farming Leaders Warn U.S. Agriculture Could Face ‘Widespread Collapse’The Farm Crisis Is Real. But This Letter Misses the PointTyson’s $48 Million “Price-Fixing” Check Won’t Lower Your Grocery Bill
