Captive in Practice: Why “Independent” Is the Wrong Word for Most U.S. Cattle Feedlots
Why ‘independent’ is the wrong word for most U.S. cattle feedlots: contracts, distance to the nearest packing plant, and what the public record can and cannot show. Revised September 2026.
Economic Concentration in Animal Protein: DOJ Enforcement, FTC Policy, and Federal Case Law (2000–2026)
A review of federal antitrust enforcement, FTC policy, and federal case law from 2000 through 2026 relating to concentration in beef, pork, broiler chicken, and related animal-protein markets.
How Economic Concentration Shows Up on Meat Labels
Why concentration in beef, pork, and broiler chicken is not only a pricing issue, but also a disclosure issue visible at the meat counter.
Economic Concentration in U.S. Broiler Chicken Supply Chains
How firm concentration and integrator control combine to shape competition, grower dependence, and retail disclosure in the most vertically coordinated of U.S. protein systems.
Economic Concentration in U.S. Pork Supply Chains
Why packer concentration, contract production, and vertical coordination must be analyzed together — and why those structures also matter for label transparency.
Economic Concentration in U.S. Beef Supply Chains
Structure, measurement, and disclosure implications in a market where slaughter concentration and thinning negotiated trade shape both price discovery and consumer information.