Reposted by Austin FrerickDakota Rural Action @dakotarural.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Join us in Pierre Nov. 6 - 7 for our Annual Meeting: Rooted & Resilient: 39 Years of Building Power. We kick off the weekend at Drifters w/ dinner & keynote address from Austin Frerick, author of Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry. bit.ly/39thAnnMtg #sodak 086
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 07/10/2026That is the image I will never forget given how far Mercy is from the river and them doing the evacuation at night. 120
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 05/10/2026For more infocalendar.uni.eduAustin Frerick presents “Game Over: Ending Corporate Agriculture’s Game of Monopoly” | UNI CalendarJoin us at the Center for Energy & Environmental Education on Wednesday, October 14, 2026 to hear from guest speaker Austin Frerick, author of Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Foo... 110
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 05/10/2026I'm excited to present Barons next Thursday at the University of Northern Iowa! It’s gonna be a whirlwind, and honestly, I can’t wait. The talk is at 6pm and open to the public, but come early because there’s going to be a food truck. 161
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Check out this new interview I did on Freakonomics, where I'm the lone voice saying the big meatpackers aren't so great. "FRERICK: You shouldn’t be allowed to keep a dominant market position through bribery, yet they have."freakonomics.comHere’s Why Your Hamburger Just Got So Pricey - FreakonomicsHere’s Why Your Hamburger Just Got So Pricey - Freakonomics 052
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 28/09/2026“It’s like looking at a forest that is dry, that’s just waiting for a match,” said Frerick. “This production model is directly impacting people’s lives in a negative way, and they feel it. At some point, someone’s going to come along and tap into it.”sentientmedia.orgWe Asked 1,000 Iowans About Factory Farming. Here’s What We Learned.A survey taken this past spring shows a majority of Iowans say they have experienced negative environmental impacts from industrial animal operations. But plenty are also ambivalent, or ignorant, abou... 042
Reposted by Austin FrerickSentient @sentientmedia.org · 24/09/2026When the factory farming model came to Iowa, there was wide public pushback. But today, researcher @austinfrerick.bsky.social says the worst actors continue to thrive. As water pollution in the state grows, so do Iowa’s cancer rates. Watch the full doc: buff.ly/3sdOSmL 1147
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Honored to present next week at the University of Maryland, Carey School of Law (bmore is also such a great city) 030
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Agree - what a great piece, it has it all. None of it is shocking either. 000
Reposted by Austin Frerickilstewards.bsky.social @ilstewards.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Who holds the power in America’s farm and food system? Join us Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 7 PM for a webinar with author @austinfrerick.bsky.social. We’ll talk how corporate consolidation reshaped our food system and what we can do about it. 💻 Online via Zoom: secure.everyaction.com/-LlJGDwXsUiA... 031
Reposted by Austin Frerickmruelberg.bsky.social @mruelberg.bsky.social · 23/08/2026I read a fascinating book this spring called Barons: Money, Power and the Corruption of America's Food Industry by Austin Frerick. Each chapter was devoted to a particular industry, like coffee, beef, grocery, pork, and grain and how they are all in the hands of a few barons today. Real eye opener. 061
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 26/08/2026Over 600k+ YouTube views in the first 24 hours! Honored to work with @moreperfectunion.bsky.social on another video. The filmmakers used the story from my book about Driscoll’s, aka my Berry Baron, to explain the offshoring of America’s produce system.youtube.comI Tracked Down the Company Ruining FruitYouTube video by More Perfect Union 030
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 19/08/2026"When you live in these [agricultural] areas, you’re living in a crisis,” Frerick says. And until recently, “neither party has tapped into it.”motherjones.comZach Lahn is MAHA’s great farm country hope. Is he the populist hero he claims to be?He’s running for Iowa governor on promises to bust up Big Ag. But some farmers are questioning his authenticity. 030
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 19/07/2026Really worth reading the Method section too - even more damming. "[Frerick] said the French Competition Authority should re-evaluate the mergers it approved and implement policy changes to ensure such purchases are not allowed in the future."lighthousereports.comHow we measured consolidation in France’s cattle industry from the farmer’s perspective - Lighthouse ReportsFrance prides itself on protecting the rights of farmers. Here is how major slaughterhouses were able to push out competition and squeeze farmers and the tax payers supporting them without breaking th... 020
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 19/07/2026According to Frerick, our findings show that the mergers were “devastating for French farmers”. He said they provided “a textbook example of what happens when competition authorities fail to do their jobs."lighthousereports.comCut to the Bone: Farmers at the mercy of the meat monopolists - Lighthouse ReportsHow state authorities put France’s farmers at the mercy of an industrial giant 120
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 19/07/2026This is the first time I’ve ever seen an investigation that looks at concentration figures for individual farmers. More than two-thirds of French cattle farms are now located in what is considered a “highly concentrated market” where HHI thresholds exceed 2000 120
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 10/07/2026The Trump Administration gave the Egg Mafia a slap on the wrist after it was caught price gouging. “This settlement [is so low that it] might actually encourage more criminal activity,” argues Frerick.sentientmedia.orgThe Nation’s ‘Egg Mafia’ Made Billions. Their Fines Over Price Fixing Are a Drop in the Bucket.Egg companies that received hundreds of millions of dollars in bird flu payments are ordered to settle for a fraction of the price. 061
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 07/07/2026“Most people are struggling,” says Frerick. “If they actually knew the state of how pigs are raised, they’d feel bad, but they just want bacon. What really matters to them is that they can’t enjoy the lake. This is how the system impacts them.”sentientmedia.orgHow Denmark’s ‘Pig Election’ Rewrote Factory Farm PoliticsCould animal welfare and clean water motivate American voters? 051
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 06/07/2026Exciting news - The docuseries I’ve been helping with for the last few years, The Price of Milk, is now streaming. The third episode pays particular attention to my Dairy Baron. Check it out and let me know what you think!docplus.comThe Price of MilkThe untold story behind the ‘90s ‘Got Milk’ campaign leads a 4-part investigative romp from the dairy farm to the White House, diving into Americans’ love/hate relationship with milk and the dairy ind... 1111
Reposted by Austin FrerickLife in Common @arthursmid.bsky.social · 04/07/2026"My dream is to move the farm bill away from subsidizing certain crops and make it subsidize certain farm practices. For instance, if you do cover crops, buffer strips, pasture, whatever—let farmers decide what’s best for their land." - Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.socialbarnraisingmedia.comWhat if Big Ag Didn’t Control Our Food?Austin Frerick shares big ideas for how to transform food in the United States. For Frerick, radical change starts with radical imagination 082
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 09/06/2026That’s not without consequences, Frerick said, noting that when everything comes from the same companies, nothing is unique. “Consolidation hollows out local culture,” said Frerick.crainscleveland.comCleveland's Michelin dreams meet restaurant broadliner SyscoCleveland’s quest for a Michelin star may be at odds with current economic conditions, which are forcing some restaurants to rely on a supply system designed for efficiency and sameness. 040
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 03/06/2026Read more here in this excerptnewrepublic.comDo You Know Where Your Strawberries Come From?Driscoll’s is an empire—one that depends on genetic patents and large infusions of water and pesticides. 031
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 03/06/2026The Berry Baron in my book 👉 "During peak periods in North America, Bjorn stated that approximately 125,000 individuals are hand-harvesting Driscoll’s berries." For one family that owns Driscoll’s. And they're not employees. It's a modern-day share-cropping operation.thepacker.com 152
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 26/05/2026New Academic Review 🤓 "Using a variety of stories, personal anecdotes and reports, the author communicates ideas in clear, accessible language, with a smooth narrative flow, making Barons a very compelling piece." 040
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 29/04/2026“This bill has teeth,” Frerick said. “This is talk meets substance for the first time.” “From a political standpoint, this is one of the best ways [for Democrats] to outflank Republicans right now,” Frerick added. 041
Reposted by Austin FrerickThe Capitol Forum @capitolforum.bsky.social · 27/04/2026This Wednesday at 2pm ET, we’re hosting Austin Frerick to discuss agricultural markets, antitrust, and consolidation across the food system. Join us 👇 thecapitolforum.com/events/?utm_... 031
Reposted by Austin FrerickInstitute for Policy Studies @ips-dc.org · 06/04/2026@inequality.org’s @millsrodrigo.bsky.social interviews Austin Frerick, author of the new book “Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry,” which examines how corporate monopolies have resulted in higher prices and lower quality food for consumers.inequality.orgNaming and Shaming Food Barons: A Q&A with Austin FrerickCorporate consolidation in America’s food industry is making food more expensive and worse. What can we do about it? 0104
Reposted by Austin Frerickfinn7591.bsky.social @finn7591.bsky.social · 05/04/2026More, larger monopoly = less choice for both producer and consumer 021
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 05/04/2026Sysco buying Restaurant Depot -->> This merger will hurt your favorite local restaurant or food truck. It combines America's largest broaderliner with the largest cash-and-carry. My comments to ABC News abcnews.com/video/131726...abcnews.comVideo How Sysco acquiring Restaurant Depot could shake up the food industryAgriculture and food antitrust expert Austin Frerick discusses Sysco's $29 billion deal to buy Restaurant Depot and what it could mean for consumers. 041
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 05/04/2026Here's the video: "This will hurt your favorite local restaurant or food truck" (my opening statement - the audio wasn't on at first). I also meant to say Costco, not Sysco, when talking about cash-and-carry. abcnews.com/video/131726...abcnews.comVideo How Sysco acquiring Restaurant Depot could shake up the food industryAgriculture and food antitrust expert Austin Frerick discusses Sysco's $29 billion deal to buy Restaurant Depot and what it could mean for consumers. 031
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 05/04/2026"Happy Holidays" -- I just filmed a segment for ABC News at my in-laws' house and signed off by saying "Happy Holidays" lol (I wasn't sure what to say with it being Easter and Passover). 120
Reposted by Austin FrerickCyril Mychalejko @cmychalejko.bsky.social · 02/04/2026Since the 1980s we’ve been living in a Second Gilded Age where, as these firms amass power, they have been able to corrupt the system more and more to pad their bottom line. I think it says so much that Trump’s largest inauguration donor was my slaughter baron, JBS, said @austinfrerick.bsky.social. 073
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 02/04/2026Back to @grinnellcollege.bsky.social - next Wednesday! 030
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 04/03/2026thanks! im very lucky/grateful to do what i do. 010
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 04/03/2026Check out the alert Big Ag put out about my testimony later today. 020
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 27/02/2026Later that night -- Join us at the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union Hall, talking about what you can do. 030
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 27/02/2026Honored (and excited) to testify next week to the Minnesota House Agriculture Committee, presenting aspects of my book Barons. Special thanks to @reprickhansen.bsky.social for inviting me. 261
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 10/02/2026"The Land Report just came out with a Top 100 ranking of who owns the most land in America. The Walmart family now owns more land in America than all the farmland owned by black farmers combined."barnraisingmedia.comWhat if Big Ag Didn’t Control Our Food?Austin Frerick shares big ideas for how to transform food in the United States. For Frerick, radical change starts with radical imagination 044
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 09/02/2026"To me the single best thing you can do to make food more affordable in America right now is do away with the ethanol mandate. It’s been more than 20 some years. Ethanol should [survive] on its own. It should not have a government mandate."barnraisingmedia.comWhat if Big Ag Didn’t Control Our Food?Austin Frerick shares big ideas for how to transform food in the United States. For Frerick, radical change starts with radical imagination 052
Reposted by Austin FrerickBarn Raiser @barnraiser.bsky.social · 05/02/2026Antitrust expert Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social explains how corporate monopolies captured farm bill policy, and how farmers and eaters can unite locally to fix our broken food system. barnraisingmedia.com/big-ag-has-c...barnraisingmedia.comBig Ag Has Corrupted Our Food System. Here’s How We Can Rebuild.Austin Frerick explains how corporate monopolies captured farm bill policy, and how farmers and eaters can unite to fix our food system. 041
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 05/02/2026"Last week, the NYT ran a story saying farmers are going to let their crops rot because the prices are so bad. At the same time, we’re having a food affordability crisis. That juxtaposition captures how broken our food system is"barnraisingmedia.comBig Ag Has Corrupted Our Food System. Here’s How We Can Rebuild.Austin Frerick explains how corporate monopolies captured farm bill policy, and how farmers and eaters can unite to fix our food system. 152
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 30/12/2025New Academic Review of Barons: Journal of Law & Political Economy "a powerful exposé of the transformation of the American food system... Frerick’s extensive empirical work adds a fresh perspective" 😜escholarship.orgReview of Austin Frerick, Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food IndustryAuthor(s): Saito, Carolina | Abstract: Review of Austin Frerick, Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry 040
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 18/12/2025What a year of putting on the miles - gave my final talk this year a few days ago in Great Falls, Montana. Thanks again to MOA for inviting me. 🥩🌾 080
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 18/12/2025“We’re not seeing normal herd expansion because farmers don’t think [cattle] prices will be there, and that goes back to market dominance” among meatpackers, Frerick says.csmonitor.comWhat’s for dinner? If it’s beef, it’ll cost you.Eye-popping prices for steaks and burgers are mostly a supply problem, exacerbated by lack of competition in the meatpacking industry. The upshot is that beef is likely to remain expensive for a while... 041
Austin Frerick @austinfrerick.bsky.social · 04/12/2025Honored to be included 😅🤗 ..."what a writer! Absolutely engaging. For the foreseeable future, this is the book I'm recommending to anyone who wants to learn about our food system more deeply."kcrw.comThe Best Cookbooks of 2025, according to Good Food | KCRWEnjoy our cookbook picks for bakers, foragers, world travelers, vegans, party hosts, food policy wonks, and everyone else! 061
