Dairy Farmers of America cannot use a law designed to equalize farmers’ bargaining power with corporations handling agricultural products to protect itself from antitrust claims, the Justice Department said in a court filing.

The Justice Department is seeking to intervene in a case alleging price fixing by major poultry manufacturers, in order to ensure the integrity of grand jury deliberations in a criminal investigation exploring the same allegations.

In the regulatory picture for 2019, the top issue for aggies is probably the “waters of the United States” proposal, but there are many other items on the agenda for agriculture in the coming year.

Sometimes, in order to get what you want, you have to give a little. In the case of the latest consolidation in the agriculture sector, Bayer will have to give a lot to get much more.