Several federal agencies will work together on competition in the seed industry to enhance competition in agriculture, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

“USDA is laser-focused on standing up for America’s farmers and ranchers by expanding processing capacity, creating fairer markets and more revenue streams and market opportunities, which helps bring down food costs for families at the grocery store,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said in a statement.

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) conducted a public comment period, public listening forum and heard from interested parties on seed industry issues. Those issues included competition and market power, intellectual property and other business practices that might be affecting the American farmer’s ability to participate in a fair and competitive market.

USDA released a report that includes recommendations for improving market fairness. The agency is taking immediate action on three of the recommendations.

USDA AMS is standing up a new Farmer Seed Liaison, which will deliver on report recommendations. The seed liaison will boost transparency and reduce confusion in a complex seed system by helping facilitate communication between farmers and plant breeders and the patent system.

USDA and the Patent and Trademark Office, Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission will stand up a working group on intellectual property and competition in the seed and agricultural input sector.

The agency released a notice to trade regarding compliance with disclosing the kind and variety of seeds under the Federal Seed Act. The notice underscores that farmers and seed businesses should know the kind and variety of the seed they are getting from farmers. USDA will also expand its FarmerFairness.gov portal to enable farmers and seed businesses to report tips and complaints related to competition and consumer protection in the seed markets.

The report also underscores the importance of public investment in plant breeding to promote resiliency and competition and enable farmers to better adapt to local and regional needs.

View the USDA Fair and Competitive Seed Report.

More information is available on the AMS Fair and Competitive Markets webpage.