Game Over: Ending Corporate Agriculture’s Game of Monopoly 

Date: Monday, February 24, 2025

Time: 6:00pm CST – program, 7:15pm CST – reception

Location: Reeve Union Ballroom, 748 Algoma Blvd, Oshkosh, WI 54901

This event will also be livestreamed and recorded. The Zoom link is available here. 

Hosted by UW-Oshkosh’s Center for Civic and Community Engagement and Sustainability Institute for Regional Transformations, and sponsored by the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership.  

Austin Frerick, author of “Barons: Money, Power and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry,” will pull back the curtain to reveal how a handful of companies, led by massively powerful modern-day “Robber Barons,” have managed to seize control of the food we eat—at the expense of independent farmers, consumers, and the environment. Then, hear from farmers who are actively taking control of their own livelihoods and empowering themselves and others to challenge the status-quo. The book is the result of extensive research on agriculture and food systems and how large sectors have been consolidated under very few private companies. He details the history of these consolidations and the impact on producers and consumers. 

See here for more information about Austin and the book:  

• Austin’s site: https://www.austinfrerick.com/ 
• Forbes interview: https://www.forbes.com/sites/errolschweizer/2024/03/24/why-austin-frerick-is-taking-on-the-grocery-barons/ 
• American Farmland Owner: https://www.americanfarmlandowner.com/post/taking-on-the-barons 
• The American Conservative review: https://www.theamericanconservative.com/how-american-agriculture-went-wrong/ 

This event is part of Forward Agriculture, which aims to bring together agricultural stakeholders and sectors to build a more resilient agricultural system in Wisconsin. Please see here for more information.

Any questions about the event can be directed to Mike Lueder (luederm@uwosh.edu) or Kevin Crawford (crawfork@uwosh.edu).