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Podcast: MID-WEST FARM REPORT - MADISON
Episode: Livestock Markets Push Back On “Excessive” Fee Hike
Description: Livestock market operators in Wisconsin are pushing back against a proposed fee increase by the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, calling it "excessive" with hikes as high as 1700 percent. Jim Matthes of Matthes Farms Auction Market in Viola says his family's small business can't absorb the cost and would be forced to raise commissions, passing the burden onto farmers and consumers. He argues that the decline in cattle volume and shrinking number of farms already strain margins. Matthes urges lawmakers to intervene, pointing out that federal funding hasn't decreased and neighboring states have far lower fees. He...