OTHER NEWS - Feb. 15, 1996

Panel to Study Livestock Concentration: There is no clear proof that the top four meatpackers--IBP Inc. of Dakota City, Neb.; Montfort Inc., of Greeley, Colo.; Excel Corp. of Wichita, Kan.; and National Beef Packing Co. of Kansas City, Mo.--control hog and cattle prices, a U.S. Department of Agriculture report says. However, the matter has become an election issue, and Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman pledged that he would block any effort by slaughterhouses to underpay farmers and ranchers. He appointed a 21-member committee of economists, meatpackers and others to take a close look at concentration in livestock. Livestock is the largest segment of the farm economy and accounts for more than $50 billion in farm-level sales a year.