1997 Minnesota Statutes

     17.692 Declaration of policy.  

    Since agricultural products are produced by numerous and 
 often scattered individual producers, the marketing and 
 bargaining position of individual producers will be adversely 
 affected unless they are free to join together voluntarily in 
 cooperative associations or other associations as authorized by 
 law.  Membership of a producer in such a cooperative association 
 or other association can only be meaningful if a handler of 
 agricultural products is required to bargain in good faith with 
 an agricultural cooperative association or other association as 
 the representative of the members of such association.  
 Production and marketing of agricultural commodities constitutes 
 a basic and essential industry.  Agricultural producers do not 
 now enjoy the opportunity, comparable to that of industrial 
 workers and those in many other forms of enterprise or 
 employment, to organize and bargain effectively.  Neither is 
 adequate government provision available to assure that the 
 bargaining process shall be fair both to producers and handlers 
 and in the public interest.  

    HIST: 1973 c 736 s 2