ABSTRACT
Much of early twentieth-century legislation affecting agriculture set in place regulations related to the government’s protection of consumers. Legislation was passed to maintain the safety and effectiveness of agricultural inputs and of food and cosmetic products that were shipped across state lines and those that were imported from abroad. The period from 1910–1914 is called the Golden Age of Agriculture. After the Sherman Antitrust Act was passed to prevent collusion, price-fixing, and other anti-competitive practices, the Capper-Volstead Act authorized the creation of production, handling, and marketing cooperatives. Solutions offered to get around the problems of commodity buyers colluding and fixing prices were the introduction of government regulations allowing farmers to strengthen their marketing power through organizing marketing cooperatives. In the case of animal and some crop disease outbreaks, quarantines can be imposed by the government to keep the disease from spreading and to keep contaminated commodities off the market.
