I got ya now, Tam.  You and I are on two different wavelengths.  You are saying that the buyouts are to stop competition.  I'll agree that that would be a reason to buy someone out.  You might want to be careful, though.  You can use that example against SH and his quest to convice us that packer concentration is a good thing! :lol:  Obviosly, sale barn concentration is a bad deal in your example.

My point is that a buyout does not necessarily mean there is a competitive market.  SH would like us to believe it is a given (if buyout, then competition).  As my 6 reasons show, there can be buyouts that are totally independant of whether the businesses are in a competitive market or not.  We'll see if SH addresses those reasons or not. :wink: