U.S. Representatives Emanual Cleaver and Vicky Hartzler, both from Missouri, have introduced legislation in the House that would increase transparency and price discovery within the cattle market.
The Optimizing the Cattle Market Act of 2021 would require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish regional negotiated cash and grid trade, mandate that packers report the number of cattle scheduled to be delivered two weeks in advance and create a contract library.
Hartzler tells Brownfield it’s ‘disconcerting’ that nearly all meat processing is controlled by four packers.
