House Agriculture Committee unanimously approved bill to offer more transparency in cattle market.
As the cattle industry continues to grapple with the spread between what cattle producers receive and consumers pay for beef, new legislation could offer additional transparency on what packers are paying and offer producers more knowledge for negotiating their own contracts with the creation of a cattle contract library.
Following up on a House Agriculture Committee hearing on livestock issues, in action by the committee Oct. 21, the U.S. House Agriculture Committee unanimously passed the bipartisan Cattle Contract Library Act of 2021 (H.R. 5609). The bipartisan bill was introduced by ranking member of the Livestock & Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., and is the result of nearly a year of work with producers and industry leaders following the release of USDA’s July 2020 Boxed Beef & Fed Cattle Price Spread Investigation Report, which recommended the creation of a cattle contract library.
The bill comes as Congress begins to lay out what it hopes to include in the Livestock Mandatory Reporting bill set to expire Dec. 3.
“As this Committee has seen firsthand, there are a lot of competing ideas on how to address the challenges facing the cattle industry. I appreciate the efforts made to navigate those complex and competing ideas in pursuit of what I view as a very pragmatic middle ground,” says House Agriculture Committee ranking member Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa. “We have heard loud and clear the desire for more market transparency. Hopefully, with more market knowledge about the types of contracts offered, producers stand a better chance of negotiating beneficial terms to sell their own cattle.”
Related: Cattle market consensus still eludes Congress
The bill introduced by Johnson along with Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, would create a library for cattle contracts within USDA’s Agriculture Marketing Service Department. Currently, cattlemen are unaware of contract terms being offered by packers, leading to a decline in leverage for smaller producers during price negotiations, Johnson says.
Currently, USDA maintains a pork contract library, and following significant volatility in the cattle market and the release of USDA’s report in July 2020, the creation of a library was recommended by experts and stakeholders.
“Producers have been asking for increased transparency and leverage in the cattle market for years. The Cattle Contract Library Act will provide granular data in near real time, ensuring producers understand the value of marketing agreements,” says Johnson. “Data drives marketing decisions and a contract library will provide much-needed leverage for independent producers.”
Support growing
The cattle contract library is widely supported by industry groups and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, and the introduction of this legislation comes after more than a year of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association pushing for the creation of the library. The bill is also supported by the American Farm Bureau Federation, U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, National Farmers Union and Livestock Marketing Association.
"After more than a year of upheaval, facing everything from extreme drought to supply chain disruptions, many cattle producers have been backed against a wall. We need to act urgently to provide them with relief," says NCBA President Jerry Bohn. "There is no single silver bullet solution to the wide variety of needs among our diverse membership, but lawmakers can start by focusing on viable solutions that have broad-base support across the industry. The cattle contract library is one such solution, and it will help our producers command more leverage in negotiations with the packers."
Earlier this month, NCBA Vice President and South Dakota rancher Todd Wilkinson testified before the House Agriculture Committee and underscored the need for greater transparency in cattle markets. One of the solutions he advocated for was the creation of the cattle contract library, as well as full reauthorization of Livestock Mandatory Reporting.
Meanwhile, the North American Meat Institute withheld support for the bill until it knows further the implications of its requirements.