Texas Farm Bureau launches cattle market issues webpage

Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) has launched a webpage to inform stakeholders and highlight issues with legislative efforts meant to improve transparency and profitability in the cattle  marketplace. The webpage provides extensive analysis regarding the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act (CPDTA), which would impose an onerous federal mandate on the cattle market.

TFB is engaged with leaders of Congress to ensure any legislative solution will indeed help all segments of the cattle industry. American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) policy generally supports certain provisions of the CPDTA that would benefit U.S. cattlemen and women, including the 14-day cattle slaughter report, expedited carcass weights reporting and the cattle contract library.

However, TFB and AFBF remain strongly opposed to provisions specific to the establishment of federal mandatory minimum thresholds under which certain percentages of cattle are purchased. Many studies and analyses from top universities conclude a federal mandate in the market will cost cow-calf and stocker operators up to $50 per head, if not more, on the price of their cattle.

“As discussions regarding legislation on providing transparency in the cattle market continue, we believe it is critical to keep our members informed and armed with the facts,” TFB President Russell Boening said. “As the top cattle state in the country, TFB is heavily involved in the legislative process to ensure legislative solutions will help ranchers, regardless of sector. Currently, there is no economic analysis proving a mandate in the cattle market will result in higher cattle prices.”

View the analyses and information on the webpage at texasfarmbureau.org/cattle-markets.