YOUR TEXAS AGRICULTURE MINUTE

A more fair and transparent cattle marketplace

Gary Joiner
Publisher

There’s a lot of attention these days on the beef supply chain. And for good reason.

Even before the pandemic, farmers and ranchers watched as the price for their cattle fell while the price of beef leaving processing facilities increased.

During the pandemic, the same trends were amplified, and the effect was more widespread. Wholesale beef prices went up 25% in just seven days while the price paid to ranchers dropped.

The question is what can be done about it? Several key issues are being discussed by the cattle industry and by federal lawmakers. The issues include the consolidation of the meat processing industry, the lack of price transparency and discovery, oversight and the country’s meat processing capacity.

For every $1 Americans spend on food, just 14.3 cents go to farmers and ranchers, and they don’t get to set the price of their products.

A fair and transparent market for livestock producers is critical. Frustration with problems in cattle marketing may lead to change.

Ranchers in Texas and across the country deserve to have confidence they are being treated fairly in the cattle marketplace.

The preceding commentary is brought to you by Texas Farm Bureau, the “Voice of Texas Agriculture.” Called “Your Texas Agriculture Minute,” TFB will issue thought-provoking editorials each week—via print and audio—to spark understanding of agriculture in the Lone Star State and its impact on each and every Texan.

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