Senator Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska) has introduced legislation to mandate a minimum volume of cash market purchases of fed cattle. Specifically, the bill would amend the Packers and Stockyards Act to direct USDA to establish a mandatory minimum of negotiated purchases of fed cattle for each packer in each region for each slaughter week. It would not apply to single plant packing companies, however. The basics of the mandatory minimum are as follows:
Purchase volume requirements would be set regionally, along the lines of the USDA’s current five region livestock reporting, though regions could be adjusted
Would apply to cattle purchased for slaughter within 14 days – the proposal amends the Ag Marketing Act’s curren...
What You Need to Know Today: Commodities were mostly lower across the board today after yesterday’s Federal Reserve meeting hinted at a potential interest rate hike later in 2026. The dollar index reached its highest level in over a year, and a strong dollar makes U.S. agricultural expor...
Tomorrow is the Juneteenth federal holiday, and the USDA, along with the rest of the federal government and the CME, will be closed, so the monthly Cattle on Feed report was released a day early. The total number of cattle on feed in feedlots with 1,000 head or more capacity on 1 June amounted...
