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Cattle price discovery a priority for NE Farm Bureau

Nebraska Farm Bureau is making cattle market transparency and price discovery a top priority in 2021.

First Vice President of Nebraska Farm Bureau Sherry Vinton said the bureau’s goal is to increase the number of cash cattle trade to provide greater price transparency. She tells Brownfield the first step is to find how many cash sales will be needed.

“What we’re going to do is conduct a thorough review and make sure that if there is any government mandate, that is has a period of time for a specific review,” She said.

Vinton said the challenge is finding what works in other states with different sectors of beef production like Missouri and Iowa and not just Nebraska.

She said the American Farm Bureau Federation and Nebraska Farm Bureau were leaders in the investigation into the aftermath of the Holcomb, Kansas processor fire and market disruptions in March…

“We want to continue to provide those tools to make sure that the Packers and Stockyards Act is enforced,” Vinton said.

The Livestock Market Reform Act received a yearlong extension in September, but Vinton said more support is needed for price discovery.