By Jack Payne, Region II Director, U.S. Cattlemen’s Association Consumers will pay 17 percent more – or about $10 – for their Fourth of July cookouts this year, according to a marketbasket survey completed by the American Farm Bureau Federation. The largest year-to-year price increase is for the ground beef Americans will use to shape their hamburger patties. The survey …
(JUNE 22, 2022) – On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry considered S. 3870, the Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act of 2022, and S. 4030, the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act of 2022. The Committee unanimously passed S. 3870, with amendments offered by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa. One of those changes, which the …
By Rep. Abigail Spanberger and USCA President Brooke Miller (JUNE 19, 2022) – Over the last year, meat prices have gone up by 15 percent for Americans — meaning higher prices for the beef they’ll grill, smoke, and barbeque this summer. That’s not the fault of America’s ranchers, and it’s certainly not the fault of the truck drivers working overtime …
(JUNE 16, 2022) – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 7606, the Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act, on a 221-204 vote. Seven Republicans joined their Democratic colleagues to support the package of bills, including Reps. Dusty Johnson (SD-At Large), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-02), Ashley Hinson (IA-01), Don Bacon (NE-02), Adam Kinzinger (IL-16), Randy Feenstra (IA-04), and Vicky Hartzler (MO-04). …
(JUNE 16, 2022) – The United States Cattlemen’s Association’s (USCA) executive leadership traveled to Washington, D.C. this week to advocate for the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act and the Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act. With both bills pending review and approval by Congress, the timing of the “fly-in” could not have been better. USCA President Brooke Miller and …
(MAY 20, 2022) – On Thursday, Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced a bipartisan resolution asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate beef companies for potential price fixing. The resolution invokes a 1914 act that authorizes the president or Congress to direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate alleged antitrust violations. The rule has not been used …
(MAY 19, 2022) – On Wednesday, the House Agriculture Committee approved H.R. 7606, the Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act of 2022. The bill directs coordination between the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It grants subpoena power to aid in the investigation and prosecution of violators of …
(APRIL 27, 2022) – Please join us for a #FactsOnly Friday discussion this Friday, April 29 at 7:00 AM Mountain Daylight Time with USCA Directors Brett Crosby of Wyoming and Lee Reichmuth of Nebraska. We’ll breakdown this week’s House and Senate Agriculture Committee hearings that focused on the U.S. cattle and beef industries. Have questions? Want to join the conversation? We welcome your thoughts …
(APRIL 22, 2021) – On Tuesday, April 26 at 10:00am Eastern Daylight Time, the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry will hold a hearing to review the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act of 2022 and the Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act of 2022. Mississippi cattle producer Ricky Ruffin will testify at the hearing on behalf of the U.S. …
(APRIL 8, 2022) – On Thursday, Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) introduced the Amplifying Processing of Livestock in the United States Act, or the A-PLUS Act. The bill would allow livestock auction markets to hold an ownership interest in, finance, or participate in the management or operation of a packing facility that has a slaughter capacity of less …
(MARCH 28, 2022) – Today, Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Jon Tester (D-MT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) released a revised Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act. The updated bill comes after hours of deliberation with leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee and weeks of technical feedback from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The U.S. Cattlemen’s Association’s (USCA) Marketing and Competition Committee …
(FEBRUARY 4, 2022) – On Thursday, the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Justice (DOJ) launched an online portal to give farmers and ranchers a place to anonymously report unfair and anticompetitive practices in the livestock and poultry sectors. This follows the release of the White House’s Action Plan for a Fairer, More Competitive and More Resilient Meat and Poultry Supply Chain, which …