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: Crude oil prices extended their rally today, supported by several developments, including escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabian oil infrastructure and growing concerns about supply disruptions. The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to remove 50 perc...
Key Takeaways: The agricultural trade surplus has become a sizable deficit: the balance swung from a $40.1 billion surplus in 2011 to a $40.7 billion deficit in 2025. Imports kept growing while exports lost momentum: between 2020 and 2025, agricultural imports increased 45 percent, compa...
USDA released its October Cattle on Feed report Friday, showing 11.4 million cattle in feedlots with capacity for 1,000 head or more, slightly below last year. September placements were the lowest for the month since records began in 1996, marking the third consecutive month of placements sett...
Total Red Meat & Poultry September 2026 total red meat and poultry stocks totaled 1.97 billion pounds, down 1.4 percent from August despite typically increasing 0.8 percent during the month, and were 1.5 percent below September 2025 levels. The decline pushed total inventories to a new five...
