11/12/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/13/2021 19:33
As a part of his continued effort to improve fairness and transparency in the ag industry, U.S. Senator Jon Tester this week announced his bipartisan Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act to ensure that Montana's ranchers are getting a fair shake in a highly consolidated cattle market.
"Montana ranchers raise the best beef in the world, and more market transparency and fairer prices are essential to fighting consolidation and keeping smaller operations strong," said Tester, the Senate's only working farmer. "Increasing spot transactions will give producers more control and better information when they sell their livestock, which is critical to helping them meet their bottom line. That's how we keep markets fair and ensure Montana's producers remain competitive."
Along with Tester, the bill is led by Senators Grassley (R-Iowa), Fischer (R-Neb.), and Wyden (D-Ore.).
The bill has been endorsed by the American Farm Bureau, U.S. Cattlemen's Association, and National Farmers Union.
The legislation will:
As the only working farmer in the U.S. Senate, Tester has long been an advocate for increased market transparency and more competitive practices for Montana producers. He recently introduced his bipartisan American Beef Labeling Act, which would ensure that only beef raised in the United States is labeled as a product of the USA. He also recently introduced his bipartisan Meatpacking Special Investigator Actwhich will create a new dedicated office within the Department of Agriculture's Packers and Stockyards Division, addressing anticompetitive practices in the meat and poultry industries. In response to this year's extreme weather he has also secured USDA relief for Montana producersthrough the authorization of haying and grazing on Conservation Reserve Program(CRP) acres, LFP funding, and ELAP funding.