Cattle Producers Set Policy Priorities for the Future of the NCBA

A large number of cattle producers worked to identify a policy that would help to resolve concerns about live cattle marketing issues and help lead the industry to more robust price discovery. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Live Cattle Marketing Committee considered many proposals aimed at encouraging greater volumes of cash cattle trade. After sometimes intense debate, the committee and the NCBA Board of Directors unanimously passed a policy that supports voluntary efforts to improve the fed cattle trade over the next three months. However, it leaves the market open to the potential for future mandates if robust regional cash trade numbers are not reached by the industry. NCBA President Marty Smith says the work of the Live Cattle Marketing Committee caps off months of efforts to find industry and market-driven solutions to increase price discovery without government mandates. “The policy we passed today is the result of every state cattlemen’s association coming together to work through their differences and find solutions that meet the needs of their members,” Smith says, “all of whom agree that the industry needs more price discovery. The policy provides all players in the industry with the opportunity to achieve that goal without seeking government mandates.”