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In production agriculture, the output is largely a commodity. But whether the output is commodity or differentiated, the system of how the output is produced matters as much as the output itself.

With the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act top of mind for many cattle producers, director of government relations at the Iowa Cattlemen's Association, Cora Fox, shares her thoughts on the bill. 

“Don’t shoot where the duck is. Shoot where he’s going to be.” It’s a lesson Steve Cornett thinks some young cattle folk need to consider.

With exploding populations, our working lands are developed, subdivided and converted to other uses diminishing these benefits. As a result, it is harder for cattle raisers to find affordable rangeland for livestock.

Undoubtedly, consumers increasingly want more transparency. But reference to “where food comes from” invokes very specific connotations – beyond just country-of-origin.

Growing a successful, sustainable ranching operation is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes commitment, vision, long-term planning and the forethought to know that your decisions will affect the operation for generations.

A proposed Clean Water Act regulation that could affect millions of acres of farmland is moving forward. Still, SCOTUS will hear a case that will clarify what CWA covers, likely sending it back to the drawing board.

Rather than running to the politicians to solve a problem, perhaps the better strategy might be to gather a plan to create a better understanding of the economics of the industry.

All four bosspackers testified in Washington this week, and none of our elected congressbeings made anybody squirm.

A review of the data shows widening packer margins during the past several years have occurred for multiple reasons.  The timing of that occurrence post-COOL is coincidental.

When everybody you know seems to agree on something, it’s a lot easier to believe it, too. And believe it more!

Next week will be a good one for folks with good internet access and a few free hours who want to see some rhetorical fireworks about cattle price discovery.

Seven years after repeal of mandatory country-of-origin labeling, a proposal has been introduced for the Secretary of Agriculture to "determine a means of reinstating" COOL, despite evidence of "no measurable benefits."

There’s irony in R-CALF’s recent Market Reform bill 180-degree about face. The ranch group “presumably figured out what we’ve known all along: the cure is worse than the disease,” writes columnist Nevil Spear.

Regional processing plants are not likely to be an easy success, but we need them so badly. So much more badly than we need crabs-in-a-bucket laws telling big feeders their marketing methods are too efficient to be fair.

There’s all this energy focused on the “market” – but there’s little emphasis on the “business”, that’s where opportunity gets established.

Regarding those cash mandates, now we have NCBA and Farm Bureau saying don’t do it. Don’t need it. And R-CALF apparently saying they won’t settle for such weak tea.

NCBA CEO Colin Woodall responds to recent comments by tech mogul Bill Gates, suggesting that consumers in wealthy nations should switch to “synthetic beef” as an alternative to real beef products.

Senators renewed their call for mandatory minimum cash trades for the purchase of fed cattle as they unveiled a revised Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act, and suggested Senate will hold hearings soon.

Although activism and activist activity certainly pose a reputational concern, biosecurity is one of the key drivers behind the importance of implementing farm security measures. 

Is there really a massively growing market of repeat buyers for something that has even a hint of a mushy cardboard eating experience? Especially in a time when meat quality is at all-time highs.

A controversial animal rights activist and former member of the Colorado State Board of Veterinary medicine has been charged with animal cruelty. The blatant hypocrisy is stunning.

The owner of a Kansas City barbeque joint says he's "embarrassed" by brisket prices. He wants customers to "order anything besides the brisket and burnt ends." Have the Biden folks read the history of the Nixon debacle?

A foreign leader addressing a joint session of Congress this week was a rarity. Not to be outdone, the partisan and often cantankerous members of the U.S. Senate passed legislation unanimously on a voice vote!

Name calling aside, what problem are we really trying to solve? Twenty-two years of data sourced from LMIC tell a compelling story (or lack thereof) about the relationship between cash trade and producer profitability.

In an exclusive Drovers commentary, the president and CEO of the North American Meat Institute says despite popular arguments, America's cattle and beef industries are better without government intervention.

Inflation has hit consumers hard and drawn the attention of the national media. With increasing media attention on climate change, do activists see inflation as a way to encourage Americans to reduce beef consumption?

In a rebuttal to accusations of being an “ally” to big packers over federal mandates for minimum cash trades for live cattle, Steve Cornett pleads not guilty and offers additional arguments for consideration.

Self-interests of large packers has led to exploitation of independent cattlemen on one side of the supply chain and consumers on the other, says Bill Bullard. He believes Senate Bill 949 is the "packers' kryptonite."

With its witty humor and larger than life storyline, the “Yellowstone” TV series is undoubtedly entertaining. But could this western-themed story make or break the rancher’s way of life?

Speculators in the futures markets have a negative portrayal. But opposite sides of the market work in lock-step with one another - producers can’t hedge price risk without speculators on the other side. 

While we were busy exploring whether the government should make laws mandating how cattle are marketed, The New York Times has been writing beef's eulogy. Indeed, "beef is the Kiev of foods, besieged on all fronts."

Are speculators in CME Live cattle futures markets dominating price movement, adding to volatility and uncertainty? Nevil Speer examines the data to provide perspective.

In the fifth installment of a series exploring cattle market reforms, Steve Cornett conducts a Q&A with Brad Kooima, a commodity broker and independent cattle feeder in Sioux Center, Iowa.

Taking a detour into how stewardship and sustainability play a role in the future of cattle marketing, Steve Cornett offers the fourth installment of a who-knows-how-many series on proposals to reform cattle markets.

The increased use of alternative marketing arrangements has allowed feedlots to spend less effort and energy on guessing the market – and more work dedicated to consistent throughput, Nevil Speer says.

In the third installment of a who-knows-how-many series, Steve Cornett ruminates about the responses he's gathered from readers who are either for or against Sen. Chuck Grassley's proposed fix for cattle markets.

A level playing field for ranchers when marketing cattle is the most important issue for TSCRA, writes first vice president Arthur Uhl. But mandates on negotiated cattle trade raise more questions than answers.

In the second installment of this series about the current cattle markets, veteran editor Steve Cornett visits with a Midwestern feeder who helps us understand Senator Grassley's curmudgeonly attitude about packers.

Suboptimal cattle production isn't just an innocuous segment that has no effect on the rest. Poorly managed cattle are a drag on the whole system and the impacts are worsening as we look to address big challenges.

Colorado ranchers say they are “under attack” by their governor after hiring a director of the Bureau of Animal Protection who has ties to Mercy for Animals and leads a project that promotes plant-based food choices.

This idea of mandating a certain level of cash cattle trade is a bit revolutionary in what has been an evolutionary change in cattle price discovery over these last couple of decades, says veteran editor Steve Cornett.

Plant-based chicken pluckers are not satisfied with a 1% market share, but they have the difficult task of convincing folks a concoction of pea protein, soy protein, flour, oils and sodium tastes just like chicken.

Ellen Kessler proved a lightning rod on Colorado’s Board of Veterinary Medicine from the moment she was appointed by Gov. Polis in 2020. Her service came to an end last week after an "unprofessional" social media post.

Production efficiency is key to sustainability including profitability, both at the ranch and for the industry as a whole, but that production efficiency doesn’t end at the ranch gate.

Is the Biden Administration's plan for the beef industry workable, or does it ignore the economics of market structure and pricing across the meat industry supply chain?

Animal activist groups went full Grinch-mode this week, calling for the end of "animal gifting" programs such as Heifer International and 'Hatching Hope' that work to support impoverished people. Because, well, Humbug!

What’s the Checkoff doing to address the threat plant-based alternative proteins pose to the beef industry? CBB vice-chairman Norman Voyles, Jr., provides a glimpse into the response from the Beef Checkoff.

Consumers have access to greater differentiation and higher-quality beef products now, more than ever. As a result, beef spending has outpaced the competition since 2000. Cattle prices have risen as a result.

Changes in the beef supply chain in recent years have had an increasingly greater market impact. Pricing cattle off the cutout would provide a negotiating a formula that captures a relevant share of the total value.