31 CALF News • April | May 2022 • www.calfnews.net 800-747-4538 • Beef.StuartProducts.com Compared to VITAL E®-A+D, it provides 66% more Vitamin E, 500% more Vitamin D, and the most “bioavailable form” of Vitamin A. VITAL E®-Newborn Beneficial for Vitamin A and E deficiencies in newborn calves born during winter, early-spring and drought conditions. ® Research-based Solutions . . . for Animal Nutrition Needs uart_Beef_Qrt_2022.indd 1 12/27/21 1:09 PM Service • SaleS • partS Dodge City, Kan. 1501 South Second 800-280-7150 Scott City, Kan. 40 East Road 160 800-280-7251 Service on all mixers and electronic sales – all makes and models. Highest Standards in Product, Service and Customer Satisfaction! www.midwestmixer.com located in the Heartland for all Your cattle Feeding Needs. product liNeS Harsh • Kuhn Knight Laird Mfg. • Kirby Mfg. Scott City Parts 1006 West 5th 620-872-7007 Strategically located in the heart of the cattle-feeding industry, we provide over 100 years of combined experience and knowledge. of marketing research) and anyone else against the R-CALF agenda to that list. Waiting on Congress As of mid-March, legislation in the U.S. House and Senate had not been approved to create mandatory negotiated cash trade. The primary bill, Senate Bill 949, cites a minimum of 50 percent of a covered packer’s weekly volume of livestock slaughter must be purchased through spot market sales from nonaffiliated producers. Cattle must be slaughtered not more than 14 days after the date on which the agreement is entered. “I don’t believe it is going to pass,” Bohn said. “The beef and cattle industry is a big ship. To try to come up with a one-size-fits-all solution is going in the wrong direction. Research by reputable [ag university] economists states that. There is concern that if we go in the direction of government mandates, we will go in a reverse trend and that fed and feeder cattle prices will be lower.” Bohn said seed money provided by USDA would help with the establishment of more packer capacity; something desperately needed the past few years when cattle supplies surpassed slaughter capacity. “The concern is where is the labor going to come from to operate them,” Bohn added. “[With the decrease in cattle numbers now seen] there is also potential concern there will be too much capacity. It may coincide with a low in the cattle cycle. “Raising money to build packing plants is not nearly as hard as having enough money to operate it after it gets built. “Cattle prices are going to get higher. We’re already in that mode. Supply is more in balance with packer capacity. The continued drought and higher costs of inputs are also a challenge.” Cattle Contract Library On March 10, the U.S. Senate passed a Fiscal Year 2022 Omnibus Appropriations package. The package includes a Cattle Contract Library pilot program; a tool that NCBA and other cattle groups believe will increase market transparency for cattle producers. Ethan Lane, NCBA vice president of Government Affairs, said the program equips producers with the market data they need to make informed business decisions and work to capture more value for producing the highest quality beef in the world. “This pilot program will allow USDA to work on the model for a contract library that works for everyone in the supply chain while Congress and industry continue to work out the details of a permanent library in subsequent legislation like the Cattle Contract Library Act,” Lane said. “NCBA stands ready to ensure proper implementation of this program and looks forward to working with members of Congress to establish permanent solutions to ensure a viable business climate for cattle producers.” Lane also praised the appropriations package provision that provides electronic logging device exemption for livestock haulers, important EPA regulatory relief and an extension of the Livestock Mandatory Reporting program.
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