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Cow-calf producer favors Hartzler, Fischer bills
A Missouri cattle producer says market legislation sponsored by Iowa’s Chuck Grassley could harm the cattle market.
Jeff Reed tells Brownfield Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley’s 50/14 legislation, which would mandate packers buy half of their cattle on the cash market with a 14-day delivery period, could create problems for producers.
“Fifty-percent might not fit every state,” he said. “That’s why I think the region-specific bills are going to be better for everybody, cow producer included. Because if you put the packers out of business and you put feedlots out of business, then you’ve got nowhere to go with your calves.”
The southeastern Missouri cow-calf producer says mandating 50 percent cash business for every state will be difficult since states like Missouri are now at less than 10 percent while others might be over half.
Reed says he prefers legislation sponsored by Missouri’s Vikki Hartzler or Nebraska’s Deb Fischer that would instead give producers more market knowledge.
“You’ve got to have that knowledge before you demand 50 percent or 40 percent or 30 percent,” Reed said. “Right now, those [sales] numbers aren’t out there so we don’t know what we need yet.
