Hartzler Applauds Passage of Legislation Benefiting Cattle Producers

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Cattle Contract Library Act of 2021, which would create a library for cattle contracts within the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Agriculture Marketing Service Department. Currently, cattlemen are unaware of contract terms being offered by packers, leading to a decline in leverage for smaller producers during price negotiations.
At present time, the USDA maintains a pork contract library, and following significant volatility in the cattle market and the release of the July 2020 Boxed Beef & Fed Cattle Price Spread Investigation Report, the creation of a library was recommended by experts and stakeholders.
"Congressional efforts to create a cattle contract library not only helps our cattle producers survive the volatility across today's industry, but also equips our cattle producers with the proper leverage to make informed decisions and thrive in today's market," Hartzler said. "I applaud the Cattle Contract Library Act's passage in the House and look forward to spearheading more legislation to benefit our farmers and ranchers."
Hartzler has been a leader and advocate for the cattle market industry since entering Congress in 2011 and previously introduced legislation to reform the industry. Her bill, the Optimizing the Cattle Market Act of 2021, also included the adoption of a cattle contract library as one of its tenets.
The Cattle Contract Library Act of 2021 is supported by the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, U.S. Cattlemen's Association, National Farmers Union, Livestock Marketing Association, Missouri Farm Bureau, and Missouri Cattlemen's Association.
A lifelong farmer, Hartzler currently resides with her husband on a farm located in Harrisonville, MO, where they raise cattle and grow corn, soybeans, and wheat.
Read the full bill here.