National Cattlemen’s Beef Association members are hashing out policy at their summer meeting in Denver this week. Policy Division Chairman and South Dakota cattle producer Todd Wilkinson says their top issue is trying to improve market transparency in the live cattle markets.

He says they want to stay away from any mandated market requirements for packers to purchase a specific amount of cattle. Wilkinson says they’d rather focus on improving price discovery.

Wilkinson says other potential market fixes they’re looking at would involve problems involving confidentiality in some market reporting.

Wilkinson says the long range plan NCBA is formulating includes improvements in traceability for animal diseases and marketability.

NCBA summer meeting began on Monday and wraps up today. (Thursday July 30).