Recent analysis conducted by R-CALF shows the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act is a boon for packers and a bust for producers. R-CALF CEO Bill Bullard analyzed the Fischer-Grassley Compromise Bill to reform the cattle markets. He says data from Livestock Mandatory Reporting shows the significant increase in negotiated cash cattle from August until late November is associated with higher cash cattle prices. He believes that will be stifled under their legislation.

He says the regional thresholds will actually serve as a cap and not a floor for the amount of negotiated cash cattle trade that will take place under the bill.

Opponents of the Grassley Fischer bill say they had to reach a compromise to gain enough political support to get any legislation passed to reform the cattle market. Bullard disagrees.

Bullard admits that it will be difficult to get Congress to pass cattle market reform if the industry does not present a unified position.