Cattlemen Voice Concerns at Town Hall Meeting



 

The Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association hosted a town hall meeting last night in Marion County to discuss volatility in the cattle markets. Since the fire on August 9th at a Tyson packing plant in Kansas, renewed discussions about packer concentration have concerned cattlemen across the state and nation.


“I think it’s a positive sign that this group can come together to discuss a unified effort among cattle producers in fixing a reeling industry,” said Andy Bishop, a producer in Nelson County. “This is the first step needed to work towards a solution for an even playing field for all cattlemen.”

Kentucky Congressman, James Comer, was present to hear from cattlemen and give an update on the investigation by USDA’s Packers and Stockyards Division that is examining any unfair practices that may have occurred after the fire.

“I appreciate the Congressman attending tonight’s meeting,” said Jeff Pettit, a producer in Webster County. “I sent an email to his office voicing my concern and Mr. Comer answered and offered to help in any way he could.”

Around 50 cattle producers from across the state attended the meeting. While packer concentration remained the main topic of discussion, other topics included country of origin labeling, opportunities to create a larger processing system in Kentucky, imports and exports, and ways to include Kentucky in the Livestock Gross Margin Protection (LGMP) program.

“I enjoyed meeting with the Kentucky Cattleman’s Association to hear their thoughts and concerns with beef markets,” Congressman James Comer said after the meeting. “The best thing for commodity groups to do is like the meeting that was held, where everyone can voice opinions and eventually work to a consensus on what’s best for the state and our nation’s cattle producers. I look forward to continuing to work on expanding markets and creating fair prices for all the cattle industry.” 


Source: Kentucky Cattlemen's Association 

 

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