05.22.25

Hoeven Outlines Efforts to Strengthen Market Opportunities for U.S. Cattle Industry

Senator Discusses Need for More Competitive & Transparent Cattle Market, Urges Nominee to Push Back on Barriers to U.S. Beef Exports

WASHINGTON – At a hearing of the Senate Agriculture Committee this week, Senator John Hoeven discussed efforts to strengthen market opportunities for the nation’s cattle industry. With Mr. Dudley Hoskins, the nominee to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, Hoeven outlined the need to:

  • Fully enforce the Packers and Stockyards Act to help ensure more competitive and transparent cattle markets.
    • As chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee, Hoeven has worked to provide additional funding for the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to enforce the law and investigate anti-competitive practices.
    • Hoskins highlighted the Cattle Contract Library pilot program that Hoeven established as an example of how to create greater price transparency for cattle producers.
  • Secure fair access to foreign markets for U.S. beef producers and push back against artificial barriers impacting U.S. exports.

“There is a real need for greater price discovery in cattle markets, which would provide our ranchers with more transparency and access to a more competitive market. That’s a win for both producers and consumers,” said Hoeven “Between our efforts to ensure enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act, advance my Cattle Contract Library pilot program and reinstate MCOOL, we’re working to strengthen the U.S. domestic cattle market. At the same time, we need to remove artificial trade barriers used to block U.S. livestock producers from accessing foreign markets. That’s why we support the Trump administration as it works to secure better trade deals for U.S. ag producers. We look forward to working with Mr. Hoskins to continue advancing these priorities.”

In addition, Hoeven invited Dr. Scott Hutchins, the nominee to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education and Economics, to visit North Dakota to learn firsthand about:

  • The state’s leadership in precision agriculture technology development, including the innovative work occurring under the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) partnership at Grand Farm.
  • The Agricultural Risk Policy Center (ARPC) that Hoeven has worked to stand up at North Dakota State University (NDSU). The center will:
    • Help address farm and agribusiness challenges through in-depth policy and economic analysis.

• • Complement the work conducted at similar centers currently housed at the University of Missouri, Texas A&M University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.