Johnson’s “Cattle Contract Library” Passes the U.S. House

Washington, D.C. – Today, Ranking Member of the Livestock & Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) led debate on the Cattle Contract Library Act (H.R. 5609) on the U.S. House floor. Tonight, his bill passed by 411-13 and heads to the U.S. Senate for consideration.

H.R. 5609 creates 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.

"Today marks a big win for cattle producers in South Dakota," said Johnson. "Since I came to Congress, producers have made it clear they want transparency. The Cattle Contract Library provides just that and increases competition in an industry that desperately needs it. While no single piece of legislation can solve all problems, getting this bill across the finish line was a team effort, and I'm grateful to all of the producers that helped get this done."

In October, the Cattle Contact Library Act unanimously passed out of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee. This is the first cattle market bill to pass out of the Agriculture Committee in over a year and follows the recommendation of the July 2020 Boxed Beef & Fed Cattle Price Spread Investigation Report. The investigation recommended the implementation of a cattle contract library.

Click here or on the image above to watch Johnson debate the Cattle Contract Library.

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