Cattle Market Volatility

What started as an unprecedented meeting between members of American Farm Bureau and America’s cattle organizations has turned into meaningful legislation that is looking to dramatically change how cattle are marketed. These changes would give more transparency to the process and more income for the farmer. On this week’s Our Ohio Weekly, we talk about the issues involving cattle marketing and what is being done in Washington D.C. to give livestock producers a more fair market in the future. 00:00 - Scott Bennett, American Farm Bureau’s Director of Congressional Relations and Brandon Kern, senior director of state and national policy for Ohio Farm Bureau discuss the current challenges farmers are dealing with when it comes to cattle marketing across the country. 16:50 - Bennett and Kern talk about what possible changes to the Packers and Stockyards Act would mean for the livestock industry. 23:50 - “To the Beat of Agriculture”, hear from the outstanding winner of an important award from the National Association of Agricultural Educators. Stephanie Jolliff shares her passion for ag education and her motivations after 26 years of teaching. 32:20 - Dr. Juan Leon, Chief of the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Division of Meat Inspection talks about the uptick in direct-to-consumer sales and how his team has adjusted to the shift in demand. 42:20 - Dr. Leon talks about the funding coming from the state and federal governments to help small and medium sized meat processors expand their to benefit local farmers and consumers.